Chapter SIXTY-ONE: Priestess Ring
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One day at the start of a new day...
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On her usual walk through the High Realm, the Star Priestess walked outside, sensing something amiss. Going only by instinct, she walked to the tamed countryside seeing nothing particularly alarming. The day was warm, but somewhere there was something terribly wrong with an element of grave importance. Believing it to be urgent, the priestess walked briskly, relying only on her intuitive hunch to guide her where she was most needed. Trinity eventually stumbled upon a large cluster of trees. In the center, a familiar sight: the Dreamer laying motionlessly on a soft mound of green grass. She rushed to her, trying to wake Talia.
"Get up, girl! Why are you out here? GET UP!" Trinity demanded. She tried different magic spells to shake Talia out of her deep slumber to no effect. She carefully stroked Talia's unkempt red locks out of the her face, and even attempted to pry her eyes open.
For a moment, the priestess considered taking the Dreamer back to the Dreamworld where she belonged, but decided against it, since taking her there would likely not improve Talia's condition and be dangerous for them both.
Instead, the Star Priestess picked up Talia, carrying her with both arms, and set off to find the Sun Priest. Worried for the Dreamer, the Star Priestess immediately apparated to where she hoped she would find the Dreamer's family and possibly help for her, too.
...
Aydan woke up early wondering why Talia had not visited his dreams again.
"My son, did your mother find you last night?" Aydan asked Dameon as he got him ready for the day ahead; however, taking his time as the morning was difficult without having seen Talia.
Dameon thought hard for a moment, and then shook his head, suddenly disappointed that he had not seen his mother either in his dreams. "Mammy, coming home yet?" the young boy asked, remembering she had promised him a few times that she would leave the Dream to visit them.
"No, my son. Your mother has her duties..." Aydan said forlorn, having heard the same question from his son every day without fail.
Suddenly, he heard a loud knock on the door. "Very odd...to have any visitors in this reclusive realm," he murmured to Dameon, thinking how he was much more likely to have guests in Aveyond, which was already incredibly rare.
"Sun Druid, let me in, you lout!" Trin commanded.
Upon opening the door, he saw Talia unconscious, her body limp and cold. Aydan took her from the Star Priestess' arms, trying to grasp what was happening.
"Talia, wake up! —Why is she like this, Priestess?" he said as he carried Talia to their bedroom.
"She must have recently left the Dreamworld, just before sunrise...It appears her mind is not here, but elsewhere," Trin replied, giving her best assessment of the situation.
Recalling what Talia had mentioned about Dreamer Vesipia mind walking through the Kingdom of Dreams, Aydan nervously shook Talia trying to get her to wake. He attempted his strongest Wake spells, but Talia remained soundly asleep.
"No, Talia! You must wake! You need to wake for us!" he shouted at her, but Talia remained still.
"It is no use, Priest. At the least, she is very exhausted. Let her sleep. If you cannot wake her, we will have to go to the Oracle," Trinity cautiously advised, knowing the Sun Priest did not get along with the old woman. She beckoned for Dameon to come closer, to comfort the boy, who just stood by watching as both Druids tried to wake his mother. The boy stood in place, then suddenly went up to his mother, lightly shaking her side.
"Mammy, sleeping..." Dameon finally spoke. "I'll find her in dream..."
The boy climbed on the bed beside his mother, his head resting next to her bosom. He then closed his eyes and clasped his smalls hands into tiny fists, with one thumb in his mouth, trying to force himself to fall asleep.
"Dameon...You do not need sleep right now...You already slept through the whole night..." his father trailed off, realizing the boy had already made himself fall asleep on command.
"I shall leave you, Sun Priest. But if she does not wake and go back to the Dreamworld soon, I will return...with the Oracle," Trinity said, then stroking Dameon's forehead to check if he was really sleeping, before she headed out.
"Thank you for bringing her, Trinity...She will be awake," Aydan said firmly, before the Star Druid left them.
He went over to Talia and Dameon's side. He contemplated different spells, but after a while of watching them sleep, the Sun Druid also tire. Out of ideas, and none he would dare try with Dameon sleeping so close, he went to Talia's other side and laid beside her, falling asleep, despite the morning rays of light gently covering the decorative stone walls.
Both father and son surrounded the Dreamer, sandwiched between them, as they hoped for her to come back.
After several hours, Talia gasped, waking up at last. Dameon also awoke at the same time with a glowing smile on his tiny golden face.
"My son!" Talia quietly exclaimed, realizing that Aydan was still sound asleep beside her.
Dameon began to sob, overjoyed upon his mother finally returning.
"Mammy, wake!" Dameon cried quietly as Talia picked him up, carrying him to the center of the large room, before having to kneel and smoother the boy with uncontainable affection in her arms.
"Yes, your mummy is really here, my sweet precious son," Talia squealed, coddling the boy even more. Yet, she suddenly wondered how he found her in the Dreamworld of all places. "Dameon...how did you find me in the Dream, my child?"
Dameon beamed as he opened his fist and showed Talia her Priestess Ring. The silver ring with ancient writing, glittered eerily in the sunlight.
"Hmph! Little thief," Talia panted, surprised, quickly putting her ring back on. "My little brat, who told you about my ring?"
Talia looked her son straight in the eye expecting an honest answer. The boy began to playfully giggle and nervously squirmed before answering, "Daddy!"
"Ah, yes, of course. Your father should have also told you a Priestess never takes off her ring, my son," Talia retorted back, now eyeing Aydan who was still asleep.
"Sorry, mammy," Dameon said, realizing his mother was unhappy.
Talia hugged him even more tightly. "I am not mad, my son...You found me in the Dream. Your father will be just as amazed as I am...Let your father rest though...Have you eaten yet, my sweet Dameon?"
As mother and son deliberated on food and play, Aydan quietly watched, no longer asleep; yet, remained still as he watched Talia and Dameon blissfully content after being divided for so long. Instead of being overcome with joy, a quiet rage set in against all the godly forces that had brought them to the point of despair and separation. He felt powerless and fear over the sudden realization that the Dreamer could face never waking up again, should the gods desire it one day.
Talia glanced over at Aydan, after loudly playing on the floor with Dameon. The boy's laughter and glee filled the entire home as she tickled and played with him. She saw Aydan's eyes were open and immediately felt a pang of anger, stronger than what she normally felt in the Dream when she saw him.
"Gold, please," Dameon said playfully to his mother, holding out his tiny hand, as she glared at the Sun Priest.
"Gold?" Talia muttered, confused. "Whatever for, my child?"
"—My love, our young son has spent quite a bit of time with the Druid of Agriculture, Armaiti...The man is very adept at the art of trading deals. I suppose our boy has learned a thing or two about merchant dealing from the druid. He will even be routing a traveling merchant near Aveyond, in Teacup Town, to make it easier to purchase goods...I am not sure what man will want to deal with the Binis as they can be quite obnoxious creatures when they speak, " Aydan said as he finally rose and went to Talia's side, who became speechless. He embraced her after so long, trying to also enjoy himself, despite of all the hard times.
Talia continued to glare at him.
"What is wrong, my love?" Aydan warily asked.
"You did not tell me you had left the Oracle's palace, husband," Talia gritted as she looked over the temple-like home. She had only been here a few times, the last being when the Sun Priest had finally proposed to her now close to a year ago.
Dameon let go of his mother and went elsewhere to get toys he wished to show her, leaving Aydan and Talia alone.
"I'm sorry, my love. I did not think you would return to us so soon...I could not stand being in the Oracle's House any longer," Aydan admitted, the ambivalence strong in his tone. "After losing much of my powers to her, I wished to avoid her at all cost, unless necessary. If it were not for the possibility of meeting you here in this magic realm, Dameon and I would live in the Sun Temple and not return."
"...Aye, well, you should have said so in our dreams that you had taken our son and moved—husband," Talia repeated angrily. "And you should not hold grudges against the Goddess of Aia, Aydan. You know that!"
Aydan sighed begrudgingly. "Well, you did not tell me when all of Mysten Far was to be shifted to god-knows-where either, my wife...I have still not found it," Aydan started, realizing he had overstepped as soon as he spoke out.
With that said, again they quarreled. Both saying the same points, in different ways within a short span of time, until Dameon returned. The boy seeming to be unaware of his parent's argument, sat right beside his mother, and began displaying an array of different toys for her to see and admire with him (then setting a high price to each item for pretend-gold he wanted her to pay for such items).
Talia still triggered, contained any further spite, not wanting the boy to be in the middle of it.
"...I know that you are upset, my love, but leaving was for the best...Tal, my beloved wife," Aydan ended while softly rubbing her shoulders; but also, not wanting Dameon to hear his parents quandary, and now ready to change subjects. "...But how is it that you were unable to wake after leaving the Dreamlands? Trinity found you and brought you to me...She stumbled upon you near a grove of trees, unable to wake you herself."
"Aydan...I...I did leave the Dreamworld and ended at the Oracle's castle in the High Realm. Upon not finding youthere, believing you went early to Aveyond with Dameon, I went back to the Dream, but found that you and our son were still asleep. I tried to leave the Dream once more, however...I felt as though a nightmare was near...I chased after it. Somehow, my mind stayed in the Dreamworld trying to prevent the nightmare from following, and my form ended up in the High Realm...I found my way back after hearing Dameon's calls...I saw him in the fog of my Dream and followed him out of the Dreamworld."
"That is amazing, my love. Our son will surely be a healer just as his parents. He will have the same strong magical aptitude, " Aydan said proudly, ruffling his son's hair, but then quickly went back to the unsettling experience Talia had had in the Dreamworld. "...So a nightmare was trying to follow you out of the Dream?"
"Aye...It was my nightmare...It was the demon..." Talia whispered feebly, not wishing to speak Ahriman's name in front of her son. "I won't be staying long. There are many nightmares to be dealt with, husband."
"Yes, I figured that much. We shall treasure every minute we have you with us, dearest," he said as he went to her again, trying his best to pacify his slip-ups.
...
The Dreamer remained the rest of the day with her family, only going once her son and lover were fast asleep.
'Have you forgiven me yet?' Talia thought of his words, before leaving as she summoned her portal in the darkness of her temple home. Though alone, she shook her head once more, already having shaken it earlier from side-to-side, before the Aydan drifted out of consciousness, after no longer being able to stay up.
Upon returning to the Dream, she knew she was very much behind in all her duties. But her son needed her and she needed him too.
Conflicted, she would have to continue on this path, dividing her time between realms.
Finding them in the Dream was not enough, but it would suffice whenever she could not venture out of the Dreamworld.
The Sun Druid, as always, pledged to become stronger and more powerful to better defeat the terrors in the Dreamlands.
However, the Dreamer always refused to allow him back into the Dreamworld as she needed to protect him from the worst nightmares.