Beauitful Nightmare (Private 18+)

[RadRose]

Character:

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Being the prince was usually something deemed wonderful by common folk. With nobles and royals alike trying to throw any woman they could at him, he had his pick of anyone. However Moray would happily give up his kingdom for the freedom of hunting and joy of riding through the country side. He often liked to sneak out to the hunter's lodge and listen to the stories of the huge beasts they would hunt for game!

 

The prince was allowed to train for combat and ride around once in a while, it wasn't nearly enough for Moray! He often chose a hunter's garb over more standard wear for a royal, which the servants were thankful for after mending so many torn garments. His hair grew long with unruly red locks, kept up in a ponytail. If not for his shaved face, save his chin, one would easily mistake him for one of the ragged hunters from the lodge. What extra training he did sneak in had made his body strong and skin sun-kissed with plenty of freckles adoring his face.

 

He didn't care to carry a sword around everywhere he went, merely keeping a bow and quiver on his back for the occasional practice should the free time appear. It was far less threatening to others when he came by with a bow strapped to his back than a sword at his side. Much to his delight, it seem most women weren't impressed with a man who used a bow more than a sword. Even more so when they expected a well kept prince and instead walked into to see a sweaty hunter standing in his place.

 

The Queen and King saw this and tried to reason with their eldest son, but Moray protested and insisted one of his younger siblings could easily be next in line for the throne. The hardest part being that they were all girls and it was usually a male picked for the throne. "You will clean yourself up and be presentable for the eligible ladies that will be arriving here tomorrow. Should you refuse to chose one at the end of tomorrow, I will choose one for you." His mother was firm with the statement and left no room for questions or arguments.

 

That left a bad taste in Moray's mouth as he went to prepare for bed. The servants prepared clothes for the next morning and attempted to brush his hair, breaking two brushes in the process before they decided to try again in the morning. Moray lay in his bed restlessly staring up at the ceiling, dreading being tied down to some woman he hardly had anything in common with. They didn't like the things he did! They couldn't spare or handle a bow and arrow! Nor did they hunt or ride as long as he could. Absolutely no sense of adventure! He would never any kind of hunting ever again!

 

After an hour or two of just thinking, he managed to drift into a fitful sleep. Plagued with the thoughts of being trapped and endlessly women appearing from every corner. They appeared behind every closed door he opened and popped up beside any window he tried to climb out of. He dreamed of trying to escape the castle, then the village as he dodged female suitors left and right. However he'd somehow ended up lost in the neighboring forest with nothing but a full moon lighting his way. He finally came to a clearing surrounded by tall trees and frowned, not recalling any clearing like this in the woods. A sudden sound of a branch breaking sent him spinning around, only to reveal nothing but shadows beyond the tree trunks.

 

"Who's there?!" He called out before twisting around to yet another sound, this time it sent the birds flying out of their trees and woodland animals running for the safety of their dens and nests. "Show yourself!" He growled and went to reach for his bow and arrow but found none there. No sword or dagger on his person either, as he patted his body for any kind of weapon. However the shadows grew closer and he was still unarmed, discovering the clearing was shrinking around him as the shadows crept up the lengths of the tree.

[ZX-MetalMonster]

Coming to, he couldn't recall where he'd been or where he'd arrived but he couldn't be afraid of being lost when the first thing he felt was his own decay. Both body and sanity slipping away, gushing out and flowing in thin streams like blood from a wounded man until the soil drinks it away. There was nothing to anchor himself to here and he crawled, clawing at the ground with his hand and dragging himself along to a safe beacon he could sense only faintly in the distance.

 

The forest was bathed in darkness, shaking softly, resonating the distress of the man in who's head all of this was unfolding. The devouring black mass didn't belong to him however and wasn't part of his imagination like the woods, it was in Vardan's service and swallowed the dream for his gain.

Two ravens emerged from the black, adorned in obsidian feathers, and took to the sky above the clearing that was growing smaller with every passing moment, gawking loudly at the man bellow. After every few circles made in the air, they would swoop down aiming their talons at the human until finally they grew tired of the pattern and landed in the grass.

 

The dark continued to constrict the patch of moonlight land and Vardan hid just at it's edge and approached the other man step by step. There was no way to conceal his tall frame at such close proximity but the black mass kept his features out of sight and reduced him to a murky silhouette. With a sharp and violent gesture of his hand Vardan dismissed his two envoys, the birds tilted their heads and spared him curious looks but obeyed and returned to the black they'd come from.

 

Finally the pitch black reached up and grasped the moon, the bright pearl growing dim until it's luster died out, but the dream didn't fade away after the darkness had overcome it. The woods still surrounded them and swayed lightly with the breeze, ravens cried, now in the distance and blades of grass crackled under Vardan's boots. The landscape was serene, it would have been a safe haven if not blanketed in the mysterious and threatening black veil. Vardan marched forward and arrived before the human, he tower over him menacingly.

 

-"Afraid of the darkness, boy?" The monster questioned and despite its stance and cold, hoarse voice, it wasn't mocking the young man.

[RadRose]

"Ravens?" The man stared up at the birds as they began to soar above him. Moray flinched when he saw them begin their decedent towards him. He attempted to dodge the first attack, but found himself scratched on the shoulder by the second raven. After that he decided it was best just to let his arms take the damage, raising them above his head and grunting at the deep cuts they inflicted.

 

Moray couldn't help but let out a breath when they grew bored of him, though his relief was short lived. He'd broke into a sweat when saw up-close how large and sharp their talons were now stationed on the ground. They had only been toying with him, they could've done worse if they wanted to his realized.

 

The young man watched the ravens closely before he noticed the shadowy figure standing not to far behind them. He didn't get long to look when he saw the ravens take flight again and got ready for another assault that never came. However he didn't let his guard down when the ravens escaped his sight, because just then the moon was snuffed out like a candle without an ember left to light the sky. He gritted his teeth, body physically tensing as he tried to keep from panicking at the grim situation.

 

He returned his glaze to where the stranger had been, only to find the other was moving towards him! Moray could not but feel and hear the quickening pace of his own heartbeat in contrast to the slow, steady march it took for the creature to arrive. It finally broke the heavy silence between them when it stood before him, but Moray found it only left him with chills, cooling him more than the breeze going through the trees.

 

"Darkness? Nae." The redhead grinned as he put on a confident face, trying to hide the once nervous expression. He kept his ground against the tall mass, resisting the urge to take a step back.

 

"Wa, ye tryin' tae scaur me? Wi' yer pets? " Moray taunted as his pride pushed him to keep going, "Ye th' big bad boogieman ur something?"

[ZX-MetalMonster]

The black mass that ate away at the man's mind was a conquering force of Vardan's own design and his eyes were so accustomed to it's darkness that within it he saw everything as well as in daylight. He doubted that the same could be said for the human though and he wondered how he must have looked to him, standing close enough to feel the youth's breath on his skin but still concealed. He grinned happily at the concept, feeling invulnerable and dangerous.

 

-"Pets?" Vardan's voice was monotone, not showing anger or much of any other emotion but his features gave away a sea of thoughts , if only the other man could get a proper glimpse of his face. "Don't speak Ill of the ravens... The two are spiteful things, they will come back to hurt you" There was no genuine concern to be found in Vardan's tone but the warning was an honest one, the birds would have torn the man apart if he hadn't sent them away and he was sure they would seize the first opportunity to finish the job if insulted.

 

The redhead's forced confidence was a provocation for Vardan himself though and unlike his messengers he had nothing holding him back and could correct what bothered him without having to wait. Standing tall, broad shouldered and appearing stiff but intimidating, he continued advancing forward despite the other man standing in his way. With the first step his chest was pressed against the young man's and already with the second he had started to push him back. Unlike when he'd first appeared, he now moved in big strides, putting his long frame to use to progress more quickly.

 

-"A boogieman? Call me whatever you like boy... but I think you are afraid." Vardan commented while busy with the very task of making the man uncomfortable and frightened. "If you weren't... wouldn't you get rid of me in stead of being pushed around and watching the darkness swallow you?"

[RadRose]

Moray did his best not to let the fear creep back up physically, noting the cold lump in his stomach when there was mention of the birds returning to finish the job. He was too busy thinking about the ravens when he was pushed, not noticing the figure had even begun to move in the darkness. He stumbled backwards a few feet before landing on his rear, elbows hitting the dirt to keep from falling straight on his back. He winced and then growled as he tried to look back where he'd been pushed from.

 

"Gie rid ay ye? Ye make it soond easy." He huffed out in annoyance before deciding to fight back. Not that he was sure how without any weapons or visibility in his possession. He was lost and no one was coming to find him, in the total darkness that may never end. Moray was so confused and nervous, he never considered this was all a terrible dream at any point. Not when everything felt so surreal from the grass below him, the cuts on his arm, the fear running through his system, and the towering presence in front of him.

 

"I'll shaw ye aam nae afraid!" He shouted while blindly kicking the space in front of him that he still believed the other to be. He shot a leg out and didn't care where it landed, going to use his other one to kick out right after. With any luck he could land a couple quick blows and roll away, get to his feet and maybe run... but in this darkness he'd more likely hit a tree than make it very far. Either way, he wasn't letting the stranger go easy after accusing the prince of being afraid!

[ZX-MetalMonster]

Vardan inhaled deeply and sighed, looking down at the human with his head tilted to the side and lips set in a disappointed frown. After the trouble he'd gone through to corrupt the dream and manifest himself to the man, to interact with and measure his strength against him, it upset Vardan that he could bring the redhead to the ground so quickly and with so little effort. Uninterested in stomping over the young man, he halted at his feet and waited expecting him to stand up or scramble away.

 

Suddenly hit, Vardan responded with a low growl, he'd dodged the first kick but moved right into the second and stepped back right after. He wasn't in much pain but seeing how his attempts to provoke the other were giving poor results he was becoming annoyed and loosing interest. When he'd first stumbled into the dream and caught a glimpse of the man he'd made the assumption that he is strong, capable of adapting to the darkness and worth his time but by now his opinion changed.

 

-"I don't like underhanded hits... and I don't like that you look so desperate." Vardan informed the other and finally his voice gave away his mood, impatience, unsatisfied with what he'd seen. "You seemed important... I was so sure meeting you would matter." He went on and started to walk in a circle around the human, by now he was talking to himself and it was unlikely any off it would make a lot of sense to the young male.

[RadRose]

Moray smirked when he got a hit in, jumping up to his feet right after. Though instead of going with his original plan of fleeing, he stayed and listened to what the other had to say. The prince growled and glared, a sudden flare of anger build up where fear had once sat. "Ye come, lat at myself fa has nae weapons, an' expect me nae tae be desperate! "He shouted at the top of his lungs, "Ah am th' prince ay th' kingdom ay Belcrest! Ye wulnae disrespect me!"

 

Reacting his sudden mood change, starlight started to break through tiny cracks in the darkness. It allowed Moray to see the stranger well enough to tackle him to the ground. He sat up on top of the other man with legs straddling the body below him, both hands ready to wring the neck they were trying to wrap around. "Is thes whit ye want?! I'll gie it tae ye tenfold! "

[ZX-MetalMonster]

Vardan impacted with the ground with a short gasp and looked bewildered, he had genuinely thought he'd overpowered and defeated the human and was taken off guard by the sudden charge. His heart was pounding but he processed the unexpected attack and rested calmly under the human's weight, only bringing up his hands to grasp the man's wrists so to keep him from strangling him or snapping his neck if his temper worsened.

 

-"Yes." Vardan said quietly and tried to nod despite having little mobility on account of the grasp the redhead had on him. "This is what I want." His lips set in a wide grin and he looked almost mad, overjoyed to be held down and threatened though that wasn't what made him so happy.

 

In a heart beat, he shot his hand out and it seemed he would grip the man's throat in return but in stead he grasped the fabric covering his shoulder. Vardan maintained the grin and kept his eyes steady on the young male but his outstretched arm seemed almost to splinter, tendrils and gore gushing from the skin along it's length. The onslaughter of newly formed, crawling tissue looked like one unique black mass in the darkness but the way it grasped the human gave away a more complex structure.

 

-"I'm on my way boy." Vardan announced, his hoarse voice now deeper and darker, sounding fittingly demonic when he vanished from under the other man with a short chuckle. The darkness dripped from the sky and gradually retreated deep in the woods and into the ground, soon it was gone along with it's master.

[RadRose]

The prince was confused again at the other's delight but it didn't stop his anger fueled actions. He gritted his teeth and struggled against the hands holding his wrists, he wouldn't give up so easily. However he froze and braced himself to be choked or strangled in turn when the stranger's hand shot out, but it never made it that far. Moray decided to take the chance to attack! Yet he never got too when he felt the hand grasping him suddenly the hand began to change! His eyes went wide when he got a glimpse of it!

 

"Whit th' heel!" He cursed when the appendage continued to grasp him, leaving chills going down his spine at the way it held him. Then the voice rung out through the darkness and Moray was suddenly alone. The retreating darkness left the redhead to wonder what had just happened, but he received no answer other than the moon's soothing light and the playful twinkle of the stars above him. Staring into the calming moon on was the last thing he could remember before he awoke.

 

The view of his room made Moray realize it was a dream, or rather a nightmare, and he was safe in his bed. The sun hadn't even peeked out beyond the hills yet, with only a dew-filled morning dusk outside his window. He sat up and looked over his body, vaguely recalling how real the scratches had felt. He was surprised to find red welts in their place but reasoned that he'd scratched himself during his strange dream. Reluctantly, he got up and went to get ready. The only nice thing about waking up so early was beating the servants to his hair, making it as neat as possible without sacrificing another brush.

 

"Haur goes naethin'." He told himself while he glanced in a mirror, deciding he looked far to dressed up for his own liking; which meant his mother would approve. He had time before breakfast and took most of the servants by surprise to relish there confusion why he was awake so early, able to have a bit more fun before seeing his mother. He came around a corner and paused to over hear a conversation, recalling his nightmare once more.

 

"Oh I coods hardly sleep a wink! Terrible dream lest night ah hud. " One maid complained to another, which began to make Moray wonder what had happened last night. Had it just been him? Or was there something worse going on? He would wait to mention it for now, attending breakfast with a forced smile and polite conversation. Conversation meaning his mother spoke, his father added in a little, and he nodded to everything rather he agreed or not. They were going over plans for a feast tonight while his mother decided to list off things she wanted in his bride to be. Moray had to hold his tongue, wanting nothing more spit out how she should be the one marrying one of the lasses if she wanted it so much.

 

He made breakfast as brief as possible and awaited the dreaded lunch where he would have to go through that again. He wanted to keep busy in the meantime and went out for a stroll in the town, checking on the usual stores and tradesmen that he chatted with whenever he could. It was getting close to lunch when a horse could be heard riding urgently through the town, running towards the huntsmen lodge. Moray could feel the adrenaline kick in before he ever got to his feet.

 

Something was going on and he was going to find out as soon as possible. He ran, along with a couple other men, to the lodge and greeted the exhausted rider sitting atop it. They helped him down and offered him water when his words failed to leave his mouth coherently. It took a few minutes to get him back into sorts so he could speak, looking exhausted with ash and soot clinging to his body. "M-monster attacked our village! Lit it aflam, it did! " Rider finally sputtered out before he was offered food and lodgings for the night. Moray left after they carried him off to a healer, knowing full well this would make it's way around the town before nightfall. A lone

 

Despite the tragic event, Moray could only smile at the opportunity it would bring him! No one would want to travel with such a monster about, meaning he doubted half the lasses would arrive. Now this was worth arguing with his mother about. He could put off getting married and go on adventure! Surely his mother would understand the prince wanting to defend his kingdom from a monster without risking the lives of good men? Or so he would say when she would rebuke his plan.

 

Rebuke she did with her husband sitting beside waiting for a chance to interrupt her argument with their son. "Mebbe it woods be best if I talked tae th' survivur fur whit kin' ay beest thes creature was. If it truly is a monster, Nae a body woods dae it. " The King calmly explained and only then did the room have a moment of silence while the others in the room contemplated the idea. For once, both agreed to something. The king would go talk to the survivor and he would chose if his son would go or not.

 

Moray didn't wait for his father though, he had already changed and began to pack! Bows, quiver packed with arrows, making for more should he run low, rations, dagger, and whatever else he could lay his hands on without his mother knowing. He was ready and getting the saddle on his horse when his mother caught him, standing there to the side with a knowing smile. "You're that determined?" She asked in her gentle voice now, her accent light and flowing. The prince nodded firmly, prepared for the scolding she no doubt wanted to give. Instead, she came over and hugged her son. Kissed him gently on his forehead and put a hand on each shoulder. "May the gods guide you back to me." She whispered before moving back and turning away as tears began to fall.

 

Moray held back his own tears, rubbing his eyes briefly before mounting his horse. He silently vowed he would returned no matter what and rode out of the town before the sun began to sit on the horizon.

[ZX-MetalMonster]

Leaving the dream was like being submerged, the experience was familiar but a panic set upon Vardan, sound was subdued, sight incoherent and the static in his head ensured he couldn't make any sense of it. However the disturbing mode of existence was short lived and as the last of his presence retreated from the human's dream, he took form elsewhere in the waking realm.

 

Carried in a sea of dysmorphic bodies, his feet a distance from the ground while shapes moved over and under him, it took Vardan a moment to break from the daze of relocating himself and to recognize the legion. A king meant little to these creatures when they were bound for a place they would take for themselves even though their dwelling and movement greatly depended on him. They descended towards a village along paths between mountains and stirred around Vardan when he found it appropriate to cast away his human shell and blend into the mass.

 

Spreading out beyond the confines of the body that was strong by human judgement but small and impotent among this crowd, Vardan emerged above the surface of the conglomerate of monsters. Voices greeted him with a cacophony of ear piercing shrieks and like a slowly awakening giant he started to march forward.

 

Vardan's envoys, the two ravens, were the first to arrive in the village ahead of the legion and minutes after the terrible cries of beasts in the distance caught the attention of the inhabitants. The two birds circled above the village in a threatening fashion, gawking to add to the fear of the humans, however when they descended it wasn't to bury their talons in flesh as was customary for them. After having both sought out a sturdy spot to land, they puffed their feathers and covered themselves with their wings, appearing like two messy dark bundles out of which grown men emerged when they unraveled. Still adorned with black feathers even after they turned, pale and petite, the two boyish men were a mirrored image of one another and wasted no time in continuing their mission to terrorize the villagers.

 

It wasn't in the army's interest to leave behind a gallery of dead bodies wherever they appeared and rather than kill they were instructed to chase the humans away, however it was common knowledge that there was no punishment for doing otherwise. An untimely night fell on the village when enough of the darkness seeped in and soon it was anything but a place for the faint hearted. The creatures gathered what they liked and as much as they estimated they would be able to carry when the time came to turn back. Varden overlooked them and in stead devoted his attention to the group who according to plan demolished houses and cleared space in the center of the village.