The Winterblood palace glimmered brightly against the night sky. Horse drawn carriages, and Model T tourers and coaches drove through the palace gates, carrying party guests. Winterblood was celebrating the engagement of Princess Dawn to Prince Samuel, or Sunny, as the young boy insisted on being called, of Autumnsun. The prince and princess were to be wed in twelve years time to solidify the alliance between Winterblood and Autumnsun. It was an event worth celebrating, and many people of import showed up to the engagement party bearing gifts for the young royals.
The palace ballroom was filled with guests, either chatting away or waltzing on the dance floor. Tables of food stretched along the ballroom walls, and a corner of the room was dedicated to engagement presents. At the front of the ballroom sat the royal families of Winterblood and Autumnsun: the Edelweiss family and the Feradae family. A tiny, seven year old Sunny slouched in his chair, a giant frown on his face. He was dark skinned and splotched with freckles. His brown hair spiked up despite his mother's efforts to slick it back. Sunny grimaced; he was tired of waiting. He wanted to open his presents now. Suddenly a six year old girl with wild blonde hair and light blue eyes ran up to Sunny and kissed him hard on the cheek.
"Now you got cooties!" the girl teased. Sunny wiped his cheek, making sounds of disgust.
"Dawn, you're mean!" Sunny said to the girl. Dawn just giggled as she ran off. Another girl ran up to Sunny, a little out of breath. She was a long haired brunette with chocolate brown eyes and was a couple of years older than the prince.
"Sunny, did you see where Dawn went?" the girl asked. Sunny kept wiping his face.
"Marianne, Dawn gave me cooties!" Sunny whined. Marianne let out a small laugh.
"That's okay, I know how to get rid of them. You use the cootie shot," Marianne reassured. Sunny gasped.
"Is it going to hurt?"
"Not one bit," She took Sunny's arm gently. Tracing her finger along his arm, she sang, "Circle, circle, dot, dot, now you got the cootie shot. Circle, circle, square, square, now you got it everywhere," Sunny looked at his arm.
"So, no more cooties?" he asked.
"No more cooties forever," Marianne said. Sunny's face lit up. Dawn came running back, planting another kiss on Sunny's cheek.
"Now you got two cooties!" she laughed. Sunny hopped out of his chair.
"Ha ha! I got the cootie shot! I can't get cooties anymore!" Sunny said triumphantly.
"Nuh-uh! The cootie shot doesn't work! So you still have cooties!"
"No I don't!"
"Yes you do!"
"No I don't! Now you're going to get cooties!" Sunny began to chase after Dawn, who screamed as she ran away from him. Suddenly, the two were scooped up by their fathers, Lord Edelweiss and Lord Feradae.
"My goodness! Why are the two of you screaming?" Lord Feradae asked.
"Dawn gave me cooties!" Sunny said, pointing at Dawn.
"Dawn, what are you doing giving Sunny cooties?" Lord Edelweiss asked. Dawn simply giggled. Her father held Dawn in both his hands. "No more cooties, okay, young lady? Or you won't be able to open your presents," Dawn gasped, and nodded. Lord Edelweiss smiled, and set Dawn down. "Now, go sit with your sister. we have a surprise for you and Sunny," Dawn sat with Marianne behind their older siblings while Sunny practically jumped out of his father's arms and climbed back up onto his seat.
The two kings walked over to the excited children, and slipped necklaces over their heads. Dawn received a gold locket in the shape of a heart, with a rose design engraved in the metal. Sunny received a small gold key. The key's top was carved out of pink stone in the shape of a rose. Dawn's eyes brightened, but Sunny just frowned.
"Now this locket is very special," Lord Edelweiss said to Dawn, "It can't be opened unless by the key Sunny has. Both were made in Summerfaire, where you and Sunny are going to go when you get older to have a very special party,"
"I wanna open it!" Dawn said, trying to pry the locket open. Her father kissed the top of her head.
"Not until your older, my dear," Dawn let the locket go and pouted.
"I don't like it," Sunny said, taking the necklace off.
"Why not, Sunny?" Lord Feradae asked.
"It has a flower on it. Flowers are for girls," Sunny replied. Lord Feradae laughed.
"Flowers have special meanings, my boy. You'll understand in time," He patted Sunny's head. "Now, I need to go let our magicians know its time to start their show, okay?"
As the two kings walked away, Sunny handed the necklace to Marianne.
"You can have it," he said. Marianne smiled, appreciating how pretty it was, and slipped it over her head, hiding the key under the collar of her dress.
The lights in the ballroom began to dim. The party guests all gasped in delight, knowing the Autumnsun magicians were going to perform soon. However, Lord Feradae looked confused.
"I thought they weren't supposed to start until seven," Lord Edelweiss said, looking at his watch.
"They aren't," Lord Feradae replied. Suddenly, the doors to the ballroom crashed open, and a man in a dark red coat and black pants came strutting into the ballroom. He had long, brown hair and a finely trimmed mustache. A mix of confusion and fear echoed through the ballroom as the crowd parted, allowing the man to walk freely up to where the royal families sat. Lord Edelweiss scowled.
"Revek. What are you doing here?" he hissed. The man in red grinned a smile of yellowed teeth.
"Your Majesty. I had heard there was a party at the palace. Forgive my tardiness. It seems my invitation had gone missing,"
"You weren't invited, Revek, I'm surprised you were allowed past the gates,"
"What can I say? I'm very charismatic,"
"What did you do to my guards?!"
"Nothing permanent, I assure you," Revek swirled his fingers, and a touch of purple billowed from his fingertips.
"You're...a magician then?" Lord Feradae asked. Revek let out a laugh.
"Is that what they call me now? I hardly think 'magician' is a qualifying term for the royal enchanter of Winterblood,"
"Former enchanter, after discovering the foul magics you were dealing with," Lord Edelweiss spat. Revek's grin quickly vanished.
"Yes, former. Stripped of my title and power because of a simple difference of opinion," Revek reached into his coat pocket. "A foolish mistake, Your Majesty," Revek pulled out a black, glass talisman with a horned skull carved into it. He held it up high, and a strong wind blew through the hall. Purple lightning shot across the ceiling, and a crack of thunder roared across the ballroom. Screams rang out, and Lord Feradae motioned Sunny and the Edelweiss children to leave the ballroom. Revek pointed at Lord Edelweiss.
"By the dark powers vested in me, I curse you, Lord Edelweiss, and your family! I will not rest until I see every last one of you dead!" Revek let out an evil laugh, and in a flash, he vanished.
For the next several months, Winterblood fell into dark times. Severe storms ravaged the coasts, halting trade to a complete stop. Food became scarce, illness was more prevalent with the lack of medicines, and people were losing hope, and their tempers. The cry for new leadership began to ring louder and louder as the months went on. Efforts to quiet the talk of rebellion failed, and soon riots began to break out. Revek was greatly pleased with the outcome of his curse, until the night the rioters attacked the palace.
"What are you fools doing?" Revek yelled as the rioters mobbed his home. "I'm on your side!" His words did little to calm the flames of anger, and, despite his magic, Revek soon found himself outnumbered. The rioters tied the man up and ransacked his home of magical treasures, anything that looked like it would sell well. Revek watched helplessly as one rioter pocketed the glass talisman. They then set fire to Revek's home, leaving the screaming sorcerer to his fate.
Mobs burst through the palace gates, carrying torches and guns. Windows were shattered, doors were kicked down, and gunfire went off. Dawn and Marianne were hastily dragged by their nurse through a hallway of shrieking servants, trying to escape the mayhem. She led the two into the kitchen, where she opened the door to the wine cellar. She ushered them down, quickly closing the door behind her. The nurse then pushed hard against the wine rack, moving it slowly, revealing a door. She unlocked it and pushed the girls inside. The nurse quickly followed, taking the two girls by their hands and rushing them down the dark path.
They came out of the back section of the palace, which was burning in some areas. Dawn was crying, and eventually stopped running. The nurse picked the young girl up, using her free hand to grab Marianne. They ran to the closest train station, trying to push through the chaos of the crowd. At one point, Marianne's hand slipped out of her nurse's, and she was swallowed up in the sea of people. Marianne called out, tears forming in her eyes. She was dwarfed by the people at the station, and was being pushed around violently. Suddenly, a final push sent her crashing down onto the railroad tracks, and her head hit the metal rail hard. Marianne's vision swirled, and soon all she saw was black.
Revek opened his eyes, surrounded by the charred remains of his home. He moved his arms, and the burned rope fell off his body. He looked down at his hands, and saw that his skin was pure white and tightly stretched across his bones. He stood up shakily, feeling his skin creak and snap as he moved. Did he somehow survive the fire? Revek touched his face. His lips had been completely burned off, revealing nothing but his teeth. His hair was gone and his ears were shriveled. His eyes were nothing but black pits. Revek soon realized in horror that he wasn't alive, not really. He had died in that fire, but something was holding him back, keeping him from moving on. The curse, he realized. The curse wasn't complete. An Edelweiss still lived. Revek let out a roar of frustration. He walked out of his burnt home, tattered clothes clinging to his skin. He pulled his coat over his face, and headed into the city.
Revek made his way to his bookshop, which doubled as his study. He lowered his coat from his face, relieved he didn't run into anyone on the way. Suddenly, he felt a presence. It was a unique presence, something Revek hadn't felt before. He turned around, and saw a young boy, no more than thirteen, staring straight at him. The boy had black hair, a long nose, and vivid blue eyes. Revek jumped back slightly, surprised by the boy, but the boy just sighed.
"Not another one…" he heard the boy mumble under his breath as the lad began to walk straight past Revek. Revek squinted hard. His dark eyes widened as he realized it was magic emanating from the boy.
"Hey!" Revek called out. The boy bolted, but Revek pursued after him. He reached out and grabbed the boy by his coat sleeve.
"Mother says I'm not supposed to talk to you!" the boy shouted. He had an accent that inflected his vowels. This boy was clearly not from around here.
"What kind of lad sees someone like me and just simply walks by? And what do you mean 'not talk to me'? You don't even know me!" Revek exclaimed. The boy kept looking at the ground.
"Look, I'm sorry you and all the other ghosts I've run into haven't passed into the next world, but I can't help you. Now, I can't be seen talking to you or people will think I'm crazy," The boy tried to shove off Revek's grip, but the sorcerer held tight.
"I'm no ghost, son," Revek said in a low voice. The boy's eyes widened, and he reached out to touch Revek's face. Revek allowed it, and the boy's hand shot back once he felt his skin.
"What...what are you?" he asked. Revek was quiet for a moment, thinking of what to say.
"I am a powerful sorcerer, my dear boy, bound to this world by the foolish actions of others. But whatever I am isn't nearly as important as what you are,"
"What I am?"
"Yes, lad. I can sense great magic in you. And it's clear you know about it, since you were not fazed in the slightest by the sight of a living corpse," Revek stroked his chin. "You can speak to the dead. A difficult task even for the most skilled of magicians. It seems a waste to keep all that raw talent hidden," The boy looked down at his hands.
"You really think I'm magic?"
"I don't think, boy, I know! Why don't you come with me and we'll put it to the test?" The boy looked around, making sure they were alone. He grinned up at Revek, a mouth full of crooked teeth.
"I once turned a rat into a can," he said proudly.
"A natural! Oh, this will be interesting. Tell me, young man, what do you go by?"
"My name is Bog," the boy replied.
"Bog? A unique name for a unique boy. You may call me...Kaiser,"
Marianne woke up in a hospital bed. Everything was a blur of white. She rubbed her eyes, and realized she was staring up at a florescent light. She went to sit up, but a shock of pain cut through her head. Marianne brought her hands up to her head, and realized her hair was all gone, replaced by gauze. A doctor in a white coat came up to Marianne, holding a clipboard.
"Ah. And she awakens. Tell me, my dear, how are you feeling?" Marianne looked at the doctor, confused. "That was one nasty cut you had. Unfortunately, we had to cut your hair so we could stitch it up properly, but don't worry, it'll grow back. Now, what's your name?"
"My...my name?" Marianne asked.
"Yes. Your name. We need to get in contact with your family." Marianne was quiet for a moment.
"Mary?"
"So, your name is Mary?"
"Anne?"
"...Is it Mary or is it Anne?"
"Yes?" The doctor said the names out loud, and realization spread across his face.
"Oh, it's Marianne. That's the fifth Marianne this week. Popular name. Is there a last name that goes with it?"
"I…I don't know," Marianne held her head.
"You don't know?"
"Where...where am I?" The doctor was quiet. He moved closer to Marianne.
"Marianne, tell me honestly, do you know what today is?" Marianne squeezed her eyes shut.
"No," she replied. The doctor scribbled something on his clipboard.
"Do you know who your father and mother are?" he asked. Tears started to form in Marianne's eyes.
"I...I don't remember," She fiddled with a gold key around her neck, sniffling hard. "I don't remember anything,"