Fretting Over Dreams

[Kythin Steelfang]

" They could not be more right about you, My Son. "

    A pale silhouette took shape in the darkness of the dreamscape before him. Nearly as simplistic an image as one of the charcoal scratchings that filled his sketchbook as a boy. The words; an accusation .. he forced his focus upon them out of anger and hate far more than any need to defend himself from them. A certain realization crept into the thoughts that swarmed beneath the surface. The more he desired to focus upon the silhouette the more disturbing it became as it cleared before his eyes.

A ruined corpse; mauled and missing many a limb shuffled ever closer in the darkness. A long dead man, a foolish father, and an unwilling traitor to every oath the man had sworn gave a milky-white stare at the man that had been his son.

" Nothing save a vile, hate-filled monster; the very incarnation of all your mother and I fought against. "

Merely a dream; Kythin reminded himself as if it even mattered in the longterm. Arms folded against his chest as the crocodile ruined corpse his mind chose to throw at him stared in such an accusatory fashion.

" The same mother and father whom chose to take children into the Maddish Swamps? Dredge up my fears and mistakes all you like, Apparition. However Monstrous I may be; I will be the monster that sees my family safe and warm. And you? You will be the man who damned your children to be monsters among the cultists and were-beasts of the Swamps. "

During the entire exchange Kythin; known as the Black Knight in the waking world .. the husband of Ophelia Harrington-Steelfang, and expectant father; had used only words to deal with this foul spirit his mind, if not some residual malice of Dan'zeran , had conjured to chisel away at his confidence and psyche.

" I will see the Steelfang name mean something in Shallot and beyond, Father. I may never enjoy the fruits of my labors, yet Jacen and Leila will and they shall be the better for it. "

The apparition and the darkness that surrounded them began to disperse though never quite as much as he may have hoped it would.

" You are no Monster. "

He did not know where the words came from; though he searched none the less.

" Monsters do not clear the way for others at the expense of self. "

    Whatever the source of those words may have been, Kythin possessed little means to weed it out from the noises that threatened to wake him. The noise of a late afternoon in the Ninesay Parish of Madder pierced through the veil of dream and seized him with its cold grip to shake him awake. It shook the man into an awareness of self and surroundings that forced his realization of a lack of warmth of the slender form of Ophelia at his side or in the room they had taken up in the village of Kittai; a room in the Hare's Hair Inn and Tavern.

    The village may have been a spot better than what he expected to find in Delving Parish. Such thoughts were of no concern at that moment in time. His immediate concerns found the Knight hurrying to dress in order to find his wife. Only after he'd succeeded in a somewhat disheveled appearance had the existence of the Black Bone Ring come to mind and its specific enchantment left the dragon-blooded male to make good use of it. Ophelia would be somewhere nearby no doubt! 

[Ophelia Harrington]

It was regretful, at least for Ophelia, that she had purchased the painting so far away from the tavern they had chosen to stay at for their time in Madder. It was regretful because the glowing nymph was to carry it all the way back on her own; she could probably have charmed someone to do it for her, but that always came with grave consequences. She had just found her way back to the tavern while Kythin was dashing around in a mad panic looking for her, and he would feel her close by through his ring.

It was a moment later that she burst through the door of their room, and with a big puff of breath, she lugged the painting in after her. “What on Arith happened to you?” A brow arched slightly at the dishevelled way he was dressed, hair all over the place and panic etched upon his features. Ophelia looked none-the-worse-for-wear once she was settled, with the painting leaning against the chair that she had quickly claimed in her own name. “I bought you a present!” She announced with a grin dancing along her lips, a happy but mischievous glint touched her eye, and she wiggled her brows, “and it didn’t even cost that much either!” Thrift buying was not really her thing; she just liked to know that she was getting the best price, and oft used her power of persuasion to get it.

After taking a sit of water, she pulled the sheet the vendor had placed over it off the portrait, and upon its canvas was Kythin, still a bed with one leg hanging off the side and Ophelia draped all over him. It was a strange sight because she was so slight against the man, and if he rolled the wrong way, he probably could have crushed her, “isn’t it amazing!” She had, in her excitement, forgotten to tell him what it actually was and what it was doing.

[Kythin Steelfang]

How easily panic could override the good sense of any whom found themselves facing it. The dishelved state began to be done away with as soon as the certainity of her close proximity had been assured him his panic was little more than over-reaction.

Then Ophelia made her grand return complete with a rather obvious painting in tow. The latter earned a quick-to-rise brow even before the inquiry to his appearance drew out his answer.

" A less than favorable dream forced me out of slumber .. only to find you no where nearby. In the serpents' territory as we are I feared for you safety. "

The faithful of the Serpent-King were not truly his sole concern so much as the cultists that could very well still occupy some part of the kingdom that worried him so in allowing his wife out of his sight long as they remained in Madder. Acknowledging the painting alongside the fact that if he ignored it to continue fretting over her might well draw a little ire at his over-protectiveness .. focus settled upon the painting she had carried in.

The expression he wore proved a quizzical one as the Artist hid within the Black Knight examined it critically rather than for the apparent amazing status Phe proclaimed it to possess. The only words he found to describe it were creepy and strange if well done as paintings went.

" It is .. though I am perplexed a painting such as this .. would have taken too long to make .. what am I looking at? Where did it come from? "

As inept with the arcane as he may have been in contrast to nearly every other dragon-blooded creature on the face of Arith .. he could guess that there was nothing natural about this painting whatsoever.

[Ophelia Harrington]

Ophelia couldn’t understand why he was so perplexed by the painting, at first anyway. “Oh, silly me,” She grinned lightly before resting her hand upon his arm and explaining, “It’s magic! Apparently, it shows you the path not taken… so to speak. It can also, if you ask, show you both paths of a decision if you have one to make – watch!” She had been so excited to try this, “Should we travel south towards Greenville, or north towards Swerdscree?” The picture immediately turned blank, removing the image of the pair of them and instead drawing out two different pictures, one for each destination.

On the left hand side of the image it showed them travelling south and further into Madder , and along the way somewhere, they would be set upon by cultists; the image showed Kythin being struck from behind, and Sunspot being grabbed by the reins with Ophelia atop of it. On the right hand side of the picture was an image of Ophelia bathing in a pool with a large, fanged snake hanging down above her head ready to strike.

Ophelia’s nose wrinkled and she said, “Well then…” Neither prospect looked that inviting, and she especially didn’t like snakes! Her shoulders were lifted in a soft shrug, and she grinned lightly before twirling on the heel of her foot and flouncing down into the chair again. "Life would be boring if it weren't for a little bit of adventure!"

[Kythin Steelfang]

Magic of this sort could be impressive among those easily moved one way or another by apparent means to tell the future to guide their way. It bred fear, thought Kythin as the painting shifted anew to display two paths that both ended in tradegy.

" To fear dire portents would make us boring. There will be no adventure if we heed every vision shown. "

While the painting itself was indeed a remarkable piece .. Kythin saw nothing good that could come of such a piece of art. The canvas would be better off being torn asunder and its remnants cast into the fire. These thoughts did not keep the Black Knight from speaking in command to this artistic piece as well.

" What would have become of the Steelfangs had the Cult of Dan'zeran not captured my parents and I? "

Dwelling on the past and what could have been could not be healthy .. none-the-less Kythin chose to see what version of events might be told through this magical painting his wife had brought to him.

Ophelia earned those steel-grey eyes looking to her to and away from the painting in question.

" It is a wonderous piece, indeed, Thank you Ophelia. "

[Ophelia Harrington]

Ophelia watched the stoic face of her husband with an avid interest while he worked through what he thought of the picture. She had been by his side long enough to recognize the mere twitches of the mouth, or the brief cock of the eyebrow to understand his moods; he wasn’t the easiest man to read. She knew that he was wary of such things, and it was a wonder he hadn’t pitched it out of the window already.

Ophelia cast her gaze to the picture when he asked the question, and it did nothing to answer his question. “I don’t think it can show you past choices, my love.” Stretching out in the chair much like a cat would have done, she patted the seat beside him. “How long do you think we should linger here? I’m not sure you want your children to be born upon Madder soils.”

Ophelia tipped her head slightly, and if and when he arrived by her side, she curled into his large form to enjoy the fruits of his size, and protective nature. “Perhaps it is time we venture towards Zyon?” She had been there before but very briefly, and if she recalled correctly: it would be a new place for him. “No matter the dire portents the picture shows, we can send it home and put it in your vault until we get home?” All of these questions were posed as if he had some choice in the matter, but the grin on her face said otherwise. “Kiss me, my dragon.” He should be used to following orders, especially hers, now!

[Kythin Steelfang]

His scowling over the limitations of the paiting could not have been met with much surprise. Ophelia did happened to be correct on the unpleasantness considered in regard to the magical, if not accursed, painting she'd brought him.

Fortunately Kythin considered such a gift likely to have other uses none-the-less once the oppurtnity to see it transferred to Dunsany came upon them. Any such matter could wait while he focused upon the matter of a good deal of importance to them both.

" ... I would like to leave as soon as possible. "

As she might have expected Kythin did not desire to make this a lengthy visit of the land of his birth .. were it the land of his forefathers perhaps it would be a different story altogether. As such was far from the case Kythin forced his attention towards the favorable subject of where to travel next.

" Yes, Zyon .. I do not believe I have ever set foot there. "

It remained to be seen if his reputation preceded him even into that unknown nation. Little did such thoughts succede in keeping the man distracted from his wife and her grinning visage.

" Feeling frisky are we? "

A tease, perhaps? Though quite without humour to it. Much more important was the demanded kiss Ophelia sought from her beau .. and a kiss indeed she received from her Dragon. A dose of affection matched well a more unexpected bodily lift of the slight woman into his arms in as comfortable a recline as was possible with the meeting of lips and all.


" Are we off to Summerglass, My Love? Or was it Emeraldesse? " 

Well few could blame the man for his words being low and half-whispered with lips lingering still against his wife's demanding, if pliant , own. 

[Ophelia Harrington]

There were not many people that liked to be in close proximity to the dragon knight that now held Ophelia loft in his arms but she could think of no better place. He was her knight in bloody armour, and for once, she considered herself truly happy. Her mission was to see her husband content, if not happy too. “I think we should go to Summerglass, we can purchase clothes for the babes when they are born! Plus, I want new silks for my costumes; I grow bored of the constant white. I want something bright!” She was an entertainer at heart, and while she had settled into family life for the sake of Kythin and their budding family, she was not going to give up her profession forever. “Maybe we can get something for you, too.” She grinned lightly before lifting her shoulders in a shrug, “and then we can board a ship to Lorelei. We’ll have to stay there for a while…”

That subject was left hanging for the time being and her attention then shifted back to the picture, which was showing Ophelia being set upon by the giant snake while she was in the bath. “How do I fight a giant snake, my love?” This brought her attention back to his question about her friskiness. “Well, not that I want to… all the time.” There was a not-so-innocent look upon her face at the double entendre of her statement. She planted a soft kiss against his lips again before wriggling free. “After we pack, we can play…” She nodded her head, just once, “I need to get this…” She waved to the picture, “packaged and sent home too.” Poor Kythin had just talked his way out of kinky time with his wife!