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Then we were close enough to the rulers of Dream that it would be rude to whisper amongst ourselves.
The King of Hope was a jovial-looking white man with long blond hair and vibrant blue eyes. His rosy red cheeks contrasted with his pale skin and made me think of a Viking Santa. He wore long black robes with white fur edging. A golden crown rested on his brow.
The queen also wore black robes with shimmering drops all over it, perhaps meant to be tears? She was the Queen of Loss. A black, lacy veil concealed her features, though her hands were bare, and her skin was a rich, dark brown. Somehow, they’d gotten out of wearing purple, too.
“Your majesties, may I present Prince Nyctophobia, Prince Diokophobia, Princess Ember Hayes, and her knight, Geraint,” someone behind us said.
I jumped, startled, then glanced around, trying to figure out what to do.
Geraint bowed deeply and Nic and Dio nodded. I threw in a quick curtsy, though it was a bit odd without a dress.
Two sets of four thrones sat on either side of the king and queen. They were currently empty, but I guessed the black ones—a brief departure from the purple theme—with the crazy thorny decorations and screaming skull faces were for nightmare. The other four were white pearlescent with roses carved into the wood and likely were for the dream. I mean, it could have been the opposite, but I doubted it.
They looked down at us for a time, silent, perhaps judging. Maybe that was just their habit. I had no idea what to expect.
Finally, I shrugged. I was an American. What did I know about royalty?
“Hi,” I said, plastering a stage smile on my face. I knew how to perform, if nothing else.
The king’s eyebrows rose, and he smiled. “Hello, my dear. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”
He stood and came down, holding out his hands for mine. I let him take my hand, and he clasped it tightly. “I’ve heard much about you from Nic.” The king gave Nic a fond smile.
After a moment, the queen stood and came down the steps, her movements graceful with a hint of hesitation that conveyed sadness.
“It is nice to meet you.” She put a warm hand on my forearm. The king had not yet released my hands.
Her tone tugged at my soul, speaking of deep weariness with the world.
“Welcome to our world, crumbling as it is.” She withdrew her hand and stepped back.
“Thank you. Hopefully, we can stop some of that, now that we know what is going on.” I tended toward the optimistic side and her fatalism put me off, though I did understand she was a product of the nightmare that had produced her.
“Yes, that is our hope, yet our princesses cannot access the conscious realm to find their mate, and Baz still sleeps. How can we fight the destruction when we are not whole?” Her rich accent brought to mind movies I’d seen set in Africa.
“Our princesses will join us now, and while we would normally discuss other, more cheerful things, I believe it more prudent to decide our next steps,” the king said, squeezing my hand then releasing me.
“Let us retire to the intimate reception room,” the queen intoned sadly.
Dio offered me his arm and held me against his side when I accepted while King Hope did the same for Queen Loss and led us out of the throne room.
Geraint followed behind me, while Nic stepped into the shadows and vanished. I assumed he’d meet us in the new room.
Fortunately, the room King Hope led us to was less purple. It was still opulent, but it was back to the rainbows and opals theme. A fire burned in the hearth and couches sat around it. Nic sat on one big enough for the four of us, and the princesses occupied the other.
The King and Queen sat in front of the fire and servants brought food and drinks and laid it out on the square table between us.
Geraint got a look from everyone when he sat next to me, but Nic put a hand on his arm to keep him from leaving, and I added my stare to his and Dio’s until the king shrugged and turned his attention to the food. The queen studied us for a bit longer, then looked away.
“We plan to go after the fake Baz, next,” Nic said before the silence could get uncomfortable.
“What will you do with him?” Adedayo had a rich voice and a rolling, fluid accent.
“Strip him of his essence and destroy him,” Dio replied, expression feral.
The queen nodded her head. “Appropriate. And this dreambound woman who is destroying our world?”
“We have to find her first,” Nic said. “And then we’ll probably have to kill her, unless we can find a way to send her home.”
