I had quite a lengthy and vivid dream last night (one I think might have carried on from before I woke up to get a drink and went back to bed). It was very theatre-ish, and I want to write it out here because it impressed me.
It starts in front of a large crowd of people; being a dream, I'm unsure if this is a king's court and the people are various advisors, or if it's simply the stage and the people are the audience. Regardless, the king's son is quite the comic and entertainer, and is well-loved by the people. In the opening scene, he's describing how castle life has become boring for him, and he's going off to see the world and to find the girl of his dreams. Someone asks him what she'd be like, and he responds with a vibrant, joyous song, of which I can only remember part: "She'll have ruby lips, snow-white skin..."
So he leaves on his adventure, and though I don't remember how, he and a few people he's met during the course of his journey wind-up in the main city of an opposing empire. This enemy empire is very harsh and brutal to its people, with such stringent rules as "no games." The group winds up in a tavern (think Mos Eisley, but not quite so rough) sitting at a table next to a table of ladies. (Both groups of 4-5 are very ecclectic with their species (like ogres) and appearances (big vs petit).) One of the women in particular catches his eye. They make small talk, and soon the two tables are pulled together and everyone is conversing. (Brief side note: during this part, I remember one of the two large women feeding a small dog under the table, and one of the empirial guards (a troll) sees her and, as this is against the rules, chases the dog and eventually kills it and eats it. The woman is upset, but takes solace because something about the dog would be poisonous to the troll and it would eventually die.)
At some point, a few of the guys begin discretely (so they think) discussing the hot girl and the fact that though they unanimously feel that there is a man in her life, that it's odd that he isn't out with her. (Apparently, girls night out doesn't factor in.) They're overheard, however, by some of the girls, who explain that the man the hot girl was supposed to marry was killed (for breaking rules), and so she solemnly decided to dedicate her life to the government so that the same fate doesn't befall her & so she can maybe change it from within. (She's some sort of low-level official; equivalent to a priest in the catholic church heirarchy.) She hears all of this conversation, and becomes saddened by his memory, and says "I should go." To which the prince replies "No one here wants you to," in a Tom-Hanks-Meg-Ryan-Movie sort of way. (It was very moving in the dream; it was one of two parts that I know I actually started crying in real-life while I was asleep.)
The prince was referring to himself in particular, and the woman realizes that there's some sort of connection between the two of them. She stays, and conversation continues, and the prince (who, btw, never really mentions he's the prince of another kingdom) begins to teach her table-top football. (you know, with the paper folded into a triangle?) Two guards come along and interupt the game, proclaiming it against the rules and punishable by death for both players. In typical heroic fashion, the prince explains that it's not a game, but a training exercise for throwing knives. In demonstration, he whips a blade into the chest of one of the guards. Before the other can react, the girl does the same. (This is done quickly and quietly so that it doesn't draw attention to the group and the bodies are hidden.) The two retrieve their daggers and look at each other, then both throw their own into the ground at the other's feet, exchanging blades. (A sort of metaphorical "exchanging of vows".)
The two groups spend the rest of the night talking (with most of the women eventually leaving except for the girl), until the place is almost empty and a team of a Giant and a wizard decide that the group is perfect for their own made-up rule "Kill as many people at a table as you can." After a minor skirmish, the team retreats, followed by their attackers. They manage to escape through a magic tunnel to the outside of the city, where they convince the tunnel's keeper to collapse it on their followers. This doesn't kill them, however; it merely enrages them, and as they erupt from the ground, the group is forced to fight them, only this time they win.
They spend a few days walking across the country, back towards the prince's kingdom (by this time, I think she knows he's a prince). The two are very clearly soul-mates, and delight in each-other's company. However, while passing a smaller town, the girl hears over a loudspeaker that all deserters are invited back to the main city to receive a pardon for deserting. (Because so many people hated their government and fled it, it was against the rules, and punishable by death, to leave the city without permission for any reason. (As the girl had just done.)) She perceives this as a sign that her government is changing for the better, and decides to return in the hopes that more people responding will lead to more positive change. The prince, who has know the strategies and ways of his enemy for a long time, tries to tell her that it's a trap, and that the government only wants all of the deserters in one place so it may kill them all as a show of strength. The girl refuses to believe him, and the two part company.
Downcast, the prince and his group continue their journey home, with each member departing as they pass their town of origin. As the prince walks over the bridge into his castle, he remembers the girl's knife at his waist and disgustedly throws it down, where it bounces of the rock of the bridge and clatters to the ground (in contrast to sticking in the ground earlier).
Inside the court (with the crowd of people there again), the prince makes a grand entrance by sliding down a long banister, hooking his leg under it and flipping off of it, displaying a massive feat of acrobatics as he soars through the air to land on the lip of a fountain. A huge grin on his face, the prince begins to leap and flip and cartwheel about the room (demonstrating how refined his prowess has become during his adventure) and telling the people of all the strange and wonderous things he's seen (like mermaids and other creatures). At some point, someone in the crowds, in reference to the prince leaving to find a woman, simply says "what about 'her'?" In an instant, the smile is gone from the prince's face. He faces the fact that she's gone from his life, and probably dead, and he begins to sing, sadly, "She had ruby lips... snow-white skin..." and then he breaks down and begins to cry. (This was the second time I cried; I woke up with tears in my eyes.) He's not sobbing for more than a few seconds, however, when a dagger imbeds itself at his feet. It's her dagger, and as he looks up, he sees her standing in the entranceway; she'd realized that he only wanted to protect her, and it meant he loved her, and decided to trust him and come be with him. And they lived happily ever after.
... I'm not gay.
