Rilen had been keeping the photo album in his room lately, he liked to look at the pictures, especially the one of his mother and father together. He was looking at that picture when there was a white flash from deeper in the book. Confused, he turned to the back of the book to find several more pages worth of pictures, the first one being of Aloria, Clen, and some girl that looked like them only she had wings. He read the paragraph at the bottom and noted it was Alantha’s hand writing, a bit sloppier than it usually was but by the looks from the rest of the pages, she was at a party and probably drunk.
On the last page was a picture of Silena alone, she had the most beautiful smile on her face, she was blowing a kiss. Under the picture was writing.
Dear Rilen,
You can’t believe how happy your mother was to see your picture in this book. She practically fainted with joy, she also got a good hugging round the room, even Avlon gave her a pat on the shoulder. Write back, this book is connected to the Realms so we’ll know what you wrote. Do it soon! Also put a recent picture of yourself in. Oh yeah, as for the picture at the top, the kiss is for you!
Hugs!
Alantha & Others
Rilen was stunned, he reread the note the created a picture of himself with his magic and put it into the book.
If you say this works I won’t question you, I was looking at the book when the last five pages appeared. This is myself, year 79,008,010,409, I’m 26 years of age (or so Av says), I’m currently unmarried. I’ve talked to Dad and he talks endlessly about how beautiful Silena is, I of course agree that she is beautiful but that’s to be expected, she is my mother...
Rilen
Rilen wondered how long it would take for him to get a reply and turned back to the page with the newest picture of his mother on it. It occurred to him that maybe he should show Avlora this. He stood and went to the kitchen where he knew Avlora and Seacil were sharing lunch.
“You won’t believe this, but five more pages have appeared in this book.” He slid the book onto the table toward Avlora and Seacil, open to the first of the newest page. She snickered when she came to the picture of Cicora standing next to Cloria, Cicora grinning ear to ear while she made bunny ears on Cloria. Cloria didn’t seem to notice, she just smiled uncertainly.
Rilen watched the two Emelets a moment before he pulled out a camera, “Hey! Look at this!” They looked up and got the ‘Blue Dot Special’ as the flash of the camera blinded them. He pulled the book away from them and put the newest picture into the book.
Avlora and Seacil say “hi”... he wrote under the picture.
“That wasn’t nice...” grumbled Avlora as she rubbed her eyes. Seacil was laughing softly, it was almost impossible to insult him or get him annoyed.
*~**~*
It wasn’t much later that there was a flash in the back pages of the photo album in the Realms, Alantha quickly turned to those pages and showed Silena the newest picture in the book, “Look at him! He’s just so handsome! Looks just like his father,” Aloria commented with a grin and gave Silena a tight hug. There was a flash of a camera as Alantha caught the moment and put it into the book before Silena and the book were swept away.
*~**~*
Two days passed and there were no new pages added to the book. Rilen kept it open on his desk at all times. He was getting tired of staying in his room all the time so he just left the book on his desk and went to one of his favorite planets, Norie. He’d been having some strange dreams lately, of a young woman with red-brown hair, green eyes, and a beautiful face. Each time he had that dream, for it was the same one over and over, he’d wake up aroused and with her name on his lips, but after a while of being awake, he couldn’t remember her name other than the fact that it began with a ‘D’.
He stepped out of the Temple to Air on the planet Norie and headed toward the town square of the little village that surrounded the temple. He knew that it was there that he would find one of his friends.
“Hey Ril, it’s been a while, where ya’ been?” asked Joir, the one Rilen was out to find.
“Things on other planets,” he replied, not being specific.
“Girls you mean? Why don’t you ever take me?” Joir joked.
Rilen laughed, “Cause I know that if I take you, I won’t have a date anymore, you’d probably take her!”
“Now where did you get an idea like that? I wouldn’t do a thing to hurt my best bud!” Joir replied but Rilen didn’t hear him, his eyes were locked on a pair of emerald green ones across the square, emerald green eyes that were framed by red-brown hair that fell in wavy fluffs around a sweet face. “Ril? Ril?” Joir nudged him. “Why are you staring at-”
“Dara...”
“-Witherit?” Joir nudged him again. “Ril, are you okay? Huston to Rilen, come in Rilen!”
“Dara, her name’s Dara...” he mumbled, not noticing Joir.
Joir shook his head and gave up on trying to get Rilen to respond. A group of people interrupted Rilen’s view of Dara and when they moved away she was gone. He looked around but there was no sign of her. He realized Joir had been talking to him, “Did you say something?” he asked, still dazed at seeing the girl from his dream.
“Where did you go Ril? You definitely weren’t here. Do you know how long you were staring at her? Ten minutes!” Joir shook his head. “You’re a strange one.”
“I’ve been having dreams lately, of a girl with emerald green eyes, and red-brown hair... It was Dara I was dreaming of, I’m sure of it... Joir, please, do a bud a favor, introduce me to her, I have to talk to her.” Even Rilen could hear the pleading in his voice.
Joir stared at him a long moment, “You must be desperate, I’ve seen better than her, she’s a nobody, Ril... I suppose.” He started walking, leading the way to one of the shops and into it, behind the counter was Dara, she was talking to a customer and had her back to the door when they came in. Rilen could feel his heart speeding up at the sight of her.
Dara finished talking to the customer and the person left, brushing past Rilen and Joir. “May I-” she caught sight of Rilen, “-help you?” the words seemed dragged from her soft pink lips and she stared openly at Rilen, he stared back, moving as if in a dream toward her.
“Hey Dara, this is Rilen, he begged me to introduce you to him. Oh- look, there’s Reta’. See you later Ril,” Joir exited the little store, leaving Rilen and Dara alone.
“You’re the man from my dream...” she whispered.
“And you’re the girl from mine...” Rilen replied, his voice almost broke, he looked away and coughed, embarrassed. She moved out from behind the counter and stood before him. He extended his hand, “Like Joir said... I’m Rilen.”
“I know your name,” she said and instead of taking his hand, moved so that it was touching her side. His hand slid around her waist to her back and pulled her close, his lips descending to meet her upturned ones. Her fingers were tangled in his blonde hair, his hands were holding her against him. He moved his hips, letting her feel what she brought him to just by kissing him. She slid her thigh up his and his hand pinned it there as he leaned her against the counter, his tongue dipping deep into her mouth.
There was a cough behind them but neither Dara or Rilen noticed. Joir coughed again, hoping to get their attention but still they ignored him. He soon found out how far gone the two were gone on each other when Rilen started unlacing Dara’s bodice. Joir was faced with the decision of interrupting them before they got any farther or to just close the shop for Dara.
He moved so he could see Rilen’s face. They both had their eyes open, but they were unblinking in their gaze into the other’s eyes. Joir shook his head, there was no hope of breaking them up. He turned and pulled the blinds down on the window and turned the sign on the door from OPEN to CLOSED and left them, shutting the door behind him.
*~**~*
When it was over, they lay panting on the floor in each other’s arms, Rilen couldn’t stop kissing her and he didn’t even try to. “I think I believe in love at first sight now...” he mumbled between kisses, his hands still caressing and squeezing her.
Dara started crying then, “Oh Rilen! Now I won’t get to get to know you! Please stay with me to the end, I don’t care if it’s disgusting to watch, but I want to be with you till your last moment!”
Rilen laughed, realizing what she was talking about, she thought he was of her race. Norie men disintegrated four hours after making love and were gone. “I’m not going to denigrate, Dara, I’m not Norien.” He grinned at her.
“You aren’t? How did you get here then? What are you?” she was astonished, her eyes wide and still dripping tears.
“I’m not sure what I am, but I came by way of the Temple to Air...” Rilen answered then began finding more places to kiss her, as his hand passed over her abdomen, a thought occurred to him, he checked and was slightly dismayed. He had hoped she had conceived, but she hadn’t. “Marry me, Dara, please.”
She started crying again, “I can’t, Rilen, there isn’t time. You only have a few hours...” she obviously didn’t believe that he wouldn’t die.
“I’ll come here tomorrow, and ask you again, please, think about it.” He picked himself off the floor and started dressing again.
“Rilen, don’t leave me!” She stood and reached out for him.
“As much as I don’t want to, I have to... I’ll come back tomorrow, I promise. I love you,” he gave Dara one last kiss before he slipped out the door. Joir approached him from the porch of a nearby store.
“Hey, I hope my company will be a little more interesting now...” Rilen said and cast a grin at Joir.
“You confuse me, beyond belief, you confuse me. Wish I could have a bit of fun without risk to my life,” Joir muttered so only Rilen heard. Joir was native born and bred on Norie.
“You can, the whole thing is in your head, it only happens because you believe it will.” Rilen glanced back at Dara’s shop just in time to see her open the door again, turning the sign to OPEN. She saw him and waved a kiss at him. He cast a grin at her. “She doesn’t believe I’ll be fine. I told her I’d come back tomorrow and she still didn’t believe me.”
Joir laughed, “Boy will she be surprised when you walk in, horny for her all over again!”
“I wasn’t horny for her!” Rilen protested as they walked toward the Temple to Air.
“You don’t think so, but I know so!” laughed Joir.
*~**~*
Once Joir had left, Rilen changed to dragon and sped toward the White One’s island in Timelessness. When he landed, he changed back to his original form. There was a winged woman with black hair talking to the White One so he waited politely.
“Thank you White One,” she bowed deeply to him and turned, readying her wings for take-off.
“Cloria?” Rilen recognized the girl.
She relaxed her wings and stared at him, “You are the son of the one called Silena, are you not?”
Rilen nodded. “How did you get here?”
“There is a hole in the Realms that allows us angels out to speak with the White One- oh!” she turned to the White One, “May I bring Silena here?”
The White One seemed to laugh, “YES, YOUNG DAUGHTER OF MY CREATION, YOU MAY.”
She turned quickly and fluttered away. “It won’t take long will it?” Rilen asked as he sat down to wait. “You probably saw, but I met the most amazing girl in the universe! She’s so beautiful and I think I love her. She didn’t believe me when I told her that I’d come back to her shop tomorrow. She thinks I’m Norien...” he continued chattering on about the dreams he’d had of her and how beautiful he thought she was compared to even the ‘Babes of Breninew’. The White One offered comments occasionally about this or that woman that existed somewhere but Rilen pointed out that she was either dead or he hadn’t met her so she couldn’t be more beautiful than Dara.
There was a soft step near him and he glanced over his shoulder to see Cloria in dragon form land and set a woman down on the soft grass.
“YOU HAVE IMPROVED YOUR SHIFTING, CLORIA,” commented the White One.
“Thank you,” she rumbled and shifted, “Mom has been a good teacher. I have learned many things from her.” The woman that Cloria had set down turned toward the White One. Rilen stood and brushed himself off, she hadn’t seen him yet.
“Greetings White One,” she bowed and when she straightened, Rilen touched her shoulder. Quickly, she turned and gasped, “Rian? Rian!” she threw her arms around Rilen and buried her face in his chest, crying.
“You’ve got the wrong generation, Mom.” Silena looked up at him to see his huge grin.
“Rilen? You’ve died! But you were so young!” she was crying still.
He laughed, “It must be my day for women not to understand. No, I’m still alive, we’re just in Timelessness. You look better than the pictures even hinted.” He kissed her cheek.
“Silena...” a voice said brokenly. Silena’s eyes went to where Rian stood using power from the White One so that they could see him.
Silena went limp and Rilen helped her over to Rian and gave her to him. “Rian... Oh Rian,” she cried and threw her arms around him. “My Rian and Rilen in the same place!” She reached out and pulled Rilen against herself and Rian.
Rilen laughed, “I’ve got stiffs hugging me!”
“He’s got your sense of humor, Silena...” Rian commented, tightening his hold on Silena and placing a kiss on her lips.
“You know, my life is complete, I’ve got everything I ever dreamed of, a beautiful girl back in Time, a father and a mother who love each other and me,” Rilen said to no one in particular. In response, he got a kiss from Silena and a laugh from Rian.
“I do love you, Rilen, and you Rian,” tears were running down Silena’s face unnoticed. Rian kissed those tears, smearing them on her cheeks. She kissed both him and Rilen.
There was a cough, “Excuse me, could you please look here?” asked a female voice behind Rilen.
They all turned their faces toward the person and saw it was Cloria with a camera. Quickly, Rilen stepped aside and held Silena in front of him with Rian beside him, Silena being the smallest. Flash! the picture was spit from the camera and Cloria caught it and handed it to Rilen. He grinned, “Thanks, I was just thinking of doing that.” He took the picture, concentrated a moment and made the photo album in life appear in front of him, still open to the page it had been before.
There was nothing new so he just pasted the picture into the book and wrote under it, the air holding the book up and a comfortable height for him.
Rian, Silena, and myself, reunited at last, isn’t that sweet? In life it is 3 - 17 - 79,008,010,409.
“Everyone seems to be able to do that except me...” Cloria commented about the book being supported by nothing.
Rilen grinned, “You can do it too, just ask Avlora if you can.”
“How?” she asked, wide eyed. He quickly stepped over to her and gave her the knowledge of how to do it. “Oh! Thank you!” she hugged him, wrapping him in her arms and wings.
“Wow! Girls just can’t keep their hands off me today!” Rilen said, Rian and Silena laughed. He was freed just in time to see Rian’s form start flickering.
“Rian? What’s happening?” Silena asked clinging to him.
“It takes power for me to appear like this, I’m separated from the White One and I only have a limited amount, I’ve been like this longer than I ever have before... I’m sorry, I can’t stay any longer.” His form flickered again and he started backing up toward the White One, pulling Silena along with him, kissing her until he seemed to melt into the glittering white side of the White One. Rilen caught her before she collapsed and held her while she cried.
“RILEN, TIME CONTINUES...” the White One warned.
Rilen nodded, “I’m sorry, Mom, I’ve gotta go. It’s been a long day for me. Maybe I’ll have the luck of meeting you here again. I love you.” He kissed her cheek and handed her over to Cloria, turned to spirit easily and became one with the White One, then changed to dragon and headed back toward Time.
Silena watched him go, “And once again they’re ripped from my fingers...”
“THEY HAVEN’T BEEN, YOU WILL MEET AGAIN, THAT IS IN THE FUTURE,” the White One predicted.
*~**~*
Rilen appeared back in his room and set the photo album on his desk, open to the page that had the picture of himself and his parents together, the White One behind them. He looked at the time and yawned, it was 12:50 P.M. He shed his clothes and climbed into bed.
He woke late the next morning and eating a light breakfast, made his way down to the main room of the Temple to Air on Norie. There was a person crouching on the floor before the altar, head bowed and dressed in black.
“White One, please guide the soul of Rilen, don’t let him go astray and be caught by the Black One and tortured...” it was a young woman, more specifically, Dara.
“Praying for me? I feel so wanted!” he commented with a huge grin.
Dara looked up at him, her mouth open. “Rilen! But- you should be dead!”
He laughed and sat down beside her, “I told you I wouldn’t,” he put his hands to her face and pulled her to him, kissing her lips softly. She threw her arms around him, knocking him back to lay on the floor, her on top of him. “Will you marry me now?” he asked looking up at her.
“Yes, I will, I love you!” she pressed her lips and body against his. His arms went around her and her rolled her onto her back so that he could look down at her. She gasped when she felt not the hard stone floor under her but a soft bed.
He grinned, “I’m not always in such a hurry that I do you on the floor,” he kissed her and slowly removed her clothes.
