Deianeira thanked the kind Goblin King for allowing her to stay as a guest in his castle. She was after all, very tired and in need of healing. Closing the door of the bedroom, Deianeira took a long glance around the room. It was decorated very beautifully, more so fit for a Queen.Unlacing her boots, and removing her pants and tunic, Deianeira than laid her long silver sword on the dresser. She would obviously have no use for it in here. The people seemed very trustworthy. She dressed herself in a long white nightgown, and combed her long bright red hair in the mirror. Gazing at her own reflection, she felt as if the reflection in the mirror was not her own. She seemed to have changed. Perhaps it was the lose of her immortality, or merely her imagination.
As she continued to brush her amber locks, she heard a knock coming from the opposite side of the room. Turning, she noticed another door besides the one of which she entered in. Deianeira took a candle and turned the knob. Opening it, it lead into another hallway. The hallway seemed isolated, as if no one had ventured into it for centuries. The air was stale, and not a single candle was lit except for the one she carried.
Her curiosity got the better of her, and she continued on down the hallway. Stopping in her tracks, she could not help but notice the gallery of paintings that hung on the wall. Most of them seemed to be Jareth, but much younger versions of him in his youth. They were dust infested, and hung with cobwebs. Obviously, no one had been down this hallway in a century or so.
One painting particularly caught her eye. It was one of a young girl, perhaps sixteen or so. She had long dark hair, dark youthful eyes, and wore a long white gown. Leaning towards the painting, Deianeira tilted the candle so she could read the inscription.
The portrait did not say who the girl in the portrait was.
Deianeira was still curious as to who she was, but continued on down the isolated hallway.
Suddenly, stopping in her tracks she heard a noise from the far end of the hallway. As most of the corridor was completely dark, except for the faint glow of the candlestick she held in her hand, Deianeira could not make out who it was.
Leaning her body against the wall, she waited . . . .
Seraph:
Seraph strolled with Kimberly through the castle, showing her around and making a short stop at the kitchen to get something to eat, after all, she was still feeling quite drained, both girls made themselves a sandwich and the tour continued, in the meanwhile chatting about everything and nothing, at least Seraph got a little updated again about what was happening on earth the past few years, at last they got to the room Kim would be staying."Well, here we are then" Seraph said when she opened the door "if you need something just pull the cord hanging beside your bed or ask my father or me... or any of the goblins, I'll leave you alone now so you can settle a bit, clean clothes are in the closet over there and dinner is at six."
With that she turned around and left Kim marvelling at the room, not noticing were she went, she wandered around, her feet bringing her to the old gallery. As she walked down the old dusty corridor she felt the presence of someone else being here as well, coming out of her thoughts she noticed where she was, presuming it would probably be Jareth up head she walked on, becoming slightly confused when it was not the shape of her beloved father she saw but that of a woman, still partly lost in thoughts her mind formed the image of her mother, she used to come here a lot with her mother. But that was ages ago.
*Mother?" The thought left her lips almost unnoticed, the whisper breaking the silence made her stop and come back to reality, but the image was still there, the light reflecting on the fiery red hair, as red as her mother's hair had been . . . *but this wasn't her mother was it . . . . Had she returned after all those years?* Seraph couldn't tell, the dark and the distance blurring her visual sight, the small light the candle gave only blurring her sight even more, making the shadows dance around like apparitions of long lost beings.
Deianeira:
Deianeira was frozen at the sight of the girl. Suddenly a image came back to her. The girl who stood in front of her resembled someone she had seem before, perhaps in a dream. Not knowing what to say or do, she glanced back up at the painting of the woman. Her eyes suddenly became fixed on the depictions. It was as if she was looking at it for the first time. She had not noticed how much the painting resembled herself. It was like looking at a mirror. The same firey red hair, pale completion, and same way she stood, like a warrior or goddess. But how could it be? Was this a trick made by the goblin king or the gods above? And how did this girl seem so familiar, yet so unknown to her.Noticing a faint inscription at the bottom of the painting, Deianeira rubbed the dust off of it. She gasped at the name that appeared, "Deyaneira." This could not possibly be real . . .
Turning her attention back towards the girl, Deianeira merely uttered almost breathless, "Who are you?"
Seraph:
Slowly Seraph started breathing again, *What was happening? Who was this woman in front of her exactly, why did she resemble her own mother?*Silently she moved forward towards Deianeira, a soft glowing ball appearing in her hand, shedding light around her and Deianeira she recognized the woman again from earlier that afternoon, though something had changed . . . .
"It is me, Seraph . . . . I healed your wounds this afternoon . . . remember?" Seraph spoke in a soft uncertain voice, swallowing hard to keep the tears behind her eyes back. The pain and empty hole in heart came back again, she thought she was over it after all these years, at least partially, but it all came back, memories flooding her mind, all the moments she had shared with her mother, the teachings of how to use her healing gifts, the bedtime-stories, the images in her mind of the forevergreen Nymphwood, the depart . . . .
"Who are you . . . ."
Deianeira:
Deianeira did not know what to say, she was almost speechless. Was she sent here for a purpose? After all, why would her father immediately send her to the Underground, and not render her to earth like the others? But it could not of been that easy, this all had to be a mistake. "Yes, I remember you," she spoke calmly, "My name is Deianeira, I am the daughter of the King of the Gods, some may know as Zeus. So, in other words, I am a goddess, or at least I was up until I fell onto the Goblin King's lap," Deianeira could not help but laugh a little recalling that embarrassing moment, but her smile soon turned serious as she looked into Seraph's sad eyes. Deianeira realized that Seraph was gazing at the painting.Looking back up at the painting, Deianeira could not help but notice the resemblance the woman had to herself and the coincidence in their names, "Who was the woman in the painting? It seems so strange that . . . that she," Deianeira could not continue, for it was obvious Seraph noticed the similarity as well, "She was someone very close to you wasn't she?"
Seraph:
Seraph swallowed another time and regained her composure a bit, taking a step forward she lifted her gloved hand to touch the face in the painting carefully."She was . . . is my mother, she left 80 years ago, back to Nymphwood, the forests she came from." A tear dwindled down Seraphs cheek, "I don't know if she still lives, there has been a terrible war with Chaos, a year ago it reached its climax and Nymphtown had been taken, the losses were numerous and the few who managed to escape sought refuge in the woods, Nymphtown has been recaptured since then but the war had already taken its toll, I don't know if my mother still lives . . . ."
Deianeira:
As Seraph told the tale of her mother, Deianeira saw flashes of the story unfold in her mind, as if she had lived it before. It played over and over, until she snapped back to reality. Each image she saw seemed so vivid.
Seraph:
She turned to Deianeira again, brushing the tear away from her cheek with the back of her gloved hand she bit her lip, softly stammering, "I miss her so much . . . ."
Deianeira:
Deianeira gently put an arm around Seraph for comfort, she knew what it was like to miss a parent, "My mother is the goddess of nature. I too miss her, even though have only been here for a short while. So I know what you are going through."Deianeira kept her eyes fixed on the painting. She looked at Seraph and noticed that tears still streamed down her face. Catching a tear drop in her hand, Deianeira turned it into a clear crystal diamond. Placing it into Seraph's hand, she said softly, "This will protect you. Keep it always."
Seraph:
Seraph looked into Deianeira's eyes and took the gem, "Thank you, I will, but I'd better be going now . . . . I still have a lot to do and I'd like to be alone now." She took a step back and brushed the tears from her cheek, clutching the stone in her other hand. "I'll see you at dinner again I guess and . . . thank you, thank you for being here." Seraph turned around and strolled away, her long blond hair waving after her, it had been a long time ago when she had last felt so peacefully.
On to 'The Return of the King'
On to 'A Shadow From the Past Returns'
Back to the Castle
Back to the Library
