Once Upon A [Fallen] Time

by Samreen Ahsan

  He walked to the bookshelf, Tyler and I following his every move. He took out the large papyrus-bound book and placed it in front of me. I wondered how he had the strength to carry such a heavy book at his age. It was the same book Myra had read the last time she visited. My heart started beating faster. Was he going to show me her current world?

  “In our world of sorcery, we have that special power to travel into these dimensions.” I still looked at him without interrupting. “Don’t ask me, Mr Bernard, how I communicate with the past, because you won’t be able to understand the power of magic, but…” he opened the first page of the book, “as you can see… there is nothing in this book.”

  “But I know Myra saw something in it.”

  “Indeed,” he replied, “she saw things beyond your imagination and this is called sorcery.”

  “You mean…”

  “Your fiancée belongs to another world, Mr Bernard. She was never a part of this world in which she had been raised.” He took a deep breath, flipping through the book. “I must tell you that I’m pretty good at predicting the future.” Not surprising if he had the power to travel into other dimensions. “I once told Edward that a woman would come into his life who’d tear pages from his book and change his future.” He had met Edward? “Your fiancée changed Edward’s future. She stopped him from running away and hide in the darkness and…” he turned to the last page, “though it’s not in this book, she has apparently added a new chapter in Edward’s life.” He smiled. “And since she is a part of this chapter now, there’s nothing you and I can do about it.” He shut the book.

  “How do I know if she’s safe or if she wants to come back?” I asked.

  “She doesn’t,” he chuckled, “trust me, Mr Bernard. Accept the fact that your fiancée is in love with Edward, and it was her love that changed Edward’s future. You think of yourself a hero in this story, but she’s not here in this dimension to complete your story. There’s another dimension where there are two people deeply in love with each other.”

  I sagged in my chair.

  “Does he truly love her?”

  He looked me straight in the eye. “A kind of love you cannot even measure, Mr Bernard. His love doesn’t exist in this dimension or in any dimension, so no one will ever understand it… not even you, but it was his love that transcended time and brought Myra into his world.” Was he trying to make me jealous? “I can see you like her or maybe love her, but don’t compare yourself with Edward.” He chuckled again. “You will never be able to meet his obsession and affection for her. I know you want to stay with her because she has apparently mesmerized you with her powers—powers that she is not even aware of—but don’t compare your love with his.” I stiffened at his words. I glanced at Tyler who rolled his eyes at me. “Edward’s love is selfless and you cannot win in this situation. Try to understand from his point of view that he has finally met the woman who has been haunting him forever in his dreams. How can he give up his fruit of salvation now?”

  “Isn’t it dangerous then?” I was really worried about her. “How do I know she’s safe there? How do I know you’re not lying?” I was desperate. She had to come back.

  “Write a message and I’ll deliver it to her,” he replied, his voice quiet but sincere.

  I felt my heart in my throat. Could he even do that? Without wasting any more time, I grabbed a pen and notepad from the table and scribbled the message.

  He took the note without reading it and folded the paper. “By the way,” he stood up, “my name is Haakon in Hue Castle. I’m sure your fiancée will be surprised to see me.”

  “You haven’t met her yet?” I asked.

  “No, but I know she’s there. The king awaits her at the dinner.”

  “You mean Edward?”

  “No,” he replied, “King Stefan.”

  “She has met King Stefan? That sadist?”

  Haakon smiled. “Apparently the king is smitten.”

  “Will you keep an eye on her and take care of her?”

  “I know you’re worried about her but you don’t need to. Edward won’t let anything happen to her. She has put that man in a lot of misery.”

  I chuckled and raked my fingers in through my hair. “She has put a lot of people here in misery too.”

  “Indeed,” he fixed his glasses. “She is a very special woman.” He paused. “Now if you’ll excuse me, King Stefan has summoned me to dinner.”

  What the fuck!

  He sounded like there was a door through which he could travel from present to past. As if it was the most normal thing in the world. This was absolute sorcery because science could never prove this shit.

  “Can you bring her back?” I asked, sounding as desperate as I felt.

  He smiled again. “I’m afraid there is no U-turn for her.”

  “You warned Myra not to look at the people in the book. How did you—?”

  “How did I know that she would be sucked into the past?” he completed my sentence. He contemplated what to say for a moment. “Even if she hadn’t looked at him in the book, she was still destined to meet him.” I didn’t like what I was hearing. Were they truly soul mates? “Come back in one hour. I will try to bring you her message… if she is willing to write a message for you.”

  “I will wait here,” I replied. Oh, Myra! What have you done to me? I’ll never forgive you.

  “As you wish,” he shrugged and walked through the door, leaving us alone in the dark room. I stood up and walked around the room. I had to do something; I couldn’t just sit around and do nothing while we waited. The book kept on the table was unique in its own way. The other books lying on the shelves and in this entire library were different.

  Was this bookstore a time-travel portal in disguise? Would Haakon be able to bring her back? He said it would be impossible for her to come back, but how could he, himself, travel from one dimension to another? Did he know that Edward wouldn’t let her go or was she actually stuck in the fifteenth century?

  I had a feeling that he wasn’t lying. If he could take my message to Myra and bring her message back, that meant he was able to travel through time—he was a bloody time traveller!

  “Now what?” Tyler asked.

  I took a deep breath and ran a hand over my face. “I don’t know, man. What do you think? Was he telling the truth?”

  “I guess we have to believe him. Or do we have any other choice here, Steve?” He stood and looked around the room. “Should we follow him and see how he travels through time?”

  I’d wondered the same thing. I wanted to run after Haakon so badly, but I was worried about losing his trust. “No. It’s too early and too risky. I have to wait and see if he is capable of bringing Myra’s message.”

  “What are you expecting, Steve?” he asked. “You and I both know that she was never really in love with you. She was just marrying you, because she didn’t have a reason not to. She thought desiring Edward was absurd.” He paused. “But now that she has the option, she will obviously choose Edward over you.”

  “No,” I shot back. “I won’t let that happen. How can she leave this modern life and live with those barbaric people?”

  “Love has no boundaries, Steve,” Tyler replied. Fuck the boundaries! I didn’t care if that ghost lusted for her—he had to learn that Myra was mine and solely mine. “You’re just being obsessed. I know you can’t handle rejection, but—”

  “Rejection my ass! She has to come back to me.” I slammed my palms on the table. Was Tyler right that I couldn’t handle the rejection?

  Tyler walked out of the room without another word. After a few minutes alone, I realized that waiting for an hour in this store was pointless. My hotel was not far and it was probably a good time to let the Farrows know that Myra was fine and—and that I’d convince her to leave that goddamn phantom.

  “I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,

  in secret, between the shadow and the soul.”

  ― Pablo Nerudar />
  CHAPTER 9

  MYRA

  JUNE 12th 1415

  As soon as we entered the Hue Castle’s Great Hall, we met King Stefan once again.

  Has this pervert no other work than keeping an eye on me?

  I faked a smile as he walked towards me to greet me.

  “Welcome, Lady Farrow,” he kissed my knuckles again. Every time he did it, I felt like spiders crawling on my skin. Edward stiffened on his father’s perverted gesture. “How was your day?”

  “It was good, Your Majesty.” I gave him my sweet smile.

  “Join us for dinner,” he said. “I was waiting for your arrival.”

  What? The king was waiting for me at dinner?

  I glanced at Edward who was boiling silently. He’d have killed his own father with his eyes. But at least he didn’t react in a harsh tone. That would give away that Edward and I were on the same team. Right now, the king thought I was a damsel in distress, locked up by his son, and it was better if he thought this way.

  King Stefan gestured towards the dining hall and we both followed him quietly.

  Earlier, when we had entered the walls of Hue Castle, Edward had instantly shot a glance at the flowers I was holding. They hadn’t withered upon entering the cursed walls. So, I’d walked to Veronica’s grave under the black tree. Edward seemed frozen in time. He observed all my acts silently. I wanted to test if I held any power over this forbidden land. Would the flowers turn black if I planted them back into the ground? I had dug a bit of black dry sand with my hand over V’s grave and fixed the bunch of lilacs on the ground while Edward watched my actions without uttering a word. I wasn’t hoping to grow a tree out of these lilacs but I was still curious as to why nothing had grown inside these walls. I could have done this in my time, but during my visits to Hue Castle, we filmed for the game day and night and hadn’t even think about gardening.

  I felt that somewhere deep down in this grave, Edward’s heart lied. I had to dig it out and hold it to save for myself. The heart was not supposed to be buried in the forbidden grounds. It was supposed to beat for the person it was longing for.

  I was still thinking about Edward’s earlier expression on my way to the dining hall when King Stefan started the conversation one more time. “Did you meet your friend today?”

  “Yes, I did.” Oh, I was so thankful that Edward had taken this step. I hadn’t thought King Stefan would actually ask me. Perhaps, Edward was right—he might check on the couple. I continued with the nonsense. “Mary was very happy to see me although she said she was concerned about my absence yesterday.” I watched Edward’s expression—he was rolling his eyes. I knew we were both covering up a lie. He was right—he did do the damage control.

  “Indeed,” King Stefan walked with haughty poise, “Father Alexander told me about the wedding.”

  Shit! He had really checked on them.

  I met my gaze with Edward, horrified. His eyes gleamed with the same expression. King Stefan was such a manipulator, but it seemed like Edward had learned how to tackle his father. We would just need to coat lie over a lie—or I should shut up and tell no more lies to King Stefan or make stupid stories. If I carried on weaving these stories, it would be impossible for Edward to cover up.

  “I just wonder how a peasant girl could be a friend with you.” King Stefan looked at me with inquisitive eyes.

  I glanced at Edward who rolled his eyes again. I guess he had the same question in his mind. I had never even considered this question because in my time, this financial status never mattered.

  Think fast, Myra. You’re confronting a devil. He won’t take a moment to make your life a living hell.

  I gave him a flirtatious smile. “Mary’s mother was my mother’s chambermaid,” I said with confidence, strolling along the corridor with King Stefan, who was listening to me intently, but I knew Edward was watching us. “Mary and I grew up almost like sisters.” I smiled again. “She mostly stayed with me so I never considered her anyone lesser than me.”

  King Stefan paused his walk. He held my hands, which took me by surprise. I glanced at Edward whose eyes were throwing cannonballs. I was truly clueless if he was angered by my new lie, or by his father touching me again.

  “You have a heart of gold, Lady Farrow,” he kissed my knuckles.

  I closed my eyes for a second, letting this bitter feeling pass through me. I hated his touch. We started walking again.

  Where the hell is the dining room?

  “By the way, I have arranged some personal items for you in Edward’s chamber.” I kept my gaze down, not wanting to look at Edward right now. He was already pissed off—assuming I was seducing King Stefan and moreover this sick bastard was making it more difficult by being more kind to me. “There is a mirror as you requested.” Edward and I both stopped in our tracks and looked at King Stefan in shock. How could I keep a mirror in Edward’s chamber when he couldn’t use it? Why had I been so stupid to ask King Stefan for a mirror? What had I been thinking that moment? I had just wanted to take revenge for Edward’s behaviour last night, but it had all subsided when he took me to the village. He was already wounded and stabbed by Emma. I could never think of hurting him more. It is inhumane to attack a wounded opponent when he is too weak to fight.

  He didn’t leave me dying out in the tower. Yet, I was so dumb to act so nicely to King Stefan when I knew how much Edward hated his own father. I must not forget that King Stefan had killed Veronica, Edward’s half soul, and kicked out Emma, his other half. He had made his son a living corpse. He wouldn’t give me a second to breathe in this world, if he didn’t have to. And I had no clue when he’d change his mind from a kind host to a cruel monster.

  King Stefan turned around and noticed we had both stopped following him. His gaze was intense and I could sense he was trying to figure out our discomfort. I had to clear this mess.

  “Thank you,” I said with a sweet smile. “You’ve been very kind, Your Majesty, and I’m very grateful for your hospitality.” I began walking again with King Stefan and so did Edward, but he didn’t interrupt. I guess he was keeping all to himself until we’d meet in private. I was already looking forward to the night. I had to talk to him. This wouldn’t work if we kept on firing cannonballs at each other. This war of silence and awkwardness had to end.

  When we finally reached the dining hall, I was astounded to see how many candles were lit in this private room. It didn’t look like they would ever need electricity here. There were numerous candelabras on the table, candle lamps all-round the hall, candle sconces on the wall. I couldn’t even make a count. There was a large chandelier hanging from the ceiling, capable of lighting the entire hall.

  The table was decorated with beautiful goblets filled with red wine, and there were all kinds of meat. The meat looked raw—not how my mother cooked—but I couldn’t survive on brioche alone. The roast beef was decorated with sautéed vegetables. I would have preferred to eat a homemade sandwich or pizza right now, but I knew it was a very stupid desire. There was also a lamb stew, served in a large pot, accompanied by whole fish, pigeons, minced veal, and a rabbit. My stomach was already full by looking at the table. I didn’t feel like eating at all. It was pretty early for the dinner, but I had to accustom myself with the timings. They had early breakfast around sunrise, a dinner in the late afternoon, and a supper in the late evening on a daily basis. If they had a large feast or a celebration, the dinner was held late—like yesterday. Everything was different from my time—yet everything seemed perfect when I looked into Edward’s eyes. It didn’t matter what I liked or disliked in food.

  The ewerer came by my side, holding a towel and a bowl filled with warm water. I cleaned my hands—how convenient it was. You didn’t have to walk anywhere to wash your hands. I knew that it was quite common among royals and nobilities in the Middle Ages to keep so many servants for such little tasks like washing hands and changing their clothes. This would certainly make me a lazy sloth here!

  If I com
pared my lifestyle with Edward’s, I was indeed a peasant, even in the twenty-first century. Even Edward’s dressing chamber was bigger than my bedroom.

  The carver was busy serving the king when the king demanded: “Serve the lady at the table.”

  The man looked apologetically at me. I sat in the same chair I had sat in for breakfast, on king’s right side. Edward sat across from him—as usual.

  I remembered the first time I had visited the castle, a chill running through my entire body. I had a feeling that I had been here before. It hadn’t been a déjà vu. It had been a premonition of the future that pulled me into past. The castle had mysteriously sucked me back inside its walls—as if it was part of me. I still didn’t know why and how I was related to this castle but there was something in these walls that kept pulling me back. I looked at Edward and thought: was he the sole reason I came here or did I really have a strong connection with these cursed walls?

  Sitting here at this table also reminded me of my last visit to Hue Castle, when Steve had been filming inside the dining hall—the gamer would look for clues inside the hall, perhaps they might find something on the table. One of the candelabras was the clue in the game, which the gamer had to pick. I remembered the dark brown medieval-style dress I’d worn and the song Steve had played on a portable Bluetooth speaker. He’d asked me to join him for a dance, and I recalled how he had taken my hand, twirling me around while we danced to the Great Hall, the music echoing around the entire castle. I smiled at the thought of him.

  “Something precious to remember?” King Stefan broke my thoughts. I glanced at Edward who was observing me as well. I didn’t know what to say, what to answer him. I shook my head and looked at the food on the table instead.

  When the servant started serving me fish, I spoke: “Please, it’s all right. I can help myself.”