'A man may surely be allowed to take a glass of wine by his own fireside. '
-Richard Brinsley Sheridan
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"Wine?" Jones offers me a glass, already poured.
We had fought for a little after Sibbul had left.
Of course we had fought.
I don't care if him and the faerie had a deal, and she broke it, or if she deserves to be chained to a cave ceiling, it's just not right.
I will come up with a way to get her out of here.
We are now in the 'living room' area, which consists of a velvet red rug covering up the hard and cold cave floor, some large pillows, which act as chairs. And a massive fireplace, which Sibbul had ignited for us. We sit on our pillow chairs, and stare into the fire. Jones sits about a foot away from me.
After what had happened earlier, the way I saw how he had treated Sibbul, I don't even want to be in such a close proximity to him. But of course, what choice do I have?
If I act smug, and distant, he's not going to want to tell me anything that I need to know. And there is a lot that I need to know.
Hmm...can vampires get drunk? Maybe I can make him drink so much wine...
That surely won't work.
I will just play nice, for now.
I look at Jones, who is still holding the glass of wine out to me.
"Sure. I am a little thirsty." Retrieving the glass, I bring it up to my nose and sniff.
Guh.
I've never been a huge drinker. In the movies, they always smell their wine before they take a sip.
Why do they do that?
Smells horrible.
I take a sip anyways, I'm not giving Jones something to make fun of me for. And I surely don't want him to know that I don't have a lot of experience; when it comes to drinking. Taking a big gulp, I swish it around in my mouth a little. It's not too bad. I mean, it wouldn't be my drink of choice, but I can handle it.
"So, my gem. What shall we do tonight?" His voice is husky, it makes me want to throw all logic and sense out the window.
If there were any windows.
"Well, we can talk." I take another gulp of my wine.
"We can... I have a feeling that you know exactly what you want to talk about. Am I right?" He wears his sideways grin, his eyebrows arched.
Oh, yes I do.
"I need to know some things, Jones. There are so many unanswered questions that I have, and I need to know the answers before I go back to Neven."
"Neven." He hisses, almost too low for me to hear. "He won't tell you anything?"
I shake my head, "No, he pretty much refuses to."
I take another gulp.
Jones looks at my glass, and grabs the bottle of wine that sits on the ground in-between our pillows. He refills my glass.
Setting the bottle back, in-between us, he grabs his own glass again and touches the rim to his lips.
"Such a bittersweet taste." He takes a sip. "Ariel, this is a difficult topic to press on. Are you sure that you really want to know the answers?"
"More then anything." I say eagerly.
He nods once, setting his glass down, and laying back propping himself up with his elbows on the ground.
"Okay, what is it that you want to know, first."
"I want to know why I keep coming back here."
"Well, you keep coming back because you are the one that has been chosen, per say, to save the souls and blah,blah,blah."
"That's bullshit! I know that already! But what's the key?"
"Ah, the key. The key is something that only you can make happen. The key is what will really save those souls, and there is only one way to get the key."
"More info. please?" He is not getting away with half ass answers. I want the real deal.
I take another gulp of my wine, which doesn't taste as bad anymore.
Hmm.
"Well, aren't you wondering how we have always known each other?"
He's trying to change the subject. Why must he do that? I'm not giving up. One way or another, i'm getting what I came here for.
"Yes, I wonder that as well."
"We are siblings." He says this easily.
I just stare at him, my mouth open.
Pretty sure my jaw is on the floor.
My brother?
I had a steamy, hot dream...about my brother?
Suddenly Jones breaks out laughing. Rolling around on the floor.
"You jerk!" I lean over and punch him in his ribs.
I hope that hurt.
"I was just shittin' you! Jesus Ariel, acquire a sense of humour, would ya?" He sits himself back on his pillow, rubbing his side, where I had punched him.
"Here, anything is possible. How was I supposed to know that you were joking! Seriously though, answer the question."
"OKAY, okay. I don't know why, but we always meet up. Every time you come to this world, we run into each other. In some lives we were great friends, and in others we barely knew each other. Either way, I found myself always waiting for you to return again. You make me a new person, Ariel."
He tries to grab my hand, but I quickly move it before he can. I take another drink of my wine.
"Did I ever tell you anything, that I should know now, that I knew then?"
"Yes, in a few lives you opened up to me. You told me why you were leaving to be human. That's how I know what I do. I have never really known Neven. I just know, that he is always with you, in every life. Which makes sense, when you know what this key is."
He keeps his eyes on me, and takes another drink. Then he refills his glass, and then mine.
The bottle must be close to empty, we have had multiple glasses.
"So what is this goddamned key! Just tell me already!"
He reaches for my hand again, and this time I allow it.
There's something in his midnight eyes that is screaming at me to trust him right now. His aura screams sincerity.
For some reason I feel an overwhelming rush of sadness.
My mind is sort of fuzzy, but I can fight through any haze to get these answers.
"Ariel, how many flashbacks have you had?"
"Umm...one. When I had the orange hair."
"Pity. So you have never seen yourself as Embrie? Long black hair..."
Embrie?
That was me?
"I..I have seen her. I mean me. I mean, you know what I mean. But it wasn't a flashback, it was a memory from the willow tree."
"Ah, the willow tree. Yes, was she singing?"
"Y-yes."
"That was the night that we were meeting up."
That male voice.
It was Jones.
"Why were we meeting up though?"
"We were running away. You had decided to stay in this land, but not with Neven. You wanted to be with me. I had thought that you loved me." He pauses, looks at the fire, and then looks back at me. "Then you left me. You returned back to humanity, just a day before you were to turn nineteen."
"Why? Why did I leave you?"
"I didn't find out until your next life, but you had told me the reason. You told me it was because of what the key was. What the key is. You said that you didn't exactly remember why you had left me in your previous life, but you said that it was most likely to avoid the guilt of not accepting the prophecy of the key."
Woah, how noble of me.
"So what did I tell you the key was?"
I can feel the effects of the wine hitting me. My head is spinning, and my cheeks are on fire. I put my glass on the floor.
"You told me..." He pauses momentarily, running is hand through his hair, almost as if in frustration. "You told me that the key, the prophecy, would be your child."
"My what?" I almost scream.
"Ariel, you and Neven. It has to be your child."
I look at the fire, watching the flames eat at the wooden logs. Wishing that I could throw myself into them. Let the fury of the flames engulf me whole, releasing this never ending burden thrust upon me.
My stomach twists, and I curl forwards.
As I puke.