Chapter 2: The Dream

I was drifting, no doubt.

My feet found no solid ground and my body feel unusually light. It was a dream, I was in a dream and I was sure of it but the question is, why do I feel conscious, too conscious for my liking. I couldn't see anything but I could hear the sound of children giggling, women talking in hush tones and laughing in their high pitch voices, I could hear men roaring in laughter and the sound of clinks and pings of coins and booze, I could hear the soft neigh of horses and the light tapping of their guarded hooves over something solid.

Where was I? Why does it feel like I have heard this all before?

"Temperance," the sound of my name made me open my eyes and I was blinded by a bright streak of light. I squeeze my eyes shut and shielded my face with my arm. I blinked furiously and my jaw went slack when my vision cleared. No words could describe what I was seeing.

I was in some sort of a market, few women wore worn out medieval dresses while most women wore long fancy dresses that dragged behind them and they were wearing some sort of a weird-looking hat that had a ribbon tied around their faces. Some men wore brightly colored jackets while some wore some sort of a baggy dress shirt that had the upper buttons undone and sleeves puff out.

"Temperance," there it is again, someone was calling my name. I look around desperately to find the one who was calling me. Then I saw her, Jodie. She was wearing a fancy green dress and was heading my way, I furrow my brows in confusion. Am I not dreaming? What a weird dream has this become. "Temperance," she called again and waved, I waved back and smiled, "Jod–"and the most unbelievable thing happened. She walked right through me like literally walked through me as if I was a ghost.

I gasped and twist around to see where she went and to my surprise, I saw myself. Jodie went straight through me and towards a lady who looked like me except she looked a bit younger and elegant than I'd ever been. Her hair was the same color as mine, dark brown but compared to mine which was tied in a messy bun, hers' were in ringlets and were adorned with beads of sorts. In her neck sat a string of pearls that gleamed every time the sunlight hits it. Her dress stood out amongst the others although it was simple, it was not like the usual dresses as far as I could see. It was light blue in color and compared to what the other women wear, the upper portion of her dress was skin-tight that showed off her curves and thin arms. The bottom portion didn't puff out but it looked like it flowed down from her waist and to the ground, in other words, she was breathtaking.

Jodie, who now stood before my replica, had her hands on her waist while my replica smiled sheepishly at her. "Have I not told you not to wander off without me?" Jodie asked sternly, "I do remember but it had been long since father had permitted me out, it'd be a shame if I don't use my time well, after all, we are nearing sunset,"

Jodie seemed to look frustrated and relieved at the same time and I couldn't help but laugh lightly at how comical she looked in a dress. "Lady Temperance, this is not the grand garden where you can just wander off without an escort, if I were your father, I would tell the guards to lock up the grounds and make sure you never leave," she said made my heartache and I frowned. This was surely not Jodie, Jodie was not as serious as her and that lady was surely not me, I have never remembered acting like a baby before.

My replica frowned and stood up straighter, "Must I remind Lady Juliana of her place? You may be my most trusted friend but I do not tolerate people who talk to me like that," okay, I take it back, she certainly wasn't acting like a baby. Jodie or should I say, Juliana, wasn't in any way fazed by her words and I watch anxiously as they stared each other down, I'm surprised they haven't caught a crowd with all the tension.

Then Juliana burst out laughing. I was not expecting that at all. My replica started laughing too and they both held onto each other. "You never fail to ruin the moment Julie," my replica giggled and Juliana grinned, "It is after all not ladylike to scowl too much,"

"Well said," my replica smiled and looped her arm around Juliana's and they both started to walk away. The both of them disappeared from my sight and I felt myself drifting again. The people around me slowly melted away and I was once more, engulfed in darkness. I am so confused at this point. What the hell was wrong with this dream.

The sound of the wind gently howling reached my ears and I look around, trying to find any source of light. "Temperance," there it is again, someone calling my name. The feeling of being pulled came over me and I tangled my fingers together to ease myself. When that feeling was gone, I opened my eyes saw my replica standing beside a tree, looking over on what seems to look like an old city. She was still wearing the same blue dress as I have remembered before but the edges of her skirt were stained with mud but she didn't seem to mind, not one bit.

"So, you must be the lady that took my man's wits away,"

A man walks past me and towards my replica who turned to look and frown. "I beg your pardon sir, but I believe a lady like me would never disgrace my family with that sort of accusation," she stood straighter and her shoulders now had turned noticeably stiff. The man chuckled and shook his head, "No doubt but the man looked really disheartened the night he returned to his quarters, apparently, someone had bluntly rejected his request for a dance at the night of the ball," the man said and my replica smiled slightly.

"So that man was part of your command, well, I must apologize but I do not really appreciate being held too roughly,"

"Well that part he failed to tell me, I promise you, my lady, I will certainly have a word with him after this,"

My replica dropped her shoulders. "I am surprised you have not run away by now," she said and the man chuckled and moved closer to where she was standing, "Why must I run away from a lady, that'd be utterly rude and ungentlemanly of me," he replied and my replica shook her head and smiled again.

Juliana appeared from a distance and waved, catching my replica's attention. She waved back and turn to look at the man and curtsied, "I'm afraid I am to take my leave kind, sir, it is good to meet you," she turns on her heels and headed towards Juliana. The man stood where she left him and I watch in curiosity as his shoulders slowly shake and the sound of his soft laughter flow freely out of him. "What a wonder, that woman," I heard him say to himself before he turns in my direction.

A painful feeling jabbed at my chest when I had a clear view of his face. His eyes were the last thing I remembered before I blackout. Sea green with a hint of sapphire blue.