The Return

He dreamt of his return.

Crowds of his subjects would throng the main roadway through the city cheering his name; clamouring to get a glimpse as he passed by; flower pedals showering down in the thousands from the rooftops.

Triumphantly, he would walk the expansive steps that led up to the ornate gates of the castle; his shimmering castle, which stood as a beacon at the center of the kingdom; his kingdom.

At the apex of the steps stands his love; beautiful and strong she smiles at him as he ascends the final stairs; at long last returning to her warm embrace.

For so long has he been away, journeying to the far reaches of the land, on his quest to free his kingdom from the shadow that had crept across it from deep beneath the Accursed Mountains.

The journey to rid the land of the beast that had haunted it had taken its toll on all his companions; each one falling in their quest, until there had just been he to face the monster in the dark.

Yet, he had endured; had bravely descended into the caves that stretched deep into the earth below the high reaching mountain range.

And there, in the depths of darkness, he had come to confront the hideous creature that had been draining the very life out of his beloved land.

With determination he had struck down with his mighty sword, unflinching, even when he felt a sharp sting of pain in his side; nothing would stop him from smiting his enemy down.

Yet, had he?

He remembered swinging his weapon deftly to deal the grotesque, multi-limbed monster a deadly blow, but now, laying there in the dark, his breathing becoming ragged, details of what had happened seemed hazy.

Perhaps it was the fatigue of the long quest that made his memory so misty. A short rest would bring clarity.

So he had laid down his heavy sword, and rested his head upon the cool stone of the cave floor.

The muffled sounds of scurrying legs trailing off into the cave were ignored as the warmth of sleep came over him, and he closed his eyes to dream once last dream.

He dreamt of his return.