She Is His

Into the Dreaming

Even with his realm back in order and everything was returning to a new normal, Dream was not at peace. His thoughts often turned to Jessamy, his raven companion for so many millenniums. The way her presence would make him smile. How she always moved his hair away from his eyes with her beak. He could feel that she cared about him, even though she never said a word. It was her actions that spoke volumes about her feelings for her king. It was her devotion to him that got her murdered. The sound of the shotgun blast echoed in his mind as the image of her blood splattered against the glass plagued him. Her broken body seemed so small as Alex scooped her up to dispose of her. Dream did not know what happen to her remains. Was she buried or simply tossed in the woods to be fed upon?

Matthew was a fine companion, but he could not replace Jessamy in Dream's heart. So, the King of Dreams sat at his throne, wondering where her spirit went. As all living things, their souls would take up residence in either Heaven, Hell or Limbo. Jessamy was not there. Did her spirit simply vanished when she died? All she was now a memory that Dream had. She deserved so much more. Dream thought to himself.

*

For the first time in since she could remember, Jessie dreamed. The enveloping darkness always greeted her at night. She never had flights of fancy or hellish nightmares. It was always the darkness. Inside the darkness was a man who had the stars in his eyes. No matter how far Jessie would run to see him, be close to him; the man was always at a distance that would never be across. She shouted to him, pleading with him to speak to her. He never spoke; his lips would remain still as death. Many times, they would simply stare at the other. She memorized his features. Unruly black hair that she wished to move from his eyes. His skin was pale as moonlight and his features were sharp and strong. It was those starry eyes that held all his emotions. She witnessed flashes of pain and sorrow along with fear and hatred for ones who had wronged him. It was the loving glances that made her heart swell. The way his eyes would soften when she appeared in the darkness. At times, she would swear that his lips would twitch into a smile.

Now over thirty years old, she was experiencing a dream. Her first time, it terrified and excited her. She was in the darkness and the starry-eyed man was not there. She panicked, running in the direction that he was always in. Instead of finding him, she found an ordinary looking door. Unsure, but not undetermined to find him, she turned the knob and opened the door.

She found herself on a beach with glittery sand. Infront of her, there was a massive gate carved out of the rock of the cliffs. Nearly the gate, her thoughts were racing. Where am I and why does this feel so familiar? Jessie touched the cold stone of the gate, wondering how she was going to get the monolithic doors to move. A rumbling sound caught her attention. Jessie back away as the gate commence on its opening path slowly. Soon the passage was big enough for her to slip through.

The other side was a sight to behold. Beautiful green fields and forests, full of different beings and life. A stone lined path that led to a magnificent castle surrounded by a crystal-clear moat. Tears filled her eyes as she took in all the wonder around her. She fell to her knees, weeping happily.

"I'm home." Jessie whispered to herself, unsure of their meaning. Yet someone else heard her.

From inside the throne room, Dream heard a woman's voice. "I'm home." She had said those words in such a joyous manner. Tilted his head up, he could sense that a woman was at the gate of his realm.

"I wonder what she means by she is home." Dream wondered to himself. He decided to find out.

Jessie was still on her knees when the starry-eyed man appeared in front of her. There were slight changes in him. His skin wasn't so translucent when they were in the darkness. His eyes did not hold the stars inside of them. They were now a blue-green hazel. The cut of his black clothing was more modern than before. Yet, it was him.

"Hello." Dream called to the kneeling woman. He watched as her eyes widen at the sound of his voice.

"You spoke?" Jessie questioned, her tone revealed the shock and awe that she was experiencing. She rose to her bare feet. Dream nodded his head, unsure what he should say next.

There was barely any distance between the two, just a few footsteps away. Jessie took a deep breath. With slow steps, she moved to him. Unlike in the darkness, the divide became narrow. Now, she was merely inches away.

Dream looked down the woman who positioned herself right in front of him. It seemed that being this close was a great feat of sorts. He took a moment to look at her. The one thing that stood out was her dark eyes. They were the color of fresh turned earth, so rich and brown. The feeling of her eyes on him seemed recognizable to him as if he known her before this moment. Her hair was pin straight and hung like a cloak to her waist. She wore her natural color, which was raven's wing black, sparing the snow-white lock of hair on the right side of her head. It was her birthmark. Her skin was sun-kissed tan. Her facial features were slightly angular with a straight nose and full pink lips. Long black lashes framed her eyes. She was dressed for bed; a fitted, sleeveless nightgown with crochet detail in the back and heather gray in color that went to her ankles.

Jessie reached her hand up to Dream's face. Gently, she brushed the strands of hair from his eyes. Her fingers caressed his cheek. Down his throat, her hand traveled until it rested over his heart. Jessie softly pressed her hand flat against his chest. She could feel the beating underneath the skin. Dream laid his hand over hers. Her eyes shone with unshed tears as she looked up at him. With his freed hand, he cupped her chin. His thumb stroked her jawline tenderly.

"Let me show you, my realm." Dream spoke.