Fantasy Island and all associated characters (except mine and MagicSwede1965's) are owned by Spelling-Goldberg Productions, Columbia Pictures Television, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. All persons described herein are fictional and any resemblance to persons living or dead is coincidental. Copyright infringement is not intended.
Chapter 3: Of A Personal Nature
The sun was lower in the sky as Andrea and Mr. Roarke walked along Coral Beach, the same place where he had trained her all those years ago. They'd spent a considerable time talking about some of the major events that had happened in their lives over the years. In particular, Roarke's granting of a pregnant woman's fantasy that had eventually led to his adopting Leslie after her entire family had died in a house fire. His honour and generosity impressed Andrea greatly.
"You had something private to discuss?" she reminded him. "You should know that you can't so easily distract me."
He sighed softly, resigning to the inevitable. "You were correct in your surmise that I had refused you access to the island because I wanted you to grow and move on, but that was not the only reason." He paused, a wistful expression briefly flashing across his face. "Not long before I forced you to leave, a woman with whom I'd had a previous relationship came to the island to ask me to cure the injuries that she had suffered in a car accident. An accident which I'd felt responsible for."
"I remember that," Andrea said. "But she held you blameless, did she not?"
"Even so, I decided that to atone for my mistake, it was necessary to renounce our love in order to give her back the ability to dance."
Andrea gasped. "Oh no... I can't imagine how much that would've hurt. Did she agree to it?"
He hesitated before replying, "No."
Her jaw dropped, indignation coursing through her. Such was so unlike the Roarke whom she thought she had known! "How could you manipulate someone's emotions that way without their consent?" she demanded. "All your talk about free will, that you couldn't control fantasies once they'd begun, and how the end result was dependent on the clients' decisions..." She clenched her fists. "Instead of facing the problem honestly, you stole that woman's choice from her. I never thought you could be such a hypocrite."
The air around them seemed to grow heavier as Roarke's face became pinched with anger. There was a time when she wouldn't have dared to cross him, knowing that it wasn't her place to judge. But now, with the wisdom of much experience behind her, she called out injustice whenever she saw it, no matter what the source. She detested emotional exploitation in particular, having endured enough of it herself in the past.
"I loved her," he said, slowly and fiercely. "It was my choice to make."
"That did not give you the right to deprive her of the same," she claimed. "Just as you didn't have the right to prevent me from returning here. Love and trust work both ways."
Suddenly she found herself short of breath as the atmosphere in the immediate area roiled in response to Roarke's outrage. She'd definitely touched a nerve, but knew in that instant that it would be better to not provoke him further. Standing firm against the pressure, she said apologetically, "I really don't want to fight with you," then continued in a compassionate tone, "It's obvious that even after so many years, you still have unresolved issues. Please, matua, talk to me."
His eyes closed and the environment gradually returned to normal as he calmed down. Andrea stood quietly, waiting.
"You're right, of course," he said at last. "At that time, however, I felt that there was no other option." He forbore to mention that the alternative, the woman leaving the island alone and still crippled, would have been just as heartbreaking. "After the incident that we just spoke of, it became more difficult for me to maintain my usual composure. When a certain young student," he gave her a slight smile, "began to show signs of being enamoured of me, I found myself sorely tempted in my loneliness," he confessed as he leveled his gaze at her, and she flushed. "But I could hardly justify encouraging a sensitive adolescent, much less entering into a relationship with a minor." He raised one hand and placed it on her shoulder. "Doing so would've been a disservice to both you and to myself in the long run, because you had much growing yet to do, while I needed to heal from my losses. You remember what I told you that day."
She nodded and repeated, "A gentleman does not take advantage of innocence. Oh, matua..." she whispered in sympathy before placing her hand on Roarke's arm, her eyes bright. "As I said earlier, it was some time before I understood. But you did the right thing." The details that she'd given to his family had been deliberately brief, but from her mentor she would withhold no truth. "Allow me full disclosure: had I not sought balance and met the others like myself, I probably would have become so obsessed with finding you that I would've chosen a very different path." She backed up a step, chuckled wryly, and spread her hands out. "And yet the irony is, here I am now: older, much wiser, and probably more worthy than I could ever have been otherwise, but you are unavailable. As am I, technically."
His eyes widened at such a personal revelation on her part, but he quickly became somber again. "I appreciate your candour," he said. "Why do you say that you are unavailable, if I may ask?"
She cast a glance at the ground for a moment, gathering her thoughts. "I'm a unique case among hosts. When the elemental initially bonded to me, it turned out that I subconsciously wanted to remain partially human. That helped in the end, because it gave me a separate life away from the perils–" she waved at the sky, "–out there. So, what you see before you is my human form: I age, I can be hurt, and I can use my powers only in a very limited fashion. And as a human I have a relatively normal life, a job, and friends... none of whom know of my dual nature. Because of an acrimonious divorce," she grimaced briefly before continuing, "plus the always-present risk of anyone close to me discovering my powers, I thought it best to not pursue any more intimate relationships."
"That was wise of you," he commented before asking, "What happens when you need your full powers?"
"I allow my elemental aspect to come to the fore. Observers have described it as like having a split personality, or transforming into a different person, but that's not quite true. It enhances both natural and hidden attributes that are already present." Then she backed up a few steps with a mischievous look. "One of the first rules you instilled in me was to not show off, but your curiosity is plain and we're quite alone. So…"
Andrea closed her eyes for a moment, and when she reopened them, the irises were no longer chocolate brown, but white. A brilliant silvery aura encased her body, and from one second to the next, her casual clothing had become a black, silver, and white bodysuit. She tossed her hair, which had filled out into a luxuriant ash-blonde. "Elemental, at your service," she said, giving a bow.
Roarke gazed at her in admiration. "Leonardo da Vinci once said, 'Poor is the student who does not surpass his teacher'. The once shy and uncertain girl that I trained has become a confident woman with power beyond human imagining. You must have witnessed many mysteries over the years. Are you at liberty to discuss that, or to reveal the full extent of your powers?"
"If I did that, we might be here for a while. Besides, if your Tribunal gains such knowledge as I have, I'm concerned that they might become a threat. I have enough enemies already." In another brief flare of energy, she reverted to her human guise.
"Your skepticism is justified. I won't share what they need not know," he promised.
"Thank you. What I can tell you is that one of the powers I've mastered is telepathy; many humans who bond with elementals tend to develop it. I can sense the presence and strength of sentient beings within the radius of a few miles. And yes, you appear to me like a beacon because of how powerful you are," she added, grinning at his expression of dismay. "Oh, don't worry. I automatically block out all the signals, as it were, and I don't read thoughts unless given permission. You understand that." She knew that he was also telepathic, but very rarely used the ability. Then she pointed a finger at him. "Now, matua, what aren't you telling me? I don't need telepathy to know that there's been something on your mind since you introduced me to your family."
Now Roarke's expression turned ironic. "So, you've seen through my façade; you're much more astute than I anticipated." Reluctantly he said, "Very well. My family is already aware of this, but I wanted to spare them the emotional stress of relating this tale in their presence." He paused, and then began sadly, "I haven't much longer to live."
She raised a hand to her chest in shock. "I always thought you were immortal."
"No, it might seem that way to humans, but the lifespan of the full-blooded members of my race is approximately three thousand Earth years. As it stands now, I have perhaps a few decades left. In the winter of 2009, part of my spirit and power left me; such is an indication that life is coming to an end. It was then that the Tribunal insisted that I join them, so they would have the benefit of my experience and wisdom before I pass on."
"Forcing you to delegate the administration of the island to your family," she concluded. "I could sense their anger when it was mentioned."
"Yes, Leslie in particular took it very hard."
"But who grants the fantasies now?" She forbore to mention the power that she'd noticed in both Leslie and Christian, trusting that she'd learn those details at the proper time.
Roarke replied, "Delphine and Rogan now do that. However, my daughter legally owns the island and manages the business. She does an excellent job."
"Still, it's sad," Andrea said regretfully. "Like I said before, I just can't envision Fantasy Island without you."
"My family feels the same way, and although I would enjoy being with them more often, my duties with the Tribunal have become vital since many of them abdicated – which is another story for another time. Given my advanced age and what they did to me in order to induct me into their ranks, I can now maintain a corporeal form only for a few hours a day."
She glanced at the sun, which was now within a hand-span of the horizon, and made a snap decision. "Matua, you were the first person to help me understand my powers. Without your guidance I wouldn't be what I am today." She faced him squarely and took his hands in hers. "So, I want to repay you. Suppose there was a way to regain the power that you lost, and become truly immortal."
He gave her an admonishing look. "As you should remember, there already are a few such methods associated with this place, but I never used them to my advantage. Doing so would have reduced their availability for guests, and the price would have been too great."
"But what if you could?" she insisted. "There's so much more that you could accomplish if you had the power to do so. I might be able to offer you the chance."
"How?" he asked, and he gripped her hands tighter, his eyes shining with a faint hope.
"You can become like me."
Her suggestion stunned him. "An elemental host?"
"Yes, matua. If you're willing, I can try to arrange it. Mind you, it might take some time; elemental sparks are not easy to come by."
"I shall have to think about it," he said, releasing her hands. "My time in this form is almost elapsed and I don't know when I'll be able to return."
"Don't worry, I have the time, pardon the pun," she said. A smile quirked the corner of her mouth. "Meanwhile, I can make myself available for your family if they wish."
"Thank you." He closed his eyes briefly as he removed the last vestiges of the spell that had prevented Andrea's return for so long. "You're now able to come and go as you please. Once again, I'm truly sorry for being out of touch."
"If you need me for anything, just call me," she requested, tapping her temple lightly with a finger. "I have your 'wavelength' now, so to speak, so I'll hear you."
He nodded, and disappeared.
The setting sun lit the beach with a golden glow as the gentle waves lapped the tropical shore.
Roarke returned to the secret complex that the others of his kind referred to as the Realms. To human eyes it would appear as an indefinably large area filled with a thick fog. Incorporeal beings had no need of the architectural grandeur that pleased mortals. His arrival was acknowledged by several soft utterances of "Leader" as he passed by, an appellation that he'd been given when he'd ascended to the Tribunal's ranks.
Once he reached his own private chamber, he turned his mind to what Andrea had revealed. His long isolation and involvement with the Tribunal had caused him to become out of touch concerning certain events that had been happening in the world. While on Earth, he had usually been adept at keeping abreast of world affairs and the resultant effects on the people who ultimately sought solace in the fantasies that the island granted. And yet he'd been totally unaware of what she had been through.
One might argue that he had been distracted over the past few decades. Along with managing his business, he'd raised a family. He had battled his own adversaries and almost succumbed to an unprecedented illness. And then the Tribunal had taken him with barely a by-your-leave and he was introduced to a much larger cosmos.
Another possibility was that he had been disturbed by Andrea's then-unknown origin and potential, and hadn't wanted to risk all that he had so carefully built. Rather than attempting to understand her further, he had used the excuse of avoiding the unintentional encouragement of an infatuated young woman to forbid her from his presence. He could have contacted her after giving her some time to come to terms with the separation, and welcomed her back much sooner. But he hadn't, and she had suffered for it. Although she clearly had forgiven him, during their conversation on the beach there had still been some regret in her voice for the opportunities lost.
He had easily sensed that the power that lay dormant within her had been nurtured to a level far beyond what she had possessed during her years of training under him. Perhaps, he admitted to himself, equal to or even surpassing his own. It was unsettling, particularly after what she'd shown him, to know that there existed such beings. The other clan members would certainly be alarmed if they found out.
Unbidden, the hope that had sparked in his heart earlier began to flare. Could he take advantage of her offer to break the Tribunal's hold on him and be free? Was it remotely possible, he dared to think, that a true relationship with her could be kindled after all this time? No, he couldn't allow himself to think such things. It would be considered too traitorous, too... human.
You deserve happiness, his heart whispered.
No, he'd done too much: he'd made deals with a number of supernatural entities to reach this level of power. He'd lost too much: Helena Marsh, Julie Mars, among others. Andrea had always been worthy of him, he then realized. Was he the one who wasn't worthy of her? He couldn't answer that.