This dream typifies that description. The main difference between this dream and my other epic dreams is that this dream is merely a scene, a sliver, of a larger story instead of containing the entire story beginning to end. What is typical when I have dreams like this, that are merely scenes, is that upon entering the dream I gain a innate understanding of the whole story, everything that happened leading up to the moment the dream begins. That does, however, make telling the dream a little tricky. I can't start at the beginning of the dream because I'll need to give you the exposition that I was given at the beginning of the dream before the events are retold. I'll try it!
The Dream of the Squire, the Princess, and the Mysterious Sword
Like my reading habits, my dreams more often inhabit the world of science fiction, rather than fantasy. So it's a bit unusual for me to have a dream set in a castle, involving swords, squires and the like. However, one of the defining characteristics of fantasy is the presence of magic. This dream was wholly without magic (unless we talk about the sword, and we just don't know much about that). So I'll just go ahead and call it a Medieval Dream. There. All better.
Like my reading habits, my dreams more often inhabit the world of science fiction, rather than fantasy. So it's a bit unusual for me to have a dream set in a castle, involving swords, squires and the like. However, one of the defining characteristics of fantasy is the presence of magic. This dream was wholly without magic (unless we talk about the sword, and we just don't know much about that). So I'll just go ahead and call it a Medieval Dream. There. All better.
Back Story
As I join this story, already in progress, I come to inhabit the point of view of the main character, The Squire. Once I begin to see out of his eyes, I immediately understand the history behind the story, and the events leading up to the scene that I now witness. I am The Squire. I was an orphan who was left on the doorstep of a noble Lord's castle. The lady of the castle found me and, being of kind heart, took me in. I did not come alone. With me is a hastily scrawled note which reads "please give this child shelter, and teach him the ways of a knight, for his destiny is to save us all". (Or something like that, I'm paraphrasing to cover for spotty memory). I also arrived with a finely crafted, ornate sword of unknown origin. The Lord of the keep, a knight, was not interested in raising someone else's son, but since his wife had failed to give him a son, he reluctantly agreed. I was raised with all the privileges of one of noble birth, and learned the ways of knighthood. However, The Knight would never accept me as his own, and viewed me as some sort of punishment from god for his sins. He felt that he was not given a son because he had offended god, and that my presence was to be a reminder of that. As a consequence of his never treating me as his own, I grew up never seeing his daughter, who was close to my age, as a sister. As time progressed and The Princess and I grew into our teens, it became clear that there were feelings between us that were not those of siblings. Perhaps she took notice of the way I excelled in all my learning, and how I took to the art of combat with an unnatural ease. Or perhaps she merely took pity on me, as my continued efforts to gain a feeling of acceptance with my adopted family were thwarted time and again by The Knight. The Lady passed away one summer, after taking ill for some time. The void she left behind left me very much ill at ease, as it had been her kindness that had always kept The Knight from sending me away to live as an orphan should. But on her death bed she had made him promise to finish my training, and to accept me as his squire. I didn't understand that his irritation with me also stemmed from the shame of the whispers he heard about how he couldn't bear a son of his own, and how he had "found a bastard" to train as a squire, which was downright scandalous. So it was this set of circumstances that set the table for The Knight's discovery of a budding romance between the bastard he had reluctantly accepted as his squire, and his daughter, the noble Princess. In his rage he banished me to live in the stables, and took away my sword. The one that had been left with me when I was abandoned, and the only tie I had to whoever it was that had abandoned me. If it hadn't been for The Princess's pleas, and reminding The Knight of his promise, this would've been all the excuse he needed to finally be rid of me, once and for all. But The Knight was a busy man, and the keep was large enough where two clever, enterprising young people can have a secret romance without the head of the house finding out. I took to climbing the ivy up the wall to The Princess's room while I was on break from my duties about the keep. It was there, one afternoon, that I, the dreamer, joined with the story already in progress.
"Do you hear that?"
"Hear what?"
Then, after a pause, "Horses!"
I sprang up and ran to The Princesses balcony, which overlooked a courtyard and the main gate to the keep which was standing open, as it does in times of peace. I reached the balcony just in time to see a dozen or so horsemen round the corner, weapons drawn. The dreamer doesn't know who these men are, or why they're here, but The Squire seems to have some idea. He/I sprang into action.
"Stay here!"
"What are you doing!?"
"Bar the door behind me, open it for no one. Remember how we used to climb the tresses to get on the roof? If they try to come through the door, go to the roof. I will find you there."
"Wait!"
I was already through the door. I could hear the sound of screaming servants and breaking glass down below on the main floor. It dawned on me that my sword had been taken away, and I had no idea where it was. I would have to do without. The Knight, by now in his late 40's, was caught almost completely by surprise. He hadn't gotten the chance to put on any armor, but he was still holding off a couple of attackers at the main entrance.
"Where is my sword!?", I shouted.
"There's no time! Grab anything, don't let them get The Princess!" (I don't know what these attackers were after, but I didn't think it was The Princess, and neither did The Knight. One can only guess it was the concern of a father for his daughter that made him drop all other concerns.)
So, as I came down the main staircase, I kicked out one of the wooden supports from the railing to use as a makeshift club. Then I proceeded to mop the floor with several well armed attackers using, essentially, a stick. Something awakened in The Squire at that moment. Something that had laid dormant because it had lacked the sense of self one gains from having a family, awakened. The Squire finished off the attackers, and The Knight could do nothing to hide his astonishment at the turn of events. I felt something welling up within The Squire/myself that unlocked a sense of understanding. The Squire was beginning to understand his destiny. This overwhelming sense of understanding was enough that I, the dreamer, was kicked out of The Squire's point of view at that moment, and I woke up...
I don't even know if The Squire and The Princess lived happily ever after.
As I join this story, already in progress, I come to inhabit the point of view of the main character, The Squire. Once I begin to see out of his eyes, I immediately understand the history behind the story, and the events leading up to the scene that I now witness. I am The Squire. I was an orphan who was left on the doorstep of a noble Lord's castle. The lady of the castle found me and, being of kind heart, took me in. I did not come alone. With me is a hastily scrawled note which reads "please give this child shelter, and teach him the ways of a knight, for his destiny is to save us all". (Or something like that, I'm paraphrasing to cover for spotty memory). I also arrived with a finely crafted, ornate sword of unknown origin. The Lord of the keep, a knight, was not interested in raising someone else's son, but since his wife had failed to give him a son, he reluctantly agreed. I was raised with all the privileges of one of noble birth, and learned the ways of knighthood. However, The Knight would never accept me as his own, and viewed me as some sort of punishment from god for his sins. He felt that he was not given a son because he had offended god, and that my presence was to be a reminder of that. As a consequence of his never treating me as his own, I grew up never seeing his daughter, who was close to my age, as a sister. As time progressed and The Princess and I grew into our teens, it became clear that there were feelings between us that were not those of siblings. Perhaps she took notice of the way I excelled in all my learning, and how I took to the art of combat with an unnatural ease. Or perhaps she merely took pity on me, as my continued efforts to gain a feeling of acceptance with my adopted family were thwarted time and again by The Knight. The Lady passed away one summer, after taking ill for some time. The void she left behind left me very much ill at ease, as it had been her kindness that had always kept The Knight from sending me away to live as an orphan should. But on her death bed she had made him promise to finish my training, and to accept me as his squire. I didn't understand that his irritation with me also stemmed from the shame of the whispers he heard about how he couldn't bear a son of his own, and how he had "found a bastard" to train as a squire, which was downright scandalous. So it was this set of circumstances that set the table for The Knight's discovery of a budding romance between the bastard he had reluctantly accepted as his squire, and his daughter, the noble Princess. In his rage he banished me to live in the stables, and took away my sword. The one that had been left with me when I was abandoned, and the only tie I had to whoever it was that had abandoned me. If it hadn't been for The Princess's pleas, and reminding The Knight of his promise, this would've been all the excuse he needed to finally be rid of me, once and for all. But The Knight was a busy man, and the keep was large enough where two clever, enterprising young people can have a secret romance without the head of the house finding out. I took to climbing the ivy up the wall to The Princess's room while I was on break from my duties about the keep. It was there, one afternoon, that I, the dreamer, joined with the story already in progress.
Dream Begins
As The Princess and I shared shy glances and shyer conversation, I noticed something. "Do you hear that?"
"Hear what?"
Then, after a pause, "Horses!"
I sprang up and ran to The Princesses balcony, which overlooked a courtyard and the main gate to the keep which was standing open, as it does in times of peace. I reached the balcony just in time to see a dozen or so horsemen round the corner, weapons drawn. The dreamer doesn't know who these men are, or why they're here, but The Squire seems to have some idea. He/I sprang into action.
"Stay here!"
"What are you doing!?"
"Bar the door behind me, open it for no one. Remember how we used to climb the tresses to get on the roof? If they try to come through the door, go to the roof. I will find you there."
"Wait!"
I was already through the door. I could hear the sound of screaming servants and breaking glass down below on the main floor. It dawned on me that my sword had been taken away, and I had no idea where it was. I would have to do without. The Knight, by now in his late 40's, was caught almost completely by surprise. He hadn't gotten the chance to put on any armor, but he was still holding off a couple of attackers at the main entrance.
"Where is my sword!?", I shouted.
"There's no time! Grab anything, don't let them get The Princess!" (I don't know what these attackers were after, but I didn't think it was The Princess, and neither did The Knight. One can only guess it was the concern of a father for his daughter that made him drop all other concerns.)
So, as I came down the main staircase, I kicked out one of the wooden supports from the railing to use as a makeshift club. Then I proceeded to mop the floor with several well armed attackers using, essentially, a stick. Something awakened in The Squire at that moment. Something that had laid dormant because it had lacked the sense of self one gains from having a family, awakened. The Squire finished off the attackers, and The Knight could do nothing to hide his astonishment at the turn of events. I felt something welling up within The Squire/myself that unlocked a sense of understanding. The Squire was beginning to understand his destiny. This overwhelming sense of understanding was enough that I, the dreamer, was kicked out of The Squire's point of view at that moment, and I woke up...
I don't even know if The Squire and The Princess lived happily ever after.
