Daydreamer

Part 4: After

 Instead of returning to her body in the Dreaming, it seemed that, with the Dream Lord's escape, she was returned back to the Waking World. Her physical body disappeared in the Dreaming, Lucienne frantically looking around as the candles suddenly died but something told her that the Dream Lord had returned and she was making her way outside the realm's gate. Back in the Waking World, for the first time in 80 years, Katarina's eyes snapped out and she felt her mouth open as if to form a gasp but barely a whisper came out as she sat up in bed. Her eyes scanned her room and she was surprised to find that her room was almost as she had left it when she went to bed that night, except for some symbols that decorated her walls and candles that long burned out. Her eyes suddenly landed on a piece of paper next to her nightstand and her eyebrows furrowed as she unfolded it, her grandmother's elegant handwriting scrawled across the page.

Young one,

With the sleepy sickness that has plagued the world, I know not when you or our beloved Serena will awaken. I have prayed day and night to our gods and goddesses. I know they can hear me and I know one day you both will awaken but I worry that I will be long gone before that. Young one, there is so much I still had to teach you, so much growth for you to experience but it is alright. Whenever you awaken, if I am no longer here, know that I am still by your side. I hope you'll come to forgive me.

Love you always,

Grandmother

Forgive her? Katarina's eyebrows furrowed as she reread those words and she wiped the tears that threatened to fall, folding the note back up and looking out the window to her right. It had been so long since she actually felt the warmth of the sun and she reached her hand out, twisting her hand around in the sun's rays. Her grandmother's words swirled in her mind as her eyes moved to focus on the symbols that were placed on each wall of her room.

"Protection runes," Katarina muttered and she sighed as she realized what that must mean, running a hand through her hair. "So nothing has changed..." She suddenly heard a cough from the wall connecting her room to the next and quickly moved to get out of bed, letting out a yelp as she immediately fell to the ground, her legs unsure of how to be used after being asleep for so long. Another cough was heard and she mustered all the strength she could, praying for some before she grabbed onto the doorknob, using it to pull herself up. I'm coming, Katarina thought to herself as she opened the spelled door with ease and she slowly made her way to the room next door, leaning against the wall for support. It wasn't hard to walk quietly, her footsteps slow as blood barely started to circulate through her limbs but she couldn't help but narrow her eyes, extending her senses to search out anyone else in the house. A few in the kitchen and two guarding the locked door to the basement, she noted to herself and she bit her lip as a grunt almost escaped, her feet stumbling a bit at the carpet before her hand connected with the doorknob.

"Open," she muttered at the door when she finally made it and she heard the click of a lock before she was able to enter the room, closing it behind her. She waved her hand over the knob and locked it once again, taking a deep breath before she glanced over her shoulder. Tears immediately filled her eyes as she looked at her little sister, now a grown woman who still laid in the same bed she laid in for most of her life.

"S-Sister..?" A weak voice called and Katarina moved to sit on the bed, her body aching as she reached for the hand her little sister held out. "Is that you?"

"It's me, Serena," Katarina whispered and she gave Serena a small smile as their eyes met, "How did you sleep?"

"I feel like it was the best sleep I had in a long time, Kat." the older woman laughed lightly, which caused her to go into a coughing fit, Katarina's hand tightening around hers. She placed her little sister's knuckles to her lips and muttered the healing incantation she memorized by heart and placed a kiss, the coughing slowly calming down. "You..you look different."