I Wish to See You in My Dreams

After a simple meal at the tavern, Lissana first retired to her room on the second floor. A young girl led her up a short flight of stairs and then down a long hallway. Children were going in and out of the rooms with buckets, brooms, and mops in their hands. The youngest looked about eight years old, the oldest around twelve. Lissana stared at her, and the girl, guessing what she was thinking from her expression, said, “They are war orphans. Mr. Lar allowed them to stay. They help with the cleaning, but no one forces them; they do it because they are grateful.” Lissana had noticed that the children did not look mistreated or sad; on the contrary, they were clean and seemed very happy. “Are you also a war orphan?” The girl shook her head. “My father is the owner.” “I see.” She stopped in front of one of the rooms, and after opening it, she said, “If you need anything, let me know.” “I'm good, thanks.” When Lissana entered the tiny room, she placed her bag on the bed and took out some of her belongings. Apart from the sword and daggers, some underwear, and a few tunics, she hadn't brought much. Lissana wanted a bath, but the small room didn't seem to have one, although there was a jug of water and some towels on a small table by the window. “I suppose that's better than nothing.” After cleaning herself with a damp towel and putting on a clean nightgown, she lay down on the bed. The room was noisy, just as the girl who had told them how to find the tavern had said. “I doubt I can sleep.” Lissana wondered if Tarik still remembered her, if he was still waiting for her, just as he had promised. She missed him, but she didn't know if he still felt the same way about her. She pushed the thought away and curled up in bed. Through the small window, the noise of the voices lulled her to sleep. That night, Lissana dreamed of Tarik, of fairyland. She found herself in the royal palace, walking through the long ivory corridors. She stopped in front of a room with large doors carved with leaf engravings. Upon opening the door, she saw Tarik lying on a bed of flowers. He still looked exactly the same, as if time had not passed for him. Although somewhat pale, his chest barely moved, as if he were dead. Lissana was about to take his hand when she woke up. “Tarik,” she whispered. Lissana got up and washed her face, hoping the cold water would wash away the remnants of her dream. “No, that wasn't real. Tarik is fine, he must be.” Lissana knew that her mother had the power to see the future through her dreams, but she had only seen it a couple of times; she wasn't even sure if her dreams were truly prophetic. “It's probably just because I've been thinking about him so much. Yeah, that must be it. Tarik's fine.” Lissana quickly changed and hurried down the stairs. Uzziel was already having breakfast in the tavern, and upon seeing her, he said, “I thought you would sleep until noon.” “We must leave now.” “First, have breakfast. Traveling with teleportation scrolls isn't exactly smooth. It's been a long time since you last used them, so I recommend you eat.” “I think Tarik is in trouble.” “Why do you say that?” “I dreamed of him, he seemed...” Lissana didn't dare to say what she had seen in her dreams. “We must reach fairyland, no matter how.” “Lissana, I don't think anything bad is happening to Tarik. Cassiel would have told you a few months ago when he brought your father if that were the case.” “Fairyland is still closed, something is happening, something is not right, and I'm almost sure it's because of Tarik. He is the new king of the fairies, and fairyland is connected to him.” “I understand how you feel, but it was just a dream. Eat, we'll leave when you finish.” Lissana wanted to argue, but Uzziel's gaze was firm. They wouldn't leave that place until they finished eating. She reluctantly sat at the table and said to him. “I won't forgive you if something happens to Tarik.” “Do you really think you'll get there faster if you skip breakfast? You'll just end up getting sick, and we'll have to stop to rest in some village. “I can use my power to heal myself.” “Even to use your power, you need to eat. You're not immortal, you know.” Lissana stabbed the spoon into the bowl of oatmeal, which Uzziel had passed her, and shot him a murderous look; she was very upset. “I delivered the letter to Nil last night, he left early this morning.” Lissana said nothing, just shoved a big spoonful of oatmeal into her mouth. “We'll need two scrolls to reach the city of Farell, the entrance to the elven kingdom is around there.” After Lissana finished her oatmeal, she asked. “How long will it take us to get there?” “Two days.” “Two days? Why so long?” “We can't use two scrolls in one day. We're not used to using teleportation scrolls; we'd end up sick if we did.” “I already told you I can heal us.” “Are you sure you can do that while feeling unwell?” “I've healed serious wounds.” “That's not the same.” A wound hurts, but it doesn't cloud your mind, which needs to be clear to use magic. Feeling dizzy doesn't count as being clear-headed. Lissana took a slice of bread with strawberry jam from Uzziel's plate and said to him, “I'm done, can we go?” “Lissana, you have no manners. Your teachers would be horrified if they saw you eat like a beast.” “I'll turn into a beast if you don't get up right now.” Uzziel took his bag and approached the bar where the innkeeper was, placed a silver coin on the counter and said, “I hope this covers our expenses. “Certainly, sir. We hope you'll return; we'll be waiting for you.” Uzziel said nothing, just headed towards the door. As he left without stopping, Lissana asked him, “Where are we going? “To find an open spot; you don't want to accidentally take someone with you, do you?” Lissana knew that some of the scrolls had a large range, as Sirius had explained to her, which is why they were always used in open spaces, to avoid taking someone by mistake. She followed him in silence to a small clearing outside the town. After making sure no one was following them, Uzziel took his cousin's hand and made her hold onto his jacket, then broke the teleportation scroll, and in the blink of an eye, they found themselves in another place, on a path leading to a small livestock village. “We'll stay here tonight, there's an inn at the entrance of the village.” Lissana felt a bit dizzy; she had forgotten how disorienting it was to travel with scrolls, especially for those not accustomed to it, so she didn't complain when Uzziel took her to the inn and sent her directly to her room to rest. As she lay in her bed, she used healing magic to ease her discomfort. Although Uzziel insisted she couldn't always do that, she hated being sick as it made her feel weak. Without further discomfort, she curled up in bed, hugging a pillow, and closed her eyes while thinking of Tarik, hoping to continue the dream she had, to reassure herself that he was okay, that it had truly been just a dream and nothing more.