Remembering

His mind began to wander as his body felt weightless; he drifted into such a deep sleep he felt as if he were watching himself from above. High in the sky the sun shone bright and was warm on his skin; the grass was high and lush as he walked slowly through it allowing his hands to skim the tops of the purple bonnets strewn throughout the meadow.
She was running just a short distance in front of him; laughing as she would turn her head and look at him. She was so damn beautiful; she took his breath away. This was their favorite place to be alone, hidden far from any kingdom it had become their own tranquility.
Coming to a dead stop she turned and stared at him as he continued to walk towards her. The sky turned dark and she disappeared as he now found himself watching his father from afar; he was talking to a woman, not his mother, with Luka beside him. Who was she? Beginning to walk towards them he quickly noticed that even though his feet were moving, his body was not.
His face was as if it were stone, he could tell he was angry; but at what was unclear. Noticing him watching, they all turned and walked away, disappearing into the darkness. As he tried to run toward their direction he found himself now watching his mother in the grounds; his younger self was running around her laughing as she pretended to chase him. Her long blonde hair was bouncing around as she laughed with him; there was no woman as beautiful to him as her.
He felt an emptiness overcome him as he watched again the woman appear and take his mother’s life; hearing his father’s voice in the distance he turned to see him and Luka running towards her. Luka was howling some spellbinding words; trying to stop her he assumed, but she was too quick and disappeared into thin air.
Brayden continued to watch his past unfold in front of him; the sadness and confusion on his child self’s face was heartbreaking. His father picked his lifeless mother’s body up off the ground as Luka grabbed the child’s hand, guiding him behind his father. As they reached the entrance to the castle they all turned and stared at him. Brayden felt his insides begin to shake as he relived the most horrible time in his life. Hearing a loud boom behind him he quickly turned his head to see what it was; then quickly turned back to continue watching his past only to find they were all gone and he was standing alone in the darkness.
Hearing the noise again, Brayden began walking towards the sound; what was that? Is that smoke he sees? He made his way into the opening of the forest, a bright color of red lightened the small opening just inside the trees as he saw a male figure standing in front of a roaring fire. His back was facing him and Brayden couldn’t tell just who it was; but he was about to find out.
As he approached the figure slowly he felt a familiar presence; and as the male turned to face him he recognized Christian standing before him. “It’s time to come to terms with your past, Brayden; do not fear what you feel but have faith in what you see.” Christian walked around to the other side of the fire so he could face Brayden; he knew the time had come and it was crucial he made sure he knew the truth.
“I have watched you since your return; your mind is full of questions and confusion and your soul is sad. You did not want to believe me, but you feel it don’t you? The feeling of unease, falsehood, and a desire to know the truth, unsure of who you should trust to give you just that,” Brayden stared into the fire as Christian continued, “deep inside you lies the truth you seek, you must clear your mind and open your heart.” He felt his shoulders lighten, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, demanding his body relax. He was ready to listen, although not completely sure he was ready to believe; he was willing to try. Seeing Brayden close his eyes, Christian took a deep breath and raised his arms towards the heavens. He spoke slowly and clear as he began, “Remove the chains of time and space, make my spirit soar, let these mortal arms embrace the life that haunts before,” the fire roared high and loud as Brayden felt his spirit rise, flashes of memories flying through his mind in bits and pieces. He saw his father talking with the warlocks as crows flew high above, he saw Luka casting spells by the basin on the side of the castle, he saw his mother giving birth to him as an unknown woman watched on, he saw Harper leaning over him nursing his wounds. The images just kept coming yet not making any sense. The feeling of mass confusion and understanding entwining together as he continued to try to make sense of what he was seeing.
Christian watched him intently, his eyes were wide now, lost in the light of the fire. He never flinched nor did he try to fight what he was seeing; but there was a lot his mind was going to have to take in and Christian would have to pay close attention.
As the images kept coming, Brayden began to shake. He watched from a distance as his father talked with Horace and Luka; secretly meeting which Brayden found odd. Was he not always included in meetings with Horace as it usually pertained to war since he was the highest ranking warrior in his father’s command? As the meeting ended and Horace left Henis and Luka alone, Brayden heard his father tell Luka, “Brayden must never know; her death is a necessity and one we cannot afford to not carry out. He must continue to believe what we have told him.”
He let out a loud noise as he snapped out of the spell and gasped for air. Stumbling backwards, Christian quickly moved to his side to help him sit. “Breathe Brayden,” was all he said as he sat next to him on a large stump just in front of the fire.
Trying to control his breathing and calm himself Brayden was coming to terms with what he just found out. He didn’t know what exactly it was his father was hiding from him; but it had to be something big.
“What are they hiding?” was all Brayden could muster. “There are many things that have been hidden from you, Brayden; things that are crucial to your journey. Lies have been told, deaths have been ordered and unnecessary battles have been had; all to hide the past and feed the greed of your father.” “The spell didn’t explain anything, it just showed me bits and pieces of my past! Can you not just tell me?!” Brayden was getting irritated, although the images made it clear that a lot of his past had been hidden from him he still wasn’t quite sure for what reason and what exactly had been hidden.
“The spell was not to explain, it was to show.”
“Show what??!! It didn’t show anything!”
“I told you to open your heart, did I not? Your heart will see what your eyes will not. I can only help so much, Brayden, you must call on yourself to accept what your eyes have shown you.” Christian knew that he would have to figure some things out on his own, how else would he completely understand. He didn’t fully trust him, Christian knew that, so he was focused on making him believe he was not influencing him.
“I told you, your anger was misplaced as was your loyalty. I can only guide you in the right direction, it is up to you to put the pieces together. But understand this, Brayden, sometimes finding yourself means losing yourself.” Christian stood and looked back down at Brayden, “look within yourself, trust your heart and let your soul guide you,” and with that he disappeared leaving Brayden alone staring into the fire.
He felt empty; everything he was ever told seemed to be a lie, and yet he still didn’t know exactly what the lie was for? He needed solid answers and he knew he would not get them from those close to him. His eyes were locked on the fire, it was mesmerizing really. The flames danced around peacefully, beautiful colors of red, auburn and yellow entwined with the sparks from the wood. He continued to watch the flames as they began to take shape; her body took form in the flames. Immediately he knew what he needed to do; Harper’s image was forged in the flame, although just an image he felt as if she was calling to him.
His eyes popped open as he heard rustling outside the cottage; his head was damp with sweat and his breathing was heavy. It seemed so real; the dream left him emotionally weak and questioning reality. He sat up on the edge of the bed, taking a deep breath trying to gather his senses; he hadn’t slept that hard in a very long time. Whatever Luka put in that tea really took effect. Groggily he stood and walked towards the front of the cottage where he heard the noise that woke him.
Opening the door he stepped out to see nothing at all; must’ve been a rabbit rustling through the leaves. As he turned to go back inside he felt a cool breeze as the wind slightly picked up and chills came over him as he turned to look behind him. There was nothing there but a bit of fog; but he recognized her voice very clearly as he heard her whisper, “Come to me.”