Valley Of Glamorgan Read online

  Giving me a knowing smile, Knoll suggested I try to sleep. I felt bad for him as I knew he must be just as tired as I was, yet despite myself I couldn’t fight the tiredness that had over taken my body. As we drove along my eyelids grew heavy, and before I knew it I was asleep.

  Chapter 5

  Unlike the night before, I had the most vivid dream I had ever dreamt in my entire life. I was walking through the woods with Knoll when all of a sudden Jack and Stephanie appeared. They were dancing and laughing. Then Jack reached for my hand and, pulling me close he said, ‘I love you Mina bear.’ Tears stung my eyes as I tried to pull away, but he kept holding my arm; gripping it tighter and tighter. All of a sudden all the life seemed to drain from their faces and they both crumbled to the ground.

  Sitting up sharply, I sucked in a deep breath. Apparently I had startled Knoll because he had swerved off the road, but then had quickly corrected himself. “Mina,” he exclaimed “Are you alright?”

  Wiping the tears from my eyes I sat up straight. Running my hands through my messy hair I assured him I was alright. “Just a bad dream,” I whispered; whilst still trying to force the images from my mind.

  “Would you like to talk about it?” he asked genuinely; concern lacking from his hoarse voice.

  I thought about how it would feel to explain the dream, but I politely rejected his offer. I didn’t want to burden him with the images that would forever be embedded in my mind. So laying my head against the cold glass of the truck window, I just said, “I must have slept longer than I thought!” It was more an observation than a question, but still Knoll felt the need to confirm that I had indeed slept; for almost eight hours. As I thought about it I couldn’t imagine the dream lasting as long as eight hours but, if it had then I was grateful that I could only remember a small portion of it.

  “We are near the Valley of Glamorgan,” stated Knoll; as if I was supposed to know where that was.

  “Where is that?” I asked simply.

  “I’m sorry Mina,” replied Knoll, “I had forgotten that we haven’t covered that part. That is where our home is; in the forests of Ireland, in a valley called Pond Hollow.”

  I laughed, saying, “Well, call me crazy but I think you may have gone a bit delirious from the lack of sleep. Ireland can only be reached by plane!”

  Knoll carried on as if he hadn’t noticed my comment for which I was grateful, before responding, “We will not be taking a plane Mina. We will go to the northwest forest located directly in the Smokey Mountain and there we will enter through the veil which will transfer us to Ireland.”

  For a moment I wondered if I had heard him correctly. Deciding that I must have, I looked at him and jokingly said, “Wow, a veil, now why didn’t I think of that?” As for Knoll, he just kept driving; neither confirming nor denying, whether he had been joking.

  Eventually we pulled onto a long, dirt road that led us deeper and deeper into the mountains. Despite myself I was finding it hard to contain my nervousness although I figured that Knoll wouldn’t have gone to these lengths just to play a joke, so he must be serious. Now I was really starting to question his sanity.

  When he finally stopped the truck Knoll quickly hopped out. Stretching his arms and legs, it was the first time, with the sun beating brightly down on him that I could see the fatigue in his features, the sight of which made me feel horrible for joking and being smart with him like I had been. Getting out of the truck I stretched in the same way, allowing my muscles to bend and twist, which made me feel much better than I had anticipated. Knoll grabbed my bag from the truck and threw it over his shoulder. I began objecting to the kind gesture, by saying I could carry the bag, he wouldn’t allow it, dismissing my words altogether, he motioned for me to follow him down the beaten path.

  Stopping briefly to adjust the backpack strap that lay across his shoulder, Knoll said, “We must hurry Mina; we have a limited time until the veil closes.” Nodding in agreement, I was still finding it hard to believe that we were hiking through the wilderness or that we were heading towards a veil that would make my life so much more surreal.

  I was finding myself trying to shake the feeling of foreboding that was surrounding me as I continued following Knoll in silence. Today he seemed different and I wondered aimlessly as to why he would be that way. Stopping myself from almost tripping over a fallen tree branch, I concentrated more on my feet; I have always been clumsy. Knoll yelled back briefly over his shoulder, making sure I was alright. After I told him I was fine, we continued walking. His reactions only confirming my earlier thoughts even more, that he seemed distracted. I made the decision to investigate the matter when we stopped at the creek for a quick snack, which was made up of two granola bars and two bottles of water. It wasn’t my favorite meal, but it would have to do I told my stomach when it growled unfavorably at the first bite of the granola bar.

  Knoll sat silently on a nearby rock staring at the creek water as it slowly rolled away over the rocks. He seemed to be in a world of his own today so I didn’t want to interrupt his thoughts, but I needed to know why he was acting so different. For some reason I couldn’t comprehend his behavior. It made me feel nervous.

  Eventually I cleared my throat, attempting to draw his attention to me; looking up he smiled, “Sorry Mina. I didn’t notice that you were standing there, what to you need?” he asked absentmindedly.

  “Well,” I started nervously, tracing a path in the dirt with my pink tennis shoe. “I was wondering if you were doing okay today, you seem…” I paused searching for a word that described his weird mood change and then continued, “Sort of, off..”

  Slowly he shook his head in understanding and said, “I might as well get this out in the open now. Soon we will reach the veil, in about thirty minutes, at which time you will find out anyway...”

  I straightened my back, standing tall and taking deep breathes of the fresh forest air. I was readying myself for whatever Knoll was about to tell me; it didn’t seem as if it would be good news. Nodding for him to go on, I was afraid that if I said a word he would change his mind, and not tell me whatever it was. By the look on his face I could tell he was debating with himself as to whether it was a good idea or not. Finally standing up he looked me directly in the eyes, “Mina, I have not been completely honest; I have lied to you,” he said simply.

  I was stunned by the ease of the words he had just spoken. All I could manage to utter was, “But, you promised that you would never lie to me!” There was more hurt within those words than one could possibly grasp; I had trusted him.

  Shaking his head he had a look of pure defeat, before continuing, “I know and I am sorry. It’s just that I didn’t want you to change your mind about coming with me.” I swallowed hard; I didn’t like where this was going but I pushed the worry down the best I could as I waited for him to continue.

  “Do you remember when I spoke of Maggie?” he asked me. As if I could have forgotten him telling me I had a sister so I simply nodded my head yes, as I didn’t at the moment feel like I owed a liar more of a response. He waited a second and then went on to tell me, “I told you that she has to marry a guardian; I just didn’t tell you that the guardian she is marrying is me.” He stood tall and rigid, patiently waiting for my response.

  With relief I chuckled and was just about to double over, when I asked, “Is that it?”

  He looked confused, so I went on to explain my reaction. “Why would it be any of my business whom you marry?”

  His cheeks turned red as he began trying to explain that he had thought I had accumulated some feelings for him. He had even thought that if I knew about the marriage I would have been hurt and would not have agreed to go with him. Having denied his accusations, I found myself stopping a strange feeling of pain in my heart.

  ‘Oh crap,’ I thought, to myself. Was it true? Had I been falling for him? Then I thought back to the moment in the van when I had first realized his beauty, and how he had made me feel as if butterflies had filled my stoma
ch. The way I felt, when he told me that I was the most beautiful singer he had ever heard. Reluctantly I knew that what he thought had some truth in it. I was falling for him, and the pain was overbearing. Managing to put a fake smile on I turned to face him. He had been standing silently with a look of concern on his face.

  “I am fine,” I announced clearly but I wasn’t sure who I was trying to convince more; him or myself.

  “I’m sorry I must have been mistaken then?” Knoll responded; more as a question than a statement.

  “Yes. You must have been,” I replied with more conviction than I intended. “Let’s just go,” I announced. Following which, Knoll turned and began to lead the way in silence; not once looking back.

  I felt like an idiot, and kept mentally chastising myself for being so stupid to think that a man like Knoll could possibly fall for a girl like me. Suddenly I had become a heart-broken teenage girl, one who desperately needed a mother or friend to confide in. The lack of which made it much more obvious and painful to me.

  We walked on and on, endlessly. I felt as if the anger inside me could carry me to the end of the world and back. Knoll called out several times for me to slow down and I tried to keep most of my smart comments to myself, but despite that one did manage to slip out and I snarled at him, “We have to hurry and get you to your bride, guardian. Did you chose to marry her or was the choice made for you, just like all the rest?” I had spit the words out as if they were laced with venom and pain; not caring how much they hurt him.

  Suddenly Knoll grabbed my arm, “Mina that is enough!” he growled between gritted teeth. “I am a grown man, and will not be judged by a confused child! I chose Maggie as my bride because she completes me. She is the love of my life!”

  The way in which he had spoken made each word sound as if there was such conviction wound tightly around every letter. I wanted to turn around and leave, but I kept trying to calm myself into thinking rationally. What was I doing? Behaving like a petulant child. After all he had never given me any reason to think he loved me. I mean, for heaven’s sakes, I had only spent three days with him; although granted he had saved my life. Still what was I thinking! Eventually I decided to put my foolish feelings behind me and continue on the journey ahead of us without further comment. With the roller coaster of emotions I was experiencing just then I knew it was going to be a lot easier said than done.

  I was so enclosed in my own mind that I jumped when Knoll finally stopped me at the entrance to a cave. “Hey!” I exclaimed, “Can you give me a warning next time?”

  Smiling he nodded and replied, “Yes ma’am.” I just rolled my eyes and hated that it felt as if things would never be the same between us again.

  “We will go through the Veil here,” he pointed to the entrance. Looking towards the cave I could see a glimpse of shimmering, clear film that covered the whole entrance. Suddenly I felt my hands begin to shake. Today I would meet my mother and father. And I would also meet my sister; who, for some stupid reason, I was angry towards since the moment Knoll had admitted that he loved her.

  The Guardian sensed my nervousness but reassuringly said, “It will be okay Mina-Bear, just breathe.” Then he continued, “In a few seconds you will be home, and safe with people who have missed you dearly, and who have risked their lives to find you.”

  Knoll laughed, letting out a sigh as he looked at me with what appeared to be sympathy before saying, “It will be okay. I have arranged for just your immediate family to meet us at the Veil on the other side. You can meet the rest of village after you have had time to rest.” At least I was thankful for that.

  Stepping forward Knoll reached out his hand, “We shall step in together Mina. You must hold tightly onto my hand and for no reason should you let go!”

  Grabbing his hand I gripped it tightly, feeling a warm sensation spreading through my body from his touch, and with one step we were cascading downward at a God awful speed. There was darkness, twirling past me and I felt as if the granola bar had made its way back up. I kept thinking, ‘Great, the first thing my family will see is me throwing up!’

  Landing with a hard thud I discovered I was laid on soft plush grass. Looking around I couldn’t believe my eyes. There was nothing but rolling hills, and bright green grass spread all across and as far as the eye could see; it was simply breath taking. Standing up from the ground I let go of Knolls’ hand before brushing my pants off the best I could. Then I heard a small noise and turned to see a woman and a man, with another younger woman standing only a few feet from where we had landed. Looking towards Knoll for reassurance that we had indeed landed in the right spot, he gently nudged me forward, saying, “Carmina, this is your family.” I found it odd that he had called me Carmina, and I knew that things would probably always be formal between us from here on out.

  Slowly I began walking towards them, when the woman ran to me. Throwing her arms around me she hugged me tightly, lightly sobbing as she whispered softly into my ear, “Oh Mina, you are finally home.”

  Even though I wrapped my arms around her, it felt strange doing so. My wish was that I could feel the same happiness she did, but I just didn’t know what to say. For a start I had no idea who these people were; I had no memories of them what-so-ever. Finally the woman finally loosened her grip as the man, stepping forward, instructed her to let me go.

  “You have to let her breathe, Eleanor,” he said, smiling at me with bright green eyes that reminded me of my own. But Eleanor remained standing in front of me smiling. As I looked at her I thought how beautiful she was, with long strawberry-blonde hair, bright blue eyes and thin, cat like features. Calling for the man to come closer she announced, “Liam, our daughter is finally home!” and she looked up at him adoringly, as tears began to fall down her porcelain colored cheeks.

  Liam stepped forward and taking my small hand in his large rough one, he held it gently as he smiled down at me and said, “Yes indeed dear, she is.” Then he gave me a small hug and welcomed me home. Liam was the exact opposite of my father, or the man I had thought was my father. This man had dark red hair, and was large and bulky. He looked like a person who could hold his own in a fight.

  Then Liam gestured for the woman who had run past me into Knolls arms as we had arrived. I somehow guessed that she was my sister, Maggie. She too was beautiful; like Eleanor, she was slender and had blonde hair but bright green eyes like Liam. Now I understood what Knoll had seen in her. I hated the knots I felt forming in my stomach whilst watching him hold her in his arms, whispering sweet nothings in her ear. After a few moments, she turned from him and walked gracefully towards me, before pulling me into an embrace, the same as Eleanor had.

  “Hello, Carmina! It’s so great to have you home,” she said with a brilliant smile. I couldn’t resist smiling back and thanking her. If she was always this nice, I would have a hard time keeping myself from being nice to her.

  Liam and Eleanor quickly thanked Knoll for my safe return home before we all made our way back to the village, back to my proper home. I felt as if I had stepped out of reality and into a fairy tale as my mother, father and sister led me to a large, castle-like mansion. It had large, beautifully stained glass windows that were housed in exquisitely carved, grey cobbled stone that covered the whole building. I couldn’t help but stop and stare in awe. It was so breath taking!

  Eleanor cleared her throat and wrapping her arm in mine she announced, in a beautiful sing-song voice, “I know it takes a moment to get used to its beauty; it still takes me by surprise even after all these years.”

  Nodding my head in agreement I continued to follow them down the stone covered path. When we reached a large iron gate I saw three tall men standing there, each wearing black slacks and simple white button-up shirts; they were very tall and looked very strong. I assumed that they must be Guardians, like Knoll and I smiled as I thought to myself, ‘If all the guardians looked like this then I might get over Knoll a lot sooner than I had thought.’

  The tallest
of the men cut through my thoughts as he stepped forward and bowed, saying, “Welcome home Banphrionsa, Carmina.”

  Smiling, I felt stupid by having to ask him what he had said. Unfortunately his thick Irish accent was too hard for me to repeat the word he had used but I saved myself from looking a total fool by simply asking what he had said. He smiled, a large friendly smile, before kindly informing me, “Excuse me Carmina, I forget that you wouldn’t remember your native tongue. Banphrionsa simply means Princess.” Despite myself I couldn’t help but blush a bright rose red, but let out a small laugh as I would never get used to being called either of the names. I realized that everyone was looking at me, so I quickly thanked him.

  Nodding he continued to lead us through the gate when Knoll stepped in front of us and we stopped. Looking at my parents he said, “I think it might be wise to introduce Mina to the guards; that way she will feel familiar with her people.” Liam agreed, telling Knoll that it was a great idea.

  As Knoll stepped aside he motioned for the other two men to come forward where they stood in front of me; both waiting to be introduced. Liam nodded to Knoll and then said “Carmina, this is Eirnan. He is the son of the Deputy Chief of the Guardians. He is in charge of security and perimeter controls.” The man stepped forward and bowed. He had light brown hair and dark almond eyes, and appeared to be only a few years older than me. I thought to myself it was odd that he was similar in age to me and yet had such an important job. I quickly said, “Hello,” telling him it was nice to meet him.

  Liam then motioned for the other man to come forward. He was the one who had addressed me as ‘Princess’ just moments before. “Hello again,” he playfully joked, “I am Declan.” He had dark black hair that hung just above his eyes which were the color of a stormy sky; gray with flecks of blue and he was gorgeous. I thought it strange that he hadn’t just introduced himself moments before.