Page 77 of Bewitched

Rhys looked around, but the only clothing he could see in the dark room was the foul-smelling, dirty wedding gown laying on the floor in a puddle of water next to the tub. Not wanting to leave her like this, he decided there was only one thing he could do to help her warm up.

After bolting the door, he quickly undressed. He took off all his clothes, and lay down in the bed next to her. Then he pulled the covers up around them both. He laid his arm over her for warmth. Medea whimpered again and turned on her side, snuggling her face up to his chest, never waking.

“My sweet, sweet, Medea,” he said, kissing her wet hair, not even caring that he was getting wet now too. With his arms around her, he stroked her head and kissed her cheek. Then, watching the moon and stars out the window, his eyes drifted closed and he fell asleep with Medea in his embrace.

* * *

Medea woke in the night, thinking she was dreaming. She found herself out of the tub and snuggled up in the warm protective arms of Rhys atop the bed. It felt so good that it made her want to cry. She had been dreaming of Rhys and also of her baby all night long. Her heart ached with sadness. Never had she felt as lonely as now.

“You’re up,” she heard the deep, sexy voice of Rhys, thinking this dream was ever so real. “Medea, are you all right?”

When she heard that, she looked up to see Rhys’ beautiful green eyes looking down at her in concern. It was at that moment that she realized this was no dream. This was real.

“Rhys?” She bolted up to a sitting position in bed, looking down at his face bathed in the moonlight streaming in through the open window. His long oaken hair fell around his shoulders, making him look ever so handsome. She could even see the crisp, curly hair on his wide, strong chest. “Is this a dream? Are you really here, Rhys?”

“Aye, it’s real. I am here, Medea.”

Then she thought of everything that happened, and how he took her baby from her. It only managed to make her start feeling sad and mad again.

“Go away, Rhys. I don’t ever want to see you again,” she said, hitting him with both fists against his chest. Filled with emotion, she started crying.

“Hush,” he told her, grabbing both of her wrists in one of his big hands. “Medea, please don’t do this. I came here to tell you I’m sorry. I wanted to tell you that I... that I love you.”

Her heart jumped into her throat and she stopped struggling with him. “What did you say?”

“You heard me.”

“Aye, but what did you mean?”

He smiled and chuckled lowly. “What does it usually mean when someone says they love you?”

“I wouldn’t know,” she answered. “No one has ever told me that they love me before. I’m not sure how to react.”

“Well, then, I’ll tell you what it means. It means that I want to spend the rest of my life with you, raising little Lily together. I want us to be a family.”

Medea gasped and held her hand to her mouth. This is everything she wanted. That made her think once again that it was only a dream, since good things didn’t happen to her.

He had no right naming your child, came that all too familiar dark voice in her head.

“I told you, Rhys, Lily is not the baby’s name.” The voice in her head made her push aside Rhys’ previous words. Medea sniffled and wiped a tear from her eye with the back of her hand.

“Then what do you want to call her, Medea?” he asked. “I’ll call our daughter any name you choose, but she needs a name, sweetheart.”

“I-I’m not sure.”

“I named her Lily because she was conceived in a field of lippenbur lilies. I think it’s fitting. It was a magical, special place, and a night I will never forget.”

“Oh,” she said, starting to decide that she rather liked the idea now. She sank back down and laid her head against his chest. “I suppose we could call her Lily.” She took a deep breath and released it, hoping the voice of her mother wouldn’t start up again in her head. “Although I was almost thinking of calling her Rae, since she is such a ray of sunshine in my life.”

“Then why don’t we call her both names?” Rhys suggested. “Lily-Rae sounds pretty. And since our daughter is part fae, it’s perfect. You know, those faeries always seem to have two names.”

“All right,” she said with a smile and a nod. “Lily-Rae it is. I like that.” Then she bolted upright in a sheer panic. “Rhys, where is our baby? Is she safe? Why don’t you have her with you?” Still being half asleep, this thought just occurred to her and caused alarm.

“Calm down, sweetheart,” he told her, pulling her closer to him. “You know that she is in the Whispering Dale with my mother right now. When Rapunzel returned to the cottage in the forest earlier, she told me that you saw them there when you flew overhead on the dragon. She also told me you almost fell to your death.”

He wanted you to die. He was hoping you feel to your death. The voice in her head broke through once more.

“So is that why you’re here, Rhys?” she asked. “Are you here just to see if I am alive or really dead?”