I awoke to the first light of the day and as I opened my eyes, I noticed that I was in a luxurious room of Willow Winds Mansion with the warmth of the morning sun sneaking in through the grand windows. I woke up in my comfortable bed which was covered with silk cloth and the warmth of the morning sun was forcing me to get up. However, when my eyes opened, a sense of discomfort appeared in me.
I sat up in a flash, all adrenalin up to the eyeballs. The familiar surroundings of my bedroom—lavish drapes, antique furniture, and the ornate chandelier above—seemed almost foreign after what I had just experienced. All that happened with Iris, the rooftop, the feeling of fear, confusion – all that seemed to be so realistic, but then, now it seemed as though nothing of it had really existed, but it was just a dream.
"Good morning, sir Ren."
The sound of an unfamiliar voice came crashing into my ears, which made me flinch. I spun round to see that Charles, my ever-attentive assistant was by the door, carrying the tray with my daily breakfast. The sight of Charles, so calm and composed, should have been comforting. Instead, it only deepened my confusion
"Where…where was I yesterday?" I asked, my voice hoarse.
Charles just raised an eyebrow as he placed the tray down on a small table by the side. "That is exactly what I wanted to know, sir, you vanished for the whole day, everybody searched for you everywhere, even outside the estate, but there was no sign of you. Sir Willam was quite worried."
"Fath—The king…?" I stammered, my voice laced with confusion.
"Yes, sir. Where were you?" Charles's voice held genuine concern, his eyes searching mine for an explanation.
"I was… not here?" I murmured, more to myself than to him, the bewilderment clear in my tone.
My mind raced. The previous day seemed like a series of disconnected images that one cannot really put into a cohesive whole. And suddenly a memory slid into my mind: Rooftop, the sky over the city, and Iris. How have I not been around all this time? How can a dream that seems so real, so alive, and then be gone in the blink of an eye?
Charles gave me a concerned look. "Sir, you seem…unwell. I would advise that you take some time to rest because the kingdom is depending on you."
I barely heard him. I sat for a while, still in confusion, my mind busy attempting to form the fragmented images into continuity. However, no matter how much effort I made, I couldn't suppress the thought that what I had was not just a dream. But there was something beyond that, which I couldn't explain.
"Sir Ren?"
I blinked, bringing my attention back to Charles, who was apparently waiting for an answer from the slow-thinking me. "Yes, of course," I replied absentmindedly all the while my thoughts wandering off. That was the problem; I had to gain some understanding as to what was going on to me.
But for now, the best thing that I could do was to go along with the plan. The questions that were clouding my mind would have to be answered once I was on my own – until I could make sense of the impossible.
Charles nodded and moved to leave, but I stopped him. "Charles," I said, "If I disappear again…don't search for me."
Charles looked worried but bowed his head down in obedience as required of him. "As you wish, sir," replied when he had recovered some of his voice, his concern evident.
I watched him leave, my mind still spinning. Things around me seemed rather chaotic as if many pieces of a puzzle were still missing. As I sat there, staring at the untouched breakfast, I couldn't help but wonder: Was I really awake or having just transited from one dream to the other?
---
It was days, then weeks, and slowly the confusion that characterized my life started to clear. I got occupied with many tasks in the kingdom, and for this, I focused on all my tasks in the kingdom. The Constant reminder of Iris, the rooftop, and that surreal world became more surreal, less vivid, and much like a dream the more days passed by. I convinced myself that it was, focusing instead on the tasks at hand— such as issues of state, appointments with dignitaries, and the endless array of chores of the court.
The mansion became my whole universe once more and all my fears were kept at bay again Though that uncertainty that used to seize me was still lurking at the back of my mind. But the more time had gone, I realized that it was quite simple to just shut them off and to push away those fleeting thoughts of another world.
However, one day, the reality that I depended on more than anything came crashing down in front of me.
It was late afternoon when it happened. I had just come out of my meeting and was walking back to the mansion when I heard a sound coming from behind me in the corridor. Further, as I could respond, I felt the cold blade of the weapon, following me and was already threatening to pierce my back.
I turned around just in time to avoid the strike and also took out my sword to deflect the blow. The attackers were very active in their movements which were precise and deadly. I knew them as killers; their heads were covered with black hoods. There was no time to think— there can only be when to breed and when to feed in the kill-or-be-killed universe right now.
The fight was brutal. I tried to do like the training I had undergone but the prospects were all against me. One of the assassins slashed at my arm, the blade cutting deep into my flesh, the blood gushing through the cut. I clenched my teeth and struck back as hard as I could; one of the men fell to the ground immediately.
But they were relentless. Another blade swept near my flank before another slit my shoulder. There was blood everywhere, it soaked the white marble surface on which I was laying; I tried so hard to keep the opponent off me, and finally, after each had exhausted his last breath of stamina, they collapsed. I fought with every ounce of strength I had, refusing to go down without a fight. I managed to disarm one of my attackers, but the others pressed on, they continued their assault, jabbing me viciously.
Finally, with one last desperate effort, I broke free, there was no more strength left in me so, I got down from there and ran as far as possible away from that scene. It took all the strength left in me to stand up as my body felt like on fire with the pain of the wounds. Yet it was like a voice inside of my head telling me to get up, to get as far away from the assassins as I could. My eyes teared up and I could hardly breathe but I couldn't stop now—not when I was so close to escaping.
After what felt like an eternity to found a corner where I could be sure nobody would hear me scream and even if someone came across me, they would not see anybody to harm me. I almost fainted on the tree that I leaned on my body and the pain in my arms and legs was nearly unbearable. The same level of physical abuse could be seen and the cuts were starting to wear me down. I could feel the blood seeping through my clothes, the wounds taking their toll. I needed to rest, just for a moment…
But as I closed my eyes, I noticed something strange. I felt as if the world turned around me and the surroundings lost their bright colors, the peripheral vision distorted. What was earlier so recognizable as the garden now looked like a distant mirage to the watcher.
"What…is happening?" I groaned as my strength was gone and my brain was struggling to process what was going on.
I could barely keep my eyes open, the pain seemed to have overwhelmed my entire senses. As the shadows lengthened, the world around me continued to distort and the reality around me was turning into a reverse perspective when I started hearing something —a weak voice from afar, like it was calling out to me.
At first, I believed that it was my imagination, a vision produced by the pain I felt. But as the voice became clearer, I found out that I was familiar with it. Iris. She was muttering something in my ear, and I could barely hear her through the thick fog, her voice was filled with worry and concern, but I could barely make out any words.
"Iris…?" I whispered, I could hardly muster any sound in my throat. It was the only thing I was able to attempt in response, to call out to her, but the pain was overwhelming, smothering her words, and dragging me further and deeper into unconsciousness.
The last thing I heard before everything went blank was her voice, a soft echo in the distance before the darkness engulfed me and covered my eyes like a cloak.
And then I felt a sudden darkness consumed me.
When I finally regained consciousness, the first thing I noticed was the softness beneath me. My eyes fluttered open, and I found myself lying in a bed—not my familiar bed in Willow Winds Mansion or my bedroom but in a completely different place. The sheets were rougher, the room dimly lit and the location unknown.
Suddenly, an apparition of panic ran through me as I tried to sit up since my body was filled with areas that had been wounded. Where was I? That begged the question: how had I ended up at this particular place at this particular time? And where for God's sake was Iris?