Disclaimer: Formal letter to all reading this: Dear Readers, I did not write Ella Enchanted. I own Val, Shean, and just about everything except the things you recognize from Ella Enchanted. Yours Sincerely, Jaina Eowyn. (There, that wasn't another lame attempt at humor (I think). Go me!)
A/N: Just a quick note. In the rewrite, I'm going to be changing Val's sister's age to eight (much more annoying than three, trust me), so whenever she sees her from now on, she'll be eight. And she'll have a name (at some point, once I decide to stop being lazy and make one up, heehee).
Chapter Thirteen: Home Again At LastA little over a year had passed since we got back from the youth vacation (I was now eighteen) and I settled into my new life. I ended up getting a female border collie in July so that Keegan would have a friend. Well, actually it was mainly so that when I had two border collies that I could bring back with me to Kyrria when I had to leave later that year.
It was early September and I was in the backyard playing with Keegan and Cyd while waiting for Shean to get Éire ready to go to the park when I suddenly had one of those visions that I had had before.
I saw my mother staring up at me.
"Avalla," she said. She looked real, but for some reason, I could tell that she wasn't. "Avalla, we need you. Next month you will find the door again. Have everything ready. You will only have a few hours after you find the door to get back to it before it disappears forever and everything is lost. Please do not fail us."
"Mother!" I called, trying to run to her, but finding myself frozen once again. "Mother, wait! At least give me some advice on what and who to bring or something!"
She shook her head. "I cannot. Just - remember…" She murmured, and then abruptly disappeared.
I found myself lying on my back in the grass with three dogs licking me and Shean crouched next to me. I pushed the dogs off and sat up. Apparently Keegan and Cyd had knocked me over and started to lick me and then Shean and Éire had come out and gotten in on the action.
Shean grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet, a puzzled look on his face.
"What was that all about?" He asked in a confused tone.
I shook my head. "N-nothing. I just had a headache, I think."
"Do you usually freeze up and let the dogs knock you over when you get a headache?" Shean asked with a touch of teasing in his voice.
I shrugged, hoping he'd forget it. I knew I'd have to tell him about my visions soon, but not right now. I picked up my dogs' leashes from the ground and snapped them on their collars.
"Come on, let's go," I coaxed, walking towards the gate and opening it. Shean shrugged and followed me out. I think he had by now decided that I was just a normal weirdo and there wasn't anything he could do about it, so he had decided to just accept it.
We ran the dogs to the park and let them play with their other doggy friends while we sat down on a bench to watch them. We sat there for a while and after all conversation died off, I began to let my mind wander.
I wondered what my mother was doing. I knew she was probably still worried about me, although I hoped she wasn't grieving for me or anything. Then pictures came to my mind, like a vision, except that I didn't freeze up like I usually did and I knew I was probably just dead to the world.
I saw my mother with my siblings. She was holding my baby brother (who now looked to be at least six months old, maybe nine months, although I don't know how that could be since it had been two years or so since I'd seen him as a newborn) in her lap and playing a card game with Éralla. She had a smile on her face, but it wasn't a laughing smile. It was more of an obliging smile, like she was smiling because Éralla expected her to, but she was trying to think more than smile.
I saw my father pacing in his garden with one of his advisors, rubbing his chin and obviously contemplating something. He looked very troubled and I knew the war was probably going to start soon. I made up my mind to finish up with my plans for what I was bringing within the week.
Suddenly I heard a thought. No, please, not again! Val! Please don't do this to me! I need you to stay with me! Please come back! I somehow knew that it was Shean's thought and the next thing I knew, I saw a hand waving in front of my face and heard Shean's voice saying 'He-lloooo! Earth to Avalla!" in a singsong voice.
I shook my head. My eyes had been staring straight ahead and I was still sitting in the same position I had been before the visions.
Shean sat back farther into the bench and folded his arms across his chest. "What were you thinking about?" He asked in an almost sarcastic voice. "A boyfriend?" Yes, definitely sarcastic. I sat up straight and glared at him.
"No! You know perfectly well that I don't have a boyfriend!"
He looked almost genuinely surprised. "Then what do you do when you go out at nights by yourself?"
I rolled my eyes. "I go for a walk, you numbskull!"
His eyebrows raised slightly and he nodded wisely. "Ah, yes. With your boyfriend."
I made as if to strangle him. "I. Do. Not. Have. A. Boyfriend!" I hissed. Then I had an idea to tease him back with. I sat back in the bench and folded my own arms. "Why? Jealous or something?"
His eyes darted around, then settled firmly back on my now smug face. "Or something," he said. I rolled my eyes. This was fun! We were both pretty good actors, so we could play this back and forth.
"How about when you go to the movies with your girlfriend?" I asked. I knew I had him here. Whenever he went to the movies with the other guys and their girlfriends, there was always an extra girl in the car and she always motioned for Shean to hurry up. It had to be his girlfriend.
He looked very genuinely surprised and answered very intelligently. "Huh?"
I raised an eyebrow. "You know, the extra girl in the car when you go to the movies with the guys?"
He laughed, looking relieved. "Jackie? She's one of the other girls' friends that always comes along."
I nodded sagely. "Uh, huh." Shoot, there went one weapon. But teasing was too much fun to drop so soon. I searched around for something else to use, but just then, the dogs came running over and Jaime (Keegan's mum, in case you forgot) and her owner, Sair came running over.
Sair panted, grinning. "Hey! I saw these guys and they came running over here and Jaime came with them, so I guess I did, too! How've you been?"
I pushed Shean farther over to the side on the bench and motioned Sair to sit down next to me. She did.
"Well, we've been fine," I said in reply to her question. "You?"
Sair grinned. "Jaime just won another title in both agility and flyball. Our flyball team is pretty good, and this year has been one of our best. We're so proud of her!" She ruffled the dog's thick black and white furred head.
Quickly, before I could decide against it, I swallowed and started talking. "Um, Sair, this might be one of the last times I see you."
Both she and Shean stared at me and went, "Huh?"
I steeled myself and continued. "I'm going to be going away soon and I don't know when, so I don't know when the last time I see you will be, so I wanted to say goodbye now." I looked up from my lap to see her reaction.
She and Shean were both still staring at me, slack jawed.
"Um, okay," Sair finally said. Then she opened her arms for a hug. "Just in case," she whispered for my ears only, although I didn't know if she really believed me.
"Hey, what about me?" Shean asked, but I ignored him since I knew he was just kidding around.
I sighed inwardly. I knew I was going to have to explain this to Shean, especially since it might involve him. But I'd have to convince him that it was better not to tell his mum about it, and that might be harder than it sounds.
I looked down at my watch. "Oh, we better get home or Sylva'll worry about us."
Shean nodded and stood up, calling Éire to him. I did the same and we clipped our leashes onto our dogs and waved goodbye to Sair and Jaime as we left the park.
"What was that all about?" Shean asked when we were out of earshot. I waved my free hand at him.
"I'll tell you later."
"When?" He prompted.
"I don't know! Maybe tomorrow or something."
"No, I want to know what this is about."
I looked heavenward like I was looking for help. "Look, I'll meet you in the tree house tomorrow at four. Just you," I added to make sure he didn't bring anyone else. He was known for doing that sort of thing.
He nodded reluctantly. "Fine. Tomorrow, the tree house, at four."
The next day, I got home from school and prepared for the confrontation. This wasn't going to be fun.
I arrived in the tree house first and waited for about five minutes for Shean to get there. When he finally did, he found me sitting in one of the folding chairs and he took one of the others.
"So, what's this about leaving us soon?" He asked, folding his arms over his chest and leaning the chair back against the wall with its two front feet off the floor. I could tell that he was rather agitated and annoyed that I hadn't told him about this. I sighed and looked down at my lap where I was twiddling my thumbs.
I took a deep breath and looked back up at him. "Okay, remember when I first got here and I told you I was a princess?" He nodded. "It really is true." He didn't look as surprised as I'd expected him to be and just raised an eyebrow slightly. I started to get annoyed. "I'll tell you the whole story, from the beginning.
"It was just a little bit after my fifteenth birthday and I was travelling to a neighboring village to meet a stuck-up prince whom my parents were probably hoping I'd fall in love with and be willing to marry." I stuck my tongue out and Shean's chair hit the floor with a bang as he covered his laughter with a hand at the idea of me falling in love with a stuck-up neighboring prince when I was only fifteen. I just rolled my eyes.
"Anyways, as you seem to find that so funny, I had no intention of doing so, as I'd already met the twit and he was worse than Tourney is." Now his eyebrows jumped and he laughed even harder. Tourney and I had had an ongoing rivalry ever since we'd met, both of us being quite competitive and all.
"Well, we had stopped for lunch the second day and I'd spied something farther away in the field, so I ran to investigate. It turned out to be a door set in a doorframe, just sitting in the middle of a big abandoned field. It appeared to be just a regular door, and I could see straight through when I pushed it open. But I found a strange rhyme that had the word 'key' in it and when I looked at that word again after reading the rhyme, there was an actual key in the door frame instead of the word 'key'. I took the key out, unlocked the door, and after writing a note to my mother, went back, and stepped through and I found myself falling. And next thing I knew, I was in your backyard and you and Kaet were standing over me and you know the rest."
Shean looked thoughtful. "So, that's why you were in that crazy medieval or whatever type dress when we found you." I nodded. "And also why you were in such a strange position like you'd fallen from something," he added with a touch of levity. I nodded again. "Say, what happened to the key?" He asked.
I reached into my pocket and produced it. "I stuck it in my pocket when I went back to write the note to my mother." I handed it to Shean who turned it over and examined it.
"Huh, just a plain, boring, ordinary key," he commented. I nodded and he handed it back.
"So d-do you believe me?" I asked with a slight stammer. Shean appeared to be considering for a moment, staring at the ceiling and fingering his chin. Then he looked back down to me and nodded firmly. I breathed a sigh of relief.
"Oh, good, because now… I have a very difficult question to ask you."
He cocked his head and leaned forwards slightly. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Opening them, I quickly spoke.
"Shean, will you come back with me?"
He sat back in surprise.
"What?"
I nodded. "Will you come back to Kyrria, my kingdom, with me? I need to bring someone else and I can't think of anyone I'd rather have with me where I'm going to have to go."
He swallowed. "Val, that's… quite some question. How would I explain it to Mum?" My brows creased and I stared at my feet in concentration. I'd forgotten about that aspect.
"Um… You could say that you got a job somewhere else or… something," I stumbled. He raised one eyebrow.
"Uh huh. I'm sure that'll work," he said sarcastically. "How about if I just tell her that you need me to come back with you to your home, and that your parents have called you back. Is that close enough to the truth?" I looked up and nodded eagerly.
"Does that mean you'll come?" I asked. He nodded and I gave him a quick hug, beaming.
"Oh, thank you, Shean! You'll never regret it! I think."
He laughed. "I hope not!" Then he became serious. "Especially because I don't know if I'll ever see my family again."
I bit my lip. "I know. Y-you don't have to come!" I quickly added, hoping he wouldn't take me at my word. I needed him to come with me. I didn't know anyone else who would suit the purpose.
He smiled softly, but somewhat regretfully. "No, I think I'd regret it more if I didn't come. Besides, I'll probably have a new family there eventually, don't you think?" I nodded, hoping I wouldn't be wrong. "And maybe… maybe I'll be able to come back – somehow."
"What do ya think Mum'll say about all this?" I asked, referring to Sylva.
Shean sighed. "I'm eighteen and I'd be moving out soon anyways, since we finished high school early. And she'll still have Kaet."
"Oh, by the way, Shean, do you think you could help me make a list of things that might be helpful in a war?"
He looked alarmed. "Why, is there a war in your country?"
I shrugged. "I dunno. But in one of my visions, my mother told me to make up a list of things that might help in a war."
Shean nodded, then did a double take. "Sur- wait, what visions?"
I sighed. I'd forgotten to tell him. "You know when I would freeze up all of a sudden, with no warning?" He nodded.
"Like at the beach at that one youth vacation and when we were going to go walk the dogs yesterday?" I nodded.
"Well, when that happened, I was having a vision. I don't know why I froze up, but that seemed to go with it. So will you help me with the list?"
Shean shrugged as if giving over to the inevitable. "Sure. In fact, since I'll bet you don't know all that much about modern warfare –" he grinned as I glared at him, "I can make up the whole list if you'd like." I rolled my eyes but nodded. "Say, do you know exactly what you might be up against? If you go to war, of course."
I shrugged. "Just medieval type weapons. Probably more hand-to-hand stuff like swords, and long range stuff like spears and archers. Don't get anything very high-tech, just simple stuff like guns," I added as a cautionary measure, not sure exactly how much change we'd be able to handle in Kyrria.
Shean nodded. "Okay, I'll work on the list. Now all we have to do is convince Mum to let me go."
I nodded, inwardly quavering.
We found Sylva in the kitchen making dinner.
"Um, Mum, can we talk?" Shean asked haltingly. She looked up from where she was chopping up vegetables.
"Sure. What did you want to talk about, Shean?"
"Well, um, it was something we both wanted to talk to you about," he said awkwardly, gesturing to me. Sylva raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? And what might that be?" She suddenly almost looked sly, like she knew something we didn't
"Well, you see…" Shean began, and I cut in.
"I've just gotten word from my parents that I'm needed back at home and they asked if I could bring Shean along with me," I said, hoping that it came out right.
Sylva nodded slowly as if she understood, but obviously didn't. "I see. And how long will you be gone?"
Shean fiddled with his shirt hem. "Well, see, that's the problem. We have to go back there permanently. And I'm… not sure for certain if I'll be able to come back."
Sylva stared at us, slack-jawed. She looked like she might cry. Finally, she took a deep breath and spoke. I could now definitely see tears shining in her eyes. "Well, you're eighteen now, and, knowing you, once you've made up your mind, there's nothing I can do to change it. But I want you to know that if you follow through, everyone is going to miss you a lot."
Shean reached down and gave her a hug. (he'd grown since I'd met him and was now about six foot two or something like that. I was still just five foot three) "It's okay, Mum," he said as tears started to slip from Sylva's eyes. "Besides, you know we were going to be moving out soon anyways since we graduated early." She nodded, but didn't look happy.
"But what if you get married and have kids and I never get to see them?" She cried. Shean looked up at me with pleading eyes and I shrugged helplessly, but came over to help.
"You'll still have Kaet and you know that she'll give you as many grandkids as you want," I said soothingly, hoping this would help. We had to stand there for a few more minutes before Sylva calmed down and let Shean go. He fiddled his thumbs.
"Um, do you think you might possibly be able to tell Dad?" He asked Sylva awkwardly. She nodded and sighed.
"Sure. I don't know what he'll say, but I'll tell him."
We both breathed a sigh of relief as Sylva walked out of the kitchen looking like she was in a daze, leaving us to sit and think and talk.
A/N: PLEASE READ THIS: Okay, I need to know if Shean accepted Val's request too easily. I'm thinking of changing it in the rewrite so that he tells Val he needs to think about it and we have the acceptance and the conversation that follows a few days later when they meet up in the tree house again. I just did it this way so that I could get on with the action part of the story sooner. The rest will be faster paced. I hope.
Also, if anyone would like to be a Beta Reader for any of my fan fics, I could sure use one (or more!). Email me and put 'PLEASE FORWARD TO JAINA EOWYN' in the subject. If it doesn't get through, say something about it in a review. hint, hint And if you have any fan fics in similar genres to the ones I'm writing in (like Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Ella Enchanted, etc.), I can Beta Read in exchange, or I can just Beta Read for you for the fun of it. Just no Harry Potter ones, please. Thanks to all and Merry Christmas! (And to any who read this after Christmas, Happy… whatever holiday happens to be closest)