Midnight's Song (60 page)

My heart began to ache when I began to
realize that the memories that this door caused me to reminisce
were probably completely intentional. Aurelian had chosen to meet
me someplace that reminded me of my home. Aurelian wanted to remind
me of my home so that I would realize that I needed to let go of
this one. He had called me here because that was the very place
that he was about to send me; even if it was a place that I refused
to go. The tears fell down my cheeks at the sight. After having
seen this place, there was no way I would ever feel content living
in my old, blind world ever again.

Orion put his tiny hands
against the door and used unimaginable strength to push them open.
They opened to dark, empty ballroom that had cobwebs on the rafters
and spanning tables of untouched, withering silver and china along
the sides. How on earth china or silver could wither was beyond my
knowledge – but every cup, fork and knife on the dusty old tables
was degrading where it sat perfectly and politely in
place.

In the center of the room there was a
place where you could look up and see a grand chandelier hanging
from the ceiling. In its heyday it must have been luminous and
beautiful, but now it was partially dismantled. The remnants that
still hung from the ceiling were shattered and dilapidated
fragments of what once was. My eyes drifted down to the spot
directly underneath. Aurelian stood in the very spot, solemnly
staring at my tearstained face from behind his own bitterly
tormented eyes.

“Elissa,” Aurelian
uttered. It was the only word he said, plainly and without much
emotion. He motioned for me to come to him as a sharp sound erupted
behind me. Before I could turn my head, I saw that Orion had left
my side and that the heavy doors behind me were forever slamming
shut.

“Why have you brought me here?” I
asked him, at first refusing to move.

“It’s time.”

I still refused to move, seeing the
emotionless Aurelian begin to lapse in his solemnity. I stood,
motionless and betrayed with a look on my face that conveyed that I
was waiting for an answer of sorts. At the same time, I saw the
true Aurelian start to seep out from behind this one’s stoic
exterior. The look of betrayal on my face caused the dam he’d built
around his emotions to burst forth in a flood.

“Elissa!” He called again, this time
more softly.

Unable to bear it anymore, he ran to
me and took me into his embrace. It was neither cold nor unfeeling.
Not a single ounce of the young man denied me or desired to pull
away. For the first time in quite a while, I felt that it was truly
him again. He held me for the longest time, breaking down and
beginning to cry.

There was no need for an explanation
now, I knew what this was. There was no time left for us, no place
in this world for us anymore. It was time to say goodbye. All we
could do was cry into each other. Neither one of us wanted to go,
but Aurelian’s mind was stone. That didn’t mean he was unloving.
The King soon took my face and caressed it, moving the hair behind
my ears and studying it as if he would never see me
again.

“I’m sorry, Elissa…I know you don’t
understand why I’m doing this… but know that it’s only because I
love you,” he started. “I know that by now you suspect that this is
the end…and you’re right. It is.”

“And you know that I’ll never accept
that,” I told him in partial anger, the tears clouding my view. He
continued to caress my face, using his finger to gently wipe the
water from my eyes.

“I knew that you wouldn’t. I’ve always
known,” he told me in the same manner, trying to make light of it
by laughing. “But now we must part.”

“No, no!” I cried. I just couldn’t
help it. Aurelian quickly put a gentle finger to my lips and hushed
me.

“Listen. I know you don’t want to do
this, but we must. This is the place from which I will open the
portal. Before I do, I want to tell you something…for I know you
will need an explanation as to where you going and how things will
be when you get there…”

“I know, Aurelian. You don’t need to
explain,” I sobbed again. “I’m going back to the place where my
family is dead and I’m wanted for a murder I didn’t commit
–”

“No, Elissa,”
Aurelian softly interrupted. He sorrowfully looked into my eyes. “I
would never send you anywhere that I knew you would be harmed. No.
I
am
sending you
back to you old home. But, when you return it will not be as broken
as it was when you left. When you return – you must first do as I
instruct – but, in this place you will have the brightest of
futures.”

“How could that be? I’m wanted for
murder,” I exclaimed in disbelief.

“When you arrive home, you won’t be
wanted for murder anymore,” Aurelian quickly told me. “I give you
my word. I’ve done and will continue to do all in my power to make
certain that the Magistrate can’t touch you. Your aunt will have no
power to harm you, either. Though, the first thing that you must do
is expose her. Waste no time. Expose Beeti’s murderous thoughts to
the public and prove it by displaying the poison that she carries
with her. If there is a need to prove Beeti’s intentions, know that
the poison is in her pocket.”

“Now you sound mad,” I quickly pulled
back. “What good would that do at all? The murder is finished! My
name is probably on some list awaiting arrest and an immediate
execution for it! You speak as though it hasn’t already
happened…”

“Because I’m sending
you into a time that it
hasn’t
.” Aurelian quickly spoke up.
Suddenly dumbfounded, I fell silent. After a few moments of my
silence, Aurelian saw my astonishment and came close to me in a
revealing whisper. “My new title also comes with many new powers,
Elissa. Some are powers that even I don’t fully
understand.”

“You don’t honestly mean…” I trailed
off, finally getting the gist of what he was saying. It didn’t take
long for Aurelian to finish the sentence for me and confirm my
suspicions.

“Yes, Elissa. I can set
back time.”

I fell silent again, unsure of what to
say or do in response. A few moments later, my heartache caused an
idea to run across my mind. With the idea came a flood of thoughts
and feelings that made me feel as if this might not be the end. If
Aurelian could use his powers to set back time in my world – what
if…what if he could somehow fix what was about to separate us
here?

“Wait –” I suddenly
lit, “If you can set back time…why not use it to set back
time
here
as
well? You could set it back to the moment that I left you in the
church…you could keep me from leaving and keep yourself from
becoming King! Then we could stay together –”

“No, Elissa. It doesn’t work that way.
The things that have made me King over this land cannot be
changed.”

“We’ve changed things before! Maybe
you could try to change this…” I trailed off before realizing that
it was probably of no use. I dug my head into Aurelian’s chest and
wept bitterly. Seeing my pain, he softened his demeanor again and
tilted my chin so that our eyes met.

“If I could do that, I would,” He
cadenced. “But, it’s simply out of my power. I’m only able to set
back time far enough to undo the greatest damage I did to your
world. I’m sending you back as far as I can; shortly before
Winston’s death.”

I stiffened in Aurelian’s grasp. I
still couldn’t come to terms with this. I never would. But, instead
of begging in vain; I composed myself and spoke up.

“Aurelian, I realize that this is
probably the last time I’ll see you. I also see that nothing is
going to change your mind from here, so I’ll stop begging.” I
started soberly. “Would you grant me one last request?”

“Yes, of course,” He
insisted, the pleading evident in his voice. “You can have anything
at all, just so long as it’s not another plea to stay
here.”

“It’s not.”

“Then tell me,” he
whispered.

“Ari, dance with
me.”

Thee King took my hands
and kissed them. It clearly touched him more than anything else in
his world could have. The glossy coat over his eyes was clear
evidence that tears were coming. He kept them down and composed
himself, flashing me a weak smile.

“I will,” he choked, “as
long as you sing.”

Aurelian took my hand into
his and led me to the center of the ballroom.

Aurelian took my hand and delicately
raised it in the air, waltzing with me for a moment before twirling
me around. Still, I didn’t sing. I was too caught up in my grief to
do it. I was so caught up in it that I actually forgot. After a few
moments of my apparent silence, Aurelian spoke up almost
teasingly.

“You’re not singing.”

“Oh, right,” I tearfully told him,
stopping my feet for just a second before closing my eyes and
finding a happier place in my emotions to begin making music from.
When I found that place, a wave of calm swept over me. That was
when I began to sing to him and my voice began to cause the loudest
and brightest music to fill the entire room.

“
A world of crystal seas
and crimson moon

Of blood-red roses and
lives anew

Where the scarlet lilies
bloom

Under the midnight
sky…

I began, finding my feet
and arms spinning as I twirled around in place. Aurelian joined in
with me weakly, becoming mildly entranced as the song went on. It
wasn’t the same kind of feeling I had when I sang it in the garden,
but I passionately sang on anyway. The dilapidated room lit. In a
way that I’ll never be able to explain – the room danced back in
time with us.

The cobwebs in the rafters
disappeared and unveiled the most beautiful, spiraling
architecture. The tables changed before our eyes into ones that
were covered with the finest cloth and set as if they were place
settings at a wedding reception. What looked to be withering plates
and kettles became sparkling tables with shining dinnerware. The
chandelier above us lit as if it was young and luminous once more.
For just a moment, Aurelian and I became lovers lost in time. I
sang on:

“
The moon hangs low in a
clear black sky

Painted stars shine
brightly

Midnight sings its
enchanting song

Illuminating the
night

Under scattered stars, and
bright full moon

The bonds of fate will tie
the two

Blind to what they both
shall do

Entwined by Love’s
Duet…”

Now the words were almost too hard for
me to take. Even with the room becoming as sparkling as the love
that Aurelian and I shared, I couldn’t help but feel the deepest
and most choking feeling as I sang. Though, I still kept on. All
the while, I became caught up in a smaller but equally as
significant kind of enchantment that I had when I had sung this
with Aurelian for the first time. It was as if my spirit knew that
this would probably be the last time I sang it with him and was
savoring every last moment was his.

Or – perhaps it was something
different. Perhaps it was my spirit connecting with his and
reassuring it that we would meet again. Whatever the case, we
continued singing and dancing as if we were both young lovers
caught in eternity. Aurelian pulled me close and sang the next
verse to me in a delicate whisper:

“
Under scattered stars and
bright full moon

A single kiss that binds
the two

Under the midnight
sky…”

I buried my head into his
chest. Even though that was as much as most people sang, I knew
that there was another verse to the song. There were many verses to
the song – much like the lengthy extra verses to common songs in a
hymnal. There wasn’t much time left. I continued leaning on
Aurelian as I sang one last verse in his ear, only to him. With
each word, I became drowsier under his enchantment.

“
Dance with me to
Midnight’s Song

Before the rise of the
Eastern Sun

As the snow falls
down

Our hearts are
one

Keep me here in your
arms…”

Aurelian knew the lyric that was
coming. Overwhelmed with emotion at what was about to happen and by
the love that pained him so deeply – he softly joined in with me to
finish the lyric:

“
Under the midnight
sky…”

That was when the magic
started to set in. I didn’t know what was happening to me – but I
could feel an enchantment beginning to numb my body. Aurelian knew
what it was – he was the one doing it. Like anesthesia administered
by a doctor to a dying patient, Aurelian was trying to lessen the
pain. It seemed like it would be less painful for both of us if –
instead of thrusting me into abyss – he let me gently drift
away.

I could feel myself
slipping. I wasn’t going to go away – no, not yet! Not without
telling him one last thing. I put a weak hand to his face and kept
my eyes open for as long as I could, making sure to affirm my
stubbornness: