{"id":1884,"date":"2015-01-06T14:07:42","date_gmt":"2015-01-06T19:07:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tellest.com\/?p=1884"},"modified":"2015-01-20T07:31:35","modified_gmt":"2015-01-20T12:31:35","slug":"dream-no-more-part-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/dream-no-more-part-one\/","title":{"rendered":"Dream No More – Part One"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hello everyone! \u00a0While we’re still putting together our final full length Tale of Tellest, we’re going to continue to bring you great shorts from the world. \u00a0Today, we’re beginning the story of a man who had a tragic end after\u00a0As Darkness Falls<\/em>. \u00a0This is the first short story that happens directly after the original trilogy, so I hope it manages to really interest people who have read it! \u00a0Without any further adieu, here is\u00a0Dream No More:<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Dream No More
\n-Part One-<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

His ears caught the sound of the nearby brook, and his eyes fluttered open.\u00a0 Tall trees towered above him, the canopy hanging overhead.\u00a0 It did little to stifle the bright blue sky.<\/p>\n

The man sat up, a subtle throb upon the back of his head eliciting a wince.\u00a0 The verdant surroundings distracted him from that slight pain.<\/p>\n

All around him, the world seemed refreshed.\u00a0 Green hills rolled toward him on the opposite side of the brook.\u00a0 Far in the distance, great mountains went exposed by the opening curtain of trees.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeautiful, isn\u2019t it?\u201d a serene voice behind him cooed.<\/p>\n

With haste he stood, shifting about to see who had spoken.\u00a0 When he focused on her, his legs wobbled and nearly toppled him to the ground once more.<\/p>\n

\u201cHello, Randall,\u201d the woman said through grinning lips.<\/p>\n

\u201cIvy,\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n

The woman smiled at the mention of her name.\u00a0 \u201cYou seem surprised to see me,\u201d she offered, approaching him seductively.<\/p>\n

\u201cShouldn\u2019t I?\u201d he wondered.\u00a0 She looked just as he remembered.\u00a0 Her long brown hair hung just past her shoulders, only a little less voluminous than on those hot summer days.\u00a0 Her eyes and skin were clear, nary a blemish or wrinkle upon her.\u00a0 \u201cYou died in my arms all those years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ivy stopped just inches from him, arching her eyebrows.\u00a0 \u201cWe knew then we\u2019d meet again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s going on here?\u201d Randall demanded.\u00a0 \u201cIs this some kind of trick?\u201d<\/p>\n

The woman he once knew reached forward, touching his face with her smooth skin.\u00a0 \u201cThis is real, my love.\u201d<\/p>\n

His eyes grew wide, and he looked up, past his wife.\u00a0 He swallowed hard, shaking his head.\u00a0 \u201cBack in Atalatha,\u201d he muttered.\u00a0 \u201cBlacklehn attacked.\u00a0 I fought their war chief and I\u2026 Am I dead?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is the last thing you remember?\u201d Ivy asked, slipping behind her husband.<\/p>\n

Randall closed his eyes, focusing on those final moments on that ill-fated night.\u00a0 He winced again, for the throbbing pain in his head returned.\u00a0 \u201cI fell,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cI fell and then everything went dark.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou traveled through the Nexus, my dear,\u201d she cooed.\u00a0 \u201cIt is a world between worlds.\u00a0 And then you arrived here, in our own private paradise.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I\u2019ve seen this place before,\u201d he said.\u00a0 He turned around and opened his mouth to speak but was surprised by the sight before him.\u00a0 Ivy stood upon the water of the brook as though it had more substance.\u00a0 \u201cWhat is this?\u201d<\/p>\n

His wife offered her hand.\u00a0 \u201cCome and see.\u201d<\/p>\n

With his brow furled, he accepted that touch once more.\u00a0 His fingers wrapped around hers, and his concern seemed to melt away.<\/p>\n

Randall stepped forward and splashed into the brook.\u00a0 He looked down at his boots, fully submerged by then.\u00a0 Ivy couldn\u2019t suppress a giggle.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t have to adhere to the rules of the old world,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cHere, anything is possible if you just believe.\u201d<\/p>\n

He sighed.\u00a0 \u201cWalking on water isn\u2019t believable.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAlways clinging to the truth,\u201d she replied, the smile never leaving her face.\u00a0 \u201cThink of it this way.\u00a0 Whatever we\u2019ve experienced in our old lives is just there to give us context.\u00a0 You know what stepping into a puddle is like, but you also know what firm ground feels like beneath your feet.\u00a0 Cast your preconceptions aside and give new meaning to whatever you see.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, what?\u201d Randall asked, lifting his foot from the water.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m just supposed to believe that when I put my foot down\u2026\u201d\u00a0 His words ceased to leave his mouth when the surface of the water refused to allow his foot past.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s\u2026 I expected this lesson to take longer,\u201d Ivy said.\u00a0 For the first time, her expression seemed more bewildered than amused.\u00a0 \u201cWhen I first arrived here, it took me days to do something like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a very good teacher,\u201d Randall insisted.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve always trusted you.\u00a0 Who am I to think you\u2019d tell me a lie?\u201d<\/p>\n

She crossed her arms over her chest.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s try something a little more challenging.\u00a0 You\u2019ve still got one boot in the water.\u00a0 Let\u2019s see if you can lift it out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course I can lift it out.\u00a0 It\u2019s just \u2013\u201d His foot fell through the surface of the water, nearly spilling him forward.<\/p>\n

Ivy failed to suppress a chortle then, covering her lips with her hand.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe you should try stepping completely out of the brook.\u00a0 It\u2019s not the easiest thing to force your mind into believing our lifelong convictions are false.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shaking his head, Randall focused on his feet.\u00a0 \u201cIf you say it\u2019s possible, who am I to argue?\u201d<\/p>\n

Again, he brought one foot up through the water and placed it back down upon it as if covered by a clear layer of ice.\u00a0 Breathing out, he began lifting his opposite leg.\u00a0 His limb slipped through the surface then, and when he landed fully upon it, he appeared as vibrant as ever.<\/p>\n

\u201cRemarkable,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Randall grinned at her praise, but when he looked up, the sunlight shining down upon the place obscured her features.\u00a0 He saw another familiar face there for a moment \u2013 one he had left behind.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat of our children, Ivy?\u201d he asked.\u00a0 \u201cZoe and Garrett, I\u2019ve left them alone now.\u00a0 What will happen to them now that I\u2019m not there?\u201d<\/p>\n

For the first time since their reconciliation, her exuberance seemed to diminish.\u00a0 A slight sigh dropped her shoulders, and she reached out to her husband. \u00a0As their fingers intertwined, she led him down the river.\u00a0 They walked atop it like a glass road toward where the trees framed the distant mountains.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened to you when I was gone?\u201d she inquired.<\/p>\n

He looked away, toward the hills to the west.\u00a0 His gaze followed them up toward the trees there.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor a long while, it was as though you had just left.\u00a0 You were just off visiting some distant relative.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t understand why our babies were always crying.\u00a0 And then, months later, when our son and daughter had finally grown to accept the loss, I knew I didn\u2019t have to be strong anymore.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t even remember where I was,\u201d he continued.\u00a0 \u201cI know I was alone.\u00a0 It was cold and quiet, and I\u2026\u201d\u00a0 He looked down their path, aware then of how close they were to the small waterfall at the end of the brook.\u00a0 \u201cIt was here,\u201d he exclaimed.\u00a0 \u201cI had come back here, to our favorite place, as if I might find you here.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was when I knew you were truly gone,\u201d he lamented.\u00a0 \u201cI howled like the wolves of Grey Isle\u2026 so alone, so lost.\u00a0 I remember digging into the dirt upon those hills.\u201d\u00a0 Randall shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know why.\u00a0 I know you wouldn\u2019t be there, but I was so desperate.\u00a0 I needed you to be there.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy the time I had finally accepted the truth, my fingernails had bent and tore.\u00a0 My hands were bloodier than you could imagine.\u00a0 I came down here, to the water, and I put my fingers in, and it all just washed away.\u201d<\/p>\n

They stood on the edge of the brook, where the water rolled down the rocks beneath.\u00a0 Ivy squeezed her husband\u2019s hand and looked at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you remember all the times you told me you wished we could travel to those mountains?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery time we went there, they never looked the same,\u201d he conceded.\u00a0 \u201cNo, I wanted to fly there like the elves of Cefenediel.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ivy took a single step forward, her gaze never leaving her husband.\u00a0 It took several moments for Randall to notice she was floating on the air.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow is your chance, my love.\u201d\u00a0 She let her fingers slip from his.\u00a0 Ivy drifted back and into the open air, as if a strong wind had carried her like a kite.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow?\u201d Randall asked.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s not like standing on water.\u201d<\/p>\n

As those words left his mouth, she shook her head and snickered.\u00a0 \u201cConsider your words,\u201d she teased.\u00a0 \u201cBefore today, nothing was like standing on water.\u00a0 You must give yourself the means to reach the sky.\u00a0 You can rise up like the airships of Argos, or you can imagine wings like the elves you grew up with summoned.\u201d<\/p>\n

He stared at her for several moments before nodding.\u00a0 He breathed out a quiet sigh and closed his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cDo you remember that summer we traveled to Adengard, before we had Zoe?\u00a0 Garrett was just a pup then, and we thought he\u2019d sink like a stone if we put him in the pond.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember how he hung onto the rocks on the outset, clinging for dear life.\u00a0 And then, when he knew you were there to catch him\u2026\u201d he continued, bending his knees.\u00a0 \u201cHe took a leap.\u201d\u00a0 Randall sprang off of the surface of the water, bursting into the air.<\/p>\n

Randall waved his arms and kicked his legs like he was swimming.\u00a0 Above him, Ivy rose higher and higher, until she passed the canopy of the trees.<\/p>\n

\u201cSee if you can keep up,\u201d she pressed.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe you shouldn\u2019t be changing the rules of your surroundings.\u00a0 Perhaps you should be changing yourself!\u201d<\/p>\n

His momentum slowed as he considered her advice.\u00a0 At once, he shot forth, crossing the sky like a comet.\u00a0 A jubilant cry left his lips as he chased his wife, and laughter filled the air high above the river, the trees, and the mountains.<\/p>\n

After a series of flips and rolls, Ivy came to a stationary position halfway between the ground and the clouds.\u00a0 Randall sped toward her and almost passed her.\u00a0 She gripped him firmly, pulling him close.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs something wrong?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cTell me of our children,\u201d Ivy pleaded.\u00a0 \u201cWhat has become of them?\u201d<\/p>\n

He tilted his head at that notion.\u00a0 \u201cSurely you know what we\u2019ve done.\u00a0 You knew everything that transpired before I arrived.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly just,\u201d she whispered.\u00a0 The woman averted her gaze, and her eyebrows drooped as the depth of her plight became apparent.\u00a0 \u201cI dare not spend my days here looking at you or them.\u00a0 This place may be paradise, but every moment without you here has been my personal hell.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t change time here,\u201d she went on, her voice breaking at the crescendo of her promise.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve tried.\u00a0 Somehow it always rights itself.\u00a0 I spend most of my days looking backward at those memories we\u2019ve made.\u201d<\/p>\n

The sight of tears fighting toward the surface of her eyes wounded him.\u00a0 He grabbed her close, wrapping her in a tight embrace.\u00a0 He cradled the back of her head and kissed her temple.<\/p>\n

They were there for a long while, floating in the sky, spinning in slow circles.\u00a0 He nodded as the dance continued.<\/p>\n

\u201cZoe is growing up a fine young lady,\u201d he whispered.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019s never told a malicious lie and wouldn\u2019t hurt a bug if she could help it.\u00a0 I think\u2026 I think she\u2019s found someone who makes her feel the way you made me feel.\u00a0 And before all this happened, I\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

A subtle shrug lifted his shoulders.\u00a0 His eyebrows rose as he considered the same distance from his children that his wife had endured.\u00a0 A resigned sigh forced its way from his lips as he stroked Ivy\u2019s hair.<\/p>\n

\u201cGarrett may be a little worse for wear,\u201d he continued.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s loved and lost and grown cynical of the whole thing.\u00a0 Says it\u2019s the curse of the broken Hart \u2013 a cruel twist on the family name.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd what do you think?\u201d she wondered.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, my heart truly broke when you were gone,\u201d he said, pressing her away to arm\u2019s length.\u00a0 \u201cBut I\u2019d never risk trading that pain away if it meant losing the time we had together.\u00a0 Our son may have been unlucky in love, but he didn\u2019t leave empty-handed.\u00a0 You have a granddaughter, Rhianne.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her lips curled upward as she bowed her head.\u00a0 She worked at stifling a sniffle, but she had been found.<\/p>\n

Randall grabbed her wrist to pull her close once more.\u00a0 His fingers slipped from her, though, and he dropped several dozen feet.\u00a0 A pronounced cry echoed out, stopping abruptly as he found himself firmly in place again.\u00a0 \u201cWhat just happened?\u201d he demanded.<\/p>\n

Swallowing hard, Ivy lowered herself until she was before him again.\u00a0 She closed her eyes and bowed her head.\u00a0 \u201cThis isn\u2019t your place yet.\u201d\u00a0 She slowly looked up, meeting his gaze.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re only visiting.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

His wife slid around in the air until she halted beside him.\u00a0 Reaching out, she extended her index finger and traced a large circle in the air.\u00a0 Once the circuit had been made, an image began taking shape.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you fell in your encounter with the war chief, you still fought on,\u201d Ivy said.\u00a0 \u201cYour consciousness\u2026 your soul, it transcended to this place, and it lingers.\u00a0 But it is not yet your time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Within the circle, Randall could see the land of the living.\u00a0 His daughter sat beside his body, holding his hand.\u00a0 A cleric placed his fingers to his chest, a faint glow resonating outward.\u00a0 He watched as he blinked his eyes.<\/p>\n

He tumbled another dozen feet, stopping even more abruptly than before.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease, Ivy.\u00a0 Please!\u201d he cried.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t let me go.\u00a0 Don\u2019t let me lose you again.\u201d<\/p>\n

A tear dropped from her eye, but she drew no closer to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know you\u2019ll find this place again, my dear,\u201d she sobbed.\u00a0 \u201cBut you have to go back.\u00a0 Give our children something to believe in.\u00a0 Help them find their way here.\u00a0 Make our family whole again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIvy!\u201d he bellowed.<\/p>\n

Randall was falling before he called out to her.\u00a0 His voice never faltered until the moment he struck the ground below.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hello everyone! \u00a0While we’re still putting together our final full length Tale of Tellest, we’re going to continue to bring you great shorts from the world. \u00a0Today, we’re beginning the story of a man who had a tragic end after\u00a0As Darkness Falls. \u00a0This is the first short story that happens directly after the original trilogy, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1117,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[145,146],"tags":[185,183,740,739,178,149,182],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/cropped-tellest_logo40-e1401299383984.png","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1UVey-uo","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1884"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1884"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1884\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1885,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1884\/revisions\/1885"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1117"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1884"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1884"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1884"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}