Once Upon A [Fallen] Time

by Samreen Ahsan

  When I reached the main door of the castle, I noticed it was slightly opened—as if someone had just stepped out. Didn’t they lock the door before going to bed? I knew no one ever tried to invade this haunted castle—too afraid of being caught by the witches… but still… anyone could just walk in and attack them. Didn’t they fear death? Or had they become so insensitive that the fear of death didn’t bother them since they knew they wouldn’t live past sixty anyway?

  I held on to the large wooden door for support and closed my eyes for a moment. If I chose to stay with Edward all my life, would he only live up to sixty? That meant, he’d die when I would be fifty-three. Thirty-two more years for him to live with me. Or would I die just like other women in this castle since love was forbidden on Hue men? Was that the reason he was afraid of confessing his love to me? His fear of losing me too?

  No!

  I wanted to grow old with him. I wanted to have a family with him. I had never desired to marry any man but Edward. He had unleashed every dark desire in me that lurked somewhere in my existence. I was still a virgin, but I had never wanted to sleep with any man until I had met Edward. He had opened the closed doors in me, which were now pushing me to lose my virtue.

  I opened my eyes and sneaked out of the door without budging it. I wondered why there weren’t any guards in the corridors. No one really cared here. I looked up at the breathtakingly beautiful sky. No words could ever explain it. I could see all the stars, even the white line of the Milky Way. I had gone to stargazing camp with school once, but I had never seen anything like this. No matter how far we travel away from the light pollution in our time, we still cannot see this beauty of the sky. In this—in Edward’s time, electricity hadn’t been invented yet, so the sky wasn’t polluted with chemical air. Everything had changed after the industrial revolution. Science had indeed given us miracles, but it has also taken divine miracles and beauty from us. This sky, filled with millions of diamonds, was one fine example. Science had given us modern-day cars, highly engineered highways, and global tracking systems for not getting lost, but it has also taken the serenity from the nature that I had experienced this morning.

  Right now, I could hear everything the sky had to say. I could never get tired of this. If Galileo Galilee had been born in the twenty-first century, I was sure he would never have delivered the concept of heliocentrism. You could only observe the stars and planets so closely if you could see them so clearly with your naked eye, without any distraction.

  I took a deep breath and sat on the stairs of the castle, which led to the barren grounds. It looked even more deserted at night. As far as I knew, every castle and palace under the reign of a ruling king had been guarded by night guards, but it seemed Hue Castle didn’t need anyone to guard it. Maybe the power of the witches was enough to keep away any other enemy here. Or was it simply too dark for me to see their guards?

  I stretched my legs and lay down on the stairs, resting my head on one of the stone steps. I was physically exhausted, but the greed of observing this sky had stolen my sleep. I didn’t know how many nights I’d get in this time, so I wanted to make the most of it. I didn’t know when and how I would go back—and even if I had the opportunity, would I be same Myra Farrow who had agreed to marry Steve Bernard?

  Now that I had met Edward, and knew how his touch felt, could I ever forget him and go back to my time to marry Steve? Now that I knew Edward was real, could I really accept another man? I straightened my hand and observed the diamond ring on my finger. It was indeed beautiful, sparkling even more in the night light. If I ever got a chance to meet Steve again, would I still act in his game? I knew he had invested a lot of time and energy in making the game, and he had already taken an advance from the Hollywood producer to make a movie on the game theme, but after all this, where would his dream go? I had shattered Steve’s dreams. I understood why God had planned for me to meet Steve—he had been my key to meet Edward, but what benefit would Steve get? He got nothing after meeting me, and he lost more after losing me.

  I was the story for his new game—a woman who unveiled the castle’s mystery by connecting the present with the past. I hadn’t known this idea would come to life and the story of the game would be the story of my life. The only difference between game and reality was that I wasn’t connecting present with the past—I was trapped in the past.

  The last time I had sat on these stairs had been with Steve, when we had stayed in the camps for the game shoots. Tyler had refused to stay inside the castle so we had brought our tents and sleeping bags and enjoyed some camping. I remembered how, when I had come out of my tent, I had found Steve working on his laptop on these steps despite it being almost midnight.

  “You’re not sleeping,” I had said.

  “I had to set up a few things for our YouTube channel,” he had paused, looking exhausted. “What about you? Why aren’t you sleeping?”

  “I couldn’t. I was thinking…” I had looked at the barren grounds.

  “Thinking what…” he had asked, his voice laced with concern, as he had closed the laptop lid, giving me his undivided attention.

  “I’ve always been one of those girls who fancied their book boyfriends. I’ve fallen in love with so many book characters over time that I don’t even remember half of them now.” Steve had been listening to me intently. “It’s like… I see a light where one of those men from the books is trying to come out and talk to me.”

  “You mean Edward?” he had asked.

  “Yes…” I sighed. “I have a feeling… I’ll meet him someday. I don’t know… how… when… where… maybe in dreams… maybe in Heaven… I don’t know, Steve.” I had looked at him, not quite sure how to turn my wild thoughts into words that would make sense to Steve. “But now… as I sit on these stairs… I have a strong feeling that one day… he’ll sit next to me on these steps in a night like this.”

  He had stayed quite for a moment.

  “Let’s assume you experience time travel,” he’d started. “Like what we see in fantasy movies—would you like to live in the medieval era knowing how brutal they were?”

  I had never thought of that. I had always admired the old castles and fantasized being a part of it, but never really thought if I actually wanted to live.

  “I won’t lie to you,” I had replied. “I know it would be hard to live in those times without the technology we are so addicted to. But if I’d ever get to live with Edward then…”

  “You’re hopelessly in love with that dead man, aren’t you?” There had been jealousy in Steve’s eyes. “Be careful what you wish for. You might not know when He is listening.” He had pointed towards the sky.

  “Well… we are not in a movie, Steve. Even if I wished for it, I know it would never come true.” And then he had smiled at my stupid fantasy and wrapped his arm around me in a friendly embrace.

  I was lost in my trail of thoughts and didn’t know how much time had passed when I noticed someone sitting down beside me. I was too afraid to move. My heartbeat accelerated, but I had to look who came in so quietly that I never sensed the presence or heard the steps. Had I been so lost in the sky that I hadn’t heard anything?

  I turned my face to the left to find Edward had positioned himself on the stone stairs in the same way I had. His arms were placed under his head, and he was staring at the sky. He didn’t talk, so I decided I wouldn’t talk either. He had to apologize first. This time, I would not bend. And besides, whenever we talked, we argued. It was better to enjoy the beauty of the sky than arguing and fighting with him.

  But I was right when I had told Steve I’d sit with Edward on these steps.

  We both stayed silent for moments that seemed like hours.

  “You have come from a different world, haven’t you?” Prince Arse of Stubbornness finally decided to ask me. I took a deep breath but didn’t reply. “The way you look at them... as if you’re seeing them for the first time.” He gazed towards the stars.

  “Yes,” I re
plied.

  His head turned to me. “What do you mean?”

  “Where I’ve come from, we don’t have stars in our sky.” My gaze was still glued to the sky, but I could feel his eyes on me. “We are blinded by too much light on our lands that stars have lost their light.” Perhaps it was hard for him to understand.

  “Then you probably wouldn’t know if you could talk to them or ask their names?”

  I looked at him for a moment. I didn’t know where he was going from here.

  “The world I have come from,” I faced the sky again, “we don’t need to ask their names. We have discovered their names already.”

  I felt his eyes on me again. “Do people like us live there?” he asked, his voice full of curiosity.

  “No,” I shook my head. “There’s no life beyond this… not that I know,” I replied. We were both talking about something different. It felt different. I had never thought I would spend a starry night with a future king of England in a medieval era. Since last night, whenever we had talked, we had argued. This was outside of any argument.

  “Look there!” he pointed at a glowing planet. “How is it possible that no one lives on any of those stars? Maybe they are also wondering if we live here or not.”

  “The one glowing is the planet Jupiter, the fifth planet to the sun,” I shared my science knowledge with him. “There is no life there.”

  “How do you know all this?”

  “It is taught in our schools, Edward.” I turned to face him. We found shining stars in each other’s eyes. There was something else between Edward and I—beyond the lust and desire that we were not able to see. The way he was watching me, he was trying to sneak into my soul. But for that, he needed to open the door to his heart too.

  “What else is taught in your school?” he wanted to know.

  I smiled and gazed at the stars again.

  “We learn how to read, write, sing, dance—we listen to the stories of past history, other knowledgeable people.”

  “Do they teach you how to endure pain?”

  His question threw me off.

  “No,” I replied, not knowing what else to say.

  “I don’t know where you’re from; did you live before me or after me?”

  I stared at him for a while. He was utterly clueless where I came from.

  “In my world, you were the past.” It was all I could say.

  He looked me in the eye for a few seconds and then watched the stars again. “Was I part of what you were taught?”

  I closed my eyes for a short moment. It was such a deep question to ask. A cold shiver ran through me. I got up and sat on the stairs, knees clutched to my chest, the woollen cloak wrapped around me. Edward copied my act. He must have noticed me rubbing my arms and feeling cold. He draped another cloak around me. I wished he would move a little closer and snuggle me into his warmth. He didn’t know how desperate I was for his touch but I had named him right—Prince Arse of Stubbornness.

  I knew he was waiting for my answer.

  “Where I come from, you are history,” I met his gaze. He was listening to me intently. “You might not believe me, Edward, but I have come from the future.” He knitted his eyebrows. “Stop looking at me like I’m some kind of a witch. I am not. We have a time difference of six hundred years.” The way he looked at me, it seemed like I had given him totally new information, as if he was surprised to find out that I wasn’t a witch after all. He was trying to read the truth in my eyes. Had he been considering me as a witch all along? I averted my gaze and watched the barren grounds. “This castle was shut down after you disappeared.”

  He followed my gaze, too, contemplating my words for a few moments.

  “Does it say in history where I went?” he finally asked.

  “No one knows.” I knew he, himself, didn’t know where he would have gone if he had left last night. “It was never recorded in history. The castle was seized after the Hues’ reign ended and no one entered the forbidden grounds after the death of King Stefan.”

  “No one in six hundred years?” Of course, he would be interested in his own history.

  “There were people who came in, from time to time, for restoration. All castles and palaces of this era and beyond have been converted into museums and public attractions,” I replied.

  “What is a museum?” he asked.

  Oh my! I feel like a search engine!

  “A museum is a place that conserves information from the history. They could be old buildings, structures, information, artefacts, anything for people to see,” I shared my knowledge.

  “So, in your time, no one lives in other castles?”

  I smiled again. “Very few.”

  “Even peasants can come?” He was curious.

  “Anyone can visit, Edward. A museum is a place for learning and exploration.” I met his eyes. “This may take a while.”

  He smiled softly. “I’m not in a hurry.”

  I took some time to reply. “There is a royal family in England.”

  “Hue family?” he asked.

  “No, Edward,” I shook my head. “Hue ended after you. You were the last-born son.” I pursed my lips. “History says you disappeared—never to return.”

  “Where did I go?” he asked again.

  “How would I know? You planned to leave last night. Only you’d know where you were going,” I replied. The night was steaming up. The topic was diverted from history to Edward. “Hue Castle was closed down to the public because of the story about the curse.”

  “It isn’t a museum then?”

  “No,” I shook my head again. “No one knew where you had gone. Where were you going yesterday?”

  “I don’t know,” he said quietly. “I just wanted to leave.” His eyes were glued to the dark sand at the bottom of the stairs.

  “And now?” His gaze fell on me as I asked again. “Now what do you want?”

  He didn’t reply straight away. I didn’t know what was churning in his mind. “Haakon told me that someone would come into my life and turn a new chapter.” His words sent shivers down my spine. “I didn’t expect she’d come like that.” I blinked. I didn’t have anything to say. He did realize I had changed his future. “I don’t know what I want now.” He was rubbing his temples. “The one who has turned the new chapter must have written something for me.” He didn’t take my name, but I knew he was talking about me. Was he putting his fate into my hands? I wanted to comfort him. As soon as I lifted my hand to touch him, he looked at me and asked again. “How do you know Haakon?”

  I pulled my hand back instantly, without him knowing about it.

  “Would you believe me if I told you the truth?”

  “Whatever you have told me so far,” he shifted a bit, “did I ever say I didn’t believe you?”

  I gulped his words. He wanted to believe me. Apparently, he had no other choice.

  “Haakon can travel through time,” I explained. “I met him in Morocco. He has your book of life.” He was listening intently. “Your book is made of blank papyrus and there is nothing written on it. No one can read it. Just my touch opened everything in front of me.” I didn’t use the word ‘movie’, or else he would have asked me what a movie was. I had to brush up my Wikipedia skills.

  “And what did you see?”

  “I saw you,” I blinked.

  “Who wrote the book?” His curiosity was piqued.

  “I was told there was a cult who had the power of weaving and storing lives of Hue men,” I remembered what Julia Watson had told me. “The text on the chapel mirror, “thou shalt see thy face shalt see everything,” I recalled the text, “this same text is written on your book with nothing else on it.” Edward was watching me quietly. “When I visited the castle the first time, I was able to see beyond the mirror.”

  “We met through the mirror,” he added.

  “Yes,” I replied. “So, my friends suggested that if I had the power to see through the mirror, I might be able to read the wordle
ss book.”

  “You never saw the beast in the mirror?” His eyes shone with a desire of knowing more about him.

  “No!” I shook my head. “All my friends did though. A black hideous beast as their reflection.”

  He rubbed his neck. “I saw the beast too and then I saw you when you were close to the mirror.” He was trying to understand my existence. I knew it was beyond his belief. “So, the other side of the mirror is your time?” he asked.

  “Perhaps,” I answered. “I’d go again to see in the mirror—”

  “No!” he cut me off. “You’re not going to the chapel again.” His face was showing insecurity and possessiveness. Was he afraid of losing me? If that was the case then why did Prince Arse of Stubbornness not share his feelings? He ran his hand over his face, obviously trying to think of something to say. “King Stefan knows that you didn’t come here for the wedding or that you were lost and ended up seeking help.” He was still facing the grounds.

  My heart got stuck in my throat. It felt like a cotton ball. I struggled to talk.

  “What did you say?” My voice was shaky.

  “I didn’t know what to say. What do you know about the curse here?” he asked me.

  “As much as you know, Edward. Whatever Stefan told you a month ago in his chamber. I know it from reading your book.”

  He ran his fingers through his hair.

  “He wants me to find out your vendetta.” His eyes showed no emotion.

  “Vendetta? What vendetta would I have?”

  “Then why are you here?” His expression darkened.

  “Why don’t you tell him the truth then?” I raised my voice. It felt like even the stars were able to hear me. “You called me, Edward. I am the one who you felt all your life, in your dreams, in your silence, in your solitude, in your fantasy, in your—”

  He stood up from the stairs and turned towards the door.

  “You’re such a coward, Edward. Whenever I try to show you the mirror, you just run away,” I shouted at him as I stood up too.