While Vincent Teuleres lay peacefully outside the castle, Ari Teuleres tossed and turned in her bed, nightmares unfolding behind her eyes...
She was at a castle and Vincent was holding her hand. They were standing in front of large iron gates, and looking up at them. In the dream Vincent was much younger, about five or six. Suddenly, the large iron gates banged open, followed by a thick wooden door. Immediately the young boy ripped his hands out of hers and ran through the opening of the gates and through the doors. Ari charged after him and raced over the threshold, screaming his name. "Vincent! Vincent! Come back! Stay away from the monster!"
Then the dream changed. Suddenly she was in Vincent's place. As she ran, her lungs were desperate for air and her sides hurt. Her feet made no sound on the carpeted floor. Then she turned a corner and saw it.
The monster was about ten feet in front of her, but she was gaining on him. Her mind screamed, "Danger!" but she didn't care. She could almost touch the dark shaggy fur covering the large creature.
Then things went horribly wrong. With all senses alert, she helplessly watched the event take place. The monster turned and growled. She screamed. He lunged. Then all she could see were claws.
Her vision blurred and the dream shifted again. She was running again. Then she heard a scream. She ran to the same room as before, her heart pounding. A body lay on the floor. After she got closer she could see a boy with dark hair laying broken on the stone. Ari ran toward her son. She tripped and fell, right in front of the body. She froze, staring at her son. His dead, dark eyes stared back at her.
Then she remembered that this was all a dream. She attempted to force her eyes open, but the dream didn't fade.
"One more time," she thought, she closed her eyes and opened them again... But she still saw the richly furnished room and her son's still form.
Then a dark shadow fell over Vincent and herself. After catching her breath and blinking back hot tears, she struggled to stand. "Why would... Why, monster?" she sputtered. "Why would you do this to me? Haven't you done enough?" She turned to face the creature, but there was nothing there. Curtains shook slightly, and Ari knew she was alone. Alone, with only the dead, dark eyes of her son watching her.
Those eyes were the last thing she saw before she abruptly woke up in a silent room. Staring into the dark, she breathed a sigh of relief that the nightmare had ended and she was safe in her room. She then attempted to shut her eyes again. As she closed her eyes, her son's eyes and the image of the monster's shadow seared into her mind with force. She shivered. "Is that how I'll see Vincent next?" Ari desperately thought. "Dead?"
The thought was unbearable. "No!" she shouted aloud into the empty room. "Vincent will return. He must!"
Eventually, hours later, she succumbed to her weariness and fell asleep.
When Ari woke again, faint light was coming through her window. Pushing off her blanket, she stood and lit the lantern by her bed. In the faint light of the dawn, she pulled on a blouse and skirt and tied an apron snugly around her waist. After that she ran a hand through her untidy hair and braided it, pulling it up and away from her face.
After leaving her room, she walked towards the kitchen. At Vincent's room she froze and stared at the slightly ajar door. A nervous feeling flooded through her as she briskly walked over and grabbed the doorknob. Taking a breath and then releasing the doorknob, she knocked on the door. The hollow sound seemed intensified in the small entryway. No response came. "Vincent, are you awake?" she called. Again no response. She grabbed the doorknob and opened the door, wincing at the creaking sound. "Vincent, are you here?"
This time she lifted her lantern and shone it around the room. Her heart sank at the sight of the perfectly folded sheets and plump pillows. Shutting the door, she walked towards the kitchen. I'm still uneasy from the nightmare, Ari told herself. Gaston may have decided that they should stay the night and preserve their strength. The beast is probably dead right now. The thought gave her a wicked satisfaction. "At this very moment, its dead body could be lying on a cart, being pulled by horses. Vincent could be safe and alive and on his way home right now." Her smirk became a genuine smile as she pictured her son safe and sound. Maybe he's in town and on his way here, she thought. He might even be in the henhouse at this very moment, right now, gathering eggs for breakfast!
Ari raced to the front door and opened it, calling, "Vincent! Vincent, are you here?" Again there was no reply. Sighing, she walked back inside and began to prepare breakfast. After a moment she fell into her daily tasks of feeding the chickens, collecting eggs, and milking their cow. Then she returned to the kitchen, started a fire, set a pan among the coals, and started cracking eggs into it.
As she beat the eggs and added milk, she realized she hadn't added flour yet. Cursing her forgetfulness, she ran to her pantry stores and rummaged through her supply. Ari groaned when she discovered an empty tin of flour. "I gave Vincent the rest for his journey," she cried. "Wonderful, now I must go and purchase more. Hopefully, I have enough egg money to cover it."
Just then a mouth-watering, savory scent of fried eggs drifted her way. Ari ran back over to the fireplace and used her apron to pull the pan away from the hot coals. Grabbing a tin plate from the shelves, she served herself a serving of eggs, and sat her plate down on the wooden table.
Just as she started to cut into her eggs, she stopped, got up, and ventured over to a small bookshelf across from the fireplace and pulled out a worn leather book. The cover was a deep purple, and gold script read A Classic Collection of Myths and Other Tales. She walked back to the table, sat down, placed the book gingerly on the table, and flipped it open.
Her breath caught as her eyes fell on a handwritten message inscribed on the cover.
To Ariadne, on her thirteenth birthday, to encourage learning and education. May you have many hours of pleasure and pass on this tome to your descendants. Your loving guardian,
Uncle Vincent
"Thank you, Uncle Vincent," she whispered to the book. "I have done my best. But perhaps if I hadn't done my best, Vincent would have never wanted to go on his own quest."
It had been eight years since Ari had shared first shared the stories with Vincent, but she remembered the day like it was yesterday...
"Mama, what's that?"
She looked up to see her son approaching her chair. "Vincent, you should be asleep," She replied.
"I know Mama, but I had a nightmare," The boy softly said. His eyes were slightly teary, and Ari knew that sending him away now would be heartless.
"Okay, rabbit," she said as she pulled him onto her lap and looked into his dark eyes, very unlike her own. "What was it about?"
"A castle, with big dark gates."
After freezing at the word 'castle', Ari knew that this wasn't just any dream. I thought he was too young to remember, she mused to herself. "Vincent, do you remember-" she said, then paused. "Perhaps your dream...was missing a hero to save the day," she continued and gave his little body a squeeze.
"Me, Mama?" he replied.
"Yes, you," she said.
She looked down and saw the thoughtful look in his eyes. After a moment, he looked up at her and said, "I'm not very brave or strong."
"Vincent, sometimes heroes don't need to be brave or strong, but instead they are clever or even lucky," Ari replied, recalling some of her favorite myths. The boy stared at her silently and Ari realized that he didn't understand.
"I'm not very clever either," he said sadly.
Ari decided to try a different approach. "Would you like to hear a story about one of my favorite heroes?"
Vincent nodded and so Ari turned the book a couple pages back and began to read. "Theseus and the Minotaur," she read. Vincent snuggled up against her and laid his head on her chest. Soon both the boy and his mother were lost in a world of heroes, monsters, and adventure.
Ari was pulled out of her happy memory by a knock at the door. Startled, she closed her book, put it back on the shelf, and ran back to the door. Vincent must be back, she thought as she flung open the door.
But Vincent was not at the door. Instead, there stood an older woman with a round face, sharp eyes, and an even sharper tongue. "Gracious, Ari, if I had been any older you might have killed me."
"Bonjour, Jeanne. Are you well?" Ari replied after recovering from her shock at her guest's presence.
"Of course I'm well. I wouldn't be here if I wasn't," the older lady snapped back.
"Would you come in, Jeanne? " Ari said while holding back a smile.
"Yes, I shall," and Jeanne de St. Cyr walked briskly into the house and sat firmly on a couch. "Now, Ari, we must dispense with the pleasantries and get down to business."
Taken aback, Ari walked into the sitting room, and took a seat on the couch next to her guest.
"Now then, is your son well?" Jeanne said abruptly.
Ari took a breath. "I beg your pardon?"
"Your son, Vincent, is he well? Did he have a safe journey back?"
"I don't-"
"You do have a son named Vincent?" the other lady snapped.
"Yes, "Ari said slowly.
"Then it is a simple question: is he well?"
"Jeanne, I haven't seen my son since last night," Ari said in a low tone.
"You must have, Ari. All the men came home early this morning, except the ones found asleep in the tavern," Jeanne said impatiently.
"All the men came home?" Ari repeated in a small voice.
"Yes, that's what I said. All the men came home."
Ari felt her stomach lighten and she became appear of a headache. She reached up and put her hand on her forehead.
"Ari, are you well? You look very pale," The other woman said bluntly.
"Yes, I'm fine," Ari said absently.. "Vincent wasn't with the other men?"
"No," Jeanne replied. "He wasn't with the men who were in the market or with my husband at the tavern." Jeanne made a face and then continued speaking. "We, my husband and I, thought that if he wasn't with us, he must be with you."
Ari's dazed expression faded and fear began to creep in. "He isn't with me."
"Well, we hoped he was. Either that or he's-"
"Thank you very much Jeanne, it was very kind of you to come," Ari said while getting to her feet.
"Glad to be of help, Ari. We will hope that Vincent is still alive," Jeanne added.
"Thank you, Jeanne," Ari replied. "Now if you'll excuse me, I would like to finish my breakfast."
"Oh, enjoy your breakfast," Jeanne said as she reached the door and started to leave.
"Thank you, Jeanne," Ari said. "Good-bye."
"Good-bye," the other woman replied and walked out the door.
Ari walked back over to the table and was just starting to sit down when another thought hit her.
"Jeanne!" she called while running to the door. Jeanne de St. Cyr was just getting into her cart when Ari called. She turned her head around puzzled, with one foot still perched on the cart's wheel.
"Ari, what do you want?" she said.
Ari ran from the door and stopped in front of the cart. "Jeanne, do you-do you think that your-that your husband would be able to give me a ride today?" Ari managed while panting heavily.
"Yes, of course he would," Jeanne said.
"Please ask him if he would take me to a place about a couple hours distance from here," Ari said.
"Very well, I will. What do you need the ride for?" Jeanne asked.
Ari met her friend's eyes with a determined look and took a deep breath.
"I need to find my son."
AN: That's the end of chapter four. For the next chapter would you rather read more in Ari's POV or check back in with Vincent? As always; what did you think? Please review and PM me with your thoughts and comments.