Dragon Prince: Warrior (Re-Write)

Chapter One: Sierra

Her skin felt ice cold. Her body shivered and trembled uncontrollably as she felt herself sink deeper and deeper into the dark hole, the surface far from her reach. She could barely breathe and when she tried her chest felt like it was on fire. Her last breath escaped her mouth and the faint, distant echoing of voices faded as the cold darkness consumed her.
When the girl woke up, her body was no longer cold. The sun's rays warmed her skin. She sat upright, eyes squinting until she adjusted to the light. Her bed was right next to a window with the curtains pulled back showing a lovely courtyard. Several cabinets were on opposite sides of the room, with a top one open to reveal various herbs and spices with writing on them.
The girl curled her fingers, taking a fistful of the blanket that covered her lower body. As she sat upright, her shoulders ached and she winced at the throbbing pain at the back of her head.
Looking down at her hands, she noticed the around her left wrist was a bracelet with three moonstones that radiated pure beauty, gleaming milky white with a sheen of sky blue. She cleaned up the dirt and put on clean clothes: a clean linen dark blue tunic with a tan-colored shirt underneath it and a pair of dark brown pants that stops at her dark brown boots.
Why was she in the room? Where was she? Why couldn't she remember this room or this bed?
With every question, her head felt foggy, as though something was trying to make its way to the forefront of her mind. It hurt, trying to remember. It was then she realized...
She couldn't remember her name. Suddenly, the pain on the back of her head made sense. She must have hit her head and lost her memory.
Well, good to know at least my common sense is still intact, the girl thought to herself.
The girl pulled the blanket off of her and cemented her feet on the floor. Was this her home? Were her parents nearby? Did she have parents? Or grandparents or siblings? She ran her fingers through her hair and pulled a strand to her face. Her hair was sandy-blonde that shimmered in the sunlight. Her skin had a tan complexion, free of any birthmarks of blemishes.
Strange. Why did she feel like a stranger in her own body?
The door opened and the girl jumped out of bed. Her hands formed into fists ready to strike whoever dared to intrude upon her. She relaxed when she saw a woman dressed in white and
wearing an apron around her waist. She wore her dark brown hair in a tight bun and a pair of tiny spectacles rested on the bridge of her nose. In her hands, she carried what appeared to be folded towels.
"Oh, good. You're awake." The nurse approached the girl, taking notice of her stance. "Don't be scared. No one is going to hurt you. I brought you a towel." The nurse placed the item on the bed. The girl relaxed and sat down on the bed, now certain this woman wouldn't harm her and let the nurse helped her dry her face.
"Where am I?" the girl asked warily.
"You're in Katolis," the nurse replied. "You took quite a hit to the head. Are you sure you don't need to lie down?"
The girl shook her head. "No, I'm fine. Thank you."
"Well, you must be starving." The nurse offered her a smile. "I'll bring you some soup. You're in luck, the royal cook made some chicken noodle soup. You're going to love it."
The girl nodded politely and the nurse left the room to retrieve the soup. When she opened the door, she was met with someone armed in silver. "Oh, good morning Captain. How can I help you?" She closed the door behind her. The girl slowly approached the door, listening in on their conversation.
"Is the girl awake?" asked the stranger.
"She seems healthy enough, but I don't think she remembers anything," the nurse was saying to the stranger.
"Have the girl ready and presented to King Harrow as soon as she is ready," replied the mysterious man.
"Yes, sir." At that, the nurse headed towards the kitchen and the soldier headed in the opposite direction.
The girl stepped away from the door and a sudden wave of urgency overtook her. Her breathing accelerated and all of her senses were on high alert. The girl rushed to the window, as though she were being pulled by an aggressive unseen force, unhinged the lock and looked outside. She shielded her eyes from the sun till her eyes gotten used to it and took in the smell of aspen trees and field grass. She saw trees and small gardens as well as tall intimidating walls that reached to the sky with guards coming to and from every direction.
She soon stepped back from the window and sat down on the bed. The girl was perplexed by this. The king wanted to see her? Emotions rolled around inside the girl like a whirlwind. She don't know whether to feel scared or curious or wary or anxious. But her confused thoughts and spinning emotions have came to a stop when she suddenly heard a strange sound and looked at the wall in front of her. 
What fell was the lid of a vent from the wall in front of her. She upheld her fists again, but just like with the nurse, she relaxed when she saw a small boy emerge, carrying an arm full of triangle-shaped pastries with red jelly in the middle. The young boy had light brown skin and dark brown hair with bright blue eyes. He wore a red shirt and dark gray pants with reddish boots. Accompanying him was a grumpy-looking yellow and teal glow toad. 
The boy looked up at the girl and smiled excitedly. "Oh, hi. I was wondering when you were going to wake up. My name's Ezran, what's yours?"
The girl blinked and sniffed the boy's deserts, which awoke her hunger. She blushed when a rumbling sound came from her stomach and placed an arm in front of her stomach. She was wandering how long the nurse will get the soup that she promised her.
The boy, Ezran, kindly offered her one of his treats. "Here, have some. It's okay, there's plenty of jelly tarts go around."
The girl stared curiously at the pastry, tilting her head like a lost puppy. Her stomach rumbled again and the boy smiled in the insistence that it was safe. She carefully took the jelly tart from his hand and sniffed it before taking a small bite. She froze, the sensation had awoken her tastebuds.
The boy and his glow toad stared in bewilderment when the girl started to devour the jelly tart with such hunger.
"Wow. You must be really hungry." Ezran, not too disturbed by the girl's eager eating. His glow toad, on the other hand, hid behind his friend, keeping a safe distance away from the girl who was now wiping the jelly remains off of her mouth with the back of her hand.
"Prince Ezran!" A voice called out in anger and a man with a rounded belly wearing an apron and a red hat with a rolling pin in hand ran into the hallway angrily. "I know you're here!"
Ezran's eyes widened with horror and his glow toad snuggled in his owner's embrace, eyes wide too. Ezran threw a pleading look at the girl, she seemed slightly confused at the situation and gestured for him to hide underneath the bed. She watched as the boy and his pet slipped underneath the bed. The girl narrowed her eyes warily as the man walked past the room.
"It's... safe..." said the girl.
"So, you can talk," Ezran said.
"Did you think I couldn't?" asked the girl.
"Well, you didn't really say anything before," Ezran replied. "I kind of figured you were either really shy or just didn't like talking."
"Or maybe I was too distracted by the overweight man with anger issues chasing after you and your pet," replied the girl dryly.
"Fair point." He rubbed the back of his neck at that remark. "Sorry about that. He isn't usually that fast. Guess I was just sloppy today." Ezran took another bite of a jelly tart he had in his pocket and offering another to his new friend. Bait stuck out his tongue and took the tart just as the girl was about to take another bite. Bait swallowed the tart whole and licked his lips. Droll dripping from the corner of his mouth.
"Bait, don't be rude," Ezran said disapprovingly with his hands on his hips. The girl glared at the glow toad and Bait's yellow skin started to turn brown in fear.
"I'm sorry about him. Bait isn't big on sharing his breakfast," Ezran said. The girl pulled back when she saw how scared the glow toad was.
Feeling bad for her behavior, she took another jelly tart and offered it to the creature as a peace offering. Bait's color returned to normal and he carefully stepped closer to the girl. He sniffed the tart before his long tongue snatched it up. The girl then scratched his chin making Bait croak with delight, his body started to glow at the girl's gentle touch.
"Aww, he likes you," said Ezran with a smile.
"No hard feelings, toad?" The girl said. Bait croaked in agreement. The girl gasped and spun around in alarm. "Someone's coming."
"Really? I didn't hear any—Whoa!" Ezran was pulled by the arm and hid underneath the bed again, while the girl sat up on the bed with surprising strength and reflexes.
The girl soon relaxed once she saw the nurse coming into the room with a steaming bowl. "Sorry if I took so long. Barius was in a foul mood today." The girl nodded and gently pulled her meal closer to herself. Picking up her soup, she spooned a mouthful into her mouth, chewing it slowly. As soon as she swallowed the first bite, her body practically cried out in relief. The girl bent over her bowl, stirring the soup and inhaling its warm, fragrant steam. Her goosebumps flattened out, and she felt much warmer as she ate and drank the broth. "The king wants to meet with you." The nurse looked down and gently coaxed Ezran and Bait out of hiding. "Come on out Prince Ezran." Ezran soon got out of hiding and the two kids smiled at each other.
Once the girl was done with her meal, the girl took in a deep breath and finally revealed herself to the guard, shyly rubbing her right wrist. She stood before the guard who stared at her as though he had never seen another human being before. "Whoa."
Ezran boldly took his new friend's hand and she immediately felt her whole body relax at the young prince's touch. His innocent blue eyes shone with compassion. "Soren, this is my new friend." Ezran introduced the girl to the guard, who was still frozen in place, his mouth partly opened to the point a fly could just fly right on in. "Soren!" Ezran raised his voice slightly and the young guard finally reacted.
"Right! Meet to nice you!—I mean, nice to meet you!" The guard cleared his throat, pulled back his hair and did what the girl presumed was an attempt at a charming smile. "It is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance, M'lady." Depending on his voice as he bowed in a regal manner.
"Um, thanks. Likewise. I guess." The girl returned the bow respectfully.
"Forgive me for startling you, but King Harrow wishes to see you," said Soren. 
"Why would the king want to see me?" The girl asked, raising her brows slightly and narrowing her eyes warily.
"He just wants to know if you're alright," replied Soren. "General Amaya brought you in last night, you were lost in the storm."
"Don't you remember?" Ezran asked. The girl didn't reply, she turned her attention to the floor, hesitant to look them both in the eye. What was she supposed to say? That she couldn't remember anything? Would they believe her? Maybe seeing this king was the smart thing to do right now. He may have some answers.
"Please, come with me. I promise he will explain everything," Soren said.
"I'll hold your hand if it makes you feel better," Ezran said. The girl wasn't sure if she wanted to trust this guard, but she felt she could trust Ezran. Maybe it was his youthful innocence and kindness that managed to win her over, whatever the case all she knew was that she had little to fear around this sweet boy. She nodded in agreement.
"Great." Soren extended his hand to the rest of the corridor. "Right this way, Miss."
Soren led the two down the corridor where the girl took in the numerous tapestries on display. Some depicted various landscapes like mountain ranges, lakes and forests. Others depicted great warriors wielding swords, bows and arrows, crossbows, scepters, etc. While some even had beautiful illustrations of magical animals like unicorns, griffins, mermaids and giants, many of which were either being tamed or captured by the heroes themselves.
Soren shrugged. "The throne room is right this way."
Ezran gave the girl a gentle tug, she gave the artworks one final glance before following Soren down the hallway.
The girl wasn't sure how many times she'll be shocked after they entered the throne room, but she pushes it away. The throne room has its soaring ceilings and stone columns, was one of the most intimidating places in the castle; the sheer size could make a lost girl like her feel insignificant. A long crimson carpet ran from the entrance to the foot of the hand-carved throne that had occupied this room for centuries. The standing candelabras cast shadows over the marble floors.
The girl's body froze the moment she saw the king standing in the middle of the throne room.
He was tall and strong-looking, the body of a warrior who had seen his fair share of battles before. He was accompanied by a man in dark gray and purple clothing carrying a silver scepter engraved with a purple amethyst. A woman with short dark hair and a scar running down from her left cheek stood by the king's side. She wore armor, just like Soren, but hers was of a different design, most likely signifying that she was of a different ranking than he was.
Ezran led the girl into the room, not once did he let go of her hand, and she now stood before the king. She inconspicuously looked down at the floor. Even if she could not remember her identity, she was aware that when in the presence of royalty it was customary to bow, and so she did just that.
"Your Majesty." To her surprise, the king bowed to her as well. He gifted her with the same warm smile as Ezran did. Rather than blue, the king had warm green eyes.
"It is a pleasure to meet you," King Harrow said. His voice was soft and gentle. "I trust the nurses treated you well."
"They did," said the girl.
"I hope so because I was about to have them executed for letting you leave the room unsupervised." The king said with a sinister-looking smile. The girl gulped, her body became rigid in fear until the king started to laugh. "I'm only joking! Man, tough room."
The girl laughed softly, unsure if to find it funny or disturbing. Ezran rolled his eyes. "He's always trying to make those jokes work."
"I see you've already met my son, Prince Ezran." The king gave his young son a playful, sly brow. "Sneaking off to steal more jelly tarts again?"
"How did you know?" Ezran exclaimed.
The girl raised an amused eyebrow at the young boy. "You've just confirmed it." From the girl's comment, everyone tried to keep the amusement at bay. King Harrow took his son's hand to reveal the remaining dried up red jelly tart stuck to his fingers. Ezran blushed and chuckled nervously, but King Harrow simply laughed and then went on to introduce the two other people besides him. "This is General Amaya. She was the one who found you. And this is my advisor, Lord Viren."
"My dad," Soren said to the girl, hoping it would impress her in some way. The girl examined the two back to back. The two males certain shared some physical traits, but while Soren at least gave off a friendlier demeanor, this Lord Viren eyed the girl as though he half anticipated she would start chewing on the carpet like an undisciplined pup.
"Hi, Aunt Amaya!" Ezran said with an enthusiastic wave. Amaya waved back and then bowed to the girl.
Just then the doors flew open and a young boy came stumbling into the throne room. The boy straightened himself, his fair-skinned cheeks flushed with red and he scratched the back of
his head. "Sorry! Sorry. Was I interrupting something?"
"Trying to listen in on important conversations again, Prince Callum?" Lord Viren said in a disproving tone. Soren rolled his eyes which made Callum feel even worse than he already did.
The girl was perplexed when she heard this.
Prince? Was this Ezran's brother? She almost couldn't tell with how the two boys' appearances contrasted one another. Ezran has light brown skin and blue eyes while Callum has fair skin and green eyes. Though upon close inspection, they did share the same eye shape.
"Come on in, Callum," Harrow greeted, not at all phased or embarrassed by the boy's interruption. "I was hoping you'd show up."
When Callum entered the room he caught sight of the mysterious girl from last night, now up and about. She looked a lot better now than she did last night, freezing wet and covered in mud. She has been cleaned and stood with surprising honor and pride. The girl is tall and slim, but she has hidden strength within her. Her long, wavy hair went over her shoulders and shimmered in the sunlight. Her striking eyes could shame a pair of blue sapphires with little effort. Her skin has a light tan complexion from her time in the sun. She's wearing a clean linen blue tunic with a tan-colored shirt underneath it and a pair of dark brown pants that stops at her dark brown combat boots. Though, she has a bracelet with three moonstones, gleaming milky white with a sheen of sky blue around her left wrist.
"This is my eldest son, Prince Callum."
"Uh, hi." Callum cleared his throat and bowed to her. "I'm Prince Callum."
"I guessed as much." The girl did a small bow as well. "Pleased to meet you, Your Highness."
"Now that introductions are out of the way, perhaps you could tell us your name and where you are from, young lady?" Lord Viren said, trying to sound kind and inviting, but instead came out as an interrogator.
"Actually," the girl began, nervously fiddling with her hair, speaking directly to the king. "I was hoping you could tell me."
"What do you mean, sweetheart?" Harrow asked her.
"The truth is... I don't remember what happened last night. I can't seem to remember... anything." The girl looked down at her feet as though admitting such a thing was the gravest mistake anyone could ever commit.
"Nothing?" Ezran asked sadly. "Not even your parents?"
"I don't even know my own name," replied the girl quietly.
"Her injury must be worse than we realized," Amaya signed to Harrow. The king's heart tore to pieces. The young girl looked so lost, alone and frightened. The only anchor she had to the present was Ezran's hand in hers. Callum clenched his satchel, feeling his heart tightening. Soren too was saddened by this discovery. Not being able to remember one's parents had to be painful. Viren, though he kept his stern outlook, wasn't immune to the tragedy of the situation.
"I'm terribly sorry. I'm afraid I don't have the answers you're looking for," King Harrow regretfully replied. "I understand how difficult and confusing this all must be for you, but I promise we will do everything we can to help you find your family. In the meantime, you are more than welcome to stay here at the castle."
"Really?" The girl was more than surprised by his offer. She just met the king and he wants to help her.
"King Harrow, are you certain that is—" Viren began.
But was cut off by the king himself, who was still speaking directly to the girl. "Of course. I will begin preparations for your living quarters immediately. In the meantime, maybe we could think of a temporary name for you. Just until you remember your real one?"
"A temporary name?" She thought about it, but nothing really came to mind.
"What about Sierra?" Ezran suggested.
"Sierra," the girl repeated, letting the letters roll off of her tongue as though she were taste-testing something new. The girl smiled at that. "I like it."
"Alright then." King Harrow smiled at them warmly. "Ezran, why don't you and your brother give Sierra a tour of the caste?"
Callum was stunned, but Ezran was jumping up and down with glee. "Yeah! You're gonna love it here, Sierra."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Sierra turned to look at Amaya. "And thank you, for saving me." The woman nodded her head and bowed in response.
"Come on, I can't wait to show you everything." The excitable Ezran dragged Sierra out of the room, Callum following them too.