[Part two of my dreams last night, the first two dreams being in part one.] This post will contain the first of two dreams relating to the Dragon King that I had last night. This post and the next will be quite long, as these dreams were incredibly vivid and realistic to me while dreaming them.
Dream #3: Courted by The Dragon King
The sun had just set. Despite the full moon, it seemed immensely dark. I was strolling through a public park, with no destination in mind. The stars were out by the billions, making the night sky sparkle like diamonds in a sea of sapphire. A gentle breeze brushed the treetops, casting playful shadows along the path I was walking. It was a dangerous thing to do, walking alone at night-- especially in this town. Thieves and murderers never cared just how beautiful or peaceful the night was; they wouldn't hesitate to kill you on the chance that you might have something valuable in your pocket or around your neck. I didn't care though. This park was the one place I could go to relax and clear my mind, and I had felt so alone lately...
As I neared the far end of the park, the trees spread farther apart here, I could see the moonlight reflecting off the black metal bars of the fence surrounding the park. The path soon came to a black metal archway with thick green ivy growing across it. I knew that in the daylight that ivy was a bright beautiful green, and small purple bell-shaped flowers bloomed all over it in the early morning hours, turning the entire archway into a soft lavender tunnel that smelled like the sweetest perfume. I slowed down as I walked under the ivy, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath. As I released the air from my lungs, I took one last step, out of the park. It was like saying goodbye to a dear friend; I hated leaving, but I knew I had to go. I glanced over my shoulder, suddenly feeling very sad, while the trees drifting in the wind seemed to be waving farewell.
Lonely once more, I continued my journey down the empty dirt road towards the nearest streetlight, that cast it's dim glow over the patio tables at a local cafe that would be performing their nightly cleanup routine... though as always, I could swing in for my late night cup of tea. The owner never minded my business being so late each night, probably because I was a regular customer and my order was very simple; I just wanted a hot cup of tea with a teaspoon of sugar and a dash of cinnamon. As I walked up to the back door of the cafe, a waitress was already waiting with my cup. I thanked her and handed her my payment, then turned back to the patio tables and walked to my usual chair, facing away from the cafe at the farthest table in the center. I sat down slowly, staring at the sky with a sigh. I looked back down at my cup of tea, placing my finger in the center of the liquid and pulling it back out, watching the ripples break the surface. I couldn't help but wonder what ripples my own life had in this age old world, or if I was the one rock that hit the water and sunk beneath the surface without any sign of having been there at all.
Lost in thought, I was suddenly brought back to reality when a shadow crossed over my table. I looked up, expecting to see the waitress, or even the owl that hunted this area at night, but instead I saw only the shadow gliding across the ground. I looked farther and farther up, searching the night sky for... well, I wasn't sure what I was searching for. Whatever it was that created that shadow. Seeing nothing, I looked back down at my tea, putting the mysterious shadow out of my mind. Until I saw it again a few moments later. This time my eyes went straight to the sky, and I looked in every different direction. Just as I was about to look down again, I saw something dark move from out of the corner of my eye, yet as I turned that direction, whatever it was had already gone. I started to feel uneasy, and considered heading inside the cafe.
Just before I could stand up, the shadow not only crossed my table but hovered there for a moment. I knew that this time, when I glanced up, I would see this mysterious thing that kept casting me in darkness. I slowly raised my eyes to the sky, and that is when I saw him.
Gliding across the sky just in front of the moon, almost seeming to dance between the moonbeams, was a giant serpent. He looked like a long twisting shadow with the head of a lion, and he barked a cry that made the stars seem to weep. It was a loud cracking sound, what I considered to be a cross between a roar and a eagle's call, but short and crisp. It sounded intense yet sad, like a wild animal who just lost his young. I should have been afraid-- nothing like that existed in this world-- but I was drawn to him. I couldn't look away. I stood up from my chair and took a few steps away from my table, closer to the darkness beyond the streetlight's glow. The serpent twisted and turned in the sky, slowly moving towards me in a wide circle. As he got closer, I was able to see more detail to his body, and by the time his six legs were brushing the tops of the trees in front of me, I could call him nothing but a dragon.
He was nearly twenty feet long from the top of his head to the tip of his tail. His body was two feet thick, tapering down to just a few inches at the end. He was covered in bright red scales that caught the light, but didn't reflect a glare. He truly did resemble a lion; a long golden mane circled his head, and his entire body had golden lines glowing in strange twisted patterns. His legs were short, reminding me of an alligator, with long golden locks of hair just like his mane trailing behind each leg, and terrible ivory claws that could rival any fearful beast of legend. His teeth were long and sharp, but his deep black eyes portrayed a peaceful calm that eliminated any fear I might have had. He had four ivory spurs that jutted right out of his midsection; two just behind his front legs, and two just before his back legs. The were nearly a foot wide each, the front ones curving towards the back and the back ones curving towards the front. They looked a bit like the blades of a scythe, yet they had blunt tips on them. I looked closer and saw that they had the same strange twisting patterns carved into them as he had glowing across his body.
He landed just in front of me, maybe five feet away. I could feel a warmth emanating from his body that seemed to turn the cool spring air into mid summer. The ground beneath his feet suddenly sprang into life; the grass turned a bright green and grew a few inches taller, flowers of all types and colors began to grow and blossom right in front of my eyes-- some of which were so unique and beautiful that I don't think they had ever been seen by human eyes. I felt his gaze on me, and turned my attention back to him. I looked directly into his eyes and nearly fell right then and there into the deep pools of reflection that were staring back at me. My heart skipped a beat, and I had to take a step backwards to catch myself. He let out a soft growl, though I somehow knew it was meant for laughter. His lips seemed to curl upwards in a smile, and he began to draw himself upwards, standing on his back legs for a moment before twisting his front end around himself like a snake curling up. The tighter and tighter he curled, the darker he became, before I realized it wasn't him getting darker but a thick deep purple fog that was shrouding him in darkness. He began to fade from view, and I reached a hand out towards him in an effort to stop him from leaving.
I heard him growl again, although this time the growl actually faded into a man's deep laughter. I lowered my hand slowly, searching the darkness as the fog dissipated for any sign of this magickal creature. At first I couldn't make out anything, I could only hear that haunting laughter. I began to second guess myself, thinking that perhaps I was imagining things. It wouldn't be the first time a late-night waitress accidentally gave me her "special brew". The remaining fog seemed to coalesce into the shape of a tall light skinned man, who formed a more solid shape as he began to step towards me. He was wearing thick tan pants that tied at his waist with a sash. His dark brown leather boots were nearly knee high, yet the tops were folded down so they only came halfway up his calves. His white shirt was tucked into his pants, loose and flowing, the top half unbuttoned and showing off his strong chest. His sleeves were long and also loose, yet buttoned tightly at the wrists. By the time he stood directly in front of me, his face just inches from mine, there was no doubt he was real. I couldn't keep my eyes off him. He was gorgeous. He had thick black hair that curled down to his shoulders... broad lean shoulders at that.. Strong facial features that told of hard days at war, yet soft gentle black eyes that showed wisdom and a peaceful nature. His body was perfectly formed, with strong tone muscles that could perform any physical feat he could have need to do. This man could not possibly be just a man... I knew he was a King, a God, before he ever told me so.
He reached out and took my hand, and began walking backwards towards the park. Without hesitation I let him lead me. He turned to face forward and fell into step beside me. We walked side by side in silence, my eyes never leaving him and his hand never releasing mine. We walked under the black metal archway into the park, and the flowers burst into life, blossoming and instantly filling the air with the most wonderful scent. As he led me through the park I could see nature bending to his will. Plants coming to life, trees lifting their branches so we could walk beneath them, the water from a stream bubbling and splashing playfully at the bank. He looked up towards the stars and they seemed to grow brighter, the moonlight casting a single beam of light directly onto us. We stopped in the center of that light, he turned back to face me, and held both my hands in his. He closed his eyes and began to sing... and to this day it holds a place in my heart as the most beautiful sound I have ever heard. His song wasn't in any language I knew of, and he seemed to be singing the part of three separate people in perfect harmony. It was a slow song, and so sad that silent tears began to flow down my cheeks. I never noticed, but where each teardrop hit the ground, a Moonflower sprouted. It was a very rare breed of flower that has only ever been discovered growing in places deemed sacred by myth or legend. I felt as if he was singing about a lost land, a lost love, and a lost past. His song began to alter ever so slightly, and the tone of the song began to make me believe-- truly believe-- in Hope. In magickal powers that could heal all things. In Love. His song slowed to an end, and his voice faded into the night.
He smiled down at me then, and I knew at that moment I would do anything and everything he could ever ask. I didn't even know his name, and I loved him so.
Over the next few days, we traveled. In his Dragon form he carried me across the world. Both across vast distances and across the span of time, we saw the most amazing sights. He showed me time-lost lands with strange creatures that all sang their own mystical songs. He showed me new worlds that were yet untouched by the corruption of man. I tasted the sweetest fruits, that had healing powers, which also gave me physical endurance and made me feel younger somehow. I drank the clearest, purest water from a sacred fountain that gave me knowledge and the ability to speak any language I wished. I saw things the likes of which my most vivid imagination could never have dreamed.
One night while relaxing beneath a Cuoca tree in a distant land (that's what he called it, anyhow), I began to think back about how this all started. I was laying down, my head against his mane, his body curled up around me, with his spurs facing upwards to protect me. Watching the three moons and two ringed planets drift across the sky, I recalled our very first conversation.
"Who are you?" I had whispered.
"My name is spoken in song form, in my native language." He chuckled softly, and spoke with a confident pride, though without vain. "You can call me the Dragon King, as I am known throughout time and space."
I shook my head slightly, and giggled silently and breathily.
"Oh. Dragon King..." I said sarcastically, casually rolling my eyes. "Of course you are."
He knew I was playing, and that I couldn't believe this was happening. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close to him. I could feel his heartbeat, strong and steady, and it nearly put me in a trance.
"Oh!" I gasped. In the split second that I had laid my head against his chest, I could see his name. It wasn't in words at all. It was an image of a white wolf running across a golden field, a strong red dragon (the same he had materialized from) hovering above it.
I smiled then, knowing that somehow my life had changed forever.
"Don't you want to know my name?" I asked him.
"I already know your name, Crystal. I know everything about you. Your eyes, your soul, and your heart have already told me everything."
I sighed and looked away.
"Then you already know..."
He didn't hesitate.
"Yes. You love me." He lifted my face gently and leaned down, his lips softly brushing mine.
"And I also love you."
"...Why? How can you love me? You are amazing, and I am just a girl... Just another girl who I'm sure is like hundreds who have fawned over you."
"No." He said. "I have seen your soul, and never have I met someone like you. I can never forget you now; you are part of my heart."
I didn't know it was possible to physically melt, but I swear I did just then.
"Come away with me," He asked. "Come see the worlds, see the stars... let me show you my world."
And I did. He wrapped me up in his arms even tighter, and I felt the world around me spin. I shut my eyes, and when I opened them again, I was in a white sparkling forest, surrounded by tall thick glass trees and bright red mushroom patches on the ground by my feet, that jingled like musical bells and flutes when a breeze washed over them. In the distance, through a clearing in the trees, I could see an enormous golden castle, it's spires stretching high into the sky. There was a village surrounding the castle walls, each building made entirely of sparkling white stone, almost seeming to be an extension of the forest. The Dragon King was back in his dragon form, and I felt him whispering in my mind to climb onto his back. Ever since then, we had explored countless worlds and hidden wonders, and I never again felt loneliness.
The Dragon King had told me earlier in the night that he had received an urgent message from his wind-seer to return to his castle. The next morning, we were to meet with her over breakfast in his dining hall. She was, as he explained to me, a fortune-teller of sorts. Though he had the ability to travel time and space, he could not see into his own future, nor could he travel to it. She had the gift of reading the wind and translating the visions it brought her. She had seen something-- though she refused to say in her message just what it was she had seen-- but whatever it was, it had severely frightened her. He tossed and turned as he slept that night, though I knew it was not for fear of the message, but out of worry for his wind-seer. I wasn't sure what the dawn would bring, but I trusted that with him by my side, everything would be alright. I closed my eyes, and slipped into a dreamless sleep.
[This was where the first dream of the Dragon King ended, and I felt myself wake up for a few minutes before falling back asleep and beginning the next one.]
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