Chapter Five- Nightmares
Genesis 28:12- "He had a dream...."
It was a tearful send-off. Jenai and Tielle had obviously grown close during their days together, for reasons Chayden didn't understand. Tielle had said that the older woman had confided in her, telling her private things that had made them become close. Tielle had not said what those private things were, and Chayden understood that he was not to ask. It was between Tielle and Jenai, not him.
"Goodbye, Jenai," Tielle hugged the bent woman, who smiled through her tears. The smile lightened her features, and for the first time Chayden realized that she wasn't as old as he had thought. Instead of sixty or seventy, she was probably only forty or fifty.
What had she seen that had aged her so? Perhaps that was what Tielle knew.
"Ah'll keep you both in my prayers," Jenai replied. "But ah know we'll meet again. This isn't goodbye."
"Truly? How do you know that?"
Jenai just smiled. "Ah just do. Now, hurry and go, before ah change my mind and make you stay here with me."
Tielle smiled sadly and stepped back, reluctant to go. Chayden moved towards her and slipped an arm around her waist for moral support. She looked up at him, tears clinging to her long eyelashes, and thanked him with her eyes.
They quickly walked to the spaceport, not wanting to be out in public any longer than necessary. While nobody was looking for Tielle, the price on Chayden's head was quite exorbitant, and many would be searching for him.
Ominous thunderclouds hung oppressively in the distance, and the part of Chayden that was superstitious became uneasy. Were these dark clouds a sign of something to come?
Tielle glanced up at him and squeezed his hand. "Stop your worrying."
He smiled. "What makes you think I'm worrying? Are you sure *you're* not gene-altered?"
"Yeah, right. No, it's just the look you get on your face. You can't hide any of your emotions; they're always broadcasted on your face."
"Oh yeah? What am I thinking now?" He concentrated on how beautiful she was.
She blushed, and Chayden seriously considered the thought that she *was* gene-altered. "You're thinking about me. Something good about me. I can tell because of the way the lines around your eyes soften and your mouth curves into an almost-smile." She punched him lightly in the shoulder. "But when you're frustrated with me, the lines around your eyes and your mouth harden."
"When have I ever been frustrated with you?"
They stepped into the spaceport, where all sorts of disreputable-looking people milled about by the dozens. "Well, there was the time you tried to drag me out of that pit I lived in in the Hidden Fortress, and I wouldn't go as easily as you wanted me to, because I was stubborn and suspicious of your intentions."
Chayden laughed. "You're still stubborn."
She glared at him.
**
They strapped into their seats in the cockpit of their small spaceship, the Renegade. Chayden thought the name was appropriate for them, but Tielle seemed dazed and not at all in any state to appreciate the irony.
"Tielle? Are you okay?"
She snapped out of her reverie. "Yeah, I'm fine. Everything's great. I was just thinking about Jenai, that's all." She looked down at the controls of the ship. "Okay, you ready to leave this poor excuse for a planet?"
"You bet. Let's get going."
They quickly entered the planet's atmosphere and disappeared into light- space.
**
Tielle released the controls of the ship and leaned back in the cushioned co-pilot's seat. Fatigue tickled at the edge of her consciousness, but she refused to succumb to it. *I can sleep later,* she firmly told herself. *Right now I have to talk with Chayden.*
She whirled around in her chair to face the prince- no, he wasn't a prince anymore, he was a fugitive now, disowned from his family- and forced energy into her tone, futile as it was. Chayden could sense her exhaustion.
She pushed it away once again. "Okay, so what's our story?"
His brow furrowed in confusion. "Our story?"
She sighed. For such an educated being, he could be incredibly dense at times. "Yeah, we've got to have a story. Who we are, why we've moved to Diresh.."
He caught on. "Oh. Right. Any ideas?"
She considered. For a fleeting moment she thought about posing as husband and wife, but quickly discarded that idea. It would not be comfortable for either her or Chayden, and eyebrows might be raised when the young couple didn't even sleep together.
*Okay, then. What about brother and sister?*
The idea had merit, and the more Tielle thought about it, the more she liked it.
"Spit it out," Chayden demanded, obviously sensing that she had a plan.
"What about brother and sister?" she suggested, watching Chayden for clues of what he thought.
Looking dubious, he asked, "Of what planet?"
Thinking fast, Tielle replied, "Fareari. Yeah, Fareari! We can pretend that we've become believers and have had to leave, or else we'd be tried for blasphemy!"
Still unconvinced, Chayden pointed out, "You have a Hidonian accent."
"So? I can speak with a Farearian accent." She tested it out. "See, it's not that hard. I sound Farearian."
"I guess. But can you do that whenever someone else is around, with every word you say?"
Impulsively reaching for one of his hands, Tielle pleaded, "Please. This is our only chance, but if you don't think I can do it, then teach me how. And teach me about Fareari. Everything about Fareari, so that I'm like a true Farearian, so that no one will ever suspect."
Chayden chuckled. "You could never be a Farearian. You're too independent and uncompromising."
"Oh, and Hristen isn't?"
"He's royalty. He's allowed to be borderline disrespectful. Normal civilians, however, cannot be."
"Oh, so I'm not good enough to be Farearian? I'm not good enough for you? Fine." Tielle leaned far back into her seat and pretended to pout.
Chayden released a weary sigh. "Fine. I'll teach you about Fareari. Happy now?"
Tielle grinned at him, but the smile quickly became a yawn.
"Great. Now go get some sleep before you collapse."
**
Chayden felt the turmoil and horror radiating from Tielle's quarters before he heard the screams.
"Ari! No! Stop it! Leave her alone! No!" She shrieked loudly as Chayden quickly dashed to her room and opened the door. "Uncle! Stop it! Father!"
Chayden crossed the tiny room in two short strides as Tielle cried out, "Matani! Thoena! Erete! Don't!" He gently shook her from her restless sleep and smoothed the covers that she had thrown into disarray. "Tielle," he whispered gently, "Tielle, it's okay."
She woke up and recoiled away from him, terror written on her face, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Shh," Chayden soothed, "You were having a nightmare, but it's alright now. You're safe."
"No," Tielle replied dully. "I'm not safe, because my nightmare wasn't a nightmare. It was the truth, and when the truth is more horrible then any nightmare, you know you're in trouble."
She still looked tired, but her words were those of someone completely clear-headed and not at all disoriented from waking up. It unnerved Chayden.
"Tielle, it's okay. You're safe now. Everything's going to be okay."
"Will it?" Tielle challenged him. "When? When whoever killed Arilana is dead and can no longer come after me? When your family stops trying to hunt you down? When the epidemic on my homeworld is cured? When, Chayden? I need to know, for I grow weary of not being safe, of living in uncertainty."
Again her words chilled the fugitive, and he struggled for words to placate her. "But that's not right. We don't live in uncertainty. God is always certain."
That seemed to console Tielle, and she lay back down, pulling the covers up to her chin. "Chayden," she said quietly, "can you stay with me until I fall asleep and wake me up if I start screaming again? I have to beat these nightmares."
Chayden nodded in the semi-darkness and was surprised when Tielle held out a hand. He grasped it firmly, watching as her eyelids fluttered and she fell into sleep.
Their hands tightly clasped, the princess slept, and this time no nightmares plagued her slumber.
It was a tearful send-off. Jenai and Tielle had obviously grown close during their days together, for reasons Chayden didn't understand. Tielle had said that the older woman had confided in her, telling her private things that had made them become close. Tielle had not said what those private things were, and Chayden understood that he was not to ask. It was between Tielle and Jenai, not him.
"Goodbye, Jenai," Tielle hugged the bent woman, who smiled through her tears. The smile lightened her features, and for the first time Chayden realized that she wasn't as old as he had thought. Instead of sixty or seventy, she was probably only forty or fifty.
What had she seen that had aged her so? Perhaps that was what Tielle knew.
"Ah'll keep you both in my prayers," Jenai replied. "But ah know we'll meet again. This isn't goodbye."
"Truly? How do you know that?"
Jenai just smiled. "Ah just do. Now, hurry and go, before ah change my mind and make you stay here with me."
Tielle smiled sadly and stepped back, reluctant to go. Chayden moved towards her and slipped an arm around her waist for moral support. She looked up at him, tears clinging to her long eyelashes, and thanked him with her eyes.
They quickly walked to the spaceport, not wanting to be out in public any longer than necessary. While nobody was looking for Tielle, the price on Chayden's head was quite exorbitant, and many would be searching for him.
Ominous thunderclouds hung oppressively in the distance, and the part of Chayden that was superstitious became uneasy. Were these dark clouds a sign of something to come?
Tielle glanced up at him and squeezed his hand. "Stop your worrying."
He smiled. "What makes you think I'm worrying? Are you sure *you're* not gene-altered?"
"Yeah, right. No, it's just the look you get on your face. You can't hide any of your emotions; they're always broadcasted on your face."
"Oh yeah? What am I thinking now?" He concentrated on how beautiful she was.
She blushed, and Chayden seriously considered the thought that she *was* gene-altered. "You're thinking about me. Something good about me. I can tell because of the way the lines around your eyes soften and your mouth curves into an almost-smile." She punched him lightly in the shoulder. "But when you're frustrated with me, the lines around your eyes and your mouth harden."
"When have I ever been frustrated with you?"
They stepped into the spaceport, where all sorts of disreputable-looking people milled about by the dozens. "Well, there was the time you tried to drag me out of that pit I lived in in the Hidden Fortress, and I wouldn't go as easily as you wanted me to, because I was stubborn and suspicious of your intentions."
Chayden laughed. "You're still stubborn."
She glared at him.
**
They strapped into their seats in the cockpit of their small spaceship, the Renegade. Chayden thought the name was appropriate for them, but Tielle seemed dazed and not at all in any state to appreciate the irony.
"Tielle? Are you okay?"
She snapped out of her reverie. "Yeah, I'm fine. Everything's great. I was just thinking about Jenai, that's all." She looked down at the controls of the ship. "Okay, you ready to leave this poor excuse for a planet?"
"You bet. Let's get going."
They quickly entered the planet's atmosphere and disappeared into light- space.
**
Tielle released the controls of the ship and leaned back in the cushioned co-pilot's seat. Fatigue tickled at the edge of her consciousness, but she refused to succumb to it. *I can sleep later,* she firmly told herself. *Right now I have to talk with Chayden.*
She whirled around in her chair to face the prince- no, he wasn't a prince anymore, he was a fugitive now, disowned from his family- and forced energy into her tone, futile as it was. Chayden could sense her exhaustion.
She pushed it away once again. "Okay, so what's our story?"
His brow furrowed in confusion. "Our story?"
She sighed. For such an educated being, he could be incredibly dense at times. "Yeah, we've got to have a story. Who we are, why we've moved to Diresh.."
He caught on. "Oh. Right. Any ideas?"
She considered. For a fleeting moment she thought about posing as husband and wife, but quickly discarded that idea. It would not be comfortable for either her or Chayden, and eyebrows might be raised when the young couple didn't even sleep together.
*Okay, then. What about brother and sister?*
The idea had merit, and the more Tielle thought about it, the more she liked it.
"Spit it out," Chayden demanded, obviously sensing that she had a plan.
"What about brother and sister?" she suggested, watching Chayden for clues of what he thought.
Looking dubious, he asked, "Of what planet?"
Thinking fast, Tielle replied, "Fareari. Yeah, Fareari! We can pretend that we've become believers and have had to leave, or else we'd be tried for blasphemy!"
Still unconvinced, Chayden pointed out, "You have a Hidonian accent."
"So? I can speak with a Farearian accent." She tested it out. "See, it's not that hard. I sound Farearian."
"I guess. But can you do that whenever someone else is around, with every word you say?"
Impulsively reaching for one of his hands, Tielle pleaded, "Please. This is our only chance, but if you don't think I can do it, then teach me how. And teach me about Fareari. Everything about Fareari, so that I'm like a true Farearian, so that no one will ever suspect."
Chayden chuckled. "You could never be a Farearian. You're too independent and uncompromising."
"Oh, and Hristen isn't?"
"He's royalty. He's allowed to be borderline disrespectful. Normal civilians, however, cannot be."
"Oh, so I'm not good enough to be Farearian? I'm not good enough for you? Fine." Tielle leaned far back into her seat and pretended to pout.
Chayden released a weary sigh. "Fine. I'll teach you about Fareari. Happy now?"
Tielle grinned at him, but the smile quickly became a yawn.
"Great. Now go get some sleep before you collapse."
**
Chayden felt the turmoil and horror radiating from Tielle's quarters before he heard the screams.
"Ari! No! Stop it! Leave her alone! No!" She shrieked loudly as Chayden quickly dashed to her room and opened the door. "Uncle! Stop it! Father!"
Chayden crossed the tiny room in two short strides as Tielle cried out, "Matani! Thoena! Erete! Don't!" He gently shook her from her restless sleep and smoothed the covers that she had thrown into disarray. "Tielle," he whispered gently, "Tielle, it's okay."
She woke up and recoiled away from him, terror written on her face, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Shh," Chayden soothed, "You were having a nightmare, but it's alright now. You're safe."
"No," Tielle replied dully. "I'm not safe, because my nightmare wasn't a nightmare. It was the truth, and when the truth is more horrible then any nightmare, you know you're in trouble."
She still looked tired, but her words were those of someone completely clear-headed and not at all disoriented from waking up. It unnerved Chayden.
"Tielle, it's okay. You're safe now. Everything's going to be okay."
"Will it?" Tielle challenged him. "When? When whoever killed Arilana is dead and can no longer come after me? When your family stops trying to hunt you down? When the epidemic on my homeworld is cured? When, Chayden? I need to know, for I grow weary of not being safe, of living in uncertainty."
Again her words chilled the fugitive, and he struggled for words to placate her. "But that's not right. We don't live in uncertainty. God is always certain."
That seemed to console Tielle, and she lay back down, pulling the covers up to her chin. "Chayden," she said quietly, "can you stay with me until I fall asleep and wake me up if I start screaming again? I have to beat these nightmares."
Chayden nodded in the semi-darkness and was surprised when Tielle held out a hand. He grasped it firmly, watching as her eyelids fluttered and she fell into sleep.
Their hands tightly clasped, the princess slept, and this time no nightmares plagued her slumber.
