Bendingmirrors Week 6 Entry: Dreamscape

BENDINGMIRRORS
SUNDAY






Bendingmirrors' Choice: Picture 2

Title: Dreamscape


He was there again, arms wrapped around me in a warm, soft embrace. I could hear his voice, clear as a bell, the mellifluous tones surrounding me with words of love.

"Sweetheart, I'm sorry I can't stay with you. You know I need to be hidden before the day breaks. But I'll return as soon as the sun sets and we'll head straight out to the party."

I was about to reply to him when the dream shifted again. I was glad that I hadn't had to watch him get out of our bed to leave me, it would have been too much to see that happen. Although in some way I knew that that was exactly what had happened. He had crawled from the bed, ensuring that I was completely covered in the warm blankets, before he threw his clothes on and then strode purposefully from the bed to the window, turning back to blow one last kiss at me before he launched himself out the window.

Instead I found myself in the dark woods, back in the formal velvet gown that most haunted my dreams. It was later than it usually was, the moonlight had faded and we were in the darkened forest with a mist rising. I was not afraid though, I knew that he was with me. He had nothing to fear from these woods, and so by extension, neither did I. There was nothing that could harm us here, especially tonight, on such a joyous occasion.

I could hear my sister laughing and speaking with her new husband and his friend. They made quite the happy picture, and even in such a dark foreboding place I could not help but be ecstatic for her. It was slightly bittersweet though, I knew that this would mark our goodbyes.

It was not expected that they would remain close to the family estate, so I had always known that this goodbye would be extended. However, if my sister were marrying anyone other than the man her heart was set on, then I would be able to see her again at some point. Perhaps we may even have had children of similar ages and been able to enjoy family parties. But I knew that this marriage would mean I would never see her again.

His arms tightened around me. Spinning me into a dance that would distract me from my dark thoughts of loss and remind me that tonight was a celebration. We moved swiftly through the trees, over some obstacles, around others, all the while gracefully dancing our way back to Cassandra and Carlisle.

Cassandra and I had spent hours yesterday giggling over the thought of her new name. She had known that she would need to select a new one after, but hadn't yet come up with a name that she liked. We ran through the names of characters I had written, laughing over the thought of taking names like Catherine, Kitty or even Lizzie (which was far too close to her own middle name to be acceptable). In the end, we had decided that she should look further afield for her name. Something not English at all, perhaps a foreign name would be a reminder to her that she herself was different. We had parted then, with thoughts of foreign names, as we each retired to our own bed chambers to rest for the big secret event on the morrow.

As we swung back in view of them, we slowed to a halt. I could see that they were gathering their possessions in order to depart. I extracted myself from his embrace and ran to fling myself into my big sisters arms for the last time.

"Promise me that you won't forget me Cassie? That you won't just go away and never think of us? We will never forget you here, and I won't let Mama and Papa say anything bad about your disappearance. I'll try my best to keep them calm"

"Oh my sweet Jane, I know that you will try. I will never, ever forget you, or our brothers. Keep entertaining everyone with your tales, one day you will see them in print. Of that I am certain. I will look for them every time I see a book for sale."

Our embrace grew so tight that I wondered whether they would ever be able to separate us. My thoughts and feelings finally as dark as the surrounding forest. Cassie pulled away first, turning to her new husband, he assisted her up into the carriage on the edge of the clearing, and they pulled away. Carlisle's friend driving as Carlisle himself wrapped my sister in blankets for the cold, drafty, trip through the night.

He turned me to face himself, to pull me into his arms. I chanced a quick look toward his face, and while none of his other features stood out, the deep green of his eyes with their expression of bottomless compassion were finally visible to me. I melted into his chest, feeling colder and older simply by having my elder sister and protector leaving.

Realizing that we were finally alone together, I looked up to his face again. Pulling myself up on to my tiptoes in order to reach him, and softly pressed my lips to his.

In the strange way that dreams move and change, I went from the dizziness of kissing him to being laid out on his cloak. Our clothing had dissolved, we were still dancing, but this was a dance of a different sort. A slow moving dance of hands over silky skin, slowly warming under the pale light of the stars in this forest.

His delicate mouth against my own, then moving along my newly exposed skin. Our movements together causing such exquisite friction, building heat and love to a fevered pitch. The tinkling laugh I heard from a distance was of no real consequence, I knew that she would leave us alone, she knew better than to disrupt him. His temper was legendary. He shook his head, and redoubled his efforts. Bringing me closer and closer to the peak I was longing for.

I gasped for breath as I found myself back in my own bed. Sitting bolt upright, sweaty, and longing, surely the dream could have lasted just 30 seconds more. Then I noticed the alarm that was pealing from my bedside table. Never had I hated that appliance more. Slapping it off, I threw the covers back and prepared to face yet another day.