Disclaimer:
Labyrinth is not mine. Jadir and Isandira are completely mine and
belong to me.
They are not to be copied or used anywhere for any
reason without my permission.
A/N:
Feedback is greatly appreciated :)
Alira
Dreamwalker
Chapter 6
I finally decided to end my self-induced confinement that evening and made my way down to the dining hall. I hoped it was late enough to where the king would be gone as I was still leery of speaking with him, yet not so late, that the kitchen goblins would decline my request for a late meal.
Stepping through the gilded double doors of the dining room, I found myself facing a very exhausted looking king. He was still at the head of the table, sipping wine from one of the crystal goblets he favored. We stared at each other silently for a moment, his gaze burning into me. I moved toward my customary seat at his left as if guided by an invisible hand, my steps hesitant.
"I was beginning to think you weren't coming, Lady Isandira." I sat down gingerly, unwilling to relax despite our neutral conversation that morning.
"I could not very well remain secluded in my chambers for the rest of my time here, your majesty." I accepted the glass of wine he offered me, though I tried to avoid looking directly at him. "It does tend to become rather boring staring at the same walls every day."
"I believe I have asked you several times to dispense with the formalities when we are alone."
"I still feel it is improper to show such familiarity towards a king."
I watched him from beneath lowered lashes, taking note of the tense lines around his mouth. Whatever had taken its toll on him today was still fresh in his mind apparently. I would have to tread carefully. One of the goblins brought out a plate and set it before me. Jadir caught me staring and gave me a half smile, though it did not reach his eyes.
"I know you are curious as to why I left you so abruptly this morning; however, I ask that you refrain from asking any questions on the matter."
"It is dictums such as that, which only serve to increase my curiosity, your highness." My reply only caused him to chuckle, amusement flashing in his eyes.
"In time, my dear lady, I shall explain," he held his hand up to keep me from butting in. "Now is not the time, Isandira." His tone left no room for argument, so I sat back in my chair and started eating.
I looked up to find him watching me. Once again, he was smiling, this time fully and I arched a curious brow at him. "Do you find something amusing, you majesty?" His eyes flicked down to the plate before me and mine followed. I had not realized that everything on the plate was favorites of mine. Surprised, I nodded toward the plate. "Is there some reason for all of this?"
His dark hair fell across his face as he tilted his head, still smiling. "They are pleased to see you have returned."
My guard came up instantly, "What do you mean?" He leaned back in his chair and took another drink from his wine, regarding me with an unusual expression. Losing my appetite, I pushed the plate away as an uneasy feeling crept over me.
"I do believe they have missed your company this week." One finely sculpted eyebrow rose and my stomach flipped.
"Why would they miss me? I have gone nowhere."
"You secluded yourself within your chambers, Lady Isandira. Every meal was left outside your door." He laughed, "As I told you, my dear, there is nothing that happens which I am unaware of, especially in this castle."
An unladylike snort escaped me as I stared at him. When his beautiful face twisted with a smug smirk, I shivered. "You can't stand to lose can you? Even locked within the safety of my rooms, you still brought it upon yourself to enter." My temper was flaring up and it was hard to control it. The man infuriated me to no end at times.
"No door in this castle is barred to me, Isandira. It's very walls answer to me."
"Have you not heard of common courtesy? Of privacy?" My fingers curled into fists in my lap, crushing the dark blue velvet skirt. "It is very rude to enter a woman's chambers, especially while she is sleeping."
"You did not like my gifts?" He played the wounded soul very well, but I was not going to fall for it.
"I used to love roses, but now the very sight sickens me. Plying me with gifts will not make restitution for your actions that day. A verbal apology would have worked much better. Though considering what happened, I'm not sure there is anything you could say or do to make amends." I rose from my seat as gracefully as I could before storming from the room. I never looked back. Inside, I was seething with rage.
How dare he think he could buy my forgiveness with a few flowers! He had nearly killed me in a fit of madness. A thing such as that was not forgiven easily. I decided then that come morning, I would not rest until I found a way home. I refused to live in this weird place, terrified that each day might very well be my last.
I woke the next morning before the sun itself and made my way to the massive library on the second floor. It was here that Jadir found me a few hours later. I felt a change in the air and knew he had finally tracked me down. Trying my best to ignore his presence, I continued searching through the books for a way to go home. He leaned against one of the shelves, his presence only serving to increase the frustration I had been feeling. My stomach tied itself into knots that grew tighter with every minute. He never said a word to me, nor I to him, yet I knew he was watching my every move.
After a while, it began to irritate me even further. Slamming the book I was looking at closed, I turned to face him. "Must you constantly stare at me?"
"Ah, so the lady finally speaks. I was beginning to think the goblins had stolen your tongue."
"One could only be so fortunate." I muttered irritably. My search had gained me nothing but more frustration and a bad headache.
"Oh now, surely things are not so bad as that?" He smirked derisively. His superior attitude was grating on my nerves badly.
"Was there something you wanted to speak to me about, your highness?" I tapped my foot impatiently. "Well?" Jadir pushed away from the shelf and walked over to me.
"I only wished to see how your search was going. You have been in here for many hours now." He stood in front of me, smiling softly as he looked me over. I shied away when his hand came up and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.
"Don't."
"What was that?" He cocked his head to the side and cupped a hand around his ear as he leaned closer.
"I said, don't." There was that infuriating smirk again.
"No one denies me what I want."
"I'm not some trinket or tithe you can claim, King Jadir. I am a free person with a will of my own." His smirk faded at my words and his eyes narrowed angrily. "And I am most certainly not some tart you can command to fall at your feet, or into your bed!" I spun on my heel and ran from the room, not daring to stop.
Halfway back to my rooms, I changed directions and headed down the staircase. Bypassing the throne room, I made my way through the great hall and out into one of the gardens. I had no desire to spend anymore time than required in my rooms as they still reeked of roses. During my search through the library, I had happened on a book dealing with flowers, roses to be specific. With all the roses that the king had sent to me I decided to look them up. I was horrified to discover that the red-tipped blooms he had left on my pillow were significant to courtship.
Reaching the quiet solitude of the garden, I slowed myself and took a deep breath, reveling in the fresh air. Thankfully, there were no roses in this garden. I wandered the white stone pathways, lost in thought until a chittering caught my attention. Chastising myself for being careless, I looked around for the source. This section of the garden appeared older than the rest and had an air of neglect to it. The chittering sounded again and I followed it to a section of low hedges.
Curious, I leaned over the hedge and gasped with surprise. On the other side were four tiny faeries who looked up in terror and screamed when my shadow fell over them. I wasn't sure who they thought I was, but they calmed down quickly. One of them flew up and perched on the hedge, a delicate little girl with brown hair and a pink dress that matched her wings.
"Greetings, Lady Isandira, welcome to our sanctuary." Her tinkling little voice rang with happiness. I gave her a confused smile in return.
"Thank you, but how is it that you know my name?" Another faerie flew up to perch on my shoulder, this one a dark blond with a violet dress. Her wing tips brushed my ear and I giggled.
"Why, everyone in the kingdom of goblins knows who you are my lady! There are very few humans here, so word travels quickly." The other two faeries landed beside the first, both with light brown hair, one wearing a pale blue and the other wearing yellow. They whispered something to each other before jumping into the air to fly around me in circles. Soon, all four were flying around me, darting in to pluck at my skirt and sleeves.
"Come play with us!"
"Yes, do come play!"
"Join us Lady Isandira!"
Their pleas lightened my mood and I laughed. "I would love to play with you, but I fear I might harm you." The furious screech of an owl sent them diving into my hair, completely terrified. I spun around, expecting to find the king behind me. I heaved a sigh of relief when I saw no sign of him, either as human or owl. "It's alright, you can come out now." I whispered to the pixies still cowering in my hair.
"Is he gone?" the yellow pixie quivered as she peeked around my neck.
"Yes, he's gone. Why did you hide?"
"His majesty hates us, and we would not put it past him to snap one of us up in that beak of his for a snack!" The owl screeched again, the sound further away, yet the girls still dove back into hiding. Their words caused my anger to return.
"Well, I am not going to allow that to happen. Jadir needs to lea-" the brown haired faerie flew up in my face and pressed her tiny hands against my mouth, her eyes wide with terror.
"You must not speak his name! He will hear you!" She squeaked in fear and darted down the front of my dress. I started to pull the material away so that I could pull her back out, but froze when a honeyed voice spoke.
"What are you doing in this part of the gardens?" Jadir stood a few feet away from us, his stance aggressive as he stared at me. I had to admit, the man was devilishly handsome in his attire. My eyes refused to obey my orders to look away, instead they traveled over his lithe form, taking in the black boots, grey leggings and half open white shirt he wore. "I have been looking everywhere for you."
I crossed my arms over my chest, taking care not to crush the faerie who cowered there and glared back. "Am I not permitted to walk the gardens anymore?"
He dropped his tense posture and walked slowly towards me, the breeze ruffling his wild hair even more. "That is not how I meant it. I am merely curious as to how you managed to end up in this particular area of the gardens. It has been closed off for years."
I could feel the faeries moving to conceal themselves more in my hair as it hung down my back and hoped that he would not spot them. "I am unsure, your majesty. I was wandering the garden and not paying any attention to where I was." I looked around slowly, seeing the extent of the neglect fully for the first time. "Why was it closed off?"
"I have my reasons."
I glared up at him angrily, "Why is it that that I get the feeling you are hiding much from me?" I waved my hand around to indicate the whole kingdom, "You refuse to let me explore the Labyrinth; you practically berate me for being in this garden." A sudden thought hit me and I narrowed my eyes at him. "You know how I can get home and you refuse to tell me. Am I correct?"
Something flashed across his face before he twisted it into a sneer. "You can never go home again."
"What?"
"You can not leave." I stared up at him in confusion.
"You said you would help me return home!" He grinned like a predator at me and I stepped back instinctively. "There has to be a way for me to go home. I can't stay here!"
"Things have changed, my dear. You have been here longer than anticipated."
"No thanks to you!" He arched a brow at my outburst.
"As I was saying, you have been here longer than anticipated and the magic of this land is starting to affect you." His eyes flicked over me and I shivered in fear. Something wasn't right. He stepped closer to me, reaching up to trail a finger over my jaw. I flinched away from his touch only to see his eyes darken as he grabbed my chin. Jadir turned my face up to his so he could look closer. "Have you not noticed the changes taking place?"
I could not deny that there had been some changes. My eyes were a little bluer than before and my hair had lightened considerably, where once it had been a sandy blond, it was now pale blond with streaks of platinum. The changes had been gradual, so I had not paid them any attention until now. I had attributed the color changes of my hair to the strange sun I spent so many hours under since my arrival. Stunned, I staggered back; Jadir caught me and led me over to a nearby stone bench.
"I-"
"Shh. It will be alright. These changes take place over time, though with children it happens quicker."
"Children?" He nodded, still holding my arm and hand.
"You must take care not to wander to far from the castle for a while. I do not know when the final changes will take place, but if the children are any indication, it will be most painful."
"Painful?" Apparently my ability to talk was hampered by shock. My mind raced along, leaving the rest of me behind. What had I gotten myself into?
"Yes. The physical changes are one thing, but those who gain even the slightest amount of magic have found it to be excruciating."
"Gee, thanks for the warning." I pulled away from him and slid further down the bench, putting as much distance between us as possible. "Why didn't you tell me this before?"
"You're the first adult human to come here, so I wasn't sure it would happen." He looked away, down the path.
"Yet, you knew it was a possibility?" I glared when he nodded, I stood up and started pacing, not once would he look at me. "You didn't think to warn me of this?"
"I had thought about it; however, I-"
"You thought about it?" I laughed angrily. Throwing my hands into the air, I spun to face him. "You thought about it! I can't go home like this! Everyone would notice and then I'd be branded a freak. Or worse, burned as a witch!" He jumped up and grabbed my upper arms, halting my frantic waving. Laughter bubbled up inside me.
"Calm down, Isandira." I could barely make out the look of concern on his face as I laughed hysterically, tears coursing down my face. "Shh, my dear. Everything will be fine; you'll see." He pulled me against him, my face buried against his chest as my laughter gave way to hard sobs.
My life had just turned into one drawn out nightmare with no hope of escape. I heard him murmuring to me, but didn't understand what he was saying. It didn't really matter I suppose, my whole world had just crumbled around my ears. Nothing mattered anymore. All hope of my going home was gone now. As my tears faded into gasping sobs, Jadir shifted slightly and lifted me into his arms. My entire body numb from the shock; I let him carry me back to the castle with a detached silence.