TlStanfieldPg89

Nightmare
Part XXXVI

"First, you must know that no one wanted to send you
away. It broke everyone's heart. We feared for
Taryn's life after you'd gone. The poor babe almost
mourned herself to death."
I interrupted her, "Which of us is older?"
"Taryn is the firstborn. You were born two hours later,
it was a difficult delivery."
I nodded, and she continued
"You were beautiful babies, and you've grown into
beautiful women. Well, back to the story. I assume
you know of Wilfred's obsession with Taryn?" I
nodded again "What you may not know is that his
father was equally obsessed with your mother."
"What?!" Kalen and I exclaimed in unison
"Oh yes, he was completely besotted with her. He had
hoped to marry her himself. Had courted her in
earnest, but she chose your father. He was
beside himself with fury and lovesickness. Your
mother told me that when he looked at her, her blood
would run cold through her veins. She was terrified
of him, and with good reason."
"Couldn't my father just have banned him from the land
or something?" I asked
"It's not that simple, child. Here, on this earth, to
ban one of the royals from one's lands is to declare
war with them, and no one wanted that."
"No, I suppose not. That must be why Taryn has never
banned Wilfred." I said
"It is indeed. And like Wilfred, his father before him
practiced in the black arts. When you and your sister
were born, so beautiful and perfect, he was insane
with jealousy and hatred."
"But didn't he already have Wilfred by then?" I asked
"Oh yes, Wilfred was already a toddler, but he wasn't
born of your mother, and that was what mattered to
Oswald."
"Oswald?" I asked
Kalen answered me, "That was Wilfred's father's name."
"Ah, I see. Go on Miss Agatha."
"Well, with the birth of you and Taryn, it was proof
positive that Angelica, your mother, belonged to
another man, and it pushed Oswald beyond the bounds of
sanity. He swore vengeance. Your parents feared for
you both. You were guarded night and day. Then one
day a strange woman appeared at the castle door. She
requested to see your mother and father. After
extensive questioning, she was given an audience with
them. Your mother, especially, feared she was an
emissary of Oswald, but upon meeting her, Angelica
immediately trusted her. Your father too, though
Loren remained cautious."
"Who was the woman?" I asked anxiously
"Patience, Tara, I will tell this story at my own pace,
young lady."
"Yes, of course, Miss Agatha. I apologize, but I am so
in need of knowing what happened to me, and why." I
explained
"I understand that, child. But be patient with this old
woman, and soon you will know all. Now, where was I?
Oh yes, the woman, who called herself Enigma, said she
was your guardian. Your fairy godmother, if you
will." Agatha said smiling. I laughed. "I don't
know what she actually was, but she inspired a feeling
of confidence that all would be well. She said that
you and Taryn were more than just identical twins.
She said each of you carried a part of the other
inside of her. That just one of you could not die,
because the other would still carry a vital part of
her life within her. She said she had foreseen the
future, and that only by separating you and Taryn