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Manera reaches into the cool waters and speaks to them with hope and love all over their world, all over their timelines. Time, time is relative for her, and she grants them a year with the miracle she has provided them. Their wishes fulfilled and granted it has become time for the humans to keep their promises to live with her in heaven. Grinning to herself as she runs her delicate porcelain hand across the smooth tips of the surface Marena called out to her people, her chosen few, lulling them into a sleep. She sings softly, beckoning and guides their sleeping souls to her realm. The souls would be led to her vast manor, awaiting her when she returned. A smile crept across her face as she turned from the fountain and began her journey back to her home, their home now. For they would live here forever and no one could escape the “House of Dreams”. No one.
Artemis Leto threw her spear and bow under her bed. It had been a productive hunt this morning. 4 rabbits, a deer and a fox, the Leto family would eat well and have fine furs in the days to come. It was her father that preferred to skin the animals, and so she had left them in the smoker shed for him. Her thighs and arms ached from such a morning in the forests, stalking her prey but she loved every ache and pain. This was her, this told her she was alive. The hunt was all she lived for and she would be remembered forever for it. Her thoughts travelled to the Goddess that had promised her so. Smirking to herself she threw her hunting clothing to one side and tucked it behind the door and drew water from the pump in her room to clean the mud and sweat from her body. As she ran the wet cloth over her curves she mused over the days events, the stag that had try to outrun her and the fox that had been outwitted by her trap. She had set up several more and was to check them in a few hours when the light had fallen to see the night prey she had caught. She spent most of her days in the forest now, her up upcoming wedding was approaching fast. Artemis needed as many memories of that forest she could get.
Clean and dry Athena threw on her hunting gear once more and lay down on her bed. She would have to wait until the sun had well disappeared from the sky in order to recheck her traps. So a nap now wouldn't hurt. Lazily closing her eyes she dreamt of the hunt, the thrill and the soft voice that was calling her name.
Bright searing light hit her eyes and she jumped to her feet, immediately falling to the floor with a thud. "By the damnation of the gods" she cursed to herself, not believing she slept through the night. And to the confusion as to why were her legs refusing to move? Muttering under her breath she managed to pull herself up into the sitting position using her bed a leverage. As her eyes began to adjust to the light she saw quite clearly she was no longer in her room. She tried to call out but found she could not muster more that a hoarse shout, her voice had somehow run off. Around her lay several others in beds spanning the room as she frantically tried to figure out where she had landed. Her mind racing in a panic and her body failing to let her run.
Later that night after an exhausting introduction and feast Asha followed her new guard to her room where her maids were waiting to help her change. Asha stepped into her new room and her maids came rushing up to undo her dress. As the maids helped her out of her clothes and into her nightwear her thoughts travelled to her life before the wish. She never imagined that she would have this much finery ever. Most days she lived off of what she could grow with occasional payment from the villagers for her help and now look at her, a nobleman’s daughter. Asha didn't really miss her old life, though she did miss the time she had to tend to her garden. The villagers had grown distant as she grew up and avoided her the best they could, only seeking her out when they needed her help. The nobleman had come and saved her from the trial.
The maids finished dressing Asha and she fell on the bed. Asha didn't care that the nobleman was only using her for an elevated status. He had left several weeks ago to negotiate the marriage between her and the prince. Asha smiled as she thought of the prince. Marrying him had been the goal of this past year that she had worked hard to obtain, and now… tomorrow she would wed the prince and maybe finally have control over her own life. With this thought Asha drifted to sleep.
Asha opened her eyes and was greeted by a blinding light. She sat straight up in a panic before her eyes could adjust to the light. When her eyes did adjust she found herself in a strange room with strangers in beds surrounding her own.
"Hey, Matty? You okay there?"
Matthias jumped in surprise as the lighthearted voice cut through his thoughts and his stormy eyes lifted from the pages of his book. "Huh? Oh, um, yeah. I'm great, why?"
"You've been reading the same page for the last ten minutes, you dingus." June reclined in the couch next to him, her crooked smile illuminated by the dim glow of her phone. Despite her jovial tone, concern shone clear in her own eyes. June ran a hand through her short, brown hair and poked Matthias with a socked foot. "Seriously, what's up? Did your favorite character die again? Crazy plot twist? Sudden realization of how much of a nerd you are?"
Matthias returned her smile, though his seemed seemed to fluctuate towards a grimace. "No, no, and I figured that out a long time ago." He rose from his spot on the couch and ruffled his sister's hair, despite her groan of protest. "Just tired, is all." It was the truth. Sort of. He didn't want to lie to June. Anyone but her. Matthias wanted to tell her everything. The goddess, the deal, all of it. But how could he? Would she even believe him? He wouldn't even have believed himself if it weren't for the fact that his sister was still walking around. All Matthias could do was give a quiet sigh, and utter a soft, "Love you," before climbing up the stairs to his room.
When Matthias plopped into his bed, sleep hit him like a train. His mind faded to the lull of a dreamless static. For a moment, at least. When he opened his eyes, his bedroom was gone. The leak prone plaster of his ceiling was replaced instead by a brilliant light. The walls, his shelves, his window -- all of it torn away in favor of a room filled with other individuals in similar beds. Matthias blinked fast. He wished he could say he wanted to rise up and look around. Instead, fear seized up in his chest, followed by that childlike desire to duck under the covers as if that protect him or take him back to June. Either way, Matthias remained in bed, paralyzed and utterly confused.
Her feelings were a mess. She was happy and sad, wanting to wake him up and tell him that she would have to leave. But how could she crush his feelings for her. Their whole relationship had been a lie. Organized by a goddness. She shook her head. Even if she told him she would sound like crazy. She kept watching him, eventually laying her head on his chest and listened his heart beat. It was a strong, calming sound. Her eyes started to close and she fell asleep.
She opened her eyes, a bright light blinding her for a second. What was going on? Morning sun never shone into their bed, their windows faced other way. It took for a while to her eyes adjust, only to find herself from a strange room. She sat up in the bed to see several beds, people laying all around her. Her first thought being "Some of them wear really weird clothes." At first she thought she was still dreaming but then what was more likely to be a truth, hit her. It had been a year that night.
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