Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Morpheus was going through the correspondence he received. The longer he read the neat little lines carefully pressed to the parchment, the more and more he was certain that even an Endless can get a headache. Because he was about to have one.

One of his hands rubbed his temple slowly, trying to alleviate the phantom pains there. He really should get someone else to sort through all this mail for him. His mind immediately went to Lucienne, and he just as quickly dismissed the idea - if he put any more responsibility on the poor librarian, he was almost positive she will disintegrate right then and there. Or try to poison him. He wasn’t sure which option would be worse, really.

After the 6th letter in the row from a resident dream complaining about having to share a property line with a particularly nasty nightmare, he was just about ready to try anyway.

He loved his realm, he really did. It was a fact. The Sun always rises in the East and sets in the West, fire produces heat, and Lord Shifter, Dream of the Endless, Lord of Dreams and Nightmares, loves his realm and all that resides here. Even if some days, he wondered why most of the time, his responsibilities, apparently, involved breaking petty and childish fights.

Morpheus leaned back in his chair.

He really needed a break. Maybe he should visit his friend, Hob Gadling, in the Waking. His expression turned a fraction softer - yes, that would be acceptable. He has not seen his friend in a while, and Hob did ask him to visit more often.

His wishful thinking was interrupted when the sky in the Dreaming flashed in blinding white. Three short, sharp, and quick bursts, following each in succession. Too unusual to be considered anything naturally occurring, not that there was anything natural in the Dreaming in the first place. It was over before he could get out from behind the table and reach the window. If he did not know better, he would have assumed he had hallucinated the whole thing and dismissed it as a strange trick of the light on his overworked brain.

But he knew better, and he did not miss anything, especially when it happened in his realm.

For he is Dreaming, and the Dreaming is him.

Whatever it was, it looked like it passed his domain as quickly as it entered it, leaving no trace it was ever there in the first place.

He couldn’t sense anything amiss in his realm, though. Whatever it was, it looked like it passed the Dreaming as quickly as it entered. Morpheus frowned and reluctantly moved from the window. He will send a couple of ravens to the area to scout it out anyway, so the breach could be addressed.

It took another half a day for another, stronger fracture to rip the sky. This one, however, was not a minor one, with its’ dark red lightning, accompanied by a loud clap following shortly behind and painting the clouds in crimson. The sound reverberates through the hills and fields.

His eyes snapped to the window the moment the rip pierced the sky. He was up and out of his throne within the same second.

Lucienne was just in the middle of the sentence when she noticed the weird shift in the air, followed by a loud clap resonating through the air moments later. She trailed off and whipped her head from the report towards the large window on her side.

''My Lord-’' she started, turning back to the throne, where she and Dream Lord had been going through some paperwork, only to realise that she’s already talking to an empty room.

Morpheus was standing on the black sandy beach, eyes not leaving the gloomy gray sky for a moment. He focused on the now-empty spot where the rip tore the clouds and, a minute later, he could just barely make out something streaking in between the heavy clouds. His eyebrows furrowed - it wasn’t something.

It was someone.

His eyes tracked the movements across the sky, the strange figure disappearing and reappearing between the heavy clouds. He frowned. Whoever they were, they were trespassing in his home and were here without an invitation. At the speed and angle they’re currently hurdling at, he was positive that they were not going to, or even trying to, slow their descent towards the ground. This meant that Dreaming will sustain damage upon impact, hostile force or not, and that is something he will not allow.

The threat must be eliminated.

Whoever they were, they were streaking through the sky fast, and the closer they got to the ground, the better visual of them Morpheus had. He made a quick calculation, projecting the area of impact, and started moving closer towards it, eyes still trained on the sky.

As soon as he started to move, his mind racing through the possible options of eradicating the weird anomaly currently hurtling towards the ground, he stopped in his tracks, frowning. It took him just a moment to come to the conclusion that they were not slowing down for a reason.

The strange creature currently plummeting towards the ground was not conscious.

Morpheus had just about another moment to make up his mind. The bone-deep instinct to protect the Dreaming and all those in it screamed at him to annihilate any and all who posed a threat to anyone and anything in his realm. To show no mercy and strike fast and ruthlessly. It was his duty, his responsibility after all.

Something in the back of his mind was nagging him, though. This whole thing simply didn't look right. He could not recognise this strange creature's energy, but they were clearly not human - Dreaming would never just drop them to his realm, especially not from such heights, rogue nightmare or not. He was familiar with the Gods and Goddesses, demi-gods, nymphs, and Fae, and everything else in between. None would even dare visit his realm uninvited, let alone in such fashion.

Whoever they were, he could not recognise them, and it unsettled Morpheus deeply.

There was only one logical solution there - he would have to ask them himself.

With his mind made up, he took a step towards the clearing, where the figure was about to hit the ground, and promptly disappeared.

The moment she broke through the fracture that reopened on this side, she knew this was not going as planned.

The rip spat her out at a much higher force than she anticipated, and she was left spinning out of control for longer than she cared for. She felt like she was on a rollercoaster that just malfunctioned terribly and lost half of its bolts, just spinning with no restraint, with immense strength until she hits another immovable object, and everything will finally stop.

She managed to gain some control of her flailing, numb limbs, just enough to steady herself slightly, but it didn’t help much. She was still hurtling through the sky at a breakneck speed. Hair twisting outside the braid that her dear friend had tied it to earlier, loose strands whipping her in the face and getting in her eyes. She needed to turn her head forward and down, trying to tuck her chin to her chest as much as possible to try and lessen the pressure on her neck and, if she’s lucky, maybe catch a little bit of oxygen in her burning lungs. Yeah, that'd be nice.

Unfortunately, the rip turned her all around, and her body was still twisting mid-air with no actual control. She focused all of her remaining energy into righting her body as much as she could to sustain as little damage as possible. She knew better, though. From the moment she broke through the rip on this side, everything that could go wrong has.

She cast her gaze towards the fast-approaching ground.

From between the pillowy soft grey clouds, she could see a black sand beach, green fields and hills on the other side, and so much water right down below. If she weren't rushing to a pretty certain death, she would have taken a moment to appreciate the serene beauty of it.

The black, bottomless waters that she could see just beneath her looked deceptively soft and inviting, but she knew better than that. Trying to fall into water from the height she currently was at would be an absolute death sentence. Even if, by some stroke of luck, she would not break just about every single bone in her body, she would surely lose consciousness upon impact and then just drown.

No, she had to aim for the ground. If luck was smiling, which would be real nice for a change, she could grab onto some tree branch or something and hope it’ll break the impact at least slightly.

Mind made up, she stretched her limbs, hoping to catch enough wind force between her flailing clothing to change the direction in time. Unfortunately, the moment she stretched, her left side flared up, and she would have howled in pain if she had any spare oxygen in her lungs. It took her a moment to regain her bearings after the shocking wave of pain pulsing through her entire body. She grit her teeth and flung her weightless body to the side, hoping and praying that it would be enough.

'For fucks sake...' she thought, her vision already blacking out. She really hoped she got spat out in the right realm. 

The Dreaming did all it could to soften the impact for the stranger crashing to the ground. It wasn’t really enough, though.

Morpheus approached the figure lying in the small crater, only to realise that it was a battered and bruised woman, knocked out cold. She looked remarkably like a regular human from the Waking World would in his realm. Tattered clothes were clinging to her figure, wild hair that looked like they were in a braid at some point, splayed down her shoulders in an untameable twist. His expression was stony, eyes flashing with confusion. Morpheus was absolutely sure that this was no unconscious mind wandering through, and the risk of another Vortex at this time was simply impossible.

His sand enveloped her body in soft caresses, checking and probing, cataloguing any and all injuries. Whoever she was, curiously, she sustained most of the wounds before she crashed through here, he was sure of it.

Apart from an array of bruises and lacerations littering her arms and legs as far as he could see, she had at least a couple of broken bones, not counting anything internal. Most of the injuries were clearly tended to. Apart from the deep one on her side, which, by the looks of it, has reopened and was now leaking deep crimson blood at a rate he was not comfortable with.

He frowned. He will not get any answers to his questions if he just allows this stranger to bleed around in his realm.

More importantly, whoever she was, she was clearly running away from something. Or someone. And she came to the Dreaming, looking for a refuge. A safe place. She put all her trust and hope into his hands, hoping he would answer in kind.

Morpheus knew that he was not known across the universe as a kind ruler. He knew he was viewed as cold and unfeeling by the majority of those who met him. He liked order and was strict with the rules in his domain, allowing no disobedience. He'd like to think that he was not as bad as he was before his imprisonment, but he knew he was far from easy-going. However, he did not think that he was truly cruel. And whoever this woman was, her life was in his hands now, whether he wanted it or not.

His shoulders slumped slightly - until he gets his questions answered, he will grant her her wish. After all, she was in the Dreaming now, which meant she was under his protection, and he would make sure that no harm would come to her.

Morpheus bent a knee next to the stranger and brushed a strand of hair from her face. She had a pretty deep cut on the side of her head, hair matted and sticky with blood. He will have to make a call for some dream medics to attend to her as soon as possible.

He put one arm under her legs, supporting her back with the other, and stood up with her unconscious body. He looked down at the limp form in his arms, eyes flicking over her face for a moment longer. Sand started swirling under his feet with a soft swish, quickly gaining height and speed, enveloping him and his new cargo completely.

They were both gone from the clearing in the next heartbeat. 

Chapter Text

This absolute darkness was nothing but oppressive. 

The kind that made it impossible to tell when her eyes were open, and when they were closed. The one where you would wait for your eyes to adjust and start seeing corners and shapes of objects around you, just somewhat lighter than dark, with slight shadows behind them giving them away, but nothing really happens. No matter how many times you blink or rub your eyes. Either that, or there's absolutely nothing around her, other than absolute emptiness. 

The feeling seems to wrap around her mind. Clawing at her throat and dragging her down, drowning her, squeezing the life out, and freezing her lungs. It was suffocating. More and more so as the time passed. 

She kept her hands in front of her, even if she couldn't see them, trying to feel for any obstacle. She couldn't feel anything, and she wasn't even sure how long she had walked like this. Time didn't seem to have a meaning here.

Right until she stepped off a ledge and plunged into freezing water below.

The dream healers worked swiftly to close the cut on her head, which, by the looks of it, started to clot. They meticulously ripped through her shredded clothes to tend to the lacerations on her body and mend the broken bones. There was definitely some internal bleeding, which one of the healers was currently focusing on, hands hovering above her and glowing faintly. The rest were working on the deep cut on the woman's side.

Morpheus stood away from the bed they were currently surrounding. He left ample space to be out of their way, but still close enough to have his eyes on the situation.

This was peculiar, to say the least. Dream healers were among the best in the universe, regarded with a godly reverence. They have brought deities from the brink of death, even after sustaining nightmarish injuries. It should not be this difficult. It shouldn't take this much.

His frown deepened when one of the silver-cloaked figures stepped away from the bed that the woman was currently lying in and glided towards him.

''My Lord.'' They bowed deeply, and Morpheus inclined his head back in greeting. ''We have stopped the internal bleeding that started when the dreamer's broken rib nicked her lung. The bones are reset now and should be mended shortly.''

Morpheus's eyes flicked from the healer back to the woman surrounded by a flurry of healers. He turned back, waiting for the medic to continue. 

''It appears we have encountered a curious case, unfortunately. Most of the injuries that the dreamer suffers from were sustained somewhere else. The wound on her side seems to be particularly deep, and it would not have happened because of a fall. It appears to be deliberately made with a weapon. Because of its depth and position, we've taken longer to clean it, and the mending seems to be hindered. She seems to have been wounded with a tainted weapon, most likely.''

''A tainted weapon?'' The crease between his eyebrows was deepening.

''Yes, my lord. From the injury, I would say most likely a dagger, or something similar. Whoever wounded the dreamer appears to have laced it with a substance that is interfering with our healing.'' The dream healer lowered their head in silent apology.

Morpheus looked back at the unconscious woman. A weapon that was laced with something preventing the wound from being treated by dream healers? That was alarming. His mind ran a mile a minute, trying to think of who could have done this and how. None that he could think of made any sense.

The dream healer stood in silence for a minute longer before bowing deeply and returning to the woman in bed. Morpheus knew they will do all that is possible at this time, but it didn't make the uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach settle. 

The fight raged all around. Beings screaming over one another, be it in agony or triumph, there wasn't much of a difference from where she stood. Her eyes were still stinging, and she kept trying to clear them of the blurriness, but nothing much was working. The night was settling steadily all around them, casting parts of the hillside in shadows, hiding unimaginable horrors. 

Maybe not seeing was a little bit of a blessing in disguise as well?

To her right, she could hear someone's sobs turn to desperate gasps for air. 

She felt fingers wrapping around her ankle in a vice grip and flinched back. Someone was holding on to her, but she could not make out their face. She tried to take a step back, but the hand clawed at her desperately, nails tearing through her clothes, digging deep into her skin and drawing blood.

She hissed in pain and tried to get her leg free from whoever was tearing at her, but they kept trying to reach higher and higher. She lost her balance after a strong tug, falling backwards, and used her other leg to kick at whoever was dragging her. She could feel her boot missing her target completely a couple of times, reaching nothing but empty air. Her vision was slowly returning until she managed to aim her free leg in the right direction. 

She could not see their face, which made it a fraction easier in a sense. 

Her boot finally hit the target, heel meeting soft and squishy flesh. Kick after kick, until whatever was under her foot crunched and the grip on her loosened. She used that opportunity to drag herself away and up, consciously trying to ignore the slippery and hot sensation she felt covering her leg. 

Surprisingly, she realised that all of this was just... getting easier. She didn't want it to get easier, but after a while, she noticed that her gaze lingered less on the faces, eye color, smell, or any identifiable or distinct things. A crooked tooth, a scar running across an eyebrow, a barely visible tattoo, just peeking over the collar. 

She didn't get stuck in her mind as much either, thinking and spiralling out of control like she used to. She noticed that she put less and less thought into all of this. And that, perhaps, was one of the scariest realisations she had about herself. 

Disassociating was becoming her second nature at this point. 

It took healers a while longer until they had to call it a day. The deep wound on her side was closed to a temporary satisfaction, and Morpheus was assured that it was no longer life-threatening. Dream healers retreated, but they would be back again in a couple of hours to continue with the work and check on the progress.

They took some blood samples from her side wound and were running some tests. With some luck, they might be able to narrow down what they were dealing with - was it actually a weapon laced with something, poison, or something else that they haven't even considered yet. 

Morpheus was standing by her bedside. He spent the last couple of hours in the library researching what he could find about known weapons that could have inflicted a wound like this. Lucienne was still collecting older tomes from the sections of the library that were rarely visited. So far, they have not had much success, unfortunately.
 
Curiosity was eating him alive. 

This woman was injured by something that was made to kill off ancient beings. He needed to figure this out.

Dream healers washed, patched up, or redressed the injuries littering the rest of her body. The gash on her head was stitched back up, and the rest were healing slowly, which was a good sign. Broken bones mended back and would not be causing any issues, apart from a slight ache and heaviness for a while longer once she wakes up. They changed her bloodied and ripped clothes as well, and she almost looked content in the chamber he left her in, with dimmed lights casting the area in a soft glow.

His fingers twitched with the sudden urge to brush her hair back from her face. 

She will be unconscious for a while longer, so there was no need for him to keep an eye on her right now. 

He turned and walked back to the library. 

She inhaled deeply and tried to steady her heart, which was currently trying to beat right out of her chest. A sharp, metallic air mixed with smoke and sulfur dragged through her lungs, settling deep inside her gut and clinging to her skin. 

She needed to find him, and fast. This needs to stop, once and for all. She knew where the key was, and if he managed to build the box already, they could just end it. 

Someone bumped into her shoulder, running the opposite way, and she stumbled, but she managed to keep her footing. Her hands were shaking, and there was that weird fluttery sensation at the pit of her stomach. Cold chills were running down her arms and spine. Despite all the gore and horror surrounding her, her steps did not falter. She did not waver.

She has been asleep for days now.

Morpheus tried looking for information on the weapons in the library together with Lucienne, but that seemed like a never-ending list of disappointments. There were so many weapons created from the beginning of time that it was hardly possible to sort through them all. Man-made weapons to kill men, God-made weapons to kill Gods, God-made for people, and man-made to destroy Gods. 

It's as if both people and Gods only found joy in either killing each other or fucking. 

While Lucienne was going through the never-ending list of daggers, trying to sort the ledgers into specific groups by type, Dream tried to approach this from a different direction. Surely, if he could find her book in his library, there should be some clues as to what happened. Or at least give them some indication of where to start. 

The problem was that Lucienne had a complicated filing system, to say the least. Not something he could not figure out, of course. He just needed to look into it properly, and he was sure he would get the hang of it. He just didn't have the time to do it.

And he refused to ask for help. After all, how hard could it be?

Morpheus browsed through the never-ending shelves and stacks of books, trying to find it. It did not help that there was no logical filing system in place. Either that, or there were multiple ones that were overlapping. 

He did find a lot of things he meant to look into at some point. So really, it was a win in retrospect. 

What frustrated him more, though, was that his newest guest's book was nowhere to be found. 

Which was, of course, impossible. Every single being in the cosmos who sleeps has their book in his library. That woman was currently unconscious and in deep sleep, so obviously, she fit the category.

Dream looked down and watched her face contort in discomfort, then pain, and finally scrunch up in fear. Her fingers twitched then and now, breath coming in shorter gasps. 

She was having a nightmare. 

The dream healers had left for the day, and she was no longer in life-threatening danger, but she wasn't showing any signs of waking up yet. He frowned.
Whatever she was seeing in her unconscious mind, it seemed like it was causing her to thrash in her bed. Which wasn't great, given that she could reopen her injuries in her distress.

He sighted and leaned down. He did not like interfering with anyone's dreams. All of his dreams and nightmares were created with a purpose, and the person dreaming them had to have them for one reason or another. It didn't matter if they were pleasant, scary, or downright disturbing - all of them had a meaning.
He will have to make an exception here, though, if he wants this woman to wake up already and answer his questions. She would aggravate her injuries if she continues like this. 

Dream reached out his hand and used some of his magic to move the nightmare away. He stood by the bed, with his fingers splayed in the air, looking down at her for a long while before he realised that nothing had changed. She let out another whimper in fear. 

He blinked once. Then twice. Used his power to dig deeper into the persistent nightmare, but he could not find it.

Morpheus stood frozen over the strange woman, staring at her with wide, shocked eyes.

Out of everything she found out about the world, universe, cosmos, and herself in the last century or so, it was really humbling to sit down and hear that story. Of course, she knew fragments that he let slip here and there, or the ones he shared when he was feeling sentimental enough to remember. Some soft and fragile moments, some close to the heart, but all buried deep and rarely revisited. 

She listened like she always did when he spoke of it, with a small smile on her lips and eyes crinkling at the corners. 

She really didn't expect to be a part of that world at some point. 

The first thing she felt when she started to come around was that her throat was absolutely killing her. It felt like she swallowed a whole roll of sandpaper and then poured a generous dose of cayenne pepper into the open flesh. She tried swallowing to, hopefully, soothe her throat enough to be able to inhale deeper, but it only caused her to be thrown into a coughing fit. It started with a deep gasp that ripped the remaining oxygen straight from her lungs, and she flung her body to the side, trying in vain to curl into herself and subdue the coughs. It proved to be an even bigger mistake. Her side flared in flaming hot pain, searing through her whole body and settling deep in the bones. It was so raw and sudden, she tried gasping for breath, only to worsen her cough. 

She managed to get the coughing slightly under control, just enough to inhale, when a hand holding a tall glass of water moved in her line of sight. She watched the clear glass, then let her eyes trail up the hand holding it up until she made eye contact with a woman. Her large spectacles were hanging precariously on the bridge of her nose, her face set into a neutral expression. Not affectionate, but not cruel either. 

They looked at each other for a moment longer before the woman pushed a glass of water closer to her.

''Take small sips, please, so you don't aggravate your wounds further.'' The woman told her not unkindly, and she took the glass from her hand. She gave it a cursory sniff, then pressed the rim to her lips. 

The lukewarm water felt like a divine blessing, and she managed to down all of it in no time. She chanced a look around for a moment, and the woman poured more water into her glass.

''Thank you.'' She whispered softly, trying not to aggravate her throat and save herself from another coughing fit. 

The woman gave her a small, polite smile, watching her intently. There was a beat of silence following. 

''My name is Lucienne,'' she started and nodded her head slightly. ''I will let the Lord know that you woke up.'' Lucienne didn't wait for a response. Her steps did not make a sound when she walked to the exit, closing the doors behind her with a soft click. 

She needed to find out where she was, and fast. Her eyes scanned the room she was currently in, but could not find anything to give her a clue. The room was shrouded in a soothing glow from burning candles, but otherwise covered in soft shadows. It had nothing distinctive, and the window outside only illuminated a grey, cloudy sky. 

She was eternally grateful for the shadows covering the room. It took her eyes a remarkably shorter time to adjust, and she felt slightly more comfortable. 
I guess it could be worse, she thought. This whole place could be lit up like a hospital.

Whoever found her, they tended to her wounds with care and clearly spent some time on the deep stab wound still present on her side. It wasn't healed just yet, but she could see that it was well on its way. She definitely felt like she was in desperate need of a bath, but most of the grime and blood had been scrubbed from the skin that she could see. Which was more than she could've asked for.

Her thoughts were cut short when she felt a presence in the room with her. She turned her head to the left, and her eyes met seemingly bottomless black pools. Her breath froze in her lungs, and she sat completely still, back straight to the headboard. The stranger was watching her with a steady, hard gaze of someone so otherworldly and divine that she felt the need to avert her eyes. 

''You have awakened.'' His voice reverberated through the walls in the quiet of the room. Her eyes took in his figure and tried to piece together the small snippets of information that she could gather. Anything to have a little bit of an edge to help her out here. 

The dark cloak that he wore, pale complexion with skin that looked paper-thin, dark, messy bed hair, and a stony expression. Her last memories came back in small flashes, and she recalled a black sandy beach next to the endless waters she was so tempted by. 

Dread washed through her in cold waves. Of all the realms... 

Morpheus watched her carefully. She was clearly in pain, her hand still holding the side that the dream healers had worked on again just hours ago. Her back and shoulders were tense, in clear alarm, and she looked ready to bolt right out the window.

''You need not fear me.'' He tried soothing her clear anxiousness, although he wasn't sure why he went the extra mile. It hardly mattered if she was uncomfortable in his presence, and most beings already had a healthy dose of fear for him to begin with. ''I grant you protection in the Dreaming.''

She swallowed, her shoulders slumping forward, some of the tension seeping out. She drank the rest of the water still left in her glass, then put it on the small table by her bedside. Then, she leaned back against her headboard and pulled the blanket up to cover her wounded stomach.

''Thank you,'' she started, glancing back at him. ''I'm... guessing you have some questions...''

He lifted an eyebrow slightly. ''As do you.''

Her lips twitched in amusement. 

''I thank you for your hospitality, Dream of the Endless,'' she nodded her head in thanks. His eyes narrowed a fraction at her. He lifted his chin up, and he took a step forward.

''You are aware of who I am. Then you must be aware that you trespassed in my realm.''

Right to the point, huh.

''I am. And I apologise for the intrusion; it was not my intention to come crashing into your realm like that. Trust me,'' she muttered the last part under her breath, but knew he heard her well. 

His face did not change or give any emotion away, apart from the slight suspicion flashing briefly in his eyes. They were both silent for a moment until she sighed. 

'I assume you have some questions.'' She repeated, and her lips twitched into a knowing smirk. ''I'm happy to explain as much as I can.''

He did not miss that she did not promise to explain everything, but Dream inclined his head once, indicating that he was listening. She gestured her hand towards the empty chair next to the bed, silently asking him to take a seat. 

Morpheus's eyes slowly moved from her face and followed her hand, outstretched to the soft chair not too far from the bed. His gaze lingered there for a moment before he turned back to her. He blinked once, then twice, trying to understand why, exactly, was this woman giving him instructions in his own realm. A moment of awkward silence stretched between them - she was watching him expectantly, and Dream was looking at her with a stumped expression that was slowly turning to incredulity. 

She lowered her hand back down after a moment longer, muttering a soft ''Alright then,'' under her nose, and sat up straighter in her bed. She cleared her throat and started with a slight hesitation. 

''We couldn't know precisely where the rip would open, and there wasn't much time for a heads-up either. I'm sorry, Dream of the Endless, for a sudden intrusion. I hope I have not caused too much harm.''

The way she was addressing him by his full title, Dream of the Endless, sounded strangely wrong in his head, but he couldn't put his finger on why.  

''Why are you here? Who are you running from?''

''I am not running from anyone,'' she furrowed her eyebrows. ''I'm here in search of something.'' There was a moment of silence before she spoke again. His gaze heavy on her. ''There is someone out there who can cause great harm to my home. With the help of some-'' she hoped he did not notice her momentary pause at the word.'' entities, we're able to keep the peace, but that is not a permanent solution.''

''Explain.'' She sighed before continuing. 

''Story as old as time - someone was not happy with something, they rebelled and failed, but it triggered a chain reaction. Unfortunately, at some point during that time, something very dangerous was proven to be real.'' She paused. ''There is a very old and very lethal book with a lot of forbidden runes. They can be used for a lot of things; no one really knows the full extent. But if it falls into the wrong hands... well, it would mean a lot of death and destruction.'' She paused and glanced up at his face. He was watching her intently, gaze heavy. Dream was clearly looking for some signs of lies from her, but so far, he could not feel anything. ''We couldn't allow that to happen.''

''The book is protected, thankfully. The last people looking after it wanted to make sure that it would not fall into the wrong hands, so the book can only be opened with a key of sorts. We had the book for a long time, and the key was found by accident. We couldn't risk both the book and the key being found, and it was only a matter of time before the news spread. In the end, we tried to destroy the key so that the book would not be usable ever, but it backfired. I think we triggered a safety mechanism of some kind, I'm not sure. We didn't really have the time to look into it, really.''

''Everything just... started spiralling from then on. It was about to detonate, taking all of us in the area out at the same time, but my friend managed to contain the blast and redirect it instead. A rip opened and swallowed the key before we could react.'' She shook her head lightly and gave a sardonic smile, incredulous at their own failings. How naïve were they, really, to believe it would be this easy? ''It sent a ripple in its path, though. Luckily. We managed to track it down, and I was sent here to find and either bring it back or destroy it.' She kept her tone of voice as matter-of-fact as she could. 

She had to be careful with her wording for the next part. She gave a very brief overview of why she was where she was and what led to all of this, but she also left out a lot of important details. She knew Dream of the Endless was no fool and had caught up to her purposely skimming over details. She had to pick her words very carefully not to reveal something he could not know. 

''You speak in riddles, but that is an interesting story.'' He told her after a while. 

''I wish it were a story.''

''I have not heard of a realm which would currently be in a power struggle.'' He wasn't asking the questions that were burning on the tip of his tongue yet.

''I'm not surprised. The realm I call home is too far away. Endless cannot reach us there.''

He couldn't help but scoff at that.

''That is absurd. There is no such place in the entire cosmos that my siblings and I cannot reach.'' He said it like it's an absolutely indisputable fact that left no room for any type of argument. 

''I'm not lying. There's a reason why you won't find me in your library either.''

His eyes widened, mouth parting in shock. He quickly shook it off, and his face morphed into anger. She pursed her lips, fighting off a smile. He was, surprisingly, pretty expressive when you knew where to look.

''You already tried, haven't you?'' He did not respond. Instead, he glanced at her side, where her hand was still covering the bandaged wound. It wasn't hurting that much anymore when she wasn't moving, but it felt good to have some kind of imagined control and assurance that her guts weren't spilling out. 

''You arrived here injured.'' He said instead. It wasn't a question, but she regarded it as such.

''Yes. Someone tried to stop me from following the key.''

She could see that Dream was getting frustrated, just slightly. 

''You are very careful not to mention names.''

Her lips twitched into a smirk, and she nodded. 

''I have to.'' His gaze on her was heavy and suffocating. He did not look amused, but he refused to ask either. ''I'm sorry, I can't tell you everything. There are a lot of lives at stake here, and I must be careful with the information I share.''

He clenched his jaw, and she could see the muscle there twitch in agitation. 

''I have granted you protection in my realm. You are to speak freely here.'' He insisted. 

''I cannot tell you,'' she replied stubbornly, her shoulders tensing. He did not look happy with the answer, but figured he would have to work with what he had so far and get his answers another way. She might not realise it, but she did reveal a lot already.

His attention turned back to her when she shifted in bed and pulled her knees up. She flexed her legs and shoulder muscles to check for any other injuries she should be aware of, and slid towards the edge of the bed. Her bare feet touched the cold floor when his voice reached her again.

''You are not healed yet.''

She lifted her head to look at him. 

''Not fully, no. But I'm overstaying my welcome, and I should get back to what I came here for.''

He regarded her for a moment before speaking. 

''You are to stay in the Dreaming, under my supervision, until further notice.'' She had to scoff at that.

''Are you holding me hostage here?''

''Must I?'' He tilted his head slightly in question. 

A smile spreading through her face, wide and bright and amused for reasons he could not understand, was the last thing he expected her to do. But she smiled, looking genuinely delighted, and leaned back against the headboard. She looked at him for a moment longer, her eyes trailing slowly from his eyes to his sharp nose and full lips, down his face and neck, over his visible collarbones and black clad chest. Down his torso and hips, over his legs and feet, and back up slowly. He felt like she was seizing him up, and it left an unusual urge to fidget in place. He shook it off just as quickly and glared at her in return. 
Her smile widened, edges turning wicked. He clenched his jaw and turned on his heel to storm off. He had better things to do anyway than to entertain that woman any longer. 

He will get to the bottom of this, he was sure of it. But first, he needed to get some things verified. 

''Thank you for coming here, brother,'' Destiny spoke from behind Dream and nodded in greeting. It would have been a strange thing to say, since Dream was the one who requested to meet with his older brother. But then again, Destiny has probably already read about this meeting in his Book of Destiny. 

''I suppose you know why I called for you.''

Destiny said nothing, just turned to his left, and started walking down a path in the maze, with Morpheus following right after. He could not tell whether they were going deeper towards the center or out of it. Wasn't even sure if there was an out designed. Not that it mattered, really.

They lapsed into a relatively comfortable silence. It would have lasted for much longer if only Dream hadn't been brimming with unanswered questions for days now. 

''I have come to you for guidance.'' He started. ''I have a visitor in my realm. She came uninvited and injured. Once awoken, spoke of grand things. I must know if what was said is true. She spoke of a realm not touched by Endless. I have not heard of a realm or a place in the cosmos where we could not reach.''

Destiny gave a slight nod in indication that he was listening.

''Yet you can't find her book in your library.''

''No, I cannot.'' Dream confirmed, his jaw clenching at the reminder.

Destiny continues forward, and the hood covering his head keeps his expression from Morpheus hidden. 

''Everyone is where they are supposed to be right now.''

Dream startled at the easy admission.

''So, she does not lie?'' He checked, making sure, but Destiny remained quiet. ''It is not possible for a realm such as that to exist. How? And why?'' He frowned in confusion.

''There are things not written, brother, not even in the Book of Destiny,'' Destiny mumbled. After so many eons, Dream could say that he knew his brother relatively well. Right now, he was sure that Destiny was having a hard time accepting these new events, same as him.

They walked in silence for a while longer, both seemingly deep in thought. 

''Does she pose a threat?'' Morpheus asked, figuring that would be the most pressing question at this time. 

''There are different paths now written. Each path leads to a different outcome.''

''Brother.'' He sighed impatiently. There was a lot at stake here, and he did not want to be left to interpret fates. Destiny turned to look at his brother, hood falling backwards to uncover his face.

''She will not bring harm to the realms, brother. Not as long as she succeeds in fulfilling her duties.'' They looked at each other, carefully sorting through words that were not said out loud.

''She came here with a purpose, and she must fulfil it.'' Morpheus knew what Destiny meant by this. 

Her failing will bring devastation. Realms will fall.

Chapter Text

"I trust you are feeling better."

The words startled her out of her thoughts. She turned to the side only to lock eyes with bottomless black ones - she did not hear or feel him come in. The corner of her lip twitched.

"Yes, thank you."

He stood in silence, quietly watching her.

She spent the morning slowly - the light outside did not change much all through the time she spent here, so she could only guess the time. She wasn't sure what she was allowed to do here, so she stayed close to where she woke up for now. Taking careful and measured steps out of bed, she braced herself for immense pain, only to be slammed with a dull ache deep in her bones, but not much more than that.

Huh... she thought. Whoever attended to her here did a remarkable job. She had to remember to thank them. 

She took a couple of steps around the room just to stretch the muscles she hadn't used in way too long, and explored what she could. There was a small washroom behind one of the doors, and she took the liberty of washing up quickly. By the time she got out, someone had left her breakfast on the table by the window.

That's how Morpheus found her, leaning against a table with a coffee mug between her hands. She was looking out the window, deep in thought. 

"Thank you for the breakfast, by the way. That's very nice of you." She tried smiling to break the awkward silence that seemed to have settled between them.

"The Dreaming provides." He stated easily and continued to watch her intently. 

She didn't really know what to say to that and ended up casting another glance outside the window. 

"Am I allowed outside?" She asked, only half-amused.

He inclined his head once and turned towards the door.

"I wish to speak with you," he told her steadily, and waited half-turned for her to approach. 

She set the mug back down on the table and walked towards him. When she was within arm's length, he reached his hand out towards her, guiding her out. It barely touched her back before Dream moved closer to her, and their surroundings started to shift. She frowned, looking away from his face. The walls seemed to bend in on themselves, stretching and twisting unnaturally, before losing any semblance of ever being walls at all. Colours swirled and mixed with each other - it all felt like a hallucination, and she reached out her arm to steady herself. She felt his cloak under her fingers, and it gave her a small sense of steadiness. 

She looked back at him. He looked impassive as ever.

From the corner of her eye, she could see the colours morphing into something more solid than they were moments ago, and she realised they were back at the black sand beach. 

He shifted slightly behind her, and only then did she remember that she was still holding on to his cloak. She let go of it quickly, slightly perturbed and took a step back. 

"Sorry," she muttered, and he shook his head.

"My apologies. I should have forewarned," he said, but did not sound apologetic in the slightest. He started walking along the shore before she could respond, and she had to take a couple of quick steps to catch up with him.

Once at the step with him, she took her time to look around. The beach seemed to stretch on and on, with no end in sight. The grey skies ahead, and the bottomless black sea, gently breaking in waves of white foam, seemed to surround her in a cocoon of nostalgic comfort. She expected the harsh winds to blow from all directions, but all she could feel was just a slightly chilly breeze tangling her hair. 

"It's beautiful." She muttered to herself.

He was already looking at her, his head turned slightly. Dream did not say anything back, but his face relaxed a fraction, and the satisfied gleam in his eyes betrayed his delight at her comment.

"We have not found any mentions in the library to corroborate your story." He started. He really didn't do much small talk, did he?

"I'm not surprised. It's hidden for a reason."

"Which is?"

"If it were a public or openly known thing, it wouldn't be much of a secret, would it? If it's not a secret, then it's only a matter of time before someone follows their greed and goes to search for it. That's a history lesson for another day," she shrugged. It really was insignificant at this time, and she knew he had better questions than that.

"Perhaps," he said in thought. He still found it frustrating to wrap his head around the fact that there are things he has been this ignorant of. Whole realms outside of his reach, that have been there this whole time, and he has been none the wiser.

"I will not overstay my welcome here." She started, and he looked back at her. "The Dreaming has been incredibly generous, and I'll be forever grateful. And as much as I'd love to stay longer in a place as beautiful as this, I do have a key to find and get back to where I'm needed."

She could feel his gaze on her, heavy and so intense, but she kept her eyes focused up ahead.

"I will aid you in your search," he spoke so casually that she felt like she had misheard him. Her steps faltered. His eyes were trained up ahead, and he continued strolling forward, as if he hadn't just said that. 

"I'm sorry?" She looked at him uncertainly. He turned his head back down to look at her. "Why?"

"If this key falls into the wrong hands, it will endanger a lot more than just one realm. It would not be wise to ignore this."

"You actually believe me?" She muttered, absolutely stunned. And Endless, believing a random stranger who dragged the whole story of a realm not reached by Endless? The Dream of the Endless, basically admitting that there are things he is not aware of? Something he is not an expert on?

"I know you did not lie." Morpheus knew she did not tell him everything, far from it, but she did not lie either. Destiny is certain that her being here is an important thing that had to have happened. And if it actually is as important as it seems to be, she definitely could use all the help she could get. Given she's not even fully healed.

A moment of silence stretched between them. There were some things she was told about Dream of the Endless, and so far, only a few fit the impression she had of him in her head. She could definitely make use of the Dreaming's library, if it's even half as grand as she's been told. 

She tilted her head in question.

"What do you want in return?"

"I do not require a payment back." He side-eyed her, taking offence that she would think so lowly of him. As if the Dream of the Endless would want for anything or require favours. "I am aware that what you told me before is true. And in this case, helping you find what you are looking for will work in my favour. It is my duty to help." He said. "You have Dreaming's support."

She did not know what to say. They looked at each other's eyes for a long moment before she broke the silence with a quiet, uncertain "Thank you," which sounded more like a question than anything.

"I wish to know more. If I am to assist."

She still looked at him a bit uncertainly, trying to see if there was an angle he was trying to play at. Lying a trap she would stumble in when she let her guard down. But he looked honest enough, as much as she could tell from his stony expression, so she went with her gut and started speaking.

"Yeah.. yeah, of course." She shook her head and went on. "We tracked the ripples from the moment the key disappeared, and somewhere around here was where we lost it. We assumed it reverted back its origins, so I figured this is where I'll start the search. Has there been anything unusual happening recently around here?"

He did not need to think twice.

"There have been similar rips in the skies before you came here." That got her attention. She turned her head full to him, giving Dream her full attention.

"Hours before you crashed into dreaming-" she furrowed her eyebrows at his choice of words, "there were three bursts of light."

"Three?" she looked equal measures shocked and panicked. 

"Correct."

She pinched the bridge of her nose, a frown still marring her face. "I think it broke."

"I beg your pardon?" he was back to watching her incredulously. 

"There was a small chance that the impact might damage the key. I didn't expect it to break into pieces, though." She kept quiet, mind racing. "I'm guessing it didn't fall to the Dreaming, then?"

"It has not, no." She knew it was a long shot, but she had to try. They lapsed into silence again, Dream giving her a moment to think before continuing.

"You have not said how you came here."

"I'm sorry?"

"The blast that opened the first fracture in the cosmos, where the key disappeared to. You followed its path."

"That's right." She nodded, looking straight ahead.

"A realm so far away that Endless do not reach it. You managed to open it again to follow the key."

It took her a second to realise what he was implying - she turned her head sharply towards him with a stunned look before bursting into laughter.

"No, I would not be able to open it again. There were a lot of factors aligning just right for us to be able to do that in the first place."

He stayed silent, clearly indicating that she should keep talking. 

"We had some help. Someone pulled some strings from this side, we did what we could from ours, and thankfully, that seemed to have been enough. A bit of a gamble, and it didn't work as well as I hoped, but it got me here. And it was the only solution we had at the time." She looked at him watching her. "No, I cannot tell you who."

He full-on glared at her at that, but she had to stand her ground. Morpheus turned his head sharply back ahead of him, and they continued in silence for a long while.

He really was far from ecstatic about deliberately being kept out of the loop. Especially when he already offered to help. There were so many things this woman was keeping from him about the whole situation that he had to actively work to keep his displeasure at bay. And he was not known to let things go. No, if anything, he was known to be temperamental, to put it nicely. 

Morpheus took a couple of minutes to centre himself again. That's fine, if she won't tell him, he will find out by himself. He was more than capable. 

"You came injured," he finally muttered, silently agreeing to change the subject. Her shoulders relaxed a bit at that. 

"Yes, we um... ran into some complications along the way. My home has not been a peaceful place for a while, especially with everyone trying to find and unlock the book. We don't really have much time for recovery, especially the closer we get to the key."

"Your injuries were not minor." Morpheus wanted to know if she was aware of the confusion surrounding her stab wound. When she remained silent, he continued. "Healers had trouble with some of the mending work."

"Yes, I imagine so," she nodded. "I'm really impressed with the work they've done, though! I'm sure it wasn't easy."

"Why was the injury giving them trouble?" He refused to let this go.

She remained silent, thinking over her words. 

"Because the dagger that nicked me was marked with one of the runes from the book," she finally said and looked back at him from the corner of her eye. Something flashed in his eyes, but it was long gone before she could try to identify the emotion. 

"Explain."
 
"Before the true power of the runes in there came to light, some of the pages were seen. The rune that was embedded in the dagger that nicked me makes the injury difficult to heal. A little bit like poison would slow the effect of natural healing and spread through the blood without the antidote. Deadly if untreated, but not impossible to overcome, given there is available help."

He gave it a moment's thought. Adequate help is rarely available everywhere, and, if it works similarly to poison, a weapon embedded with a rune would be difficult to notice immediately, much less get properly treated. Something like that, in a battle, would surely prove deadly.

It would also explain why Lucienne was not able to find much information on this so far.

"This can be applied to other weapons, then."

She nodded. "And it's just one of the runes. I can't imagine what else is hidden." She frowned and bit the side of her tongue. 

They walked the rest of the way back in silence, both deep in thought.

When they returned to the castle, Dream walked her through the twisting hallways leading to a reading room. The library was just up ahead, behind the arching, tall doorway, and she could just glimpse the vastness of it.

He introduced her to Lucienne, who, turns out, was the same woman she saw first thing when waking up. Her smile was warm, but with the edge of professionalism, large spectacles hanging on the tip of her nose. 

Lucienne stood with her hands clasped in front of her, listening intently. She gave a quick recap of what she already told Morpheus earlier - everything that had happened and how she ended up in the Dreaming. 

Apparently, they have started some research already while she was unconscious. They started by digging into various weapons that could have caused the damage it did, but since that did not lead them anywhere, they expanded to poisons and forbidden spells that were not commonly known. 

"What are we looking for now, My Lord?" Lucienne redirected her attention back to Dream Lord.

Morpheus remained silent. He was watching the newcomer intently, and she took that as her cue to take over. 

"If the key broke, it might make it easier to locate it than if it had remained intact. Wherever the pieces landed, it would cause some unrest, as it would not be able to blend in with the local environment. I'm talking unexplained phenomena, strange weather patterns, sudden changes in terrain, anything that could be considered a supernatural occurrence."

Lucienne nodded her head in understanding and turned towards the library.

"Let's start with the Waking World, and we can move on to other realm reports afterwards."

They did have the most information on the Waking World after all, so it was the most logical place to start. Morpheus gave an approving nod, agreeing to the proposed course of action, and turned his back to them. He had duties to attend to.

She smiled at the librarian and followed after her. She stepped through the high arched doorway and stopped dead in her tracks. The library was indescribable. Shelves were stretching as far as she could see, completely stuffed with books in different colours and sizes. They were going up as high as her eye could reach, and further up still - it looked never-ending with the whole place having no ceiling. The absolute vastness of it... It was hard to put it into words or thoughts. 

Lucienne cleared her throat gently, and she snapped out of her stupor. She gave the librarian a sheepish smile and hurried up to catch us.

In no time, both women were diving deep into their research. Soon, they sat surrounded by the piles of reports on top of different piles of reports, covering several desks they were using.

Morpheus was peculiar. She really couldn't find a better word to describe him. Absolutely not what she expected from the stories she heard of him, and just... unpredictable in the weirdest ways. 

That's the only thought that kept circling in her head the following day as the two of them strolled down the path in Dreaming again. 

When he showed up in her room shortly after she took her first sips of coffee, she just assumed he wanted an update on how far along they were in their research. She and Lucienne spent hours going through reports from the Waking World, and they started to gather some good leads. Nothing concrete just yet, but it looked like they were making progress. 

Morpheus just nodded his head like he was already aware of how far along they had made it, and she had to admit that he probably did. She wasn't entirely sure how his realm worked, but if not that, then Lucienne most likely reported everything back.

"You are required daily movement to help with the healing," he said in his deep voice and turned to the side, expecting her to follow.

She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. She knew that, logically, sitting in one spot would definitely not speed up her healing. And if she was honest with herself, she was planning on doing just that - spending the full day on research. And, maybe, to compensate for that by doing some light stretches. But this could work as well.

"Are we going back to the beach?" She asked, making her way over to Dream.

"If you wish it," he responded, watching her walk towards him. She hummed in thought. 

"Anywhere works," she smiled back at him, now standing within arm's reach. She was more prepared for the twisting of her surroundings this time, but her hand still shot out to hold on to his in support. From this close, she could see his eyes much better. They were not simply bottomless pools of black void. No, it was more than that. Little flecks of silver seemed to be scattered all throughout the irises, different in brightness and size. 

Galaxies. She felt like she was staring at the open sky in the middle of the night, getting lost in different constellations. 

It was hard to take her eyes away from him.

She finally snapped out of it when she felt his arm twitch just the slightest under her fingers, still clutching to his coat. She cleared her throat awkwardly and stepped away in haste. She turned to look around herself at her new surroundings, hoping he could not see the heat crawling up her neck.

They seem to be on a mountainside this time. She could see from up here, just on her left, the black sand beach stretching endlessly, clouds covering the peaks of mountaintops on her left. Snow-capped hills on one side, with sharp black stones peaking out from underneath. On the other side, vast fields with grass gently blowing in the breeze, in such a deep shade of green that it made it look plush. 

She was mesmerised.

"Thank you for taking me here, Dream of the Endless." She turned back to him and smiled, grateful. 

His eyes were already on her, heavy. He regarded her for a moment, then nodded and moved closer to her.

"Fiddlers Green." He said, eyes moving behind her to the scenery stretching before them. She turned back, facing the same direction. 

"It's absolutely beautiful," she breathed out in awe. 

He smirked in satisfaction. 

"So, how does your realm work?" He lifted an eyebrow at her in question. "I mean, did you really make all of this yourself?"

"Of course. The Dreaming is me, and I am the Dreaming. Fields and mountains, seas and rivers. Skies and clouds. All that resides here, dreams, nightmares and other creations were crafted by me."

She let out a soft sound of astonishment. "Do you still create and expand your realm as you go? Is it very tiring to keep creating something this grand?"

"It is not for me." He said sharply and matter-of-factly, and she could just taste the tiny bit of arrogance born from centuries of creating things beyond anyone's imagination. "The Dreaming is always changing. The dreamers dream differently as time passes, and the Dreaming adapts with them." He held his head high, overlooking the fields stretching far ahead of them, every bit the royalty that he was. 

She hummed in thought, and her hand moved subconsciously up towards her collarbones. She could feel the silver chain and the steady, familiar weight on her chest. 

Morpheus turned back to her, indicating that they should start moving.

They walked leisurely in comfortable silence for a long while until they reached the small clearing. She had to lean against one of the rocks, the climbing down the hill putting more pressure on her side than she expected. Morpheus noticed her change in direction and stopped in his tracks as well. 

"Thank you for keeping me company today, Dream of the Endless." She smiled at Dream, who was standing several steps away from her. "It's very kind of you."

He looked at her in confusion, a small frown on his lips. Dream of the Endless was not kind. He did not think of himself as kind, let alone know of anyone else thinking such absurdity. 

What a strange woman...

"How does it feel?" She continued. He looked at her in confusion with a slightly raised eyebrow, and she had to clarify. "To create?"

Morpheus regarded her for a moment. It was not something he thought of consciously. And now that he thought of it, it was hard to put into appropriate words. How can anyone explain the full meaning of creating? Of pulling something deep from your mind into reality, shaping it and giving it life?

He looked at her for a moment longer before he made up his mind. Morpheus took a couple of steps forward and stood in front of her. He reached out a hand towards her, and her eyes flickered between his outstretched palm and his eyes in confusion. 

"I thought you were curious," he commented with a hint of impatience in his voice. 

She blinked back at him, absolutely astonished. Was he actually going to show her, a stranger he met just a couple of days ago, something so sacred? 

She opened her mouth to ask, and then closed it right back when he sent her a glare. She hurriedly reached out towards him, and his glare eased a fraction, a muscle in his jaw ticking once.
 
"Every entity residing in the Dreaming is capable of creation, to an extent." Morpheus started and moved her hand to be palm up. His hand hovered back just under it. 

"Picture something not intricate, something you're familiar with. An object you can hold, not too big. Think of the colour and shape. Does it have a smell? What does it feel like when you touch it? Is it soft, or is the surface rough? Is it heavy or light?" His low, rumbling voice wrapped around her. 

She closed her eyes and tried to follow the instructions with curiosity. His deep voice guided her thoughts, and she tried picturing something simple in her palm. As realistically as possible, she pictured running her finger over the side, heat seeping through the smooth surface. Heavy, but not straining.

She opened her eyes, and her gaze instantly went to his face. He wasn't looking at her anymore, but rather looking down at their hands. She followed his line of sight and let out a gasp.

"This is... amazing..." she whispered under her breath, her eyes full of wonder. Her fingers wrapped around the smooth, polished surface of a steaming cup of coffee.

He looked from the deep blue mug speckled with minuscule silver dots now resting in the palm of her hand to her face, and a sense of pride filled his chest. She did remarkably well for a first time. It was not easy to create anything for the first time, but the mug seemed to be sturdy enough. Extraordinarily, it even held some kind of liquid, which he assumed from the smell wafting towards him was coffee, inside. 

Phenomenal. 

"Thank you for sharing this with me," her eyes crinkled in happiness, and she continued in a slightly teasing tone, "Dream of the Endless." That pulled him out of his thoughts, and Morpheus watched her mischievous smile. 

"Call me Morpheus." He mumbles, eyes casting to the side, and jaw flexing. If she didn't know any better, she might have thought he was bashful.

"Alright, Morpheus." She smiled, his name rolling off her tongue in a smooth wave.

He fought a smirk from forming on his lips, but there was not much he could do about the wave of warmth spreading through his chest. 

It became a sort of routine between them. For the last couple of days, she would wake up, take a couple of sips of her coffee, and when she turned back, he would already be standing in her room. It seemed that the concept of personal space and boundaries did not really exist for the King of Dreams and Nightmares. She wondered if he had heard of knocking before. 

"Are we off for our morning stroll?" She asked, humour lacing her obvious question. He remained impassive, dark cloak pooling at his feet.

"If you wish."

And they'd be off.

They would walk for an hour or so before returning to the castle and going their separate ways. She would meet with Lucienne in the reading room, and they would begin with their work until she felt her eyes filling with sandpaper and would have to call it a night. She wondered sometimes if anyone in the Dreaming slept at all. 

"Why you?" He asked after a couple of minutes of walking in silence through a previously unexplored part of Fiddlers Green. She looked at him quizzically, not entirely sure what he meant. "You came here already injured. Why was your life put at risk for this?"

She averted her eyes from him and towards the road ahead.

"There are those who cannot or would not leave. I'm not really one of them anymore," she spoke slowly, her hand tracing the chain around her neck.

His eyes caught on the action that she seemed to repeat subconsciously when in deep thought. The silver chain held a closed locket of some kind and a simple band ring. The ring looked well-worn, but clearly, a lot of care had been put into maintaining it. The sentimentality behind this showed great love for it. Locket looked like a newer addition.

"You keep touching your necklace," Dream mentioned, looking at her from the corner of his eye.

She looked down sheepishly at her fingers still tracing the silver chain. 

"One is a gift. Another a... memory," her voice was fond, and she put the necklace back under her shirt and looked back at him.

"You must miss them dearly," Morpheus mumbled, looking away from her.

"I do. But going back home isn't going to change that." He turned back to her, and she looked him deep in the eyes. Realisation hit him in a belly-churning unease, and he swallowed before speaking again.

"My condolences." Dream spoke, face serious and gaze unflinching.

"Thank you." She nodded, and they looked at each other for a brief second longer. She opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again, having thought better of it. 

"We need not speak of a subject that brings pain," Morpheus spoke with finality, ready to drop the subject that was clearly making them both uneasy.

The smile she sent his way was a bit forced, but she was grateful that he seemed content not to push the subject if she preferred.

"That's kind of you, but it's alright. I don't mind talking about people who are dear to me. I think everyone should," she smiled and turned to him. Her fingers grazed over the pendant on her chest, and his eyes dropped to her fingers momentarily. "Plus, it's been a while. I've learned how to live with it."

Dream was curious. He hoped she would continue talking, if she was willing to, but she decided not to. She was still trying to figure Morpheus out, after all. How much of herself should she share with him? How much could she?

"What about you? Do you have someone with you?" She hasn't seen many occupants in the castle, other than Lucienne and other various creatures working there. 

He was silent for a long time. His first instinct was to scoff in indignation and deflect righteously - he was under no obligation to divulge his personal matters to this woman. And she had no right to ask either. His back was rigid, shoulders tense. 

She was starting to think that he wasn't going to entertain this conversation anymore, before she heard a soft reply.

"Not for a long time now." She smiled sadly at the ground, and they lapsed into silence. 

She knew he was not isolated. He seemed to trust Lucienne a lot, from what little interactions she observed over the last couple of days, and the librarian, in return, looked after Dream in small, barely noticeable ways. She had a feeling anything more would have been rejected by Morpheus, taking offence. He also seemed like the type not to let anyone close. Combine that with an Endless existence, which was being touched by so many dreamers passing by every single minute of every day, but none of them actually staying...

She could not fathom how lonely he must feel, every once in a while. She wanted to ask more, to understand him better. He was just so different from the picture she had of him in her mind.

He did not seem like a sharing type, though. Especially with someone he just met. She really should just be happy that he was willing to share as much of himself as he already did. Which, again, was more than she expected. 

They continued to walk for a while, neither saying anything to the other, until she stepped to the side and bumped her shoulder with his arm.

He turned to look down at her, a muscle in his jaw flexing with agitation, a question on the tip of his tongue. She only smiled at him mischievously, trying to break the tense atmosphere surrounding them. She hurried a couple of steps ahead of him, the castle coming up in view. 

"You know, you're not nearly as bad as I was told you would be." She told him over her shoulder, barely holding back a wide smile. 

Dream blinked, confused.

He could feel the tension seep away slowly, but steadily from him as he followed her down the winding path back towards the castle. 

Chapter Text