p style="text-align: center;"strong style="text-align: center;"7: Don't Spells Rhyme/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal"Work had been uneventful. There were no new clothes to work on, mostly because Ramsay. It seemed that most of the clothes were torn or dirty because of Ramsay and his men. So since they were gone there was not much work to be done. Shannon quickly grew bored and began rummaging through the fabric in the room. There was a beautiful navy fabric that she found. emIt is such a plain fabric, that no one should miss it. I might as well make myself something, while I'm bored. What could be the harm in that? I'll just keep it a secret. /em/p
p class="MsoNormal"Shannon knew her measurements pretty well, so crafting the dress would not be incredibly difficult. She tried to use her small amount of magic to assist her, but it wasn't working. She sat there in frustration, but decided that she would just have to do it by hand. Roughly four hours later, she had the bottom half of the dress done when she heard a knock at the door. In a panic she shoved the fabric underneath the desk she worked at. "Come in." She called out./p
p class="MsoNormal"Sonia entered the room, with some fruit in her hands. Shannon smiled at Sonia, and was thankful that she had brought her some food. "Oh good it is just you! I thought it was someone else." Shannon felt relieved./p
p class="MsoNormal""No, Lord Snow will most likely not return for a few more days. That is what I heard at least." Sonia stretched her hand out to give Shannon, the apples she had brought her. "I have a favor to ask of you. /p
p class="MsoNormal""What is it Sonia?" Shannon asked as she bit into the apple./p
p class="MsoNormal""There is a woman who works in the kitchen with me, she is a very sweet woman. She is due to have a babe soon, and I would like to make them a blanket for the winter. I cannot sew though." Sonia stated. "She is a very sweet woman, and her husband is a great man too. It would mean so much to them, and me. I will pay you!"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Of course I will! No need to pay me! Look at what I started making today, because I was bored." Shannon grabbed the bottom half of the dress she was working on and showed it to Sonia./p
p class="MsoNormal""Shannon you could get in trouble for this, and please take my payment." Sonia sounded worried./p
p class="MsoNormal""No I will not accept money. The Boltons have too much fabric here, and I bet you Lord Bolton would not even notice if a few things of fabric went missing. What the Boltons do not know cannot hurt them. I must simply continue on doing my work, and I will do my side projects in secret." Shannon smiled at Sonia./p
p class="MsoNormal"She knew what she was doing could get her in a lot of trouble, but she at this point did not care. If she was not able to find a way home yet she might as well start making the best of her time. "Now what is the babe to be? A boy or a girl?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Oh she has no clue yet. They are thinking a boy." Sonia replied./p
p class="MsoNormal""If you can, bring her to me tomorrow. My grandmother had taught me an old wives trick on how to determine what the baby is to be." Shannon remembered her paternal grandmother showing her how to determine the sex of the baby and babies to come with a pendant./p
p class="MsoNormal""Of course! I will bring her tomorrow. There is much work to do in the kitchen today. So I actually must be off!" Sonia gave Shannon a small hug and ran out the door./p
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p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; padding: 0in; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;"Shannon smiled to herself. It felt nice to have a friend in this place, where she felt so alone and sometimes afraid. She picked her dress back up and continued working on it for the rest of the day./p
/div
p class="MsoNormal"The day had gone by fast and before she knew it, Shannon was back in her room with Sonia for the night. Sonia got up to blow out the candles that lit their room. Shannon laid down on the bed trying to devise a plan on how she would leave without Sonia knowing. emI will probably just wait until she falls asleep. She's a light sleeper though. Ah, who cares I might as well give it my best shot. /em/p
p class="MsoNormal"Both of the girls laid in the dark for quite some time until Sonia spoke up. "Shannon can you tell me a story tonight to help me go to sleep?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Of course, what do you want to hear?" She questioned./p
p class="MsoNormal"Shannon was thankful that her friends had gotten her all the Game of Thrones books, and the one book about the history of the world. She used it in her benefit for times like this, so that she wouldn't give away where she was from. "Anything, just nothing too scary." Sonia said quietly./p
p class="MsoNormal""Ah lets the history of the Starks. Then Shall we. They are a nice family; no nightmares should occur from their history." Shannon began recounting all that she knew of the Starks history from what she had read in her books, and from what the internet pieced together./p
p class="MsoNormal"After about fifteen to twenty minutes, Shannon could hear that Sonia's breathing had slowed down. She quietly got out of bed. She tried to find her shoes in the dark but soon gave up. She grabbed her cloak, candle, and needle that she had taken from her sewing room earlier. Thankfully the gods were on her side, because Sonia stayed asleep. Shannon quietly closed the door and let out a soft sigh of relief. She quickly hurried down the corridor barefoot, trying to get outside as fast as possible./p
p class="MsoNormal"The corridors were empty, and she was thankful. She turned one corner, and swore she saw a shadow made out by the flicker of a candle. Her heart was racing, and she turned around to find that no one was there. Little did she know that someone was there. Myranda was lurking in the shadows. She had been coming back from the kennels when she saw a cloaked figure emerge from the halls where the other servants stayed. Myranda decided to follow her at a distance, and not reveal herself yet./p
p class="MsoNormal"Shannon finally made it outside and was relieved, but knew she couldn't slow down now. She couldn't stay near the castle walls for long or a guard would surely see her. She ran to the lake, every now and then looking behind her to make sure she was not followed./p
p class="MsoNormal"Myranda watched Shannon run into the forest from the doorway, where she had just exited. She debated on going after her, but decided not to. emIt is not the right time to kill her yet. Maybe another night. /emMyranda smirked at herself and crept back into the castle./p
p class="MsoNormal"The lake finally came into view, and Shannon slowed down to a walk. Her feet were dirty and scraped up from running barefoot, but she did not mind. She had often times run without shoes on with her father. She reached the embankment and placed the candle on the ground, and threw off her cloak. She took a moment and admired the scene before her. The night sky made the lake appear black, and the lake reflected off the stars and the blood red moon. The sight was eerie, yet magnificent. Shannon shook her head, and focused back on the task at hand. emOkay well now how do I light this candle? There aren't any matches or lighters around. Sooo…looks like I have to do the old two stick trick. I've seen it done in movies a ton of times. Hopefully I can make it work./em/p
p class="MsoNormal"Shannon was able to find a few sticks and some dry leaves, to act as kindling, by the grace of the moonlight. She sat there for five minutes before anything started to happen. She almost jumped for joy when she saw an ember, but remembered she had to be quiet. "Thanks Bear Grylls, you are the real MVP." She whispered while pointing up at the sky./p
p class="MsoNormal"The ember soon turned into a flame, and Shannon was able to light the wick. The flame went out all of a sudden, before she could do anything else. "What the hell? There isn't even a breeze. This is so creepy. Maybe I should just go back inside." She thought out loud./p
p class="MsoNormal"The grooves on the candle that she had filled before with her blood, once again filled with a red substance. "Okay now this just got even creepier."/p
p class="MsoNormal"She just sat there for a moment, not wanting to say the words in fear that something awful would happen. Curiosity and desperation got the best of Shannon, and she read the words out loud. "Eiridh tonn air uisge balbh."/p
p class="MsoNormal"The red liquid, that could be assumed to be blood, evaporated. The wick had disintegrated into nothing, and the candle now had a large crack in it. Shannon picked up the candle and stared at it in awe. She was so concentrated on the candle, that she did not notice that the still water, began to ripple out of nowhere. A figure began to form from the ripples. "A wave will rise on quiet water." A woman's voice rang out./p
p class="MsoNormal"Shannon nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard it. A woman's figure made out of water walked toward her. She was trying to move away but something stopped her. "There is nothing to fear child. I do not come to harm you."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Where did you come from then? You literally came out of the water! I've seen all the horror movies, nothing good comes of this." Shannon's eyes grew wide as the figure grew closer./p
p class="MsoNormal"It had no face, no eyes, just an outline of a woman's body made of water. "You are the one who summoned me. That is my candle you hold in your hand." The voice responded./p
p class="MsoNormal""No this candle belonged to my mother. Shannon snapped back./p
p class="MsoNormal""Yes, your mother Emer Cassidy. She married your father Marc Greenwood. You are their only child Shannon Greenwood. You are my descendant. I am Norah Caiside. Your mother used to tell you stories about me and our kind when you were a child." The figure explained./p
p class="MsoNormal""I have never heard of you before. I have no clue what is going on right now and to be honest I am a lil' freaked out." Shannon finally rose to her feet./p
p class="MsoNormal"She was so confused as to what was happening. She did not have any recollection of her mother ever saying anything about this supposed woman, and she had no clue what she meant by 'our kind'. "You have no recollection. You have sporadic memories of your parents, but you most times question if they are real or not. You don't remember your childhood, and don't remember anything before the age of 13." Shannon's eyes got wide, as the woman spoke./p
p class="MsoNormal"It was all true Shannon had, had some memories of her childhood but they were faint. The memories she had of her mother sewing and her father untying the knot were all faint, and she questioned if they were real most days. "How do you know that?" She asked as she took a step toward the figure against her better judgement./p
p class="MsoNormal""I did not lie about who I am. I am here to help you. You are lost, not only in this world but in your life. There is a reason why the great spirits led you to me." The water woman stretched out her arm and pointed to Shannon's right hand. "Your ring. You must break the stone."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Shannon grabbed her hand protectively. "This was given to me on my 13supth/sup birthday. It is the one of the only things I have left of my mother."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Sometimes we must make sacrifices in order to move forward. It is holding you back. It is holding your memories captive, and your power." Shannon took the ring off, and spun it around in her hand. "Your parents had it made for you to protect you."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Protect me from what?" Shannon was growing upset./p
p class="MsoNormal"She didn't understand anything that was going on. She kept staring at the ring in her hand with so many questions running through her head. "That unfortunately is a question for another time. I know you have many questions, but not all of them can be answered today. Someone will notice you are gone eventually."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Then what can you tell me Norah?" Shannon knew what she said was right./p
p class="MsoNormal"She didn't have much time and she knew Sonia would wake up soon, and in a panic probably alert Will. Norah motioned for Shannon to come closer to the water. "You come from a powerful and proud lineage of witches, on both sides of your family. Our kind is attuned with nature and the spirits that surround us. We were brought into this world to create balance and serve every life force. We obtain our energy from the four elements; fire, earth, air, and water." Norah explained./p
p class="MsoNormal""Why have I not been able to use magic before this then? Why now? Why was I brought here?" Shannon demanded to know./p
p class="MsoNormal""Different realms hold different magical levels. The realm you are from holds little magic, and can only be accessed on certain times of the year. For example, Halloween which brought you here. I do not know why the great spirits of the universe brought you here. You are here for a reason though. Many people in our family have jumped realms, sometimes we stay there and other times we return home. The great spirits have a plan for us all." Norah looked toward the sky./p
p class="MsoNormal""How do I get home?!" Shannon was growing anxious./p
p class="MsoNormal""By using magic of course, but first you must break your bind." Norah motioned to the ring once more./p
p class="MsoNormal""But if this has been binding my magic how did I use it earlier?" Shannon questioned./p
p class="MsoNormal""This world has a high level of magical power, so there are things that can be done here that could not be done in your realm. Such as the deceased offering minimal assistance/ Your parents have never abandoned you, their force is just stronger in this realm. You are not an air or earth witch my dear. You are like me. You were born under the blood moon, during the time of the water rotation." Norah raised her hands up toward the blood red moon./p
p class="MsoNormal""So is that why when I took the ring off..." Shannon was cut off by Norah./p
p class="MsoNormal""Yes, but your full power cannot be released until the bound is broken." She explained./p
p class="MsoNormal"Shannon walked back to the embankment, and without hesitation this time, smashed the ring and the stone in it with a large rock. The ring and stone broke apart. Shannon waited and turned to Norah as if waiting for something to happen. "Don't fret child, not all magic is grand and spectacular like the modern movies. It will take time to return to you. Just summon and one of us will come."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Who? And how? I have no candle now, and I don't have a spell book to reference." Shannon stated./p
p class="MsoNormal"Norah gave a small chuckle. "The book is bound to you darling, call and it will come."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Shannon just stared at Norah blankly. Norah let out a small sigh. "I forgot, you do not know much. Drip three drops of blood into the water..." Shannon took out her needle and did as she was told. "Now repeat after me, 'Waters come to my aid, help me bring forth what I have lost, bound by leather, bound by our blood, seek me out Gagltha, and return to me in this new realm."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Shannon repeated the words, even though they sounded weird. "Aren't spells supposed to rhyme?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""No this is not the movies they do not have to." Norah sighed./p
p class="MsoNormal"The water began to ripple, and the leather bound book appeared on the surface of the water. "Now. I must go, you have everything you need for now. Be safe, my child, and be cautious. Not everyone is a fan of a witch. Till next time." Norah's figure melted back into the water and the water was still./p
p class="MsoNormal"Shannon was still trying to gather her thoughts as she gathered the book from the water, but she knew she didn't have time to daddle for she had to get back inside soon. So, she scooped up the book and sprinted back to the castle. She snuck into her room with now problems. Sonia was still fast asleep. Shannon quickly threw off her cloak, and placed her book underneath her bed. emMaybe the spirits were helping me out tonight. Wish they could have helped me avoid Ramsay, but beggars can't be choosers. /em/p
p class="MsoNormal"She still had so many questions, and she was hopeful that tomorrow she could look at the book and figure some stuff out. She also thought that she had to make sure to keep this a secret. Lord only knows what would happen if anyone found out, especially Roose or Ramsay. The thought made her shudder, and decided she had enough thinking for one night and tried to focus on falling asleep. Within minutes she was fast asleep, awaiting for what tomorrow would bring./p