She saved me

Shakespeare and an Ally

"A long, long, time ago when I was a wee lass like yourself, I found out I had magic. During those times witches were being burned by the dozens. I ran away from my father, a simple tanner, to join the coven. I was free to be myself but the others, well they didn't approve. They said I wasn't up to snuff and through me out. I spent the next year on my own, trying everything to strength'n my powers and went back. Once they saw what I was capable of, they let me back in. I guess a year, maybe two later, a lad approached. We talked for hours and then he wanted me to follow him to the barn. Of course I said no but he got violent. He raped me. The worst part was, since he was a married man the town folks believed him instead of me, even the coven threw me out. As if it couldn't get worse, I was pregnant with a beatiful wee boy but he looked too much like his father. Every time I looked at him it was like I was reliving the same moment over and over. I loved him, but I guess all I let him see was the hatred I had for his father. When he was eight years of age, the town folk became obssessed with burnin' witches again, this time I had to flee and leave him. Almost every woman I know was accused and killed, if the constable would have taken one wee look at me I would have been as good as dead and my son along with me. My bright red hair is enough to get me burned alive, and my son as well. I needed money for my escape so I went to the elderly women, my neighbors, and asked them to take good care of Fergus. They gave me three pigs that I could sell since they didn't have the money. I guess all my son understood was that I left and took three pigs with me. Now I know yer wonderin' about him being the king of hell, well to sum it up fer ye, he wanted three more inches below the belt so he made a deal with a crossroads demon and sold his soul, when he died he became a demon. When the king of hell at the time was killed the position fell to one of the next princes of hell. None of them took the offer, instead one actually gave it to my boy. I am very proud of him." the redhead to a breath. "Now that's enough about me, I want to know about ye.". If only you could remember who you used to be. It seems as if that person is gone and only small flashes of who she was remains. "Rowena, I'm sorry. I don't know. I don't remember who I was. I have small, hazy memories of my mother and father but that is it. I don't even remember my name." tears start to fall down your cheeks. How is it possible not to remember something that engraved into your brain? "It's okay dear, you might remember it a week from now. Memories can come back it's okay." she comforts you again. You hate how weak he made you. " Until ye remember yer real name, how about I call ye Ophelia?". Ophelia, why does it sound like yor have heard that name before? Why does it feel so connected to who you are. That's not your name, that you are sure of. "There's rosemary, that's for rememberance. Pray you love remember, and there's pansies that's for thoughts." your mind hazes over and you start to stand up. "Are ye okay? Did I say something?" Her voice seems distant, like a voice under the water. "There's fennel for you and columbines, there's rue for you and some for me. We may call it herb o grace o sunday's. You must wear your rue with a difference. There's a daisy." you are pacing around the hotel room when Rowena became worried. She put her arm on your shoulder "Are ye alright? Did I say something?". Her words still seem to come from a distance until you feel her hand on you. "I would give you some violets but they all withered when my father died. They say he made a good end." you look Rowena in the eyes as you say this. "Darlin' snap out of it, please." you turn away from her, for a moment it is like you are in your own world. "For bonny sweet robin is all my joy." you fall to your knees as you continue to sing, tears falling once more. "And will he not come again, will he not come again, no no, he is dead. Go to thy deathbed. He never will come again, his beard was as white as snow, all flaxen was his poll, he is gone, he is gone, and we cast away moan, God a mercy on his soul. And of all christian souls I pray, God, God be with you." you start crying more heavily and the redhead takes you into her arms. "ShShSh, it will all be alright." "No you must sing a down a down a and they call him a down a, O how the wheel becomes it, it is the false steward that stole his masters daughter." she pulls you closer to her. "Calm down it will all be alright.". The haze that filled your mind before starts to disappear and Rowena is holding you close to her. " I, I , I don't know what happened." you confess to her. " Well I do. I think ye may have had a wee fascination for Shakespeare." Shakespeare, that sounds familiar. "But hwo would that explain what just happened?" the confusion is written all over your face. "Here, I want to try something to see if I am correct. To be or not to ..." she pauses and signals you to try to finish her phrase. "Be, that is the question, whether it is nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outragious fortune or to bear arms against a sea of troubles and by opposing, end them. To die to sleep and by that sleep to say we end the heartache and the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to. Tis a consumation devoutly to be wished. To die to sleep for in that sleep of death what dreams may come when we have shuffled off this mortal coil must give us pause." before you could finish speaking all of the words that came into your mind, she stopped you. "My theory is correct, I think.". "what would that be? Please tell me what is going on, I am so confused." she pauses for a moment and looks you in the eyes. "Darlin' all of these quotes are in a play by Shakespeare called Hamlet. The ones you were saying earlier were lines by Ophelia, a young girl driven mad by the actions of Hamlet," you cut her off "She drowns herself. Hamlet kills her father, yells at her and claims he never loved her when he actually wrote her letters and appeared to her in her sewing closet. The absence of her brother during all of this doesn't help her. But why is this one of the only memories I have?". there is a moment of silence before the redhead speaks. "Ye have another memory, ye remember the day you were abducted. When I rescued ye a few days ago, that thought ye shared with me was the only thing that let me know ye were there. Ye were walking home but went through an ally or somethin', a different way than normal when he abducted you and brought you to that awful place. My guess is ye were learnin' about the great William Shakespeare in school, maybe ye even were reading Hamlet for fun. Hey, don't worry, we will figure out what happened to the rest of yer memories. The important thing now is that ye take care of yerself and build up yer strength. Nothing can be accomplished when one is in as weak a state as ye are." she helps you back to the bed to lay down. Right now all you have to go on is shakespeare and an ally, the rest will come to you later. Rowena makes sure you are comfortable in the bed, covers over you and pillow perfectly adjusted beneath you, before she starts to leave the room. "Rowena wait, can you please stay with me? I don't want to have another nightmare. I feel safe with you.". She turns back to face you. "Of course wee girl, anythin' to ensure that ye feel safe.". And with that you started to drift off into a sleep.