no sentimental ending

...she blinks, shakes her head to clear her vision. If this is heaven then why is everything so dark? Maybe this is the other option, which means that this guy is...

"Hava, no. You're very much alive, and we -" the godlike man with the bell-like voice gestures towards other, equally beautiful beings - "are your friends and family.
"I'm your brother, Gabe. I'll let the others introduce themselves in their own time. Don't try to speak, I can explain everything. But first I must tell you a story."

Hava is slightly hypnotised by his voice - and stunned by his words. She couldn't have uttered a word if she wanted to. A brother?

Gabe moves to sit by Hava, taking her hand.

"I'm not one for sentimental endings. Not this time. Sentiment is a luxury we cannot afford while the future of the realm and our way of life is at stake. Listen carefully Hava, this is about you too.

"First, you will have heard of the myths of earth which involve marriages between humans and divine creatures. Many of them told of ruling families falling in love with water spirits - mermaids, if you like.

"A modern version retells the Christ-Magdelene story, with the 'water' changed into blood. It involves a royal line nonethess and names the Merovingian family as descendants of this union.

"In truth the Merovingian legend involves a Mer-maid - yes I can see that you make the connection between the word 'mermaid' and the name 'Mary'. You're right, they mean the same thing, more or less - 'of the sea' - and the two stories are related, although not as you might think.

"The history of the Merovingian line is a case in point though - their power came from their divine roots, but they died out when they forgot what was owed in return. In a bizarre irony it was the Christian influence which turned those kings away from soul.

"I say 'soul' because that is precisely what earthly magic is - the soul of the world. Each divine creature embodies part of the world soul, and in humans its the female who is guardian of Her.

"We don't have time to go into gender politics right now, but suffice to say that Earth has been in trouble for some time due to the imbalance - and so has our realm - Eloah - which exists in parallel.

"But before all this trouble started there were other troubles - some of these are written in the old texts of earth, the sacred texts that hardly anyone can understand anymore. There is a common thread through all of these, however much they are misinterpreted and distorted.

"All the stories involve an exceptional female who is paired with a ruler of some sort and gives birth 'without stain' to a royal or divine heir. Or two. All the way back to the first woman.

"The first woman, Hava."

Gabe pauses, sighs, and carefully places Hava's hand to rest on her other one. She's drifting off to sleep, the journey taking its toll. The story will have to wait a little longer.

What is one more day after a thousand years?

lavender blue

..lavender's blue, dilly dilly..." She puts down her pen and looks up out of the window. How does it go again? "Lavender's blue, dilly dilly, rosemary's green...mm" Hava hums the tune a bit and lowers her head to continue her work.


"When you are king, dilly dilly..." Lucy sings over the top of her drawing table and pops her head up to grin at Hava. "I love that old nursery rhyme!"

"Yes, but I think its really a folk song" Hava says, flashing back a grin of her own. Her slavic accent slightly trips over the word 'folk' - an in-joke in the small design company they own and run.

"Ha! Well Hava darling you are the fokk expert" Lucy replies, ducking as a ball of paper whizzes by her head.


They can laugh because everyone knows it isn't true. Hava couldn't be more conservative or shy when it comes to relationships - and no one has ever been able to engage her in a real discussion about her life outside the studio.

Though maddeningly closed on the subject most young women love best, on design she prattles for hours, expounding the virtues of new techniques or a cutting edge movement or the works of well known artists and architects.

As expected, Hava blushes bright scarlet and hunches down over her work, hiding her smile. One of these days she'll have something to tell them.

That tune, though, continues in a loop, nagging her and pulling her attention towards something she can't quite remember. A dream? A memory? It's giving her a headache.


In the bathroom Hava splashes her face with cold water, grimacing at the shock of it and her reflection - pale and pasty, with uncharacteristic dark circles under eyes. It's been a while since she felt refreshed in the mornings. It's as though she's been living a whole other life in her dreams, waking exhausted and feeling as if she's gone horseriding all night.

"ridiculous" she mutteres to herself, "maybe I need to see a doctor?"

"a shrink might help! talking to yourself isn't a good sign.." came from a stall behind Hava, startling her out of her reverie.


"who's there?" Hava asks, surprised, just as the flushing lavatory drowns her words. The cubicle door swings open and a young man steps forward toward her. No. Not a young man, an angel, a demi god. This is the single most beautiful creature Hava has ever seen. She blinks twice, not believing her eyes.

"Would you believe I'm a genie from a bottle?" he asks with one perfect eyebrow raised. "No? You're right, there's no such thing."

He passes her on his way to the sink, trailing a scent she can't identify but which leaves her almost breathless with longing....Hava suddenly feels dizzy.

"I've come to talk to you about the king, Your majesty" The angel-man turns toward Hava just in time to catch her as she starts to fall.

And the world goes black.

a sordid past?

I can't do it. I can't tell you about anyone's past - I just can't make that judgement. Even if its only in my imagination I haven't got it in me to give details about anything anyone has done, sordid or otherwise. Its not right.

Please believe me I had no idea that it would come to this. I had no idea that she was once involved in so much, well, so much activity. No I will not tell you what kind of activity - lets just leave it at that.

After all, when one is young one is prone to all kinds of nonsense. Its easy to fall in with the wrong sort of people, particularly if one has lost parents and friends in some tragedy or other. Vulnerable, you understand. Its not as if the girl was born bad, oh no, she was perfectly innocent. At first.

Its inexplicable, this horrible event now. After all, we've come to trust her. We know she isn't capable of it. She can't be. No - she told me everything, all the dark details of her whole life. Why would she do that if she was planning to betray us?

There's nothing more to be done - we must ask her ourselves - confront her. Surely even one with such a history as hers is incapable of a bald-faced lie. She wouldn't dare, not to me. Not after everything I've done for her, taking her in, giving her a home, a name, a new identity. I taught her everything I know about living among decent, civilised society.

Yes, ask her yourself. Let her tell you her secrets, her shame. Let her speak for herself, and you can make up your own mind. But I won't say another word against her.

My lips are sealed.