When Prue woke up the next morning, she realized that she wasn't in her bedroom at the manor, or even in the room she'd been given at the castle. She was in Darius' bed, and he was lying next to her, asleep.
She slipped out of the room, careful not to wake him, and scurried across the hall. She closed her door tightly, leaning against it, trying to absorb everything that had happened.
She remembered being with Darius. She remembered very clearly the way he'd made her feel; it was comforting, but at the same time exciting, and wild, and there was something about him that was strangely cold, almost... evil.
Almost. She convinced herself that almost evil and actually evil were not the same thing. Besides, she reasoned, if he'd wanted to kill her, he never would have rescued her the night before. She was certain he wouldn't hurt her. Drawing reassurance from this belief, she crossed the room and opened her armoir.
She was surprised to find a full wardrobe waiting for her, all in her size. There were some practical items, like the jeans and shirts she was used to, but most of the clothes were made of fine materials fit for a queen. After looking over several outfits, she chose a simple white sundress. She dressed quickly, ran a brush through her silky dark hair, and went downstairs to explore the castle.
By the time she reached the kitchen, Darius was already there, dressed in a black tee-shirt and the same color jeans. He smiled at her briefly. "There you are. I didn't hear you sneak out of bed this morning. Come here, have breakfast with me."
She accepted his invitation silently, sitting down across the wooden table from him. "I didn't want to wake you," she explained as a butler set a plate of scrambled eggs and ham in front of her. "I've always been an early riser."
He shrugged, taking a bite of toast. "I understand. You need some time to adjust, to move on from the life you had before."
Prue nodded absently. In truth, she hadn't thought about it at all. She hadn't let herself. The subject of her own death was something she hadn't quite come to terms with yet. She knew that she'd left the world she used to belong to, and that this place was some kind of afterlife, but she still couldn't believe that she, Prue, was actually dead. Suddenly, she heard Piper's voice in her ear again, whispering the same spell that had landed her here. The memory made her shiver.
"Are you all right?" Darius asked, noticing her vacant expression.
Again, Prue nodded. "Yeah, it's just, um, a bit cold in here."
Darius turned and motioned to one of the maids, a young, weary-looking girl who Prue thought couldn't be more than twenty years old.
"Saira, get a fire going," Darius requested. The girl did as she was told, and when the flames started leaping up in the ancient fireplace, she scurried out of the room.
"How did she end up here?" Prue wondered aloud.
"She was hanged as a witch in colonial America," Darius informed her. "She was innocent, but then again, so were many of the accused back then."
Prue quietly pushed the food around with her fork, thinking. Then, after a minute, her voice nearly inaudible, she asked, "How did you end up here?"
Darius sighed. "You'll have to find out sooner or later, so I suppose I'll tell you now. I wasn't entirely truthful yesterday, when I said that I learned about magic from being here. See, when I was alive, I fell in love with a witch. An evil witch, as it turns out. I left her, and she put a curse on me. She killed me, and then the next thing I knew, I was here."
Prue stared at him in wonderment. "You speak about it so matter-of-factly. How is that?"
He shrugged. "It's been a long time, babe. That was a completely different lifetime, seperate from the one I'm in now."
She sipped her tea, wondering if she could ever feel that way.
"You will, in time," he said in answer to her unasked question.
She looked up at him. "How do you that, always know what I'm thinking?"
"I know a lot of what goes on here," he replied cryptically. "I suppose you could say I'm a kind of leader. When I got here, the first thing I did was start looking for a way out. I never found one, but that still hasn't stopped me from searching, and I've recruited others to do the same. I don't want to stay here forever, Prue. I believe that, once we all unite, we'll be strong enough to break free."
"It's a nice dream," she mused. "Who knows, maybe it'll become more than that."
"It's already started," he said, looking at her pleadingly. "Please, say you'll join me. I've already gotten most of the people here, but it's not enough. I'll need someone to reign beside me in order to win them all. I want that person to be you."
Prue, realizing that he was entirely serious, got up quickly. "I'll have to think about it."
He got up too, and followed her out into the garden. "Talk to me," he implored.
She sighed, and turned to face him. "I just... This is all happening so fast, and I don't know what to do."
"I understand," he said, "Really. I was once just as lost as you. Hell, half the time I still am. That's why I need you, Prue."
She bit her lip, fighting back tears. "It's just all so confusing. I want to do what's right, but how do I know what that is?"
He grabbed her, and in an instant she found herself engulfed in a deep, intense kiss. She felt everything he did - his bitterness at being trapped here, his determination to find a way out, and finally his passion for her. When they pulled away, she had no hesitation.
"I'll do it."
She slipped out of the room, careful not to wake him, and scurried across the hall. She closed her door tightly, leaning against it, trying to absorb everything that had happened.
She remembered being with Darius. She remembered very clearly the way he'd made her feel; it was comforting, but at the same time exciting, and wild, and there was something about him that was strangely cold, almost... evil.
Almost. She convinced herself that almost evil and actually evil were not the same thing. Besides, she reasoned, if he'd wanted to kill her, he never would have rescued her the night before. She was certain he wouldn't hurt her. Drawing reassurance from this belief, she crossed the room and opened her armoir.
She was surprised to find a full wardrobe waiting for her, all in her size. There were some practical items, like the jeans and shirts she was used to, but most of the clothes were made of fine materials fit for a queen. After looking over several outfits, she chose a simple white sundress. She dressed quickly, ran a brush through her silky dark hair, and went downstairs to explore the castle.
By the time she reached the kitchen, Darius was already there, dressed in a black tee-shirt and the same color jeans. He smiled at her briefly. "There you are. I didn't hear you sneak out of bed this morning. Come here, have breakfast with me."
She accepted his invitation silently, sitting down across the wooden table from him. "I didn't want to wake you," she explained as a butler set a plate of scrambled eggs and ham in front of her. "I've always been an early riser."
He shrugged, taking a bite of toast. "I understand. You need some time to adjust, to move on from the life you had before."
Prue nodded absently. In truth, she hadn't thought about it at all. She hadn't let herself. The subject of her own death was something she hadn't quite come to terms with yet. She knew that she'd left the world she used to belong to, and that this place was some kind of afterlife, but she still couldn't believe that she, Prue, was actually dead. Suddenly, she heard Piper's voice in her ear again, whispering the same spell that had landed her here. The memory made her shiver.
"Are you all right?" Darius asked, noticing her vacant expression.
Again, Prue nodded. "Yeah, it's just, um, a bit cold in here."
Darius turned and motioned to one of the maids, a young, weary-looking girl who Prue thought couldn't be more than twenty years old.
"Saira, get a fire going," Darius requested. The girl did as she was told, and when the flames started leaping up in the ancient fireplace, she scurried out of the room.
"How did she end up here?" Prue wondered aloud.
"She was hanged as a witch in colonial America," Darius informed her. "She was innocent, but then again, so were many of the accused back then."
Prue quietly pushed the food around with her fork, thinking. Then, after a minute, her voice nearly inaudible, she asked, "How did you end up here?"
Darius sighed. "You'll have to find out sooner or later, so I suppose I'll tell you now. I wasn't entirely truthful yesterday, when I said that I learned about magic from being here. See, when I was alive, I fell in love with a witch. An evil witch, as it turns out. I left her, and she put a curse on me. She killed me, and then the next thing I knew, I was here."
Prue stared at him in wonderment. "You speak about it so matter-of-factly. How is that?"
He shrugged. "It's been a long time, babe. That was a completely different lifetime, seperate from the one I'm in now."
She sipped her tea, wondering if she could ever feel that way.
"You will, in time," he said in answer to her unasked question.
She looked up at him. "How do you that, always know what I'm thinking?"
"I know a lot of what goes on here," he replied cryptically. "I suppose you could say I'm a kind of leader. When I got here, the first thing I did was start looking for a way out. I never found one, but that still hasn't stopped me from searching, and I've recruited others to do the same. I don't want to stay here forever, Prue. I believe that, once we all unite, we'll be strong enough to break free."
"It's a nice dream," she mused. "Who knows, maybe it'll become more than that."
"It's already started," he said, looking at her pleadingly. "Please, say you'll join me. I've already gotten most of the people here, but it's not enough. I'll need someone to reign beside me in order to win them all. I want that person to be you."
Prue, realizing that he was entirely serious, got up quickly. "I'll have to think about it."
He got up too, and followed her out into the garden. "Talk to me," he implored.
She sighed, and turned to face him. "I just... This is all happening so fast, and I don't know what to do."
"I understand," he said, "Really. I was once just as lost as you. Hell, half the time I still am. That's why I need you, Prue."
She bit her lip, fighting back tears. "It's just all so confusing. I want to do what's right, but how do I know what that is?"
He grabbed her, and in an instant she found herself engulfed in a deep, intense kiss. She felt everything he did - his bitterness at being trapped here, his determination to find a way out, and finally his passion for her. When they pulled away, she had no hesitation.
"I'll do it."