Endless Dream

Three days - The Storm

This chapter is a lot longer than usual because I wanted to make up for the lack of updates for yesterday and the day before!

I will cover Morpheus's imprisonment through Iris' eyes only, and it will be broken into four longer parts, which cover three days, three weeks, three months, and three years into his imprisonment.

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A deafening crack startled Iris awake. The sound reverberated through the room like a giant ice cube dropped into boiling water. Every hair on their body stood to attention. There was a faint trace of static in the air that made their heart race. Before they could search for the source, a bright, blinding light filled the room. The light was so fierce and clear that it chased away the shadows in the corners of the room, Iris could make out every detail of their chambers. They could see the edge of the wide armchair with sharp clarity.

It took a few moments for Iris to realise what was happening. They threw on their silken dressing gown and bound it, they then ran to the long curtains of the balcony. Iris wrenched them open. There had been no signs or warning for such harsh weather, but here they were, staring down a burnt sienna sky with a violent tempest swirling across it.

Rain and hail pummelled the glass of the windows like marbles dropped from a height. Iris had to step back, feeling the icy force of the blows from inside the room. Another loud crack split the sky, the unearthly rumble rippling through the palace walls.

Periwinkle cried from under their bed. The small feline was petrified, shaking in fear. Iris closed the curtains and dove for the bed, trying to coax him out of hiding. The cat shrunk further under the bed, backing away from Iris. Outside, the storm grew louder; the hail sounded as if it might shatter the glass. Iris was trying to put on a comforting voice for Periwinkle, knowing they needed to get him out of here and to a more secure room of the palace. The windows were too large, if they shattered, then both of them would be caught in the storm.

"Come here, it's alright," they cooed. The cat didn't believe them, preferring its sanctuary under the bed to the blinding light that lit the room in short successive bursts.

Periwinkle yowled and hissed at Iris' hands as they fumbled under the bed for him. They almost managed to get ahold of his leg but he scratched them away and hugged the wall under the bed.

Iris swore at him, getting frustrated. "It's not safe here, we need to leave," the cat's amber eyes reflected in the dark, his scowl glowing in the darkness. His tail flickered up and down angrily as he hunkered down under the bed.

The windows rattled, the wind getting fiercer outside. Iris covered their ears as another boom sounded overhead, it felt like the storm had already got inside. The cat wailed again, crying as he put his paws over his ears and pressed his face to the floor. Iris couldn't reach him. They flattened themselves as much as they could, letting their shoulder slip under the hard wooden frame of the bed.

"Just a little further," they groaned, feeling their ribs brush along the bedroom floor. Iris put their face against the floor and craned their neck to see the feline's furry body. They tiptoed on their fingers, hoping the animal wouldn't lash out again. "That's it," they whispered loudly, snatching hold of his back to drag him out. The cat flailed, trying to bite at them as they pulled him out of hiding. Periwinkle snarled and snapped at Iris, his fluffy paws swatting them.

"You can bite me once we're safe," they told him, clutching the cat close to their chest.

The rumbling had quietened, Iris thought about checking outside, stepping warily closer to the balcony door. As Iris neared the curtain, another boom echoed, shattering the glass of the windows. Iris turned to shield Periwinkle in their arms, feeling the stabbing shards fly towards them and cling to the folded silk of the dressing gown. Iris shouted something, the cold torrent of wind sucking the air from the room. Periwinkle kicked out at the Iris with his back legs, twisting his body side to side so he could escape. The enormous circle of his pupils swallowed his eyes.