I felt my heart stop as the drug circulated through my veins. I guess this is it for me, this is way better than living in that hellish place. Although, I may also still end up in hell, considering the many lives I’ve taken for the past twelve years.
Is there really heaven and hell? Or would I just wander aimlessly in this darkness for eternity?
As I embraced the darkness, I felt my heart beat again. I can feel my lungs going up and down as I inhaled and exhaled. I can even feel vibrations around me.
I’m still alive?
I opened my eyes gently but I still could not see anything clearly. I could only hear someone panting from above me, as the rain kept on dripping upon us. I’m wrapped by a cloth, from head to toe, while someone cradled me in between their arms while running away from someone – or something.
I caught a glimpse toward the dark sky as a series of lightning kept on appearing one after another, followed by thunders.
I remembered that it was raining nonstop before I was led to the room. Am I outside? And who is this person carrying me? Is someone saving me from that awful place?
I tried to remove the cloth that was covering my eyes but instead I came to see my hands.
“Wha!” I tried to speak but my tongue does not seem to know how to speak.
“Shhh, don’t worry baby Flizeria. Daddy’s here, we’re almost home.” The person carrying me tried to console me.
What is going on? I looked up to the person carrying me, it took a while for my eyes to completely adjust and now I can see his features perfectly fine.
Sharp jaw lines, with a pointed nose. Hair dripping wet and is red as blood. I could not see his other features since he’s looking forward. I raised my baby hands to touch his face, he seemed shocked to feel my touch but he closed his eyes for a second to feel my caress. I can tell that he’s crying even though he’s drenched in the rain.
He looked down at me with a false-peace expression. Eyes that seemed to look at me as if any minute I might die inside his arms, but with a smile that’s almost telling me that nothing is wrong.
I heard a hideous roar from behind us, filled with pain and anguish. At the same time, the man carrying me coughed up blood. I can feel his speed decreasing as he wiped the blood from his mouth.
I’m also now soaked because of the rain and it’s cold but I did not complain. Seeing that this man is suffering for me is making my heart ache, to the point that the cold I’m feeling is of little significance.
From a distance, I can hear bells ringing and men shouting something.
“We’re almost there baby.” The man smiled at me as he tried to increase his speed but it was a futile effort.
As the roar from the distance became more in pain, the weaker the man become.
“We.. almost.. there… baby…” He hugged me tightly to shield me from the impact as he fell down.
We rolled down from the hill we came from as he protected me with every part of his body. He grunted as we bumped on the ground then came to a stop at the foot of the hill.
I can feel his lips touch my forehead as I heard footsteps hurriedly coming in our direction.
I heard a roar followed by a whimper and for some reason, I know it would be the last sound it will make in this world.
The man hugged me tightly as we lay there on the ground. Covered in mud and bruises, blood and rain mixed together with sweat and tears.
“Daddy…” He coughed hard then inhaled deeply.
I looked at him closely, he was really in pain, as if a huge amount of energy is needed for him to breathe.
“Loves…” He looked at me as his tears are flowing from his face nonstop.
The footsteps became closer and closer.
“You.” He smiled at me as he inhaled deeply for the last time.
With his eyes closed, I can see that he’s no longer alive in this world.
“The crown prince is here!”
Men are swarming towards us, carrying torches. Shouting different things at once, while hurriedly trying to revive the man that protected me. Someone picked me up and I can only see from afar how much they tried to help the man – the man who referred to himself as ‘daddy’. He seemed to be enveloped inside a warm, red glow. His bruises healed itself but he’s still not breathing.
“The baby is shivering from being drenched in the rain for too long!” The man who carried me shouted.
I felt tired all of the sudden, then I noticed that I’d been crying ever since earlier, although I was not aware. I looked at the lifeless body being carried inside the carriage one last time as I felt my eyes closing themselves.
The last thing I heard was another roar from a different beast from before, and this time it was filled with regret.
For some reason, I felt warm all of a sudden and energized. The cushions against my body are comfortable compared to the cold, hard floor inside the cells where I spent most of my life in.
“She’s now okay, Your Imperial Majesty.” I heard a man talking beside me.
I slowly opened my eyes and found myself inside a crib. I looked around, the room is dimly lit by a lamp beside my crib and multiple orbs of light floating along the edges of the ceiling.
I saw a man wearing a red-colored robe talking respectfully towards a man younger than him. He’s explaining something to him while giving glances at me every now and then.
The man he’s talking to is dressed in a red imperial uniform, intricately decorated by black and gold details. I can tell in just a glance that this man is royalty.
The man in a robe bowed respectfully towards the man.
“You may leave.” The man in a uniform talked with authority in his voice.
“Yes, your imperial majesty. May the dragons bring you good fortune.” With that, the man left the room.
The royal man looked at me with an expression that is hard as stone. His eyes are glowing, like a glowing red eye of a dragon. He watched me carefully, before sighing as he massaged his temples.
He, too, had dark red hair, like the man who protected me. They almost look the same, except for the fact that this man is already around 40 to 45 years old, while the man earlier was around 25.
He waved his hand and I floated in the air.
“That’s odd, most babies would cry.” He looked at me, face to face then proceeded to inspect every inch of me.
After inspecting me, he put me down.
“She’ll be staying here, in Caelum Palace. Tend to her every need. A personal knight will be assigned to her.” He talked to someone from the shadows then left.
A maid came forward to put a blanket over me.
“Is she really the daughter of the crown prince?” I heard someone ask the maid who put a blanket over me.
“Shush, it’s bad to talk about that.”
“Well, look at her, she does not look like royalty.”
I heard other whispers coming from the shadows.
The words ‘illegitimate’, ‘commoner’, ‘adopted’ were repeated over and over again. From the sound of their voices, I’m guessing there are four women inside the room, including the maid who was tending to me.
“Shh, if His Majesty will hear you, your head will be detached from your body in no time.” The maid tucked the blanket in and racked the crib while humming a lullaby.
“His Majesty is not really affectionate towards the baby.”
“You can tell, that His Majesty is also doubting if this child is of imperial blood.”
I only stared at them.
“She’s even weird. She’s just staring at us, not even moving, not crying.”
I stared at the woman who talked.
She looked at me in disgust.
“I’ll tend to other things.” With that, she left the room.
“Me too, I have things to do first.”
All the other maids made their way out, leaving me and the maid, who defended me, alone.
“Don’t listen to what they’re talking, princess. The crown prince risked his life to save you. You’re definitely his daughter.” She then smiled gently at me as the light from the orbs faded.
‘Dragon, mighty, strong,
Been living for too long.
Is the dragon majestic?
But all alone on its epic.
Will the dragon find its place?
And see its family’s face.
Fly dragon, mighty strong,
Someone’s waiting for you all along.
Through the land of ice and snow,
Even deserts thou wilt go.
To save the ones you love,
And protect the people thereof.
Fly now, fly now,
Fly my little dragon fly.’
I can hear the creaking sound as she continued to rack the crib as the maid kept on singing that lullaby. I promised myself to find out where am I and who am I in this strange world. I looked at the maid once again, this time she looked at me eye to eye.
“You must sleep now, princess. You need to save your energy.” She then smiled lovingly at me as she gently caressed my cheek.
I closed my eyes and fell asleep with her lullaby.