They quickly opened and I was immediately ripped from Lon by a few other men wearing the same uniform as him. They hastily dragged me towards a few women standing in front of a door to the left. I looked back at Lon to see him talking with another man, probably telling him about what happened. He looked at me for a moment but then turned his head away. The women at the door escorted me into the next room and started removing my bandages. I felt uncomfortable which they noticed so they stopped and pointed to yet another door to the right which held a bath. Before I could proceed towards the door, one woman said to clean off my gash so they could apply medicine on it once I was done. I was handed a towel and a robe then hurried into the bath.
Once I was finished, the women wasted no time in healing my cut. I was able to remain in my robe which I was highly grateful for. The whole time they tended to my injuries, I debated asking for the Prince's name. I didn't want anyone to know I had lost my memory if Lon wasn't here. Is it really alright to risk it?
"We've tended to your wounds as much as we possibly could Princess Nyx." The woman bowed and left with the others.
…Nyx? That's right! Lon called me that right before he tackled me to the ground. So even my name was made up by my imagination? Is anything I know real? I stood up and headed over to a mirror to try and figure it out. My hair was a lie. It was far much longer now and black as the night. I looked closely at my face. My eyes! They remained as blue as ever. I smiled for the first time since I "awoke" in this strange world. Something stayed the same. It made me feel more at ease to know I wasn't a complete lie.
There was a knock on the door and the same woman as before came in holding some clothing. "Here is your gown and shoes Princess. The Queen and Prince are waiting for you." She placed them on the table and headed out again. I changed quickly and noticed she had given me a simple white gown with minor details that consisted of blue rhinestones. The shoes matched as well.
"Thankfully they aren't heels." I sighed and headed towards the door when I heard another knock. This time, I was able to open it. It was Lon.
"What are you doing here?" I had thought by now that he would be with the Prince, or doing something else besides babysitting me. That's not to say I wasn't happy to see him. I didn't know anyone else beside him and Hiroshi.
He stayed quiet and looked at me for a moment. After realizing I was that girl covered in bandages, that he helped escort to safety, he bowed.
"I'm here to escort you to the Prince." I looked at him confused, he was acting too formal.
That's when I saw Hiroshi standing behind him. Lon noticed I was looking behind him and turned around. "Hiroshi? You're supposed to be with the others in the main hall."
Hiroshi stepped forward and placed his hand on Lon's shoulder. "Go on ahead, I'll take her there. I want to talk to her about something." What else could he possibly say to me? I had thought he had spilled everything already.
"But Hiroshi—" Lon tried to argue but Hiroshi looked at him strictly.
He looked back at me and bowed again then headed down another door to the right.
"What's going on Hiroshi? I have so many more questions and I don't feel at all ready to meet any Prince or Queen."
He closed the door and told me to sit back down so we could talk. They were both acting weird.
"When Lon reported your memory loss to the other soldiers, they reported it to the Prince and didn't obey Lon's wish of telling the Prince himself." He sighed and rubbed his eyes.
"The thing is… We don't know if the Queen knows. It could be rather dangerous. She could give you a chance to gain your memory back or just look for another worthy of taking your place." He seemed upset by the whole thing but I thought it was a win-win situation.
"That's perfect! Why don't they just replace me? That way I can go home!" I stood up, feeling ready to put my plan into action. It wasn't until I looked at Hiroshi again that I slowly sat down. He didn't seem to hear what I said.
"I wish it was that simple… You see, you're convinced there is another world which you live in. You haven't realized that it was all your imagination… but I'll give you a chance. Tell me then. Once you've been replaced, what do you plan to do? What is your plan then?"
I stayed quiet. He got me. How was I supposed to get back home? Apparently, this is my home and I'm the Princess who has gone mad. I tried pinching myself but all it did was make my arm turn red.
"I… don't know." I confessed while rubbing my sore arm.
He stood up and nodded, "Well then, you better put aside all this nonsense and try to work on retrieving your memory. Forgive me, I don't mean to sound harsh. We're just worried about you."
"…we?" I asked while standing up and following him out the door.
He pointed his elbow towards me and when I linked arms with him, he proceeded towards the door Lon had walked through. After walking past the guards and entering a long hall, Hiroshi continued.
"Yes, we... Lon and I have tried to spread word to those you would come near, like the women who tended to you. I hope they didn't give you too much trouble."
I shook my head, "No… They seemed quiet. Now I know why."
And now that I knew they had known of my condition all along, I felt angry with myself for not just taking the risk to ask of the Prince's name. Wait… Hiroshi must know!
"HIROSHI!" I said, a little too eagerly.
"What is it?" He looked curious of my sudden outburst.
I looked down feeling ashamed I couldn't remember a thing, "What's the Prince's name?"
He just smiled at me, "Johan. It's alright to ask for help you know? We don't want you to feel alone. We're all family here."
That was a little difficult to believe after the way the villagers greeted us coming into the village. The only ones I felt comfortable around were Lon and Hiroshi. I didn't want to have to make any more friends or as I should probably be saying: I didn't want to see any more of my old friends.
We finally reached the end of the hall where a set of doors stood. I shut my eyes for a moment, feeling nervous. This was worse than taking a test. Wait… That's not real. I can't keep doing that. I felt Hiroshi take his arm back. When I looked at him, he just smiled as a way of reassuring me. He turned to the door and knocked. After a moment, a guard rushed to the door.
"I'm sorry to keep you waiting." He said while moving to the side and bowing.
"Don't worry, we were already running late. Thank you." Hiroshi replied as he took my hand and guided me into the room.
Once my eyes adjusted to the light, I saw everyone standing at the back of the room lined up side by side. It was a throne room. The room looked like the castles I had learned about in history class.
…there I go again…
It was a tall wide room with large windows touching the floor and ceiling on each side. In the middle, where Hiroshi was guiding me, was a long black carpet rolled out towards the back. Weird though. I thought they were supposed to be red. My imagination twisted nearly everything I knew. Guards stood on each side of the carpet in formation. With every pair of guards we approached, they began to kneel before us. Behind them were two beautiful white chairs, probably where a King and Queen would sit but in this world, I guess it sat the Prince and Princess. One of the chairs was occupied by a boy my age, maybe a little older. I could assume that was the Prince. He had black hair and blue eyes like me. Was he supposed to be my brother? Hiroshi said the Prince and Princess were chosen from different families, so was it just a coincidence? As Lon explained my past, he made it seem as if we were all friends. Regardless, I couldn't ask either of them now. On each side of the chairs were more guards and Lon. He was kneeled beside the Prince. As soon as the Prince made eye contact with me, he stood up and began to walk quickly towards us. I gripped Hiroshi's hand tighter but he guided me ahead of him and let go of my hand. When I turned my head, I saw Hiroshi kneeling as well. As I looked back, I saw the Prince in front of me. He extended his arms and hugged me.
"I'm so glad you're back, Nyx! You had me worried sick. Are you alright?" He said, refusing to let go. I didn't know what to do besides hug him back.
"I'm fine… A little out of it but I'm ok." I confessed a bit.
He parted from me but took my hand, "Well, I'm just glad to have you back. It's been a long time since we've been together. I'm sorry you were awakened early. I'll make sure you're properly looked after until your injury is healed."
Johan turned and looked at Lon, "I want you guarding her until she's well. I fear she still might be in danger. We don't know what Lamia is planning and you've done well protecting her so far. I can't trust anyone else with this."
Lon stood up and bowed, "Of course."
He turned and looked at Hiroshi, "You both have my gratitude. Thank you. I'll be taking her to see the Queen."
Hiroshi stood and bowed. The guards escorted Hiroshi out and soon the room was empty, leaving Johan and Lon. He started walking towards a door near the back of the room, still holding my hand.
"The Queen has invested ten years in you. I doubt she'll want to replace you because of a little memory loss. You remembered me, after all. I'm sure it's not that bad." He stopped right at the door and looked at me to smile.
That was it though… I don't remember anything about him or our past together. His face didn't ring a bell and I don't think my imagination made up anyone for him.
I looked down only to have him lift my head back up, "What's wrong?"
Lon quickly kneeled and hung his head, "I'm sorry Prince. When we first found her, she had no idea who she was. She claims to have come from another world. Her memory has been twisted and distorted."
Johan looked at me shocked and I felt my hand slip from his. He turned away and held his head. Lon stood up and placed his hand on the Prince's shoulder. They muttered a few words to each other and turned around shortly after.
Lon kneeled again as Johan looked at me, "We can't let the villagers know how badly damaged your memory is. I'm sure the Queen will understand… So you really don't remember who I am?" He looked down disappointed.
All I could do was look down as well, "All I know is what I've heard from Hiroshi and Lon…"
"Then I'll have to do my best to help you remember me." His voice was surprisingly optimistic. When I looked at him, he just smiled and took my hand again, leading me through the door.
We were back outside. It was a small garden that had enormous walls surrounding it. It literally looked like the forest outside where I met Lon and Hiroshi but I was curious about something…
"Why isn't the snow falling in the village? It looks like spring here…" I asked, not directing it specifically to either of them, I just hoped I'd get an answer.
"To put it simply, this is the Queen's spell." Johan said, admiring the beautiful garden.
We all walked down towards a small rectangular building. It looked rather small for the Queen. Doesn't everyone of royalty have a large palace? Like the throne room where Johan sat.
"Relax Princess…" I heard Lon's voice come from my right. Both of my hands had tightened, one into a fist and the other squeezing Johan's. I hadn't even noticed. "The Queen is the wisest of all. She should have a solution to this." I sighed and nodded, trying to relax. For some reason though, I felt uneasy. Something was not right…
Lon stepped forward and opened the door, bowing. He really is a member of the third family… When I looked inside, I gasped and stepped back. It was pitch black and at the foot of the door was a staircase, descending into the darkness.
"I'll lead. The staircase is pretty steep so please watch your step Princess." Johan said and proceeded towards the stairs, slowly pulling my hand to guide me. The way down felt never ending. I wondered if we would ever reach the bottom. The staircase really was steep and I wondered if we would eventually step off the last step without noticing and fall into the darkness. After what felt like an hour, Johan stopped and helped me down what I assumed was the last step. It wasn't until I looked at him that I noticed it…
"Johan, your eyes…" I muttered concerned. His blue eyes glowed brightly in the dark, making it clear to see his face.
"Ah yes, your eyes are the same as mine." He smiled and held a tiny mirror to my face. It was true! My blue eyes glowed just as equally as his.
"…but why?" I asked. Lon stepped down and walked over to us. His eyes didn't glow. In fact, I could hardly see him.
"It'll all be explained soon. Now if you will…" He continued to lead us straight forward. How did he know where he was going? I looked back and saw the light from the door slowly fading the further we entered the darkness. We stopped once the last bit of light vanished and Lon kneeled down behind us. Johan let go of my hand and placed it over his chest.
"We're here Queen Celeste." His voice echoed and I could tell the room we were in was enormous. The echo faded and light suddenly filled the room, revealing a huge hall with chandeliers covering the ceiling. We had stood right in the middle of the hall. Not far from us was a large statue of a woman. I guessed that was of the Queen. Johan started walking towards the statue and continued speaking, "The Princess has awoken from your protection, your majesty. There is, however, an issue we seek your guidance on." That was when the statue's eyes glowed white and an ancient voice came forth.
"It's been far too long, Nyx." Her voice was gentle and sincere but I still felt uneasy. I quickly bowed. Johan and Lon stared at me sympathetically. "There is no need to lower your head to me child. You are my equal." I looked up a little taken back. Me, her equal…? She was merely joking right?
"My Queen, if I may…" Lon looked up, requesting permission to stand and speak.
"You may." She replied, allowing him to rise.
He came up beside me and placed his hand over his chest, just as Johan did while speaking to her, "The Princess has seemed to have lost her memory. It's far worse than what was expected…" Expected? Did they know I would lose my memory? I want answers now!
I blurted out without thinking, "What's going on?! What do you mean 'than what was expected'? Where exactly am I and what happened to Andrew?! I'm done going along with this! It's ridiculous! If I am the Princess, then I have authority. I DEMAND you to return me home!" Johan looked at me surprised and Lon simply looked forward at the Queen. I did not want to participate in this twisted game of theirs. I wanted to go back home, where I knew who I was.
"I see now. Come here Nyx," The Queen called to me but I simply stared at her, "you want answers don't you?" I reluctantly walked forward until I was a few inches from her. The light from her eyes grew and eventually engulfed me. I could hear both Johan and Lon call for me but they seemed miles away. My surroundings quickly changed and once again I was surrounded by the dark but this time, I was alone.
"To start off… It was expected that you would forget what year it would be by now and possibly who the Prince was, along with his solider Lon. It is more of forgetting an old memory but it still remains engraved in your mind. We had planned to simply explain it and that would be all it'd have to take to revive your memories." The Queen's voice echoed throughout the darkness.
"Then why isn't that working now?" I demanded.
"It seems the enemy did indeed break the container I kept you in. They must have twisted your memories. It is the only reason I can offer. Who knows what else they've done… I'm not sure if I should allow you to continue breathing." Her voice turned cold. Now I know why I felt uneasy. I need to get out of here. I took off running into the darkness, hoping to find an end to it.
"You really have no idea what I am capable of child. Running is futile." Her voice grew colder. Did the villagers know this side of the Queen? Are they all a part of ending my life? I really couldn't ask many questions since I wasn't guaranteed I'd make it out of this alive. I felt a rumble under my feet and turned my head to see a dark figure come out of the shadows. It was a large black snake. It hissed and snapped its jaw at me. I managed to jump out of the way but it caused me to land on my side. I quickly received pain from my gash. It snapped at me again, attacking my wound and tearing my dress. When I said I hadn't been afraid of anything more in my life than those men in the blizzard, I hadn't even begun to understand fear. I started to bleed as I struggled to my feet.
"You better be careful if you want to live a little bit longer. My pets don't go easy on their prey." She laughed and her evil voice rang into my ears. At least this wasn't her in snake form because I'm sure she would have injured me a lot worse, or even killed me right away. I got up and started running just as the snake came in for another chunk of my flesh. When it missed me, it hissed again, more annoyed than ever. I repeated myself every time I fell to the floor. I got up time after time but it really did seem futile to run, I was getting nowhere. Wait… Was she testing me? I looked around then back towards the snake that swayed back and forth. It wasn't showing its tail. I couldn't piece everything together but I knew I had to try a different approach. I stood still and allowed it to near me, waiting for the perfect moment to act. Just as it snapped its jaw again and lunged forward, I jumped and stepped on its snout to help boost me up higher into the air. I wasted no time and quickly skied down its back like I did in the blizzard. I guess the snake realized what I was doing because it started attacking itself in order to stop me. It was oozing out black liquid where its fangs punctured its skin. Thankfully my dress had been torn to my knees which made movement easier. When I neared the snake's end, my hopes of surviving shattered. I stared at what should have been a tail. They're… joined. I backed up hopelessly. I'm going to die. I really am going to die… While trying to solve my problem, I only managed to multiply it. The snake in front of me hissed and licked its lips. I felt the other breath down my neck. What now...? I'm going to die… What now…? I started to panic.
"If you cannot survive this, you are no longer any use to me. I suggest you learn quickly. After all, you shouldn't be afraid of the dark." The Queen's voice remained cold. What did she mean afraid of the dark? Was it referring to when I entered the hall with Johan and Lon? So she did sense my uneasiness… The snake in front of me got close enough so that I was looking into one its eyes. I froze, scared to move. I quickly noticed my reflection. My eyes glowed bright and that's when I pieced it together. They glow when I'm in the dark! This should mean I have the advantage, right? The thing was… I didn't know how to use my advantage to get out of here. While looking into the snake's eye, I saw the one behind me straighten up and prepare for another attack. I jumped off of the disgusting mutation as one of the heads come flying down, fangs out. I hit the floor pretty hard, which caused me to lose more blood but thankfully its fangs were caught inside its tough skin and it bought me some time to get back up. How much blood could I lose before I was unable to get back up again…? I coughed up some more and staggered forward, away from the demonic serpent. Think… What is the purpose of my eyes glowing…? I looked around and examined the room carefully. The more I concentrated, the more the darkness was pushed back. Near where I was first cornered was a sword implanted in the ground. That must be my advantage. I smiled and started to move forward, only to be stopped again by hissing. I turned and looked back toward the snakes. They shook violently as their skin started to expand, eventually tearing them apart from each other. My big problem just separated in order to finish me off quicker, now that I had uncovered a way to win. Run! I started sprinting towards the sword but it was far away and part of me felt like I wouldn't make it in time. They quickly slithered after me, snapping their jaws every chance they had. I tried running in zigzags in order to escape their terrifying fangs and it seemed to work. Almost there! I bit my lip and felt my adrenaline increase. The sword was about ten feet from me when I started to extend my arm out to reach it. It was a mistake on my part because I stopped running in zigzags. One of the snakes lunged at me and attacked my side, where my gash was, once again. Not only were these snakes deadly, they were also smart. The fact that it knew my gash was my weak point only irritated me. My blood wasted no time in forming a pool around me, soaking my dress and turning the majority of it red. Damn it… Why can't I just get my hands on that sword?! The second snake caught up and they both towered above me, hissing with hunger. If my eyes caused the dark to flee, what would it do to these demonic snakes? They seemed just as dark as the area around us. I focused in on one of the snakes and looked into its eyes. It swayed back and forth as if under a trance then backed away in pain. Had I messed with its thoughts? I quickly repeated my process with the second snake and as soon as both were trying to get their senses back, I staggered up. I quickly aimed for the sword, ignoring my pain. Finally! I gripped the handle and pulled it out. The snake I had annoyed first came down quickly and opened its mouth. I only have one chance to do this… I better do it right! Gripping the handle with both hands, I shut my eyes and swung it forcefully in a horizontal slash. When I opened my eyes I saw it lying on the ground, dead. I had successfully sliced its head in half. EW… I tried to keep myself from throwing up from the hideous sight. The second snake hissed loudly and smacked its tail on the ground, causing the floor beneath my feet to shake.
"My, my… You did learn quickly. Unfortunately, you've really angered my pet by killing his beloved sibling and he cannot allow you to live any longer because of that." She snickered and her voice disappeared once again. I looked back at the dead snake. I just murdered a creature… My instincts made it so easy because my own life was in danger… I've never… I don't want to kill anything. I backed away slowly remembering the speech I gave in Mr. Tomas' class. I didn't care if it really was my imagination, those feelings were real! I am not a killer! I froze, conflicted by my feelings. I don't… I don't want to kill… I dropped to my knees, still staring at the dead creature in front of me. I was soaked in blood, half dead and wielding a sword in my hands. Was this really what I had been all along? I never would've thought this was my real life. I was so wrapped up in my feelings that I didn't notice the snake flying at me. I don't care anymore… I give up. I watched it come closer and closer. "What a disappointment…" I heard the Queen call. I really could care less at this point. Inches from me, the snake abruptly stopped and spilt in half, vertically this time. I stared shocked. Had I done that without noticing? Maybe my instincts were too strong for me to control. I was more shocked to see Johan land in front of me and even more thankful that it wasn't me who killed the second snake.
"That's enough! You know she is emotionally fragile and you sent your serpents against her?! Were you really going to kill her Queen Celeste, after spending all these years protecting her?!" Johan looked up into the shadows in anger but he received no response. I remained frozen, eyes glued to the victim of my sword. My sword…was it really mine? I kept clutching the handle, somewhat afraid to let go. I felt him look at me. "Nyx… Are you alright?" He sounded concerned but I just couldn't bring myself to move in any way. I felt my body lift and realized he was carrying me back into the darkness.
"We'll clean you up and heal your wounds." He carried me through the dark and eventually, I saw the hall again. How did he enter the place the Queen had taken me? Forget it… I didn't care much to find out why. I kept clutching onto the sword, hugging it somewhat. I saw Lon kneeling before us.
"What shall I do Prince?" His face looked just as angry as Johan's.
"Get the women in the palace to prepare a bath for her and call the medics to meet me in the garden." Johan proceeded to walk forward towards the stairs. I didn't hear a response from Lon. I just figured he used his speed to quickly leave. "I'm sorry for this entire disaster, Princess. We shouldn't have brought you here without first speaking to the Queen. Please forgive me for not protecting you better."
I stayed quiet. It's not like I had anything to say anyways. He proceeded to take me up the steep staircase. I felt annoyed that I came down looking for help and ended up leaving half dead. This was rude on a whole other level. I mumbled a curse word to express what I thought of the Queen.
"What did you say Nyx?" Johan seemed curious so I figured he didn't hear me. I just stayed quiet. We soon got out of the hell hole and I quickly saw about thirty medics.
"Is all that necessary?" I asked, feeling a little bit calmer.
"Of course it is. I simply want to increase your healing rate." I stared at him a little surprised. That was why he had Lon get all these medics? Just so I would heal quicker?
"I see… I thought my injuries were serious…" I smiled a bit.
"Oh no, they are. You'll be dead in ten minutes if you aren't treated right away." He slowly placed me on the grass and took my sword, which I reluctantly gave up.
It took two hours of treatment before they could allow me to sit up and told me not to take my bath until another hour had passed so the medicine could sink in. The women had surrounded me in order to remove my clothing and wrap me back up in bandages like how I was before I woke up. I glared at the grass in front of me and felt someone sit next to me.
"Ah, I see you liked the bandages better than the dress." It was Lon.
I hugged my knees and hid my face, "All this… and it's only my first day here…"
I guessed Lon hadn't noticed that because I felt him hug me. "It's our fault. We rushed you into this when we should've given you space. The Queen… well she messed up the most, out of all of us."
"You don't say…" I mumbled into my knees. He stayed with me until it was time for my bath, probably due to the Prince's order to stay by my side at all times.
This time I had no choice but to let the women groom me. It was uncomfortable and annoying but I was too upset about everything that had happened to reject their help. Night came at last and I felt relieved I'd be able to get some sleep. It turned out that I was allowed to sleep in the palace where the Prince lived. I guess it also turned out that the palace was mine too, since I was the Princess. My room was far too large as well. It really wasn't necessary for one person but I was in no mood to request a room change. I collapsed on my bed, my mind replaying the day's events. I would scream into my pillow and shake my head every time my mind would try to replay the events at the Queen's temple. It made me think of when Andrew would play video games. He would always reach that one level he hated the most that involved some sort of top boss that was nearly impossible to defeat but surely enough, Andrew would always find a way to beat it. The Queen… She felt like my top boss that I loathed beyond belief. I tossed and turned in bed for a while and eventually gave up on sleeping. My body must have hated me because I ached all over and my gash hurt even more than usual. I opened my door and peeked out. The hallways were dark and abandoned. What a surprise… I thought it would be crawling with guards. Then again, they're probably all outside like morons. I sighed and walked out, turning around to shut my door quietly.
"Going somewhere?"