Disclaimer: The Characters of Sara, Irons, Danny and Ian are not mine. They belong to the Creators and Owners of the Witchblade Series and her children.
This story may or may not follow the storylines of the Comics or Television Series of the same name. I hope you enjoy it anyway.
PART FOUR
Sara had fallen asleep more easily than she imagined she could have. The room seemed so peaceful and safe. It reminded her of her own room when she was growing up. Full of warmth and love. As she slept she began to dream.
"Hey Pez!" Danny's voice stirred her. "Wake up Pez. What are you going to do sleep your life away?"
"Danny?" Sara sat up on the side of the bed. She was in her own apartment. "Must be dreaming." She rubbed her eyes and looked around. Danny stood several feet from the foot of her bed and smile. "I am dreaming, right?"
"In a way Pez." Danny waited for her to stand. "Come with me, there is something I want to show you."
"Why do I suddenly feel like I am Scrooge and you are one of the Christmas Ghosts." She frowned but moved closer to Danny. "What do I do now? Grab hold of your sleeve?"
"If you like." The apparition chuckled as Sara grabbed his arm.
"Danny, I can touch you!" Her eyes registered shock.
"You're in a dream state Sara. Of course you can touch me." He walked with her to the center of the room and then stopped. As they stood there, a sweet mist seemed to envelope them. "You know you won't be seen or heard. All you have to do is watch, Sara." She nodded as the mist started to slowly clear. They were in Iron's room. She could see the staircases climbing on each side. "Do you know where you are Sara?"
"Yeah. I know where we are. Why?" She felt anger rise.
"Just watch." Danny spoke softly as a young boy in his late teens walked carefully in, looking over his shoulders to make sure he was alone. His back length hair was pulled back away from his face. Sara notice large, intelligent eyes looking around sheepishly.
"Who is that?" Sara asked as Danny simply put a finger to his lips for her to remain quiet.
The boy moved with cat like grace to one of the many glass shelves lining the room and stopped at one. He inhaled and after looking around once more, popped the lock and opened one of the doors. With long fingers, he lifted something out of the case and looked at it lovingly.
"What are you doing in here!" Sara jumped at Irons voice. "You were told never to come in here alone."
"I am sorry." The boy suddenly dropped his eyes to the floor but held onto the object.
"Is that…" Sara whispered but became quiet.
"What is it you have there." Irons moved closer to the boy who didn't look up. "Let me see."
"I'm sorry. I just wanted to look at it." Shaky hands lifted the object so that Irons could see. "I didn't mean any harm. Honestly I didn't."
"Put it on." Irons' command was cold. The boy hesitated and stared at the floor. Irons took a step closer. "I said put it on."
"But you said that no male could wear…" Irons backhanded the boy and sent him falling to his knees.
"I said put it on young Nottingham." Sara inhaled sharply as Irons spoke. "If you are that curious, then put it on your wrist." The young Nottingham looked at the bracelet as though it was a deadly snake ready to strike. "Put it on, or I will put it on you." Shaking the young boy brought the object to his right wrist and hesitated only for a second before placing against his bare skin. For a moment nothing happened. Nottingham looked up at Irons in confusion. Suddenly his eyes became unfocused and he brought his hands to his ears. "Does it hurt Boy?"
"What is going on here?" Sara heard a distinctly female voice coming into the room.
"Stay out of this Lilly." Irons warned as a younger Lilly rushed to Nottingham. "Young Ian here is learning a lesson."
"What have you done Ian." Lilly knelt next to the boy and looked into his face. Fear had left and now he looked enraptured. "What is it doing to him?"
"Lilly, it's all right." Nottingham rasped as he rocked back and forth on his knees. "It's beautiful."
"What do you mean it's beautiful!" Irons growled as his eyes narrowed.
"The history…" Nottingham closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. "The majesty of it."
"Witch! I thought you said that only women…" Irons stared hard at Lilly.
"The Witchblade has a mind of it's own Kenneth." She watched Nottingham carefully. "I suggest that you leave him alone. He is in trance and should not be disturbed." Irons started to reach out and grab Nottingham, but was stopped by Lilly's hand. "I said leave him alone." Her words held a dangerous edge to them. Irons pulled his hand back.
"Watch over him." Irons tried to sound in charge of the situation. "When he decides to return to this realm, I want to see him. Is that understood." Lilly only nodded. "I said…"
"I heard you Kenneth." The woman didn't look up as Irons stormed away. "All right sweet Ian, he's gone and you are safe. Let the Blade show you what you need to understand."
Suddenly the mist started swallowing the room again.
"What happened?" Sara looked at Danny confused. "Did he really put the Witchblade on?" Danny only nodded. "What happened to him?' Danny simply nodded to the mist that was disappearing again. A horrible scream caused Sara to look back at what was happening.
Time was different again. Nottingham looked worn and tired. Tears streamed down his face as Lilly tried to hold his thrashing body down. Irons simply looked on dispassionately.
'GET IT OFF ME!" Nottingham screamed as he held the gauntlet close to his chest. "IT BURNS! PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!"
"I can't Ian." Lilly was crying as she held him like a baby in her arms. "Kenneth do something."
"What do you suggest Lilly." Irons was cold as he watched. "He put it on, now he must deal with the Witchblade's wrath."
"You bastard." Lilly hissed. "Ian, listen to me. Let it go."
"It won't go Lilly." Nottingham whimpered softly. "It hurts so badly." Nottingham was loosing consciousness. "I'm going to die."
"No you're not Ian." Lilly stoked his hair as his body became limp in her arms. "Ian you are not going to die. That is not part of the prophecy." As she shook him, there was a clang as the gauntlet transformed back into a bracelet and fell to the floor.
"It's over." Irons walked to them and bent over to retrieve the bracelet.
"Dear Mother…" Lilly held up Ian's right arm. "Look at his hand." The flesh of Nottingham's hand was badly burned. Careful not to touch the charred flesh, she turned his hand over and stared in disbelief. "Part of the Blade is still with him Kenneth."
"What?" Jealousy burned in his eyes as he saw the object deep within Nottingham's flesh. "How dare…"
"What Kenneth? How dare the Witchblade accept him and not you?" She grinned at Irons with satisfaction.
"Get him out of here." Irons turned his back on the two and stared at the fireplace.
"Sara." Danny spoke softly. "Time to go back." He touched her cheek with his hand and Sara felt herself go limp and fall. She landed in the bed, back where the dream started. "Sleep now Sara." She felt herself drift back to a deep sleep as she heard a soft moan and cry from the room where Ian Nottingham slept.
This story may or may not follow the storylines of the Comics or Television Series of the same name. I hope you enjoy it anyway.
PART FOUR
Sara had fallen asleep more easily than she imagined she could have. The room seemed so peaceful and safe. It reminded her of her own room when she was growing up. Full of warmth and love. As she slept she began to dream.
"Hey Pez!" Danny's voice stirred her. "Wake up Pez. What are you going to do sleep your life away?"
"Danny?" Sara sat up on the side of the bed. She was in her own apartment. "Must be dreaming." She rubbed her eyes and looked around. Danny stood several feet from the foot of her bed and smile. "I am dreaming, right?"
"In a way Pez." Danny waited for her to stand. "Come with me, there is something I want to show you."
"Why do I suddenly feel like I am Scrooge and you are one of the Christmas Ghosts." She frowned but moved closer to Danny. "What do I do now? Grab hold of your sleeve?"
"If you like." The apparition chuckled as Sara grabbed his arm.
"Danny, I can touch you!" Her eyes registered shock.
"You're in a dream state Sara. Of course you can touch me." He walked with her to the center of the room and then stopped. As they stood there, a sweet mist seemed to envelope them. "You know you won't be seen or heard. All you have to do is watch, Sara." She nodded as the mist started to slowly clear. They were in Iron's room. She could see the staircases climbing on each side. "Do you know where you are Sara?"
"Yeah. I know where we are. Why?" She felt anger rise.
"Just watch." Danny spoke softly as a young boy in his late teens walked carefully in, looking over his shoulders to make sure he was alone. His back length hair was pulled back away from his face. Sara notice large, intelligent eyes looking around sheepishly.
"Who is that?" Sara asked as Danny simply put a finger to his lips for her to remain quiet.
The boy moved with cat like grace to one of the many glass shelves lining the room and stopped at one. He inhaled and after looking around once more, popped the lock and opened one of the doors. With long fingers, he lifted something out of the case and looked at it lovingly.
"What are you doing in here!" Sara jumped at Irons voice. "You were told never to come in here alone."
"I am sorry." The boy suddenly dropped his eyes to the floor but held onto the object.
"Is that…" Sara whispered but became quiet.
"What is it you have there." Irons moved closer to the boy who didn't look up. "Let me see."
"I'm sorry. I just wanted to look at it." Shaky hands lifted the object so that Irons could see. "I didn't mean any harm. Honestly I didn't."
"Put it on." Irons' command was cold. The boy hesitated and stared at the floor. Irons took a step closer. "I said put it on."
"But you said that no male could wear…" Irons backhanded the boy and sent him falling to his knees.
"I said put it on young Nottingham." Sara inhaled sharply as Irons spoke. "If you are that curious, then put it on your wrist." The young Nottingham looked at the bracelet as though it was a deadly snake ready to strike. "Put it on, or I will put it on you." Shaking the young boy brought the object to his right wrist and hesitated only for a second before placing against his bare skin. For a moment nothing happened. Nottingham looked up at Irons in confusion. Suddenly his eyes became unfocused and he brought his hands to his ears. "Does it hurt Boy?"
"What is going on here?" Sara heard a distinctly female voice coming into the room.
"Stay out of this Lilly." Irons warned as a younger Lilly rushed to Nottingham. "Young Ian here is learning a lesson."
"What have you done Ian." Lilly knelt next to the boy and looked into his face. Fear had left and now he looked enraptured. "What is it doing to him?"
"Lilly, it's all right." Nottingham rasped as he rocked back and forth on his knees. "It's beautiful."
"What do you mean it's beautiful!" Irons growled as his eyes narrowed.
"The history…" Nottingham closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. "The majesty of it."
"Witch! I thought you said that only women…" Irons stared hard at Lilly.
"The Witchblade has a mind of it's own Kenneth." She watched Nottingham carefully. "I suggest that you leave him alone. He is in trance and should not be disturbed." Irons started to reach out and grab Nottingham, but was stopped by Lilly's hand. "I said leave him alone." Her words held a dangerous edge to them. Irons pulled his hand back.
"Watch over him." Irons tried to sound in charge of the situation. "When he decides to return to this realm, I want to see him. Is that understood." Lilly only nodded. "I said…"
"I heard you Kenneth." The woman didn't look up as Irons stormed away. "All right sweet Ian, he's gone and you are safe. Let the Blade show you what you need to understand."
Suddenly the mist started swallowing the room again.
"What happened?" Sara looked at Danny confused. "Did he really put the Witchblade on?" Danny only nodded. "What happened to him?' Danny simply nodded to the mist that was disappearing again. A horrible scream caused Sara to look back at what was happening.
Time was different again. Nottingham looked worn and tired. Tears streamed down his face as Lilly tried to hold his thrashing body down. Irons simply looked on dispassionately.
'GET IT OFF ME!" Nottingham screamed as he held the gauntlet close to his chest. "IT BURNS! PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!"
"I can't Ian." Lilly was crying as she held him like a baby in her arms. "Kenneth do something."
"What do you suggest Lilly." Irons was cold as he watched. "He put it on, now he must deal with the Witchblade's wrath."
"You bastard." Lilly hissed. "Ian, listen to me. Let it go."
"It won't go Lilly." Nottingham whimpered softly. "It hurts so badly." Nottingham was loosing consciousness. "I'm going to die."
"No you're not Ian." Lilly stoked his hair as his body became limp in her arms. "Ian you are not going to die. That is not part of the prophecy." As she shook him, there was a clang as the gauntlet transformed back into a bracelet and fell to the floor.
"It's over." Irons walked to them and bent over to retrieve the bracelet.
"Dear Mother…" Lilly held up Ian's right arm. "Look at his hand." The flesh of Nottingham's hand was badly burned. Careful not to touch the charred flesh, she turned his hand over and stared in disbelief. "Part of the Blade is still with him Kenneth."
"What?" Jealousy burned in his eyes as he saw the object deep within Nottingham's flesh. "How dare…"
"What Kenneth? How dare the Witchblade accept him and not you?" She grinned at Irons with satisfaction.
"Get him out of here." Irons turned his back on the two and stared at the fireplace.
"Sara." Danny spoke softly. "Time to go back." He touched her cheek with his hand and Sara felt herself go limp and fall. She landed in the bed, back where the dream started. "Sleep now Sara." She felt herself drift back to a deep sleep as she heard a soft moan and cry from the room where Ian Nottingham slept.