Jaden opened her eyes to find herself in a dark world, covered to the brim in black and purple thorns. Wincing slightly, she found she could move her limbs, but she was cold all over. As she stood there desperately trying to warm herself up, (to which she was surprised to find that she was now fully clothed), she could sense that this other world reeked of dark magic, sending a shiver down her spine that had nothing to do with the cold she was feeling, and it was right at this moment she knew she must be dreaming.
The thought of being in the presence of dark magic brought her back to simpler times, a time when the biggest worry she had to face was wither or not a dragon was looming over her head. Give her that worry any day over than potentially losing your medical job.
Back in those times, she would have been repulsed by the stench of such magic, but that was back when she had been closed minded and judgmental of that side of sorcery. Nowadays, she uses such dark magic to heal others at the hospital. To think she used to turn her back on blood magic practices, something she now used on a daily basis to treat her patients.
Not paying much attention to her surroundings, her sudden appearance startled an old man wearing blue and white robes with a matching pointy hat, who was inspecting a house not far along that was covered in the same black and purple that matched the rest of the village.
"What's this? Are my spectacles enchanted or might you actually be real?" The old man exclaimed; his attention entirely focused on the woman before him.
Jaden shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, are you?"
"Hmm, that's quite an existential question. I'll have to ponder it later. I'm afraid you'll have to excuse me, I haven't met anyone in ages… ahem… welcome to Dreamlight Valley, my friend!" The old man gestured with a friendly tone, his arms waving around the village behind them.
Jaden took in her surroundings, turning her head in multiple different directions. "Dreamlight Valley? This place is…awfully mysterious. I feel like I could explore this place forever and still not find all its secrets! Doesn't mean I won't try my damn hardest." She muttered that last part to herself, hoping this old man in front of her didn't catch.
The old man was slightly perplexed as to how this woman standing in front of him could say such a thing (despite it being true), considering she's only been standing in the same place and hasn't even moved from her spot throughout the entire exchange.
But nevertheless, the old man replied, "Yes, the valley is full of mysteries. But there was a time when it was also filled with magic and wonder. Oh, but I haven't introduced myself yet! You're no doubt wondering who I am." He smiled at her.
Jaden couldn't help but chuckle. "You're a very odd old man." She said, though she couldn't help but feel like she had seen this man before, something that at first piked her curiosity when she first laid eyes on him was now starting to annoy her.
The old man glared at her. "Odd old man!? Why? I…I'm Merlin, I'll have you know I'm a wizard! A very, very powerful wizard." He said rather proudly. "I'm a soothsayer! A prognosticator! I have the power to see into the future. And, I'm also quite skilled at alchemy and prestidigitation! Now, that that's settled, there's the small matter of who you are…" Merlin trailed off after his rather amusing rambling.
Slightly taken aback by such big words coming from such an old man, that she also wasn't sure she quite understood what said old man was saying, Jaden still nodded her head in solidarity as she pretended to understand what was being said.
So, brushing herself down and standing up straight, she replied, "Me? I'm Jaden."
Merlin looked her once over, circling her as if examining a test subject. "Jaden hmm? Well, the only way to get to Dreamlight Valley is to pass through dreams…so you must also possess great magic. Otherwise, how could you be here?" He questioned, slightly confused.
Right, so this basically confirms that I am in fact dreaming. Jaden thought. She smirked at Merlin's earlier remark. "Better watch out, Merlin. I'm pretty good at magic myself!" Jaden said with such confidence she was bursting with pride, like a little kid who made a great achievement in front of their parents.
Much to her enjoyment, Merlin seemed pleased by this fact. "Ah-ah! I knew it! In fact, I'm quite certain that you're the one we've been waiting for. You're going to save Dreamlight Valley!" The wizard proclaimed.
Wait, hold on. Jaden thought with rapid dismay. She thought for a moment as she took in her surroundings once more. How long has it been since she had to save another world or a village? She thought she had left that life behind her when she moved to America to start a new life, (or at least part of the reason, she tried to tell herself). But, the more she thought about it, did she have any other choice if she wanted to leave this place and get back to her life with her husband, kids, and failing job? It didn't seem so, unless she found some other way to wake herself up from this gloomy place. Nope, she would have to play the hero again, and save everyone. As if the first few times weren't already exhausting before.
I guess we're doing this…again. She inwardly sighed with defeat.
"What's in it for me then?" She asked the old man, turning to him as she pretended to make up her mind.
Merlin seemed to consider for a few seconds before replying. "Why, all the joys of Dreamlight Valley of course. If we're to restore the valley to what it was… a place of magic, of wonder, of friendship… we need to stop the Forgetting, once and for all. We must… we must…!" Merlin seemed to stumble over his words as he forgot what he was talking about.
Strange. Thought Jaden.
Finally, Merlin managed to somewhat recover from his bout of memory loss. "I'm…sorry. I can't seem to remember what we were talking about." He sounded devastated by that fact, Jaden noted.
"Must be old age getting to you," Jaden tried to lighten the awkward situation, "the Forgetting? Ring any damn bells in that thick skull of yours?" She raised her eyebrows at the wizard, hoping to get him back on track.
Merlin shook his head. "You'll have to forgive me, but now you can see where it gets its name. All right, listen closely and I'll tell you the tale... before I forget again!" He laughed nervously before sitting down on a nearby tree stump, dusting over his robes to get comfortable. "Dreamlight Valley used to be a cheerful place full of happy villagers. Life was flourishing thanks to our ruler's magic. Until one day our ruler left without a trace... and the Forgetting came. Our memories began to fade, and Dreamlight became a shadow of its former self... we did our best to preserve the memories of the life that had been, and as I can see into the future, I know that someday, someone would come to help restore the valley." He blew out a breath as if telling the story exhausted him.
Jaden stood in silence for several moments before coming to a conclusion. "What can you tell me about this missing ruler? Anything I should know?"
"Well now, all this wonder, magic and friendship in this valley came from our ruler. They watched over the village, and kept us safe from dark magic. But one day, they started to act... different. Though I can scarcely remember it now. And then, our ruler simply... vanished. it's been... years, I think... I've lost all track of time because of the Forgetting."
Jaden started to pace back and forth. It helped her think in tough situations such as these she found over the years of dealing with everyone else's problems. "So, your ruler just up and left? Doesn't sound like a great ruler to me." Jaden said with disbelief. "A good ruler would take good care of the village and its people, not just up and leave you like that."
With a pang of longing, Jaden was reminded of her good friend Alister Theirin, the King of Ferelden. It had been many years since Jaden had last seen him, or any of her friends from that time period, that she only just realised until right at this moment how much she missed them all.
Pushing her grief aside, she focused on the point at hand waiting for Merlin's reply.
"Oh, our ruler was kind and very noble. There must have been quite a good reason for why they left. Though, I can't remember what it was…" The wizard trailed off, lost in possibilities.
Jaden straightened up. "You keep telling yourself that, whatever helps you sleep at night old man. So, what's this Forgetting bullshit?"
Merlin whacked Jaden on the head with his long stick that Jaden only just noticed he had with him, rubbing her head from her force of the hit she received. "None of that language here, young lady! Now, let me see… well, when our ruler left, the sky turned dark. Then these horrid Night Thorns infested the village, spreading everywhere like a bad thought. The more Night Thorns appeared, the more clouded our memories became. Why, sometimes I can't remember the faces of all the friends I've lost... or the names of all the spells I've forgotten..."
Jaden felt a pang of sympathy for the old man. Are you certain it's the Night Thorns and not your old age. She thought with dripping sarcasm, choosing not to voice that opinion. Instead, she decided on a more helpful approach. "Maybe if we destroy the Night Thorns, your friends might come back." She suggested.
Merlin rubbed his thick, bushy white beard in contemplation, considering the suggestion. "Destroy the thorns you say...hmm... now there's an interesting thought..."
Jaden was practically bouncing on her feet with excitement. "I'm ready as I'll ever be to help restore this valley."
Merlin gazed at Jaden, taking in her eagerness to help. "Well, there's only one way to be absolutely certain you're the one destined to save Dreamlight Valley from the Forgetting. It'll be a small test of your magic..." he paused slightly for emphasis, "you see, ever since the Forgetting, I've been puzzled about this house blocked by Night Thorns. Come along. We'll investigate it together."
Merlin led Jaden to a small house situated just behind them, with Jaden falling into step behind the wizard, letting him guide her. Jaden's eyes travelled over the cursed, knotted Night Thorns, covering the house entirely with its dark magic.
Merlin looked over at the neglected house sadly, his expression forlorn, to which Jaden couldn't help but feel sorry for him. "I've consulted my notes and discovered that Night Thorns began infesting Dreamlight Valley soon after our ruler disappeared." Merlin said. "No one, not even I, can remove the blasted things. Only someone who can harness the magic of Dreamlight will be able to. And I'm certain that someone is you, Jaden."
Jaden took a step closer to the house, examining one of the thinner branches of thistles and thorns. "These are just weeds right?" Jaden asked with apparent disbelief. Why is everybody so concerned about a bit of overgrown plants? She did an inward, cocky laugh at the task laid out in front of her. This shouldn't be too difficult. I'll show this old man what real magic looks like!
Jaden closed her eyes and concentrated all of her focus and energy into summoning the fire spell. The sound of the light crackling fire in front of her and the sensation of heat beginning to drift from her fingertips and into the air around her was both a comforting and familiar feeling to the mage. However, any confidence that Jaden had went catapulting right back at her, knocking her pride down a peg as the fire spell she cast on the thorns bounced right back at her, burning her upper left arm in the process. "Argh! Bollocks! What the hell?"
Merlin sighed drearily. "Jaden, you must focus your thoughts and energy on the Night Thorns..."
Jaden shook herself mentally, moving her arm away from the nasty looking burn. "That sounds too easy." She quips back.
"Perhaps it is... perhaps it's the hardest thing you've ever done. Only one way to find out. Feel the magic within yourself and say the magic word."
Jaden raised a brow, but chose to play along with the old man's method. Heaving a heavy, exhausted sigh, she closed her eyes, and with a wave of her hands, tried to think back to how she had seen those fictional wizards and mages on a few of her children's terrible movies. "Abracadabra!" Jaden exclaimed with a mixture of annoyance and positivity in her voice.
There is no way this is going to work. The mage thought with scepticism.
However, when Jaden opened her eyes again much to her shock, the thorns had indeed disappeared, clearing the way to the house.
That actually worked... She thought with incredulity.
Merlin let out a throaty chuckle, his skinny body shuddering with pride. "Ah-ha! You've done it! Bravo! Jaden, this proves you can harness the power of Dreamlight magic! Well, then there's no time to lose. Let's go inside and see what's become of the house, shall we?"
Merlin pushed in front of Jaden to open the front door, with Jaden following close behind.
One look at Jaden's surroundings told her all she needed to know about the place, judging that it had certainly seen its better days. She identified pieces of broken furniture strewn all across the floor, the ground felt grubby and dirty underfoot, and there wasn't a single place within the house itself that wasn't coated in dust, cobwebs and even more Night Thorns. The house was a complete and utter mess, and judging by the distraught look upon Merlin's disappointed face, he too had thought the same about the state of the place.
Needing to relieve some of the tension that had started building up inside her body, Jaden instinctively reached out to grab a pack of cigarettes tucked in her jeans back pocket, only to remember at the last second that she was in a dream, meaning the pack of cancer sticks had probably not made the transfer over to this fantastical dreamworld. But, as if her prayers had been answered, she was pleasantly surprised to be proven wrong, as she felt her hand grasp the carboard packet in her hand.
Guess I can rely on this dreamworld to have my back when I need a smoke. Jaden smirked to herself as she lifted the packet out and found a lighter in her other pocket, and with slightly shaking hands, lit the cigarette and inhaled the smoke into her lungs, only for Jaden to find that the cigarette didn't bring her usual comfort.
Merlin approached her closer as Jaden exhaled, the cigarette smoke twisting towards the ceiling in sluggish waves. "Oh dear! The Night Thorns have made their way inside the house too. That's strange…suddenly I don't remember why we came in here…" The wizard trailed off, hastily looking around him to try and determine the cause for their visit.
Jaden narrowed her eyes. "Are you okay?" She asked him, holding out the packet to the old man, offering him one of the cigarettes, only for Merlin to give her a stern look of disapproval, shaking his head.
"Suit yourself." Jaden said as she tucked the packet back into her pocket.
Merlin turned around to face Jaden. "It's the Night Thorns! Being near so many of them, clouds the mind. You must remove them before they consume more memories! Focus your magic once again, Jaden." Merlin said almost desperately, an almost wild, manic look in his eyes that screamed panic.
With a sigh, Jaden tossed her cigarette onto the floor and crushed it underneath her boot. Such a waste. She mentally scolded herself.
Jaden made quick work of the remaining thorns, and within ten short minutes, they wasn't a trace left of them within the house. The last thorn she destroyed even left her a parting gift; a small glowing orb, that held a picture of what the village previously looked like before the travesty of the Forgetting, and much to Jaden's confusion, what she thought was made to look like Mickey Mouse's butt right in the middle of the photograph, which made Jaden scoff slightly.
Jaden was able to recognise the infamous mouse almost immediately. She had after all, seen the bugger one too many times from her children's many Disney movies.
It was then right at this moment that Jaden's mind cracked like an egg. Like an imaginary light switch had been flicked on inside her brain, realisation came crashing into Jaden like a tidal wave. Her gaze shifted over to the old man dressed in blue robes standing just a few feet away from her, as she finally realised why Merlin seemed so familiar to her. She was in a dream…she knew that from the moment she had awoken in this strange place. But now, as if the sight of the infuriating cartoon mouse's butt had confirmed it all for her, Jaden knew exactly what type of dream this really was.
You have got to be shitting me…I really must be dreaming.
Without any further comment, Jaden hastily turned behind her to face the stone fireplace, where the centre of her head met the sharp corner with a deafening smash, hoping against hope that the blow would kill her.
Although it seemed the universe was not to be kind to her today, as she sadly dropped to the floor, very much still alive, save for the agonising pain that she was now currently in. Jaden let out a long, low groan as she crawled herself into a ball, touching her forehead with her fingertips and sighed when she saw the inevitable blood on her fingers.
Merlin shook his head at the sight, quite unsure of how to make of this situation. He was rather taken aback from the woman's rather outrageous antics. But to Jaden's astonishment amidst all her pain, the wizard didn't really seem too bothered by her sudden outburst.
"Well, that was rather…" Merlin trailed off, unsure how to finish that statement.
Jaden managed to push herself up from the floor, swaying on her feet slightly as she felt suddenly lightheaded, but succeeded to stay on her feet for now. "Don't even finish that sentence old man." She groaned.
"I do wish you would stop calling me that." Merlin said with disapproval, but then nodded his head towards the glowing orb that was still held in Jaden's hand. "That glowing orb you pulled from the night thorn, it's like a fog has been lifted, and I can recall something of great importance…Mickey Mouse and I were at the Dream Castle…and we left something there…something important…" Merlin's voice was low as he desperately tried to grasp onto the conjured memories he had been searching for.
Jaden tilted her head in curiosity. "What is it?" She encouraged the wizard.
Merlin slapped his own forehead in frustration. "Oh dear, I can't remember! We'll just have to go see for ourselves. But wait!" he exclaimed, "there's something else returning to me…when our ruler left, the royal tools were lost, scattered throughout the valley. We must find them quickly; they're filled with ancient and powerful magic."
Jaden raised a brow, intrigued by the prospect. ""The royal tools? If I can find those, then maybe I could... learn some more powerful magic." Jaden's voice was filled with hope.
Merlin shrugged. ""Perhaps. But remember; magic is only as pure as the heart that wields it."
Jaden rolled her eyes in annoyance, already feeling sick and tired about all the lectures of magic, and she had only known this man for less than half an hour. It was something she had shoved down her throat all of her life, and now she had this old geezer telling her what she already knows. "Please, don't make me sick old man. But I'll keep your advice in mind, though I don't think I need a lecture coming from you. I've heard it all." She said, trying to keep her voice level and calm.
Merlin gave her a knowing look, as if he had heard of this before, but continued on anyway. ""First, we must obtain the pickaxe. When the Forgetting came and our ruler left, we found the pickaxe driven into a blighted stone in the plaza," he explained, "Though it's all a bit of a muddle. I'm afraid. no one's been able to lift the pickaxe from the stone, but then no one was you, Jaden. And, after all it wouldn't be the first time someone pulled something from a stone and became a hero of legend." Merlin grinned.
Jaden had to resist the urge to roll her eyes again. "Ah yes, because I want to become a hero of legend... again... Maker, I hate my life... so pull the pickaxe from the stone in the plaza. Got it. Anything else I should know?" She questioned.
"You must also find the other three royal tools: the shovel, the watering can and the fishing rod. You'll need them for what's to come. That is... if you've staying here with us." Merlin left the question hanging in the air, curious to see how Jaden would reply to that.
With a drawn out breath, Jaden raised her eyes to the ceiling. "I'll stay for now, I guess. Maker knows how long I'll be able to stay here without losing my sanity though." She said lowly, wondering what Merlin would make of that.
Merlin had to suppress the need to chuckle. This woman was a strange one, he thought. "It seems to me you may already have. But, if you are going to stay here, then you'll still need a safe place to eat, sleep and keep your energy up. Even if it's only temporary so consider this house your home."
Jaden glanced around the shabby house. It appeared to her as a bit on the small side, and not to mention a total mess, but she could work with that. She had to consider that despite all its flaws, this accommodation was a lot better than what she had during the blight that seemed almost a lifetime ago. At least the house had a roof, and it was given to her for free.
"It's a bit of a mess." She remarked to the wizard.
Merlin scoffed playfully. ""Ah, but it wasn't always so. In fact, I seem to remember that the ruler of Dreamlight Valley had a house like this once. Perhaps you'll do as much good for the valley as our ruler did!" He stated rather proudly. "In fact, here's a little something to get you started." Merlin placed a bag onto the chair beside him. "If you feel like you need a boost of energy, there's something in there that will fill you right up. Now then, I'll be at the Dream Castle. You can find me there when you're ready."
Merlin turned to leave Jaden in peace to get her settled into her new place alone, but then reconsidered as he paused in the doorway to glance back up into her eyes. "Now, try not to do anything more stupid." He told her, as if it needed to be said to a misbehaving child, to which he saw Jaden replied to this by shaking her head.
"Whatever you say old man." Was the last thing Merlin heard from the woman before she proceeded to smash her head against the stone fireplace again, only unlike her previous failed attempt, had managed to lose consciousness, passing out onto the dirty, hard floor with a flop.
Merlin shook his head and sighed as he left the house, shutting the door behind him. Perhaps it was best to just leave her alone for the time being to get her bearings. She obviously still needed some time to adjust to all this madness, it mustn't have been easy for her, he marvelled.
As he started up the short path away from what was to be now Jaden's house, he told himself to check up on her later. Before she woke up, he would bring some ointment and bandages for the burns she had suffered from her earlier magic casting, and perhaps some pain medication for her now, bruised head.
If he was going to use her to help him with their Forgetting and Night Thorn problem, then he was going to need her in perfect physical health.
Yes, she was a strange one after all.
