Dragon's Dismay with Absent Family

Chapter 8

A faint beating of his heart was drumming through his ears as one eyes slowly cracked open to look out into the darkness above him. Sting found himself laying down on the floor, well if it was even something like a floor seeming's how it looked as if he was laying on absolutely nothing and floating away in a deep and dark abyss of nothingness. The last thing he remembered was falling onto the castle floor and hearing Totomaru complain about what he was going to do with both him and Rogue. The blonde gritted his teeth and snapped his eyes shut knowing why he had collapsed . . . lack of sleep. He shuddered out a sigh as the regret of not listening to his wife seeped back inside of him.

"Damn it . . ."

He slowly opened his eyes once again and pushed himself up until he was standing there in the dark abyss. His footsteps echoed as he slowly began walking, to where that wasn't completely sure. He could feel his head slightly pounding, probably a headache he was having outside of his dream from his lack of sleep. Suddenly he halted in his track, the laugh of a little girl echoing behind him though when he turned to look there was only the black hue trailing out behind his as it was doing in front of him. He pulled his eyebrows together and even slower this time began to push himself forward. Again the girl's laugh echoed out around him louder this time. He gritted his teeth just now realizing whose laugh that was.

"Daddy! Daddy come play!"

The white dragon slayer was so reluctant to turn around, he didn't want to see her, his little girl for he knew just how much pain would strike through him if she was there, and even if she wasn't he was sure it would still be there as if the voice were mocking him telling him that she was so close yet so far away for his hands to hold onto her. Thinking it over Sting turned only his head and from the corner of his eye he could see his daughter's blonde hair behind him. He shifted himself to fully look at her and a fragile smile came to his face. His little girl was dressed in a bright yellow sun dress with lime green trimming on the bottom of it and around her short sleeves, one he remembered Rufus making for her some time ago while a pair of white sandals adorned her feet, little plastic flowers attached to the sides of them. Her beautiful blonde locks of hair were tied back with a light green ribbon and her bangs framed her face making her look even more adorable to her father. Again she thrust the ball in her hands up towards him as she smiled that smile Artemis had always told him matched his own.

"Come on daddy! I wanna play with you!" She giggled.

"Peyton . . ." He breathed out reaching down towards her.

Suddenly the darkness behind her enveloped her and made it seem as if she faded away right before his fingers had a chance to brush over her cheek. A slight gasp escaped his lips as he quickly retracted his hands and watched the image of his baby girl fade away. He gritted his teeth and snapped his eyes shut feeling as if the darkness was mocking him, that darkness that seemed to represent his own weakness and inability to protect something so precious right there in front of his own two eyes. He collapsed to his knees and buried his face into his hands hoping to hide his tears from the taunting blackness.

"I know . . . I know damn it . . . she's gone and it's my fault . . . I know she could be dead and I know it's my fault! I know damn you!" He shouted, his voice rising in volume after each pause.

"Sting?"

Quickly his head shot up and he looked over his shoulder, his sapphire eyes widening at the sight of his wife standing there trying to reach him, though being blocked by some sort of invisible wall that rippled as her petite hands slid down it. Those emerald eyes he fell in love with bore into him as tears rimmed her eyes, something he hated so much to see. Stumbling to his feet he ran over and pressed his own hands to the wall. He hated this, loathed this feeling of being so close to her and not actually being able to touch her. It didn't even seem as if her hand was being blocked from his that's how thin the wall was but still he couldn't feel her, he could only feel a cold sensation run through his fingers as he gently scratched at the wall wishing it wasn't there splitting them apart.

"Artemis . . . I'm so sorry Artemis." He breathed out.

"It's not your fault Sting, please don't blame yourself." She whispered.

"No . . . I should've listened to you. I'm sorry Artemis, because I didn't I'm unconscious and not able to be out looking for you and Peyton." He clenched his hands into fists as each word choked out through his lips.

"It's okay Sting, please just stop."

"Peyton . . . please even if you're just an illusion, a dream, please tell me my little girl's is ok. I want to hear you say it, I want to hear those words in your voice." He pleaded pressing his forehead against the barrier between them.

"A . . . dream? Sting Peyton is fine, I refuse to let anything happen to her but I can assure you I'm not just an illusion in your dream." Artemis assured him making his eyes go wide.

"You're . . . you're really her?"

"To an extent yes." She answered with that gentle smile on her face.

Sting struggled to hold back his sobs as the feeling and urge to hold and hug his wife grew even more knowing that it was actually her standing there before him. It was almost like that myth he had heard once, the one where he was told that true soul mates had the ability to slip into each other's dreams and share them. At the time he found completely ridiculous but now he was oh so grateful for it, more than anyone could possibly understand. He felt even better now too knowing and hearing that his little girl was safe as well. Artemis leaned in closer to the wall blocking them from each other, her face twisting into one of hurt. She didn't want to hear her husband crying and struggling like this. She slid her hand over the wall as if she brush her hand over his face right there to comfort him but as she got was a rippling of the wall and her palm pressing flat against the barrier that she wished she could destroy herself.

"Sting; please it's not your fault if anything it was mine. I was the helpless one who was closer to her at the time. I couldn't protect our daughter." The brunette sniffled feeling herself about break down into tears.

"No! It's not your fault at least you were there to do something . . . I . . . I was just hiding away in Rogue's room when it all first started if it hadn't been for you yelling Peyton's name I . . ." His voice trailed off as he looked away from her face and down towards his feet.

"Mommy! Mommy wake up! Mommy!"

Both Sting and Artemis looked up into the black abyss where it had seemed the voice was coming from, the voice of their little girl shouting for her mother to wake up. When the blonde look back down towards his wife it seemed as if she was fading away, leaving him and growing further away from him once more. He jolted forward hoping he'd get lucky and go straight through the wall but he was simply held back as his beloved looked back at him and stepped away from the wall, her eyes holding something that made her seem so helpless an innocent to stop herself from being pulled away from the man that she loved.

"I'm sorry Sting. I don't want to leave you but . . ."

"Just tell me where you are. Our little girl needs you more than I do right now." He said his chest hurting at the fact that he was willing to let her go so easily after having her so close once again.

"I don't know . . . I had been knocked out most of the ride to this place. It's hidden and buried in the woods covered by shrubs and thick vines. They have us locked in a cell and there are no windows in the small and concealed back room. I can't tell you where we are I'm so sorry Sting." He could hear her sob feeling worthless and helpless once more and it made his heart plummet in his chest.

"Artemis it's ok, if you can't tell me you can't. Please . . . I don't want to see you like that. Go back to our little girl ok? I promise . . . I'll find both of you and tell Peyton that when I get you two back home she's getting a whole day with her father, no interruptions or anything I promise." He said forcing a smile onto his face.

"O-Ok . . . Sting I'm scared . . ."

"I know Artemis . . . I'm coming for you I swear I'll find you both."

"Mommy! Please get up!" Peyton's voice echoed out above both of them making Artemis seem even hazier as she slipped out of their shared dream.

"Sting I love you!" She shouted before completely slipping away from his sight.

" . . . I love you too Artemis."

Instantly Sting's eyes snapped open and he jolted up in bed, the blanket flying off of his top half that ceased to bear any clothes. He looked down at himself confused as his chest rose and fell rapidly. Slowly his eyes trailed up to lock with those of Celestine's advisor who had his eyebrow raised looking over Sting curiously.

"Good morning sleeping beauty." He muttered unfolding his arms and walking to the side of Sting's bed.

"Exactly why am I shirtless?" Sting muttered looking out a crossed his room for his missing piece of clothing.

"The medical mage said you were over heating so it had to be taken off." The fire mage explained pouring him a glass of water. "Drink this you're probably dehydrated and have a dry throat from sleeping with your mouth hanging open."

The blonde frowned at that comment but still took the drink anyway to wash away the scratchy feeling in his throat. He placed the glass back down onto the night stand and threw the blankets off of himself. After having a dream like that he wasn't planning on waiting any longer to find his wife and daughter. The screams at the end that had made Artemis disappear frightened him and made a cold chill run down his spine. He was afraid to know why his daughter had been yelling in such a way. Totomaru was quick to push him back onto the bed though earning a scowl from the white dragon slayer.

"You shouldn't immediately jump up from bed. You'll become dizzy and end up falling over." The advisor warned.

"I'm fine." Sting grumbled ignoring the purple dots in his vision. "I need to find my wife and daughter."

"You need to relax. At least wait until Rogue comes back from Phantom Lord before you go off again. I don't need you leaving and then having a chance of passing out in the woods where no one is around to help you. It shouldn't be too much longer before you 'brother' returns anyway and we already sent him a note with the bracelet attached to it. I also warned him that you had passed out since I didn't know if you would be up before he got back."

"That's just great, make him panic more and make him think I attracted some form of illness." The blonde grumbled pushing himself off of the bed again before Totomaru had a chance to push him back down again.

"Why is it you always have to be so stubborn?"

Sting ignored the man's annoying grumbling as he stalked over to his closet and pulled out a fresh shirt to pull over his head before slipping on the blue trimmed jacket that rested on his wife's broken vanity. His eyes gazed over the shattered glass and his teeth grinded together only thinking about what had happened in this very room. He hadn't even gotten close enough to see if Artemis had been injured before she was taken away in that carriage. To be honest he was just now realizing the damage that had been done to their room since it was his first time being in here since the kidnapping. His fingers brushed over the edging of the mirror before he turned and walked out of the room, Totomaru curiously following him tow, a puzzled look upon his face at the king's suddenly quiet behavior. Sting stopped and pushed open the door in front of him, the room on the other side littered with indents of magic residue that was similar to his own. The blonde shuddered as he could only picture what had happened inside his daughter's room as she clumsily tried to protect herself with his magic she inherited.

"You're highness are you feeling ok? You're not going to pass out again are you?" Totomaru asked slowly inching forward just in case.

"No . . . I'll stay until Rogue gets back but I'm immediately leaving after he arrives. I'm not making them wait any longer for me." Sting whispered.

Totomaru nodded his head even though Sting had his back to him. Slowly the blonde walked up to the small sized bed and lifted one of the stuffed animals up from it spot among the pile of them. His cerulean eyes gazed over the white stuffed dragon, the one that his daughter had loved so much. Hugging it to his chest as if it were his own prized possession he sat down on his daughter's bed and shuddered out a breath that he hoped would disguise his oncoming sobs.

"Sting-"

"I'm not going anywhere. Go back to Celestine before she ends up trying to drain anymore magic from people . . . I just need some time alone."

With a curt yet hesitant nod of his head Totomaru disappeared from the doorway leaving Sting alone in his daughter's room to finally breakdown and grieve for his missing daughter and wife. Clutching the stuffed dragon closer he looked out the window in his daughter's room, the one that had been shattered and grinded his teeth.

"Peyton . . . I'll make sure none of this ever happens again to you . . ."