40

There's a ringing in my ears. Beyond the high pitched sound I can make out voices in the distance. I stick my forefingers in the small orifices and massage the canals. When I pull them away the ringing is gone and the sound is clear, so is my vision.

I find myself standing in a grand open room. In front of me, I count 13 white, cloaked individuals seated on a raised platform. Before them stands a woman with the longest golden hair I've ever seen. It's so long it hangs past her calves. To the left of her is what appears to be a muscular, white man dressed in blue armour seated on a throne. He reminds me of those statues the Greeks and Romans were so fond of crafting. Across from him to the right is a petite black woman dressed in black armour with accents of gold. Beside her is a giant panther.

What the hell?

Where am I?

"What can you tell us about the eldest son's disappearance?" asks the woman in black.

Despite her small stature, her voice is powerful and commanding.

"There was a revolt from the people who raided and burned down the castle. He was captured as a prisoner for the Romans," the blonde woman says in a soft but clear tone.

"Dou you remember who led this revolt?" asks the black female.

"Yes, a renowned man named Grimoald. He offered me and my children safety in exchange for the young boy," the blonde answers again.

"Can you describe what this Grimoald looked like?" the lady in black continues her questioning.

"He was big, a man of war that towered over most. Blonde hair, greyish blue eyes, sharp face. As bold as he was handsome."

There is a pregnant pause as the petite female shifts her gaze from the blonde to the giant of a man seated on the throne across from her. Even the blonde lady turns to face him and I catch her side profile. She's beautiful and naked and unashamed.

This is so weird. Why is she naked and unbothered by it all? I look around to see if anyone else is as scandalised as I am. However, there aren't any other spectators besides me.

"I rest my case. Le Mers is welcome to the witness," says the commanding female pulling my attention back to what is happening in front of me.

Witness? Is this a court case? Now that I think about it, it kind of reminds be of the constitutional court where multiple judges preside over a case.

"Le Mers, would you like to cross examine the witness?" asks one of the cloaked individuals.

"No," says the godlike man.

His voice is loud and clear yet it doesn't hold the confidence of his opposition. His gaze is fixed on the blonde and she stares back unwaveringly.

"What do you want in restitution Queen of the Coast?" asks another of the cloaked individuals.

"I want him detained. I want him to sit out the life cycle of this new king he has birthed as his punishment." says the dark skinned queen.

She looks rather young, around my age, to be a queen. She is beautiful though and commands authority with every word. The man on the throne suddenly stands up.

"Surely we can come to some other agreement," he counters.

"There is nothing you can offer me that I could possibly want other than your suffering. I possess more resources, more land, and more people than you rule over even with your unending quest to steal and pillage Le Mers," she spits back.

"We will take the time to deliberate. You may wait outside the court," says another of the cloaked ones.

The ringing in my ears starts up again and this time, when I stick my fingers in the narrow canal, I find myself waking up to an empty bed in a quiet room. It takes a while for my conscious to adjust and for me to remember where I am - at Brice's beach house, in his cottage - in his bed.

I remember passing out on the couch while watching TV. He must have carried me in here. Even though I wake up alone again, his side of the bed is disturbed this time. At least he got some sleep. I stretch and head for the bathroom to freshen up. My body is stiff like I had a rough gym session the day before.

As I brush my teeth and wash my face I ponder on the strange dream. Why is my subconscious bringing up images of courts, naked women, and giant black panthers? Maybe I should talk to Brice about this. He's a dream walker after all.

I slide on my slippers and make my way into the main house for some breakfast. Again, there's a buffet spread but this time only a couple of people are in the kitchen. I'd hoped he'd be here, but Brice isn't among them.

"Good morning," I greet Hidde, Olivier and Didier, helping myself to some bacon and sausage links.

I pick up a croissant and immediately bite into the flaky, soft dough. The buttery goodness melts into my mouth and I close my eyes for a second to appreciate the taste. God bless the French for this one. I set my plate down next to Hidde and pour myself a cup of coffee. The muscles in my legs are so taut it hurts to even get on the bar stool. I could use a massage.

"Do you know what's on the menu for lunch at Oupa's?" Olivier asks, after swallowing down some eggs and taking a large bite of his sausage.

"You haven't even finished breakfast yet. How are you thinking about lunch already?" complains Didier.

Olivier wolfs down the rest of his meat and flexes his biceps. He's bigger than his brother and there's no wonder why.

"Where does your grandfather stay?" I ask Hidde.

"Franschhoek."

"So, are we going to drive there for lunch or what?"

"Hell no. That would be a 5 hour drive. We're chartering a helicopter. Unfortunately, it only seats 8 so you are Brice are going separately," he says.

Why would that be unfortunate? I seriously hope he slept off that sour mood he was in last night. He did apologise so I guess I can't hold it against him. It is a new day after all.

"Where is he anyway?"

"I thought he was out there with you."

I shake my head in the negative and focus on my food, chewing on a strip of bacon. Hidde and I aren't that close, and I don't want to discuss my relationship or its current status which is shaky at the moment. I don't know what's going on with Brice, what happened that had him so upset. Even before we got together, he's never been approachable. After last night, I now know he's not one to air out his feelings either.

Maybe it's me he doesn't want to talk to. Maybe he talks to Hidde, I think.

Then I remember our road trip following MD and he mentioned something about Brice being vague and defensive, so I guess he's not the talking type in general.

Even though he held me last night, we couldn't be further apart. He wont let me in and its bothering me that he doesn't feel that he can be open with me after everything we've gone through, after what we've shared. Is our relationship strictly superficial?

I quickly cut off that line of thinking. I'm on holiday for goodness' sake. I need to relax. I choose to believe that whatever this is, it's not that deep. I have an idea to get us back on track and feeling good.

"Is there a particular time we have to be there?" I ask Hidde knowing that white people tend to be punctual.

And this lunch is sounding kinda formal. If this was just a braai, people would arrive 2 to 3 hours late and in my experience the meat would still not be ready irrespective of black or white.

"Our flight leaves at 1 PM and we should arrive at around 2:30 PM for 3 PM."

I nod my head in assent and clear my plate as I listen to the boys banter. I head back to the pool house to shower and get ready. I make a booking for the spa and hope that I either:

A) don't have to leave Brice behind because he's a no show

or

B) have to cancel the appointment altogether

I take a shower and get dressed in a white mini dress with a corset bodice. I'm undecided on whether to dress it up with heels or down with sneakers.

I make the bed and tidy up. I even unpack my suitcase and find space in his walk-in for my clothes. By the time I'm done, Brice is still not back yet.

As I wait, I decide to give Charlondra a call. I haven't spoken to her in what feels like forever. I kind of feel like a bad friend because I've gotten so caught up with a man.

"Hey Char," I greet when I see her pretty face on video.

Her hair is straightened and she's definitely wearing make-up. I'm about to ask where she is and what she's doing because this is very unlike her.

"OMG, Soleil! I was just thinking of you! We must be on the same wavelength. You won't believe what happened," she spouts.

I laugh at my bestie's excitement. There's not much that gets Char going so I'm keen to find out what's going on in her life.

"Calm down girl. Slow your roll and start from the top."

"I wish I could, but I can't. I'm on my way to a brunch banquet with the rents. One of those diplomatic affairs for world peace at a couple grand per plate. Anyway, my wish came true!" she squeals and disappears from the frame before she's back again and on the move.

"What do you mean?"

She can't be talking about that fateful night.

"Remember, when we went to the fair and there was that creepy man that made us write in his book? Well, it worked."

Okay, it seems like she is.

I sit up on high alert despite her grinning like a lunatic. My wish came true alright, and it came with a few complications and wild discoveries. What does hers have in store for her?

"What did you wish for?" I ask suddenly feeling apprehensive.

"I'll tell you when I see you. It's sensitive. I can't be discussing such on these open lines the government and higher ups are spying on. We may need to move up our travel plans."

"Our plans for Comic Con?"

"Yes! Listen, I have to go." I see her walk outside and her parents make a feature in the background. "We'll talk soon. Love you!"

I don't even get to say bye before the call ends. I'm in a bit of shock for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, I never asked what Char wished for even after things started escalating with Brice simply because she doesn't believe in mambo-jumbo and told me I would sound crazy if I confessed to him about what I did. Secondly, I haven't told her anything about who he is , what he can do, and these visions I have about us in a past life.

My friend is a wild card and I'm seriously worried about what she cooked up in her mind that night. I hope her wish has nothing to do with a man. Knowing her it probably doesn't. Either way, I don't think I can handle it if the universe decides to throw another curveball similar to mine.

I try calling Brice shortly after only to hear his phone ringing somewhere in the bedroom. Great! I can't even contact him. With an hour left before our appointment at the spa, I have to make a decision on whether to cancel or go by myself.

Feeling annoyed, sore, and now stressed with whatever Charlondra is up to, I decide to go to the spa. I put on a pair of green strappy heels and grab a matching bag. I can't afford to look like my problems.

I order an Uber and arrive on time.

As the masseuse works her wonderful hands over my back, hamstrings, and quads, I believe I made the best decision for myself. I would have regretted not coming here. Brice is seriously missing out. By the time I'm done, I feel pampered and relaxed. All those awful kinks and knots from the hike are gone.

I get redressed and check my phone for the first time since arriving to see 10 missed calls and double the messages from Brice. I roll my eyes at no one in particular. Now he's available all of a sudden?

I order another Uber and head back to the beach house only to find him dressed in black and looking annoyed. I wonder who died and who's funeral he's attending. His hair is tousled like he's been running his hands through it.

"Where have you been?"

"Hello to you too, Brice. I could ask you the same thing."

I take a few steps in and place my bag on the kitchen island.

"This isn't the time for games Soleil. I was worried about you."

"And I wasn't?"

I cross my arms and stand my ground as we have a stare off. His eyes run down my body from head to toe. I know I look cute. The dress is simple but the heels and colour elevate the outfit. Instead of being appreciative and paying me a complement, I see his eyes cloud over and know I'm in for a shitstorm.

"Where the fuck were you?"

"I went to get a massage. Damn. Don't stress me." I'm not in the mood for his unfounded jealousy. He will not undo the good work of a spa. "I told you my legs were finished last night. I booked an appointment for both of us and had to pay a cancellation fee for your ass not showing up."

"How's that my fault? You didn't ask me."

Really? Not even a sorry or thank you for the thought?

"It was supposed to be a surprise but you've been gone all morning. I tried to call you but you left your phone so I couldn't even reach you. Where were you?" I counter now getting annoyed.

"I was at the beach training."

"Why didn't you say anything?" I throw up my hands defeated.

"You were asleep. I didn't want to wake you. I lost track of time."

I blow out an exasperated breath. I don't want to make a big deal out of this. I'm ready to move on with the rest of our day.

"Okay. I heard we're going to you're grandfather's for lunch. So, when are we leaving?"

"We can leave now if you're ready."

"How are we getting there?"

"Are you going like that?" he asks instead.

"Yes, what's wrong with this?" I look down at my outfit and shoes. "We're not walking around are we?"

I refuse.

I can't and I won't.

I will wear these heels in protest.

Brice walks over to me and pulls on the hem of my dress. He doesn't say anything but his little huff says it all. "Fine."

He wraps his arms around my waist and the world blurs, the now familiar vertigo washing over me. When it shifts back into focus we're in a cellar surrounded by hundreds if not thousands of bottles of wine. He moves his hands from around my waist and interlaces our fingers as he leads us up a set of stairs.

The dark, muted lighting gives way to the bright open interior of a farm style house. The decor is simple yet elegant. The various paintings, photos, and knickknacks evidence of a home well lived in. We make our way out to the wrap around porch where a long table is currently being set up. In the distance we can see the rows of the vineyard stretched out before us.

Amidst the staff dressed in black busy with the cutlery and crockery, the man dressed in olive green pants and a white shirt stands out. He turns around and his cold, blue eyes connect with mine for a moment before they shift down to our interlocked hands.

"Brice, I heard you were coming," his stoic face morphs into something quite pleasant when he smiles.

"Uncle Divin!" Brice lets go of my hand to embrace the tall, blonde man.

Those icy, blue eyes freeze me in place behind his back. I sense the hostility even though we haven't officially met and I can't help but wonder why.

2024 / 03 / 25

WC: 2 734

The man named uncle...

And my girl Charlondra is about to get caught up in a whirlwind of her own.

As I've said before, be careful what you wish for. You just. might. get. it!