I looked up at Andrian through tear clouded eyes, and my heart broke a little at the expression I saw on his face. He looked so guilty and I felt terrible for being the cause. I wished there was a way for me to tell him that it wasn’t his fault, that he’d done nothing wrong, and that it was all because of me. I wasn’t strong enough to face my memories yet. I was too pathetic, too weak.

“Falyn,” he crooned softly, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t think… I didn’t consider that I might be too fast for you. I promise I won’t force you. I’d never hurt you.” He rocked me gently as he spoke.

I tried to muster up a smile, or at least something that wasn’t a frown, and reached my hand up to touch his cheek. No– I shook my head, It’s not your fault– and gestured to him. I’m the problem– I touched my chest to indicate myself and willed him to understand what I was trying to convey.

He looked even sadder and squeezed me tight, “No, don’t you dare blame yourself for anything,” he said fiercely, “Whatever happened, it’s not your fault. But… can I take that to mean you don’t dislike me? That you didn’t hate it when I touched you?”

No, I like it when you touch me… But it makes me think about someone that terrifies me. It reminds me of my mother’s pain. It’s scary… I had no way to make him understand what I was feeling. All I could do was shake my head to say no and go back to stroking his cheek. Please keep kissing me. I don’t want to be scared anymore. I let my hand slide down to his collar and tugged it to pull him towards me. I could see the hesitation on his face, but he let me pull him down to me. I kissed each of his cheeks, before placing a soft, slow kiss on his lips and releasing him.

“Are you… are you still okay with staying here with me tonight? I could go find somewhere else to sleep if it’s more comfortable for you,” he offered, the traces of guilt still evident on his face.

I sharply shook my head no and squeezed his forearm. If he was willing, I still wanted him to hold me while I slept. I feel safer when you’re with me. I have no idea why. But I know that I don’t want to be alone tonight. My head is still spinning from what’s happened in the course of a single day and tomorrow… Tomorrow, the First Prince wants to talk about things I’ve kept buried since I was young. I’m not ready to face those demons yet, but I don’t think I have a choice. Yet, somehow, I feel like I can manage if I have you by my side. So stay with me, shelter me from the oncoming storm, if only for a night.

He couldn’t possibly know what I was feeling, but I still wished for him to hear my thoughts. Thankfully my clear decline of his offer to leave seemed to be enough. He shifted us around a little so we were laying side by side on the bed while I was still wrapped in his embrace and using his arm as a pillow. Fatigue hit me as soon as we laid down and I allowed myself to let go of the tension I’d been holding. I felt him press his lips to my forehead and inhale deeply. He seemed satisfied with whatever he smelled and I felt his body relax next to mine.

“Falyn,” he whispered as I was starting to drift off, “Thank you for coming back to me. I looked for you for so long. I was afraid I’d never see you again.” His voice started sounding distant, but I desperately fought the call of sleep so I could try to keep listening. “You were my first friend. Father and I lived far away from the village and I often felt lonely before you came. You brightened my world back then, more than you could ever know. Haah, I wish I had the courage to say these things to you when you’re awake…” I felt like he was on the verge of saying something important, but I just couldn’t stay awake anymore. “… I… you… bond... mate…” were the last things I heard before my consciousness left me.

I slept a heavy, dreamless sleep. When I awoke the next morning, it took me a moment to figure out where I was. The aesthetic here was so different from the rest of the Palace. The room was simple and unadorned, with large windows to let in the morning sun. The room was already bright and judging by the sun’s position, I guessed it was either the eighth or ninth movement of ascent.

When I sat up in bed, I was able to get a clearer view of the room and of the man at a table near the window lounging in the sunlight. The beams of light made his dark auburn hair shine a brighter shade of red, with just a hint of orange. I took a moment to admire his lazy appearance as he yawned and turned his shining amber eyes in my direction.

“Ahhh good morning,” he greeted me as he finished yawning, “I was just about to wake you. Prince Elantro sent us a summons to come find him in the meeting room for breakfast. He sent you a change of clothes as well.” Andrian indicated to a folded pile on an empty chair. In addition to the pile of clothes, there was also a towel and robe. “There’s a bathing room down the hall. Go left then it’s the third door. When you're done, leave turning right, pass the hallway you came from, and take the second door. You’ll find a place to dress yourself there. I’ve been up for a bit so I’m already washed. Just come grab me when you're done.”

Following his instructions, I found another one of those blue and green tiled bathing rooms with a tub of hot water already sitting there waiting for me. I luxuriated in the hot water for as long as I dared before drying myself and putting the robe on. Backtracking past the hall I came from, I found the dressing room exactly where Andrian said it would be and quickly dressed myself in the provided clothes. I could tell that someone with a man’s tastes had picked out this outfit for me. The pants were flexible and not tight, the shirt was loose and flowing with a drawstring collar, and it was topped with a simple yet elegant vest. The shoes were simple leather ankle boots that were both practical and comfortable. I somehow looked like a noble peasant, but I thought it suited me far better than the expensive, overly luxurious suits I had been provided thus far.

I returned to Andrian’s room and informed him I was ready. I found myself blushing profusely as he complimented my appearance, but I felt like it was a little much. I really wasn’t all that good looking. The best you could say about me was that I cleaned up well. I wasn’t sure how to handle his blatant and over the top flattery. But I didn’t hate it. I just didn’t understand it.

When we arrived at the meeting room, I saw that we were the last ones to arrive. The First Prince, the other three beast generals, Amelie, and Lord Erris were all already seated and breaking their fast on sweet pastries, fruits, crispy strips of fatty meat, and a dish made from eggs that looked like clouds and tasted like cheese, which was served on pieces of toasted baguette. I hungrily grabbed a plate and loaded it with lots of the fluffy eggs, and a collection of flakey pastries made with nuts and syrup.

The room’s furniture arrangement was completely different today. For our meal, we all sat around a proper dining table that nearly took up an entire side of the room. The other half of the room now had two armchairs and a large upholstered daybed. The generals exchanged greetings and I focused on my food. I couldn’t get enough of the cloud like eggs, and once I had loaded my plate with a second portion, this time with some of the meat added on, the First Prince finally spoke.

“I guess I should start with congratulating you all. Whatever other opinions they may have, the nobles who were present last night have no reason or right to contest the validity of your marriage,” he said with a knowing smile, “Well played, both of you. Everyone saw exactly what they needed to see and everyone behaved appropriate to their roles. I can’t get over the irony of feeling like I owe the Duke of Ramport a boon. If he’d actually followed my orders, things probably wouldn’t have gone so smoothly last night.” The First Prince chuckled a little at that and I couldn’t say that he was wrong. Somehow, my father’s attempts had produced the exact opposite result than he intended. I was alive and could live a good life from here on out, the peace treaty would go forward as planned with no more accusations of selling a noble daughter to animals, and Andrian was able to find me again, against otherwise impossible odds. I felt an odd satisfaction in knowing that fate had outsmarted my all powerful father and shown favor to me, the unwanted disappointment who’d never had fate on his side before.

“Anyway, while we attended the banquet last night, Amie and Lord Erris were working on something for today,” the First Prince continued after he was done laughing. “We’ve decided we need a way to know what’s going on inside that head of yours and they came up with an idea that might just work. But this once again depends on your willingness, Falyn.”

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

I looked at him questioningly, wondering what he was going on about.

“Lord Erris is a relatively talented mage, and he can do more than just casting a silence spell on a room,” the First Prince explained, “He has suggested a form of magical hypnotism where he would simultaneously place a spell over you and Amie to connect your minds. The idea is that, since you can’t speak and you don’t seem ready to face your memories, Amie will go into your subconscious with you and guide you through the memories we want to see. In theory, you won’t remember anything when you wake up so it should be a simple solution to the problem. There are risks of course, but nothing life threatening.”

I considered what he was telling me. Everything about the idea sounded so fantastic that I couldn’t believe it was actually possible. But human magic users were very rare, so I lacked the knowledge to understand how it would work and what the potential risks might be.

“Prince Elantro,” Shidah spoke up from his spot at the table, “I think I’m at least partially familiar with what you’re suggesting. Our shamans use similar methods to help treat war survivors and people that have gone through other trauma. Though I’ve never heard of two people being put under together, so that part both interests and concerns me. Normally there are no risks involved, so I’m curious how the second person will affect the normal process.”

“If I may, your Highness?” Lord Erris inquired with a glance at the First Prince.

“Please, go ahead.”

“Very well. To be honest, I don’t know exactly what the risks will entail,” Lord Erris admitted after gaining permission from the First Prince. “This is something I’ve never attempted, and to be honest, I didn’t know it was a common practice for the Beastlands.”

“Yes,” Shidah responded, “It’s something our shamans have done for centuries. Not all maladies are of the body and magical hypnosis is a well known and very successful method to treat the subconscious mind.”

“I shall have to pick your brains where we are done here. Human magic has stagnated over the years to the point that my parlour tricks are considered to be top tier magic.” Lord Erris shook his head looking disappointed with the whole thing. “For now, what I propose is putting them under together, but leaving Amelie with some of her awareness still active so she can use her own internal magic to go into his mind. She will lead Falyn through his memories and speak for him, sharing what he sees with us, since he cannot speak aloud for himself.”

“But we don’t know if it will work,” Amelie interrupted, “I’ve never even considered trying to use my abilities like this before and I don’t know if I can control my powers well enough.”

"I keep telling you, you can't improve if you don't take chances. How many times have I accidentally blown something up?" Lord Erris asked her this in a way that made me think he might be proud of the destruction he had wrought. It didn't inspire me with a lot of confidence, but I didn't foresee that anything he was proposing for today could be dangerous enough to worry about.

Amelie looked ready to throw her hands in the air, but she didn't present any further argument. She simply gestured for him to proceed.

"I can say with fairly high confidence that we have a good probability for success. Magical hypnotism isn't common nowadays, but it was a well known treatment hundreds of years ago, before the borderland was put into place. From what the good general indicated, it's still a popular therapy in the Beastlands where they use magic over medicine. I studied my uncle's diaries in great detail and I'm certain I can accomplish the basics. The rest is Falyn's willingness to delve into those memories and Amelie’s control of her powers." He looked at both of us with an arrogant posture, clearly trying to tell us that any failures would be ours, not his.

"But what about the risks you mentioned?" Andrian asked him, looking dubious about the whole thing. "You say you have high confidence in your probable success… but what happens to Falyn if this goes wrong?"

"The obvious answer to that is that we get no answers," Lord Erris replied dryly, clearly not appreciating having his skills called into question. "It is also possible we'd trigger another episode like yesterday. Worst case scenario is that his mind can't handle it and he rejects the hypnosis."

I felt like there was more to it than what he was saying, but this was a better solution than anything I could come up with.

"I will oversee the process," Shidah announced, "I've sat with my mate through many of the treatments she's given over the past few years and I'll be able to tell if something is wrong."

Oh, his wife is a shaman? It hadn't come up yesterday when the generals were introducing themselves. The knowledge did inspire me with some additional confidence though. I wasn't sure about Lord Erris, but Shidah certainly sounded like he knew enough for me to feel certain.

"The wild card is the girl," Coraggio suddenly cut in, "My grandfather was a shaman as well, so I understand the basics, but I've never heard of someone entering the dream to interact with the person being put under. If she can’t get in, then that's fine, but what happens if she enters and then she isn't strong enough? You're essentially talking about using magic to take her consciousness out of her own body and put it into his." Coraggio then looked to the First Prince and asked, "Have you considered what might happen to her if this goes wrong?"

"I've more than just considered it," he responded tersely, "In fact, I was originally against this. But Lord Erris is confident and Amie is quite determined to try. And I think we can agree that, objectively, the benefits outweigh the risk."

"He's right on that," Rastari added, "We need to know the truth of what happened to his mother. Personally, I'm convinced that whatever is buried in his mind is going to be something important. You might not like me for saying this, but if it won't result in their deaths, then the consequences are worth it."

The First Prince and Andrian both looked wroth, but no one could argue with that assessment, including me. If I understand things correctly, they blamed my mother's death on the beastmen, but did they do it with the intention of starting a war? My memories won't answer that, but it can confirm what they need to know.

"But couldn't he just do that thing where you record your thoughts on parchment?" Andrian finally asked after a moment of silence.

"All of the nobility can read, but very few are skilled with the quill and ink. Specially trained scribes do all the necessary inking for the nobles," the First Prince explained, "He could be taught, but it would waste valuable time. Besides, he is to leave for the Beastlands with you on the morrow, is he not?"

Once the First Prince declared that, no one had any further objections. We finished eating then Lord Erris requested that everyone but myself, Shidah, and Amelie leave the room. Neither Andrian nor the First Prince looked happy with the idea, but they both complied when they were reminded that distractions could lead to complications.

I was instructed to lay down on the daybed. Amelie sat in an armchair next to me and gave me a reassuring smile. Shidah stood a distance away, watching the scene impassively. Lord Erris began chanting softly. The light in the room dimmed somehow making the daylight seem hazy, as if the sun were setting.

"Amelie, make the connection with him now," Lord Erris instructed and Amelie reached for my hand. She tied a small silver string around my wrist. I saw the other end was tied in a loose slipknot that she slipped around her wrist and tightened.

"Using the string instead of holding your hand, from a magic standpoint, will allow me to remain emotionally separated from what I might see," she explained to me, "Or so Lord Erris believes."

I nodded my understanding, hoping he was right.

"Amelie will stay awake at first and wait until your subconscious is fully active before entering. When the time is right, she will enter the dream and begin guiding you. All you need to do is relax and try your best to leave your mind open to her. It's actually best if you think of it as drifting off to sleep and don't worry about what will happen after. Are you ready to begin?"

I nodded.

"Very well. Close your eyes," he directed me, "and take a deep breath. Breath in for one, two, three, hold for one, two, three, then exhale as slowly as you can, imagining you're breathing out all of the tension in your body." I did as he instructed. It was hard to imagine falling asleep so early into the day, but I breathed slowly and tried to relax. "Continue breathing like that until I tell you to stop."

He began chanting again, the bizarre and alien words sounding calming and soothing. Goosebumps broke out all over my body, but it felt pleasant and I let myself sink into the feeling.

"Imagine that every muscle in your body is being massaged and loosened," he said before beginning to chant again. "You feel like you're floating midair." As he continued, he alternated between the chanting and talking. "Imagine you're surrounded by a dense fog… You're safe there… Think of it as your special place…"

As he spoke I felt the fog drifting into my mind. I knew where he was sending me. I embraced it as it came.

"Leave your body behind… Let your mind be free… You feel yourself drifting away… Begin breathing normally again… It's time for you to go to your safe place and rest… In a moment, I will countdown from three, and when I reach one you will fall into a deep sleep… Three… two… one…"