Chapter 14: The Celebration of Five
"--ke up..."
A voice hollowed in the distance, missed by the endlessly vast black surrounding Rowan.
He was floating--no, soaring, the expanse carrying him along its back to allow his mind to wander free of sensation. It was gratifying, a lucid dream that offered him all the peace and quiet he wished.
Knock, knock, knock!
"Wake up!"
Rowan's eyes jolted open, his torso flinging out from under his sheets to leave him uncovered with no shirt on.
He nervously turned his attention from the door to his removed shirt laying just a few feet from him, the heat from last night clinging to his memory like sweat.
"What?"
"Get up, Sir Rowan, you and the other heroes will undergo your commencements shortly!"
A deep pit formed in his stomach, the cold sweat trailing down his cheek turning warm as he looked out upon the sky that peeked over the royal garden, its glow dim like an early morning's sunrise.
"This early," he asked, rubbing his eyes to acclimate to the new light impacting his retinas, "and without warning? Can't this wait an hour or two?"