The Crown

02

"Alrighty, you are ready to be discharged from the hospital. I'll get your sister to come in and help you pack up." Doctor Joanne did her last few checks on Thia before taking her medical report to her office before heading to the front desk. Doctor Joanne always prepared special farewell gifts for her patients, which Thia only got to know recently from Christine while she was snooping around the hospital yesterday.

Thia got up from the hospital bed, lifting the sheets up so that she could pack them nice and neat for the hospital staff to take away with ease. At the same time waiting for Christine to come and help her pack her stuff before leaving the hospital. Thia could not help but to wonder whether the royal dog had eaten his meals consistently because it seemed as though Merlin neglected the dog. The worry stirred deep within her thoughts not hearing Christine entering the room.

"Earth to Thia, now if you're going to stand here forever, we're never going to be able to go back home and mother would be worried." Christine knocked Thia at her head a few times before turning back to packing her backpack. Lost in her thoughts, Thia came back to reality after feeling a rather shocking pain towards her head.

"How do you think Alfred's doing?"

"Thia for the last time, I am sure that dog is in good hands. I am sure Merlin feeds him all the time otherwise he wouldn't be alive would he? Anyways mother got both of us leave from school for another two weeks so maybe we can just wander around the castle perimeters and see if the dog comes to us."

The road back home was not as fun as Thia thought it would be, it was as if nature had gone dead silent. The normal breeze that she felt every morning was now gone, the birds she heard in the morning chirping enthusiastically was also gone. Thia looked around the thick shrubs for any signs of woodland animals but to her surprise there was none.

After walking a few more meters, Thia spotted an owl perched on a little branch. The one thing she could not pinpoint was where did the owl come from? In the Kingdom of Evermoon according to the books she had stashed below her bed, owls were usually seen in the Abyssal Oasis. As she looked more into the eyes of the owl she felt a slight headache which seemed like the one she had felt while in the castle.

"Thia...." A slightly fading voice came from a far distance, it did not seem like she was in her house, everywhere was just black nothing seemed to be moving at the moment. She walked a few steps forward trying to see if anything would happen. The more steps she took the more she felt as though there was someone watching her. Moments went by as a glittering light slowly appeared in front of her dispersing into the distance as it divided itself into many small particles. Thia could only follow this light hoping that it would lead her somewhere safer rather than this weird place she was at.

The small particles clashed together forming an unknown figure floating right in front of her. "I know you have a lot of questions but save that for another time. I have one question for you. Who are you?" The question ringed in her head as though she had heard it before, it was as if someone had said this to her before but who? And why was she remembering this now? Before Thia could respond, the unknown figure disappeared and it was all dark again.

"Rosaline control yourself, you might just scare her if you continue doing that!" A sweet yet serious voice came from her thoughts. No. It was coming from somewhere outside. Thia tried her best to wake up from whatever nightmare she was in. Opening her eyes, she immediately jumped from her seat as a woman who looked somewhat like her just with violet eyes was staring straight at her.

"What I'd tell you? Sorry for that, my sister listens to her subconscious mind more than she listens to her conscious one. The name's Rosella, I live a few houses away from you. Nearer to the hospital in actual fact. Your sister was the one who told us about you." A taller woman with light brown hair and slightly lavender colored eyes looked at Thia as she introduced herself.