Well it's going pretty well. I thought this story would be dead in the water, but I guess I was mistaken. So onwards with the new chapter!
Runa lay sprawled on the grassy hills of Kythena Plains, the warm wind swaying her ash blond hair. Her small hands were fiddling with the long blades of grass, relishing in the feel of them. Even her linen ice blue dress was swishing to and fro in the wind.
The sun had only risen a few hours ago yet she felt like she had been awake for days. She was feeling tired because of her uneasy sleep. Her smoky gray eyes were half closed with drowsiness but she kept them open, wanting to watch the morning clouds rush past in the sky. It was a daily commute she's been making for years that allowed her to feel peaceful after one of her dreams.
She needed that now more than ever, that sense of peace she found in this place. Runa had awakened screaming for the first time since she started dreaming. Both her mother and father had been woken from their sleep thinking some night intruder was attacking their only child. Their relief when she had told them it had only been a nightmare was so overwhelming that she didn't have the heart to worry them further with it. Instead she pretended to still be tired, letting them go to sleep, secure in their thinking that their daughter was fine.
But she hadn't fallen back asleep. Instead she kept an uneasy vigil over her bedroom window, half expecting some horror to show itself to her. Never had she woken up so scared and sad in all her young life. All she really remembered now from her dream was an older man being executed. How she wished she could forget the sound of the blade sharply piercing the air and coming down upon him! He had called her Alicia before he died.
Runa didn't understand why she felt so sad because of this dream. The man was no one she knew! Why should she feel so destroyed over the death of a stranger?
"Why is this happening to me?" the young woman whispered hoarsely, the lively wind the only witness to her helpless words. Sighing, she turned around so she was lying on the side, her hands clasped loosely in front of her. Runa knew she would never know the answers to any of her many questions. It's been so long and nothing was made clearer, whether in real life or in her sleep.
It was beginning to feel like she would never know the truth of why she started dreaming. Over the years she had just gotten used to the dreams coming to her. Oh she had tried to find any information she could, but she didn't even recognize the places or people she saw. And she had no idea where she should start looking. Besides she rarely ever left the village, only going to these plains and Villnore for trade mostly.
Yawning, Runa nestled into the long grass, any fight she had against sleep completely gone as her eyelids fluttered closed. Before she even reached deep sleep, she could feel the familiar wisps of foreign feelings and emotions fill her being, like a new person taking over her body.
What she saw was breathtaking. It was late night and she was in a magnificent city. The air was a warm breeze, so inviting and familiar it disturbed Runa. The buildings themselves seemed to be made out of moonstone, their ethereal white glowing vibrantly against the velvet black of the sky. Even the streetlights' radiance seemed magical.
Runa could see the inhabitants of the city walking about, but more interestingly she could hear footsteps following her as she explored the streets. As much as she wanted to turn around and see who it was, she couldn't. Her heeled boots kept taking her deeper into the unknown city, the footsteps still following.
Without warning, Runa stopped and just stared at the imposing building she now faced. A voice from behind soon gently called out to her, "That is Dipan Castle. It used to be your home."
"My home," Runa whispered to herself, half-mesmerized by the beauty of the building and the other by the familiarity of the voice. It was him.
The urge to turn around intensified a thousand fold but she still couldn't. The man must have seen her struggle because she felt him move closer. Runa sensed he was right behind her and it comforted her in some way. The moment seemed to last for hours, none wanting to be the first to move away. Runa was enjoying watching the starry sky knowing he was there with her. Unbeknownst to Runa, he wasn't paying attention to anything but her.
But suddenly the spell was broken when her name started echoing as if from a far away distance. Runa gradually started feeling detached from this world, the sensations and feelings beginning to diminish within her.
"We don't have much time," the man said urgently in her ear, having moved closer to her. "You need to go to Dipan Alicia, but not-."
And with that, the dream was over, his sentence not finished. Runa jolted upright from the grass bed she had slept on, looking around in bewilderment. She could still feel his hot breath linger on her cheek as she softly touched it. But what had he wanted to tell her before she woke up?
"There you are Runa!" yelled a well-known voice. Runa shielded her eyes from the afternoon sun to better see her friend running towards her.
"Your mom was worried you haven't returned yet," the young woman panted as she fell in a heap next to Runa. "Whew, you really know how to choose a secluded spot, I'll give you that."
Varie was Runa's oldest friend, their friendship going back to early childhood, each now being in their early twenties. She was much taller than Runa's small frame, with dark brown, curly hair that stopped at her shoulders and was always tied in a bun for convenience. Some would say she was the perfect tomboy.
While Runa had no real plans for the future, Varie was currently studying to be a sorceress at the Crell Monferaigne University. She was already one of the top students in her classes and showed a lot of promise. Varie was only visiting her hometown for a few weeks before she returns to Crell Monferaigne.
"Sorry," mumbled Runa still a little dazed about her dream. "I was just napping."
"Yes, I noticed," Varie answered. She watched Runa from the corner of her eye before deciding to broach the subject.
"Your mom mentioned you had a nightmare last night," she said nonchalantly, hoping that Runa wouldn't try to laugh it off like she always did now. She knew she was the only one, apart from Runa herself, to believe the dreams were more than just dreams. But recently, Runa had been trying to make everyone believe they were going away and had only been a fluke. Something Varie didn't believe for one second.
Like expected, Runa laughed somewhat nervously, playing with a strand of her long hair. Her gray eyes filled with sadness before looking away. "It was just a regular nightmare. Nothing to worry about Varie!" Runa said with false enthusiasm, wanting her friend to change the subject.
Varie tried not to sigh in frustration, but sometimes her friend's meekness could be a bit much. "Was it about him?" she asked directly.
Shaking her head no, she made to get up but Varie's hand stopped her.
"Tell me what happened," she asked urgently, her worried forest green eyes interlocking with Runa's smoky orbs. Varie could see the uncertainty there, as if Runa was scared to tell her anything.
Instead, Runa got up, pulling Varie along with her and began walking away. Varie didn't waste any time in catching up. They walked in silence for a while, only the wind whooshing by giving life to the vast plain.
"I saw someone die," she whispered. Runa kept her head low, allowing her bangs to cover her teary eyes. "I don't know who he was, I don't know why he died but it felt like a part of my world ended with his death."
Out of all the things Varie had thought she would say that had not been one of them. For once, she was at a loss for words so she said the only thing that she could think of. "I'm sorry."
Despite herself, Runa smiled a little. "It was just a dream, nothing anyone can do about it." Nodding quietly, Varie didn't say anything. For what could she say that could help her friend? After that, their trek to Coriander was done in comfortable silence that only years of friendship can create. Runa felt a little better now that she had shared her nightmare with at least someone.
As they walked over the small bridge that served as an unofficial entrance to the small village, a group of small children ran by laughing and yelling, chasing a bouncy ball.
"Do you remember when we used to do that Runa?" Varie asked, watching the children playing.
Runa couldn't help but laugh. "Yes I remember. I was always the last one to catch up because of my clumsiness. I rarely ever got to kick the ball because of it." She didn't know why but a sense of déjà vu came over her but she quickly dismissed it.
"Varie, what do you know of Dipan?" Runa asked. She had to start somewhere after all.
Her friend didn't seem to be curious as to why she asked, instead Varie immediately went into student mode. "Well, Dipan used to be a great power, its army and economy without compare. However the giant city is no more than ruins by now."
"What? Why?" Runa asked alarm evident in her melodic voice. How could such a beautiful city been allowed to fall into disarray? She knew the white city she had seen in her dreams must have been Dipan, he had called it that. But why did he call it her home when she was born and raised in Coriander?
"Some say it was the Gods, most likely Odin who got angry and destroyed it. Dipan's king and his three mages were looking for a way to no longer need divine intervention in human affairs. Other rumors circulated as well, but that reason was the widely accepted one," Varie explained. "It's funny you should mention Dipan. One of my teachers used to be a teacher in one of its schools when it was still a functioning city. Why the sudden interest though?"
Runa tapped her chin deep in thought. Without hesitation she made her way towards her house fully intent on going through with her plan. It was the best lead she had ever gotten. And with it came a newfound determination Runa hadn't felt in years. She left Varie standing on the bridge until she realized that she had asked her a question. Turning around, Runa shouted, "I need to go to Dipan!"
Well that was it, so um yeah. Woop woop! Reviews????