The next scene I saw was a greyish place, like a medieval kingdom burnt to ash.
My lower jaw fell down. Even though it was in its worst condition, he indeed brought me to a totally different place by only throwinhg some sand around us.
"Woah" I mumbled in surprise, stepping away from him and toward the greyish world. "You weren't lying"
Morpheus's pale lip returned my sentence with a duck face like expression. "Why would I lie about being the king of dreams?"
My eyebrows ran to join together. "Dreams? Usually they aren't this boring and grey"
"That's why I'm asking for your help" the man replied right away. His icy gaze got lost in the view of his kingdom, a torn sigh leaving his mouth. "Once it was a colorful, mesmerizing world full of happiness and fantasy. However, ever since I was thrown into jail by some unfledged wizards and my stuff was stolen, there was no one watching over my kingdom"
"How long were you away?" I inquired, out of curiousity.
Morpheus turned my way. His bright, blue eyes were as stiff and rigid that it made my legs spread root, chill running all over my spine. I could literally feel his attitude, as if he shared how he had really felt then, how furious he really had been.
"More than a hundred years, Addie" he was standing half than a meter from me, gazing me remorselessly, without a blink. "Sleeping wasn't going on its ordered way for more than a century. People got stuck in their dreams without my help forever"
I immediately knew what he preferred to.
It was more common a couple of decades ago. More and more people didn't wake up from sleep, no matter how hard others tried to wake them up. It was as if they were stuck there, as if they fell into coma.
Same happened in my family, as well. My grandma's little brother was one of the always-sleepers. He never woke up again,
I gulped. My voice was weak as I looked up at the man, who looked more and more important as I twisted and turned his figure in my brain. "And you need my help to fully restore this land, so no always-sleeping will occur again"
Morpheus nodded. He stepped to my side, walking behind me. Suddenly, long fingers dives into my blond locks, making my heartbeat stop for a moment. It was only him, still, every drop of blood ran put of my entire body as he played with my hair. "Do you know why I chose you?"
I shook my head. I absolutely didn't have the slightest idea. As far as I know, I was nothing special.
"You may not know" Morpheus began, his fingers running along my blond hair. Then, he stretched his arm to show me his palm full of... sand? "But you are able to use the same sand I do. You are somehow connected here"
My eyes widened. I carefully shoveled up a bit from the golden grains, running it from one hand to the other, gazing the mesmerizing, smooth material. "But... how?"
The man shrugged. "Sometimes when I visit the human world, I use my sand there. Not just to travel, but when people are just so desperate about not falling asleep. Probably once I was at you when you were younger, pouring some on your forehead. Turns out that rarely, but some people have the ability to absorb this sand and build it in their body"
"And I'm one of them" I finished his sentence, my heart pounding faster and faster as the thought of being somewhat special got worked up in my mind. "You know, I remember a period when I just couldn't fall asleep. But I do remember seeing things as well... I thought they are childish, fantasy images, but that tall and creepy guy was you then, not some imagination"
Morpheus's eyes went wilder, his mouth slightly opening up. I caught him off guard, that was crystal clear. "You... saw me? And you remember me?"
I nodded. "Not every detail but I definitely saw someone tall and dark, standing in the shadows and approaching when I closed my eyes... in fear"
"So I do look scary, huh" patted his cheek Morpheus, admiring that others, who had already told their opinions about his look.
The way he simply declared this made me smile. He wasn't that frightening after all. "Well, if you had asked me before knowing you, I would have described the king of dreams like handsome, blond guy dressed in gold and such. But you aren't bad either"
"Glad I'm good enough" Dream's pale, thin lips also curved upwards. "May I show you my kingdom in more details as well?"
"Sure" I agreed right away. Since everything was in the distance – we stopped pretty far away, in a huge, fancy gate –, my brain began working on how we will travel more in. "Do we go by the magic sand?"
The man looked surprised by my question. A couple of moments passed until his smile turned into a light chuckle. "No, that would be huge waste of the „magic sand". We use our imagination here, it's the kingdom of dreams after all"
"Aha. Didn't think of that fact, heh" I scraped the side of my head. It got covered in the golden sand. "And how do I do that? Just imagine a dragon parking down in front of me and I hop on?"
Morpheus nodded. "Pretty much so. It may be hard for the first try, but you'll eventually get the hang of it"
"Alright" I replied, taking a deep breath.
Let's do this.
As soon as my eyelids slowly fell down to their places, I tried my best to form the very first, able-to-fly creature in front of my spiritual eyes. Its scales attached to its skin as magnets would do, giving a royal shine to the creature. I imagined it having huge wings, long and spiky tail, horns decorating its enormous head.
Hearing the frightening roar, I opened my eyes.
Here it was: my dream creature, a giant lizard with wings, aka a dragon. I even imagined a huge, stable saddle on its back.
"Well done" Morpheus clapped. He would never admit, but I for sure some sort of pride in his icy orbs. "Now you only have to sit into the saddle and control the way"
Oh. Didn't think about that, though.
"You mean alone?" I gulped, looking up at the tall, pretty damn scary-looking creature. I wasn't sure which bodypart of mine was shaking the most.
Morpheus seemed confused first. However, seeing how miserable I was, his rigid expression softened, nodding for me to follow him. "Come, I'll help you up"
An entire mountain of rocks rolled down from my chest after hearing this nilly-willy statement from him. He sat up in the big, leather saddle first, his movements swift and light as someone who had already had experience in it. I had to admit, he did look like someone who understands his job perfectly. He fitted into that massive saddle perfectly, his black coat and hair emphasizing his rigid, royal self and strict, ice-colored gaze. I only realised then how beyond lucky I was: I met a king and – as I later found out – a god at the same time.
Him stretching a hand toward me brought me back to reality. I went as close as I just could, carefully leaning one hand against the dry scales. With my other hand, I grabbed the thin, pale fingers, which closed around my hand with a powerful hold. Shiver ran through my spine of the thought of trusting a stranger and ending up riding a dragon not long after.
"Okay. I'll count to three and when I say three, jump and I'll pull you up, okay?" the icy orbs gazed right into my soul, as if trying to relieve me at the roots.
I took a deep breath, nodding. "Alright"
It happened just as he said. I waited with eager ears for the third number and when it hit my ears, I took off.
And... he simply grabbed me and placed in front of himself. I was absolutely stunned by the sudden change of place and situation. Once, still next to the scaled beast, then in a blink of time, in front of the king and god of dreams in a humongous saddle. And all this made by a single movement of his hand.
"Now you are either heck strong or have a great imagination" I blurted out the things that were swirling in the stormy sea of thoughts in my mind. I was still shocked, my body stiff as I brushed some stray locks out of my face.
Morpheus shrugged with a mysterious smile I hadn't seen before. He shook himself together, his chest leaning against my back, stunning me even more as he nestled close to me, one hand around me, one on the handrail. His eyes glimpsed in pride as he looked down at me, then at our destination. He seemed more... opened to me. As if by some reason, in an unknown way, I showed him that he can trust this silly mortal.
"Just try not falling down, alright?" the man asked with sarcasm hiding in his voice. "I'll navigate Draco"
I was surprised to hear this unknown name. I was about to mock the man a bit about giving my dragon a name without sharing his idea with me, but a yell and the huge beast starting off suffocated every word into my mouth. Rather came a scream as the creature ran a few steps, then dashed off with lazy strikes of its wings.