sweetie
Refugee
Hi there!
Disclaimer - This story may be real in some alternate universe..but not here. Fiction
Creide was also nervous. Even though she had nothing personally to lose, she dreaded the idea that Bono could die from this. She had grown fond of him. His intelligence and charm had captivated her and she had been starting to feel guilty. But what choice did she have? This was the first time that there was the chance that she could be freed! She knew she would never get the chance again. It was quite a war she had waged within herself. But she was Queen. She had to have her freedom. She was not at fault for what had happened to Aine’s son. She deserved this chance but to sacrifice such a man as Bono? Could she live with that? Trading one guilt for another?
And what about Andrew? She had gotten used to the idea of spending her life with him until she gave in to his obsessive idea of freeing her from her enchantment. Now there was no turning back. She cleared her mind as she announced Bono.
Bono took a deep breath and scanned the room. His eyes rested briefly on Gioia and his mind screamed her name and he saw the love reflected in her eyes. He then looked to Creide. He pictured her as Gioia . He pictured her as the adoring fans at a U2 concert.
He didn’t know where he found strength, but he found it and he mustered a seductive, loving smile for the Queen. He focused his attention on her and fixed her with a direct gaze. The room became still and the silence enveloped him. He surprised them all by not unrolling the scroll. Instead, he began to recite the poem from memory. The words flowed easily. Spoken with such feeling that they surely came from his heart and intended solely for the woman he loved.
Don't believe what you hear
Don't believe what you see
If you just close your eyes
You can feel the enemy
No, nothing makes sense
Nothing seems to fit
I know you'd hit out
If you only knew who to hit
Creide realized that she was holding her breath as she listened to him. She let her breath out slowly and closed her eyes. She let Bono’s silky Irish voice surround her and sweep her away.
If I could throw this lifeless lifeline to the wind
Leave this heart of clay, see you walk away
Into the night, and through the rain.
Into the half-light, And through the flame
This desperation
Dislocation
Separation
Condemnation
Revelation
In temptation
Isolation
Desolation
Gioia couldn’t take her eyes off of him as he delivered his ode to Creide. He seemed so relaxed, so calm. All the emotion in his heart was there in his eyes and his voice, for all to bear witness.
He was telling a story. He was telling the audience what Creide was going through, what her life had been like. And he was using the lyrics from the many songs that he created. He molded them to fit into Creide’s world.
Using them to save his life.
Love rescue me
Come forth and speak to me
Raise me up and don’t let me fall
No man is my enemy
My own hands imprison me
Love rescue me
I’ve conquered my past
The future is here at last
To a new world I can see
The ruins to the right of me
Will soon have lost sight of me
Love rescue me.
Tears were gathering in Creide’s eyes as she opened them to look at Bono. He was standing straight and proud. His words were coming forth without forethought. The words touched her profoundly. He knew! How did he know what was in her heart and what she had been feeling all these years?
You don't know if it's fear or desire
Danger the drug that takes you higher
Head in heaven, fingers in the mire
Between the horses of love and lust
We are trampled underfoot
At that point Bono stepped off of the platform and started walking towards her, his arm reaching out to her. His movements were inappropriate. Creide was stunned. She could not take her eyes off of him and she would not stop him.
I will not forsake the colors that you bring
But the nights you filled with fireworks
They left you with nothing
I am still enchanted by the light you brought to me
I listen through your ears, and through your eyes I can see
And if you listen, I can’t call
And if you jump, you just might fall
And if you shout, I’ll only hear you
If I could stay then the night would give you up
Stay, then the day would keep its trust
Stay with the demons you drowned
Stay with the spirit I found
Stay and the night would be enough
Bono reached the dais and took Creide’s hand in his own. She was completely awestruck. She gave him a dazed smile.
Gioia recognized the adoration in Creide’s eyes. She knew it was going well. The jealous clenching of her stomach clouded her relief. She glanced over at Andrew and he looked grim as well. She reached over and took his hand. This surprised him and he looked at her quizzically. Gioia smiled briefly and then gave her attention back to Bono.
You say one love, one life
When its one need in the night
One love, we get to share it
Leaves you if you don’t care for it
And if the darkness is to keep us apart
And if the daylight feels like it’s a long way off
And if your glass heart should crack
And for one second you turn back
Be strong
What you’ve got they can’t steal it
They can’t even feel it
And you can dream
So dream out loud
You know that your time is coming 'round
Bono bent and placed a kiss on Creide’s cheek. The room was silent. He stepped away and walked back to the platform to await his sentencing.
Creide was dazed. She felt a warm flush spread over her face and limbs. She smiled and looked around the room. The room was starting to brighten considerably. The candles didn’t glow brighter nor did the moonlight find its way into the Great Hall. The room itself was growing bright.
Bono looked around the room and was amazed at what he saw. The room was becoming lighter and blindingly radiant. He looked over at Creide and realized that the light was coming from her. She stood up and looked at her hands, which were now almost translucent. A beam of light was extending out from her belly, illuminating the room. Suddenly a blinding flash of light seemed to ignite the room and all present shielded their eyes from the glare. A moment later the room returned to normal.
Bono unclenched his hands, so convinced that he was about to be struck down. He looked up and realized that he was safe. It worked! Aisling’s ideas had worked. He wanted to shout his joy. But first he needed to sit down before his weakened legs gave way.
A roar went up in the room when all grasped what had just happened. Their queen had been freed! Everyone starting hugging and cheering, and when the music started up, they started dancing.
Bono stood there alone amidst all the revelry. He grinned, totally pleased with himself. Ale! He needed ale! He was about to step off of the platform when there was a tap on his shoulder from behind. He turned and found Gioia standing there. They just stood there for a moment, looking at each other, neither finding their voice to express their relief. Then Bono opened his arms and an instant later he was hugging Gioia close to him.
“Is it over?” She asked, her voice catching with emotion.
Bono kissed the top of her head and his eyes met Creide’s across the room.
Toodles until tomorrow's cliffhanger - er - chapter
Disclaimer - This story may be real in some alternate universe..but not here. Fiction
Creide was also nervous. Even though she had nothing personally to lose, she dreaded the idea that Bono could die from this. She had grown fond of him. His intelligence and charm had captivated her and she had been starting to feel guilty. But what choice did she have? This was the first time that there was the chance that she could be freed! She knew she would never get the chance again. It was quite a war she had waged within herself. But she was Queen. She had to have her freedom. She was not at fault for what had happened to Aine’s son. She deserved this chance but to sacrifice such a man as Bono? Could she live with that? Trading one guilt for another?
And what about Andrew? She had gotten used to the idea of spending her life with him until she gave in to his obsessive idea of freeing her from her enchantment. Now there was no turning back. She cleared her mind as she announced Bono.
Bono took a deep breath and scanned the room. His eyes rested briefly on Gioia and his mind screamed her name and he saw the love reflected in her eyes. He then looked to Creide. He pictured her as Gioia . He pictured her as the adoring fans at a U2 concert.
He didn’t know where he found strength, but he found it and he mustered a seductive, loving smile for the Queen. He focused his attention on her and fixed her with a direct gaze. The room became still and the silence enveloped him. He surprised them all by not unrolling the scroll. Instead, he began to recite the poem from memory. The words flowed easily. Spoken with such feeling that they surely came from his heart and intended solely for the woman he loved.
Don't believe what you hear
Don't believe what you see
If you just close your eyes
You can feel the enemy
No, nothing makes sense
Nothing seems to fit
I know you'd hit out
If you only knew who to hit
Creide realized that she was holding her breath as she listened to him. She let her breath out slowly and closed her eyes. She let Bono’s silky Irish voice surround her and sweep her away.
If I could throw this lifeless lifeline to the wind
Leave this heart of clay, see you walk away
Into the night, and through the rain.
Into the half-light, And through the flame
This desperation
Dislocation
Separation
Condemnation
Revelation
In temptation
Isolation
Desolation
Gioia couldn’t take her eyes off of him as he delivered his ode to Creide. He seemed so relaxed, so calm. All the emotion in his heart was there in his eyes and his voice, for all to bear witness.
He was telling a story. He was telling the audience what Creide was going through, what her life had been like. And he was using the lyrics from the many songs that he created. He molded them to fit into Creide’s world.
Using them to save his life.
Love rescue me
Come forth and speak to me
Raise me up and don’t let me fall
No man is my enemy
My own hands imprison me
Love rescue me
I’ve conquered my past
The future is here at last
To a new world I can see
The ruins to the right of me
Will soon have lost sight of me
Love rescue me.
Tears were gathering in Creide’s eyes as she opened them to look at Bono. He was standing straight and proud. His words were coming forth without forethought. The words touched her profoundly. He knew! How did he know what was in her heart and what she had been feeling all these years?
You don't know if it's fear or desire
Danger the drug that takes you higher
Head in heaven, fingers in the mire
Between the horses of love and lust
We are trampled underfoot
At that point Bono stepped off of the platform and started walking towards her, his arm reaching out to her. His movements were inappropriate. Creide was stunned. She could not take her eyes off of him and she would not stop him.
I will not forsake the colors that you bring
But the nights you filled with fireworks
They left you with nothing
I am still enchanted by the light you brought to me
I listen through your ears, and through your eyes I can see
And if you listen, I can’t call
And if you jump, you just might fall
And if you shout, I’ll only hear you
If I could stay then the night would give you up
Stay, then the day would keep its trust
Stay with the demons you drowned
Stay with the spirit I found
Stay and the night would be enough
Bono reached the dais and took Creide’s hand in his own. She was completely awestruck. She gave him a dazed smile.
Gioia recognized the adoration in Creide’s eyes. She knew it was going well. The jealous clenching of her stomach clouded her relief. She glanced over at Andrew and he looked grim as well. She reached over and took his hand. This surprised him and he looked at her quizzically. Gioia smiled briefly and then gave her attention back to Bono.
You say one love, one life
When its one need in the night
One love, we get to share it
Leaves you if you don’t care for it
And if the darkness is to keep us apart
And if the daylight feels like it’s a long way off
And if your glass heart should crack
And for one second you turn back
Be strong
What you’ve got they can’t steal it
They can’t even feel it
And you can dream
So dream out loud
You know that your time is coming 'round
Bono bent and placed a kiss on Creide’s cheek. The room was silent. He stepped away and walked back to the platform to await his sentencing.
Creide was dazed. She felt a warm flush spread over her face and limbs. She smiled and looked around the room. The room was starting to brighten considerably. The candles didn’t glow brighter nor did the moonlight find its way into the Great Hall. The room itself was growing bright.
Bono looked around the room and was amazed at what he saw. The room was becoming lighter and blindingly radiant. He looked over at Creide and realized that the light was coming from her. She stood up and looked at her hands, which were now almost translucent. A beam of light was extending out from her belly, illuminating the room. Suddenly a blinding flash of light seemed to ignite the room and all present shielded their eyes from the glare. A moment later the room returned to normal.
Bono unclenched his hands, so convinced that he was about to be struck down. He looked up and realized that he was safe. It worked! Aisling’s ideas had worked. He wanted to shout his joy. But first he needed to sit down before his weakened legs gave way.
A roar went up in the room when all grasped what had just happened. Their queen had been freed! Everyone starting hugging and cheering, and when the music started up, they started dancing.
Bono stood there alone amidst all the revelry. He grinned, totally pleased with himself. Ale! He needed ale! He was about to step off of the platform when there was a tap on his shoulder from behind. He turned and found Gioia standing there. They just stood there for a moment, looking at each other, neither finding their voice to express their relief. Then Bono opened his arms and an instant later he was hugging Gioia close to him.
“Is it over?” She asked, her voice catching with emotion.
Bono kissed the top of her head and his eyes met Creide’s across the room.
Toodles until tomorrow's cliffhanger - er - chapter
I love it!!
