The Light in the Darkness
Spoilers: All of Haven Seasons, especially 4x13 The Lighthouse
Disclaimer: I own the backstory, not the main characters
Jennifer sat on the patio of The Grey Gull, Duke had closed for the day citing 'need to recover' and 'family situation'. Phoebe sat beside her holding a cup of tea, something familiar to the woman despite the change in worlds. Nathan was upstairs looking for something significant of Audrey's, Phoebe said she'd need something that Audrey wore regularly that could contain some enchantment if they were to continue with the plan.
"Okay so what are we looking at?" Jennifer put her hands out and Phoebe eyed her, "sorry, it means what is the plan and how to we impose it."
Phoebe nodded placed a hand on Jennifer's arm and smiled, her brown eyes wise with age even as her brown locks wavered in the wind. Gray streaks laid across the brown, telling her age. "You have grown differently than us but you have grown all the same." Her hand moved to Jennifer's chin and a twinkle entered the woman's eye. "You're also in love…"
"I uh, I…"
"He is a good man and cares for your safety just as Mara's father did with me before his death."
Jennifer looked down, "how did he die?" The woman looked away, "Mara killed him didn't she?"
"When he tried to stop her and William from leaving the confines of the Tower of Light. Mara said she would never leave William and so her father made her understand that if she left she'd be a hunted woman. She would no longer hold the title of Lady of Light and would be stripped of her status, as common as anyone else who betrayed the kingdom." Phoebe sighed, "perhaps we should not have taken you, only a week later she became as she was, no light or kindness in her. Her devotion to William absolute, the illusion of love when no love exists."
Nathan walked over and placed a ring on the table, "Audrey didn't wear this but it has a special meaning to us both, it's why she didn't wear it…"
Phoebe picked up the ring and nodded, "it's mate is close by I sense, the ring is part of a set."
"Here." Nathan pulled the chain from around his neck and placed it on the table, on the chain was the ring's twin. "Can it help or not?"
"These are Darcadian made," she looked at both rings. "Where did you acquire the rings?"
Nathan sat down and shrugged, "mine came from my father and Audrey's came from when she was Sarah."
"Unfortunately you two are not the first to find ownership of these rings." Phoebe held them up, "these were the rings that Mara had our blacksmith forge without knowledge of what she was doing. I was only informed of their making after Jennifer's birth and stole them from Mara before her chance to leave, sending them with Jennifer. I suspect Tanneth kept them till a suitable time, he was very good at concealing matters and intent."
"Are you saying these rings were worn by William and Mara?"
Phoebe held out the larger ring and chain to him, "they never had to chance to grace the skin of darkness. The gems inside are of light, they would have blackened had the two worn them." She smiled and closed Audrey's ring in her hand, "I suspect their true owners have been found. Yes this will help because empowered by light the ring may help in judging how much Audrey is affected by Mara. Now, Jennifer and I will have to work on an enchantment to hold Mara back for a period but I suspect that time in unknown in these circumstances. I still wish to see what this woman does for your town and why you wish to save her."
"Audrey's Audrey…that's enough."
"Love maybe powerful Nathan," Phoebe held up her finger. "But what Mara holds in her is stronger than you may think. If she even touches the link you still hold with Audrey, it will crumble like a dead flower in winter snow."
Duke walked out of the building with plates of food, "okay so I don't know exactly what you guys eat on your side so I went with just plain meat and vegetables. Hopefully nothing will cause you to get sick." He put plates down on the table and motioned to the two men a few feet away. "Come on in guys, free food on the house."
Jennifer rubbed her hands together, "looks great."
"Yeah well, don't say I never cooked you anything." Duke put his hand on her shoulder and watched their visitors poke at the meat with a fork. "It's from a cow, it's a grazing type animal that we use for food."
Phoebe nodded as she took a bite of steak, "it is acceptable, thank you for this meal."
"No problem, what's a few extra mouths to feed?" He sat down beside Jennifer and looked at them all, "so what's the plan?"
Nathan leaned back with his beer, "enchant Audrey and make sure Mara is kept back while she works her Parker magic on The Troubles."
"Sounds like a plan to me!" Duke took a sip of beer, "should I call Vince and Dave and see who has decided to go crazy in the last few days?"
"After Audrey is awake, but I suspect the first thing she'll want is a change of clothes, coffee and her gun." Nathan looked at Duke as the man stared, "it's Audrey we're talking about."
"True, very true but you may have to persuade her that a taser may work better due to the fact Mara, if she wakes up, may understand how to use a gun." Duke pointed his fork at Nathan, "I really don't want to explain to Audrey why you got shot when you could have been tased instead….I don't think you do either. The last time you got shot, remember what she did?"
Nathan narrowed his eyes, "the last time I got shot you two were in the barn."
"I mean the time before that, the Hickson Farm incident…remember what she did?" Nathan shrugged, "oh shrug it off all you want man but we had to listen to it for weeks on how she practically strapped you down to a hospital bed and made you recover. I clearly remember that lecture, it made me want to hide for cover and it wasn't directed at me."
Jennifer looked at them, "she really did that?"
"Oh yeah, Audrey upset at Nathan injured…scary thing. Dr. Raymond practically was trying to scurry from the room to avoid her wrath. It doesn't help he's an injury magnet, or so Audrey says."
Phoebe chuckled and looked at Nathan, "I look forward to the day you are bound forever together. I suspect that her worry will only increase."
The statement made Nathan smile, "thank you, I appreciate the comment." He looked down at the ring in his hand. "Does she ever start to age or is she going to be as young as she is forever?"
"Darcadians live very long lives Nathan, I am nearly 20,000 of your years." She smiled and put her fork down, "however, not many Darcadians travel outside our realm so they are unaware that two factors can pause this…this immortality." His eyes met hers and she leaned forward slightly, "the one they are bound with and the process of time in the realm they reside. In time she will begin to age, it may not be apparent at first but within five years the immortality she possessed will have disappeared and she will be like anyone in this realm."
Duke chuckled and nodded to Nathan, "at least you won't be one of those guys that has the younger wife and everyone thinks she's your daughter. That's an upside, despite the 300 plus years she has on you."
"Duke…" Nathan stared at him and then looked at Jennifer. "Control him before I do."
Jennifer slapped his arm, "give him a break okay."
"Jennifer," Phoebe got the younger woman's attention. "Tell me how you pulled her soul forward despite Mara being present?"
The younger woman shrugged, "I just called on the light, that it come forward and not be touched by darkness."
Leo finally picked his head up, "perhaps a sunset enchantment is a possibility. Call forward the light as the sun rises and leave it to sunset to retain it. It is a simple enchantment you have used before."
Phoebe nodded and looked at Audrey's ring that sat on the table, "tomorrow we wake Audrey for a day."
A/N: Okay they have a plan and they are going to save some Troubled people...but will everything go as planned or will things go down?
