Dream Away

Part Nine

Rubia, the hermit’s daughter whom Driss fetched from a very remote area in a far away countryside of the kingdom in exchange for the for the heretic whom nobody else knew was already dead three years ago, didn’t believe what she just heard from the young knight.  Driss told her everything he knew about the stranger, while Kliff was sitting in the window sill looking at the town under the clear blue sky.

“What can I do for her?” Rubia walked slowly beside Aria’s bed, looked at her pitiful appearance. “What a poor thing!”

“Please Miss Rubia. Do everything to save her.” begged Driss. The prince curiously looked at him.

“But I don’t know how? My father didn’t teach me much about his skills.” Rubia insisted. Her eyes grew big; the stranger’s face is gone. Driss also see and fall on his knees then seconds passed, her face was back. The two looked each other; Driss no longer need to convince Rubia because she was already convinced.

Rubia wastes no time. She prepared herself and starts meditating with palms together.

“What are you doing?” it’s the prince; he was watching them from the window sill.

“I will send her back.”

“Send her back?” He jump and go to Rubia.

“Yes” she stops meditating and face him “sends her back to where she really belongs!”

Kliff looks dissatisfied with Rubia. What he needed was the old heretic, not the daughter…he doesn’t believe her ability, if ever she have one.

“I may not be good as my father but do you know anyone who can help her?” she asked the prince. “She is vanishing! Can’t you see that?!”

Kliff fell in silence, he hates to admit it but the old heretic was their only option when they held a meeting with the palace royal advisers concerning the stranger’s strange condition. It was mentioned by the oldest adviser and he risked the chance of finding that last option but the old heretic doesn’t exist anymore. He turned his back and went to the window.

Rubia continue her meditating when suddenly things are going up through the air, Driss and Kliff was shocked but Rubia didn’t stopped and concentrate more with her eyes closed. The air is forming into a breeze encircling the bed, it become stronger.  The lads hold themselves not to pull by the force of the breeze, light things inside the room was being pulled. Driss even got hit by a ‘flying’ candlestick, leaving a scratch on his left cheek and it bleed. Rubia ignores what’s happening, the breeze doesn’t bother her.

Rubia’s voice is getting louder as the breeze is going stronger, encircling the room. Then all of a sudden… it was gone, Rubia collapsed. Driss run to her but as he touch the lady, he see a different place of vision, he blinked and see the prince with Aria, he blink again and see Aria lying in a bed in a different place.

“Oh! Heaven!” Driss uttered. His eyes grew wide, is he dreaming? When he opened his eyes, he saw the prince in Aria’s bed side, Aria look even worse. Prince Kliff got angry and faces Rubia.

“What are you doing? You are making things worse.” He said. But Rubia is thinking hard that she didn’t mind the prince in front of her. She rushed to the stranger’s bed, lifted and threw the blanket that covers Aria’s body.

“What are you looking?” Driss was confused as Rubia is searching something to Aria’s body.

Rubia saw a thread-like light tied at Aria’s right pinky finger, she got a bad feeling seeing the thread-like light. She ran outside the door, the two lads ran after her. She incidentally got herself to the princess’ room, just when she touches the blanket; the prince pulled his sword.

“My Lord!” Driss exclaimed and faced Rubia.”Miss Rubia, you can’t do anything you wanted to do inside the palace.” He warned.

“She can’t go back!” Rubia told and sharply look at the young knight.

“Why?” Driss asked confusedly. Rubia at first hesitates to answer him.

“They are very attached to each other…almost inseparable.” She pitied the ladies.

“But Aria is vanishing!” Driss shouted, Kliff and Rubia was surprised, the young knight was very much concern about Aria. Dris noticed their reactions “Princess Cherie will surely blame us if something bad happens to Aria.” He continued. He kneeled near the princess’ head…bedside.

“My lady…please save her.” He prayed “Aria is vanishing.”

Rubia lose hope and decided to leave the place. She can’t help them anymore. What keeping the ‘Aria’ girl in this world is the princess’ faith and love for her…the bind that keeps them together. It is no use helping them if the princess doesn’t let her go. However as turned her back, she heard a gentle yet weeping voice. “Please help my bestfriend.” She begged her.

Rubia turn back and look at the princess, she is sleeping in the bed. Where did the voice come from? She asks herself. Then she noticed that she can no longer see the thread-like light that was tied to the princess’ left pinky finger.

“Is she gone?” Rubia rush out the room, Driss immediately follows after her. “Where are you going?” he asked her.

Rubia wants to go back to Aria’s room but the thread-like light is gone, she doesn’t know where to go. She keeps running in the hallway. Driss still follows her. “Where is her room?” she asks at last. Though confused to her sudden actions, he grabbed her hand and brought her to Aria’s room. Driss hush to the bed side, Ari’s torso and lower body is fading and she is almost not breathing. Rubia feels dizzy and fainting at the pitiful sight of Aria.

“Miss Rubia what are we going to do now?”

“I don’t know! She and the princess were too attached to each other. It’s the bonding that connects them.” She answered hopelessly.

“I don’t care! Just do something.”

“All right! I will try again. You don’t have to shout at me.” Rubia told Driss. “But if this failed again…stop persisting me!” She starts meditating with more focus and concentration.

“Aria…let go…go back to your world.” Driss whispers to her ear.

A breeze suddenly surrounds them, growing faster as the meditation get louder. Then suddenly a light sparked, it blinded them. Aria is gone with the sparkled light. It leave the room nothing. The breeze is gone and the bed is empty.

Meanwhile, Aria is in a different dimension. She is sitting on a cold floor, staring blankly at the dark surrounding. She is thinking very hard, it seems she was forgetting something very important. She is sweating and breathing difficulty, the air seems suffocating her. She couldn’t take it anymore and fell down.

“Where I am? What I am doing here?” she asked herself “Ouch!” my head hurts! I can’t remember anything.”

“Let go! Go back to your world!” echoed to her ears. The words keep ringing to her ears.

“Go back to my world?”  She asked herself “What world?” visions pop-up in her mind.