Chapter 7: The Dreams of the Past
The carriage ride back to her family's estate was quiet. Seraphine sat beside her mother, who seemed more than pleased with the news of the proposal, glancing at her daughter with soft, approving smiles. But Seraphine barely noticed, her mind lost in the whirlwind of emotions stirred up by the night. The warmth of Leorick's words echoed in her heart, grounding her in a way she hadn't felt before. His sincerity, his unexpected vulnerability... she could still feel the weight of his hands in hers, the steady, unshaken gaze he'd held as he asked for her hand-not out of duty or obligation, but as a choice, one he'd left entirely to her.
Once they arrived home, she moved as if in a daze, following her mother up the stairs to her room. The Northern Kingdom's chilly night air still clung to her skin, as did the memory of the fireworks, the lights of the lanterns on the river, and, most of all, the feel of Leorick's hand holding hers in the quiet between each burst of color. In that moment, he had seemed so much more than just her king. He had become someone real.
As she finally settled into her room and prepared for bed, she felt an odd ache in her chest. The thrill of the proposal was mixed with a deeper, lingering unease that she couldn't quite place. "You're being foolish, Seraphine," she whispered to herself, attempting to shake off the feeling. "It was a beautiful night, and he... he seemed genuine."
She climbed into bed, extinguishing the lamp, yet as she lay in the dark, her mind refused to quiet. She replayed every detail of the evening, every word, every glance, trying to make sense of the storm inside her. But at last, exhaustion overcame her, and she drifted into a restless sleep.
---
In her dream, she stood alone in a vast, empty hall, the ceiling so high it disappeared into shadows. Cold stone walls surrounded her, and she wore a beautiful, heavy gown, one embroidered with jewels and fine silk. The air was still, suffocating. The sound of her own breathing echoed, harsh and shallow, as she looked around, feeling an overwhelming loneliness.
Footsteps echoed from down the hall. She turned, her heart racing with a mixture of anticipation and dread. Leorick appeared, his expression distant, unreadable. He approached her, stopping a few paces away. His gaze barely rested on her as he spoke in a detached tone.
"Seraphine," he said, as though merely acknowledging her presence. He didn't meet her eyes. "Make yourself presentable for tonight's gathering. The council expects you to attend."
Her heart ached at his indifference, but she simply nodded, curtsying slightly as he turned and walked away. She reached out, as if to call him back, but her voice failed her. She felt trapped, rooted to the spot, as she watched him disappear down the long, empty corridor, leaving her in silence once more.
The dream shifted, blurring around her. She found herself standing at the top of a grand staircase, overlooking a crowd of nobles below. Their laughter and conversation filled the room, but she felt a strange distance, as though separated by an invisible wall. Leorick was there, dressed impeccably in his royal attire, surrounded by advisors and council members. He was laughing at something one of them had said, but his gaze never drifted toward her. She watched him, feeling like a mere statue, an adornment at his side, rather than a person with thoughts and feelings of her own.
Her heart tightened painfully. She wanted to reach out to him, to tell him of the loneliness she felt, of the emptiness that surrounded her, but each time she tried to step forward, her feet would not move. Her voice, too, was silent. She was trapped in this role, bound to an existence that was dictated by duty, one where her own desires were nothing but a whisper lost in the vast emptiness.
Then, the final scene unfolded. She was in her bedchamber, late at night. The room was dim, lit only by a single candle, casting flickering shadows on the walls. Leorick entered, his face cast in shadow. He looked at her, but his gaze was still that same distant, unreadable one, as if he saw her but didn't truly see her.
"Goodnight, Seraphine," he said, his tone formal, as though speaking to a stranger. He turned, leaving her alone once again. She reached out, desperate, as tears burned in her eyes.
"Leorick, please..." she whispered, her voice barely a breath. But he didn't hear her, and the door closed, sealing her in darkness.
---
Seraphine woke with a start, her breath coming in shallow gasps. Her hands were shaking, her body cold with the remnants of the dream's sadness clinging to her like a weight she couldn't shake. She pressed her hands to her cheeks, feeling the dampness of tears.
The pain in her chest was sharp, vivid, as if the memories of those dreams were etched into her heart. She felt as though she had lived that life, experienced that heartache, and bore that weight. It felt more real than a mere dream, more haunting than any nightmare.
Leorick's words from the night before returned to her. He'd spoken of making amends, of trying to make things right, as if he were seeking redemption for a life they had both known-a life they'd somehow lived before. The words she had dismissed as fanciful, almost too impossible to believe, now resonated in her with a newfound clarity.
The cold dawn light began to seep into her room, casting faint shadows on the walls. Seraphine sat up, wrapping her arms around herself as she tried to process the truth that was slowly, surely becoming clear to her.
The dreams, the way Leorick had spoken, the weight in his gaze... it all began to make a strange kind of sense. In some way, some unfathomable way, she understood that he had lived that life, that distant past, and that he had known the loneliness she had felt. He was the same man, yet different. He had loved her once-no, perhaps he had merely married her out of duty. But in this life, he was trying, truly trying to change that fate.
Seraphine closed her eyes, taking a slow, steadying breath. The ache from the dream still lingered, but she felt a new resolve begin to bloom within her.
This time, things could be different. This time, they could choose to love, rather than merely to coexist.
---
The day of the wedding was drawing near, and as Seraphine dressed that morning, she felt an unfamiliar sense of calm. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, studying the face that had seemed a stranger in her dreams, a woman imprisoned by duty. But now, with the truth of the past laid bare, she saw someone else-a woman with strength, with choice, with the power to shape her own fate.
For the first time, she felt ready to step forward, not as a mere bride, not as an accessory to his crown, but as his equal. She knew there would be challenges, moments of doubt, perhaps even painful echoes of that past life. But she also knew that Leorick was genuine in his desire to make things right. He had come to her not just with a proposal, but with the promise of a future they could build together.
Seraphine's heart beat steadily, the heaviness of that other life fading as she embraced this new beginning. Whatever her dreams had shown her, whatever memories they had awakened, she would not allow them to haunt her. She would face them with grace and strength, just as she had faced everything else.
As she left her room and made her way down the hall, she felt a renewed sense of purpose, her footsteps steady and sure. She was ready to meet Leorick not just as his bride-to-be, but as his partner, determined to make the most of the life they had been given.
---
As the sun rose higher, filling the estate with golden light, Seraphine allowed herself to hope-for the life they would forge together, for the love that could grow, and for the chance to finally break free from the shadows of the past.