Tired of the reminders of his brother ever-present around him, Gavin ran downstairs and out the door, his hands clenched into fists. Why couldn't I save him? Why did it have to turn out like this? Why did he die? I should have been the one to get killed! Me! Not him! Not him! With an anguished cry he sprinted down the steps and into the nearby courtyard, heedless of how dangerous the area could be to him at his current speed.
A strange sight stopped him in his tracks. What the… He stared at the robed, hooded figure lying still on the duracrete. From the person's position, he or she appeared to have fallen and not stirred since.
The crown prince of Byrista dashed forward and knelt next to the motionless form. He moved the hood back to discover the body was that of a young blonde woman. Shocked by the pallor of her face, he hurriedly pressed his fingers against her neck, searching for a pulse. After a moment, he discovered one – though quite weak – and began to look her over, trying to find evidence toward anything that might have caused her collapse. Who is this girl? How in the Light did she get here? What kind of person is she? Questions rolled through Gavin's mind in an endless stream as he hunted for clues.
She stirred. The young man jerked away from her, startled. He watched her eyelids flutter open, revealing deep violet-blue irises beneath.
"Are you all right?" he asked once he found his voice.
The young woman rolled onto her side to face him with a groan. "Ow."
"Whoa, there, take it easy." He moved closer to her and helped her sit up. "What happened?"
She blinked, then frowned. "I… I don't know."
Gavin's expression mirrored hers. "You don't know… or you don't remember?" he gently inquired.
The haunted look in her eyes jarred him to the bone. "Both."
Shaken, the prince realized that this young woman was in no condition to be interrogated. "Let me take you inside, so you can rest."
"Inside?" She looked up and appeared to notice the palace for the first time. "Whoa… uh, where am I?"
"The palace complex of Byrista," Gavin said, assisting her as she stood up.
The blank expression on the young woman's face screamed her lack of knowledge – or lack of memory – concerning her whereabouts. Perhaps she doesn't even know anything about this country… or doesn't remember a thing about it… what is going on here?
"I suppose you haven't heard of it?" he queried, trying to make casual conversation as they walked toward the door Gavin had raced out of earlier.
She shook her head, her face suddenly expressionless.
"It's a pretty nice place," he began. He then told her what the palace was like, getting through most of the main building's description before they reached the entrance.
"By the way, my name is Gavin. Gavin Winslow." He deliberately left out his title. No need to tell her more than she needs to know right now. "What's yours?"
"Angel."
"Angel? That's a beautiful name," he commented as soon as he spotted her struggle to recall her last name.
"Thanks," Angel replied, giving him a slight smile of gratitude.
To be continued…