A raven with red eyes sits on the branches of an old oak tree. The night is full of the incessant croaking of frogs and singing cicadas.
I'm standing in a shallow puddle of muddy water, looking at my reflection. My long red hair falls across my hips, and my heart shaped face tilts itself in the reflection. My green eyes shine like cats eyes in the dark and I'm wearing another dress, this time sparkling gold.
"Queen Penelope!" The raven caws my name and I look at the raven.
"I am Vish, keeper of time. The Underworld is on the brink of war. You must stop the war before the whole kingdom is destroyed. Find the sorcerer before he finds you again!"
The raven flies away, and a thousand red eyes blink open from the dark tree leaves, zooming out and causing me to scream.
As I fall out of my dream or vision, I yelp in fear. As if the world turns on its axis, my head bumps into reality.
"Penelope!" Abe holds me as I wake.
"Are you okay?" He asks.
"It was a dream…or a vision I don't know." I recount what I saw to Abe.
"The sorcerer…there are so many who could be what this raven describes. But he said before he finds me again. So it means I was found by the sorcerer before?"
"It must be whoever cast the spell on us." Abe says.
"Do you think someone took over ruling the kingdom while we were asleep?" I ask.
"Most likely. The palace we were in was the oldest monument belonging to us. There is another palace in the Underworld closer to the central cities, where the main residency could be."
"Then we must go there to find whoever it is!" I sit up.
"Yes, but we must be careful. Whoever is ruling now may not be our ally, he or she may be our greatest enemy." Abe says.
"We have no plan, no allies. But we have our powers and we have each other." Abe continues, trying to reassure me.
"Then we need a plan. And allies." I reply.
"Yes, but we don't know who to trust for allies. I don't know what the political landscape is or how it's changed. Our people may not be loyal to us anymore." Abe ponders.
"How about disguising ourselves and going into the main palace? Then finding out what has happened, and how we can fix this." I say.
"Yes, that's our best bet now. I can put on glamours for us. It will change the way we look to others. We need to start moving soon, I fell asleep too, though I was supposed to wake you, I wanted you to get more rest." Abe says.
"Is there somewhere we can clean up before we start the journey?" I ask.
Abe shows me a clearing where there is a vertical stream of flowing water, making a healing pool of sorts. I put my finger into the pool and the water heats.
I try to remove the pink gown, but quickly realize it's a tough one. There's a clasp and zip from the back that I can't get to with my hands.
Suddenly feeling shy, I turn my head slightly. Abe isn't looking at me, trying to give me privacy, he's taking off his boots.
"Could you help me remove my dress?" I ask.
He whispers under his breath but I hear him.
"Are you trying to kill me?"
"I got this dress for you on our first wedding anniversary. It was one of your favorites."
I shiver as he comes behind me, his fingertips grazing the small of my back. He unclasps my dress and pulls the zipper down. The dress pools at my feet, leaving me in my undergarments.
"It is a lovely dress." I speak.
"You look even lovelier without it," he murmurs, and not a second later I feel the warm press of his lips against my shoulder blades.
I gasp, with a sharp intake of breath. Turning around, I gaze up at Abe. Abe's already looking at me, his eyes ferociously dark, glittering with desire. But with immense strength he steps back and averts his eyes.
"Penelope, I won't touch you if you don't want me to."
Why wouldn't I want him to touch me? If he's my husband, if he is who he says he is, if he is who my body thinks he is.
"Wha-" I ask.
"It must be hard for you, all at once to wake up and not remember anything but for your name."
A smile plays across my lips. He's being considerate even amidst lust flaring in both our bodies. It causes me to feel even hotter.
"I've started to remember some things." I say.
In surprise his mouth drops open as his eyes meet mine.
"You didn't tell me…what do you remember?" He asks, his voice husky and deep.
"I remember this." I step forward, holding out my left hand and pointing to the rings on our hands. He casts me a loving smile.
"I remember this." I take his hand in mine and maneuver it so his hand is against my hip.
I whisper as I'm so close to him now I can see the tiny beauty dots under his eyes.
"I remember this, but I'd like a refresher."
With that, I throw caution to the wind, pressing my lips against his.