II. The Impact of Her

~ Eighteen ~

'I opened my eyes and was shocked.

'I was sitting under a tree, on top of a hill. It was a quiet and peaceful environment. The birds sang and the wind blew ever so gently. There was nothing but grass, stretching as far as the eyes could see. Tall trees stood everywhere. Silhouettes of mountains could be seen from far away.

'But, why was I here? What was I doing here?

'Suddenly, faint, muffled voices came from afar and it was headed to where I was. I quickly stood up and climbed up the tree, going higher as I possibly could. And when there were no branches left to climb, I sat down and kept quiet.

'A deep man's voice asked, "Are you enjoying yourself, son?"

'A child's voice squealed happily, "Yes, Father. This is the best day I have ever had!"

'The laughter of children continued as footsteps came closer to the tree. The father and his son were then joined by two more people. An adult woman, who seemed to be his wife. There was also a little girl, who was, perhaps, their daughter

'The woman laid a plaid blanket on the hill top and sat down.

'The father smiled towards the children and asked, "How about we run down this hill and back up again?"

'The children turned to the mother and waited for her approval. With a smile and a nod, the children squealed as they ran after their father.

'It was the portrait of a perfect family.

'The sound from my surroundings grew faint as I was slowly engulfed into darkness.'

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

As my eyes reopened, I was back to reality.

The moon's beautiful glow pierced gently through the drapes. I looked around my room and as I did, I was confused. That dream. It felt so real.

'Do I even know that family?' I asked myself.

I let out a deep breath and laid back down. Turning to the side, I closed my eyes once more as I tried to ignore my thoughts.

~*~*~*~

My sleep was disrupted once again as voices came from outside my room.

I opened my eyes and scanned my room. But there was only darkness. The rays of the moonlight continued to push through my drawn curtains. I turned to the door and shadows were seen from under it. That was odd because only Gonzalo was allowed to walk the halls at night. It was for his patrols or for emergencies.

I removed the blankets from me and headed for the door. As I stepped out of my room, there was nobody there. However, from the other hall, I heard a door close.

I rushed over to where it came from and watched as Linda stepped out of the master bedroom.

"Linda?" I called out as I walked towards her.

With a basin of water in hand, Linda bowed as she greeted, "Your Highness."

"Are you watching over Her Majesty?" I asked, crossing my arms as I stood before her.

"Yes, Your Highness. Her Majesty currently has a fever so His Majesty summoned me and the other maids to watch over her," she explained.

"You were summoned? With the maids?" I asked, baffled. "But, where is Dehlia?"

Her brows furrowed. "Dehlia?" Linda returned a question.

"Linda?" someone called from behind her. It was Gonzalo. "Her Majesty needs it now," he continued.