The Song of the World (nanowrimo13)

Chapter 14

“Alto.”

“Mm.” She rolled, making space for him in the bed, not opening her eyes.  

“Alto. Wake up.”

“What is it?”

“I’ve had the strangest dream ever.”

“What?” She smiled as she snuggled against the familiar arms that wrapped her in warmth and love.

“Last night, Bass came to me. I was up late, worrying as usual. You know me. Wondering whether I would really pass the Rights, as Bass seemed to think I would, but Father seemed apprehensive of. Then I was wondering, even if I did pass, what kind of King would I make? A strong one? A weak one? Would I be better than Father? Or would I just be… one of those people that are given one line in the history books. King Muse ruled from this year to that year - and that’s it.”

“You’ll be a great king, dear.”

“And then Bass came to me. It was really strange, because you don’t often see him about late at night. But there was a noise in the corridor, so I went to look, and there he was, standing at my door. I don’t know if he had already knocked and that was the sound I heard, or if he was about to knock and I’d startled him, but anyway, he was there. I was already in my pyjamas, and that was awkward, but he said he wanted to speak to me about something so I let him in. It was a good thing you weren’t there that night, because then it would have been even more awkward than it already was. Why weren’t you there? Did you tell me? I don’t remember.

“Anyway, I let him in and since I’d just boiled a pot of tea, I gave him some. We sat looking at each other across the table for a while before he finally said anything. Which was strange, because Bass never hesitates, does he? But it felt as if he was deciding something. When he finally spoke, he just asked if I was ready for the Rights and I said, well, as much as I could be. Then he said he’d gotten some potion or drug or - I can’t really remember what he said - some kind of medicinal thing to help enhance my powers. I asked him - wasn’t that illegal? He said no. It was really just a sort of stimulant and would I want to try it? He’d apparently given it to some of the other hopefuls as well, though of course they didn’t succeed, but maybe it might just help me a little since my strength has always been more then theirs at any rate. So I thought since others had used it, why not me? 

“It was this little vial - really just a few drops on my tongue and it tasted like honey. I joked with him - did you just give me some placebo honey drops to give me confidence? He laughed and said that was up to what I would like to believe. Then he said he’d better get to bed and I should too, so I said good night. I’d thought I wanted to mug a little more, just to you know, flex and see, but all of a sudden I felt really tired. So I went to bed.

“That was when I started to have the strangest dream ever. I dreamt that I got up the next day and went through the Rights of Kingship and I almost passed. I could hear the Song, Alto. She had the most beautiful voice ever - I mean, your voice is the most beautiful earthly voice I know - don’t get me wrong - but this was an other worldly beauty. Now I know why my father is so enamoured of her, that at times Mother gets jealous. You wouldn’t be jealous of the Song of the World, would you? After all, she has no physical body that I can snuggled up to, like now.”

“No, I’m sure not.”

“You’re just saying,” he teased. He rolled and lay flat on his back, staring up at the ceiling. It felt so familiar, and yet strangely different, but he couldn’t think why. “Are you even awake, Alto? Anyway, it doesn’t matter, I can tell you again tomorrow. I feel like I haven’t spoken to you in years and years - to anyone, in fact. But back to the dream, Song told me that she was still waiting: there was a promised one that she was waiting for, and I should look out for him and teach him in everything I knew. She also said that I needed to guard him from a great evil, some great evil she could feel but couldn’t see, and when she said that, all of a sudden, everything became foggy and she was screaming that I was being devoured - I still can’t figure that out. I tried ever so hard to wake up but I just couldn’t. I was locked in that dream and it felt like years - but it can’t be, can it? I guess the dream warped my sense of time. In that fog - really, a dream within a dream - I became a kid again. It was fun, at first, but it was tiring when I couldn’t wake up. I tried ever so hard, afraid that I would miss the Rights, but then again, I reasoned that someone would come to wake me up if I didn’t turn up - Gust always comes first thing anyway - so after a while, I relaxed and enjoyed it. It was odd though. At times I could hear you, but what would you be doing in a dream of my childhood? I didn’t meet you until much later. Maybe I subconsciously wanted to know you as a kid and that turned up in my dream. I also dreamt that the Song would come to weep over me, telling me to break through - break through what? I couldn’t tell. And then finally, a moment ago, something seemed to snap, and I woke up. I felt ever so stiff, as if I hadn’t used my muscles in a dozen years.