Disclaimer: (A proper one) All LoK characters and related material belong to Crystal Dynamics and Eidos.
To Find My Way Home
Chapter One
The story I'm about to tell you may be hard to believe. I wouldn't even believe it myself, if it hadn't of happened to me. But sometimes, the strangest of things can happen for reasons unknown.
My life had seen its ups and downs, but at the time it had happened, I was definitely experiencing one of those 'downs'. The tragic events I had experienced are still fresh in my memory, so I don't like to talk much about it. But, to tell my story, I feel I must begin with the painful loss.
A few months before it happened, my mother had grown sick. She hadn't been well for some time, but she insisted she was fine. Until the seizure. The doctors had informed my father and I that my mother had lung cancer. It was too far-gone to cure, having already spread through her entire body. They gave her a month to live at best. She only lived a week.
My father and I were grief-stricken. My own mother was gone. I couldn't believe it. I was in denial. Depression quickly set in for us both. I was so wrapped up in my own sorrow that my fiancée had given up his attempts to get me to move on with my life. With our life. I had cut myself off to the world, including him.
Sadly, he couldn't continue watching me destroy myself, especially when I didn't even attempt to help myself. He called off our engagement shortly thereafter. Oddly enough, I was so overwhelmed by my mother's passing, that our breaking up hardly even fazed me.
It was then that my friends stepped in. I suppose they were planning a get away for me for a few weeks. They came to me on a Thursday afternoon during the warm summer months and proposed their plan to me. They really weren't giving me a choice, but the idea was to take me up to the lake that weekend to forget about my problems for a little while.
We camped out for a few nights up by the lake. It was quite beautiful. We spent most of the time hiking and canoeing during the day and talking and getting pretty drunk at night. Sunday finally came, and thus marked the end of my weekend away. It had been a very beneficial trip and I was in great appreciation to my friends.
My spirits had been lifted a bit and during the long car trip home, I vowed I would give my ex-fiancée a call to patch up our relationship. When we returned to one of my friend's apartment, it had gotten late, and a rainstorm had rolled in. I insisted on driving home, rather than stay the night, like my friend suggested. Had I known what was to come shortly thereafter, I would have taken her up on her offer.
Though I was drowsy, I insisted I was awake enough to drive. I only lived about a half an hour's drive from her home anyway. Reluctantly, she let me leave and wished me luck. About halfway through the drive home, I was definitely feeling exhausted, and I was struggling not to nod off. I rolled down the window a crack to let the cool night air brush my face, but that only made me sleepier.
I snapped my head up once again from the verge of unconsciousness. When I refocused on the road ahead of me, my heart froze. A group of four or five deer had happened to cross the road here, and I was headed straight at them at fifty miles an hour. Instinct kicked in and I slammed on the brake and clenched the wheel, swerving towards the left.
Full of fear, I clenched my eyes shut as the world around me spun into chaos. I could feel my car spin out from behind me on the rain-slicked roads and I was no longer going forward. I felt a rough bump, but knew it wasn't from hitting one of those deer. Instead, it felt more like I had skidded off the road.
My car, still spinning, violently slid over the rough dirt and rocks. I'm not sure how far my car went off the road, or how fast I had been going when it happened. But suddenly, my car jerked to a halt. The crash forced my forehead into my steering wheel and everything went dark.
The next thing I knew, morning had arrived. I slowly lifted my throbbing head from my steering wheel. Somehow, my hands had remained clutched on the wheel during the entire night. As I sat up, I noticed that my neck and back were incredibly sore as well. It was either from injuries from the crash, or just from the way I had awkwardly slept during the night. If you could consider getting knocked out as 'sleep'.
I carefully got out of my car, noticing that the engine had died sometime ago. I'm not sure if it happened during the crash, or while I was out cold. When I got out of my car, the first thing I noticed was the tree pinned up against my rear passenger door. It wasn't a pretty site, but I was glad that the damage from the crash was limited to the door. It wouldn't be cheap to fix, but at least I wouldn't have to worry about buying a brand new car.
I took a look around and I started to get a bit nervous. I didn't recognize anything around me. I had been traveling a route home that I commonly drove. But there was nothing around me. No houses. No cars. Not even the road I had been traveling was there. I followed the skid marks from my tires to see if I could find anything. But after thirty feet or so, the skid marks faded to nothing.
I was getting very nervous. I got back into my car and attempted to start it. If I could get it running, then I could cover more ground when I went to find civilization. Turning the key, I could hear the pathetic whir of the engine as it tried to start. When it faded to silence, I knew there was only one reason for this outcome. The battery was dead. The headlights being on all night must've killed the battery.
Luckily, I had my cell phone with me. I pulled that out of my purse and turned it on. However, there was absolutely no signal whatsoever. I got out of my car, again, hoping I could find somewhere with even the littlest bit of a signal. I walked circles around my car, searching for a signal, but found nothing. Giving up, I turned off my phone. No sense in wasting the battery.
My head was starting to give me a real irritation, so I decided to check my wounds in the rear view mirror. There was a large bruise above my right eyebrow and a small cut that had stopped bleeding during the night. Other than that, and a tremendous headache, I seemed fine. I took a few aspirin from my purse and dry swallowed them, which was terribly unpleasant. But hopefully they would kick in soon to rid me of my migraine.
Unsure as to what I should do next, I got out of my car again and took another look around. I'm not sure why. It was futile to hope that perhaps the road I had been on would suddenly appear from out of nowhere, as if I had just been overlooking it this entire time.
Despair was starting to set in when I heard a faint noise coming from the east. I shielded the sun from my eyes as I studied the horizon. The noise grew louder, and I could barely make out a form moving towards me. As it got larger, I noticed that it was a group of people. The noise grew louder, and I came to recognize it as the sound of horses. My heart leapt for joy. I was finally saved!
The horseback riders grew a bit closer, and I could tell there were six of them. I wasn't a bit surprised that it was horseback riders I had spotted. Way out in the country where I grew up, horses were very common. And now, being in the middle of nowhere with no paved roads around, I assumed that horseback was the most convenient means of travel.
As the riders approached, my joy turned to confusion. These were not horseback riders. Or at least, not by what I would imagine. These guys were all dressed up like medieval knights, complete with armor, swords and crossbows. I wasn't sure if these guys were actors or not. I had been to a renaissance fair once before, but these six men looked so much more realistic than any of the actors I had seen that day at the fair.
"Lady Danielle? Is that really you?" the first knight asked me as he jumped down off his horse. A second knight followed him as they approached me. The remaining four surrounded my car, weapons drawn.
"Milady, please answer me. Are you all right? Did this beast hurt you seriously?" the same knight inquired as he pointed to my car. He removed his helmet to get a better look at me. I was entirely confused by the whole situation. How did this stranger know my name? Well, my true name. I preferred to go by Danni.
The second knight turned his attention from me to the one who had been asking me if I was okay. "Lord Richard, Lady Danielle seems to be dazed by her ordeal. Perhaps we should take her back to the citadel where she may get some rest and some warm food?"
"Yes. That seems to be a good idea, Christopher. Men! Does that beast seem to be of any threat?" Lord Richard replied.
"Nay, Milord! The beast is slain! Lady Danielle must be quite resourceful to have outmatched such a beast, let alone escape from those lecherous vampires!"
"Wait a minute!" I cried out, my senses starting to return to me. "What's going on here? Why are you all dressed so ridiculously? Why do you keep referring to my car as a 'beast'? How do you know my name? And what the hell is this about vampires?"
The knights were silent for a few moments with shock written all over their faces. Finally, the 'Lord Richard' guy spoke up. "Milady, surely the stress has gotten to you. Please, return with us to the citadel. I'm sure your father would be ecstatic to see you well."
"My father?" I wondered aloud, half out of it again. How did they know my father? I decided to amuse these knights and go with them to this 'citadel'. Who knows? Maybe my father really was there. Maybe, after I got there, I would realize that this was all a dream and I would wake up in my father's home.
To Find My Way Home
Chapter One
The story I'm about to tell you may be hard to believe. I wouldn't even believe it myself, if it hadn't of happened to me. But sometimes, the strangest of things can happen for reasons unknown.
My life had seen its ups and downs, but at the time it had happened, I was definitely experiencing one of those 'downs'. The tragic events I had experienced are still fresh in my memory, so I don't like to talk much about it. But, to tell my story, I feel I must begin with the painful loss.
A few months before it happened, my mother had grown sick. She hadn't been well for some time, but she insisted she was fine. Until the seizure. The doctors had informed my father and I that my mother had lung cancer. It was too far-gone to cure, having already spread through her entire body. They gave her a month to live at best. She only lived a week.
My father and I were grief-stricken. My own mother was gone. I couldn't believe it. I was in denial. Depression quickly set in for us both. I was so wrapped up in my own sorrow that my fiancée had given up his attempts to get me to move on with my life. With our life. I had cut myself off to the world, including him.
Sadly, he couldn't continue watching me destroy myself, especially when I didn't even attempt to help myself. He called off our engagement shortly thereafter. Oddly enough, I was so overwhelmed by my mother's passing, that our breaking up hardly even fazed me.
It was then that my friends stepped in. I suppose they were planning a get away for me for a few weeks. They came to me on a Thursday afternoon during the warm summer months and proposed their plan to me. They really weren't giving me a choice, but the idea was to take me up to the lake that weekend to forget about my problems for a little while.
We camped out for a few nights up by the lake. It was quite beautiful. We spent most of the time hiking and canoeing during the day and talking and getting pretty drunk at night. Sunday finally came, and thus marked the end of my weekend away. It had been a very beneficial trip and I was in great appreciation to my friends.
My spirits had been lifted a bit and during the long car trip home, I vowed I would give my ex-fiancée a call to patch up our relationship. When we returned to one of my friend's apartment, it had gotten late, and a rainstorm had rolled in. I insisted on driving home, rather than stay the night, like my friend suggested. Had I known what was to come shortly thereafter, I would have taken her up on her offer.
Though I was drowsy, I insisted I was awake enough to drive. I only lived about a half an hour's drive from her home anyway. Reluctantly, she let me leave and wished me luck. About halfway through the drive home, I was definitely feeling exhausted, and I was struggling not to nod off. I rolled down the window a crack to let the cool night air brush my face, but that only made me sleepier.
I snapped my head up once again from the verge of unconsciousness. When I refocused on the road ahead of me, my heart froze. A group of four or five deer had happened to cross the road here, and I was headed straight at them at fifty miles an hour. Instinct kicked in and I slammed on the brake and clenched the wheel, swerving towards the left.
Full of fear, I clenched my eyes shut as the world around me spun into chaos. I could feel my car spin out from behind me on the rain-slicked roads and I was no longer going forward. I felt a rough bump, but knew it wasn't from hitting one of those deer. Instead, it felt more like I had skidded off the road.
My car, still spinning, violently slid over the rough dirt and rocks. I'm not sure how far my car went off the road, or how fast I had been going when it happened. But suddenly, my car jerked to a halt. The crash forced my forehead into my steering wheel and everything went dark.
The next thing I knew, morning had arrived. I slowly lifted my throbbing head from my steering wheel. Somehow, my hands had remained clutched on the wheel during the entire night. As I sat up, I noticed that my neck and back were incredibly sore as well. It was either from injuries from the crash, or just from the way I had awkwardly slept during the night. If you could consider getting knocked out as 'sleep'.
I carefully got out of my car, noticing that the engine had died sometime ago. I'm not sure if it happened during the crash, or while I was out cold. When I got out of my car, the first thing I noticed was the tree pinned up against my rear passenger door. It wasn't a pretty site, but I was glad that the damage from the crash was limited to the door. It wouldn't be cheap to fix, but at least I wouldn't have to worry about buying a brand new car.
I took a look around and I started to get a bit nervous. I didn't recognize anything around me. I had been traveling a route home that I commonly drove. But there was nothing around me. No houses. No cars. Not even the road I had been traveling was there. I followed the skid marks from my tires to see if I could find anything. But after thirty feet or so, the skid marks faded to nothing.
I was getting very nervous. I got back into my car and attempted to start it. If I could get it running, then I could cover more ground when I went to find civilization. Turning the key, I could hear the pathetic whir of the engine as it tried to start. When it faded to silence, I knew there was only one reason for this outcome. The battery was dead. The headlights being on all night must've killed the battery.
Luckily, I had my cell phone with me. I pulled that out of my purse and turned it on. However, there was absolutely no signal whatsoever. I got out of my car, again, hoping I could find somewhere with even the littlest bit of a signal. I walked circles around my car, searching for a signal, but found nothing. Giving up, I turned off my phone. No sense in wasting the battery.
My head was starting to give me a real irritation, so I decided to check my wounds in the rear view mirror. There was a large bruise above my right eyebrow and a small cut that had stopped bleeding during the night. Other than that, and a tremendous headache, I seemed fine. I took a few aspirin from my purse and dry swallowed them, which was terribly unpleasant. But hopefully they would kick in soon to rid me of my migraine.
Unsure as to what I should do next, I got out of my car again and took another look around. I'm not sure why. It was futile to hope that perhaps the road I had been on would suddenly appear from out of nowhere, as if I had just been overlooking it this entire time.
Despair was starting to set in when I heard a faint noise coming from the east. I shielded the sun from my eyes as I studied the horizon. The noise grew louder, and I could barely make out a form moving towards me. As it got larger, I noticed that it was a group of people. The noise grew louder, and I came to recognize it as the sound of horses. My heart leapt for joy. I was finally saved!
The horseback riders grew a bit closer, and I could tell there were six of them. I wasn't a bit surprised that it was horseback riders I had spotted. Way out in the country where I grew up, horses were very common. And now, being in the middle of nowhere with no paved roads around, I assumed that horseback was the most convenient means of travel.
As the riders approached, my joy turned to confusion. These were not horseback riders. Or at least, not by what I would imagine. These guys were all dressed up like medieval knights, complete with armor, swords and crossbows. I wasn't sure if these guys were actors or not. I had been to a renaissance fair once before, but these six men looked so much more realistic than any of the actors I had seen that day at the fair.
"Lady Danielle? Is that really you?" the first knight asked me as he jumped down off his horse. A second knight followed him as they approached me. The remaining four surrounded my car, weapons drawn.
"Milady, please answer me. Are you all right? Did this beast hurt you seriously?" the same knight inquired as he pointed to my car. He removed his helmet to get a better look at me. I was entirely confused by the whole situation. How did this stranger know my name? Well, my true name. I preferred to go by Danni.
The second knight turned his attention from me to the one who had been asking me if I was okay. "Lord Richard, Lady Danielle seems to be dazed by her ordeal. Perhaps we should take her back to the citadel where she may get some rest and some warm food?"
"Yes. That seems to be a good idea, Christopher. Men! Does that beast seem to be of any threat?" Lord Richard replied.
"Nay, Milord! The beast is slain! Lady Danielle must be quite resourceful to have outmatched such a beast, let alone escape from those lecherous vampires!"
"Wait a minute!" I cried out, my senses starting to return to me. "What's going on here? Why are you all dressed so ridiculously? Why do you keep referring to my car as a 'beast'? How do you know my name? And what the hell is this about vampires?"
The knights were silent for a few moments with shock written all over their faces. Finally, the 'Lord Richard' guy spoke up. "Milady, surely the stress has gotten to you. Please, return with us to the citadel. I'm sure your father would be ecstatic to see you well."
"My father?" I wondered aloud, half out of it again. How did they know my father? I decided to amuse these knights and go with them to this 'citadel'. Who knows? Maybe my father really was there. Maybe, after I got there, I would realize that this was all a dream and I would wake up in my father's home.