Fire sparks

Ch. 10 Bad Dreams

That night, my dreams consisted of twisted images of my doll faced children covered in blood. I’d tried to scream, to reach for them, to save them from themselves, but every time I got close they’d only turned into younger versions of myself.

As much as I tossed and turned, nothing compared to when my nightmares continued the story I’d tried to repress earlier in the day.

I saw myself as a child again. So innocent- so set on being good.

I watched as the younger version of myself stood on a small hilltop. I knew what she’d accomplished and endured already that day- of course I did- she was me and I was her. The poppies had been gathered and the potion was well underway. The young girl had finished everything just before dawn, and now all that was left to do was wait.

But the old woman... she was no more. The little witch didn’t have parents, but her powers had given her many homes. When the elderly woman needed someone to care for her, she was in the right place at the right time to take on the role. The woman had lived for years longer than even the strongest healers had suspected. Maeve made sure of it. The woman was kind. She offered Maeve a roof, a purpose, and security. But finally time bested Maeve's powers and claimed the woman.

The loss weighed heavily on her heart. When the sun finally began breaking over the horizon she decided to venture out of her estate in search of a good place to watch the show.

The weather was mild. It always was, though. One of the many perks of living in the Springtime Kingdom. The wind blew her curly black hair creating tangles, but she didn’t mind. She always felt at home and safe with the elements. 

From the hilltop she could see her home. The elderly woman left the estate to her in a last will and testament. 

After years on the streets and bouncing between temporary homes she finally had something to call her own. And it wasn’t just something, it was everything. It was a grand estate with rich history, room for all of her odds and ends interests, and a view that almost no one knew existed. 

She would have been content: no- ecstatic! to live in this life of luxury for ever, if it weren’t for the loss that had brought about this fortune. And that young man who had interrupted her poppy gathering the day before. He’d been obnoxious, but he was beautiful. And he was persistent. And beautiful. And he was a prince. And beautiful. And he was kind of charming. And beautiful. 

Something about him just drew her in… but it was most certainly not his impossibly good looks.

“We meet again.” Think of the devil… young Maeve turned to find the prince climbing the hilltop behind her 

“Go away, prince. I’m trying to enjoy the sunrise.” She kept her face straight ahead so he couldn’t see the slight smile she wore.

“Can’t we enjoy it together?”

“How did you know I’d be here?”

“You assume I knew you’d be here. Perhaps I just enjoy the sunrise.” Her cheeks burned. It had been presumptuous to assume he’d come just for her. He slipped in front of her, taking in her burning cheeks and glowing green eyes. “I tease. Though, to be fair I didn’t know you’d be here." To her surprise, he reached for her hand. "But I hoped.” She didn’t know what to make of the words let alone the physical contact. While she sorted through it all, she deflected.

“You are not watching the sunrise, prince.” His eyes twinkled as he lifted her hand to his lips, brushing them against his knuckles. 

“No. Why would I when I’ve found something far more stunning?” The boy was delusional.

“You are delusional.” He chuckled. 

“I suppose some might argue otherwise, but my true love is exponentially more exquisite than the sunrise.” Her head spun. No one could recognize their true love until they were eighteen, but she was only sixteen. He did appear a little older, but was it possible to understand the connection when only one half of a pairing was of age? Either way, butterflies swarmed in her stomach. Again, as she tried to sort through his words, she decided to deflect. 

“You speak nonsense. Move aside now, you are distracting me from what is important.” He chuckled, but stepped aside. Unfortunately for her nerves, he only moved to her side, wrapping an arm around her waist.

She didn’t say anything. She didn’t move. She didn’t protest. She just stood there staring straight ahead at the sunset, acting oblivious to the contact, but secretly racing through a million possibilities over what the prince had said.

When the vibrant colors began fading into the steady blue of the daytime sky, he finally spoke again. “You are my true love, Maeve. You might not feel the pull yet, but you will. I couldn’t wait for you. I’m sorry to spring this on you so abruptly.” 

She had never heard of such a thing, but that certainly didn’t mean it wasn’t possible. She did find the man enticing despite his insufferableness. And what a grand thought; her true love, a prince! 

“And how do you know this, prince?” She forced all emotion from her face as she turned to him, secretly holding her breath in hopes he’d have a really great answer. 

“Ah, I am a bit older than you. I can feel the connection already. When I saw you in the meadow yesterday I knew.” He seemed earnest. Besides, it was an odd thing to lie about. She’d figure it out soon enough should he be lying. And to what benefit of his, a prince, would be lying to her, nothing more than a powerful witch and dragon? 

Something clicked in her mind. She almost didn’t want to ask because it could destroy the quickly building fantasy the prince was painting. But she had to. “How did you know my name?” She pivoted a little further away from him, placing a hand on her hip, but he quickly followed sliding his arm around her torso once more.

“Silly woman, you told me yesterday when we met.” There were several things about that statement that she did not love. For one, she was not a silly woman. But, possibly more importantly, she most certainly had not told him her name.

“I did no such thing. In fact, I thought all night of how rude the prince was for not even asking my name.”

“So you thought of me all night?” Her cheeks burned. 

“Only of how incredibly rude and inconsiderate he was. I think I might have to write a letter to the king expressing my concerns.”

His grip on her waist tightened, pulling her closer to his body. He dipped his face until his lips were only a breath from hers. “That doesn’t seem like a great first impression to give your future father in law.” He closed the gap between their lips. Confusion overcame her. She wasn’t sure why she was so okay with this. On the one hand virtually nothing Prince Tavian said made any sense, but on the other hand he was giving her her first kiss. And he’d said the king was to be her father in law. 

Like a fool she let it all go. 

My nightmare continued to play like a hellish movie, scenes flicking past like some sickening highlight reel of how things had only gone from bad to worse. At least the dream had the decency to skip over the first four months I’d spent thinking we were actually in love, not even realizing for a second I was being groomed to do his bidding.

The prince ripped open her front door. He stalked into the kitchen, grabbed the whiskey he stored at her estate and began drinking directly from the bottle. 

“Um, what’s wrong?” She’d asked as she rounded the corner from her office.

He threw a dramatic hand across his eyes, blindly taking another swig from the bottle. “It’s my brother. He’s to become king soon and I fear he will destroy the kingdom!”

She’d met Prince Richard only once briefly, as Tavian had rushed her from the room when his brother had found them together. Even from that short encounter she’d sensed only goodness within him. “Oh Tavian, you should really leave the theatrics to me. Your brother is a fine man. He isn’t going to do anything to harm the kingdom.”

He sat up loosely shuffling the bottle from one hand to the other between his legs. “That’s what he wants you to think! He has no business being king! I…” His thought trailed off, effectively earning her curiosity. He lowered his voice. “I can trust you, right Maeve?”

She moved to the chair beside him. The words he spoke made no sense, but she hated the idea of him not trusting her. “Of course, I hope I’ve proven that to you well enough by this point.”

“Ah, yes you have. Forgive my question, it’s just that this is sensitive.” He raised his eyebrows, silently repeating his question.

“Whatever it is, of course you can trust me.” She took one of his hands in her own.

“Well… I… I overhead something. His plans. He’s going to rule this kingdom like a tyrant!” He peered one eye to Maeve. To her, the glance seemed a nervous gesture, but anyone else would have seen a man checking for the impact of his lie.

“What exactly are his plans?” Her heart raced thinking of all the potential evil schemes that could be brewing behind the palace walls.

“I don’t even know where to start. I just… I just wish… if only there was some way to stop him!” He gave her that glance that once again she’d misinterpreted as nervousness.

“Have you gone to your father?” Her brows were tied closely together. This kingdom had always been so peaceful and prosperous. She couldn’t fathom why the crown prince would feel the need to scheme. Still, she sat considering all of the possible evil plans to destroy the kingdom.

“Of course not! He won’t believe me! You know that!” He suddenly shot out of his chair and began pacing the living room. “I can’t believe you’d ever suggest such a thing!”

The dejection pierced her heart. She wanted to help him sort through this, but perhaps she had overstepped by questioning how the royal family managed their personal affairs. 

“I meant no offense. I only want to help.” Her eyes were downcast. Tavian moved to her side with such urgency that she startled within her seat.

“Would you? Would you really help me, Maeve?”

“Of course.”

The dream flashed through months that turned into years of collecting supporters. Initially I’d only approached people to caution them upon Tavian’s suggestion. But then he began asking for more.

“It isn’t enough, Maeve. They don’t understand! We need to be more forceful!”

“More forceful?”

“It is for their own good. The people are used to living in peace so they aren’t willing to accept that things are not as they appear. We must have a stronger hand. It is the only way to save them from their own naivety.”

“O-okay.”

The dream flickered again through scenes of threats to farmers, violence to inspire the mystical being of the forest to join us, and finally cold blooded deaths to force the hands of those who refused to offer their support. 

“My father is tired. He’s ready to relinquish his crown. My brother has found his true love, Maeve. The change is coming! We must act now!”

Her mouth went dry. “Act? Haven’t we already been acting?”

“We must raise the army we’ve gathered. They need a strong leader, they need someone who will send my brother shaking at the mere sight of their power, they need someone like… like… oh! Why didn’t I think of it before! Maeve! You are a dragon. They need you.”

“Me? But I can’t lead an army!”

“Don’t say that Maeve; you can! You are a dragon, they will follow you. With just an army there will be bloodshed, but just seeing you will end this war before it’s begun.” His eyes flashed with something she couldn’t recognize. 

"W... war?"

“Please, Maeve. We have come too far to let our people down now. Do it for them; for us; for all of us.”

“O-okay.”

The dream flickered and forced me to face so many memories I’d worked tirelessly to bury. In a flash, I was flying through the air, burning the king’s men. Our army overthrew small villages, slowly claiming the kingdom bit by bit, all in the name of a better future.

“It isn’t working fast enough. My brother will take the throne soon. We must stop wasting time with the smaller villages. We must cut to the source!”

She shook at Tavian’s words. “How… how would we do that?”

He took her hands and looked deeply into her eyes. “I’ve thought long and hard about this. I want you to know I do not take this lightly. The only way…” He took a long inhale before continuing. “The only way is to take the one thing my brother cares most about in this world. We have to force him into submission. Without Nova he won’t be able to go on.”

She looked at him with a million questions in her eyes. She’d been pushed past so many limits already, and for a moment Tavian worried this would be too much.

“You want to hurt Nova?” She whispered.

“No, no, no, no, no. Of course not. We will make it painless. She won’t feel a thing!”

“You want to KILL Nova?!” She shot to her feet, backing away waving her hands. “No! You’ve gone mad! We can’t kill her! I won’t be a part of it.” He took careful steps towards her, but the motion was that of a predator not of a lover.

“We cannot give up now, Maeve. This will be the last thing and then it’s over. We have lost some lives along the way and we cannot let those people die in vain. Please, stay with me. Gather your followers for this final stand. It will be the end.” She continued to shake her head. “I love you so much, Maeve. Let us be together, forever, in peace, ruling this kingdom.”

He hadn’t told her he loved her before. He’d called her his true love, but never said he actually loved her. She was young and dumb enough to believe him.

“O-okay.”