Teaser Tuesday: The Secret
A war had been raging between the two lands of Messinia and Braegar for over five hundred years. Needless to say, hardly a soul remained alive who knew why and the archives had long since been destroyed. The two lands, separated only by the large forest of Gyllen, were like two different worlds, each with their own monarch and laws. Yet Messinia and Braegar were like two sides of the same coin, whether they liked it or not.
It was a crisp morning in the later days of summer, birds twitted and sang, butterflies fluttered about the courtyard and the palace of Messinia was filled with delicious smells coming from the kitchen. It was no later than eight o'clock in the morning, yet as usual, the palace was buzzing with preparations for breakfast and the days chores.
This peaceful morning did not, however, reach the youngest member of the royal family.
Allora awoke in a cold sweat, her heart racing from the impact of the dream. Every detail was clearly etched in her mind adding a new bout of confusion by the minute.
Daniel, as he had spent his nights over the last seven years, sat at the end of the large four-poster bed, watching over her as she pushed the damp tangles of mahogany hair out of her eyes, his own transparent silver eyes glowing with worry. He knew what was wrong; it wasn't the first time that she'd woken like this. "Tell me." He whispered, the tone of his voice calming her.
Allora sighed. "It was the same dream: I was running through a garden maze, but my body was not my own; I was someone else, though it somehow felt right. When I reached the middle, there was a man waiting for me. I did not see his face; it was blurred as though someone had pulled a sheet over my face, yet I remember his eyes clearly. They were a beautiful green, almost like emeralds. He embraced me tenderly, but then he changed; a new man stood where he had been, his eyes a cold black." She stifled a sob and rubbed her wrists. "He held me by the wrists, so tightly I could not move my hands. And then he forced me down to my knees, all the while whispering 'Lover. Princess. Temptress. Whore.' over and over." Allora wiped a tear from her eye, now a bright glistening sapphire. "I don't know why it seemed so different, but it was so much more real to me than any other time I have had this same dream. I still feel both the love and the hate of the two men who held me."
She glanced at the ghostly apparition as he processed this new information. "It's the third time this week that I have had this dream, Grandfather, and I don't understand it. It's almost like a memory, one from long ago."
Daniel appeared thoughtful, or as thoughtful as a ghost may appear anyway. " 'Tis possible for a suppressed memory to return as a dream or nightmare, yet I have been by your side since you were fourteen and remember no horrific experience that may have caused this suppression."
"No." Allora shook her head, her mahogany curls bouncing around her heart-shaped face. "The woman, it was I, yet I was someone else also. How can that be? I remember no man like that in my dream, although his face seems as familiar to me as my own mother's."
The conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door and Maddy’s voice cut through the dense atmosphere.
“Are you awake in there, Little Princess?”
Allora glanced at Daniel, who nodded, disappearing into the room. His soft voice drifted to her from far away. “We will speak later.”
Rising, Allora pulled on her robe and padded to the door, her bare feet whispering over the soft, worn rug.
Maddy burst into the room the moment the door was opened.
“Good Morning!” She chimed, throwing open the floor length drapes that covered the long, glass-paneled doors leading to the balcony. “It’s a beautiful day.”
Allora looked out into the sunlit city and lush green forest miles behind it. Somehow she just knew that this day would change her fate forever.
Poised on the arm of a chair, Allora stretched her body as much as she could reaching for a thick leather volume just slightly beyond her. It was somewhat frustrating, not made better when the chaise jerked slightly to one side.
Tongue in cheek, Allora strained, her arm aching from the force. “Almost got it…”
A large bang resounded through the enormous palace library as an irate queen burst into the room. Stunned, Allora toppled down from the chair, landing somewhat ungracefully draped across the arms, the skirts of her gown pooling around her.
“Allora!” She barked, hurrying over to the fallen young woman. “I hope you didn’t hurt yourself, my dear, but you have been missing for quite a while! We were worried when you didn’t turn up to your lessons, though I suppose I should have known you’d be in her with all these dreadfully old books.”
Allora allowed herself to be tugged out of the chair, rubbing an ache in her lower back as she did so. “Mother, I am twenty-one years old, I’m not a child any more, why must I continue lessons in things I already know?”
Celeste clucked her tongue in annoyance and began exasperatedly, “Because of your initiation-
- The one that should have been three years ago?” Allora retorted leading her mother out of the room, swooping in to collect a small cake from a desk along the way only to have it confiscated before it reached her mouth.
“Yes, well, there have been hindrances, you know that. Really, Allora, you shouldn’t eat too many sweets, they are not good for you at all.”
Allora ignored her health concerns. “Father going abroad was not a hindrance, you forcing me to stay here, however, was!” They’d had this argument a thousand times over the previous three years, she was simply too overprotected. “When will you ever let me have some kind of adventure?”
“Don’t be ridiculous! You know that your father was very busy and had no time to take you out! He left to negotiate with allies to the west, not to take a little holiday.” Celeste opened the down to the hallway and followed her daughter out. “You were too young, imagine if something had happened to you? If a Braegan had found you?” The older woman shuddered at the thought.
That’s right, Allora sighed, she’d never be old enough and it seemed that the war with Braegar would always go on. Secretly she thought that the entire thing was barbaric and ridiculous, but who would listen to her even if she did admit to her distaste? The argument continued the entire way to the small drawing room where Allora suffered her lessons.
It was a crisp morning in the later days of summer, birds twitted and sang, butterflies fluttered about the courtyard and the palace of Messinia was filled with delicious smells coming from the kitchen. It was no later than eight o'clock in the morning, yet as usual, the palace was buzzing with preparations for breakfast and the days chores.
This peaceful morning did not, however, reach the youngest member of the royal family.
Allora awoke in a cold sweat, her heart racing from the impact of the dream. Every detail was clearly etched in her mind adding a new bout of confusion by the minute.
Daniel, as he had spent his nights over the last seven years, sat at the end of the large four-poster bed, watching over her as she pushed the damp tangles of mahogany hair out of her eyes, his own transparent silver eyes glowing with worry. He knew what was wrong; it wasn't the first time that she'd woken like this. "Tell me." He whispered, the tone of his voice calming her.
Allora sighed. "It was the same dream: I was running through a garden maze, but my body was not my own; I was someone else, though it somehow felt right. When I reached the middle, there was a man waiting for me. I did not see his face; it was blurred as though someone had pulled a sheet over my face, yet I remember his eyes clearly. They were a beautiful green, almost like emeralds. He embraced me tenderly, but then he changed; a new man stood where he had been, his eyes a cold black." She stifled a sob and rubbed her wrists. "He held me by the wrists, so tightly I could not move my hands. And then he forced me down to my knees, all the while whispering 'Lover. Princess. Temptress. Whore.' over and over." Allora wiped a tear from her eye, now a bright glistening sapphire. "I don't know why it seemed so different, but it was so much more real to me than any other time I have had this same dream. I still feel both the love and the hate of the two men who held me."
She glanced at the ghostly apparition as he processed this new information. "It's the third time this week that I have had this dream, Grandfather, and I don't understand it. It's almost like a memory, one from long ago."
Daniel appeared thoughtful, or as thoughtful as a ghost may appear anyway. " 'Tis possible for a suppressed memory to return as a dream or nightmare, yet I have been by your side since you were fourteen and remember no horrific experience that may have caused this suppression."
"No." Allora shook her head, her mahogany curls bouncing around her heart-shaped face. "The woman, it was I, yet I was someone else also. How can that be? I remember no man like that in my dream, although his face seems as familiar to me as my own mother's."
The conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door and Maddy’s voice cut through the dense atmosphere.
“Are you awake in there, Little Princess?”
Allora glanced at Daniel, who nodded, disappearing into the room. His soft voice drifted to her from far away. “We will speak later.”
Rising, Allora pulled on her robe and padded to the door, her bare feet whispering over the soft, worn rug.
Maddy burst into the room the moment the door was opened.
“Good Morning!” She chimed, throwing open the floor length drapes that covered the long, glass-paneled doors leading to the balcony. “It’s a beautiful day.”
Allora looked out into the sunlit city and lush green forest miles behind it. Somehow she just knew that this day would change her fate forever.
Poised on the arm of a chair, Allora stretched her body as much as she could reaching for a thick leather volume just slightly beyond her. It was somewhat frustrating, not made better when the chaise jerked slightly to one side.
Tongue in cheek, Allora strained, her arm aching from the force. “Almost got it…”
A large bang resounded through the enormous palace library as an irate queen burst into the room. Stunned, Allora toppled down from the chair, landing somewhat ungracefully draped across the arms, the skirts of her gown pooling around her.
“Allora!” She barked, hurrying over to the fallen young woman. “I hope you didn’t hurt yourself, my dear, but you have been missing for quite a while! We were worried when you didn’t turn up to your lessons, though I suppose I should have known you’d be in her with all these dreadfully old books.”
Allora allowed herself to be tugged out of the chair, rubbing an ache in her lower back as she did so. “Mother, I am twenty-one years old, I’m not a child any more, why must I continue lessons in things I already know?”
Celeste clucked her tongue in annoyance and began exasperatedly, “Because of your initiation-
- The one that should have been three years ago?” Allora retorted leading her mother out of the room, swooping in to collect a small cake from a desk along the way only to have it confiscated before it reached her mouth.
“Yes, well, there have been hindrances, you know that. Really, Allora, you shouldn’t eat too many sweets, they are not good for you at all.”
Allora ignored her health concerns. “Father going abroad was not a hindrance, you forcing me to stay here, however, was!” They’d had this argument a thousand times over the previous three years, she was simply too overprotected. “When will you ever let me have some kind of adventure?”
“Don’t be ridiculous! You know that your father was very busy and had no time to take you out! He left to negotiate with allies to the west, not to take a little holiday.” Celeste opened the down to the hallway and followed her daughter out. “You were too young, imagine if something had happened to you? If a Braegan had found you?” The older woman shuddered at the thought.
That’s right, Allora sighed, she’d never be old enough and it seemed that the war with Braegar would always go on. Secretly she thought that the entire thing was barbaric and ridiculous, but who would listen to her even if she did admit to her distaste? The argument continued the entire way to the small drawing room where Allora suffered her lessons.
haha where she suffered her lessons? awesome :)
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