Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Hi there! So this is another new story. I've always wanted to make some sort of story with this theme and I decided why not with my current OTP and so far longest running OTP (it would've been Skyeward but we're all not sure about how that will end yet *sobs*). Unlike Twenty Steps this won't be updated every week. I can guarantee, perhaps updating twice a month. We all know how university is. :(

This isn't beta'd (unless you count me…) so all mistakes are mine and I apologize for them. If you're interested in Inception, Arthur/Ariadne and fairy tales, I put up a Red Riding Hood re-telling. :D

This chapter is dedicated to Belle453 and Mercenary63.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS, EVERYONE!

Chapter 1: Strange Dreams

"If you go back to sleep, are you going to sleep well?" I ask myself. Here I am, on my bed, with the balcony doors open, the curtains draped on the side, and the cool wind blowing in.

Dreams are supposed to soothe you during nights like these. When you can hear the crickets chirping and when the moon is up so high and so bright that even at this time of the night you don't need to turn on the lamps and lights. I've got my sketchpad to keep me busy because I don't know if I want to sleep again. Right now, the page is on a half-finished bridge of San Francisco. I'm tired and I can feel my eyes drooping but I don't want to go back to sleep.

When I was younger, Dad would always tell me, "Dreams feel real while we're in them, it's only when we wake up that we realize something was actually strange." I never understood why he told me but I always thought that it was some sort of 'goodnight and sweet dreams' quote. I'd always brag that he was different from all the fathers I've encountered.

That is until I walked in on him experimenting on dreams. To promise not to tell anyone, he allowed me to join him. He would teach me how to control my dreams sometimes. When I was old enough, he taught me that 'out-of-body-experience' sort of thing. He loved dreams and for a time, I loved it with him. I loved being his guinea pig even if both he and Mom would refuse. But I persisted. I loved experiencing and experimenting on dreams. They were just so fascinating for me.

And maybe it's all just a coincidence that my dreams do feel real. I know that people think so, too. At first I thought it was normal. I'd have recurring realistic dreams and then I'd have dreams of being with my friends and families, some nightmares here and there. But then, about a year ago, my dreams stopped. There was a point when I couldn't dream anymore and it was honestly refreshing. Until suddenly…

It's happening again.

I told Dad about my dreams a few years ago. At first he dismissed it as a side effect on being experimented on and I had to stop for a while. But when they became more frequent and I admitted that I've had it even before I was a guinea pig.

"How long have you had these dreams, Ariadne?"

I answered him, "I think, ever since I was six."

"And when did it start getting worse?"

"Um…when we began experimenting."

Dad sighed. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I wanted to know more about this! But if I told you the truth then we wouldn't be able to do this."

"Yes, but this dream is interrupting your body system and you don't like it because it's too real."

I groaned. "But Dad, this might just be a dream that I've had before and—"

"No. I need to know that you're okay."

"Dad they're just dreams."

He shook his head and kissed the top of my forehead. "You tell me how your dreams are doing. For now, we'll both stop this." And wasn't Mom delighted to find out. We haven't told her about my dreams, though. I mean, I've told her before, when I was young, about how I would dream about this beautiful princess and a dashing knight, but I've stopped telling her when I told Dad about it. If he was worried about it, what more Mom?

Whenever Dad asks me how my dreams are, before, I would be honest, I told him about the complete dreamless nights and when it came back, but when I realized that he wouldn't stop until he figured out why I'm having those dreams, I decided to lie. I couldn't allow him to have sleepless nights wondering where his experiment had gone wrong and why his daughter has to suffer for it. So to put his mind at ease, I continue to lie.

"How are your dreams?" he would ask.

"Better," I would say, "it isn't as frequent or as vivid."

"Good, good." He'd nod and then look at his notes. "Still, we can't continue experimenting, though. We wouldn't want it to come back. I'm already worried about your state."

"Right."

But my dreams have been getting worse and worse. More like nightmares, really. Explosions, fire, and even weapons pointed at me. Sometimes, when the dreams are too vivid, I can feel the burns on my shoulders and arms, the scratches on my legs and even the sharp objects taunting my neck and chest. The sweat on my forehead, the blurriness of my eyes and the heavy breathing...almost as if I was there.

But it couldn't be me. I've seen her in the mirror. Don't ask me how. But I remember her shouting, "Wait! I have to get it!" I never saw what it was she was getting. I do remember her head hitting the mirror in front of her and I was able to get a tiny glimpse of the lady in my dreams; and I am a hundred percent sure it wasn't me in there.

I can't dream about anything else anymore. I've only told a few people about this. When I was young I would tell my family and my friends, they all thought I was reading too much books and watching too much television. So I stopped telling them.

It's only two in the morning and I'm sleepy but I don't want to sleep. The knock on my door startles me and I face away from the window. "It's open!"

The knob turns and Arthur, my bodyguard, peeps in. "Ariadne? You were whimpering again." It's times like these when I'm grateful that he's sensitive and doesn't use the nickname he calls me on a regular basis.

I sigh. "I know, I'm sorry."

He cocks his head. "Nothing to be sorry about." He walks towards me and moves the intercom on my side table, he had asked me to keep on all the time, closer to my bed. "Hey, are you okay?" he asks. I look at him and then back out the window. "It's getting worse." I don't answer and he takes my silence as a yes. "It's getting in the way of your studies."

Rolling my eyes, I mutter, "Thanks for being concerned about my studies." I'm a grad-student taking up architecture, it's something I both want and need. Want because of my love for it, and need because I'm the heiress to the architecture firm my parents own. I know, grad student who's afraid of what people say just because of dreams? I think I know society is fucked up enough to continue becoming more immature than children nowadays.

"It's affecting you," he says. "Are the sleeping pills working?"

"They only make them more vivid so I stopped using them. I can't even have a good, deep sleep without seeing their faces. I can't sleep without seeing her blood coming out of her head and dripping down. I don't even think I can take a good nap." I shake my head and groan. "I've got finals in the morning. Maybe I should just study until it's time to leave."

He nods and begins to move backwards towards the door. "If that's what will help you. Just ring if you need me."

"Thanks. Good night, Arthur," I say as he turns the knob of the door. "I'll see you in a few hours."

"Try not to tire yourself." He gives a small smile. "Good night, Princess."

The shouting becomes louder and worse as we move forward. We both thought there was hope if we get to the throne room without hesitation. But that's the first place they went to. "Promise me to not leave my side," my knight tells me. "Promise me, Princess."

I nod but the shaking of my whole body makes it impossible to show him that I understand and promise. "I—I promise." We look around one more time, I'm not very sure why. We could've left at once. Maybe our love for our home is making us stop. A part of the ceiling a few feet away from us crumbles and I latch onto him with a little squeal. "Ah!"

"We have to go." He holds onto me tightly and drags me out of the throne room. I see my father fighting with his trusty sword and mother being protected by the knights. She looks around and when she spots me, she mouths 'I love you' before giving my knight a pointed look. I feel him nod and then continue dragging me out. "Come on, we have to leave the palace now. Don't look back."

But of course I look back. I don't see my parents anymore and it scares me. I dare not to look down on the floor. I try to scream but his hand is covering my mouth to make sure I stay quiet. "We'll exit through one of the tunnels, the one that leads directly to the forest."

Just as I'm about to walk with him, I remember something very important. His grip on me is much lighter so I start to sprint the other direction. "Princess!" he shouts.

"Wait! I have to get it!" I call out to him. "You're not making me leave this place without it!"

"It isn't safe!" he barks. "We have to get out now!" He grabs my arms and pushes me towards one of the secret exits of the palace. There's shouting in the room we've just left. Tears start to stream down my eyes as I hear people grunting and screaming in pain. Some of the most loyal guards are risking their lives and I probably am not doing anything to help them. "Let's go!"

I struggle to get away from him. "No! I have to get it!" Before he can pull me back to him again, I run as fast as I can up the stairs and down the hall to my room. This is one of the places they haven't gotten to yet, it's still beautiful. But not for long. I finally reach my chamber and dash straight for the dressing room. Out of all days not to wear it. As I reach for the music box, someone grabs my hair and slams my head on the mirror of my dresser. I scream as the sharp pain shoots in and I can feel myself starting to lose consciousness. "Gale…" I see myself in the mirror and there's blood running down my forehead. I've always been afraid of blood. I don't like seeing people get hurt. My hand reaches for the music box and I open it...empty. It's with Amora! I'm about to call but my hair is yanked back again and I fall to the floor.

"You're coming with me, Princess," the person behind me, and I presume has hurt me, says.

I hear the door being banged open. "Madge!"

I try to be myself later that morning. James is outside digging for a worm, while Phillipa is still upstairs trying to continue sleeping even when she knows she has to get up and get ready for school. Arthur gives me a slight nod before heading towards the other room where the people working for us have their meals. Dad and Mom are probably just coming down while Grandpa Stephen and Grandma Jackie are already seated down and reading the morning paper.

"How was your sleep?" Grandma Jackie asks.

"Okay," I lie. I see Grandpa Stephen give me a look but I immediately turn away from him. "It wasn't the best, mostly because I was studying."

A hand presses against my forehead. "Hm, you don't have a fever. I saw Arthur come into your room last night. Was anything the matter?"

For about half an hour last night I tried to think of excuses just in case someone saw Arthur come in and would ask me about it. "He heard me walking around and murmuring, just went to check up on me. Told me to sleep already."

She smiles and looks toward the door leading to the other room. "He's such a nice man. I'm glad we chose him to be your bodyguard."

Arthur's smirk comes to my mind as I know he would've done so if he were here. We tend to bicker at least once a day but nothing major so far. "Yeah, he's great," I say. He's been with us for about a year already. He was once a Secret Service agent. He was once offered to be director (to which I tease him that it's just a story) but he declined and said he wanted to live a low life.

He was hired when he was still in the SS. Grandpa and Dad were both getting death threats and they both thought about the safety of the family. Arthur was assigned to Dad and they became very close. When the case was solved Arthur resigned from the SS and volunteered to be my full time bodyguard after Dad's old bodyguard came back because they needed money.

One of our security people, Adam Eames, gives us all a cheery good morning before heading to the other room. The complete opposite of Arthur but also his best friend—Arthur just won't admit it. I enjoy being with the two of them, I really do.

Dad sits beside Mom and kisses her cheek. "Can someone call James? And is anyone trying to wake Phillipa up? She has school today."

"She stayed up all night again," I say.

He smiles at me. "Heard you did, too. Having trouble sleeping again?"

"No," I lie again. "I was studying for today. I've got finals and I'd like to pass them."

He chuckles. Mom starts cutting her eggs and I do the same. I was able to sleep again after an hour of thinking of excuses and studying. It consisted of the same woman and the same man by the cliffs, facing the sunset and the woods. I'm not so sure about what they were talking about but the guy always seemed so serious. And just when I thought it'd be an okay enough dream I heard the all too familiar screaming of a lady from afar.

"So what finals do you have for today?" Grandpa asks.

"Statistics," I answer glumly. "Math."

He chuckles. "Math was never one of my strongest points." And yet, he's one of the most celebrated professors.

He used to be a part-time professor in my college when he was the full time runner of the company. Now he's retired and his son-in-law, Dad, is in-charge, but he has always felt like he needed to do something. So now, he's a full time professor in my college. Mom never wanted to be a part of the whole company business. Some people find it suspicious, the way Dad married Mom since he was sort of an intern when they met. Grandpa took him under his wing, made him his protégé and Dad was able to work his way up as vice-president before he married my mother.

"Wish me luck then, only Dad's mind can handle math and I got none of his genes," I joke.

Dad chuckles. "It runs in my family that the eldest never has the genes of their father. Have you seen your Uncle Marvin?"

Mom laughs. "Phillipa and James still look like me, Dom."

He shrugs. "That's why our three children are beautiful."

Mom rolls her eyes. "Don't be such a kiss-ass, Dominic."

"Mommy, what's a kiss-ass?" James asks innocently. God that kid is so cute. He looks at her with curious eyes and a smile that you just can't resist. I try not to giggle at the question since he's not supposed to know what it means…yet. "I've heard Ari say that before, too. And Mr. Brandon. Especially when they're talking to Mr. Eames." Okay, not funny.

Dad gives me a look as Mom says, "I'll tell you when you're older honey." James nods and says "okay" before returning to his bacon and eggs. "Where is Phillipa?" she asks, trying to quickly steer the conversation away. "Can someone go and wake her up?"

"Jacoby and Nina are already upstairs, Madam," one of the servers say.

The door to the staff's room creaks open and Arthur sticks his head out. "Ariadne, are you almost ready?" I tell him that I just need to finish the remaining pieces of bacon. "I'll have the car ready and I'll get your stuff upstairs."

I nod. "Okay. Thank you, Gale."

He blinks. "Arthur. But...um, sure thing, Princess."

When he leaves, I narrow my eyes. "I said his name."

Grandpa shakes his head. "You must have been thinking of someone when you answered him. Happens to everyone."

"You're not supposed to be here."

I whip my head around and smile. "And yet, you find me here every day. You didn't think twice about where to look for me, did you?" I turn back to look at sunset. "I heard they're getting closer and have already taken Tricopin."

"Which is exactly why you shouldn't be here, it's an open place, easy to get to you," Gale says, sitting beside me. "Once they cross the borders—"

"Then we'll be going into hiding," I interrupt him. "How can I see the sunset if we're going to have to run around?" He doesn't reply. "They say the sunset is sad because it's such a beautiful thing and you'll never know if you'll see it again the next day."

"You were born when the sun was setting," he says.

"Maybe that's why I'm in love with it." I smile at him. "Just like you're in love with the moon."

He looks out towards the sun and then to the far side. The forest could help us if we need it. No one else knows it more than he does, and certainly it will help me, won't it? "Where's your necklace?" he asks, still looking at the wooded area.

"It's with Amora," I say as I look down at my baby blue outfit. "It doesn't suit my dress today."

Gale smiles a little. "You can really be a princess sometimes, you know that, Princess? And my little sister still idolizes you like a goddess." He lifts up one hand and strokes my cheek. The gesture makes me tingle, I'm still not used to his touch. "I heard that one of your suitors had just given up on courting you. Says you're impossible."

I smile and giggle at the memory of Hansel's message for me. "He didn't say that. He said I was...dreadful." He was polite enough to apologize for his choice of words. I sent him a reply, to show him that we're okay and no hard feelings whatsoever. "Said I was hard to take care of and that I can be a brat. Well, that just means he can't handle the true me."

"You are pretty hard to take care of," he teases.

She gasps. "I am not! I like you so I'm nice. I don't like any of my suitors, they're rude and arrogant just because they're princes. I can't believe Mom and Dad would allow them to be my husbands."

"They don't," Gale says, "but it's for the kingdom."

"I know. And I love the kingdom, I really do." She sighs. "But I don't want to marry any of them. None of them have showed any worthiness yet, Gale. Not like...not like you. "

Gale looks down at the ground. "I'm not a prince. I can't provide you with anything. I don't know how to rule a kingdom, just my siblings. And…" he looks back at the palace, "we're at war. I don't think I can be a good leader during war."

"That's because with you ruling with me, there won't be a war."

"I'm grateful for the faith you have in me. But you and I both know that it's not going to happen. I will never be a king. I can never—"

She shakes her head. "You don't know that!

"Madge—"

He's interrupted again, but this time, by a scream inside the palace.

"Why are you with us, Eames?"

"Darling, the view in the house bores me. You shouldn't keep our lovely Miss Cobb all to yourself, that is really not fair. How can she get a boyfriend if you follow her like a crazy stalker. And she doesn't mind that I'm here with you lot. I love being with our dear Miss Cobb." Eames chuckles from the front seat. "More protection, don't tell me you can handle—yes, you can."

Arthur glares at him. "Next thing I know, you'll be asking to be Ariadne's second bodyguard."

Eames nods, his thumb and forefinger stroking his chin. "Not a bad idea. I'll think about it. It's interesting. I like that. Do you mind, Miss Cobb?"

I smile. "No, not at all, Mr. Eames."

"Don't give him any ideas," Arthur says.

"You were the one who gave that idea, Arthur," I argue. "Besides, I'd like to hang out with him more. He's more fun than you. I bet he'll actually allow me to play in the arcade without having to check if anything's wrong with it."

"It's for your protection. What if the place hasn't been tuned up and that contraption suddenly bursts or has a lose screw. I can't allow such junk to hurt you."

Eames snickers. "I see he has a heart. I wonder where his sense of humor is. Oh, and Darling, it isn't fair if the staff call her Miss Cobb while you're all up and cozy and calling her by her first name. Isn't this in the security code rule book? It's a blasted thing, however."

"I'm very surprised that you actually read that."

"Darling, your sense of humor is still lost. Of course I read that, I actually like my job."

I smile. "I was actually the one who told him to just call me Ariadne, Eames. You can call me that, too, if you're planning on becoming my second body guard."

"Splendid, I think I'll apply, Miss Cobb. I enjoy spending my time with you and that little Darling." He chuckles. "I'd also really like to get to know that lady friend of yours, Miss Normandeu."

I raise an eyebrow. "Valeria? You're interested in her?"

"Yes," he answers, "she's beautiful. I'd love to get to know her. Why are you so surprised, Miss Cobb?"

"I…I always thought you were gay."

Arthur laughs. A sincere, genuine laugh. Even the driver chuckles as well. Through the rearview mirror, I see Eames smirk. "You wound me, Miss Cobb. Be lucky that I love you. And, Darling, you wouldn't be laughing if I told you that Miss Cobb has confided in me and thought you were playing for the other team as well."

Arthur stops laughing and looks at me. "You thought I was gay, too?"

"You don't talk much about your relationships with others and you're always dressed to the nines," I defend. "I mean…Eames has really cleared up this misconception. I am very sure you're straight."

"I like to keep my past relationships private, you know that, Miss Cobb," he says coolly, "and just because I like to make sure I look good does not mean that I am gay. I am a professional and I should look like it."

"Don't be so rude to Miss Cobb, Arthur. You know that people like to…speculate about your sexual orientation. She just heard it, picked it up and asked me since her theory about how you'll react has just been proven true. Would you care to apologize to the young lady?"

Arthur fixes the knot of his tie. "I'm sorry, Princess."

"It's okay," I say. I guess. I'm sorry for thinking you're gay."

Eames snickers. "What an interesting conversation we had." We stop in front of the school and Eames gets out of the car to open the door for me. "I think I'll hang around today. You don't mind, do you, Miss Cobb?"

"Not at all," I reply, smiling.

Arthur comes out next to me and has my stuff ready. "Would you like me to carry them?"

"No, I got it," I say as I sling my back on my side and carry my books. "I'll see you in a few hours."

"You know what to do if you need me," he says.

"Us," Eames corrects.

I say our goodbyes and I head inside the university. As I enter, an older woman is blocking my path, so I move over to the other side but she stops me and asks me where the principal's office is. "It's on the second floor, when you get to the second hall turn left and you'll see his room at the very end, near the fire exit."

She smiles. "Thank you, Ariadne."

I nod and begin walking again towards my classroom. Then I stop. I never told her my name.

Yay, first chapter done! So, I hope you all enjoyed this! Please leave me your thoughts, I'd really love to know. I'm not very good with first chapters, as you can see, but I promise that things will become much better. Suggestions, comments, violent reactions, constructive criticism are all welcome! Thank you for reading this and I hope to see you all in the next chapter! Expect an update, perhaps by next week. :]

Happy holidays, everyone! (Psst, reviews are considered Christmas gifts since I have none under the tree *sad*.) Eight more days until I turn 19...