Sweet Dreams | Dream Of The Endless

20 | Awakening

Ever since the events in the throne room, Atia's been avoiding Dream. He wasn't that keen on talking to her either, as he didn't seek her out once.

Instead, he continued on his research about Rose and the vortex, while Atia stopped. She choose to spend her time helping dreamers, as she usually did in her free time and helping Lucienne in the library.

Just as the two were looking through the books together, putting them away, Matthew flew into the room and sat on the back of one of the chairs.

"I don't know how she did it, but Rose just got Lyta pregnant," the raven said.

"She did what?" Atia raised a brow.

"Apparently it happened in her dream, and when Lyta woke up-"

"She was still pregnant," Lucienne finished for him.

"Very much so."

"Then it's starting," the librarian took off her glasses. "Rose is weakening the walls between the realms."

"Are either of you gonna tell the boss?" Matthew cawed.

The two of them shared a look, before Atia looked down with a small frown.

"No," she decided.

"'No'?" the raven exclaimed.

"It's none of our business," Lucienne shrugged, putting her glasses back on.

"Uh, since when?" he, then, looked towards Atia. "Aren't you like, the Queen?"

"I might as well stop being one," she gave him a wry smile. "It stopped being our business since Lord Morpheus reminded Lucienne that she's merely a librarian and shouldn't concern herself with anything other than her books from now on, and me, that he's the King and that there's no need for me to be in charge anymore."

"He said that?" the raven cawed in disbelief.

"He did. So..." Lucienne grabbed another pile of books and put it away.

"What is wrong with him?"

"Nothing is wrong with him," the librarian shoved some books back on the shelf. "He's always been this way. He's just been away for so long I'd forgotten."

"But it doesn't explain why he said what he did to Lady Atia."

The said Lady sighed and shook her head.

"Lucienne's right. That's just the way he always was. Some said he became more tolerable after I came into the picture, but he never did change," she said. "Now, he's determined to deal with the vortex and the missing Arcana by himself. Without anyone's help."

"So any news must be reported directly and exclusively to him," Lucienne finished.

"Okay. But can I keep you in the loop?" Matthew asked almost unsurely.

"You'd better not. In His Majesty's current mood, he could banish all of us to the Darkness. As he did Gault."

"All right, fine. I'll go back to spying on Rose," the raven said. "But you should make up with him."

"We should make up with him?"

"Yes. Now's not the time to be fighting, not when there's a vortex getting people pregnant and runaway Nightmares doing God know what."

As he flew away, the two couldn't help but think over his words. As much as they didn't want to admit it, he was right. Now was not the time to fight... but it didn't mean Atia should be the first to go and apologise.