Sorry this took so long but I was away and suffered serious writers block.
Read and Enjoy.
The End of Reminiscence
The week was quickly drawing to a close. Faster then anyone thought it would. Preparations were almost ready for the attack on Camelot. But it was not only the group of sorcerers who were forced to quicken their step. Within the walls of the city there was another that felt that time was running out.
The cold hand of time was slowly creeping closer. Counting down the seconds. The end was near. Many were still naïve to the coming battle. A certain witch had not revealed the plans of the enemy to the allies of Camelot. She had kept her identity a secret for so long. It was hard to think of giving it up. But she needed to move fast or else all would be lost and their side of this tragic tale would never be known.
But she was beginning to feel the heat of the curse. Her breaths became harsher, each on more difficult to take then the last. Her heartbeats had quickened and had refused to slow down no matter what she tried.
Our young Gaia is kept busy by the work she is given as a maid and slowly she placed her plans in motion in order to save the kingdom of legend. She never liked to admit it but she had done many terrible things in her life. Now, as the time slid away, she would turn things around.
Because of her busy schedule, Gaia was unable to return to the tower where the metal man sat alone and rusted. One night, right before she went to bed, Gaia tried to visit the metal man but she was unable to find the door. She was sure it had been there and now it was simply gone, disappeared.
There was no time to think about that now. In fact, there didn't seem to be much time for anything at all.
Gaia had reached her last couple days and the curse was beginning to take its toll. Would she be able to hang on long enough?
/
Sir Leon walked the halls of the Castle, slowly making his way to the courtyard. It was a beautiful day and he had a strong longing for the outdoors. This wasn't the normal path he would use to take to the courtyard but he wanted to try something new today.
It was that decision, that one decision that caused him to turn the corner at the same time as our young witch. Luckily, Gaia had been paying attention this time. As if she were as light as a feather, Gaia glided out of the knight's path. Her quick movements caught Leon's eye. He had never seen anyone move like that.
Though she had moved very fast he was still able to get a good look at her face. It was the girl from the market place, the one he had seen walking so early in the morning. Gaia.
After his encounter with her in the market he found himself wanting to know more about this mysterious girl. He had never seen her around before but she walked through the city as if she had done it a hundred times. If she had been there for as long as it seemed, then why hadn't he seen her before that moment?
He asked around to see if anyone knew who she was. His questions produced no answers until he was lucky enough to ask Martha, one of the maids who worked in the castle. She was around his age and had lovely dark brown hair that she usually wore up and wrapped in a cloth so it would not get in her way. Leon had been trying to think of an excuse to talk to her and it seemed one had finally presented itself.
Martha knew the girl. She didn't know much about her though except that she worked in the castle. Martha said she was a quiet thing and mostly kept to herself. She was also very kind. Martha told him about the other night when Gaia had offered to finish her work so she could get some sleep.
Even with the discovery of Gaia's name, the girl was still shrouded in mystery. Sir Leon had intended to continue his investigation that very day but a lovely warm breeze had driven him from his path. He decided to pop outside for a short walk. After all there would be time to go looking for information later.
His red cape swung behind him as he spun around to watch Gaia disappear down the hallway the way he had come only moments before. He tilted his head to the side pondering the girl's light feet. It was then that something on the smooth wooden floor caught his eye.
It had floated peacefully to the ground. It's white fabric stood out from the brown of the floor. Sir Leon wrapped his fingers around the small handkerchief, examining it in his hands. It was simple really. If he hadn't looked it over several times he would have thought it only a white piece of cloth. After he turned it over a few times in his hands he finally managed to spot it.
A small blue bird. It was embroidered on one of the corners of the handkerchief. Who ever had made it had not been skilled in the art of sewing. Yet there was something about the little blue bird. Reminiscence. A memory that only two people shared. The memory was happy but had a small lining of sadness.
A tear sprung to the knight's eye. He slowly reached up and brushed it away. Where had the tear come from and had it really belonged to him?
Waking himself from his thoughts, Leon quickly followed Gaia down the hallway. He turned the corner he had seen her disappear around a couple of minutes before. He hoped he wasn't too late. But there she was.
She was staring out of one of the windows that looked over the fields. She had a glazed look in her eyes as if she wasn't really looking. Sir Leon did not want to disturb the girl but eventually he found himself lightly tapping her shoulder to get her attention. She only looked startled for a moment before regaining her composer.
"Is this yours?" He asked holding up the small piece of cloth. Gaia looked confused. Then realizing what it was she seemed to be looking in her sleeves as if to check if the handkerchief that Leon clearly held in his hand had not actually fallen from under her sleeve. The search turned out empty.
"Yes, I do believe it is." She replied gently taking it from Leon's large hands with her small ones. They stood there for a moment in silence. Gaia caressed the handkerchief with her right thumb. Reminiscent. That was the look she carried. Lost in a world she would never be able to reclaim.
"It is very lovely." Leon commented. "Did someone give it to you?"
Gaia slowly looked up. "Yes." She said simply. "A friend." The word 'friend' brought a few tears to her young eyes.
"I'm sorry." He tried to comfort her. "You were very close to them I see."
"I was." The past tense they used was deafening in the small space of the hallway. "But it seems that friendships really do die. Even when both still breath."
Leon was confused. He had assumed that whoever had given Gaia the handkerchief had passed away if the sight of it made her react in such a fashion. He felt bad for asking. He knew this subject would be fragile for her. "What happened?"
"It's a long story." One that she was not willing to tell. "I thought that we were OK. Last time I saw her we were still friends but..." She sighed, brushing away her tears. "It feels different now."
She didn't have to say anymore. The knight had fought many a battle and lost so many friends on it's bloody fields. Even before he heard that they had passed he would know, somehow, that they weren't coming back. Now he would give anything to see them again, but that is a wish no one can grant.
"Sorry." She said it so softly that Leon wasn't sure if she was still talking to him. "Sorry." She repeated, this time clearly speaking to Leon. "I don't usually cry like this." Even the strongest of warriors can break and have a moment of vulnerability, but does that really make them weak? Or is it a sign that they have not yet lost their humanity, that they are still human?
"That's alright. Sometimes its good to just talk."
"Thank you." Her gaze drifted to the window once more. Leon looked with her. A smile replaced the tears she had let fall as memories of happier times danced before her. That look of innocence would not be allowed to linger though.
Leon heard a sharp gasp, pulling his eyes away from the window. Gaia's eyes had widened. Her entire body had gone rigid. Her tight grip on the handkerchief suddenly loosened and then she was falling. Leon caught her just before she hit the floor. Harsh choking sounds came from her gasping lips, trying to get air that her lounges would not accept. He looked down into her frightened eyes.
Leon froze. What should he do? Gaia had looked fine just a few moments ago. What happened? His chest tightened and he wanted to scream for help for the girl dying in his arms. Her chest rose and fell quickly showing how difficult it was for her to breath. There wasn't much time. Leon gathered up Gaia's quaking body in his arms and hurried to Gaius.
He burst through the doors, startling the old man and causing him to drop the book he had just taken from the shelf. He was about to scold Leon when he saw the body in his arms. Without a word Gaius gestured for him to lay her down on the bed. He quickly did a check over looking for symptoms. The more he looked the more frightened he seemed to become. All of the signs seemed to be pointing in one direction but he had to be sure.
He gently lifted her head to check for any damage at the back. His eyes widened and he stumbled back in shock. For there on the back of Gaia's neck was an ugly welt that took on the shape of a spider. Venom. But it didn't come from a spider. This one was far more dangerous. Gaius looked down mournfully upon the girl's face. She was still young. He wanted to punch himself for there was nothing he could do. For the first time in his career he knew that he could do absolutely nothing. Not even magic could fix this.
"What is it?" Leon asked in concern.
"I'm sorry." Gaius stumbled over his words. "There is nothing I can do."
"What do you mean?" Leon's voice rose. "What's wrong with her?"
Gaius was about to answer when the door flew open for the second time that day and a maid came running in. Without looking at the others, she immediately sat down on the seat next to the bed, taking up Gaia's small hand in her worn ones.
"Martha?" Leon had never seen her this distressed. Her beautiful skin was stained with tears as if she already knew what Gaius was going to say.
"So what is it?" She asked.
"It seems somehow she came into contact with a poisonous leaf. It is more dangerous then it sounds. Especially when magic is used upon it. The victim will have seven days before..." Gaius stopped and changed direction. "This particular leaf is usually used in assassinations. I don't know who would want to kill her."
"No one would." Martha muttered, realization dawning on her. "You said seven days right?"
"Yes I did." Gaius looked confused.
"How far along is she? Can you tell?"
"From what I can see it has been five days. She is almost in the final stage."
"The feast was five days ago." Martha explained. "I saw her that night when I was taking some clothes to the king's chambers. She looked a little scared. I was so tired that I thought nothing of it but she asked if I wanted her to take the clothes in for her. It was as if she were pleading."
"If you are correct then perhaps someone was attempting to kill the king and she knew about it. She must have been infected when she tried to remove the leaves from the kings chambers. But that doesn't explain how she knew."
"Unless the king wasn't the only one this person was trying to kill. What if they were going after the prince as well. Maybe Gaia discovered them in the prince's chamber and suspected that they might also be in the king's." Leon interjected.
"But why seven days?" The group spun around to find Merlin standing by the door. "This person could have tried to kill them right away so why wait?"
"I'm not sure?" Gaius muttered.
"Is there a cure?" Merlin asked. He looked just as concerned as the others even though Gaius could have sworn he had never mentioned meeting this Gaia.
Gaius sighed. This was the part he hated. "I'm afraid not." Three sets of confused eyes fell on him.
"Are you sure? Not even anything illegal?" Merlin meant magic.
Gaius shook his head. "No, there is nothing. I have come across this once before and it did not end well. I'm sorry. There is nothing."
"So what your saying is..." Leon stammered. Gaius bent his head.
"Gaia only has two days left to live."
Thank you for reading.
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Will Gaia live long enough to save Camelot?