The Lost Boy | ONC 2024

15 - The King

My heart was racing, my body was covered with sweat and I could hear the echo of my scream in the air as someone was shaking my body.

"Illon, wake up!" As I opened my eyes I stared straight into Canan's and I felt my whole body starting to panic. "You were dreaming," he said with a concerned smile on his lips, "screaming my name."

"I was?" I whispered, carefully taking in my surroundings and feeling my pulse slowing down. I was in my home, in my bed with my husband at my side.

"Yes, you were," Canan chuckled, "and not in a sexy way, may I add."

"I had the weirdest dream," I mumbled as I tried to sit, rubbing my temples and accepting the glass of water that Canan offered me. "Have you heard anything from Tom?"

"Love, you woke me up screaming and now you're asking for the general?" He snickered, glancing thoughtfully at me. "So what was this dream about?" He asked and made himself comfortable against the bedrest, surrounded by luxurious comforters and pillows. He was quite the sight.

I blushed at my husband, "I caught you kissing a woman in an alley," I began, "and there was a witch, monsters, and then you were going to kill me," I continued with a pout. "But you were still very charming."

He rolled his eyes at me and pulled me into his lap, "I'm always charming." Then he kissed my temple, "sounds like an awful dream though, you know I would never cheat on you."

"I know," I whispered and tried to remember fragments of the dream. "We were out on this adventure to find some lost heir to get money to save my brother who was imprisoned." I sighed. "I wonder what that means."

He gave me another kiss, but his cheerful attitude had turned into a more sombre one as he left the bed and walked up to remove the thick curtains from the window. Suddenly bright sunlight shone throughout the room and my dull mood brightened slightly.

"You're still thinking about the fact that we can't give the people an heir of our own," he offered, "and that if something happens to either you or me, your no good brother will be taking the throne."

I sighed again and nodded. He was probably right, it had been on my mind a lot lately.

"We're both healthier and happier than him, I'm quite sure we'll outlive him," I chuckled as I left the bed to join my husband at the window, snuggling my arms around him.

He turned around and gave me one of his most beautiful smiles. "Or we can adopt a bunch of kids," he snickered.

Below on the courtyard I could see men and women going about their day. Elves, orcs, halflings, humans—everyone working together to coexist in a world of peace. A world that Canan had helped me build over the years as the crown prince, the legal spouse of the King. Our union had been the start of a peaceful arrangement between our countries, ending a decade long war.

A world so far from the dream I had just dreamt I couldn't help myself from wondering—was this real? The emotions lingering from the dream felt so raw that a thought kept emerging in my mind. Was this in fact the dream? Because this felt too good to be true.   

THE END

Thank you all for reading my contribution to ONC 2024! I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it! Love you all! ❤️