Ambition - Official Story (WIP)

Chapter 5.

When I closed my eyes, all my worries and cares of the world I left behind melted away into oblivion. Painfully at first, then calm and silently into the dark night.

I've never been afraid of being trapped in a dimension of my own thoughts for a while. But these days it seems the things I dream of are not from my own mind.

Upon waking up, dreams are meant to melt away, and leave a heavy, mysterious feeling in their waking, forgetting the bad dreams as well as the good, never quite being able to hold onto them as they slip through my cold, dead hands.

My dreams always seem to center on one entrancing and beautiful figure. Their silhouette of a woman dances gracefully through a field of flowers on a cold morning, when the grass is still softened with dew.

This recurring dream remains trapped in my mind after I wake, in an icy clarity. Fuzzy and thin, almost like a type of memory or vision I never had.

It tickles my mind like a soft feather from a dove's wing that refuses to close its wings. It roots itself in my brain like a powerful tree.

Occasionally I grow new branches and see brief, yet incomprehensible glimpses of things my visions hide away from me.

And this silhouette I see in every dream is always the same, and always magnificent.

The woman gleams with joy and glows like a thousand suns, warm and grand.

Beams of light peek through her sheer white dress, touching my cheeks with gentle intention. Her ocean-blue hair fades to a rich violet shade near the tips.

It waves and blows in the wind as she prances through the colorful garden on her bare feet, hardly disturbing the lush grass under her toes.

Her soft feline ears followed the sound of the birds chirping around her and her tail swished around wildly.

But what stands out the most to me is her eyes.

Bright emerald green, like a rare gem, dazzled beyond the darkness.

Eyes that held extreme power and determination.

A gentle but strong soul held itself in those large pupils.

And yet, it has become a reality.

She stood in front of me in my castle. The same woman in my dreams.

As if, this very reality I live in is now a dream also.

One I hope I never wake from.

~

Steve stroked the feather of his quill pen across his pale cheek, thinking deeply. The softness of the feather on his face always helped him focus, a sensory stimulation.

He tapped his quill gently over the edge of the inkpot to get off the last bit of residue ink, then set it down on the small rosewood stand beside the tall chair he sat in. Fancy, soft handwriting adorned the pages of his journal. He stood up, closed and tucked the book neatly away, stowed between books upon books of astronomy information on the large shelf across from the dining room where he always spent his free time.

When he wrote in his journal, he felt like he could finally relax after a stressful event. It was his way of self-care, a form of writing a letter to his future self to read upon later. when writing, he felt like a different being, taking on the qualities of grace and delicacy with each stroke of the quill against the pages as he spills his heart and thoughts across the book with no hesitation.

It wasn't like anyone else would read it, anyway.

He slumped back into his soft chair in a heap of exhaustion. It was only 9 in the morning, yet he was already ready to go back to bed.

He needed a nap. He slept way too much, but he liked to.

As he closed his already covered eyes and fantasized about going back to sleep for the 5th time that morning, he heard those adorable footsteps pattering quickly against the marble tile on the floor towards his chair.

As he expected, he turned to see Nikki dressed in her new maiden outfit with her hair in a ponytail. Her eyes glimmered with curiosity as her small tail wagged back and forth, hidden beneath the ruffles of her frilly skirt.

Those eyes again. He could get lost in them for hours.

She never knew he was staring into her magical eyes past his mask.

"I'm ready..." she paused, finishing her sentence after a few seconds.
"I'm ready, Master! I finished breakfast!"

He nodded and flashed her a smug grin as he spun on his heels towards the flickering fireplace behind him, his hands behind his back. "Good. Your first tasks will start off simple," he ordered her, "you'll start by dusting the furniture in the lobby and throne room, as well as sweeping the rugs. Do you understand, Nikki?"

She nodded and rocked back and forth on her heels. "Is that all?"

"You'll get your next orders when you're done with the first ones," the King said plainly, still facing the fireplace. "Winter will provide you with brooms, mops, dusters, or whatever else you'd need"

"Winter?" she repeated back, her eyes twinkling in curiosity.

"The mouse girl that provided your clothes and breakfast." his tail flicked and swished lowly.

"Oh. A-alright," Nikki said sheepishly, turning to walk out.

Steve sat down again once she left and let out a non-existant breath he didn't know he was holding.

She didn't know it yet, but Nikki had quite a special place in the castle.