Etude 14: Lento Perdendosi
Aand the last of the stuff from today. They wake up from the dreams, and are all tied up and stuff. Don't worry, they'll manage to get out of it! Meanwhile I introduce Ms. Plot Exposition here...
Armand woke with an aching head and fragmentary memories of some very long dreams. He opened his eyes and looked around. He felt wet. He heard a gentle sobbing, and he looked up. He saw a beautiful woman, her skin tinged with blue, chained to the rock. Her hands seemed to have melded with the rock itself so that it was impossible for her to leave. She was crying, and he realized that the moisture all over him was her tears. Beside him, tied to the rock, was Sarah. She was still unconscious. He realized that he was also tied down. The Sword of Peace was nowhere to be seen. He struggled against his bonds experimentally. They didn't give, and he realized they must have been tied by someone who really knew what he was doing. He looked up at the woman again. Her eyes weren't swollen from the incessant crying. The tears dripped down her face like crystal drops.
"Why are you crying?" He asked her.
"What?" She seemed surprised, but continued to sob. "How can you not know why I am here?"
"I'm a stranger to this place."
"A stranger... Then you do not know. You cannot possibly know how I loved and found the one I was born to love... And then, through my own mistakes, I betrayed him. In his anger, he imprisoned me here. I will stay here forever. I cry because I betrayed him... I know I deserve this punishment, but I cannot let out of mind the thought of how much hurt I dealt him."
...
"That's pretty harsh."
"It is only just." The tears continued to flow. Her voice sounded like it would normally have been melodious, but it had grown hoarse and scratchy from ages of crying.
"Can't I help you in anyway?"
"Only if you know something of the one I love... He is called Rethan. Have you heard of him?"
"No, I have not."
"Then there is nothing you can do..." She seemed to really notice him for the first time. "But why are you here?"
"We got captured by some guy called Abenath who tied us up here. And gave us really weird dreams."
"The dreams were not his doing, they were mine. The tears of any of the Forgotten Folk can be used to enter the Dream Mesh..."
"The Dream Mesh?"
"Yes. It is another part of this land, accessible from all places given the right keys. It is very easy to lose oneself there." She sniffled. "Unfortunately, as one of the Forgotten Folk, I cannot enter it myself. I can only allow others to do so... There is no escape for me."
"Did you see the man who tied us up here?"
"No. I wasn't paying much attention... I was just remembering how happy I was with my Rethan, and what that has come to now."
"Oh. Um." Armand didn't know what to say. He gratefully noticed that Sarah was stirring. "Sarah?"
"Hrrrmm?"
"Sarah, are you awake?"
"I think so. My head hurts. And I'm wet all over."
"My apologies, Sarah."
"What? Who's that?" Sarah's eyes snapped open and she rolled her head upwards to see the woman. "Oh."
"Oh, umm... What should I call you, lady?"
"My name is not important... Not anymore. I suppose you can call me Rosemary. Rosemary for memory..." She leaned back against the rock, tears still streaming from her eyes.
"Sarah, can you get loose from the ropes?"
She tested the ropes. "Nope. Hey, Armand... Did you have some really weird dreams?"
"Yeah."
"What were they like?"
"I don't want to talk about them."
"Oh. Okay."
"Rosemary?"
"Yes, Armand?"
"Have you heard of the Sword of Peace?"
"Yes, of course I have. Why do you wish to know?"
"I was lent the sword recently... But I still don't really know how to use it."
"Ahh." She looked pensive for a moment, and miraculously, the tears paused. "If you are a true wielder of the sword, the sword will reveal everything you need to know."
"That's not helpful."
"The sword is sentient, and it must be awakened to be of use. Otherwise, it is simply a finely balanced sword with a geas."
"Ahh."
"Um, Rosemary?" Sarah asked hesitantly.
"Yes?"
"Why are you here?"
"Because I betrayed my loved one... My dear, dear Rethan... He imprisoned me here, until the day when he sent me someone to free me."
Armand woke with an aching head and fragmentary memories of some very long dreams. He opened his eyes and looked around. He felt wet. He heard a gentle sobbing, and he looked up. He saw a beautiful woman, her skin tinged with blue, chained to the rock. Her hands seemed to have melded with the rock itself so that it was impossible for her to leave. She was crying, and he realized that the moisture all over him was her tears. Beside him, tied to the rock, was Sarah. She was still unconscious. He realized that he was also tied down. The Sword of Peace was nowhere to be seen. He struggled against his bonds experimentally. They didn't give, and he realized they must have been tied by someone who really knew what he was doing. He looked up at the woman again. Her eyes weren't swollen from the incessant crying. The tears dripped down her face like crystal drops.
"Why are you crying?" He asked her.
"What?" She seemed surprised, but continued to sob. "How can you not know why I am here?"
"I'm a stranger to this place."
"A stranger... Then you do not know. You cannot possibly know how I loved and found the one I was born to love... And then, through my own mistakes, I betrayed him. In his anger, he imprisoned me here. I will stay here forever. I cry because I betrayed him... I know I deserve this punishment, but I cannot let out of mind the thought of how much hurt I dealt him."
...
"That's pretty harsh."
"It is only just." The tears continued to flow. Her voice sounded like it would normally have been melodious, but it had grown hoarse and scratchy from ages of crying.
"Can't I help you in anyway?"
"Only if you know something of the one I love... He is called Rethan. Have you heard of him?"
"No, I have not."
"Then there is nothing you can do..." She seemed to really notice him for the first time. "But why are you here?"
"We got captured by some guy called Abenath who tied us up here. And gave us really weird dreams."
"The dreams were not his doing, they were mine. The tears of any of the Forgotten Folk can be used to enter the Dream Mesh..."
"The Dream Mesh?"
"Yes. It is another part of this land, accessible from all places given the right keys. It is very easy to lose oneself there." She sniffled. "Unfortunately, as one of the Forgotten Folk, I cannot enter it myself. I can only allow others to do so... There is no escape for me."
"Did you see the man who tied us up here?"
"No. I wasn't paying much attention... I was just remembering how happy I was with my Rethan, and what that has come to now."
"Oh. Um." Armand didn't know what to say. He gratefully noticed that Sarah was stirring. "Sarah?"
"Hrrrmm?"
"Sarah, are you awake?"
"I think so. My head hurts. And I'm wet all over."
"My apologies, Sarah."
"What? Who's that?" Sarah's eyes snapped open and she rolled her head upwards to see the woman. "Oh."
"Oh, umm... What should I call you, lady?"
"My name is not important... Not anymore. I suppose you can call me Rosemary. Rosemary for memory..." She leaned back against the rock, tears still streaming from her eyes.
"Sarah, can you get loose from the ropes?"
She tested the ropes. "Nope. Hey, Armand... Did you have some really weird dreams?"
"Yeah."
"What were they like?"
"I don't want to talk about them."
"Oh. Okay."
"Rosemary?"
"Yes, Armand?"
"Have you heard of the Sword of Peace?"
"Yes, of course I have. Why do you wish to know?"
"I was lent the sword recently... But I still don't really know how to use it."
"Ahh." She looked pensive for a moment, and miraculously, the tears paused. "If you are a true wielder of the sword, the sword will reveal everything you need to know."
"That's not helpful."
"The sword is sentient, and it must be awakened to be of use. Otherwise, it is simply a finely balanced sword with a geas."
"Ahh."
"Um, Rosemary?" Sarah asked hesitantly.
"Yes?"
"Why are you here?"
"Because I betrayed my loved one... My dear, dear Rethan... He imprisoned me here, until the day when he sent me someone to free me."
posted by Selene at 4:33 AM
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