Sahara Ashdell: Rebirth of Patreek (Book 3)

“Sahara?” Sahara can hear Brystol talking to her as she lies in bed staring up at the grey squares on the ceiling. She hadn’t felt like talking to anyone or getting out of bed for the last four days because all she could think about was killing Bularia.

“Come on Elfie. Get up.” Tari Nathila says authoritatively as she pulls up on Sahara’s arms. “Today is Eve’s Lighting and you have to dress, or we will be late.”

“I don’t want to go. Just go without me.”

“No. You are going. You are to be Tari in three months. Brystol is the Aran and you have a duty as his betrothed to be there.”

“Duty.” Sahara felt disgruntled at the thought of all her requirements. “Duty doesn’t allow for mourning.”

“You have mourned for four days.” Tari Nathila says lovingly but it rubs Sahara the wrong way.

“How long did you and Brystol mourn Aran Rayterbay?” Sahara holds up her hand stopping Tari Nathila from answering her question. “Oh, wait. That is right. No time for mourning when you’re royalty. The world might fall apart if I don’t make a public appearance.”

Brystol sounds concerned as he whispers even though Sahara can clearly hear him. “Mom, maybe we could let her stay home.”

“Eve’s Lighting is a happy time. It is family time. It will make her feel better.” Tari Nathila says motioning for an elleth to bring over a dress for Sahara. “You may go, Brystol. She needs to be dressed.”

“Gold?” Sahara says moments after Brystol exits and rolls her eyes at the dress the elleth is bringing toward her.

“It is the royal color of Holestroy.” Tari Nathila replies. “Now that Brystol is the Aran, what you wear shows your support for him.”

“You can’t be serious?” Sahara laughed. “No one cares what color my dress is.”

“Of course they do. You are to be their Tari. They look up to you. They measure you. Your actions. Your words. And your clothing.”

“The color of Kinderton is blue.” Sahara says pointing to her trunk.

“Indeed.” Tari Nathila nods in agreement as she holds up the gold dress to Sahara’s figure.

“So, why am I not wearing blue?”

“This will be lovely.” Tari Nathila says to the elleth. “You wear gold to show your support for your soon-to-be husband. To signal to the elven world of your commitment to aligning Holestroy and the other kingdoms. It is a symbol and promise of unification that gives elves something to look forward to.”

“So, if I were to wear blue the elven world would be in chaos?” Sahara says rolling her eyes in disbelief.

“It could yes.” Tari Nathila looks annoyed by her response. “It would portray discord with the betrothal. Weakness. This early in Brystol being the Aran, presentation is a priority. Any sign of potential discord in your betrothal must be eliminated. Elves must not question the level of commitment the two of you have to each other. If the enemy were to detect the smallest fracture in your betrothal, it would put you both in danger as well as the kingdoms. So, the small act of your dress color, though it may seem trivial to you, can make or break our kingdoms at this point in time. You see elfie,” The Tari holds out a golden hairclip to the elleth, who usually fixes Sahara’s hair. “Before Brystol became Aran, you wore many other colors, but with more responsibility comes less flexibility as a royal. You had less duties. Becoming the Tari means living for others and doing many things that you do not want. It means paying special attention to the small details that seem trivial and unimportant, or even stupid as you seem to think. Because those small details, if overlooked or forgotten, could create chaos in our world that could destroy you. Things are not as simple as they appear sometimes. And us royals doing our duty is what ensures our kingdoms remain safe and strong. So, perhaps you should find a bit more respect for duty as the rest of us have. Duty should be your number one priority because without duty, you would not have been sent to the human world, nor be alive today. Without duty, Brystol would have taken time to mourn Rayterbay’s death rather than claiming the throne immediately, which would have left our kingdom vulnerable to the enemy. Without duty, you would not have killed Heltus and our world would have been more vulnerable to Patreek. Duty, my dearest elfie, is all we must know to survive.”

Sahara reels through what Tari Nathila said as she exits the room. She feels guilty for being so ungrateful and selfish earlier. She suddenly realized that her sadness for killing her friend was not as important as her duty because thousands of lives were at stake not just one elf’s. She felt Tari Nathila wipe a tear from her cheek. She had not realized she had started crying from thinking about Bularia. “There was a Royal Notice released stating Bularia was killed by Patreek. Though rumors are swirling that it was you...”

Sahara interrupts her knowing what she is about to say, “Yes, I know what is expected of me. I will uphold my duty and lie.”

“Is it a lie though?” Tari Nathila asks calmly and clearly not expecting a response as she leaves Sahara alone in her room.

“Sorry.” Sahara says as she steps outside of Holestroy next to Brystol.

“For what?” Brystol asked unknowingly.

“Not realizing sooner that duty was more important than anything else.”

Brystol slides his hand into hers with a small smile. “I just realized that recently also. Though, I should have realized it years ago while living with my parents. They were never happy, but always appeared happy to others. Mother pushed through unhappiness for almost twenty years of duty.”

“Perhaps, she could find happiness now?” Sahara wonders looking over at the Tari speaking with an older ellon she had never noticed before. The Tari seems to be blushing.

Brystol squeezes her hand tighter as his words soften and become sad. “We can have both right? Duty and happiness?”

“I hope so.” Sahara wondered if they could have both. She loved him but their duties seemed to be quickly growing in priority.

“Come along you two.” Verdiwild says motioning toward the two of them. “We shall not be late.”

Eve’s lighting is different this year. Instead of Brystol and her lighting the lights, Trylla and Tari Nathila light them. As Sahara stands on the stage holding Brystol’s hand, she notices Marol and Carol wave slightly toward her from the crowd. They seem sad and Sahara knows it is because of Bularia. She wonders what they must think of her, or if they believe what the Royal Notice stated about Patreek killing Bularia. Sahara feels a tear break from her eye and she quickly looks away from the twins and catches Brystol’s consoling eyes for only a second before looking down at her feet.

“Come on.” Brystol says gently pulling her hand to follow him down from the stage. As she steps down from the stage, a sudden pain strikes the back of her head causing her to fall down behind Brystol. She can hear screams but it seems far away for a moment as she struggles with the pain radiating from the back of her head. She feels her hair being yanked as it pulls her head back up from the ground and she shrieks in pain. Sudden bursts of light and loud flashes make her feel more confused before she feels her body fall to the ground again. She feels someone scoop her up and is carrying her as screams and bright bursts of light continue around her, but all she can focus on is how badly her head hurts. “Sahara?” Brystol sounds panicked as she feels her body being laid down on the cold floor of a carriage.

She reaches back to touch the back of her head that is hurting and it feels wet. Looking at her fingers, she sees blood now covering her hand. “Why am I bleeding?”

“You are alright. Just hold on.” Brystol says not sounding very calm as he turns her head so that he can look at her wound.

“Yarnitvian.” She hears Verdiwild say just before she feels the pain disappear from her head. She had not even realized Verdiwild was in the carriage with them. “Hueionea Xergway.” Before she could say anything or ask questions, Verdiwild demanded, “Teleport yourself and the Aran to a safe location.”

“But, we can help!” Sahara says sitting up from the floor and hearing the loud war-like commotion outside.

“No. It is only a small group of rebels. We will manage.” Verdiwild says calmly. “Go.”

Sahara knows she cannot argue with him and teleports herself and Brystol to her room back at Holestroy. “Is your head alright?” Brystol asks looking back at her head where the wound was just moments before. She feels the area and it seems normal as if there was never blood there.

“It seems fine now. What happened?” She asks.

“Waizlynn attacked you.” Sahara knew Waizlynn must not have believed the Royal Notice. “I am sure they already have her captured.”

“I hope not.” Sahara says in reply.

“What?” He sounds confused.

“I deserved to be attacked and probably worse.” She says looking out of the window as tears roll down her cheeks.

She hears a small sigh from Brystol as he wraps his arms around her from behind. “You did the right thing.” He says just before kissing her left temple. “It wasn’t Bularia anymore and you prevented the future you saw of Malorsty being breached.”

“Maybe.” She replies feeling not certain of the future.

“What do you mean maybe?” He sounds concerned releasing his hug and turning her towards him. “Did you use the declure again?”

“No.” She shakes her head and wipes her tears away. “I will never use the declure again.”

“Why not?” he asked.

“It screws everything up. I would rather just not know the future. I knew having to kill Bularia was coming and I know that you will either...” She stops realizing she shouldn’t say her thoughts out loud and he releases her from his grasp as some sadness sweeps across his face.

“Die or live?” He asks.

“I can’t control that one. I could control the Bularia one.”

“You had a choice to kill me when Raglen had you flamed and you didn’t. You had a choice to let me die when you went after the Grey Elf. Maybe one of those times was linked to that future.” He says trying to console her.

She wonders if he could be right, it could have been linked to the Grey Elf incident. She had not thought of that before. She kissed his lips quickly, before running over to her trunk to find her declure. “What are you doing?”

“Maybe you are right. Maybe the Grey Elf saving you changed it!” She felt excitement pulling the clear block from her chest. “Panta tulwie, panta attea avanyarima fende aranta cala cil.”

“What is happening?” Brystol asks grasping hold of the table he is standing next to as the floor shakes. Sahara wonders how he can feel the shaking as the rainbow from the cube changes into a picture. “How am I seeing this?” He sounds confused as he looks at the picture on the wall.

“I have no idea.” Sahara says feeling equally surprised.

They watch the moving picture of Holestroy and notice her future self and Brystol are running down the hall in wedding attire. “Wait, my shoe!” Her future self says trying to stop and get the shoe she lost but Brystol grabs her and throws her over his shoulder leaving the shoe in the middle of the hall.

“We don’t need it.” He says briskly continuing down the hall.

Sahara feels her cheeks redden by the realization that it is their wedding night. “I am defiantly not dead in this future.” Brystol says with a smirk looking down at Sahara.

Sahara wishes this was like a TV in the human world and she had a remote to skip this uncomfortable scene. Fortunately, the scene fades and a new one appears just as Brystol is opening the door to a bedroom.

It is now dark and Holestroy is glowing with holiday decorations and elves. She realizes it must be the annual holiday party. She sees a future Trylla dancing with a young ellon and seems happy. “Is that Trylla?” Brystol asks looking surprised by how grown up she is.

“She is so beautiful.” Sahara smiles watching the two elves dance and giggle flirtatiously. “Seems she has a suitor.”

“I don’t like this.” Brystol says sounding like a protective big brother. “Who is that?”

“I don’t know but what does it matter?” Sahara asks teasingly.

“I need to talk to him.” Brystol says agitatedly.

The scene changes to the two of them greeting elves at the entrance of Holestroy. After greeting an elf couple, the Grey Elf suddenly curtsies toward their future selves and the future Sahara wraps her arms around the Grey Elf. “How is this the future?” Brystol asks sounding as confused as Sahara feels.

“I am not sure.” She replies seeing the future Brystol also wrapping his arms around the Grey Elf.

“Thank you for the invite. I have never been invited before.” The Grey Elf says to their future selves.

“You are always welcome. Thank you for coming and all you have done for our world.” The future Brystol says slightly bowing toward the Grey Elf.

“You saved us all.” The future Sahara says with a thankful smile.

The picture fades and Sahara feels unsure of what they just saw. “Did we not kill her?”

“Definitely did.” He says in thought.

“And, how could you see all that anyway?” Sahara asks confused and still looking obviously embarrassed.

“Maybe the same way I suddenly gained this ability.” Brystol says causing a bolt of electricity to flicker in his palm.

Sahara had not thought about transferring him more than just electrical power from their mishap all those months ago. “I transferred my abilities to you.” She says wondering what other abilities he has gained from her. “Can you teleport too?”

“I have never tried.” He says thoughtfully. “I am not even sure I would know how to attempt it.”

“Think of a place and picture yourself there. Then just tell yourself to be there.” She explains.

“You make it sound so easy.” He says thoughtfully.

“So try it.” She says curiously. “Or try teleporting me somewhere.”

“Okay.” He says closing his eyes. He shrugs his shoulders as he mentally tells himself to be in his room and for Sahara to be there with him. He feels a sudden rush of air before opening his eyes. “I did not think that would work.”

Sahara looks more confused. “This is...”

“Crazy!” Brystol says in excitement.

“So, me almost killing you transferred my abilities to you?” She asks.

“Or the Grey Elf linked us.” He says in concern turning towards her.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“I had not had these abilities before. When you made your deal with her and you sacrificed your feelings for me to save me, she must have linked us. Maybe to drain my powers too. But then when we killed her, it didn’t unlink us, it just gave us both the same powers.” He starts to pace the floor with his words.

“To destroy us both.” Sahara says wondering if that were true why they were thanking her in the second future they just saw.

“She wasn’t helping Patreek.” Brystol says shaking his head in disbelief.

“But she took my powers.” She says thinking about their encounter with her.

“She was helping us.” He says with a small smile shaking his head. “She traveled in time and knew things no other elf ever will. What if she linked us knowing it would be the only way we could defeat Patreek for good? We are the only two that know we share powers and we can use that to stop him. That is the key!”

“Why would she... Wait?” Sahara remembers back to first meeting the Grey Elf. “She was the one that told me about the necklace suppressing my powers and said I needed help. And maybe she knew about the future where you die, because she said me giving her my feelings for you was the only way to keep you from dying.” Sahara suddenly realizes that perhaps the Grey Elf was helping her after all. “But why would she want us to kill her?” Sahara asks confused.

“The same reason Slagwart wanted to be killed. To go to the World Beyond and escape the Underverse Aran. But from the second future, we might not have killed her.” Brystol replies and Sahara realizes the Grey Elf didn’t really seem to try and stop them much from killing her.

“She helped us.” Sahara says sitting down on his bed in disbelief. “She and Slagwart. They both helped us?”

“I think so.” Brystol says sitting down next to her and grabbing her hand.

“She changed everything.” Sahara smiles looking over at Brystol.

“You think because we watched the declure together, that is why it showed us together?” Brystol asks thoughtfully.

“Maybe.” Sahara says wondering if that was why both futures showed them together. She stands up from the bed releasing his hand. “It always shows me the future of where I am when I use it. So it makes sense that it would also show the future of where you are too.”

“So, it wouldn’t show me dead if it went off me being there right?” He asks thoughtfully.

“I guess not.” She had not thought of that. “I can go watch it alone.” She says standing to leave his room.

“Or.” He stops her by grabbing her hand. “Let’s just assume we changed it and now we need to figure out how the Grey Elf is still alive.”

She smiles trying to hide her realization that he is nervous about being dead in the future. “Honestly I think we changed it anyway, because when I made the deal with the Grey Elf it saved you.”

“Maybe.” He says with a half smile that is fake. “We weren’t married in the second future.”

“What?” She asks wondering why he would think that.

“We had no rings on and you were wearing only blue and I was wearing only gold.” He says flatly.

“So?” Sahara thinks back to earlier when Tari Nathila spoke about wearing the gold dress she is still in to the Eves Lighting.

“If we were married we would be wearing both our kingdoms colors and have rings on.” He pushes her away from him slightly looking sad.

“But that had to be a year from now at least, so we had to be.” She protested.

“We weren’t Sahara.” He says plainly.

“Then why were we greeting at the entrance together?” she asks.

“I don’t know.” He shakes his head unsure. “Perhaps you are given a choice or we bring back the Grey Elf and break the betrothal.”

“I would never break the betrothal, Brystol!” She says pulling him back up against her.