Her skin was ice cold. Her body shivered and trembled uncontrollably as she felt herself sink deeper and deeper into the dark waters, the surface far from her reach. She could barely breathe and when she tried her chest felt like it was on fire. Her last breath escaped her mouth in the form of a bubble and the faint, distant echoing of voices faded as the cold darkness consumed her.
When the girl woke up her body was no longer cold. The sun's rays warmed her skin. She sat upright, eyes squinting until she adjusted to the light. Her bed was right next to a window with the curtains pulled back showing a lovely courtyard. Several cabinets were on opposite sides of the room, with a top one open to reveal various herbs and spices with writing on them.
The girl curled her fingers, taking a fistful of the blanket that covered her lower body. As she sat upright her shoulders ached and she winced at the throbbing pain at the back of her head. Looking down at her hands she noticed the dark blue bands around her forearms. She wore a sleeveless hoodie jacket and what appeared to be some kind of armor-like shirt over a full bodysuit with a high collar taking the shape of a heart around her neck, along with a pair of long boots that reached right above her knees. The colors came in various shades of dark blues, teal, and silver which brought to mind a meadow in the moonlight.
Why was she sleeping with her clothes on? Why couldn't she remember putting them on? Why couldn't she remember this room or this bed? With every question, her head felt foggy, as though something was trying to make its way to the forefront of her mind. It hurt, trying to remember. It was then she realized...
She couldn't remember her name. Suddenly the pain on the back of her head made sense. She must have hit her head and lost her memory. Well, good to know at least my common sense is still intact, She thought to herself.
The girl pulled the blanket off of her and cemented her feet on the floor. Was this her home? Were her parents nearby? Did she have parents? Or grandparents or siblings? She ran her fingers through her hair and pulled a strand to her face. Her hair was platinum blond that shimmered in the sunlight. Her skin had a rosy tint, free of any birthmarks of blemishes.
Strange. Why did she feel like a stranger in her own body?
The door opened and the girl jumped out of bed. Her hands formed into fists ready to strike whoever dared to intrude upon her. She relaxed when she saw a woman dressed in white and wearing an apron around her waist. She wore her dark brown hair in a tight bun and a pair of tiny spectacles rested on the bridge of her nose. In her hands, she carried what appeared to be folded clothes and a towel.
"Oh, good. You're awake." The nurse said as she approached the girl, taking notice of her stance. "Don't be scared. No one is going to hurt you. I brought you some clean clothes and a towel." The nurse said as she placed the items on the bed. The girl relaxed, now certain this woman wouldn't harm her.
"Where am I?"
"You're in Katolis." The nurse replied, "You took quite a hit to the head. Are you sure you don't need to lie down?"
The girl shook her head. "No, I'm fine. Thank you."
"Well, you must be starving. I'll bring you some soup. You're in luck, the royal cook made the hazelnut special today. You're going to love it."
The girl nodded politely and the nurse left the room to retrieve the soup. When she opened the door she was met with someone dressed in silver. "Oh, good morning Captain. How can I help you?" The nurse asked, closing the door behind her. The girl slowly approached the door, listening in on their conversation.
"She seems healthy enough but I don't think she remembers anything." The nurse said.
"Have the girl dressed and presented to King Harrow as soon as she is ready." Replied mysterious man said the one she saw dressed in silver.
"Yes, sir."
The girl stepped away from the door and a sudden explained wave of urgency overtook her. Her breathing accelerated and all of her senses were on high alert. The girl rushed to the window, as though she were being pulled by an aggressive unseen force, unhinged the lock and jumped outside. She shielded her eyes from the sun and took in the smell as aspen trees and field grass. The girl heard the sound of metal clanging and spotted a couple of guards approaching. She quickly hid behind a bush and waited patiently until they were out of sight. She moved quickly from the bush to behind a tree.
The girl examined her surroundings, still unable to recognize anything. She saw trees and small areas where the grass grew naturally as well as tall intimidating walls that reached to the sky with guards coming to and from every direction. The girl yelped when she heard something hard fall before her feet. She pressed her back against the tree, trying in vain to step farther away from whatever was coming.
What fell was the lid of a vent from the wall in front of her. She upheld her fists again but, just like with the nurse, she relaxed when she saw a small boy emerge, carrying an arm full of triangle-shaped pastries with red jelly in the middle. The young boy had light brown skin and dark brown hair with bright blue eyes. He wore a red shirt and dark gray pants with reddish colored boots. Accompanying him was a glow toad with a grumpy looking face. The boy looked up at the girl and smiled excitedly.
"Oh, hey. I was wondering when you were going to wake up. My name's Ezran, what's yours?"
The girl blinked and sniffed the boy's deserts which awoke her hunger. She blushed when a rumbling sound came from her stomach. She was already regretting not waiting for that hazelnut soup the nurse promised her.
The boy, Ezran, kindly offered her one of his treats. "Here, have some. It's okay, there's plenty of jelly tarts go around."
The girl stared curiously at the pastry, tilting her head like a lost pup. Her stomach rumbled again and the boy smiled in the insistence that it was safe. She snatched the jelly tart from his hand and sniffed it before taking a small bite. She froze, the sensation had awoken her tastebuds. The boy and his glow toad stared in bewilderment when the girl started to devour the jelly tart with an animalistic hunger, splattering jelly all over her face.
"Wow. You must be really hungry." Ezran, not too disturbed by the girl's aggressive eating. His glow toad, on the other hand, hid behind his friend, keeping a safe distance away from the strange girl who was now wiping the jelly remains off of her mouth with the back of her hand.
"Prince Ezran!" A voice called out in anger and a man with a rounded belly wearing an apron and a red hat ran out into the yard. "I know you're back here!"
"Quick, follow me!" Ezran pulled the girl's hand as he crawled into the vent. The girl, still unsure about what was going on, followed him either way. The glow toad pulled the vent lid back into place with his tail. The man with the rolling pin looked around but couldn't find the boy anywhere. The girl followed Ezran down the vents. She was surprised the tunnel was big enough to support them both.
"Come on, this way," Ezran said. They reached another opening on the wall and Bait pushed the lid to the side. Ezran stepped out first and then helped the girl by taking her hand. They were now inside the corridor of the castle, surrounded by long tapestries and empty armored suits holding spears.
"Sorry about that." Ezran said, "He isn't usually that fast. Guess I was just sloppy today." Ezran said cheerfully before taking another bite of a jelly tart he had in his pocket and offering another to his new friend. Bait stuck out his tongue and took the tart just as the girl was about to take another bite. Bait swallowed the tart whole and licked his lips. Droll dripping from the corner of his mouth.
"Bait, don't be rude," Ezran said disapprovingly with his hands on his hips. The girl growled and Bait's yellow skin started to turn brown in fear.
"I'm sorry about him. Bait isn't big on sharing his breakfast." Ezran said. The girl pulled back when she saw how scared the glow toad was. Feeling bad for her behavior she took another jelly tart and offered it to the creature as a peace offering. Bait's color returned to normal and he carefully stepped closer to the girl. He sniffed the tart before his long tongue snatched it up. The girl then scratched his chin making Bait croak with delight, his body started to glow at the girl's gentle touch.
"Aww, he likes you."
"No hard feelings, toad?" The girl said. Bait croaked in agreement.
"So you can talk," Ezran said.
"Did you think I couldn't?"
"Well, you didn't really say anything before. I kind of figured you were either really shy or just didn't like talking."
"Or I was probably too distracted by the overweight man with anger issues chasing after us."
"Fair point."
The girl gasped and spun around in alarm. "Someone's coming."
"Really? I didn't hear any—Whoa!" Ezran was pulled by the arm and hid behind a wall. The girl shielded him with her arm as she kept watch. She peeked behind the wall to see another guard walking down the hallway. Ezran also snuck a peak and gently tugged on his new friend's arm.
"It's okay. It's just Soren. Hey, Soren!" Ezran stepped out of his hiding spot to greet the guard. Unlike the others, this one was a lot younger with dirty blond hair. He bowed before the prince.
"Good morning, Prince Ezran. This is kind of a weird question but you wouldn't happen to have seen a girl running around here, have you? I went to the healing quarters to retrieve her but she just disappeared."
The girl noticed the familiarity in his voice. He was the one who was speaking to the nurse before.
"Why are you looking for her?" Ezran asked.
"King Harrow would like to speak with her." The guard replied.
The girl was perplexed by this. The king wanted to see her? She remembered now, this was the same man in silver who was speaking to the nurse earlier. Maybe she had overreacted when she just jumped out the window in an attempt to escape. Ezran returned to the girl, still hiding behind the wall.
"It's okay. You don't have to be scared. No one is going to hurt you, I promise."
The girl took in a deep breath and finally revealed herself, shyly rubbing her left wrist. She stood before the guard who stared at her as though he had never seen another human being before.
"Whoa."
Ezran boldly took his new friend's hand and she immediately felt her whole body relax at the young prince's touch. His innocent blue eyes shimmered. "Soren, this is my new friend," Ezran said, introducing the girl to the guard, who was still frozen in place, his mouth partly opened to the point a fly could just fly right on in.
"Soren!" Ezran spoke again, louder this time, and the young guard finally reacted.
"Right! Meet to nice you!—I mean, nice to meet you!" The guard cleared his throat, pulled back his hair and did what the girl presumed was an attempt at a charming smile. "It is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance, M'lady," he said, depending on his voice as he bowed in a regal manner.
"Um, thanks. Likewise. I guess."
"Forgive me for startling you but King Harrow wishes to see you."
"Why would the king want to see me?" She asked, her brows slightly narrowing in suspicion.
"He just wants to know if you're alright. General Amaya brought you in last night, you were lost in the storm."
"Don't you remember?" Ezran asked. The girl didn't reply, she turned her attention to the floor, hesitant to look them both in the eye. What was she supposed to say? That she couldn't remember anything? Would they believe her? Maybe seeing this king was the smart thing to do right now. He may have some answers.
"Please, come with me. I promise he will explain everything." Soren said.
"I'll hold your hand if it makes you feel better," Ezran said. The girl wasn't sure if she wanted to trust this guard but she felt she could trust Ezran. Maybe it was his youthful innocence and kindness that managed to win her over, whatever the case all she knew was that she had little to fear around this sweet boy. She nodded in agreement,
"Great." Soren extended his hand to the rest of the corridor. "Right this way, Miss."
Soren led the two down the corridor where the girl took in the numerous tapestries on display. Some depicted various landscapes like mountain ranges, lakes and forests. Others depicted great warriors wielding swords, bows, and arrows, crossbows, scepters, etc. and some even had beautiful illustrations of magical animals like unicorns, griffins, mermaids and giants, many of which were either being tamed or captured by the heroes themselves.
She wasn't sure how to feel about those images. A giant being struck down by a knight or a unicorn being held prisoner in a wooden fence, its neck tied to a tree while various maidens and sirs admired it from the outside. While the designs were eye-catching the stories they depicted formed an unpleasant knot in her stomach.
One tapestry, out of all the others, held her gaze for much longer. The girl stopped in her tracks, as did Ezran when he noticed her attention being drawn to the tapestry. While Ezran had already seen the image a million times it seemed to have placed the girl under some kind of trance.
It was the image of a dragon with scales made entirely out of sparkling sequins and wings that sparkled like diamonds. Blue fire spewed from its mouth and a trail of white hair flowed from the top of its head like a horse's mane, trailing all the way down to end at a cuff on the tip of its tail. It's horns, shaped almost like a half-open crown, and eyes that made her think of a warm sunset. The dragon was surrounded by a platoon of soldiers. A spear, stained with blood, was plunged into the dragon's heart.
"Ah, this one. This is Katolis's victory over Lain, The Dragon King." Soren said proudly, noticing the girl's sudden interest in this particular tapestry. "Legend says his heart was as cold as ice, and one-touch from his fire could make you explode. Or, something like that, I kind of forget the details."
"Why did they kill him?" The girl asked, "What did he do?"
"What did he do? He's a dragon! The most bloodthirsty monsters to ever walk the earth. They're killers by nature." Soren said, as though that answer didn't need any further explanation.
"Doesn't look like he's doing much of the killing,"
Soren shrugged, "Anyway, the throne room is right this way."
Ezran gave the girl a gentle tug, she gave the tapestry one final glance before following Soren down the hallway.
(~)
The girl's body froze the moment she saw the king standing in the middle of the throne room. He was tall and strong-looking, the body of a warrior who had seen his fair share of battles before. He was accompanied by a man in dark and purple clothing carrying a silver scepter engraved with a purple amethyst. A woman with short dark hair and a scar running down from her left cheek stood by the king's side. She wore armor, just like Soren, but hers was of a different design, most likely signifying that she was of a different ranking than he was.
Ezran led the girl into the room, not once did he let go of her hand, and she now stood before the king. She inconspicuously looked down at her clothes. She was just now regretting not having worn the clean cloths the nurse brought her. Her clothes were stained with dried up mud which she was probably dragging across the floor. Even if she could not remember her identity she was aware that when in the presence of royalty it was customary to bow, and so she did just that.
"Your Majesty." She said. To her surprise, the king bowed as well. He gifted her with the same warm smile Ezran did. Rather than blue, the king had green eyes.
"It is a pleasure to meet you. I see you're up and about, that's a good sign." King Harrow said. His voice was soft and gentle. "I trust the nurses treated you well."
"They did."
"I hope so because I was about to have them executed for letting you leave the room unsupervised." The king said with a sinister-looking smile. The girl gulped, her body became rigid in fear until the king started to laugh. "I'm only joking! Man, tough room."
The girl laughed, unsure if to find it funny or disturbing. Ezran rolled his eyes. "He's always trying to make those jokes work."
"I see you've met already run into the son, Prince Ezran." The king said, giving his young son a playful sly brow. "Sneaking off to steal more jelly tarts again?"
"How did you know?" Ezran exclaimed. Harrow took his son's hand to reveal the remaining dried up red jelly stick stuck to his fingers. Ezran blushed and chuckled nervously, but Harrow simply laughed and then went on to introduce the two other people besides him.
"This is General Amaya. She was the one who found you. And this is my advisor, Lord Viren."
"My dad," Soren said to the girl, hoping it would impress her in some way. The girl examined the two back to back. The two males certain shared some physical traits but while Soren at least gave off a friendlier demeanor, this Lord Viren eyed the girl as though he half anticipated she would start chewing on the carpet like an undisciplined pup.
"Hi, Aunt Amaya!" Ezran said with an enthusiastic wave. Amaya waved back and then bowed to the girl.
Just then the doors flew open and a young boy came stumbling into the throne room. The boy straightened himself, his fair-skinned cheeks flushed with red and he scratched the back of his head.
"Sorry! Sorry. Was I interrupting something?"
"Trying to listen in on important conversations again, Prince Callum?" Lord Viren said in a disproving tone. Soren rolled his eyes which made Callum feel even worse than he already did.
The girl was perplexed when she heard this. Prince? Was this Ezran's brother? She almost couldn't tell with how the two boys' appearances contrasted one another. Ezran had light brown skin and blue eyes while Callum had fair skin and green eyes. Though upon close inspection they did share the same eye shape.
"Come on in, Callum." Harrow greeted, not at all phased or embarrassed by the boy's interruption. "I was hoping you'd show up."
When Callum entered the room he caught sight of the mysterious girl from last night, now up and about. She looked a lot better now than she did last night, cold and wet and covered in mud. Though her clothes had yet to be changed her face was clean. Her eyes were the color of lilac and her platinum blond hair shimmered in the sunlight, making her appear almost ethereal and otherworldly, like the faeries from his books. He was so lost in her appearance he didn't hear his father introduce him.
"This is my eldest son, Prince Callum."
"Uh, hi." Callum cleared his throat and bowed, "I'm Prince Callum."
"I guessed as much," The girl said and did a small bow as well. "Pleased to meet you, your highness." Callum looked down at his feet, his cheeks still red. Callum caught wind of the annoyed look on Lord Viren's face and the poor prince seemed to shrink at his gaze.
"Now that introductions are out of the way perhaps you could tell us your name and where you are from, young lady?" Lord Viren said, trying to sound kind and inviting, but instead came out as an interrogator.
"Actually," The girl began, nervously fiddling with her fingers, speaking directly to the king. "I was hoping you could tell me."
"What do you mean, sweetheart?" Harrow asked.
"The truth is... I don't remember what happened last night. I can't seem to remember... anything." The girl said, looking down at her feet as though admitting such a thing was the gravest sin anyone could ever commit.
"Nothing?" Ezran asked sadly. "Not even your parents?"
"I don't even know my own name."
'Her injury must be worse than we realized.' Amaya signed to Harrow. The king's heart tore to pieces. The young girl looked so lost, alone and frightened. The only anchor she had to the present was Ezran's hand in hers. Callum clenched his satchel, feeling his heart tighten. Soren too was saddened by this discovery. Not being able to remember one's parents had to be painful. Viren, though he kept his stern outlook, wasn't immune to the tragedy of the situation.
"I'm terribly sorry. I'm afraid I don't have the answers you're looking for." King Harrow regretfully replied, "I understand how difficult and confusing this all must be for you, but I promise we will do everything we can to help you find your family. In the meantime, you are more than welcome to stay here at the castle."
"Really?"
"King Harrow, are you certain that is—" Viren began but was cut off by the king himself, who was still speaking directly to the girl.
"Of course. I will begin preparations for your living quarters immediately. In the meantime, maybe we could think of a temporary name for you. Just until you remember your real one?"
"A temporary name?" The girl said. She thought about it but nothing really came to mind.
"What about Rayla?" Ezran suggested.
"Rayla," The girl repeated, letting the letters roll off of her tongue as though she were taste-testing a new desert. The corners of her mouth turned upwards. "I like it."
"Alright then. Ezran, why don't you and your brother give Rayla a tour of the caste?"
Callum was stunned, unable to speak, but Ezran was jumping up and down with glee. "Yeah! You're gonna love it here, Rayla."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Rayla then turned to Amaya, "And thank you, for saving me." The woman nodded her head and bowed in response.
"Come on, I can't wait to show you everything." The excitable Ezran dragged Rayla out of the throne room with Callum close behind.
"Ez, wait up!"
"Hey, I can come too!" Soren tried to catch up to them but was stopped by his father, who gave him a stern look. Soren knew that look. It was the look that said his dad needed to speak to him about something important.
"Or, you could go on without me. I'll catch up. See ya, Rayla!"
'Harrow, what are we going to do?' Amaya signed, 'With such little information on her I don't know how long it will take to find her family or when if ever she regains her memory.'
"I understand your concern, Amaya. Still, we will work with what we have. Send out your troops to speak with every household in Katolis. Gather as much information as you can."
"If I may, Harrow, I could search my library for—"
"No, Viren!" Harrow exclaimed, his booming voice echoed within the throne room, making him seem all the more menacing. A jarring contrast to the laidback man he was while Rayla was present.
"Please, Harrow. It's like Amaya said, we don't know how long it will take for her memories to return, or whether or not they will. If I could just find the right spell—"
"I said, no! We are not using dark magic on an innocent girl. I'm sure her memory will return eventually, and until then we will do everything we can to find her family. Something is better than nothing."
"And if we don't find anything? Or worse, what if she's really a wanted fugitive or an assassin? How do we know if she's really telling the truth?"
Harrow rolled his eyes, "Oh, please. Now you're just being paranoid."
"I'm being cautious. She's a stranger."
"She's a child. A child who needs our help."
Viren still didn't feel right about this decision but, knowing the king, he sighed in defeat. For now. "Very well. But, I strongly suggest we at the very least keep a close watch on her. Perhaps appoint one of the guards as her personal escort."
"I'll do it!" Soren said quickly, raising his hand up as high as he could stretch.
"I'm sure she'll be fine. I trust my sons and I'm willing to trust her as well." Harrow nodded to Amaya and the two walked out of the throne room to begin the search for Rayla's family. Harrow was the king and Viren was the royal mage, which meant Harrow always had the final say. Problem was, Harrow had the tendency to be too emotional, even more so since the tragic loss of his wife.
"You know dad, my schedule is pretty booked at the moment but I think I can squeeze in some time to watch over our new guest," Soren suggested as he pulled his hair back, allowing his side bangs to bounce back into place, imaging himself doing it in front of Rayla.
Viren rolled his eyes. Everyone else might have been taken by the amnesiac girl's innocence and charms but Viren wasn't. There was something about her he did not trust. Her timing was just too coincidental in his opinion.
(~)
Well, Viren's being a total *BEEP* as usual. Sorry-not-sorry, but I don't curse.
Aww, looks like Soren's got a little crush. Too bad it won't last long. Yeah, spoiler alert, this is a Rayllum fanfic (GASP! What a twist!).
I really tried to keep Rayla's overall personality intact while still writing her as a recent amnesiac. Also, yes she is platinum blond here, has rounded ears and five fingers. How does she look human?
Rarity: NO SPOILERS! I'm sorry, I just love that reference.