Dark memories
As I walked down the endless passages taking turns at random, I kept praying that the slithering I heard behind my every step wasn't Shadow men.
"It's the awful purple vines on the wall coming after you", I told myself. "You can handle weeds."
After I heard a hideous chuckle, I said, "Plants can talk, Piper. Haven't you ever seen those dancing flowers they sell in the toy store? Sure you have."
A moment later, I heard the same hideous voice start butchering the song Tequila, then three others, once high, begin laughing.
I began running taking turns even faster, keeping my eyes behind me for an attack. I spied balls of sickly green light speed after me, taunting me and laughing with the same rasping as the voices before.
Suddenly I ran into a hard wall of flesh and screamed when its hands grabbed a hold of me. I shrieked and began fighting in a blind fury.
"Piper, stop fighting!" a familiar safe voice hissed.
I looked up with tears in my eyes, "Keegan?"
He smiled as I hugged him trying to escape the green lights circling around us that were joined by many more.
"Funny meeting you here. I see you've met the wisps." He told me
"Wisps?"
"The funny little things dancing around us."
I looked around, finally seeing past the scary voices and yucky glow. The nasty monsters I heard chasing me were tiny laughing Tinkerbelles with blood red kitten claws.
"Keegan!" They hissed happily. "We found her, we found her."
He laughed as I backed away from him warily.
"Did you sic those things on me?" I demanded. A guilty smirk answered me.
"I just asked if they might-- *see* if you were around."
I marched off past him, forcing him to catch up to me.
"I take it you've met Raziel." He said trailed by giggling pixies. "So what's the Game?"
"Get through maze, face nightmares and find everyone."
He nodded, "Good thing the wisps are here. No one knows the Shadow Labyrinth like them." Then he turned and addressed the creatures.
"Go see my other friends like Mistress Piper." He instructed. "They want to play too."
With sinister gleeful cheers, the group left. It took only a few moments and then they returned. Angel was a block or so northeast from there. But first we had something else to do.
"Let's go face my fears." He told me.
Then it happened.
Everything slowly became blurry until the only thing I could see was the wisps glow. I felt Keegan reach for and take my hand as we began our trek. I heard whispering and finally voices in the darkness. I tried concentrating on their words.
"Why are you fixated on the girl Madelyn?" a sinister hiss issued from the clouds. "She keeps defeating you at every Game you play. Find another not so smart."
"I like toying with Olslin." Keegan said but not the one holding my hand. No it was a past Keegan. One who hadn't spent two years watching over me. A darker and sinister Keegan.
"She doesn't realize who I'm truly after, Elder." He revealed and laughed, "And apparently you don't either."
"What are you up to Keegan?" the shadow man demanded, "What cruel little Game are you really playing."
Beside me, Keegan froze as his past self replied.
"I've simply set into motion a series of events that will allow me a prize I've set my sights on."
"What events? All you've done is had your hind end thrashed by a sixteen year old mortal!"
The past Keegan chuckled. "Keep watching, Elder. I'll win the Riley female."
The shadow man's laughter faded away with the fog. I turned to Keegan and extracted my hand from his.
"I was just a prize." I said so quietly. Keegan adverted his eyes. "Something to flaunt around, a sign of power… Like with my family."
I began trembling, with outrage, sorrow? I couldn't tell and so I ran, blinded by tears that began to fall from my eyes.
He used me! He never truly cared for me! Thoughts like those began to flood my mind. All a stupid game!
The beautiful ring on my hand began mocking me. I tried wrenching it from my finger as I ran but it would not come off. I flung myself down on the ground and began crying harder, the weight of my sorrow holding me down.
I don't know how long I laid there but after a moment I became aware of gentle hands rubbing my back, offering me comfort when I wanted none.
"There there." Said a kind feminine voice. "I'm sure everything isn't so bad."
I jerked my head up and came face to face with an almost mirror image of Angel. But it couldn't be Angel, my mind cried. Angel Taliesin's voice hypnotized anyone who heard it. And the one time she spoke, her voice was higher. Not like the smooth voice of the woman who wore the same dress as me.
"Who- are you?" I whispered.
She smiled and laughed, reminding me strangely of Keegan.
"I'm Ariel. Who are you?"
My jaw dropped which amused Angel and Keegan's dead mother even more. Ariel's laughter was as hypnotic as her daughter's voice. So bright and happy. No wonder the Shadow men gifted her with the dress we both wore.
"I'm Piper." I said in a trembling voice.
Ariel's smile deepened, "So *you're* Piper. I've heard so much about you."
"L-like what?"
She shrugged, "You're so caring and sweet." Then Ariel's joy turned clouded, "But oh so sad."
"Who told you this?" I asked wiping tears from my eyes.
Again she shrugged instantly perking up, "I don't know!" Ariel giggled, "Isn't that funny?"
"Uh, yeah." I replied thinking that Keegan and Angel's mom was one of those dumb blondes.
She was instantly on her feet and spun around in a circle. "Did you know that the only persons that can tame the Creeper and Lurker are of King Loki's blood?"
The sudden change of subject threw me for a loop. "Uh no I didn't."
Ariel nodded, "They can turn on the Shadow Men but never their own sibling. Never *ever* on them. Nope."
I slowly rose to my feet, suddenly feeling a bit troubled by Ariel's behavior. "Don't take this the wrong way, but aren't you dead?"
She laughed, "Well *yeah*! I am but Queen Hel is forbidden to take me in so I- stay around here."
"You're not really Ariel, are you." I said slowly backing away.
Her look turned savage in a heartbeat, "No little girl but you'll wish I was!" she hissed and speared right towards me.
Before I could utter a shriek, a blue blur leapt over me and tackled the woman to the ground. Fenris, or the Lurker, growled viciously down at the blurring vision of Ariel and both of us watched as it changed into a somewhat human looking Shadow man.
What I mean by somewhat was, he looked human- except for the pure white skin, blood red eyes, crimson claws and vampire fangs. Other than that, he looked normal.
"Get off of me, wolf thing." He growled. "She is my prey."
"Correction." Keegan's sharp voice snapped, "She *was* your prey."
I turned and saw Keegan glaring down at the Shadow man with the Creeper towering behind him and wisps surrounding him. He looked very dashing and quite evil at that moment.
"Lurker, let him up." Keegan ordered the wolf then addressed the Shadow man as he rose to his feet. "Let this be a lesson as to what is considered yours and *mine*."
With a final look toward me, the guy vanished.
"The Shadow Labyrinth is a dangerous place." Keegan said as his wolf bounded up to him. "You shouldn't go wandering alone."
"Better to go at this Game alone than with you." I told him.
He looked genuinely hurt. "I'm sorry Piper. It was a fear of mine that you'd find out I was playing with you."
"Was?!" I exclaimed more tears coming to my eyes, "You still are!"
"No I'm not!" he argued, "Not since the night I found you bleeding to death has *anything* been a game."
I didn't answer so he continued and slowly stepped toward me. "That night when I found you, I never knew how much pain you were in. Never knew that it was so much you'd slash up your wrists and bleed to death."
He finally reached me, "So I did the only thing I could think of to make sure you'd never do it again. Bind you, protect you, be there for you."
I looked up into his eyes as he said, "All that I've done for you since that moment, was for you."
"You care?" I asked timidly.
He laughed, "We're friends! 'Course I care."
I collapsed into his arms and let everything out. All the fear, all the hurt but most of all, let out the cries my soul was letting out because he didn't love me.
Because I loved him
Wow, that was a short break. Thanks to those who reviewed. Oh Redaura, if you couldn't tell, this kinda *is* Goblin King Labyrinth.. only with a FG twist!
As I walked down the endless passages taking turns at random, I kept praying that the slithering I heard behind my every step wasn't Shadow men.
"It's the awful purple vines on the wall coming after you", I told myself. "You can handle weeds."
After I heard a hideous chuckle, I said, "Plants can talk, Piper. Haven't you ever seen those dancing flowers they sell in the toy store? Sure you have."
A moment later, I heard the same hideous voice start butchering the song Tequila, then three others, once high, begin laughing.
I began running taking turns even faster, keeping my eyes behind me for an attack. I spied balls of sickly green light speed after me, taunting me and laughing with the same rasping as the voices before.
Suddenly I ran into a hard wall of flesh and screamed when its hands grabbed a hold of me. I shrieked and began fighting in a blind fury.
"Piper, stop fighting!" a familiar safe voice hissed.
I looked up with tears in my eyes, "Keegan?"
He smiled as I hugged him trying to escape the green lights circling around us that were joined by many more.
"Funny meeting you here. I see you've met the wisps." He told me
"Wisps?"
"The funny little things dancing around us."
I looked around, finally seeing past the scary voices and yucky glow. The nasty monsters I heard chasing me were tiny laughing Tinkerbelles with blood red kitten claws.
"Keegan!" They hissed happily. "We found her, we found her."
He laughed as I backed away from him warily.
"Did you sic those things on me?" I demanded. A guilty smirk answered me.
"I just asked if they might-- *see* if you were around."
I marched off past him, forcing him to catch up to me.
"I take it you've met Raziel." He said trailed by giggling pixies. "So what's the Game?"
"Get through maze, face nightmares and find everyone."
He nodded, "Good thing the wisps are here. No one knows the Shadow Labyrinth like them." Then he turned and addressed the creatures.
"Go see my other friends like Mistress Piper." He instructed. "They want to play too."
With sinister gleeful cheers, the group left. It took only a few moments and then they returned. Angel was a block or so northeast from there. But first we had something else to do.
"Let's go face my fears." He told me.
Then it happened.
Everything slowly became blurry until the only thing I could see was the wisps glow. I felt Keegan reach for and take my hand as we began our trek. I heard whispering and finally voices in the darkness. I tried concentrating on their words.
"Why are you fixated on the girl Madelyn?" a sinister hiss issued from the clouds. "She keeps defeating you at every Game you play. Find another not so smart."
"I like toying with Olslin." Keegan said but not the one holding my hand. No it was a past Keegan. One who hadn't spent two years watching over me. A darker and sinister Keegan.
"She doesn't realize who I'm truly after, Elder." He revealed and laughed, "And apparently you don't either."
"What are you up to Keegan?" the shadow man demanded, "What cruel little Game are you really playing."
Beside me, Keegan froze as his past self replied.
"I've simply set into motion a series of events that will allow me a prize I've set my sights on."
"What events? All you've done is had your hind end thrashed by a sixteen year old mortal!"
The past Keegan chuckled. "Keep watching, Elder. I'll win the Riley female."
The shadow man's laughter faded away with the fog. I turned to Keegan and extracted my hand from his.
"I was just a prize." I said so quietly. Keegan adverted his eyes. "Something to flaunt around, a sign of power… Like with my family."
I began trembling, with outrage, sorrow? I couldn't tell and so I ran, blinded by tears that began to fall from my eyes.
He used me! He never truly cared for me! Thoughts like those began to flood my mind. All a stupid game!
The beautiful ring on my hand began mocking me. I tried wrenching it from my finger as I ran but it would not come off. I flung myself down on the ground and began crying harder, the weight of my sorrow holding me down.
I don't know how long I laid there but after a moment I became aware of gentle hands rubbing my back, offering me comfort when I wanted none.
"There there." Said a kind feminine voice. "I'm sure everything isn't so bad."
I jerked my head up and came face to face with an almost mirror image of Angel. But it couldn't be Angel, my mind cried. Angel Taliesin's voice hypnotized anyone who heard it. And the one time she spoke, her voice was higher. Not like the smooth voice of the woman who wore the same dress as me.
"Who- are you?" I whispered.
She smiled and laughed, reminding me strangely of Keegan.
"I'm Ariel. Who are you?"
My jaw dropped which amused Angel and Keegan's dead mother even more. Ariel's laughter was as hypnotic as her daughter's voice. So bright and happy. No wonder the Shadow men gifted her with the dress we both wore.
"I'm Piper." I said in a trembling voice.
Ariel's smile deepened, "So *you're* Piper. I've heard so much about you."
"L-like what?"
She shrugged, "You're so caring and sweet." Then Ariel's joy turned clouded, "But oh so sad."
"Who told you this?" I asked wiping tears from my eyes.
Again she shrugged instantly perking up, "I don't know!" Ariel giggled, "Isn't that funny?"
"Uh, yeah." I replied thinking that Keegan and Angel's mom was one of those dumb blondes.
She was instantly on her feet and spun around in a circle. "Did you know that the only persons that can tame the Creeper and Lurker are of King Loki's blood?"
The sudden change of subject threw me for a loop. "Uh no I didn't."
Ariel nodded, "They can turn on the Shadow Men but never their own sibling. Never *ever* on them. Nope."
I slowly rose to my feet, suddenly feeling a bit troubled by Ariel's behavior. "Don't take this the wrong way, but aren't you dead?"
She laughed, "Well *yeah*! I am but Queen Hel is forbidden to take me in so I- stay around here."
"You're not really Ariel, are you." I said slowly backing away.
Her look turned savage in a heartbeat, "No little girl but you'll wish I was!" she hissed and speared right towards me.
Before I could utter a shriek, a blue blur leapt over me and tackled the woman to the ground. Fenris, or the Lurker, growled viciously down at the blurring vision of Ariel and both of us watched as it changed into a somewhat human looking Shadow man.
What I mean by somewhat was, he looked human- except for the pure white skin, blood red eyes, crimson claws and vampire fangs. Other than that, he looked normal.
"Get off of me, wolf thing." He growled. "She is my prey."
"Correction." Keegan's sharp voice snapped, "She *was* your prey."
I turned and saw Keegan glaring down at the Shadow man with the Creeper towering behind him and wisps surrounding him. He looked very dashing and quite evil at that moment.
"Lurker, let him up." Keegan ordered the wolf then addressed the Shadow man as he rose to his feet. "Let this be a lesson as to what is considered yours and *mine*."
With a final look toward me, the guy vanished.
"The Shadow Labyrinth is a dangerous place." Keegan said as his wolf bounded up to him. "You shouldn't go wandering alone."
"Better to go at this Game alone than with you." I told him.
He looked genuinely hurt. "I'm sorry Piper. It was a fear of mine that you'd find out I was playing with you."
"Was?!" I exclaimed more tears coming to my eyes, "You still are!"
"No I'm not!" he argued, "Not since the night I found you bleeding to death has *anything* been a game."
I didn't answer so he continued and slowly stepped toward me. "That night when I found you, I never knew how much pain you were in. Never knew that it was so much you'd slash up your wrists and bleed to death."
He finally reached me, "So I did the only thing I could think of to make sure you'd never do it again. Bind you, protect you, be there for you."
I looked up into his eyes as he said, "All that I've done for you since that moment, was for you."
"You care?" I asked timidly.
He laughed, "We're friends! 'Course I care."
I collapsed into his arms and let everything out. All the fear, all the hurt but most of all, let out the cries my soul was letting out because he didn't love me.
Because I loved him
Wow, that was a short break. Thanks to those who reviewed. Oh Redaura, if you couldn't tell, this kinda *is* Goblin King Labyrinth.. only with a FG twist!