Note: This is my very first fanfiction. I wrote it more than one year ago.
the first version was in French, so I translated it few months later.
Thanks a lot to Selynne who edited it! When i wrote the fist version of
this fic, my dad was often standing behind me, reading what i was writing. Even though i hated it
I was always asking him some advices! (he used to love the AoS too!) He was the first
person to read it. So Daddy, I dedicase you that fanfic, and
hope that from where you are now, you can help help me out with everything. Thanks and...
Love you for ever..
Mountain House
The night was falling over the sea.
The activity aboard the Nomad was slowing down and a great
atmosphere
was in the air. They hadn't had any problems all day
long.
Sinbad was at the tiller, Doubar with him. "Ha! If only all
our days could be like this, don't you agree, little
brother?" asked Doubar with satisfaction.
Sinbad came out of his dreaming. "Yes, Doubar." he said, as
he gave him the tiller and left. He walked on the
deck and passed in front of Rongar, who was 'playing' with
some rope. Then, he saw Maeve at the bow. She was sitting on
the rail and her eyes were fixed on the sunset.
"What a great evening, don't you think?" Sinbad asked, to
announce himself.
"You're right, Sinbad!" she said, as she turned her head to
face him. She looked into his sea-blue eyes. He was
full of tenderness And she didn't understand why she tried
to resist him. They finished watching the sunset together.
"Sinbad!" It was Firouz. "Sinbad, come and see, I have
something to show you!"
Sinbad got up and put his hand on Maeve's back, giving her
a smile to say good bye. She responded with a
smile, and he left. He was a little bit angry because each
time he was with her…someone else needed him. He joined
Firouz in
his quarters, transformed into a laboratory and room for
work. Firouz told him about his new invention.
"You see this device Sinbad? When it
spins, it will create a fresh wind that will refresh the
ship and permit us to
be..."
"Firouz, how will you make this... thing...spin?" he asked, more curious about Firouz's answer than the
answer
itself.
"That's simple, I just haven't had the
time to think about it yet."
"Oh, I see!" said Sinbad, with sarcasm.
With that, he left. When he came back on the deck, the moon
and the
stars were already there. Only the crewman of the watch had
stayed on deck. Then, he went to sleep.
The next morning, they anchored on Erenne Island. It was a
beautiful place; the sand was white, the sea
blue-green, the perfect place to take a day off and relax.
They set up camp on the beach. After dinner, Firouz worked
on his
invention, as Doubar, Rongar and Sinbad were simply relaxing.
Maeve went for a walk with Dermott.
She was walking slowly, as if she didn't
really know where to go. She was looking so sad. She hadn't
said a
word since they arrived on the island. Sinbad was starting
to worry about her.
"What's happened to Maeve? I've never
see her like that. Why don't you go with her, to talk to
her, little
brother?" Doubar suggested.
"Don't worry Doubar, she will be all
right soon. But for the moment, I think she wants to be
alone." He smiled to
his brother and turned his head to watch the beautiful
sorceress go. Sinbad was sad to see her like that, but didn't want his
brother to know.
**********
The darkness was falling. Rongar was
cooking the fish he had caught. When he saw that Maeve hadn't
came
back, Sinbad decided to go to bring her back himself. He ran
towards her, and when he found her, about 1 kilometer later,he
stopped running and simply walked to her. She was sitting on
a rock and looking out to sea.
"Maeve, if you don't move yourself
you'll miss supper!" he said gently.
She turned her head to look at him,
into his beautiful eyes. She smiled at him when she saw
his worrying.
"Maeve, what's wrong with you? Don't
you like this place? Do you have a bad feeling about it?"
he asked.
"No, it's just that..." She closed
her eyes to brush back her tears. "It's just that this
island reminds me of some
things I'd prefer to forget." She opened her eyes but wasn't
able to look at him. So she smiled. Dermott clacked at them to
show that he was there but didn't join them. ''I'll be all
right Sinbad, don't worry."
Sinbad sat next to her. "You know, if
you want to talk, I'm here for you." he said sweetly.
Sinbad didn't know
much about her. He knew that she was learning magic for some
years, with Dim-Dim, and that she wanted kill Rumina for what
she had done, but he didn't really know why. He thought that
she had changed Dermott into a hawk, but he had never found
the courage to ask her about that. Anyway, he knew that one
day, she would tell him. When she was ready.
Maeve was glad to have Sinbad at her
side, but she wasn't sure she wanted to talk about her life.
It was already
difficult enough to think about, she didn't want to have to
talk about it more. But she knew that Sinbad was
understanding.
"Sinbad, do you have, sometimes, the
feeling that it all could be better if you didn't exist?
That the life is dark and
without hope? That you could be more happy if you were
dead?" Her voice was so sad. Sinbad didn't really know
what to say.
"It happens sometimes, but when it
does, I think about all the great moments in life. Sometimes
they are simple,
like just seeing how beautiful a place is, hearing a friend
laugh, or watching the sunset with someone I care about,"
He gently
brushed her hair back off her face. "It's the little things
like that, that make life so great." He smiled at her. His
face was full of
tenderness, like it was every time he talked to her.
At that moment, Sinbad just wanted to
take her in his arms. But he was afraid of her reaction, so
instead he put
his hand on hers and looked at her directly in her eyes.
Maeve wasn't able to keep his look, so
she closed her eyes. The night had fallen some time ago,
and so they
decided that it was better to go back to camp. Sinbad got
up, and helped Maeve to do the same, as she took his hand. When
they arrived, the others had already finished eating.
"We left some food for you!" said
Doubar. Rongar approved with a nod of his head.
"Perfect," Sinbad said. "You can go
to sleep, I'll take the first watch."
It didn't take much time before they
all fell asleep. Maeve and Sinbad had just finished eating.
The temperature
had fallen and the two were starting to feel cold.
"We'd better go search for some wood
for the fire," Maeve said.
Sinbad looked at her with a smile."
That can wait, but you can go sleep if you want, I can do
my watch alone you
know." Sinbad said.
"I'm not tired, but if you want, I can
do it for you. I don't care. I can't sleep anyway."
It was true, she couldn't sleep, but
she didn't really want Sinbad to sleep, either. She needed
him. She wanted
him to stay with her. Sinbad understood this and didn't want
her to be alone. To pass the time, they talked about the
adventures
they had had with the crew for almost a year now, all the
people they saved, all the great moments the spent together,
all together.
After a long silence, Maeve look at
Sinbad and said, "You were right. It's during moments like
that that we
understand how great life is!"
Sinbad looked at her, and saw the sadness through her eyes. He thought that she was like a child who needed
someone to take care of her, to say how much she was appreciated...and loved, for her heart had been hurt so much. So, he
placed his arm around her shoulders.
With him, she felt important and safe.
She slowly put her head on his shoulder. It was the first
time they had felt
so close to each other.
Maeve fell asleep. Sinbad, who had to
watch the fire, was trying to keep his eyes open, but it
wasn't an easy
task.
The night was fresh, and the fire wasn't burning anymore. Sinbad had fallen asleep, Maeve in his arms. Suddenly,
he woke up, his movement causing Maeve to awaken, also.
"Sinbad, what's happening?" asked
Maeve sleepy. "Are you all right?"
"Yes, I am." he replied, not sure of
himself. "I just had a bad dream. It looked so real!"
"Sinbad, what was your dream about?" S
he looked so worried that Sinbad started to explain:
"We five were on the beach when a
monster appeared. I don't know from where it came. And as we were
running away, it got Doubar, and after that, Firouz. With Rongar, we ran to the forest and I knew that we had to find the
Mountain House. But Dermott wasn't with us anymore and I was afraid he had joined the two others. And after that I woke
up."
It was the sunrise on the sea. Sinbad
saw in Maeve's eyes that she was afraid of something.
"Sinbad, we have to leave, now.''
Sinbad understood that she knew
something was happening, but he didn't understood why she
had reacted like
that.
"Slow down, Maeve. It's finished, it
was just a dream!'' He gently took her arm. ''Could you explain to me what
this is about?''
"No time for that!" she said loudly, as she moved around him to make him move. ''Sinbad, don't you see what's
happening here!?! This island is the evil! WE HAVE TO LEAVE,
NOW!"
"What???"
"Why don't you move? You think I'm
crazy, that I'm worried for nothing? You don't trust me as much when I say
that we may be in danger?" As she yelled, she awoke the
others.
"What's happening here?" asked Doubar.
"That's what I'm trying to figure out!"
replied Sinbad sarcastically.
"What's happening is that we may be
under attack and the captain is doing nothing to help us!" said Maeve,
getting more and more angry.
"Maeve, it was just a dream, nothing
more! Relax, please." Sinbad said. "Now, please explain
what's wrong with you!
Before she could answer, a monster
appeared out of nowhere .
"We have to go to the forest, it's
our only chance" said Sinbad.
They left. The sunrise was now
complete. The crew ran for more than an hour and soon they were unable to run
anymore.
"Maeve, you seem to know what the hell that is! So explain it, now!" said Firouz, firmly. Maeve felt like she had
no choice.
"On this island, the monsters appear in dreams to warn you that they will come in the day. You can't do anything
to stop it……I'm sorry!
"Maeve! Are you trying to say that all
I saw in my dream will become real?" asked Sinbad looking
at Maeve.
"Yes, I'm afraid so!" she replied.
**********
The warm temperature of the previous day had returned. They had been walking for several hours now, and they
needed a break. They hadn't eat since last night's supper and were starting to get hungry, so Doubar decided to go look for
food.
"No Doubar, don't.'' Sinbad said.
"Little brother, if you think that that
stupid monster will make me less hungry, you're wrong. Don't worry about
me!"
Sinbad told him goodbye. He knew that he could do nothing to save his brother. It was his destiny. Maeve
looked at Sinbad's beautiful face. She was sad because, like
Sinbad, she knew what was going to happen.
They waited and waited for Doubar's
return, until Sinbad finally announced that they had to
leave.
"Are you sick, Sinbad? That's your
brother! Have you forgotten?" asked Firouz.
"I know and I'm sorry, but there's
nothing I can do. It had to happen and we will not find him or be safe if we
stay here!" said Sinbad.
Rongar approved Sinbad with a sign
of his hand.
"I'm curious to know, what's going
to happen now?" asked Firouz.
"I'm not sure you really want to know,
Firouz." said Sinbad.
"Why?" he asked, not understanding.
"Because you're the next on the list,
Firouz." Maeve said bluntly.
"You were right Sinbad; I preferred it
when I didn't know!" said Firouz, nervously.
Sinbad gave Maeve a dark look. She
replied with a false smile.
They continued to walk. No one was
talking. Everyone looked lost in their thoughts.
Then, Sinbad had an idea. "Maeve, don't you think we
should find that house? Maybe we will be safe in it, or find
Doubar?"
"The problem is that I have no idea
where that house could be!" she replied. She wished she could be more
helpful.
"I thought you knew that place Maeve,
isn't it what you said?" Sinbad asked sarcastically.
"I'm sorry Sinbad, I just passed by
here, I don't know that place any more than you do. In particular, this part of
the -"
Rongar cut her off. Pointing with is hand, he showed them one of the monsters, not too far away from them. He
tried to hit the beast with his daggers, but it didn't seem to care a bit about it. Suddenly, the monster ran at them. Touching
Firouz, both of them vanished.
The rest of them had watched the scene, unable to move or help. Rongar had tried, without result. But now they
knew how that thing took it's victims. And it was now important to find that house, before the dusk fell. For help, Maeve had to
send Dermott out. She wasn't sure it was a good idea but she
didn't really have a choice. They continue to walk,
quietly.
Unable to stand the silence, Sinbad talked."With all the vegetation, we could be by the side of that mountain and
not see it!" he said with desolation.
They continued walking until the end of the day. They hadn't eaten since the last evening. They were hungry,
stressed and so tired. And Dermott, they hadn't see him for few hours now and Maeve was becoming more than worried about
him. She had lost the communication with him as well. She
just hoped he was safe, somewhere, maybe back at camp.
They finally reached the mountain. There was no more vegetation on it, except for some trees here and there. At
the top was has little house. They could see it, but it was still far and their only wish was to reach it before another problem
happened. And Sinbad dream could not help anymore, because they had long passed over the stand where Sinbad had
awakened.
They started to climb. Midway from the top, they heard something behind them. A noise, like a groan, something
frightening. As they slowly turned to face it, the practically invisible creature ran at Maeve. As she tried to run away, the beast
grabbed her by the waist.
"Maeve!" Sinbad yelled.
Continuing to run, the beast finally let her go, pushing her on the ground. Turning to Rongar, it caught him instead
and they both vanished away.
"Rongar!" It was Maeve's turn to yell. "Oh no! It's all my fault!" she cried, feeling really guilty for his friend's
disappearance. Lying on the ground, hurt, she didn't want to
move anymore, repeating that it was her own fault.
Sinbad came to her and gently put his hand on her back. "It wasn't your fault, Maeve. You weren't what it
needed, that's all." He was almost smiling. "Come on, we're almost there, we have to continue." he said, holding out his hand to
help her to stand up. They continued, walking hand in hand,
Sinbad pulling Maeve to make her walk quicker.
The dusk had fallen when they finally reached the top of the mountain. The little house, more like a hut, was there
in front of them. Leaving Maeve behind, Sinbad ran to the door and knocked on it, but received no response. Maeve joined
him. As she looked at the door, she noticed a symbol of
the sun on it.
She turned to Sinbad. "We can't go in tonight Sinbad, I'm sorry." And she really was. Sinbad was looking at her
questioningly, so she explained. "Dim-Dim told me about that symbol placed on the door. It means that it's locked for the night,
until the sun is there, not for the Dark Forces can go in
during the day."
The made a little fire and sat in front of it, directly on the ground. They were angry, and so tired, but neither of
them wanted to sleep. The hot temperature of the day was now
a faint memory.
"I wish I had brought my cloak with me,"
Maeve said, looking at the small fire.
Sinbad smiled. "How are you doing now?"
he asked, thinking about the way that beast had hurt her.
"I'm okay," she replied simply, not
showing her pain.
Sinbad put his hands on her back, with
soft movements to warm her. Then he placed his arm around
her shoulder
and pulled her closer. She didn't resist. Slowly, she rested
her head down on his shoulder. With him, she felt safe.
"Don't leave me Sinbad, please, without you I'll never find the courage to continue! Don't leave me!" Maeve said,
looking down. She was very tired, and the thought of seeing Sinbad vanish also was scaring her more than thought of the
creature itself. She felt like crying, but didn't; not in
front of Sinbad.
"Don't worry Maeve, I have no intentions
of leaving you." He pulled her closer. "I'll never leave you." With his
free hand, he touched her sweet face, caressed her cheek and brushed back her hair to gently kiss her temple. "Now, you have
to rest. I know you're hurt, I'm not that stupid you know,
so I want you to sleep, and that is an order." he said,
smiling.
He had told the truth, her injuries was more serious than what she had said. Her ribs, in particular, were hurting
her so much!
Sinbad slowly moved his hand from Maeve's shoulder to her waist and gently led her to his lap, her head on his
arm. Maeve knew with him she had nothing to be afraid of, and, her head against his chest, fell into a deep sleep. Soon, Sinbad
joined her in her dreams.
The sun was rising when Maeve opened her eyes again. She was still in Sinbad's arms. Sitting up by his side, she
watched him as he slept. But they hadn't time to loose.
"Morning Sinbad, get up!" she said as she gently pressed her hand to his face. He opened his eyes to find the
beautiful sorceress waiting for him. In one movement, he got to his feet. They walked to the door of the hut, and, with all the
hope of their heart, opened the door. But their friends weren't inside. Only old books were in there, books and something that
looked like a magical formula written on the wall. Maeve
read it.
"Here are the ones you love, and care about. Brought here by dark forces, they are now safe and protected by
the Mountain House. To find them, read the incantation." Maeve looked at Sinbad. "This incantation is write in Erennien, I can
read it, it was a part of Dim-Dim's instruction." she said
before she started.
"Soum, laa cheille' aktharr as-wa mine
haa-doul maote." she said. But it didn't seem to work.
"What does that mean?" Sinbad asked.
"Hey, I said I could read it, I never said I was understanding!" But even as she replied a bright light filled the hut.
They had to close their eyes to keep from going blind. When they were finally able to open their eyes again, after the light was
gone, their friends was standing in front of them, laughing
and looking around.
"Little brother, it's great to see you
again!" Doubar said as he gave Sinbad a big hug.
"Great, is everyone okay ?" Sinbad asked,
looking at all his friends.
Before they could reply, Maeve spoke.
"Dermott wasn't with you guys?" she asked worriedly, noticing that the
hawk wasn't there. She was looking around like a lost child.
Firouz answered, "I'm sorry Maeve, but
as you see, he's not here. So why don't we just leave this place and go
back to the Nomad?" he suggested, completely not caring about
Maeve's pain. He then left the hut, followed by Rongar and
Doubar.
"Maybe he's back in camp, Maeve, we left all our things up there. I'm sure he's there, waiting for you." Sinbad
said as he led her to the door.
She looked around one last time.
"I hope you're right. I lost all contact with him, I hope
he's all right."
They walked a few hours to reach camp.
The hot temperature, like the day before, was back. Arriving
at the
campsite, they packed everything up. Maeve walked away,
looking for Dermott, but still couldn't found him.
Sinbad walked up to her."We're ready to
leave, Maeve. We are waiting for you, and will wait as long as you
want. But as the captain, I have to remind you that we're not
safe here and -"
"I know we have to leave." She turned away. She didn't want him to see her cry. "We should leave now, if he's
not here yet, I know he'll never be." A big tear rolled down
her cheek.
Without hesitation, Sinbad put his strong arm around her. "It's going to be all right, Maeve, don't worry. Let's just
reach the ship and get some rest, okay?"
"Yes," she agreed, drying her tears.
hey joined the others in the longboat.
**********
On the Nomad, every crewmember welcomed them with a smile. None of them had any idea of all the hell that had occurred
during the 3 days they were on the ground. Sinbad and the others were hungry and tired like never before. They were about to
head to the galley when Maeve heard something coming from
the head of the mast.
"Dermott!!!" Maeve took Sinbad's hand to
point out the hawk to him. She was so happy.
"I told you it was going to be all
right!" Sinbad said.
**********
Maeve was sitting on the rail, watching the sunset. Sinbad joined her. He put his hand on her back and spoke.
"Supper was excellent, don't you think? And more than that, I think my bed will be very comfortable tonight." he said with a
smile. He continued: "A crewmember told me that Dermott came back aboard the ship yesterday, at night. Maybe he wasn't
able to find his way back to us, after you lost communication
with him?"
"Maybe." she replied. She gave a look to
her hawk and took Sinbad's hands.
They finished watching the sun set
together, glad to be close to eachother!
The End
