AN: Takes place during the storyline of Endless Nights:
In the time before the humans, before the Earth was formed…
Annika looked out on the vast universe that stretched out before her in a sea of stars. Pacing up and down the balcony of the Hanging Gardens, she ran her fingers along the marble railing that separated her from the endless blackness. Mizar's ivory castle hung like a jewel suspended in space. It was a place of celebration, collaboration, and peaceful negotiation with the most important representatives in the universe. Yet Annika wished to hide from it all, to be left in her solitude.
Parliament had begun some hours ago and Annika had walked out nearly the moment it started. There was no reason for her to be there really besides the fact that her father had dragged her. He only wished to talk business with her fiancé, Cao, and his family anyway.
As ice spirits, her father and her had little stake in the politics of mortals. Time would pass, control and boundaries would change and they would still be there as far as she knew.
From the moment of creation, ice covered star debris, commits and planets both dead and alive. And when conditions were such that ice could no longer keep its form, she would simply morph to water- an extraordinary property with the ability to adapt and carve it's own path through rock and to give birth to new life. She would never take Death's hand the way that suns and moons and stars did at the end of their long lives. She would simply be reborn as something new, move to a different system and carry out her function as was appointed to her.
In the face of her impending marriage to Cao, Lord of Raudran, an immortal life seemed like a curse. Nowadays she hid from the inevitable, avoiding her husband-to-be at every turn, hoping to steal as much freedom as she could before the wedding.
Dream walked through the halls searching for his lover, Killalla. He had told her to enjoy herself while Parliament was in session and now that they were taking an unplanned recess he decided he would try to find her. So far he was unsuccessful.
Having looked in all the obvious places, the main hall and the gardens, he began searching in the more obscure ones.
Coming upon a large balcony in the Hall of Hanging Gardens, he saw a female with pearlescent white skin and platinum hair standing on the balcony alone. She paced along the railing, seeming content in her solitude.
"Excuse me, Lady. Did you happen to see a woman with blue skin pass this way?" He asked, hoping she may be able to give him some clue as to where Killalla could have gone.
When the female turned to face him he realized she was an ice spirit. Spirits were immortals, somewhat like himself. Her features were quite lovely, in the way that fairies can sometimes be, he thought. The spirit's silver eyes seemed to glow in the light, making Dream wonder if the ethereal spark was real or an illusion.
The spirit with the silver eyes smiled politely saying, "No, I haven't seen anyone. Sorry."
"Thank you," Dream replied, making a move to search for his lover elsewhere.
"What's her name?" The ice spirit asked, unsure why she was still talking to him. Perhaps it was something about the calmness of his voice or his dark appearance that had piqued her curiosity. Perhaps it was because she was tired of always being alone. "If I see her I could tell her you were looking for her."
"Her name's Killalla," he said. "I thought I could see her before Parliament is reconvened. More than likely she is with one of my brothers or sisters."
The Dreamlord idled for a moment as he stared at the white spirit with some interest. Someone must have been missing her as well.
"Is there a reason why you are not with your family? Your friends?" He asked.
The ice spirit smiled wryly. "You and I are both immortals, are you sure we have the luxury of friends?" she asked, leaning against the balcony railing.
Dream cocked his head to the side upon hearing her mysterious remark. "You could be right. Let me introduce myself- then perhaps you will have at least one friend here. I am Dream."
"I am Annika of Karuna. It is an honor to meet you, Dreamlord," she told him, sitting up and bowing her head to the Endless in a respectful greeting.
"What brings you to Parliament?" He asked. His knowledge of Elemental Spirits was not vast but he knew they were not restrained to one star system in particular. So he figured she was not there to represent a planet or realm.
Annika shrugged, "I'm not sure really. My father has come to speak with Cao, my fiancé, and his family- our engagement is to be announced tonight, gods save me. Other than that, the Elementals don't have much purpose here. What about you, do the Endless have a large stake in interplanetary boundaries?"
"No. I'm here out of a sense of duty. Mizar invited the Endless and I wished to show my support for her Parliament. However, the longer I am here the less important I'm realizing my presence is. My sister, Death, came and left within the first hour."
"Yet you're still here?" She asked, knowing that she would have left long ago too if she could. She was only there because Cao wanted to show her off to his friends... and apparently the rest of the universe.
"Yes. Out of goodwill." Dream explained, his inky black robe trailing the ground behind him as he came to stand by her side. "Also, I wished for Killalla to meet my family. It is rare that we are ever all in one place at the same time."
"That's nice. Is Killalla your lover?" She asked, curious to know if the Endless were allowed to have lovers.
"Yes. I am very fortunate to have her," he said, his black eyes softening.
For some reason, Annika believed he was indeed fortunate. It was not as if the Dreamlord was ugly, he had an attractive sensuality about him, but the life of an Endless could not be an easy one. Annika herself knew of the loneliness that an immortal life brought. Others saw it as a precious gift, but they could never understand what they'd be giving up if they had it. Loved ones never stay, places degenerate with the passing centuries, and all that is once beautiful eventually turns to dust.
"It's pleasing to hear that you have found someone to love," she told him. "It gives me hope for myself."
"Didn't you say you were engaged?" He asked, confused as to her meaning.
"I do not love Cao," she replied, very as a matter of fact.
Realizing she might have sounded rather cold, Annika forced a smile and changed the subject.
"There are some fascinating beings here. I had no idea so many varieties of mortals existed," she said leading him through a covered lanai to an adjacent balcony. Inside was the Hall of Illumination, which was filled with many colorful people of all kinds.
"Yes, they are complex beings…" he told her. Just as Dream said this two guests walked by arguing heatedly over whether or not Faerie was an existing kingdom deserving of consideration or just an abstract notion. "However, most of them are too headstrong."
"Hints the unplanned recess," she said, humored by all the ridiculous nagging she's heard during her stay. "The rest of my family is quite similar. Unfortunately, we peer in at each other from opposite sides of the looking glass. They all think I am aloof, proud… too stuck in my head."
"I do not see that," he told her, his black eyes staring into hers as he took her measure.
"What is your impression then?" She asked, placing her hands on her hips and waiting for an answer.
"You're elegant."
Annika couldn't help but laugh at his unexpected response. "Surely you've seen far more elegance in your own kingdom?"
"The Dreaming is ever-moving and ever-changing. Simplicity is rare," he explained.
Annika nodded, having known her own dreams to be anything but simple. "Then I hope being elegant -as you put it- is not the same as being peculiar in your terms."
"No. It is not," he assured her. Something of a smile began to tug at the corner of his lips then. "It's nice," he added.
"Thank you," she replied, almost saying that he may be one of the first to think so.
Suddenly, the pair heard her name being called. Annika looked over in the direction of the voice and saw her father searching for her.
"That would be my father," she sighed in annoyance.
Her distain did not go unnoticed by Dream who watched the older spirit push through the crowd of people. Unlike his daughter, the man certainly had no sense of grace.
"You are angry with him?" Dream asked, his gaze returning to her.
Annika nodded, stepping behind the flimsy curtain so her father would not see her.
"Why?" He inquired. To anyone watching, it would seem as if Dream were standing outside alone. Perhaps it was better that way.
Annika pursed her lips for a moment, first looking down at her feet and then at the star-strewn sky. Gazing up into the blackness she spoke, "Have you ever heard that anger is the voice of someone's hunger?" She asked, her voice becoming quiet. "That is the way it is with father and I."
"I'm sorry," replied Dream. He had no father, but he had siblings enough to empathize.
"It's alright, I wouldn't mind being the family shadow if he didn't hang on Cao's every word," she muttered, briefly looking out from behind the curtain again.
Dream pursed his lips and saw Annika's father conversing animatedly with a tall, red, athletic looking fire spirit. "Is Cao your fiancé?" He asked, assuming the person he was now looking at must be him.
"Yes. He's a fire spirit from an ancient family who owns all the planets in our system except for ours… when I marry him he will inherit it from my father. He was so happy when Cao informed him of his wishes that he immediately gave him permission to marry me."
Dream's brow furrowed in concern upon hearing this. "Were you given any choice in the matter?"
"No. I despise the man…" she muttered, her silver eyes glinting in displeasure. "Father doesn't realize what he is giving up; he can only focus on what he is gaining. Hints my quarrel with him."
"Your story is a sad one," Dream murmured, feeling for the ice spirit. Now he understood why he found her alone.
"I think we all have a sad story to tell. But at least some of us can be lucky, like you and Killalla," she told him, offering him an optimistic upturn of her lips.
Dream smiled kindly at his new friend. "This is why you are elegant," he told her.
His words made Annika grin for real. She felt her spirits brighten a bit as she looked out on the crowd.
"I think I've had enough of hiding for one day," she said, her confidence growing. "Should we look for your Killalla?" She asked. "I would love to meet her."
Dream nodded, suddenly remembering the purpose of his wanderings. Annika lightly peeked her head from behind the curtain once more to see if her father and Cao had gone yet. No such luck though, she would just have to brave it.
"Shall we?" she asked, stepping out from her hiding place. Reaching Dream's side, they ascended into the crowd. Annika wasn't sure if she was nervous or excited but she was certainly glad to take advantage of the Dreamlord's company a little while longer.
The two walked right by Cao and Annika's father who both had to do a double take. They had been looking for her all day and suddenly she just appeared –seemingly out of thin air- with Dream of the Endless.
Cao pursed his lips in frustration as he watched his fiancé and the Endless converse with one another. He knew that she had been avoiding him and it irked him to see her out socializing unaccompanied. She pulled embarrassing stunts like this all the time. If it wasn't one thing it was another. When they married, he was determined to teach her correct manners. Not let her run wild as she seemed to do now.
"I see your daughter has finally decided to show her face," Cao muttered to Ballen, making his displeasure clearly known.
The older spirit ran his fingers anxiously through his hair, looking over at Annika as she conversed with the Dreamlord. "Yes… I believe she wasn't feeling well earlier," he lied, knowing that it was the only possibly viable excuse for his daughter's rude behavior.
She never listened to him nowadays. Ever since he gave his word to Cao about arranging the marriage, she no longer acted like his devoted daughter. He wondered how much longer she was going to stay mad at him.
"She knew that this night was to be the announcement of our engagement yes?" Cao asked, staring after her as the Endless introduced her to his brother, Destruction. Before Ballen could answer, the younger spirit Cao stormed off to find a drink.
The fire spirit watched as Annika leaned into the younger Endless and whisper something in his ear. As she pulled away, the large redheaded Endless threw his head back and began laughing so hard the ground vibrated. It was enough to make low, frustrated flames rise up around the fire spirit. He was determined that she would not embarrass him tonight at dinner.
Somewhere in the crowd Desire sipped his-her… its drink and watched with devious pleasure as the fire spirit seethed over his fiancé. Dream had no idea what trouble his little act of kindness was going to bring him, it thought. But Desire knew what a man's kindness could do to a woman, and the ice spirit desperately needed a friend. It was all too deliciously perfect.
Desire strolled over to Despair who was lounging on a bench in the corner. The obese creature took up the entire seat.
"My dear twin, do you see that poor girl over there with Dream and Destruction?" It asked, placing its foot on the edge of the bench and leaning in for more privacy.
Despair lolled her ugly head to the side, squinting in the direction her sibling was pointing. "Yessss?" She asked, observing the pretty spirit. She knew whenever Desire came to speak with her, it was going to be about something good.
"You should ready yourself for her." Desire's yellow eyes flashed with delight. "She's hanging by a thread and should fall into your lap any day now."
"Thank you my twin," said Despair, rubbing the golden hook wrapped around her finger- imagining snagging this little spirit's heart with it. "I was starting to miss our little games… been hungry for sometime now. Why is she with Dream?"
"Ah, well that little bit is where I get to have my part of the fun, dearest sister. Disaster befalls any woman who gets involved with our brother. But before that happens I will enjoy the climb to ecstasy." It then offered Despair a wide smile before turning on its heel and swaggered back into the crowed. All Despair had to do now was wait until Desire had its fill and then the spirit would be all hers.
AN: I have just become a recent fan of the Sandman series and after reading Endless Nights, I couldn't keep myself from writing something. I feel so bad for Morpheus sometimes, he's such a beautifully tragic character and his romances never seem to play out. So I'm not sure where this storyline is going but I really wanted to give it a whirl. Please let me know what you think thus far and if you would like me to continue!