Blood Royals Book #4: Long Live The King!

Chapter Twenty One: The Mad King!

A/n: In this chapter, Reli is struggling with his dreams. It's not a foreshadowing so dint overthink it. Maiettaa my favorite over thinker.

It's relevance rests in what he finds in the place stuck in his memory.

King Relian's POV
It's calm sunny afternoon.

I can hear birds singing in the old trees barely hanging by their roots. It's only a matter of time before some of them surrender to gravity I appreciate the wind whistling softly as it delivers the coolest breeze. I like how it feels in my hair. It's refreshing. I can't help but smile. The sound of water is gently flowing is even more calming. I'll give anything to just stay here forever

"Careful. Don't drift off to sleep." He told me. "I wasn't expecting a visit so soon after your other visit."

My other visit?

"I did not expect to be here either." I looked around. I don't remember how I got here. It just seems like I have been on this boat all along. Like I have always been here in this moment. "Where are we?"

He chuckled. His long hair is wrapped up in a bun with a gold pin pushed through it. Gold pins are his way. The sides of his hair are cut almost to nothing in an edgy way. He looks younger than I remember yet his eyes are old with the wisdom of aging.

"Grandfather, if you are here and I'm here-"

He pointed ahead. There's nothing ahead but clouds that seem low and within reach. There's also a waterfall. "The water is about to fall. If you fall, you'll wake and we will see each other next time because you're find of this uninvited visits. If you stay on the boat when it's floating, then you'll see me more often and that's not good because I like little doses of people. It keeps things... civil."

"What?"

"Don't look at me like that! You're the one who spoke the ancient language and said you're tired. You ask to be brought through the gates of kings! He pointed again and now I can see gold gates. "Will you fall or will you float Relian?"

When we reached the end of the fall I grabbed hold of the boat but to float away but I fell out of it, far below. I stretched my hand for him to take but he shook his head refusing to save me.

I felt a warm hand tapping my cheek. "Relian! Open your eyes! Open your eyes!"

It's Renée. She's on top of me. My hand is raised. I'm reaching out. It feels silly now that there's nothing I'm reaching for. I blinked repeatedly meeting Barlowe's eyes as well as Stephen. They both look troubled. "What's going on?" I asked them.

"You're speaking strangely! You're saying weird stuff! What are you saying?" Renée questioned me. "Who are you stretching out to? What is wrong with you?'

To be awakened suddenly and equally bombarded with questions is not comforting. I feel like my mind is catching up rather slowly. Her fast paced talking is too much at this moment.

"I haven't... I haven't said anything. I was asleep."

She got off me. They are still looking at me in a strange way. "Your Majesty, it's normal to suffer from PTSD after a traumatic events."

"I don't have PTSD." I sat up rubbing the sleep from my eyes. That fall felt real. The water hitting my body felt real.

Stephen crouched low to look at me. "The helicopter crash, the fall from the Peak of Dargan, the bombing in Lokefar and now the poisoning... It's a lot and you're not immune to the side effects. You have never dealt with any of these. You just got up and moved on. Maybe it's time you talk to a professional-"