Ocean's Secret |on hold|

9 | Dreams...

Sorry for the late update, but life has been full-on recently :) And this chapter was especially hard to write...you'll understand why when you reach the end ;) 

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"So how was I taken from you? What happened?" Meredee wanted to hear the story in full, and as she watched Silvana move from one candle to the next, lighting each one, she asked the question that had been on her mind ever since Silvana mentioned the tragic piece of history.

After entering the castle after their long horse ride up the mountains, Silvana had shown Meredee around the stone corridors and large meeting halls, the terraced balconies and reinforced turrets, and even one of the rounded towers that overlooked the side of the mountain and down into the valley. Meredee was sure she would get lost in this labyrinth of hallways and winding staircases if ever she attempted exploring on her own, so she was content to follow Silvana, her mother, anywhere she went. It was strange thinking of her as her mother, but her heart received the startling revelation with an unusual sense of calm, like it had known all along of the connection. Now, as they made their way to the section of the castle in which Silvana had made her living quarters, she was lighting the darkening halls as night descended on the mountainside. A cool shift in the air accompanied the disappearance of the sun, and Meredee braced her arms against involuntary shivers. She hoped Silvana had spare jackets or wraps, and blankets to help ward off the chill of this high elevation.

"It's a long story," Silvana's smooth voice echoed down the empty halls, and her dark eyes sparkled with discernment, amusement, or a question – Meredee wasn't sure which.

"I have time to listen," she said simply, trying not to push Silvana further for fear of overstepping any barriers that might be between them. The brightening glow of the candles reflecting off the polished stone walls and floors was mesmerizing, and she brushed her fingers against the smooth wall as they walked further along the corridor.

They turned into a large room with tables and benchtops lining the walls, and a large door on the far side. This must be the kitchen, Meredee surmised, and her theory was confirmed when Silvana lit a few lamps in the corners, revealing pots, pans, and utensils on the benches, and dried herbs hanging in bunches from the wooden rafters above them. Moving quickly to the door, Silvana unlatched the bolt and heaved it open before stepping out without even a backward glance. Meredee hurriedly crossed the room to follow.

Outside, the sky caught her full attention. The stars that normally shone in the deep sapphire sky were nearly eclipsed by the glowing colors that shimmered in the atmosphere. The dazzling aurora caused her breath to hitch, and she stared in awe as the wisps of light danced across the sky.

"You don't see this where you come from?" Silvana's question startled Meredee.

"We do...but, I've never seen it myself; just pictures. It is so much brighter, I think. Maybe...because your sun is larger," Meredee answered haltingly, still amazed by the beautiful phenomenon above her. Tearing her eyes from the sky, she saw Silvana arranging something in a blackened pit that sat in the centre of a large courtyard surrounded by 6 foot high stone walls. Perhaps this was the castle bailey, if that is what one would call this place. Silvana placed a few logs into the pit of embers and lit a piece of kindling before throwing it amongst the timber. Soon the flames were popping and straining to grow and spread their light and warmth into the darkness that was quickly scattering from the cold that pressed in around them. Meredee instinctively drew nearer, holding out her hands to the heat.