Disclaimer- I still don't own Pan's Labyrinth, but maybe if I save my money …..rolls eyes…that will be the day….
A/N- Again thank you for all the wonderful reviews! You guys are awesome! Read and enjoy!! Also remember to review!!
Chapter Eleven- Leaving the Mind
Moanna had quickly lost track of the time. For all she knew she could have been in her mind for days. She looked around the room and smiled, they were almost finished. She was surprised by what a hard job it had been, the only advantage had been that the books were not in any real order. Opening the books she'd discovered that they were blank. However she knew instinctively what they were about and was starting to spook her a little bit.
"You know Moanna." Seda said suddenly, breaking the silence. "You interest me."
Moanna wasn't really sure how to reply to this. "Ummm…how so?"
Seda turned around to face her. "I have seen your entire life, I know more about you then your own parents. And yet there is still something that I do not understand."
"What is it?" Moanna was curious.
"When you were little and the Faun found you in the forest. Most children would have been frightened of him. Why were you not?"
Moanna paused and thought about this for a moment. "I…well I was so scared of the forest at the time I guess. Also….I just felt safer when I was with the Faun…I still do."
Seda looked at her oddly. "You know you are the only human I have ever met that would even think that they were safer with a faun."
That brought a thought into Moanna's head. "Why don't people like the Faun?"
Seda looked taken aback by the question but after a few seconds she answered simply. "People will always fear what they don't understand." She paused then went on. "This kingdom is better then most, but people will always look down on magic users or creatures like the Faun because they scare them."
"That's stupid." Moanna said feeling irritated.
Seda laughed. "You certainly will not be getting an argument from me."
Moanna just shook her head, still slightly angry. She would never understand the minds of people. She went back to shelving the books, she wished she could see the Faun.
oOoOo
"Do you agree to tell the King and Queen what you and Bella have done?" Dr. Blightly looked sternly at Stephan. They were sitting in the doctors office with the door closed.
Stephan looked exasperated. "If I do tell them Bella will deny everything."
Dr. Blightly stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Yes she will most likely do that and she is related to them. They may not believe you."
"Besides." Stephan said frantically. "You said yourself she may not die. If she doesn't why do we have to say anything?"
"Because Prince Stephan." Dr. Blightly said emphasizing the word Prince. "Even if Moanna does not die you and Bella have committed the crime of attempted murder. Not much of a brave prince charming you turned out to be."
Stephan buried his face in his hands. "I know." He said rather irritably. "I Know."
The room was silent for a while.
-
Then Stephan spoke up again. "I really didn't want Moanna to get hurt."
Dr. Blightly rolled his eyes. "You have said this many times Stephan. I know! You were however at fault. You should have done something! Moanna may die; just because you and Bella thought you'd make a better husband for her then…..anyone else."
Stephan laughed bitterly. "You don't have to coat things for me doctor. I'm well aware that Moanna felt more for that…faun then she would ever would about me."
Dr. Blightly looked over at Stephan with his eyes raised. "Can you blame her?"
The room was silent again and Stephan looked away. "I'll tell them…."
oOoOo
Looking around the room Moanna sighed with relief. "We're finished."
"Yes, it appears we are." Seda said with satisfaction. "You are a very complicated person Moanna. It would not take nearly so long to clean most human minds."
"Ohh." Moanna looked away. "Sorry."
"No my dear, that's a good thing. It means you are not so narrow minded as most other humans."
"…thank you, I guess."
Seda stretched her arms. "Well I do believe we are done here Moanna. Are you ready to leave?"
"Yes!" Moanna said eagerly. Then a thought struck her and she looked suddenly at Seda. "Will I be able to remember everything when I'm sent back?"
Seda looked at her seriously. "I need to talk to you before we leave Moanna." She held up her hands when Moanna was about to speak. "Yes it is related to your memories." She looked over at Moanna. "Have a seat." She pointed over to the room's corner. Moanna looked over these in surprise, she'd never noticed the chairs before. She walked over slowly wondering what Seda wanted to talk about because the lady looked very serious.
-
"Now Moanna." Seda said once they had sat down. "I've been inside your mind with you for about a day now."
"A day!" Moanna exclaimed then quieted when Seda looked sharply at her. "Sorry…"
"As I was saying..." Seda said again a little stiffly. "I do not wish to sound rude but do you have any idea what you are about to get yourself into?"
Moanna looked at her slightly confused. "What do you mean?"
Seda sighed. "I mean…" She trailed off. "I will not stand by and watch anything bad happen to the Faun. I know you are really in love with him and knowing the Faun as long as I have I know he is in love with you…however the problem lies with the fact that very few people will like the fact that their princess loves a Faun."
"I don't care what people think." Moanna protested indigently.
Seda smiled bitterly. "I know you don't Moanna. That is hardly the problem. What is a problem is that like it or not you are going to be a Queen and a Queen has to respect the wishes of her people."
Moanna just sat there then burst out. "Well maybe I won't be Queen then!"
Seda looked at her seriously but didn't respond to Moanna's outburst. "Moanna, as I have said before I do not like humans. However I am willing to erase your memories permanently if you so wish."
"What?" Moanna asked startled. "Why would I want you to do that?"
"Because Moanna. If you forget about the Faun then you will be able to live a normal life. Something that you would not be able to have if you still remembered the Faun." She looked away. "The Faun would probably not be pleased that I am offering you this choice but know that he wants you to be happy and if you think you would be happier without him in your life I am sure he would leave. So choose wisely Moanna because I will only offer this once."
Moanna stared at her hands. It wasn't true that she had never stopped to think about what was going to happen after she got out of her mind. However she had never considered a possibility that the Faun wasn't present in. What would it be like if she truly forgot everything, with no chance to remember the Faun? She'd marry some Prince of some land or another noble. After when her parents stepped down she'd become Queen. She'd be loved by everyone….but she would lose the Faun.
Just then the reality of this simple statement struck her. Not only would she lose the love of her life but a close friend as well. There would be no more stories, no more talks…she wouldn't even remember him. Even just thinking about this brought on a horrible feeling of sadness and she knew.
"No."
"What did you say Moanna?" Seda said when Moanna had broken the silence.
"I said no." Moanna replied, her face as rigid as metal. "I do not want you to erase my memory. I would rather give up my right to the crown then to lose the Faun."
Seda smiled. "That is what I hoped you would say." She stood up and pressed her palms together. "Now we shall leave." She closed her eyes and began to chant.
-
After a few moments Seda started to fade. Opening her eyes before she disappeared she looked confused and Moanna realized that something must have gone wrong. She was supposed to be taking her out as well but nothing was happening. Yes, something was very wrong.
As the last of Seda disappeared Moanna realized that once again she was in intense pain. As she fell to the floor clutching her head she remembered being grateful that the shelves at least weren't falling over. However, after that thought she was lost in her pain.
oOoOo
Seda appeared in front of the Faun giving him a fright.
"Is she awake?" Seda asked worried as the Faun looked up.
"No, she is still the same."
Seda shook her head. "She should be awake by now. I just do not understand." Just then she froze and hit her head. "Oh of course." She stretched out her arms said something quickly and soon she was gone, leaving a puff of silver smoke.
The Faun shook his head and looked over at Dr. Blightly and Stephan who were standing in the doorway staring in amazement. "She always did like theatrics." He said before turning his attention back to Moanna. He had no idea what Seda planned to do but he very much wanted something to work. He wasn't sure what he would do if Moanna died. So he dismissed these thoughts and went back to listening to Dr. Blightly talk and waited.
oOoOo
Appearing much quicker then she had the first time Seda lost her balance when she arrived in Moanna's mind. Quickly the vines on her wrist shot out to steady herself and she managed to avoid hitting the floor by inches. Seda was glad of this small fortune but when she got to her feet she realized something was wrong. The room was ice cold, and there was a horrible, strange sensation seeping through it.
She also noticed, with growing dread that Moanna was no where to be seen. Fear went through her. Was she too late? How was she going to ever be able to look at the Faun again, if Moanna was dead?
Just then she heard a sharp intake of breath coming from the other side of the room. She walked over quickly and discovered Moanna on the floor shaking. Looking around the room Seda noticed something that she hadn't when she entered. The room looked like it was starting to fade and turning back she realized with a jolt that Moanna was as well. Seda swore in her native tongue, Moanna was dieing and quickly. She had forgotten that the powder she had given Moanna would fail to be effective after she left the mind. It should have made her better though, the poison must have been stronger then she thought.
She looked at Moanna seriously. She had limited options at the moment and none of them were very good. She grabbed Moanna with her vines and held her still with them. Using her hands she reached into her robes, she faltered for just a moment then looked again at Moanna. Her eyes were diluted and she was losing colour and she wasn't responding. Seeing this Seda made up her mind, she drew a dagger out of her sash. Using her vines she held Moanna up and cut her palm with the dagger.
Moanna winced while Seda used the dagger to cut her own palm. She grabbed Moanna's cut hand with her own and began to chant. A blue haze started to envelop the both of them and a wind came through the room. After a few minutes the wind died down and Seda stopped chanting. As she drew back her hand the cut healed instantly and she watched as Moanna's eyes slowly started to focus.
-
"What…what happened?" Moanna asked as she tried to clear her eyes. She looked down at her arms which were still being held by Seda's vines.
Seda let Moanna's arms go and helped her to her feet. "Are you all right Moanna?"
"I think so…." Moanna said trying to keep her balance. "The last thing I remember is a horrible pain but now all that hurts is my hand…" She trailed off and looked at her palm. To her surprise there was a cut on her hand, that wasn't the surprising part though. She had expected there was a cut because of the pain. What was surprising her however was that the cut was slowly closing by itself.
"What….." She stared at her hand then back up at Seda. Seda looked rather uncomfortable. "Seda, what happened?" She winced as a quick burst of pain shot through her and she grabbed both sides of her head. However it had soon passed and Moanna noticed that Seda was looking guilty.
"Moanna, you were dieing." Seda said simply, looking her straight in the eyes. "I had few options and I chose the one I thought was best…." At this however she trailed off. "I am not sure if you will like the outcome though….You are alive Moanna and very soon you will be healed from the poison and out of your mind."
"Really?" Moanna smiled. That was just what she wanted to hear, however it looked like Seda still had a lot to say.
"Moanna. You will be able to leave and you will be able to leave. However you will not be quite the same as when you came in."
Moanna looked at her curiously. "You mean I'll have my memories back?"
"That's not quite what I meant Moanna. As I had said before I only had a few options. I couldn't risk giving you any of the powder like I had before to end your pain as it would have killed you even quicker. I had to give you something that would allow you to heal yourself. So I gave you some of my blood and with it some of my power.
Moanna looked up sharply from staring at her hand. "What do you mean?"
"I mean that along with my blood you received some of my power. You are no longer fully human. You will have some magic, though I do not know yet how much."
Moanna was just staring at Seda. "What do you mean...?"
Seda sighed "Just what I said…" She trailed off as the two of them started to fade and before Seda could say anything they were gone.
--- ---
Dr. Blightly looked up from talking to the Faun and Stephan. "What in blazes is happening?" Moanna was surrounded by blue mist and then she began to rise slowly in the air. She hovered for a few moments then fell back down on the bed.
The Faun had been watching her intently. He wasn't really listening to Stephan and Dr.Blightly. He was watching Moanna throughout what had happened and he had a growing suspicion on what was happening.
Just then Seda appeared in the middle of the room. She didn't say anything to anyone in the room and rushed over to see Moanna. She looked her over closely and then sighed in relief. "She is going to be alright." She said turning back to face the people in the room.
"That's wonderful!" Dr. Blightly smiled.
The Faun looked over at Seda suspiciously. "Why is she not awake yet?"
"Her body is very tired and she is merely asleep." Seda said simply. "She will be awake in an hour or two."
The Faun paused and looked at Seda. He noticed she looked like she wasn't saying something. Seda must have noticed the odd looks he was giving her. "Can I speak to you in the hallway?"
The Faun nodded and followed Seda to the door. He made sure that Dr. Blightly was still in the room because he didn't trust Stephan with Moanna alone.
Once he was in the hallway he turned to Seda and said simply. "What happened?"
"She was dieing and I did what I had to do to save her." Seda said. "When I first got there I was able to halt the symptoms long enough to re-organize her mind. However when I attempted to get Moanna out the first time I forgot that leaving would bring back her symptoms. When I returned I realized that poison was back in effect." She paused and looked away from the Faun.
"I gave her some of my blood and helped her to heal herself."
The Faun looked at her sharply. "You…what?"
--
Just then there was a high pitch scream from the room. Seda and the Faun rushed in to see…Stephan pointing at Moanna.
"What is it Stephan?" Dr. Blightly asked, concern evident in his voice.
"It's….it's Moanna…look at her!"
Moanna however looked very much the same as she always had.
Dr. Blightly rolled his eyes. "Be quiet Stephan. You may wake her up."
But Stephan wasn't listening he walked closer to Moanna and pointed at her head. "Look at her ears…they're pointed!"
Looking closely you could see that Moanna's ears were a little pointed. The Faun looked over at Seda.
Seda smiled slightly. "Well…at least I can honestly say that I don't like any humans."
-
Everyone in the room just looked at her.
Stephan broke the silence looking at Seda in utter shock. "What…what do you mean? What did you do to her?" His voice was getting louder and louder.
Dr. Blightly kept shushing him. After a few minutes he managed to succeed and after he looked at Seda intently.
"What exactly did you do to Moanna?"
Seda's voice seemed to get colder. "What I did doctor is what you seemed incapable of doing. I helped her." She glared at the Doctor till the Faun placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Fine…" Seda started again, this time her voice wasn't so hostile. "I gave her some of my power. Which, means she isn't fully human anymore. She's part dryad…" She glared at Stephan who was about to start speaking. "She's not fully a tree spirit that's impossible. The only thing that has changed about her is her ears and that she can heal herself quicker then most humans. That's all that should have changed…" She trialed off as though she was thinking of something else to say but then changed her mind. "She'll be awake in a few hours and I suggest we let her sleep."
She went over to sit on the floor.
"You're staying here?" Stephan asked, earning himself a glare from Seda and he backed away little. "I mean…"
"I know what you mean." Seda interrupted as she settled herself on the ground. "I helped Moanna so I intend to stay around and make sure that my work has not gone to waste."
She closed her eyes and steeped her fingers and began softly humming.
Dr. Blightly looked over at the Faun.
"She is contacting her other forests." He replied. Dr. Blightly decided it was best to stay silent.
oOoOo
After an hour of waiting Seda was still deep in silent conversation with one of her distant forests. Dr. Blightly had removed Stephan from the room as they needed to go over what they were going to tell the King and Queen. So only the Faun was waiting for Moanna to wake up.
He looked over at Seda in the corner of the room. He was slightly suspicious about what Seda had said about Moanna. He looked closely at Moanna, he wasn't sure that the only things she would have gotten from Seda's power was the ability to heal herself. With a power transfer such as that you could never tell.
He was thinking this over deeply when he heard a quiet voice.
"Hello."
He looked down to see Moanna sitting up and smiling at him.
--- --- -- --
Hope you liked the chapter. Don't worry, it's not the end. Not by the half of it…. (Whatever the heck that means). Anyway we'll be finding out what Bella's been up to in the next chapter. Knowing her it's nothing good.
Please leave a review and tell what you thought of it!
And a Happy New Year!!