Never Ending Dreamer

Chapter One1

I slept dreaming her dream. A dream where the sky was green and the grass was blue. The trees were purple, and the flowers were black. They smelled of the sweetest, most wonderful, unknown scent. The sun was silver, the moon was red, and we were listening to the wind as it told us tales of long ago, and feeling the wondrous rain all around us as it sang us to sleep. 2

I woke sometime later…it was still haunting me. The dream. I could still hear the sigh of the wind, and the songs of the rain. I could still smell the flowers. I could still feel the bright blue grass under my hands, and see the green sky, almost taunting me. I could still feel the warmth of the silver sun. I could still taste the chill in the air as the red moon rose.
I fell asleep, and it happened all over again…I didn’t think it would ever stop…I didn’t want it to…3

I woke again, and when I woke, I thought I was still dreaming for there she was. She was sitting next to me as she did in the dream, murmuring something I could not quite hear. Staring at me with those eyes…the eyes as blue as the grass was in the dream, as blue as the sky in reality.
Was there a reality for me anymore? Which was dream? Which was not? It terrified me when I realized I could no longer tell.
Still she sat there, murmuring, running her fingers through my hair, putting her cool lips on my head. For some reason, I felt that I should fear her, but I could not grasp why.
She laid her head down next to mine, still murmuring. It calmed me, and I fell into sleep once more.
I was called by the sigh of talking winds and the rustle of purple leaves in purple trees. The cries of the black flowers and their memories swarmed my thoughts. I could no longer hear anything else. All I could see, hear, smell, taste, and feel were those black flowers. The never-ending field of black flowers. The never-ending sky that was green with golden clouds. It called to me. All of it. It was becoming my home. My secret place. My refuge. But I knew that it was truly hers, that she was merely sharing it with me. Why? I did not know. So, I dreamed, or did I? I did not know. Nothing was clear anymore. I was trapped. I did not want to be set free.
She was always there, murmuring unknown comforts in my ear. I do not know how I knew they were comforts. Maybe it was the tone of her voice. But it was constant. It was beautiful, like a tuneless song. Like the waves upon a beach.4

One day I woke and did not go back to sleep. She was gone, disappeared. I waited, and no one came. I was in a room with no color. The bed was soft beneath me…bed? No, floor, or ground…room? Maybe, I could not be sure.
Everything was fuzzy. I wondered how long it had been since I had truly opened my eyes. Where was I? This was no dream. The absence of color unnerved me after being in the dream for so long.
What was I doing here? Where was she? Who was she? Why was my first instinct to fear her? The girl with the blue eyes and the calm never ending murmur that was her voice. Where had she gone?
I tried to stand, but it had been so long since I had stood in reality that I lacked the strength. Therefore, with nothing else to do, I waited. What else could I do? There was nothing.
I tried moving my arm, my leg, anything…but nothing moved. I lacked the strength to even so much as move my fingers. I was surprised I had the strength to open and close my eyes.
I was tired of waiting, and worn out from trying to move. I went back to sleep, but this time no dream welcomed me. Only darkness and its stifling embrace.5

Wake up…wake up my prince…my love…wake!
The voice was persistent in my head. It would not stop. Where had I heard that voice before? I did not wish to wake. The darkness was merciful. It took away all sense, all pain, all thought. I did not want senses or pain. I did not want to think. I could not.
Wake now, while you can, or the darkness will consume you. This I know.
Never. I will not. I cannot.
But you must…
I opened my eyes slowly. So slowly, that it felt like hours before they were fully open.
There. Now think, breathe, and look around you. What do you see?
What did I see? I saw white. Then, slowly, I saw light. I saw a window that was boarded up. I saw a rundown, old building with the walls barely standing. I saw a table. The source of the light was a lamp on the table. Then, I took in a long, drawn out breath. I smelled food first. Then the smell that is there when you know something is molding. I smelled rain, and I found that odd. Rain happens outside, and the window was boarded. Why would I smell rain?
Then I saw a person, and it was from there that the smell came. The scent of rain, and trees.
Now you see, you smell, but do you think?
I tried to get my mind to work. I remembered the dream, and the girl with the eyes, and the white room. Who was she? Where was that room and how had I been moved from it? The person I had seen before began to slowly walk towards me.
You are awake, finally after all of this time. Do you not know me? Has it truly been so long as that?
I did not know them. Her. This was a her. What did she mean by “after all of this time”? How long could it have been? Who was she? Why did she act as if she knew me so well?
I guess it does not surprise me, but I had hoped… I had hoped that maybe, just maybe you might have vaguely remembered me.
I breathed in her scent. That was the only thing that was familiar. The rain, the trees, the animals. The scent of a forest. A forest far away. A forest with mountains, and trees as tall as mountains. A forest that I had never thought possible until I had seen it with my own eyes…
My thoughts were running away with me. I remembered no such forest. I had never seen it. Surely I would have remembered a forest so great as all that. The scent seemed so familiar though. Where could I have smelled it before?
Calm yourself. Breathe. I will let you sleep, but this time it will be true sleep. Not the accursed sleep you have been under all of these years. Sleep dear one, I will talk with you in the morning.
I closed my eyes, I slept, I dreamt…6

…A dark forest. Tall trees. The scent of rain, and animals. Deer running beside me. Running? Yes! Running! I am running. It is what I was made to do.
The beautiful moon is above me, casting pale light on the forest floor as I run, but I do not need light. I know this forest. I know these deer.
There is another running beside me. She seems made of shadows. She? Yes, she. I know her. Who is she? Who is she?
I smell rain, but there is none. I run deep into the forest as the shadows engulf me. The pounding of deer-hooves ringing in my ears as I fade away, leave them behind…7

Dearest? Are you awake? Have you dreamt true?
I opened my eyes. There was the girl from my dream. The one who smelled of rain, and was made of shadows. I could see her more clearly then. Long dark hair, a dark face that was somehow still pale, and eyes a deep green. A green of the forest during the dark night. The sight of her was so familiar. I tried to reach out to her. To touch that dark pale skin. I tried to remember. Nothing.
At least you recognize me. Oh, my dear one, where to begin? Do you remember nothing? Can you even speak?
Speak? Could I? Had I ever been able to before? I could not remember ever talking. All I remembered were scents. The only people I remembered were the girl with the blue eyes, and this girl with the green. However, I knew nothing about either of them.
Who is this blue-eyed female that haunts your thoughts? I see her. How do you know her?
I could not have answered that question even if I had known. I did not know how to speak. I stayed, unmoving, staring at this ghost of shadows that was apparently from my past. Who are you? I thought. How do I know you?
I should not tell you anything more until you have recovered enough to remember my name. Until then, I do not think you will be able to comprehend all of it. You need rest, my love.
I heard her voice, but for the first time I realized that her lips were not moving. Had not moved at all since she had started talking. This confused me. I think she realized because she came over and gently placed her fingertips on my cheek.
Do not worry my love. Rest, sleep, dream.
I longed to touch her hand with mine. I longed to feel that pale dark skin, but my hand would not obey me, and soon I was falling into darkness once more, and the scents of the forest wrapped me in their embrace…8

…I ride with the wind this time. It takes me up over the trees, and I can see the mountains of my home. The sun is setting behind them, and the sight reminds me of great gods watching over us, casting their light on this land that we have made ours.
I soar into the darkening sky, and let loose a cry of pure joy that seems to ring in the very heavens. I smell rain, and look over expectantly to see the girl of shadows and pale darkness. She rides with me, in the wind, and we cry out in intertwining voices, our joy limitless as the wind itself, as long as we are together always.
We suddenly dive for the earth at exactly the same moment, with break-neck speed. I grab her hand, and we suddenly veer up, turning over and over, laughing with dizziness as we try to regain our senses.
We land softly on a high branch, and watch the last of the sunset as the great gods of the mountains disappear…9

I woke reluctantly. A memory. That was what it was. A wonderful memory that contained the keys to my forgotten past. What joy we had, but I still could not remember her name. Only my love for her.
I smiled, and was surprised to find that I had the strength to do so. I experimented a little, and found that I could flex my fingers, as well as move my feet ever so slightly. I was gaining strength at last.
That was when I took in my surroundings and realized that I was alone once more. The shadow-girl was nowhere to be found. Nor, to my relief, was the blue-eyed girl of dreams. For some reason, I still feared her.
I was in yet another room, and again wondered how I had come to be there. I was laid out on a bed, in a small room, not unlike that which you would find in a cabin. There was a small window, and sunlight streamed through. Small particles danced through the rays of light, and I sat mesmerized for uncounted minutes.
The light and dust seemed to form a picture and, as I watched, the picture took clear shape. With a jolt of fear, I saw that it was the blue-eyed girl, but I soon realized that she could not see me. She paced in the confines of a room, clearly frustrated. I watched her, wondering how I could see this, and why I saw only her.
As if in reply to my thought, the image shifted, and there was the girl of pale-darkness. I did not know where she was, but I somehow got the sense that she was far away. She walked through a dark corridor. I got the impression that she was searching for something, but I could not tell what.
The image slowly faded, until there was nothing to be seen but sunlight and dust particles once more. I wondered at this event, but found myself suddenly tired, as if I had run some marathon, and drifted off to sleep once more…10

…This time, I was in the dark depths of a place deep in the mountain caves. The wolves that lived there greeted me, and I asked them how things fared for them. They told me that all was well, and they were happy, though they could not wait for the White Time to end so that game would be more accessible. I assured them that the end of the White Time was near at hand, so they need not fear.
I moved to the back corner to find the girl of shadows. I asked the wolves how she fared. The wolves told me that she burned from within, and called to me sometimes, in the depths of her restless sleep.
I gazed at her pale dark face, and smoothed her hair from her sweat-soaked brow. Her face burned. I did not know what to do. I was completely helpless. I was no healer. I could only hope that somehow, she could pull through this.
I took her hand, and leaned closer to her, letting the scents of rain and forest fill my senses. I whispered my love to her and left once more. I would go mad if I continued to sit there, unable to do anything while she suffered…11

Another memory, I realized when I woke. I also found that I remembered what happened next.
The White Time had ended about a week later, and she had gotten well on the first day of the Green Time. I had brought her the season’s first flower in celebration. A small white flower.
We spent a few more days in the cave to make sure that she fully recovered, and then…my memory ended there.
The last thing I remembered was walking out of the cave and calling for her. I called her name. I realized that my lips were not moving. That they had not moved throughout the entire memory. Her name resonated in the very depths of my being. Niranie…12

End Chapter One13


Chapter Two14

Niranie…Niranie…I said the name over and over again. Though now I realized that I was not actually saying it. I was thinking it, and the thoughts formed words. I knew that this was how I had always spoken, but I did not know why. True, I remembered her name, but I still did not remember my own, nor who I was.
It was also a mystery to me that I could talk with wolves, and run with deer, and fly, as would an eagle, to gaze at mountain-gods. Who was I? Yet more puzzling, what was I? What sort of being could converse with beasts, and take on their talents? Why could I not remember? I could not even remember what I looked like, having no mirror with which to see my reflection.
Niranie, I know your name. What do I do now? Where are you?
I did not expect an answer. If my vision was to be trusted, she was somewhere far away, searching for something.
However, I did get an answer, of sorts. There was a small whisper in my mind. It did not form words, but it whispered. It sounded like wind through trees. Not the dreaded purple trees and their speaking wind, but real trees as tall as mountains.
The sound seemed so real, that it threw me into yet another memory…15

…The wind blew through the trees like a live thing. The lightning flashed, and in the flash, I saw the girl of shadows. We were running towards a dark space, seemingly in the heart of the forest. The rain poured down on us in buckets. It had come on us suddenly, and we both knew that it was no natural storm.
Niranie! I cried. We must take shelter at the glen, or we do not stand a chance!
She glanced back at me, and I knew that she would not do it.
I will not endanger the glen. She said, solemnly. This storm follows us, and we shall’ outrun it simply because we can.
I hoped that the confidence she placed in our abilities was sound. I agreed that the storm was after us, and for good reason, but I still wanted no harm to come to her. We ran, our knowledge of the forest guiding us. The wind sang, always right behind us. The lightning flashes were constant, and the thunder deafening, but we did not hesitate.
The mountains were up ahead and Jiaka, the mountain lion, called to us. She told us to turn back for our own safety. The storm would be trapped in the mountains and us with it, if we continued. We did not heed her. We ran directly into the mountain pass, after making sure that there were no other living things near by.
The moment the storm hit the mountains, it swelled, and seemed to be on the verge of exploding. We ran towards the cliffs, hoping to lose the storm by leaving it trapped in the mountains, and getting away on the swell of wind it provided. I grabbed her hand, and we jumped, but we jumped too late. The storm reached its peak, and I knew that we could not both make it. I used all of my strength and threw Niranie into the swell of wind that we had hoped would save us both. I fell back into the storm. It wrapped me in its folds of living wind, and all went black…16

When the memory ended, I found myself covered in sweat, with tears streaming down my face. I now knew how we had come to be separated. I still did not know what the storm had been, or who I had been. Nor why the storm had been after me.
I tried to move, and found that I could. I barely managed a sitting position. I knew that standing was out of the question.
For the first time, I looked at my hands, and my body. My skin was the same pale dark color of Niranie’s, but instead of being seemingly made of shadows, I was seemingly made of light. The clothes that I was wearing were a simple white tunic, and dark breeches. I did not remember having them on before, and I did not remember putting them on.
I found myself blushing immaturely at the thought of Niranie possibly dressing me.
I looked again to the window, and saw that time had passed since my last glance. It was night now, and I looked out to see a full moon, and the stars smiling. I smiled back, gazing in wonder at the light that they cast onto the land around them. A land that was covered in green hills, and distant valleys, all tinged with silver.
The light coming down took the form of a dance, and the figures gracefully floated around and around each other, up and down, looping and twisting, never in the same place twice.
I longed to join their care-free dance. I wondered what they were, and got the feeling that I had once known, but could no longer remember.
They danced closer to me, and two or three landed on the window-sill. They looked up at me expectantly, and I simply stared at them, at a loss for words.
“Light-master,” said one, “you called us, and we have come. What is your wish?”
Light-master? I replied incredulously. Why would you call me such a thing?
“You are the Light-master, and we are your servants. We are light.” The small speck looked at me as if this were obvious, and bowed graciously.
Lightlings. You are lightlings, aren’t you? The word had come to me. I knew not from where.
“Some call us that. Only our master knows our true names.” This was the speck that looked smaller than the others. It seemed a mere child.
And I am that master? You said that I called you? I do not remember giving any call.
“Yes, you are the master. We heard you call us through the light of the stars. They told us of your need.” The little light seemed confused.
I am sorry to disappoint you, but I know none of this. I do not know you. The small lights all looked shocked.
“Nonetheless, you called, and we are yours to command. It has been many years since we have been called, and we have all missed you dearly. Our master has always been kind to us, and we are eager to help him in any way we can. That is you.”
Many years? I felt a small panic in my gut. Exactly how long has it been?
“Well over a hundred. We knew you were not dead, because had you ceased to exist, then so would we. But we worried over what might have happened to you.”
Over a hundred! That’s not possible. I would be dead for sure. As would Niranie.
“Of course not. You are a fey being. So is she. You from light and she from dark. You do not age passed twenty. You are well over 200 by now.”
My mind was racing. How could all of this be true? It couldn’t be possible. How did I not know this information instinctively like they did? Where was Niranie?
Where is Niranie? Do you know?
“Our kin are with her. The darklings. You needn’t worry for her. She is well-protected.”
A small spot of tension, that I hadn’t been aware of, loosened at that.
Then she is safe. That is good.
I felt myself drifting slowly. My mind was still racing, and my body didn’t have the energy to keep up.
“Sleep, master. We will watch over you. The dark-master will return soon. Do not fear.”
I smiled at the small speck of light, the lightling. I had only a moment to wonder at the strangeness of it all before I drifted into a calming, mercifully dreamless, sleep.
I felt the lightlings settle around me to wait out the night, and felt safe for the first time in…well, apparently, over a hundred years. 17

End Chapter Two