She felt like she was still asleep, like she was trapped in the dark plagued by flashes of a dream that she couldn't quite remember. The discomfort of hard wooden floor and the chill of the early morning air anchored her to reality. She barely noticed that she was shivering, goose pimples lining the pale skin of her arms as she sat alone in the dark. Morgana strained to remember what she had seen but the parts she could recall didn't seem to fit together. They were cryptic, like so many of her dreams were, but she knew they were important; she could feel it. The feeling of despair was the strongest of all and refused to dissipate. It held her in an iron-like grip and pulled the tears from her eyes; if only, if only she could remember why. Perhaps then the dead-weight on her chest would dislodge itself and leave her in peace.

Her head began to throb, blocking out the sounds of the night. She barely heard the hooting of the owl perched in the tree outside the nearest window, and she failed detect the sound of her father's approaching footsteps. The creaking of the floorboard brought back a flash of her dream, the haunting groan of an over-burdened staircase as hasty jackboots thundered up them. When Mallos touched her Morgana flinched, the contact taking her by surprise. As he settled himself beside her she managed to turn her head to gaze up at his face. Morgana managed a watery smile. The strength of his arm was reassuring, and his scent more comforting than she had ever imagined it would be. Morgana rested her head against his chest and listened to the rhythmic pounding of his heart.

The feeling of dread that consumed her eased a little in his presence, and gave her a little more room to breathe. Her tears ran freely but her sobs became quieter and less frequent. Together they sat in silence in the dark.
"I had a dream," Morgana told him at last, her voice small, "but it wasn't just a dream." It was important that he knew that; she wouldn't have him dismiss it or talk it away with comforting words.
"It was so vivid," she explained, struggling to find the words that would make him understand, "I can feel it here." Morgana rested her hand against her chest and gazed at him with dark eyes. "It felt like the end of the world; I could feel it all closing in around me and I felt like my heart was going to burst." A fresh sob tore itself from her throat as she beat her frustration against her thigh with a balled-up fist, "but I can't remember why. Dad...why can't I remember?" Morgana buried her head in Mallos' shoulder and began to cry again.