Helena was confused. One moment she was sitting on the rock feeling her heart break and the next she was standing in a thick part of the forest by a horse. She blinked and looked around her, rubbing at her dry eyes in confusion.
"Hello little one," came a familiar voice. Helena spun around with her confusion showing on her face. Her Spirit chuckled as he saw her, "You are unconscious. Look." He pointed off into the trees and Helena watched as a man came running through the brush. Helena gasped to see herself flung over his shoulder, unconscious.
He was a not a large man but he carried her as though she weighed nothing. He was lean with well defined muscles. His black hair would put many women to shame but his blue eyes were cold and unfeeling. He pulled down on the reigns and the horse knelt for him, making it easier for him to position her on the saddle and climb on. He had Helena so she was almost cradled in front of him, both legs on one side as a virginal woman had to ride. He was being very careful in her placement.
Helena stepped back out of the way as the man guided the horse to its feet and then spurred it into a dash through the woods. He leaned forward, pressing Helena's body between his and the horses to protect them both from the lower branches as they disappeared through the forest.
The terror that Helena felt in that moment was overwhelming. She felt her knees go weak and feel back against her Spirit. He wrapped his arms around her and lowered them both to the ground. He held her with her face against his chest, capturing one of her tears from her skin.
"It is meant to be. But I needed to come warn you that all of your visions will start changing. There are things you cannot see or you would act accordingly. You see what is happening as well as what will happen. This is rare."
Helena shivered in his arms. She wasn't sure if she was cold or just overly scared. Both seemed accurate.
"I know that what I think may be is not always what will be."
He wrapped his arms tighter around her, "There are things that are meant to be that you are not meant to stop. Those things you cannot see. Now imagine what happens to an event if things are left out."
Helena frowned as she tried to understand the lesson, "It would show you false visions without that event to guide the way of things." She gasped and looked up at him, "Are some of the visions I have been having wrong?"
He nodded and touched her lips with a gentle look on his face, "The Gods will guide you as best they can but every Prophet is meant to do the Gods will." His eyes became sad, "You must be strong but you cannot fight it. To fight it could bring death rather then freedom. The Gods gave you just what you needed to be prepared for the worst of it. They did not want you to be broken. There will come a point when they will show you the truth and you will know what to do."
Helena nodded and shivered again, "I am afraid."
He nodded and wrapped his arms tighter around her, "I know. It's time to wake up now Helena. He was careful not to hurt you permanently."
Helena gripped her hands into his shirt and shook her head, burying her face into the material. There was a sudden jolt to her body as though the ground had raised and lowered. Then another. She was gasping in panic as a strong pain began in the back of her head and then the constant jolting of the horse. She moaned and felt the rocking stop.
She opened her eyes slowly and found herself looking at those cold blue eyes from a very close distance. She didn't panic as she thought she would have. Knowing exactly where she was before waking made it less of a shock.
He tilted his head at her a little, raising one eyebrow, "You know already?"
Helena nodded, fear still racing through her. The strain to hold still made her tremble.
He grinned and the only emotion she saw there was pure malice, "Good. This makes things easier." He spurred the horse forward again causing her to groan at the pain in her head. He kept his eyes forward, ignoring her discomfort entirely. "You have two choices. One is to come with me without a fight and the other is to try and escape. I do not wish to hurt you any more then I have already but I do not have time for any delays. And if you did get away from me, my Lord would trample your people to get you."
Helena fought off the dizziness and stayed quiet. Taking her silence as submission he spurred the horse faster. He needed a head start before they discovered her missing.
***.::.***
Esma was worried. Helena had left to go see the King a long time ago. She paced inside the hut, trying hard not to chase after her sister. Something felt wrong. It felt almost like a part of her was missing.
She pulled the curtain back from the door and frowned. The dinner bell rang in the distance and the sun was going down. Hesitating for just a moment she left the hut, heading up to the main hall. The hall was already a buzz of activity. She stepped in the door and then out of the way to look around. She did not see Lucas or Helena.
Joining the line of people she watched constantly for them to emerge, not even responding as those around her tried to speak to her or say hello. Lellah sat at a table by her mother. Esma watched the woman who stared steadily at the hall to his room. She knew when he was coming by Lellah's reaction. She sat up straighter suddenly and her face went from steady tension to a bright smile.
Lucas appeared at the end of the hallway and studied Lellah. His body was tense and he did not smile. Esma tilted her head and her hands began to shake each moment he stood there and no Helena joined him. She hesitated, fear suddenly very strong. Something was very very wrong.
Lucas looked towards her and knotted his brow at her. He came towards her and looked down at her worried, "What is it?"
Esma shook her head, unable to speak. When her words came out they were stammered, "Where is... Helena?"
