A Beginning, If You Will

Fragmented Memories

    There’s a sort of peace to being alone, believed the beloved Valley Prince. You never have to worry about offending others or accidentally starting a decade-long feud because of one (one!) remark behind someone’s back. No worrying about events or meetings, no classes to go to, no suitor matching that always fails. Peace and quiet is all the young prince ever wanted. Now he has found himself alone inside his own mind.

    Wandering around, there were small floating fragments of what looked to be glass. Curious, our young prince walked over to peek inside. When looking through it, he did not see the other side of the glass, but rather, an old memory, one almost completely forgotten. It was him, barely five years old and sporting unruly short hair, its strange purple hue glimmering in the sunlight.. He was playing near a beach and a little kid was next to him, about the same age and wearing long pieces of fabric. The two laughed, one standing on legs and the other sporting a tail where the legs would have been. The valley prince looked away from the fragment, now yearning for more.

    He walked around, looking at floating fragments scattered around the empty void of his mind. One memory showed him trying to ride a dragonfly for the first time, another showed him meeting his guard FIdeline. ‘Fideline’ thought the young prince. ‘Where could he be now?’. Now the prince couldn’t help but wonder, what had happened to his guard? Where was he exactly? 

    The valley prince wandered through the white spaces, curious about his friend while viewing more memories. The more he looked however, the more the memories seemed to turn grim. One depicted the sky becoming dark, another showed flashes of neon blue. One that shook him to his core was the image of his friend shouting his name, a wave of dread washing over his expression. Why was his friend so distraught? What had happened? The prince nodded to himself, “Yes, I’ve decided I would like to leave now!” He tapped his foot impatiently, but nothing happened. He waved his arms a couple of times, yet nothing came of it. He decided to lay down, the fragments of his past floating above him, mocking his captivity in his mind. 

    Suddenly, he felt a pull, as if he was being dragged underwater. Panicked, the young prince thrashed about, only making his body sink faster in the process. Realizing he could not escape it, he closed his eyes and braced for whatever was about to come. Instead of a pummeling or a punch to the face, he was greeted with a hug. Confused, he opened his eyes and found himself lying on the grass in an embrace with his guard Fideline. The prince went to ask what happened but before he could, he was greeted with a searing pain on his left. He looked over to his arm only to find nothing there, his side completely arm-less. “There’s a lot you missed, your highness. I’m glad you’re alright.” said Fideline, releasing him from the hug. “I’ll say,” the prince half-heartedly laughed, “Start at the beginning, would you?”