Happily Ever After?

Chapter 3: Strange Dreams

"It's okay Aubrey, father has just been having a bad day."
"I know Scarlet, but...ow!...that poor boy did not deserve it. He just sneezed!...ow! Would you quit that?"
"This would go a lot quicker if you would stop moving!"
Scarlet was trying to cover up Aubrey's wound on her arm with a silky red cloth. It stung Aubrey badly every time she wrapped it over. "I'm telling you, father has never been this mad before. The boy didn't do anything wrong, at least not on purpose." Aubrey said. Princess Scarlet had been more than a sister to Aubrey, she was her best friend. She was always there for Aubrey if she needed her, and this was one of those times. "You know, father's right, you do see the good in people."
"So? Is it a crime to think that everyone has heart in their chest somewhere?"
"Don't be so dramatic; I'm just saying that you have to know that there are people in the world that destroy."
"Well, I don't want to believe it! I wish I could be a kid again where all I did was play and dream of a world with no darkness."
"Wake up, Aubrey. Those days are gone; you are 16 years old, soon to be 17. You have to grow up."
Aubrey was frustrated and exhausted and Scarlet could tell, "Aubrey, why not you lie down and go to bed early tonight?" Aubrey nodded, she felt light headed from all the crying and just wanted to sleep. She lied down on her bed with her covers on top, staring at the ceiling. Scarlet went over to the candle and blew it out; the only light that entered the room were the stars in the sky. Just in seconds, Aubrey's eyes were closed shut...

Fire, lots of it. It surrounded the whole room. No air, hard to breathe. Bones, all over. Five figures alive, one a dragon, three vampires, and a Queen. Closer, closer. Everything went black. Stars, all over the sky. Not a star, a necklace. A star necklace. Magic surrounded the necklace. Everything goes black again. Three figures, different from the first five. A Queen that was golden, a princess with much beauty, and a young prince with bravery. All are familiar, but how? Fire comes again but towards the three figures. Everything starts to fade just as it came...

Aubrey woke up with a startle, she hated nightmares. She had nightmares before but this one had been different to her, who were the five people? Why was her necklace surrounded by magic? Why did those three figures seem familiar? She looked over at her vanity where her necklace lay; it wasn't anything special really, just a silver diamond shaped star with a clear jewel in the middle. It was the last gift her mother had given her before she left to the Kingdom of Ocelia. 'Mother...' she thought. That's when it hit her, that Queen that was golden in her dream was her mother and that young, beautiful princess was her sister, Rosella, just older. She remembered the young Prince and thought that must've been her future brother, if he had survived. This dream though, she hasn't dreamed of her mother and sister for years. She had thought of it as a sign, maybe they had survived and somewhere out there was the rest of her family waiting to come home. She ran to her window and looked out into the Dark Forest, if she could leave the kingdom she could search for her mother but where to look? The five figures, she remembered the dragon one in particular; she was curious to know if that was the dragon boy who was snooping around her kingdom. She was curious to know if maybe they knew where her mother was, but who were they? It was too late now, but she was determined to ask her father who they were.

Aubrey woke up later than usually because of her nightmare that had kept her up for an hour trying to figure it out. She ran down the steep steps and into the throne room where her father was. King Charles was reading the complaints from the villagers which was usually about the prices for the food in the market, who owned who's land, etc. Today, it was about that mysterious dragon boy that burnt most of the fresh food and some of the market stands. "Father, can I speak with you?" The young princess asked, "If you're too busy I'll come ba--"
"Why, I always have time for my princess. What is it that you want?" her father asked. That was the kind, generous father she knew; his mood changed so often depending on the situation that she never knew which side of her father she was going to get. "You see, father, I had a bad dream last night and I was curious to know if you would help me figure out what it meant." King Charles turned to the guards standing by the doors and released them from their post; he wanted his undivided attention on what was about to happen. Once they left, Aubrey continued, "There was fire, lots of it and bones scattered all over the ground. There were five figures, a Queen, three vampires who had blood dripping down their face, and...well...a dragon..boy." The King's eyes widened for he knew who she was talking about; how could he have been so stupid not to know who the dragon boy belonged to? He cleared his throat and said, "You want to know who these people are? Is that correct?" she nodded, "Well, these five figures happen to be the royal family of Dakon. A kingdom far away from here, ruled by Queen Selena. The Queen makes her villagers pay to live in her kingdom and if they don't pay, they don't live...at all." Aubrey covered her mouth, killed? 'How could someone be so vicious to take another's life?' Aubrey wondered. She thought of seeing her mother and siblings, 'Could they have been killed by her as well? Is that why they never returned or even reached the Kingdom of Ocelia?' She was about to bawl out; King Charles noticed this and said, "Aubrey, is everything alright?" She nodded, still on the verge of tears and said, "Everything is alright, I just..thank you, father. I'll be in my room." She walked out at an easy pace and closed the doors behind her, King Charles thought there was more to the dream than she was telling.