Chapter 10: The Sea
"How dare you bring her back now!" Lir shouted at Schmendrick. "I begged, I pleaded with you for the longest time to bring her back to me and you refused. Why would you bring her back now?!"
"There was no way I could bring her back to you! I didn't know where to find her. Lady Amalthea sought me out," Schmendrick shouted back.
"Why would she do that after all this time?" Lir demanded as he threw himself into his chair like a petulant child.
"Because she could no longer live with regret. She is the only unicorn to ever know love and to ever know regret. It took its toll on her and she could no longer bear it. Would you have wished me to turn away and allow her to die of a broken heart?" Schmendrick asked.
Lir contemplated the question and he could not answer. He had finally learned to live without her and she had suddenly breezed back into his life the same way she had breezed out of it eight years earlier. Part of him wished she had stayed in her forest and lived her immortal life in that far away place, but the other half of him rejoiced in her return. Whether by his sorcerer's sight or just his intuition, Schmendrick knew what Lir seemed to be feeling at the moment. Schmendrick knew the internal angst Lir was suffering through as the two halves of his mind warred for control of his heart. Schmendrick could not see which half would win though, for they were so equally matched. Another thing apparent to Schmendrick was the fact that if he knew what Lir was feeling then it wouldn't be long before Ariana knew what Lir was feeling.
"Your father once said that his secrets guarded themselves. Can yours do the same?" Schmendrick inquired, breaking Lir's pensive concentration.
"What?"
"The day that we arrived so many years ago begging to become your father's servants, he told us that his secrets guarded themselves. I was just wondering if yours could do the same,"
"What secrets?" Lir questioned.
"You still love Amalthea, though you do not want to admit it. Can you hide that from both Amalthea and Ariana? Can you resign yourself to keeping your commitment to your fiancé, or can you find the courage you acquired for Amalthea's sake so long ago and be courageous for her again?"
Lir pondered the magician's words and Schmendrick quietly slipped out of the room. His Majesty grabbed his flaxen locks between both of his hands and gave an outraged cry before he rose from his seat and grabbed the crystal carafe on the sideboard near the window and poured himself the strongest drink he had. As he began to pour himself a second glass, Lir noticed the movements of the sea.
On most nights at this time, the Bull had quieted down and the sea became calm once more. But tonight was unlike any night Lir had ever seen before. He had never seen such a squall arise so quickly and the rust colored foam adorning the wave tops suddenly flared and glowed to an intense scarlet light that Lir was sure rivaled the fires of Hell.
When the glow blazed again, Lir saw Amalthea for the first time. He stared unbelievingly as she continued to walk toward the water. A sudden fear gripped his heart and he ran through the hallways of his castle with amazing speed and was by Amalthea's side in an instant.
"Amalthea!" he cried as she stepped into the water. "She's giving herself to the Bull," he thought as he watched her wade up past her ankles. He grabbed her arm just as a huge wave crested. Startled, she fought against him and they both went under the tempestuous surf. Once they had emerged from the water, Amalthea walked farther out into the ocean and an incandescent light of myriad colors surrounded her. The sea began to calm and the water began to resume a more natural color. After a moment, the brilliant aura encompassing Amalthea subsided and the sea became as tranquil of the waters of a pond, undisturbed and glittering in the silvery moonlight.
"What did you think you were doing?" Lir demanded of her as he coughed the salty water out of his lungs.
"Whatever do you mean my lord?" Amalthea inquired with a quizzical look on her face.
"Were you giving yourself over to the Bull or were just simply just trying to drown yourself?"
"My lord, I had no intention of ending my life. The Bull was sulking over his loss to me so many years ago and that was the cause of the crimson waves. I was merely letting him know that I was here and his tantrums have been in vain because he cannot escape no matter how he tries," she explained.
Silently, they walked back upon the dry sand and Lir struggled with what to say.
"Your father's secrets guarded themselves. Can yours do the same?"
Schmendrick's words echoed through the vaults of his mind and Lir damned himself for having listened to that inept enchanter. But, as Lir stared on, the water on Amalthea's skin shimmered in the moonlight and gave her a soft luminosity that was both fantastical and becoming. He had struggled to be stronger without her and now suddenly, alone in her magnificent presence, Lir felt like a bumbling fool again.
"Might I be the last to congratulate you on your impending marriage your Majesty?" Amalthea asked with a regal bow.
"Don't do that," Lir admonished Amalthea, taking her by the shoulders and pulling her out of her curtsy.
"Why shouldn't I congratulate you?" she inquired, her violet-blue eyes full of pain.
"Because you don't mean it," he snapped.
"That's not the real reason is it?" Amalthea pursued.
Lir looked at her shivering in the cool breeze wafting off the foamy waves; her milky skin exposed as her soaked blue robe fluttered in the wind. The sodden cream colored gown clung tightly to the peaks and valleys of her body and Lir felt his face flush warm in the cool dimness of the night.
"No it's not," he answered. Emotion gripped the words in Lir's throat and he had problems forcing them from the tightening grasp, but he managed to say, "I can take everyone's felicitations but yours."
Amalthea stared at him, her large eyes imploring him to explain and without any prompting he forged on.
"I can't stand to see you cowering before me like a common subject. You're too good for that," he lied glibly, averting her penetrating gaze but he faltered when he saw the piercing gleam radiating from her mesmerizing stare. Lir didn't know how, but he felt a connection when their eyes met, and he realized she knew. Subterfuge was worthless. Once more, he began to speak, but this time, the dryness in his mouth kept him from saying everything he wanted to say. Instead, he lamely answered, "Let's get you inside before you catch your death of cold."
"You idiot!" Lir silently berated himself, "You fool. Why is it so hard to tell her that you're not in love with her anymore? That's all you have to tell her. That's all you've got to say."
Quietly, his Majesty walked his waterlogged guest through the silent corridors of his elegant castle, past the ornamental wreaths and vividly colored ribbons festively placed for the Erastide celebrations.
Amalthea knew that Lir was struggling with himself and the matters of his heart, but she was unsure whether he would choose her or the dark, lovely Ariana. Her heart began to pound with this nervous energy.
"Goodnight my lady. I hope that you find your suite conducive to a restful sleep," he said stiffly and retreated down the hallway to his own chambers.
Ariana did not know what had kept Lir from her side, but she felt that it had something to do with the mysterious Lady Amalthea. She heard him enter quietly and she heard the heavy sound of clothing dropping to the floor. A moment later, he joined her in the luxurious feather bed and Ariana flinched when his chilly, bare arm wrapped around her waist.
Neither half of the couple knew that the other lay awake that night thinking about the same woman.
Schmendrick and Molly had watched the exchange between Amalthea and Lir and they too slept somewhat stressfully that evening, for they knew that both hearts longed for the same passionate love they had shared eight years earlier. They also knew that while both hearts longed for the other, both were incredibly stubborn and it was going to take an enormous amount of effort to bring them together again. The magician and his love both drifted to sleep with a half-baked scheme forming in their slumber filled minds.
Of all of the members of the circle of friends, Amalthea was the only one who managed to sleep. But, her sleep was mixed blessing of sorts; it was a reprieve from the exhaustion she felt after racking sobs and tears had come over her, but it was also an excruciating experience, for just as eight years earlier, her dreams were a haunting thing and she longed for someone to drive them away.