Chapter Nineteen: The Journey to Elar
Dawn came quickly. A golden-pink light crept through the windows of the House of Beginnings, gently waking the sleepers. But most of them hadn't been sleeping. They had been preparing.
Sion stood in the backyard before the small tree. He touched one of its fruits. And saw:
A long road. Frost mountains. A grey kingdom. And a heart beating in the darkness.
Then he saw dreams. Thousands of dreams floating in the air like soap bubbles, heading toward a single point. A dark point at the kingdom's center.
He withdrew his hand.
"What did you see?" asked the Queen from behind him.
"Confirmation. There is something in Elar. Something stealing dreams."
"And we will face it."
"Yes."
"Are you afraid?"
Sion turned to her. "Yes."
"That's good. Fear means you understand the weight of responsibility."
"And you? Are you afraid?"
The Queen smiled. "I have been afraid for a thousand years. I've grown used to it."
---
Everyone gathered in the main room. On the long table, Elara had placed a map she had drawn from Liam's descriptions.
"Elar is here," she pointed to a northeastern point. "Fifty nights' walk. But with the melting cold, the Path has become faster."
"How many days?" asked Kairn.
"Ten days. Twelve at most."
"We'll take provisions for twenty," said Eron. "Just in case."
"And who will go?" asked Daren.
Sion looked at everyone. "Everyone. Everyone in this room."
"Even me?" asked Liam, who had just woken up, his eyes still carrying the trace of a happy dream.
"You are our guide. You know the way. You know the palace. You know your father."
"But..."
"But nothing. We will protect you."
---
Preparations lasted two hours. Food. Water. Weapons made of memories. Blankets. And small seeds from the golden tree, which Sion took with him. "We might need to plant something there."
Before departure, Eron stood before his son Kairn. "I am proud of you."
"Father, I will return."
"I know. But this time… I will stay here. I will guard the House of Beginnings. Waiting for you."
They embraced. A long, warm embrace, making up for ten years of separation.
---
They set off.
Twelve travelers: Sion, the Queen, Caleb, Kairn, Elara, Faren, Daren, Liam, and four strong pilgrims Elara had chosen.
They walked the main Path, then turned north where the mountains began to appear on the horizon.
The road was different. No longer black ice. It was solid ground, covered with morning dew, and green grasses had begun to appear here and there.
"The world is changing," Elara noted as she wrote.
"The cold is melting," said the Queen. "And with it, so am I."
Sion looked at her. She seemed more human than ever. Her long white hair shone in the sun, but her blue eyes had grown warmer.
"Does it hurt?" he asked.
"It hurts to be alive. And that… is better than feeling nothing."
---
On the third day, they reached the Frost Mountains.
They stood tall, white, as if guarding something. Cold winds blew against them, reminding them of the old cold.
"Here begins the kingdom of Elar," said Liam. "Beyond these mountains, in the great valley."
"How many days to cross the mountains?"
"Three. There is a narrow pass. It's safe… it used to be safe."
They walked through the pass. The mountains around them were silent, silent in a strange way. As if they were waiting for something.
On the third night, when they were deep in the pass, something strange happened.
They stopped dreaming.
Sion woke in the middle of the night and felt that something was wrong. Not danger. Something wrong inside him. He couldn't remember his dream. He knew he had dreamed something, but the memory had vanished completely.
He looked at the others. They were sleeping, but their faces were blank. As if they had dreamed of nothing.
"Wake up!" he shouted.
They all rose in confusion.
"What happened?" asked Caleb.
"Your dreams. Remember them."
They looked at each other. Each tried to remember.
Nothing.
They knew they had dreamed. But no one remembered what.
"It has begun," the Queen whispered.
---
End of Chapter Nineteen
The theft has begun. Even before they reached Elar.
The thing that steals dreams… knows they are coming.
And warns them.
But Sion looks at the mountains, and at what lies beyond.
And he knows: a warning means they are on the right path.
And that what the enemy fears… is what they will do.
They quicken their pace.
And continue the journey.
Toward the unknown.
Toward a king who weeps black tears.
And toward a dream that could change everything. 🏔️🌙👣