It was often hard to be sure of how it happened. There were so many loose ends to tie up that she sometimes doubted they all belonged to the same thread. Sources of information were hard to double check in cases like this, in a world with lies at every turn. She is not immune to propaganda. She never has been, and she knows this. But sometimes it's easier to believe something false than it is to find the truth.
Judy flipped through the torn-up pages of the Etherian Global Encyclopedia in the false hopes of finding something new, but to no avail. It was simply the same old lies about her home. Nonsense about how "a lantern was knocked over late one night, causing a fire to spread and engulf the sleeping residents". And of course, as with any tragedy of this scale, there were "no survivors". Without so much as a second glance, she shut the book and tossed it over her shoulder, moving onto the next one in the pile. Her reject pile had grown larger than the stack she had remaining, and as the pile of untouched books grew smaller, so did her confidence. But there was no chance of her giving up. Not on something like this. She flipped open the cover on the next volume, beginning to read.
It was late at night when the first signs of invasion appeared. Faint red lights illuminated the horizon, the very hills seeming to move towards the village of Glenmar. A seemingly rhythmic beat echoed across the valley, as if a lone drummer sat atop a mountain and trained to keep his tempo. By the time that two and two were put together, the Horde's army had reached the edge of the village, tanks at the ready. There was an effort made to stop them, of course: soldiers scrambled for their weapons and armor, and the village chief gathered his circle of sorcerers to strengthen the barrier. But it was too late. By the time the people of Glenmar had prepared their defenses, the rain of incendiary missiles had already begun, spreading a blaze across the wooden village and turning its residents to ashy corpses.
"The chief, although distraught with the destruction upon his village, knew that his time had come to an end. This would be the end of Glenmar, but he did not want to leave the world behind in mourning. So, returning to his home, he brought his wife and daughter close, assuring them of how much he loved them. Some say that the fire inside him almost burned bright enough to outshine the fire around him, but none will ever know. There were no survivors, and-"
There was a deep twisting in her gut, and Judy was tempted to put the book down right then and there, tossing it into the reject pile with the other lies. Of course there were survivors, there had to be; she was the proof of that. But this author could not have known. Even she herself hadn't known, just a month prior. So, with a faint sigh, she continued to soak it all in.
Not much was known about the chief's daughter, due to her age at the time. She had only been six at the time of her death, and so most of what is known is fuzzy at best. Her name was Princess Inferna. Having formed a bond with the rune stone of Glenmar, she was gifted with the ability to generate and control fire, though her young age left much to be desired in the training department. Her untuned abilities let her resist temperatures of up to 500 degrees, and she could create small embers at the tips of her fingers... but such a power is dangerous for children, so her parents focused on academic studies more than they did on magical training. She was allegedly well-versed in many subjects for her age, and always enjoyed learning whatever she could, especially in the form of tales from the village elders. It takes a village to raise a child, after all.
"Her royal nature meant that she was often brought along on visits to other territories and kingdoms, and while she must not have understood the intent of these diplomatic missions, she just enjoyed the chance to meet people from far away. Witnesses claim that she was a lot more friendly with girls her age than she was with boys, but there is no definitive proof one way or the other. Inferna was allegedly quite the pleasant child, always keeping a smile on her face with the intent to make others as happy as possible."
Judy sort of smiled at that, knowing that such optimism would be out of place at best in today's world and straight up impossible to achieve at worst. Happiness was still on that hierarchy of needs, sure, but the lower levels must be satisfied before anyone cares about happiness. Smiles cannot last if knives carve them in.
Though she continued to read, her focus drifted away bit by bit, until it was impossible to be sure that she actually saw the words on the page. It all sort of blended together, words coming together to form one big block of letters. She was too impatient for this. However, she at least knew one person who wasn't: Angella. The winged queen had become something of a surrogate mother to Judy ever since she arrived in Bright Moon, and while she wasn't entirely certain that she deserved such attention, it was more than she had ever known before. So, she allowed that treatment to continue. It came with its benefits, anyway, including a constant ease of access that would let Judy speak with her at any given time. Normally, she didn't like to disturb the queen while she was in the middle of her royal duties... But this was a good enough exception, she reasoned, stepping into the throne room and clearing her throat. The books had mentioned her name quite often, so maybe she held that missing piece that no text could supply.
"Hey, Angella?"
The queen turned around with a small frown, bothered by the informal regard, but that quickly changed into a smile when she spotted her guest. "Oh, well, this is a pleasant surprise. Yes, Judy, what is it?"
"Sorry if I'm, uh, overstepping a boundary or something, but... Can— Can you tell me what Princess Inferna was like? I've been reading, and... And some of those books said you knew her."
"... I-I see."
"Yeah, and—Y'know, I just... I mean, it wouldn't hurt to know about someone else from before... that. But it's okay if-"
"No, no, don't apologize. You deserve to know."
"I do?"
"Yes, of course. You should never feel ashamed about the pursuit of knowledge, dear."
"No no yeah, I get that, but like— If it's a sensitive area or something, I don't wanna pressure you, y'know?"
That got a mild laugh out of Queen Angella. "Yes, Judy, I know exactly what you mean. I appreciate the sentiment, but I cannot just let these thoughts sit dormant in the back of my mind. So... What all do you remember from your life before the Horde?"
"Uh... If I'm being honest? Jack shit."
"... That is a very crude way of phrasing it, but thank you. Well, you and Inferna... You knew each other, believe it or not."
"Hold up, really?"
"Yes, really. You were practically inseparable." Angella let out a light chuckle, as if she had cracked a joke for once, before continuing on about the missing princess. "She would often visit with her mother just to see me. And when Castle Bright Moon was occupied with battle preparations, I would visit her. I was something of a second mother to her, and she was always happy to let me know how much she cared. It was... incredibly touching, and not unlike the way I've taken you under my wing."
"... So, wait. This entire time, you've avoided mentioning Inferna... 'cause I remind you of her? And you've been treating me like you would treat her, 'cause that's the closest you can get to having her back?" Judy felt a pang of guilt resonate from within her chest, and she actively fought to blink back the tears. Maybe it wasn't the best idea to ask about such a thing after all; now she was just gonna be all emotional for the rest of the night.
"You... Yes, you could say that," Angella responded, wiping away a tear of her own. Her distant stare screamed that she wanted to say so much more, but there were other duties to attend to. A guard came knocking at the door, asking the queen to come stop by for a meeting of the Princess Alliance, and with one last goodbye, she left Judy to her own devices again.
Well... That wasn't entirely a letdown. Judy retired to her room that night with a small smile, wondering just how amazing her past life had been. Not only did she have a friend at all, but that friend was the chieftain's magical princess daughter. The one with a heart of gold. The one whose presence mattered... The one who would know better than to fall for the Horde's lies. All signs of a smile disappeared, and Judy clutched her pillow in her lap with a disappointed sigh. Despite having lost her memories of the princess, she knew Inferna would have been better for the rebellion's cause. She was good with a bo staff, sure, but the team needed a certain fire behind it to really get them going. And while Judy never thought she could provide that, the light of the stars may have been trying to convince her otherwise that night; for a split second, she could have sworn she saw sparks at her fingertips.