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Tristan let out a humorless chuckle. “Easier said than done. You didn’t kill your father.”
Killian shrugged. “Sometimes there is no way around it. You must go through it, destroy it, and bury it.” Killian placed his empty canter on the table. “And I may not have killed my father, but the man did try to kill me. If it weren’t for Ella, he would have succeeded. She saved my life. Now, sheismy life and nothing else matters.”
Tristan wanted that—someone in his life to take his attention away from all the suffering around him. To soothe his pain. “My attention is currently on defeating Midas. Everything else can wait.”
“We will defeat him. I will give it my best effort,” Killian assured him. “There’s nothing I hate more than a puny little human acting like a bully.”
Tristan offered a grateful bow of his head. “Thank you again for your help. Now, I must get going. I try to avoid traveling at night.” He rose from the table with a grateful nod. “I will send my royal guards first thing in the morning.”
“I would rather have maids.” Ella appeared at the threshold with her arms crossed. “And a midwife since I’m only weeks away from giving birth.”
Tristan bowed his head respectfully. “I will provide that right away,” he said. “I’ll also make sure to have a ship docked at the marina for you, Killian.”
“That won’t be necessary.” Killian stood and went to stand next to Ella, planting a kiss on top of her head. “I’ll be taking my horse, Azul.”
“As you wish.” As Tristan prepared to leave, he gave Ella one last look. “While I am here, may I have some more sundrop flowers?”
Ella shook her hair away from her shoulders. “We gave you all we had when you were here last time. And to be honest, I do not wish to have them anywhere near me or my family.”
Deflated, Tristan nodded. “I see.” He made to turn away but a thought had him stop by the door. “When you were in the Dreamworld, did you remember seeing a blonde woman who went by the name Aurora?”
Ella nodded. “She saved me when I was in danger. I do not know who she is, only that she’s been trapped in the Dreamworld for a long time.”
“Trapped?” Tristan’s brows lifted in surprise. “Are you saying she exists in our world? And she’s simply trapped in there?”
Ella shrugged. “Like I said, I don’t know much about her at all. Except that she went into that world like most of us, but never made it out.”
Tristan thanked Ella and left the cottage, his mind spinning. Now it made sense why she seemed so angry that he had returned. Perhaps it was that he could leave when she couldn’t. That he seemed to be using her prison as an escape.
But the thought that consumed him like fire, setting his heart ablaze, was the fact that she was from his world—that at that moment, she was sleeping somewhere in a nearby kingdom. And if she was merely sleeping, then certainly, she could be awakened.
AURORA
Aurora sat in a treehouse suspended high above the forest floor, honing the edges of her blades while a rusted lantern in the corner cast a faint glow over her work. The treehouse was not overly spacious, but it served as a secure storage for her weapons. Knowing the value of being prepared, she distributed her arsenal throughout the forest. She never knew where the dense fog would take her, but with her weapons stashed away in multiple locations, she could always arm herself when needed. Aurora was not one to leave things to chance. She had learned the hard way that being caught off guard could be deadly.
As the bell tower echoed through the forest, Aurora’s senses heightened. She knew that the Dreamworld had been breached, and her instincts were on high alert. She looked around, scanning the forest for the dense fog, but instead, what she saw was the filtered light of the morning sun streaming through the leaves, casting a golden glow over the forest.
Tristan had returned, she knew. And to her surprise, her heart raced with anticipation at the thought of seeing him again. As much as she wished he didn’t come back, she couldn’t bring herself to reject the light and warmth he brought with him.
As the sun warmed her skin, Aurora closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, taking in the sweet scent of the morning dew mingled with the salty tang of the sea. The sound of waves crashing on the shore echoed in the distance, leaving no doubt in Aurora’s mind as to where she would find him.
With the warm rays of the sun on her face, it was as if every cell in her body had awakened from a long, cold sleep. She never thought she would miss the warmth of the sun as much as she did. In fact, she had no idea how much she had missed it until that first day on the beach. It was such a small thing for most people, but yet, it meant so much to her.
Midnight’s hooves pounded against the ground, breaking Aurora from her reverie. When he neighed from the base of the tree below, she jumped to her feet. After sheathing her newly sharpened sword, Aurora climbed down and mounted Midnight. Searching for the dense fog that usually served as a portal, she scanned the forest. Instead of the usual ominous fog, a bright mist sparkled in the sun’s reflection, swirling between the trees.
Aurora studied the mist, mesmerized by this stranger’s ability to shift the elements of that realm in ways she had never seen before. Without another thought, she galloped through it, feeling the cool, wet mist tickle her cheeks as she emerged at a spot where the forest met the beach.
The sand was white and pristine, and the water was a deep shade of blue that seemed to stretch on for miles. And there, sitting on the sand, was the man responsible for all of it. His blond hair was tousled from the wind as he gazed into the distance.
It wasn’t until Aurora drew closer that she realized he wasn’t lost in thought—he was watching something. She followed his gaze to the end of the beach by the rocks and spotted yet another memory taking place. A younger version of himself was walking alongside a man who bore a striking resemblance to him. Aurora guessed it might’ve been his father, recalling how Tristan had mentioned having lost him recently.
Her heart ached for his grief, yet Aurora couldn’t help but be intrigued by the way Tristan was able to illuminate the world around him even while grappling with such a dreadful emotion.
Thoughts of her own father flooded her mind, and her heart squeezed. It had been ages since she last laid eyes on him, but she remembered their last encounter all too well, every excruciating detail etched in her mind. The shouting, the tears, the hurtful words that spewed out of her mouth as she left him to finish his dinner alone.
If she had done things differently that night—perhaps tried reasoning with her father instead of defying him—she would never have drank from the sundrop flower.
She would never have gone into the Dreamworld.
