It Is You I Have Loved

Chapter 27

Alastor was surprised to wake up the next morning to find himself covered by a blanket and his was even further surprised when he learned that Charlie was the one responsible, though she insisted that Vaggie was the one who covered him by Charlie's order to do so. Nevertheless, he was secretly pleased by the gesture. Last night had been very cold and he had no ability to create a potential warm substance like Angel could. The princess was definitely a very thoughtful girl.

"If you were so cold last night Al, you could have woken me up and I would have spun ya a blanket." Angel said as the two were searching the forest for breakfast.

"Don't worry about it Angel." Alastor said. "It wasn't the cold night air that made my sleep so troubled."

"Oh? Well then what made last night so difficult for ya?"

"Nothing of great importance. Just another nightmare about my childhood. Honestly, I thought I'd be over that by the time I reached adulthood."

"I don't think anyone gets over trauma a hundred percent and it's nothing to be embarrassed about. My childhood sucked too. I spent my early years being treated like a donkey. Nothing but pulling carts and plows, getting whipped and lashed until I was fifteen."

"What happened then?"

"Uh..." He looked away almost shamefully. "I still did labor and was beaten but Val started to do...Other things."

Alastor immediately decided to end the conversation right then and there. He may not have been the most sensitive soul but he could recognize when someone felt uncomfortable discussing certain hardships that they had suffered with, and he wasn't one to push someone to talk about such things if they didn't want to.

"Strangely though Angel." Alastor said changing the subject. "My nightmare soon turned into a very different dream. One that was by far the strangest I've ever had."

"Were you having sex with an inanimate object?"

Alastor looked at him disturbed.

"Um...No. Have you ever had dreams like that?"

"No! But if I did it doesn't mean anything! I'm not sexually attracted to trees!"

"Okay." Alastor said. "I dreamt that I saw a...A...Well golly I don't even know what I saw. It was a creature of some sort. A female creature."

"What did she look like?"

"I can't explain it. She was something I had never seen before but I'll tell ya this, she was beautiful. Her coat was alabaster fair yet her eyes were dark in contrast. I don't know what in the world she was, but she was the loveliest creature I had ever seen in my entire life."

"But she's not real, right? You just made her up in your head."

"I know that. But for a moment I almost thought she was real. I guess my mind is getting much better at illusions."

"So would this count as your first erotic dream or something?"

"No!" Alastor scoffed. "There was nothing erotic about it."

"But you're hot for this dream girl right?"

"Absolutely not! How could I possibly have romantic feelings for a female that's not even real?"

"Oh good. For a second there I was worried that you were falling for a fantasy."

"Oh please Angel, you should know me better than that. I'm not some naive youth who becomes obsessed with a dream girl. The only one here enamored with a fantasy is Charlie."

"Funny you should mention that because Vaggie and I have been doing a little talking and we both agree that her marrying Vox is a huge mistake."

"With all due respect, you two aren't her parents so you have no say in her marriage choices."