Julian looked down at the tiny woman in his pocket. He was infuriated that she had done this to him, when he could not remember what may have caused her to do so. Perhaps she was an evil fairy, who was jealous of him for some unknown reason, and decided to damn him to the fearsome body he was now a prisoner of.
"I do not wish to do this, my lady, but you leave me little choice in the matter. I will not tolerate being in such a state," he told her. "Be wise, and release me from it."
"I have told you that I did not do this to you, and would not have even if I had the capability."
"One moment I was of normal size, now I look down at the highest trees. You are the only other being in sight; so, therefore, you are the perpetrator. You will remain with me until you come to your senses."
Eve's eyes filled with tears. She could not bear the anger and coldness in his expression.
"Where will we go, Julian? You cannot remain in the open like this."
"You profess to care about my welfare? What a bewitching little thing you are. Okay, I will humor you. Where do you propose we venture?"
"Mount Harmony. There is a cave that will shelter you from harm. Look over there." Eve pointed, her finger trembling.
"I have already been 'harmed', my lady. I am not sure why I am trusting you on this, after all you have done, but the place you mention does sound like the only location suitable for a man of my horrid size. If this is a trap, you will be the one who will suffer in the end, not I," Julian declared as he moved toward the looming mountain, with the wife he no longer knew tucked inside his pocket.
center/center
Eve looked around at the cave, tears in her eyes. She thought she would never see it again when they left to confront Tabitha Lenox, and now she was back, a prisoner once more.
"Julian," she said, sobbing quietly. "How could this have happened to you again? And how could you forget what we mean to one another?"
"I do not know what you are speaking of, my lady, but I demand that you restore me to my former state. I do not wish to remain in this abominable form one more moment." Julian looked down at her.
"I told you, I had nothing to do with this. Julian, I could never hurt you," Eve told him, looking up at him. "Why won't you believe me?"
"How am I supposed to believe that you had no hand in this? I did not see any other soul around, save for you, my lady. It is foolhardy to attempt to cast blame elsewhere."
"Julian, I love you dearly."
"That is all well and good, my lady, but it does not solve my problem - which is my dreadful size - nor yours, which is your captivity." Julian squatted down. "I grow weary of this. Rethink your position and restore me."
"If I had the power to do so, don't you think I would have? Please be reasonable, Julian. I am your wife, and I love you so very much." Eve held her hand out to him. "I would not wish this on you again, my darling."
"Again?" Julian was incredulous. "You have done this to me before? What kind of madness is this?" He stared at her in disbelief. "How could you commit such an unholy act a second time? What crime have I committed against your person? And I have no recollection of being married to you, my lady, so that is not a reason for me to release you."
"No! Julian, don't you remember? This is where I first saw you, after you captured me near Harmony! We fell in love here!"
"How could I ever love a creature that cast such a spell on me? You are incredibly beautiful, my lady, but perhaps that is part of your dark magic. Tempting innocent men to their fates."
"If I wished you harm, why would I tell you to flee to this place?"
"That I do not know, at this moment in time. Yet I do know this--here you have no one to save you from myself, if you do not restore me." Julian's eyes narrowed at her.
Eve backed away from him.
"What do you mean?"
Julian thought a moment. Even in his righteous anger, somehow, he knew he would not be able to cause any physical harm to her. Looking about the cave, he saw a golden cage, but it was smashed beyond repair. His gaze then fell upon a ledge protruding from the cave wall.
"You will be restrained from absconding from this place." His eyes were still upon the ledge. The length was adequate, and a crevice lay beyond it, forged into the wall itself.
"Julian, I have no desire to leave you. You are my love, the man I want to spend the rest of my life with," Eve insisted.
"Then I will grant you that wish, since you have failed to heed mine." Julian suddenly seized Eve, startling her. He arose from his squatting position and placed Eve upon the ledge, which was at his chin level.
"What... Why did you put me here?" Eve asked, now very frightened. She tried not to look down at the cave floor, looking instead into Julian's eyes.
He leaned so close to her, she could feel his breath upon her face.
"So I can keep an eye on you, my lady. You have proven yourself not trustworthy by your actions, so I will keep you here."
"But...but...it is so high," Eve stammered. "How can you expect me to stay here? I could fall, Julian. Is that what you want?" Her heart was breaking at Julian's determination.
He pointed behind her.
"You have some room there, beyond you. There you can sleep, with little danger to yourself. "
Eve stared at her husband, trying to see any remnant of the man she loved with all of her heart, but all she was the monster all of Harmony still feared.
Grief filled her heart. "I've lost you," she murmured to herself.
Julian studied her expression. She genuinely seemed upset. Strange, when she had succeeded in the spell she cast upon him. Perhaps she was telling the truth.
No, he told himself. It was an act, and he would watch her closely, to prevent any further mishaps.
"The only thing you have lost, my lady, is your freedom, as I have lost any semblance of my normal self. I will not fall victim to your feminine wiles another time."
"Julian, please don't leave me up this high. I swear on my love for you that I will not run away. I want to be with you, wherever you are."
"Do you truly think that I would believe anything that comes out of that beautiful, yet bewitching little mouth? Surely you jest, my lady."
Eve bowed her head in defeat.
"Eve," she whispered.
"Eve?"
"My name is Eve," she repeated sadly.
"How fitting you are named so. A woman who cast a love spell over the first man, tempting him to eat the fruit that damned all mankind forevermore," Julian said harshly.
She retreated into the crevice beyond the ledge, no longer able to withstand the cruel words flung at her. Sobs racked her body as she cried for her loss.
"Oh, Julian," she said, weeping. "What happened to you? How could you become a giant again, and forget about our love?"
"Our love? You are not only an evil sprite, you are a fantastic teller of tales, Eve! I could never love such a creature as yourself. I will only love the moment you regain your senses and reverse your spell."
"I cannot."
"Cannot or will not?"
"I did not do this thing, Julian! Keeping me here, and speaking to me in such a manner, will not change this! I cannot change you back; God knows I wish I could!" Eve screamed at him in frustration.
Julian smiled, but it did not reach his eyes.
"You are quite ravishing, Eve. It is a shame that your beauty hides such trickery within your soul."
Eve turned away from him, not wanting to see the contempt in his eyes.
"I am telling the truth, Julian. I pray you realize this, and soon," she said tiredly. Her eyes suddenly flew open. "Helene!" she cried.
"Who is this Helene? Another of your ilk?" Julian asked.
"She's our daughter, Julian. I have to go get her!" Eve pleaded. "She needs us!"
"First a wife, now a daughter. You would say anything to escape your fate, Eve, but it will not work. The only way you leave this place is if you change me back to my normal size."
"Julian, I can't!"
"Then I cannot release you. Accept your fate, and intend on remaining here the rest of your life," Julian told her.
Eve knew that somehow, she had to get to Helene. Executing it was another matter entirely.