Crown of Shadow

chapter 2

Roy woke up lying on his cot in his house. He sat there a bit drowsly trying to put two and two together when suddenly he remembered. "Elisia!" he shouted sitting up. Immediately he felt quite ill.

"Lay back down Roy." Henrick said, gently pushing him back down.

Henrick was Roy's father. He was around forty years old and had kind gray eyes and grayish brown hair. Henrick had cared for Roy and Saleyah all alone ever since they had lost their mother when Saleyah was only one years old.

"What happened?" moaned Roy as he rubbed his head sleepily.

"You mean you don't remember?" said Henrick with a worried look on his face.

"No its all kind of fuzzy." he mumbled. "How long have I been out?"

"Two days." Henrick said glancing worriedly at his son.

"What!? But where's Elisia? Is she alright?"

Henrick frowned. "Im sorry but we have no idea. We were hoping that you would have a clue. Elisia's father is worried sick about her."

"I can't remember anything." Roy moaned covering his face with his hands. But then he glanced at Henrick and noticed a strange expression on his face. "Dad?" Roy paused. "Do you know something?" Henrick froze and slowly nodded. "What?" Roy said sitting up again.

Henrick sighed. "It has to do with Saleyah."

"Saleyah?" Roy said confused.

Henrick looked down at his hands and in a quavering voice said, "I think the people that took Elisia confused her for Saleyah.

"What!" said Roy more confused than ever. "Why would they want my sister?"

"Thats the thing Roy." Henrick hesitated. "Saleyah isn't your sister."

"What?" said Roy disbelivingly.

"Well," Henrick said still not meeting his or Saleyahs eyes, "Seventeen years ago an old woman carried a baby to our house claiming it to be the daughter of a poor family over the mountain who had died. But after we claimed the baby Nerina was changing her and noticed a mark on her shoulder. The mark of the royal family. I had no idea how she got here because we're hundreds of miles from the capitol. Nerina and I kept her. We were planning to take her to the capitol when she was older, but, well Nerina died and I just never got the chance. I was afraid you would leave me."

Saleyah who had been listening in quiet shock slowly slid down the sleeve of her ragged dress to reveal a small dove. "I always thought it was a birthmark." she said quietly.

"Saleyah I know I should have told you sooner but-" Henrick slowly trailed off.

Seeing the look on her face Roy tried to sit up to comfort her but seeing what he had in mind she gently pushed him back down and before either of them could stop her slipped out of the door. Saleyah blinked back tears and quietly put her head in her hands. She should have known. Her and Roy looked nothing alike and the portraits of Nerina Roy's mother also looked nothing like her. With that she numbly got up and started walking. Before she knew it she was in the clearing where she had teased Elisia earlier. She slowly sat on a log and started crying. She couldn't even feel the cold air biting her skin.