In the Waking Hours
At times Arthur couldn't wait to fall asleep. For as long as he can remember he dreamt of being someone else, someone without the burden of royalty, someone who would go on adventures often eclipsing the heroism of his own. Although he finds it preposterous to compare himself to his own fantasy. Despite the alien sensations of his dreams Arthur cannot help but be fascinated by his dream self. In the waking hours Arthur hypothesizes over his dream self, the question of "Who is he?" never deterring from his mind. The endless possibilities over his dream self plague his waking hours. That or Merlin's annoying morning greetings. Arthur's theories range from the possibility of a past life (but the time frame of his dream self seems almost parallel to my own so I'll disregard that theory), or how his dreams might be himself in a parallel universe (great I'm getting to sound like Merlin again), but Arthur is rather positive that each dream is a piece of a puzzle of his dream self's life (oddly in chronological order, adding more validity to the parallel universe theory).
When he was nine, Arthur had his favorite and most vivid dream, one of the few he could fully remember. His dream self stared upon a tall oak glaring at it with the urge to conquer the massive tree. He climbed higher and higher but as he reached for another branch he slipped. A dark haired woman ran toward his prone form lying motionless on the ground. Wrapping her arms around his dream self she held him as the tears filled his dream self's eyes pointing at his throbbing knee. She felt safe and warm as she (somehow) carries him back into their home. After he sat on a chair, the woman went to the kitchen retrieving salve from one of the cabinets. It's a small home someplace in the country, most likely a peasant residency yet he took pleasure in the sense of comfort surrounding him. His dream self's eyes held flowing tears, on account of the scrape upon his knee. She calms him by singing a lullaby while gently applying salve to his throbbing knee. Arthur can't remember the exact melody but the sweet velvet texture of her voice reminds him of warm honey as it soothes his sore throat. It was as if her melody itself was medicine to the pain. Her warm lips kiss his temple, numbing the pain away. The sensations and vividness of this dream have always stuck with Arthur for he still wonders how it would be to be held by his own mother.
Arthur had often contemplated the possibility of his dream self possessing magic although it might have more to do with the dream logic of "anything goes" than actually dreaming of being a sorcerer. My father would send me to a madhouse if his son ever mentioned dreaming himself as a sorcerer. As far-fetched as it sounds certain times Arthur's dream self would conjure lights and stars to entertain his mother or move objects with his mind out of boredom. Arthur could never really tell if it were just his dream self's imagination or actual conjuring but the lucidity of his dreams did incite his younger self to attempt to move objects with his mind. Unlike his dream self, it never worked for Arthur, Arthur could never feel that hum of energy within him that his dream self felt nor could he call up some stored power that his dream self could call upon as easily as breathing. Eventually, Arthur's 12 year old self became irritated with all the failed 'superpower tests' and ultimately convinced himself that his dream self simply had a vivid imagination.
Other times Arthur's dreams involve his dream self performing various pranks against the older neighbors along with his best friend. In Arthur's opinions these were the best dreams because they heavily contrasted to his tightly wound reality. Arthur knew that if he were to ever be as insubordinate as his dream self the king would place him in the stocks at least for a week. One time Arthur's dream self (and his dream friend) wanting to see chickens fly, managed to gather the chickens onto the top of his home and threw them off to see if they would fly away. They didn't but the vicious aftermath of angry chickens is still a great story of heroism and woe. More than once has Arthur awoke laughing hysterically over his dream self's commentary such as "Oh the bucket was already there before I got here, it just happened to have been full of water before it fell on you." or "I know what it looks like but the pigs said they would return after a quick stroll. I never knew they wouldn't keep their promise and run away like that." Dreams like these often had a now adolescent Arthur hoping his dream self were real, so he would never have to contend with the tedium of boring castle life again. Although having someone believe they were a sorcerer would be dangerous. But for now, Arthur settles with the sole thrill in his life, training for knighthood.
It was no secret that Morgana had recurring nightmares. Arthur hoped to confront her about this and as much as he despises to admit, he did care for her. A short while after Merlin became his manservant, Arthur invited Morgana to lunch in his chambers in hopes of her opening up on her nightmares. Arthur hoped that by sharing the latest of his dream self's adventure she would hopefully open up on her troubled nightmares.
I have to be discrete on this subject or else Morgana won't talk.
"I know that sometimes you have troubling dreams Morgana."
Great smooth move Pendragon. You call that being discrete?
"What is it that you want to know Arthur, you've never seemed to care before." Morgana snickered.
"Well usually I dream of myself as a different person." Arthur mentioned
"Many people do what's disconcerting about that? Besides Is the great Arthur Pendragon so bored with his own life that he has to imagine himself as someone else." morgana contended in a patronizing voice
Arthur was taken aback by her comment and clenching his fists he continued, "Recently I, well my dream self came to explore a grand city where he found an imprisoned yellow eyed demon within it's lower dungeons."
"Go on." Morgana interrupted.
"Apparently, no one knew of the demon chained below the city but it called telepathically to my dream self to speak to him… something about prophecy. It was a rather annoying git." Arthur began.
"Right…" Morgana replied
"Why the hell it would call me to it if it could communicate telepathically was beyond me but the bastard bellowed in my dream self's head. Well the annoying beast claimed how my dream self is a prophet or something of the sort with some grand destiny. It was hard to decipher the conversation what with all its cryptic riddles and its bizarre coin fascination. It really kept going on and on about coins. Almost as bad as the royal treasurer"
Morgana gaped at him and laughed. "Arthur that is ridiculous a demon with a coin collection?"
"No, not a collection, a fascination perhaps… I don't know if it had a coin collection!" Arthur shouted.
She fell hard on the floor laughing hard enough to cause an undignified snort. Normally Arthur would laugh at her for the unladylike behavior displayed but the sense of hurt from her genuinely laughing at Arthur left him disheartened. Arthur's attempt to break the ice between them fell flat by her mocking. His hopes to become closer with Morgana on the subject of her nightmares where no more. At that moment Arthur made a pact with himself, never again would he confide in anyone of his dream self.
After the questing beast ordeal Arthur envisioned himself (Well dream self really) dealing with an evil sorceress who harnessed the power of life and death. He made a bargain with the priestess (that's what she called herself) in order to save a noble friend. Who if his past dreams indicated anything about the nobleman was an unobservant and misguided fellow. Yet his dream self felt compelled to befriend the lonely imprudent nobleman. Why… still can't remember. But, she betrayed their deal and went after his mother life instead of his own (again my dream self). He was furious over the sorceress' betrayal, she was the reason his mother was deathly ill and for this he couldn't forgive. He visited the imprisoned golden eyed demon that spoke of prophecies (that seldom made a lick of sense) and learned of the demon's plans to use him as the instrument for his freedom. Enraged and betrayed, his dream self argued with the beast who in a fit of rage breathed an intense fireball, he urged his magic to shield himself (slightly surprised that his magic was strong enough to do that) before he stormed out of the beast's cavern shaped prison vowing to never return. Arthur awoke shaken and filled with anger from betrayal along with the realization that he could no longer deny that his dream self uses magic.
How odd Arthur pondered as he awoke, since when would Uther Pendragon's son dream himself as a magic user. Nonetheless the next few nights brought closure to his recent evil sorceress/high priestess dream saga. He managed to defeat the priestess in a magic duel calling upon lightning to strike her down (she exploded right it was insane) saving his mother. and somehow his uncle how did his uncle get involved in this fiasco anyway? Well dreams were never meant to make much sense anyway. He still had the angry demon yelling into his head when he returned back to the city. God I need a vacation… no wait my dream self needs a vacation. After the annoying dreams Arthur determined, it's best to relieve the concealed tension with a hunt. Even if the tension wasn't technically my own it's an excuse for a hunt and to annoy Merlin, the lazy sod.
One of Arthur's most haunting dreams occurred shortly after he defeated the Great Dragon. Despite the lack of carcass, then again disposing of it's giant figure would be an arduous expenditure. He could never fully recall the dream but the vivid emotions from the dreams have continued to linger. The vague glimpses of holding his dream self's father dying form and defeating a vengeful dragon are the only recognizable images in Arthur's mind. The dragon part was probably due to my earlier triumph against the Great Dragon but the mentions of mercy, kin, and said dragon bowing to my dream self threw me for a loop. I probably remember it wrong and am confusing images again, it has happened before, after I fought the questing beast. What with Merlin's mother being sick and my dream self's mother almost dying but unlike my dream self Merlin's mother wasn't cursed by a traitorous priestess. I have read before that dreams do tend to parallel real life although how my dream self is a bloody sorcerer still baffles me. Arthur remembers waking from that dream with tears pouring from his eyes. At that moment Arthur would've done anything to confront his dream self no matter how ungallantly it would make the prince appear because no man deserves to lose their father so soon after just meeting. The feeling of utter loss as he recollects his dream self's emotions who had never met his own father and then to have the man he longed for die in his arms to save him from bandits. Looking back… it might have been more symbolic than anything but that could never fully explain the tears.
Arthur's dreams continued to be hazy and unrecognizable until his dream self had a small confrontation with a goblin and sealed the goblin within a strange box. The following dream might have been the most lucid he had in almost a year. In a tavern, his dream self met a roguish man who assisted him in a tavern brawl (caused by someone familiar but it's difficult to recall) leading to the rogues injury. Well as any man indebted his dream self took it upon himself to heal the man who in a surprise turn of events revealed his identity as a nobleman running away from his country (or something along those lines). The stray nobleman and his dream self quickly became the best of friends but, it seemed that his new friend came from a place with a negative view towards magic users. It would explain the unwillingness to tell the stranger over his magic. At some point both of them became servants during a tourney for some knights (out of some drinking debt the new friend was as bad an influence as Gwaine, but there's no way Gwaine would be a runaway noble). The dream just went all over the place after that stopping a magical assassination, bandits posing as knights, and running away from palace guards. It wouldn't be a surprise if his dream self had a notorious reputation it was clear he lacked a steady job.
A couple months after the rogue nobleman reappeared in his dreams aiding his dream self to fulfill a quest to destroy a weapon forged from a phoenix. Well that's what it sounded like. Upon meeting. the nobleman and his dream self were run out of town for a gambling debt (or was it drinking this rogue nobleman could possibly as troublesome as Gwaine) where the pair had one of the most majestic of chase scenes ending with the pair stealing horses from the local guards. After what felt like hours of riding a gnome turned the brutes sword into a flower. The rogue then used the flower to defeat oncoming wyverns within the dying lands. (Wait what?) His dream self searched for the missing nobleman friend of his (the one he had to save from the sorceress) stole a bracelet and traded it for water with an old man. The dream didn't make any sense. What the hell happened to the phoenix… thing?
This night Arthur dreamt of exploring a tomb (for what he can't recall) and battling bandits with a group of fellow knights. Although his dream self wasn't one of them he never fully understood his dream self's occupation it seemed to range from mercenary, physician, to explorer or any odd jobs probably to fund his countless adventures seeing as how unlike Arthur his dream self wasn't wealthy. Maybe it was his magic that made it hard for his dream self to keep a stable occupation. The details become a little hazy but at one moment his allies were poisoned so he quickly used his powers to heal his poisoned allies. Then raced to defeat the treasure hunter on his own. He recalls a number of traps and trials within the tomb but ultimately defeating the vile treasure hunter to some prize (it looked like an egg, possibly a rare jewel) and at that moment… he hears Merlin's obnoxious wake up call "Rise and Shine you lazy daisy!" grunting Arthur reaches for the nearest goblet and throws it towards his cheerful loud-mouthed manservant.
"Oye, what kind of greeting is that sire?" Merlin asks.
"This comes from the man who says 'Rise and shine you lazy daisy' besides I was sleeping wonderfully until you arrived." Arthur rebuttals.
"Well I guess Gwaine wasn't that far off calling you a princess, clearly you embody the story of Sleeping Beauty only you're a prat and you're no beauty… then again the story of the Sleeping Prat doesn't sound as interesting."
"Merlin,"
"Yes sire?"
"Shut Up." Where's the logic in that anyway? God Merlin, if i weren't anymore tired i'd argue over your lack of thought on that princess joke. I've got better things to think about.
Lying down, groggily, Arthur has come to the conclusion that the mystery of his dream self may be his own internal dilemma. If his dream self could be the man he wishes of himself, a man with great mercy but intolerant of injustice, a man with great kindness along with a warrior's heart, a man of decisive action yet with a learned patience, a man who can both be merry and wise, and a man who can make some of the most difficult sacrifices for the greater good. Although at times it seems like his dream self has a death wish with the number of times he's launched himself into danger. Possibly almost as bad as Merlin, what is it with peasants and their lack of propriety, throwing themselves into danger which will almost certainly will get themselves killed. Granted his dream self is an all powerful warlock (the dream dragon's words not his) but Merlin really has no excuse over his deficiency.
Yet, at times Arthur wishes he could receive his dream self's advice (especially with all this Morgana trouble, he's had enough experience with evil witches to know how they think) but for now Merlin will have to do, the idiot can be wise when he needs to be.