No nightmares took hold of me during sleep this time. I was relieved, but other matters kept me apprehensive, formed as that same stone above my chest.
Bonbon didn't wake me up the next morning.
Forgotten to close the curtains, the natural morning sunlight leaked into my bedroom, urging my eyelids to lift when I could no longer sleep. The same birds chirped, the same floral smell intoxicating the air around the bed. I laid there like a starfish for a while, gazing at nothing in particular, thinking.
Bonbon was upset with me; that was for certain. Whenever we fell into a disagreement, she took time away, giving us space to recollect our thoughts, and then, hopefully, we would come back together, missing each other.
I knew what I had to do.
I narrowed my eyes, determined to tell father about my dream.
With haste, I climbed out of bed and got ready: washed my face with the basin, combed my hair, and slipped into a long yellow dress with puffy short sleeves. I let my hair fall loosely, too hurried to fuss over it, and smacked the idiotic crown atop my head. With slippers on, I opened one of the doors and paused at what I discovered out in the hall.
A silver cart settled next to my door with a teapot, stacked plates of morning treats, and a folded note atop an empty plate.
Right away, I knew who brought me my breakfast and note, but I took the note into my hand carefully anyway and took a deep breath.
I unfolded the note.
Camille, breakfast for you. - BB
I wasn't all that surprised at how little was written, and yet I was still disappointed.
The paper curled in my hand loudly until I could squeeze it into a ball and pressed my teeth together.
"Your Majesty, your daughter and royal highness, Princess Camille!" Announced a guard before bowing. I poked my head through one of the doors and entered the Throne Hall with haste, tapping across the floor quicker than usual.
"Father!" I began, the long train of my dress in my hands, but when I actually looked up, I stopped short.
Unexpectedly, my eyes locked with Vince's, his look solemn and quiet when he stared at me over his shoulder. I blinked, unaware that I was interrupting a discussion that he and father were having.
Vince turned around, his attention back to Father. The King was sitting in his throne with troubling eyes at me before falling back to my friend. He ran his hand over his beard, stroking its hair down nervously while his other hand tapped at the arm of his throne with a nervous rhythm.
"If you are certain you want to go, then I won't stop you from reaching your father," Morpheus was saying. He pressed his pale lips together and added, "Are you sure I shouldn't accompany you, Vince? I'd hate to lose you on top of Captain Leroy. If we lost you both and my men, then we will be vulnerable."
I stepped closer, watching Vince lift his cold eyes up at his king.
"I am certain. If you go, then it leaves the palace defenseless. That could be what Nightmare Land wants," he told King Morpheus.
My heart strongly pounded when I scanned Vince's uniform. He was wearing the silver swan armor over his left shoulder; its wings spread out as though to protect half his arm. The same sigil was carved into his silver chest plate, a solid sheet just over boiled leather and cotton. Leather gloves with silver gauntlets, and leather boots, the whole outfit topped with a light blue cape. I didn't even notice what I was doing when I began to rub at my sternum. Father was talking, but I couldn't hear him. All the noise had drowned out.
Vince was wearing his active-duty garments.
"Vince, where are you going?" I interrupted, breaking father's sentence.
He didn't turn around when he replied, "I'm going after my father. I've just received an urgent message from one of his hawks."
I bit my lower lip and dared to ask, "What did he say?"
Father glared down at me. "Camille, that's none of your business," he grumbled.
Vince's eyes flashed up at Morpheus, his expression unchanged, and then he finally looked at me, turning his head. He quickly looked me up and down and then grimaced like he was holding back unkind words.
"I best be off. I…" he closed his lips, body pulsing with suppressed rage, and sharply looked away, his body aimed towards the doors across the room.
"I didn't want to say goodbye to you like this, Camille," he grumbled, looking at those doors instead of at me. With that, he began to leave, his boots almost to the point of stomping.
I was beginning to rush to him, not ready to have him leave. Please don't let me lose Vince as well…
"Vince!" I called, reaching for him, but Father's words halt me. Vince paused, almost to the doors.
"Camille, leave him be. He must do what he's supposed to do. Now, you and I have some matters to discuss."
Like dead weight, my hand flopped on my dress, and I turned around towards Father's throne. I couldn't help it, though, I snuck one more glance and found Vince giving me a look I've never seen him display in all of our nine years together.
He looked hurt. The emotion shot through me like he shot an arrow in my chest. I didn't know Vince could display any emotions besides his usual flat affect. His dark eyes had a hint of buried feelings other than impassivity, a tiny light that flickered before going out again. Even when he was long gone, I stood there, still processing the painful blow while his expression lingered in my thoughts.
The door had been closed to give privacy, but I didn't notice it. I pictured that arrow of Vince's stare piercing my chest, and then I bleed, dripping into dark red puddles around my feet. Each puddle would be a memory of our childhood together: Our first meet. Vince climbing rope up my balcony for an evening of chatter and venting. Vince blocking my attacks as he taught me how to handle a sword. Our goblin hunts were probably like picnics to him, just a hike up a piece of Nightmare Land and taking down a few loiterers.
I opened my lips like I was crying, gasping, but the tears stayed hidden, afraid to show themselves to Father. My fists tightened, hidden in the skirt of my dress, as I clutched to its silk fabric with furious effort.
Let me go with him.
Gears shifted in my head, changing the direction of my thoughts before Father interrupted, "I know you two are good friends, but Vince will be back. I'm sure of it."
I knew Father's false smile anywhere, and I scowled at it.
"Let me go with him!" I demanded fiercely with a swerve of my head to look directly at him with my most threatening stare.
Father's leather sandals smacked on the floor as he rose suddenly.
"Absolutely not! Out of the question! You shouldn't even be at the military grounds anymore! I thought I told you to stay away from there!"
He held his scepter tight in his grip, its orb displaying displeasing colors as though shifting to Father's mood.
I mentally reeled back, not wanting to see the sky red again or shake the castle with such power.
Instead of shouting, I glared up at Father and told him strongly, "So what if I am over there? What's wrong with releasing my anger with swords and fighting? Are you going to punish me now?"
Father pointed the ball of his scepter right at me, its weight to him probably that of a pen as he held it like he wanted to unfurl a chain of magic in my direction.
"You are grounded!"
I stomped my foot down.
"Is that something that should be disciplined to a Princess right before she becomes Queen?" I threw.
"As long as you are still not queen, it is something I can still rightfully do to you, both as king and as your father!" He roared.
The scepter's color shifted into a dark purple with red cracks pulsing in it.
I glowered up at him, suddenly feeling tiny like a child, and let out a long sigh through my nose.
"Fine. How long?" I asked, not really wanting to know but may as well hear it anyway.
"Till your birthday," he put bluntly.
"What?!" I squeaked. My legs began to feel like rubber, and I almost fell to the floor, but I held my ground unsteadily, almost dizzy.
Father relaxed his scepter, letting it travel with him like a staff as he walked slowly over the red runner, his eyes down to it like he wanted to count the threads.
"I should've done this sooner, but there needs to be an escort with you at all times. Two guards behind your door. You are not to leave your room unless scheduled to do so for your classes, meals, or seeing me. When you do leave for the appropriate times, it's with one of my choosing escorts. Bonbon won't count!"
I didn't think Bonbon wanted to be my escort anytime soon anyway. The thought dragged me down, but I let my anger keep me afloat, ready to splash with kicks and screams.
My face felt hot, my cheeks probably red with fury, but I took a deep breath to suppress the feelings down.
"Fine then," I muttered, quieter than I had foreseen. My grounding wasn't as important as other matters.
Quickly, before Father was to go off about something else, I gave him a serious look and began with, "Father, there's something I need to tell you that's important. I had a nightmare."
The sentence dropped like an anchor, Morpheus frozen in a state with wide eyes on me, uncertain. I'd never seen the man so fearful before; his white caterpillar eyebrows arched up with worry as he stuttered, "Are you certain? Is this true, Camille?"
I held my ground and nodded, rubbing at my sternum again, knuckles over the high neck of my dress till they stained yellow from the dyed fabric.
"I'm positive. And it was a nightmare about Mother!"
Father slammed the rounded end of his scepter's staff so hard on the marble, cracks circulated around it. The noise fractured into the air with its ear-piercing sound, causing the floor-to-ceiling windows to tremble. The diamond ornaments dangling on the main chandelier shook like wind chimes, creating soft music above us.
My body stiffened, unable to move. Even my lungs came to a halt, afraid to breathe as I just stared at father with disbelief.
He put his large hand across his face to conceal what he might've felt when thoughts of Mother crossed his mind.
"No…" he whispered. Was it to me or to himself? I watched Father shudder, and then he took in a deep breath to calm himself before dragging his hand off. Distant eyes dropped to me, and I knew I've lost him. His white mustache shook from his rattled breathing through his nose.
"How long?" he asked, tone deadly serious. He suddenly appeared older and weaker. Something in him was broken, resurfacing behind his eyes, a glossy look taking hold.
I thought I couldn't shrink any smaller, but I did as I hugged myself tightly, lips quivering over how I might've made him feel.
"Just yesterday," I answered quietly.
Father raised his chest up to the glass dome, his free hand playing with his beard again, thinking hard to himself.
"That's fine then. Ignore it. Nothing to worry about," he muttered.
I gasped, mouth dropping as he sat back down on his throne with a long sigh of being done here. After more deep breaths, the broken man slowly disappeared, and he was Father again.
"But," I slapped my hands across my dress. "But what if it means there are scouts in our lands? What if it means-"
"Camille, I haven't been getting nightmares, so it means the Kingdom is safe. You are probably just having some uncomfortable dreams. But they certainly couldn't be nightmares. It's impossible to have them unless I was experiencing them too."
I wanted to scream. He was gaslighting me. I know what a nightmare is, and I wasn't going to act like it was nothing. Was Father brushing it aside because he was afraid?
The anger I was trying so hard to suppress began to boil over, seeping through the cracks like hot steam. I stomped my foot on the marble, tears battling my eyes till they won, dripping down to meet with my feet.
"You're such a coward! Ever since you lost Mother, all you've been doing is sitting here like a pathetic weakling! You used to be so powerful, but now all you want to do is run, leaving me behind! I've already lost Mother! I will soon lose you, and now I will probably lose Vince!" I screamed.
I twirled away and ran, leaving behind a mist of tears.
Father didn't stop me as I wept, running to the doors, struggling to open one of them with shaky hands.
I passed puzzled guards, leaving them to gawk over my face while I ran back to my bed chambers.
I preferred not to lose any more people I cared about.
The thought dwelled as I quietly sobbed the whole way back up the stairs and into the corridors. With speed, I pushed past the breakfast cart and burst through the doors. I wanted to dive right back into bed, but stopped myself, my cheeks soaked as I craned my head towards one of my large white leather trunks with gold trim.
"I hope I'm not too late," I gasped under my breath and lunged for my dresser to take out a key from one of its drawers. With the key, I opened my trunk, and flipped up its heavy lid, revealing a pile of stuffed animals. Goofy smiling faces from plush rabbits, stars, and other adorable creatures stared up at my red, puffy eyes, almost mockingly. I grumbled and threw them all aside, tossing some of them across the room as strongly as I could while others toppled over the floor. It was just a protective layer, a disguise in case Bonbon got the chest open during one of her cleaning duties. Underneath all the fluff was what I was truly after. My wet eyes sparkled with courage as I laid them across the folded pile of my own boiled leather armor and chainmail. I sniffed up old tears and rubbed my arm across my eyes to wipe the leftovers before getting ready.
I slipped on the last piece of my armor, a gold gauntlet over the extension of my leather glove on my right arm. My left arm was all gold armor, from wrist to elbow, my defense arm. I hadn't worn my expedition armor in almost half a year. The last war evaporated all the border patrols and goblin hunts; the raids turned into battles instead, leaving me stuck in the palace while Mother and Father fought the last strings of battles before it was all over…
I wish I had something of Mother, a trinket, a ring, a piece of armor, anything. But I had nothing from her like she never existed except in my memories. I could only hope I looked just like her as I watched my reflection in my vanity's mirror, seeing a stern-looking young woman covered in leather armor with bits of gold pieces. Like Vince, I, too, had swan wings over my left shoulder, dressed in gold, and two small golden wings on the back of my core plate. The weight of it all made me feel twenty pounds heavier. I struggled to walk smoothly, the six months away from the attire feeling far too long.
I did a few practice jogs around the room, getting my blood pumping, and then hesitated.
Maybe this wasn't a good idea.
Like it beaconed me to come to look, a translucent soft curtain fluttered towards me, revealing glimpses of the balcony in the late morning. Slowly, I walked my leather boots across the carpet and stepped out into a heavy breeze. The sky was changing when I analyzed it, my leather gloves to the railing. Dark clouds moved quickly in monstrous forms, like moving mountains around the palace, threatening rainfall. Something about the air felt unsettling, and I wondered if Slumberland's forecast reflected Father's mood. I'd seen storm clouds before on his troubling days as of late, but I thought that was only a coincidence. If that were truly the case, then Father was a lot more troubled than I thought. Below, the rows of trimmed trees shook together, forcing birds to hide in trunks or in their nests. Flowers in the gardens bowed their heads deeply as though hiding from the upcoming rainfall.
I searched under the dark grey bulging clouds in the direction of the Royal Guard, awaiting a ship to rise. Maybe Vince had already left? I could barely make out the flags of a tall main mast of such a ship, so very far away behind tall white walls, but it was there.
"Good," I told myself, the hesitation gone. I hurried to my double doors and slowed my movements to that of tiptoeing.
Would there be guards outside my door now?
I took one of the knobs and turned it slowly. With caution, I pulled open the door and poked my head out to see, indeed, two men standing tall outside my room, the double doors between them. They stood with uniforms like marching band members, but swords glistened at their hips, hats high, and faces neutral.
I grumbled to myself and cleared my throat.
"Guards, will you two fetch me someone? It's urgent!"
One of them turned his head, face serious, and pointed his long nose at me.
"Only one of us may leave at a time, Princess, under King Morpheus's orders. I shall go. Who do you need me to bring?" he asked, voice squeaky in contrast to his bulky body. I kept myself fairly hidden behind the door and spoke through its open crack, "I request that you bring Bonbon. I need to see her. And tell her it's urgent!"
"Yes, Princess!"
I closed the door and locked it to ensure neither of the guards would open it and barge in to see me dressed in armor. I didn't want them to have the slightest idea what I was up to.
The waiting was agonizing. I walked back and forth across the room as I shoved things into a bag, counting down the minutes, glancing out at the balcony in anticipation of Vince's ship to be ascending without me.
Seconds felt like minutes. I sat on the edge of my bed, arms crossed, and practically burned a hole through the doors when I just stared at them, anxious for them to knock at any moment.
Finally, a knock did come.
I jumped to my feet and quickly went to them, my ear to the door as a voice muffled, "Princess, we have Bonbon here for you."
I straightened and unlocked the doors, hiding behind one of them as I opened it until I could hear Bonbon's incredible voice while she trotted in.
"This better be good! I'm not confident if I'm even ready to speak to you yet, and-"
I lost track of her words flying hundreds of miles an hour as I closed the door behind us and locked it again. I smiled at her back to me, watching her with her arms crossed, head held high, and eyes closed like she refused to see me. But I was already more than happy to see her. I smiled at her long hair in a loose ponytail today, and her uniform was white pantyhose with pink polka dots and a lavender skirt with a pink v-neck top. Her bare arms tightened in their hold as she continued on, "How can I avoid you if I can't even refuse a royal request?!"
I kept moving around her, packing up my shoulder bag with the necessities, cloth, vials of potions, candies, and clean underwear.
Bonbon finally lowered her nose from the ceiling, and she opened her eyes, watching me frantically collect each item into my sack while her frustrated words faded off. They were replaced with panic.
"Camille? What's going on? What are you doing?!"
I snatched a compass from my dresser and stuffed it into my bag, its cloth handle across my chest.
"I know you are still mad at me, but I just.." I sucked in a breath while picking up a brush and putting that in my sack too. "I just couldn't leave without telling you."
I finally stopped to look at her, and her pink eye shadowed eyes widened, mouth open in a long, dragged gasp.
"Camille…" Bonbon walked towards me and settled her firm hands on my armored shoulders, looking down on me with fear leaking tears from her eyes.
"What's going on? Where are you going?"
I placed my hand above hers and squeezed, looking up into her eyes to notice they glistened like glittering honey.
"I'm going to sneak on Vince's ship. I won't lose him, Bonbon. He may never come back!"
Her hold tightened when she replied, "And you sneaking aboard his ship will help his odds because…?"
I took a step back, pushing aside her logical way of thinking, and simply shook my head at her.
"I can't stand the idea of him being far away, not without knowing he's safe. I just, I…." I paused.
I haven't quite refined my thoughts on what I was doing, acting instead of thinking, but it made me feel better, whatever the reason for this crazy plan. Do now. Think later. That always helped me from becoming a statue, frozen with overthinking and doing nothing.
My hands cupped around my heavy chest.
"I want to do this. I've been wanting to do this for a long time. I-" Bonbon put a clean finger to my lips to stop me, her honeyed eyes growing large.
"I know… I get it, but Camille, this isn't right. Vince won't allow this, and neither will I."
I turned away from her lovely hand and rushed to pick up a silver whistle on top of my nightstand.
"I expected as much. But you just needed to know. And if anybody asks, you can tell them all I don't feel well. Tell them I'm sick," I went on and gripped the whistle tightly, putting it towards my chest like a secret weapon to be savored.
I then turned my attention to the windows and gasped.
A large form of a ship was making its way through the clouds.
"I need to go!" I gasped, charging out onto the balcony.
"Camille, this is nuts! What makes you think I will not tell King Morpheus right away?!"
I stopped at the carved stone railing, feeling the bits of rain ticking my cheeks. The large floating ship expanded its white sails, the flags fluttering violently to the wind, perhaps ten yards away. I looked over my shoulder at Bonbon and said, "Because it will be too late."
With that, I took the whistle to my lips and blew. It was a sound that could barely be heard with our ears, faint, but it traveled across the expanse of the land for miles, only meant to be heard by one particular companion.
I tossed the whistle to Bonbon, and she caught it in her hands with a gasp. When I finally got to pause to look at her, she suddenly appeared small and frightened, more raindrops falling on her. I softened a little and said, "I'm sorry I made you upset. If it makes you feel any better, I told Father about my disturbing dream."
The winds tossed Bonbon's hair back, loose strands falling into her eyes, but she paid no heed; her attention stuck on me while she sucked in a breath. Her hands curled tight around my whistle.
"What did he say?" she asked.
"He said-" A loud squawk interrupted my words, and I turned to it to find my dear swan companion, Fenella, gliding down to meet me at the balcony. She landed gently square on the balcony floor, her wings tucked inside carefully, and her little beady black eyes sparkled at me.
I hopped into position on the saddle over Fenella's white back, and I rubbed at her neck, ruffling her feathers.
"He disregarded it. Thought it nonsense," I grunted. I darted my eyes up back to the floating ship and saw it disappearing completely into the dark clouds.
Curses. I needed to hurry.
I whispered in Fenella's ears to follow that ship. The swan nodded her elegant head and shuffled her feet around to hop onto the railing, wings expanding.
"Camille, wait!" Bonbon gasped, gripping her tall hat to stay on her head. I looked over my shoulder to see tears fall down her dark cheeks, her mascara smudging over her creamy blush, with rain only spreading it down to her chin, but for once, she neglected it.
"I'm sorry I was mad at you!" It is what she said, but I heard something different, something more meaningful and heartfelt.
I love you.
My heart thumped as I felt Fenella flap her wings, head extended with her beak aiming for the clouds where the ship disappeared into.
"That's okay. I forgive you. I love you!" I cried, and then Fenella leaped off the balcony. With grace, the swan spread out her wings, and with my stomach doing a quick flip, we fell a bit before making momentum. With large mighty wings, Fenella took us up, higher and higher, quick to the clouds to stay hidden from view.
I had to turn around at least one last time before sinking into the unknown, just in case. I twisted my body around, one hand to Fenella's neck and the other gripping the saddle so that I could look down, watching the balcony shrink away with Bonbon's tiny dot form.
"I love you!" her voice echoed until it faded behind me, unable to keep up.
The palace quickly grew smaller and smaller. Eventually, all I could see were dark clouds.
I hated going into clouds; it was nerve-wracking, unable to see what was right in front of me. But Fenella had instincts and kept flying like she knew where she was going. I closed my eyes, the mysteries of the clouds puffing into my face like wisps forms of giants trying to shove me off. I held on to Fenella tightly, both arms wrapped around her neck, and buried my face into her feathers, smelling lake water and roses.
"Maybe this was a bad idea!" I yelled at her.
Fenella didn't talk back, but I could tell her things, which calmed my nerves only a little. Her wings flapped more as though to speed up her flight. When I opened my eyes, disturbingly, I watched the grey clouds grow darker. And before I knew it, everything turned black as I walked into an explosion of black smoke.
My breathing quickened, my eyes back to being shut tight, and I gasped to Fenella, "Please, fly up! Above the clouds!"
She squawked, and I could feel her body ascend, wings flapping harder.
My hair was in a loose bun, but already I could feel it unravel behind me, the winds trying to pull it off my skull while I laid my face square behind Fenella's neck to avoid windburn. I pressed my eyelids down as hard as possible, praying inside that everything would be okay while I could feel the dark wrap around me like large claws. Leather knuckles rubbed at my sternum, but it wasn't helping.
"I'm okay, I'm okay, I'm okay," I repeated this over and over again so deeply, I didn't even notice the sun trying to seep behind my eyelids until Fenella yapped at me to open them.
With my hold on her still tight, I slowly lifted an eyelid. Bright sunlight hovered close to the East Horizon, half a day left. I opened both eyes and loosened my hold, seeing beyond the dark land of clouds, an endless expansion of blue sky above. The winds became steadier, and when I looked down, dark clouds rumbled underneath, my feet barely grazing over them like flying over a fluffy dark ocean. There was no telling how high we were, but I was grateful to be above the growing storm, which seemed only to progress the further Fenella took us West. Her wings steadied, the swan taking into the air stream for a joyride while she rested.
I gazed beyond her long neck and saw Vince's ship a large dot in the light blue sky above us.
"There it is! Fenella, whatever you do, stay below it!" I told my swan. She peeped and flapped her wings again, pushing her body faster.
Soon, the ship's rudder floated above my head, its mechanics helping the ship steer while large leather-made wings flapped to keep it soaring. I steered Fenella to take us low to the belly of the ship, right below its keel, before craning her to the left. I searched for any gun ports or opened round windows to creep into above. With three decks, I aimed for an open window to the lowest one, easier to stay hidden with the cargo. Fenella whooshed under the ship, its massive size looming over us like a creature breathing with its wood skin creaking upon each inhale. And then she rose, the edge of her right wing almost brushing against the ship's side.
"It looks like we go our separate ways from here, my friend," I told her as I rubbed at her feathers. "Please take care. I hope to be back soon to take more flights with you, and thank you."
She craned her head and opened her beak to peep, probably to say goodbye.
I smiled at her, nodded, and then looked for an open window. With jello legs, I carefully stood up and quickly ran across the swan's massive wing and reached both hands to the closest round window. The wing couldn't hold my weight and dropped as soon as I took hold of the window's edge. I gasped, my feet suspended in the air while I tried as hard as I might to pull myself up. I rammed my left arm through the window to have my gauntlet snatch into the ledge like a hook, and then I took a deep breath to fight the panic that was telling me to look down, but I knew not to.
Instead, my eyes steered unexpectedly, like they sensed something before I thought of it, and veered across the clouds. Larger lumps of them, dark and dangerous, grew above the steady layer below, like a growth bursting upwards into a giant bloom of lumpy darkness. And out there, in that darkness between its mounds, I saw a glimpse of something with large wings. But it was gone before I could hone in on it, a trace of a long tail left to be witnessed before it disappeared into the curdling clouds.
What in Slumberland was that?
From my spine, goosebumps crept up my arms, my body petrified to move as I waited to see the flying creature again, fearing it was a flying goblin or worst. Fenella must've thought I was stuck because the bottom of my boots felt a nudge from her, probably from atop her head, when I was abruptly shoved from below, hands first, into the ship straight as an arrow.
I yelped, diving into large sacks of something rough, toppling over onto the floor with loud thuds. My body did a sort of forward flip, back crash landing atop rough piles of what felt like potatoes or oranges, and just stayed still until the last roll of it all stopped.
I took in a deep breath. I was on the ship. It took a moment to let that sink in as I smelled the zesty, tangy peels of oranges and slowly, while groaning, sat up. I winced at the mess I made, dozens of oranges scattered across wood boards as my rear felt the vibrations of each flap of the ship's wings, the engine rumbling under the floor somewhere. When I had the chance to scan the area, it appeared I stumbled into a panty filled with sacks of fruit, treats, and loaves of bread, along with barrels of Middle Land imported booze I didn't recognize. Thankfully, the door was shut, leaving me alone to climb on my knees over the oranges and peer back out the window I just climbed through. I had hoped to make a silent goodbye to Fenella, or to spot the mysterious creature with the large flat wings, but then dark clouds concealed everything, trying to ram inside. I reeled back with a gasp and instantly slapped the window shut, the hatch locked. The room fell dark, nothing but a dim lamp casting an orange glow to the cabin.
I scrambled onto my feet and slipped a cloak out of my crossbody bag. The cloak was plain cotton, dyed blue to make me easily look like anyone else if needed. I slipped it on, the hood over my face, and let it conceal my armor. Only my tall leather boots and traces of my cotton padding could be seen. I wasn't sure how long my disguise was going to hold out. There was no way Vince would fall for it, but at this point, he would have no choice but to have me tag along.
Out of respect and to cover my steps, I collected all the oranges on the floor and returned them to their piles before standing up tall, ready to go. A deep breath first. I breathed in deep through my nose and exhaled out my nose.
"Well, I'm already this far. It's okay," I whispered to myself, knuckles in the usual place across my chest. The chest plate made it difficult to feel my knuckles as they rubbed against it, though the vibration itself was enough to calm me down. I took a long step towards a simple door and put my free hand on its copper knob.
I twisted it and sucked in a breath.
With caution, I pulled the door back and gazed through the tiny opening. A long narrow corridor, with more closed doors and swaying wall lamps, came into view. It was empty. With a small sigh of relief, I slipped through the door and closed it, my back against it as I thought of where to go. I didn't actually plan what I was going to do once I got on board. Stay hidden until the ship landed, reveal myself, or stay disguised as long as possible?
A door across from me suddenly opened, and I jumped. A scout, probably older than I, regarded me with surprise, and I noticed he had large green eyes under a mop of brown hair.
"Uh, are you late too? We better hurry then!" he gasped, skin either pale or just white with fear, I couldn't tell. I was dumbstruck as I watched him gesture for me to follow him with, "hurry up! The briefing has probably started!" I watched his blue cape lift as he ran up a set of stairs, afraid to move with him.
Well, so much for staying hidden as an option.
I followed far behind the scout, taking the narrow stairs all the way up to the second deck to walk into a gallery.
"Heme, you're late!" I heard Vince's monotone voice grumble. I gasped and immediately hid behind a row of rookies, my face hidden under a cloak while I scanned the area.
Heme took his place in the group, about fifty or so young men and a few women in all, barely able to fit in such a small space with only one long table. Everyone remained standing, the dozen or so chairs ignored, while Vince stood tall and authoritarian like before the whole group, his hands behind his back.
I steadied my ground, eying over someone's shoulder to see Vince hold a dagger on his left hip and his long sword to his right under his silk blue cloak. Everyone had a blue cloak, of course, with the sun sigil.
The ship's floors creaked in the room as the ship swayed a little, lamps dangling. The air fliled with apprehension while Vince eyed the group sternly.
"In an hour, we will reach the West Post. Take the time to rest as you mentally prepare yourselves. This isn't a goblin hunt. This could be a raid but let us make that a last resort."
He turned his attention to one side of the room, equally looking at everyone to ensure they were all listening. No one made a sound, not even daring to move without Vince's influence. I was awed at his demeanor; not an ounce of hesitation nor fear anywhere in him. He looked to the other side of the room, where I occupied in the very back, forcing me to duck slightly. Someone may have noticed, but I only saw a few curious eyes without heads turning.
"Our objective is to bring Captain Leroy and the rest of our men back home with us! Even if it means leaving the post defenseless, it doesn't matter as long as we save as many lives as possible. I'm going to be honest; we probably won't stand a chance if we get ambushed. Let us hope that doesn't happen."
Anxiety spread through the air, thickening it until it was difficult to breathe. A few audible swallows broke the too-quiet atmosphere when Vince took a pause. His eyes scanned all the faces of mostly younger Slumberland folk, many of them so fresh, this would be their first mission. I bit my lips together, anxiety creeping up under my chest plate, suddenly feeling very hot and stuffy. It got even worst as Vince's analytical stare browsed each rookie, scanning their souls to determine their alliance to this cause. Like a beast prowling for any misstep, his eyes continued to venture until they stiffened right on me. I sucked in a breath and pulled my hood down as I took a step behind someone's head with a gulp. Suddenly, I was sweating as the air grew uncomfortably silent for far too long, and then, out of nowhere...
"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Vince growled.
Murmurs scattered across the room while steps grew louder and louder in my direction. I kept looking at the unpolished wood beneath my boots, pretending not to have noticed his slip of the tongue. A sliver of hope told me that perhaps, he doesn't know it was me and he was reacting to someone else. I dared not look up.
No matter how slow his steps could've been, I could never prepare for what was about to happen next when I felt a hard grip around one of my wrist, and then yanked out of my spot without mercy.
"Everyone, dismiss," I heard Vince bellow. And then, steered towards me, his tone dropped with a warning, "You, come with me."
I could barely see above his neck with the tip of my hood, and then I dropped my wide eyes to the floor again, watching his leather boots march ahead while yanking me with him.
I grunted, uncomfortable in his hold as Vince pulled me down a corridor, and then I heard a door open and close. My eyes were glued to the floorboards, unable to look at him as I heard him take a long sigh.
And then he pulled my hood back roughly, lamp light hitting my eyes until I squinted.
"What in God's name are you doing here?" Vince asked. I opened an eye, brave enough to look at him staring at me. He was sitting on an edge of a long wooden desk, carved elegantly with fine details of trees and branches underneath his long legs. The room looked to be a small study, with only two round windows displaying nothing but darkness through them.
Vince's eyes weren't as furious as I expected them to be, but they narrowed under dark eyebrows, arms crossed while a grave look fell to his face. He appeared a decade older than I, which was common.
I opened my other eye and released some tension in my shoulders after a deep breath.
"I wanted to come along," I whispered, looking away to stare at an oil painting of air balloons on one wall. The vibrant colors didn't soothe any inch of my whimpering soul Vince had an iron grasp of. I could practically hear his grip tighten on the desk's edge when he uncrossed his arms and squeezed the wood under his thighs. He leaned forward and dropped his head, hair hiding his eyes.
"Camille…" the way he said my name unexpectedly warmed up my whole body with nervousness. I sucked in a breath and waited, glancing at him to see his eyes down to nothing when he said, "You shouldn't be here. Do you understand what I must do now?" He sighed again, tired, and pushed himself up to stand.
He gave me a firm stare. "Now I must turn this ship around."
I gawked. "No! We need to save your father!"
Vince shook his head. "No. I can't have you come with me, even if it's for old times' sake. This is different."
I glared at him while my gloved fingers gripped my cloak tightly.
"I'm coming with you, Vince,. Whether you like it or not." I demanded gently.
Vince crossed his arms and stared right into my eyes, reading me like he was searching for something specific. Whether he found it or not, he looked away and walked past me.
"You are to stay in here until we make it back to Slumberland," he ordered, ready to reach for the door. But I let go of my cloak only to grab hold of his arm before his hand fell to the door knob.
"No! Even if you do bring me back, I will just sneak aboard again. And again. You can't make me," I cautioned.
Vince turned his head, his profile in view as a cold look fell to the corner of his eye, analyzing me. I couldn't see his lips under the neck of his cloak, but I imagined they produced a wicked smirk.
"Is that so?" he mused, an eyebrow lifted. Unexpectedly, heat flared from my cheeks, not letting him go nor able to look away either. My voice trembled when I said, "Go ahead. Do your worst. But just so you know, I couldn't stand the idea of possibly not seeing you again. I was…" I looked down, abashed. "I was scared."
Under my hold, his entire body solidified. I could hear his breath, louder than usual through his lips as I tried to imagine where his thoughts went. I was both embarrassed and afraid to admit such to him.
Nine years… It sounded like so much time for a friendship to evolve.
And yet, we kept our friendship steered away from deep talks strictly about us, feelings and all. I always thought Vince saw me as a guy friend but as a girl, if that made sense. Old childhood friend turned into a military buddy. But what did I see him as? Mixed feelings I couldn't define swelled inside my chest and belly, still afraid to see his reaction. I kept looking at his cold, wet armor instead of his eyes.
"Camille, I…" Vince's leather-gloved fingers curled gently over my stronghold and peeled back each of my fingers from his arm.
"I can't have you in danger. If something terrible were to happen to you…" His hand squeezed my fingers together, pulling me to look up into his eyes, only to catch a hint of that painful look I saw earlier. Another arrow pierced my chest.
Vince lowered his eyelids, possibly intending to hide his hidden insides from me, and he took a deep, slow inhale, his chest plate tickling the bottom of my chin.
"It's something I don't want to live with. You have to go back. That's an order, as captain of this fleet. First, I will send a hawk to King Morpheus to let-!"
He suddenly gasped, body tense.
I was instantly afraid to see the look on his face before the whole ship shook violently.
I screamed, falling into Vince's arms while he held onto the door knob with a grunt. The ship rocked heavily to one side and then the other, the desk sliding across the floor while items toppled over and broke to pieces. Paintings flapped against the walls, the lamp trembling until it rolled across the desk and then shattered into pieces on the wood boards. Flames vanished.
The room was pitch black, and my breathing increased with dismay while Vince's arm held me tight against him. Even with him in the dark, I was still afraid, and I began to inhale in squeaky gasps. The ship settled enough to hear him utter, "What the hell is going on?"
Quickly, he opened the door, and we rushed out. I followed Vince, his steps effectively quick as he climbed upstairs. Hostility roamed through the halls as rookies filed upwards, squeezed in step with us to get onto the main deck.
I stayed right behind Vince, his cape brushing against my cheeks until we shuffled out into aggressive winds. The sky was dark, almost black, clouds whirring around us as our eyes searched wildly to the skies. The whole ship seemed to be hurdling in between two layers of dark storm clouds, their masses passing around long bolts of lightning. In between those dark clouds, a world of black engulfed us. Lanterns throughout the deck kept us lit, but the dark clouds shoved themselves through us like a thick fog.
"Vince, sir!" A scout shouted up from the helm. Vince and I twirled, looking up the steps to a fellow with one hand on the steering, while his other pointed out in front of the ship.
"Nightmare, dead ahead!" he cried.
Vince grunted painfully.
"What? So soon?" he muttered to himself. I watched him, baffled when a worried look washed over his face for a second before he became cool and collected again. He ran up the steps towards the head of the ship until he stopped just before the wooden ledge. I joined him, gripping the ledge tightly while staring out at what was disturbing our ship.
Vince grunted again, teeth clenched. Through his teeth, he warned, "The Nightmare…"
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