Chapter 16: Dreams
As the night drew on, the group dispersed into their allocated tents; Cilv left them again, making Evanna wonder what she was doing and what time she would be back. She was rolling out the small, cushioned sleeping pad onto the floor when Ger climbed into the tent, was he lost? She wondered.
"If at all you do not feel safe with her sleeping next to you, come find me," He said, making Evanna frown.
She was not scared of Cilv, they had made a deal, and she knew the woman would keep up her side of the bargain. Plus, she could take care of herself. Without saying a word, she nodded back at him. Ger was not happy with how the sleeping arrangements had been formed, but he could do nothing about it; he hoped that Cilv would prove herself to be an asset as the princess thought. He left the tent and made his way back to his own.
Evanna took her swords off from behind her back and placed them next to the sleeping pad, removing her boots near her bag; she then grabbed a light blanket she would use to try and keep her warm. Luckily the tent would keep her sheltered and held some warmth inside the linen mobile home. She kept her cloak on, put the hood over her head, then climbed down onto the floor and pulled the cover over. It did not take her long to doze off; her body seemed to have melted into the cushioned pad. Soon enough, her breathing became slow and even.
The darkness welcomed her resting mind into sleep. After what felt like five minutes but was actually five hours, her subconscious pulled her mind from the darkness and slowly, a beautiful scene arose in front of her. She was looking across a magnificent view; snowy mountains stood in front of her, clouds hovered with birds flying in different directions in the sky. Looking down, she saw that the white marble balcony she stood at was attached to a type of building that merged into the side of another mountain.
The sun to the east was setting with a pinkish hue, and to the west, in the distance, she could see waterfalls cascading down the mountain, one after the other. She placed her hands onto the balcony top only to feel that the surface was rough; she looked down to see that tree branches made their way up and over the flat top, twisting into the marble balcony with flowers blooming here and there. Her hand caressed the branch admirably; the owners of such a place must have left it to look that way.
After taking in the view, she realised that she was not alone, turning around she faced someone she recognised well, her mother. She stood there healthy and almost glowing as she smiled back at Evanna, who instantly walked forwards and hugged her mother tightly. After a long embrace, her mother pulled back to look at her.
Evanna was still dressed in the clothes she went to sleep in. Whereas she was dressed in a beautiful blue dress that she could not remember ever seeing, the material looked relatively light. She frowned, wondering if her mother was cold, considering they were in the mountains.
"I missed you," Her mother said; her voice sounded strong and healthy. Evanna smiled back at her mother but then became confused with her statement, her eyebrows furrowed again.
"But I am right here?"
"That does not mean I do not miss you", Her mother responded.