Colonel Hugh woke to the muffled sounds of a sword hitting straw, the grunts of its wielder barely audible through the barracks wall. Someone up and drilling at this hour? Hugh thought. Ridiculous.
His joints creaked as he climbed out of bed, reminding him that he was getting a bit too old for this. Perhaps it was time to think about retirement – but first, he would locate whichever overzealous soldier had dared to disturb his sleep and put them in their place.
Out in the training yard, Link, a young knight, was slashing a dummy to bits in the moonlight. Sweat dripped off his brow despite the chill of the night and the thinness of his undershirt. He hadn't even bothered to put on a doublet.
The Colonel wondered what the boy was doing here at this hour. Link was dedicated in his training and a ferocious fighter, but also a cheerful young lad who liked a hearty meal and slept like a log. It was unlike him to break curfew, and the scowl on his face suggested something was amiss. "I don't recall putting you on sentry duty," Hugh said from across the yard. Link froze and then turned around, the tip of his sword gradually dropping to the dirt.
"My apologies Colonel. I couldn't sleep," he said quietly, "I thought some exercise might tire me out."
"More likely to pass out from hypothermia, on a night like this," the Colonel grumbled. Link's head dropped and Hugh felt a wave of concern wash over him. "Why don't we talk about this inside?"
Hugh lit the lanterns in his office then dropped into a chair, gesturing for Link to do the same. Suddenly noticing the shadows under Link's eyes, he asked, "how long have you been dealing with this insomnia?"
Link squirmed in his seat. "Not long," he said, without meeting the Colonel's gaze, "just the past two weeks or so." He hesitated, and then continued, "I've been having nightmares."
The Colonel cocked a bushy eyebrow. "What kind of nightmares?"
"Well, not really nightmares," he backtracked, "they're just dreams - just one dream, really. But it's strange."
Hugh leaned back in his chair and folded his arms. "Strange how?"
Link clenched his jaw and took a deep breath before continuing. "It's the same every time, " he said, "I'm in a dark space, alone, and then a light appears in the distance. And there's a voice - a woman's voice - but I can't hear what she's saying. I feel like I need to hear her, that it's important, but no matter how fast I run I never get to the light before I wake up." Link looked up into the Colonel's eyes. "What do you think it means?"
Hugh thought for a moment, rubbing the salt-and-pepper bristles on his chin. "Probably nothing," he said, "dreams hardly ever carry any deeper meaning. But if it continues to keep you up, let me know. A sleep elixir might help." He stood up, and so did Link. "No more nighttime drills. You need your rest."
Link nodded and turned to the door. Was that disappointment on the young knight's face, or just exhaustion? "Sorry for waking you, Colonel. It won't happen again."
The Colonel stood, frowning, for a long time after Link left. It wasn't uncommon for newly-minted knights like Link to struggle with the transition to active military duty, but this seemed different. Link wasn't the biggest or strongest of the new recruits, but he was fast and clever, and had excelled during training. He was also from a family of the Royal Guard – a family Hugh knew well – and had always seemed happy to be following in his father's footsteps. In any case, his dream didn't sound like the stress-induced nightmares he had heard of from others.
The captain sighed and rolled his stiff shoulders, then moved to blow out the lanterns. He would have to keep an eye on the boy, that's all. Surely this issue would resolve with time and a few elixirs, as most sleeping problems did.
Still, he thought, as he blew out the last lantern, the dream did sound very strange.