Morpheus One Shot - The Ball
I looked down at the hole in the ground. The rabbit hole. I'd read about it in stories before but never thought it actually existed. If the rabbit hole exists, does he, too? I wondered. After all these years of crushing on a character I presumed to be imaginary, could I finally meet him? Without another thought, I leaped into the darkness of the rabbit hole.
I emerged shortly after, only to be greeted by Alyssa, in all of her royal glory. I bowed down in front of her, dusting the dirt off of my skirt. She was even more beautiful in person.
"Now that won't be necessary, darling," She said sweetly.
I stood back up and introduced myself.
"Your Majesty, I am Lila. I happened to stumble upon the rabbit hole and jumped in, wishing to discover the wonders of Wonderland," I told her in all honesty.
"Very well. If it is Wonderland you’d like to discover, then Wonderland shall you discover. Let me show you to my kingdom. It is there where you will meet Jeb, Morpheus, Gossamer and others you might've heard of in the stories," She winked. "I know you've read the stories, and right away I could sense how you feel about Morpheus. You don’t have to worry, my dear, unlike the stories, him and I are not together. I put a spell on Jeb to make him live forever, and him and I are content down here. It took Morpheus a while to come to terms with it though. However, I think he’s finally coming around. And don’t fear, I won’t tell a soul about your feelings,”
"Thank you, your Highness,"
Alyssa was much more regal than she was in the stories but she still dressed the same.
Finally, my brain processed what Alyssa had previously said, and my heart skipped. Morpheus was real, they weren’t together, and I could meet him. I followed her, heart in my throat.
Soon, we arrived at the castle, and were greeted by Jeb and Gossamer. They were both stunning renditions of how I'd imagined them.
"This is Lila," Alyssa spoke.
"Hello, Lila. I'm Jeb, and this is Gossamer," Jeb greeted.
Gossamer fluttered her wings and waved in response.
"It's nice to meet you both," I replied.
Jeb pulled Alyssa into his arms. I had always been team Morpheus, but honestly, I preferred the moth being single overall.
"Where's the moth?" Alyssa questioned.
"Out flying. Should be back soon," Gossamer answered.
"Good. I want him to meet Lila,"
I blushed. I couldn't wait to meet him.
Suddenly, a burst of blue magic appeared.
He transformed a few feet in front of me and I took in his Wonderland-moth handsomeness. His skin was sparkling, his blue hair shiny and soft, a black top hat set atop his head.
"Who's this?" He asked in his cockney accent, approaching me.
"Lila, pleasure to meet you,"
"Please, the pleasure is all mine. I'm Morpheus," He replied, shaking my hand.
I felt my knees turn to Jell-O at his touch.
"You know, you’re better looking than I could’ve ever imagined," I said.
"Well aren't you the charmer?" He teased, but I knew I had fluffed his ego a little.
I pushed a piece of hair out of my eyes.
"I try my best," I answered.
"We'll leave you two to introductions," Alyssa crooned.
I groaned, embarrassed. Glancing at Morpheus, I noticed he was completely unfazed. He watched the three of them leave before turning back to me. He turned to walk, but motioned for me to follow.
"So why are you in Wonderland?"
"I stumbled upon the rabbit hole and I wanted to see if the stories were true,"
"The stories?" He wondered.
"It's a long story. Let's just say they're true, and better than I expected," I answered.
I looked up into his eyes. They shone with an unknown emotion. I watched them travel from my eyes to my lips and back up again. Pretending not to notice, I continued talking.
"I like your hat," I complimented.
"Ah, I see you have good taste, thank you," He smiled, his voice as sweet as honey.
"Lila, I have a proposition for you,”
My head tilted in confusion, but I stayed silent, wanting him to go on.
"How would you like to go to the ball we're throwing tonight? It'll be a blast, especially if you go with me,” He said with a wink and a tip of his hat.
My heart almost stopped. I'd been in Wonderland for less than an hour and my biggest literary crush had already asked me to a ball.
"I'd love to go with you, Morpheus. I’m somewhat surprised that you asked though," I admitted.
His face lit up, a smile illuminating it.
"Perfect. Be ready at eight. I'll meet you right here and walk you to the castle. And don’t be surprised, you’re beautiful," He replied with another smile.
"You’re making me blush. I’ll see you at eight, then?”
“I never disappoint,” And with a wink, he was gone.
I made my way back to the castle, all the while on cloud nine.
“Well someone has quite the smile,” Alyssa teased as I walked through the castle doors.
“You’ll never believe this, Your Highness. Morpheus asked me to the ball you’re having tonight!” I burst.
“Well he certainly took a liking to you! And Lila? You don’t have to call me Your Highness all the time, call me Alyssa,”
“Sounds good, Alyssa. As for Morpheus and the whole ball thing, there’s one tiny problem,” I said, hesitating slightly.
“I have nothing to wear,”
“Oh that’s no problem at all! Come with me, we’ll get you all dressed up and looking as pretty as a princess!” She burst.
“You’re too kind,” I replied as I followed her up the castle’s stairway. We made our way into a giant bedroom with a plush bed and towering windows. I looked around, my mouth wide open. The room was so beautiful.
“This is one of our guest bedrooms. You can stay here tonight after the ball if you’d like. You’ll likely be tired,”
“Thank you, I’d love to,” I said, accepting her gracious offer.
“So, these are some of the dress choices I was thinking of for tonight,” Alyssa suggested, pulling out five different dresses. I looked at all of them. They were all so stunning, and fit for royalty. They were all different colors, blue, pink, yellow, green and the most gorgeous of them all, purple. I walked over to where Alyssa had placed the dresses on the bed and held the purple gown up to me. It was floor length and had a blue tinge to it, almost like it was indigo. It had an off-the-shoulder neckline and was floor length, with a silver beaded belt. It was made of a silk material, and had some chiffon on the skirt of the dress, making it fluff out a little. There was also a little bit of a train. It was perfect.
“Do you like it?” Alyssa asked, noticing my interest in this particular dress.
“I love it, it’s gorgeous,” I answered.
“Well, you can have it then. I have too many gowns I don’t know what to do with them,”
“That would explain having some in the guest bedroom closet,” I joked.
“That it does. Now go on and get into the dress. I’ll call in someone to do your hair and makeup. You’d be surprised how good some of the creatures down here can be at those,”
“Thank you so much Alyssa, you’re so generous,” I said before darting into the guest bathroom to get changed.
I pulled the silky material over my head and slipped into the gown. It fit perfectly to my small figure and hugged all the right places. After adjusting the straps, I stepped back into the bedroom.
Alyssa smiled, and waved her finger around in a circle, motioning for me to spin around. I did as I was told, and she let out a low whistle.
“Morpheus is going to love you. Now, let’s get your hair, makeup and accessories out of the way,”
It took about another hour before everything was to Alyssa’s liking. When I was done, I could barely recognize myself. My long brown hair was curled and pinned out of my face, and fell effortlessly down my back. My blue eyes, usually hidden behind tacky black-framed glasses, now had contacts in them and popped thanks to the eye-shadow used. My makeup was done expertly and I felt like an actual princess. To top the entire look off, Alyssa picked out a delicate silver necklace with a butterfly pendant, matching earrings, and as cheesy as it was, a small, sparkling tiara. She was about to put me in six-inch stilettos, but after my protesting, we settled on a cute pair of black kitten-heels. My look was complete, and just in time. It was nearing eight o’clock and Morpheus would be arriving any minute now.
I paced in front of the door, more nervous than I had ever been before.
“Relax, it’s like I said, he’s going to love you,” Alyssa said, trying to calm me down.
“Do you really think so? Do you think it’s too much? Maybe the tiara is too much,” I protested, ready to tear the entire ensemble off and hop into the soft bed in the guest room.
“Don’t be ridiculous. You look beautiful, and you’re going to rock this ball. And I have your back tonight, so don’t worry about anything going wrong, okay?”
“Okay,” I replied reluctantly. I looked at Alyssa. She had such a genuine smile, it made me smile back. While I had been getting my hair and makeup done, she had rushed away to get ready for the ball as well. She had returned moments later in a beautiful red knee-length dress, which was artfully torn at the bottom and had black mesh underneath as an underskirt. She rocked a smokey eye-shadow look and had black finger-less gloves on and black chunky heeled booties. This was quite different than the elegant Alyssa I had seen moments before, but it was a welcome change. She looked like I had assumed she would in the stories.
I thought about that for a moment. 24 hours ago, Alyssa was simply a storybook character to me, as were Jeb, Gossamer, Morpheus and all of the Wonderland creatures. Now, I was about to attend a ball with all of them, and hopefully dance the night away with the one I loved the most. Goosebumps rose along my arms as that thought crossed my mind. Morpheus, holding me tight on the dance floor, us rocking back and forth to the music. My heart started to race and I resumed pacing... right as the doorbell rang.
“I’ll get it,” Alyssa offered, making her way over to the door. She pulled it open to reveal Jeb and Morpheus, all dressed in their very best. Jeb looked handsome in his red suit, that matched Alyssa’s perfectly, and Morpheus, well, I can’t exactly put it into words. Morpheus took my breath away.
“Speechless, are we luv?” He teased, walking over to me. His top-hat rested on his head, as per usual, and his hair was neatly combed. He wore an indigo suit which complemented my dress and his shoes were recently shined. That smirk of his that was always on his face remained ever present as he extended a hand out to me. I took it, and he raised my hand up to his lips and kissed it softly. I felt my knees weaken. Even though I had already met him earlier, and he had shaken my hand, his touch still had an effect on me.
“You look absolutely stunning, Lila. That dress looks amazing on you,” Morpheus complimented, and even the makeup on my face couldn’t hide the blush creeping into my cheeks.
“You clean up pretty well yourself,” I replied, sending a quick wink. He tugged on the bottom of his suit jacket quickly before grabbing my hand and leading me to the grand ballroom in the castle. Alyssa had told me before we had come back downstairs that that was where the ball was being held.
We walked through the big double doors and into the grand ballroom. All around us were decorations of red and gold, a dazzling crystal chandelier and an assortment of Wonderland creatures acting like a DJ. I looked around in amazement, noticing every last detail. It was the most incredible thing I had ever seen.
“Nobody throws a party or ball like those in Wonderland,” Morpheus said proudly, as if reading my mind.
“This is unbelievable, I’ve never seen anything like this before,” I said in response.
All of a sudden, as if noticing our presence, the music sprang to life and the lights began to flash, creating a pulsing and engulfing feeling.
“Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t a ball supposed to have a more regal and classical music playlist?” I inquired, asking no one in particular.
“Not down here, luv. Alyssa felt that this would be more appropriate for Wonderland residents, herself included. She likes the feeling it all gives her,” Morpheus replied. I nodded. That made sense. The Alyssa I knew from the stories was wild, rambunctious and not at all the type to go to fancy and classy balls.
I listened to the music, letting it surround me and suddenly I felt my body moving awkwardly to the rhythm. My limbs jostled around and nearly hit someone next to me. I apologized and hid my face in embarrassment.
“Here, luv, let me show you how it’s done,” Morpheus crooned, taking my hand in his and leading us to the center of the dance floor.
He spun around gracefully, his wings following suit. He looked like a beautiful butterfly, but I would never tell him that. He moved his arms around, creating soft movements and dancing elegantly. Every movement he did was strategic and well-planned. I tried to copy his movements, but I didn’t come close to how easy and effortless he made it seem. I started to laugh at myself, and I caught Morpheus chuckling too.
“I’m a total train-wreck, aren’t I? I’m sorry that you’re the one who has to be seen with me,” I apologized.
“I don’t have to be seen with you if I don’t want to be, Lila. If I’m still here, it’s because I want to be,” He replied. I felt my cheeks go bright red again, and this caused him to laugh even more.
“You know, you’re cute when you blush,” He teased, causing the blush to deepen.
“Oh hush, Morpheus. Leave the poor girl alone,” Jeb said, poking him in the ribs.
Morpheus rolled his eyes, a bright smile on his face. All of a sudden, a slow song started to play.
“May I have this dance?” Morpheus asked, extending his hand to me once again.
I took his hand graciously and followed his lead. He led me through a series of spins and dips before the song ended. We moved together in perfect harmony and ended in one final dip. I looked up into his dazzling eyes as he held me there, staring right back into mine. The moment felt like it lasted a lifetime, but in reality, it was probably only a minute. Then, in one swift movement, he reluctantly pulled me back up to my feet.
“Follow me,” Was all he said before he took off for the doors. I did as he said and followed him out into the crisp night air. We stopped under a tall tree and he turned to face me.
“Lila, how are you able to have this effect on me?”
“What effect?” I asked as he took a few steps closer to me.
“Like I just want to be around you. I’m drawn to you, like someone’s put a spell on me. I don’t know how to explain it,”
“Morpheus, I think you just did,” I said, stepping closer to him as well.
“Lila, this never happens to me. I never find this connection. The last time I did, well, you know what happened,” He motioned back towards the ballroom, as if talking about Alyssa.
“I’m sorry about how you were treated, Morpheus. Alyssa seems lovely, but anyone who doesn’t see how great you are is clearly blind,” I replied.
“Well I guess the entire population is blind, then,” He teased.
“Not the entire population,” I protested. “You’re pretty great to me,”
“Well thank you, it’s appreciated,” He said, looking at the ground bashfully.
Slowly, he looked back up and our eyes connected. In his eyes was a slight sparkle, a small glint of some emotion, but I couldn’t make out what it was. We kept steady eye contact for a little before he turned around and started climbing the tree.
“Morpheus, what are you doing?” I burst.
“Climbing, come join me. I promise you won’t regret it,”
Shaking my head, I grabbed a hold of the first branch and hoisted myself up, following the path he took, scaling the ginormous tree. Soon enough, we reached a lookout point and what we saw was stunning. In front of us was a beautiful starry night sky and Wonderland’s version of fireflies, twinkling all around us.
“Morpheus, you really know all the best places to get amazing views,”
“After being lonely for so long as a child, you start to find places like this,”
“But didn’t you have Alyssa?” I wondered.
“I did, but she wasn’t available all the time, only really in her dreams. And before we met, I didn’t really have anyone. So I explored Wonderland, and it’s how I became so comfortable with it,”
“That makes sense. Thanks for showing me around, I’m loving this impromptu tour,”
“I’m always happy to share my home and its wonders with others,” He replied.
We sat in silence for a bit longer and watched the sun set. Just as the final sliver of light disappeared into the horizon, I saw Morpheus inching closer to me. He placed his hand over mine on the tree branch and moments later his face was mere inches from mine. He leaned in and I followed suit, and before I knew it our lips met. The moment was brief, but passionate. After the kiss, he pulled back, a bashful smile on his face.
“You look cute when you blush,” I teased.
He laughed, the red on his cheeks deepening. I squeezed his hand slightly and tilted his chin up to look at me.
“Want to get back to the ball? I’m sure Alyssa is wondering where we wandered off to,” I suggested.
“We probably should be getting back,” He admitted reluctantly.
And so we climbed back down the tree and walked hand in hand back to the ballroom, the biggest smiles on our faces. As soon as we walked through the doors, Alyssa bounded up to us, a giddy look on her face.
“Finally! The tension between you two was nearly unbearable!”
“How did you know?” I asked.
“A queen has her ways. Congratulations you two, I was rooting for you,” She said, before twirling around and rejoining Jeb on the dance floor.
“I was too,” I replied, as I grabbed Morpheus’ hand and pulled him in for one more sweet kiss.
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