Iris

Iris ended up waiting several hours for Barry to return, it was evening by the time he did. Iris had fallen asleep on her bed and awoke to Barry pulling her jacket off of her.

"Hu? Wha? What's going on?" she asked, sitting up quickly, getting trapped in her half removed jacket. Barry laughed.

"You fell asleep in your same clothes," he said. "I can have someone bring a night gown, I didn't expect you to need it yet."

"What else did you expect me to do locked in a room alone?" she asked, jerking away as she remembered where she was.

"I know, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that but there was so much to do. I couldn't keep an eye on you and take care of things," he said.

"Why assume I need to have eyes on me?" He gave her a pointed look.

"You and I both know that you don't see things my way yet. You will eventually but until then I have to keep you here and safe."

"But why Barry? This isn't you. You still have your memories right? The spell they cast didn't take those. You still love me, you still remember our friends and our family. Our human friends and family who you've always seen as equals."

"I never saw them as equals, even the old me was afraid to hurt them. All that spell did was show me the truth. That magic shouldn't be feared...we don't have to have this conversation again Iris. It won't change anything. Words won't sway me, even yours." Iris didn't say anything, instead opting for placing her palm on his cheek. He nuzzled into her touch, like everything was normal. Like they were having a quiet night at home. He closed his eyes for a moment, then took his hand in his.

"Things can be normal if you want them to be," he said, his eyes glowing with love. "We can pretend that whatever is happening out there isn't happening. When we're in here it's just you and me. Barry and Iris. Together."

"There is no normal for us Barry, not until you're better," she said sadly, pulling her hand away. His eyes seemed to dim even as the purple shone through his irises. The small smile on his face falling. She pulled herself to one side of the bed and curled her knees into herself. "I'll take that nighty if you're still offering."

"I'll be right back," he said. She felt the bed shift as he stood. There was a beat of silence before footsteps and the sound of the door opening and shutting. How can he seem so much like himself in one moment and so...lost in the next? Barry was in there, she knew it, but he was buried under powerful dark magic that Iris had no hope of understanding. The only people that could were either Barry, who would be no help in this instance, or were Austin and Caitlin who were exiled from the castle if not the Realm itself. Could Iris even break through the magic? Were memories and emotions more powerful than the magic that enslaved her husband to the darkness? She chose not to dwell on it anymore that night as Barry returned and handed her a freshly washed and dried nightgown. Iris grabbed it without looking at him and ran into the attached bathroom, unable to bring herself to change in front of him.

When she returned from the bathroom, freshly washed and clothed, Barry was reading a book on the bed. He too was in his night clothes and looked up at her as she entered the room, a hint of a smile on his face but little else. Iris crawled under the covers on the far side of the bed and shut her eyes, not even asking how to turn the lights off, there were no switches, she'd checked. Then, like she'd blinked, it was morning. The light filtered through the window, rousing her from her dreamless night. She shifted slightly to find that at some point in the night, she and Barry had drifted together, his arm draped over her middle. He looked peaceful and decidedly not evil in the glow of the morning. She slowly pulled herself from under his and stepped to the window. The room had once again moved, this time giving a view of the sunrise over the hills. It wasn't that different from sunrises back home except for the deeper pink and light purple colors painting the sky. They were colors she would usually have associated with a sunset but it didn't give off the same feeling. She was torn from her moment of calm by her husband shifting on the bed.

"Iris?" he mumbled.

"I'm here," she said instinctively before biting down on her lip. He looked up from the bed and his eyes met hers briefly. She shifted her head away. She heard him sigh.

"You're still not okay with this." It wasn't a question.

"Did you think I would be?"

"If you were I'd be concerned."

"Why? Cuz I'd be brainwashed too?"

"No, because then you wouldn't be Iris." He smiled and pushed off the bed. "You should have breakfast with us. I'll send someone."

"What happened to keeping me here?"

Barry smirked. "Only when you're not with me. I'll make sure to have my most highly trained guards transport you. For both your protection and to make sure you don't do anything stupid. I don't want to hurt you but I will if I have to." His eyes flashed that purple once again and he began preparing for the day. Iris just pushed further into her corner of the room.

"You should get ready soon, breakfast will be in a half hour," he said once he was done dressing.

"And if I don't want to go?"

"You do. You want to see outside this room." He held her eyes for a moment and then looked away, not shyly, it was like looking into the eyes of an old friend. Which she supposed they were, married or not, evil spell or not.

"I'll be ready in ten," she responded indignantly. He nodded and stepped out of the room. Ten minutes later iris was dressed in the most casual dress she could find in the closet, she had tied her hair up since she didn't have a lot of time to do anything fancy. Her makeup had already run out at this point and she refused to ask for anything. Then there was a knock at the door.

"My lady?" a feminine voice asked.

"Who are you?" Iris responded, holding her breath.

"I'm one of the guards, the prince has sent me to fetch you for breakfast."

"Just one of you?"

"No," another voice, this one male, responded. "There are three of us total."

"Are you waiting for me to open the door? Because it's spelled, I can't." The door opened from the outside a moment later.

"No, ma'am, just waiting permission."

"So I'm a prisoner with rights now hu?"

"The prince says he keeps you here for your safety, you're no prisoner. You're our princess," the final guard, also female, bowed slightly. Iris sighed.

"Fine, let's just get this over with," she said and stepped out the door. The three guards had their wands out, she didn't dare make a break for it. "Take me to breakfast."

Author's Note: Hey guys! I rarely do these on here but I'm in a bind. I'm writing a paper for a class on fanfiction and I was hoping to get quotes from some writers in the community about the community. I can cite you using your user name or real name depending. If you want to be a part of it message me and I'll look at your profile to make sure I can use your info (looking for a range of people, don't want too many in one fandom). Thanks so much!