Chapter 2 Sleepy Advice

Lemmy couldn't remember the last time he had felt this worried.

He didn't look at Ludwig while they walked to Iggy's room, mostly because doing so caused him worry. Just the sight of his brother, suffering from shadowy dark circles, messed up hair, and a real sense of desperation present in his expression and actions, made Lemmy feel as though he was going to cry. Sure, the last two months hadn't been the easiest on either of them, but even with how badly Lemmy felt, there was no doubt in his mind that Ludwig felt a million times worse. Lemmy, after all, hadn't had to deal with any of the nightmares.

He only wished he knew what the nightmares were about. Maybe that knowledge would help in putting a stop to them.

When they got to the door, Lemmy did something he probably shouldn't have done; he banged on it. The poor piece of wood shook as he rammed his entire body against it, making Ludwig cringe and Lemmy hurt. Even still, Lemmy didn't stop. That is until he heard Iggy's voice coming from the other side.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming!" He muttered something impossible to hear from the other side of the door. Lemmy figured it was probably a swear, but that didn't matter to him. He pulled away from the door, rubbing his side as he waited for Iggy to answer. As he did, he prayed in his head. He prayed that Iggy would have the answer they wanted. He prayed that he would be able to help Ludwig. He prayed that he would be able to get back to his bed and sleep peacefully once this whole thing was over. He felt like he was close to collapsing right at the moment, as he had for so many other moments over the past two months.

The door opened in no time at all. Lemmy stared at his younger brother, feeling his guilt go off the charts as he did. His hair was a mess; the green plant looked as though someone had attempted to pull it up from the roots. He could barely keep his eyes open, and the glasses he wore weren't even properly situated on his face. Iggy yawned a jaw-popping yawn, which only made Lemmy feel even worse. He wanted to shrink into the ground as Iggy sharpened his baggy eyes into a glare.

"Why... in the world... would you wake me up... at TWO IN THE MORNING?"

Lemmy whimpered. The heat in Iggy's expression could scorch the skin. He looked over at Ludwig, noting how he also cringed. Lemmy looked back at Iggy, knowing that he had to be brave if he wished to achieve their goal.

"That's exactly the reason why we need to see you," Lemmy said. He bit his lip. "We have a bit of a sleep problem."

Iggy's glare vanished. "A sleep problem?" All the anger in his voice from before was gone, instead being replaced by concern and worry. He took off his glasses and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "What is this problem?"

"It... it..."

"Nightmares," Ludwig stated in a tone surprisingly casual for the situation.

"Nightmares?" Iggy looked at Ludwig as if just noticing for the first time how disheveled and downright awful he looked. He put his glasses back on and nodded his head. "Alright, come in."

Lemmy smiled, and he saw that Ludwig did the same. They entered Iggy's room, with Lemmy thanking every lucky star in Heaven for allowing them this opportunity to fix their problem. He and Ludwig took a seat on a purple velvet couch resting on the right-hand wall, while Iggy rummaged around in his desk drawer. Lemmy noticed Ludwig looking uncomfortable as he did that, as if Iggy was going to pull out a hand grenade. Lemmy patted his hand as Iggy finally found the objects he had been searching for: a pen and a notepad.

"Okay," Iggy muttered. "Okay okay okay..." He flipped through the notepad, trying to find a clean page. Ludwig's discomfort got stronger as this happened, although Lemmy wasn't one hundred percent sure why until he opened his mouth.

"Iggy, I just came here for some medication, not a full-on therapy session."

"Oh, hush hush," Iggy said, all without stopping with his flipping. "I did not go to Dragonbite University to get a Psychology degree just to let it go to waste."

Ludwig looked like he was going to say something, but ultimately ended up sighing and pulling back. Lemmy patted him on the back; sure, therapy sessions being hosted by Iggy weren't the most pleasant things in the world, especially with Iggy feeling like he had to keep digging and digging and digging. However, if this session ultimately ended with Ludwig getting help, then in Lemmy's eyes at least, it was more than worth it.

"Okay..." Iggy's face lit up when he finally found a blank page. He got the pen ready, looking at his two brothers with a professional expression. "So..." He wrote something down on the page. "These nightmares..."

Lemmy looked at Ludwig, who just looked more scared than anything else. Lemmy gave him a little smile. one that said that it would be okay. Iggy was doing this to help. And besides, even if the therapy session was beyond unbearable, Lemmy would be right there alongside him.

It was this look and what it communicated that helped Ludwig finally start talking. "They all started two months ago," Ludwig said.

Iggy did a double take. "Two months ago?" He almost dropped his pen. "You've been having nightmares for two whole months?" Ludwig nodded, causing him to gawk. "Goodness gracious." He leaned back over the notepad, scribbling something down with unbridled intensity. "You should've come to me sooner. Oh man, you definitely should've come to me sooner..."

Ludwig readjusted his position on the couch. "It... it didn't seem like too big of a deal at first."

Lemmy cringed, as he knew that was a false statement. Iggy seemed to pick up on this too, because he titled his glasses forward and gave Ludwig a raised eyebrow.

"Mmhm," Iggy eventually said. He wrote something else down, muttering something under his breath. When he finished, he gave Ludwig an expression that Lemmy noticed was drenched in skepticism. "So…" he yawned, causing Lemmy to yawn… "Have these nightmares been waking you up?"

"Yeah," Ludwig said with a weak voice and a nod.

"They've woken him up every time he's had them," Lemmy added.

"I see." Iggy was clearly trying to sound authoritative, but Lemmy picked up on the fact his brow furrowed and he had worried eyes. "Now, Ludwig..." he cleared his throat, readjusting his position on the bed. "Answering me honestly, how much sleep would you say you've gotten in the last week alone?"

Ludwig squirmed in his seat. Lemmy half expected him to get up and bolt; the face he wore made it seem like that was what he desired most. Lemmy put his hand on top of his again, patting it and talking to his older brother in a soothing voice.

"It's okay," he whispered. "Knowing this can help Iggy help you."

Ludwig took a deep breath, rising a little bit into the air. He pulled himself back down to the couch before looking right Iggy. He looked like was in pain, knowing he had to be as honest as possible about this predicament.

"I'd say...twelve hours?" He looked at Lemmy. "Does that sound about right, Lems?"

Lemmy nodded. Iggy's jaw dropped when he heard this. He didn't just look concerned anymore; he looked downright worried.

"Over the course of a week?" He gave Ludwig a wide-eyed expression. "Ludwig, it is recommended that a person your age gets six times that amount!"

Ludwig could only nod. A silence hung in the air for a little bit, one that made Lemmy's stomach churn. He thought back to all the times Ludwig had been woken up over the last two months. The first time, they didn't think that much of it. The second time, they started to get worried. The third time and beyond, Lemmy had wanted to do something to help Ludwig, something to ease his fear in the night and prevent him from having such disturbing visions. He immediately realized that they should've gone to Iggy sooner, and this realization made him feel like he was the worst brother in the world.

"Oh, this is definitely not good," Iggy said as he continued to write. When he stopped, he looked at Ludwig with an inquisitive expression. Lemmy knew what he was going to ask before he had even spoken a word. "Ludwig, what subject have your nightmares been about?"

Silence. Ludwig fidgeted with his fingers, and bit his lip extra hard. Lemmy hoped he would answer; he had been wanting to know what was going on for weeks now. He kept his eyes intently on Ludwig, counting the seconds as he waited for Ludwig to reveal the reason behind his misfortune. As bad as this might sound, Lemmy actually felt a little excited.

"Um..." Ludwig looked at Lemmy. He looked at Iggy. He sighed. "They've just been random events strewn together. I... I don't really know what the connection between them is."

Lemmy's heart sank, not only because he had been immensely let down, but also because... well, that was a lie. He knew it was a lie, knew it in his bones. Just the way Ludwig had hesitated, as well as the way he had stumbled over his words, told Lemmy that Ludwig was trying to hide something from them. But why would he do that? This was being done so that he could feel better and be relieved of his burdens! Why wouldn't he be honest? What good would that do?

"Mmhm," Iggy saidm the skepticism in his voice returning. He jotted something down again before looking back at his older brother. "Well, I am glad that you decided to come to me, Ludwig, as late into the problem as you have. I do not know for certain what would be able to help, but I can give you something at least." He reached into his shell and pulled out a bottle with little pink tablets in it.

Ludwig took it and looked at the label. "Melatonin?

"Yes," Iggy said with a nod. "It is very commonly used as a sleep aid. With any luck, this will do the same for you." Iggy adjusted his glasses, cringing as he did. "At least, that's the hope."

Ludwig raised an eyebrow at Iggy. "That doesn't sound very certain."

"Well... it is possible that the Galaxium in your blood won't react very positively with this." Ludwig opened his mouth, but Iggy interrupted before he even had a chance to speak. "That's not to say that it will be toxic for you! Believe me Ludwig; I would never give you anything if I thought it wasn't good for you." Ludwig breathed a sigh of relief before Iggy continued. "No, my main concern is that this melatonin won't have any effect on you at all. And if that turns out to be the case... then at that point, I believe the best thing to do would be to go to Kamek and have him fix you up with a sleeping spell."

Ludwig seized up in the chair. "Kamek?" Lemmy didn't know if it was just his imagination, but he thought he heard Ludwig's voice crack.

"Yes," said Iggy. "I think that would be the wisest course of action."

There was a moment of silence. Lemmy watched his older brother as he contemplated this. Lemmy didn't know what was going on in his head, but he had a feeling Ludwig was dealing with some very worried emotions. This made Lemmy's stomach do somersaults. He wanted to insist to Ludwig that going to Kamek would be a good idea. After all, wouldn't getting rid of the nightmares be worth it?

"I…" Ludwig hesitated. He looked down at the melatonin bottle in his hands, biting his lip as he did. Lemmy seriously wished he could read his mind, or at the very least wished that Ludwig would actually speak up and tell them what was going on. He tightened his grip on the pill bottle. He took a deep breath, rising into the air above the couch for the second time during that therapy session. He looked toward Iggy, who looked just as worried as Lemmy felt.

"Th... thank you, Iggy." He put his feet down on the ground, officially standing up. "I have a feeling that the melatonin will be exactly what I need."

"No problem." Iggy yawned. "Okay, well, if you are content with my help and advice, I am desiring to get back in my bed."

Ludwig nodded, leaving the room without another word. True to his word, Iggy yawned and made his way back over to his bed. It wasn't until he was under the covers that he realized that Lemmy was still in the room.

"What troubles you, Lemonade?"

Lemmy hesitated. "I..." Anger filled him. "He was lying."

"Pardon me?"

"He was lying! About his nightmares, I mean!" He gave Iggy a serious expression. "I know there's more to them than just random images and events being strewn together! There has to be! He wouldn't have them so consistently if that was the case! There's more to this!" He growled. "I just don't know why he won't fucking tell us!"

Iggy's eyes grew wide. As Lemmy took deep breaths to calm himself down, Iggy sat up in the bed. "Lemmy, I understand your frustration. I too have experienced such emotions at our brother's words. But if Ludwig doesn't want to reveal what is going on in his head, then that is his right. People do have a right to privacy, after all."

Lemmy sighed. "I know..." He struggled with his thoughts for a minute before looking at Iggy with a hopeful expression. "Iggy, why do you think he is having nightmares?"

Iggy sat up. "I... to be truthful, I can't say. Perhaps an event triggered a traumatic memory?"

Lemmy thought about this. A traumatic memory? Hmm... yeah, that could be the case. But what traumatic memory would that be? He thought about this long and hard, not moving for about six minutes. Once the seventh rolled around, he realized his presence was preventing Iggy from obtaining his heavily desired sleep. So, he sighed.

"Thanks for your help, Iggy," Lemmy said.

"Of course." Iggy got into a lying position. "I will see you in the morning, Lemmy."

"See you in the morning," Lemmy said glumly. With that, he left the room, all the while contemplating this. Seriously. What was causing Ludwig nightmares?