Now

First there is nothing. Blackness. Emptiness. The feeling that life is being sucked from my body.

Then, there is everything. Blinding light, wet grass soaking through the clothes on my chest, a faint breeze raising goose bumps on my arms, the sound of twigs and leaves rustling against each other, and the chill of cold stone underneath my right hand.

My eyelids flutter open to a vast grassy field, bordered by a dense forest that reaches far out to the horizon. They dart to the stone my hand is resting on, a tomb. A tomb made of smooth stone, sloping up on two opposite sides to where they meet in a line at the top, creating a pointed arch on the adjacent sides.

My hand quivers slightly before withdrawing its touch. I gaze around at the empty landscape, taking in the scenery. I'm atop a big, lush, green, sloping hill, under a large tree with gnarled branches that dip down where they are millimeters from touching the ground. I watch as a dying leaf clinging on to the end of a twig, trembles before swiftly falling down, twirling and swaying, before gently landing on my shoulder. I stare at it for a moment and lift my hand to brush it off, only for the wind swell and sweep it off tumbling away. In the distance, I can see a small abandoned wooden stable, showing signs of time long gone by, with planks fallen back and rafters poking out from a crumbling roof.

I gaze down at it and before I know it, my feet are flying down the hill, carrying me to the stable. Up close, it's visible that it is void of all signs of life, minus a small rat that scurries past my feet and into a hole in the corner. A large hole in the ceiling lets in a large beam of light illuminating a row of empty horse stables.

I look around, feeling an unnerving void within myself. The void that should be filled with memories. Memories that define who I am. I rack my brain, trying to remember something. Anything. It's that odd moment when you feel that something is supposed to be there, but there isn't. The odd moment that leaves your arms tingling and your chest tight, as if someone were trying to squeeze the life out of you.

I don't know how long I stand at the entrance of the crumbling building, gazing down at the stable, intrigued by it, pondering its past and its history, when I see a large band of fifty or so figures emerge from the woods about half a mile away. I immediately step into the shelter of the stable and peer out from a crack in the wall.

Maybe they can help, I tell myself, feeling uneasy. I hold my ground and watch as they approach shouting something unintelligible. But as the figures get closer, I begin to make out who they actually are. Knights, in glistening silver armor wielding bows and swords, all riding magnificent steeds.

I watch as they ride on by, completely trotting pass the stable with not as much as a glance in its direction. Then a knight at the back in the back of the band turns his head and I jump back from the crack.

"Do you think we ought to check this one?" He says.

"Do you think that she'd be here? This would be the last place I'd be if I were hiding," A deep throaty voice says.

"Are you sure-"

"Queen's orders say we find her as soon as possible before she can do any more harm to this land. We're wasting time here. Let's go," the voice says firmly, followed by the thud of horse hooves galloping away. I crouch down until I'm certain they're gone and peek out the crack, confirming they're gone.

I stand up and walk back out into the field, staring at the trampled grass where the horses stood. I blink at it for a moment. Who were they? I shudder as I the absence of memories chills me to the core. I walk slowly to the place where they emerged t the edge of the woods and peer in as far as my eyes can see.

Trees. Huge thick trees shooting up to the sky topped by a bright green canopy of leaves and branches. I take one last glance back over my shoulder at the stable and tomb at the top of the hill before stepping into forest.

Before I can take the time to adjust to the change of scenery, I'm immediately startled by an arrow that whistles past my face and burrows itself into the trunk of a tree next to me.

"Don't move," I hear a voice behind me say. "That was your warning shot."

I stop in my tracks and slowly turn my head. A tall man with scruffy brown hair stands about ten feet away holding up a bow, with its arrow aimed right at me. Something in me wants to scream and dart and freak out and all that stuff you're supposed to do when you're staring death in the face. Instead I say flatly, "Excuse me?"

Stupid. What. Ugh. Maybe I should run. Even if he shoots me I should run. Wait, who is this? Maybe I've met him before and we're friends. Wait, no, because then he wouldn't be threatening to kill me. Ugh, I can't remember anything!

The man pulls back his bow tighter, trembling. "Don't move." He says again. I can see him shaking even more. He takes a step closer and I take a step back. "What do you have to say before I kill you?"

"Who are you?" I say, already going against my instincts to bolt, knowing it would earn me an arrow in the back.

The man takes another step closer. "I am Robin Hood. You've killed so many." His face is pained as he says these words. He takes in a deep breath, "Now it's my turn to have justice." He pulls his bow back and aims.

"Please no!" I scream, falling back onto the floor, catching myself with my arms. I crab walk backwards as he steps forward. Tears are in my eyes and my legs are jelly. I hold out my hand, pleading for him to spare me. "I haven't done anything!"

"YOU HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING?!" He roars.

"I swear I don't know what's going on! I don't know who you are! I don't even know who I am…I don't remember anything! Please, I don't know what's going on…" I cry out, the words tumbling from my mouth. "Please, I can't remember anything…"

He doesn't put his bow down and continues to point it at me, his face contorted in a mixture of anger and sadness. He stands motionless and I can see the wheels turning in his head. "It's a trick. And I'm not falling for it."

"Please, I don't know what's going on," I say desperately. It comes out as almost a whisper with gasps in between words. He stares down at me as if expecting me to jump out at him and kill him with a magical sword that appears in my hands out of nowhere.

He's definitely going to kill me now. He pulls his bow back one more time and I close my eyes. I hear him shout a battle cry and I prepare to die. But then I hear a thud in the ground next to me. Quivering, I slowly open my eyes and see the arrow protruding from the dirt next to me. I look up at the man. What did he say his name was? I've already forgotten. He looks down, eyeing me. "Do you really not know what you've done?"

"I don't even know who I am," I sputter. "My name, where I'm from…"

"Of course, of course," He says with skepticism in his eyes. He shakes his head in disbelief. "Please tell me this is a sick joke."

"It's not a joke, I-"

"Wow," He says, putting his bow down by his side. "You really don't know what's going on or who you are…." I just told you that, idiot. "I can't believe this."

I watch him pace the floor, keeping me in the corner of his eye. He reaches his hand to his face and rubs his brow with his fingers. I don't say anything and just stare at him like a lost creature. He looks up to the sky. "I have just met the Evil Queen and she doesn't remember anything."

"Wait a minute. I'm who?" I ask him, immediately filled with a boatload of questions. Then my brain flashes back to the soldiers back by the abandoned stables. Were they looking for…

"Someone that you shouldn't mess with," He looks down at me on the ground. "Well, I guess you used to be."

I stare at him, unsure of what to say. "Wait, what'd you say your name was?" I say as he retrieves the arrow, inspecting the tip carefully before putting it in the quiver behind his back.

"Robin Hood," he replies, offering a hand to help me up. I accept his strong grip as he pulls me off the floor. "And you're the Evil Queen."

"Evil Queen?" I say, not sure what to make of the words. "Of what?"

"Just the Evil Queen," Robin Hood says, slinging his bow over his shoulder. "I mean just look at yourself." He gestures down at my clothes.

I look down. I'm in a long red dress made of velvet with black lace along the neck and sleeves, which go up and loop over my fingers. The bottom of the gown flows down outward from my hips, in a long rippling skirt. The bottom is torn and caked with dried mud that crumbles off with each step I take.

My eyes dart to Robin Hood's clothing, which pales in comparison to my own. He wears an old dirty shirt with sleeves that hang out from underneath a green vest. He wears leather boots and gloves, with a dark green cape tied around his neck.

I'm speechless for a moment. Robin Hood watches boredly as I wash my eyes over the grand and grimy gown. So I'm a Queen. Wait, an evil one. I blink for a moment. Evil Queen. The word sounds familiar, but at the same time it doesn't.

"Okay," He says, straightening up. He opens his mouth to say something and then closes it just as quickly. I watch him ponder the thought for a moment before he nods his head once, as if he were agreeing with himself, and says, "I'm going now."

My eyes dart up toward him. "Wait what?"

"I'm going," he reiterates, tuning to walk away. He pauses and looks over his shoulder. "And pray we never meet again."

He begins to jog off into the dense forest, his leather boots nimbly stepping over roots protruding from the damp dirt, speckled with the occasional blooming weed and dying shrub.

"Hey, wait!" I call out to him, hearing how shrill my voice is. "What about me? You can't just leave me here!"

He doesn't turn around. What was his name, again? Robin Hood. Robin Hood doesn't turn around or stop and continues to run until he disappears among the pillars of trees. I consider running after him, but then what would I say to him? What would I do?

I slowly walk in the direction he went and stop at a tree, leaning my arm against the rough bark, gazing at the path his feet had taken. I shift my weight between my legs every couple of seconds and glance around anxiously, waiting for something to happen. I imagine Robin Hood suddenly appearing in the distance, running back and apologizing. Then taking me somewhere and tell me who I am.

The Evil Queen.

The words feel strange in my head as I try to grasp what they mean. Evil. Queen. I'm not evil. In fact, I don't even know who I am. Am I a queen? I look down at my tattered dress. Am I evil? Unfortunately, to this I have no answer.

It occurs to me that he could be lying. I consider the thought, but end up even more confused with myself. Evil. Queen. Evil. Queen. Evil. Queen.

I stand still, listening to nothing but the sound of my breathing and birds passing overhead for a long time before my instincts take over. Taking a deep breath, I turn in the direction that Robin Hood ran off and begin to walk, my feet first trudging and dragging along the ground, and then slowly speeding up faster and faster. And before I know it, I'm running and then sprinting off further into the woods, calling out to him.

It's not long before I realize that I'm completely lost. I've already forgotten which way I came from and I have no idea where Robin Hood went. I realize my chances of every meeting him again are small, considering how big this forest is.

I ask myself why I'm even looking for him, but my thoughts are interrupted when I see a clearing in the trees ahead. A road. A long dirt road, stretching to the left for as far as I can see and stretching right for about a quarter of a mile before veering off into the forest. I rush up to it, my heart pounding so loudly in my chest that I can feel my feel my whole torso tremble with each beat.

I realize I'm holding my breath and let out a big burst of air from my lungs in relief. Relief that I know that this path leads somewhere. Maybe I don't need to find Robin Hood anymore. I've got a start. This path is going to lead to the finish. I take a deep breath and am about to begin my journey when I hear a twig snap behind me.

I whirl around just in time to see an object flying towards my head.

Then everything does dark.

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