Atlantic Roleplay Community Boards

[Bailos]

---

On a cool spring evening, Sadira sits cradling her young one in her arms, rocking bath and forth in a hand-crafted hickory rocking chair. A chilly breeze determined that the windows stay shut and the fire be stoked. Slowly...the lovely mother fell into the arms of sleep.

-------------------------------------------------------
She wakes, completely aware and awash in a sea of nothingness inside her dream. She finds herself wearing a nondescript purple dress. She is standing on...something. Not floor, not earth, not...any-thing-.

A familiar voice drums up from the distance, calm and quiet but a bit more harsh than she remembers it being, so many years ago.

Adrift in a sea, Sadira, lost on the waves. Your life has gotten away from you. Happiness? Dont kid yourself...

With a sudden gust of air, Sadira feels herself falling, falling fast! She plunges into water, still surrounded by blackness. Holding her breath, light surrounds her and she swims to the surface. She finds herself amidst a vast ocean with a small, single person boat a few feet away, she begins to swim towards it.

Even in the safety and security of your own mind, you are haunted by the failure of your past. You failed your people, Mayor. You delivered them back into tyranny, back into the iron grip of a Mad King whom you blind mice hold beyond reproach.

Sadira finally reaches the boat and pulls herself aboard, dripping wet. She catches her breath and stands to get her bearings. Off in the distance she can pick up a faint sound...sounds familiar? Gradually, it comes into focus. A baby's cry! The desperate, angry cry of a lost and neglected child!...Could it be hers?

My Queen, you could have done so much good. I know how you have dreaded this moment. Laying in waiting and fear for the day my horrible visage skulked out from the shadow. Fear for the day you looked in the mirror and saw my face behind you. It is not I who have imprisoned your mind, but you. Poor thing...

Just as he finished, a violent wave capsized the boat and hurled her seaward again! A huge whitecap thrust her underwater. When she resurfaced, she was in a completely different location. She washed up on a deserted and desolate island.

A white, sandy shore that extended for miles north to south and an endless desert beyond that. A few scattered, dead trees dotted the landscape...all of them not more than 20 feet tall and devoid of leaves. The place was dead except for large ravens which perched at the top of each tree, looking at her, staring deep into her soul.

Did you know, Sweet Sadira, that Oblivion was made reality by life? Life and all existence is the reason the all encompassing force of Oblivion exists. Because things live, they eventually die and so Oblivion must reclaim their Ether. To end Life, is to end Oblivion. Life spreads its insidious, perverted disease across all of creation, contaminating the sweet infinity of the Ether. I want you to enjoy this landscape until you've had time to reflect on the nature of things.

Think about it. Pray on it. Meditate. Then we will speak with clear, unobstructed minds.

As he finished, storm clouds rolled in over the island, obscuring the already dim sun. Lightning cracked in the air and the ravens continued to stare, with a piercing eye into Sadira. She sighed, almost painfully, and began her journey into the sands of the island. It was going to be a long night...

[Sadira Reflov]

---

Sadira had quite the long day. Vian had not taken his normal naps as usual. For some reason he was quite active, starting to slowly show signs he was quite aware of the world around him. She couldn't help but to laugh when she watched his expression as he found something new. As the soft moonlight came through the window, barely making its ray through the curtain. Zarlox having come home from a late meeting, saw Sadira resting with Vian fast asleep in her arms. He carefully took the sleeping child from his wife to put him to bed. He then stood gazing up on his exhausted wife, a smile forming about his lips. He knew what a hard eve she had the night before, and could only imagine how long Vian had kept her up during the day. He left only to return with a blanket. She looked so peaceful and he did not wish to waken her. He covered her up and placed a soft kiss upon her lips. A sweet smile formed along her lips as she drifted deeper into her dream world.

Her dreams began unusal, as of late they had been of her son and husband. But this was not like any other. Even asleep her body was reacting to the dream..that voice. Bailos! Her body would tense as her heart would race upon hearing Bailos. Did he still have power to invade her dreams? If only she could remember those years, that he kept her locked away at his house. She tried to awaken herself from the dream, but all that it accomplished was tossing and turning about in the chair. As the dream seemed to slowly come to an end, she let out a soft almost painful moan. Finally she was able to awaken herself from the depths of the dream. When she awoke and Vian was not in her arms, she could feel panic start to rise in her. She quickly got up from the rocker and ran to his crib. There he was laying peacefully..untouched by his mothers worry or Bailos invasion. She peeked in on Zarlox as well, ensuring he was home and resting. She could see his silhouette in bed and sighed with relief. She moved the rocker chair closer to Vian's crib. She could not pry herself from his side. She settled back into the chair covering herself with the blanket.

"Get ahold of yourself Sadira. It's only a dream."

She repeatedly told herself as she started to rock gently. She tried to fight the closing of her eyelids but alas they had won once again. Even her own fear of dreaming could not prevent the sandman's victory.



_________________
"Nature gave man two ears but only one tongue. A gentle reminder that he should listen more than he speaks."