The full moon shines through the window of my apartment, bathing the street below in a soft blue-white light. I can't help but feel as I approach the glass pane, that someone or something is looking up at me. Something stealthy, old, and cunning. I reach for the curtain to ease the goosebumps rising on my skin when I hear footsteps out in the hallway. I have a roommate, but it was late. I wasn't sure what time, unable to make sense of the numbers on my alarm clock, but I knew instinctively that it was far too late for her to be roaming the halls. Plus, the sound of the footsteps… they felt heavy, a light clink of metal following each movement.
I go to my bedroom door and pull it open half expecting to be face to face with someone. But I'm met with darkness. Looking down the hallway, I see that everything is dark except for the three open doors that usually lead to my roommate's bedroom, the bathroom, and the hall closet. Through each door different degrees of light filters across the wall as if each room led to a different time of the day. Confused, I walk to the first door and see a forest, sunshine coming through the trees, the smell and sound of horses nearby. Moving on to the next door, there's a small stone room which held a bed, a trunk, a desk with a candle lit on top of it, and a window that was not sealed with glass but rather two wooden shutters. Like my own bedroom window, moonlight peeks through and I hear stones hitting the shutters and a male voice calling, "Elena!"
I almost move into the room to see who is calling when my eye is caught by a female figure not much taller than I, encased in metal armor and chainmail walk into the last door. Swiftly, I follow and call after her, "Hey!" She doesn't stop, doesn't seem to even hear me but as I enter the doorframe, I see that our hall closet has turned into a medieval throne room. The woman, long dark braid trailing down her back and sword on her hip, walks along a crimson carpet towards a raised golden throne. There are not windows in the vast room, the only light being provided by candelabras on the floor and one large chandelier above. I follow behind her and see a tall man dressed in rich furs sitting on the throne, but his features are thrown into shadow. For some reason, I stop wanting to keep a safe distance from the man.
I watch as the woman halts before the throne, her voice strong as she asks, "You requested an audience with me?" Despite the power I felt emanating off the man, she didn't falter. She knew she was powerful too.
"Yes," the man replies, crossing his legs. His voice is soft like velvet but something about his tone made me want to tell the woman to run. "I have come to discover that you have betrayed me, dear girl." The woman says nothing, but I see her shoulders raise slightly. "Whoring with the rats and planning mutiny. My, my, you have been busy."
"I assure you-," He stops her speech by raising his hand and I feel my heart beating faster.
"No use lying, Elena. You should know I have eyes everywhere. Additionally, after hours of torture, sweet Matthew's tongue was a tad loose. Not much of a Champion, is he?" He chuckles, dark and demeaning. "I am afraid that this discovery annuls our agreement. Such a pity. Although, I will not lie… to watch such beautiful creatures burn, it will be rather delicious." Burn?
I watch as her hand goes to the hilt of her sword, but this motion is quickly thwarted as four vamps, teeth gleaming in the candlelight come from the shadows and grab her. Her screams echo through the chamber as she fights against the rough hands. I want to help, to run to her but I find my feet cemented to the floor. I cry out, soundless as she's physically assaulted multiple times by the group, blood flying from her mouth until she collapses to the floor, facing me. Everything goes quiet for a moment as she braces on her forearms, shaking as she makes eye contact with me.
Blood making her teeth appear red, she spits out, "Your Champion, he's near. Find him or you will burn too."
That's the moment, gasping, I wake in my bedroom. Sitting up, I try to catch my breath as my eyes move wildly around the room. Everything is mine from the white desk, slowly dying plants, and laundry strewn on the floor. Touching my neck, I feel that I'm sweating. It was a dream. Putting my head in my hands, I try to self-soothe. It was just a dream, you're not in medieval times, and you're not going to burn. At least, I hope not. Unlike the dream, the sun rather than the moon comes through my window. Grabbing my alarm clock, I see that it's early enough that Finn won't be gone to his day job at the bookstore yet. Tossing my covers back, I go to shower and dress. Considering I'd lost my phone in the graveyard and hadn't found time to let my Watcher know I wasn't dead I figured a visit and some dream analysis wouldn't be uncalled for. As I wait for the water to heat, questions fly through my head. Who was the woman in the armor? Was she a Slayer? Why did she have a deal with seemingly a vampire king? What the hell was a Champion and why did I have one? Images of the young woman burning at the stake flashed through my head, causing me to ask one last question. What good is a Champion if she died anyway?
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I hope you enjoyed my attempt at Whedon-esque dream sequencing. I'm going to try to space these out to be weekly primarily because I'm in grad school and therefore am a mop on the floor most days. Thus, creativity is allotted for Saturdays. Please, leave a review. I would love to hear what you think so far.
