Ch5
I felt a tug on my dress, and looked down to see a small boy with wide blue eyes and white-blond hair looking up at me. He wore clothes from aboveground. "Who are you?" he asked, his voice filled with wonder and delight. "You have pointy ears! Are you a goblin?" I was about to reply, when I heard another voice. It was a girl's voice. "Toby? Toby! There you are!" I watched in amazement as a wonderfully familiar young woman emerged from the trees. It was Sarah, looking much happier than I'd seen her in a long time. Her dress was slightly torn, and there were twigs and thorns caught in her hair, but she was smiling, and her eyes sparkled with joy. "Sarah….?" I asked cautiously, as she scooped the little boy up into her arms and spun him around. She turned to look at me. "Evangeline!" she cried, putting the boy back on the ground and rushing up to me. "Where were you? You disappeared!" she said, then called into the forest, "Hey! Evangeline's back!"
Cyprian strode out of the woods, looking as windblown as Sarah. He ran to me and threw his arms around me, laughing. Then, he went to Sarah, swept her into his arms and kissed her. I stared in disbelief, wondering how long I had been gone for. The three of them, Sarah, Cyprian and Toby, looked like they had just returned from a wild run through the dense forest. Cyprian had changed from the silly, self-centered boy he had once been; now he seemed only interested in Sarah. I looked from one to the other, searching for something to say.
"Sarah?...Cyprian? Have I missed something?" I asked. Sarah turned and grinned at me. "Oh, lots!" she said. "This is my little brother, Toby!" she gestured to the blonde boy, who waved enthusiastically. "I think he likes you!" said Cyprian, as Toby raced over and clung to me. "After you left, I started to really miss him, so Cyprian helped me find him aboveground, and bring him here for a visit! We sort of bonded after that…" said Sarah. "Everyone's missed you," said Cyprian, "even Maria was wondering where you had gone!" It occurred to me that I had missed Cyprian and Sarah too, and Anastasia and the rest of the caravan. "Say you're coming home, Eva!" he said. My heart ached with a mixture of joy and fear; I wanted badly to come home, but part of me couldn't forget Jareth and the look of panic on his face before he sent me back. Finally I sighed and said, "I'm coming home. I'm not sure how long I can stay, but I'm coming home."
Weeks passed, and I received no news of Jareth. I did my best to live life in the caravan as I always had, and not to worry about what was happening at the castle. I gathered herbs with Anastasia, and listened to her stories. To Claudius's great delight, I hunted with him and Cyprian. I helped Sarah to look after Toby. I even spoke to Maria and her friends. I was happy to be back in the forest, where everything was familiar and certain.
One evening, as the sun was setting, Sarah, Cyprian and Claudius found me sitting alone, watching the sunset. "Evangeline! These two and I are going for a walk by the river! Would you care to join us?" asked Claudius, a hopeful gleam in his eyes. I agreed to go with them; I had little else to do, and I supposed that a walk in the woods would surely do me good. I looked back at Toby, sleeping peacefully on a blanket outside Sarah's wagon, then followed my three friends into the woods.
It was a long and beautiful path to the river, and the trees cast long shadows in the light of the setting sun. I could smell flowers and earth and fir trees. Finally we reached a place where black rocks rose from the earth, then formed a small cliff at the edge of the river. Sarah and Cyprian sat down between two trees. The sun was barely a sliver of gold on the horizon now, as I sat and let my feet skim the cool water. I still wondered when I would hear from Jareth, but for now, everything was peaceful.
I looked over to where Sarah and Cyprian were. Cyprian had his arm around Sarah, who was leaning her head on his shoulder. I still couldn't get used to seeing them like this. It was then that I became aware of a hand resting on my own.
I turned to see Claudius sitting beside me, staring up at the stars. I hadn't even noticed him sit down. I jumped a little, startled. Claudius turned to look at me. "It's a beautiful night, isn't it?" he said. I nodded, suddenly beginning to feel cold. I shivered as I looked over at Cyprian, with his arms around Sarah. "Is something the matter?" asked Claudius. "No…..I'm just not used to seeing my brother and Sarah…you know…together," I said quietly. "They're in love," murmured Claudius, and I wondered if he had moved closer, or if it was just my imagination. He stretched, and suddenly his arm was resting around my shoulders. I looked at him, but didn't know what to say. All I could think of was Jareth. I had tried to put him from my mind, but in truth ever since I had left the castle, he seemed to me to be around every corner when I was hunting, and silhouetted in the curling smoke of the bonfires. On windy nights I thought I heard his voice. As Claudius put his arm around me, my mind wandered back to dancing with Jareth at the masquerade. I moved closer to Cyprian, sheltering myself from the cold, and he draped his arms around me. "Evangeline, there's something I want to tell you. I…well, I… I like you. I really like you…..in fact, I…." he said, faltering and searching for the right words. I sighed and nodded, although I was only half listening. The soft, haunting melody from the ball echoed in my head. My thoughts were still on Jareth; his eyes, his voice, his lips brushing against mine…
My heart sank as I realized what I was doing. I pulled away from Claudius moments before our lips would have met. My heart was pounding painfully as I leapt shakily to my feet. "Evangeline, I love you!" Claudius called after me, but I was already dodging through the trees, following the river and trying to get as far away as I could. My breathing came fast and harsh. I didn't love Claudius. I couldn't. I loved Jareth. And yet, I had let Claudius believe that I loved him in return, and I had almost kissed him!
Thorns tore at my ankles and feet, and branches caught in my hair as I ran deeper into the dense forest. Still desperate to go farther, I fell to the ground and cried out the spell that still lingered in my memory from long ago.
A falcon once more, I flew over the forest, following the river as closely as I could. I was going back to the castle, although I feared terribly what I might find when I arrived. Light rain had begun to fall. I scanned the ground below me, making sure I was still over the river, when I saw somebody standing on the sandy riverbank below. My heart nearly skipped a beat; it was Jareth.
I swooped towards the shore as fast as my wings would carry me. When Jareth saw me he held out his arm, thinking me to be his hunting falcon, but I didn't go to him; instead I landed on the rocks flanking the beach, and did what I had longed to do ever since I had first hunted with him. I transformed before his eyes. I smiled at the astonishment on his face as his hunting falcon transformed into a young elven woman. "Jareth!" I cried, dashing across the beach and throwing my arms around him. "Evangeline…." He murmured, returning my embrace. His white shirt and black leather vest were torn and dusty, and his voice sounded weary, but my heart swelled with joy and relief as I rested my head upon his shoulder.