Past Lives, Present Futures
Chapter 2
Aine peered through the thick trees studying the large buck as he ate. Hearing something his ears perked and she knew she only had a moment. Quickly drawing her bow and an arrow from the quiver on her back she pulled back until the string was taught. Taking aim she shot her arrow but it was a moment too late and not because she was a bad shot. A split second before her arrow hit another had hit the same place causing the creature to go down dead the moment it hit the ground. Aine gnashed her teeth angrily as she stepped from her hiding place her worn boots barely making a noise on the forest floor.
"Who do you think you are?" She snapped seeing a small figure with its own quiver on its back. A thick woolen green cloak covered the person hiding them easily from view but when her voice registered the person turned to look at her.
It was a woman and not just any woman but one the likes of which she'd never seen before. Aine gulped suddenly feeling like the air had been knocked out of her for a moment. The woman's blue grey eyes widened marginally before narrowing in anger, "excuse me? Who are you? This was my kill."
Aine didn't speak for a moment lost in the lyrical voice before the words registered and she narrowed her eyes, "How dare you! This was my kill. I've been watching it for a while now and my villagers need to eat."
"And mine don't?" The woman's slight figure rose and Aine could see despite her slender build she wasn't quite as petite as she'd thought she was. She came almost to Aine's chin but the blonde woman could be considered rather tall which often worked to her advantage.
Aine studied her, her pretty face hidden by her cloak despite the destiny of the forest keeping the rays of sunlight that passed through the thick leaves and trees to a minimum seemed to have an odd quality to it. Her skin appeared almost too white and her eyes seemed to glow peering out at her watching her every move. She was no fool that much was obvious and she had no intention of losing this to Aine.
Aine sighed, "Well then I suppose since your arrow hit a mere moment before mine it is your kill."
"Indeed it is."
Aine snorted and shrugged as she tilted her head, her long braid snapping to one side as she did so.
"And how do you intend to get this thing back to your village? You hardly seemed equipped to be doing menial labor."
The woman narrowed her eyes, "I can manage just fine. I assure you of that."
Aine shook her head watching as the beauty stalked off only to return a moment later with a horse. "Well I suppose you can manage just fine. Good luck getting that thing up there."
The woman opened her mouth to snip back before shutting it and shaking her head. "You're Aine aren't you?"
"Yes," Aine didn't hesitate to respond. "And who are you?"
The woman paused looking down for the first time. "Someone you should never meet."
"What is that supposed to mean."
"It means Aine of the Sun, that we are enemies."
"How do I know if you're my enemy if I don't even know your name?" Aine's eyes narrowed finding it hard to believe such a petite creature could be her enemy.
The woman looked up from hoisting the carcass preparing to move it into place which Aine now realized was a small raft like contraption attached to the horse's saddle. She was much stronger then she looked as she didn't seem to have any trouble hefting the dead animal.
"Selene. My name is Selene."
"Selene of the moon," Aine muttered watching as the woman slid up into the saddle once she was done.
"Yes, goodbye Aine; let's hope we never meet again."
Regina gasped as she jerked awake reaching out her hand across the bed. "Aine?" She heard herself ask softly before she pulled back realizing what she was doing. She sat up brushing her fingers through her flat hair. Who were they? She didn't understand. Why was she dreaming about them now of all places? Why not in the Enchanted Forest where they obviously lived? She brought her hand down pinching the bridge of her nose before looking over at the clock. The red numbers peered back at her. 4:00 AM too early to get up but she wasn't sure she could actually go back to sleep. She sighed falling back onto the pillows and taking a deep breath trying to take stock of her situation.
For some odd unknown reason her mind was either remembering two women she'd never seen before or she was doing something wrong at night to cause these strange and unusual dreams. She tried to figure out what both nights had in common so far and though she'd had a few drinks the night before she hadn't drank anything this night so that wasn't the link. She hadn't eaten anything similar so that wasn't the link either. She hadn't switched her shampoo or soaps or anything so that couldn't be it.
Then the only explanation was they were someone she had known somehow prior to casting the curse. As she lay there wracking her brain for any way she might have seen the two nothing came to her; she hadn't gotten a good look at the place they'd lived the first dream. She could tell it was a village of some sort and she recognized it as being a part of the Enchanted Forest but it wasn't a place she'd ever been.
The dream tonight had been their first meeting and she knew for a fact she'd never seen a place like that before. It was beautiful but very different. The trees had been strange, thick and yet slender all at the same time. The colors were a bit off too. The browns of the trunks a bit brighter the leaves almost a sea foam green. Why could she remember so much of her strange dream? She'd never been able to remember them before now. She took a slow breath and let it out slowly forcing herself to go back to sleep. It wouldn't do if she wasn't at her best. She had a meeting at 9 AM sharp with her nemesis and she had to be sharp for it. She tossed and turned for a moment before finally settling and falling back asleep.
Aine screamed loudly as she gripped her wife's hand. Her legs were held up and apart pointed at the knee as she sat forward pushing with all her strength. A single mid-wife and two other women helped her as Aine herself puffed and gasped.
"I can't do it, I can't do it." She looked up at her wife with glassy eyes and Selene's eyes widened.
"Aine you have to. It's too late to stop now. Our son will be born in this world just like you wanted." Selene tried to comfort the woman as she gasped and puffed for air. Golden hair stuck to her forehead as she gasped looking up at her wife.
"I love you Selene. I want you to know I always loved you from the moment I saw you."
"What are you saying? Aine you're not going to die. You and our son are going to be okay right?" She looked down at the grim looking mid-wife. "Right?" She asked again a hysterical edge taking root in her tone.
"I'm sorry. There's nothing more we can do." The mid-wife shook her head looking sadly at Selene's beautiful crestfallen face.
"What are you talking about? Save them now!" Selene yelled.
"I can only save one." The woman murmured looking down at Aine. "Choose now or neither will make it."
"Save him Selene. Save our son." Aine murmured, her golden skin was turning a sick pale yellow color as the light diminished in her eyes. "I love you both so much." She managed.
"No, don't you leave me, don't you leave me!" Selene screamed as she slammed her fist into Aine's chest trying to do anything she could to keep her wife with her.
It was no use, Aine was gone. The only sounds in the room aside from the sobs coming from her throat was the now squalling bloody bundle who the mid-wife handed over to one of the solemn looking girls. She stood up and came around tenderly trying to extract the woman from her dead wife's side. "Your son needs you now. You must be there for him. It was what your wife wanted."
"You let her die. You let her die you old crone!" Selene screamed as she lashed out at the older woman who caught her wrists in her still bloody hands. Selene collapsed sobbing into the floor as the woman released her wrists and moved away knowing what must be done now. "Find the child a wet nurse for now." She said softly, "He needs to eat to stay healthy while his mother grieves."
Selene held her son close studying his pretty eyes they were the same gold brown as his birth mother's. She sniffled, her eyes still red rimmed from prolonged crying. Sitting near Aine's grave was the only peace she had now a days. Even the beautiful little boy Aine had left for her to love wasn't enough to stop the void that seemed to have formed in her heart. She stared down at the pretty wooden headstone with the sun carving on it. She'd insisted it have that put on it. Tears flowed down her pretty pale cheeks as she studied the fresh mounded earth that held her beloved's body. It didn't seem right, Aine was always so full of life and laughter but now there was no life and she was in the cold earth.
"Why do you cry so beautiful lady?" A man's voice spoke softly over her shoulder and she stood up shielding her son with her body as she studied the old beggar man who was standing before her.
"It seems a fitting thing to do when one stands by a grave." Selene answered.
The man's eyes narrowed under his thick shawl as he studied her face for a moment. "You're not from here are you?"
Selene tensed ready to take flight, she wasn't nearly as useful in a fight as Aine had been, preferring instead to take her targets out from a distance instead of getting up close to them. Not to mention what Aine would think if she were to put their three week old son in danger. The little boy, she'd named Sol instead of the name the two had thought of. She wanted to feel closer to her now dead wife and by naming the boy after the Sun she did feel closer to her.
The man gave her a small smile, his rotten teeth flashing. "Fear not. I'm not here to hurt you."
"Then why are you here? Do you like to watch me sob?"
"Nothing of the sort my lady I assure." He laid his hand on his chest as Selene stared at him.
"Then why are you here?"
"I am a man of great power my lady and I find myself a bit bored with the passage of time. I'm sure you know what that's like being from Underhill and all."
Selene gasped, "Who told you that?" Her blue grey eyes were wide.
"No one I told you before I'm a man of great power." The man grinned at her, his blue eyes taking on a bit of a crazed look. It was then that she noticed the greyish hint of his skin.
"You're cursed aren't you?"
"Good guess. Yes I am. But my curse gives me my power. Power to help or hurt whom I choose."
"And what do you choose now?" Selene asked.
"I don't know. I suppose it depends on who you ask."
"What do you want from me?"
"I'll help you with your loss. If you'll help me with something I need."
"And what is that?"
"There is a special dagger that belongs to me. It's being kept in Underhill that's a part of how I knew were from."
"And how will I know this dagger if I agree to help you." Selene looked down at her son who slept soundly at her breast.
"You will once you hear what I have to offer you."
"And what's that?"
"With great power comes a great price. You retrieve my dagger from Underhill where I cannot go and I reunite you with your wife in the next life and the next and the next. You'll always be together. I can assure you of that."
"But you can't bring her back now?" Selene looked desperately at the old beggar man who shook his head.
"No one has the power to recall the dead. I can merely assure you of your ability to find one another."
"And what of this dagger that you've asked me to retrieve? What does it look like and where is it being held?"
"The King's court Ailil Aulom's court to be precise," The man cocked his head studying her for a moment.
Selene gasped remembering what Aine had told her about the former sovereign she had maimed. "He is no King. My wife saw to that."
"Oh but he is because he holds my dagger you see."
"What does you dagger have to do with any of it?"
"You'll see child. Do we have an agreement? Will you retrieve it for me?"
"You haven't answered my question. How will I know it?"
"It has my name on the blade." The beggar man gave her a crazed grin.
"And what is your name?" Selene asked.
The man paused before finally replying, "Zoso."
Author's Ending Notes: Damn this thing is going to be long. I have BIG plans for this thing. I hope you guys are up for twisting turning ride. It's going to be interesting. Anyways, this has a lot of basis in my own personal religion as well so it's nice to be able to incorporate my two favorite things together like this. Um also if this too terribly confusing because two/three stories are running parallel just let me know and I'll try and separate it a little better. Anyways as always I appreciate/love reviews they keep me writing. So I hope you guys enjoyed this latest installment. ~ Bella
