Chapter 2: Sweet Dreams
Starfire fell asleep easily, nestled snug in her bed with the other titans gathered around. Raven held up the mirror then placed it lightly on the alien girl's forehead. She murmured something in her sleep, but otherwise was still.
"Now listen to me very carefully," Raven stated turning to the others, "While in her dream the rules of reality will be different than what we're used to. More to the point, they will affect us. Although we should retain our powers and abilities, there's no telling how they could interact with the nightmare world Starfire has created for herself. Also, anything that happens in there will affect us physically." She paused briefly then continued, "Including death."
"You're saying we could die inside Starfire's head?" Beast Boy asked, suddenly alarmed.
"Yes," Raven replied matter-of-factly, "So we must be careful. Is everyone ready?"
The other three titans nodded grimly.
"Good," Raven stated turning back towards the sleeping Starfire. Her eyes began to glow as she chanted, moving her hands in arcane ways, "Somnusque mallus janus."
The face of the mirror glowed with a swirling, purplish light. After a moment, the same light enveloped the other teens and, with a bright flash, drew them into the swirling vortex.
The four superheros were prepared for anything. Any sort of nightmarish realm of twisted trees and monstrous forms squirming in the shadows. Any sort of hell imagable, they had steeled themselves for.
What they didn't expect was what they saw.
Their forms faded into a brilliant, idyllic landscape. A sea of rich green grass spread out before them across gently rolling hills. A cheery blue sky dotted with fluffy white clouds contained the horizon. The colors seemed impossibly saturated and vibrant, like that of a children's book. The fairytale ambiance was reinforced by the glittering white spires of a castle in the distance. Nearby could be heard the faint tinkling babble of a crystal-clear brook.
Cyborg was the first to speak. "This... is her nightmare?"
"Stay focused," Robin cautioned, looking around suspiciously, "Looks can be deceiving. It may look harmless, but we don't know what to expect."
"So where should we go?" Beast Boy asked, looking around curiously.
"That way seems promising," Raven stated motioning towards the spires in the distance.
Robin paused to consider before nodding, "Right. Let's go. Remember, everyone, keep on your toes, no matter what it looks like."
"Yeah, there might be a troll nearby who will charge us for using his bridge," Beast Boy half-jokingly stated as the group walked off in the direction of the tall spires piercing the sky.
The walk was surprisingly short. Before long, the teen aged superheros encountered the gated entrance to a huge walled city. Fortunately, the gate was wide open. Even more interestingly was the huge banner that arched across the entrance, written in some alien language.
"Welcome, weary travelers!" said a cheerful voice as they stepped inside, "Welcome to the Pennywoods, in the Kingdom of Hershae! You must be here for the festival, yes?"
They all stared at the person before them. He was small, not too much more than a meter tall, and quite rotund. He had bright, cheery clothes; a white peasant's shirt tucked neatly into a set of green trousers, held up by red and yellow polka-dot suspenders. His hair was bright white and a beard flowed down his smiling features.
"Festival?" Robin queried curiously, "What festival?"
The man gasped, "You don't know about the Festival of Giving? You poor, poor wretch. You must come from a land very far away not to have heard of the Hershae Festival of Giving! Please, come in and rest your weary heads."
The teens looked at each other curiously and shrugged, stepping further inside. "We're looking for a friend of ours," Robin stated, "Her name is Starfire. Do you know her?"
The man paused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, "Starfire? Mm. No, I'm sorry, dear friends, I can't say that I do. But if you stay for the festival, perhaps you will find her there? People come from all over the land to Hershae to partake in it!"
"Are there any other settlements near here?" Raven piped up, "We must find our friend. It's very important."
"The capital city of Pennywoods is the only place around for miles," reported the man apologetically, "Unless you count..." His voice morphed into a frightened whisper, "... the Candyman."
The frightened expression interested Robin. "The Candyman? Who's he?"
Wringing his hands, the strange small man looked around nervously, "Please! Don't say his name too loud. He will hear. Just... j-just forget about him. You don't want to see him, anyway."
Robin's lips set in a thin line. "We do," he said softly, "Please, he may have our friend. Isn't there anything you can tell us about him? Where is he?"
A look of panic began to spread over the man's features and he backed away timidly, hands raising in a placating motion, "Please, I know nothing! No one goes looking for the Candyman, so no one knows where he lives! Except..."
"Except?"
The man hesitated, gnawing his lip nervously, "The Queen may know. She has fought the Candyman in the past. You... you might be able to see her tonight, at the festival. She likes to be among the people during this time of year."
Robin looked back at his companions, arching an eyebrow questioningly. The short little man took this opportunity to run away.
Cyborg shrugged absently, "Hey, we have nothing else to go on. We might as well wait for this festival, right?"
"Cyborg is right," agreed Raven, "It seems likely that this 'Candyman' has something to do with the nightmare. We should find out as much as we can from the Queen."
Robin paused briefly then nodded. "Okay, we'll see if we can't get more information from the Queen tonight. In the meantime, let's look around. Maybe we'll find Starfire's avatar."