Their steps naturally fell into sync. He could hear her right beside him, even if he didn’t have a clear view of her, just barely ahead to keep him protected and safe. She was always so diligent, so steady, a tether to keep his dreams grounded. He could always rely on her. His knight in shining armor. 

Eliot could feel when the ground turned to the pathed tile of the castle courtyard. No longer did he feel the soft give of the dirt and mud from the square but the hard strength of stone beneath his feet. He felt a flush of relief as the crowds began to fall away into the distance. Soon he could relieve his tired arms from the heavy burden he carried all the way back. 

When Adelia spoke up again, finally, it was something he had not expected to hear. [i]”I hope I remember…when I wake up.”[/i] Eliot paused midstride. That was- odd. That was odd right? Someone in his dream just talked about waking up. He had thought maybe he misheard her. There was no way that dream Adelia, Lady Adelia was talking to him like that. It had to be a misunderstanding. There was just no way. Then she said how she expected him to laugh when he found out she saw him as a princess and the items clattered to the ground from his arms. 

“What?” he asked as he whirled on her. He stepped over the items he dropped, pulling his skirt up to do so. “What did you just say?” This couldn’t be right. It had to have been his mind playing some kind of annoying trick on him in his dreams. This couldn’t be the real Adelia. How could she be in his dream with him? It made no sense.