Disclaimer: I do not own Pan's Labyrinth, I will never own Pan's Labyrinth…however I am hoping to get the movie for Christmas. crosses fingers
AN- Wow, I never thought that this story was going to be this long….this is my longest one so far. Again, sorry for the wait. My teachers all seemed to have some evil plot to see how much work they could give before Christmas break. Now please read and review and enjoy...
Chapter Ten: The Room in the Mind
The Faun went quickly to get Dr. Blightly and the King and Queen. They all came back to the room as quickly as possible. Dr. Blightly wasted no time in going over to Moanna. After examining her he turned away from the bed they had placed Moanna on.
"What is wrong with her?" The Queen exclaimed, tears running down her face.
"She's been poisoned." Dr. Blightly stated grimly. "With the poison Memoria." He shot the Faun a glance out of the corner of his eye. "Now normally that wouldn't be enough to cause such an affect but I believe she has been given a massive dose."
"Will she be all right?" The Queen grasped her husband's hand. "Please tell me she's going to be all right."
Dr. Blightly shook his head slowly. "I'm not sure if I can…this poison affects the mind, the memory to be specific. Normally this would just cause a memory loss that would be able to be reversed with an antidote. However there was such a large dose, that I do believe that Moanna's own mind is destroying itself. In short, she'd trapped in her own mind as it is slowly killing her."
At this point the Queen had burst into tears and the King had a strained expression on his face. Looking at Dr. Blightly he asked desperately. "Can anything be done?"
"We need someone better acquainted with the mind…." Dr. Blightly muttered.
The Faun, who had been watching Moanna the entire time turned to face Dr. Blightly. "I may know of someone who could help." He glanced over at the King and Queen. "They may not like her though."
"Who?" Dr. Blightly asked confused, trying to think of someone who'd be of any help in this situation.
"The Lady of the Forests." The Faun replied
"But that's just a legend…" Dr. Blightly started to say.
"No, she is real." The Faun answered looking over at the King and Queen. They were looking at him with a cross between hope and skepticism.
There was a silence in the room before the Queen broke it by asking tentatively. "Would…this …would she be willing to help?"
"We can always ask." The Faun replied seriously, he turned towards Dr. Blightly. "I will go and look for her."
-
He walked out off the room with the doctor hurrying after him. "Do you even know where to look for this….woman? The legends say she's lives on a high mountain."
The Faun looked over at the Doctor as they continued to walk. "The legends are not always the most accurate sources of information. As for her location, she in every forest and so she will be in mine as well. We simply need to call for her."
"Well how do you know she will help us?" Dr.Blightly protested. "The legends also say that she is unkind and dangerous."
"You shouldn't always trust legends and stories Dr. Blightly." The Faun replied warily. "Everything has the potential to be dangerous. As for her helping us, I think she may."
Dr. Blightly stopped, exasperated in front of the door to the outside. "How do you know that?"
The Faun gave him an odd look and Dr. Blightly could have sworn he was amused. "You see, I happen to know the lady of the forests"
"How?"
"She's my sister." With that statement the Faun walked out of the door. Dr. Blightly just stood there, open mouth for a few seconds before he snapped to and ran to catch up with the Faun.
-
"She's your sister? ..." Dr. Blightly gasped as he finally caught up with the Faun. The Faun glanced at him. "It is rather complicated...but yes in your human terms she might be called my sister.
They stopped in front of the forest and Dr. Blightly watched as the Faun seemed to be mumbled something under his breath. It was in a language he'd never heard before but knowing the Faun it wasn't that surprising. After a few moments the Faun stopped and cocked his head as though he was listening to something but try as he might the doctor couldn't hear anything. Just as he was just wondering if anything was going to happen he heard a noise coming from the forest.
They were standing in front of a large tree and at the moment there was cracking noise coming from it. Dr. Blightly looked up to see the Faun gazing at the tree impassively. The Faun obviously knew what was going on, which was good because he didn't. The noise suddenly stopped and Dr. Blightly glanced at the tree again.
A woman stepped out through the bark. She had pale skin that had a long green vine growing with red flowers over it and she was wearing a grey toga. Her hair was long and brown but in places you could see streaks of many other colours. Every colour of the forest was represented in her eyes, making it very disturbing when you met her gaze. From what you could see of her ears you could tell they were pointed. Looking at this mysterious woman, Dr. Blightly knew she wasn't human.
"Hello Seda." The Faun said bowing politely. "I trust you are well."
"You would be correct." Seda said smiling slightly. "You said you wished to speak to me about something important?" She trailed off as she saw the Doctor standing next to the Faun. "There seems to be a human next to you my friend." Her voice became stiff and an air of menace seemed to seep through the forest.
Without realizing it, Dr. Blightly backed up slightly when she spoke.
The Faun took no notice of this. "He is here with me."
Nodding, Seda replied. "Very well then. Now what was it you needed my help with?" She looked over at the Faun curiously.
"Someone…someone I know has been poisoned." The Faun began slowly. Seda looked at him very closely as he said this. "It can normally be treated easily but…she has been given such a large dosage that she has become trapped in her mind while it destroys itself."
"And you want me to go into this persons mind?" Seda asked sharply. "Who is this person you want so dearly to save?"
The Faun looked away. "It is the princess Moanna."
Seda shook her head. "I knew it was a mistake assigning you to this forest. It is too close to the humans." She sighed. "Very well then, take me to her."
Unable to help himself Dr. Blightly asked. "You'll help her then?"
Seda looked over at him, a little stiffly. "I will judge for myself whether or not this Moanna deserves help."
With that said they started to walk back to the castle.
----------
The King and Queen looked up from their seats by Moanna when they heard people come in.
Seda walked over to Moanna and looked at her closely. She then turned around to face the rest of the room. "I need everyone to leave."
The King was about to say something angrily when the Queen put a hand on his shoulder. They got up and as they were about to go out the door the Queen looked back at her daughter then at Seda. "Please help her." As she said this she allowed the King to guide her out of the room.
Dr. Blightly looked around. "Well, if you want me, I'll be in my office." After saying this he gave one more anxious look at Moanna, turned and left the room.
Once they were alone in the room Seda turned back to the Faun, her arms folded over her chest. "I believe I can help her, she's not that far gone." She looked up to see that the Faun looked relived. She looked at him pointedly and said in a falsely casual voice. "What is this girl to you?" The Faun stared at the floor but replied stiffly. "I'm her tutor and a friend."
Seda continued talking. "Do not tell me that. I know you." She shook her head. "Maybe the girl will be willing to say something." The Faun looked up sharply in time to see Seda fade away into a silver haze. Then even the haze was gone and the Faun went over to sit by Moanna. If anyone could do anything to help her, he was sure it was Seda. If she deemed Moanna worthy of her help, that is.
oOoOo
Bringing herself out of the mist Seda looked around where she had ended up. It was large room and it was filled with books. This was the main room of Moanna's mind and it would hold her dreams, memories, hopes, fears and everything that made her who she was. However all the shelves in the room were toppled and books were strewn everywhere. As she looked for Moanna, Seda realized that it must have been a very large dose of poison if it caused this much damage.
As she was looking through the rubble Seda couldn't help that all the information in the books she picked up was absorbed into her. She was learning a lot about this Moanna. As she used the vines on her hands to help her pick up some more books she suddenly smiled, she thought she knew why the Faun was so worried about this girl. Now she simply had to locate her…
----------------------------------------
Dr. Blightly was sitting in his office. There was nothing he could do but sit there and wait and it was going to make him go crazy. He was helpless because he had failed to help his patient. As he sat there he wished he knew what was happening to Moanna. Trying to take his mind off the wait he decided to go to the library for something to flip through.
As he walked down the hallway he heard raised voices coming from one of the rooms. He stopped when he recognized them and went over to the door. It was open a crack so he peered in. He was right with his suspicions it was Stephan and Bella talking in angry voices to each other. He listened quietly.
"What did you do to Moanna!!?" Stephan asked Bella angrily.
"What to you mean? What did I do?" Bella replied, her voice rising. "You were the one who gave her the poison."
"Yes, because….you told me to!" Stephan protested. "I did not know it was going to kill her!"
"It wasn't supposed to, you idiot! It was only supposed to destroy her memory, not her life. I guess I gave you too much." She shrugged. "It does not matter, there is nothing we can do now. Moanna is going to die…" With that said the room when quiet until Bella spoke up again. "I wonder who is next in line for the throne once Moanna's gone...Hmm maybe I won't have to marry your brother to get a kingdom after all." She chuckled at this and Stephan stared at her.
"We just killed someone and you're wondering if you're next in line for her throne?"
"She's not dead yet Stephan, so don't worry so much. If you're lucky I might marry you instead of your brother and that way you'll get a kingdom as well."
Staring at the door Dr. Blightly shook his head angrily. He didn't want to be caught so he made his way back to his room to think. Something had to be done about Bella….
oOoOo
Seda was looking through the piles of books when she heard something. After a few moments she was able to locate where the noise was coming from. There was a young woman trying to free herself from a bookshelf that was trapping her. Seda looked down to see the girl look up at her, Her pale face was framed by long brown hair and she looked like she was in great pain.
"Moanna, I presume." Seda said calmly as she pulled the bookshelf off Moanna as though she were picking up a twig.
"Where am I?" Moanna asked gasping as another spasm of pain shot through her. She tried to stand up but she failed and fell to the floor, holding onto her side.
Using the vines on her arms Seda pulled Moanna into a sitting position. Looking at her closely she sighed. The legends about the Lady of the Forests were correct in some regards. She didn't like most humans. They always seemed to be trying to destroy something. However this, Moanna had done nothing to warrant her distrust. In fact from what she had learned about Moanna, Seda thought she seemed like someone she could get along with.
"Moanna, Moanna. Can you hear me?" Seda softly called. Moanna's slowly opened her eyes, wincing slightly.
"Who are you?" She asked quietly.
"My name is Seda, and I'm here to help you." Seda said as felt Moanna's forehead. "You're trapped inside your mind." Another bookshelf fell over some rows away and Moanna reacted as though something had just slashed her shoulder. Grasping it she cringed and asked. "What's going on?"
"Your mind is slowly falling apart and in the process it is killing you."
Moanna stared at her. Seda was in the process of putting some powder in a small brown bag. Once it was filled she tied it tight, shook it then whispered some strange sounds under her breath. She quickly made some complicated looking hand gestures over the bag. Moanna watched as Seda poured the multi-coloured powder into her hand.
Seda leaned down so she was level with Moanna and held up her hand with the powder on it and promptly blew the powder in Moanna's face. Coughing Moanna inadvertently inhaled most of the powder.
"What…ahh…did you do that for?" Moanna choked out. Seda just continued to watch her impassively. After her coughing fit subdued Moanna realized something. "I don't hurt anymore! Thank-you" She looked at Seda who waved her hand. "It was nothing Moanna, I only took away your pain." She glanced around the mess they were in. "You however are still trapped in here."
"Do you know how I can get out?" Moanna asked hopefully.
Seda smiled slightly. "Yes, when I leave I can take you out with me. However if you leave your mind the way it is right now it will be as if you are dead."
Moanna looked around. "You mean I have to clean up all of this? That's going to take forever."
Seda chuckled at the expression on Moanna's face. "Don't worry Moanna, I can help you."
Using the vines on her wrists she pulled Moanna up. Moanna just stared in amazement and slowly looked at Seda. "What…?"
"I my dear Moanna am the Lady of the Forests. Now why don't we begin?" Seda began to put the shelves upright. Moanna started on the books but was still watching Seda curiously.
-----
While they were cleaning Moanna couldn't help but glance over at Seda. She had read the legends of the Lady of the Forests before and she seemed nothing like them. Seda was supposed to hate humans not go out of her way to help them.
"Did you want to ask me something Moanna?" Moanna jumped when Seda said this. Seda had her back to her so Moanna was a bit spooked.
"Umm…" She was about to ask her question but she just realized she wasn't sure what she was supposed to call her. Seda seemed to sense her discomfort. "You may call me Seda."
"Ohh.. thank you…Seda….why are you helping me?"
Seda paused at her work, she had known this question was going to come up sooner or later.
"Yes. I suppose that is a reasonable question." She finished with the last book case and turned to face Moanna. "I certainly make it no secret that I do not like humans…." She paused for a moment as if considering what to say next. "…however I was approached by…someone close to me…a sort of family member...if you will. He asked for my help and I agreed to consider giving it." She looked at Moanna with a small smile on her face. "You see when I enter and go through someone's mind I can't help but absorb all the information in it. I know more about you know then you do Moanna."
Moanna felt a little spooked at Seda's confession but she laughed slightly. "They way things were going I think that every one knew more about me then I did."
Seda tilted her head. "Ahh yes, I trust your memory is back then?"
Moanna turned back to the shelf behind her. "Yes, yes it is."
Seda smiled. "Good….I am sure the Faun will be glad to know that." She chuckled as Moanna dropped the book she'd been holding.
"W…What do you mean..?" Moanna asked stuttering and making a point not to look at Seda. Since she wasn't looking at Seda she missed the mischievous twinkle in her eye.
-
"He is your friend, is he not?"
Moanna sighed slightly. "Ohh... Yes, of course he is. He's my oldest friend."
-
There was a pause then. "You are in love with him Moanna."
Moanna froze, and then her shoulders slumped. "Yes…" She said quietly. "Yes I am."
"Good." Seda replied simply and went back to work.
oOoOo
Dr. Blightly was looking for Stephan. He was sure that he was the weakest part of the pair. After checking in with the Faun and finding Moanna no better he knew what he had to do. It was dusk now and he had found Stephan in the stable, starring at his sword. He looked up when the doctor walked in he looked slightly panicked then closed his eyes and looked away.
"Hello Stephan." Dr. Blightly said as he went over to sit next to him. "How are you?"
Stephan refused to look at him. They sat in silence for a while before Stephan asked quietly. "Is... is Moanna…okay?"
The doctor said slightly stiffly. "She's still not doing well."
"But, will she be all right?" Stephan asked desperately.
"Why are you so concerned? You're the reason she's like this."
"I know!" Stephan buried his face in his hands. "It wasn't supposed to be like this. She was supposed to fall in love with me and not a Faun…" He trailed off. "I was supposed to be a hero and I ended up being the villain." He looked over at Dr Blightly. "I didn't want to hurt Moanna. I was just doing what I was told!" He looked away. "I never really wanted to marry her. That was all my brother and Bella's idea."
Doctor Blightly patted him on the knee. "Come with me to my office Stephan. We can talk there. There's a couple of things I'd like to ask you."
The two of them left the stable and walked up in the castle.
-----------------
I hope you liked this chapter. If you were wondering (and even if you weren't) Seda is an Armenian name that means …spirit of the forest…yes I thought it fit. Please review and tell me what you thought. Also Merry Christmas ( or Happy Holidays) !! Leave a reivew and you'll get the limited edition Bella dart board. Shoot darts at Bella's head...kidding!...It would be cool though...