|Dreamworld|

The sunlight drenched his back, soaked his bones with a heat he had missed without realizing it. The gray of the other world faded, strand by strand like a worn-out tapestry unwinding. When his feet touched grass a bird burst into a wild song. Butterflies fluttered past, disturbed by their sudden appearance.
Rhianwens hand escaped his grasp, her head slipping by. He assumed she let herself fall to the ground. Seeing the portal was more than closed by now he let her go, looking up at the vivid blue of the sky, the cream white of the clouds and the emerald green of rolling meadows. He marveled at the sharpness and depth of the colors, the contrast with the previous dream lifting his heart. The meadow they were standing in seemed so inviting and relaxing.

Sobbing pulled him out of his reverie. Annoyed he looked down, where Rhianwen sat on her knees. Her hands were pressed against her eyes as her shoulders shook, heart wrenching sobs shaking her small frame back and forth. Wait, small?
Nuada observed the twin braids and the peasants smock, and how tiny she suddenly seemed compared to him. Her hair was now a red golden instead of the dark auburn he had come to associate with her. It complemented the grass around them, as well as the surrounding wildflowers. Her new appearance had probably been chosen to accommodate the dream. The moment he realized that was the moment the dream also enveloped him, molding him until he too fit the narrative that had been designed.

A man with amethyst eyes appeared in a shower of mist and flower petals. With a pleased sigh he conjured a glass out of nothing. Nuada expected the glass would be filled with wine; he seemed like the type for it. The new arrival glanced at them, before returning his attention back to his glass. After a deep swallow he smiled. "There is nothing like your own vintage. I would offer you a taste, your Highness… but giving alcohol to children is seldom a good idea."

Nuada looked down on his hands, pulling back his sleeves. Dreading the movement he reached to his nose, where the deep line that marked his birthright should have been. When he touched smooth skin he shuddered. Judging from his height he was around five centuries old. Maybe six, if he was lucky. "Who are you?"

The man bowed deeply from the middle, the glass in his hands disappearing with a sparkling pop. "My apologies, my guests. My name is Phantasos, and this is my realm. I see my brother has been unable to keep you amused forever. Not to worry, Regalia. You will find this dream to be far more to your liking."

"… drop dead," Rhianwen whispered, a fractured but not broken thing. Nuada found some courage in that.

"If it is truly what you wish, I shall. But that is not your fondest wish, is it?"

Rhianwen looked up, tears streaking her plump cheeks. "I don't remember ever wanting something more right now!"

Phantasos chuckled. "Interesting choice of words, to be sure. No, you don't remember wanting more, but the longing is still there. It pervades your bones and suffocates your actions. Your hands still remember and reach out in the night, your voice still cries out in despair. I know all too well what it is you yearn for in the night, Regalia. And you can have it, for all eternity. You knew you would find it here, and you resisted for some imagined honor. But remain here. Be happy. Content. Forever. All you need to do is say yes."

If looks could have killed, Phantasos would not have lived to draw another breath. Nuada saw the muscles in Rhianwen's hands tense, as if she imagined strangling him. He believed she would have attempted to do it anyway, if a voice had not called out in that instant.

"Rhianwen? Where are you, my treasure?" A big man appeared over one of the hills. His beard, a red gold in the sunlight, glinted against his deep brown tunic. His arms were thick, his steps secure as he waved at the two of them.

Nuada tensed. A human, and here he was visible as he really was, trapped in the body of a younger him. Oh, perhaps he would be able to take the man in battle. He still remembered how to fight. But this prepubescent body didn't have the physical strength to take on a man who looked like he could-

"Poppa?" Next to him Rhianwen sounded, hopeful. Sniffling she rubbed at her eyes.

"What are you talking about? You told me your father was dead, remember?" Nuada asked her. Rhianwen looked at him and nodded in surprise. Her eyes were dark green in this dream, not the clear glass he remembered. There was a strained quality to them, as if she tried to remember something.

"There you are! Your mother is getting started on dinner soon, and you need to help her. Your sisters are already at home. Oh, who is your friend?" the man stopped his advance next to them. His shadow fell over Nuada, but the heat of this summer day did not relent.

Rhianwen hesitated, looking between him and her supposed father. "He's my friend… his name is Nuada. Poppa, please don't hurt him, please, I promise he doesn't mean harm, I promise!"

She ran to him, forming a small, frail shield between the man and the perceived boy. Nuada saw how the eyes of the man grew bigger, before he bent forward and picked her up. Holding her tight he pressed a kiss on her forehead. "Were you having nightmares again, treasure of mine? There has not been a war between elves and men for more than a thousand years. Lad, you're Bethmooran, aren't you?"

Nuada nodded despite himself, not believing his ears. He knew this was a dream, but… ludicrous. As if that could be an actual fact! "Are you speaking the truth?"

The man shrugged, shifting Rhianwen's weight to hold her better. "'S far as we know, kid. Don't worry if Rhianwen said something about a war between humans and other species. It's just night terrors, wakes her up screaming every time. Why, I couldn't imagine fighting any magical creature. Just imagine your poor father trying to fight Wink."

Rhianwen looked up in surprise. "Wink is here?"

Her father nodded as he motioned for Nuada to walk with them. Reluctant, Nuada followed, listening to the man. They had to find a way out of here. The best way was probably to stick with the dream dwellers. At some point one of them would let him know where the exit was. So he kept his attention divided between their surroundings and the humans.

"Why of course Wink is here! Did you think he would miss your birthday? Pip is here as well, of course, with his entire family. Pixies don't eat much, so no worries there. Your brothers and sisters have been keeping them entertained, along with Milo and your other friends. Don't worry, Nuada, there's always room for one more at our table."

Nuada felt something twist in his stomach at the comment. Fae and humans at the same table, sharing a cake as if centuries of bloodshed had never happened? A birthday party? Did Phantasos really think they could be deceived so cheaply? In their short walk they arrived at a neat dirt road, which led straight to a charming cottage adjoining a mill. The door was painted a vivid red, honeysuckle growing from planters near the entrance. Happy shouts and exuberant cheering emanated from the space behind the house.

"Here we are, home at last," Rhianwen's father announced, setting the girl on the ground.

Before she could walk towards the backyard, Nuada grabbed the sleeve of her smock. She paused, looking back at him expectantly. When Nuada noticed her father observing them, he cleared his throat. "If it's not too much trouble, could I have a moment with Rhianwen?"

The man nodded, and rubbed the top of Nuada's head with a big hand. The elf prince bit his tongue, reminding himself he could bear this much. One wrong step and this entire dream might collapse on top of them. Once the dream dweller was far enough to his liking, he turned back to Rhianwen. "Do they really believe we are so cheaply bought, with a dream so ludicrous? We must find the exit at once, and return to the others. This folly has gone on long enough."

Rhianwen blinked, before she smiled and placed a hand on his, squeezing it affectionately. "Nuada, silly! We can stop playing our game now. Let's have some cake with the others, and then we can play another game. I love hide and seek!"

Oh, this was not good. Catastrophic, possibly. Had she been swallowed by the dream with her mind as well as with her body? "… how long have we known each other? How did we meet?"

Rhianwen thought about it for a second, pulling one of her own braids in a coquette way. "Is this a new sort of elven game, Nuada? Fine, I'll play. We met this morning. Mother asked me to fetch some water from the river, but I fell in and lost the crock. You fished me out, and told me to stop crying. We spent the whole day playing after that."

He wanted to ask more, he needed more details, but a woman's voice called out to them and just like that Rhianwen slipped away. Frustration rose up in his throat. Now, of all times, now, she chose to succumb to a dream? One where they were the best of comrades? "Phantasos! Show your face!"

The god appeared, looking decidedly unimpressed with Nuada. "You're not going to join the party? I really put a lot of work in it. Would it be so wrong for you to just… enjoy life for once?"

Nuada ground his teeth together, clenching his fists. "This is a dream. And you're supposed to tell us where the exit is. We want out."

"You want out," Phantasos pointed out, a thin smile curving his lips. "Our darling little Regalia is finally reunited with her family. Furthermore, she gets to spend the rest of her long life in the company of all her dear friends. She never has to grow up, nobody has to die, nobody has to find out she's different. It's everything she ever dreamed off."

"This is not real. That is not her family," Nuada snarled, sweeping a hand towards the celebration.

The god tutted. "Oh, but you are mistaken, dear prince."

"Her father left when she was younger, seduced by a Xana. He was good at singing. And from what she told me, it wasn't in the countryside, and it wasn't a century ago either."

Phantasos corrected him in a sing song voice. "That's because she doesn't remember. Think about it, prince. Artifact gets stolen by pixie. Artifact gets eaten by infant. Artifact realizes it can exert power over the world, as long as it is unbound by a god. So what does it do? It makes sure the Vessel does not perish."

"That means-"

"Almost eternal life for the Regalia. As long as nothing nasty happens to her, at least. Divine artifacts have a will of their own. When the pixies noticed their protector didn't age like other humans, they asked their godly friend to adjust her memory, and that of her surroundings. Just a little. Instead of being a daughter, she became a granddaughter. Instead of a sister, a niece. And so on and on. Every time forgetting the family before that, the friends before that. Left behind in time, just so she wouldn't go insane with loss and grief, with important memories refitted to the current era. After all, the only creatures that have the same longevity are responsible for her condition and the death of her father. Much kinder to let her believe herself a mortal, to let her believe that after less than a century her life will end," Phantasos ended his explanation with open hands, before gesturing back to the party they could hear.
"Would you truly be so cruel as to send her back to an eternal life of forgetting all that is dear to her?"

The cur, immortal? The inane bane of his existence, wandering the planet until someone inevitably would put an end to her? And until then, doomed to exist forevermore, trapped without knowing she was trapped?
Bile rose in his throat, and his hand flexed rhythmically. He didn't have his lance now, but he considered attacked Phantasos either way. "She has made a promise, to those she holds dear. And you will tell me where the exit is."

The god sighed, cocking his head in an exaggeration of disappointment. "It's in the basement. I shall see you then."

Phantasos disappeared once more, probably off to do whatever he found to be amusing. Nuada grit his teeth and stomped towards the back of the house, realizing he probably didn't look as imposing as he would have liked in this body. It mattered not; he still had technique. At the moment he was willing to take down Rhianwen's father, even if it would feel like staring down a giant. What could a dream man do anyway?

When he arrived in the backyard, he was just in time to catch the starting point of a game of hide and seek. He was spotted at once by one of the contestants, a tall man with sunblond hair and a dazzling smile. An incubus, he realized. But not one intent on conquest, seeing as how he immediately rounded up Nuada in a quest to find the other guests. Nuada nodded, though only because he intended to continue his search for Rhianwen. He looked around, trying to imagine where she had gone. If he would be back home, after all these centuries… if he wanted to be surrounded by happy memories… he would not hide in the garden. No, he would go to his chambers, or the chambers of his family.
Resolutely he turned on his heels and stalked into the house, ignoring excited giggles emanating from the bushes. Passing the kitchen he noted stairs leading down and deliberately did not note the shuffling of pots in one of the cupboards.

Locating Rhianwen did not take much effort, in the end. She had not even bothered to hide, instead looked out of the window of a room she undoubtedly shared with siblings, judging from the amount of beds in the room. The sun was just starting to set, adding a new splash of incredible color to the scenery.

"We must exchange words," he announced. His words felt surprisingly heavy, as if he had to shout them through a thick syrup before he could be heard.

Rhianwen turned around. Her eyes still had the wrong color, just like her hair was the wrong color in this world. But her eyes were shrewd as she studied him. "Then exchange them. We have time."

If the hair in his neck hadn't been raised already, it would have by that complacent smile she was wearing now. "We leave. This instant."

"Of course you can go home if you want to. It will be dark soon, and your parents will be -"

There had been a flicker in her eyes, a hesitance. And she had licked the corner of her mouth before speaking. She was a terrible liar, with so many tells that even a blind man could pick on on her lies. "You are not part of the dream."

"…no," she admitted, drawing to the window still. He would have felt guilty about bullying a child, if they had not been reverted to the same physical age. She continued, and with the way her lips took on her iron-chewing stance he was certain she was not lost to the dream. "Not yet. But I want to stay. This dream is good, and pure. My friends, all my friends are safe. I have a family here, brothers and sisters."

"This dream is a lie, and-" Now he paused, because he didn't know how much he could trust Phantasos. Had he been truthful about Rhianwen's condition? Pip had said nothing about it, but the pixie prince was good at hiding secrets. He had wanted to point out that her family was dead, long gone and beyond dust in the grave. It would have been cruel. And he remembered the previous dream. He did not relish the idea of carving another wound in her heart. He stepped towards her, grabbed her by the upper arm and dragging her towards the stairs. There was already bad blood between them; he would survive if she did not forgive him for awakening her.
"If you do not awaken, the real Pip will suffer for it. Or have you forgotten your godchild?"

"Let go of me! I don't want to go back. I- I-" Rhianwen's voice choked, and the house grew eerily quiet. The natural light outside turned from a bright orange to a deep red. Only their footsteps on the staircase resounded, like soldiers on a battlefield.
"I want to stay here!"

Those words summoned Phantasos out of nowhere. With a smile he leaned against the oaken table in the middle of the kitchen as Nuada dragged the human to the cellar stairs. The scent of lavender pervaded the air, an assault on their nostrils. This dream was too much, instead of the too little of the previous one.
"Two more times, Regalia."

Rhianwen gasped for breath, eyes flickering between the god and the elf. She screwed her eyes shut, and pressed her free hand against her ear. "I want to stay here."

The god nodded pleasantly. He didn't need to urge her, threaten or cajole her. After all, this entire dream was a bribe playing on her innermost desires. A life that wasn't normal, but that would make her happy. All he had to do was wait.

"Listen to me, you have to go back," Nuada snapped at her, grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her back and forth. "You promised, and if you have the slightest shred of honor in that miserable body of yours you will go back. They are waiting for you."

"… if I go back, and Fortuna catches me, they'll all die anyway," she said in between clattering teeth. Nuada stopped shaking her, and this time she looked at him more steadily. "If I go back, they'll get hurt even worse. Pip told me I have to run away from danger, not dive into it headfirst."

"You went back for Wink!"

"Wink stayed, and I was stupid for going back after him. Heroics get you killed. They showed me in the other dream what will happen to everyone. And you know… if everyone is dead, what's the point in going back? Why fight for ash and dust? Everyone will die if I go back, no matter what I do. Even you can't fight this!" At this she finally snapped, bursting out in tears. Her shoulders shook with the violent sobs, her breath catching in her throat. Nuada finally released her, and she wrapped her arms around her own waist in despair.

For the first time in a long while, Nuada was at a loss for what to do. Tears made him uneasy, especially those of a human. He didn't like to see them portray such a profound emotion as sadness. That they were capable of it amazed him to no end. The display immobilized him. Perhaps it was because of their appearance right now. Looking down on his own hands, which did not yet have the callus his real body had, he could imagine playing with his sister in happier times. He had consoled her then, had he not? Then he had found the words to help her continue on her path.

"Regalia, all you have to do is ask once more. Just one more time, and you can stay here… forever," Phantasos promised her, standing closer to them. Unlike his brother, he didn't seem like the hands on type. But Nuada still didn't like the way he was stalking closer.

He looked back at the sobbing mess in front of him. He could do this. Once he had had a sister. He had shared grief with comrades and family before. And now… the pixies had promised him all their aid in finding the crown piece. Showing sympathy to the mortal now meant completion of his goals in the future. He could do this.
Trembling he reached out both hands towards her. But this time his fingers did not dig in her arms. No, they gently ghosted the fabric covering her skin, exerting the most gentle of pressure. He only had this one chance. "Rhianwen… listen to me."

"I… don't want anyone to die. Not anymore. Please…"

Gentle. He had to treat her like he would the most delicate of crystals. "Rhianwen, come back with me. Your family is waiting for you. Living in a lie is nothing like you. The weeks I spent near you have taught me that. You are so brutally honest, this would bring you no lasting happiness."

Still crying, she looked up at him. Something shifted in her eyes, the dark green became more clear. Phantasos sensed it as well. "No, don't listen to the boy! He is a mere child compared to me. He cannot aid you."

Soothing, as if he were calming down a startled horse. She trembled underneath his touch, just as much as he trembled touching her. Was it fear from her part out? Distrust? He didn't know, but he had to continue. "Come with me, back home. Nothing will harm you. Lenore will protect you, as will the others. Wink is waiting for us to come back."

A shuddering sigh, but the tears kept coming. "I let you die, Nuada. I watched you die so often. Don't make me watch it again. I couldn't bear knowing I had really caused you to die."

The confession was sudden, confusing and startling but he could not say it was unwelcome. That she did not wish his death was perhaps the most flattering thing he had heard her say. That she feared for his death gave her more credit than he had anticipated. "You will not be the cause of my death. We both shall live, but only if we fight for that which we believe is just."
After this he would have to wash out his mouth thoroughly… but not with soap. No, he resented the words he was forced to speak, but he did not despise them in this case.

"I'm so tired… so tired of running away…"

"Then fight with me. Fight against those that would dominate you." Dangerous words to offer, but if that was what it took to get out of here… he needed to draw her away from here. "A family of flesh and blood is waiting for you. Rejoin them."

"I… want to leave. I want to leave!" Rhianwen nearly shouted the words, scrunching her eyes shut once more. From outside voices could be heard, laughing and asking where the birthday girl was.

Nuada saw Phantasos lurking over her right shoulder, leaning forward menacingly. "If you leave now, your father, mother, siblings… everyone will be forgotten again. That would almost be the same as killing them all over again."

"I…"

"Go home. Pip needs you, his child needs you. You promised."

"…Want…"

"Oh, but stay a while longer and promise fealty. You haven't even begun to sample all that could be yours in this world. Just a tad more, sweet Regalia."

"…to…"

The words faltered as she spoke them, almost sticking in her throat. Nuada let his hands slip down her arms and with horrid lucidity realized he was holding her hands. They were soft and just a bit plump, a pleasant rosy color contrasting with his ivory complexion. Rhianwen sucked in her breath sharply. He met her eyes, and saw them flickering constantly between deep emerald and clear glass. Time froze around them, and later Nuada would curse himself. But now her fingers trembled in his loose hold, her lip quivered as she tried desperately to make a correct choice.
"I believe you will do the right thing."

With a sob she closed her eyes and grabbed his hands in turn, as if she feared they would be pulled apart. "Leave!"