The Smell of Right, and Wrong - Chapter 4

The whole experience was strange from the start, but they never imagined that it would just keep progressing into a living nightmare.

The Purple Lady stared at her in wonder as Etta blurted everything out, her face became especially animated as Etta explained certain details in her odd “vision.” But, she also noticed that Lila Dame kept glancing back down at the weapon she was holding. Paul had noticed it also, and when Etta neared the portion of the story where she explained exactly how she obtained it, Lila Dame’s eyes were pinned on it. At one point Etta was holding it out toward Paul, to show him the Eagle, and the mirror, and Paul reached out just to touch the detailed wings. Just as he was reaching, Lila Dame asked Etta to examine it, but she reached out and grabbed it while she was asking. Paul was noticing the lady’s odd quirks more and more, but he pretended not to. The lady flipped it over in her hands inspecting the Eagle shaped Hilt, and mirrored pommel. Then she handed it back to Etta. He didn't reach for it again in front of Lila Dame, instead he waited for Etta to finish telling the story, then he simply pointed out how stressed out he and Etta were from all of the excitement. He let a few more minutes of conversation go by as he scraped his brain for an escape plan of some type. The best thing that he could come up with on the fly, was only temporary at best. But, he knew after what Etta just explained, and what he saw, they needed to talk, and it needed to be done away from her.

Paul suggested that just he and Etta would go for a walk, to try and destress and breath. He further explained, that they could help each other process what was going on. The purple lady looked at him in a very suspicious way when he mentioned it. But, in an obvious act she just nodded and said something to both of them that struck Paul as being quite odd, “That is an outstanding idea.” She continued with, “it will give me a moment think also.” Paul didn't wait for an extra second, he grabbed Etta’s hand and headed over towards the picnic basket.

Etta definitely picked up on the creepy vibe when she saw her face as she said it. The face that had appeared forever young, and kind, since they had arrived there had taken on a whole new vibe. Etta also noticed that she was staring directly at the blade as she was speaking, then when she looked up at Paul the look in her eyes was almost panicked. Etta was getting the strong vibe, that this lady did not want that blade in Paul's hands.

They walked outward from the area in between the giant roots they were surrounded by. Paul ran over to the picnic basket and grabbed the blanket, and the small case from in the basket with his binoculars in it. Etta looked at him like she was going to ask what he was doing, but Paul keeping his back to Lila Dame looked up at her and he silently mouthed out “just wait.” Etta lightly nodded, and remained silent while he grabbed it all. She could feel that something had shifted in their hostesses demeanor. It appeared to happen when the little elves, or “dwarves” had shown up at the doorway with the Giant carrying Paul's mom. It seemed like her whole Aura had shifted right before she screamed. When she first woke back up she felt it, a little, but then when the Purple Lady spotted the sword, that vibe radiated off of her. Etta knew she could trust Paul, she didn't know exactly how she knew, but she trusted her gut.

Paul threw the blanket over his shoulder, and hung the binoculars case around his neck with the leather strap. Lets go this way, Paul pointed away from the tree off into the landscape. Not at anything in particular, just off in the exact opposite direction of the massive tree, and the Purple Lady. Etta was anxious to get away from her, so she could actually talk with Paul. She had a feeling that he knew something, or had details he wanted to tell her, but not in front of their odd hostess. They were walking at a fairly rapid pace, in an attempt at getting far enough away from them both to not be heard. Paul was leading them toward an area with a few big boulders, and some hedges. As they walked around the first few boulders, Paul turned back to make sure they were out of Lila Dame’s line of sight.

As soon as he was sure that they were, he stopped and threw the blanket down. He pulled the strap from the binoculars case over his head, and set them down. When he turned around and looked at Etta say something, he noticed that she had gotten a few steps closer. Before the words could leave his mouth she grabbed him in a tight hug. It felt right, it was the first thing that had since they arrived here, so he just squeezed her back. Whatever he was going to say, had completely left him in all of the emotions of the moment. The warmth of her face as she nestled it against the side of his neck, and the tickle of her hair on the side of his face completely scrambled his brain. Her next set of words really didn't help his situation, although they made him feel better. “I think I have always loved you.”

The Threads of Fate.

Paul was rendered completely speechless by her, at the worst possible time. Etta slowly loosened her embrace. She couldn't believe that she had just said that to Paul. She backed up a step, and looked up at him. She was waiting for something, but she didn't know what. She really did not expect him to come out and say “I love you” back or anything. But, at the moment some type of reply would be nice. “Great, now you think I'm some kind of weirdo or wackadoo.” Paul’s face went totally pale when she said it. He knew she wasn't crazy, and he had to say something to let her know, but the words kept getting stuck.

He saw some tears start to well up in the corner of her eyes. “I’m sorry” she told him, “It's just been…” Paul just hugged her again. His words were not going to come out right, so he did the only thing that his brain suggested that made sense. When he felt her arms wrap all the way around him and return the hug, his confidence came back. He really planned his next words well, and spoke them very carefully. He quietly whispered them into her ear “I have seen you in my dreams.” That is when Etta had immediately started sobbing.

Paul did not expect that their interactions away from the Purple lady, would actually become therapeutic. But, after having told her that, the feeling of bashfulness he had been dealing with was completely gone. He decided then to spill his guts to her, at the very least it would make her announcement seem less awkward. “I have seen you in my dreams, and after the first few I couldn't wait for them to happen.” She stopped looking down at the ground, and the sword laying at their feet, and turned her face upwards to meet his. He melted when he saw her crying face, even that was cute. That's when it dawned on him, the words she used, and exactly what she said. The words she used, “Always and Loved” we're both insinuating a past tense.

Etta must have had an epiphany exactly as Paul did, she dried her face, and said “You said dreams Paul, as in more than one. When did they start, because it's been happening to me also, for at least the last year?” They both just froze for a second. The two of them completely running through their memories of each other. Memories they had, from the lives that they don't remember living. Etta leaned down and picked up the sword. She had seen this part in a dream before. She held the sword out toward Paul with it laying on both of her open palms. He held his hands out the same way, and she lowered the sword laying it across his palms. He dropped down to one knee, still holding the blade in the same position. His arms were straight out with his palms up, and the short sword lay there waiting. When Etta saw him bend his knee, she started talking, but wasn't sure where the words even came from. “I give you this blade that was passed down to me. Use it honorably, and with only good intent. Defend the weak, and the innocent with it, and protect me, and defend my honor.”

Paul knew he had seen her do that very same thing in a dream, maybe even more than once. So he replied the same way he did in his dreams. “I swear to you, that this gift was well given, and you have my sworn oath that it will only be used in defense of innocent life, and to fight against the darkness.” She took the sword from his palms, and laid it gently on his shoulders, then his head. Paul stood up, and she kissed the blade and gave him the sword back. After it all happened they were both speechless for a moment, their faces were telling of their shock.

“What the Fuck!” Etta said. Paul took a second longer to process the events that just unfolded. “Right, where did that come from, our dreams?” Paul asked her, but she had as much of a clue as he did. She shrugged her shoulders, and said maybe. Was that why she doesn't she want me to touch this thing. Paul was inspecting the sword, he asked Etta what the little dwarves said in her vision. She thought about it, and said they were rude. Paul sat there for a second not saying anything, but Etta could tell he wanted to.

What is it Paul? He looked up at her and smiled when she asked him. Don't do that, he replied with a huge smile. She was standing there with her finger pointed at him. I do not trust that lady Etta, there is something creepy about her. She didn't want me touching this sword, but she took it, and gave it right back to you. Does that make any sense? Paul wanted to elaborate, but Etta silenced him. Paul had noticed her eyes shift to something over his shoulder, and she raised one finger over the center of her mouth and quietly shushed. His back was close to one of the large boulders, and it should be obscuring the view. He kept talking but changed the subject. Etta eased to the side a step or two while pretending to shuffle debris on the ground around, and got a better view back toward the tree. She couldn't see anyone close to them, or behind the boulder, but she couldn't see Lila Dame over by the tree either. She walked up and hugged Paul and whispered in his ear, “I can't see the purple lady” Paul whispered back, “we should keep walking.”

The truth was he didn't want to let Etta go. When she hugged him, it made him forget about everything else for just a second. But, he did have a feeling that they should keep moving while they talked. He tried to let go of Etta, but she said “not yet.” Paul figured that she saw something by the way she did it. Almost like she was looking over his shoulder at something behind him, she wasn't making eye contact when she sooke. He still had the blade in his hand, and hadn't done what he planned yet with the binoculars case, and the picnic blanket. Etta loosened up the hug, but instead of backing away immediately she kissed Paul on the cheek. Paul was speechless, but his mouth flipped open and he looked like he was gonna talk, or at least say something garbled and nonsensical. The words just couldn't be managed though. Etta saw his face clearly change to a vibrant red blush. She tried to open the subject and told Paul “This place seems dangerous, and just in case something happens, I want you to know I like you.“ She was waiting for some type of a reply from Paul, but all he managed to say was “yes” and then he turned to picked up the blanket, and picnic basket. After he gathered it up he walked right past Etta, and motioned for her to follow him. She knew he was shy, but damn. She just wanted to know if he liked her also? The weird memories, and the feeling that they both already knew each other was strange, but it didn't mean Paul really liked her. The “Yes” Paul barely managed to say was comical, but it didn't tell her anything. Paul is told by a girl, that she likes him and his reply is just “yes” who does that shit. She stepped in front of Paul, and he stopped, but kept his eyes down. She grabbed him by the shoulders to get his attention, and keep him from ignoring her. He finally looked up at her, he was just about to say something when Etta kissed him on his cheek. His facial expression and demeanor went from shy and bashful, to frozen stiff and tense.

She was starting to think that she broke him when he hadn't moved for about 5 seconds. Then he suddenly made eye contact with her, and his face went to a look of confusion. As quickly as that happened, he reached up toward her seemingly to touch her cheek, and before his hand reached her, he was thrown violently backwards. His body folded in half, like he had been punched in the gut, but the way he rag dolled through the air it reminded Etta more of seeing a person get hit by a car. The blade came out of his hand and flipped through the air, it stuck in the ground in almost the same spot where Paul was just standing. Etta immediately headed for the spot where he landed, to see if he was okay, but looked around as she did, in an attempt to figure out what happened. She didn't see anything obvious but the blade was within reach and she grabbed it as she continued walking backwards in Paul's direction.

She was becoming more and more scared the closer to him that she got. He was groaning in pain, and the realization that he was seriously injured was starting to set in. She was holding the sword out in front of her slowly waving it back and forth while still scanning for the threat. She got to Paul's side and stuck the blade into the ground, she was leaning down to check him for obvious broken bones or cuts when the mirrored disk at the end of the little sword cought her eye. She plucked it back up, and scanned the horizon over her shoulder using the little mirror. She told Paul she was there with him, for what comfort it was worth. That's when she spotted the purple flash again. She put both hands on the handle to steady it and focus in on whatever it was. That's when she saw the purple lady running back toward the tree. She dropped the blade and spun around, and she couldn't see her. She picked the handle back up and spotted her again in the mirror, she had stopped about half way between them and the tree. Etta saw her face in the little mirror as the purple lady figured out Etta could see her. The glamour was gone, and the woman's face was like the dwarves armor. It was covered in thousands of the same tiny moving scales. The lady spun around and continued running back towards the tree.

Etta had to get Paul somewhere safer, but looking around she didn't see anything but a few big rocks to hide behind scattered around. The forest off in the distance was way too far for her to move him, and she had no idea what lurked within it. She she talked to Paul's as she felt his torso for broken ribs. He definitely had a few on his right side, and the more she checked him out, the more injuries she found. His ankle was twisted, and his left wrist also looked broken. This was very bad. She put her hand on the side of his face and turned his head toward her, she opened his eye to see his pupils. They were wide open, to the point that the color of his eye weren't even visible. She heard a pop that sounded like a big joint popping, like a shoulder or knee. Paul groaned again, and she wanted to do something it was tearing her apart that she couldn't help him. She picked his hand and forearm up gently to see how bad his wrist was, and it popped as she was doing it. Paul let out a sound somewhere between a dry heave and a scream. The crazy part, was not that his wrist did snap, right when she was looking at it. It was the fact that it snapped back into place, and reset itself. She looked back down at his ankle, and that was back in place also. She reached under his shirt and felt his ribs, there were 3 broken a few seconds ago, with one beginning to poke through his skin. Now they were back in place, and she could actually feel them fusing back together under his skin. He turned his head away from her and dry heaved again, then another spasm happened and he puked. There had to be 2 pints of blood laying in thick puddles in front of Paul's face. He coughed and spit, and another mouth full splashed down. He shook his head a bit and she heard his neck pop horribly loud. He turned back toward her, and his eyes were squinting, his pupils were still dilated a bit, but were shrinking back down to a point where she could see the color of his eyes again.. he was fully healing as she sat there confused.

She didn't know what else to do, so she picked the little mirror on the blades handle back up and scanned around for the Purple menace. As she was, Paul spoke, and it shocked her when she heard his voice. “I do like you, but I saw the purple lady sneaking up on us in the mirror. I was just trying to get us out of there.” She was so thankful that he was alive. She didn't see the purple lady anywhere near by. She dropped the blade next to Paul and started crying.

Paul said something else that shocked Etta. It happened when she went to get up, to go grab the picnic basket, and stuff. She told him she was going to get it, but when she stood up, Paul stopped her. “No, stay close…ughh.” He groaned again, then finished with the shocker. “If you walk away, I will stop healing like this.” She was stunned, “okay… but how do you know that Paul?” He sat upright, with some obvious uncomfortable pain, but compared to just two minutes ago he looked as if he would die, it was an absurd improvement. He picked up the blade, and scanned the area behind him. He turned himself around and began looking at the treeline. “We have to get in there. I have to make it to the Oaken throne before she finds us again.” Etta was getting frustrated again, all this info had a source and she wanted to know what Paul saw, or what he knew, and how. She calmed herself a bit before speaking. “Paul, what did I miss? What aren't you telling me.”

The Oaken Trone Awaits.

He slowly stood up and checked his ankle. It was still sore but he could walk on it already. We have been here before Etta, and when she attacked me, I saw it all like it just happened. We have been here more than once. When you came near me, I just started healing fast, I really thought I was going to die. By the time I heard your voice, I could feel my bones mending themselves. In more than one lifetime we have also fought that woman. It has actually been dozens of times, and as many lifetimes. Somehow, the Dwarves are helping us this time. If we do not make it into those woods, and to the Oaken Throne soon, we are as good as done.

To be continued….

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