The boy slumbered as if dead. His skin was deathly pale and ice cold to touch; his breathing barely audible and much less visible was the rise and fall of his chest. His eyes were scarcely pressed shut as he could open them at any time but wouldn't.
"Can you wake him?" An anxious female voice asked.
"I'm not sure; he's in a peculiar state…" A male this time, sounding thoughtful, even interested.
"I don't know what happened, he just started to become less and less responsive to other people and this morning he wouldn't wake at all." The first voice became choked with tears.
"Hmm… It appears he's dreaming." The second remarked. "At this point he's too far gone for me to reach, he will have to defeat the trance on his own."
-X-
"Your Majesty, sire, it's time for the meeting to start." A unfamiliar voice murmured urgently in my eye.
"Ok, I'm coming." I yawned, still half asleep.
Looking around properly, I saw I was in a small round office of some kind, the wall were made of bare white marble. I was wearing all black robes including a flowing fur-lined mantle and a tall wooden staff leaned against the chair I was sitting in. It was topped with an ice blue diamond shape stone held in by a steel clasp. Having the strange feeling I might look different, I got up and walked over to a mirror on the wall. As I moved there was the sound of metal clinking as and I found manacles connecting my wrist together and my ankles together. Looking up to the mirror, I blinked at my reflection curiously. I had short spiky brown hair to my neck and alarmingly bright amber eyes that seemed to flicker like flames. Head stuck around the door, making me turn in alarm. It was a girl, about my age with the same colour hair in bunches down to her waist and the same fiery eyes. She was wearing white robes and a dress instead of my shirt and trousers.
"Hurry up, the Gentry are getting impatient." She grinned impishly. "Aw, you fell asleep didn't you?"
"Yeah." I felt the heat rise to my cheeks.
"Come on bed head! Let's go."
I had just enough time to grab my staff before she dragged me out of the room and down the white marble corridors. I could see from each window that we passed that it was pitched black night outside, save for a pale full moon. Turning my head to face forward, I saw we had entered a large bare room furnished with only a very big square wooden table. Seated at the table were lots of strange-looking nobles. A shiver went don't my spine as I found that I knew their names. The King of Clubs, the Queen of Hearts, The Capricorn King, The Virgo Queen… They were all seated around 3 sides of the table 5 per side. Ah, someone was missing, that must be what the meeting was about. The girl who had pulled me here, seated my down at the only spare side and sat down beside me.
"Now, for the matter at hand…" She started imperiously.