Ch 7
Artie was having trouble sleeping. He had a bad feeling that somebody he loved was in danger. In his dream he, Shrek , Fiona and Snowgre were in Charming's lair about to kick his butt when he saw Charming grab somebody by the neck. It was Gwen. This made him sweat in fear. " You must choose to leave those ogre losers you call friends or Gwen will die." He told him.
Shrek saw the teen freak out and wanted to help but couldn't because a guard was holding a sword to his neck. Artie looked at him then at Gwen. "I'm sorry babe. They're friends but more like family to me." He said as he kicked the guard in the chest and watched as he fell to the floor in agony. He then heard Gwen scream as she fell to the ground and closed her eyes in eternal rest. Artie sobbed as he woke up.
"It was just a dream! I hope it won't come true. That would be awful." He thought sadly as dawn broke. But Snowgre noticed that Artie was worried and sat beside him. He could see fear in his eyes. "Artie is something bugging you? You look all tense like you're freaking out or something." he told him. Artie sighed. He wanted to tell his friend how he was feeling but he thought he wouldn't understand. "I'm fine, okay? Just drop it senor." he said softly looking away from him. "Yeah right Artie. Stop acting like my cousin and just tell me! Don't you trust me?" he told him. He then saw Shrek wake up and pull Snowgre away from the others and put his hand over his furry mouth. "Snowg the way you're doing it, he's not gpong to open up to you. Let me try. He trusts me well enough to tell anything that's bugging him, okay? I'm gonna take my hand away from your mouth." he told him sternly but quietly. Snowgre huffed as he watched him go over to Artie but hid behind a tree because Artie was talking to himself about what to do about his worrying about Gwen.
" I know it was just a terrible dream... but what if we get to Charming's lair and that happens. I won't let him kill Gwen but I can't let that vain blond haired maniac hurt my friends either. They're like my family. I'm so confused. What would my heart tell me?" he told himself. Shrek felt really sorry for the seventeen year old. Before he'd became King, his whole life had been a long stay in loserdom but then he found out he was the next in line for the throne and his life changed. But his ogre friend wondered if he was happier now he was King but he saw something veside Artie. It was a dagger. He then came over to him at once. Artie's left arm sleeve was cut and his arm was bleeding. "No... don't kill them or Gwen. I'll do anything." he whispered in his sleep. "Artie! Wake up. It's me Shrek your amigo." he said loudly shaking him while holding him in his arms. But to Artie lost in bad dreaming and was unaware that his friend was trying to help him thought it was Charming's voice and was struggling to get out of his friend's arms. "Let me go Charming! I won't let you hurt my friends or Gwen! They mean everything to me." he said angrily in his sleep.
Snowgre saw this and decided to wake up the teenager. An icy blast shot out of his fingers and hit Artie on the head. Shrek watched thankfully as Artie opened his eyes and dropped him gently onto the forest ground. "Hey guys what's... going on?" he said wiping the sleep from his eyes. He saw Shrek sitting beside him looking concerned. "Artie are you worried about someone... I mean you care about back at Worchester? It's just you were sort of talking in your sleep." he asked him gently. Artie looked really disturbed before he answered his friend's question. "Yes I am. Worried about Gwen and you guys." he told him. "What do you mean Artie?" Shrek asked gently. "Everytime I fall asleep, I keep having bad dreams. They start with us about to kick Charming's vain butt when suddenly without warning he holds Gwen by the neck. He tells me that I have to choose between you guys or her but I get so scared, I never decide. Then everything goes black and I'm in a grave yard standing near four grave stones abd they belong to you, Fiona , Snowgre and Gwen. After that Charming appears and kills me but I wake up after that afraid. I don't want to lose the things that make my world a better place." he said through tears.
Shrek was speechless taking this all in. He wanted to say something that would make the kid feel better but he didn't know exactly what to say as Artie clung to his arms and sobbed into his vest. "Hey it'll be okay man. I know what you're gonna decide if that happens. Besides Fiona and I will always be in your heart... even if the worst happens. I need you to promise me something. If Fiona and I do get slayed, I want you to look after the triplets for us okay?" he told him gently as he stroked his brownish hair. "I promise. You're the father I wished I had." he replied , his eyes getting heavy. "Are you sure it's okay to go to sleep? You might have another bad dream." Shrek asked softly but it was too late because Artie was asleep in his arms. He was tossing and turning slightly trying not to hurt his friend. "Don't worry Artie there's nothing to be afraid of. I'm right beside you." he whispered into the teen's ear. Artie was in his castle in Far Far Away when he hurt his friends scream for mercy. He ran through the corridors searching for them but he stopped when he saw Gwen. She had a sad look on her pale face. "I'm sorry Artie, so sorry." she said gently, her voice emotionless. "What do you mean? Where are my friends?" he asked her.
"Artie they're dead. They put up a brave fight but Charming killed them using powerful magic. I saw him do it. Fiona wanted me to give you this." she told him. It was her locket her husband and Artie's best friend had given her after they were married. "NO!" Artie screamed as he woke up crying in his friend's arms. Fiona had been woken up by that. "Let me guess another bad dream?" Shrek asked quietly. Artie nodded blinking back tears. "Yes and it was much worse than the last one. Why is this happening to me? I've never harmed anybody that I should be plagued by awful nightmares about my friends and only true Love dying in them!" he said angrily at the end of his rope. "Tell me what happened. If you don't, that's okay but the fear and sadness of all this will just engulf ya until you're nothing but a wreck. Trust me I know. After your uncle, my father in law died, I had many nightmares about Fiona dying but I got over it because I had hope that would never happem. If you hope for Gwen and do everything you can to protect her, then you'll be stronger and no amount of bad dreams can destroy it." he told him in his most soothing voice. Fiona saw the red rims around Artie's eyes and was worried.
But Charming was happy to see Artie distressed like this. "My plan is working. All I need to do is create more bad dreams and he'll be dead because he'll have killed himself trying to get rid of them!" he cackled as magic honed in on Artie's fear waiting for him to fall asleep. But both Shrek and Snowgre were worried for Artie. He was feeling very suicidal because of these dreams and had to help him before it was too late... Fiona was unaware of how much her cousin was hurting at the moment. But soon she would and would wish they could turn back time...