As Forte lay in bed asleep, Cadence lay there beside him, awake. As much as she longed for the deep embrace of sleep to cradle her in its arms, she was met with nothing but restless thoughts and worry.
"So much has happened in so little time. Yet, I am expected to stand strong behind my husband. I'm just one woman... How is one woman supposed to help bear the weight of an entire kingdom?"
"Every day, I'm presented with the same tasks. To carry myself with dignity and resolve. To smile and act as if nothing's wrong... How can I stand behind a husband who can't stand on his own?"
"I've been tired for a while now... I don't even remember the feeling of rest. Everyone is expecting Forte to have all the answers to all the problems. It's a never-ending cycle of meetings, planning, failures, and misery."
"I know Forte's always around, but... Even now, as we lay here beside each other, he feels so far away. I've never felt this lonely..."
"I'm pregnant... Of all the times to be pregnant, why did it have to be now? Amongst all this chaos and fear. All this uncertainty and dread. This isn't the kind of world I want our son to be born into. I'm so scared... Not only for him but beside him. What if I'm not a good mother? What if he doesn't feel loved? What if I miscarry again?"
Night after night, this is what Cadence dealt with. Every night, she would weep in silence so as not to wake her husband on the rare occasion they slept together. She knew she had to be strong for both of them. Because Forte needed her, she always put her fears and anxieties aside. She never complained and always gave her best self to him without a second thought.
Just as every night before this, Cadence, feeling completely drained and exhausted, finally drifted off to sleep.
No sooner than she had fallen asleep, she had started to dream. This dream, however, was unlike anything she had ever experienced. She was lucid and in an environment that was almost unrecognizable to her.
"Where am I?" She wondered aloud as she stood amidst the mysterious light blue haze that enveloped the area.
"This place is entirely unfamiliar, yet there's an inexplicable sense of recognition," she murmured to herself.
Surveying her surroundings, she noticed the imposing sight of numerous large, round stone pillars, their height impossible to determine as they extended all the way to the high ceiling. The stone walls were adorned with torches emitting ethereal blue flames, creating an illusion of an endless expanse. Scattered amidst the pillars, large iron braziers emitted soft, white flames that cast an otherworldly glow over the scene.
"This resembles the temple I used to sketch as a child. I never imagined it could be a real place," Cadence mused.
With each step she took, a soothing sense of tranquility enveloped her as she moved forward through the temple. After a while, her eyes caught something intriguing in the distance.
"Could that be... a fountain?"
Her curiosity ignited as she quickened her pace towards the object. As she approached, she was met with the sight of the most exquisite three-tier stone fountain she had ever laid eyes upon. Lush flowers in vibrant shades of red, green, blue, and purple were thoughtfully arranged around its base. Delicate vines, elegantly spiraled, adorned the shaft, adorned with exotic-looking flowers that climbed towards the pinnacle of the spout.
"How can this possibly exist? I used to draw this exact fountain as a child," she marveled.
A high-pitched female voice chimed in, "It's beautiful, isn't it?"
YOU ARE READING
Soul Scale
FantasyWhat if I told you that magick exists? What would you say? In King Forte's case, it's complicated. His kingdom is suffering. On top of the famine and drought, the people of his kingdom have lost trust in him. As faith falls, uncertainty rises over t...
