[The Dream]
It was hot. Hot and bright. He could feel the heat searing his face, see the light burning through his closed lids. The pain was too much, the pain of having his flesh burned and twisted, deprived of moisture for too long. It needed to stop! If it didn't stop, something bad would happen. If it didn't stop... he would never be able to be the same again. He didn't know how he knew, but he did. That pain, that heat, that light, all of it was the foretelling of something horrible, something bad.
And then it was gone. The pain, the heat, the light, all that was there were hands combing through his hair, and a voice silken and homely, laughing and speaking to him. He could hear the sounds, but the words were muffled, he couldn't make them out.
He opened his eyes to a garden and a pond, everything bathed in a sheen of red from the walls surrounding him, and despite the serenity before him he couldn't help but feel trapped.
"Here, my son, my Prince," the kind voice prodded, and he looked up to see a face as pale as snow, eyes shining like gold, and love etched into every corner, every premature wrinkle. He smiled, a sense of calm and love enveloping him. Whoever this was, she was kind, she was nice, she was his. He took the bread she offered and scattered it to the pond, watching as animals - Turtleducks, some voice in his mind supplied with a sigh - came up to snatch up the food. He giggled, and behind him chimed the woman's voice again, clear and strong and laughing.
And then, the air shifted. Fire reached out, coming out of nowhere to wrap around the poor Turtleducks like it was alive, enveloping all of them in its inferno and burning them to nothing but a crisp. He was transfixed by the horrible sight, and didn't need to see it to know the woman behind him had melted away to nothing. Ash fell from the sky as crazed laughter rang out, followed by the crash of lightning, blue and near, and he was drowning. Drowning and freezing, feeling the water itself holding his arms and legs down as another laugh rang out, enjoying his fruitless struggles to come up for air.
And just as quickly as the water was there, holding him back, it was gone, leaving him scrambling on the ground and gasping for air, shivering from the whip of cold air against his damp body. There was a thump, and the earth seemed to rise up and hit him, bringing him to his knees.
"You're worthless," a voice rang out, and the earth struck him again, the wind picking up to a fierce howl.
"Traitor," another voice hissed, and the fire was back, slowly burning a circle around him as the wind and earth continued toying with him like a cat with a mouse.
"We could never trust you, murderer," a final voice yelled out, pure fury distorting the tone into a fierce shriek. With a final shudder, the fire went away, the wind died down, and the earth was still.
He wrapped his arms around himself, breath ragged and tears flowing down his face as darkness slowly erased the world around him. He didn't know what the words meant, but they hurt... hurt so much he felt as if he was about to be ripped apart.
And then it was gone. The pain, the heat, the light, all that was there were hands combing through his hair, and a voice silken and homely, laughing and speaking to him. He could hear the sounds, but the words were muffled, he couldn't make them out.
He opened his eyes to a garden and a pond, everything bathed in a sheen of red from the walls surrounding him, and despite the serenity before him he couldn't help but feel trapped.
"Here, my son, my Prince," the kind voice prodded, and he looked up to see a face as pale as snow, eyes shining like gold, and love etched into every corner, every premature wrinkle. He smiled, a sense of calm and love enveloping him. Whoever this was, she was kind, she was nice, she was his. He took the bread she offered and scattered it to the pond, watching as animals - Turtleducks, some voice in his mind supplied with a sigh - came up to snatch up the food. He giggled, and behind him chimed the woman's voice again, clear and strong and laughing.
And then, the air shifted. Fire reached out, coming out of nowhere to wrap around the poor Turtleducks like it was alive, enveloping all of them in its inferno and burning them to nothing but a crisp. He was transfixed by the horrible sight, and didn't need to see it to know the woman behind him had melted away to nothing. Ash fell from the sky as crazed laughter rang out, followed by the crash of lightning, blue and near, and he was drowning. Drowning and freezing, feeling the water itself holding his arms and legs down as another laugh rang out, enjoying his fruitless struggles to come up for air.
And just as quickly as the water was there, holding him back, it was gone, leaving him scrambling on the ground and gasping for air, shivering from the whip of cold air against his damp body. There was a thump, and the earth seemed to rise up and hit him, bringing him to his knees.
"You're worthless," a voice rang out, and the earth struck him again, the wind picking up to a fierce howl.
"Traitor," another voice hissed, and the fire was back, slowly burning a circle around him as the wind and earth continued toying with him like a cat with a mouse.
"We could never trust you, murderer," a final voice yelled out, pure fury distorting the tone into a fierce shriek. With a final shudder, the fire went away, the wind died down, and the earth was still.
He wrapped his arms around himself, breath ragged and tears flowing down his face as darkness slowly erased the world around him. He didn't know what the words meant, but they hurt... hurt so much he felt as if he was about to be ripped apart.