No Longer Alone

Chapter Eleven

*Damian's POV*

    Alex and I headed back to our hotel shortly after the three had left, between travel fatigue, and the potential business we would be looking into while we were here, it seemed like it was the best time to leave as well.  Heading towards our separate suites, I got ready for bed still thinking about the events of the evening and pondering what all this trip would bring if it started out this interesting.

    Stripping down and finishing my nightly rituals before been I had to wonder if I would see her again.  It was only then that I realized that I didn't have any information to go off of to find her again.  My last thoughts as I fell asleep were the sound of her singing and the look in her eyes for the spit second when she was caught of guard.

******

    My dream started with me standing before a crumbling castle with a full moon illuminating the path to the entrance while casting shadows through the courtyard area.  I had to smile a little thinking back to my youth, how I had always played at being a knight saving a damsel from dangerous castles.  As I grew older I had realized that most women weren't truly in distress, but I had kept my love of the medieval architectures.  While I walked forward, little things stood out to me as I walked, the grounds were kept with organized chaos, not fully overgrown, but like someone was trying to keep up on it and just couldn't fully keep up.  The path was clear but not well maintained.  It seemed this castle was not abandoned, but I saw no signs of life.

    I walked up the steps towards the door to the main hall, something pulling me to continue in and on, a gut feeling that there was something here that I needed to see or hear.  The ancient wooden door, though showing some wear, was slightly ajar and opened easily to my hand, allowing me entrance to the entrance hall.   Peering in I saw lit candles, again fueling my belief that this castle had someone here, and so I followed this glowing trail as it lead to a throne room that was beyond what I could have imagined.  The rest of what I had seen was cared for, but almost abandoned.  This room was different, though simple in decoration and design, there was a warmth to the room as if someone was here often,  and what I saw for the thrones made me pause.

    Upon the dais, two large glass cases stood, one with what appeared to be a throne covered in a black cloth, a crown gleaming softly in the light.  The other, slightly smaller, had a throne that appeared to be made from a shattered crystal and pieced back together.  A broken and tarnished crown on the seat a sharp contrast to the sparkling lights dancing through the crystal.  Unable to help myself I placed my hand on the glass, wanting to touch what it prevented me from approaching.

    "Only a foolish man would attempt to approach such a dangerous and worthless thing."  A soft low voice came from behind me, and I responded without turning.

    "Only a foolish man would believe the surface value.  The only things of value are the things that must be handled with care.  I'm certain these items had no part in what happened to them, they didn't choose to be like this."

    Soft steps walking widely around me, a slender figure dressed far differently than I had seen earlier.  Nicole walked past me, between the two cases and stopped.  The long dress suited her form nicely, flowing with her steps, the sword and knife belted at her waist reminded me that she wasn't defenseless.   She turned to look at me.

    "Funny that you choose to poke at that which may hurt you, that you don't understand, while still attempting to hide the truth of yourself.  You'll never unlock these cases like that." She glanced down, and my eyes followed hers to the ground, the two cases had a gorgonian knot of chains and locks tying them to the ground. She rested a hand against the same glass case I pressed my hand to, and through the glass I saw scars on her skin there that mirrored the fractures in the throne. Her brown eyes closed off as she watched me.  "Why are you here?  This throne is broken past repair...and the other, well, it's owner has never appeared.  There is no reason to be here."

    I watched her, walking around the glass case the fractures moving along her skin where I saw her through the glass.  Sharp edges, enough to wound, but fragile.  Taking my hand from the glass I moved towards her.

    "One could ask the same thing of you.  Why are you here ghosting around this place, protecting and caring for something you don't value?"  I smirked thinking I had gained the upper hand against this dream version of her, only to be startled by a rich peel of laughter.

    "Still so blind by your own choice.  Of course I value it, or I never would have tried so hard to put it back together and keep it from harm again."  Nicole raised hands that were now covered with cuts and blood, and looking to the throne, this time I saw hints of red where blood had stained the crystal before.

    "Nicole I -" I reached for her, wanting to care for her wounds, bothered deeply by the sight, but she cut me off stepping back.

    "Ah ah ah Mr. Grabby, I barely know you, and you do not see...time to go."  She nodded a good bye and turned to walk away, a sudden wind blowing out all the candles and light, dropping me into darkness.

******

    I woke with a start, chilled slightly, having kicked the blankets off me in my sleep, the light of the moon illuminating the room softly.  Running a hand through my hair I tried to figure out the dream I had just had, it had been a long time since I'd had such a vivid dream, and such a strange one at that.  One thing was certain now though, I was going to find her again.