Cecil had found a new attempt at getting across to Nelanna. He had yet to kiss her, as Kohaku kept making that nearly impossible. It was the only way he could truly show her how much he cared. But with these new amulets, the trader had told him that they would allow each other to visit each other in the reaml of dreams. When he presented it to her as a gift, he had shown her that he had one identical, but was unable to explain what they were or how they worked.

So when they went to sleep that night, that's when the magic happened. Her dream was magnificent! By a gentle stream of gurgling water, under the shade of a couple of trees, circled by shrubs, sat the most beatiful square gazebo Cecil had ever seen. Latice work decorated the sloped roof, four draped curtains tied to the four posts for privacy if desired. Two dozen candles were spaced around on the ground, and a few more lit the inside of the gazebo, casting a romantic glow on everything. Pillows lined the inside of it, making it quite a cozy spot for an intimate time under the night sky.

And there she was, his red headed goddess. Would this work? Can he talk in the dream? There was only way to find out. Cecil strode up to Nelanna from behind, barely an inch between them. The temptation to reach up and place his hands on her arms, right by the shoulders, was difficult to resist. How he wanted to trail his hands down the smooth skin of her arm. "Nelanna." His voice sounded foreign, even to himself. Deep, husky, yet it was almost like silk to his ears.

    Unbeknownst to her, Nelanna was dreaming. Everything felt so real to her; a dream never even came to mind. The gentle breeze that stirred her curly hair made goosebumps appear on her fair skin. The scent of the fresh air, the sound of the nearby gurgling water, the feel of the soft pillows beneath and against her as she was seated under the beautiful square gazebo. The curtains had been left open so she could observe her surroundings as the sun’s light vanished over the horizon, leaving only a fading blush in the sky. The candles offered more and more lighting as daylight vanished, though their hue was romantically dim.

Then, she heard an unfamiliar voice coming from behind. She flinched and tensed, then looked back. There, she stared in amazement to see none other than Cecil. She wasn’t surprised to see him in her dreams, for she had dreamt of him many a times. But this time, he spoke. He had a voice, and it made her tingle from its deep, husky sound. She smiled and, without thinking, wrapped her arms around his neck and embraced him in a welcoming hug. “Oh, Cecil,” she said, pulling away to look into his eyes as she spoke. “You can speak! Does that mean the curse has been lifted?” Though she deeply wished for it to be true, something told her that lifting his curse wouldn’t be so easy. Normally that would’ve been the first sign that this wasn’t actually reality, but a dream. However, she was too oblivious to notice.

It was a welcomed surprise to suddenly have her arms around his neck, their bodies pressed against one another. For the first time, she was touching him without being nurturing, and he couldn't be happier. Cecil returned the hug, barely resisting any other form of intimacy. The fae frowned slightly. ”How I yearn for that to be the case, Nelanna. Regretfully, this is just in a dream.” Apparently, his father's curse did not reach this far, allowing his subconscious to speak through magical amulets in the dream realm. Oberon only held sway in reality.

”There is so much I want to tell you, and much of it can wait till after the curse is broken. But, Nelanna?” Cecil's heart began to race as he cupped her face in his hands. There was no fox to get in the way now. However, it still needed to be done with delicacy. In some cases, the curse has been a blessing in disguise, allowing them to fall for each other without lies and falsities cropping up, everything being laid out on paper to the best of his ability. ”From the moment I saw you, you have always been a shining goddess, sent to me in my darkest hour. While I appreciate everything you have done for me, there is one thing I cannot accurately put on paper for you. I can't show you how I feel.”

Unable to contain his emotion, Cecil leaned down and planted his lips on hers. It was not a needy or greedy kiss full of lust. Instead, it was sweet and soft as he tried to convey his love to her. When it was over, he stared into her beautiful eyes. ”I love you, Nelanna.” The fae did not want to ruin this dream for her, could not start by telling her his life history and the foggy number of years spent in sexual bliss. His confession carried such intensity, that he feared she would never know the complete meaning for him.

    So she was dreaming. That explained how he was suddenly able to speak. But she didn’t mind. Some of her best and worst dreams were with Cecil. The best, because, well, isn’t it obvious? And the worst, were filled with her deepest fears of losing Cecil in every possible way. She would become so frightened, so heartbroken by those nightmares, she found herself crying upon waking, or sometimes even screaming. The thought of losing him…words couldn’t explain the pain. But whether this was a nightmare with a nice beginning or if it was just a good dream, had yet to be found out. For now, she would just enjoy it while it lasted.

She listened intently as he spoke, her heart thumping harder and harder the further he went, until it was racing. He took her face into his hands, and she froze with anticipation. His words were carved into her mind to leave a scar and forever remain, for she ensured this. She waited patiently for him to say something she hoped she would hear for the longest time, hoping she wasn’t the only one in love. And then he began to lean, and he pressed his lips against hers, causing her to suppress a gasp of surprise.

Though seemingly frozen from surprise, she was completely capable of pulling away if she wanted. However, this was exactly what she wanted. So instead, she savored the moment, trying to memorize everything before it was over. However, it was over too soon. She opened her eyes when he broke the kiss, looking into his own eyes, entranced.

And then there it was. The words she had waited so long to hear. ‘I love you’…’I love you’…the words echoed in her mind, and her heart leapt with joy. Scratch that, she felt like it was singing. She broke into a bright smile and practically attacked him into another embrace, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Oh, Cecil,” she said. “You don’t know how long I’ve waited for you to say those words!” She leaned back to look at him, but kept her arms around his neck. With eyes full of happiness, and deep love for him, she confessed her feelings for him with upmost sincerity, “Cecil, I’ve never been as happy in my entire life as I am with you. I love you so much!” There was much more she wished to say, but she wanted to say them for real when they wake. Otherwise, they didn’t hold as much meaning or sincerity, she felt.

However, here she had the chance to kiss him as much as she wished, something she didn’t have enough gall to do in reality. So, she leaned forward and locked her lips with his once more, a kiss that started off sweet and innocent as she poured her love into it. Then, it gradually began to become more passionate without her intention. She didn’t mind passionate kisses, but she felt it could cause her feelings misunderstood for lust instead of love. She usually didn’t let anything get passionate until further along in a relationship, if it was serious, that is.

His lips were so warm against hers, her heart pounding hard in her chest. She couldn’t bring herself to stop. She just couldn’t let this chance go before she woke.

It was all he could do to keep from falling over as Nelanna embraced him once more. Cecil felt conflicted as she spoke. On one hand, she was once again mistaken about the reality of this dream. While he said that this was just a dream, he had unintentionally left out the fact that it was due to the amulets. However, his spirit was soaring with delight, finally learning that she had been waiting on his ability to speak for the confession. He wanted to melt right then as she looked at him with love and happiness, and then reached cloud nine when he heard her repeat the words. To tell her about the effect of the amulets slipped his mind, especially when her lips pressed against his own once more.

As the surprise wore off, Cecil relaxed into her kiss. His hand was buried into her fiery locks, tangling into it as he tried to pull her closer. They both fell into bliss and passion the longer the pair continued, each trying to show each other how much they have both dreamed, yearned, and waited for this. Cecil trailed his lips with feather light touches along her jawline until he was right at the base of her ear. This wasn’t right, it shouldn’t be here. Yet the fae could not pull himself away from her intoxicating scent.

”Nelanna, we shouldn’t. Not here. Not where fantasy and imagination rule.” His teeth lightly gripped her earlobe as he scraped along the tender flesh. He could feel her heart fluttering beneath the bony cage where their chests had no separation, no distinctive line between them. If he continued like this, Cecil feared not keeping his grip on himself. In an effort to keep that control, the fae dragged her down to the cushions that lined the structure’s base. Only one of his legs hooked over hers, his hand cupping her cheek once more as the other propped him up.

The way her hair fanned out was gorgeous, her eyes sparkled like gems. ”Grant me permission, sweet fiery goddess, to lay here and admire your beauty. I shan't take any more advantage of your passion, for I would much rather experience it without use of our mind’s eye.” As he lay there, content with caressing her cheek with his thumb, feeling the pulse of her neck beneath his fingers, the fairy contemplated all she needed to hear. Kohaku’s warning, the reveal of Cecil’s true gender and name, the curse and all it entails, his true intentions with the elf. Most importantly, the warnings of his father, and the need to keep both of them safe. While they were all valid and should probably be shared sooner rather than later, Cecil did not wish to ruin the mood between them just yet.