A Lifetime Ago

Chapter 18

Two days later, Timandra watched Ragnar and princess Drina walking together near the lake which was behind the castle. They had been doing this regularly from the day they arrived at Triyad. The young couple were trying to get to know each other before their wedding. Sometimes they rode their horses together over the ridge and sometimes they just walked around the castle.

She felt a pang of jealousy in her chest. She knew she was not supposed to think ill of the couple but she couldn’t tame her heart which hammered against her rib cage.

Her mind would drift back to the kiss they shared. ‘Did it mean anything at all to Ragnar? Why did he start ignoring her after that kiss? Did he not enjoy it as I did? Or did he just take advantage of me?’

She suddenly felt like her heart would burst of anger when she thought about it. Drina would be the one to kiss him, touch him and marry him.

Timandra would always be the one to look at the happy couple from far away. She would never be able to kiss him again.

‘Did I fall in love with the prince unknowingly?’ She questioned herself when she felt warm tears rolling down her cheeks.

‘No no no.. That is impossible. I barely know the prince. I should be thankful to him for saving my life, nothing more than that?’ She tried to reason. ‘Then why is it that my heart aches when I see them happy with each other?’ She wondered as fresh tears filled her eyes.

Ragnar gave his all to fall in love with Drina. He thought if he got to know her more, he would fall in love with her, after all she was absolutely good-looking. Any man would consider himself lucky to have a life partner as her. No doubt, she was charming with her goddess like features but he had a feeling her beauty was all superficial. A tiny shred of arrogance was always visible in her wide brown eyes.

She spoke to him in a soft and gentle tone but right after their second meeting, he knew it was not genuine.

He remembered her haughty and violent temper towards her hand-maiden who had unknowingly interrupted their conversation. Her eyes threw daggers at the poor woman that made her shiver terribly.

During their time together, his mind was fully occupied with the thoughts of Timandra. He hadn’t seen her after they arrived at Triyad.

What was she doing now?

Was Nodin with her?

Did they like each other?

His heart longed to see her once before his wedding but he didn’t know how.

Both the Kings were happy to see Ragnar and Drina trying to get close to each other but Regis could see a shadow of melancholy in his son’s eyes. He thought Ragnar would fall in love with the woman he had chosen for his son. He doubted his predictions after seeing the gloomy face of his son. He knew there was something he was keeping hidden in his heart.

He was aware that there was a woman he was keeping in his chambers. His whisperers had informed him a long time back but he ignored the information, thinking she was just another woman he was fooling around with.

Was he in love with her?

If so, who was she?

Why hadn’t he said anything about her?

King Regis believed in the sacred bond of love and marriage. He knew he couldn’t force his son to marry someone that he didn’t love but it was too late now.

There was no way Elkan would take their withdrawal easily.

Timandra turned away from the window and walked back to her bed. Avira managed to make everyone believe that Timandra belonged to the royal family as well. Meeda stayed with Timandra in her room.

Meeda could sense the sadness in Timandra’s heart and she thought she knew the reason. The longing looks she threw at the couple easily confirmed her doubts but it was none of her business. She was still her servant and what or how she felt was nothing of her concern. However she felt sorry for her.

Avira too was aware that Ragnar was gravely attracted to Timandra and she wished they could become a couple. She hated princess Drina right after the first time she talked to her. She looked too proud and Avira hated her beyond explanation.

Timandra got into the bed and closed her eyes tightly. She wanted to forget about Ragnar. He wasn’t hers to think about at the first place.

Soon her exhaustion took over her and she didn’t know when she fell asleep.

As her sleep deepened, she saw the silhouettes of a woman standing alone, facing a tall tower like building, which was made of glass. As if sensing the glare at the back of her head, the woman turned around. Timandra gasped as she saw another version of herself. She started walking and Timandra followed her like her shadow.

She walked through a deserted tar road that was wet from the rain. As she followed her empty-headedly, she heard a shrieking noise behind her. She jerked to look back and saw a motor wagon stopping beside them. The woman got into it and Timandra was quick enough to climb next to her. A man drove it further into the deserted roads.

As she paid more attention to the woman, she noticed that they were dressed very differently. Timandra was dressed in a light purple floor length sleeveless gown whereas her shadow-self was dressed in a black knee length sleeveless dress. Timandra’s hair was braided to her side and the woman’s hair was left open into layers.

She looked out of the window. The soft drizzles had turned into violent storm within minutes and the vehicle was coming to a halt near a bridge. Before she could react, the wagon fell into the river beneath the bridge. She screamed and struggled to get out of the vehicle. She tried to unlock the door but they seemed jammed. She saw the driver was no more sitting where he was a couple of seconds ago. She moved her hands wildly at her sides for help.

She felt it all like a déjà-vu. Then she remembered about her shadow. She snapped her head to look at her and noticed a warm smile cracking across her pretty face. She wasn’t struggling like Timandra did, instead she remained calm and collected. She hugged Timandra in a warm embrace and reached out her hands to unlocked the door. She helped Timandra reach up to the surface of water as she breathed in as much air as her lungs could take in.

She gasped loudly and looked around. She blinked her eyes a few times to familiarize with her surroundings. She was sitting on a huge bed with beads of sweats trickling down her forehead.

She was panting heavily as she could still feel water residing in her lungs and that’s when she noticed the man sitting in front of her.

“Nodin..?!” She was surprised to see him sitting next to her on the bed. “What are you doing here?”

“I.. I was passing through your room and heard you scream.. So I had to break in to your room..” He said nervously. “I guess you had a bad dream..” He said looking at her sweat beads that were now dripping down her temple.

“I guess so..” She took in a long breath, wiping the sweat with her palm. “I’m sorry.. sorry for troubling you.”

“No.. no not at all..” He told her, shaking his head swiftly. “Are you okay now?”

“Yeah yeah.. I’m fine..” She assured him but in actuality, she wasn’t.

What was with the weird dream?

The tall buildings

The strange looking vehicle

And not to think about the splitting image of her

Her hands were trembling, becoming sticky and cold with sweat.

“Do you often get those dreams?” Nodin asked her.

“No.. this is the first time.” She mumbled.

“I guess you are tired from the travel. You should rest more.” He said getting up from the bed.

“Thanks..” Timandra muttered blushing.

“Timandra.. There is a ball arranged tomorrow evening. Would you like me to be your escort?” He questioned her carefully putting his words together.

“A Ball?”

“Yeah for Ragnar and the princess.”

“Ohh..” Was all she could say. All she heard was Ragnar and the princess. If she had an option she would want to abandon the ball and remain in her room. “O-Okay..” She breathed out.

“Really?”

“Yeah..” She replied with a tiny smile on her lips that made his heart beat like crazy.

“Thank you Timandra. I’ll see you tomorrow, then.” He left her room too happily.

Timandra slid her palms across her face and slumped back on the bed. She kept thinking about the strange dream. It felt like she had experienced it before. She could clearly remember each details of her dream which was unusual, she thought.