How the Emperor trapped a Witch

Chapter Thirty-three: Dreams and Reality

"Alaric!" A voice echo's in the darkness. "Alaric!"

I tried to respond, but no words left my mouth. I couldn't tell where the voice was coming from nor who the voice belonged to, all I knew was that I had to follow it.

"Alaric!"  It was almost maddening as I blindly followed the voice, this place was so dark that I wasn't even sure that I was moving. I stopped and closed my eyes as I calmed down, so that I would be able to locate the voice.

It swirls around me as I concentrated then suddenly spun around to reach behind me, feeling the lightest of touches against warm skin. For a brief moment, I caught a glimpse of a woman with long silver hair who turned and smiled at me as my heart pounded hard like it was going to fly out of my chest to her.

Her lips parted, saying my name before disappearing, leaving me behind in the darkness. 

****

I sprang up from ground my cloak flying off me as I continued to reach for... something. Now that I was awake, I didn't remember what I was searching for.

"Alaric?" Kimbra looks up from the fire with concern. "Another dream?"

"Yes." I sighed as I got up and sat down next to her. "I feel like my dreams are trying to remind me of someone."

"I see." Kimbra glances over at me then returns to watching the flames. "Maybe it's better not to remember." She continues as I stared at her. "Sometimes dreams can lead you to great fortune or destruction. But that is for you to decide."

Kimbra leaves me with my thoughts as they swirled around in my head. I wasn't sure why I kept having these dreams, why my heart continued to ache long after I awoke from the dream, or why I was starting to feel desperate each time I failed to remember: but I knew that I remember or find whatever it was that dared to torment me night after night- no matter what.

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^

My hair blew around me as I fell, my back towards the ground-watching the fighting Dragons grow smaller the farther the distance came between us.

I reached for my wand one I felt I was a good distance away and flicked it, creating an invisible floor below me which I land on rather hard from the amount of stinging that I was feeling from my behind.

I stood up and patted the wrinkles from my dress and looked up again, seeing the Dragons not even notice that I had fallen. I was almost level with what I think is Falvin's cave so I started walking, the invisible floor flowing beneath me and reminding me of a moving walkway like you would see in large airports.

I sighed in relief once my feet touched sold rock again, I don't usually have a fear of heights but being kidnapped by a Dragon who lets you go in the middle of the sky and tumbling down to the ground was making me rethink that.

I looked back up and saw that the two Dragons had finally realized that I had fallen and started to swoop down looking for me. Em spots me and lightly lands on the outcrop, folding her wings to avoid catching them on the ceiling.

"I'm sorry!" She bows her head towards me. "I didn't mean to drop you! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." I smiled, starting to become aware of the dull pain around my abdomen and tapped my wand against it, sending healing magic to clear up the bruises that were starting to form. "As long as that does not happen again; I would greatly appreciate it."

Em nods again as the Red Dragon lands on my opposite side and apologizes as well.

"I just wanted to show you to everyone." Em wraps her tail around me and nozzles her face against mine. "I've never seen a Witch before!"

"She's a Witch?" The Red Dragons says in surprise, looking me up and down. "No wonder she smells like that."

"Do I smell bad?" I played with a lock of hair, feeling nervous from their stares. 

"No! You smell really good! The scent of Nature and magic is strong around you! It's amazing!" Em and the Red Dragon circle me and trapping me in place with their bodies. "Witches are precious here. I had heard that they avoid us though for some reason."

I now understood why Master had told me to avoid Dragons. Witches were filled with magic which they really liked since Dragons are creatures of magic. Plus, since I am also a Guardian of Life meant that I am apart of Nature itself- which Dragons are extremely in tune with so add that to being a Witch equals extreme favoritism from Dragons who can easily kill me by accident. 

I was starting to feel like a nice juicy piece of meat between two starving dogs when I hear my name being called.

"Over here!" I quickly respond moving towards the voice, the two Dragons reluctantly releasing me from their encirclement and followed behind me closely. 

"Celestia, are you alright?" Suli checks me over, being my familiar- he had felt my panic earlier.

"I'm fine." I tried to reassure him once again as he glared at the two cowering Dragons behind me.

"How dare you take my Witch away from me." Suli growls, his human form disappearing into the Fenrir then grew even larger then I had last seen it. I found myself in-between his two front legs as the ground started to rumble from his rage.

"Suli!" I tried to catch his attention as Em and the Red Dragon pressed themselves onto the floor. "THAT IS ENOUGH!" I finally shouted in frustration. "Stand down Suli... Now."

The ground slowly grows still as Suli gives me a 'kicked puppy' look after my scolding and eases on the intimidation that had been released in his anger which allows the two Dragons to sit up and look at me in shock.

"They have already apologized." I huffed, glossing over the bruises which were already healed. "I have no doubt that they will be punished later for their actions."

I looked over to Falvin who was standing behind us with an identical shocked look on his face. I stare at him, widening my eyes slightly until he finally realizes what I was meaning.

"Yes. They will." He coughed. "Harkin, Em. Your punishment is to clean the grand hall without magic for three days."

Harkin the Fiery Red Dragon and Em the Amethyst Dragon both bow without a word and fly out, solidify my idea that they were effectively terrified of Suli.