Category: The Dreams Of The Waiting Prince

The Thirtieth Dream Of The Waiting Prince

And this morning my Lord spoke to me of his dream of the night before. And he said to me, “My dear scribe, last night as I slept, I dreamt. And in this dream I entered a cave, and the further I walked, the darker it became. And the darker it became, the louder my footsteps sounded. And the louder my footsteps sounded, the faster my heart began to beat. And the faster my heart began to beat, the harder I found it to breathe. And the harder I found it to breathe, the greater my wish to scream. And the greater my wish to scream, the more desperately I tried to wake. And the more desperately I tried to wake, the less sure I was that I dreamt. And the less sure I was that I dreamt, the more I began to wonder if this life in the High Palace was the dream. And the more I began to wonder if this life in the High Palace was the dream, the sadder I became that I had no memory of any other.”

The Twenty Ninth Dream Of The Waiting Prince

And this morning my Lord told me of his dream of the night before. And he said to me, “My dear scribe, last night as I slept, I dreamt. And in this dream I saw the sky overhead, blue, white. The sun, bright, warm. The wind, a gentle breeze. Silence. The sound of wings. An impression of speed. A shadow, as if a cloud passing over the sun. Feathers, floating, falling. Like snowflakes settling on a frozen lake. Like ash upon the hearth. Like confetti on a throng of guests. Like dust upon the shelves. Like breath condensing on the surface of a mirror. In them all, my own reflection.”

The Twenty Eighth Dream Of The Waiting Prince

Now this morning my Lord told me of his dream of the night before. And he said to me, “My dear scribe, last night as I slept, I dreamt. And in this dream I walked through an obscure forest, which was shrouded in a thick mist. And I followed a trail upon the floor, made of glittering jewels. And the first jewel was as red as the blood of my birth. And the second jewel was as blue as the waters of the world. And the third jewel was as yellow as the light of the day. And the fourth jewel was as green as the leaves upon the trees. And the fifth jewel was as silver as the moon at night. And the sixth jewel was as gold as the crown. And the seventh jewel was as clear as the tears upon my cheeks. And the eighth jewel was as black as the void. After that there were no more.”

The Twenty Seventh Dream Of The Waiting Prince

Now this morning my Lord told me of his most recent dream. And he said to me, “My dear scribe, last night as I slept, I dreamt. And this dream was as chastening as any rebuke. For though I knew not what I had done, I knew I had done wrong, for my birth mother scolded me, and told me to apologise to my second mother for my behaviour towards her. And I went to her, and apologised, as I had been told. And though I knew not what I had done, I knew I had done wrong, for my second mother scolded me, and told me to apologise to my third mother for my behaviour towards her. And I went to her, and apologised, as I had been told. And though I knew not what I had done, I knew I had done wrong, for my third mother scolded me, and told me to apologise to my fourth mother for my behaviour towards her. And I went to her, and apologised, as I had been told. And though I knew not what I had done, I knew I had done wrong, for my fourth mother scolded me, and told me to apologise to my fifth mother for my behaviour towards her. And I went to her, and apologised, as I had been told. And though I knew not what I had done, I knew I had done wrong, for my fifth mother scolded me, and told me to apologise to my sixth mother for my behaviour towards her. And I went to her, and apologised, as I had been told. And though I knew not what I had done, I knew I had done wrong, for my sixth mother scolded me and told me to apologise to my seventh mother, for my behaviour towards her. And I went to her, and apologised, as I had been told. And though I knew not what I had done, I knew I had done wrong, for my seventh mother scolded me, and told me to apologise to my birth mother for my behaviour towards her. And I went to her, and apologised, as I had been told. And though I knew not what I had done, I knew I had done wrong, for my birth mother scolded me, and told me to apologise to my second mother for my behaviour towards her.”

The Twenty Sixth Dream Of The Waiting Prince

Now this morning my Lord spoke to me, and told me of his dream of the night before. And he said to me, “My dear scribe, last night as I slept, I dreamt. And in this dream, I sat upon the beach of an unknown shore and gazed upon the heavens above me. And the light from the stars themselves was distorted, as some black star traversed the space between them, yet never did it cross before them, to reveal in silhouette its nature. And in this dream, I sat upon the beach of an unknown shore and watched the sea before me. And the water bulged up between the waves, as some submerged leviathan swam beneath the sea, yet never did it breach the surface, to reveal to me its nature. And in this dream, I sat upon the beach of an unknown shore and studied the sand beneath my feet. And the sand shifted around me, as some subterranean creature burrowed beneath the surface, yet never did it break through the sand, to reveal to me its nature. And in this dream, I sat upon the beach of an unknown shore and observed my arms as they rested on my knees. And the flesh bulged up at my wrist, as some unseen parasite fed upon my flesh from within, yet never did it break through the skin of my body, and reveal to me its nature.”

The Twenty Fifth Dream Of The Waiting Prince

Again this morning my Lord spoke to me of his dream of the night before. And while he spoke he wept, though did not seem to realise he did so. And he said to me, “My dear scribe, last night as I slept, I dreamt. And in this dream, I walked the woods of the Moon Of Nightly Regret, and there spoke to my seventh sister, my favourite, my friend. Now she said to me, “My Brother, My Lord, My Emperor To Be,” to which I replied, “My Sister, My Lady, My Favourite Who Was,” to which she replied, “Now though I walk these woods with you, my Lord, I am dead and have no regrets of my own,” to which I replied, “And though I still live, my sister, I walk these woods with you, and have no regrets of my own.” To this she replied only with silence, and in my nervousness, soon this silence I broke, and to her I said, “And as you are dead, my sister, no chance remains for any more,” to which she replied, “Yet as you still live, my Lord, the chance remains for many more,” Now to this I did not reply, for I was too afraid to speak, as in her words I sensed then a rebuke, so we walked on in silence. And this silence was broken only by the coming of the dawn, when she faded from view, and our time together was at an end. And when I awoke, this silence of mine was my first regret.”

The Twenty Fourth Dream Of The Waiting Prince

Now this morning I met as always with my Lord, to hear him speak of his dream of the night before. And he said to me, “My dear scribe, last night as I slept, I dreamt. And in this dream, I sat upon the saddle of a horse, and rode through the Valley Of Unspoken Prayers, so as to collect my thoughts, after some unresolved grief, that though I felt in my heart, could not recall in my mind, no matter how hard I tried. And it was only upon waking this morning that I remembered what it was.”

The Twenty Third Dream Of The Waiting Prince

Now this morning, my Lord spoke to me of his latest dream. And he said to me, “My dear scribe, last night as I slept, I dreamt. And this dream was itself a nightmare, and of it I wish I did not have to speak. Yet it is my duty here to recount all of which I dream, and not only those that I wish to give voice. And so I shall speak of this vision, that gave rise in me this terror, which still I feel now. For I was alone in the Desert Of The Burning Plains, searching for the Melancholy Palace, which through the smoke shall never see again the sky. And as I walked I heard behind me the footsteps of another, yet when I called to them there was no reply. And no matter how far I walked, nor how fast I ran, these footsteps pursued me still. And even when I turned to meet them, in the hope of confronting this pursuer, I could not meet them, for now the footsteps came from another direction entirely, as if they were behind me once more. And in the swirls of smoke around me there appeared the shadows of phantoms, yet when I reached out my hands, they dissipated into dust, only to be replaced by another, and another, and so on, each one always just beyond my reach. And when I finally reached the walls of the Palace, its walls were now black with soot, though they were meant to remain unblemished for all eternity. And as I leaned out to touch these stones, through my own ragged breaths I could hear behind me the footsteps again, getting closer by the second. Now out of the smoke I saw the hands of another reach out towards me, and as their fingers grasped my shoulders, I looked in horror at the figure that emerged from the smoke, for his face was my own.”

The Twenty Second Dream Of The Waiting Prince

This morning my Lord spoke to me of his dream of the night before. And of this dream he now said, “My dear scribe, last night as I slept, I dreamt. And this dream was as cold as the ice that I find upon the walls of this Palace each morning when I rise. For in it I was a child again, and so frightened was I, and in need of such comfort and support, that I ran from the chamber. And I searched the halls for my mothers, but none were there to be found. And I searched then for my handmaidens, but none were there to be found. And I searched then for my sisters, but none were there to be found. And I searched then for my servants, but none were there to be found. And I searched then for my brothers, but none were there to be found. And I searched then for my guards, but none were there to be found. And I searched then for my teachers, but none were there to be found. And I searched then for my friends, but none were there to be found. And I searched then for my betrothals, but none were there to be found. And I searched then for the prisoners, but none were there to be found. And I searched then for our slaves, but none were there to be found. And I searched then for our subjects, but none were there to be found. And I searched then for the horses, but none were there to be found. And I searched then for the dogs, but none were there to be found. And I searched then for the crows, but none were there to be found. And so I had to return to my Father, the Emperor, who waited for me still in his hall. And as I stood before him, so frightened was I, and in need of such comfort and support, that I ran from the chamber. And I searched the halls for my mothers, but none were there to be found.”