Water...
... as far as I could see. Navy blue, reflecting the tranquil night sky with the thousands of stars sparkling on its canvas. Since when were there so many stars in the sky...? Did I never look properly? I enjoyed stargazing, so nothing up there should be that much of a surprise to me...
And the water... where did all that water come from? It spread from one corner of my vision to the other, with nothing in between. Did lakes that big even exist? Or was that... the sea I read about a few times? The books did say it was hundreds of times bigger than any lake, but this was just breathtaking... Nothing but water... no, wait. There were some sharp rocks right below me, dark grey fangs of rough stone arranged into a shape of a huge, crescent moon. Waves that varied from ones that didn't rise from the surface of the water much, to ones that reached the very tips of those miniature ridges washed them over and over. But... hold on, I didn't even mean to look down...
I suddenly realized that I don't have control over my body. My neck turned my head left slightly and I saw the even darker line of what looked like land, one tiny light visible more or less in the middle of it, like a solitary star that fell from the sky and was now glimmering helplessly in the hope someone would notice and take it back home.
Then my muscles moved. I felt hard rocks underneath my feet and hands, but before I could start wondering why I was crouching there on all fours, my body suddenly leaped forward and I started falling...
No, not falling...
... flying...
How that was possible...? ... I didn't really care much. It felt intoxicating...
My back, especially my shoulders, kept moving in a strange rhythm, causing me to heavily gain altitude. Once I reached just underneath a solitary, thin cloud, they stopped, letting me glide towards the faint gleam at the horizon that I assumed was the rising moon.
I never before felt so... free... unrestrained... like I could go anywhere I wanted without caring... The air was pleasantly cool against my skin... it wasn't enough to make me feel cold, and yet, after a few moments, some shiver ran across my skin. It felt like those occasional moments when I realized bad things, like forgetting something very important. And suddenly, that body wasn't mine anymore. I was still in the air, but I didn't feel anything, just saw.
It was then that I heard a quiet voice... quiet, but deeper than the water below: "You are not alone..."
I jolted up slightly, opening my eyes. My gaze met Shia's, her stare calm but curious about why her owner had to wake up in such a violent manner. She then proceeded to lick her paw.
I sighed, sinking back into the pillow. It was a dream... but such a strange one. It didn't happen every night that I felt like I was really somewhere else entirely. Glancing to the window, I moaned quietly. The sky was still dark, only the faintest gleam of dawn in it.
Nevertheless, I sat up, rubbing the rest of sleep off my eyes. My heart was still racing a bit, the excitement feeding the curiosity and the other way around. Was it the remnants of magic that once messed with my memory that made me see strange things that shouldn't exist, or was it just my imagination, stimulated by too many emotions the previous day...?
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I quietly slipped out from under the blanket, wondering what to do since I didn't feel like I could fall asleep again. For a moment, I considered playing a prank on Elithia by sneaking through the tunnel connecting our homes, but decided against it. First - she didn't live alone, second - me shifting my bed would probably wake up my family, third - we weren't kids anymore. Barging in while a lady was sleeping would be inappropriate at best.
I blinked a little. I don't think I would have been this considerate two years ago. I would have just went for it without caring until a proper scolding came down on my head. Elithia was right. Those two years really did change me a lot... but at least in this case, it seemed to be a positive change.
The first, shy chirp of some bird came from outside the window, so I decided to answer the call and start my day as well. Peeking out from my room, I listened for a moment, but there was nothing suggesting my parents or Lisiel could be awake. Only the faintest crackling of dying embers in the hearth filled the house with tranquil warmth.
Still, I decided to make sure. As slowly and quietly as possible, I opened the door opposite of mine to take a look at the big bed by the western wall. My breath got stuck in my throat for a moment when it hit me how long it's been since I last saw them like this. The sorrow did leave its mark on their faces... they aged more than they should have during two years. Still, seeing them sleep soundly made me feel warm and safe just like before. And the tiny bundle of sweetness between them... I was grateful to her. She gave them hope and strength to go forward in a time when despair could have crushed them...
Something wet suddenly fell onto the shirt on my chest and I quickly retreated, wiping my eyes.
The morning air outside was moist and cool. Nothing like what I experienced on the balcony of my room in the castle. The dew that clung to every surface made every scent clearer for me to enjoy: the wood of the houses, the freshly ploughed soil, the herbs hanging under a porch nearby... The sun, still lingering under the horizon, revealed more and more details, as if wanting to help me remember everything step by step, and not dump it all on me at once.
My feet carried me on their own as I focused on watching the surroundings, revisiting what I already knew and learning what was new. In this peculiar trance, I wandered through a small part of the woodland at the north-eastern border of the village and ended up on a small hill surrounded by high forest, the long grass in the open space swaying peacefully in the morning breeze.
I smiled. I used to come here with Elithia a lot to look at the stars and watch them wander under the supervision of their huge, silvery-white shepherd. Even now, one of them was still glimmering shyly on the far end of the sky opposite from the sun, fleeing from its brilliance into the embrace of darkness that lingered below the trees. I glanced back towards where I came from. The hill wasn't big enough for me to see the village behind the tree crowns, but there already was one trail of smoke becoming stronger above one of the chimneys. Probably old Zaafiel. After a moment, I dared to look further to my left.
Somewhere over there, hidden by the oaks and the shifting shadows, stood the royal castle. My prison for the last two years. It felt bizarre to realize how close I was to the truth this entire time. And the king and whoever helped him were aware of it too. Otherwise they would have allowed me to leave the castle's premise sometimes. But if the prince came of age and the people still wouldn't get to see him... it would have raised questions. That's what doomed our ruler...
Where could his associate be right now? Or the assassin? Would he come after me too, even if I told him I'm not actually of royal blood? If so, would I be able to defend myself against someone who sneaked past multiple guards to murder the king himself...?
I sighed. It felt like seeing the thinnest crescent of the moon just one day past its rebirth, when you know there is so much more of it than is actually visible...
But for some reason, I was sure it would all fall into place someday. After all...
I am not alone...