Succumbing to darkness was easy. The lull of slumber's whispered song called to me as readily as life gives breath, and oh I was ready for her. A softly sensual touch brushed over my heavy eyelids, weary from the things I had seen, my body equally as weary from the things I had endured. So young, and yet robbed of fire and zeal. I let her take me.

In the dreaming time has no relevance, for what is time but a measure in minutes past? Colours grow more vivid behind closed lids. Ah, the senses, a beautiful amalgamation of what we use every day, and take utterly for granted. But lo, I could not shun the siren's call of the alternate reality I had begun to embark upon, and with each step, the din of the waking world became quickly and readily forgotten.

At first all was pleasant, relaxing, and yet exciting in its newness. Slumber took me away from the woes and cares of the world, creating a new world all her own for me to explore. I followed a path paved of glittering gems and my fae heart cried out with elation as the warm light was thirstily soaked into each gem, only to reflect a multitude of colours through their various facets. Raising my hands I gazed upon them, realizing I was bathed in a glorious rainbow of tints, their hues so utterly pure and enchanting. I realized now that I was flying forward, feeling weightless and carefree, and yet entirely unaware that the further I delved into this beautifully constructed trap, the harder it would be for me to return.

Was it minutes, hours, days perhaps that I had been within this dream? I no longer knew, and cares were becoming slowly forgotten. There was something, someone to wake for; or was there? A husband? Had I duties to tend to? A gloriously new imbuement of powers to explore as not simply a mortal, but a Demigoddess? I could feel a stirring somewhere in the back of my alternate conscience, encouraging me to wake, and yet as I turned back there sprung before me hideous abominations!

They were so-called holy warriors. I knew them at once to be Celestine, and yet they were not the same. This smattering of conjured creatures were soulless. Their eyes shone no light, only hunger, and as they raised their fisted weapons to strike me, I fled deeper into the dream.

Heart racing and breathless I stopped, spinning about only to realize I stood within a silent copse of gnarled trees. The day had turned to night, Father Sun's chase having come and gone to allow the irradiant Mother Night to take Her place above the high havens. I gave pause, waiting for the horde to come barreling in, and yet they did not. In that still copse I remained alone save the occasional flicker of firefly light.

The glow of those lights was hypnotic, and with a slowing of my wings I allowed my feet to touch the ground, the red mist stirring and swirling in disturbed tendrils before settling in its slow and eternal crawl once more. Somehow, I felt tired, the ground beneath me so appealing in that moment that I sank to my knees. Stretching further upon my side I laid my head to rest upon my arm and fell quickly to sleep, thus adding a new layer to my dream.

I woke some time later, my eyes blinking against the harsh light, my lips dried and throat parched. How long had I been asleep? With a hand rising to shield my eyes I sat upright, blinking the aeon from my sleep-addled mind and eyes. When the world about me came into focus I realized I was lying in the desert, a skittering crawl up my leg confirming this as I glanced down and frantically brushed away a scorpion. Wearily I stood, this pitting sensation in my stomach gnawing at me with a sense of dread and solitude. I was alone.

For what seemed like an eternity I wandered, skin blistered from the sun, my usually glamorous wings cracked and drooping behind me, pain wracking every inch of my form. Several times I stumbled, falling to the sand. Shock and confusion struck me with the first fall when the sand began pouring out from under me, like the sands within an hourglass. Each time the silken granules swallowed me down with them, pulling me a layer deeper within my dream each time. Or was it a dream any longer? No. It was very real. This was my reality.

Somehow, I must have lost consciousness with the last stumble, too weary and devoid of strength to go on. This time, when I woke, there was neither desert nor sand. The air was cool and vaguely damp upon my skin, which was again soft and whole. I drank in a gulp of air and it felt like ecstasy. Pushing myself up once more, I realized I was sleeping on a bed of silk and I felt rejuvenated. My eyes swept the area and though I came to realize that around me walls riddled with vines stretched upward as far as the eye could see, I felt rightness here.

Slowly I climbed out of the bed which vanished behind me, the silk of the snowy sheets now spun about me in an ethereal gown. Brushing my hands over it I reveled in its softness, loving the way it fell about me. I wandered toward the wall, my hand reaching out to touch it, and as I walked my fingertips drug along the vines and the glistening wall beneath them. To my surprise, my hand pushed forward as I continued to wander forward, the wall having given way, and yet seeming as if it still stood before me. Astonished I tentatively and yet curiously stepped forward, and then again, only to watch the vision change before me. I now stood before a long, beautiful table, upon which a feast was piled, and I knew hunger once more.

Around the table beautiful creatures lazily sat, some sprawled together in a tangle of limbs, so close I couldn't make one from another. Others sat alone, their eyes closed with euphoria etched on their features with each bite they took. My mouth watered, and without further adieu I made my way to the sole empty chair that I knew was intended for me. To my right sat a regal Viscanti man, his eyes like rubies, skin like pitch, and for a moment I forgot my hunger- for food. Peeling my eyes away from him I looked to my left, a willowy Trill woman flashing me a sultry smile as she bit into a petite cake, the glaze leaving her lips glistening and my mouth watering.

Finally turning my gaze forward I beheld the waterfall of foods before me and inhaled, the conglomeration of items delightfully dizzying me. I picked up a glass of wine and drank deeply from it, a buzz lazily winding through my head and limbs, and then began to feast. I do not know how long I sat there, content to gorge myself on every manner of hot, deliciously dripping meats, airy breads, and sugary sweets. My hunger was never sated. With each bite I took, I wanted more, and freely gave in to that want until something caught my eye, tearing me from my glutton and lust; a shimmering portal through which a slender, effeminate hand protruded. I could only scarcely see it through the towers of draped plump grapes and racks of baked goods, and yet the curl of that slim finger distinctly tugged at me and I knew hunger no more.

Standing I walked away from the hands of that Viscanti and Trill which clung to the silken gown I donned, peeling it away from me. With the flutter of ivory silk the scene vanished, all save that portal and the slow inward curl of that taloned finger. Hypnotized and insatiably curious I made my way forward, placing my hand in Hers. I felt awe as I touched that tawny, flawless skin, the fingers curling about my hand and slowly drawing me forward. As my foot pushed through the portal I felt a rush of warmth and cold alike rush through me and I heard the beating of my heart, slow and rhythmic. I only just caught a glimpse of Her, of beautiful temptation incarnate, hearing a subtle whisper in the recesses of my mind.

"Wake," came the hushed beckon.

"Wake and come to Me," it suggested.

My eyes fluttered open, body heavy with the weight of the years gone by. No longer caught in the labyrinth of the dreaming I knew myself to be whole once more with body and mind synchronized, and I knew that I must seek Her. That I woke, for Her.