Touch of Flame

The sound of raindrops tapping against the windowpane echoed through the quiet, dimly lit bedroom. Darcy lay sound asleep in Ephraim\'s king-sized bed, her chest rising and falling in a gentle rhythm. The soft glow of a lamp on the bedside table cast a warm, comforting light around the room, illuminating the small details of the well-furnished bedroom - the framed paintings on the walls, the stacks of books on the nightstand, and the plush comforter that covered her body.

As the rain continued to rattle against the glass, the soothing sound made her half-sleep to keep listening to the sound but also to enjoy the smell of smoked incense and amber and the feel of warm skin against hers. Her body was still mushy from the love-making and her mind was at ease. This man had chased away all her nightmares and the sweet dreams floated against the surface of her mind, filling her with a feeling of spring, a season she never cared to enjoy before.

With a gentle hand, he brushed a lock of hair away from her forehead and leaned in to kiss her lips softly. She stirred but did not wake. She could hear him murmur sweet words in the back and her lips curved slightly while she nestled into his embrace, her head resting on his chest. They lay there, entwined, sleeping to the sound of the rain as it continued to fall outside.

The morning came sooner than she wished and she woke up still caged in Ephraim\'s arms. She looked up and was met by his smoke and amber eyes.

"Good morning," he smiled gently.

"Good morning," she replied, her voice hoarse from sleep.

He caressed her cheek with a thumb. "Did you sleep well?"

"Hmm..." she nodded, smiling. "And you?"

"In shadows I once lived and wandered alone,

A man lost and isolated, cut off from the known.

With pain and solitude, I roamed through the night,

Hoping for a glimmer of love to shed some light.

And then you appeared, like a blossom in spring,

Your beauty and grace, a divine offering.

You smelled of sweet flowers and brought me to life,

Your strength, your courage, made me want to survive.

The walls around my heart that were assembled so high

A fortress built to reach the sky

You came with a presence so strong and demure

And slowly, surely, you became my cure

So my dear, sweet love, you ask if I slept well,

Beside you, in your arms, where dreams do dwell

Well, let me tell you, my sweet, my heart\'s delight,

The night I spent beside you, was like a dream so bright.

Your warmth, your touch, your scent, so sweet,

With you beside me, my heart is complete."

Darcy\'s heart swelled at the sweet poem he dedicated to her and her face lit up with a smile. "Ephraim," she murmured not knowing what to say as her eyes welled with tears. She found his hand under the sheets and their fingers entwined. "My heart found a home in you."

He leaned in and kissed her forehead. "You fill me with joy, Darcy."

They lay in bed, both unwilling to leave each other as if they were afraid it would turn into a dream they would wake up from and when they finally rose from the bed, they enjoyed breakfast together before he left for work.

The next few days followed in the same feeling of being in a sweet dream. She would spend the days with some of the crew members that were brought to the mansion after an attack from two dragons while on their ship. Captain Joseph told her that they seemed to have been looking for her which had sent a shiver down her spine.

Why would they? Were they still after her? She wished she was there so she could end them once and for all.

"Why are you still here?" Joseph wondered. "Has the Phantom sent you on another mission?"

Darcy froze. She wasn\'t used to lying to them so she told them most of the truth, just leaving some things out.

"You saw the Phantom\'s face?"

"Yes."

"What does he look like?"

"Handsome."

They laughed, and she frowned. "I see you are still a woman after all," Joseph said amused.

She ignored his remark.

"And the old man... you really think he is your father?"

She shrugged. "We will see."

He had been away for five days now in the mountains. The physician had told them it would take ten days and she was growing impatient and worried. Through some strange dreams or memories, she wasn\'t sure which but she was seeing what seemed to be glimpses of her life and in them, she had seen him... and her sister.

Each passing day, she was becoming more sure that he was her father as she regained some of her memories.

"Ephraim. Can\'t you take me to him?" She asked him one night as they were going to sleep.

He took her to the nearest mountains where they kept him and she found him almost frozen, looking dead. She panicked.

"He is freezing to death."

"The cold keeps him alive while he adapts to the new changes or the heat will kill him," Ephraim explained.

She looked at her pale and purple father. Her heart grew tight with worry. She was deeply hopeful and she knew she would be crushed if he didn\'t survive. Ephraim came to her side and put his arm around her. "It will be alright. He seems to have your strong spirit and now that he found you I am sure he is fighting to come back."

Her eyes burned and she reached for his cold hand while pleading in her mind. In her memories, he had looked happy, gentle and warm. She didn\'t want to see him die looking this cold.

Suddenly, his hand moved in hers. Her gaze skipped to his face. She detected eye movement under his lids.

"Father?" She moved closer, looming over him.

His chest rose with a deep breath and his eyes darted under the lids. His fingers trembled in her hand and she gave him a squeeze. "Father?"

His dry blue lips parted and after a long moment, he spoke a name that came out as barely a whisper. "Ra.. vina."

"It is Corinna," she told him.

"Find... Ra... vi..na.."

Darcy felt a sense of worry. He was worried for Ravina. Her cousin, now king was showing to be a cruel and stupid ruler and that did make her worry as well.

"I will find her. Focus on recovering."

He was fighting hard to speak as if afraid of missing his chance but she was not going to believe he was dying. He would live and be able to tell her all.

"A... Ares."

Recognizing the familiar name she turned to Ephraim.

Ares. The pirate and governor. Why was he calling his name?