XIII

Her pulse is phenomenally low. If Sahila and Elijah would not be able to feel it, Eric would have believed she was dead. But they still feel something, so he still believes she has a change of survival. She has not been awake for over two days.
Two days of no sleep, two days of living in constant fear that her pulse would stop after all. He stays at her side no matter what. Elijah has tried to shoo him away from there, but he has refused.

"I do not understand. What in the world is happening?"

Elijah sighs and leans backwards. "I have to take a break." He closes his eyes and stretches his body.

Eric takes this chance to talk to the strange man. "Elijah, can you please tell me what happened between my aunt and yourself?"

Elijah sighs again and chuckles. "You simply will not give up, will you?" Eric shakes his head, never taking his eyes off Snow. "Fine. I will tell you part of it, but not tell you everything. That is for your aunt to tell, or not to tell." He settles back and closes his eyes, looking like he is remembering something. "Your aunt and I met a long time ago, in the Kingdom where she comes from. I was a traveller, from a distant Kingdom of which I cannot remember the name. My people are natural travellers, we are always called by the south wind. We cannot stay in one place for long, and it suited me fine. I liked travelling, you see. Until I met your aunt. She was...different. Beautiful, intelligent – unlike all the other women I'd met on my travels – independent. She had her own voice. I loved her instantly, but she was a lot harder to swoon over. She distrusted me, because I was a traveller. We did not make a wonderful name for ourselves, us travellers. But she warmed up to me, eventually. Of course, not many people were happy about us."

Eric relaxes at Elijah's voice and closes his eyes, finally giving into his tiredness, while Elijah paints a picture of his story in Eric's head.

_()_()_()_()_

The music was playing an upbeat tempo, and the young man and woman were standing opposite each other, on each side of the dance floor, staring at each other. The man smiled, the woman eyed him suspiciously. The man started walking towards the woman, his eyes never leaving hers. She turned to him, looking up to him defiantly.

"Miss Sahila, you look absolutely stunning tonight." he said, taking her hand and bowing to kiss it. She pulled her hand away, and the man chuckled. "I am most happy to see you are still as feisty as ever." Sahila tucked a strand of dark, curly hair behind her ear and smiled.

"Thank you, Mr Traveller. You look not so bad yourself tonight. I am surprised you even own a suit." she shot at him. He chuckled again at how she called him.

"Could I tempt you for a dance?" he asked, his perfect English accent visibly pleasing her.

She laughed and stepped away from him. "I do not think so, Mr Traveller."

He grabbed her hand and pulled her back to him, making her catch her breath. "Please. One dance, that is all I ask." he said softly in her ear. She shivered.

"Alright. One dance, Mr Traveller." He led her to the dance floor just as they started a slow number, and he smirked, while she rolled her eyes. He wrapped one arm around her waist and took her hand in the other, and started twirling her around.

"Do you not at least want to know my real name? I like 'Mr. Traveller', but I have a name, you know." he said, smiling down at her. She laughed, shaking her head. "Alright. I will tell you anyway. It is Elijah, miss, at your service."

It was silent for a moment. "Oh I am sorry, are you expecting me to say 'nice to meet you'?"

Elijah laughed and twirled her again. "I am not expecting anything from you."

Sahila looked genuinely impressed. "Nobody has ever said something like that to me. Every man I have met has been equally rude and arrogant. What makes you different?"

"Experience. A lot of experience." Elijah chuckled. "A good education. My mother and father taught me always to be polite towards women. I loathe men who are not."

Elijah made a visible good impression on the young woman in his arms. She blushed, and looked away. "Very impressive, Mr Elijah."

"I am?" He laughed. "Good. Have I swooned you off your feet yet?"

She laughed and looked up to her dance partner. "You are beginning to make a good impression on me." The music stopped and the couple broke apart. Elijah bowed to her and kissed her hand. This time she let him.

"Thank you, Miss Sahila. I have had a wonderful time."

"Wait!" she said, grabbing his arm. "Can I see you again?"

Elijah turned, smirking at her. He finally had broken through her walls. "Of course."

"My mother would not approve of this." she said, but she smirked. She brought her mouth close to his ear. "Tomorrow, at noon. Meet me at the river." He nodded, and then she kissed him softly, baffling him. "I will see you later." she whispered, and then she turned and walked away, leaving him in the middle of the room, at the Chief's daughter's birthday-ball.

_()_()_()_()_

"Eric! Wake up!" Eric shoots up straight, confused and disoriented. "Finally!" William straightens up and steps back. "They need you." Eric, still disoriented from the strange dream, stands up and quickly follows William to another bedroom.

"When did you move her?" he asks.

"Last night. They said there would not be any change for a while, so I thought it best to make her comfortable." William explains. He opens the door and allows Eric to enter. Muir, Elijah and Sahila are all sitting besides the bed, staring at the fragile form of what once was Snow White. She looks terrible. Her skin has paled to an almost translucent white, her bones are clearly visible and her hair is not shining anymore. The Great Queen Snow White has fallen. Eric takes a deep, steadying breath. After being locked up for eleven years, she did not have one full year to enjoy her freedom. It is just so unfair. Eric would give his life a thousand times over to give her a full and happy life.

"Eric! I trust you slept well?" Elijah says, smirking broadly.

"Like a baby, why?"

"My voice has that effect on people. You had a dream, too, right?"

Eric grows more and more suspicious of this man. How can he know so much, and be so young? Though his age has nothing to do with him being able to know that Eric had a dream. "Yes."

"Splendid." Elijah stands up, and puts his hands on Sahilas shoulders, who tenses up immediately. "So, now you know. Now you know our dirty little secret. She left me, you know. I was not a good enough husband to her. Granted, the first few...years were fun, but after that, I began to grow weary. I needed to move again. Sahila travelled with me for a few more years. Then she had enough and left."

Sahila jumps up, her eyes shooting fire. "You told him?! You told him about us?"

"Calm down, love, it was just part of the story! I only told him what really mattered." He spreads his arms, smiling, as if he is expecting her to hug him. Instead, he receives an elbow in the stomach. He doubles over, half-coughing and half-laughing. "You certainly have not changed one bit."

Sahila rolls her eyes and leaves the room. "He will explain everything to you, since he is the one who likes to talk!" she calls over her shoulder.

Elijah chuckles and pulls a hand through his hair. "Such a charmer, is she not?" he laughs.

Eric cannot help himself. He has to laugh at the relaxed outlook of Elijah. "Why did you need my assistance?"

"I think I have found a way to take her back."

Eric is at Elijahs side immediately. "How? Tell me!"

"You need to go there. To wherever she is. You need to follow her, and get her back. You need to protect her in the place which is her reality now."

Eric frowns. "I do not understand."

Elijah sighs and thinks for a moment. "Think for a moment. Try to follow me. She is in a different reality. Call it a heightened state of living, if that will make it easier." It does not, but Eric does not interrupt him. If this can save Snow, he will. "This is your reality. This is real for you. It is not for her anymore. Wherever she is, that is her reality. That is real for her. Whether she is aware of it or not is besides the point. It is real. And you need to go there, you need to bring her back."

Eric still does not understand fully, but that does not matter. "How?"

"Sahila and I will put you under a spell, a similar spell Snow is under, but more...kind. You get to choose when and if you come back. And if you take someone with me. It is all a bit technical, but the main point is that you are able to save her."

"Why me? Why not William?"

"Because I am not magical enough." Eric jumps, he had completely forgotten about the Duke standing in the corner. "And apparently, you are, because of your ties with Sahila. I am just another man. Trust me, Huntsman," William says, leaning forward, his eyes spitting fire, "if there had been another way, one that would not have involved you, I would have taken it. But there is not. So you have to do it. For Snow."

"Everyone has a part to play in this story, Eric." Muir says, enigmatic as ever. "This is yours."

"I do not see what my part is in all of this." spits William.

"You will. Trust me, your time will come."

Eric shakes his head, trying to go back to the main point. "Will it save Snow?"

"Most likely." nods Elijah.

"Most likely?!"

Elijah raises his hands and shrugs. "I cannot give you certainty. All magic comes at a price. I do not know what the price of this one will be."

A price Eric is willing to pay, whatever it will be. "I will do it."

Elijah smiles, not happy or excited. More an acknowledgement. "Alright. Sahila, deary, you can come back now. He is going to do it."

Sahila returns, her face worried. "Eric, are you sure? I do not know what the consequences will be."

"I will take them any day. I will for Snow. I have hidden behind my fears to get hurt long enough. It is time to fight for what I love." Eric has never felt more sure of anything. He will do this. He will rescue Snow, no matter what the consequences.

Elijah nods and moves Snow over so that one part of the bed is unoccupied. "Lie down, if you please."

Eric takes his place next to Snow and looks at her. "I am going to take you home. I will find you, Snow. I will always find you." He brushed his fingers passed her cheek and sighed. "I love you."

"Alright!" shouts William. "Shall we move it on?"

Eric rolls his eyes and looks at Elijah. "What do I do?"

"Close your eyes." Says Sahila, sitting down next to him, and putting a hand on his forehead. "You have to calm your heartbeat, clear your head. Think only of Snow. Try to sense her."

Sense her? How in the world is he going to do that? But he fills his mind with Snow either way, because he trusts his aunt, and he even trusts Elijah. He has to. For Snow. No matter what the consequences, no matter whom she chooses when she returns, he will do this for her. "Try not to think of anything else, Eric. If you do that, you are most likely to bring that with you to the other world. Just Snow." murmurs Elijah, but he sounds faint, distant. Eric's head feels heavy and his thoughts go slow. There is only one thing crossing his mind other than Snow. Would he need a sword?

Then he falls into a deep darkness and he remembers nothing.

Okay, I may have been watching too much Once Upon a Time lately. *cough* definitely *cough*