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That day, the sun was shining over the military camp of the imperial army. Both common soldiers and members of the Holy Order were lazily walking between the tents, discussing some business among themselves, even Prince Dion, sorting through documents in his tent, could hardly keep from leaning back in his chair and dozing off in the warmth. But it was not only all sorts of urgent matters that kept him awake, but also the fact that the soldiers' conversations were becoming more frequent, indistinct, but loud enough not to be just background noise. Dion tried not to attach any importance to it until, having listened more closely, he caught anxiety in the voices outside. If it were some kind of alarm, he would have certainly been informed by now, but the prince decided to peek out from behind the curtain anyway and find out what was going on. As soon as he went out, he almost collided with one of the officers on the threshold.
"Your Highness." he bowed. Dion merely nodded.
"Something seems to be bothering the people, Sir Henry?" Dion asked, looking around and frowning. "Something is bothering the people? As I said, I am always ready to help resolve problems or conflicts."
"No." the dragoon shook his head; Dion did not miss the fact that the officer was trying not to look him in the eye.
"Are you sure?" the prince tried again. He did not like to pressure his people, but in return he expected their trust: what kind of leader would he be if he was not considered capable of resolving disagreements. The officer turned pale.
"My humblest apologies, Your Highness. There are no problems, people are simply discussing rumors... You understand what date it is."
Dion froze. He knew what month and date it was today, because that was what he used as a guide when drawing up tactics and plans — after the founding of the Order and the beginning of the war with Waloed, the days really did become just an order of numbers for him.
Date. Anniversary?
And then he remembered, and the realization must have shown on his face, because the dragoon bowed his head sadly.
"No one would want to disturb you once again. There are many soldiers who served then and knew that you lost a friend that night... There are things from the past that I would like to respect, no matter what happens now."
"It was an event that shook the whole world." the prince nodded. "Such a thing is doomed to become surrounded by rumors year after year... But tell the people that they do not need to worry about me."
These words may have sounded strange, but Dion was able to build at least with his inner circle enough trusting relationships that they felt concern for each other as comrades, and not as a commander and subordinates. The dragoon saluted and left. Dion watched him go and returned to the tent.
Soon the voices outside died down, it seemed the soldiers saw that he was interested in what was happening, and went to talk elsewhere so as not to disturb his rest.
The prince sat down at the table again, resting his chin on his hands.
"So, fifteen years, huh?" he grinned, but even now there was a caustic bitterness in that grin.
It was fifteen years after the night called the Night of Flames.
***
"...on. Dion!"
Dion shuddered, almost screaming, and opened his eyes wide. A bright light hit them. Had the tent disappeared? How had that happened? He breathed heavily, coming to his senses, and instead of the usual stuffiness, the aromas of flowering trees hit his nose, as if Dion was not near the battlefield, but in a royal garden.
"Sorry." someone breathed out next to him. "I did not mean to scare you."
It was a child's voice. One that the prince could recognize even after all these years. He turned his head to face the speaker and froze.
Next to him, under the shade of one of the many apple trees blooming in the garden, sat Joshua Rosfield. Alive, breathing, with rosy cheeks and shining gentian eyes.
“Am I dreaming?” Dion asked. It was impossible. Joshua Rosfield, the Dominant of the Phoenix, had died fifteen years ago. How could he be here? And where was “here”?
The boy next to him giggled.
“Not quite. But you dozed off for a while. And you said you weren’t tired.” Joshua bowed his head, his smile widening.
This is a dream. Dion realized. He must have fallen asleep at his desk, and thoughts of the Night of Flames had turned into a dream, filled with memories of the Remembrance Ceremony, the first and last time Dion and Joshua would see each other in person. The prince looked around and realized that he recognized the garden well, and now he began to remember little by little.
The official part of the ceremony was already over, so the children were allowed to walk in the garden. They caught butterflies together, looked for flowers they knew and came up with names for unfamiliar ones, and one of these flowers turned out to have thorns. Dion remembered that his hands were scratched, but now they looked healthy. And his hands were, in fact, small and soft. He really was a nine-year-old child now.
"Does it hurt anymore?" Phoenix asked, looking worriedly at his fingers.
“No.” the prince muttered. Yes, he remembered now that Joshua had healed the scratches, but after that he had been shaken by a violent cough, and Dion had suggested that they stop their walk and sit on a bench in the shade.
Sun, it seems to me that you are tired of shining
Sun, it seems to me that you are just tired
Hurry to lie down in the clouds and rest
I will fix your blanket
“I thank you again. And I apologize for having to waste your energy on such a trifle.”
The words flew from his lips, at once natural and as if memorized. He did not remember every second of that day, so as to repeat all the conversations from memory, but that is how dreams work: you never think about the words and just say them, like the text of a play, but you do not feel any force forcing you to say something specific.
“It is not a trifle.” Joshua said. “You were in pain, after all. I'm glad I could help you. Just..." he hesitated, "I wouldn't want you to be bored because you have to sit here and wait for me to get better."
"Not at all!" Dion protested hotly. "I like this garden. It's always beautiful and peaceful. And sitting with you," he added, feeling the blood rush to his cheeks, "I like it too."
Joshua smiled and exhaled with relief. The prince smiled sheepishly.
"Then do you mind if we sit a little longer?" the boy asked him timidly.
Dion didn't mind at all. He nodded, and Phoenix moved closer. After a minute, he dozed off, his head falling on the prince's shoulder. It seemed Joshua was more tired than he wanted to admit, and Dion didn't wake him. Especially since he remembered that the boy had only fallen asleep for a short time.
Sun, forget about everything
I will cancel all weather reports
Do you want me to protect your dream?
The sweetest and shortest
Dream
Everything was as Dion remembered. Joshua woke up a couple of minutes later, yelping, and the prince couldn’t help but smile.
“You can sleep some more if you want.” the prince told him.
“No, no.” the boy shook his head. “Otherwise I’ll sleep like this until the evening.”
The evening was indeed approaching. Soon the maids would come looking for them to take them to their families. But for now they had little time left, and the children decided to spend it together, listening to the singing of birds.
“A finch.” Joshua suddenly said. Dion frowned in confusion. “A titmouse.” he continued after a few seconds. “A lark.” he added again, but at that moment his eyes widened and he turned to Dion, full of delight. "Can you believe it, it's a lark! They hardly sing in the summer!"
"Why am I not surprised that you recognize so many birds?" the prince laughed.
"I bet you know all the types of dragons." Joshua snorted, and hit the nail on the head, which made Dion laugh even harder.
Then the maids came for them, and the boys had to part ways. The next morning there was to be an exchange of gifts, after which everyone was going to go home, and this meant that they would not be able to play there anymore until some other big party.
Despite the fact that it was a dream, the events did not stop at the moment of parting. It was strange that Dion could not force himself to wake up, but most likely he was just sleeping too deeply. As the leader of the Order and the commander of the Empire's army, he had been very busy lately, so the prince decided to just go with the flow, believing that he would wake up on his own.
After saying goodbye to Joshua, he returned to the guest room, where Father was waiting for him. Was there the same steel in his eyes that day that he saw now, or was the image of his Father from the present able to destroy the tenderness of his gaze even in childhood memories?
"I'm back, Father." Dion bowed to the Emperor. "I... I made friends with Phoenix. He... shows promise." the prince squeezed out.
He has an incredibly strong and kind heart, he himself is like light. And if my light is cold, then his is the warm light of a flame, warming even in impenetrable darkness. This is what Dion wanted to say, what he really thought, but it was not at all what Sylvestre expected from him.
Even when he soon found himself in his bed, Dion could not fall asleep in his sleep and wake up in reality. He got out of bed, quickly put on his shoes and threw his cloak over him. Having looked out the door and made sure that everyone was asleep, he carefully walked out into the hallway. Then the prince could not sleep either, and neither could Joshua. They had crossed paths completely by chance, but now Dion knew what was about to happen. He stopped by the window, trying to remember where exactly it happened, and could not hold back a sigh of relief when he saw a child's figure approaching him. Joshua, like him, was wearing a cloak, but he yawned and rubbed his eyes, not noticing where he was going. The prince called out to him quietly, and the boy froze, and then ran up, smiling happily.
White lilies sleep on dark water
Moon craters, black holes of space sleep
And you are floating through them in the dark
To the shores of a perfect world
"Why aren't you sleeping?" Dion whispered, although he already knew the answer.
"I want to sleep, but I can't." Phoenix explained. "So much has happened today, right?"
"That's right." the prince nodded. Suddenly he noticed that the boy was shivering. For some reason, the prince thought that the Dominants of the Phoenix rarely got cold, but he decided not to ask, and simply took off his cloak and threw it over Joshua's shoulders.
"You'll get cold yourself." Phoenix objected.
"I won't." Dion assured him. "I rarely get cold anyway."
Joshua nodded in gratitude and wrapped himself more tightly in his cloak.
"Thank you." the boy added. "This is really much better."
Dion nodded with satisfaction.
"But I'll ask anywa.," Joshua winked at him. "And why aren't you sleeping?"
"Me?" Dion stuttered. What had he answered then? He did not remember why he could not sleep then, but now he came because Joshua would definitely be standing here. "I… I don’t know, to be honest. I just can’t sleep.
It seemed the prince answered correctly. Phoenix smiled.
—"We’re even similar in that." he chuckled. "In fact, I’m glad we ran into each other. There’s a place I wanted to show you before you left."
The prince frowned, trying to remember what exactly Joshua wanted to show him. It wasn’t something sudden. They really had gone somewhere together at night, and Dion remembered that they had fun, but for some reason he couldn’t remember any details. It turned out that for him, just like then, it was supposed to be a surprise, and his heart began to beat faster in anticipation.
"This will be our little night adventure!" Joshua chuckled. He came closer, holding out his hand, the moonlight pouring through the window fell on his face, and Dion saw how tired but happy his friend looked. As if Dion's company was the most pleasant thing in the world for him. "Our secret!"
Dion took the outstretched hand and squeezed it tightly. Joshua's fingers were incredibly warm.
It hides its face in its palm
Young moon, sad and gentle
It knows that your dream is
The sweetest and shortest
Dream
To Dion's surprise, Joshua led him into the garden again. They walked carefully along the paths, and Phoenix was constantly on the lookout for something.
"Are we going somewhere in particular?" asked the prince. He did not quite recognize the path Joshua led him, at night the garden seemed completely different. But this did not frighten him at all, no, all this time Dion did not leave a pleasant feeling of mystery. If they were discovered, they would be in trouble, but all they had to do was be careful and get back before morning, right?
"Yes." Joshua replied. "Or rather, I know where exactly to go, but I don't know the exact route. Clive told me about this place."
They passed familiar places. There were the arches covered with clematis, where he and Joshua had decided to meet after the Ceremony. Walking a little further and turning left, they came across a thorny bush that Dion had scraped his hands on during the day. So, Dion remembered, there must be a bench nearby, where he and Joshua had rested together. They continued walking, sometimes having to turn off their usual paths and pick their way through branches and grass. There was already dew on the leaves, and the prince was soaked almost immediately, but he was still glad that he had given his cloak to his friend: he would probably be much colder than Dion was now.
"Sorry it took so long." Phoenix panted, stopping and looking around. "But we are almost there, it's true!"
"Don't worry" Dion reassured him, squeezing his hand tighter in his. "Imm really interested in what you will show me. I like walking with you like this."
He was ready to wander through the night garden like this, holding hands as long as possible. After all, they could never do this again. If Dion for some reason couldnt wake up from this long sleep, then let him be allowed to see it to the end.
The nocturnal vastness is breathing with peace
Plains are flooded with moonlight
Mirror surfaces of lakes are sleeping
Peaks disappeared in a soft fog
Soon they reached the middle of the garden. Dion rarely came here even during the day, and this was his first night here. A pond full of blossoming water lilies stretched out in front of them. In the evening, when some of the guests were still strolling in the garden, beautiful lanterns were lowered onto the surface of the pond, but now there was not even a single extinguished one: it seemed that the servants had already put them away, to let them out again tomorrow.
Somewhere in the distance, a bird began to sing. Perhaps Dion knew bird songs worse than Joshua, but he recognized this song unmistakably.
"A nightingale," he smiled at Phoenix. The latter nodded happily.
"Isn't it beautiful?" he asked. "I'm glad we could hear it, but I wanted to show you something else."
The boy led the prince closer to the edge of the pond. The water seemed calm, like black glass, and only the ripples from the water lilies destroyed this illusion.
"Look." Joshua whispered, his hand moving from his wrist to his shoulder, squeezing.
And Dion saw.
First one, then ten, no, dozens, if not hundreds. Here and there, small green lights rose from the grass, flying over the water and circling around flowers and stones. Fireflies.
The prince could not say anything. He now remembered that Phoenix had indeed brought him here to show him fireflies, but his heart still sank with delight and trepidation. Dion turned his head towards Joshua and saw him reaching out his hand to one of the lights, but carefully lowering it back, even when it seemed that he was about to catch at least one. His eyes were shining like stars, and there was joy in them, there was life, and Dion felt pain.
“It's magnificent, isn't it?” the boy asked the prince. “I hope you like it.”
And at that moment, Dion’s heart broke. Whether it was the childish heart of the boy in the dream, or the heart of a grown man yearning for something once lost, he did not know, but whoever sent him this dream was either too cruel, forcing him to see something that could never be returned, or too merciful, reminding him that this was not just a dream, this was something that once was. And Joshua, his friend, was in his life, and he left a mark on his soul that would never disappear.
“Joshua.” the prince whispered. “Thank you. It's magical."
Dion hoped that the boy, fascinated by the fireflies, would not see the tears streaming down his cheeks.
Where the mountains are closed in a ring
The moon is rocking in a silver boat
That love that is like a dream
The sweetest and shortest
Dream
In the morning it was time to say goodbye. First, the guests said goodbye with all the formalities, bowing to each other and expressing hopes for the benefit of holding the Ceremony of Remembrance. Then people broke up into small groups to once again personally say goodbye to friends or political partners.
Dion and Joshua also stood separately. The prince did not know what to say, the pain of parting was turning him inside out, and every time he opened his mouth, only a wheeze escaped from his throat. But Phoenix seemed to interpret it differently, and suddenly, in front of their families and the rest of the guests, he hugged him so tightly that Dion was surprised that a nine-year-old boy had so much strength.
“I will write to you every day." Joshua promised. “No matter what happens, you will always be my friend, Dion.”
Dion hugged him back with trembling arms, sniffling.
He wanted to promise that they would not only write to each other, but that they would definitely meet again soon, but he couldn’t, because Joshua didn’t deserve such a lie.
“Always.” the prince repeated instead. “You will always be in my heart, Joshua.”
Sun, it seems to me that you are tired of shining
Tired of being fair and wise
I am looking at your negative
And am repeating monotonous sutras
Soon Phoenix broke their embrace and ran away, but not for long: for some reason he approached Archduke Elvin — even from afar Dion saw with what tenderness he looked at his son, who excitedly was telling him something, and bitterly noted that his Father never had such a look. Then they both approached the Emperor himself and spoke to him. Some more time passed, and a servant approached them with a familiar box in his hands, from which Phoenix immediately began to take something out. Dion knew what exactly, even before Joshua returned to him.
A pair of earrings. The same ones that were given to the prince as a symbol of respect to the Dominant of Light at the Ceremony of Remembrance.
"Usually such things are kept in treasuries or worn on special occasions." Joshua began. "But yesterday morning, before the Ceremony, you gave me your necklace. I have no personal item that I can give you, so I would like you to wear these earrings. Do you mind?"
Dion remembered about the necklace. More precisely, it was an ornament of his outfit, similar to a chain with blue gems, but when Joshua first met him, he liked it so much that the prince gave him the chain without any hesitation.
"These earrings are somewhat similar to mine." Joshua added, pointing to his own ears.
Dion already had his ears pierced, and he wore earrings. He remembered that then he simply accepted the gift.
But even if it was a dream, it was his dream, and he could at least slightly influence what was happening.
With a smile, Dion took off his earrings, and then Joshua helped him put on new ones. A gift from a friend. A token of remembrance.
"Thank you. I promise to take care of them."
They hugged again, and the prince allowed himself to close his eyes, enjoying the last embrace with his friend.
The whisper of the hourglass will fade away
The diamond prayer beads will slip into the sea
When Dion opened his eyes, he found himself in the tent again. He looked at himself carefully and saw that he had woken up after all, it was the body of a grown man, a dragoon and commander-in-chief.
"I haven't seen such dreams for a long time" the prince muttered, sighing tiredly and tucking a strand of hair behind his ear. And at that moment his fingers touched the earrings, but not quite the shape he was used to.
And Dion suddenly understood everything.
With trembling hands, he took off the earrings. A disbelieving gaze fell on the Rosarian ornament and dark rubies that had replaced the simple earrings he had been wearing that morning.
Dion let out a laugh that turned into a sob and, carefully placing the earrings on the table, covered his face with his hands. His shoulders shook slightly.
You are my most impossible dream
The sweetest and shortest
Dream