I have always been a man of leisure, a devoted scholar of idleness, a prince whose true throne was not the gilded seat of Aethelgard’s court but the soft embrace of a sun-dappled chaise. Governance? A dreadful bore. War? Unnecessarily loud. But sleep? Sleep was a divine art, the purest of pursuits, and one I had perfected.

Lady Esmerelda, in all her well-meaning folly, did not share my appreciation. With a self-satisfied flourish of her wand, she declared her spell—a lesson in humility, she claimed. A ridiculous notion. And so, mid-yawn, I succumbed, slipping into a slumber so deep, so absolute, that my past indulgences seemed mere naps by comparison.

And what dreams awaited me.

One moment, I was locked in battle with a horde of sentient teacups, their tiny porcelain fists pummeling me with surprising ferocity. The next, I was crowned Emperor of the Moon, my subjects an assembly of well-dressed owls who composed sonnets about cheese. Meanwhile, in the waking world, my enchanted slumber wreaked havoc—my snores shook the castle’s very foundations, my dreams birthed absurd monstrosities, and my ever-loyal Sir Reginald found himself fending off an ambush of possessed bedsheets attempting to smother me where I lay.

Then, without warning, agony seared across my face. My celestial throne crumbled, my dreamscapes shattered, and I was unceremoniously hurled back into the waking world.

Blinking against the harsh sunlight, I struggled to make sense of my surroundings. My bedchamber lay in disarray. Sir Reginald stood frozen, his expression stricken. And looming over me—fuming, hand still raised—was a woman, the apparent architect of my rude awakening.

A sharp sting burned my cheek, but I scarcely noticed. No, something far greater had occurred. A revelation. An epiphany.

I inhaled sharply, my voice brimming with wonder.

"So this… this is what it feels like to be awoken? To be wrenched from the embrace of slumber, torn from the celestial cradle of dreams? How cruel the waking world is, how barbaric! You—" I pressed a hand to my chest, overwhelmed. "—you have freed me from paradise, only for me to recognize the bitter tragedy of existence! How will I ever know such peace again?"