Chapter Nine
"Open your eyes my dear…" A female voice called out.
Mariah went to say something but couldn't. Her eyes felt heavy and tried so hard to open them.
"Open them…" The voice called out again.
"Am….I…." Mariah tried to manage out but couldn't finish.
"No, you are not dead." The female voice answered.
Mariah slowly opened her eyes. Bright light captured her eyes and she looked around as she slowly sat up. Looking around, Mariah felt like she knew this place.
She found herself in a bedroom. The walls, bedcover, and pillows were all white. The flooring was made out of stone and was a silver gray. The furniture, bedframe, and windows were all silver or silver colored. There was a rug surrounding the bed that was white animal fur. Real or fake, she had no idea.
Mariah looked at the bedframe and noticed the pillars on the fame were silver trees. It was almost elven like. Everything around her made her think elven. Something about this room seemed off though, like it wasn't real.
"Hello…?" She called out, wondering where the lady was that called to her.
"Hello." The same voice from before came from the side of her.
Mariah turned and saw it was the lady from the elf town called Rivendell.
"Where am I?" She asked Galadriel.
"Do you not remember this place?" She asked a bit taken back.
"No…" Mariah began to answer but a flash of memories appeared in her mind.
They were memories of this place, a place she once called home very long ago. Mariah touched the silver bedframe with caution. Was it her though? Could it have been a pass life?
Galadriel noticed the look on Mariah's face. "Do you now?" Galadriel asked.
"Yes…this is my home. Or was…" Mariah looked around and seen the silver window. "I used to sit there…I would cry and wait. I remember…feeling lonely and sad."
"If I told you that you were once a Princess with extraordinary powers…would you believe me?"
Mariah turned to her and slowly shook her head. "No…well…yes but no." She answered truthfully, aware that she made no sense.
Galadriel smiled and reached over and rang a tiny silver bell. The chiming of the bell sounded familiar and lovely. A knock from the door had Mariah turn to see who it was.
"Come in." Galadriel called out.
A lady servant appeared from behind the door. "You rang, My Lady?"
"Yes, please get Lady Euna a glass of water please." Galadriel asked kindly.
The servant nodded and bowed before she left the room.
"Euna…?" Mariah asked in confusion.
"You were once called that long ago."
"Where am I? I thought I was with Thorin and his company…" Mariah said with a confused face.
"You are." Galadriel answered. "If you must call it something then, I guess you may call it a dream."
"A dream…" She trailed off. "What am I doing here?" Mariah sat on the edge of her bed, looking towards Galadriel.
The servant came back with a silver cup. She handed it to Mariah.
Mariah took the silver cup and smiled at the lady. "Thank you."
The servant looked puzzled at first but smiled nonetheless. "You are welcome, My Lady. Would you like anything else?"
"No, thank you. You may take your leave." Mariah said softly and watched her servant leave the bedroom. She turned to Galadriel with a confused look. "I spoke so differently…and like I knew what to say."
"You are a princess." Galadriel sat in a silver chair that was beside a silver nightstand. "You are here because I brought you here. I knew you looked familiar from the moment I saw you."
Mariah looked to the window and shook her head. "Why does that window call for me?"
"I'm going to tell you a story, a true story that involves you." She paused for a moment. "You must listen carefully. Do not take any of this as a joke."
"There is nothing to joke about." Mariah said and took a sip of the fresh water.
"Euna, as you now know, was your name. You once lived with your mother, father, and five sisters. Each sister married a prince. You were left alone, waiting for yours. Your father was killed in battle and your mother remarried. Her new husband was your uncle, your father's brother." Galadriel looked to Mariah who just took the information she was given. Everything Galadriel was saying felt true. "You hated your mother for remarrying so quickly. Once your father died, you stopped smiling. You kept to your room, stared out that window, and did nothing."
"My father was a great man. He treated my mother, sisters, and I like we were his treasure." Mariah spoke. "My uncle tried to get my mother to leave me behind, to move to his castle and I would be left here."
"Yes, but your mother never left. She told her husband that when you found your prince and married, that is when she would leave." Galadriel shifted in her spot. "One day, just like every day after your father passed, you sat at by the window. You looked out towards the sky and grass. A man rode his horse up your lawn. Instantly you fell for his looks, but tried to not go any farther than that. The man got off his horse when your uncle came out of the castle. He tripped and fell off his horse…"
Mariah closed her eyes and felt like she was living the story. All these memories slowly came back to her. The face of the man, the way his horse shifted when he fell off. It was almost like the horse judged his owner.
"Ah, Prince Nolan!" The Uncle called out. "Are you alright?"
Nolan stood up and brushed off the dirt. She took note that he seemed very embarrassed.
"I apologize for my…ungraceful impression." He bowed to the king.
The king, Euna's uncle but now step-father, shook his head. "Nonsense, it was merely an accident. There has been many times where I have fallen off my horse."
Nolan laughed a bit and looked up. He admired how beautiful the castle was but then noticed a figure staring at him. "Is that her, My Lord?" He said, pointing to the silver window Euna sat at.
The king looked up and his eyes shot open. Euna's mouth was curved up, teeth shown between her lips. She was smiling or laughing at Nolan. Either way, he made a great impression on her.
Euna looked to her King, her smile faded. She stood up and walked away from the window. Euna paced back and forth. She knew what that man was here for. He was here to take her hand in marriage so that her mother and uncle could leave.
"Lady Euna," called a voice from behind the door. "The King and Queen wish to have you meet someone."
"Tell them I wish to be left alone. Tell them they have wasted their time on having this man come here." Euna said and looked in the mirror.
She noticed her eyes had dark circles around them. The only color to her face was her rose colored pink lips. How unattractive she looked.
"My Lady, I am afraid I cannot do that. They said it is required to have you meet him."
Euna sighed and gave in. Her father would not want her to be this way. Her father would have scolded her for her rudeness. Then again, her father wouldn't make her meet someone who she wished to be gone.
"My Lady?"
"I'll be ready in a few. If I am to meet this man…I wish to be dressed right."
"Of course. I shall tell them right away." Euna heard the footsteps fading from behind the door.
Soon her lady servant came in and smiled at Euna. "I was told you wish to be dressed. What would you like to change in to?"
Lilith was the name of her servant. She had beautiful strawberry blond hair. Her face was slightly heart-shaped, beautiful cheekbones, and light blue eyes. Her lips were thin but were slightly plumped. Her skin tone was light tan.
"Something that would show I am not interested." Euna said with a small smirk.
"My Lady…" Her servant sighed out.
"I have told you…to call me Euna. We are friends, Lilith."
"My apologies." Lilith walked over to the closet after shutting the bedroom door. "How about we put you in this dress?"
Lilith pulled out a gown that reached to the floor. It was dark royal blue silk with a white center. The white center went from the breast down to the floor. The sleeves reached to the elbows and had white lace dangling from the edge.
"That will do, I suppose." Euna said with a shrug.
Euna made her way down the staircase. The staircase was white; perhaps it was made out of marble. The railing was silver and polished. She slid her hand down the railing as she made her way down the stairs.
Once she reached the bottom, her mother, king, and the prince all turned and stared at Euna. The prince was even more handsome close up. She took a final step off the stairs and smiled at her family and the prince.
"Good evening." Euna said as she curtsied.
The prince fixed his jacket before making his way to her. He got down on one knee, shaking a bit as he took her hand. He placed his lips on her pale white skinned hand.
Euna felt her heart and stomach flutter. Something about this man was different than the others who have tried to win her over.
"My Princess, may I introduce myself." He stood up but still had a hold of her hand. "I am Prince Nolan."
Nolan had dark brown curly hair that was kept clean. His nose had a point at the tip that seemed to fit well with his smoldering eyes and eyebrows. His face had a shadow where his beard would grow. He was tall, maybe around the six foot area. His skin had a healthy glow.
"Nice to meet you, Prince Nolan." She smiled. "I am Princess Euna."
"That name suits you well, My Lady. If I may ask, and I don't seem to be rude…" He touched her cheek. "Do you have trouble sleeping? You look so tired. If I have disturbed you I can come back if you wish."
Euna blushed a bit and turned her face. "Ever since my father passed it's been hard to sleep." She looked behind Nolan and noticed her family was gone. She turned to Nolan who was frowning. "He used to sing me a lullaby every night or tell me stories. I know it's foolish for someone of my age to be read or sung to at night…"
"I do not see it to be foolish. I see it as a father and daughter spending time together." He smiled.
Euna raised her eyebrows slightly, surprised. She smiled and took the arm of the prince. "Shall I show you around?"
"If you wish to."
"Try to not fall or trip, My Prince." She teased.
He looked to be embarrassed, which was cute. "You saw that, I take it."
"I did."
"You must think of me as a fool." He put a hand to his face.
"I do, but not one I do not hold an interest to."
He turned to her and smiled warmly. "I thank you for what I think was a compliment."
"And you are welcome."
Mariah opened her eyes and saw Galadriel staring at her.
"You remember?" Galadriel asked.
Mariah nodded. "I remember…everything. We fell in love so fast. I gave him my soul, my heart, and my body. I wished for nothing else but to be married to him."
"You were to be married…" Galadriel added.
"But it didn't happen. He was taken from me." Mariah tried to swallow; the lump in her throat grew as she remembered more.
"There was a war your soon to be husband had to go to. He was called a fool but he wanted to be with his brethren." Galadriel said.
Mariah closed her eyes once more as she remembered the day she had to let him leave.
"You…Fool!" Euna shouted as she threw a pillow at her soon to be husband.
"Euna, love please…" He tried to calm her, catching the pillow. "You know how I feel. I cannot be a king if I cannot prove I am worthy. I must go help them."
"I know you are worthy, Nolan! Do my thoughts and feelings not count? Do I not have a say whether or not my love is to be in a war?!" She shouted and her voice cracked. "If you die, I will never heal."
He walked over to her and took her face in his hands. "My love, I will return. Once I do…we will marry and have a dozen of kids, just like you want."
"I want you." She wept in his hands.
"I do as well…"
"Then stay."
"I cannot…."
"My Lord." A knight came to the doorway. "We must be on our way."
"One moment please, I must say bye to my fiancé."
The knight bowed and walked away.
"I love you…" He said as he lifted her chin up, kissing her lips so softly.
It wasn't enough for Euna. She grabbed his head, tangling her fingers in his beautiful hair and kissed him so passionately. It felt like there was never going to be an end to the loving and needy kiss, but there was. Nolan was the one who broke it.
"I must leave, Euna…" He kissed her forehead before slowly letting go of her.
"You will return…right?" Euna said as tears started to roll down her cheeks. "Alive and well…"
"I promise." Nolan said before he left.
A few weeks went by, maybe a month. Euna was having her hair brushed by Lilith. A messenger knocked on the open door. Lilith made her way to the messenger and took the letter from him. She walked to Euna and handed her the sealed letter.
"What is it?" Euna asked.
"I do not know."
Euna opened it and started to read the context.
"Dear Euna,
I am sorry I have to write this letter to you. I pray you are well and safe. Please, what you are about to read will not be happy.
I regret to inform you that I will not be returning. I am far away from home. I have lost my legs and one eye. I have someone writing this for me. I want to tell you I love you…and that I am dying. We were fighting an Orc pack; needless to say I came out of the battle alive but not well. Someone found me and patched me up as well as they could.
Oh, Euna…how I wish you were here. It is for the best though; I do not want you to see me like this. I look pathetic. I look like I am the fool everyone has called me. I regret leaving you.
My love, you are everywhere I look. You are my every thought. How I wish things were different. I am sorry we will not have kids together.
By the time you get this, I will no longer be alive. I will be watching over you. I will wait at heaven's gate for you. We will walk through together, holding hands.
Euna, promise me you will live on. Promise me you will marry someone and have kids. Promise me that you will stay strong.
With Undying Love,
Nolan"
Euna dropped the letter as uncontrolled tears fled her eyes. Her heart felt like it shattered into pieces. He's dead. Nolan is gone.
Mariah opened her eyes and walked to the silver window. She placed her hand on the frame and stared out of it.
"He died." Mariah spoke softly. "And I went back into my depression, like I was meeting an old friend. My days grew longer when the nights started to mix with the days. I ignored my mother and the rest of my family. The only person I allowed into my room was Lilith. I heart and thoughts became dark. I barely slept. I barely ate. I barely talked. Until one day, my body gave in and I collapsed onto the floor. I became ill and was to never recover. They called my condition a broken heart."
"Then what happened after that?" Galadriel asked, knowing the answer.
"I died."
"You did…but you were reborn years and years later into a young girl named Mariah."
"And she is also following in the same footsteps, falling in love with a prince…who will possibly die in this war." Mariah turned to Galadriel. "He's going to die…that's why you are telling me this."
"Yes, but there is a way to make him live. There is only one way to guarantee everyone you love lives." Galadriel stood up and walked over to her. "On the day of the battle of the five armies, your lover will die, your new family will be hurt severely, unless you awaken your powers. See, what you probably don't remember is…you could control time in a way. Not to alternate everything, but to pause or rewind a bit. You can even stop or start the hearts of many creatures. You never fully understood your powers."
Mariah felt her chest warm up. It was her necklace.
"Mariah, if you wish to save them…you would have to give up your chances on going back home to your world. You would stay here and never see your family or friends again. There is a possibility you can die, however."
"I…I would…never see them again?" Her voice cracked. "My mom…I would never see her…?"
"I do not know if your sister would disappear and go back to the time you both came from or not. You would stay here."
Mariah sat down on the bed. Her thoughts were running wild as she tried to think of a way to get out of it.
"There is no other way. If you choose your family, you would be brought back to your time and never return here. It would be like all of this was a dream. The choice is yours."
"I would have to choose…family or the love of my life…" Mariah mumbled out, lost. "Stay here and possibly die from my powers or go back to my time and live on with my family."
"I am afraid so." Galadriel sat down next to her. "Child, I wish there was another way…but there isn't."
"No…don't please…" Mariah looked over to her. "Don't call me a child."
"I apologize…I didn't mean to offend you." Galadriel grabbed Mariah's hand. "Mariah…I must now let you go back to the real world. You must now wake up and be with your friends."
"Will I ever see you again?" She asked and frowned.
"Possibly." Galadriel smiled and kissed her temple. "Now…wake up." Her whispering voice echoed as Mariah started to leave the dream.
A/N: Well that was a fun chapter to write! I feel like I let my imagination run wild with this…Tell me what you guys think of Nolan and Euna! I know this chapter isn't as long as my other ones…but I didn't know if you guys would like it or not. I hope you did. If you did maybe…I'll sneak a little memory here and there throughout my story about Mariah's past! Like I said before, I am making multiple endings to this story. However, I will only use one as the true ending. Anyways have a wonderful day!