This Dark Dream

There was going to be a funeral the day after tomorrow. And nobody wanted to hear about it, although everyone would want to go. It was somewhat similar to a wedding; everyone wanting to be there and everyone gossiping about out. But people want to go to weddings. Weddings are happy and joying, there is a future with weddings. Funerals do not bring a future. They drag you to the past when things were happier and still wonderful, but you can only look at the happiness. You can not hold it in your hands.

And then people don't want to go to a double funeral. The funeral of a man and a woman who loved each other. A man, respectable in his community, and available to help those who asked for it. The CEO of the (soon to be biggest) Eco-Electricity company in the nation. Also a woman; a famous fantasy author, lovely writing, lovely on the eyes with lovely fingers that played lovely pieces of music. She was a renowned piano player. A husband and wife who loved each other, who gave so much intellectual value to their community. Two who were both "too young to die", in the eyes of others.

What's lost can never be returned, and it wasn't just the community that lost two appreciated members. A girl still to young to be called an adult but no longer a child lost the two people closest to her. She lost her parents, her only friends, the people she loved most in the world.

What's lost can never be returned.

Megan Edwards took a step into the room she was occupying for the next few days until the will of her parents was sorted out. With disdain and disgust, she asked herself "How can people live like this?"She noted the rickety chair that was too old to be burdened with another load, the peeling paper of the walls, and the lumpy bed that felt more like a bag of rocks than the clouds that she slept on when she was at her own home. It was awful in Megan's eyes, but then she was called a "snot". All perspective.

She didn't really want to stay in this horrible house with her "Aunt" Tabby. The lady was not even her aunt, just a close friend of her deceased mother. "Aunt" Tabby was nice enough, just a single mother with not enough money to take care of her six year old brat. Megan didn't want to be in this decomposing atmosphere. But it was only temporary. Megan would be staying here only until the will was to be read, and that was on Sunday. She would be able to go back home then. The small favors that "Aunt" Tabby granted; pushing the will up to after the funeral.

With a sigh, Megan went to the bed and sat down to dump her purse out. The contents were not many. Her smartphone, classic iPod, a number of pens and mechanical pencils, a little black leather bound notebook, a checkbook and wallet, and too many prescription bottles for a fourteen year old girl to possibly own. All the names on the labels were foreign and un-flavorful and they made her feel worse than she already was.

All she wanted to do was sleep. And sleep well. The last time Megan had slept well was just before the auto accident, and now there were drug induced comas, nightmares or sleepless nights. She wanted peace and smooth sailing on the ocean of her mind. She wanted her parents, but they're dead. But... "Don't you remember, Megnut? Music is the best medication for the mind." After her mother said that, each time she would sit down with Megan and play piano with her for hours, and hours on end.

So, although her mother wasn't here, and there wasn't a piano in this dreadful place, there were always recordings captured on her iPod. With this realization, Megan carelessly shoved every bottle and whatever else into her purse, and stuffed her ears with the sweet syrup pouring out of the headphones. She placed her glasses on the bedside table, along with the bobby pins that held her hair up.

But as soon as her heavy head hit the pillow, she was out like a light.

And the shadows then came to life.

Clouds were hovering over the land of Magara... though perhaps it would be better to say that they were 'looming' or 'brooding.' For they were not white and full, quite the opposite, and the rays of light that straggled through them were a soporific grey that seemed to suck the life out of everything they chanced to touch.

Just outside of his castle, apparently immune to the mood of the sky above, Zachariah strode amongst the blossoms that gave him his title... that of the Blue Rose Prince. Coming to a halt, he bent over a bloom that was starting to fade and turn dull around the edges.

"We are alike, are we not?" He murmured to the sapphire-hued flower. "You are what I once was... A shadow of what I was meant to be."

The dark-clad young man smoothed a finger over one petal. Immediately, the entire rose brightened, straightened, seemed to burst forth in glory.

"No more," Zachariah continued. Whether he was satisfied at what his hand had brought forth it was difficult to say; his stone-faced expression never wavered. "Now... I make the shadows, I manipulate them and bend them to my will. But I am no longer one of them."

His fingertips paused in their tracing of the rose's velvet petals. Though his eyes remained distant and careless, his hand abruptly closed upon the flower, crushing it between his palm and fingers.

"That girl. What does she think she is doing, avoiding me for so long? It has been a week." He shook his head, slowly unclenching his fist. He stared down at the dying rose in his palm for a moment, before slowly raising the bruised blossom to his lips.

"See what you make me do, Megan," he whispered. "See what your selfish torture does to those I love... Raphi."

A shadow burst from where the rest of the roses cast shade over the cobblestone path that Zachariah stood upon. Rising up, it morphed into a tall, blonde man wearing the simple garb of a manservant. The man formed from a shadow then placed a hand over his heart and bowed slightly from the waist.

"My Lord, you called for me?"

"I did. I want you to go and fetch the girl."

Raphi's golden eyes widened slightly, just as his brows drew down. "For what reason, My Lord?"

"You question me, Raphial?" Though the Blue Rose Prince did not turn his eyes upon his servant, nor raise his voice a hair, the blonde-haired man still took a step back.

"N-no, Lord Zachariah... Forgive my impudence... But I must ask this: how am I to go to her? Before, it was only she who could open and close the Gates of Mist and Being."

Did the shadow-man's eyes betray him, or had his prince, just for a split second and just slightly, smirked? Raphi blinked, and Zachariah's lips were once more set in their usual blase expression.

"That was before, Raphi. It has been a short time, but even you must know that I am not the pawn of her whims that I once was. I am far more than that, now. Far greater, and more terrible, as she will see... Go and fetch Megan Edwards, Raphial.

"I will be waiting."

When Megan came to be again, she was not in the decomposing bedroom that she had closed her eyes in. She rested her weary body against a tree, though it was not like any tree she had ever laid her eyes on before. White ivory with skeletal limbs that reached towards the sky, and interweaving with the limbs of other trees similar to its own. The bark was smooth to the touch, yet it had all the right ridges and groves to help her get up from the ground.

Looking around Megan noticed the world she now inhabited was dark, except for the bright whiteness of the trees and the snow that fell from a grey, dreary sky. Oh and the snow itself, it flutter like powdered sugar, but when landing in Megan's outstretched hand it enlarged into the (what was once a microscopic) lacy design, before it rolled off and dropped and melted into the ground.

It took Megan's breath away, this forest of slumbering white. But she noticed flaws in its design. Where she stood, there was no sound 'cept for the snow falling. Where were the animals? And where was the cold? Winter would have frozen her bones by now. Where was all the life?

The girl decided that she should go find some life, and perhaps ask about where she was. Megan felt that she should rename herself 'Alice', for she was very lost in this beautiful silent world. "Well, come on feet. Let's go." Or perhaps she was the princess on her way to the Dream-Maze... And so the brunette began walking straight ahead, with sense of direction except what felt right.

At one point, the trees stopped and there was a pond. It wasn't much, but it was life compared to tree after tree and snow and silence. The pond was small and circular, with a small amount of snow buildup around its perimeter. The water was black, and on closer inspection, thicker than the substance used to baptized. No, this wasn't water, but you could still see your reflection on its glassy, polished surface.

And Megan's reflection was one she didn't want to see. Well, not right now at least. Her eyes were tired and red, while her hair was like a tangled birds nest that should not be on top of her head. Under her hair, there were bruises. You could see the outermost edges of them on by her cheeks and temples, and their colour was an unnatural violet crimson shade that made even Megan shudder. These bruises were all over her body, but she had them covered up pretty well with her white flowy poets blouse over a black cardigan and the long black dress pants she wore.

Megan's reflection copied itself, putting a piece of hair behind her ear and outstretching her arm to the reflection in the pond.

Raphi took a deep breath before reforming back into a shadow and rushing away from the castle along the ground. His shadow was thrown by no object, but moved of its own accord. The breath he had taken before reforming was not necessarily because he needed more oxygen in his lungs--after all, do shadows have lungs?--but rather more for emotional support.

Brothers, to me! He opened his dark maw in a voiceless cry. Immediately, other sourceless shadows made their way to his side. Raphi and his shadow brethren continued to rush and write along the ground, making their way further from the castle, when suddenly... they stopped.

The shadow-man saw an unmistakable glow and glimmer, the sign that the Gates of Mist and Being had been opened. Seconds later, a young girl was reclining against a pale tree.

Raphi knew that girl. It could only be her. As she stood and made her way to the pool, he shook his shadowy form visibly and made his way towards her once more.

Something was... off, though. Normally, always, she appeared within the castle grounds. She would make her way immediately to Prince Zachariah's side. Why was she here, far from where the Blue Rose Prince strolled about his garden?

Why had she stayed away for a whole week?

At least he had not had to go through the Gates himself... Pure, dazzling light such as that cast by the Gates always pained him, especially when he was in his shadow form, as he was now. Drawing closer to the girl, he saw her reach out her arm to the still waters of the dark pond.

Raphi knew this place, too. He had been there before with his prince and Lady Megan... they would picnic there, and Raphi would serve them tender meat cuts and delectable cakes. Lord Zachariah would lay his head in Megan's lap as she sat with her back against the tree... they would talk quietly, occasionally drawing Raphi into the conversation, as well...

The shadow-man shook himself once more. No, those days were gone and done with. Zachariah was a new man... and as for Raphi, himself...

Raphial froze as he saw the reaction the pond gave to Megan's fingertips grazing the watery surface. Ripples, slow, steady, and perfectly round, grew from the spot her hand was touching.

Then something began to emerge from the pond. First, a head of long, gleaming red hair. Then dark violet eyes, golden-ivory shoulders and arms...

"Ahhh, Lady Megan, you have returned to us," the woman--was it a woman?--who had emerged from the pond purred. "It has been so long, we had grown worried about you. Do tell us you have decided to resume your visits. Do?"

As the red-haired woman spoke, she pulled herself up on the bank beside the young girl, revealing that, from the waist down, she sported not human legs, but the tail and fin of a shark. Other women emerged from the dark pond, settled themselves around its rim.

"We missed you so much, dear," the red-haired shark-woman cooed, reaching out her hand. Her fingers drew closer to the girl's head. And closer. And closer.

Until they fisted in her hair, pulling her chin up and around.

The shark-women's eyes all widened. "Why, what is this? No fight from you today? No harsh words? And where is your prince? Not here to defend you?"

Her lips drew back in a feral smile, revealing two rows of small, but very sharp, teeth. "Excellent," she growled.

Raphi had been staring at the scene before him in shock, but the shark-woman's dangerous grin snapped him out of it. He quickly reformed into his human guise and ran for the pond.

"Lady Megan, get away from her!"

Megan quickly retracted her hand back to her side at the sight of red, beautiful red hair. She had never seen a body of hair so thick and luscious, and so natural a shade of red. It reminded her of the animated fairy tales she had watched on the telly as a small child; in particular the one about the mermaid with the beautiful voice...

Where was Megan's train of thought? Oh, it had been lost when she met the shadowed amethyst eyes. They were enchanting and glimmering, like finely cut jewels. Megan was off-balance and mesmerized by the first perception of life in this world.

"L-Lady Megan?" Megan's voice was so dry, it cracked as the sound reached the air. To say the girl was confused was an understatement. "Pardon? How do you know my name? Who are- !!!" Megan gasped for breath as she felt hand grasping her hair. She knew this shark-siren was just luring her in for her own desires.

"Hey! Let me go! What are you talking about! I've never met you! What prince? What..." When the brunette saw the sharp rows of teeth, every bit of colour in her face drained, leaving the only bit of hue in the bruises' outlines. "Letmego, letmego." She started trying to wrench herself out of the lady-mershark's grasp, but it was a strong one.

So she tried prying the hand off of her head, but managed to lose balance and get her body on the ground, but not in the blackness of the pond. Megan didn't want to go there, that was for certain. Not with the danger she was in now.

"Lady Megan!" Raphi saw that, despite her struggles the girl could not escape the mershark's grasp. So he did the next thing that jumped into his mind.

He called on his shadow brethren.

The shadows writhed and twined around the body of the mershark, prying her fingers out of Megan's hair. The mershark did not seem shocked... that did not, however, mean that she was pleased.

"Hmph. Calling on your friends to do your dirty work? How typical," she scoffed before sliding back into the water. "You may have escaped today, Lady Megan," she tossed scornfully over her shoulder, "but next time we meet..."

With that ominous farewell, she submerged her entire body and disappeared, as did the rest of the sharkwomen.

Raphi ran to Megan, falling to his knees beside her. "Lady Megan, are you all right? I'm so sorry I didn't act sooner, you..."

He stopped cold.

"You are hurt." His tone was amazed. "Not by that mershark Laburna, either... Lady Megan, what happened to you? Is this why you were gone for so long?"

The shadow-man reached out towards a bruise on the girl's temple, but drew back his hand at the last moment. "No, I must ask first... Lady Megan, will you allow me to shadow-balm these injuries? It will help, if only until we get to Prince Zachariah..."

Again, he stopped speaking abruptly, remembering exactly why he had been sent to find Megan in the first place. He lowered his gaze to the ground.

"My Lady, I am so sorry... Brethren, take her, but be careful of her bruises."

As soon as Megan was out of the grasp of the mershark, she scooted her body a few feet away from the pond. "L-Let's make note not to poke at macabre ebony ponds again, kay Meg?" Her hands were shaking slightly as she brushed her bangs out of her face, stress levels high again. She watched as the red-haired siren disappeared into the murky depths, leaving her warning hang high in the air.

Megan mulled over the threat and her connection to the mershark, if only a moment before she heard her name being called. She wasn't used to the sound of Lady Megan, normally it was just Megan and nothing more. Four times had she been called by that name, and it seemed as though these people intimately knew her, to an extent. Especially the blond on who was running to her side.

He said his apologies without Megan letting a word in otherwise. He acted as though they talked every day, like actual friends. If there was anything about Megan, it was that she didn't have friends, she didn't make friends with people because she didn't need friends.

And then he reached out to touch her. Megan moved her body as far away from his hand as she could without actually moving. "Don't touch me," she warned the blond. "Don't touch me, don't put any shadow stuff on me, don't do anything. Who are you and how do you know my name? Where am I? What was that?" She pointed towards the murky black pond. "And who is the prince I've heard of twice already?"

Before she could get an answer though, the shadows consumed her body, and she was engulfed in darkness.

Zachariah lounged back in his blue-velvet-backed throne, every pore reeking of 'couldn't care less.' He remained that way, not turning a hair, as his shadow-servants rushed into the grand hall along the floor until they came to a halt in front of where he sat.

The shadows spiraled up into a vaguely human-shaped form, before melting away to the floor once more, revealing a girl with brown hair.

"You are dismissed," the dark-haired young man said, flicking a finger as if at a mildly bothersome fly. The shadows immediately withdrew to their fellow shadows that fell from the candle sconces lining the black-stone walls of thee throne room.

Raphi walked into the hall a mere split second later, his eyes flicking back and forth between Megan and Zachariah. "I-I have brought her just as you ordered, My Lord."

"So I see." Zachariah finally straightened up in his throne, leaning forward to rest an elbow on one knee, his chin on his hand.

"Well, Megan. It has been a while." His voice was as light and calm as if he were commenting on the weather. "You may be surprised at being brought here this way, not in the manner you are accustomed to, but you see... Things are going to be a bit different here from now on. Namely that our roles are now reversed. I am ruler of Magara now, its true ruler, and you are no more than an insignificant pawn."

The Blue Rose Prince paused, his expression unreadable, as if waiting for Megan's reaction. Would she cry? Tremble with confusion, at the change that had come over the one she had made to love her? Would she think he was joking with her?

Raphi came up to stand several feet behind Megan, his stance displaying obvious hesitation. Zachariah glanced over at him as if chancing to notice the manservant.

"What is it, Raphi?" His tone was flat.

"My Lord, if it pleases you... Lady Megan is hurt, My Lord, she has bruises. And she was attacked by Laburna, My Lord. Something is different with the mersharks, My Lord, they are no longer interested in just playing games. They are... hostile. Hungry."

The shadow-man broke off with a shiver.

Zachariah shook his head. "Raphi, have you still yet to understand? Not only have I changed, but my land along with me. We are neither interested in the selfishly wrought games of a naive dreamer any longer.

"The time for fun and play is over." Now the prince was addressing Megan once more. "I have had enough of being used, Megan. But then again, what care does a dream figment have for being manipulated?"

Gazing at her with those intense sapphire-blue eyes, he continued, "Just that, Megan. Figment I am not. Not any more. Magara was disposable entertainment for you once, something to be put aside upon waking. But now see how very real your fantasy land has become."

With that, the shadows along the walls began to dance and writhe, twist and curl, up and down the ebony stones. Slowly, sinuously, they made their way towards Megan, almost as if taunting her.

The world was spinning as the shadows uncloaked Megan from their sensory deprived shelter. She wasn't quite so balanced and composed, and it took a few moments to ground herself once more. When her internal balance was found, she took a moment to take in her surroundings.

She stood on an ornate rug of blue velvet that lead an obsidian throne. Behind the royal chair, there hung blue tapestries of roses hung. The walls of the throne room were barren except for the throne, the tapestries, and the two people standing within it, were of black marble with veins of opal and sapphire running through it.

The room was beautiful, except it was just as lifeless as the forest and the pond. Well, the pond had life in it, but it wasn't life. Megan didn't know how to explain it, but when you're on the edge of living and the dead, you can tell the difference between it.

And then Megan noticed it, no... him... With silky, unruly, beautiful black midnight hair, and eyes the deepest blues of boulder opals. His face was the perfect chiseled features of a Grecian God and his skin a moon kissed pale. Megan didn't care what his name was, he was the most beautiful man she had ever seen. Her cheeks blushed at this first sight of him, and she tried so hard to not smile.

But then, the blond and the beautiful man began speaking to one another, about Megan as if they knew her. So the blond's appearance was deliberate. He was searching for me. But why do they want me? Her train of thought was quickly cut of when the beautiful man spoke directly to her.

Been awhile... Surprised manner of you're accustomed... Reversed roles... Ruler of Magara... Insignificant pawn... He spoke of a history she had never heard before, and a life she knew not of. He looked Megan in the eyes, studier her reaction, and she could only furrow her eyebrows in confusion.

He spoke again, calling out to the blond behind her, whom he called 'Raphi'. And another bit of knowledge is added to the limit jar I own. I feel far to much like Alice now... She thought to herself, listening to their conversation about her bruises and the merskarks. As if they have a clue about everything I've been through this past week, they wouldn't even wonder nor worry about my bruises then.

The beautiful boy looked at her again, with a fire in his eyes. "But now see how very real your fantasy land has become." The shadows that had been cast on the walls began moving towards Megan, reaching out and trying to touch her. There was nowhere she could run, no where she could hide.

"I don't recall ever using you... Err... whatever your name is. I actually don't recall ever meeting you before. Or him." Pointing to Raphi. "Here's MY questions. How did I get here? How do you know my name? What EXACTLY is this place and who are you?"

The shadows paused in their writing towards Megan. Raphi stared openly, and even Zachariah raised an eyebrow.

"You do not recall...? Raphi, have you brought me the wrong Megan?" The Blue Rose Prince asked his shadow-servant with a smirk.

Raphi shook his head fervently, his eyebrows drawing together as he glanced back and forth between his prince and Megan.

"No, hmm? Then could she be playing a game with us? You are a smart one, Megan, if selfish and dull in your wishes..." Zachariah turned his attention back to the girl in front of him. "Did I not say that the time for games was over?"

The dark-haired young man stood from his throne, began striding slowly towards the spot where Megan stood.

"Allow me to refresh your memory, then. I am Zachariah, Blue Rose Prince of Magara. Both, and everything else within this land, of your own making. You wanted love and companionship, something to control... So you turned to your beloved fairy tales and romantic ballads and came up with a dream like this one night. You liked it, and so you kept it. You kept me in thrall, until a week ago, when you disappeared.

"Do not get me wrong, Megan. I would have been happy to have let you stay far away from Magara and myself. But you see, if there is one idea that I hold to for children, it is that they must learn the consequences of their actions, especially if they are foolish."

He stopped directly in front of the girl, folded his arms. "Do you remember me now, Megan? Or does your memory require further jogging?"

Everyone was looking at Megan; the shadows (so they had no physical eyes but Megan could still feel a gaze upon her), Raphi, and the dark haired prince. They all gawked at her as if she were an unattractive awkward sparrow who knew not how to fly. She shifted in her spot uncomfortably and bit her bottom lip nervously.

Megan spoke it plain, and coldly, but this situation she was put in made her uncomfortable in her own skin. With that uncomfortable, awkward situation, she began to question her appearance. Her bird nest hair and blood shot eyes, the baggy pajama pants and tee-shirt she wore from the hospital back home. She looked a mess, and it made life all the worse.

But the brunette was brought out of thoughts of figure and fashion when the dark haired man spoke of Megan playing a game. "Pardon me, but who do you think you are, saying that I play games with people? I'm sorry, but clearly you don't know me as well as you thought you did. I pride myself on being distant and unconcerned with people, that I'm capable of living alone. But I have NEVER lied to a person, and I don't play games with people, so you might as well just shut your mouth!"

As she spoke these words, Megan got angrier and angrier, stepping towards the dark haired man until she was at the foot of his throne. He spoke, and Megan processed the information. "Prince of Magara, Zacahariah, Blue Roses, Spawned from her own mind, controlling fairy tale... No, no, no, no you're wrong I never create this, it's not real. It's not real, it's not real, it's not real." Repeating those words over and over, while Zachariah got closer to her.

She could not process the idea of actually creating something so beautiful and cold, heaven and hell at the same time. Nothing was real in both worlds. "I never created this, no. It couldn't have been me, you have me mistaken for someone else. No, no no..."

"Capable of living alone?" Again a smirk from the Blue Rose Prince. "I think I am proof of the opposite... but no matter."

The slight smile faded from Zachariah's face. "If you do not remember me, then perhaps your dream is over. It makes no difference now whether or not I lay eyes on you again. We both desire the same thing, it seems--solitude. Very well, then...

"Goodbye, Megan Edwards."

A nod to his shadows. Raphi's wide eyes, his frown.

"My Lord, she is still hurt, and does not seem to be--"

"Raphi, be silent."

"But My Lord...!"

The shadows, meanwhile, were swarming towards Megan, twining up her legs, her torso and arms... Before falling back with a unworldly screech that could not have been produced by any mortal means.

Zachariah, too, fell back, for once his carefully composed expression faltering. "What... is this... Why, Megan Edwards, it seems you are resisting going back to your world of waking."

"My Lord... forgive me, but... it is no surprise," Raphi spoke up, haltingly, and then much more strongly than ever before. "Can you not see that she is injured and in distress? Can you not look past her supposed wrongdoings to realize this? Something happened in her world, My Lord. Something to change the both of you, and from what I see of you, My Lord, for you that change has not been for the better!"

Zachariah turned to his shadow-manservant then, his sapphire eyes strangely blazing. "You turn against me, Raphial?"

"When you turn from governing through love to controlling through fear, My Lord, I do. You are not the Zachariah I once served willingly... My Lord, you allow your hurt and pain to cloud your thoughts! You have turned into the selfish one, not Megan!"

"Then you have both chosen your paths. I hereby banish you both from this castle. If you, Megan, do not wish to return to your world, then do not expect to be sheltered in this one. If you, Raphial, still remain loyal to this girl, then do not expect to have my protection."

"My Lord, please, reconsider--"

The shadows enveloped the girl and the manservant, this time without resistance. The last thing Raphi saw was the brilliant blue of Zachariah's eyes.

Megan was trapped by the shadows, by Zachariah's piercing gaze. She couldn't see anything within those eyes: empathy, compassion, love. There was nothing of the sort help there, but she knew. She knew that if he were to look into her own eyes, there wouldn't be those emotions there any longer. Any little trace of them previously there were taken away when her parents were taken away.

And so this time, she accepted the darkness with pleasure. She didn't care that it tortured her with flaming caresses and painful stabbing, for it felt good. The pain was pleasure, in a sick, twisted view that Megan was looking at the world lately.

Once upon a time, there was darkness. And then... Light. Bright light, dull white of the forest where nothing was cold, and and everything was silent. She pulled her face out of the snow only to see her actions being mirrored by the shadow Raphi.

Zachariah stood still as stone until the shadows rushed out of the hall, out of sight, bearing away his once-trusted manservant and his once-beloved Megan.

He then turned on his heel, walked back to his throne. Reached down under the left arm to grasp the handle and bow of a violin that had previously been concealed by darkness.

"It is only me, now."

Tightening the bow hairs, he then tucked the violin underneath his chin, raised the bow to the strings, drew it across softly to produce a deep, melancholy tone.

Closing his sapphire eyes, he began to play. Quietly at first, then more loudly. As time passed, however, a frown began to appear on Zachariah's face.

Finally, he stopped. Taking the violin out from beneath his chin, he held it at arm's length and stared.

"...There is no soul in this anymore," he murmured. "Not as there was before..."

He shook his head sharply. "No. I... I must be tired. That is all." He turned his gaze to the window overlooking his garden.

"My roses. I still have my roses."

Quickly, he strode out of the throne room and down the hall. Descending a flight of stairs, he opened a small door that led out into the abundance of blue roses. Taking a deep breath, he let it out slowly before beginning to play his violin once more.

This time, the music flowed out in a torrent of emotion. The Blue Rose Prince played on, faster and faster, before breaking off suddenly.

His eyes widened as he stared from the roses to the violin and back. "I... was thinking of her, this time. Will even her memory not leave me in peace?"

He lowered the bow and violin to his sides. "We walked often in this garden." His voice was quiet, almost a breath. He turned around, back towards the door leading into the castle. "This was a mistake. It is too soon. All I see in my mind is her..."

A slight tug on his pants leg stopped him in his tracks.

--------

Raphi slowly rose from where he found himself sprawled on the ground. He saw that he and Megan were on the hill with the tree and the pond. The place where Megan had been attacked by Laburna the mershark.

"Megan... My Lady! Are you all right? Your injuries...!" The shadow-man hastened over to help her stand.

Reaching out to take her hand, Raphi took a moment to glance around. "We're on the outskirts of Prince Zachariah's realm," he mused. "Almost in the next kingdom of Kadan... What does My Lord mean by this? To let us wander until someone takes us in? My Lady, I do not require food to live, but you..."

He paused before continuing, "Lady Megan, if you do not wish to wake... what will happen to your mortal body? What... what HAS happened?" His eyes took in the bruises on her face and arms, his mouth drawn down at what he saw.

Megan slowly pushed her body out of the snowy ground, pain spreading when her muscles worked. This wasn't like the pain that she had felt in the darkness. This was a more concrete pain and it connected within her cells just as badly as the crash had. The brunette groaned, pulling her self to her knees. "I wish I had the tongue of a sailor", she murmured. Raphi then was at her side, helping her up to her feet.

She thanked him as he rambled for a few moments about the boundaries of the kingdom and asking her about her mortal body and food and the like. But then he asked about her bruises. Those ugly reminders of the week that had past.

"Oh." Megan's voice dropped to a whisper. "Those? There not important. Really. They were just from a car crash. Nothing more. An automobile accident." She was fighting back the tears. Fighting as hard as she could, but she could only hold them in for so long. "I- I lost both my parents in the crash. I was the only survivor, it was all my fault. Oh god, what have I done?" Megan's knees let out and she feel to the snowy ground with her face in her hands, her heart rent asunder.

"Lady Megan?"

Raphi did not know whether or not to try to reach out to the distraught girl in front of him. Feeling movement beneath his feet, he looked down, then around, eyes widening at what he saw.

The ground underneath him was shaking.

The branches of the tree on the hill were writhing wildly.

The dark liquid in the pond was rippling strangely.

"The land of Magara always did react to... Lady Megan, please! Are you all right?" Although he knew inside that she was not, that there was nothing he could do to reach her. However, that didn't stop him from trying.

"My Lady, please answer me..." Taking a deep breath, Raphi reached down to grasp Megan's shoulder and shake it gently.

When Raphi shook Megan's shoulder she stopped crying. The world around them stood still, in anticipation of where her emotions were to go. She wiped the tears from her face, and used the blond's hand to help herself get back up on her feet.

"I'm so sorry, I've been an emotional wreck this week. It's been really hard to keep myself in check. They- the doctors- had me on a major amount of medication to help me keep sane, but all they did was keep me numb. I can't live like that." Not anymore, Megan thought to herself.

"So what now? What happens now that His Royal Arse-ness has kicked us out of the castle? Where do we go, what do we do? Are we to sit her for eternity or what? I should probably get back home soon... I have a wake to attend tomorrow..."

Megan ran a hand through her brown hair, sighing in frustration.

Raphi could not help looking at Megan, his brow furrowed. She had been in such obvious pain only a moment before... now she spoke as if that pain were just a minor annoyance. Raphi knew that Megan had always been adept at concealing her emotions, but before now--before she forgot--she had never felt the need to when she was in Magara, her land of dreams.

"W-well," the former manservant finally spoke up, choosing to honor Megan's holding back of her emotions, "Kadan is not too far away, only about half a day of walking. We are on good terms with them, so we should be able to find a place to stay, if only for the night, once we're there."

He paused before going on, "Lady Megan, you could wake at will before now. Can you try to do so again? I do not want you to endure such discomfort in this realm..."

He bit his lip before finishing his sentence, but it was apparent what he was going to say: When you are already in so much pain.

Zachariah looked down at his foot, his eyes widening slightly. A thorny branch from the nearest rosebush had snaked its way over to him and latched on to his pants leg.

"What is it, my roses?" He turned back to face the garden. "What do you wish to tell me? Are you unsettled, as I am? Does thinking of the girl also--AAH!"

A cry of shock and alarm broke from his lips as the branch suddenly whipped around to bind his leg in a painfully tight grip.

"My roses, what--"


Then more branches, and more, some with blossoms attached and some bare, rushed towards him to wrap around his limbs. Zachariah winced as he felt some of the thorns pierce his skin.

"What is wrong? I did what I had to, I sent the girl away! Raphial, too..." He squeezed his eyes shut, though whether out of remorse or pain from the thorny embrace he was caught in it was hard to tell.

"I sent them both away. Why do you turn against me? My roses!"

He flicked a free finger, his eyes widening once more as nothing happened.

"Even you, my shadows?" He called out. "Why do you not come to my aid? Am I to be bound here without reason?"

A large, brilliant blue blossom suddenly reared up in front of the Blue Rose Prince's face. He stared into the depths of its chambered petals.

"You do wish to tell me something... very well, then. Tell me," he murmured before closing his eyes.

A moment passed before his lips opened.

"...you share my pain," he whispered. "...and you share Megan's, as well...?"

The large rose bloom swayed in front of him, as if with a non-existent breeze.

"...you wish to make me feel her pain." The sapphire eyes of the Blue Rose Prince slowly reemerged from behind the closed lids.

"I think... I understand more now," he murmured to the rose. "Why do you still have me captured thus? Why continue to stab me with these thorns and suffocate me with your branches?"

"Is there something else you want?"

Megan snapped her head at Raphi, a little annoyed that he asked if she was ok, if she was able. "Look," the brunette said, placing her hands on her hips. "I can do this. I'm perfectly able. I've been getting the same lip from everyone all day 'Oh Megan, are you sure you're ok? Can you make it? Poor Megan. Poor, pathetic Megan.' I don't want your sympathy as well, ok?"

Running her hand through her hair again, she began walking, not looking to see if he would follow. "If you don't want-" Megan gasped, feelings of panic and warning began running through her veins from some foreign source. She felt prickling pain on her ankle and lower leg, and upon investigating this (pulling up her pant leg) noticed tiny red dots, almost like the skin breaking and bleeding.

"What the-?" She was panicking, wondering what had overcome her, and where it came from, but then she saw it; tiny flashes in her mind's eye. It was a garden, and Zachariah, with pain in his eyes and a large azure bloom looming over his face.

She turned back to Raphi, fear overcoming her. "Zachariah- he's in trouble. We have to go help him. "

Raphi had begun to walk with Megan, but he stopped short as she told him of his former prince's plight.

"He is? But... I felt nothing, I..." Then he nodded, his eyes sorrowful. "I see. He cut the bond between us when he cast me out with you. But for some reason, the bond between you two remains."

Shaking his head quickly, he strode up to Megan. "Let us go to him. But--are you sure? After he treated you so callously?"

Raphi himself was showing signs of being conflicted. He had been hurt, but he still felt loyal to the Blue Rose Prince.

Megan looked to Raphi. "You've been very kind to me since I've been here Raphi. You saved me from the mershark. You saved my life, because I don't know what would have happened to me if I hadn't gotten out of there. Can you say shark bait? Probably."

She sighed, and for the third time, ran a hand through her hair. "I can tell that Zachariah means something to you. I don't care for the bigot arse, but he means something to you. And since you saved my life, we might as well save his. Besides, I hate feeling indebted to people." With that, she grinned widely, remembering how her parents used to scold her for thinking that way. As quickly as that smile came about, it went away again. Megan would never hear her parents scold her again.

"Look, he's in trouble. We have to go, or we'll never get to the castle in time. Do you think you can shadow teleport us there, or are we going to have to make a run for it?"

Raphi smiled as Megan spoke of Zachariah meaning something to him. The smile was filled with memories, and it seemed that his doubt was gone. "You are right when you say this, Lady Megan... Even if you forget that he once meant something to you, as well."

The shadow-man held out his hand to her. "I may be cut off from my prince, but I am still of the shadows and their power, including traveling by their means.

"If he is indeed in danger, then we should hurry. Take my hand and I will take us both there. Where is he exactly, do you know?"

"I'm not sure, exactly. I don't know the castle very well, but I saw a few blue roses. I hope that helps." Raphi nodded, seeming to know where she was talking about. Megan grabbed his hand, and the shadows engulfed both of them, transporting them back to where they had been exiled from.

The Prince's Castle.

"My Lord!" Raphi cried out when the shadows writhed away from both him and Megan. He dropped her hand and rushed forward, drawing a small knife from inside his jacket.

Zachariah's eyes widened. "Raphi...? How did you know? Why did you return?"

"I myself did not know, My Lord... It was Megan who felt you in danger. But as for why I returned for you... You are my prince, Lord Zachariah. I know you, and I know that somewhere inside of you is the Zachariah who would have defended me and kept me 'til death and beyond." The shadow-man grabbed a branch that was wrapped around Zachariah's torso and began sawing at it with the knife, but to no avail.

The Blue Rose Prince looked at Megan, then Raphi, silently.

Finally, confused and exhausted, Raphi let go of the branch, staring at his now-dull knife. "My Lord, I... I don't understand. The branches... they are like steel."

Zachariah's eyes drifted closed.

"My Lord... My Lord!"

"Be calm, Raphi. I am all right. The roses are speaking to me."

"...you always did have a bond with the roses, My Lord, but... speaking to you how?"

"You would not understand. But... they tell me that no blade, only a soft word, will convince them to release me."

"You mean, we are to talk them into letting you go, Lord Zachariah?"

The Blue Rose Prince's eyes opened once more. "Not you, Raphi."

The dark-haired young man's gaze flicked over to the girl near the manservant.

"Megan is the one whose voice they want to hear."

"Me?" Megan squawked, taking a step back. "Uhm... I don't know... I have nothing good to say and erhmmm..." This was an uncomfortable position, just like with the mersharks. Though she loved fantasy, she wasn't good with interacting with it.

Not like before.

But not that Megan even remembered any of it.

"I guess I can, erhm... try." She crouched down next to Zachariah, looking at him with confusion.

"How do I... uhmm... speak with them?" She asked, bending her knees slightly to stop them from falling asleep.

"Just speak," Zachariah told her with a hint of irritability in his voice.

The branches around him tightened.

Wincing, he spoke again, this time more evenly, "Just speak to them with what is in your heart. That is what they desire."

He fell silent for a moment, his eyes closing once more. When he opened them again, it was with a sigh.

"...your pain. It is what these thorns in my flesh are making me feel. Your agony binds me as these branches do. It is inside of me now; I can neither ignore it nor pretend to."

The Blue Rose Prince looked at Megan, as if seeing her for the first time.

"You loved your parents," he murmured, as if to encourage her words to the roses.

"I- I..." The tears were streaming down her face, dripping like much needed rain onto the blue roses that laid at her feet. "I still do," Megan whispered hoarsely. "And that's why it hurts so much." With that, she began to speak, telling the roses, Raphi, and especially Zach about everything. The crash, the drugs, the hospital visit with the doctors. Those long hours where she would cry in the darkness and feel so alone.

Releasing that internal pain helped to release The Prince from the physical restrains of the roses. It was a slow and painful process for both individuals, but it was theraputic.

"And I am so sorry for all the pain I ever put you through Zachariah, I really am. I didn't know any better, and I still wouldn't if this madness had never happened. I feel like such a terrible person for doing this to you." Megan was still crying, but she didn't seem to notice.

All that she saw were the last of the rose vines letting go of his body. It was still torn and bloody, but atleast he was free. Megan helped to grab him from the ground, to finally escape. She hugged the boy, repeating apologies over and over into his chest and she cried.

Zachariah lay there, not resisting as Megan sobbed into his chest.

Raphial stepped forward, calling out, "Brethren, quickly. Take Prince Zachariah to his chambers, where we will begin the healing process immediately."

Shadows moved towards the young man, but stopped as the Blue Rose Prince spoke up hoarsely. "Wait..."

"My Lord?"

"I... Megan." Zachariah paused before continuing. "I am sorry, as well. I spoke harshly, without hearing you out... I remember the past, even if you do not. I did not realize that..." He closed his eyes, took a few breaths.

"It is morning in your world," he murmured. "Your mortal body will be waking soon... but if you find your way back to Magara, you will not be cast out."

With that, the shadows once more writhed towards the prince until they enveloped his wounded body, bearing him into the castle.

Raphi was about to follow them, then turned and bowed to Megan. "Lady Megan, thank you. Before, My Lord was so confused... but I believe this has brought him some peace. As he said, you do not remember, but," he added with a small smile, "I hope that we can become friends as we used to be."

The servant nodded and hurried into the castle himself, casting back over his shoulder, "Do not fear the roses. They do not act without reason... and in this case, their reason was you. They will protect you if needed. Please do not forget that.

"Goodbye, until we meet again."

Megan sat up, letting go of the prince as the shadows began to collect him back to his private chambers for healing. She really did not want to leave Zachariah, she wanted to stay and make sure he was well. She grasped his hand, just to let him know that she was here, and ready to help.

Where was this flood of emotion coming from? All through her life, when push came to show, Megan was cold, annoyed. She had the prettiest mask of ice that she had ever seen, that most had ever seen. She held an air of maturity that most her age could not grasp and keep like she could. Megan, in her eyes was a princess, and knew that people would adore her, but never understand her. So she wouldn't allow them to get close in the first place. But now in her naked vulnerability, she longed for the touch of another soul to warm her heart.

She wanted people to understand.

When Zachariah croaked that measly word of Megan from his lips, it broke the brunette's heart in two all over again. The tone that came from his throat matched her pain perfectly, she wanted to cry all over again. But instead, she responded calmly. "Yes Zachariah?"

Oh, that boy. That prince. He was apologetic, and earlier she would have felt that it was about time for him to be as such, for his words had been cruel and uncalled for. Megan would have turned her nose up to him, crossed her arms and refused to listen to another word for all that needed to be said was said. But now, now she listened, and squeezed his hand. "I forgive you, if you forgive me... I'll forgive you even if you don't... How do I find my way back, that is, if you want me to come back? I'd like to come back and see..."

But with that, Zachariah was gone. Megan fought to hold back some tears. She didn't even get her question answered and then Raphi was leaving too, until he turned back to Megan, one last time.

"Until we meet again, friend." And as the Shadows took Raphi like Zachariah, so did a golden multi coloured light... the gates of mist and being consumed Megan's body...

And she woke up.

Two days later...

Lot shot up in his bed, breathing hard. He put a hand to his forehead; he'd broken out into a cold sweat.

What WAS that crazy dream? He tried to think of what it had been about, but already it was slipping away from him. All he could grasp at were glimpses of blue... the faint strains of music... something... cold... then dreadful pain.

And also...

...No, that was it. It was gone. Shaking his head, he decided to push it from his mind. It had only been a dream. But despite the barest snatches of it that he still retained were so... VIVID. They seemed too real to--

Lot laughed, his lip twisting with displeasure at how shaky his voice was. That must have been a really intense dream.

Swinging his legs to hang over the side of the bed, he sat there for a few moments, concentrating on what the day would bring. Then he almost wished that he was asleep again.

Today was the reading of the will. The will of his classmate, Megan Edwards', parents, to be exact. The will for the daughter they'd left behind. And HIS parents wanted him to go.

"Dad, do I have to go? It... would be really awkward, and she probably won't want me there anyway--"

"Lot," his dad had said over morning coffee a few days ago, "you know that you're posed to take over Browning & Frederick when you get older, don't you? This is the perfect opportunity for you to see part of what we're about."

Now, Lot swallowed hard, feeling sick. Was this just another business deal to his dad? People had DIED, the parents of his classmate no less, and it seemed that his dad didn't care about the feelings of either his son or Megan Edwards. Not only did Lot not have the faintest interest in taking over his father's law firm...

...Not that it mattered, anyway. As long as Lot lived under his parents' roof, he did what they told him. End of story.

That included going to the reading of the will for the girl that nobody in his school really knew, or liked regardless.

-----

Mister Browning rang the doorbell of Tabby Morgan's house, and Lot's stomach twisted for the third time that morning.

"Mrs. Morgan? It's Jason and Laura Browning. We came a little early just as we said we would."

Instead of Tabby, a little girl opened the door. Staring up at them for a moment, she then turned and shrieked into the house, "MOMMY."

Silence.

"MOMMY. MOMMY? MOOMMYYYYY!!!"

Lot winced, and he could see that faint tic in his father's eyebrow that meant he was displeased.

"MOM-MY. It's those PEOPLE."

The sound of footsteps almost tripping down the staircase came from inside the house, as Tabby Morgan raced to get to the front door before her five year old daughter managed to cause more trouble.

Being a single mother was hard work, but somehow, Tabitha had been managing well for awhile now. Child support came every month, even though it wasn't enough. Nothing was enough, and now that Megan was living with her for the time being, things were going to get worse.

Tabby got to the front door, sweeping her daughter into her arms. She hadn't had enough time to get ready- her strawberry blond hair a tousled mess, and the sweater she was wearing was wrinkled and creased. Tabby's eyes were heavy, and oh so tired. In another life and time, she would have been beautiful- as lovely as Cinderella with a bright future ahead of her, but that was only for storybooks.

"Corrie, you hush now and be nice. This is Mister and Missus Browning, we met them at the funeral yesterday, don't you remember?" Tabby moved her daughter's weight to her hip so she could extend a hand to the couple. "Mister Browning, Missus Browning, I'm so glad you could make it today. Forgive my daughter Cordelia, she's only five, and already has a bright mind, and a loud mouth to match. Sadly, she doesn't think before she speaks." Tabby eyed her daughter with a look that would make lions cower in her presence.

"No, come inside. That November air must be chilly. I'll pour some tea. Spencer Edwards is already here." She invited the family into the house, hoping and praying the wouldn't judge her from its poor condition. She tried to keep it as clean as possible, but she didn't have enough money to hide that it was practically falling apart at the seams.

"Megan is still upstairs, asleep I assume. Hopefully she'll be down in a few minutes." Tabby smiled, a nervous wreck for both herself, and Megan. Poor girl didn't know what was coming.

Corrie Morgan was not a lion, Lot saw; she was an unabashedly headstrong little girl, and she returned her mother's glare with an oh-so-innocent look.

Jason Browning chose to ignore Corrie and shook Tabitha Morgan's hand, as did his wife Laura. Lot stepped inside the house with his parents, doing his best to hide his dismay. Did Tabby Morgan really have to live here with her daughter to support? Being the son of two successful lawyers, he knew that he was lucky in many material respects. Seeing a house like this, though obviously kept as well as was possible for its state, drove that fact home.

"Yeah, Meggie's sleeping," Corrie piped up, squirming to be put down. "I know, I'll go tell her they're here!"

Lot looked at the little girl and winced again. If he was Megan and had to put up with--well, had to be waken up by the shrill-voiced kid, on top of everything else that had happened, he would NOT be happy. At all.

"No!" He exclaimed before he realized. His parents turned to look at him, and he flushed. "Uh, I mean, I'll go knock on her door and let her know we're here. W-we're in the same class, and--"

His mother nodded, smiling a little. "That would be fine, Lot. We'll be meeting briefly with Mr. Edwards, so don't take too long."

"Sure," Lot mumbled before hurrying up the stairs. Then he realized that he had no idea which room was Megan's. He knocked on the first door. No answer.

"Uh, Megan?" He knocked on the second door down. Still no answer.

There was a small door to the left that looked more like the door to a closet than to a room. Anxious to be done with this and back downstairs, Lot didn't bother to knock before opening it.

Megan's eyes shot open, it was a simple transition from one plane of being to the next. But such a fast change does things to the psyche. A searing pain went straight to the girl's temple, and she groaned in response. The first thing I need, right in the bloody morning. Groaning and grumbling, with a hand to her head, she stumbled towards the bathroom.

In there she found sweet relief in the form of water- really the liquid of the gods'- and a bottle of Tylenol. Megan put two and two together, and began the process of looking presentable for the public. That meant the brushing of teeth and de-tangeling of knots and washing of face. As Megan scrubbed her face, she noticed a zit forming by her hairline. Just my luck, her thoughts echoed, as a sigh escaped her lips.

Heading back into the so called 'bedroom', Megan grabbed her purse from the ground and pulled out her iPod a pair of portable speakers. She connected the cables and powered up, selecting a playlist called "Mother's Favorites Classical". It was six hours of pure classical, a calming selection of piano and accompanying orchestra. Megan knew few of the pieces by heart, but her Mother knew most of them, and could recall them with such a passion inside her, it lit a flame inside others.

Now that flame burned the insides of Megan, bringing hot tears to the surface once again. Would this pain ever go away? Even the thought of her parents, the mere mention of them in her mind was hellish. Meg tried to remember what her parents always said now., Keep Calm and Carry On. Yes, that was it, that old British saying. As the words came floating to her head, she straightened her posture and lifted her chin. If anyone could decently fake being fine, it was Megan Edwards.

She pulled out fresh undergarments and a white tank top, and began putting those on as she hummed to the music. As she finished buttoning the navy blue, short sleeved top, she was la-de-daing to the piano. Megan put on a pair of tight darkwash blue jeans as well as a white cardigan with navy blue stripes. The knock came on her door as she was putting on her navy blue TOMs. Having been drowning out the background noise with the classical music, she didn't realize that there was anyone else in the house. So when the door knocked, Megan replied with a relaxed "come in".

But when that door opened, she was in for a big surprise.

"Uhhh."

Lot could see that he had stumbled upon Megan in the last stages of getting dressed. Probably she'd expected Tabby or Corrie... Not her classmate who happened to be a boy.

"S-sorry!" He made an attempt to hide behind the door without appearing to be doing so. "Uh, uh, Megan, I--"

He took a deep breath. He had to pull it together. Megan was already upset enough about her parents, right?

Coming out from behind the door, he looked at the girl in front of him, though his face was still beet-red from embarrassment. At least she was dressed enough to be decent. "M-my parents are here. Sorry, this must be hard for you, but... they'd like to talk with you and your brother before the reading."

He bobbed his head awkwardly. Staring at his feet, he added, "I'm really sorry about this, Megan."

Then he turned to leave, but just then:

Blue. Pain. Searing emotion that would break even the most hardened heart...

"Augh!" Lot cried out, clutching at his head. Falling to one knee, his eyes clenched shut as he tried to make sense of what was happening.

Megan... Megan...

"Megana?"

What was that supposed to mean?

The feelings gradually faded, enough for him to be able to stand again. Taking several deep breaths, he started to make his way out the door, still disoriented and forgetting for the moment that Megan was there.