“You are close child” The voice taunts me. I tried to stand but it feels like there is the weight of an entire war galleon on top of me. “Boy, can you not find me? I am close to you. All you have to do is search for me in the right way and you will find me.”
“Who are you?” I shout into the nothingness.
“.”I am here, I am there, I am missing from you, and I hold the key to what you most earnestly want to know
“No! Tell me who you are!”
“Silly boy, I am your memory.” I gasp. My memory? I must find it! I throw the weight off my shoulders and search but I can’t find it anywhere.
“How do I find you?”
“Only one question per dream! Nevertheless, since I belong to you I will answer sidestep the rules just this once. All you have to do to find me is-”
“C’mon you stubborn boy, wake up!” as just as the voice is about to reveal itself, I am aware of being violently shaken. I would open my eyes but I don’t think I can with this much shaken going on. “Korin! What I am I going to do? What if he’s dead? ” I identify the panicked voice as Danielle’s.
“Stop shaking him. I doubt that he is dead.” Korin’s calm voice sounds. The shaking stops and I slowly open my eyes and groan.
“What is going on? Is there an earthquake? Sure felt like it.”
“Don’t be ridiculous little brother I was merely trying to awaken you. You aren’t usually such a deep sleeper.”
“Hmmm, sometimes injuries to the head can have that effect on one.” I smile a little and, with effort, manage to prop myself up. “Has anything interesting happened while I was in dreamland?”
“Nothing really, but the food has arrived.” Danielle says making a face. “Can’t you smell it? I don’t know how I’ll stomach it.” Now that she mentioned it, I do smell something unpleasant. Korin walks over three bowls and a bucket in hand. “Well we need to eat to get our strength up for the journey ahead of us. Who knows when we’ll next eat?” He pours something that slightly resembles pig slop into each of the bowls and passes them out. As we choke down our servings, Danielle sighs.
“Do you remember when we ate escargot and quail eggs?”
“No,” I respond sullenly, “this is the first time I remember eating.” We finish in silence and Korin suggests that I practice walking more and I concur. I exercise for an hour and then rest. It was easier this time and I am able to walk slowly from wall to wall with out becoming too dizzy.
“Good job Natty, you’re making progress.” Danielle puts an arm around my shoulder. She lightly touches the wound on my head “Oh Natty, I wish there was some way that we could just make your memory come back. But it seems there’s nothing we can do.” I sigh along with her.
“I remember impressions.”
“What does that mean?” Danielle’s voice sounds confused.
“I knew Scelerisal was an evil woman when I fist saw her in my cell, I knew I liked you, and I think I can still do things I used to except walk.”
“I see.” Is her only answer. Suddenly she addresses Korin. “Are you coming with us?”
“I hadn’t planned to. I only was going to help you get the best head start you could.”
“Oh. Would come if I asked you to?”
“I think I would your majesty. In fact, I can’t think of a greater honor.”
“Very well then.” She adopts an official tone. “Korin of Icomeerson, I, Princess Danielle ask you to accompany Heir Apparent, Prince Nathaniel on his journey to remove the usurper from the throne and to place himself upon it. Will you accept?”
“I will and do Princess.” He says with a quiet smile. While this has been going on, I have been thinking.
“I want to leave now.”
“What?” They both exclaim
“I want to leave now.” I repeat
“Natty, you have suffered from a severe head wound; we only have three days to scamper out of here, and you can barely walk. So, why do you want to leave now?” Danielle demands.
“I highly doubt that Scelerisal’s going to wait much longer for us to leave, and if she is I don’t think that she’ll really wait three whole days to send her dogs after us, and if she catches us, she’ll kill Danielle and Korin, and marry me.” Korin and Danielle think about this for a time. I can tell that Danielle doesn’t like it but is beginning to give in. I cannot read Korin’s face but he is the first to speak.
“Very well, My King, We will leave now.”
“We can’t leave now.” Danielle interjects.
“Why not?”
“Because we have no supplies. I, for one, don’t intend to go on a journey for who knows how long without provisions.” She has a point. Nevertheless, how are we to get provisions?
“Korin,” I address him, “Who knows that you aren’t loyal to Scelerisal?”
“Only myself and you two.”
“So, you are allowed to roam the palace freely?”
“To a certain extent Majesty.”
“Then I need you to do me a favor.”
^^^^^^
Danielle and I stand outside the dark castle waiting for Korin to emerge. It is the middle of the night and the cold, damp air presses about us. Danielle shivers. “Is he coming?” she whispers her voice beginning to sound desperate. We have been waiting for a long time. I asked him to gather as may supplies as he could and meet us outside of the castle. Nevertheless, it should not take this long to do so. I do not tell Danielle, but I begin to wonder about Korin. Is he, even now, betraying us? Suddenly a loud racket emits from castle.
**********
This is the last thing I will post as a 15-year-old