Emerald Dreams (The Dream Traveler Series)

by Nicole Knight

  There was no telling what he was like now. No telling how he would react when I walked into the room. I was expecting the worst but hoping for the best.

  Maybe I could get him to help us. I could get him to be my friend again. I could only hope.

  When I entered his room, I saw three men standing guard. They all were wearing their own sword on their hip. They were sitting in different parts of the room, each blocking an escape path. One sat next to the door. The other two men sat in front of the two windows.

  Charles himself was sitting on a stool in the center of the room where everyone could watch him. His hands were tied behind him. He was hunched over and looked uncomfortable.

  "Axel good to see you old friend," Charles said, looking up as I walked in.

  "Old friend? Is that what you called me the last time you saw me? When you 'accidentally' almost killed me in that fight," I answered.

  "I believe you were not killed though," he had the nerve to smile.

  When did he become so sick and twisted?

  "That was because you are a failure," I responded back.

  I laced venom in my voice. There was no holding it back. I could tell that he would never side with us, I wouldn't waste my breath asking.

  "If you were any good at your job, I would have been dead," I spat.

  "Oh, you got me," Charles said.

  "What were you doing here? Spying on this town?" I said through clenched teeth. My anger, the rage I kept inside of me was starting to bubble up again.

  I had only just gotten a handle on it moments ago.

  "You know that you aren't getting any information from me," he said.

  He wore the smile of a crazy man, plotting his next evil scheme. I was going to get it out of him one way or another. I wouldn't let him waltz out of here thinking he had won.

  I hit him in the face. I could feel his nose bend under my fist. There was blood flowing out of it, and I had a little on my knuckle.

  "You hit like a girl," he taunted me.

  "Speaking of girls, what about that one that was fighting with you? She's a magic worker, huh? Isn't that interesting? You should be capturing her and treating her like a prisoner of the Kingdom, not fighting side by side. She's a feisty one, maybe I know why she isn't in chains," he continued to taunt me.

  "You will not talk about her," I said.

  If I could kill him, I would have at that moment. I couldn't, though. I hadn't gotten anything but taunts out of him yet.

  "Oh, I see, I have hit a soft spot. So you love the magic worker, huh? Who could have guessed the "Sir Axel" would fall in love and turn into a little bitch?" he taunted.

  He has always been so crude.

  "You are about to have a soft spot," I said as I slammed my first into his ribcage.

  I felt a rib crack beneath my fist. Charles let out a loud grunt of pain.

  "Is that all you have?" he taunted again.

  I only responded in my head. I was just getting started.

  Again I hit him in the face and the stomach. After a few more hits, there was blood running out of Charles's mouth as well. He spat some blood on the floor.

  "I saw your mother and sister the other day," he said.

  His smile was covered in blood.

  That couldn't be true. They were living peaceful lives back in their village.

  "Stop lying," I yelled.

  I hit him again.

  "For once, I'm not. You see, they are what the great King calls leverage. They're downstairs in the dungeon. The King is leaving them there until you come looking for them. They are stuck there until you turn yourself into the King. You should bring that girl with you; he might actually let your family live if you bring him someone else to fill their cell," he said with a sick bloody smile.

  I could see it in his face, he was so smug. He wasn't lying about this. My mother and sister were sitting in a cell probably scared, cold and starving. I couldn't handle the thought of that, but I couldn't handle the thought of seeing Violet behind those bars either.

  Something in me snapped.

  "We both know I'm not getting out of here alive. So end it, why don't you?" he taunted one last time.

  "With pleasure," were the last words he would ever hear.

  Chapter Twenty Five

  Violet

  Back in the little shack, I used a small bucket and a cloth to wash my skin. By the time I was done, the water was full of mud.

  It looked just as disgusting as I felt.

  I reached into my bag and pulled out one of the extra dresses. The one I had worn during the fight was ruined. It was stained beyond repair. It's not like they had laundry detergent here.

  I tried to slow down my crying because my eyes were getting puffy.

  I was and always have been an ugly crier.

  Axel came into the room sometime later, maybe to see if I was alright? He was silent and didn't say a word to me. I had no idea what was going on in his head, and I wasn't going to touch him to intrude.

  I had a feeling that I didn't want to know.

  It was with heavy hearts that we attended the feast held in our honor a few hours later. This was far from the first time Axel had ever had to end a life in battle, but I had a feeling it was different when it is someone you know on the other end of your sword. I barely held myself together when a man gave his account of the battle in a toast.

  He talked about how fiercely we fought even when his people backed down. Our battle was glorified to make us sound like heroes. In my opinion, we weren't.

  I was a careless girl who used magic at a very high price. Axel was just the man who came to my rescue. The man giving us the toast thanked us for helping them. I didn't want to be acknowledged though, I just wanted to be left to eat, or not eat, alone. I was then asked to speak.

  I wasn't planning on this, and it felt like my heart stopped. Axel nudged my arm with his as a sign of encouragement.

  How could he encourage me to get up and speak? It was work to just keep myself from crying. How could I be expected to speak without my voice cracking? How could I find the right words?

  I took a deep breath and stood. This was about to be a train wreck, but I seemed to be the only person who knew it.

  "Thank you for the kind words," another breath.

  "I set out on this journey, believing my only battle would be at the castle of King Eduard. I believed the only life I would have to end in this whole adventure would be the one of the King. I was wrong on both accounts. I believe we have a right to celebrate that we are all here and alive. I also believe we have an obligation to mourn the lives of those knights who perished today by our hand. They were not attacking us just to attack, but because they saw a careless young woman using her magic. I want to say that I am sorry for causing this whole battle. It wasn't entirely my fault since they decided to attack. However, they attacked because of their orders from the cruel King. I wish that all of you, at some point in your own way, pay tribute to those men. Now, if I may be excused," I said.

  I took one last big swig of the wine I was holding in my hand and walked out of the room. It had been my liquid confidence all evening. I was doing my best to keep any emotion off my face and to walk without falling over.

  Everyone clapped for me, but I didn't give it much thought. I wouldn't let a tear fall down my face until I was no longer in view.

  At the door, I turned around to see Axel standing up his chair. He was preparing to follow me out. In the light being cast from sconces on the wall, I could read what he was thinking. From where I was standing across the room, I could see the gold that had taken over his eyes, but I had to ignore that now.

  I shook my head at him. He knew what it meant. Don't follow me.

  He tilted his head like he was asking if I was sure. I only turned my back to him and walked out the door alone.

  I walked across the town square, taking in the charred remains of the buildings. I rebuilt what I could with my magic. It wasn't much, but it was the last
gift I could give to these people. Whenever I passed an open area, I took the time to grow some flowers. I wanted to do anything to take away the ugliness I now found in this place.

  I lost a piece of myself today when I killed those men. I lost even more when I had realized that the first piece was gone. I crossed the square to the opening in the fence. I squeezed through it.

  I walked down the remnants of what was today's battlefield. There was still the occasional sword lying in the grass or a loose piece of armor. The grass was still wet in some spots with blood. I had closed up the gap in the earth earlier, but now I did something different with the site.

  I decided to create a weeping willow tree. Believe it or not, I had seen one not too far from here. It was a mile's walk in the opposite direction. The walk would give me time to think. I would collect a few seeds and bring them back here.

  I could sense eyes on me. I didn't turn to see who they belonged to because I already knew. It was my protector trying to keep his promise to keep me safe, but give me the distance I begged him for with my eyes.

  I walked the mile with Axel following a distance away. When I got to the tree, I collected the seeds and turned around. Axel stood where he was, allowing me to pass in front of him, before he started walking. I walked to the spot I wanted to plant the weeping willow, right over the mass grave. I let it grow into an adult tree right in front of me.

  "Go back to the party," I called to Axel, who was a little ways behind me. "I'm not going anywhere else," I said.

  I turned back to see him nod and walk away. I needed my space, and I was glad that he was giving it to me.

  I walked to the house that I had been shown earlier. It didn't feel welcoming or cozy to me anymore. I wanted my home. But I couldn't go there. I had a Kingdom to help, even if it meant losing myself.

  These people showed me that this wasn't something made up. King Eduard is a tyrant. They needed to be saved even if they were cowards.

  That's how I started to view them now; the men that had run out to battle and then retreated. They left Axel and me to die.

  They were cowards.

  I wanted nothing more to walk into my bedroom in Arlington and sit in its comfort. I imagined doing so. I imagined every little detail of my room that I missed, all of its little comforts.

  I wanted to see the picture of Mom, Grandmother, and me at a fair three years ago. I was holding cotton candy in my hand right before the photo was taken. Grandma had taken a piece and rolled it flat. She laid it across her upper lip so that it looked like she had a mustache. I laughed for a really long time right after she did that.

  I wanted to see the only picture I have of Dad from when I was a baby. I wanted the same blanket I slept with for years. I wanted the comfort of my window seat. I wanted to feel home. I didn't give it much thought, but I had my eyes closed while wishing for all of that. When I opened my eyes, the place was transformed.

  My breath caught in my throat.

  It looked identical to my room in Arlington. My sketch pad was sitting on my desk. It even had all of my sketches in it. My pictures were all where I left them. My comforter was the same, and my window seat looked inviting.

  This was what my heart needed.

  I needed some stability. My room gave me that. I could have cried tears of joy. Here I didn't have to be Princess Violet, the future Queen of Morthsoul. Here I could just be Violet, a scared young woman not ready to kill another man and claim a throne.

  I pulled the big blanket off my bed. I pulled out a book from my secret hiding place under the window seat. I then sat down in my favorite spot and lost myself in the book. I temporarily forgot my problems in this world and the ones in Arlington. It was like going to the best therapy session of my life.

  I felt everything I was feeling just melt off of me.

  I was a few chapters in my book when Axel finally walked through the door. He carried a plate. I assumed it was food for me. He wasn't paying attention to me or the food in his hands, though. He looked all around him at the little world I created for myself.

  He kept looking around. His eyes paused on the photographs and the laptop on my desk. His eyes stopped on the big comfy looking bed and then lastly at me sitting in my personal heaven, my window seat.

  "Do you like it?" I asked.

  I didn't care if he liked my room or not. A lot of times, Axel didn't start speaking until I addressed him first. I didn't know if this was how you treated royalty or if he just didn't know what to say.

  "Yes, what did you do?" he asked me. Curiosity filled his eyes.

  "This is how my bedroom looks, back in Arlington," I explained.

  "It's beautiful. I've never seen a place decorated like this. Not even the castle looks as lavish as this," he said.

  That meant it was going to be a very dreary castle.

  "Thank you. Come sit down over here with me," I told him. I patted the spot next to me.

  He gave me a small smile and walked over towards my little window seat. He handed me the plate of food as I shifted my legs over so that he could sit down on the other end.

  "Thanks," I said as I took the food.

  It was cold, but I couldn't complain. I had the chance to eat it while it was warm.

  "You are welcome. That was quite a speech," he said.

  He nudged my arm like he was teasing me. While I was feeling much better, I still wasn't in the mood to joke around.

  "Was it too much?" I asked.

  I could feel my face start to turn red from embarrassment.

  "No, it was just right, in my opinion," he answered.

  I ate my food silently while Axel explored my room. In a way, it was like bearing another piece of my soul to him. I know he had already been in my mind, but this was a little different. That displays your emotions and how you are feeling.

  When you bring a person to your room, they learn little things about you that you have never told them. They learn things that your emotions can't explain. I hadn't explained to Axel that sketching was another form of my escape from the world. There were a lot of things he still didn't know about me, but would soon discover.

  He picked up my sketchbook and started looking through it. My face immediately grew red. I had a sketch of him in there. I could tell when he got to it because his face lit up.

  He was beaming. I hadn't seen him look like that in a while, and it brought tiny butterflies to my stomach. And to think, all I had to do to put that smile there was draw him. I would sketch him every day for the rest of my life if I got to see that kind of smile again.

  He looked at me, and I could swear my heart skipped a beat. I don't understand how I was able to get so lucky, even if he does live in another world.

  This was better than anything I had ever known in my own world.

  "I drew that the day after I first came here," I said.

  No shame in explaining, I guess.

  "Really?" his smile grew wider.

  How did his teeth stay so white? They don't have toothpaste here.

  "Yes, really," I matched my smile to his.

  "Can I talk to you about something?" he asked me, suddenly serious again. He looked like he was trying to figure out if I was really okay.

  "Yes," I told him, "anything."

  "If I asked you to help me do something, would you? Even if it put you at more risk of getting caught in the castle?" he asked.

  He had tears starting to form in his eyes, and I didn't understand. I would help him do anything, he didn't ever have to ask me that.

  "What is it?" I asked.

  The look on his face showed he was trying not to have a breakdown. What could have destroyed him like this?

  "I'm desperate. Charles, he told me my mother and sister are in the castle dungeon. They are there until I turn myself in. Please, Violet, please. Help me get them back? I couldn't live with myself if something bad happens to one of them because of me. Because of the choice I made, even if it was the right one."

  He had put
me before his family. I could see that. He made that choice in his mind, and it warmed me inside, even down to my toes.

  But he was asking for my help so he wouldn't have to live with the guilt. He wanted a shot at having all of us. It really wasn't that much to ask. I would never ever make him choose.

  "Of course, I will help you. Why did you even think you had to beg? We will have to alter our plans, but, of course," I told him.

  I wrapped him in a hug. I wanted him to know that I was supporting him just like he was supporting me. If it were my mother and grandmother in that castle, he wouldn't hesitate to help them. I would do the exact same for him.

  "How did you get him to admit that?" I asked.

  "You don't want to know," he responded.

  "Where is he now?" I asked, not sure I wanted to know that answer either.

  He was silent, but I knew what the silence meant. Just like that, I saw my knight break down. The armor shielding his heart, and his emotions had fallen away. There he was crying and vulnerable in front of me.

  I would do anything I could right then and there to stop his pain and the guilt he was feeling.

  I held him in my arms while he pulled himself together. It was scary to see someone so strong fall apart like this. War had its wear and tear on everyone, even the strongest and bravest knight. I knew for sure that the strongest knight was him.

  In my room, we sat and quietly took in the magnitude of what we faced and everything we had to lose, which was our lives, his family, and each other.

  Chapter Twenty Six

  I forgot to take off my necklace off before I went to sleep, and I woke back up in Arlington.

  My phone said it was Monday. Since I was already here, I might as well go to school.

  I took a very long hot shower. I watched as some muddy water went down the drain. I cleaned my belly button and the cut that was healing itself right above it.

  When I had finished showering and got dressed, I checked out the window to check the weather and saw a yellow Camaro sitting across the street.