  &quot;DMITRI!&quot;
  My own scream scares me out of slumber. Heart pounding, breathing ragged. Where am I? What happened? My terrified eyes drink in the darkness of my room with a heady mixture of relief and confusion as remnants of my nightmare flit through my mind on spectral wings.
  Wedding bells
  Wild-eyed gunman
  Bullet too quick, can t stop time
  Bloodstained smile
  Bloodstained tuxedo
  Broken necklaces
  Broken love
  Dark purple clouds
  Old man with a vulture s leer
  &quot;Aerys?&quot; Dmitri s concerned, sleep-heavy voice calls from my doorway.
  &quot;Aerys, are you all right?&quot; Kyla inquires, pushing past my fiancé to come to my bedside. &quot;I could hear you screaming downstairs, sister. What s the matter?&quot;
  &quot;I m sorry. I didn t mean to disturb you, either of you. It was just a nightmare,&quot; I reply slowly, my eyes darting back and forth between 

  &quot;Oh, Aerys,&quot; Juniper sighs dreamily as she drops my veil into place. It's the big day, the day my life changes forever, the day I exchange my family name for the name of a family I did not know existed a year ago.
  The day that, if everything goes according to plan, changes everything for my grandmother, as well.
  I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous, and it has very little to do with the wedding. I couldn't care less how I look right now. I'm more worried about tonight, and dealing with Xenia de Poitiers, and how this will affect the war.
  &quot;You look absolutely beautiful,&quot; Juniper continues, trying to shake me out of my reverie. Kyla, Malina, and Torcuil's sisters stand nearby, voicing their agreement while making the last minute adjustments to their own dresses. Kyla comes up to me with tears in her eyes and crushes me in a hug.
  &quot;I'm so glad I get to b

  Thunder crashes over my head and rain and wind buffet me as I stand on the roof of the mansion, still wearing my fancy turquoise and gold gown from the evening s festivities. Much as I like this dress--much as my fiancé seemed to like this dress--I don t really care what happens to it. Right now I m enjoying being in the middle of a real storm (as opposed to one created by elementals), letting the wind and rain wash away all my stress from this evening.
  That s not to say that things went badly this evening. Actually, I d be hard pressed to find a better way for everything to have worked out. Well....
  &quot;Are you sure that last idea s out of the question, Torcuil?&quot; I asked my fiancé s favorite relative in an alcove near the kitchen.
  &quot;Aye, milady, though I wish for yer sake that I could,&quot; he replies regretfully. &quot;I did catch a glimpse o  yer sister earlier, in

&quot;DMITRI!&quot;
  My own scream scares me out of slumber. Heart pounding, breathing ragged. Where am I? What happened? My terrified eyes drink in the darkness of my room with a heady mixture of relief and confusion as remnants of my nightmare flit through my mind on spectral wings.
  Wedding bells
  Wild-eyed gunman
  Bullet too quick, can t stop time
  Bloodstained smile
  Bloodstained tuxedo
  Broken necklaces
  Broken love
  Dark purple clouds
  Old man with a vulture s leer
  &quot;Aerys?&quot; Dmitri s concerned, sleep-heavy voice calls from my doorway.
  &quot;Aerys, are you all right?&quot; Kyla inquires, pushing past my fiancé to come to my bedside. &quot;I could hear you screaming downstairs, sister. What s the matter?&quot;
  &quot;I m sorry. I didn t mean to disturb you, either of you. It was just a nightmare,&quot; I reply slowly, my eyes darting back and forth between Kyla and Dmitri. I m surprised that they both made it here before Juniper and Malina. &qu

Chapter 61 Nightmares and Lullabies