A Unexpected Night Visit ((Private))

[Edward of Pirate's Swoop]

Edward walk to his room from Annie's wasn't a long way, but to him, this walk seemed to take eternity. The reason was because he kept on stopping and thinking. It was two days until Edward left for the Scanran border with Rukan, and he was in a way not looking forward to the small gathering tomorrow to say goodbye.

He hoped Annie didn't have the Sight or something. Because truth be told, her dream did bother him. There was something uncanny about how it woke her up, and how clear she described it through her sobs.

He opened his door, went in, and automatically closed it and looked around, feeling as if he wasn't alone. After a few moments, he realized that he was alone, and blamed it on jitteryness.

He sank down on his bed, and his head fell into his hands. His fingers ruffled chuncks of his hair, and it looked like he was a man at a lost.

[The Goddess]

"It is extremley important, even vital that I see the young mortal, Edward of Pirate's Swoop and it must be done tonight!" The Goddess explained to her fellow Gods. "He must be warned, and there are a few things I need to talk to him about. He rides in two days and he has a rocky path ahead of him," she added. "If you believe that this is important than do what you need to do," Mithros replied. Without another word The Goddess sped down to the Tortall Palace, leaving all the Gods excited about what may happen next.

The Goddess arrived in Edward's room mere moments before he entered. She smiled as she saw the look of confusion on his face. Her best guess that he must have just come back from Annie. Yes, Annie. The young Chosen One had matured and developed so much sincce she first started as a page and The Goddess was proud of her. She decided that she would have to pay a visit to Annie soon, very soon.....

As she watched Edward sink into his bed she came out of the shadows here she had been hiding and walked with utmost grace so she was standing directly in front of him. "Ah yes, Edward of Pirate's Swoop, I don't suspect you know why I'm here, do you?" The Goddess said, her voice soft like the wind yet like a pack of wolves.

[Edward of Pirate's Swoop]

Edward's head snapped up as an unexpected voice filled his room. He looked up to the heavenly face of the Goddess, described to him by his mother, and sank automatically to his knees, head down near her feet.

"It is hardly expected for me to know your will, My Lady, but I suspect it would either have to do with two things: A Chosen One, or a Journey." He kept his sead low to the ground in the most gracious of bows, and kept his vouce as even and as humble as possible.

[The Goddess]

The Goddess smiled. His voice was low and humble, Annie was lucky to have a man like him after her, even if she didn't know it. The Goddess extended an ivory colored hand, hoping that the mortal would be able to undertsnad the polite gesture. Alanna had kissed my hand, she thought. Edward's mother, Alanna, was also one of her chosen ones. "I see your mother has told you about me," she said with a small smirk.

"I have come to talk to you. You are notone of my chosen ones, but a women extremley close to you is and she is in grave danger," she said. "But first I just want to chat. I see you've just come from Annie's bedroom," she said, her eyes thoughtful. "How is she?" she said, knowing full well how Edward felt towards Annie.

[Edward of Pirate's Swoop]

Edward was met with a hand. The hand of the Goddess! How rare! As his mother had told him she had done when offered, he kissed her hand lightly, but in a way that was meant for majesty, and not for courting. He nodded about his mother, seeing no point in elabortaing and taking up the Goddess's time.

"I figured I would not be a chosen one. You only chose women." He shut himself up, and inwarldy scolded himself for the outburst. Polite, and only answer questions, he reminded himself.

When asked about Annie, Edward felt that the time to sit down and actually talk with the Goddess had come. He got up onto his bed, sitting in the spot he had before, and told the Goddess about Annie's dream.

"She is horribly agitated about it." Edward continued, "She has made me promise not to blame myself if she dies before I do, and other things amoung it. She is afraid that her freinds would throw themselves in harm's way to save her. The thing is, we would. If she was in a situation where she needed saving, we would throw ourselves in harm's way. Her life is much more important than ours, and no one wants to live knowing they could have saved her and didn't simply because she had a bad dream. One would feel horribly guilty about it." He stopped himself, realizing that he was yattering on again. I would probably commit suicide, Edward thought, if I had to live knowing I had done such a thing.

[The Goddess]

The Goddess smiled, "There has been one male chosen one, but his name is of no importance," she said. Edward had ignored her saying someone close to him was a chosen one, but he must have assumed it was his mother. "Edward, your princess is a chosen one," she said, trying not to revealto much.That dream, ah yes, that dream. Little did Edward know she had sent it. "Edward, that dream was sent as a warning to her from the God's," she mumbled. It had mean to be an awakening for her, so Annie might realise that she was in great danger.

"Ah yes, she has always been independant and stubborn, but hard times are ahead for you both and her life will be in danger," The Goddess said. "Annie has never been a tame person and she will hate seeing you go, but think, if she doesn't go how will she get hurt. Unless of course something happens at thePalace while you are gone," she said.

The Goddess's eyes were fired with curiosity. "And your own feelings towards her, are stiil the same?" she asked, knowing full well they were. "You have watched her change from a girl to a beautiful young women, it must be hard for you to see her want to fight and adventure," she said.

[Edward of Pirate's Swoop]

Edward simply listened, and nodded. There was no need for him to ask the why's of the Gods.

"I cannot change her parents choices about going or staying for war, My Lady. It is not my choice." He stated simply, knowing she would know that already. "And my feelings for her have never changed. I simply know she is not mine to have."

[The Goddess]

"I understand that Edward, but when you do leave make sure you say good-bye incase it is the last time you meet," she said to Edward. The goddess was giving clear warnings, yet the mortal seemed to brush them of. Did he not get that his and Annie's lives were at risk?

She found Edward's love for Annie so depressing, and it was obvious they were meant for each other. "Why is she not yours to have? You are a noble, so there is no reason anyone can say she is not marrying in her own social class?" The Goddess questioned him.

[Edward of Pirate's Swoop]

[red]"I will be at her side as much as I can until the moment I leave, My Lady. I will be worrying about her until I get home, but I will be thinking of the moment we meet again, and it will give me strength to go on through anything." He did not like this. From the way the Goddess was talking, it seemed that he was not going to live through this war.

"She is not mine to have because a Princess must choose what is best for her country. Marrying me will do nothing to better Tortall. And she is a complete different social class then me. I am a lesser noble, seeing as my father was a nothing but a rogue king before he married my mother, who was also a lesser noble. I am nothing compared to her. She also being courted by someone at the moment. Someone who she likes as a lover, not a brother. That is what I am to her a Brother."

He just realized at this moment that that could have come off as a very rude comment. "I am sorry, My Lady, I got carried away."[/red]

[The Goddess]

What Edward said touched her, yet her face didn't show any emotion. She had never experienced the feeling of love and had always wondered how it felt. Edward loved Annie, but did Annie return his lpve?

The Goddess just nodded as he spoke. Time would tell, time wouldtell about all of this and for now patience was key. "How will you ever know if she feels the same? And what about you, will you go through life seeing the one you love marry another?" she questioned him. "You did not get carried away, you told the truth" she whispered.

[Edward of Pirate's Swoop]

[red]I suppose the only way I would know for sure would be to ask her." Edward answered, glad the Goddess was not angry at him for his forwardness. "She has jsut told me time and time again that she sees me as a brother, so, you ould say I'm afraid to ask if theres more. What more could I ask for? She loves me as that for sure, and Idon't want to strain that until I know for sure there could be something there. Also my mother has foorbidden it, and you know how stubbern she is. It's like she knew it was going to happen. Sometimes I think she's psychic."

"If she chooses someone else, and I see that she is happy with him, and I can see that they will do well for each other, then I think I wouldn't mind so much. Just to see her happy with her chosen husband would make me happy, I think." Edward said this as truthfully as he could, for this was how he wanted to feel for Annie. "However, if she is forced to marry someone horrible I will be making it obvious that I protest the idea every step of the way."

It was odd, but Edward felt more comfortable talking to this Great Lady in front of him about such matters then his own friends, even Rukan, Loki and Jack, for that matter. It somehow calmed him to think that a higher power wanted them to be together as well. It gave him some courage that maybe someday, Annie would look his way and see something more than a brother. All he could do was hope for it.[/red]

[The Goddess]

"Perhaps this is because she has never thought of you as anthing else, if she finds out perhaps her feelings will be cleaer," the Goddess advised. "Your mother and Annie's father also fell in love, and she didn't want the same fate for her own children. In her eyes it is love that isn't meant to be," the Goddess murmered. Even now she knew that Alanna still loved Jon. "And Rukan?" she asked, a small smile on her lips.

[Edward of Pirate's Swoop]

[red]Edward's eyes widened. He hadn't known that the King and his mother had a ... a... thing. It was almost horrifying! They had always been close, and the King was her Knight Master, those he knew... but lovers?

"I think I could have very well lived without knowing that My Lady." Edward said very sincerely. "But I will try to do my best to tell Annie how I feel."

Edward got over his sickness in a couple of moments. Great, he thought, Is Ru in danger of dying too? Out loud, he said: "What about Rukan?"[/red]

[The Goddess]

The Goddess smiled. So, Alanna had never told her children what really happenned between her and King Jonothan. That was fair enough, what child would want to know their mother had a thing with an old family friend. "As Annie has said before. Every person has a soul mate. Perhaps she is yours, and to think she would fall in love with another man," The Goddess said solemly. "Edward, a lot is depending on you. Their are lives at stake here," she cautioned. "Rukan... are you not worried? You boys must have never seen the fear in her eyes. Think about all she's seen and done. You need to look after her," The Goddess said. "Edward, how much do you love Annie?"

[Edward of Pirate's Swoop]

[red]((HAHA!! I can POST!))

"How can I tell her when she is constantly going after others, and then I get to listen to how much she likes them and hopes that they work out! It's like she gets a new one once the other leaves!" Edward threw up his hands, knowing that at the moment, she was going after some of the Naxens. "I never know when's the best time to tell her! Most of the time it would make it seem that I'm trying to guilt trip her or something, into not going after who her heart desires... I just hope I can get her alone before I leave, I just," his hands curled into fists and his eyes turned cold, "hope she isn't in the arms of another as we are leaving."

Edward's anger was forgotten for a moment. "Whose lives? Why me?" Then she meantioned Rukan. "Well, she jsut sees war more than the rest of us, and she has always seemed so strong, for someone so... small." Edward was too ashamed to say that he had never seen any fear in her eyes. He always to busy marveling at her deeds, and dreaming of his own soon to come.

Edward stared at his hands, embarrassed quite a bit as he said his next words. "more than anything. I love her to the point that I am willing to go to war for her, kill for her, give my life for her... let my soul die everyday in the arms of another just ot see her smile." A tear fell down his cheek. Frusterated at himself, he wiped it away quickly, and tried to compose himself.

((Teehee! Touchy-feely Edward!))[/red]