Chapter 12: Riding on the wind, riding towards the past

Emily felt herself slip away as she watched the darkness spread throughout her body. She closed her eyes, and fell straight down, now surrounded by a world of murky gray shadows. Her arms were in the air, and her hair flowed around her softly, as if she was suspended in midair. A soft aura pulsed around her, moving to her heartbeat.

Take a step forward. A voice said to the blonde in her mind. Do you see how hard it is?

Emily tried to move, but was unable to. It was as if her legs were tied together somehow.

The twilight is a conflicting area. The voice continued. But, you could control it, if you chose a side. This side.

"The twilight is not for me." Emily said. "It just leads into the dark. It never arrives at the light."

So, you are afraid of the dark, then? The voice asked.

"No, I'm not." Emily answered. "But, I don't shy away from the light, either."

So, you choose the twilight, after all. The voice remarked. Or, is it that your heart is conflicted? That there's both light and dark inside?

Emily was silent for a while, then smiled softly and replied, "No, what I'm saying is I'm quite tired of hearing your voice. I don't need a side to function. And I have a heart, at that." She let out a long stream of both light and dark from her hands, and continued to fall forward as the world around her collapsed, and she scrambled to get ahold of something to break her fall...

"Emmaline? Emmaline, wake up!" A voice said to Emily. "You don't want to be late today, or you might just end up being accused yourself, you know!"

Emily opened her eyes to find herself on a rough pallet of some sort, stuffed with hay. A girl slightly older than her was kneeling by her, shaking her gently, her shoulder length chestnut brown hair loose and wild.

"Oh, good, you're awake." She said. "Well, I'd better get dressed, and we'll leave to go the square together. Don't dally now!"

Emily sat up and looked around. The entire room was dark, save for a bit of light from a candle. She brushed her now extremely long hair from her face and saw that it was more of a dirty blonde than anything. A much darker shade than her own hair.

What's going on here...? Emily thought, and found a long dress hanging on a small nail. It was a pastel green color, with long sleeves with lace on the trim. Next to it was a pair of breeches, a laced corset, and an emerald green cloak. A bonnet hung on another nail nearby.

"Oh, by the way, you left your bonnet on my hook again." The girl from before said, walking in, now dressed in a light pink long sleeved dress. She tied her own bonnet around her neck. Emily calmly looked at her in silence. "Oh, you need help with your corset again, huh? Here, turn around..." Emily turned around, moving her hair out of the way, as the girl grabbed her corset and started lacing it for her. "Honestly, Emmaline, you're such a bother since Mother and Father died. At least do something for yourself, you know. Find a nice boy to court, or something meaningful!"

Emily sighed as she put on her breeches and dress. "I'm sorry." She turned to the girl again. "Could you help do my braid? Just the beginning, I can do the rest."

The girl nodded and began to braid her hair, as Emily found a matching ribbon to go with her ensemble. Once they were done, Emily tied on her bonnet, and they left their house, if it could even be called that. It was just one large room, with a small section for their beds, and an iron stove, with a large stack of firewood next to it, and a small bucket for water to be used for washing and cooking. It wasn't even dawn yet, and there were still stars in the sky as they walked along.

"So, remind me, what's the meeting in the town square for again?" Emily asked as they walked down the dirt path. She had no idea who the girl, who she could only presume was her sister, was, and she guessed her own name was Emmaline, but other than that, she knew nothing about what was going on in this place she was in.

"Is something wrong, Emmaline?" The girl asked. "You're usually sharper than this. The meeting's for a trial, to see who's wielding an element or not. The king ordered this to be done quite a while ago, because he doesn't want any traitors among us."

"I'm sorry." Emily apologized again. "I suppose I'm still asleep."

"You obviously must be." The girl responded, then looked behind her and bowed. Emily turned in her direction and saw a regal looking horse drawn carriage coming towards them. She followed the girl's response and bowed, as well.

The carriage slowed to a stop and out stepped a man in dark purple and gold trimmed robes. A crown hung on his head slightly lopsided, his curly auburn hair framing his face perfectly. He looked to be no more than twenty, and he had a kind, warm smile on his face.

"Your Highness." The girl said, rising. Emily got up, as well.

This...is the king? Emily thought. He's so young, though...at most, I'd expect him to be a prince. But, why would someone with such a kind face want to kill people with elements? We're doing nothing wrong, right? What's wrong that caused all this?

"Emmaline." The girl said sharply. Emily looked up, shocked, to find the king laughing at her softly.

"My, my, Mistress Emmaline, you seem to be your own little world this morning." He said. His voice was light and deep, with a slight hint of an accent similar to Emily's. "Thinking's a dangerous game, you know."

"How so?" Emily asked. His heart wasn't steeped in darkness, but rather, slowly being filled with it, in a way, was what she had realized. But, it didn't make any sense for it to be.

"Thinking causes the mind to corrode, to break away what you already know." The king explained. "Thinking causes your heart to be conflicted, and then you're stuck wondering if the choice you made was good or not."

"No, you're thinking purely with your mind then, not your heart." Emily said. "Your heart knows what to do, but its conflicting with your mind. You get confused, and eventually, do nothing in the end. It's the reason why so many people end up surrendering to the dark. They're lost and confused, and the darkness just keeps beckoning to them, and taking them away..."

The king and the girl Emily was walking with looked at her silence.

"I'm sorry, I must really sound like an idiot, just saying all that weird stuff, huh?" Emily suddenly said, hands in the air and waving them frantically. "I was just saying what I thought, and...and...um..." She laughed nervously.

"No, I don't think you sound like an idiot." The king replied after a while, walking towards her softly. "But, you do sound like someone with elemental power. They are the only people who think the way you do."

Emily seemed to lose control of her body as she stepped back, then let out a wide of arc of wind at the king and the girl, knocking them back. She ran off, away from the town and them, running through what seemed like endless fields of wild wheat. As she untied her bonnet and threw it to the side, she laughed as she ran, never feeling more free than she was in that moment.

That was all she wanted then. Just to simply be free.