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Brigadoon
Awake Again

Awake Again

Thomas is in a deep sleep, having nightmarish dreams.

In one dream, he is alone with Morag while roaming the streets of Brigadoon. Their arms are intertwined like they are a couple, and she is happy. Even though she is a witch wandering the streets of Brigadoon, no one is attacking her, so she finally has the chance to see all the places that Thomas has told her about. Everything is as it should have been. Finally, Morag leads them up to the castle, and she sits on the throne and calls herself the queen. The people around them bow. Thomas is shocked. This does not seem right! Where is the king? Where is Fenella? He turns to the nearest person to ask them what is going on, but then he realizes that the only people around are wolves. He screams and fights, but the wolves bite him and force him to kneel to Morag.

In another dream, he is standing at the altar of a chapel. He is wearing the formal regalia of Brigadoon, and is standing proudly. He is getting married today, he realizes. The people around him whisper softly to each other in excitement, their murmuring sounding like wind through the trees. At last, the bride shows herself. Dressed in a beautiful white gown, she approaches. Thomas smiles happily, but for some reason his stomach does not flutter. His heart is eerily still even though his bride is in front of him. Thomas ignores the feeling and gives his marriage vows, then he lifts the veil. Rather than seeing Fenella’s face, it is Morag instead! Her white dress shifts to onyx black before his eyes and she giggles.

Suddenly, the Earth shakes, and his eyes snap open. Every fiber in his being has been rattled.

He is dizzy and confused, his memories feel murky. It is like he had too much alcohol after a party, but his instincts are screaming for him to run away as if he's still in battle! He stumbles his way through some misty terrain, moving farther and farther, until his mind clears up enough for him to think rationally. He stops and takes in his surroundings.

“Hmm… Where am I? I do not recognize this forest.” He examines the woods, and indeed, the trees are similar to the forest he knows, but he does not recognize where he is at. “And where is my horse?” He searches around, but sees no sign of it. “The last thing I remember was setting out to put an end to Morag. What is going on?”

Thankfully, Thomas is an expert of navigating forests ever since he was a little kid, so he journeys through the forest until he finds a road, then heads down the road.

There are fallen trees and landslides, so he assumes that an earthquake has recently happened. Perhaps he woke up because of that?

Exhausted and disoriented, Thomas makes his way to Brigadoon. The town is different in subtle ways he can't put his finger on, but he ignored the feeling of unease and pushed ahead. He approaches the castle gate, his heavy armor clanking with each step. The trio of guards who are standing there eye him suspiciously.

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“Who goes there?”

“Fear not, good sirs! It is I, Thomas, the best knight of Brigadoon. I seek an audience with the king.” Thomas removes his helmet so that they might recognize him.

As soon as he removes his helmet, their expressions change, and they raise their weapons to attack.

“What is the meaning of this?!” Thomas skillfully fights off two guards, disarming them and leaving them incapacitated on the ground. The third guard quickly flees to alert others.

Thomas sneaks through and goes into the bustling town. He approaches a group of townspeople, hoping for answers.

“Pardon me, good sir. Could you tell me why everyone is treating me with such hostility? And how many days are left until the wedding takes place?”

The townspeople catch sight of Thomas' face and immediately panic, scattering in all directions.

Confused and hurt, he asks himself. “Why do they run from me? What happened while I was gone?”

Thomas puts his helmet back on, realizing that his presence is causing fear among the townspeople. As he continues through the town, more guards appear, attempting to apprehend him for some reason. He defeats each guard with his impressive skill, determined to find answers and reach Fenella. No doubt she will clear everything up for him.

When he arrives at the grand hall, the king, the princess, and several nobles are engaged in conversation. He bursts into the room, his voice filled with urgency.

“Your majesty! My dear, Fenella! I have returned. Why is everyone treating me this way?”

Fenella makes a dazed expression, as if she is struggling to remember who he is.

The king, taken aback, rises from his seat, pointing at Thomas.

“You dare interrupt this gathering and make demands?” The king asks angrily.

Now that Thomas looks at them, don’t they look different? Fenella seems older than before, and the king is fatter. How long has he been away?

“Am I in time for my wedding?” Thomas asks.

“Wedding to who?”

“Your daughter, Fenella, of course.”

“I will never allow you to have my daughter! Guards, remove this stranger!”

Thomas is hurt as the words of the king echo in his mind. Indeed, didn’t he say he would treat him as a stranger if he took too long? Has he really been gone for more than a week, perhaps a year? Even still.

“You dare keep me from my love, even after all I have done and the things we have gone through together?!” Thomas roars angrily.

“Wait father, let me see him.” The princess says.

“Stay back, let the guards handle this.”

The guards move in, but Thomas fights them off once again. As chaos ensues, and the guards continue to pour in, he makes a swift exit from the castle and manages to steal a horse.