Night fell over the vast East Siberian Sea, that was heading towards Valdivostok, Russia. Almost everyone on the ship was fast asleep. It was almost near midnight, the moon was full and bright. A galaxy of stars sparkled brightly across the sky. It was a peaceful time and those who happened to be awake were taking care of the ship itself.

Medusa's dragon minions flew into the ship, making their way to Risa's cabin to mess with the poor girl. Medusa knew that there was no way that Risa couldn't ever escape her Machiavellian plain since she had schemed every moment after she came up with it. She was sure this would get rid of that brat and let her live in peace with the knowledge they are all dead.

As they swarmed around Risa, they created almost like a lucid dream, a mirage, one that was so real you could touch and feel the things before you. Risa sat up in bed as she opened her eyes and she saw a bright light and classical soft music playing coming from the hallway. Anyone would think someone crazy was going on, but that never crossed her mind.

She blinked a few times rubbing her eyes and when it was still there she slowly got up to go and investigate. 'Am I dreaming?' She questioned in her head as she blinked a few more times. It was like a magnetic force was pulling her towards it and she couldn't make herself stop. It was as if someone was pulling her and she had no choice. She walked up the steps to the top deck since this was where the lights were the brightest and the music the loudest.

She couldn't believe her eyes as she looked around. "Wow." She was at a loss for words. It was a glorious sight: golden lights, gold tablecloths on round tables, bows on the chairs that seemed like a ballroom on the boat deck. In the corner, a group of classical musicians focused on their instruments. "I must be dreaming." She mused out loud crossing her arms over her chest.

She looked down after she felt this cold bumpy material she rested her arms against. She was wearing a beautiful gray silk dress, floor-length and beads all over it. She walked over to a silver platter which she picked up and looked at herself. She had a sparkling tiara on her head and her hair was all curled at her shoulders.

She stepped back and set down the platter, placing her hands all over her body. "This - this can't be real. I - no, this is just a dream. I am dreaming. It is a vivid dream that I will wake up from." She spoke to herself. How could this be even possible? She hadn't recalled changing at any point in time from when she woke up to arriving here.

A butler walked over to her, or at least that was what she had thought he was. His face was blurry so she couldn't make it out but she oddly could see expressions. "Good evening your highness." The butler bowing to the girl in an overly pretentious fashion.

Risa eyed the man suspiciously placing her hands on her hips. "Your highness? I am sorry, you must be mistaken. I am not royalty, I am an orphan girl." She couldn't help but feel this was all so weird. She didn't have a family, or that she could recall. She grew up in an orphanage and no one had come to claim her.

The butler chuckled as he smiled at the girl, he found it amusing she was acting this way. "Oh your highness, you are hilarious. Come follow me, your family is waiting for you." He beckoned for her to follow him. He pulled out a chair and waited for her to come over, so she could sit down.

Risa shrugged her shoulders and walked over. She was a bit hesitant but she could at least see where this went. It couldn't be that bad, could it? "Thank you, sir."  She sat down in the chair and crossed her ankles. She looked around the room, taking in this marvelous dream. Even though it seemed to be a mere dream, why not enjoy this alternative reality.

A woman, who seemed to be a queen, turned to Risa since she was seated right beside her. she had a warm smile on her lips as she spoke to the girl. "Oh, darling, I'm so glad you could make it. I was beginning to think you wouldn't come." The lady said. she had blonde hair and brown eyes, that was all she could make out. The face was blurred but those attributes stood out to Risa the most.

Risa had to admit she looked familiar and then she realized it was the lady, her husband, and a young princess from her dreams or daydreams. She hadn't had a name for them nor a face to put either. She was beginning to think they weren't real and just people she made up. However, even then she put faces on them, maybe it wasn't even related to her family.

She waved awkwardly, forcing a smile on her lips. "Hello, I'm glad I could be here too." She was still skeptical of all this, yet she told herself it was a mere dream and there was no way it could hurt her. She was in her bed fast asleep just dreaming about this.

The young girl who was no more than three spoke up. "Sister?" She looked straight at Risa, the feature that stood out to her was the bright brown eyes and golden blonde hair. She seemed happy, a huge smile displayed on her face as she bounced in her seat waiting for a reply from the oldest girl. Her legs swished around the air since her legs were too short to reach the floor.

Risa blinked, did she just call her sister? That it was impossible. She couldn't have a sister, could she? No. Well, if she didn't she couldn't remember. Plus she may have always wanted a sister. She had to remind herself this was just a dream. "Yes?" She replied trying her best to play along with this dream. What on earth was going on with her head.

The young princess giggled softly, swinging her feet back and forth off the chair she was sitting on. "I have always looked up to you. I want to be just like you, Risa. You're the best. I'm glad to have a sister like you!" It was odd that such a young girl spoke with such fluency. No three-year-old spoke that clearly, and even if they could she had the demeanor of someone much older.

Risa forced a gentle smile and laced her fingers together and rested her hands beside her cheek. "Aw, thanks, that is very kind of you to say." She didn't know what to say about that. She had always wished someone would say that to her, so maybe her brain was doing it for her? Although, she couldn't deny she was the cutest thing ever, despite not seeing her face.

A sharply dressed man walked up to the table with little cheeses on a silver platter. "Would you care for some sharp cheddar cheese?" It was the same guy who had brought her to the table or at least she figured since he seemed to be the only butler around. That was another thing she found odd. Why was there only one butler? Normally there would have been a handful.

Dreams were no doubt crazy. Even if it turned out to mean nothing, she should at least enjoy it while it lasted. Who knows what this journey had planned? Any chance to dream of the life she yearned for, was worth it. What was the harm? Nothing. There was nothing to worry about, it was a harmless dream. Right?

The king, she figured that was who he was since on top of his dirty blonde hair was a crown, spoke to the butler, beckoned for him to come to him. "Yes, we would, thank you for your offer." He replied with a smile grabbing a piece followed by the lady and the little girl. The only distinctive feature was his hair, unlike the others, he was completely blurry save for his hair.

When the tray came to Risa, she was a bit hesitant to take one. She had never really been much of a cheese eater but she ended up giving in and taking one anyway. Of course, when she looked down at the cheese it was gone which was odd. She looked back up and the figure had mysteriously vanished in that time.

The man looked over at Risa. "Risa, do you have any plans for tomorrow?" The man sipped his drink before setting it back on the table. He turned his body ever so slightly so he wouldn't be having his neck only turned to her. It was a bit creepy to Risa to have a man speak to her whom she couldn't identify.

Risa didn't know how to answer. This was a dream right, so, go with something honest but leave out the most of it. "I might read a book since there are many books I haven't read yet." That was true, she did want to read a few books Rolando had. She would have to ask in the morning. Morning. How long had she been asleep? She knew dreams could feel like a few minutes but in reality, it had been a few hours.

The man smiled and seemed to be happy about her question. Yes, his face was still blurry but she could make out faint expressions. "That seems like a good choice. There are many opinions in the royal library. I am sure you will find it quite enjoyable. We recently had some imported from France. " His voice was gentle, it seemed so familiar to Risa.

The lady looked over at her husband and a worried expression painted her face in the blurriness that her face was. "Darling, have you seen Blanc? I can't seem to him anywhere." She asked, placing her hands on her lap. She seemed anxious. Her hands gripped the fabric on her skirt as she looked around again.

The man looked over at his wife, tilting his head to the side. "I have no clue. I haven't seen him all day. Perhaps he is somewhere being a little terror to the castle staff." He mused gently, trying not to have his wife worry so much. "He always is getting into trouble. That rascal. What will we ever do with him?" He questioned shaking his head in dismay.

*

Risa was trying to figure out who Blanc was because that name was not familiar. It just didn't sit right with her. The name was unfamiliar, even to a girl who knew nothing of her past. Deep down she knew that. "Who's Blanc?" She asked curiously, pushing her hair behind her ear and turning her body to face the lady and man beside her.

The lady giggled softly waving Risa off finding her question amusing. "Blanc is our poodle. Remember, we got him for your eighth birthday? You were so overjoyed. You begged us to allow him to sleep in bed with you and against your father's wishes I agreed. When I came into your room the next morning, you two were cuddled together." She exclaimed, smiling fondly at the memory that Risa had no recollection of.

Risa had this bad feeling. She couldn't shake it off. She knew something bad was happening or would happen but she couldn't explain what. She figured she should go along with it even if it was merely a dream. Better to be safe than sorry. "Oh, Blanc, yes, how could I forget? I am sure he is around here somewhere. Like father said. He will show up eventually." Just saying the word father made her feel awkward.

The young girl cupped her hands around her mouth. "Blanc! Here boy! Blanc! Blanc! Come here! Blanc!" She called as a yelp and a fluffy ball of white fur came weaving in between tables and people. He jumped up in the young girl's lap. "Here he is. Where were you, you silly puppy." She giggled as it licked her.

A young man walked up to the table, he looked much like the butler but he seemed to be a different person. "May I have this dance?" He held out his hand to her for her to take. Only one of his features stood out from his blurry face, his piercing and glowing, yellow eyes. Which seemed odd for a human to have but Risa paid no mind to that detail.

Risa surely wasn't going to be mean to the boy, and yes, this whole thing was very odd, she needed to enjoy this almost too real dream. "Yes you may, sir." She said politely, inwardly cringing at the tone she used. She placed her hand in his hand and followed him onto the vast dancing floor.

She grabbed his hand and put her other hand on his shoulder. He took her hand and put his other hand on her hip. As the music had changed the two began to sway to the music. It slowly turned into a waltz which surprised Risa because she couldn't dance to save her life. Two left feet. It seemed everything in my dreams was perfect.

The young man seemed to ooze confidence as he danced with her. "So, I am -" He started to say when he trailed off shifting his gaze off of Risa and onto the floor. There was a bit of silence which was that awkward type of where crickets chirp. The hushed tones of the others speaking could be heard around the two.

Risa tilted her head and cleared her throat. This was awkward. He was just starting to introduce himself but he said nothing. "You were going to introduce yourself?" She asked as she raised her eyebrows. This moment gave her a creepy feeling, it was something that just wasn't sitting well with her.

He bit his lip then laughed it off nervously. He seemed to be extremely nervous and no longer confident as he had appeared. "Oh, right, my apologies. I'm not the best at these things so please forgive me. I tend to get sidetracked. I'm Fredrick Peloft, prince of Question, Canada." He said, with such utter pride as he puffed out his chest a bit.

Risa never heard of that place and that struck her as odd that he would say such a thing or it seemed more like a lie. Question? There was no such place. What kind of name was that? He had grown up there and entered life and never heard of any such place. "Risa is my name. I'm from Frontrance, Canada." She bluntly said making a point of saying a real place.

The young man seemed amused by what she had said. He raised his eyebrows with a cheeky grin on his lips. "Oh? Frontrance is a beautiful seaside kingdom and a wonderful place to live. I have a family who lives there. I visit all the time." He said in a passive voice, not wanting to dwell too much on it.

Risa was beginning to think she was going crazy and losing it. Just something did not seem right about his demeanor. "Forgive me if I ask such a question: where is Question? I have never heard of this place before." She was hesitant about asking. She had a knot down in her stomach, tightening even seconds passed.

The young man seemed to get nervous. Although he tried his best to hide it, it was evident on his face by the shifting of his eyes and biting the inside of his mouth. "It's on - um on the - bottom side - of Canada uh near the States? Not too far from Quebec." He stuttered on his word before ending with all the confidence he could muster up and put a smile on his face.

At this point, Risa knew something made her second guess this celebration, this when dreaming in itself. "I must go." She said as she stepped back, pulling away from him. She pivoted on her feet and began to walk back to her cabin where she was before this all happened.

The young man harshly grabbed her arm. "Why?" He asked, his voice sharp as he spoke. His eyes narrowed as he looked at her. He was not letting her go that easily, she just needed to be reassured that it was nothing to worry about. As long as he was persistent about nothing was going on she should believe him.

Risa yanked her arm away from him and stepped back. "Let me go! Something is just not right. I really must go back to my bed and try and wake up from this dreamer nightmare." She started to walk away when the young man jumped in front of her. "Move out of my way!"

He gave her a smile taking her hands and pulling her over to the side. "Come on, I want to show you something." He insisted as his grip on her wrist tight. He was vague about everything so far and it would make anyone uncomfortable. Everything about him screams danger but Risa just couldn't get out of this, something kept her from leaving.

Risa gritted her teeth as his grip tightened around her wrist. "Let go." She was reluctant to do so, she had a red flag up and waved in her face. She wasn't stupid.  She was doing all she could to try and get out of here but she couldn't. "Why?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest after she had pulled her hands away from him.

He looked at her and chuckled, one that would send shivers down your spine. He let go of her wrist and changed his demeanor back to this charming gentleman. "Oh, why what? Must I need a reason to show you something? If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise then would it?" He questioned.

Risa took a few steps back and shook her head, putting her hands in front of her to keep some space between them. "Forgive me, sir, but I really must leave this dream. I have to get back to reality, I got a family to find and a life to live. I have my dog Loyal, Rolando, and as annoying as Vincent is I still find him okay at times."

Everything in that dream began to melt away, and the young man turned into a dark wisp of the smoke-like figure with bright red eyes. He chuckled deeply with an evil glare in his eyes, he floated before her. "Oh sweet dear princess, how naive can you be? Have you really for your past?" He swirled around her as if he was mocking her.

Risa watched him with furrowed eyebrows. Naive? How was she naive? She had amnesia, she couldn't remember anything before the orphanage. "What do you mean, I have forgotten about my past? I have amnesia from trauma as a child. It is more common than you think. I wouldn't remember my past, which is why I am here trying to piece together what I know." She frowned.

The black smokey figure stopped in front of her and gave a chilling look at her. "Oh, sweet child. Do you think I will let you find your family? You are supposed to be dead. You will never find them! Though if they are alive, I will most certainly be there first and waiting on you. Then finally you and your family will die together and my work will be complete." He evil cackled, the voice for a split second sounded feminine.

Risa shook her head falling to her knees and covering her ears as many voices filled her head, furthermore confusing her. She truthfully didn't know what was what anymore. She couldn't go on her dreams, her feelings nor her pocket watch. She just was on the brink of a mental meltdown. There was so much one person could take and she was at her breaking point.

She shook her head, trying to drown out those voices. "You are not real. You are not real. You are not real. You are not real. Leave me alone! Just leave me alone! This is just a nightmare and I want to wake up! Please let me wake up! I need to be back in reality. Please!" She sobbed while beginning the figure. She just wanted it to stop.

Meanwhile, Vincent had just woken up and looked over at Risa's bed. At first, the way the blankets were, he thought she was there. But upon further investigation, he saw that it was empty. He yawned and sat up stretching his arms over his head. Why wasn't she in her bed? It was the middle of the might?

He thought she was going to play the hero and stop the men which were not going to happen. He shook his head. He could not believe she was going to steal this victory from him. He was not going to let that happen. "Oh, you sneaky little girl." He huffed under his breath pulling on his robe and walking out of the room.

He stopped to look in a few places below deck, not seeing her there he ventured up top. Once he stood at the top of the stairs he frowned seeing Risa on her knees, sobbing and screaming something. Was she having a mental breakdown? He shivered as the cold night wind went through the parts that weren't covered by the robe.

He made it over to her and knelt beside him. "Risa? Are you alright? Hey Risa this is not funny." He gently shook her to try and get her to snap out whatever she was in. She didn't speak back to him, her eyes were closed and she kept mumbling something.

Risa snapped open her eyes and looked around with panic in her eyes. She saw Vincent looked confused and she just started to cry. "I don't want to be all alone! I want my family! I want to be safe! Someone separated me from my family and did it on purpose! I don't know what to believe anymore!" She sobbed and to anyone, it would be nonsense she was speaking.

Vincent was not this touchy-feely person, this was Rolando's domain. "It was just a nightmare, it isn't real. So please, don't worry? Now come on, let's get you inside, you are freezing." He said, picking her up bridal style. He wondered what on earth happened and how long had she been out there. "No one will ever know this."

He walked down the stairs and to the laundry room to find her a nice thick blanket to warm her up. He pushed open the door and set him down on a chair. He wrapped her up in a thick towel and wrapped another one around her neck and put some fluffy socks on her feet.

Risa looked up at him, this side of him was new. "I don't know what will happen. I've never slept walked before? It seemed like I was in a lucid dream, well, of some kind but was fully awake and trapped - don't know how to explain it. I'm not crazy, I know what I experienced." She quickly told him, narrowing her eyes a bit.

Vincent gave her an amused look putting his hands up in defense. "I never said a word. Why don't you try and explain to me what happened and I can try and help you see what it means? Or at least know what you dealt with." He was only doing this because this was what Rolando told him to do. He was trying to help her out and he didn't want to be a complete jerk to her.

Risa explained to Vincent about the dream. She had had in such vivid words to try and explain like he was right beside her. She just herself was having trouble believing that this happened to her! Never before had she had something of such things happen? It gave her the chills.

Vincent was shocked and couldn't even find his words. To hear about the young man who turned into a monster of wispy black smoke, the lady, man, and little girl who were nameless and faceless - it was just unnerving. That seemed a little too farfetched for anyone to dream up. Mainly because Risa did not seem like the creative type. "Goodness, I can't imagine how I would have reacted to that craziness."

He then gave her a gentle look resting his hand on her shoulder. "You're fine now. It could be your subconscious bringing back a memory you have of someone's words and putting it in that way? Just try not to think too much about it." He told her. Yes, he truly didn't want to see her suffer in such a way.

He stood up and with her permission picked her up bridal style. "Now, let's get you back to bed. We still don't know when those men will try to hijack the boat, though we must stop them." He explained, walking towards the door. He was wrong. She hasn't come to stop the men and he felt bad for thinking that of her.

Risa stopped him in his tracks. "I'll help you, it is the least I can do for what you have done for me." She was being the bigger person per se and wanting to help him. She wasn't going to play hero, though she was going to do the right thing. It was the right thing to do when you hear something illegal happening.

Vincent looked over at her, he was shocked, it was written all over his face. "Really? Do you want to help catch these men? You don't have to repay what I did. Rolando would have done the same thing. So would many others so it's not that special." He was not believing she truly wanted to help him out by repaying what he had done.

Risa understood where he was coming from though he must know by knowing how she is or maybe not. "Yes, I do. Don't act shocked. Even if he did or someone else did, I would be saying the same thing to you. It was very kind of you and means a lot to me to see you do this for me." She truly was touched by his actions.

Vincent gave a little smirk, so maybe his pride was a little puffy at the moment, though he did feel touched by his actions. "Alright. Now let's keep quiet while we enter the room. We don't want to wake Rolando." He whispered to her. He was not going to answer a ton of questions from him. He would probably take things way out of proportion and make it seem something it wasn't.

He pushed open the door slowly and slipped in. He tiptoed over to her bed and sat her down before going to his bed. He gave her a nod before getting into his bed and laying on his back. He was having second thoughts about his plans by using her just to get the money.

He told himself that everything would be under control and she would never find out. He could do it sneakily even without Rolando knowing about his little scheme. He needed this money, his father would be so proud of him to know he did this! Even if she wasn't the real duchess, it would buy them enough time to get his father and leave the country. He ended up drifting off to sleep.

Risa laid toward the door and she couldn't go to sleep either. She started to wonder if her family is even alive and if someone did kill them. Would they do the same to her? It made her feel sick inside. Why would someone be so cruel and hurt innocent people? Who would do such a thing? Why would they do it?

She softly huffed. Why did her life have to be so complicated? What did she ever do for this to turn out how it did? She just didn't understand. How could she make sense of what happened? It was beyond confusing. She couldn't burden anyone else and yes she had told Vincent, but that was only because she needed someone to tell and he had offered to listen.

She took a deep breath before rolling over and closing her eyes once again. She needed to let all her worries go because they were not helping her one bit. She was sure she would find out the truth about her past, for right now, she needed to focus on getting to Paris.

❅~❅~❅~❅~❅~❅~❅~❅~❅~❅~❅

A/N:
Not bad with another chapter aye? I am not gonna slack off and will do all I can to quickly get more chapters up. Currently I am sick do I haven't had much energy to do much so bare with me while I get feeling better.

Chapter talk:
So, I really had to alter this chapter a whole bunch and changed a great deal about it. It wasn't originally a lucid dream so I decided I needed to make it that. I really liked this part (and yes I know Anastasia has the same type in it) though mine was more due to the physiological part. Medusa knew what your subconscious to do, all she had to do was plant a seed and bam.

And lastly, anything else I forgot ask away my pals. I am happy to answer anything!

In closing, all rude, impolite and mean comments will be replied to in a diplomatic way, reported or deleted if I feel like it is attacking me personally.

Thanks for reading!