Queen Knight Semlina

Grief

The screaming and yelling were what immediately told her what was happening. The heat, intense with anger and strife. The sound of thumps and shouting then...the sound of something being sliced and an intense angry yell after. The darkness that surrounded her when she opened her eyes let her know that she wasn't in the temple anymore. Crying was her immediate reaction. "Mommy! Daddy! Arin! Let me out of here" screaming and crying not wanting whatever was on the other side. A gentle knock on the door caught her attention along with someone calling out by a familiar yet unfamiliar voice. "Hello? Is someone in here?" The door to the dressing cabinet creaked open and the young face of her adoptive father looked into her eyes. "Semlina?" Tears in her eyes and curled up into a ball. "Where's my mommy?" She cried as she was taken out of the dresser. She was hit suddenly with the smell of something burning. The dresser she came out of was partially burnt as well. His body suddenly covered two things that lay behind him. "My mommy said to hide and that she would get me after it was okay...where is she?" "Sweetie, she is- "Semlina wanted to look behind her because of the foul smell emanating around the room seemed to be coming from there. She began to turn her head and a hand blocked her. "Don't turn around just look at me, okay?" She pushed away his hand. "Why? What's wrong?" She tried to look at his face to see what he could tell her but her curiosity got the best of her and as she turned around, she froze. Expecting to see something there but she saw Heron. They stood there looking at her.... mouthing something. She tried her best to remember something but she couldn't. Her mother's dead body appeared in front of her now and there stood her charred body. She could see that everything was burned on her weirdly expect for her hair and her necklace that seemed only to be slightly damaged. But with just those she knew...she felt her legs tremble and tears coming from her eyes. "Mommy!" She fell to her knees and as she made contact with the warm ground...she woke up.

Tears were still present in her eyes. She had that dream again...she looked at the bracelet around her arm and saw the charm with the jade was now braided unlike before when it was just a single strand holding the jade charm. Heron suddenly busted through her door with Miya after them. "You cant just-"She said stopping midway realizing that she was awake. "Princess" Miya bowed. "Let me see the bracelet." Semlina felt the heat radiating off of them. "What?" She said puzzled. She couldn't read their face at all, just an emotionless face with their hand sticking out asking for the bracelet. She slipped the bracelet off and handed it to Heron. Heron examined it and saw the string that the charm was hanging off of. They touched the braided portion and whispered something to it. The braid in the string stayed as is and Heron swiftly grabbed Semlina's arm and slipped it back on. "When you dream you no longer have to call my name, when you see me just reach out." Sem nodded. "I will have to be here when you sleep so that I can help...this is deeper than I thought." Heron said looking to Sem. Slowly nodding and watching what Heron would do next, Sem sat there in her bed looking at the braided string. "How come its braided now? It was but a single strand the night before...did you add more while I was sleeping?" Heron shook their head. "The string had been casted with a seeking magic that I had placed on there...to see how complicated it would be to overcome your obstacle." They held the jade charm from the bracelet. "Your obstacle is more complicated than I had previously thought...such pain at a young age. Do you actually even fully remember of what happened?" Semlina looked at the blankets covering her and hesitantly answered. "No, not fully...only bits and pieces...it's almost as if my brain is trying to stop me from remembering but when I am at rest my brain releases those memories and they slowly come flooding in." Heron placed a hand on her head. "Worry not, I will do my best to guide you but you must remember that you have to take the first step." Sem nodded and Heron along with Miya stepped out of her room and closed the door. Semlina plopped back down on the pillow and stared at the ceiling...It was the first time someone had asked if she even remembered the whole ordeal...but to be honest she did only remember bits and parts...just like part of her that wanted to remember the other wanted to get rid of it entirely. A stray tear rolled down her cheek. Her last memory of her family horrible or not, she couldn't remember. More tears streamed down as she silently wept in the bed for her family which she longed for.