A/N: I’ve finally caught up with where I was before. Starting the next chapter, it’s all new stuff. I’ll try to update more often than I did in the past.

I want to thank all my new reviewers who have just started reading the story this second time through. I’ve really appreciated all of your comments. Any critique is very welcome. Feel free to point out all the typos you want. As for everyone else, please don’t disappear! I’m sure the main reason you haven’t really been commenting is because you’ve read most of it before, but now that it’s original stuff I hope to see you again.

Day Eight Hundred Fifty

Needless to say, it came as a shock to me. My eyes were still shut closed and I was afraid to open them. Ameline had told me what was supposed to happen, but she hadn’t said this. I wondered if that was because she didn’t know or if she forgot to tell me.

I could feel the smoothness of silk sheets and a warm comforter.

I took a deep breath. There was nothing to fear. If what Ameline told me was true, I was still asleep… but dreaming. Dreaming in another world.

I wasn’t sure what that meant.

My eyes slowly opened, and I blinked a few times, taking it all in. I was looking at a wooden ceiling, polished and beautiful.

I looked down and around the room. It was fairly small, and had a little wooden door leading out straight ahead of me. The room had six equally sized walls, forming a hexagon. I sat up.

It was surreal as I crawled out of the bed. I felt my feet firmly on the ground and smiled. I could feel.

I could feel.

It was incredible!

I turned the doorknob and walked through the door.

Outside, was the most beautiful place I had ever seen. The sky was beautiful, a dazzling forest sparkled to the south. To the east, the direction I was looking, I could see majestic mountains and rolling hills. North, there were more hills, a forest, and a river. I stepped onto the grass and spun around, breathing in the cool air. It was beautiful, simply beautiful.

And then I ran. I ran through the field as fast as my legs would carry me until I reached the edge of the forest. I ran through the forest, leaping over fallen logs, kicking up leaves, and delighting in that I could affect the nature around me. It had been so long, and I was almost in tears.

And then, I stopped. In front of me was a little cottage with a fenced-in garden off to the side. I approached the house, suddenly nervous.

“Oh, hello!” A cheerful voice rang out from the garden. A woman with frizzy red hair in her late twenties popped her head out from behind a bush. She looked straight towards me. “What, cat got your tongue?”

I looked around, trying to see who she was talking to. No one was there. Turning back towards the woman, I noticed that she looked perplexed.

Then it clicked.

She could see me.

I gasped, leaving my mouth hanging open. A moment later I realized how unladylike that was and I closed it. “Oh…” I spoke, trying to get the words out despite my shock. “Hello?”

“Yes,” she said slowly while nodding her head. Her left eyebrow was lifted funny.

I blushed, looking down.

“This must be your first time here. These dreams can seem fairly realistic to people.”

“Dreams?”

“Yes, dearie, but I suppose that sounded strange. After all, they are real. We’re here,” she laughed. I couldn’t see what was funny.

Suddenly the shrill of a baby could be heard from inside the little cottage. The woman’s eyes opened wide in surprise before she pursed her lips. “Alphie is up early, it would seem.”

I nodded my head, though I wasn’t sure why. She lifted her skirts and dashed through the little door. A moment later, I heard her cry out, “Come on in!”

The cottage’s interior looked like the outside. Simple, a bit dirty, and charming in its own way. The woman was holding a fussy baby in her arms, trying to quiet him. She walked over to a rocking chair and sat down, motioning me to sit in the chair beside it.

After seating myself, she began to gently rock the baby in the chair. “I’m Chière, by the way.”

“I’m…” Rose, I wanted to say. But instead of hearing my name, I felt a slight headache sting. I lifted my hand to where it hurt and rubbed it. The pain quickly went away.

“Are you okay?” Chière asked.

“Eh.” I gulped. I had tried to say I was fine, but the headache came back. I grunted.

“Headache, eh? Just lean back and close your eyes. I can get you some tea once Alphie settles down.”

“Okay,” I said, because nothing else I wanted to say seemed to be coming out. I soon felt better. I opened my mouth to try to say my name again. My head hurt.

I tried forcing the sound. Nothing.

In fact, it only made it hurt more.

I took a deep breath. The pain went away. Whatever it was, it was short lived. But oh, did it hurt.

I’m Rose, I thought. I wanted to say it so badly. I peaked an eye open to see Chière gently rocking her son with her eyes closed. She seemed to have forgotten about me.

I didn’t mind too much. I was used to being invisible.

After a few more minutes of silence, I tried speaking again. “Ma’am, where am I?”

“Most of your people call it the dream world. That’s what Prince Albert’s official stance is on it anyway. You don’t need to worry about that though. You’ll wake up in a few hours, I’m sure.”

Somehow I doubted that. I tried to say so, but my headache came back. I knew I would have to talk to Ameline about all of this.

“Who is Prince Albert?” I asked.

“Just who he sounds like, the Prince.”

“Oh.”

Sensing that I wanted to know more, she continued, “His father is the king, of course, but has been sick for the past few years. So he makes all the decisions around here. He’s going to marry some silly girl to the east of here next year, then I think his father will pass on the crown.”

“How old is he?”

“Too old for you, missy, if that’s what you’re asking.”

I chuckled. Like I would want to marry the prince.

“So how about you,” she asked. “Where are you from?”

Carantha.

It didn’t come out though. Instead, I was rewarded from a headache.

Chière looked confused, but tried again. “Tell me about yourself.”

“I’m…” I didn’t think it would work, so it didn’t surprise me when it didn’t, “going to go. I’m going to go.”

I abruptly stood up and walked out of the cottage. The good mood I was in after discovering I could feel again had quickly dissipated and I wanted to talk to Ameline. I walked back in the direction I came from, ready to try what she had told me to do. Lay back where I woke up and do my best to fall asleep.