From: scoger@ocf.berkeley.edu (Scott Gier)
Newsgroups: alt.romance.chat
Subject: CASTLE The Minstrel Comes Home
Date: 18 Nov 1992 21:14:08 GMT
Organization: U. C. Berkeley Open Computing Facility
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: bigbang.berkeley.edu

My love enscribes:

  It was the music that awoke her.  The Minstrel must be in strange mood,
she thought.  She turned over in her bed and stared out the window at the
stars glistening in the night sky.  Her forhead wrinkled in thought, as the
music continued to invade her senses.  It wasn't the Minstrel playing, it
sounded different.  She did have an impulse to go down and see what was
bothering the Minstrel, but if it was someone else...she didn't want to
invade in someone else's privacy.
 That is why her door was locked this night.  She usually left it unlocked,
but she wanted some solid sleep, where she didn't have to worry about any
intruders.  She was just falling asleep when she heard a sound.  Lady Elizabethhad no weapon near her, so she decided to play like she was asleep.  She turnedtoward the intruder, but kept her breathing even and did not open her eyes.
Then the intruder was gone, he had closed the door so loudly it was a wonder
he didn't wake up the whole castle.
  Looking around, she tried to see what was missing.  Lady Elizabeth quickly
picked out the missing object, it was her pendant.  Anger was her key emotion,
she would kill the thief that had pilfered her belonging.  As thoughts of
"different methods she could use to torture the sniviling(or he would be soon)
unintellegent maggot of an...." ran through her mind, she put her shoes on
and grabbed the dagger from her end table.  When Lady Elizabeth got to the
door, she peeked out first(to make sure it wasn't a trap) before exiting to
find the misbegotten foul who swipped her pendant.
  Just as she received a feeling that someone was staring at her, she saw
a hand appear out of one of the darkened corners, holding her pendant.
"Looking for this?" he asked.
  It was the Minstrel's voice.  Her steps where so quick, she literaly flew
down the corridor and landed with in the warmth of his arms.  She had missed
him.  A familar charge of what could only be discribed as sparks transfered
between them.  Mmmmm....yes, there was no doubt, he was the Minstrel.
 As if just remembering herself, she seperated herself from him and avoided
looking at him directly. "And where have you been?  And WHAT do you think
you are doing, picking my lock!!  I mean really.  Do I come to your room
and pick your lock?"  Lady Elizabeth was happy he had returned, but he had
no right to pick her lock, it was like an unwritten agreement between them.
 She was very agitated at him.
"Now Elizabeth..." he started to say, only to be interupted by Lady Elizabeth.
"Don't you now Elizabeth me, Mark..." she stated as she turned toward him,
pointing her finger at him.  Her words broke off, as she looked directly into
his face.
   He was no longer hidden in the shadows, the light from the torches on the
wall, clearly outlined his now matured features.  His once boyishly youthful
face seemed aged now.  She caressed his cheek, as she stared into his eyes.
It was in his eyes that she could see a secret was hidden.  What was he hiddingbehind those eyes of his?  There was a distinct age difference in his appear-
ence, that had not been there before. Staring into his eyes and caressing his
cheek, she almost whispered her question, "what happened?"
***************
"What happened?  It took me twelve damn years to get back to this realm."  The 
Minstrel could see the look of confusion pass over Elizabeth's face.  "Time 
passes differently in each dimension." He said to answer her unspoken question.

"But, Markham, why?"  The lady puzzled.

"I don't know.  I think it was because I left before the Dark One's taint had
totally left me.  Then until it had faded, mostly because I don't have the Dark
One's power to overcome the natural defences of this realm, I couldn't get
back." 

"You know, Elizabeth, I used to think that as long as I could play and sing I
wouldn't ever need anything else."  The Minstrel smiles, "Was I ever wrong.  I
never stopped thinking about you. I tried because I had almost given up on
ever returning.  Then one evening I camped on a small hill and when I awoke
I was in the glade where we first met.  I'll never forget saving you from those 
foul creatures."  

"I realized my lady that I love you with everything that I am."

*****************
The Wandering Minstrel

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