Joaquin has breakfast already prepared when the ringmaster exits her bedchambers. Her purple nightdress is mostly open, revealing most of the flesh from her neck to her navel. Joaquin wonders why she even bothered to put it on at all.

  Sitting down at the table, the ringmaster reaches for the glass of wine Joaquin kindly placed beside her food plate. She raises the glass to her lips without bothering to test it for spells of maliciousness. Joaquin goes to stand beside her chair. He brushes her long black hair behind her left shoulder with one hand. Bending forward, he kisses the side of her mouth.

  "Good morning, Master...My lover. Did you sleep well?" Joaquin asks, knowing the answer.

  "No," the ringmaster says in a low voice. "I dreamt of Percival...And of Percy. Their essences call to me from the dagger. Especially Percy's. I can hear his voice. Last night, I could even feel his touch. It wasn't the first time. It was...Strange. I've never felt so strong a..."

  Joaquin silences the ringmaster with a fierce kiss, holding her chin in one strong hand. He looks deep into her green eyes, a tiny smile on his lips.

  "What you need is something to keep your mind from wandering," Joaquin says. "It was the same yesterday. Most of the day, I could tell your mind was elsewhere."

  Briefly kissing the ringmaster again, Joaquin uses the fork beside her plate to stab a sausage. He holds it close to his own mouth and takes a slow bite. Chewing methodically, he places the bitten sausage in front of the ringmaster's closed mouth. With a chuckle, she opens her mouth and takes a small bite. Joaquin moves the sausage away and covers the ringmaster's mouth with his own.

  Joaquin wraps his arms around the ringmaster's middle and inhales sharply. She smells so good. And she is so beautiful. How he wishes he could erase the memories of that wretched clown. But he doesn't dare. She is his master...And his glorious lover. If she wanted the memories gone, she would ask for it to be done or do it herself. He loves her greatly. And her pain is more than he can bear. But it is her pain.

  The ringmaster pushes at Joaquin's chest and looks down at her plate of food. Joaquin offers her a wide grin, his purple eyes fixed on her pleasant face.

  "I must eat something. Thank you, Joaquin. Everything looks delicious."

  "It is," Joaquin says. "The rice pudding was made from a special recipe. One of yours, actually."

  Joaquin's face droops with sadness as the ringmaster pushes away her plate and moves back from the table. Joaquin peers at her in alarm.

  "Did I say something wrong, Master?" Joaquin inquires.

  "No," the ringmaster says, looking back at the golden bowl containing the rice pudding. "I'm just not very hungry. I sense others coming. I must prepare for their arrival."

  Joaquin watches as the ringmaster returns to her bedchambers. Once again, she seals the entrance. Joaquin glances around, attempting to feel another presence. There isn't one.

  @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

  Sometime before

  The Ringmaster's Bedchamber-

  Dreaming with a touch of essence

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  "I will be anything you wish me to be," Percy says, lightly kissing the ringmaster's forehead. "I love you."

  The ringmaster gazes at Percy with wide eyes, a smirk playing at one corner of her mouth.

  "Ha. Are you serious, Percy? Do you really think I could love one such as you? You're out of your mind."

  "That may be..." Percy says, lowering his mouth to her lips.

  This time, he is very careful how he positions his mouth, trying not to appear too hungry. In the past, the ringmaster has grown angry with him, due to his perceived hunger and roughness.

  "...But I can feel that you love me too. It is not just Percival whose touch you crave. It is mine also."

  The ringmaster raises a hand to slap him, but Percy firmly grips her wrist. She studies his face for a moment, before leaning forward and kissing him hungrily. Percy's clown form melts away and he becomes the man who made love to her so long ago. Not Desmond. The body he chose for himself. The one he has often used while visiting her chamber. The true Percy.

  @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

  Upon awakening

  The ringmaster climbs from the bed, drawing one of the purple covers around her body. She crosses to the wardrobe with slow deliberation.

  On one corner of the wardrobe sits a large spell jar. Contained inside the jar is the dagger she used to end Percy's life, surrounded by purple flower petals. Purple light emanates from the dagger, pulsating in a predictable rhythm. A heartbeat. Percy's or Percival's? She cannot be sure. They both call to her. One much stronger than the other.

  The ringmaster reaches out a slender hand and rubs the sides and top of the spell jar. As has happened many times before, the pulsating within the jar accelerates at her touch. Her green eyes fill with tears but she wills them away. Now, is not the time for tears. There are tests to perform, and souls to ensnare and absorb. There is work to be done.

  Joaquin rises from his place on the bed and moves to stand beside the ringmaster. He lowers his head and kisses her bare shoulder. His voice is soft and understanding.

  "Master...Why do you continue to stare at that dagger? Is that not the same dagger you used to free your great love from his former vessel? Why do you grow close to weeping? Why not simply perform the transfer ritual? So that you may be reunited."

  The ringmaster turns to Joaquin, her eyes flashing with the same purple light. Getting control over her anger, the ringmaster lightly touches Joaquin's left cheek. She leans up and kisses him.

  "It's not that simple, Joaquin. My Percival...He was inside of Percy for far too long. So much of Percival is intermingled with Percy's essence. I never figured out what went wrong with the original spell. It should have worked. I believe it was the love...Percy had for his own lover. It corrupted the spell. It must have been true love."

  The ringmaster releases Joaquin and slowly sits down in front of the wardrobe. She presses one hand against her chest, holding the blanket in place. Joaquin stands behind his master, and lover, a solemn expression on his face. He waits for her to continue speaking.

  "I acted impulsively. I was so desperate to free Percival. I only wanted him near me again. I wanted to touch him. And be touched by him. To feel his kiss. I wanted a vessel worthy of our love and our moments of pleasure. I never considered that I would..."

  The ringmaster reaches for her hairbrush. Joaquin places his hand over hers, stopping her from grabbing the hair accessory. The ringmaster does not turn. She peers at Joaquin through the mirror's reflection. Joaquin leans forward and kisses the ringmaster's right cheek. He whispers in a soft voice.

  "I believe I understand, Master. You have fallen for your own tricks. You fell in love...Again."

  At this, the ringmaster does turn. She slaps Joaquin across the face, immediately regretting the action. Her eyes moisten and she turns her head, staring at the dagger once again.

  "That is why I do not dare perform the ritual. It would not be only my Percival who returns. There will be parts which belong to Percy. I will never be reunited with Percival."

  Joaquin chooses to let the matter rest. For now. He returns to the bed and grabs up his clothes from a nearby chair. He glances back at the ringmaster one more time before exiting the bedchamber.

  To be continued..........