"Do you think she'll wake up?" I heard a faintly recognisable, and almost magical, voice whisper somewhere to my left.
"It's hearts strong, stop your worrying Brother, it will not do you good." The voice from my dream was here too! The one that saved me! It sounded different now- warmer maybe- but it was definitely that voice. It sighed. "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." it recited in a sing-song voice. It was warm in this room, and the sheet covering me felt like velvet. The pillows – duck-down. When no more conversation could be heard, I let my eyes lazily flutter open, only to blind me with sudden light.
"Good Afternoon, miss." A blond man sat next to me whispered with a smile. In a second the sweet masterpiece, more commonly known as Christiaan, was by his side, smiling at me, and looking at me with his lush green eyes. A moment or two past and the girl was behind him.
"We are such stuff as dreams are made on; and our little life is rounded with a sleep." The sing song voice from before trilled proudly. It was then I realised the sing song voice was coming from the girls mouth. The girl who had been so cold and harsh in the café.
"Does she always speak in quotes?" I mumbled, still half asleep, or half unconscious or whatever.
"Only when she's bored," The blond man laughed.
"So fairly often then?" I guessed.
"Unfortunately so." He laughed once more, Christiaan joined in. "Anyway, enough of Dill, she'd have us talking about her every second of our lives if she could. However we have more pressing matter."
"Do we?"
"How do you feel?" Christiaan jumped in.
"Fine, confused, but fine."
"How's your neck?" he pressed, confusing me even more. What did he mean my neck? Just to prove my next statement of 'my neck is perfectly fine!' I rotated it slightly but stopped before I had even done 90 degrees. It hurt. A lot.
"Ow!" I whimpered and as quick as a flash, Christiaan's hand was soothingly stroking my hair and hushing me. I have to admit though, the worried look etched across his beautiful face was enchanting.
"Xander, what do we do?" Christiaan whispered quickly, even though the man I presumed was called Xander was at the other side of the room having a quiet and rushed conversation with Dilwen. As soon as Christiaan muttered his name, the aristocratic man's head snapped round to look at him.
"We wait Christiaan." he answered simply.
"Shouldn't she know?" Christiaan meekly argued back. I was lost. Completely. And I didn't think I was the only one. Dilwen had obviously gotten bored attempting to follow the conversation and had some how( I didn't see how she did it) climbed on top of the sheer canopy of the four poster bed I was still laying in.
"A word, Christiaan." Neither Christiaan or Dilwen moved. Dilwen stared at the celling, her head bobbing to non-existent music. Christiaan whispered he was sorry over and over again, feverishly stroking my hair. "Both of you." Again neither of them moved. "Now!" Xander Yelled. It was clear already he didn't shout often. Mainly from the way both Christiaan and Dilwen jumped around a foot in the air when he did shout, and also the sheer power his speaking voice held, it was likely people did what he wanted. Christiaan immediately went out of the door Xander was holding open, but Dilwen remained on her perch above me. Xander sighed and left the room after Christiaan.
"What's going on?" I asked tenderly.
" How should I know?" she hissed slightly as she spoke.
"Because you're Christiaan's girlfriend or something aren't you?" She laughed at me. Loudly. My bad?
"I'm the 'or something'!" she giggled happily. "Christiaan is my brother!" She jumped gracefully down from her spot above my head, landing softly on the wooden floor beneath us. I couldn't help but stare at her. It was a 6 and a half foot drop, minimum, from the top of the bed post, yet she hadn't even bruised herself. Whilst I had been pondering her cat-like leap, Dilwen had busied herself finding matches which she was now lighting the baby blue candle next to my head with. "By this Candle, she will sleep; hidden from day and night so deep." she touched the wick and as it burst into flames, I felt my eye lids fall slightly. " O lady moon, guide her dreams, cover her with your beautiful beams and as the candle flame dies," she blew out the candle and I drifted closer to the land of nod as my Aunty would say, " Please close her eyes." Blackness.
I woke a few hours later, judging by the darkness of the room around me, and this time, I was alone. I wriggled my toes and fingers, testing their movement and my control, then shoved the cover off me when I was sure they were my fingers. It took me a while to stand up( I kept getting a head rush and having to sit back down with my head between my knees) but when I did, I couldn't help but notice the expensive décor surrounding me. It took me a moment or two to register I was no longer in my work clothes from the day before, but in a 1970's knee length nightgown. It was truly revolting. I felt my stomach drop as I realised someone must have undressed me and I prayed to some God, not that religious you see, that there was a mother figure here too, failing that, that it had been Dilwen to do the deed. Hearing voices, I let my feet follow them out of the safe room and down the dimly lit corridor into a large sitting room with a great open fire place at the focal point. 2 men had taken places around the fire on two of the three large leather sofas surrounding the flames. One, the one with dark hair, was facing away from me and the one with the softer, shorter hair was facing me. I recognised the man facing me as Xander.
"I see you're awake now, are you hungry?" Xander stood and held his hand out in a very formal, old fashioned manner.
"No, I'm fine." I answered walking closer to the sofas.
"You must eat, Miss-"
"Later," a voice I recognised as Christiaan's muttered, then he stood and welcomed me to his side. It felt uncomfortable sitting with Christiaan and Xander in only a nightie, even though I'd been known to go looking for Kendrix in the middle of the day wearing girl boxers and a skimpy t-shirt, it just felt wrong in these surroundings. "Dianne, we need to talk to you." Christiaan looked pained again, then stared off into a corner were Dilwen had apparently taken up residence and was hastily wrapping a long strip of red ribbon around something.
"What's she doing?" the words spilled out of my mouth before I could stop them. I saw Xander chuckle and Dilwen stiffen momentarily at my comment then carry on with her weird little thing.
"Back home we call it bindende werktijd, I do not know your name for it. It is to stop the va – the man who hurt you from doing it again." Christiaan answered quietly.
"It's what you might call a spell, if you believe in that." Xander filled me in. I didn't believe in it before, but from what I remember before I passed out again, Dilwen had a power of some sorts. So now, I definitely believed him, however he didn't look as though he thought it would do anything. "But as Christiaan said, we need to talk to you. To explain."
"Come to the ball with me." Christiaan blurted out whilst starring at his feet. I saw Xander sit up a litter straighter and could have sworn he hissed...Is that like a family thing or something? And Dilwen made a kind of snorting sound from her little cubby hole.
"I don't think that's a good idea..." I replied softly. Xander visibly relaxed when I said that. I'm getting the distinct feeling he doesn't like me. "I can't dance." I muttered under my breath- hoping Christiaan was the only one who heard me. Alas! I was wrong. Dilwen let out a shrill, harpy like laugh and stood then began walking towards us, after spinning gracefully around, in one fluid movement.
"If you two don't tell her, I will." She spat harshly, standing directly in front of the fireplace, giving her an eerily powerful glow.