.:: Romance: Stories: The Keep, Part I by Ron Ryan ::.
Several months have passed and much excavation has occured in the ancient keep which is located beyond the forest. Sandar has been able to piece together tale beyond the imagination. One of wars and discontent in a far distant world. A war in paticular which brought a hardy band of folk to this present realm of relative peace. Of the few artifacts which remain are two strange rings of metal. Sandar has puzzled over these and tried to duplicate from the old plates the environment needed to activate them. They are wont to placed in a special niche which the scientist found embedded in a smooth slab of some wondrous material. What could have been the purpose of all this? A robot, the rings, all the plates? In his excitement, he has forgotten Alisandra, but the lady is not to be denied. She sweet talks the robot into letting her pass by his guard and with wide eyes at all of Sandar's remodeling, takes in the beauty that was this old Keep. Intricately carved oak doors, painstakingly polished marble floors, and restored leaded glass windows add to the warmth of the broad manteled fireplace and tapestried walls.

Somewhat apprehensive, Alisandra begins to descend down the main staircase until she hears noise. “Sandar?” “Sandar?,” she calls out sweetly. Not until she has walked down several flights of stairs does she see the old workroom. Sandar is mumbling as he reads one of the plates and carefully makes a foil impression of it for safekeeping. Alisandra, standing behind him, folds her arms around the occupied scientist. “Sandar, it has been long since we last danced by the fire or you held me in your arms.” Tenderly, he turns and kisses her. Remembering the robot, he looks at her. “I see the robot has been taken in by your charming ways.” Alisandra looks at her man smugly, yet sweetly. “Sandar, what is all this?” “Oh, Alisandra! Look at this! I've uncovered so many ancient records down here, all impressed on plates of thin ceramic material. As near as I can figure, an ancient world was at war and this scientist was working on a way to warp space and open a portal of time and space to project him and several families to a land of peace and romance. Something went wrong. Perhaps miscalculations, perhaps the land was not to be found...they came here to this land. Life was hard. The people here would not let the war weary gentle folk settle amongst them. They fashioned a robot--the one which stands outside my gate and they tried to be kind and generous. But it was to no avail, Alisandra!” “The people were harassed and their knowledge was spit upon and scattered to the winds. Tristan, the author of most of these plates was murdered and his kind heart rent from him in a brutally forced argument. But they had a plan to get to their land of peace and romance. Tristan was almost ready, honey! He could have done it had he just more time.” “Sandar, why must we get into an ancient sorrow? Come out to the fire and laugh with me.” “Alisandra, I love you so much that I could burst.” “I don't need fire or stars to see the light in your eyes, or feel the love of your heart.” “Help me with this study, my love. You have the knowledge of mechanical application and the science of engineering, what am I not understanding here?” Alisandra looks at the two rings, the niche in the slab and begins to read the old plate. After several hours, she looks at Sandar with smiling eyes and pressing herself into him, she kisses him and says, “Honey you didn't see that Tristan was an old Romantic! The rings were meant to be worn, silly! The niche has no significance except to confuse.” She places the ring on the bemused scientist's finger and hands him the other. With a smile he places the ring on her finger. “Hold my hand, my love!” As the two look at each other they are enveloped in a soft glow which is soothing and warm.

Posted: March 11, 1996

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