PART II — OUTSIDE THE REALM
Dream of The Endless x Decay! Reader (I) (II)
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Morpheus was growing anxious.
Outside the room, the King of Dreams and Nightmares was pacing, his hands behind his back as he tried to find something to distract himself with. You’d been in there for over an hour, and he had yet to hear a single noise from outside that door. It wasn’t until Nuala spoke that he stopped.
“My lord?” She called, her voice soft and gentle as she watched him with a frown on her face. “Are you alright?”
Before Morpheus could answer, you stepped out of the room, gently closing the door behind you.
All was silent— it was as if, for a moment, the very heart of The Dreaming grew still.
“I thank you for your kindness and your efforts, Lady Nuala,” you said softly, turning to the fairy with the kindest smile you could force yourself to muster. “She has gone in peace.” You assured her.
Nuala bowed her head, stammering for a moment. “Oh… Please, I… I should have done more, my lady. You must allow me to apologize—”
“Nonsense.” You were quick to interrupt, shaking your head and gently placing a hand on her shoulder. “You did what you could, Lady Nuala. You have my eternal gratitude, and I am forever indebted to you.”
The fairy gave a little nod, her eyes flicking from you to Morpheus before she cleared her throat. “My condolences, my lady Decay.”
She bowed her head before Morpheus and excused herself softly before stepping out of the hallway and down the stairs, allowing you and the Prince of Stories the space to speak freely.
Morpheus was tentative in the way he approached you, his hand hovering over your arm for a moment before he simply let it drop. “Are you alright?” He asked you, his voice gruff and low. His starry gray eyes never left you, knowing that despite holding yourself the way you did, you were grieving the loss of one of your dearest friends.
Wherever you went, the Teumessian Fox followed. One was scarcely seen without the other.
And now, here you stood before him. Alone.
“I’m alright, Dream Lord,” you said softly, nodding your head before you exhaled, your expression changing slightly. “But… I fear I must ask you for your help.”
He held his arm out for you, and you wrapped your hands around his bicep and allowed him to walk you down the hall and to the one place in The Dreaming he knew you favored— the sunroom by the library.
There, he helped you take a seat on the sofa before he stood before you.
“The Teumessian Fox mentioned that The Wilderness was ill,” he said, his voice soft as he took a seat on a loveseat across from you, folding his arms with a small exhale. “Have you… any idea as to what the cause might be?”
You shook your head, a knot forming in your throat at the mere mention of your late friend. You had to turn away and clear your throat before you could answer.
“I… I fear I’ve no idea,” you said. “But whatever this malady is, it isn’t just affecting the creatures of The Wilderness…” You explained, avoiding his gaze as you fiddled with the acorns and pinecones hanging from the rope you tied around your waist. “I haven’t been at my full strength in some time. Had I… had I been at full strength, I would’ve been able to…”
The words died in your throat.
But you didn’t have to speak them, regardless— Morpheus knew what you’d been trying to convey.
Another moment of silence passed before you spoke again.
“What would you have me do, Dream?” You asked, lifting your head to meet his gaze, tears shining in your eyes.
He sat up a bit straighter then.
“I would find the Nosoi and speak to them, see what they make of this strange illness,” he told you, leaning forward to rest his arms against his thighs.
You bristled at the mention of the spirits of illness and disease— they did nothing but make your job harder, and the last thing you wished to do was to confront the children of sickness.
You were in no such mood.
Morpheus cleared his throat.
“Or perhaps… Diana might know of it?” He suggested. “Or Silvanus and Faunus?”
“Regardless of the matter, I’d have to travel to the mortal world to seek them…” You murmured anxiously, continuing to fiddle with the various objects that hung from your belt. “I’m not as well versed with mortals as you are, Lord Shaper. I… I am a friend of the wood and the animals, but humans…”
You looked up at him, a little frown on your lips.
“I would greatly benefit from your help in such affairs. I know you are busy, but…” You took a pause, your expression growing grim. “Something is happening to my domain, and it will continue to worsen unless I find the root cause of it.”
You rose to your feet, and sank to your knees before the King of Dreams and Nightmares, bowing your head.
“I beg you, my Lord Morpheus…” You said silently, closing your eyes as you took his hands in yours and squeezed. “I need your help.”
Morpheus tensed for a moment before his shoulders sagged, his expression softening as he held your hands in his and rose to his feet. “Rise, my (name),” he instructed you.
You obeyed, standing and lifting your head when he used his free hand to tip your head up by your chin.
“You need not kneel before me to ask for my help,” he said softly, his thumb gently brushing over your jaw. “You need only ask.”
You took a moment to allow his touch to soothe and ground you, a small exhale leaving your lips before you gave a nod of your head.
“Will you accompany me, Dream of The Endless?” You asked him, and he bowed his own head in response.
Morpheus asked you to give him a moment so that he could set his affairs in order with his librarian and second-in-command, Lucienne, before he could leave for the waking world.
During that time, you met with Lady Nuala in the gardens. She sat knelt before a patch of flowers she’d been planting, strands of spun gold framing her face and beads of sweat trailing down her hairline.
You approached her from the side, standing by her side before you came to kneel by her side.
Even so, she refused to look at you. You took matters into your own hands by gently placing a hand on her cheek, tipping her head so she’d look at you. “Lady Nuala…” You told her.
“This wasn’t your doing,” you said softly, gently nudging your forehead against his. “You did what you could. I promise you that in the end, she was grateful.”
The fairy nodded her head, closing her eyes for a few moments before she exhaled shakily. “Thank you, my lady…” She said quietly before she opened her eyes and pulled back enough to look at you.
“I take it you’re leaving to visit the mortal realm,” she said.
“Word travels fast. Did Matthew tell you?” You asked, and Nuala smiled before she shook her head.
“You forget I know you, my lady (name),” she told you. “You need not tell me what is in your mind. I know it.”
She was right, of course. Other than Morpheus, Nuala of The Fairie was another of your oldest friends. She knew you better than anybody.
“You must allow me to come with you.” She all but pleaded with you, taking your hands in hers and giving them a squeeze. “I may not know much of the mortal realm, but I’d much rather you not travel alone.”
“I won’t be alone,” you told her, brushing your thumbs over her knuckles before bringing both her hands up to kiss the back of each one. “Lord Morpheus has agreed to come with me, to aid me in my travels.”
Nuala exhaled, her shoulders falling with relief, and something else. “Oh… good, that’s— that’s good…”
A small giggle left your lips, and you reached up to brush some of her golden hair behind her pointed ear. “I know you wish to come with me, my darling Nuala,” you said softly. “But you are needed here. Lucienne needs you, and the mortal realm is far too dangerous.”
“I know…” She breathed softly. “But—“
“No, Nuala. That’s final.”
She exhaled, and gave a little nod of her head. “Very well. Just… please, (name), promise me you’ll be careful,” she said, staring up at you with those big green eyes of hers.
You placed a kiss upon her forehead to soothe her woeful expression, and nodded in agreement. “I will. I swear it.”
Just as you and Nuala said your goodbyes, Morpheus appeared, extending his hand toward you where you knelt by the flower patch.
“Lady (name), we must go,” he said, giving Nuala a nod before he pulled you to your feet.
You thanked him and dusted the excess dirt off your skirt, lifting your head to face Morpheus properly. “Lead the way, Lord Shaper,” you told him, trailing a step behind him as he guided you beyond the gates of horn and ivory.
There was no portal this time. You simply closed your eyes before he told you to, feeling the sand whip around you and transporting you away from The Dreaming…
…and into the mortal realm.
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