Heart of Aemoria I

"One century has passed since the beginning of your cursed slumber, and the blood moon has risen in the sky once again. The time has come for you to awaken, my Queen..."

Within the castle where she has been imprisoned, from the deep depths of her slumber, the girl awakens. Resisting sleep's desperate grasp, she struggles to open her eyes. They resist for a few moments, then slowly open to hazy sea of darkness. She blinks away the faint dizziness she feels and pulls herself up. The fog of her sleep fades away to reveal her surroundings.

What is this place?

The heels of her shoes click loudly against the stone floor as she rises to her feet. Red light from the balcony casts a faint glow upon the room, making only few things visible. From what she can see, the stone walls surrounding her are bare with the exception of a painting hanging on the other side of the room; the bed she woke up on is the only piece of furniture in the vacant room.

How did I get here?

Her effort to recall anything before the moment she woke up brings her only a feeling of emptiness. The feeling surrounds her like a cloud of darkness, a fog that consumes even the fragile mind. It sinks into the deepest parts of her, forcing her to forget her attempt to remember. As the darkness fades, it leaves her with nothing.

Who am I?

A door slowly swings open on the other side of the room, the sound of creaking wood startling the girl. Glancing in the direction of the noise, she can barely distinguish the silhouette of someone moving through the darkness, coming towards her. Their footsteps echo eerily through the room, causing a chill to creep up her spine. She sucks in her breath and backs away, imagining all of the possible horrors that might creep out of the darkness.

Then, finally, someone steps out of the shadows.

Although it's not the monster she expected to see, the mysterious cloaked figure still frightens her. They stand nearly a foot taller than her, casting their long dark shadow across the room. Their face is completely hidden by the hood of their long black cloak, but she can feel their gaze on her, causing her to shiver.

Who are you?

Slowly, they reach up towards their hood and pull it down. Her eyes widen at the sight of strange, but handsome, young man that reveals himself to her. His black hair reaches his chin in length and his tan skin appears a rosy pink color in the light from the balcony. His eyes are an unusual, yet beautiful, violet color, watching her with a mix of surprise and relief.

"You're alive," he breathes, a smile spreading across his face. He takes a few steps closer to her, causing her to shrink back towards the wall. "By the Gods, you're actually alive! I... I thought I would never see you again!"

"Excuse me?" She slowly backs away from him, unsure of how to respond. Of course she's alive. Why wouldn't she be?

"Wait..." The guy takes another glance at her, his smile faltering. He stares at her and swallows hard, all color draining from his face.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asks, suddenly conscious of her own appearance. What does she look like? She gasps as she realizes she can't remember. For all she knew, she could be a hideous monster, the same one she was afraid of seeing just moments ago.

"W-what..." He stutters, backing away from her. "What happened to you?!"

Startled by his sudden shouting, she quickly follows his gaze. Her eyes widen at the sight of the long and elegant crimson gown she wears, embellished with gems, ribbons, and lace. While the entire ensemble stuns her, he only seems to be worried by the silver object that pierces through her chest, staining the dress with a much darker red. The dagger gives her an uneasy feeling, a sense of dread. She survived whatever happened to her, but an inevitable darkness looms over her, waiting until it can tear her apart.

"We must go, my lady," the young man says in a lowered voice, taking her by the hand. She remains still, causing him to tug on her hand gently. "Come on, hurry!"

She stares at their joined hands for a moment before letting him lead her out of the room, too confused to pull away or resist. They enter a long hallway, dimly lit by the dying torches that line the walls. He narrows his eyes and the torches in the hallway suddenly ignite with bright purple flames, illuminating the corridor before them.

She glances around at her new surroundings curiously. The walls and floor of the hallway are completely made of stone, just like the room, but much less bare. A long patterned rug stretches across the floor and various framed paintings and portraits fill the walls. What is this place? Where is he taking me?

Who is he?

He starts leading her down the corridor, walking at a brisk pace. She stares at him silently for a few moments, trying her best to recognize him from somewhere... anywhere... but she can't. She takes a deep breath and gathers her courage, before speaking. "Who are you?"

"What?!" The guy shouts again, causing her to jump slightly. He glances at her from over her shoulder, his eyes wide in confusion. "You mean you don't remember me?"

"Not at all," she says, trying to pull her hand out of his grasp.

"My name is Trivis. I'm..." He glances away for a moment, taking a deep breath. "I am your servant. I have been by your side for many, many years now."

She nods slowly in response and they turn around a corner, walking down another long hallway. She picks her next question. "I woke up just a few moments before you came... What is going on?"

"I was also in a deep slumber before I found you, so I don't know much more than you do," Trivis says, then wrinkles his nose as they walk by a particularly dusty area. "But, from the state of this castle, we must have been here for a long time."

"I see..." she says quietly as she glances around again. So this place is a castle. Is it hers? He did say that he is her servant, so then what is she?

"Someone must have cast some sort of ancient spell on us to cause us to fall into a deep sleep," he says, catching her attention again.

"Also," he continues, "a silver dagger like that should have killed you instantly. I want to believe that it is just a miracle that you survived, but I can only suspect that someone cursed the dagger. It would be for the best to leave it alone until we find who did this to you."

"So... you think someone cursed me?" she asks in disbelief. "As if stabbing me wasn't enough?!"

"Black magic is the only explanation for your lost memories, my lady," Trivis says, then sighs wearily. "I can't believe that this has happened. What they have done to you is more than just a crime... They are a traitor to their kingdom and must be punished for their heresy."

"A traitor to their kingdom?" she asks, causing him to glance back at her again. "Trivis, just who am I?"

"Give me a moment to explain, my lady," he says, giving her a weak smile. "Your name is Saya, and you are the Queen of Aemoria."