24.
Present day journey and Samuel is at a loss as he stands alone at a darkened and aptly named train platform, Dark Street station. He has or had finally found Delia, but she vanished into darkness, not before insisting that Samuel make a return to the real world, something he cannot do without her. The darkness she vanished into is not quite the darkness running riot through this world not that Samuel knows anything about it nor could he know the difference if he did.
What does he do? Where can he go from here, other than home that is? There had been something in her voice that Samuel knows well that more than suggests that Delia did not wholly mean the words she spoke. She does not want harm to come her husband's way, obviously, but he may be the only one who can alter it all for her. How and ever ...
Within the darkness before him there is a clacking sound, multiple clacks, steps perhaps, maybe hooved feet? Yeah, definitely hooved feet, this is the cause of the clacking sound. For what walks right out of the darkness is a large strong white unicorn. This animal moves slowly and comes to a halt right next to Samuel.
Samuel is not in any danger, not in any immediate danger anyway. In awe, he stares at what stands before him. He does not fear it, if anything there is a feeling as if a friend has come to pay a visit, a friend who also comes offering assistance.
Cautiously and slowly, Samuel stretches out his right hand. As soon as he come in contact with the animal, he retracts his hand almost expecting a moment of harmful reaction, when there is none, his hand moves back towards the unicorn. After a moments of silence and of familiarizing himself with a unique creature, Samuel speaks.
'You know me boy, don't you?'
A slight grunt comes through the nose of the animal as if it is responding positively. As if things weren't dark enough, Samuel is hit with two dark images. It is like his mind's eye is seeing these images, fragmented memories perhaps? One image is that of a fully outfitted knight equipped with a sword and all. The other image he sees is that of a chained dragon, a large red fire breathing dragon.
Samuel does not understand these images and if they are fragmented images then what do they mean? There are images from before, images first seen at another time ... as far as he is presently concerned, from within the hotel where he and Delia married, and then again during the train journey. One of those images was of a dragon and a unicorn.
So is there a connection between that image, the images which stick in Sam's mind and the fact that a unicorn has come to Samuel. There is also the suggestion of restraint ... the dragon harassing the unicorn and now the dragon is chained. Is Delia being restrained? Is something holding her prisoner, causing her to say what she had to Sam?
This unicorn, has it come to bring Samuel somewhere? Maybe it has. It lowers itself. Samuel climbs aboard and off he and his friend go just as if this has been something experienced sometime prior to this moment.
Safe to say he is not heading back to that door, he is not going home, not just yet and not as Delia had asked of him. Thing is too, would he even be able to find that door if and when he would make a way towards it? Upon his return to this world, Morgan Fay's or at least this world's version of Morgan Fay's bar crumbled, hasn't it? Would there even be a door to return to?
But first time round there had been no version of Morgan Fay's bar on this side of the Door, not that Sam is aware of this. Whether in this world or not, that bar is as relevant in this world as it is in his own world. Yeah, there is something of relevance as it comes to Morgan Fay's and in his world the connection is more of a someone to the point there may just be a certain intelligence to the creature that Samuel has come to be upon.
It is as if this unicorn has its own mission to complete. It seems to know exactly where it is going. It takes flight, Sam feels more at ease with this that he knows he should, and it soon is back at ground level and traveling on at a trotting pace.
Samuel takes on board the fact that this unicorn does indeed seem to know where it is going. He knows little of this world despite the amount of time he has spent within it, yet indeed he also knows more than he feels he should. He has nowhere he particularly needs to be and has no idea as to how he can once again be with the woman he loves so for this moment he just goes with the flow. Why not just let this animal lead the way? Who knows what may come from this moment?
It is not long before answers are to come. The friendly an unusual beast indeed has a mission to complete. The destination is definitely a surprise to say the least, not for its location as there is nothing out of the ordinary scenically to the place Samuel has come to. That in itself may be somewhat surprising due to how this world is but what the real surprise is, just so happens to be the whom who is waiting for Samuel.
The person who is waiting is not Delia though it does so happen to be someone who Sam knows quite well. Someone who has a big part within Morgan Fay's bar is that person who is waiting for Sam and that just so happens to be Owen Barnes.
At a loss for what he sees and being in somewhat of a moment of shock Samuel dismounts the unicorn and slowly steps closer to where Owen stands. They greet each other with a handshake and then a hug.
'Owen, what is going on here? What is happening?'
'I know why you are here, not just here with me but here in general and I have a couple of things to tell you. You know you have been to this world before, right?'
'I kinda figured that but how do you know?'
'Because it is I who lead you and Delia here that first time round.'
'Seriously? I have so many questions for you.'
'I bet you do Sam but how about we go somewhere, take a seat and get a few things out into the open?'
'Alright.'
'I know just the place to go.'
'We don't need the unicorn to get to the place you have in mind, do we?'
'Ha, we surely don't. Good to see that despite all that you have been through, you still have a sense of humour.'
'Lose that and I'll surely go insane ... if I'm not there already.'
