Endless Dream

Iris

Iris lounged lazily in their oversized chair. The slope of their back pressed firmly against the plush fabric seat. They closed their eyes and basked in the faint trickling of lights that passed through the tall windows of their chamber. They enjoyed the peaceful moments between their tasks, relishing the last of the light as it turned from day to night.

Since the day they had been given a name and purpose by Morpheus, they had taken their duties very seriously. They were a guide, a ferryman to the lost dreamers that wandered through his realm and took great care to ease the sufferings of the waking world. They particularly enjoyed the dreams of the young, becoming whatever hero or helpful companion they needed. One child had imagined an illustrious, golden pirate ship that sailed across clouds and stars. Iris took the form of a stray dog that could steer the boat with its massive paws. They had adored every second of sweet laughter and joy in that dream. They could still hear it in their head as they tucked their legs under themselves and curled up in the chair.

Iris tugged on the edge of their thick woollen cardigan and admired their chambers. Morpheus fashioned their room after the pavilion they once lived in, with huge tall white columns holding up the high ceilings and wisteria flowers trailed upwards, reaching for the heavens above. They knew the detail he had put into their chambers surpassed the amount of detail he'd put into other rooms of the palace. He designed every piece of furniture, from the wide chair and desk to the sprawling bed. He had wanted to create a safe place for them.

Morpheus, they thought longingly. Their chest ached at the thought of his name. He visited as often as possible with a small iris flower as a gift. The being wasn't quite as omniscient as he pretended. He had no idea they had collected every flower after the first, preserving them in glass and hiding them within books, pillows and their wide armoire.

Dream had many dreamers to watch over and a realm to maintain, so it kept him away, not that Iris didn't have their own charges to care for. They just treasured the fleeting moments with him all the more. They would always have to wait for his visit. Lucienne never allowed them past the library.

The librarian was a ruthless gatekeeper. She kept Iris' compulsive need to seek out Dream at bay. They had proved to be distracting to Dream, often impishly pestering the entity which Lucienne could not allow. Lucienne instead delighted in piling on more charges and tasks to occupy them. Iris knew they were being managed. The librarian was friendly enough but still cautious of Iris despite the many centuries in each other's presence. The magick that had allowed them to gain sentience in the first place was a mystery, and it irked Lucienne. She couldn't cope with the idea of the unknown, with the lack of understanding around the ferryman. Iris enjoyed it too much. They had a wicked sense of pride in confounding the librarian.

Iris played with the gold chain around their neck, another of Dream's gifts. It was woven from the sand that created them. He had begun creating the present, seeing it as a dainty, light chain, but the more he tried to stretch it and make it feminine, the more the sand rallied against him. It made itself heavier and thicker and fused itself with each link in the chain so he couldn't manipulate it.

They recalled the day he had tried to present it to them. He stood awkwardly in the courtyard of flowers and stumbled over his words as he feared they would spurn the gift or reject it as others had in his life. Iris had been gracious and reassured him that the gift was perfect for them.

Iris wore the chain with pleasure every day; the gritty texture of the metal was a great comfort over the years. They often ran a stray finger along the grooves and dented links.

The doors to their chamber shuddered, a defensive measure that Dream had put in place recently. No matter who was at the door, they would alert them immediately through a series of shudders. The shudder was light and almost sounded like a purr. Iris would have assumed it was Periwinkle, but the familiar tugging sensation around their finger gave it away. Iris smiled.