A week and a half after Isabel and Dante left Enchantia for their honeymoon, it was time to return home.
They saw more than Isabel thought possible while on their honeymoon. She had memories that would last a life time.
As the two newlyweds flew home, Isabel ran the last ten days in her head as she clutched the blue gem Dante had gotten for her close to her heart.
They had went to Phoenix Hollow and learned a little bit of history. They went to the glow worm cave where Dante had got that beautiful gem for her. They had a picnic on the lake. They saw castle ruins. They also went to the top of a mountain and watched a meteor shower. They went to a beach and built sand castles. They ended up stayed up all night watching the stars and then the sunrise. They even went to Les Paradis to visit the creatures.
Isabel hadn't had that much fun in what seemed like forever. It was mostly fun because she had her best friend, the love of her life by her side.
"--then we'll talk to the king and queen." Dante was saying.
Isabel shook her head and cleared her throat.
"Sorry. What? I didn't catch what you said." Isabel said.
Dante looked at her.
"Hey, you okay?" he asked.
She smiled and nodded.
"I'm just tired. Staying up all night might not have been a good idea." she said laughing.
"Right. Well, I was saying that when we reach Enchantia, we should get some rest. The king and queen will have a list a mile long for us to do when we get back. And I was saying you need to tell the king and queen about your nightmares." Dante said.
"No. It's nothing. Really." Isabel said.
The last few days, she's had pretty much the same nightmare. That voice traps her in darkness. Dante is no where to be seen or heard. Then, she is forced to watch as her kingdom is engulfed in flames.
Isabel shuddered just picturing it.
"Nothing is if you have one dream. Babe, you've had four. That's not a coincidence. Something isn't right." Dante said.
"Okay. Fine. We'll tell them. But I'm going to take a nap first. I'm exhausted." she said.
Dante yawned.
"Oh. Me, too. I could sleep for days." he said laughing. "Thankfully we're almost there."
Soon, they made it to the kingdom's boarders. Isabel could see the palace in the distance. As much as she enjoyed their honeymoon, she was happy to be home.
When they landed, the king and queen was there to greet them.
"Darling, hello!" the queen said hugging her niece. "How was the honeymoon? Did you have fun?"
Isabel smiled.
"We did. But we're exhausted. We're going to take a nap. Okay? And then we'll tell you all about our adventures." Isabel said.
The king squeezed Dante's shoulders.
"Glad to see you made it back in one piece. I thought she'd tear you apart." the king said.
"Okay. Uncle Raff." Isabel said rolling her eyes and smiling. "Don't break his shoulder."
The king nodded and let go.
"Of course not." he said chuckling. "Now go on, you two. The servants will get your bags."
Isabel sighed with relief. Her and Dante went upstairs to Isabel's room and laid in bed.
As soon as Isabel's head hit the pillow, she was out like a light.
When Isabel woke up, Dante was standing out on the balcony. It was evening. Probably around six.
Isabel stretched in the bed and then groaned. She grabbed a pillow and chunked it at Dante. It barely hit him on the leg before it hit the balcony floor.
Dante laughed, picked up the pillow and turned around. He tossed it back at Isabel, hitting her square in the face.
"Oof! Hey!" Isabel said smiling.
Dante sat on the bed and kissed his wife's head.
"Ready to go talk to your aunt and uncle about those nightmares?" Dante asked.
Isabel's smile faded and she rolled her eyes and groaned.
"No. But I have to. It could mean something. Just give me five more minutes." she said pulling the blankets over her head and rolling over.
"Girl, get outta bed!" Dante said.
He pushed her on the back and she rolled out of bed.
"Okay, that was not my fault. I didn't push you that hard." he said.
He peered over the edge of the bed and saw Isabel laying on her back, wrapped in blankets, just staring at the ceiling.
"I know." she said smiling. "I just felt like falling in the floor."
Dante rolled his eyes.
Isabel climbed to her feet with a grunt and threw the blankets back on the bed.
She went into the bathroom and came out a few minutes later with fresh clothes and brushed hair.
The two royals went downstairs to the throne room to meet with the king and queen.
When Isabel and Dante made it to the room, the king and queen had just finished talking with their last citizen for the day.
"Ah, my dear. There you are! How did you sleep?" the queen asked.
"So good. Best nap in the word." Isabel said smiling. "Dante and I have something that we thought may require your attention."
The king and queen exchanged worried looks.
"Is everything okay?" the king asked.
"Let's sit." Isabel said.
Each of the royals sat on their thrones as Isabel talked.
"So, while we were on our honeymoon, we visited many places. One place we went to was some castle ruins. Dante said there was a clash of magic there, much like with me and Merlin in the forest." Isabel said.
"Uh huh, and what happened?" the king asked.
"Well, while we were there, Dante got the sudden feeling that we were being watched. When we went back to the carriage, the horses were acting funny. They could sense something was off. So we fled." Isabel said.
The king and queen sat there looking back and forth between each other and Isabel.
"After we left the ruin site, I started having these.... nightmares. They were awful. It was roughly the same dream every time. Dante said they could've been caused by the ruins. They could be predicting the future." Isabel said.
"And what were these nightmares about?" the queen asked.
Isabel looked at Dante. He took her hand and smiled.
"Well, it started off with me in the dark, alone. I can't see anything, can't feel anything. All I can hear is a buzzing and a ringing in my ears. Then suddenly a voice speaks to me. He sounds so familiar, but I can't place it. His voice is so distinctive that if I'd met him before, I would've remember. But that's just it, I can't put the voice with a face. So I don't think I've met him. Anyways, he tells me his followers are close to finding me. When they do, he will have to key to destroying Enchantia. He said he will capture Enchantia and then lay waste to the rest of the world. Apparently Enchantia is the center of the world and it's roots go through every other kingdom and country? I don't know." Isabel said.
"So this... voice, he says he'll take over Enchantia? How does he plan on doing so?" the king asked.
Isabel shrugged.
"I don't know. But that's not all. While he's talking to me, he's circling me. Something touches me and it burns my skin, like acid. I don't have any idea what that means. Once he's done talking to me, torturing me, I look up and see Enchantia. I can see it through a haze. The vision wasn't clear. It looked like it's in this giant.... bubble? Or something. I don't know how to describe it. There is dark storm clouds surrounding it, just like when Merlin came back. Lightning hits the bubble and it shatters. Then the next thing I know, Enchantia is engulfed in flames." Isabel said.
The queen raised her eyebrows.
"That's too vivid to just be a dream. Something must be stirring. Merlin did warn that something big was coming. Maybe that's what he's talking about." the queen said.
Isabel shuttered.
"I don't know. But it's a definite possibility. We can't rule it out." Dante said.
He put a hand on his wife's. She looked at him and forced a smile.
"What should we do?" Isabel asked.
The king stood up and started pacing.
"We don't want to cause a panic. We've only just bounced back from the repercussions with the whole Merlin fiasco. And then that whole thing about the creatures being taken... I don't know. If the kingdom got whiff of this, we could be in serious trouble. But on the other hand, if this is the big threat that Merlin was talking about, the kingdom should know so we could put a plan in place. Evacuation maybe?" the king said.
"I don't know. It's.... tricky. Where will we send them? There's no way we could evacuate everyone." Dante said.
Isabel sighed.
"I think we have a little while to plan. I'm pretty sure this whole thing doesn't happen until winter." Isabel said.
Everyone looked at her.
"How can you be so sure?" the queen asked.
"Because. Enchantia was covered in snow. And there were decorations for the Winter Festival." Isabel said.
No one said anything.
Finally, Dante cleared his throat.
"Okay. So, it's spring. So we have a while before the Winter Fest. I just hope whatever is going to happen, doesn't happen before then." Dante said.
Isabel shrugged.
"I'm sorry. I know we've had our fill of delusional villains and traitors. I'm sorry Dante. I just wish we could go a while without something major happening. I just want to enjoy the fact that we're married." Isabel said rolling her eyes.
Dante squeezed her hand.
"And one day we will be conflict free. Even if we have to drop off the face of the earth." Dante said smiling.
Isabel smiled slightly.
"Okay, you two." the queen said smiling at the sight of the two. "We need to come up with a plan. We need to figure out where to send people if we have to evacuate. We need to find something, anything on this new threat. Even though there isn't much to go off of."
Isabel signed and nodded.
"Guess I'm hitting the books.... again. The only thing I have to go off of is the burning acid from his touch and maybe the ability to communicate through dreams." she shrugged and looked at Dante. "Could be worse."
"Before we hit the books, how about a ride to the waterfall?" Dante said.
Isabel looked at the king and queen searching for permission.
"Just be careful. Keep an eye out. We don't need our new royals kidnapped." the king said with his arms crossed.
Isabel bowed.
"Thanks, Uncle. We'll be back soon. Promise."
Isabel and Dante went to the stables and saddled their horses and rode to the waterfall.
"Why did you want to come out here?" Isabel asked as she dismounted Aztec.
Dante shrugged.
"Guess I just needed a vacation from the vacation." Dante said chuckling.
He walked up to her and kissed her on the head.
Aztec huffed and neighed, pawing at the ground.
"It's okay, boy. Go get some water and play with Moon Star." Isabel said.
The horse huffed and then hurried off.
Isabel took Dante's hand and squeezed. They sat at the edge of the water.
"It's good to be home. The familiarity is nice. I'm tired of surprises." Isabel said chuckling.
Dante smiled.
"I get that. You know, once this is all over, we need to go somewhere. Anywhere. Away from the stress of being royalty. Away from--"
"The stress of being a savior." Isabel chimed in.
Dante nodded.
"Exactly. You have the weight of the world on your shoulders. We get to share that weight now. Is there anything else bothering you?" Dante asked.
Isabel looked at the water, lost in thought.
"No." she said after a moment. "I promise nothing is wrong... At the moment."
She turned her gaze back to the water.
Something didn't feel right here. But she couldn't place her finger on it. She had a magical connection to this place. So, she can feel something is off.
Was it the water? No. It looked fine. The grass is as green as ever. The sky was clear. So why did something feel so wrong? So corrupt?
"Hey, um, let's head back. It's getting late and I promised my uncle we'd be home."
"But we just got here." Dante said. "Stay a little longer?"
Isabel shook her head.
"No. We need to go. Now." Isabel said sternly.
Dante got up and looked around.
"Is everything okay?" he whispered.
Isabel whistled and the horses came running over.
"I don't know. I just want to get home." she said.
When they reached the palace, they went straight upstairs.
Isabel took a shower while Dante sat at the desk working on something. When she got out, she brushed her hair and put it in a braid. She put on her night gown and got in bed.
She read a book and the next thing she knew, she was out.
The darkness. It was here again. Nothing but the never ending blackness.
"Ah. There you are, dearie. I've been waiting." the voice hissed.
Isabel felt her heat racing, trying to leave her chest. Blood rushed in her ears. She took a deep breath and counted to ten, calming herself down.
"Where are you? Who are you?" Isabel asked.
She searched the darkness for movement. But, alas, she couldn't even see her own hand move in front of her face.
She heard scurrying feet, then something that sounded like slithering, then scurrying feet once more.
"I, my dear, am something you could never imagine. I am nightmares and darkness itself." the voice said coldly. "To see me is to die."
"What do you mean?" Isabel asked.
The voice chuckled.
"You ever hear the legend of the drakon?"
"No. Why?" Isabel asked.
"The drakon could paralyze it's victims by looking into it's eyes. I am much worse. I can kill you by a single glace." the voice said.
"Whatever. What do you want with me? Why do you haunt my dreams?" Isabel asked firmly.
"Oh dear, you don't know what 'haunting' is. Trust me. If I were haunting your dreams, you wouldn't wake up. I'm just simply.... checking in." the voice laughed.
The voice sounded uncomfortably close.
"What do you want with me?"
"You are very important to my plan. But, I can't reveal that to you now, especially since I'm so close to reresection. My followers have served me well. You don't know what you're up against, Princess. Things are going to get real, soon. Hope you're ready." the voice said.
Something touched Isabel's back. She bellowed in pain as her back blistered and burned.
The acid. It was more intense this time. The pain turned her veins to ice. Her body was burning, but her blood felt like icicles shooting through her entire being.
"WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME?!" she yelled into the void.
The darkness started to fade.
"I will see you soon, my dear." The voice laughed. It sounded distant and far off.
Isabel sat up quickly, breathing hard and sweating. Her eyes darted around the dark room. She felt around next to her until she brushed against Dante's arm.
She sighed with relief. Her husband was here. She wasn't alone. She pulled her knees to her chest and silently sobbed.
Those dreams were getting more and more realistic. She felt like she could still feel the burns from the acid. Her back was on fire. It stung with the pain of a thousand needles.
"Hey. You okay?" Dante asked rolling over.
Isabel didn't say anything. She just looked at him, her cheek laying on her knees, with tears running down her face.
"Oh, babe, it's okay." he said sitting up. He wiped her tears away and pulled her into his arms.
Isabel used to feel safe in her home, like nothing could get to her. But now, with these dreams, she doesn't even feel safe enough to sleep.
"Sorry I woke you up." Isabel said in a small voice.
"Don't apologize. I'm here for you. You're safe." Dante said kissing the top of her head.
Isabel sighed.
"You know. I'm getting so sick of things going wrong around here. It's one thing after another. First, it's Merlin, then it was me and you getting poisoned, then it's the creatures, then it's worrying about Anatoly, now it's these dreams. Why? None of this happened until after I was crowned princess. It's gone on too long. And I don't know how to stop it." she said.
Dante stroked her hair and sighed.
"I don't know either. We can't lose hope. We have to believe we can do something. You are the savior after all. You have the Gift of the Phoenix. Your aunt said it was prophesized that you would protect the kingdom. You are special." Dante said.
Isabel scoffed.
"Special? Some good being 'special' has done me. All it's cost me is my sanity." Isabel said laughing slightly.
Dante chuckled, as well.
"You and me both. It drives me nuts that I don't have special powers like you... to protect you. I feel worthless at times because you are this magnificent person who has these amazing powers. I know you can protect yourself, but I can't help but want to shield you from everything." Dante said.
Isabel smiled and kissed him.
"You're everything I need. You're perfect just the way you are. No powers needed."
"Soon, I promise you will feel safe in the kingdom. Everyone will. It will feel like home once again." Dante said.
Home. Home is a place Isabel should feel the safest, worry free. Home is a place where she should be herself. But now, home was just another place the darkness of her dreams could reach.
She pushed the though out of her head.
Dante kissed her on the head once more.
Isabel's eyes grew heavy with weariness. Soon, she was feel asleep. She didn't have another nightmare, at least for the rest of this night.