Chapter Text
Marianne awoke like she had done every morning for the past five years.
As soon as she could feel herself waking, her eyes would quickly dart open and her hand would slam down on the nightstand, snatching a pen before reaching over the bed to grab a journal.
Then she would record what she dreamed about.
The dream last night most likely occurred due to her getting persuaded by her younger sister to have a Disney movie marathon, but she didn't mind.
As Marianne ferociously scribbled down the details, she sketched out the face which appeared every night. Sometimes his appearance altered, as did hers, but there was always one consistency – his blue eyes.
Marianne had had the dreams for as long as she could remember, it was only up until five years ago she actually took to recording them – a suggestion given to her by her mother that she continued as a form of comfort after she passed away.
Finally, after filling up multiple pages with quick doodles and rushed sentences Marianne put the pen down, her hand ached slightly but it was worth it. Notebooks and journals which had been filled were scattered around her room, along with a few books entitled "Dream Analysis" and "What Do Your Dreams Say About You?"
"Marianne!" Her father called from downstairs.
"Coming!" She shouted back, throwing on her purple dressing gown and flying down the staircase.
Her sister Dawn was already sitting at the breakfast table. Dawn was ten years old, but always was hopelessly trying to act older. She turned to Marianne, her face beaming as she walked in.
Marianne leant down and planted a kiss on her sister's forehead, causing Dawn to giggle.
"Morning guys." She said with a yawn.
"What was the dream?" Dawn asked, her blue eyes wide with anticipation, legs kicking under the table.
Marianne could hear her father sigh.
"It was princess and prince stuff." Marianne responded.
"Ooh!" Dawn exclaimed giddily as she clapped her hands together. "Do you think you'll marry him?"
Marianne's father coughed and almost choked.
"Dawn, that's cute and all but I'm 15." Marianne uttered, cheeks becoming a light crimson.
"You can get married at 16." Dawn exclaimed with one finger raised.
"Marianne doesn't want to get married just yet, and you, young lady -" Their father said placing Dawn's pancakes in front of her. "Shouldn't be thinking of that sort of thing either. You are far too young."
"But Daddy it's romantic!"
Marianne rolled her eyes and started eating her own breakfast.
"Ok, girls. I've got an important meeting at the office today which I can't miss. Unfortunately, Lizzie can't come and look after you since she's sick. Marianne you're going to have to watch Dawn, and take her with you when you go fencing."
"But Dad-" Marianne whined.
"No buts young lady!"
"Fine." Marianne huffed.
Their father kissed them goodbye after breakfast, leaving the two girls alone. Marianne didn't mind that her dad had to run off to work, over the years his workload was slowly increasing and he was doing his best to keep his family afloat. Marianne cleaned up the breakfast things and went off to get dressed, a hyperactive Dawn followed her.
"I like someone." Dawn confessed to her sister.
"If it's Adrian from school you told me this last week."
"Noooo!" Dawn cried, "I really like Nathan."
"Who?"
"He's in my art class."
"Ah." Marianne said, her sister had a new self-proclaimed love practically every week. Although Marianne had to admit she liked Sunny, the small boy who had been friends with Dawn since they were babies, he always would follow her around, it was cute in a love-sick-ten-year-old sort of way.
"Marianne which one is your favourite?"
She followed Dawn's gaze to the stack of books in which she wrote down her dreams. After their mother's death, Dawn would have trouble sleeping. So, Marianne would tell her tales of what she had dreamt about to send her off to sleep and Dawn loved them.
"The fairy and the goblin one." Marianne said without hesitation.
Dawn hopped off the bed where she had sat and made her way over to the pile. She grabbed a leather bound notebook, a present for Marianne's 12th birthday and observed the sketches. Marianne had gradually improved her drawing skills, she wanted one day to draw the mysterious man perfectly.
"I think he's handsome." Dawn remarked observing the biro sketch of a tall, thin man with black hair and the bluest eyes.
Marianne ignored her sister and blushed silently – she thought so too.
She continued to get ready, brushing her long brown hair and tying it up in a ponytail. Dawn insisted on Marianne doing her hair as well, so she simply brushed it and put her sister's blonde locks into bunches. Afterwards she gathered a few items together, including a notebook and pen and stuffed them into a bag.
"Come on Dawn, if you behave I'll get you some sweets." Marianne said as she made her way to the door, an obedient Dawn followed close behind.
***
"Marianne why did you quit singing lessons?" Dawn asked as she trotted alongside Marianne.
"I just didn't really feel like that's what I wanted to do."
This was true, growing up she had always done what was asked of her. Wear this dress, take these classes. However, after her mother's death, she just wanted to do things that made her happy. Singing was alright, but she much preferred knowing how to use a sword. Her father had nearly passed out at the idea, but after some intense negotiating Marianne was content to learn how to fence – for now at least.
"But you were so good! I wish I could sing like you!"
"Dawn, stick with your lessons if that’s what you want and you'll end up having a way better voice than me."
"You think so?"
"I know so."
"I'm going to be a singer!" Dawn declared with determination. "What about you Marianne?"
Marianne chewed the thought, she hadn't thought about her future that much. She did alright in school, but she had no burning ambitions – aside from knowing more about the dreams. Maybe she could always do something with that? No, that was silly.
"I don't really know Dawn." Marianne answered truthfully, "But, I'll figure something out."
Dawn reached for Marianne's hand and held it tightly as they walked. After ten minutes of quiet walking Dawn abruptly stopped and inhaled in shock.
"Dawn? What's wrong?" Marianne asked, slightly annoyed at the sudden stop in their stride.
"It's him!" Dawn whispered in a low voice.
"Who?"
"IT'S HIM!" Dawn shouted as she flew away from her sister's grip and ran off into the crowded street.
"DAWN!" Marianne called, "DAWN COME BACK!"
She chased after her sister, who already was a good distance in front of her. Dawn, being small easily slipped between people on the busy street. Marianne had to barge past, forcing people out of her way. She gave up saying sorry after the first couple of people she collided with.
Adrenaline began to surge through her, she couldn't lose her sister.
Marianne's eyes focused on Dawn, not even daring to blink in case she lost sight of her.
Dawn darted across the road, nimbly avoiding traffic and ran around a street corner.
Why had she run away?
Who did she see?
Marianne followed swiftly, nearly being hit by a car in the process but she didn't care. All she cared about was getting Dawn back, she sharply turned the corner, stumbling slightly before seeing Dawn leaping onto a boy's back.
Marianne ran forward and pulled her sister off. During the chase she had forgotten to breath and was now gasping for breath, beads of sweat forming on her forehead.
"Dawn!" Marianne growled, "What... were you... thinking?!"
"I'm sorry-" Dawn had started to say, her eyes large as if she was going to cry.
"Never... run off... again." Marianne puffed.
"I'm sorry," Dawn repeated, "But it's him."
"Who?" Marianne said, hands on her knees desperately trying to catch her breath.
"What's going on?" A voice questioned, the accent thick and foreign.
"You're from Marianne's dreams!" Dawn called out.
"What are you-" The boy began but stopped short when Marianne pulled herself upright and faced him. The boy was tall, probably a few years older than Marianne. His dark hair was messy, understandable as the eccentric Dawn had just tackled him.
But what caught Marianne's attention however was how blue his eyes were, they almost sparkled in the sunshine.
He was too young to be the man from her dreams, and yet there could be no doubt.
This was him.
Marianne just stood there, unable to think of anything to say. She never even thought that this would happen, she never suspected she would be meeting him. Damn, she wished she planned this out, thought of something witty to say.
"Marianne has dreams about you every night!" Dawn exclaimed, ignorant to the fact the two were simply stood still looking at one another in disbelief.
Before Marianne could act, Dawn had already pulled the notebook from her bag and opened it to show the boy. She tried to grab it back, embarrassed by the contents. It was one thing to tell her little sister in the form of bedtime stories, it's another to announce a random stranger that someone had been dreaming about them ever since they were born.
"See!" Dawn said, holding the book open for the boy to see. "That's you!"
He was silent, he looked up from the book and towards Marianne, and then let his eyes rest back onto the pages of the notebook.
Marianne finally pulled herself together as she snatched the book away from Dawn and shoved it aggressively back into her bag.
She grabbed Dawn by the wrist as she looked up at the boy, her cheeks hot from embarrassment.
"I'm sorry about this... Bye." She said, as she turned on her heels and made her way back towards the street, dragging Dawn with her.
"Marianne!" Dawn cried out "We have to go back!"
"Wait!" He spluttered, Marianne against her better instincts stopped and turned slightly to face him.
He slowly made his way towards them, fumbling with his hands as if trying to find the right thing to say. "I, erm, I have the dreams too."
Marianne laxed her grip on Dawn and frowned. She didn't know if this boy was playing with her, but if he wasn't – could it be possible?
"Marianne's favourite one is when she's a fairy princess with butterfly wings and you are -" Dawn began.
"Goblin." The boy finished. "Yeah... that's mine too."
Dawn gasped and turned to her sister in glee. Marianne just stood there, tears slowly began to fill her eyes. Her earliest recollection as a child was these fantastic adventures and in everyone she fell in love with the blue-eyed stranger.
She never knew if he was real, over the years she came to believe he wasn't. But that never stopped her wishing he was.
As Marianne grew older and the world around her became cruel and harsh, Marianne realised dreams were only that – dreams. Fictional events that played in her mind once the day was done.
Yet, in the flesh, metres away from her stood a boy who claimed to have the dreams too.
Marianne didn't know how to react, she wanted to cry but she hadn't done that since her mother's funeral and five years' worth of tears was an awful lot. She sniffed and blinked, the tears slowly evaporating. She turned back to face the boy, a smile forming on her lips.
"Marianne Faery." She said holding out her hand, she felt it was the most professional thing to do, a trait she picked up from her father.
"Bog." The boy said, as Dawn wrinkled her nose at the name. Marianne felt that maybe deep down she always knew that was going to be his answer.
"Bog King."