Rings and Things...
Author's note: Found an oldie today while digging through a box of storystuff. I started "Tales From Cairbre" at the height of my Dragonlance obsession (Forgotten Realms, too), and ended up with a quartet of handwritten novels. This passage tells me that there's recycling in even the worst writing, as you'll see further on with excerpts from early and late drafts of Heart's Desire. As usual, everything is typed verbatim. This particular scene was written on October 15, 1990. I had just turned 16.
"Close your eyes for a minute," he told her at long length, "I have a surprise for you." Kelsey closed her eyes, and Aurek slowly pulled five strands of hair from his head and began to twist them together with his hook and hand. The thread thickened, and hardened until Aurek was able to twist it to form a ring. The edges melted together, and when he was done, he held a ring almost identical to Kelsey's in his hand. The only difference was in color. Hers was pale gold, shining subtley, and his was delicate strands of white interwoven into a ring that merely consisted of five single hairs. Kelsey opened her eyes when he slipped it on her finger and gasped in astonished surprise.
"Aurek..." she breathed, and threw her arms around his neck, kissing him and hugging him at the same time.
"I love you, Kelsey," he whispered, squeezing her to him.
"Oh, I love you too, Aurek," Kelsey murmured, kissing him again, "beloved..." At that moment, Essien decided to wake up.
Either I read this passage and remembered it later, or subconsciously decided to use the ring theme again. In an early draft of Heart's Desire, written some time in 2001.
"I’ve never ridden a horse before," Sarah said uneasily.
"You only need to sit," Gabriel said. "They will do the work for you."
"Wait," Sarah whispered, and pulled three strands of hair from her head. She worked quickly and formed the strands into a thin ring and slipped it over Michael’s finger.
He stared down at the ring on his finger and watched it turn into burnished copper, the strands of hair fusing together to make a whole.
"How did you do that?" he asked, staring at Sarah.
She gave him a tremulous smile. "I’m not sure. It seems to be a good idea, just in case we get separated." And that will give us something to remember each other by, if we do not succeed. She didn’t speak that part out loud, but he read it in her eyes.
He pulled three strands of his own hair and twisted them into a ring while the hounds milled restlessly around their feet and Gabriel waiting on his high horse.
When he slipped the ring onto Sarah’s finger, it changed to a rosy gold, the strands of his hair fusing just as Sarah’s had.
"Are you ready?" Gabriel asked with a tinge of amusement in his voice.
Michael helped Sarah up, then mounted his own and gave her what he hoped was an encouraging smile. Gabriel raised a twisted horn to his lips and blew a long blast.
The horses and hounds leaped into the air. Michael squeezed his eyes shut as the wind roared against him, and tried to concentrate on keeping his seat.
He could only hope Sarah did the same.
And then, the rings come up again, in the as-yet-unfinished version of Scarecrows, the third book in the Beth-Hill series:
"Ah." Michael emerged with one of his diaries in his hand. "Wait. I have something I want to show you. Can you give me three strands of your hair?"
"Three strands... what?" Sarah could decide whether to be amused or apprehensive at his request. "Why?"
Michael smiled, enjoying the mystery. "You'll see." He flipped through the book until he found what he wanted, then propped it up on the chest of drawers.
"You're going to cast a spell? Using my hair?" Sarah pulled three strands of hair from her head and held them out.
"And mine," Michael said, and did the same thing. "I found this spell a long time ago while researching something else. It was unique enough to pique my interest, so I wrote it down. For later. Only, there wasn't a later." While he spoke, he twisted the strands of hair together until they formed two spirals. He loosely knotted the spirals together so they would not unravel, and laid them on the table beside his bed.
"Watch." He passed his hand over the two spirals and closed his eyes. "If love be true, then rings these be."
A soft gold light spilled from Michael's fingers to infuse the two loops of hair. Sarah watched, entranced, as the golden light surrounded the two circles, moving faster and faster until she had to look away.
Michael stepped back and opened his eyes. "If love be true, then rings these be," he whispered, and took her hand.
The golden light exploded into a shimmer of sparks, illuminating the room for a moment before they faded away.
Michael turned on the lamp and fell to his knees.
Sarah gasped. Even now, after being around magic for almost a year, she could not get used to seeing it in practice. "Michael, they're beautiful."
The twists of their hair had vanished. In their place, two rings in braided gold, one more red and one darker, almost brown.
As always, copyright 2005 Jennifer St. Clair
"Close your eyes for a minute," he told her at long length, "I have a surprise for you." Kelsey closed her eyes, and Aurek slowly pulled five strands of hair from his head and began to twist them together with his hook and hand. The thread thickened, and hardened until Aurek was able to twist it to form a ring. The edges melted together, and when he was done, he held a ring almost identical to Kelsey's in his hand. The only difference was in color. Hers was pale gold, shining subtley, and his was delicate strands of white interwoven into a ring that merely consisted of five single hairs. Kelsey opened her eyes when he slipped it on her finger and gasped in astonished surprise.
"Aurek..." she breathed, and threw her arms around his neck, kissing him and hugging him at the same time.
"I love you, Kelsey," he whispered, squeezing her to him.
"Oh, I love you too, Aurek," Kelsey murmured, kissing him again, "beloved..." At that moment, Essien decided to wake up.
Either I read this passage and remembered it later, or subconsciously decided to use the ring theme again. In an early draft of Heart's Desire, written some time in 2001.
"I’ve never ridden a horse before," Sarah said uneasily.
"You only need to sit," Gabriel said. "They will do the work for you."
"Wait," Sarah whispered, and pulled three strands of hair from her head. She worked quickly and formed the strands into a thin ring and slipped it over Michael’s finger.
He stared down at the ring on his finger and watched it turn into burnished copper, the strands of hair fusing together to make a whole.
"How did you do that?" he asked, staring at Sarah.
She gave him a tremulous smile. "I’m not sure. It seems to be a good idea, just in case we get separated." And that will give us something to remember each other by, if we do not succeed. She didn’t speak that part out loud, but he read it in her eyes.
He pulled three strands of his own hair and twisted them into a ring while the hounds milled restlessly around their feet and Gabriel waiting on his high horse.
When he slipped the ring onto Sarah’s finger, it changed to a rosy gold, the strands of his hair fusing just as Sarah’s had.
"Are you ready?" Gabriel asked with a tinge of amusement in his voice.
Michael helped Sarah up, then mounted his own and gave her what he hoped was an encouraging smile. Gabriel raised a twisted horn to his lips and blew a long blast.
The horses and hounds leaped into the air. Michael squeezed his eyes shut as the wind roared against him, and tried to concentrate on keeping his seat.
He could only hope Sarah did the same.
And then, the rings come up again, in the as-yet-unfinished version of Scarecrows, the third book in the Beth-Hill series:
"Ah." Michael emerged with one of his diaries in his hand. "Wait. I have something I want to show you. Can you give me three strands of your hair?"
"Three strands... what?" Sarah could decide whether to be amused or apprehensive at his request. "Why?"
Michael smiled, enjoying the mystery. "You'll see." He flipped through the book until he found what he wanted, then propped it up on the chest of drawers.
"You're going to cast a spell? Using my hair?" Sarah pulled three strands of hair from her head and held them out.
"And mine," Michael said, and did the same thing. "I found this spell a long time ago while researching something else. It was unique enough to pique my interest, so I wrote it down. For later. Only, there wasn't a later." While he spoke, he twisted the strands of hair together until they formed two spirals. He loosely knotted the spirals together so they would not unravel, and laid them on the table beside his bed.
"Watch." He passed his hand over the two spirals and closed his eyes. "If love be true, then rings these be."
A soft gold light spilled from Michael's fingers to infuse the two loops of hair. Sarah watched, entranced, as the golden light surrounded the two circles, moving faster and faster until she had to look away.
Michael stepped back and opened his eyes. "If love be true, then rings these be," he whispered, and took her hand.
The golden light exploded into a shimmer of sparks, illuminating the room for a moment before they faded away.
Michael turned on the lamp and fell to his knees.
Sarah gasped. Even now, after being around magic for almost a year, she could not get used to seeing it in practice. "Michael, they're beautiful."
The twists of their hair had vanished. In their place, two rings in braided gold, one more red and one darker, almost brown.
As always, copyright 2005 Jennifer St. Clair
posted by Jennifer at 7:04 PM
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