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Rose leaned against the stone railing, staring into the fields and forests and everything that made the Dreaming what it was. She hadn’t expected to be here tonight. She had run into the nightmare-turned-dream, Gault, at one point, who had promised to keep Jed company since he was to young to attend the funeral. Rose had been very grateful; Jed always loved talking about the adventures he and Gault would get up to at night.
It was hard to imagine that Morpheus was dead. It was hard to imagine that she had just attended his funeral. She hadn’t even known that the Dream King had siblings. But all of their eulogies seemed to perfectly describe him, in a way.
The eldest of them, the dark-skinned man with the robes that reminded Rose of monks, kept his speech short, and matter-of-fact. It was strange, to Rose. Though the Dream King himself hadn’t exactly been the most… situationally aware person, so maybe it was genetic.
Then the person with pale hair and bold makeup. Rose wasn’t entirely sure of a gender, but considering how they called themself ‘sibling’ instead of sister or brother, she could take a hint. They had spoken with all of the spite of a little sibling that didn’t know how to properly ask for things. Rose would know; Jed sometimes lashed out when he didn’t know what to do. Dream’s sibling seemed angry with everything at the moment, and Rose couldn’t blame them.
One of the sisters had been next. She had spoken of a ‘first Despair’ that had died thousands of years ago. Apparently she was the new Despair? It was difficult to understand, but Rose felt like she got the important parts. Morpheus was loved, and he would not be forgotten.
Then it was the youngest’s turn. She had said that she was scared of her brother. Then she said that he was only being scary because he was scared. Rose… could see that being the case. Morpheus had definitely been terrifying to her; but he had also drilled into her head how dangerous her powers had been. He seemed to care greatly for his realm, his kingdom, and she was a threat. Maybe he was scared of her.
And then, at the very end, there was Dream’s elder sister. Death. Hers, after Despair’s, was maybe the most heartwarming. Rose thought about the book she had written. How she portrayed the King as a cruel, unsympathetic villain. Maybe she could change that. Write something dedicated to him and the rest of his siblings.
“Hello, Rose.”
Rose turned around to see one of Morpheus’ siblings; the one with pale blonde hair. They had been the one to talk about how they and Dream would’ve been better off without each other, but Rose had a hard time seeing it in a cruel light. It was more like they were stubbornly clinging to a petty rivalry as a way to cope.
Her breathe caught when she looked more closely. “Golden eyes.”
“Yes,” they replied, stepping forwards with a strained smile looking more like a grimace. “I suppose Unity Kincaid spoke of me, then?”
“You were her husband,” Rose answered. “But… that means…”
“That I am your and your brother’s great grandparent?” the Endless asked drily. “I am.”
Rose swallowed. Ok, she was related to divine beings that ruled over the universe. But this one… “You raped Unity.”
“What?” they asked, squinting at her as if offended. “No I did not.”
“Then how was my grandmother born?” Rose demanded.
They gave her a flat stare. “You see; when a woman goes into labor, she experiences sharp pains called contractions that prompt her to-”
Rose quickly interrupted, “Ok, first off all: you KNOW that that is not what I meant. And second; you realize that you can’t really talk about what women go through with that, right?”
Her ancestor raised an eyebrow at her. “I’ve given birth before.”
Rose blinked. Hard. A few times before taking a deep breath in. “Yeah, ok. That isn’t the strangest thing I’ve ever heard.” She rubbed at her face, careful to avoid smudging her makeup. “But you still got her pregnant against her will. You still did things to her while she was in a coma.”
“Darling, I am Desire. I cannot exactly do things that people do not want me to do. Unity desired a family. I gave her one. And if you’re really so concerned about her being violated; I didn’t even have to physically touch her to convince her body that she was pregnant. I even waited until she was twenty.”
Rose sighed. “…sorry,” she said softly. “I didn’t mean to accuse you of things when…”
Her ancestor seemed to soften. They walked closer to her, leaning against the stone.
Rose joined them. “It’s a beautiful place.”
“It is,” they agreed with a nod, the glittery trail under their eye shimmering in the dim light. “I haven’t been invited to look around like this in… a very long time.” They let out a small, sad laugh. “I haven’t exactly been a good sibling. Or great grandparent, for that matter, considering the Vortex business.”
Rose looked over the fields again. “Let’s start over.” She turned back to them with a smile. “Hello, Great Grandparent. I am Rose Walker. I’m really happy to meet you.”
They stared at her. “Hello, Rose,” they finally said. “I am Desire of the Endless.”
She smiled. “I think I’d like to see you again. Under better circumstances. Jed would love to know that we have more family.”
Desire blinked, inhaling sharply. “You would… Like to see me? Why?”
“Because you’re family.” Rose blinked, eyes widening. “Oh my god, Dream was my great grand-uncle. Oh my god, did he know!? Is that why he reacted so strangely when he heard Unity describe you?”
Desire chuckled. “At some point, my dear Rose, I shall tell you a story. An explanation on why I went to Unity in the first place.” They stared into the Dreaming sadly. “Another time. My siblings and I must get ready to meet the new Dream. And…” They took a deep breath. “I need to mourn. Spend time in my twin’s realm.”
Rose nodded. She hesitated a moment, then decided to take a risk. She reached over to Desire, pulling them into a hug. They stiffened, clearly surprised by this turn of events. They slowly brought an arm through the embrace, resting it around Rose’s shoulders.
They both stood there, holding each other for a while. A calm breeze blew gently through the air, the sound of people talking inside the castle creating an ambiance. Eventually, they would need to go back to their regular lives. But hopefully, it would be ok.