Chapter 102 - Dream Walking: Part One

"* Then she loses her head,*" The prince waved his hand dismissively, "* I am too old to deal with such behaviour.*"

Garrett burst into laughter, his bark loud and echoing through the halls. "* Too old! Do I need to remind you of the little warrior princess you have residing in the room next to yours? How old is she? *"

The edges of Arawn's lips tilted up, and he glanced at his friend. "* Evanna may be young, but she is not stupid. She already outshines an elf our age.. Amaruil is evident to that..*"

"* And us,*" Garrett added sulkily.

Arawn chuckled as the pair began to walk through the halls while they spoke quietly in the night. The prince clamped a hand down on Garrett's shoulder and smiled, "* It's not my fault she defeated you in a fight..*"

"*I would have won if I hadn't been shot,*" Garrett grumbled, then smirked and looked at Arawn with amusement. "*But she did outsmart you..*"

Arawn's smile dropped, but his eyes for once could not hold back a smile at his rose outwitting him. "* Yes, she did,*" He murmured, remembering how she held Garrett hostage.

"*What do you plan on doing with her when you find out what you need to know?*" Garrett stopped and looked at the prince.

Arawn's lips twitched into a slight smile but did not comment as he held his elbows behind his back and continued walking. "*Good night, Garrett. *" His steps echoed through the halls, leaving his friend to shake his head before walking the opposite way to work.

Arawn went back to his quarters, slowing his steps briefly as he approached Evanna's doors, his fingers tightened on his arms behind his back, but he continued until he was in his room again. Soon after, the prince was naked and stepping into his bath. With the flick of his wrist, the faucet turned, and a waterfall of warm water flowed into the tub. The prince stared at the tree and tilted his head to the side as his mind began to turn again with the possibility of Evanna being part elf.

He threw out pros and cons to his arguments as to how she was part elf. But, if she was part elf, the powers, the gift she described of seeing, and the power that surged through her when she touched the tree seemed impossible. The last elf to have contained such powers lived in Lyvaria. Arawn narrowed his eyes but he felt a sudden headache forming in his skull. So he pushed his thoughts to the side and washed his hair and body.

With his hair let loose out of its usual half-up hairstyle, it seemed much longer as it fell past his shoulder blades and stuck to his broad, muscular back. He slipped his robe on and sat in front of the fireplace near Evanna's room. With one hand resting on the back of the sofa and the other cradling another glass of wine, his thoughts on the girl next door.

Evanna's fiery temper made him want to do things to her, which he knew she was not ready for. He felt better being 'closer' to her, even with a wall between them. He wanted her to stay in his chambers. It took every inch of his being not to grab her and bring her back into his room after the confrontation with Amaruil.

The prince smirked, remembering her blush from a simple compliment. He could only imagine what she would be like underneath him. He groaned and raked a hand through his damp hair, swigged the last of his wine before shutting his eyes and leaning his head onto the back of the sofa. It didn't take him long to fall asleep like how Evanna did earlier on the other settee.

Arawn snapped his eyes open, and his brows knitted together when he found himself lying on the sofa across the fireplace. How did he fall asleep here? He much preferred his bed. He straightened up and stilled. His body shivered, and he felt the humming of incredible power pulsating through the wall. Arawn turned his head back and frowned.

Evanna?

He tightened his robe and began marching towards the patio doors, stopping after he felt the cool breeze whirl up his robe. He quickly threw on some breeches before rushing out the balcony doors and hopping onto the balcony, raced up the trellis and jumped over to Evanna's balcony, landing elegantly. The closer he made it to Evanna, the stronger the energy the power was.

He slowly and quietly opened the patio doors with his brows knitting together, his eyes scanning the room for anyone else that may be causing such power. But there was no one. He looked to the side and found Evanna sleeping deeply. What a sight she was. He stopped for a moment to take her relaxed features in, but then a wave of power crashed through him, reminding him why he was there.

He placed his hand against her forehead and instantly knew she was in a dream walk. But he could not tell if this was her 'dream walking' or if she was pulled into the dream. It did, however, make him 80% sure that she was part elf. Even if it was not her constructing the dream, which he presumed she wasn't considering her questions about the elven gifts, it might be someone she knew very well. Possibly, her mother or father, whoever the elf was in her family.

"*Mother!*" Evanna gasped, and her body shuddered. Arawn pulled back and scanned her face; she was not awake but talking to someone. A crooked smile lit up his features. So, her mother was the elf, and a powerful one at that.

He grabbed one of the chairs in her room and pulled it to the side of her bed. He had never seen someone in a dream walk before, and from what he observed so far, it was fascinating. He could feel the power emanating off Evanna, and yet he knew it wasn't her but her mother, who was all the way in the kingdom of Dunhurst.