Her chest was rising and falling steadily with each breath she took. Though she could no longer feel a heartbeat, her body still acted as though a heart was present to keep things going.

It was the most peculiar sensation.

Her mind was still adjusting according to Dream–her husband!–to her real immortality. At some point she would stop feeling hungry, stop feeling sleepy, even stop feeling tired, at least not the way she used to. His eyes had glinted wickedly when he gave her that particular piece of information.

Her sense of time would alter as well. Though time moved no faster for the Endless when in the waking world, their realms did not adhere to it as strictly. She could spend a day in the Dreaming, soaking in a hot bath, while weeks went by in the waking world.

The press of a kiss just underneath her knee made her smile.

He was waiting.

Another kiss, warm and moist, right above said knee.

But she could hardly move her limbs. She couldn't possibly accommodate him just yet.

Now there was just a hint of tongue against her flesh, right between her knee and her hip. She shivered with delight. With his fingertips and palms, with his breath and lips and tongue, he made it clear to her how beautiful he found her.

His hands followed the dip and swell of her waist to her hips while he left a trail of kisses along the seam of her ribs, to the rise of her belly.

"Dream?" she murmured, then hissed in a sharp breath when she could definitely feel his tongue flicking against her skin. He finished the trail with another little kiss. Right underneath her belly-button.

"Dream?" she tried again. He made a non-committal little noise and she knew she had to be quick with her questions. Whether her limbs felt like limp noodles or not, she could feel her insides start to coil again with anticipation.

When he dove his tongue right into the little divot of her belly-button, a delicious jolt went through her and the muscles in her stomach contracted.

He was moving over her now, sliding up, and her no-longer existing heart skipped a beat.

"Husband?" she tried this time.

She could feel him smile against her skin, that soft area right beneath her ribs.

"Wife?" he murmured, his voice bone-meltingly seductive.

Of course he would take to her new title, or status, like a duck to water.

"I would like to ask you something."

"Would you now?" he asked her in between tiny little licks.

"Please?"

With a regretful sigh Dream moved his body up along hers and, propping himself up on an elbow, he looked down at her. Though he did allow his free hand to trace lazy little circles on her stomach.

"Well?" he prompted her, a bit impatiently now that she had his attention.

"I'm afraid you won't like the question, and that you won't answer it."

He stiffened a little as if preparing his body to fend off a blow.

"Will you tell me about your past loves? What really happened? How did they end? And why?"

Dream drew in a sharp breath and his eyes grew stormy.

"I'm calling in my boon!" she blurted.

The look of shock he gave her was almost comical. He relaxed, but only a little. "Do you not remember you rejected my boon?"

"Well, yes, but… I thought, perhaps you'll allow me to change my mind, as your… wife?"

With a sigh, that was entirely too human, Dream flopped down on his back. Hope scooted closer to him and she rested her head in the curve of his shoulder.

"Are you angry I asked?" she asked him softly.

He released another sigh that sounded distinctly resigned. "I don't dare get angry with you, sweet love."

When he didn't elaborate, Hope propped herself up so she could look into his eyes. Those amazing, all-encompassing eyes that sometimes had the most amazing blue hue, or the colour of midnight with stars dancing in them, or, like now, eyes filled with endless love and the bright sparkle of a little star she liked to call humour. He smiled at her. "You get angry right back at me."

She gave a throaty little sound of approval and leaned in to kiss him. The brightening spark in his eyes gave away his own intentions, so Hope scooted down and placed her head against his shoulder gain. She patted is chest.

"Story time first, my love. Then you can play."

Hmm, it seemed she had taken quite a shine to that particular endearment herself.

Dream huffed out a short lived laugh, then sobered up and became serious. By the way his body tensed, Hope could tell it wasn't easy for him to delve into the past.

"As the King of Dreams and Nightmares, I weave dreams of great beauty and nightmares of great terror. When the waking world leaves mortals weary and tired of their every day life and troubles, sleep brings them here, to my realm. We are inexorably connected, for this place is as much a part of me, as I am of it."

She heard it then, the way he used his voice as a lullaby. Soothing, dulcet, euphonious… loving. Hope found herself inexplicably moved by it.

"Even you, my love, are connected to the Dreaming when you sleep. In a different way than now. When you sleep, when you dream, you become a part of me. I move through the dreams and I see all the things that holds importance to mortals, big and small, and the most compelling of them is love. I started to yearn for it myself, back in an age when there was no rule against loving a mortal."

"Killalla?"

"Yes. I saw her when I moved through her dreams and I was drawn to her. I revealed myself to her. I courted her, but I fear my wooing was awkward. My sibling, Desire, came to my aide and they sparked romantic feelings inside of her. I fell deeply in love and I couldn't see her own feelings for what they really were."

The bedroom around them shimmered and they were now lying in the softest, tallest, greenest grass she'd ever seen–with exception of Fiddler's Green of course–on top of a dune overlooking a tropical beach. It was as if Dream wanted to create an ambiance that was more secluded, more intimate than their own bedroom. Which of course was completely unnecessary. But, Hope had to admit, she loved the scent of coconut, pineapple and hibiscus flowers he added.

"She didn't love you back?"

"I believe her feelings for me were but faint echoes of the deep love I felt. She was attracted to me, was charmed by me, but I do not think she loved me. Perhaps a part of me knew, but I didn't want to acknowledge it. Or, perhaps I hoped that even feelings that had their origin in desire, could turn into something deeper. A true abiding love."

A butterfly landed on his chest, of such an incredible blue colour, Hope stared at it, completely mesmerised, afraid to breathe out of fear it would flutter away, briefly forgetting it was her husband who was in complete control of all she was seeing, smelling and feeling.

"Look," she whispered very, very softly.

Dream chuckled; the blue butterfly remained where it was. It even unfolded it's magnificent wings a bit further. He then gave her a smug little smile. "It's a Blue Morpho."

Hope slid a hand across the smooth expanse of his chest, closer to the butterfly, until it briefly fluttered… right onto her fingertips. She grinned up at him.

"Then what happened?" she prodded him.

"I do not know why, but, Desire sparked even stronger feelings inside of her heart for someone else. For the sun of her own world, Sto-Oa. I caught them together in a most passionate embrace. She left with him. I left alone."

"I'm so sorry, Dream. Is that what you meant when you said Desire played a joke that hurt you most cruelly?"

"Yes."

The butterfly flitted away, because Dream placed a hand over hers, squeezing her fingers.

"Not long after that, the Dreaming was evaded by old gods that wished to seize my realm for their own. I was trapped, chained up in my own dungeon. At least, that's what it felt like to me, so my prison manifested itself as a dungeon. I scratched the sigils of my siblings into the wall and I called them for help. Each of them refused."

"Even Dee? Death?" Hope could scarcely believe it.

"Even my most beloved sister, Death. Please, do not hold this against her. We were so much younger then. And so proud. My youngest sister Delight could not help, because she was right in the process of changing into Delirium. Though I know not why. She never told us. And Desire…"

"Desire sent you a lover."

"Alianora, yes. She helped free me, destroy the old gods, take back and restore my Kingdom. I fashioned my helm from the skull and spine of two of them. And I used the horns and tusks of the other to carve my gates of horn and ivory. Out of gratitude I did my best to love her as she had grown to love me, deeply. It should have worked. After all, it was all I ever… dreamed of."

She smiled a little at his joke and pressed a light kiss against his skin. "Then what?"

"I could not fully trust her. She was gifted by Desire after all, and in time all I could see in her was another means for my sibling to misuse and hurt me further. And her love was suffocating. She never could understand that I am my function. I am my duty. Whenever I was away for an extended time to work on my dreams and nightmares, it left her unsatisfied and in a bad mood."

A Blue Morpho landed right on her shoulder. And another one landed on her hip.

Hope bit her lower lip to keep from giggling like a little girl. Those tiny squiggly legs tickled!

"I started to seek her out at nights only." Dream continued his story, idly stroking her bare hip. The Blue Morpho kept flitting out of the way until it moved to the safer spot of her knee.

"They seemed to be the only times she was willing to let me go back to work without… without making it difficult for me. I did always leave her tokens of my love when I left. Even when that love was waning. She found them insulting, not befitting, and they were always gone when I returned. In the end I stopped visiting her altogether and the tokens of my love ended as well. She was unhappy with me. I think, at some point, I was unhappy with her too."

"Glory said you gave her a piece of land?"

"I did. There was no way for her to return to her own land. Too much time had passed. I gave her a small piece of the Dreaming for her own. She still lives there."

"And after Alianora there was…?"

After a long silence, Dream resumed talking, his voice quieter now. "Nada. She was once a queen of a tribe called the First People. Her beauty was renowned far and wide and I was curious. One day I visited her tribe, her city. I walked up to her tower and I caught a glimpse of her. She truly was beautiful. And Desire…"

Hope closed her eyes in dismay and she pressed herself closer to him, to remind him she was right there.

"I fell in love with her, deeply, but I knew I was influenced by Desire and I returned to my realm. I did not know Nada had seen me too or that Desire had kindled profound feelings for me inside of her. This time I was the one pursued. She was very persistent in her attempts to find me. And I, who was still bruised and battered after… after Killalla's betrayal…"

Dream took a deep breath and he swallowed hard. "To be so wanted, so desired. Was it any wonder I did not want to let her go? Was it so dreadful I wanted to try and hold on to her, to love her and keep her by my side, come what may? To this day the male descendants of that tribe tell our story as a rite of passage. The ending of their story is a cruel one; the entire city, the whole tribe wiped out by the sun in retaliation for our forbidden love. The female descendants tell the truer story, that simply ends with the decline of their people."

"And Nada?" Hope whispered.

"I was, I'm afraid, relentless in my pursuit of her. On the top of a mountain my pursuit ended and we… shared… the night. One perfect night. I was overjoyed in the certainty I had found my true love."

It was more difficult than she'd expected to hear him recount the stories of his past loves. To hear how deeply he had loved. To hear the hurt in his voice still and know that losing that love had left deep scars. Even nature around them became subdued. The sun sank in the water, briefly bathing them in rays of gold and pink, until that faded too. The butterflies left, the sky took on the colour of mourning and the soft breeze became a lament.

"In the morning she grew afraid of what our love might mean for her people." His voice was distant now, and perhaps he needed that to be able to finish this story. "She knew I would not let her go easily and so she threw herself off the mountain. Even that could not stop me. I caught up with her on her path to the underworld. I-I pleaded with her, offered her to be my queen, I offered my realm, I offered myself! It was not enough. She was too afraid for the consequences. And, in my anger I sent her to Hell."

Hope had no words to say. Not yet. First he had to finish his story, to get these pains out in the open. Then she would show him it was okay to let go of these old hurts and griefs. That it was time to set Nada free. That it was time for him to heal.

"And after Nada?"

The deep, deep breath he took was a bad sign. The single tear that trickled from his eye was another. She kissed it away.

"Calliope," he said, his voice now well and truly hoarse. "That was many centuries later. I thought I'd healed enough, that I was over Nada. Over Killalla. Her beauty… overthrew me. I had learned much about courting. I impressed her with my vast knowledge. I showed her my palace and I took great delight in showing her everything. And again, I offered her everything. But she would only have half of me. She accepted the man, but not the realm, not understanding you can never have one without the other."

"But you did marry her?"

He nodded briefly. "I did, at her request. I truly believed that, if the only way to have… no, to love her, was to live apart, that I could accept it. I was wrong. We started to drift apart, further and further each day. We both had our duties and then… she got with child. I believed a child would finally make her give up that foolish notion of living apart. She did not. It all ended in such pain. Such tragedy."

"I know." Hope pressed another kiss to his shoulder. "And I'm so sorry."

"I saw her a while back again. Calliope. She had been trapped, like me. For over sixty years. Abused. Defiled. She called out to me for help. I did. I think… I think it was good to see her again. She could see I am different now. She was happy for me."

"And after Calliope?"

Please, don't let there be too many more! Hope thought. She wasn't sure how much more heartbreak she could withstand.

She thought his silence was her answer and she dared to release a little breath of relief.

"A young woman."

Hope gave an inward groan.

"I was not impressed with her at first. Even though she did me a great service, my trust had already dwindled down to almost non-existent. When faced with a kindness and selflessness I had not yet experienced before, I could not accept it. Perhaps it had something to do with her vile temper. She could really vex me."

Wait a minute…!

"She sounds like a cow. I would have ditched her." Her lips twitched with the effort to keep a grin at bay.

His chest rumbled with a short laugh. "I did! I even went as far as to banish her from my realm. But, stubborn creature that she was, she had to defy me."

"The impudence!"

Dream grinned. Grinned! "That's not the worst of it. She plotted and schemed herself a way right back into the Dreaming!"

Hope propped herself up and narrowed her eyes at him. "I am pretty sure that is not how the story goes!"

His lips did some suspicious twitching of their own when he hiked a brow. "Are you suggesting that I, the Prince of Stories, am telling a story wrong?"

"Yes! First of all, the young woman was a saint! Especially since she put up exceptionally well with your boorish and self-important behaviour!"

Dream turned to his side and placed a finger against her lips. "Remember," he said, lowering his voice to a husky whisper and dragging his finger down, his gaze thoroughly fixed on her bottom lip, "this is supposed to be a love story."

"Ah! Not enough defiance, vexation or vile temper in it? I must be losing my touch then. Please do continue."

"With pleasure," he murmured.

Pleasure my arse, she thought, seeing him inching closer for a kiss. "I was talking about the story!" She planted her hand firmly against his chest, preventing him from moving in closer.

"The truth?" he asked her softly.

The tone in his voice robbed her of the ability to say anything, so she mutely nodded her head.

"The truth is that she shocked me. She was fragility and valiance and even when she trembled before me, she would scold me in righteous anger. She shielded herself against desire, but there were electrifying hints she possessed a sensuality that rivals my own. And with one, perfect, innocent kiss… she devastated me. Only one option is left for me, and that is to love her with all that I am and all that I possess. For when I am with her, I am undone."

For a moment Hope couldn't speak at all, out of fear she would bawl her eyes out.

"Fine, I accede." Her voice was a raw whisper. "You are the Prince of Stories. And you may as well add Prince of Poetry to your growing list of titles."

"The only title I need, or even want, is husband. Your husband."

Lucienne, in all of her sage wisdom, had been right. After the post-nuptials period things were very busy! Dream had decided on both an official introduction to the different realms and an informal celebration/gathering for the residents of the Dreaming, and Hob, of course.

Hope had cried a little when Finn, now Emily, had padded over to her and shyly nudged her shoulder.

After that, Dream seemed to think she could figure out by herself how to spend the rest of her time, because he simply returned to his duties.

Though she could understand he had to resume his duties at some point, she did not understand how he could so thoroughly blot her from his mind. And she was too embarrassed to take this to Lucienne, or even Death, because she sincerely believed she should be better somehow.

This instigated her very first visit to the Garden of Forking Ways, Destiny's realm. He, of course, had already known about her impending visit. Tea and other refreshments had been waiting for her.

He showed her his domain, the labyrinthine paths in the garden where 'the paths not taken' simply vanished after a decision was made. There were giant stone statues in his garden, each an enormous representation of each of his siblings. She was awed and not just a little humbled when there was also a statue of her, right at Dream's side.

When she asked if it (her relationship with her husband) would always be like this, Destiny remained quiet at first, before he said, "He's adjusting. And so are you. This takes time. Do not think that, merely because you are not currently in his thoughts, his love has gone, or even waned. This is simply his nature. Every loving moment spent with you, each harsh spoken word, each moment of joy, each moment of regret… they all bleed into the universe through the dreams of all that dream. His duty is to also make sure not too much bleeds through. And, in the Dreaming, he experiences time differently. You still, partly, sense time as a mortal. This too will change."

Hope kissed his cheek. "Thank you, brother, for taking the time to make me understand."

It surprised her, kind of, that he gracefully accepted the gesture of affection.

"Think nothing of it, new sister. I am merely what happens and what needs to happen. Delirium would surely benefit your attention. Before you leave, however, let me impart on you one last truth. Many changes are still coming. You will get through it. Together. You have my… assurance… of that."

When Hope returned, both Lucienne and Mervyn looked extremely anxious. It seemed she had stayed with Destiny for over two months. And Dream was still so occupied, he'd not even noticed she'd been gone. Especially Merv was wringing his hands, looking utterly miserable and uncomfortable.

Giving Lucienne a surreptitious wink, and feeling just a bit wicked, she solemnly told Merv to prepare for monsoon season.

Delirium she visited next. And the girl had been right. It was not healthy to stay inside that topsy-turvy realm for too long! It was quite difficult to keep a conversation going with her youngest new sister, mostly because she simply could not keep herself together for long enough to remember what had been said. She did seem to enjoy the visit a lot though. At some point she made the top of her head disintegrate into a kaleidoscope of butterflies. Hope figured that was a great moment to bring her visit to an end.

After Delirium she visited Despair and, surprisingly, had a lovely time. They simply sat down and talked. "So, that was you, I felt? For all these years?" Hope asked.

Despair looked at her with empty eyes. "It was beautiful," she murmured softly. "There were many different layers. You missing your parents, hating your aunt, thinking life would never get better… thinking you'd never love or be loved. It's all gone now. A pity, really."

"I think you missed one," Hope said, her tone wry.

"Ah, yes. Unrequited love. That was also a very good one. You both thought your love was in vain." Despair was quiet for a moment. "I am sorry for that time with Derek. Desire knew you were our big sister's little friend. They thought it would be so funny to… I didn't stop them."

"Hmm. Yes. Is that why you, eh, removed your… hook?"

"It was not needed any longer. I saw it, you know, when Death was with you and-and you broke down. It was… perfect."

"Thank you," Hope said, not really knowing what else to say. "Do you still hope that things will go bad between me and Dream? He told me you said that." She was suddenly very curious.

"No," Despair said, her voice bleak. "But if it would happen, I'm sure it would be beautiful."

Not exactly how Hope would put it, but, she did find a deeper appreciation for the Gray Realm.

Though she did not look forward to it, she also gave Desire a visit. A visit that started out as giant mess of awkwardness. Desire took every opportunity for glib and condescending remarks, their eyes gleaming wickedly as they did so. They were so confident in their right to hold a grudge against Dream, they didn't even notice when they inadvertently, through their accusations, offered Hope more insight to them than they would have liked.

What Hope saw was a younger sibling of her husband who was unsure of their own position within the family and, overall, really. Desire also being the personification of desire, they themselves wished to be desired. And all they really had was Despair to turn to, to moan to.

And suddenly she felt a little bit sorry for them, being very careful not to let this show in any way. Knowing that millennia of bad blood could not be erased overnight, Hope decided to ask for Dee's opinion in this matter.

It was the last visit she intended to make for some time and the realm where she remained the longest. For when they started talking more and more topics arose, ranging from Dream's rivalry with Desire and her own relationship with Dream.

It was awe-inspiring to not only know, but also notice different aspects of Death performing her duty while Dee gave her a tour of her realm.

Dee preferred to spend her time in her realm based on a modern looking flat, where she had a prided floppy hat collection and two goldfish named Slim and Wandsworth. Like the Dreaming, Dee could shift her realm to suit her needs. And, though her realm was called the Sunless Lands, the name was actually an amalgam for 'whatever comes after', as the deceased didn't actually reside in her realm.

All in all it was a lovely time until Hope felt a sharp tug in her heart while Dee at the same time announced she had to focus on her duty.

"Till next time, my sister," Hope murmured, feeling ecstatically happy it was well within her rights to could call her that now.

"Till next we meet, my sister," Dee replied with a contented smile.

Again it filled her with no little regret that she had never had the pleasure of meeting Destruction. She doubted she ever would. But, who knew? One day…

Upon her return to the Dreaming, the first thing she noticed was the almost ominous quiet in the palace. The gallery was dark, gloomy and draped in shadows.

The weather, from whatever she could glean through the windows, was terrible! She even jumped when a thunderclap threatened to tear apart the sky, dropping the tiny little gift she'd been holding in her hands.

A shadow then detached itself from the wall and Hope stared at it. Was it a dream? A nightmare? She couldn't tell. And, even knowing that nothing could harm her in the Dreaming, the ghost of her heart kicked painfully against her ribs in fear.

A sudden bolt of lightning revealed the features of her husband, right in front of her. He did not look happy.

"You left me," he stated, making it sound like an indictment, something engraved in stone.

"I did not leave you, Dream. You were busy. I visited our family. There's a difference."

Anger briefly kindled in his eyes, until he drew in a long deep breath. The softness she'd come to know and love flowed back, and she hoped it was because he discovered his anger was completely out of proportion. A certain fascinating realisation began to edge its way into her mind. This was how some of his relationships had ended: miscommunication, false expectations and lack of understanding.

Hope placed a hand over his heart and she smiled up at him, feeling the strong projected heartbeat underneath her palm.

There was a long, stretched out moment between them, but finally he did, though very carefully, return her smile.

"I was angry when I first left," she admitted. "I went to see our elder brother and he gave me some valuable insights."

Dream curled his lean fingers around her wrists when she mentioned her anger, almost as if that way he could prevent her from leaving his side.

"I'm not angry any longer. I… understand now. After Destiny, when I returned, you were still busy. I continued my visits."

"You were gone, for over a year," he said, his voice hoarse. "The only two things that kept me from razing the Dreaming, again, was knowing you could not possibly leave me. Not with our Forever Union. And… Destiny sent me word you might be away a while."

"Over a year?" was all she managed.

"Yes." His voice suddenly dropped an entire octave. She did not resist when he pulled her closer, his lips pink in anticipation. He delved his face into her neck, kissing her there.

"There are some things we need to discuss," he told her, his breath fanning hotly against her skin. "For one, you now have a maid."

"A maid?"

"Her name is Nuala. I'll explain later. For now, your husband has need for you."

Drowsy, thoroughly spent, happy as a clam, and more content than he'd ever been in his billions of years of existence (or so Dream most passionately claimed) they twined their limbs and rested after who-even-knew-how-many rounds of lovemaking.

"I think you should have something of me with you," Hope told him. "After all, you expect me to parade around with a mini helm perched on my shoulder like a pirate's parrot."

A lazy smile tugged at his lips. "Did you have something in mind, my wife?"

Hope snorted. "I do. Dee helped me with it. It's wrapped in a small gift. I think I dropped in the gallery."

Dream's gaze turned a little distant for a moment. Hope couldn't help but smile at his hair being in complete disarray. Knowing how it got that way, was oddly gratifying. Then he lifted a hand and in it he held her little gift, sans gift wrapping. He manipulated the tiny little thing so he held it between his thumb and index finger. It was a little white gold charm. In the shape of a crown.

"It thought you might attach it to your bag of sand?" Hope suggested.

The look he gave her was one filled with a myriad of different emotions. Love was the easiest of them to discern.

"I shall carry this with me, always," he promised her.

"Always and forever?"

"Undoubtedly."

"Careful, my husband," Hope murmured, "one might almost accuse you of looking happy."

"If that is so, I must immediately rectify my expression. Because that is exactly what I am, and you should never have cause to doubt it."

For a long, long time, nothing more was said.

At some point, though by now no one remembers its origins, an obscure poem emerged, narrating the love story of Dream of the Endless and Devotion. Because of it, people started calling dreams that inspire to do great things 'crowned dreams', knowing that, with the aid of devotion, it is possible to make a dream come true.

A Dream was captured

not once but twice

The second time found him enraptured

The first time cased his heart in ice.

Her life she yielded

The ice did break

Her heart he shielded

His own did wake

Their love, unsanctioned

was not forgot

A choice she faced

to live or not.

In life was pain and all to lose.

Thus life she did not want to choose.

But Death gave love deep as an ocean

And Dream did crown her as Devotion