Chapter 12

That night Ayla dreamed of her little garden and her grandmother. They were sitting on a bench and talking. A blanket of snow covered the garden. White-bell flowers rose above the snow.

Ayla was older in her dream. Her eyes were those of a person that had seen too much. Around her left wrist, she had tattoos of some runes she did not recognize that went all around, like a bracelet. Her grandmother was telling her something, but Ayla could not hear her grandmother´s words.

Her heart was beating fast, and she knew that it was important to hear what her grandmother was saying.

The dream changed, and Ayla was a nine-year-old girl again. The princess was still in her garden, and her mother was brushing her hair while she was teaching Ayla about herbs and plants. An older boy, that could have been thirteen or fourteen, came up to her. He seemed familiar. Ayla knew she had seen him before, but she could not remember where she knew him or who he was.

He looked at her with eyes full of pain, "Remember, white-bell. Remember!"

Suddenly her mother grabbed her hands, "Do not trust him! He is the Great Deceiver! He is darkness!"

The boy wanted to grab Ayla's hand, but her mother pulled her away from him, "He is the Darkness that will swallow you until there is nothing left of the world."

"Remember," the boy said once more before disappearing.

"What do I need to remember?" Ayla yelled her question to the wind.

But no answer came.

The flowers withered, and the snow turned red. Her mother transformed into her father, and Ayla was once again that young teenager that was biting her fingernails every time she thought she heard her father's footsteps.

"You and your nasty habits! No one will ever want you! Galian, come here! "

King Amul transformed into Galian, and he punished Ayla. He kept hitting her and hitting her while her father kept repeating 'useless.'

Galian didn't stop until she didn't scream.

The dream-nightmare changed again, and a woman with eyes like aquamarines and white hair cradled Ayla to her chest, "All will be well, child. Trust your instincts and follow your heart. It will guide you well."

Then she was a white-bell flower on a sea of white-bell flowers that covered the whole continent and then the entire world.

"Remember," the wind whispered.

Ayla woke up with a scream on her lips and her heart racing in her chest. She buried her face in the furs and tried to remember her dream. There were details that she had already forgotten, but it was the image of the boy with eyes full of pain that Ayla could not get out of her head. Why did he seem so familiar to her? But no matter how hard she thought, Ayla could not figure it out.

Kerra nuzzled her hand until Ayla started petting her.

"It was just a dream," Ayla whispered once her heart slowed down.

She remained in bed, thinking and playing with Kerra until two maids came to help Ayla prepare for the day. After breakfast was served to both Ayla and Kerra, the maids retreated.

Unsure of when King Rhobart would come after her, Ayla decided to read one of the books Milton gave her. When she went to pick up a book from the shelf, Ayla saw a fresh bouquet of the white-bell flowers. She frowned; the flowers looked like those from her dream.

Even if the dream unsettled her, Ayla decided not to make anything of it. She had been under a lot of pressure lately, which might have led to her dream. After all, dreams were products of an active imagination. So Ayla pushed it to the back of her mind, where she knew it wouldn't bother her anymore.

Ayla picked up the bouquet and smelled it. She was really starting to love the scent of them.

Someone knocked on the door, and a heartbeat later, it opened. King Rhobart and Milton entered the room.

The King stopped in the middle of the room and stared at Ayla. His gaze heated for a few moments before going back to being cold. His eyes fell on the bouquet that was still in her hands. When he said nothing about it, Ayla put the flowers back on the shelf.

Kerra went to King Rhobart and started purring and rubbing her body against his feet.

The King looked at the snowcat and his face illuminated with happiness, and a big smile appeared on his lips, "Good morning to you too, sweet girl."

Then looking at Ayla, he said, "I see you are ready. We should get going."

Milton moved next to the King, "The war made you forget how to speak to women." And to Ayla, he said, "You look beautiful this morning."

Ayla blushed, "Thank you. Yesterday I forgot to thank you for the books and the flowers. And thank you for the flowers you brought me this morning. They are lovely."

Milton frowned and turned his head towards King Rhobart. Moments later, he looked back at Ayla, "I'm not.…."

" If we are done talking about flowers, could we be going?" the King said in an angry tone before Milton had a chance to finish what he was about to say.