Standing On Ceremony

It was a familiar occurrence, the same dream that kept visiting me night after night.

I found myself as the guest of honor in a strange castle, under even stranger circumstances.

“You must be very disoriented, Mister Sakuta, but her Highness really wanted to thank her savior personally. I hope that you can humor this request.” A maid gently guided me along toward our intended destination. I was about to find out exactly where that was.

The double doors opened wide, revealing a space full to capacity with dozens upon dozens of onlookers. At the sight of me, their excitement hushed to a murmur. At the end of a long aisle were the three most important people in the room. Their faces were a blur, but all three were a picture of elegance. The Queen, seated atop her red and gold throne, and two beautiful princesses beside her.

It was always the same in this dream of mine. The strangest part of it, however, was that they were all there for me. To honor something I had done in service to the kingdom.

“Now presenting the savior of her Highness, Queen Veranda Aurelia—and our honored guest—Yamada Sakuta!” A pompous-looking man, an elf with golden hair and fancy robes, announced while holding a scroll.

The raucous applause echoed throughout the room, enough to disorient me in more ways than one. You know the kind of dream where you’re in your underwear, and you’re mortified because everyone is staring directly at you? Well, I was having that dream, only… I wasn’t in my underwear. Probably…

I looked down just to make sure.

“For your bravery and quick action, you are hereby honored, and will be granted a reward commensurate with the deeds you have done for this great nation.” The man said. “Simply name your price, and it shall be so.”

I pondered for a moment what it was that I wanted. After all, it’s not every day you save a Queen’s life, and prevent the ruin of a whole kingdom in the process. I could ask for riches beyond my wildest dreams, or my own domain to preside over. The possibilities were truly endless.

However, only one desire truly stood out among the others, my driving force whenever I had this particular dream. It was simple, and yet…

“I want…” I began. “I want to go home.”

And yet, within this dream, it was the very thing I could not have. No matter how many times I asked.