Drakon

rebellious dreams

[♘a l i s t a i r   s e l w y n♘]

After a very lengthy conversation with Father, I finally managed to drift off to sleep, the oblivion finally claiming me. Well, not quite. I had the oddest dream, featuring the strangest conversation I had ever heard and seen.

A hooded figure walked into the scene, a shadow falling across their face. Somehow, I could tell that it was a man just by the way he walked. However, I had no idea where we were, or who he was. "Psst!" The voice hissed. "Wake up!" The accent sounded oddly familiar, but I couldn't quite place my finger on where it came from.

Another figure rose from the shadows, ambling closer to me and the other figure. Who are you, I wanted to scream, where am I? "Sod off, Firedrake." The voice grumbled, a low, sleep-filled baritone.

The first figure laughed. "You can get your sleep another time, Gavin." 'Firedrake' snickered. "I come in peace, and bearing good news- your- the princess has returned!"

Curiosity spiked in my mind. What princess?  And what was her relation to Gavin, whoever he was? The second man gasped. "Where is she? And lower your voice, somebody might be listening." A piercing violet gaze scanned across the room, sweeping right across me. It reminded me of Ironfang's regal but enigmatic ones, of Kia's playful, mysterious and all too stunningly gorgeous ones. Wait, where did that thought come from? I shook the rebellious thoughts out of my mind, taking a deep breath. The so-called Gavin's eyes pinned me to the spot, and I was too afraid to move in fear of being discovered.  Could he see me? But more importantly was- what exactly had I stumbled upon? My mind screamed danger, but the reckless and idiotic part of my brain stayed firmly stuck to the floor.

"She's in the castle. I'll bring you to her as soon as I can." The purple-eyed and still half asleep figure nodded, beckoning for the cloaked man to continue. "I haven't found Dae or any of the other nobles yet, but I'll try whenever I can. The wizard king has tightened his grip on the entire security system, and I can't afford your death, or mine." Wizard king? I knew of the other kingdoms, like Zamozny, Mutya, Jorden and the fallen Drakon, but none of the kingdoms had magic... or perhaps I just didn't know.

"Do whatever you can. His psychic wards are too strong for me to break in, and his magical shield around the castle too powerful to collapse." Gavin clenched his fists angrily. "Our kind cannot fall." Had I stumbled into a rebel meeting of some kind? I hadn't heard of anything of the sort from my father.  But these two were obviously powerful, with high status and magic powers.

The cloaked figure nodded, bowing sarcastically. "Yeah, yeah, whatever, your royal Highness." Obviously, the other man was highly respected, but the cloaked figure seemed to pay him no heed.  "Long live the Drakes." Upon hearing that, I frowned.  Drakes? Did Kia have any connection to them?

Gavin shot the cloaked figure an evil glare. "Shut up. We'll get caught, or worse, killed.  We can't let anybody know.  This may be the dream world, but we must still be careful." The cloaked figure raised his hands in surrender, stepping back.  Dream world? Who were these people? I felt a headache coming on, a niggling feeling at the back of my head.  If this wasn't an information overload, I didn't know what was.

"Alistair?" Another voice interrupted, coming from around me. Who was calling my name? I whirled around, trying to search for where it came from. "Your Highness Prince Idiot! Wake up!" Kia? What was she doing in the dream? I let out a shout of alarm as the scene began to swirl away, leaving me with countless questions I didn't know the answer to, nor did I know who to ask them to.

I bolted awake, forehead slamming into something hard. "Ouch!" I yelled, and I heard a shriek and a hiss of pain. I rubbed my eyes in an attempt to blink the sleep away.

"God, Alice!" Kia lay on the floor, looking mighty pissed. Oh crud. How was I going to get out of this one? "What the hell was that for?" She stumbled to her feet, leaning on my bed for support. She massaged her head angrily, a pout on her ruby lips. Her dark hair was a mess, but it still looked cute on her.  She glared at me with her violet orbs and I felt a sudden rush of deja vu. I'd ask her if she knew anything about 'Gavin' and the rebellion, if it was one at all.

I shook my head, gaping at her. "What the hell are you doing in my room in the first place?" I couldn't bring myself to be angry at her for barging in; even in the morning she was a sight for sore eyes.  "Who the hell let you in? I'm sure I locked the door last night! And the windows as well!" 

Kia shrugged. "I woke up early and got bored." Oh, right. Being a thief, she must've had a planned schedule of when to sleep and when to wake up. She sat on the covers, a content sigh escaping her lips. "By the way, the beds in the palace are quite nice. They're very soft and comfy."

"Well, you didn't have to live in the streets, you know." As soon as I said it, I regretted it, for her eyes hardened, cutting off any emotion.  Even when she was angry, there was a sort of dark beauty to her, but I just preferred it if her anger wasn't directed at me.

"I didn't have a choice." She spat, venom lacing her words. "I was orphaned, like most other people who had to grow up in the streets. You may have gotten everything you ever wanted just by asking your father, but the rest of us aren't as rich as you are. In the streets, when you want something, you have to fight for it. That also means fighting for your own life, as well as what you've stolen. We didn't grow up with pacifiers made of gold, nor nappies made of silk.  Like you did, Prince." I winced back, ashamed. Was I really so ignorant of the world outside? If I was to be king one day, I should at least know about what happened in the streets.

"Look, I'm sorry." I looked away, unwilling to meet her gaze.

"You should be." She snapped, sounding slightly less infuriated.

I frowned. "Wait. How did you get into my room in the first place, and who brought you here?"

She sighed with an eye roll. "I told you. I woke up early, and Poppy asked if I wanted to know where you were. I thought why the hell not, so I just followed her directions." She cracked a rare grin. "For your question about how I got into your room?" She pulled a lock pick out of a strap in her boots. "You need a new and better lock."

"You should knock next time."

"I did! You didn't open the door or say anything, so I just barged in." Kia picked at her nails casually. "Did you know you were muttering in your sleep? That's actually precious. Crown prince of Lukar talks in his sleep! Who knew?" She sniggered, ruffling my dark chocolate hair. I grumbled, batting her hand away. She hit me on the forearm, and I yelped. "Weakling."

"I'm not a weakling!" I spluttered, a red flush spreading across my cheeks. "And don't barge in next time! I could've been indecent!"

She scoffed. "How bad could it be? I walked on my friend Ash naked once. It was an accident, but I swear, that boy has no sense of decency." She pulled a face, and I snorted.

I waved a hand, pulling the covers over me. "Can you get out?" I asked sheepishly. "I need to change. I can't let you see me in my pajamas." I hoped she didn't already see them.  I must have had a nervous or scared expression on my face because she laughed, walking herself out.

"It's not like anybody would want to see you in your pajamas anyway, least of all me!" Kia shouted back. She opened the door as she exited, but turned around halfway. A full blown grin was on her face, eyes lit up in a challenge. "But I would totally pay to see you wearing unicorn pajamas or something." I gawked at her retreating figure as she sashayed out, hips swaying. Damn her.

"Wait!" I yelled. "Do you know anybody called Gavin?"

She frowned. "No, why?"

I shook my head, trying to mask my annoyance. "Nothing, I was just curious." I smiled tightly, but I bet Kia knew it was fake. She narrowed her eyes, and I tried to maintain my innocent expression. The door slammed shut with a loud bang, leaving me in the peace and quiet of my room.

image: inspiration for alistair's bedroom (imagine it with more light and more glamour(gosh, i wish my bedroom was as big as that.))