“Oh, greetings, sister Rui,” her friend called out at her approach. “How good to see you again.”
Rui nodded in answer, but couldn’t find the voice or the energy to say anything out loud.
Seventh Sister took a closer look at her likely red-rimmed eyes and blotchy face, and reached out a hand to take Rui’s.
“My poor dear,” Miss Seventh cooed. “You look dreadful. Tell me what’s happened. It’s only been an hour since I’ve seen you.”
An hour?
But then, Rui recalled that time in the Heavens passed differently than it did on earth. There was no consistency of measurement either. Sometimes, years on earth could be mere minutes in Heaven. Other times, days on earth could be weeks in Heaven.
Regardless, it didn’t matter. For, all of the creatures in Heaven were immortal and magical. Time had no meaning here. Their measure of it was merely a habit adapted to earth-dwellers.
“I went on a treasure hunt,” Rui said.
“Yes?”
“I met the beautiful queen you showed me before.”
“It’s the mirror that showed you, not me,” Miss Seventh corrected.
“I-I met the man of my dreams,” Rui stuttered bleakly. “Beyondmy dreams. And I lost him when I came back.”
Her friend patted her hand and murmured some sympathetic sweet nothings.
“I m-miss him so!” Rui began to bawl, uncontrollable streams of tears running from her eyes again.
“I-I want him b-back! I want him back! I’d give up everything in my treasure trove to have him for just one more day! I w-want—”
She broke off with a messy snort and sniffle, her face a contortion of disgusting fluids, which she wiped haphazardly on the fine silk sleeve of her formal robes.
“There, there,” Miss Seventh condoled. “Come sit beside me by the pond. Look inside again. Perhaps you will see your heart’s desire.”
At that, Rui hastily knelt at the water’s edge, nearly tumbling inside.
If the Mirror Pond indeed showed her whom she most desired, it would hurt like blazes to see him but not hold him. But that was better than nothing at all.
It had only been a brief while between the time Rui left the past and traveled through the portal into the Heavenly realm. But it felt like an eternity had passed already.
She was beyond desperate for a sight of her Wolfe.
And so, with a wildly thumping heart, Rui leaned forward and looked…
~ * ~* ~ *~ * ~* ~ *~ * ~
Towards the end of 5thCentury, Britain. Five years since the liberation of King Arthur.
“More ale, my love?”
Wolfe didn’t look up from the almost empty cup he held, lost in own thoughts.
“How about you, handsome?” the barmaid quickly switched her attention to Tristan, who likely flashed her his famously charming grin.
Not that Wolfe bothered to take notice, not even for amusement.
He was seldom, if ever, amused these days. He’d always been taciturn and quiet, but the past few years had ossified his tough, outer shell into impenetrable stone.
“My belly is tighter than a drum,” Tristan said in his deep, manly voice, at the ripe old age of twenty.