Sleeping Roses

Golden Thread

Kilan looked around in confusion. He wasn't in the tower. He wasn't even on the steps or in the entrance hall. He knew he was asleep, he had said goodnight to Jeremy... where was he?

He stood in a hallway. Made entirely of grey stone, the torches on the walls were few and far between, casting too many shadows.

He looked behind him. More corridor, dark and cold, unwelcoming and uncaring and yet aware that he was there.

Something caused the hairs on the back of his neck to rise and he shivered.

A chill wind brushed past then and he automatically stepped aside, like he was letting someone pass.

"I warned you, Storyteller, mind what you say."

Kilan jumped, spinning around as Mother's voice spoke directly into his ear but there was nothing there. Was this a nightmare? Could he have nightmares? Or was there a reality to this, like in his dreams?

But his dreams occurred because Briar dreamed them, was she dreaming this as well?

"Briar?" he called, his voice echoing away, unanswered. "Stephanie? Edward?" Nothing. "Charles?!" His voice didn't even echo back and he stepped back as if drawing away from something.

"Is this your first nightmare?"

Kilan whirled around and there she was. Mother stood further down the corridor and he was seeing her in completion. Her hair was curling black, streaked with wine red that matched her dress.

"Where am I?" he demanded.

"You are in a nightmare," she replied, "you are mistaken; Briar does not control her dreams. I do, for her own protection - as well as yours."

"Mine? How can you protect me?" Kilan snapped.

Mother just smiled a formal, hard smile and held up her hand, which was gloved. She reached for her finger tips with her other hand and pulled the glove away, revealing a flawless, slender hand.

"Have you not wondered why Briar does not allow you to touch her if she is not wearing her gloves?" she asked calmly.

Kilan's jaw tightened as he looked at her and Mother laughed softly.

"Of course you have, you're a Storyteller - inquisitive by nature and you're not a stupid man. She does it because she has to, she's wears them because she has to. For the protection of others. Now, you are promising to look into the breaking of her curse and you are right, it can be broken... but no one said that is the correct thing to do."

Kilan stared at her, shocked. "Wait a second," he said, stepping forwards, "You want to just leave her in her dream world? That's a prison!"

"And why do we have prisons, Kilan?" Mother asked softly, "To protect those in the outside world."

Kilan's mouth opened but all he could do was look at her in horror. "You want me to leave her?" he asked, "Leave her in this... that cage?"

"Better a golden cage then what could await her out there."

"A cage is a cage!" Kalen snarled and Mother held up a finger.

"Only to someone who knows the world," she said softly, "If one does not know the world, that cage is their world. Now for your own wellbeing, Kilan, stop. I do not want to see my daughter's heart broken because she hurts you."

"But-" Kalen started and Mother held up a hand and the darkness simply closed in on her, leaving him alone in an instant, abandoned in his dreams. "Wait! Mother!" he shouted, running to where she had been, "Come back! I know you can hear me! Come back!"