child. It had been the inner voice that had brought her to me. I had a bout with some amnesia and anger. I didn’t really recognize her, but the fact is that I harmed her and her child. I will never forgive myself for that. She somehow did and came back to me and loved me as much as before. I really loved her but was a foolish man.” He stopped to gauge her reaction and she was just looking at him. He did not feel any fear or hatred coming from her.
“It doesn’t sound like perfect love to me. You attacked her brutally and she still forgave you? I find that hard to believe.” She just looked at him after saying that and a little anger began to build. “Take me home now Johann, please.”
They walked to the car and he was silent. He had told her too much and now may lose her again. She wondered how this man that treated her like a princess could possibly have ever hurt anyone. She noticed that he was hurting, but stayed silent. He helped her in and they drove off. “Rissy just believe me when I tell you that I can’t explain very well. It’s very complicated.”
“How could you have been with another when you loved her so very much?” she questioned him.
“Rissy like I said it is very complicated. Things were very different them. She and I were finally wed and lived a happy life, but as with all things good it was too short. She had finally made peace with the inner voice by the time it was all over. The other woman and I had met long before and at one point all three of us lived happily together. Jealousy grew between the two and everything fell apart.” He looked forward and drove towards her house. “She was also a witch and never realized the complete extent of her power. There were things she and I both had to learn, things about myself that I wish I had never seen. I am not a very good man Rissy and I will never find someone like her ever again.” That part was truer now than ever. Rissy was different this time around and that was certain. He thought that their last life together was too traumatic and that he might as well have granted her wish. If he could not have her by his side, then maybe she could live an eternity with someone who didn’t disgust her. At this moment he lost hope and couldn’t breathe. “Have you ever loved two people so much that there was no way to choose one over the other, only to find that one was the one you were really meant to be with, and then realized that you had made a terrible mistake?”
She really tried to understand what he was saying and the story was a little familiar. It was like a story she had once been told or had read about. Something kept pulling at her to just be with him, but she was fighting it. She wondered how she could ever be with a man, who was so vile with someone he supposedly loved, and yet she wanted to be with him and how could he choose another over this one? She just wanted to hurry and get home. She chanted quietly a spell of protection in case he harmed her as well. What had started out as a wonderful night had now become a nightmare for her. She was with an atrocious man and she had to get away from him soon. She thought about asking him to pull over but was afraid that he would become violent with her. He could feel how uncomfortable she was and it depressed him further. He knew he deserved this for the pain he had caused her in their past life together. This had all been a rouse and they were never going to be together. He felt that he had been tricked once again by the fates.
When they arrived at her house she did not wait for him to open the door for her, but opened it herself and fled to the house, opened the door with her mind and sealed it with a chant. He just stood outside the car staring. His heart jumped into his throat and he wept. As he entered his own house Randolf took one look and went to get Svelta. He knew something was terribly wrong. The only time he had ever seen his employer this way before was when Risanne and the child died.
Svelta rushed upstairs to Johann’s room while Randolf hid all of the elven wine. Charlotte crept up the stairs and listened outside of the door. She heard her benefactor explaining to Svelta what had happened. She became upset and decided to do something. She never wanted to see him like this ever again. If he lost hope, then what would happen?
She slipped into the last bedroom and took a small portrait off the wall, went downstairs and slipped out of the house. She knew that Johann would be furious, but she was going to do anything she could to fix things. Charlotte never was one to wait for things to happen.
She finally arrived at Rissy’s home, went to the door and knocked. No one came to the door but that didn’t stop her. She banged harder on the door. A small tearful voice said “Charlotte go home. I want nothing to do with any of you especially that vile creature you worship.” Charlotte being determined loudly spoke. “Rissy Ann Moonshower you will open this door now or I will break it down. I want to talk to you about some things and they are important. Do it now or I swear I’ll have your cousin come over here and break it down with a wave of her hand. Oh yes I know her and she knows me and Johann.”
Slowly Rissy cracked the door. “Is Johann with you?”
“No Rissy, he’s not. He doesn’t know I’m here, but please my friend let me in.” Charlotte was hoping that she would not have to resort to bringing in others of the Moonshower clan. She loved them but they all came like a herd of cattle when only one was asked for assistance.
Rissy slowly and carefully opened the door and pulled Charlotte inside slamming the door and locking it with locks and spells. Her eyes were red and the makeup was streaked. She had not changed out of her dress either. Charlotte went to the kitchen as she told Rissy to go change. When Rissy returned Charlotte had coffee waiting for her. Rissy was too upset to even realize that Charlotte had done this without asking. They went to the parlor and sat down. “It was so lovely Charlotte and then he told me about this woman he loved and that he violated, cheated on and pushed away. If I had any idea that he was like that, I wouldn’t have let him hold me like he did in the ocean.
“And I suppose that the soft water rained down on you because you love the way it feels.” Charlotte said rather bluntly.
“What did he tell you Charlotte? I did nothing with him.” Rissy almost screamed.
“Hush child.” Charlotte said. “First of all, he never said a word to me. Secondly you have always loved that little trick when cuddled up against him in a lake or ocean.” Charlotte stared at her while she spoke these words.
Rissy spat. “I have never been with him before. Never and you know that.”
It was at this juncture that Charlotte pulled out the portrait and showed it to Rissy. Rissy’s mouth fell open and she cried harder. “This cannot be, Charlotte. I’ve never been with him before. You did this to make me think I’m going crazy.”
Charlotte became very angry at this point but held it in. “As he once said to you, ‘look at it with all of your heart, mind, and soul and tell me what you feel and see.’”
Rissy trembling looked at it and had a myriad of emotions and thoughts fill her. She couldn’t take her eyes off of it. There she was in a beautiful wedding dress, standing beside him hand in hand. She wanted to deny it, but her heart told her to see it. Really see it. Tears were flowing. She looked at Charlotte and back at the portrait, then back at Charlotte once more before stating, “He’s the angel isn’t he?” As soon as she said this she fainted so overwhelmed with the emotions flooding her.
Charlotte went to Rissy’s side and took the portrait from her hands. She laid Rissy down on the sofa and went to get her some of the bottled water out of the refrigerator. When she returned Rissy was trying to sit up. “Charlotte, please help me get up.” Charlotte set the water bottle on the coffee table and assisted Rissy in sitting up. “I thought they were fairy tales. How can this be?” Charlotte looked around expecting Johann to come busting in and dragging her out before she could say another word. She knew that it would not be long until he felt her presence missing from the house, if he hadn’t already. Charlotte felt that it was time for Rissy to know more and since Johann had screwed
