The nightmare has been coming back again. It always happens like this. Around the same time. I turn another year older and the world around me seems to be filled with constant joy and jubilation… But at night, things are different.

Whenever I close my eyes long enough to drift off to sleep I see her face. The wrinkled, dry, haggard face of her. And her white hair flowing in front of her as she falls backward, out the window that was my portal to the real world for so long. In my dream I run to the sill and look out, watching her face shrink and crumble in on itself as her brittle body falls down, down, down. By the time she's landed there is only her cloak. The remnants of my past life fall with her at a simple cut and shove.

Then I jump awake. Sometimes screaming. Sometimes crying. Always scared out of my mind. It's enough to drive any girl mad.

The embarrassing part is, I'm supposed to be a grown up. I'm supposed to be a princess… soon to run my kingdom. What will they all say when they find out I'm still a scared little girl?

Now, I'm sitting in the dark. In my room. Alone. I draw my knees into myself and huddle in, pulling my blankets around me. I don't think I'd be as, well, freaked out if Eugene were here. But I don't know where he is… I would try calling out but I don't think it would do any good and I'm still shivering too much to bite out the words.

I feel a draft nip at the back of my neck and muster the courage to sink down to my back so I can pull the covers over my head like the coward I am. In the silence, I struggle with keeping my eyes open versus holding them closed. Both options paint a picture of her creepy face. She's sneering at me.

It seems silly and it's probably ironic, but when I have my nightmare, I really miss my hair. The long, golden, troublemaking tresses that flowed from me kept me safe in a way. I miss wrapping up in the yellow locks. I could use them like a shield and hide from anything bad. And in the dark, when scary faces played before my vision, I could sing. I could sing and make my life light up so that the monsters ran away.

I can't light up anymore.

"Flower gleam and glow…" I test the words out, mulling over the sounds my voice makes in the still darkness. "Let your power shine."

I squirm in anticipation, wishing I could see something. Anything to make her go away. "Make the clock reverse…"

"Bring back what once was mine."

My heart stops and I jump at the new voice. For a minute a foolish wave of fear washes over me and I think she's back to bring me down with her to the darkest part of the world… But then the deep, beautiful rumble of his voice reaches my senses.

I pull the covers down just enough to try to make out anything in the darkness. There he is, standing in our doorway holding a burning candle. I watch as he slowly brings it to our bedside, shedding a fantastically warm glow over the bed. Unmoving, I check the doorway and notice he's closed the door behind him. Can't be too careful when you're shutting out old ladies…

"Heal what has been hurt." Eugene draws the covers back and smothes my arms away from their vice grip, relaxing my tight hold. He runs a hand across my hair, letting his fingers loop in the short brown cut. "Change the Fates' design."

I scoot over and make room, letting him drape the covers over us, and snuggle into his arm. He brushes away a tear I hadn't noticed shedding…

"Save what has been lost." I hear his voice rumble in his chest and let myself relax enough to listen to him sing my song. It's so beautiful when he sings that I'm surprised he hasn't got light shining from the tips of his fingers and toes.

"Bring back what once was mine." He pulls me close, wrapping his arms around me. My own dream come true holding me in his arms, hugging me to his heart. I sigh and wrap my arms around his neck, nuzzling my nose under his ear.

"What once was mine." I whisper, leaving a kiss there where he has heard my words. He turns his head, staring into my eyes and sends chills of a different kind down my spine. I look at him and know that I don't need my hair so much anymore.

"Your tears are so hot. Like fire." He tells me, and I look down to see a glowing pattern- ethereal in beauty and luminescent in light- dance across the tip of his thumb. I watch the sunbeams dance across his skin and thank God that he's here with me. Keeping me safe.

"Where'd you go?" I asked him, pulling on his shirt. He let himself be drawn down to my level, resting his head next to mine.

"To get your light." He looked toward the candle, whose light still danced across the wall, stirring the shadows and sending away the darkness. "You were dreaming again…"

"Sorry." I mumbled, self-consciously turning my face toward the pillow. "Was a loud? Kicking?" I probably punched him or something…

"No. Just the look on your face. Your eyebrows were pulled together like they do when you get scared. Like they did that day…" He nudged my face away from the safety of the down. "I knew you'd want light…"

I had wanted light… More than anything. But I didn't need it right now. I leaned over Eugene's chest and puffed the candle out, quickly sinking onto him. I didn't need the light, but that didn't mean I didn't need to be sure he was still there… I looked down at his thumb, the only thing comprehensible, glowing in the darkness, and watched the fizzling magic of my tear's light. It was almost gone.

"Right now, you're the only light I need."

Thank you for reading!

Stay Tangled,

Simplybofa