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Sam’s eyes slowly opened and focused on the man lying beside her. His eyelids fluttered and his body twitched as he dreamed, making her smile. She had spent enough nights with Dean to know that he would soon be awake. So it had all been a dream; the car crash, the miscarriage, the quest and all of those strange and wonderful people. She hadn’t realised she possessed such a good imagination.
Tor and his brothers, River, Grimmel, Oak; the list went on and on and none of them were real. Even Hawk could not exist. Part of her felt sad that the good friendships she thought she had formed had all been make believe, but it meant that the deaths were also not real. Ellen had never existed, so she could not have died when sunlight touched her skin.
She smiled as the faces she had dreamed came to the forefront of her memory. Ria, Patrick, Samson transforming into Nosmas. Maybe she should write it all down while everything was so clear in her mind; it would make a great book. Other names and faces surfaced; Ban, Modo, Brin.
Brin.
She sat up, eyes wide, staring at the wall in front of her. Brin had seemed so real. The emotions she felt when she thought that name were too strong to have all been in her head.
Looking around, she realised that she had no idea where she was. She was lying in a four poster bed at one end of a large room. Tapestries covered the walls, a rug lay on the floor in front of the fireplace and in the far corner stood a chair with clothes strewn all over it. She presumed that they were Dean’s, but she did not recognise them.
There was a knock on the door and a familiar voice called out, asking if she was awake. She responded that she was, and the door opened, allowing Dal to bounce into the room. Sam stared at her in confusion. If Dal was here, then it could not have been a dream. She slowly turned to look closely at the man in the bed beside her, then started to scream.
“It’s okay Sam. It’s really me. Please stop whimpering.” Sam sat in the chair, which was now devoid of clothes. She could not stop shaking.
“You can’t be here. You can’t be alive,” she stammered, unable to take her eyes off the person who looked so much like her dead fiancé her eyes must be deceiving her.
Dean took her hands in his and began to stroke them. “Why don’t you come downstairs,” he said gently. “Everyone is extremely worried about you and I have not been formally introduced to your companions yet. Once that is out of the way I will explain everything, I promise.”
Reluctantly, she followed his advice and allowed him to escort her down the stairs. He led her to the library, which was full of her friends, all deep in conversation.
Dallen, Dal for short, and her husband were cuddled together in one of the large armchairs. They looked an unlikely pair. Dal was stunningly beautiful. She had posed as her twin brother for a while, keeping her blonde hair cropped short in order to keep up the pretence. It was now beginning to grow and the curls had been formed into ringlets, which enhanced her features perfectly. Though only sixteen, she had fallen in love with, and married, Seth, much to her brother’s disgust. The twins’ mother was Prince Tor’s cousin and a political marriage had been arranged for Dallen. Her brother was not happy that she chose to marry a commoner instead.
At first glance, Seth seemed the complete opposite of his bride. While her eyes shone a brilliant blue, his were a dull brown that clashed with his red, verging on orange, hair. The word attractive could never apply to him; his large nose spoiling any chance his face ever had of being anything other than plain. He had lived with, and worked for, Tor since his parents had died when he was young and looked upon him as a friend rather than an employer.
It was not until you saw how the couple treated each other that you realised how perfectly matched they were. Neither cared about appearances or money. What someone had on the inside was much more important than looks or wealth. They were completely devoted to each other and blissfully happy.
The three Remeny Princes were sitting together, huddled round a small table with a book open on it. Tor and Brodin were very much alike. Both were tall and fit, with brown hair and beards covering much of their faces. Their younger brother, Cirren, was very different. Shorter and slimmer, with blue eyes and curly blonde hair, it was hard to believe that all three shared the same parents. Brodin had only just joined the team so Sam did not know him well. She found herself wondering if Dean had yet been informed that the quest he had been aiding Brodin on was cursed and that the Princes were all supposed to die. Tor had found a way around it by working together with his brothers instead of against them.
Tor seemed sad and his eyes were red, as though he had been crying. This took Sam by surprise as he was not an emotional man. Then she realised what the cause of his distress was; he had been told about Ellen’s death. Tor and Ellen had been friends for a long time and he would miss her greatly.
Nosmas sat with Ria and Quartilla. Sam first got to know him when he was a wolf and answered to the name of Samson. He was later revealed to be a reverse werewolf, who changed back into a man when the moon was full. None of the companions knew this, except for his father, and the truth was revealed when the werewolf who bit him was killed, thus removing the curse. Taller than any of the others present, his muscular body, yellow eyes and long grey hair reminded Sam of the wolf he used to be. Quartilla, a small thin girl of fourteen years of age, was his ward, for want of a better word. When she had been forced, for her own safety, to leave her father’s estate, Nosmas agreed to look after her and now they were rarely seen apart.
Ria, an ex-thief and acrobat, still kept her body in shape, much to the immense pleasure of most men she met. Her long blonde hair and green eyes, coupled with her beauty, made her a target for the affections of men wherever she went, but she knew how to take care of herself, beating seasoned soldiers when challenged in unarmed combat. On top of that, what she could accomplish with a couple of sharp knives would have most of her would-be suitors running in terror if they only knew.
When her eyes fell on Modo and Oak, Sam was reassured once more that she had definitely not been dreaming. Oak was a tree sprite and looked more like a collection of sticks and branches than a living creature. His small, thin frame and dark brown colouring enabled him to become almost invisible in a forest. Modo was the only vexen that most of the group had ever met. His skin was black and scaly and what his one eye, in the middle of his forehead, did not see, those at the end of each of his fingers did.
Patrick was not present. Since arriving at his castle he had been avoiding everyone, choosing to spend his time alone in his wine cellar, attempting to drink it dry. He had failed to save the woman he loved and was taking her death very hard.
At that moment, Brodin looked up and saw her. “How are you feeling?” he asked. She had fainted when she had first laid eyes on Dean, much to everyone’s dismay. “If I had known you would react that badly, I would have forewarned you. Dean talked about you constantly and as soon as Tor explained how you joined his team I knew who you were.”
“Thanks,” she replied. “I’m okay. I think.”
The only other person in the room, Sam did not know. She vaguely remembered being introduced to the half dwarf, but could not recall his name. He looked up as she and Dean entered, revealing the ugliest face she had ever laid her eyes on. His brown sunken eyes were almost totally obscured by his bushy eyebrows and his long black hair was coarse and far from tidy.
“Fajfar,” Dean said as he escorted Sam towards the strange man. “You have not yet been introduced to my fiancée. Sam, meet Fajfar. He is not much to look at, but is definitely a good man to have by your side.”
Sam shook his outstretched hand automatically, her mind focused on other things. “What did you just call me?” she asked.
“My fiancée. I presume you are still wearing my ring.” He glanced down at her ringless finger and frowned. “Where is it?”
Sam sighed. “I have a lot to tell you,” she informed him. “Let me introduce you to everyone, then I think we need to find somewhere quiet where we can talk.” She did not sound happy about the prospect.
Other than Brodin and Fajfar, Dean did not know anyone present, so introducing him took longer than Sam wished. All of her companions had heard about her past and had managed to work out who Dean was, though they were all confused as to how he was alive, as was Sam herself. Everything went well until he shook Dal’s hand and his eyes were drawn to her wedding ring.
He looked at Sam sharply. “You have a lot of explaining to do,” he said coldly.
“It is a long story. We may as well get started.” She led him out of the library and back to her bedroom, pushing him into the chair before settling down on the bed, legs crossed. “What happened?” she asked. “How are you alive?”
“What do you mean?” he said in confusion. “What made you think I had died?”
“An email went round the entire firm stating that both you and Andrew were dead. Then Davey came to see me and told me all about the accident.”
“Andrew’s dead?” Dean asked in shock. “But how could I be pronounced dead when they never found a body?”
Sam sighed. “When they pulled the car out of the water and found Andrew’s body still in the driver’s seat and the passenger seat empty, the police concluded that you had drowned and your body had floated away. For the first few days I kept expecting a news announcement or something in the paper saying your body had eventually been found. So what really happened?”
Dean calmly explained everything. Andrew was showing off his new car, driving with the hood down, when a maniac coming the other way forced him to swerve and they ended up in the river. He could still remember the coldness of the water when they hit it and how he had panicked while trying to release his seatbelt. The next thing he knew he was laying on the ground surrounded by strangers. Initially he thought he had died until Brodin managed to convince him that he was very much alive. The Prince then told him everything about the death of the King and the quest each of the sons were taking part in. When one of the clues had said they needed a blind man who could read, Brodin and his team had visited a witch.
“Mama Rose?” Sam asked.
“I don’t think that was her name. Small, thin, quite young?” Dean enquired.
Sam shook her head. Dean was definitely talking about someone else. “Mama Rose is the witch that brought me here,” she explained. “I am the ‘guide from another world’.”
Dean smiled. “I remember Brodin reading that clue. He was very pleased that I fit the criteria for two different clues, though he did take some convincing that I was actually blind and could read.”
Sam gasped. Ever since waking up that morning, something about Dean had been bothering her and now she knew what is was. He could see. He no longer wore dark glasses or carried a stick. “You can see?” she asked redundantly.
He nodded, grinning. “I asked the witch about it and she had a number of theories. It could have been a side effect of the spell, or the journey itself, or even just being in this world. I had to explain to Brodin that I really was blind in my own world and I read many books with my hands.” He stopped talking and looked at her. “That’s my story. Now your turn.”
She told him everything, starting with her miscarriage. Tears trickled down her face as she spoke, but Dean did not attempt to comfort her; he knew her well enough to know she needed him to keep his distance for the time being. She skipped to her last day in their world, and spoke about the party and the Ouija board, through which she was dragged. “Bellak, a wizard working with Tor, told Mama Rose to get someone called Sam. Unfortunately he forgot to mention that he wanted a man and was not happy when I appeared. He went out of his way to make me feel unwanted and constantly lied to me.” Her voice dropped as she continued. “I have made some good friends since I arrived here. Some of them I have had to say goodbye to and one has died.”
She told him about Ellen being almost murdered and how Hawk, who Dean had yet to meet, turned her into a vampire in order to save her life, only for her to die later when she got caught out in the sun. “Patrick, who owns this castle, has a curse on him so every time he dies he comes back to life. He is now over seven hundred years old, but that hasn’t stopped him being a womaniser. He didn’t realise he was in love with Ellen until she died. He is not handling it very well.”
“So why is someone else wearing my ring?” Dean enquired, attempting to keep the betrayal he felt out of his voice and failing.
“Seth and Dal fell in love when everyone thought she was her twin brother,” Sam started explain.
“This is going to be interesting,” Dean interrupted, his frown replaced by a slight smile.
“It was quite unpleasant for Seth for a while. Can you even begin to imagine how he was feeling, thinking he was falling for a boy? Dal kissed him and he did not react very well. There were arguments and they tried to avoid each other as much as possible. When Dal’s twin brother arrived at an inn we were staying at, we all got very confused. Seth immediately worked out what was going on and snuck her out of the room. She was engaged to be married for political reasons so they tied the knot that night to avoid her being dragged back home. I was a witness and Nosmas performed the ceremony. Your ring was the only one we had.”
“So why did they not obtain another one at the next opportunity?”
Sam shook her head. Men never understood. “It would not be the same. That was the ring she was married in, her wedding ring. Any other would not hold the same meaning to her.”
“So you are telling me that it no longer meant anything to you, so you happily gave it away.”
“No,” Sam snapped, not liking his attitude. “It was very difficult for me to give it up. It was the only thing from you I still had. I just realised that her need was greater than mine.”
“But..”
“Don’t but me,” she shouted. “I forgot what a selfish git you can be sometimes. Get out and leave me alone.”
Stunned by her ferociousness, he did as requested without saying another word. He made his way back to the library, where he found everyone was discussing the painting the ladies had found in one of the towers. The latest clue, which had sent them to Patrick’s island, had mentioned a shrieking pheasant and while exploring the castle, Sam, Ria and Quartilla had discovered Patrick’s art collection. One of the paintings was titled ‘The Shrieking Pheasant’. They intended to ask him about it if he ever showed his face again.
“That could have gone better,” Ria observed as Dean walked in. “We heard the shouting from down here. What did you say to upset her?”
“I only asked about her engagement ring,” he said defensively.
“Really.”
“Well, I may have accused her of giving it up because it meant nothing to her.”
“Are you a complete idiot?” Dal asked, standing up and walking up to him. “It was very hard for her to let me have this.” She held her hand out, displaying the ring gleaming on her finger. “If it was not for her finding love again with Brin then I do not think she would have even contemplated it.”
“Who’s Brin?” Dean asked.
“Shit,” Dal said quietly, looking down at the floor in embarrassment.
“Brin is someone who travelled with us for a while,” Tor informed him. “Due to unfortunate circumstances, he had to remain behind when we visited his homeland.”
“That is kind of irrelevant right now,” Ria intervened before Tor could reveal too much. “Right now you need to go back upstairs and apologise to Sam.”
“I know her better than you. I know when she needs time to herself,” he disagreed. “I think I should let her calm down a bit.”
“That may take a while,” Seth muttered under his breath, just loud enough for Dean to hear.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” he demanded.
“She might be a little emotional at the moment, that is all.”
“And why would she be emotional? What aren’t you telling me?”
“She has had rather a shock, seeing you come back from the dead,” Dal said, glowering at her husband.
“No,” Dean said, shaking his head. “That comment meant something more.”
Ria sighed. Too much had already been said for her to avoid telling him. “She is with child.”
Dean fell into a chair, his legs no longer able to support him.
“So let me get this right,” he said quietly. “While I have been travelling around this planet, meeting some amazing women, I have stayed true to Sam, whereas she has not only broken off our engagement, she has been sleeping around.”
“Oh grow up,” Ria snapped at him. “It was different for her and you know it.”
“Obviously,” he replied sarcastically.
“She thought you were dead. What did you expect her to do? Spend the rest of her life pining after you. From what I have seen so far, you are definitely not worth it.”
Her words struck him like a physical blow, knocking his anger out of him. “I think I need to hear the full story.”
They spent the next hour filling him in on Sam’s life, starting when she first appeared in the field outside of Mama Rose’s cottage. They explained how hard she had found adjusting to her new life and living with the knowledge that she could never go home. This Dean could sympathise with, having gone through it himself. They continued on, telling him about how Sam and Brin met and how they both denied their feelings for a while, despite Hawk’s attempts to make them admit how they felt.
“It was Brin almost killing her that eventually got them together.”
Dean stared at Ria. “You have got to be kidding me.”
She shook her head. “We needed her to scream in agony and he did not trust anyone else to do it, so he shot her in the shoulder with an arrow.”
“You bloody idiots,” Dean exclaimed. “It didn’t need to be real agony. I faked it and the entrance still opened.”
Ria and Tor both looked at him. “I think it might be a good idea if you do not mention that to Sam. She might not take it very well.”
Dal took over the narration, explaining how they had trouble removing the arrow and Sam reacted badly to the pain killing potion Ellen brewed for her, almost resulting in her death.
“Brin would not leave her side until he knew she was going to live. From that moment on, they were inseparable,” Tor said. “They had their arguments, usually about his over-protectiveness, but they always sorted them out.”
“She made the decision that he should remain with his people when all of his family were killed. It was the right thing to do, but they both took it very hard. She barely ate or drank anything for days.” Ria sighed. “It was not pleasant to watch. She rarely spoke and would only sleep when Ellen forced a sleeping drug down her throat.”
“Brin was not much better,” Seth informed Dean. “Hawk flew back to his home each night until the distance became too great and Brin’s uncle, the King, told him that Brin was reacting to the separation in much the same way.”
“I don’t understand,” Dean said, frowning. “If he loved her so much, why did he let her go, knowing she was expecting his child.”
“He does not know. Finding out she was pregnant is what saved her. Suddenly she had something worth living for. She is refusing to let anyone tell him.”
Dean hung his head in his hands. “Okay,” he said when he raised his head again. “I think I am getting the picture. So what do I do now?”
“Court her,” Ria suggested. “It is going to take her a long time to get over Brin. You could help her do that.” She looked at him thoughtfully. “Does it bother you that she is expecting someone else’s child?”
“Yes,” he replied truthfully. “But I guess it is something that I will have to get used to. What is my first step?”
“Apologising would be a good start. Then you need to take it slow. Remind her of how much you meant to her. She talked about you often enough when she first joined our group so we all know how she felt. Her feelings have not gone, they have just been buried. You need to help her bring them to the surface again.”
Before he had chance to disagree with her, Ria unceremoniously pulled him to his feet and pushed him out of the room, closing the door behind him. “Men,” she said in exasperation.
He had only taken a few steps towards the stairs when he was suddenly slammed backwards into the wall, a hand almost crushing his windpipe. Desperately trying to pull the hand away from his throat, he struggled to breathe as he felt his body being dragged upwards until his head almost touched the ceiling.
He began to shake uncontrollably as the face in front of him moved closer and a menacing voice rasped in his ear. “Give me one good reason why I should not kill you right now.”