Once Upon a Nightmare

Luring a Lady

Yuu posted the results of the tryouts in the main hall and let the chaos ensue. Practice would undoubtedly be interesting with Riddle, and several others annoyed at her for keeping her gender hidden, and Malleus giving her the awkward silent treatment after she'd rejected his proposal. Hopefully she could find ways to smooth things over so they could get on the same page.

Desperate for some solitude, Ace and Deuce agreed to look after Grim, so she could get some quiet time. She went to the library, her usual go to, and enjoyed some peaceful reading.

The stories and legends from Twisted Wonderland were fascinating. She loved not knowing if something was fact or fiction, leaving everything open to possibilities. She pulled a few books on dream walking, and sat down with them in the corner of the library away from other students and staff. After adjusting her glasses she cracked open the cover, and immersed herself in the story.

Once upon a time...

There was a kingdom of dreams. Neither human, elf, nor fairy, the mystic beings who lived there possessed a unique magic known as Dream Walking. They could walk in the very fabric of time and space, allowing them to see past, present, and future events. Some could even see variations of these events by peering into alternate dimensions, and witnessing them in real time. Many outsiders either feared or coveted this power for their own devices. As such the dream walkers were hunted and had to take shelter away from their kingdom. They became lost, traveling to various dimensions and abandoning the kingdom of dreams.

It sleeps now, a beautiful starry castle illuminated always by a full moon, and reflected by a crystal clear lake. It waits for its people to return and fill its empty halls with joy and laughter once more.

"It's pretty much the same story at the beginning of every book. Powers, ostracized, and a sleeping kingdom" She sighed and skipped ahead a few chapters until she found a fable that caught her eye. "Hmmm, the Sleeping Princess?"

Legends foretell of a sleeping princess who was cursed by a dark fairy. For a hundred years she slept alone in an enchanted castle surrounded by thorns and protected by a fire breathing dragon. It is said that a lone prince stormed the castle, and used an enchanted sword to slay the dragon and cut through the maze of thorns. He climbed up to the highest room, in the tallest tower, and there lay waiting was the sleeping princess.

One look upon her face, and the prince was spellbound by her beauty; gold of sunshine in her hair, lips that shamed the red, red rose, and skin as soft as the morning dawn. He approached the serene beauty and lay a kiss upon her lips.

His kiss broke the spell, waking the princess from her lifelong sleep. The two married, and had many children all of whom were said to be capable of wandering the land of dreams due to their mother's curse that had trapped her there for so many years. It was a gift that they passed down from generation to generation and took great pride in.

This was because those who could visit the land of dreams were said to be the only ones capable of communicating with the lady of the lake...

"Lady of the lake?" Yuu raised a brow, flipping pages wondering if she'd missed some details. "Who's that?"

"The Lady of the Lake is said to be the last of her kind." Malleus spoke, his voice echoing the seemingly empty halls. Yuu's heart jumped into her throat, and she took note of the shining green lights before he appeared in front of her in his school uniform. "The last of the dreamwalkers, who carries the legacy of her people and watches over all worlds. It is said that if you look upon her face, she can tell your future."

"Tsunotaro!" Yuu held her chest and set the book aside. "You startled me."

"Forgive me." He pulled up a chair and sat across from her. "I came to apologize for the other day. I didn't mean to upset you."