"I Saw In a Dream..." a continuing story - 08/30/03 08:24 PM
In honor of Dreamer's induction into the Legion, this story is set in *a* preboot Legion's reality...
PART ONE
She stretched out on her sister's bed, her silver/white/pale gold hair streaming across the pillows. She forced herself to stillness, relaxing each muscle and every nerve in the time-honored way her ancestors had perfected. All tension, all stress eased out of her body. Finally, she unfocused her mind's eye, allowing it to roam where it would.
She lay... waiting.
Waiting as she had for several nights... waiting for sleep and for her dream....
...she floated in a world of dancing half-light. Warm water surrounded her face, but her bare toes tingled with cold. She kicked and rose towards the surace, a shimmering ceiling above her, alive with the patterns of sun and cloud and sky. She looked back into the depths of the water, hesitant to enter the world of air where she knew she would have to face fear and pain, hesitant to leave the gentle motion of the water and the peace she felt alone in the sea of her dreams.
But she was Dream Girl and she had broken into the horizon that was the future many times and she would now, once more. Kicking harder, she propelled herself, gliding through the water effortlessly. She broke through the surface into sunlight and wind. Gazing out into the distance, she peered at the slender line that barely separated sea from sky. She turned and saw a nearer island, its clean beaches beckoning to her.
She swam easily and felt no surprise as the island grew nearer with her every stroke. Soon, she touched the sand at the bottom of a small cove in the coastline of what she knew was an immense continent. She walked through water, then wet sand. Finally she crossed the beach and entered the jungle that obscured her view. She quickly found a narrow pathway and followed it as it curved gently into the jungle.
She'd walked only a few yards when the jungle dwindled into forest and the forest into meadow. She crossed the green expanse and found herself facing a huge, leafy wall of bramble that stretched to her left and to her right as far as she could see.
The set expression of determination intensified on her face as she willed herself into the air, rising above the thorny obstacle. She cleared the brush and descended, her feet brushing wiry grass. Ahead, a towering building rose to hide the sun. The building was as familiar to Nura as home, but was also somehow alien to her. She strode across the field of marble and entered through a shining door underneath a gigantic golden "L".
Once inside, the feeling of alienness resurged. She was surrounded by trees and cultivated plantlife. The gurgle of a brook almost drowned out the songs of the birds wheeling about above her. Behind and above, she could see the high white ceiling and walls of glass that dispelled the illusion of a pleasant outdoor scene. This was not what she had expected. She shook her head with quick, sudden motion. Memory was a hindrance in the world of dream. A dreamer must be totally open and objective once she emerged from the sea of dreams. That was one of the first lessons taught to the seers of Naltor.
"But the building... my home... the home of the Legion," she thought, shutting her eyes.
"Enough!" She commanded herself. "I banish memory. I am Nura and I... will... SEE!"
She opened her eyes and stepped forward, orienting her progress through the indoor forest to the sound of the brook. She strode quickly over emerald moss that was soft beneath her feet, glad that the branches and even the roots of the trees moved out of her way. She had walked only a short way when she found herself beside the gurgling stream. Looking about, she saw no signs to indicate her next step. She gazed into the water of the brook, watching its swift currents pass.
A human-sized flash of white startled her, but she was unable to attract its attention before it had been swept away by the stream. She shrugged and followed the only course available to her. She jumped into the water, surrendering herself to the current.
Dimly, she recognized the banks as they whisked by. In no time, she found herself abruptly sliding into open air. Instinctively, she 'caught' herself, willing her fall to slow. She bumped harshly onto the ground and stumbled, but did not fall. She looked around her and found herself in a large, well-lit cavern. More surprising than the rocky walls, however was the ring of faces that surrounded her. Faces that she knew... faces of her frie...
"Memory, begone!" she screamed voicelessly.
Nura stood before accusing faces that she now saw as if for the first time. She memorized each feature and then noticed portraits hung from the cavern's ceiling. Her view of the fluttering paintings was abruptly cut off. She could almost sense the deep darkness that surrounded her. Strong arms grabbed and held her, preventing any movement.
Clouds of shadow broke into wisps, allowing light to bring back her sight. Soon, tendrils of darkness hovered in front of her, obscuring all the faces but one. Nura looked into the delicate blue-skinned features of her captor, whose grip had grown noticeably weaker.
The blue-skinned woman wore a stern but gentle expression, softening her action as she shoved Nura against the wall. "Who are you, woman?" she asked with a husky, urgent voice. "And how did you find us?"
"I am a dreamer seeking tomorrow," answered Nura. She had been taught that honesty was expedient in the dream world.
The answer seemed to satisfy her captor. Her suspicious expression cleared, as the darkness receded.
"Welcome then, dreamer and look upon tomorrow. But ask us no questions of it beacause we cannot answer," responded the blue woman as she brushed a lock of curly blue-black hair from her brow.
Nura had expected this answer. The dreamer bore the responsibility of determining the solutions to the riddles of her dream. She could not simply ask those in her dream of the future and awake to prophesy. But she could ask of the present of these people, for their present had some relationship to the future of her waking reality.
"Tell me your name that I might remember you," she said. The ritual statements and questions were usually effective enough, Nura thought.
"I am Shadow," answered the blue-skinned woman. "And these are my friends..." The woman gestured to include those looking curiously and worriedly at Nura. Nura noted the tattered clothes they wore. She also saw unhealed scars and arms hanging in homemade slings.
Shadow followed Nura's gaze, and said sorrowfully, "We are in hiding."
END PART ONE
PART ONE
She stretched out on her sister's bed, her silver/white/pale gold hair streaming across the pillows. She forced herself to stillness, relaxing each muscle and every nerve in the time-honored way her ancestors had perfected. All tension, all stress eased out of her body. Finally, she unfocused her mind's eye, allowing it to roam where it would.
She lay... waiting.
Waiting as she had for several nights... waiting for sleep and for her dream....
...she floated in a world of dancing half-light. Warm water surrounded her face, but her bare toes tingled with cold. She kicked and rose towards the surace, a shimmering ceiling above her, alive with the patterns of sun and cloud and sky. She looked back into the depths of the water, hesitant to enter the world of air where she knew she would have to face fear and pain, hesitant to leave the gentle motion of the water and the peace she felt alone in the sea of her dreams.
But she was Dream Girl and she had broken into the horizon that was the future many times and she would now, once more. Kicking harder, she propelled herself, gliding through the water effortlessly. She broke through the surface into sunlight and wind. Gazing out into the distance, she peered at the slender line that barely separated sea from sky. She turned and saw a nearer island, its clean beaches beckoning to her.
She swam easily and felt no surprise as the island grew nearer with her every stroke. Soon, she touched the sand at the bottom of a small cove in the coastline of what she knew was an immense continent. She walked through water, then wet sand. Finally she crossed the beach and entered the jungle that obscured her view. She quickly found a narrow pathway and followed it as it curved gently into the jungle.
She'd walked only a few yards when the jungle dwindled into forest and the forest into meadow. She crossed the green expanse and found herself facing a huge, leafy wall of bramble that stretched to her left and to her right as far as she could see.
The set expression of determination intensified on her face as she willed herself into the air, rising above the thorny obstacle. She cleared the brush and descended, her feet brushing wiry grass. Ahead, a towering building rose to hide the sun. The building was as familiar to Nura as home, but was also somehow alien to her. She strode across the field of marble and entered through a shining door underneath a gigantic golden "L".
Once inside, the feeling of alienness resurged. She was surrounded by trees and cultivated plantlife. The gurgle of a brook almost drowned out the songs of the birds wheeling about above her. Behind and above, she could see the high white ceiling and walls of glass that dispelled the illusion of a pleasant outdoor scene. This was not what she had expected. She shook her head with quick, sudden motion. Memory was a hindrance in the world of dream. A dreamer must be totally open and objective once she emerged from the sea of dreams. That was one of the first lessons taught to the seers of Naltor.
"But the building... my home... the home of the Legion," she thought, shutting her eyes.
"Enough!" She commanded herself. "I banish memory. I am Nura and I... will... SEE!"
She opened her eyes and stepped forward, orienting her progress through the indoor forest to the sound of the brook. She strode quickly over emerald moss that was soft beneath her feet, glad that the branches and even the roots of the trees moved out of her way. She had walked only a short way when she found herself beside the gurgling stream. Looking about, she saw no signs to indicate her next step. She gazed into the water of the brook, watching its swift currents pass.
A human-sized flash of white startled her, but she was unable to attract its attention before it had been swept away by the stream. She shrugged and followed the only course available to her. She jumped into the water, surrendering herself to the current.
Dimly, she recognized the banks as they whisked by. In no time, she found herself abruptly sliding into open air. Instinctively, she 'caught' herself, willing her fall to slow. She bumped harshly onto the ground and stumbled, but did not fall. She looked around her and found herself in a large, well-lit cavern. More surprising than the rocky walls, however was the ring of faces that surrounded her. Faces that she knew... faces of her frie...
"Memory, begone!" she screamed voicelessly.
Nura stood before accusing faces that she now saw as if for the first time. She memorized each feature and then noticed portraits hung from the cavern's ceiling. Her view of the fluttering paintings was abruptly cut off. She could almost sense the deep darkness that surrounded her. Strong arms grabbed and held her, preventing any movement.
Clouds of shadow broke into wisps, allowing light to bring back her sight. Soon, tendrils of darkness hovered in front of her, obscuring all the faces but one. Nura looked into the delicate blue-skinned features of her captor, whose grip had grown noticeably weaker.
The blue-skinned woman wore a stern but gentle expression, softening her action as she shoved Nura against the wall. "Who are you, woman?" she asked with a husky, urgent voice. "And how did you find us?"
"I am a dreamer seeking tomorrow," answered Nura. She had been taught that honesty was expedient in the dream world.
The answer seemed to satisfy her captor. Her suspicious expression cleared, as the darkness receded.
"Welcome then, dreamer and look upon tomorrow. But ask us no questions of it beacause we cannot answer," responded the blue woman as she brushed a lock of curly blue-black hair from her brow.
Nura had expected this answer. The dreamer bore the responsibility of determining the solutions to the riddles of her dream. She could not simply ask those in her dream of the future and awake to prophesy. But she could ask of the present of these people, for their present had some relationship to the future of her waking reality.
"Tell me your name that I might remember you," she said. The ritual statements and questions were usually effective enough, Nura thought.
"I am Shadow," answered the blue-skinned woman. "And these are my friends..." The woman gestured to include those looking curiously and worriedly at Nura. Nura noted the tattered clothes they wore. She also saw unhealed scars and arms hanging in homemade slings.
Shadow followed Nura's gaze, and said sorrowfully, "We are in hiding."
END PART ONE