I see a man, he had a beard and bright blue eyes, he was wearing a robe. And that's really all I could use to describe him. "Who are you?" I ask. I recognized the place it was the mind scape once more. "Who I am you will find out soon. What I do here is the real question. I sleep to find myself here unwillingly. I don't know why I am here but I know you. And I know we'll meet again." He says. My eyebrows furrow. "How do you know me?" He didn't say anything. "Answer me!" I command walking to him.
Then mother appears. I stumble backwards landing on the floor. "M-Mother?" I say my hand above my mouth in shock. "Mother!" I exclaim getting up and running to her. "No Anika stay back please." She begs and I slow down. "What? Why?" I ask picking up my pace once more. Then the man take a sword putting it at mothers throat. "No!" I yell. "You are to do as I say or her head is gone." He threatens. "No Anika! Don't! I'm already dead! He can't harm me!" She yells and it makes sense in my head. I close my eyes. I stay put. "No." I say sternly looking at the man. "As you wish." He says. He cuts mothers head off and I'm left in terror. "N-No.." I breath out. Then the man approaches me. "No! Stay away!" I yell to no use. He gets closer and laughs. He grabs his sword pointing it at me. My own weapon wasn't anywhere in sight. I depended on my dodging, to not get hit. After a while of avoiding his hits I dodge another one but my foot trips over itself and I fall to the floor.
The feeling of the cold hard floor against my back wakes me. I sit up and I gasp standing up. I grab my sword pointing it at those who stood above me. Arthur backs his head the sword barely touching his neck. "Next time I know not to see if your alive." He says sarcastically moving the sword from his neck. I sigh in relief. "Anika are you alright? We heard your screaming. When we came in you were sweating. Then you fell off the bed." Guinevere says stepping in front of Arthur to me. I hold my head. When I was awoken my body wasn't fully awake yet but I moved anyways, it caused my body to give me a head ache. "Yes I'm fine, just... nightmares." I say sitting on the edge of my bed. "Wel they didn't seem like regular nightmares. You screamed as if you just saw your mother die." She says referencing but at the memory my body tenses my eyes watering. She looks at my reaction and her eyes widen in realization. "Oh it's fine it was just a nightmare. I'll tell Gaius to get you some medication for it." She says giving me a hug and rubbing my back. "But it felt so real, like he was right there.." I say wrapping my arms around her neck.
"I'll go get you some breakfast maybe putting some food in your system would help." She says standing up. I nod and she leaves the room. Arthur stares at me curiously. I sniffle. "What do you want." I state sitting on my bed. "Oh nothing. But if you don't mind can you tell me how the dream played out?" He asks and I glare at him.
I look at him a little more and I got the feeling his intentions were innocent. I sigh rubbing my eyes then run a hand through my hair. "There was a man, then he spoke about seeing me soon. Then my mother appeared." I say my voice cracking on mother. I clear my throat. "He threatened to kill her if I didn't listen. But it didn't make since because she already passed away. So I stood my ground. Then he... he-" I stop short covering my face and taking a breath. "He cut her head off in front of me. Then he came to me and started attacking me. I moved and moved but eventually I tripped and I woke up." I say sniffling once more. "I think the reason it bothered me so much was that I let my mother die infront of me twice. TWICE! And on both occasions she was fucking innocent." I say leaning my head back on the head board mentally cursing at myself for being so useless.
I sigh looking at Arthur. He seemed to be deep in thought. "What?" I asked. He shakes his head. "Nothing. I will be going then." He says leaving and closing the door.
I sigh. I haven't dreamy about mother in two years, nightmare or not. The images of her lifeless body stuck in my head. I stand up changing my blouse. I look in the mirror at my newest scar. It wasn't the longest but it was the most noticeable, as I hadn't gotten hit in a while. I put on the blouse and my boots. I grab my sword putting it at my side and head out of the castle needing to let go of some steam. I walk around looking for the exit when from one of the windows I see the knights practicing.
I smile an idea popping in my head. I continue outside then make it to where they are. "Can I join?" I ask jogging over. The knights look at me questioningly. "Uh Miss I'm not so sure the King would approve." One of them says taking off his helmet. "Well I'll take the blame if he gets mad."I say reassuringly. I step closer and the height deference between me and the knights is very noticeable. They had to be over 6. "But what if something happens?" He asks. I cock an eyebrow. "Don't worry I won't hit you that hard." I say looking at the weapons they had on the side. They start laughing. "No. We mean when we hit you that it could cause damage." He clarifies chuckling. I give him my bitch face. "And what makes you so sure you'll land a hit?" I say stepping closer. Though I was shorter I made sure to make my dominance clear. "Haha, I'm pretty sure I would." He mocks. I walk over looking at their swords putting my own down. "Very well, why don't we have a round? It ends when one of us backs down." I say challengingly. He chuckles. "Alright, but I hope you don't hold yourself off too long." He says.
One of the knights points to the armor but I shake my head. 'I won't need it.' I thought smirking. 'What don't you need? Anika? Don't do anything stupid. Anika! Where are you?!' Merlin thinks but I block him out. I grab a sword and get in position. "Let the match begin!" One of the knights exclaim. We begin and I dodge his hits, his armor taking mine. I eventually give up with the sword as it wouldn't do anything against the armor. I try getting closer and put myself defenseless in front of him. Like I expected he took the chance to hit me. I swiftly move to the side and jump on him from behind. I kick his knees and he falls, as I keep him in a chokehold. "Done yet?" I ask and he shakes his head standing up. He throws himself backwards to the floor expecting for me to be under his weight on the floor but I put my feet on his shoulders and jump in front of him as he hits the floor. I grab my sword, aiming it to his neck. With one foot on his chest and the other on his sword, he patted the ground out of breath. Everyone started cheering.
I put my sword to the ground sighing happily. I give him a hand to get up. He takes it and removes his helmet. "You got skills." He compliments and I give him a smile. "Bravo! Amazing!" I hear from behind me. The knights all bow down and I turn to see Uther. "I thought that when you almost beat Arthur it was on a stroke of luck. But it seems you are a very good fighter." He says and I nod. "Thank you." I say simply. "That was one of my best knights, and you took him down in minutes." He says still sounding amazed. Then he says words I'd be forever grateful for. "How would you like to train the knights?"
"Congratulations, I heard you were training the knights." Guinevere says. We were in a sewing room where they kept and made all the clothes. As I had defected all the dresses they had in my closet we came her to get blouses and pants. "Oh yes. I'm so excited! My next goal is to actually become a knight!" I say smiling looking for blouses. Guinevere stops looking at me. "But isn't it against the law for a woman to be a knight?" She asks. My eyebrows furrow in thought. "I'll have to see. But if I'm better than the top knights I don't see why I shouldn't be one." I say picking a blouse pressing it against me for size. It looked a little larger then me and I smiled. "Found the size." I say. I tell her my size and we begin searching for others. When we get a few she start looking for pants as I look for undergarments.
"But I hope to become one. It would be nice saving the kingdom." I say dramatically and she laughs at my antics. "Sometimes I think your a child in a teens body." She says jokingly. I gasp. "How'd you find out?!" I say and we both burst out laughing. When we finish our search for my clothes we go back to my chambers putting everything away. "Well I'll be off. I have to do some more work." She says giving me a smile and closing my door. I look around my room, bored. After the king offered the job and I accepted I had continued to practice with the knights. I beat all of them and we decided to start training tomorrow. Then Gwen came and helped me with my clothes, all of that left me here: in my chambers, alone, and bored. At that moment my stomach grumbled. Correction. In my chambers, alone, bored AND hungry.
I think back to this morning when Gwen would have brought me my food if only I had stayed in my room. Then practicing with the knights and being with Gwen kept me from eating my only savior was dinner. That is unless my idiot self does something and I end up not eating, AGAIN.
I sigh throwing myself on my bed and staring at my ceiling. My eyes turning turquoise, a ball of fire appeared over me. It formed into all sorts of things, cities, the town, my friends, the castle, knights, then the man. I glared at the projection so hard if it wasn't already fire it might have burned. I hear a knock at my door and my eyes return to normal. Arthur stepped in confused. "Do you smell smoke?" He says taking a sniff. I shake my head. "No. Nothing at all." I say sitting up. "Are you sure? It seems it's coming from here." He says stepping into the room. "No, I don't smell anything." I say once again. "MERLIN!" He yells and I shut my eyes at the pain in my ears. "Yes sure?" Merlin says at the door. He glances at me and I look at him pleadingly. He looks back at Arthur. "Do you smell smoke? I swear I can smell smoke." Arthur says wandering around. "No, nothing at all sire." Merlin says. Arthur looks at us accusingly. "Are the both of you trying to make a fool of me?" he asks directing the question to me. "You wouldn't need us to help you, you do that already." I say standing and pushing him out of my chambers. "Now if you leave me I'm tired. I spent all afternoon training YOUR knights." I say slamming the door in his face. I sigh going to my bed and plopping down. "How are you doing Mer- ouch!" I say holding the back of my head from the slap Marlin gave me. "Are you an idiot?! What if he caught you?" He says. "Geez so what IF he did. The lesson here is that he didn't. Get over it. You speak like a mother." I say still holding my throbbing head. "How do you have a harder hit than the knights?" I whine. He sighs. "I don't know if you ask me you seem to have a really thick head." He mocks sitting down. I laugh at him. "Now you really are sounding like my mother!" I exclaim laughing. He throws me the pillow that was on the chair and I catch it still laughing. Though he acted otherwise, he was smiling. "Alright if your done causing trouble then, I'll be leaving I actually have to do things here." He teases walking to the door. "Wait do you know when I can get dinner?" I ask. "Well not for the royals but you can have dinner with me Gaius and Gwen. Itll be in our quarters." He says and I nod. "Thank you Merlin." He smiles and closes the door. I'm left alone.
My stomach grumbles again.
'Shut up will you?!'