Bits and pieces

Miriam wasted no time the minute she shut the door.

 She locked it, and kicked off her shoes, wrestling to take off her dress and the corset. Once she was freed, she pulled out a thick wool night dress for sleep, and slipped it on.

 The diary called out to her, and Miriam reached into the drawer, grabbing the familiar book.

 She flipped through the pages, making sure she found her spot once more.

Someone is keeping a close eye on me. And it's not Kier. I made Kier swear a magic oath that he would not cause me any problems nor involve himself in my plans.

 Miriam paused, though she realized that she didn't really know how that was going to go over. How could she ask Kier if he had any idea what she had done before she was stranded? And would he be able to even speak of it, considering he had made a magic oath to the original Miriam?

 "Dammitt." she muttered under her breath as she continued on reading.

Elton continues to give my father updates on his newly wedded daughter. He seems to only make these announcements when I'm around. He shows portraits of my beautiful Elyanna with her new husband.

 She is beautiful, even as she's clad in those damning red silks. And Elton makes sure that I know that Elyanna is very much in love with her arranged husband, and soon, she will have his babies.

 I swear, I almost used Kier's dragon nail on Elton, but Kier dragged me away.

 How could Elton be so cruel to me? I truly love and cherish his daughter.

This Miriam seemed to be stunned, closing the diary. Though she needed to get answers, she couldn't stomach anymore heartache at the moment.

 Right now, she felt a little sick. She rubbed the sweat from her brow and stared out the window. From here, she could see the night sky and the stars twinkling from above. Miriam shoved the diary back into the drawer, and opened the window, a cool breeze entering her room.

 Suddenly, the door flew opened, and a hand snatched her wrist and yanked her back.

 Miriam's back hit something very solid, and for a moment, the wind was knocked out of her. She turned to face a very concerned looking Kier, his eyes glowing.

 "Kier-"

 "My lady. You should not do that." he said, his grip on her tight.

 For a moment, Miriam didn't know what to say, her heart racing in her chest. What did she do wrong? Was she not allowed to open the window? Did she break a rule that she didn't know?

 As she's thinking, Kier let go of her and closed the window. Tremors ran up and down his body, and Miriam knew he was struggling not to shift into his dragon form.

 "I'm safe Kier. Honest." she assured him, and Kier spun to face her, eyes blazing.

 "You do not understand my lady. You were a mess over Lady Elyanna. Yes, I am your personal guard but I'm supposed to be protecting you from danger-not from yourself." he explained, and understanding dawned on Miriam.

 Just as the original Miriam had been hurting, she had been hurting the people around her. No wonder Kier was always on guard and ready to throw himself in harm's way for her.

 "Kier, I am fine. I'm sorry I put you through that whole thing...and I know you don't understand, but I need to assure you that I'm fine now. I won't be doing anything dangerous like that again. Please...forgive me." Miriam said, and Kier held on to her hands, his body shaking until gradually it eased.

 "I know we haven't done this for a while, but please my lady...may I sleep in the same bed as you?" Kier asked, and when Miriam looked up at him, she could see the pleas in his eyes.

 He was desperate.

 Miriam nodded, and he seemed to relax, finding a comfortable spot on the bed.

 What Miriam didn't think of, and she really should have, was the way he took up space. Most of his form took up three-fourths of her queens sized bed. And when she laid next to him, she didn't realize how much body heat he emitted. Miriam basically had to throw off the blankets off of her, lest she sweat.

 And Kier instantly slept, his forehead resting on her shoulder, his breathing deep and even. It was strange watching him sleep; he looked younger and less stressed by life like this.

 Miriam couldn't help it; she gently ran her fingers through his hair. And he seemed to like that contact, as a rumble came from the center of his chest.

 It's like he's purring, Miriam thought to herself, settling down next to him as she felt a wave of sleepiness overcome her.

 Pretty soon, sleep dragged her under.

The sound of waves hit the sand, making Miriam sit up. Sand sticks to her skin, and hair, the sun blazing down. The azure, blue sky mocks her; how can they day still look so innocent when she attempted something so dark?

 A voice calls out to her. Too far away to tell if it's a man or woman calling out to her. 

 She squints in the distance, seeing a familiar shadow take form. Each step the person takes forwards solidifies the person.

 "You." Miriam uttered out, her hands balled into fists.

 "Me indeed." the person greets, tucking a strand of hair behind their ear. The cloak covers their hair and eyes, and most of their face, but Miriam knows who it is without knowing who it is. "You've gotten into some trouble, Laney."

 "Me? I have no idea what's going on or why I'm here." Miriam-Laney-replied.

 "That's my fault. The spell was spoken wrong. Either way, you're stuck like this since your own vessel has died." the person replied. 

 Laney frowned at that, looking up at the person.

 "So I have to clean up this mess that was left behind by the real Miriam?" she asked, incredulous.

 "Indeed. That troublesome girl. I'm sure her spirit is somewhere out there caught in a limbo." the person replied, wincing a little.

 "I feel like you know more than what you're letting on." Miriam/Laney replied. The person said nothing, instead looking away in the distance.

 "Anyway, Miriam," the person replied. "it's up to you how to resolve this. If you want to anyway. I don't blame you if you'd rather not. It's a lot of trouble caused by one person."

 "You wouldn't happen to know who-" Miriam tried to ask, as sudden howling of wind drowned out her words, the person disappearing and leaving Miriam alone on the beach once more.

 "Great. Just great." Miriam mumbled to herself as she sat back down on the sandy beach.

 "My lady? Lady?" a voice from the sky sounded out, making the ground shake.

 Bewildered, Miriam looked around, and then to the sky as the voice continued to repeat the words until-

 Her eyes opened, the sunlight peeking through the dusty rose-colored curtains. Miriam sat up, seeing a lack of Kier in her bed.

 She looked up to see Kier standing at her doorway, his features sheepish.

 "Forgive me, Lady Miriam. Your lady in waiting is requesting an audience with you. Shall I direct her to your living room quarters?" he asked, and Miriam, still groggy with sleep nodded.

 Kier disappeared, closing the door behind him as Miriam stumbled off the bed, and went to splash water on her face. She brushed her teeth while chewing on a fresh mint leaf. Once done, she summoned her maids to help dress her.

 Miriam didn't want to waste too much time getting ready, so she picked out a simple white corset under her turtleneck dress the color of soft lavender. Her shoes were simple black flats, and her hair was made into a single braid.

 Once out, Kier awaited next to her door, his gaze softening as he laid eyes upon her.

 "You ready my lady?" he asked, and she nodded, letting him guide her.

 This time he was oddly quiet, which was no help to Miriam. She had no idea who was waiting her on the other side, and she could feel a bundle of nerves settle in her belly.

 Kier opened the double doors, and Miriam ducked down, a rainbow-colored parrot sweeping over her head. Kier chuckled as the large bird settled on his broad shoulder.

 "Evening my lady." the parrot said, sounding like a southern belle.

 "Um...hello there." Miriam said, Kier looking at the person on the couch.

 She was beautiful, with auburn curls the went down her shoulders, big green eyes twinkling with joy, and mischief. She had smooth creamy peach skin with a dust of freckles over the bridge of her nose, soft pink lips pulled into a warm smile. A dimple winked at her, and Miriam for a moment just stared at her. The girl wore a deep purple dress with a matching bonnet that curled outward and gave her the appearance of a flower blooming.

 "Hello there, Arisa. Lady Miriam has accepted the audience of your visit." Kier greeted, and Miriam nodded.

 The parrot flew off of Kier, and landed on Arisa's lap, Arisa brushing the feathers of the bread with her fingers.

 "I didn't want to believe it, but it's true that my poor lady doesn't even remember her first lady in waiting." the parrot, still in its southern belle accent, drawled.

 "I-I do apologize." Miriam stuttered out, looking at the bird, and then Arisa in confusion.

 "It's quite fine, my lady. Please sit. We have much to catch up on since you went missing." the parrot answered, Arisa patting the spot next to her.

 And with that, Miriam sat next to the strange girl with the rainbow-colored bird.