Chapter 4.1

Everything was happening so fast.

First, with my eyes shut, I didn't know where or who I was anymore. I couldn't recall my name or the way I looked. There was nothing about me or my life in my mind. There was just emptiness. Then, I saw brightness that blinded me the moment I opened my eyes.

Suddenly, I had a distant memory of losing my balance and falling into some light, yet I couldn't remember if that really happened. I saw more flashes from unrealistic events I had no recollection of and felt really scared.

What is happening to me?

Having quickly closed my eyes, I realised I was falling, but didn't really know if I was standing, lying or sitting. I just existed. I felt I was surrounded by something that was pulling my clothes and pinching my limbs.

Just like earlier…

I knew I felt the same itching on my skin earlier. But when did I feel that?

Before I could realise, everything stopped and went silent. Too afraid to open my eyes, I took a deep breath and smelt something nice and sweet. The wonderful crisp fragrance was all around me, filling my nose and making me calm. Concentrated on the smell, I barely noticed that my bare feet touched the ground and the itching on my skin was gone.

So that's it?, I thought and felt somehow disappointed.

Slowly cracking my eyes open, I was prepared to see the brightness again. Fortunately, it wasn't as strong as earlier. True, I had to squint past the light and touch my forehead with a hand to protect my eyes from it, but at least I was able to identify some obscure shapes in front of me.

Please, don't be aliens, I thought, lowering my hand as the light seemed to be weakening. Anything but aliens.

Two seconds later, the brightness was finally gone and I realised what the obscure shapes really were.

"Holy shit," I whispered. "What is that?"

With astonishment, I looked around a huge dimly lit hall of something that reminded me of a residence. The remarkable chandelier hanging above my head wasn't illuminated, but I was able to spot plenty of tiny stars made of a transparent material, most presumably glass. The light-coloured walls were decorated with several paintings, though I couldn't identify any of the silhouettes because of the dimness.

"That's the weirdest dream I've ever had," I said to myself and took a few steps forward.

Immediately, my eyes fixed on an impressive staircase that seemed to be taken straight from a fairytale. With my mouth slightly opened, I looked up and saw a part of an internal balcony. With no light though, I couldn't make out the rest of the first floor, but I was sure that it was as spectacular as what I could see downstairs.

Glancing around the hall, I noticed a mirror hanging on one of the walls. I approached it carefully, uncertain of what I could find there. But the person I saw in the surface of the mirror had the same brown hair and the same brown eyes I had seen all my life. It was really me.

With a racing heart, I lifted my hand and put a finger on the shining surface. Just to make sure, of course.

I breathed a quiet sigh of relief when nothing happened.

"Good," I whispered and drew back.

Everything around me seemed very realistic. Honestly, I didn't remember having such a dream before. Not only did I feel the coldness of the marble floor beneath my bare feet, but also smell a hint of a nice crisp fragrance.

Frowning, I looked at the place where I opened my eyes for the first time. Though I was expecting to see a passage leading back to my home, there wasn't anything. The light I saw previously was gone and I was now staring at a beige wall.

Coming nearer, I touched the wall.

Cold.

I knew it was impossible.

It had to be impossible.

"Wake up," I told myself, shutting my eyes. "You have to wake up, because it's just a dream. Remember, just a dream." But when I opened my eyes, the wall was still ahead of me.

I exhaled loudly.

"Okay, don't panic," I kept talking to myself, ignoring everything around me. I knew I needed to calm down in order to wake up, so I closed my eyes one more time. "Sometimes, there are weird dreams and you're just having one. Maybe, it's because of the salad Toni made. Maybe it wasn't that fresh."

Unexpectedly, there was an amused grunt coming from behind me.

Alerted, I quickly opened my eyes and realised that nothing had changed. I was still standing in front of the beige wall, though I didn't hear any more noises around me. Maybe, I just made it up.

But to make sure, I turned around very slowly and only then did I see him.

Holding a glowing orb that was casting golden shadows around, there was a tall handsome man who was standing on the very first step of the spectacular staircase. I slightly opened my mouth and was gazing at him with astonishment. The dark-haired stranger was surrounded by black smoke which was moving and dancing around him, blending into his dark clothes. His crushing blue eyes were slowly moving up my body, making me blush when I realised that I was still wearing my skimpy red pyjamas.

Oh, my, he's handsome, I thought. I can think in a dream? Strange.

I knew I should have taken my eyes off his hot two days' stubble and looked elsewhere. I knew I shouldn't have been gazing at his muscular arms and chest. And I knew I shouldn't have been excited like hell just by the mere sight of him. But I did all of the above-mentioned things. And I liked it.

Feeling a little red on the cheeks, I exhaled quite loudly when the stranger's eyes finally reached my face and we looked at each other. Although there was a ten-feet distance between the two of us, I couldn't help but notice the smirk that appeared on his lips. He knew I was checking him out for the last minute or so and that I found him very attractive. Well, who wouldn't?

"Hello," I managed to say.

The man didn't answer, still looking at me with a smirk.

Making a step forward, I went on, "Who are you? What are you doing in my dream?" When again, there was no answer, I looked around. "What is this place?"

"Why do you think this is a dream?" the handsome stranger asked with a strikingly perfect British accent. Even his voice was as sexy as him.

Fixing my eyes on him, I frowned. "Why wouldn't it be? I have just been in my garden, and now, I'm here. Wherever here is. Besides," I crossed my arms, "there is some smoke around you and you're holding a glowing orb, yet you're not burning. Why wouldn't it be a freaking dream?"

The man smiled, but didn't say anything.

I took another step towards him. "Can you at least tell who you are?" I asked. Suddenly, I realised that his ears were pointy. "An elf from Rivendell?"

"And who are you?"

"Don't you know? People in my dreams always know me." When he shook his head slightly, I added, "My name is Alexandra, but everyone calls me Lexi."

"How did you get here?" he asked and then glanced at something behind my back. "Did you use a portal?"

Following his gaze, I fixed my eyes on the empty wall.

"Well, sort of." I laughed nervously, looking back at him. "I was at home, and suddenly, I woke up in the middle of the night and went downstairs to check the front door. Then, I must have tripped and hit my head very hard, because the next thing I saw was a ball of light that was floating in my garden. Foolishly, I touched it and ended up here." I smiled.

Why am I telling the story of my life to a guy that is just playing a role in my dream?

The dark-haired stranger regarded me for a while before he asked, "What land do you come from, Lexi?"

"Earth."

"Earth? Your land is called 'Earth'?" He looked at me doubtfully.

"Not land, our planet," I answered. "You know, a round thing with continents and oceans on it that is floating in space." Seeing his blank expression, I rolled my eyes. "Anyway, the land I live in is called the United Kingdom."

The stranger smiled. "Ah, then maybe you are a princess?"

I shook my head. "I'm too ugly to be a princess."

"You're lucky you haven't seen some of the princesses I met last year," he said with a smile. But then, he unexpectedly grunted and shifted. "Anyway, you said that you touched a ball of light. Did you do it on purpose?"

I shrugged. "To be honest, I was drawn to it. I felt an urgent need to touch it."

"Did you?"

I nodded. "At first, the light was pleasant to touch, but then… I couldn't get rid of it, because it got stuck to my skin." I looked at my hands. "After that, I tripped and fell straight into the ball of light. When I opened my eyes, I saw this room." I glanced around.

Suddenly, I realised that I wasn't alone with the man.

"Shit," I whispered, feeling frightened to death.

Upstairs and downstairs, there were other people – men and women – who were surrounding us and staring at me with expressions ranging from shock and disbelief to even anger. With my eyes wide open, I noticed they were all inhumanly beautiful and dressed in weird medieval clothes; some of them were holding glowing orbs or weapons that looked like swords, and some even had dark wings.

What the hell?!, I thought.

Drawing back, I fixed my eyes on the handsome stranger. "There are more of you?"

"I'm sorry," he said. "I couldn't stop them. They wanted to see you with their own eyes."

Feeling uneasy, I looked back upstairs and noticed a small girl that stood next to a beautiful brown-haired woman dressed in some kind of leather armour. The blondish girl was leaning across the railing and watching me closely.

I knew I was dreaming. I knew it was impossible to see people who were surrounded by smoke or who had wings. I knew it had to be a hallucination I got from the ash tree. There was no other explanation for seeing them. For even being in such a place.

"If this is not a dream," I started quietly, setting my eyes upon the stranger, "where the fuck have I been transported to?"

"Our house." But it wasn't him who answered my question.

All of a sudden, I saw a more mature version of the dark-haired stranger that approached the staircase. It hit me that he had the same dark hair and bluish eyes as the handsome one, yet I noted he was a bit shorter and was beaming with even more dangerous and darker power that really frightened me. Well, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the slightly older man was the perfect embodiment of darkness and evil. He was too dressed in black, and had an extraordinary crown as if made of dark feathers.

I didn't know why, but my heart started pounding so loudly that I felt it in my ears.

When the second man stopped, he looked straight at me. "How come a human find this place?" he asked with a strong Scottish accent, but I just shrugged. "Do you have magic?"

I swallowed hard, trying not to look into his incredible violet eyes. "No."

"Then how were you able to come here?" he asked.

"I don't know. I swear, I don't know." I felt that my eyes were filling with tears. I blinked a couple of times, trying to chase them away. "I just want to go home."

The man with the crown let out a sigh. "I'm afraid it might be impossible for you to leave Prythian, considering that you don't have magic to open the portal again."

"What?" I looked at him, tears in my eyes.

Both men frowned and then exchanged a look.

"What do you mean by that?" the handsome stranger asked, flashing me a perplexed look.

I swallowed hard, wiping my eyes. "To leave what place?"

The man with the crown lifted his eyebrows and repeated, "Prythian. You're in Prythian. And this," he gestured to the hall, "is the Night Court."

My eyes popped out.

"Fuck me," I gasped. "You're Rhysand."