Chapter Forty-Two: Draumr Slytha
Eragon cried quietly for a moment, pressing his forehead against hers. "Please." He begged, focusing and trying to find her consciousness.
The mind he entered into was completely void. Eragon quickly found himself swallowed by the darkness. He shivered and looked around for a moment before realizing he needed a light. Without even thinking the word, a fire appeared in front of him.
Instantly, the darkness retreated. He blinked and looked ahead, seeing Mariah standing in front of him. She was pale, with dark circles under her eyes, the white dress she was wearing merely accentuating her dark features. "Eragon."
"Mariah…" he walked over to her but she took a step back. With her gaze locked on him, she pivoted on her heel and started sprinting away at full speed. "Wait!" He shouted, running after her. The flickering fire he had somehow manifested faded as he ran from it. Soon, he found himself engulfed in darkness again. "Great."
He looked around, trying to find anything that would give him an idea as to where she'd gone. After a moment, he heard the high-pitched laugh of a child.
"Who are you?"
Eragon turned around and stared at the small girl in front of him. She came up to his waist, must have been about six or seven at the most. Her black hair was pulled back with a red ribbon, the bow puffing up around her left ear. She was wearing a matching dress and brown shoes. It appeared she had been playing, for her face was smudged with dirt and a stray leaf seemed to be caught in her hair. "Mariah?"
"That's my name, silly goose. Who are you?" She asked again, lacing her hands together behind her back.
"Eragon."
Her smile fell, "You can't be Eragon. You're much too tall. And you're a lot older than he is. Nope, you can't be Eragon. How old are you?"
"Sixteen…"
"You're older than my brother is!" Mariah blinked. "He's only ten. I'm seven." She held up seven fingers. "See?"
Eragon looked over as he heard footsteps approaching, watching as a small blond boy ran toward them.
"You run so fast, I can't keep up." He said.
"You need to run faster then," she said, folding her arms at him. "See, this is Eragon, not you." Mariah insisted.
"Hi…" the smaller boy waved a bit at him.
Eragon blinked and merely stared at the younger version of himself.
"Mariah?"
"Oh, that's my brother. We have to go." She nodded, smiling at him. "It was nice meeting you." Mariah grabbed hold of seven-year-old Eragon's hand and hauled him away quickly.
He watched them vanish into nothingness and sighed again, sitting on the ground. After what seemed like an hour, he lifted his head and shouted, "Will someone just tell me what's going on? I just want to find Mariah and wake her up..."
"It's going to be difficult to find Mariah when you don't know which one to look for."
Turning around again, he stared at the woman in front of him. She was taller than him, wearing high heeled black boots. Over her body was stunning gold armor, the intricate filigree was nothing short of god-like, no mortal could have made something so intricate. At her waist sat an equally beautiful sword, the black scabbard had gold inlays and a large red gemstone sat in the hilt. Her hair was piled on top of her head, bound with an ornate gold band; loose strands of hair were dripping around her face. While her face seemed familiar, it was sharper and more defined that the one he was used to. There was an edge to her jaw and nose, her cheekbones were higher and her eyes seemed deeper than the ones he knew. She looked like a warrior goddess.
"Eragon?"
He caught himself staring and blinked. "I… I just want to find Mariah."
"As I said before…" she said, waving her hand. "Which one?" The void they were in vanished and was instantly replaced with a dense forest, bright and shining. It was nearing sunrise and the sky was brightly lit with morning colors of pink, purple, orange and blue. She waved her hand again and two chairs appeared. "Sit." She insisted, sitting down and folding one of her legs over the other. The morning sunlight caught the gold detail and glimmered.
Watching her for a second her decided to sit, "I… what do you mean which one?"
"When we, that is – Mariah, were attacked by Durza, he tried to wipe out our memory completely. However, when you killed him some part of his spell broke and this is what remains of it. That is why you appear to be stuck in this dark void. Anything you come across in here is some piece of us shattered and scattered by him. You made it this far though, without going mad, so you must be doing something right. If there's any hope of you finding us alive when you get out of here, you need to find your Mariah. She's the only one who can pull it all back together. If you try to pull out the wrong one, there are two possible outcomes… one is that we die. The other is that we revert back to or jump forward to that part of us. For instance… were you to try and pull that small girl you just met with you, we might wake up believing we're seven years old. On the other hand, if I were to go with you, I think you might find I'm much more mature than any Mariah you've known."
"So you're not actually real… you can't be, because Mariah's never looked like you…"
She smiled a bit, "I'm the imaginary adult Dragon Rider that she wishes she could be. It's unlikely I will ever actually exist, there's a lot in between her present self and me. If we never wake from this spell, I won't exist. If we never live through this war, I won't exist. If something happens to you… or Mark, Murtagh, Andrar… this will not be the person Mariah turns into."
Eragon stared at her, "How do I find her?"
"That, I can't tell you."
"You seem to have so much control in here though."
She smiled, "I have control over my own portion of this dream. Others have control over their own spaces… it's going to take you a while, but you will find us. Don't give up. No matter what, you can't give up in here…"
"I won't, I promise."
A dragon roared from overhead. She stood gracefully and he jumped to his feet. "I have to go and you have to continue searching."
"Mariah?" Eragon heard the voice coming from behind him and didn't have time to turn around before a man walked past his left side to her. Like she was, he wore tall boots and intricate armor. Standing beside Mariah, he was taller by a few inches. There was a sword at his hip with a sapphire embedded in the hilt. He kissed her lightly. "We have to go; your brother's going to start worrying I've managed to lose you."
"He shouldn't worry so much." She smiled and looked back at Eragon, walking to him. "Stay safe and never give up on us. We love you." Mariah leaned forward slightly and kissed him. After a short moment, she walked back to the man.
Finally looking at him, Eragon saw his own bright blue eyes stare back at him through sharpened features. He smiled and wrapped his arm around Mariah as she returned, walking her through the forest towards the sound of roaring dragons. As the forest melted around them, he realized why it had seemed so familiar. The clearing in the Spine so close to Carvahall vanished and became the empty void once more.
Eragon stood there in silence for a long while, his own thoughts missing as he tried to store everything in his memories. He could have stayed in that clearing with her for hours, but it had felt like seconds. As he waited in the darkness, he started hearing someone crying. After pinpointing the location, he started in that direction. He was starting to tire after what felt like hours. There was once he thought of stopping and trying to figure out a different way, but decided against it immediately after.
Finally, he reached a door. Opening it carefully, he saw himself lying in a bed, eyes closed with his torso wrapped in bandages. Lifting his eyes, he saw another bed beside the first with Murtagh in it, bandages around his forehead as he lay there coughing blood. He heard more crying and finally saw Mariah sitting in a chair beside a third bed.
"It'll be okay…" he said gently, holding his sister's hand. "I promise."
She shook her head, "Don't promise that. You can't."
"Everything will be alright Mariah."
"I should have been there. I could have helped." She whimpered, "I'm so useless… I can't even save you. Now I have to sit and watch you die… you can't Mark please. Not you…"
He smiled at her slightly, "It was going to happen eventually… you knew that."
"Not today. It doesn't have to happen today, please. You can't leave me," she cried.
"I'm sorry," Mark told her. He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her fingers slowly. When he lowered his hand back down he stopped breathing.
Eragon watched and walked over behind her, setting a hand on her shoulder. "Mariah?"
She turned around and stared at him through tear-stained eyes. Her face was the same as the one he remembered seeing just before entering this dream-state. For a moment he smiled, relieved at having found her. After staring into her eyes though, he realized she seemed different, broken. Not his Mariah.
He couldn't tell her it was alright, because clearly it wasn't. "I… what… happened?"
"You were attacked…" she whispered. "I couldn't save you. I'm sorry… I should have been there."
"No… no you would have died too."
"You don't know that." She stood up and walked to Murtagh who had quieted down as well. Mariah bit her lip and cried harder. "You're all dead… and it's my entire fault. I should be able to save you but I can't… I'm not strong enough." She leaned against the wall and slid down to the floor, burying her face in her hands.
He watched her and reached towards her hesitantly. "Mariah…" She shook her head, sobbing. "You're not strong enough yet… but you will be." He insisted, kneeling in front of her. "You will be strong enough one day."
"There's no point," she said, looking up at him. "You're all dead. Nothing can bring back what's already gone."
Eragon could feel his heart constrict in his chest for a moment. "There is always a way to bring back what's gone… it might be in a different way or take much time and effort, but you can bring it back." He touched her face gently, "Don't be sorry… just get stronger."
She reached up and hugged him tightly. "I promise."
When he blinked, the room he'd been in was gone and he was kneeling in front of nothing but thin air. Standing, he told himself, "There can't be much more to this." As he walked slowly through the void, he started thinking about death. After being in that room, he felt closer to it than he had before. It was his responsibility to find Mariah; otherwise she was bound to die. She was practically dead already. His eyes started watering as the thought crossed his mind. Eragon shivered and let out a gasp. Losing Mariah would hurt more than losing Garrow, or Brom, he knew it would.
At the thought, a room burst into being around him. The cell was warm and well lit, with a washbasin in one corner and a writing desk – equipped with quills and ink – in another. The ceiling was extensively carved with lacquered figures; the floor was covered with a plush rug. Murtagh was lying on his back in the bed, reading. Eragon recognized the room as his cell in the Varden, however the Murtagh laying there must have been at least ten years older than he was now.
Before he had time to wonder why Mariah knew what the room looked like, she walked over and sat on the edge of the bed next to him. "What are you reading?" She asked him, looking over at the pages.
He shut the book and smiled up at her, "Nothing, now that you've my full attention."
Watching, Eragon realized that this Mariah was once again older. If he had to guess, he would assume she was twenty five, somewhere around there. Unlike the one in the armor, she had on a deep burgundy dress. It was decorative, with leafy gold embroidering around the cuffs and neckline, which was dipping rather low on her chest. She had on soft black slipper-like shoes. Mariah's hair was loose, cascading down her back. He watched her sharp eyes blink at Murtagh, they were angled and a little more worn than they had seemed on the armored version of her.
Then she did something he wasn't expecting. She leaned down and kissed him on the lips. Eragon's mind flashed back to those two kisses he'd seen her give earlier and this didn't match up with them in the least. Murtagh reached up and kissed her back for a long moment, his fingers tangling in her black hair.
He didn't want to be here. This was not what he had expected, in the least. "This needs to stop!" He shouted.
They jumped and Murtagh drew a dagger from underneath the pillow, shielding Mariah. After a moment of him staring he blinked, "Eragon? What the hell are you doing here?"
Clearing his throat a bit, "I didn't mean to say that out loud."
"What?"
"Nothing… I'm here to save Mariah."
"What do you mean?" She asked him, blinking. "I'm fine."
"No… the real you, that's asleep right now. She won't wake up, which is why I'm here."
She sat there for a minute, thinking, "Oh! That, of course. I'd forgotten about that. It seems like it happened so long ago."
"I'm trying to save you, is there anything you can do to help me?"
"Hmm, let's see," she sat and thought about it for a minute. "I can't say I know where I'm at, but I do know that you've been in here a while, so you should be getting close."
Murtagh nodded, "You should find her soon enough. Please, make sure you do find her. I'd do it myself, but you're the Rider, not me." He said. Mariah smiled at him and kissed his cheek.
"Thanks…" he said slowly.
"Of course. Now, you should hurry, the longer you wait the harder this will get." Mariah assured him.
He didn't think it could get much worse than this. Without another word he turned around and walked through the door.
Once the door closed, it vanished. Eragon took a deep breath, contemplating everything. His heart hurt after seeing them together. It might have crossed his mind once or twice, but actually seeing it was different. They were his best friends. They were both very similar to one another and got along great when Mark wasn't around or their lives weren't in danger. On the other hand, remembering the image of Mariah and himself together in the Spine, he couldn't help but wonder which one she wanted more. Maybe he was just over thinking it, maybe this place was just messed up because of the spell, and maybe she didn't have any control over her thoughts. As he continued through the void he made up his mind: she didn't have control over all her thoughts. He didn't, why would she?
His heart skipped a beat as he tripped over the nothingness and started falling straight down. His stomach did a few flips and he shouted, not knowing which way was up. Eragon hit something solid finally, stone floor and moaned, rolling onto his back and gripping his stomach, trying to breathe.
"What are you doing here?" A boot pressed against his chest, making it even more difficult.
"I'm… I'm supposed to be helping Mariah." Eragon said, coughing.
"I don't want or need your help, Eragon," she snapped.
He stared up at her and blinked, confused. "What… do you mean?"
"I have nothing to say to you. You shouldn't be here…"
"I'm just trying to save you!" Eragon insisted.
"I don't need saving, I'm right here."
"No… I mean the real you, not you you." He sighed, regaining his breath. Everything was confusing and made his head hurt.
She removed her boot and he could hear her walking away. Quickly, he got to his feet. It appeared to be mid-afternoon. He was standing in the middle of a busy city street, it smelled a bit like ocean so he had to assume it was Teirm.
"Mariah!" He shouted, following her.
She ignored him and kept walking. Forcing him to follow or give up, she started through the street at a trot, twisting through the crowds of people, slowing him down. He had to stop once or twice to try and find her again before spotting her walk into a shop. When he walked through the door she was waiting for him, both hands on her hips, "Why are you still here?"
"Why do you seem to hate me?"
"After everything you did? You're still going to ask me that? You're such a bastard. I can't believe I ever even liked you…"
He bit his tongue and took a breath, trying to figure this out. "I don't remember what I did to you that made you hate me so much."
"Of course you don't," she said, shaking her head and walking over to the shop owner, talking to her about the dress she had asked for her to make. Eragon watched her and waited at the door. She was bound to try and leave at some point. When she turned to leave, she sneered at him, "Move."
"Not until you tell me what's got you so bothered with me."
She inhaled and sighed. "You honestly don't remember?"
"No." He told her flatly.
"It's your fault Brom's dead." She said, "It's your fault my brother died, because you're such a moron. You throw yourself in danger every single chance you get. He was just trying to save you. And Murtagh, getting captured like that after coming after you. You are always the problem. You can't save yourself, you expect everyone else to do that for you. Your uncle died because you turned into a Dragon Rider. I'm surprised you haven't gotten Saphira killed with everything you get yourself into. I left because I couldn't stand being around the person who helped cause the death of everyone I care about. Now move aside, Eragon."
He blinked as she shoved him away from the door, striding outside again.
The shop around him melted into black once again. Eragon let out a slow breath, trying to release any anger that had risen in his chest. "She can't control all her thoughts…" he reminded himself.
"Who can't what?"
He turned around and smiled at twelve year old Mariah. Out of everyone so far, she seemed the most familiar. Finally, a little relief set in after the last few scenarios he'd been a part of. "It's nothing."
"You're lying."
Eragon chuckled a bit, "Sorry, I just don't want to tell you."
"That's fine," she nodded. "What are you doing?"
"Looking for you actually," he admitted.
Mariah blinked, "That's weird… why would you be doing that?"
"Because you're kinda lost at the moment," he said.
"This sounds like there's going to be a lot of explaining…" she admitted. "We should sit down." With that, she clapped her hands and Carvahall appeared around them. Eragon looked around and sighed, immediately homesick. The vision she'd created was perfect, down to the last details. He could even smell Elain's apple pie baking somewhere nearby. There was a bench lining the blacksmith's shop and she quickly pulled him over to it, sitting him down. Mariah sat next to him, "So, why do you say I'm lost?"
"Well…" he said, leaning on his knees. "You were in a fight and got a spell put on you… and it made you fall asleep. Now you won't wake up."
"Oh… that sounds bad." She admitted. "Didn't Mark do anything to help?"
He shook his head, "He can't figure anything out."
"Hmm," she tapped her lip. "So you just need to figure out how to wake us up?"
"Yes, exactly. How do you know so much, you seem rather young?"
"I think you're getting deeper in our memories. I really miss being here, so the thoughts surrounding it are stronger."
"How much further do you think I have to go to find you?" Eragon asked.
"That depends on you," she said. "I think you're doing a fantastic job, but others probably don't."
"I figured after the last few places I've been."
"Sorry you had to see those," she admitted. "Some thoughts aren't meant to be shared. How long have you been in here?"
Eragon shook his head, "I can't keep track. It seems like it's been hours, days even… but I can't say for sure. You're the seventh Mariah I've met I think."
"I can't say for sure, but there are probably hundreds of us. You know how you can feel like you're drowning in your own dreams sometimes? That's what happens when the different personas collide with one another. It gets cramped sometimes and we have to destroy one version to make room for another. I'm embedded deep enough where I don't usually have to worry about that. So, I think you must be getting close to the end. You're going through pretty fast. You must have fallen at some point."
"Before the last time, yes."
"That's why; you probably saved so much time doing that."
"It hurt, still does," he admitted.
Mariah smiled, "It's kind of supposed to." She paused, "Do you have any questions for me?"
He shook his head, then stopped, "Can you tell me… how much of this is real?"
"It's all real, in some form or another. The only things that are certain are the solid memories from the past, like this place. Maybe it's not a particular day in our life, but it seems to be a collection of the perfect moments from Carvahall. If there was one perfect day, this would be it. So, all the parts of it are real, some are just accentuated and thrown together to make it. Does that answer your question?"
"I think so," he said.
She stood up, "Good. You should keep going. Stopping too long will make it more difficult."
"Thank you."
"Don't mention it," she said, "Good luck Eragon. No matter what, you need to make it out safely."
"Of course. How do I leave?"
"Follow the road out of town, eventually it will fade like all the others."
Eragon stood up, stretching a bit and started out of Carvahall. He slowed a bit and looked toward Horst's house next to his blacksmith shop. Elain was pulling her pie from the oven. Smiling, he kept walking, until he saw Roran sneaking behind a building to hug Katrina. His feet quit moving upon seeing his cousin, realizing how much he missed him. He couldn't remember the last time he'd even seen Katrina either. When he turned his eyes back to the road, Eragon realize that night had almost started falling. "Stopping too long will make it more difficult," he repeated to himself. "She wasn't kidding." Quickly, he trotted out of town, forcing himself to look straight until he was sure it was gone.
"A little farther," he promised himself. Being back in Carvahall was revitalizing and he felt happier again after being back there. Sad that he couldn't return, but glad he wasn't the only one who missed it, Eragon continued. He started humming to himself quietly and walking through the void. It was getting more comfortable to walk around in the darkness and easier to accept what was happening and letting the pieces fall where they may.
"Eragon?"
As he turned around, color erupted around him. The large sunset took up nearly the entire sky. Stars were just appearing as the sun fell below the horizon and there weren't any clouds to distract from the view. The grass was turning a bronzy gold color as the light hit it. He was standing on a hill overlooking endless plains.
Looking over, he saw someone laying in the grass in a white dress. She was leaning on one arm to sit up, staring at him. There weren't any dark circles under her eyes this time. He walked over to the most familiar Mariah he'd seen yet and sat down beside her.
"You won't believe the day I've had."
She smiled and chuckled, "Try me."
He looked over and started talking about every encounter with her he'd had inside her mind, letting go of everything else and just feeling relieved that it was over. By the time he'd finished speaking, the sun was almost completely set.
"It sounds like it was fun." Mariah said.
"Parts of it, yes, others… definitely not. But now it's over."
"What makes you say that?"
"You are the one I'm bringing back."
She blinked, "Why?"
He stared at her, "Because you're my version of Mariah, the one who fell in here. I know you are."
"Did it ever occur to you that I don't want to leave?"
Eragon sat there, blinking. "No."
"Lay down," she said, smiling. When he hesitated, she took his hand. "Lay down." Mariah vanished in the tall gold grass and he leaned back beside her. "Look up at the sky and tell me what you see."
He turned his eyes upward and stared at the speckles of silver lighting up the sky. "Stars."
"Try connecting them together and forming pictures," she said. "See those ones there?" Mariah moved closer to him and pointed, "If you put those ones together, they look like a dragon." She smiled and hummed.
Eragon stayed beside her, holding her hand and drawing lines between the stars in the sky. Lying there in the silence, Eragon felt peaceful and completely at ease. It was the first time in a long time that he felt that way. Relaxed in the moonlit grass beside her, he didn't worry about anything. For the moment, there was no war, no dying. Mariah was lying beside him alive and well. There was nothing but them and the night sky. Eventually, she set her head on his shoulder and fell asleep. He watched her for a long time, simply waiting.
The stars finally began to fade against the rising sun. Mariah woke to the sunrise and smiled at him brightly. "Morning." She said, sitting up, still holding his hand. Eragon sat up in the grass with her, watching her face. "Stay here… with me. Nothing bad ever happens here… no one dies. There aren't any tears… we can just stay here, forever. It can just be us, please? You like it here don't you?"
He watched her face and looked down at her hand in his. Pulling his right up as well, he held her hand between his. "I want to stay with you Mariah, but we can't stay here like this. What about your brother? Andrar? Murtagh even? You can't leave them behind."
"They can stay too," she said, turning her head towards the top of the hill where dozens of familiar faces were standing together, smiling and waiting for them. In the front were Mark, Arya and Murtagh, behind them, lifting their heads were Andrar and Saphira. "Everyone can be together." As Mark stepped aside, Roran and Garrow moved forward, followed by Brom. Mariah turned her face back towards him, "See? It's perfect."
"No… it's not," he insisted. "You're just dreaming Mariah… I can't stay. And I want you to come with me. If you don't I'm going to miss you."
She stared at him, the others fading away slowly. "I'm dreaming?"
"I think so. Durza attacked you and you're asleep." He nearly jumped as fires started up around them. "You need to wake up. If you don't wake up, you… you might die. Come with me… please?"
"Come with you?" Mariah asked. The flames started circling them, burning away what was remaining of the sunrise landscape.
Eragon nodded, "Yes. We need to go now; otherwise we won't ever be able to." He stood and looked down at her.
"I… I can't leave. Durza said I can't."
"I'm saying you can. You're coming with me, right now." He insisted, bending down and picking her up. Mariah blinked at him but didn't resist. Eragon turned and hurriedly carried her out of the circling fire before it caught them.
The flames vanished. He held his breath as he looked down, staring into Mariah's eyes. She was still there. Every time before now she had disappeared with the world she was a part of. He set her down gently, her bare feet landing on the void silently. The darkness seemed to shimmer for a moment before becoming brighter. Eventually it was radiating colors he didn't realize even existed.
He heard footsteps behind her and lifted his head. Standing together were a small child, a teenage girl, a crying sister, a young woman who stared at him with intense hatred, a lady in an elegant dress, and a warrior goddess. All of them, in one form or another smiled at him and touched the one in the white sundress gently, each vanishing in a small burst of colored light. When the last one disappeared, he looked down at Mariah. She lifted her eyes and smiled at him. "I'm ready to go now Eragon."
Holding her hands, he smiled. "Wake up."
When he opened his eyes, he saw Mark staring at him with distaste. Looking over, he realized he was using half of Mariah's pillow and holding her hand. He must have fallen asleep. Eragon blinked and looked at her more closely. She seemed to be breathing easier and some of the color had returned to her face. As he watched, she flicked her eyes open, taking in a deep breath.
Mark's lips parted and he moved to her side immediately, "Mariah… you're alright."
She sat up and smiled at him gently, "I'm fine." She assured him, hugging him back as he cried against her shoulder.
"I thought you were gone, for sure… there was no waking you."
"It's alright Mark," she promised her brother, pushing him away slightly and wiping at his face. "You can stop worrying."
He shook his head, "I won't ever stop worrying about you. Know that now."
"Of course."
Mark turned to Eragon, sitting in the chair beside them, just staring at Mariah. "Eragon… thank you… so much. You don't even know how much I owe you."
"No… its okay Mark, I understand. Really, there's no need to thank me. The fact that Mariah's okay is enough for me." He said, still looking at her
She smiled at him. "Thank you." She managed before she broke into tears, sobbing.
Eragon's eyes widened a bit and he instantly went to her, hugging her tightly, "Don't cry. It's alright. You don't ever have to thank me Mariah."
Mark stared at them for a moment and shook his head, turning his head away and wiping his face again, smiling. He stood up and walked to the door, opening it and nodding to Murtagh, Angela and Arya. They stared at him, surprised and moved past him, into the room.
Pulling away from her when he heard them walk in, he smiled a bit. He watched as her face brightened and she spoke with the others. Awake, he couldn't remember everything as vividly as he knew it really had been, but he wasn't about to forget any of it he did recall.
Draumr Slytha – Dream Sleep
So, how'd you like the first chapter of Part II?
It took me a whole day to write, but it's all mine. This is what I want to write, but I might have to revert back to the book a little bit more sometimes... this took a lot out of me.
Don't expect another chapter before next week. I wanted to work this out and this is what happened, I wrote the whole beginning in a day. It happens sometimes. You guys are so lucky, so much in just a few short days, I'm spoiling you.
Shipping: I'm going to start addressing it more now that I've had a couple people say something about it. I just read a review that threw out AryaxMark... and laughed. You guys, some times... (runs and hides future material) ...need to stop reading into all my random ideas! I shall now point at you accusingly and change plot devices as a result of your meddling! Kidding... kidding... kinda. As a sucker for good endings, I always feel like every character should get their fair share of hugs and kisses. I don't try and pair up every character, but I do try to pair most of them to the best of my abilities. I will take into consideration reader's interests, but I will not be holding a poll to see which character you guys want with who... if you do want to add a little (btw ExM) or (MxM) at the end of your review I will smirk and put it in my memory for later use though.
Carpe Noctem - Seize The Night - for it is yours alone to do with what you will, but always make it full of colorful and fantastic dreams.
With Love, As Always,
Mariah