Chapter Nine: Following My Dreams

  “What did I always want?” Elijah wondered, staring at himself—his female self, anyway—in the mirror again, pinching several strange and interesting parts of his body to remind himself this was no dream. “When I wasn’t me, I mean; when you were me. What were my dreams, aspirations, and any other useless synonyms?”

  Oh, I—you, now—was always a little boring as far as princesses go: there was no I want to explore the world and make my own destiny. No, I was always fine with where and who I was, and I was excited to become the queen one day.

  “Doesn’t your mother have to die for that to happen? Seems a little cruel to wish for your mother to die.”

  Oh, come off it. You can’t possibly be that stupid. But yes, all Amanda Gold has ever wanted is where she is now. The politics, than danger, the glamor, the fun, the sadness, the frustration, the excitement, the unpredictability, the predictability, the people to meet, the people to love, the people to fight, the—

  “I understand,” Elijah said.

  I’m sure you do, but you’ll understand more as the days go by. For now, you should get used to life in the castle, as much as you can in one day. Acquaint yourself with the maids and servants, spend time with your mother the queen, and go through the main portions of the castle. It’s important that you memorize your home as quickly as possible. Before long, I will need you to increase your levels and skills, but the time is not now: you are too immature and ignorant for this, no offense—actually, yes, I do mean offense.

  “None taken,” Elijah responded chipperly. “You’re annoying remarks only serve to remind me how pathetic you are.”

  You forget I can read your mind. Not only do you not believe that, you believe the exact opposite.

  “Pssh, no, I don’t,” the princess-man responded. “That’s ridiculous, why would I—please get out of my head.”

  Elijah did what the Guide told him for the rest of the day, and, to his pleasant surprise, it went smoothly, and he began to think that he would soon adjust to this society, if he could never return home. Of course, he would do everything he could to go back where he came from, but as long as he was here, he would make the most of it.

  Nighttime came quickly, and as a self-proclaimed night owl, Elijah chose to stride onto one of the castle’s many balconies and enjoy the night air and the city. It turned out that one of the windows higher than a man in his room opened up to a balcony, one he hadn’t noticed before due to its open quality, which scared him a bit even though he had no fear of heights. With only a bit of confusion and friendly altercation with Eva, he had soon gotten a chair installed there and so he sat, staring at the two moons as they shone on the city.

  Surprisingly, the city did not look much different than it had during the day. Somehow, the city seemed to have developed some sort of electricity, although Elijah would’ve pinned it to be at the equivalent of the middle ages. Must’ve been the magic that his Guide bragged about.

  Closing his eyes, he breathed in the air, enjoying the sweet chilly atmosphere, his dress not protecting him from the draft completely, which he enjoyed. It was nice to stay out here. He had lived in a mix between a rural and an urban city in his older life—felt like a lifetime ago now though it had only been twelve hours—and even that had polluted the sky. Here, though, it was different. The night in Advantia seemed so pure and happy that Elijah couldn’t help but smile as he watched it.

  A hand grasped the railing of the balcony, and he shrieked, jumping up.

  “Calm down, calm down,” A voice reassured her, a man climbing up. Well, man in the loose sense, as he looked to be about seventeen. The boy was wearing a formal suit, which he straightened as soon as he reached the top of the balcony, beaming at the princess.

  “What the hell are you doing here and who the hell are you?” Elijah asked. “It isn’t, um…proper, to enter another man’s room without permission.”

  “Man? I was under the thought that you were a woman, your highness,” The man cackled, bowing slightly, then jumping up spryly. “Although I must say, if you are a man, you are the most gorgeous one I’ve met.”

  “Um, it was just roleplay,” Elijah responded hurriedly. “Of course, I am Amanda Gold, or else why would I look so stunning, right? And yes, I know I am gorgeous, no need to flatter me. I would still like to know who you are, though, if you don’t mind, else I might need to report your ass.” Guide?

  Hmm? His Guide asked. Oh, yes, I was too busy pondering on how many mistakes you’ve made today. I lost count around thirty and I was seeing if I could start counting again. This must be at least three already. And no, I don’t know this boy either, and if I were you, I’d report him. It’s illegal to walk into Princess Amanda’s room.

  He isn’t in the room yet, Elijah responded. Maybe I should invite him.

  Four, was the only response.

  “I am Crist of the sea folk, your highness,” The man told him, rolling up the sleeve of his suit. Before his very eyes, the arm turned sludgy, then scaly, until Elijah was sure the man was a fish.

  “Why are you here, Crist?” Elijah asked, while on the inside, he panicked. What the hell are the Sea Folk?

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  Ah, yes, the Kainotami. Well, you know what they are now, there is no need to explain. They live on the ocean that borders the kingdom of Advantia, and I see no reason for Crist to be here, unless he has some important news to share, which he should go to Queen Evangeline about, and I’ve never heard of the Crist, so I would carry a lot of suspicion if I were you.

  “I was told to come here and relay some news to Princess Amanda Gold, so if you could tell me where she is, good sir,” Cris winked.

  “Just tell me already,” Elijah sighed. “And call me Elijah. When I’m roleplaying, that is my name.”

  “A wise name,” Cris remarked. “Well, my news is for Princess Gold, but I’m sure you’ll suffice. The Sea Folk would be honored if you and your paramour should come and visit us, with one or more bodyguards at Kainotami in two weeks’ time.”

  “Why didn’t you go to the queen about this?”

  “Was more fun to climb,” the man shrugged. “Plus, you never know what will happen if you interrupt someone in the bedroom. I find they are more likely to do whatever they were doing if I do it.”

  “That’s disgusting.”

  “Oh, they consent,” Cris shrugged it off. “Most of the time. Now, what do you say?”

  “What do you mean they consent most of the time?”

  “Oh, they don’t really have any say in the matter. They turn to jelly when they see that my…trident has scales.”

  “That sounds like it hurts,” Elijah groans. “And before you ask, no, I will not do anything with you.”

  “Are you sure?” Cris asked. “I can be very persuasive. Oh, that’s mine by the way.” He walked into the room and snatched a necklace, peering at it closely before shoving it into his pocket and smiling widely. “You have an answer yet, princess? Because the longer you wait, the longer I stay, and the longer you look at my scaly, sticky, slimy form that would perfectly mold into yours.”

  “Please stop,” Elijah groaned. “And give me back that necklace, it’s mine.”

  “Actually, this hat is yours,” Cris replied, taking off the hat hiding his features and setting it on the table. To the princess’s surprise, he didn’t look like a fish, except that his teeth were razor sharp, his eyes were diluted, and there were three scales on his left cheek. He was also well-defined, muscular, and very handsome.

  “You can’t trade like that.”

  “Actually, I can. Are you going to arrest an ambassador from a different country from making a trade with your country? I find that very insulting, and, frankly, a cause for war.”

  “I will have you arrested,” Elijah replied. “I don’t even like the necklace that much, but that hat is no compensation.”

  “Think about it this way,” Cris replied. “Have I died in this hat?”

  “I guess not.”

  “Exactly! That must mean it has magical powers.” The Kainotami tapped tha hat in respect and turned to the princess again. “You know what else has magical powers? My trident, because it makes all women fall in love with me, literally.”

  “Say that one more time, and I swear to you, I will make sure your smile is permanent,” Elijah promised, grabbing his sword from where it was and unsheathing it, falling backwards from the weight. He’d never held a sword before, and now he was wishing he had.

  Ugh, that man is a level 12 Kainotami Royal Prince, so I wouldn’t fight him. And in case you’re wondering about the relationship status, imagine all the slides in single digits.

  “Leave the room,” Elijah growled, “And confer with the queen. I will count to five, and if you don’t move—”

  “You’ll passionately make out with me?”

  “Get the hell out!”

  Cris squealed and jumped as Elijah’s sword pricked him. “Fine, princess, but I will be back, and when I am, I’ll shove in your face how magical my hat is.”

  “I’ve never died with my necklace on!” Elijah exclaimed. “One thing doesn’t mean another.”

  As Cris jumped away from the balcony, he grinned. “Maybe you should think about that before you give it away next time.”

  With that, he was gone.

  “What a horrible person!” Elijah groaned, falling into bed.

  For once, I agree with you. Thank goodness he is gone, but he will be back. Tomorrow, we must tell your mother what has happened with the Kainotami.

  “I don’t want to snitch. I’m sure he’ll tell her himself, but we can be there when he does,” Elijah said, yawning. Huh! I guess I’m tired.

  That was the last thought he had before falling asleep.

  A roar woke up the peaceful Elijah, whose eyes widened as soon as he saw the creature in front of him, snarling at him. Unashamedly, he screamed—that was a squeal—and backed into the corner of the bed, his chest heaving already from the fear of the beast in front of him.

  “What is that thing?”

  A Nightmare. I am sorry, I should’ve warned you to put on the ring on the nightstand over there. I took it off not one hour before you came in my body—

  Don’t say it like that.

  And, because I did that, the Guide continued, You did not know to put it back on. The Nightmares are a species that affect the dreams of several species, but they usually target important figures in any kingdom. Nightmares go after any powerful figure—no one knows how they know who is powerful or not, but they only attack those in high standing, and usually, they target their dreams, and this is why you must wear the ring you have at night. If they do not target an important figure’s dreams, they are summoned by a jealous or angry enemy, and then turn real and attack the figure. This one attacked your dream, and thus, in your dream, you will not remember, but you must’ve touched it. Thus, it came here, and you forgot your dream.

  The beast looked like a shadow, in three dimensions, and only a little more solid. It seemed to have some sort of shadow spikes jutting from its body, and its eyes glowed red. While it only stood at two feet, it grew bigger slowly, until it was encompassing the entire room, its humanoid form shaping and moving until it looked like a monster straight out of Elijah’s worst nightmares—hence the name, dumbass!

  They get bigger and stronger due to fear, but they never get bigger than thirty feet or so.

  “WHAT?” Elijah shrieked.

  The monster attacked him.