A/N:
So the last chapter was a dream. There was not a Gary moment, but I promise she will have one. Thom was at Trebond, when they were children. Jon was in the Tusaine War, when Thor died. Raoul was a time when Jon ditched her to hang out with Delia. Alex is pretty obvious. Roger is, obviously, a hint of what's to come. Soooo, keep reading and enjoy. Reviews are not only accepted, they are encouraged.
-Klementeen.
Celia woke to the door crashing down. She leapt up and reached into the air beside her bed. Gary's face was illuminated by a soft glow of purple from behind. Thom was there as well. The two men looked puzzled as she continued to reach for something that wasn't there, both recognizing the gesture. When her eyes became accustomed to the light, and she recognized the young men, she sat on the bed, hard. They continues to stare in puzzled fascination until Celia broke down in tears.
"Why are you here?" she whispered, barely comprehensible through the tears.
"You were screaming and crying. I was waiting outside to take you to dinner and when you didn't come out and you were screaming, I thought you needed help." Gary explained. "Why are you hear, milord Trebond?"
Thom looked uncomfortable. "I Felt something. A huge expenditure of magic. It came from this room…"
Both men turned to Celia, who looked at the helplessly. "I have no idea what happened. I was dreaming of my childhood. In the mountains."
"Celia, Masbolle is on a lake near the desert. You grew up in the plains," Thom was carefully neutral. "Unless you've been lying to us." Celia shook her head. "I am authorized by the king to questions possible traitors. You can either tell us the truth, or I can take it from you."
Celia glared at him and hissed, "You can try, Lord Thom, but I promise you will fail!"
At that, Thom turned to Gary and whispered, "I need you to leave. This won't be pleasant and it's easier without distractions."
"Be careful," Gary warned his friend. "She isn't who she says she is, and we all know that. Do you want me to get George?" Thom nodded, and Gary left.
Slowly, Thom walked toward Celia. "It will be easier if you don't struggle," He told her. The glare she sent him said that she would fight him with all her power.
Ignoring the glare, he sat in an armchair and sank deep into his Gift, where the truest form of himself lived. This is what he would look for in Celia. With a thought, he projected his Self into Celia. A thick, foggy glass wall met him. It was divine in nature, he could tell. The specific God was harder to guess, but he was pretty sure it was a Goddess-made construct. Before he had time to think about passing it, the wall vanished. The Goddess had granted him entrance. Now intrigued, he sank deeper into Celia's unconscious, passing the last few years without a glance, Until the moment Celia arrived at the covenant. All the memory showed was a tanned woman, covered in bruises, cuts and filth falling to the ground in a courtyard. Her feet were torn and bloody. Thom tried to follow the memory back, but was again blocked by a wall, this one of violet fire, several shades lighter than his own. It was well constructed, but had been in place, untended, for long enough that it was starting to fade. With a sharp bolt of magic, he brought the wall down. Expecting a flood of memories, he was startled to see only one hidden behind the strongest, longest lasting block he had ever encountered. He was confused. Why would Celia hide this single event behind such a strong barrier? It drifted closer, and Thom dove into it.
He was Celia. They rode a horse, galloping as fast as it would go. The horse was beginning to tire and terror screamed through Their body. They knew that if the horse fell, Their pursuer would catch Them. Fear made Them urge the horse faster. It was a mistake. The horse fell, taking Them with it. They felt their wrist break as They threw Themselves into the sand. Ignoring the pain, They surged to Their feet and began to run, barefoot across the desert. They knew They had no chance, but They would never let Him know They had given up. And yet, when they heard Him behind Them, They dropped to Their knees and buried the Goddess gift and the Jewel in the sand, marking it with a message for Jon, Thom, or George. They could only hope one of the three would stumble across it. A laugh froze Them in place. They looked up into crazed blue eyes. Orange fire lanced through Them. Darkness. Pain. A voice. Burning. Dancing. Escape. They ran as far and as fast as They could, away from the pain and the anger. Desperation gave Them the energy to blast Their form into new color. They trudged….
Thom was thrown from the memory by his mirror image. Only this doppelganger showed no sign of recognition, no sanity. She flailed at him until he flew back into his own body, his own Gift. When he opened his eyes, Celia was staring at him.
Celia had no idea what had just happened, save that she had just relived her worst memory. Thom was watching her with something akin to awe. He looked like he had been given a present that broke as the wrapping fell off.
"Why did you do that? Why are you looking at me like that?" She demanded.
"Like what?"
"Like you're seeing me for the first time. Like you've known me forever."
"You don't know?"
"Know what?"
"Who you are…" Thom's face fell as Celia shook her head.
"I have no memory past the Convent. Or past…What you saw." Celia was uncomfortable finally admitting the truth. But she remembered the dream, remembered that this man had once been her closest friend. "When you came in, I was dreaming. About a boy I once knew. He was my best friend. It was an afternoon in the late summer. We were running away from someone, and I tripped and fell. He fell on top of me and I was looking into a mirror."
Thom looked at her. "My sister and I used to chase each other through the forest. She was so clumsy."
"Thom," Celia began. "I don't know if I'm sure, and I don't remember everything, but I know you."
He moved towards her hesitantly. "I've missed you," he said. "We never gave up hope."
Celia flung herself into his arms and they embraced. "Who am I," she whispered into his ear.
Thom pulled back. "I think you must be Alanna," he paused. "To be honest, you've unsettled us all."
"How?"
"We all feel like we know you. It makes sense, now. Jon will be delighted that you're back, and George too and Gar-" A noise by the open door had Thom up in a flash of violet. He motioned Celia to come and see what he had caught.
A/N:
More later, my doves.
-Klehmenteen.