Chapter 10
Bryn looked worriedly at the two men sitting by the river. It had been two days since Maeve's death and her companions acted as if they were barely going through the motions of living.
Sinbad and Dermott had hardly eaten and they were both sunken-eyed and hollow-cheeked. They seemed to have aged ten years in the past forty-eight hours and she was beginning to fear for their health.
Sinbad sat on the grass, his thoughts far away. Every time he closed his eyes he saw Maeve's deathly pale face as she lay in his arms and then how she was taken from him even in death as her physical form was transported away.
Dermott glared despondently at the water. His beautiful sister was gone and he felt her loss keenly. It was hard to imagine life without her - hard to believe that she would no longer be there to laugh with him and tease him.
He remembered her as a baby, her riotous hair bouncing all over as she laughed and raised her chubby hands to take a toy from him.
He remembered how he had felt when she had been born - how the little girl with the peaches and cream complexion and feisty temperament had enchanted him.
She had proved to be a handful to take care of as she was constantly exploring and getting herself in scrapes which he, subsequently, as the older brother had to get her out of.
A tear slid down his cheek. He buried his face in his hands and cried silently.
Bryn watched Dermott, as he wept, his body wracked by quiet sobs. Next to him, Sinbad had gotten up abruptly and walked off into the trees - most likely to grieve in privacy.
She knew that the captain regretted not telling Maeve how he had really felt about her - now, he would never be able to.
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Sinbad walked into the quiet, leafy shade of the forest. He leaned against a tree and raised his face to the sky. Tears streamed down his cheeks and he shuddered with the force of his grief.
Like Dermott, memories flooded over him. He recalled the first time he had seen her - studying with Dim Dim - he had been captivated from that moment.
He had been unable to believe his luck when Dim Dim had told him that Maeve would be joining them on their quest to save the princess and although he had regretted the loss of the old wizard, he had never been sorry that the consequences of losing Dim Dim had been the gaining of Maeve.
He smiled wistfully as he remembered their first kiss - the day that they had defeated the Vorgon. He had been so relieved to see her safe and unharmed that he had not stopped to think - just reacted instinctively when she had hurled herself in his arms.
The kiss had been everything that he had dreamed of - unfortunately, it was much to short and the horror on her face afterwards had quelled his desire - until he had seen how jealous she was of the other woman who had kissed him shortly after.
He had teased her about receiving better kisses in the recent past and had delighted in the way her creamy complexion had flushed a fiery red.
Then, there was the battle against Scratch and Rumina's forces in which he came so close to declaring his love for her.
Feruse's interruption had annoyed him no end and he had promised himself to tell her his true feelings if they survived, but when everything was over, he, who had faced demons without fear was too afraid to bare his heart to the woman he loved.
And now...... It was too late.
"Maeve," he murmured. "I'm sorry. I never got the chance to tell you."
"What?" came the voice behind him.
Sinbad yelped in surprise and whirled to face the object of his thoughts.
"M-Maeve?" he asked, stunned.
She winked at him. "Most of me," she replied.
He moved to hug her - and fell straight through.
Her enchanting laughter rang out. "I'm dead, remember?"
"You're a ghost!" he gasped.
She raised a sardonic eyebrow. "Genius! I always knew that there was a brain behind that pretty face."
He couldn't help but laugh. "Why are you here Maeve?"
"I need to be here Sinbad," she said seriously. "I cannot rest until the person who killed me is defeated."
"And then, you'll be gone forever?" he asked sadly.
She walked and stopped in front of him. "Who knows? I might forever roam the earth in this form." She smiled. "Haunt you forever....."
His lips curved upwards. "That sounds like a plan."
She laughed again and tossed her hair over her shoulder. "Strange huh? For me to spend all that time away from you only to die two weeks after I return." Her smile turned sad. "I'll never get to feel your touch ever again."
He lowered his eyes, before the tears that her words had invoked could show. He, more than anyone else, knew how she was feeling at the moment.
He could have kicked himself for not telling her of his feelings for her when she was alive - but - foolishly - he had believed that they would have been granted all of the time that they needed.
Now he realized that love and life were things that waited for no one and that if the moment wasn't seized when it arose, then it might be lost forever.
He raised his face to hers and brought his hand up to hover over her cheek. She turned her face into his palm and although he could not feel her, the poignant gesture warmed his heart.
She pulled away and gestured for him to follow her. "Come, Sinbad. We have work to do!"
*********************************
Bryn looked worriedly at the two men sitting by the river. It had been two days since Maeve's death and her companions acted as if they were barely going through the motions of living.
Sinbad and Dermott had hardly eaten and they were both sunken-eyed and hollow-cheeked. They seemed to have aged ten years in the past forty-eight hours and she was beginning to fear for their health.
Sinbad sat on the grass, his thoughts far away. Every time he closed his eyes he saw Maeve's deathly pale face as she lay in his arms and then how she was taken from him even in death as her physical form was transported away.
Dermott glared despondently at the water. His beautiful sister was gone and he felt her loss keenly. It was hard to imagine life without her - hard to believe that she would no longer be there to laugh with him and tease him.
He remembered her as a baby, her riotous hair bouncing all over as she laughed and raised her chubby hands to take a toy from him.
He remembered how he had felt when she had been born - how the little girl with the peaches and cream complexion and feisty temperament had enchanted him.
She had proved to be a handful to take care of as she was constantly exploring and getting herself in scrapes which he, subsequently, as the older brother had to get her out of.
A tear slid down his cheek. He buried his face in his hands and cried silently.
Bryn watched Dermott, as he wept, his body wracked by quiet sobs. Next to him, Sinbad had gotten up abruptly and walked off into the trees - most likely to grieve in privacy.
She knew that the captain regretted not telling Maeve how he had really felt about her - now, he would never be able to.
**************************
Sinbad walked into the quiet, leafy shade of the forest. He leaned against a tree and raised his face to the sky. Tears streamed down his cheeks and he shuddered with the force of his grief.
Like Dermott, memories flooded over him. He recalled the first time he had seen her - studying with Dim Dim - he had been captivated from that moment.
He had been unable to believe his luck when Dim Dim had told him that Maeve would be joining them on their quest to save the princess and although he had regretted the loss of the old wizard, he had never been sorry that the consequences of losing Dim Dim had been the gaining of Maeve.
He smiled wistfully as he remembered their first kiss - the day that they had defeated the Vorgon. He had been so relieved to see her safe and unharmed that he had not stopped to think - just reacted instinctively when she had hurled herself in his arms.
The kiss had been everything that he had dreamed of - unfortunately, it was much to short and the horror on her face afterwards had quelled his desire - until he had seen how jealous she was of the other woman who had kissed him shortly after.
He had teased her about receiving better kisses in the recent past and had delighted in the way her creamy complexion had flushed a fiery red.
Then, there was the battle against Scratch and Rumina's forces in which he came so close to declaring his love for her.
Feruse's interruption had annoyed him no end and he had promised himself to tell her his true feelings if they survived, but when everything was over, he, who had faced demons without fear was too afraid to bare his heart to the woman he loved.
And now...... It was too late.
"Maeve," he murmured. "I'm sorry. I never got the chance to tell you."
"What?" came the voice behind him.
Sinbad yelped in surprise and whirled to face the object of his thoughts.
"M-Maeve?" he asked, stunned.
She winked at him. "Most of me," she replied.
He moved to hug her - and fell straight through.
Her enchanting laughter rang out. "I'm dead, remember?"
"You're a ghost!" he gasped.
She raised a sardonic eyebrow. "Genius! I always knew that there was a brain behind that pretty face."
He couldn't help but laugh. "Why are you here Maeve?"
"I need to be here Sinbad," she said seriously. "I cannot rest until the person who killed me is defeated."
"And then, you'll be gone forever?" he asked sadly.
She walked and stopped in front of him. "Who knows? I might forever roam the earth in this form." She smiled. "Haunt you forever....."
His lips curved upwards. "That sounds like a plan."
She laughed again and tossed her hair over her shoulder. "Strange huh? For me to spend all that time away from you only to die two weeks after I return." Her smile turned sad. "I'll never get to feel your touch ever again."
He lowered his eyes, before the tears that her words had invoked could show. He, more than anyone else, knew how she was feeling at the moment.
He could have kicked himself for not telling her of his feelings for her when she was alive - but - foolishly - he had believed that they would have been granted all of the time that they needed.
Now he realized that love and life were things that waited for no one and that if the moment wasn't seized when it arose, then it might be lost forever.
He raised his face to hers and brought his hand up to hover over her cheek. She turned her face into his palm and although he could not feel her, the poignant gesture warmed his heart.
She pulled away and gestured for him to follow her. "Come, Sinbad. We have work to do!"
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