Heart Over Sword

As the night drew on, the group dispersed into their allocated tents; Cilv left them again, making Evanna wonder what she was doing and what time she would be back. She was rolling out the small, cushioned sleeping pad onto the floor when Ger climbed into the tent, was he lost? She wondered.

"If at all you do not feel safe with her sleeping next to you, come find me," He said, making Evanna frown.

She was not scared of Cilv, they had made a deal, and she knew the woman would keep up her side of the bargain. Plus, she could take care of herself. Without saying a word, she nodded back at him. Ger was not happy with how the sleeping arrangements had been formed, but he could do nothing about it; he hoped that Cilv would prove herself to be an asset as the princess thought. He left the tent and made his way back to his own.

Evanna took her swords off from behind her back and placed them next to the sleeping pad, removing her boots near her bag; she then grabbed a light blanket she would use to try and keep her warm. Luckily the tent would keep her sheltered and held some warmth inside the linen mobile home. She kept her cloak on, put the hood over her head, then climbed down onto the floor and pulled the cover over. It did not take her long to doze off; her body seemed to have melted into the cushioned pad. Soon enough, her breathing became slow and even.

The darkness welcomed her resting mind into sleep. After what felt like five minutes but was actually five hours, her subconscious pulled her mind from the darkness and slowly, a beautiful scene arose in front of her. She was looking across a magnificent view; snowy mountains stood in front of her, clouds hovered with birds flying in different directions in the sky. Looking down, she saw that the white marble balcony she stood at was attached to a type of building that merged into the side of another mountain.

The sun to the east was setting with a pinkish hue, and to the west, in the distance, she could see waterfalls cascading down the mountain, one after the other. She placed her hands onto the balcony top only to feel that the surface was rough; she looked down to see that tree branches made their way up and over the flat top, twisting into the marble balcony with flowers blooming here and there. Her hand caressed the branch admirably; the owners of such a place must have left it to look that way.

After taking in the view, she realised that she was not alone, turning around she faced someone she recognised well, her mother. She stood there healthy and almost glowing as she smiled back at Evanna, who instantly walked forwards and hugged her mother tightly. After a long embrace, her mother pulled back to look at her.

Evanna was still dressed in the clothes she went to sleep in. Whereas she was dressed in a beautiful blue dress that she could not remember ever seeing, the material looked relatively light. She frowned, wondering if her mother was cold, considering they were in the mountains.

"I missed you," Her mother said; her voice sounded strong and healthy. Evanna smiled back at her mother but then became confused with her statement, her eyebrows furrowed again.

"But I am right here?"

"That does not mean I do not miss you", Her mother responded.

Evanna noticed how her mother kept checking over her face; she wondered if something was on it. Lifting her hand, she felt over her face to feel nothing but her smooth skin.

"This place is beautiful," Evanna said at last.

"It is."

"I do not remember visiting this place. It must be quite far from Dunhurst."

"You have not been here", Her mother replied as she was still searching her face. Evanna frowned; that does not make any sense? Does it?

"Then, how am I here?" Her mother giggled at Evanna's response, her eyes gleaming.

"I do not know. How am I here? It is your dream, darling."

Amusement was still filled in her mother's eyes. Yes, she was in a dream. That makes a lot more sense. But how did her mind come up with a place like this if only her mother has been to it? Or was she overthinking? Can one overthink in a dream?

Her mother pulled her arm into her own, linking them together, as she led Evanna towards the door behind them. There was nothing in front of them on opening the door, it was pitch black, but her mother pulled her forwards still; on their first step out, they both fell downwards. But before Evanna could scream, they landed.

A scene formed in front of them; instead of a bedroom or a dining room, they found themselves in front of a palace. But it was no ordinary palace, it was merged into the side of a mountain, and like the waterfalls, it cascaded down with many different levels to it. Nearer the bottom levels, you could see a waterfall coming out of the building and falling down; she could only guess how spectacular it looked close up. This place was absolutely magical.

The pair walked forwards at a leisurely pace, enjoying the scenery. Evanna still could not understand how neither of them felt the cold when the snowy mountains were right there, and the breeze was blowing across them, making their hair and outfits move gently.

"Your father is worried about you."

"Hmm"

"He, of course, is relentless and will not stop until you are found. I hope you are far away."

This caught Evanna's attention. Her head was seriously playing some mind games. Testing herself some more, she asked her mother,

"Where has he sent his men?"

"They first went to Birch after they were informed by the guards on duty that a 'servant' provided a sealed envelope from you. That has given you more time before you make it to Direwood forest," Her mother replied. Well, that just confirmed it. It was just her subconscious messing with her; she presumed her father's men would follow that lead.

"Time is nearly up", Her mother whispered, but Evanna heard her. She stopped and looked at her, her brows furrowing again.

"When you are in Direwood Forest, stay on the right side of the river. If the trees start to get darker, turn around. Do you understand?" Her mother was now holding her by her shoulders, her look earnest as she stared into Evanna's eyes. This was something new, she thought.

The surroundings suddenly started to rumble, as though the mountain was shaking everything. Evanna and her mother, however, were standing still like it did not affect them. While the view and imagery around her started to slide down like paint slipping down walls and into a puddle on the ground. Left behind the painted background was a black canvas. Everything around her and her mother was black. She started to blink, wondering what was going on. She looked back at her mother, who began to fade faintly, making her squint to see her better.

"Mother?"

~ Wake up ~

"Be brave" Her mother's voice echoed through her mind; the surroundings started to go fuzzy. Then abruptly, she felt a rough tug on the back of her shirt; her breath hitched as her whole body had been pulled up, making her legs dangle above the floor and through the black canvas. It felt as though a string was tied around her waist and pulled her out of the dream.

"Wake up."

Her eyes started to slowly flutter open, 'be brave', her mother's distant voice still echoed through her head. Her right shoulder was being shaken; she opened her eyes and reached for her sword by her side.

"Wake up, princess, jeese. And don't stab me!" Cilv's voice was now a lot clearer as Evanna's dream crumbled away and awareness kicked in. Evanna's grip on the sword loosened, and she relaxed further, but another shake from Cilv made her sit up.

"You must have completely conked out. I was shaking you for a while," Cilv shook her head at her; Evanna yawned before replying, "Hmm, it is morning already?" She looked around, squinting at how light the tent was from the rising sun outside.

Evanna was most definitely not a morning person; even if she did not go for her sword, she might have hit the person if she did not know it was Cilv. Her maid used to open the curtains and call for her from a distance, knowing too well how dangerous it could be up close. If she did shake her awake, she done so at her own peril.

"It is. We will be going soon, though you might want to eat something before we go," Cilv said casually. Evanna tried not to look stunned; that was actually quite considerate of her.

"When did you get back to the tent? I did not hear you."

"Just now, I went hunting then slept under the stars", Came Cilv's response. Evanna looked back up at Cilv's face; she was completely serious.

"Did you not want to share?"

Instead of replying, Cilv smiled gently at the younger girl before stepping back out of the tent.

She wondered if that woman would always remain a mystery to her. Not thinking too much about it, she got up and made herself get ready.