Free Tapestries 05 - Embroidered Fantasies by N. J. Walters

entrance at the far end and she hurried toward it. She could see the light. Maybe when she got there, she’d be back to reality.
    Not that she really wanted to go back there, but she had no choice. She couldn’t live in a dream. She had to fight for her life. Michael was going to kill her. If not now, then at some point down the road. She had to wake up, had to get her wits about her. There was no white knight in shining armor to save her. Not even a warrior with a naked chest and a very large sword. There was only herself.
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    She ignored the pang in her heart. If only Radnor were real. If only men like him truly existed, she might not have to fight alone. But it was only a dream.
    She was very aware of Radnor keeping pace with her as she made her way toward the door. For such a big man, he moved with uncommon grace and speed, making little noise. But it made an odd kind of sense considering this was all just a figment of her imagination.
    The floor was cool and rough beneath her feet. She was still dressed exactly as she’d been when Michael had found her. She’d much rather be wearing jeans and sneakers than a pink polyester uniform and no shoes. You’d think since it was her dream she could change that. Maybe she could do something about that if she thought hard enough.
    Before she could even attempt to change her clothing she reached the door. She came to a dead stop, swaying where she stood. Radnor’s arm snaked around her from behind, keeping her upright. She was glad for his strength and support. Without it, she might have ended up flat on her bottom.
    An entire world existed in front of her. One she’d never seen before. It looked like a scene from a movie or possibly a book. A castle loomed large before her, the gray stones reaching high into the sky. It was a fortress, meant to defend and protect. Chickens squawked, dogs barked, children yelled and people talked as they worked inside the large courtyard. There were men everywhere and the occasional woman. Everyone seemed to be busy at some task.
    Roxanne brought her hand to her eyes, shielding them from the sun blazing in the bright blue sky. Mountains rose majestically in the distance and a large, dense forest rose up behind the castle. She wasn’t in California anymore. She felt more like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, except there was no tornado. Only a light breeze that tickled her skin and made the ends of her dress flutter.
    More precisely, it looked like the scene from the tapestry, not her apartment. “I don’t understand.” Bitter tears came to her eyes but she blinked them away.
    Radnor rested his chin on the top of her head and sighed. “It is all real, Roxanne.
    No matter how much you wish it was nothing more than a dream.” She spun around to face him, pulling away from his embrace. “This can’t be real.
    Don’t you understand? This is a dream.” The only other explanation was that she was losing her mind. Maybe she was going crazy. Maybe that last hit to the head had pushed her past some point of no return.
    No. She refused to believe that.
    “You can deny it all you want, but it won’t change a thing. You are here until the tapestry comes back for you.”
    “On the third day.” That’s what he’d told her before.
    “Yes.” He looked so real standing there. All of it looked authentic.
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    She suddenly became aware of a growing silence behind her. She looked over her shoulder and found herself the center of attention. Everyone had stopped what they were doing and were staring at her. Some of the men were ogling her legs. Everyone was watching her intently, a growing sense of disbelief on their faces. She shifted uncomfortably, taking a step closer to Radnor.
    He wrapped his arm around her, holding her close, just as a masculine voice boomed through the quiet. “What’s going on?”
    She blinked as the sea of people parted and the other man from her dream came into view. His hair was long and brown, but there were skinny