She was falling, very slowly, through a thick fog. It was so thick, it felt like great ethereal pillows, giving way as she silently passed through them on some great descent. All was dark, and sensations played upon her skin like distant memories. She was vaguely aware of things nearby, watching her.
There was a sound that echoed, so faint. A ripple that pushed through the fog and through her body. It seemed to dissipate the fog, scatter it. Another sound. She felt at once as if though she was rising through water that had no temperature or taste.
Her eyelids opened a sliver, and looked around weakly. Everything was blurry and distant, and seemed to be larger than it was in the seeming of distance. She was in a private bedchamber, with walls of clean marble and an open window letting in the light. There were white curtains around the bed. Someone was sitting on the bed beside her, wrapping a bandage around her stomach. Her face was like an angel, light shining around it. The Princess. She saw the girl's eyes moving, her face tightened, and she spoke quietly.
"Don't move. You need to rest. Don't try to get out of this bed." Her voice was soft, but iron. Her face lightened. "You've been hurt very badly, and your body needs time to heal before you can move." She finished tucking a bandage in. "Can you tell me your name?"
The girl could say nothing, and exhaled very softly. She did not respond to the question. Her eyes looked afraid. The Princess looked slightly annoyed. "Do you remember what happened?" The girl shook her head. "...do you know who you are?" The girl shook her head again. The Princess made a concerned face and sighed. "Can you speak..?" The girl shook her head. "Not surprising, given your wounds.. It could be something in your head, or.. something might damaged."
There were bandages all over her body, the girl realized. Her legs, arms, chest. Her neck burned. There were bandages on her throat. Everything hurt. She wanted to go back to sleep and fog, where everything didn't hurt quite so much. Something must have shown in her face, for the Princess smiled faintly. "It's alright. I'm the Princess of the Valraedi. We've got my personal doctors here. You don't need to be afraid."
The girl exhaled softly, and her eyes began to lose focus. "My name is Aerika.." The Princess quietly said. The girl's eyes focused on the Princess' face. It was a very pretty name, the girl thought. Her hand slowly rose up and touched Aerika's face with her fingers, and then she fell back into the fog.
Over the next four days, the girl drifted in and out of conciousness, unsure of her own realness and that of the world around her. She could see people and places. An angry man, yelling at someone she couldn't see. A man in an officer's uniform, grabbing her shoulder. A man with salt and pepper hair, replacing her bandages. An empty, cold apartment. A young maid, spooning her things that tasted disgusting.
On the fifthy day, she was awake for long enough and strong enough to sit upright. She was brought food on a silver tray. Two bowls of hot soups, bread. It was warm, and it made her feel more real. Her body ached less, but her throat hurt as much as it ever did. She cried, and she wasn't sure why. It just hurt. When she was done crying and eating, the maid returned with a napkin and dabbed her face gently.
"Was it good?" The young maid asked. The girl nodded her head. "Is there anything you'd like to request? We can make most things."
The girl thought about food and recipes. Did she know recipes? She felt like she did. Lumps of meats and distant smells called to her. Were they memories? She thought of eggs. She wanted eggs. She opened her mouth, but the sound caught in her throat and nothing came out. It hurt very much, and she coughed hard.
"Are you alright?" The maid asked. The girl touched her throat. Concern turned to pity on the maid's face, and she patted the girl's leg. "Oh, I remember now. You can't talk. That's perfectly alright. Well, don't worry. Our chefs can make anything taste wonderful. You just rest." She picked up the tray and turned away from the girl.
Eggs, she thought. I wanted eggs. She felt very sad and tired again. Her eyes closed, and she rested a while. She could feel the fog rolling in, but it was so much weaker this time. It was not claiming her. Not just yet. She did not feel cold. She only felt the pillow under her back, the thick purple sheets on her skin. She allowed herself to simply exist for a while.
Her reverie was broken by the sound of a door opening. It was the salt and peppered man. Now that she was awake, she could see him in focus. He wore a gray suit, white gloves. He walked beside her bed and sat in a nearby chair.
"You are awake." He stated. "That is good. We were growing worried about you." He watched her for a while, as if he thought she might start speaking. He had gravity to him. "Can you understand me?"
She nodded slightly.
"Good. Good.. We have a lot to talk about. Don't worry-" He rose a hand, shaking his head. "-we'll start slow. Just the important things for now. My name is.. well, you may call me King. I am Aerika's personal servant. You were very badly hurt a few days ago. You're very lucky. We have the greatest healers in the kingdom on our staff, and even they had trouble with some of your wounds. Some of them.. may never properly heal." He eyed the girl's throat bandages. "If anyone but Aerika had happened upon you that night, you'd be dead right now. Very lucky."
As the girl processed this, the man stood up and walked beside the bed. "Don't worry. You do not owe us anything. Aerika is.. very kind, isn't she?" He smiled, looking off wistfully. "As her mother was. She's tasked us to help you recover totally, and I'm going to see to it. Do you understand?" The girl nodded, but faintly. The fog was rolling in. "You can trust us.." His voice echoed until it was distant, and then dissapeared.
A few days and several warm and eggless meals later, she was brought a thin white gown. It felt good to have something on her skin besides bandages, though those remained underneath. It was time to try moving around. They peeled back the covers and helped her swing her bare feet off the side of the bed. She slid off and onto her feet, and swung her arms wildly until she was caught. With the help of the maid and the servant, she managed to stay upright.
Tingles shot up her legs. She was wobbly, and for her first dozen steps, those two were beside her, waiting to catch her if she fell. She was like a child learning to walk. Thought it was hard at first, she quickly felt embarassed it had ever been hard at all. Walking. Of course she could walk. She wiggled her toes, and jumped in place. Upon the impact, she almost collapsed, but King was there to catch her.
"Careful, now. Don't aggravate the wounds. You're still healing. Just focus on doing normal activities." He said gently, pulling her to her feet until she could stand on her own again. It made sense to the girl. She wanted to see her injuries. She looked at the doors in the room with a focused, curious face. "What is it?"
The girl clenched and unclenched her thighs, making a nervous face. "Oh, you need to.. the bathroom's right over here. I'll let you have privacy, but if I hear anything, I'm coming in, understood?" The girl nodded, and walked inside.
The bathroom was as rich as the bedroom. Marble tiles, a large shower-bath. She took care of her business, washed her hands, and was startled by her reflection in the mirror.
Is that really me? She wondered. The girl in the mirror was pale with nearly white hair. She pulled a lock of hair in front of her face. She'd never really thought to look at it until now. Behind the hair, she focused on her own eyes. They were grey, light silver. Why did she look like this? She wasn't normal, she considered. She looked like a doll left unpainted. Her hand touched her own face, and the girl in the mirror did the same. She was real. This was real. She touched the mirror, fingertips meeting.
She looked bruised in places, especially where bandages used to be. Light scars, faint pains. There was a strange sense of longing in her as she looked at herself. A far-off pang in her heart and head. How could she look like this? She lowered her hand, and was surprised to see the Princess where her hand had been covering up the space behind her. The girl whirled around, embarassed at being caught in the act of self-inspection.
"Hahah, I'm sorry for startling you! I was coming to visit and they said you'd been in here a while. I thought I'd check up on you. How do you feel?" Aerika asked. The girl smiled in response. "Better?" She nodded. "You still can't speak, can you?" The girl looked taken aback, and looked at the floor. She gently touched the bandages and rubbed her throat.
Aerika touched the girl's shoulder and squeezed it. "Don't lose hope. It was the worst wound.. it'll take some time to fully heal. Stay confident, alright?" The girl looked up at her. She wanted to thank her, to thank her for saving her life, for her kindness. The girl leaned forward and hugged Aerika, surprising the Princess. After a moment of consideration, and a quick glance at the bathroom door, she returned the hug with a gentleness, and patted the girl's head. The girl cried quietly, and Aerika stayed with her until she stopped.
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