Hidden Mysteries

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

          Anya came back to reality, still in the same position as before. She pushed away from Mason to bury her face in her hands. “It was all my fault.” Her voice came out in a moan as she remembered the limp bodies by the carriage, the scattered possessions she had once owned and the blood that covered everything..



          “Anya…?” Mason had his hand held out to her, his face showing concerned.



          Anya covered her face still, turned away from him. “You came because of my letter, correct?”

          “Maybe you should lay down.” Mason suggested, taking a step closer to Anya. 



          “Mason, I do not want nor need to lay down.” Nonetheless, Anya put her hand on the table for support as a dizzy spell fell upon her. “Why did you come here today?” 



          “Your letter-”

          Anya interrupted him before he could finish. “And was that all?”

          “Well, no, I wanted to see you of course.” His sincere words hit her defenseless walls. “Did you want to discuss those questions you spoke of in your letter?” Mason moved to where Anya still stood. Gently, he removed the hand that still covered her face.

          Her eyes found his. “You were in it.”

          “In what?” Mason asked, his eyes not moving from hers.

          “A dream.”

          Mason's eyes brightened. “What sort of dream?”

          Anya gave him a look of exasperation. “Mason.”

          His lips twitched. “Sorry, sorry. What happened in this dream?”

          “We both were in it, b-but...” Anya had to take a deep breath to calm herself. “I had a sword, Mason.”

          Mason smiled, seemingly unaware of what was wrong. “Anya, just tell me what happened. It will be okay.”

          The young woman swallowed before replying. “I killed you. In the dream, I ran the sword clean through you.” She shuddered.

          “Do not trouble yourself so, Anya!” Mason spoke after a beat. It was obvious he was swallowing his own surprise at what had occurred. “It is only a dream. It is not as if you really murdered me.” A shiver ran up Anya's spine as she looked away from him. “Anya, please. Try to forget this nightmare.”

          “Easier said than done. I do not think you quite understand, Mason. This felt so real...” She wrapped her arms around herself.

          Mason shook his head slowly before an idea seemed to form in his head. “You need a break from this. Go change. Quickly please.”

          Anya stared at him for a fraction of a minute, slightly bewildered, before she hurried into her bedroom to change. Only taking a few minutes, Anya emerged, wearing a dark grey dress with a bronze belt. “Where are we going?” She asked Mason as she smoothed down her hair.

          “Come, we are going out into the town.” He grabbed her hand with a smile and tugged her outside. Anya was led down the familiar path that led to Hallareese's beige walls.

          “Mason, what are you planning?”

          He looked over his shoulder at her to give her his iconic smirk. “You will see, my dear.”

          Anya did not like that gleam in his eyes, the one that shone with mischief. “Will people in the town not recognize you?” She questioned.

          “Did you recognize me?”

          “Well, no- however, that is besides the point-”

          He tapped his chin with his finger. “I assume you tried to erase any trace of me in your memories and that was why you had no recognition of me. That, or I have just become so devilishly handsome that you forgot about the ugly little sprite I had been.”

          Anya shot him a look before he stopped so that he could look at her as he spoke. “Anya, I have visited town numerous times before without an incident. It seems you... commoners,” He winked at her. “Are rather unobservant regarding your royalty.”

          “I hardly believe that no one recognizes you.” Anya crossed her arms.

          Mason grinned. “Nothing that a few gold coins cannot fix.”

          “You carry gold with you?!”

          His blue eyes rolled. “I like to be able to roam freely about without the hindrance of the common folk.”

          Finally consenting, Anya nodded, but not without rolling her eyes first. “So, how did you recognize me?”

          Mason started walking once more, Anya following closely. “As I have said before, you are very hard to forget, Anya.” He spoke carefully, as if he were trying not to omit a small secret. “I had also hired a person to locate you, if you were still alive.”

          “Why?”

          “Why?” Mason repeated back to her, looking at her face for a mere moment before turning away again. “Why indeed.”

          Anya almost asked again, but noticed something in his stance. His body was stiff, like he were holding himself back. She decided that perhaps it was better to question it at some other time. “So how did this... 'person' come to find me?”

          “My parents had started a search right after they found your mother and father. The man began by locating all of the girls in the town, but it was as if you had disappeared completely.”

          Anya bit her lip; there had been a reason for that. After she had escaped from the scene of her parents' death, Anya had done all she could to remain hidden from the men who had committed the terrible crime. Even as a child, she knew that living in the town of Hallareese would unveil her almost immediately. So, she lived out by the woods, her home starting out only has a collection of sticks haphazardly put together in a makeshift tent.

          The young woman turned to Mason. “What happened afterwards?”

          “They stopped searching. When I was old enough to realize-” He stopped himself, breathing in deeply. “To realize what had happened, I began searching for you by my own means. I hired another man – a close friend of mine – to look for a woman who would match your appearance.”

          “How long did that take?”

          “Nearly three years.” Mason said simply before his mood suddenly changed. “Ah! Here we are; the town square.”

          Anya almost just stood there as Mason walked ahead, his body relaxed now. He had stopped himself from saying something several times. What was it? Shaking the thoughts from her head, she hurried to keep pace with him.

          “So, where shall we go first?” Mason asked, turning to Anya with a smile and a twinkle in his eyes.

When Mason finally walked Anya back to her house, her feet were sore and her back hurt but she still smiled at him when he bade her farewell. As much as she hated to admit it, she needed the stimulant that Mason provided for her that afternoon. After supper and a change of clothes, Anya found herself by the fireplace, her arms wrapped around her legs as she sat in one of the armchairs. She watched the flames flicker as the wind howled outside, whistling in and out of the cracks in the house.

          Slowly, her eyes closed and she nodded off to sleep, her dreams mimicking the movement of the flickering fire.