Eternal Sleep [On Hold but Not Forgotten]

Once Upon a Dream

"I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream

I know you, that look in your eyes is so familiar a gleam..."

These words hovered above the castle with a lilting tune of nostalgic merriment. The man that I'd followed stared curiously about his dreamscape in the hopes of finding something—someone. I crept behind a tree bordering the front of the castle.

"Phillip!"

My father—the king—came striding out of the castle. His robes were in disarray and his hair askew. He was an absolute mess.

This was Phillip? I had followed Phillip into the woods—into his dream? I cursed inwardly. Of course. My first attempt at finding prince charming would lead me to the very person who would soon be inheriting the kingdom.

"She has my daughter!" my father wailed.

Phillip shook his head angrily but offered nothing to console the distraught king. My poor father. I reminded myself that this was just a dream. This offered me little comfort as I realized the probability of him reacting the same way in real life was rather high. I couldn't imagine losing a child to an evil daemon, no less the mother of your own child.

Phillip waved my father off dismissively. He wasn't interested in speaking to him over something that he could not help. I swallowed a dose of incomprehensible rage and raced out onto the field to greet him.

"Aurora!" my father cried. "She has freed you!"

With a flick of Phillip's hand, my father disappeared and he turned to face me—a broad smile stretching his fair features and his blue eyes ablaze with mischief. He had baited me.

"So that was you following me in the woods?"

I was taken aback by this accusation. He had seen me? I'd broken a law?

"Worry not—the law is that you can't reveal yourself to a human. And I am not. Believe it or not, I'm the same breed of creature as you," Phillip teased me lightly. "I won't report you for being so careless."

I could swear I saw the ghost of a wink as he reached out to place his hands upon my shoulders. I tried in vain to slink away from his touch as he peered into my eyes for some hope of a clue to why I'd followed him.

"I take it your mother taught you the art of Traumwanderung then?"

I nodded. I found that, in my haste to chase Phillip down, I'd forgotten to take any bravery I had within me along for the ride to voice my disapproval of his distasteful excuse for manners. How dare he trick me like this? Suddenly those blue eyes of his were far from anything along the lines of "captivating".

"Cat got your tongue?" he winked.

What a card. As if that were an original thing to say.

"Don't you have anything better to do than trick people?" I finally asked, my voice stammering in an attempt to finally stand up for myself.

"No, I rather enjoy playing games. Why did you follow me?"

"I... I was hoping to get some answers..." I offered weakly.

"Or... I think you like me," Phillip smiled.

A deep crimson flooded my face and left me helpless without a voice once again. So he knew. I doubted I'd ever delve within this man's—creature's—dreams again. I could hardly bear to show my face.