Illuminating the Dark Prince

Rain on the Mountain

Crepuscular rays of midafternoon sun peered down through the canopy of bright green maple leaves, while Valarendrik and I sat all cuddled up together against the braided brown bark of the tree's mighty trunk. The peaceful summertime glade we were in was filled with wavering flowers of every color, and the delightful cadence of songbirds chirped all around. The sweet aromas and sounds graced my senses with serenity and brought estival joy to my spirit.

My dainty hand snapped the stem of a yellow black-eyed susan bloom, then with a whimsical giggle, I lifted it up and added it to the many other blossoms I'd already woven into his crown. The pure light of his soul twinkled in his crimson eyes as he softly chuckled at how ridiculous he looked. All silliness aside though, he was downright stunning in the sunshine, with the shadows of the leaves dancing across his smiling pale grey face. 

A sunbeam illuminated the back of his head like a halo, while his long raven hair twirled off to the side in the warm breeze. Love and happiness fluttered within my heart as he leaned in and pressed his soft lips to mine. His sharp black claws gently caressed my cheek, as I placed my hand on his muscly bicep to give it an affectionate squeeze. I closed my eyes and melted into his tender touch, feeling his love envelop my soul like a warm fuzzy blanket.

As our dreamy kiss subsided, I pulled away with a wide dopey smile then slowly reopened my eyes... Only, I wasn't greeted by loving crimson eyes, but a vindictive seafoam-green glare instead. Gone was Valarendrik's abyssal monster-like presence and in his place was Justin's handsome human face staring over at me. 

"Lucy, Lucy, Lucy... You sure have gotten disgustingly pasty, haven't you? I mean, you like you haven't seen the sun in months. You're a fucking ghost." He scornfully tisked while shaking his head, with his short, perfectly styled, quiff hairdo not moving even an inch. 

I screamed in horror.

My eyes suddenly flew wide open as my dream crumbled asunder. The familiar scent of rosewood and black pepper filled my nose while the obsidian sky raged above. I was safely cradled in Valarendrik's loving embrace, disoriented and blinking up at him as we rode upon Sagacor's back. He stared back down at me from beneath his hood with slight concern in his gaze. His clawed thumb affectionately caressed my cheek, calming me with his tender touch.

Phew! Thank goodness that was just a nightmare, and that I'm still in the abyss!

 "Lucilia, are you alright?" His brows pinched together as he seemingly inspected my face for any signs of distress. "Your heartbeat sped up while you were sleeping."

My hand awkwardly fumbled to rest over his on my cheek, while a wave of gratefulness flooded my frazzled soul. "Yes, I'm fine. I was just having a frightening dream, that's all." I smiled up at him, giving his large hand a gentle squeeze.

A look of understanding crossed his features. "I see." He curiously tilted his head, no doubt fascinated by, what was to him, the great mystery of dreams. "Was it about a frightening abyssal creature again?"

"No, far worse." I replied with a breathy giggle, earning a look of confusion from him.

A sickly roar suddenly screeched right above us, as some dragon-like beast with scaly tattered wings, razor-sharp talons, and a face like a freaking lamprey flew overhead. The wind from its wings tickled my face, as I quickly sat up in fright and tightly wrapped my arms around Valarendrik. With wide wary eyes, I watched as the beast flew out over a distant valley. And that's when I realized that we were really, really high up on a dark jagged mountainside. 

The golden tendrils of my hair twirled upon the abyssal wind while I gazed down at the dark languorous vale below. A sickening fog blanketed the lowlands like a funerary pall, with a splay of skeletal trees and sharp jagged spikes arising from its veil of obscurity. The trees reminded me of deranged corpses reaching their ailing hands out from within the soil, as they crawled up from misty graves. What looked like streaks of crimson streamed across the skies above us like silken auroras of blood, adding to the unsettling image of these phantasmagorical lands.