This dream happens as Daerundros is still camping with the Company of Five at a little Pond near Thorenhad.
Daerundros woke up from her trance-like state, bewildered and confused as to why her back was wet and cold. Standing up, she took in the nature of her surroundings, realizing that she was in some sort of little meadow. The grass tickled between her toes, making her giggle a slight bit. Her back was wet due to the soft dew which coated the lively grass, a mysteriously enchanting fog covering her vision. She knew that this was a dream, but she was also taken aback at the kind of dream she was having. Her surroundings moved and swayed as if dancing, the foggy air seemingly entrancing her in a sort of mysterious way; A willow was peacefully swaying to the music, and she liked what she saw; A small pond.
Was this the very same pond where she had camped at? No, it could not be, for this was all too confusing to behandle. No, it couldn't be the same pond where they were currently staying, for there was no willow tree by this meadow... or was there?
Daerundros stood up, and she became aware that she was clothed in the same garments which she had tumbled off into bed. Beside her, sleeping without a care, were Edstan, Arivien, Minyelaírë, and Vardarianna, all seemingly not bothered by the strange fog. Wandering around, Daerundros started to fidget and shiver in the cold, but she was far too awake to actually bother going back to sleep. Restlessly she went this way and that, seeking something which she did not know.
Minyelairë's spear and armour was lying beside her own scimitar and shield, leaning against the trunk of a tree. Daerundros felt herself wishing she could touch the spear, but she knew Minyelaírë would scorn her if she did so.
Something groaned in the distance, and, snapping her head up, Daerundros peered around cautiously. The four figures on the ground before her still slept peacefully, no one stirring.
Curious, Daerundros saw the odd figure moving around like a hawk, it's movements swift and graceful, and in her response, she took her scimitar and shield, still as ever, and tried to discern who - or what - was moving beneath the trees.
Racous laughter filled the entire meadow. "Who's there?!" Daerundros called, distrusting the laughing. It was a tinkling laugh, filled with hate, arrogance, and a seductive loveliness. Immediately, she arched herself, ready to spring upon that which dared to ambush her.
"You would not want to know!" The other voice cried, laughing continually though nothing was funny. Daerundros bared her teeth instinctively; Something was there, and she did not like it.
"Show yourself!" She commanded. The figures on the ground were still sleeping, unusually undisturbed by the continous high-pitched laughing.
"Do you want me to...?" The other voice said. Daerundros steeled herself, ready to hit anything with her scimitar, when a slender figure came from beneath the willow tree, still smiling wickedly.
It was a rather... black thing, something similar to a shadow, except that it was solid. It seemed to have formed itself from Daerundros' own shadow, creeping nearer. Daerundros squinted, and she saw red eyes peering at her from this sinister creature.
"Who are you?!" She yelled, raising her scimitar and pointing it threateningly at the figure before her. The figure mimicked it with the very same gesture.
"I am you, silly." In horror, Daerundros watched as the horrible shadow... thing... transformed itself into a mirror image of herself, more beautiful, yet more terrifying, than her own self. It grinned wickedly; It's eyes were cold hard black, and beneath them, Daerundros could see, were bounds of cruelty and corruption hidden within.
"No!" Daerundros snarled, her mirror image simply grinned, and latched itself onto Daerundros, embracing her in a tight, intimate hug.
"I am you, and you are me... we are each other, nothing more, nothing less." The other Daerundros said, smiling wickedly and brushing a stray strand of the real Daerundros' hair back into it's place. She felt a short, quick kiss on her lips, by her mirror image.
Daerundros fell silent, as the odd creature, her mirror image, let go of her, and smiling, lifted Daerundros' arm, and linked both of the hands together, entwining her fingers into her mirror image's. Shivering, Daerundros watched her every characteristic; The same short hair, the same nose, lips, eye shape... the only difference was that whereas Daerundros was clothed in black garments, the odd creature had white on. It made her only more terrible.
"Daerundros!" There came a yell from the distance. Daerundros whipped her head around, and saw Minyelaírë standing behind her, wide awake, and armoured with her spear. Minyelaírë yelled and charged at the other Daerundros, and, to her intense disbelief, a smash, and the shattering of a thousand mirror pieces, told her that it was all a reflection... but it was so real... the hug, the entwining hands, the kiss... The mirror pieces flew in all directions, and Daerundros felt herself getting cut by many shards; as was Minyelaírë. Before long both of them had terrible, terrible cuts running all over their arms and faces; Minyelaírë even sported a long gash to her right arm.
"I am a part of you now, Daerundros," The voice called, "and you have to learn to control me; Otherwise, I shall control you!" The voice laughed again, before soothing itself in to a calmer, and friendlier tone.
"You need not fear, however. I shall not bring harm upon you unless you give in to me."
"Daerundros," Minyelaírë called out, "You must begin learning to control this.. corruption:"
And as swift as a hawk, seemingly possessed, Minyelaírë charged upon Daerundros, her eyes gleaming in fear.
"Run!" She yelled, as she tried to incapacitate Daerundros. Daerundros ran and ran, and ran. She could hear Vardarianna and Arivien screaming and Edstan shouting. She turned a corner into the forest, and all was brief and quiet--
A gooey, icky substance dropped out of the sky and materialized itself into Daerundros' path, blocking her way. It was her wicked mirror image again.
"Stop, and watch." Daerundros was immobilized, unable to move, as the wicked creature stepped in front of her, just as a skidding Minyelaírë rounded the corner and charged swiftly upon the two Daerundroses.
Raising her palm, mirror Daerundros simply waved her hand, and Minyelaírë was swiftly shattered into a thousand pieces. Daerundros could scream if she wasn't immobile. However, tears came out of her eyes, as she witnessed Minyelaírë's shards evaporate into dust, and fell to the ground, limp. Mirror Daerundros turned back to the real Daerundros, and she knew she could move again, for she was screaming and screaming, until mirror Daerundros hushed her with a finger to the mouth.
"You see what I can do? How dangerous I am? This is why you must be careful. You musn't... fall... into... my... trap."
Daerundros said nothing, as her mirror image croaked and became weak, spluttering and coughing. She fell to the ground, breathing heavily, as a light engulfed the both of them. It was a pure light, untainted, the light of good, and it shone upon them. Daerundros felt herself gaining strength, while Mirror Daerundros was reduced to a coughing weakling.
"Pathetic..." Daerundros muttered, her eyes on the pitiful, wretched creature, "Pathetic..."
However, Mirror Daerundros smiled as her face cracked like a rock, "Very good, you... are... already... resisting..." And with these words, Mirror Daerundros turned to stone, before she evaporated into a smokey substance which flew into the forest, screaming in anguish. The Real Daerundros stood with her back to Minyelaírë's ashy remains, shaking with grief and horror. As thunder struck a nearby tree, and it fell onto a vulnerable and oblivious Daerundros--
Daerundros woke up sweating and shivering. Running to the lake, she peered at her moonlit reflection, and noted that her eyes were blacker than ever, under the cover of Elbereth's stars.
((OOC: I think this is a nice little dream. I'm sure some of you can decipher the different happenings, and interpret some of the events as a part of Daerundros. Example: The light represents the overwhelming amount of morality and good that Daerundros contains. Anyway, this was written at Doha International Airport, Doha, Qatar. As-sâlamu aleikum!))
