A Dream of Feathers
Note: A little one-shot for Angsty April. I made it just in time!
I've had a vague idea for this after seeing a picture on Tumblr called "Soul of a Bird" and since I wanted to write something for angsty April, this felt appropriate.
A bit dark and sad, as expected, and only from Eries' point of view though there are some hints of FolkenxEries because I am who I am. This will remain a one-shot because I have no plans of extending it beyond this point, only exploring the dream that the picture inspired. The title isn't inspired at all, but titles always give me trouble and I just settled on this one.
Anyway, hope you like it and please let me know what you think. Enjoy~
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Eries Aston was not a particularly superstitious person. But she also was not so quick to dismiss the significance of any kind of omen. Especially when it came in the form of a recurring dream.
She had been plagued by this dream for several nights already and she was not sure what to make of it. Unlike other dreams that disappeared from memory upon her waking, this one managed to linger in her brain, and she was able to cling to vague images and flashes of color. More significantly, she always remembered the feelings invoked by such images and no other dream or nightmare had ever had such a profound effect on her.
The images, fragmented as they were upon her awakening, were always the same. There was a clearing in a wood in a location she could never identify but nevertheless it felt vaguely familiar. She would see a lone, gaunt figure, surrounded by shadows. There was always a skull hanging over his head though it was not one of any human. The figure wore it like a mask and there was always something inexplicably tragic about his bearing.
Although Eries never remembered any sounds coming from this enigmatic character, she nevertheless felt his silent cry for help, and the very air surrounding him was suffused with pain and guilt. She could never explain how she knew this but her instincts were keen. She would stare at the stranger for a time, and she was always filled with an unspeakable sadness.
And some mysterious force always drew her to the stranger, as though she knew him from somewhere. His plight moved her and she was determined to help him in any way she could. But there was always something that prevented her from approaching and communicating with the stranger. Her every attempt to get close would always be thwarted. She never knew what to say to the person, only that she wanted to offer her help.
But each time she tried to reach out, to extend her hand towards him, the figure would suddenly dissolve into countless large, black feathers, which would be blown away by a strong gust of wind. She would then be left alone, standing in a flurry of black feathers, wondering what she could have done. And it was always at this point that she would wake up, more confused than ever and disappointed at being so helpless.
She puzzled over this dream for days, spending her her already meagre free time trying to figure out what it meant and who the mysterious, tragic stranger was supposed to be. The skull, the shadows, and the black feathers were all obviously omens of death. Not wholly unexpected during a period of war but alarming nonetheless. Eries was also not sure why she was the recipient of such an ominous vision and what she was meant to do about it.
When she thought about the emotions the dream provoked in her, she considered that the enigmatic figure might represent someone close to her. Her father's health was still far from ideal but he did not seem in grave danger. Her sister was safely protected within the walls of the palace or otherwise surrounded by loyal friends and guards. Most of her friends and close acquaintances were likewise not susceptible to any particular threats. So in the end, Eries concluded that perhaps this vision was someone she had yet to meet, which did not make things easier to understand.
She was also wary of the timing of such a dream, just as her country and her world had been thrown into turmoil because of the war with Zaibach. Spending time and energy on such an inexplicable vision was inconvenient and frustrating. But she could not help it. She dared not discuss it with anyone yet, not until she knew more.
The princess even managed to sneak in some time to visit the library to try and do some research on the possible meanings of the dream. But the results of her efforts were meagre at best, and she only confirmed what she already knew. That the dream was full of symbols of death or punishment. And that she was somehow called to bear witness to this tragedy.
With a sigh, she closed the latest dusty volume of Gaean mythology and folklore. The only thing she dug up that was of some interest and that she had not considered before was that the black feathers were a curse on Draconians who had committed grave crimes. From what she knew of the young king of Fanelia, she doubted that he would be the subject of such a harsh punishment. He was brash and impatient but noble and generous at heart. And he was under the protection of the girl from the Mystic Moon. Eries did not fear for him.
But who then did she fear for? The not knowing filled her with greater unease. She wanted answers, not just about the identity of the figure in her dream, but also what she was meant to do for him. Was she simply to bear witness to his fall, as some of her readings had suggested? If so, this seemed needlessly cruel. Was she capable of helping him avoid his sad fate? What then could she do? Too many unanswered questions that exasperated the princess to no end.
But there was nothing to be done, for the moment. She stared blankly at the pile of books she had been perusing and wondered how long before she would discover the truth behind her dreams. As fruitless as her search had been so far, something told her that it was almost at and end. There was a certain urgency to her dreams that suggested that her involvement would be needed soon. And being the forward-thinker that she was, Eries was already planning how she would act.
It was in such a state of deep reflection that one of the courtiers found her to tell her the news that Van Fanel and Hitomi Kanzaki had returned from their trip to Fanelia along with the former Strategos of Zaibach.