roses-and-oceans:

Once Upon a Dream ~ Chpt. 1

A/N: Hi hello, are you tired of me yet?

**

Each morning as you walked the half hour to the town market, you pondered over last night’s dream and reveled in the warm feeling it left in your chest. This feeling would fuel you through the day and get you through the tasks of the day.

The bakery you worked at brought in custom well. It was mostly thanks to the owners. They were proud travelers from the Old Kingdom that made the finest bread and pastries in miles. Some of the townspeople spoke about how much of a great convenience it was for the Old Kingdom to fall when it did; these boys brought a great deal of folk to the town of Lestallum. Those that escaped the ruin stayed in the town or moved on to other kingdoms and towns in the Cleigne region. But they never spoke of it in front of the bakers; they carried a heaviness for the past few years. It was this year that it would be the 10th anniversary of the fall.

The three men at the bakery were very young, kind and charming. They attracted all kinds of people from the nearby lands and everyone had high praise for their goods. You kept up with the customers and orders as best you could with the help of Prompto. He was the sweetest of the three, his blond hair and cornflower blue eyes brought out the smiles in every one, even the cold-eyed captain that came for a loaf and a gruff chat every so often.

Prompto was your closest friend. He greeted you today with a floury smile, “Hello, Y/N!”

“Hello, good morning!” You greeted him as cheerfully as you could. You wrapped an apron around  your waist and followed Prompto to the back. At the prepping table, stood Ignis, a tall brunet man with green eyes semi-hidden behind a pair of glasses. You always tried your best to keep up to his standard, always eager for his approval. He was a conductor and everyone and everything in the bakery were part of his symphony. He directed where each pastry went, where the ingredients were kept and where the pots and pans were put for him to fill with delicious creations.

He nodded in greeting as he said, “morning”. He prepared an egg wash for rolls and began to set some bread to cool. As you kneaded dough, the third man, Gladiolus, came through the doorway leading to the storage carrying four large burlap bags. They easily weighed more than 100lbs and Gladiolus brought them in with ease.  He ruffled your hair as his large, dark figure passed by to bring in more bags, his forearms bearing the wings of a bird of prey tattooed onto his skin.

As you were kneading the dough, your mind drifted off to the prince. You were so close to him last night; it was as if you’d been really there. You counted his eyelashes and smoothed his brow. The stubble that lined his upper lip and jaw tickled you as he kissed your smooth, soft cheeks. You were both on the bed, legs entangled. The dark blue sheets covered you both and you both lay in the bed, your head against his chest. His hand was playing with your hair and you hummed contentedly. He tilted your chin up with one finger. His eyes were dreamy, hazy, and you realized that he was going to kiss you.

“Pray tell, what’s so mesmerizing about that dough, Y/N,” Ignis said, his lilting accent tickling your ear.

You gasped and nearly knocked a rolling pin to the floor. Ignis held a tray full of warm bread and he had an amused smile on his face. Prompto chortled quietly next to you. Ignis peered over his glasses and said, “I think the dough has has quite enough of your pummeling. Please begin rolling it out in a circle.”

You laughed at yourself for getting so distracted. You began rolling out the bread and Prompto began casually, “Soo… What’s been getting you so distracted lately?”

But you didn’t dare tell Prompto. At least, not yet. You just shook your head and brought out pie tins.

In hindsight, you considered yourself quite lucky to have this job. In the beginning, when they put out a notice looking for an extra pair of hands, all types of men came in, asking for the job but were turned away. You were the only one they didn’t turn away. You worked with good company, the customers were often quite nice and you liked the interaction with people. You took home bread every evening and you shared more than half with an old widow a little of a walk away from your cottage, with the book mender whose daughter was ill.

Everyday at noon, Ignis prepares a stew for everyone to eat when they shut the shop for an hour. Gladiolus and Ignis sat in the kitchen eating peacefully, but you and Prompto took your bowls and bread outside to sit in the soft grass next to a patch of buttercups. You both took off your shoes to feel the cool blades of grass and the soft dirt.

Prompto talked about any and everything; he mostly recounted old stories of when he was back in the Old Kingdom. He talked about his best friend, the adventures they had with Gladiolus and Ignis. Despite the sadness in his eyes, Prompto’s voice still remained peppy.

“I admire that about you, Prompto, you’re so positive all of the time,” you said.

He blushed and tried to shake it off. You continued to eat in silence. He drank the remainder of his stew and asked, “Why be sad all the time? It’s kinda boring. Anyways, what got you all starry-eyed this morning?”

“Hmn?” You were staring off into the distant meadow and you realized what he’d been asking. You felt your cheeks warm up and said, “It’s going to sound silly…”

“Are you seeing someone?”

You shook your head, “No… I’ve been having these really vivid, intense dreams. I see this castle and this man.”

“Castle?”

“Yeah. Like its made out of dark marble and gold. With this really tall tower that’s made of magic and- oh! A prince! I see him every night and he treats me so kindly.”

“How long have you been having those dreams?”

“A month or so? Probably longer. I used to have dreams of the castle but I couldn’t get anywhere near it. I’d always be right at the edge, unable to get anywhere closer. There was a field of thorns surrounding the castle.”

You remember those dreams. It was a time full of frustration. You almost hated those dreams. You remember seeing the tower shrouded in darkness, the thorns were black and prickly. Sometimes it looked like they were covered in blood. The sky was always stuck in a green and yellow, sickly twilight haze. Sometimes, it was like you were swimming through  the sunbeams to get over the thorns but you fell right in. That was usually when you woke up. You described your dreams to Prompto as best you could.

Prompto gave you an amused look and said, “You have a very active imagination, Y/N.”

You laughed. He smiled and said, “What is this prince’s name?”

You paused and put a hand on your chin, “This is going to sound ridiculous but I don’t think I actually know his name. He never gave it to me… But it feels like I’ve known him for years.”

Prompto nudged you, “Do you love him?”

It was rather hard to fight off the grin that overcame you. You pushed him right back and asked, “And if I do? What does that make me?”

Prompto shook his head, “I’m not one to judge, pal. What you do with this mystery prince is up to you. I think its nice. Like its something that keeps you going. Just stop daydreaming while working; Ignis’ll have your head.”

You nodded, “Yeah…”

Silence followed. You were about to suggest going back into the shop when Prompto asked, “What does your prince look like?”

Just the very image of him had you smiling again.

“He’s about your height. He’s got these sleepy, blue eyes that look right through you. He smiles rarely but its infectious when he does. He has shiny black hair that almost looks blue. Every night, he’s in a black suit and its like his laugh holds-.”

You glanced at Prompto to see what kind of face he was making. You expected him to look incredulous, or doubtful. Possibly astonished. But he held sad eyes. His lips were curved downwards in a frown, his brow furrowed.

“Prom?”

The sound of his name broke him out of his state and he shook his head, “Sorry… Just. It reminded me of my friend.”

He looked down at his feet, at the buttercups tickling his toes.  He hugged his knees and said, “He was lost when my kingdom fell. He sacrificed himself to keep our home safe and…”

He sniffled once and cleared his throat, “He wouldn’t want us to mourn him. Not after ten years. He’d want me to live the best life I can.”

You rubbed your hand consolingly on his shoulder. “What was his name?”

“Noct.”

Prompto exhaled all the air in his lungs and it was like he was trying to get rid of all the pain from his chest. He stood up, kicked out all the kinks in his long legs and picked up his bowl and shoes.

“C’mon, time we head back, dreamer.”

He helped you up and you both went back to the kitchen area. Ignis was already preparing more pastries. He asked you, “Y/N, could you please tell me if this pastry filling is missing something?”

He held out a small jam tart out to you. It was still warm and soft. You bit into it and as the filling spilled out in on your tongue, you gave a small hum of pleasure.

“Oh, Gods above, Ignis. This is amazing!”

“Thank you kindly. Now, anything that you might feel is missing?”

You shook your head, “I wouldn’t dare change a thing! These will sell out fast.”

Ignis smiled, “Thank you for your input.”

Prompto took the remaining pastry from your mouth and took a bite. He let out an almost obscene moan, “ Oh, Iggy, where would be without you!”

Ignis rolled his eyes and went back to filling out more tarts, but you could still see him smiling.

Gladiolus came in whistling, his arms rippling with his eagle tattoo. He plucked the last bit of the tart from Prompto’s fingers and he popped it into his mouth.

“Heeey!” Prompto whined, “That was mine!”

Gladiolus swallowed down the last bit and taunted, “You snooze, you lose, kid.”

“Gladio, you’re so rude!”

“All’s fair in love and war. And Ignis’ cooking.”

~

That night, Ignis sent you home with a great batch of tarts. Prompto waved goodbye to you from the counter and as you closed the door behind you, Prompto ran back to the kitchen where Gladiolus and Ignis were cleaning up, “Guys! I may have found something!”

Gladiolus and Ignis looked at him expectantly. Prompto found his skin was alive with electric thrill, “Y/N may have been dreaming about Noct!”

Ignis’ head bobbed back, his eyebrows arched, “How do you know this? How is Noct-?”

“Every detail to Noct was perfect! Its like seeing him again, hearing his laugh! I don’t know how she knows him, but she does.”

Gladiolus shook his head and tossed down the rag he was wiping the counter with, “She could have known him from when we held court-.”

“She’s not like us,” He said, waving an arm out, “She would have been young, really young. She wouldn’t have recog-”

“Prompto, please,” Ignis lifted a hand and sighed. He rubbed his brow, “I know you miss him. We all do. It’s almost time for the ten year anniversary… You know what that means. As the years go by, more and more people will not remember our home. Our kingdom… Our prince…”

Prompto puffed out his cheeks and released the air out in a huff, “Yes. I know. But I have hope! I have hope that Noct is still out there in the castle! We can do something, we can find the-.”

“Prompto.” Gladio’s voice was low and dark, “Drop it. We’ve had enough.”

The silence was thick. The only noise was the creak of the floorboards and Prompto adjusted his stance. He shook his head. “I’m holding onto the faith. Insomnia will never die!”

Prompto turned and went back to organize the shop. Ignis relaxed his own stance with a heavy exhale. He leaned against the counter-top, his shoulders weighing down with what seemed like years of pain. Gladio picked up his rag again and began twisting it around his hand. He stared into the corner, deep in thought.

In the front, Prompto wiped his eyes and began cleaning the display shelves. He thought back to the last day he saw Noct.

It was a cloudy, chilly afternoon. Noct and Prompto were talking, completely at ease and laughing. Gladiolus and Ignis were to the side, coring apples. They were enjoying a moment of peace amongst the raucous joy of the festive kingdom.

They were all so finely dressed. Noct was in a black dress suit, adorned with gold accents and stars. The three others were in their decorative glaive suits, boots polished to perfection.

That day was to celebrate the coming of the Equinox. The kingdom’s people were bountiful and merry. They were content with the recent harvest and were quite prosperous in market sales and trades. They rejoiced. The energy was quite infectious and word had gotten out to the other towns and kingdoms. Everyone was invited to celebrate, to bring in the best season and more fortune.

Not everyone was as happy as could be.

There was one man. One lone, angry man. A man with gold eyes and  tar-like tears.

Prompto wished he could have stopped this man. He wished he could have killed him.

As soon at this man had stepped foot into the castle, he had destroyed everything that these four men held dear. He killed the king and innocent people, noble and common alike. He poisoned the kingdom, taken the light and drowned everything in darkness.

He planted rows and rows of black thorns around the Old Kingdom, preventing anyone from escaping or entering. Those who would come in contact were to die instantly.

Noct had saved them. He saved his friends. He gave them a fighting chance to escape. They were all wounded, but they escaped.

A week later, Prompto had a dream. It was Noct, reaching out from a pool of light. He reached out his hand to grab, to hold his friend. Then Noct’s voice erupted, echoed, reverberated.

“There’s someone out there.”

Noct couldnt reach Prompto’s fingertips.

“They can help! Find them.”

Noct was getting further and further away.

“They hold the light.”

Noct was being swallowed by the light.

“A champion!”

Noct was gone.

At the same time, Prompto, Gladiolus and Ignis jolted awake. They had no idea what that could have meant, but for all three to receive the same dream?

Time had passed since then. The world around them cried less about the Old Kingdom, had forgotten the Royal names and those who survived, forgot more and more about their home.

The four men did not.

No champion had come forth.

**

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