COMPLETED
Nereida has always been shackled to her royal duties as princess of Triteria, and when her kingdom becomes involved in a series of mysterious vanishings and deaths she begins to seek answers. Rebels soon shatter her world, and she finds he...
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When I reached the castle wall, I located the opening I had used to escape during the siege. In my mind, memories of that night began to play as if they were on some cruel loop. I had half-expected to encounter Aurelis, who would inform me that the battle had ended while inviting me back inside to where my parents were waiting. However, when he did not show up, disappointment, along with reality, set in. I was alone, so I swam through the opening.
Everywhere I looked contained memories of what used to be, surrounding me like an impenetrable wall, and I could not escape them. How could such an old and powerful kingdom fall so quickly into a shadow of its former self? It was almost maddening, and I questioned if Triteria had always looked this way. Had I been blind to it all along? I shook those thoughts as I picked up a pike from the ground next to a tattered uniform robe assumed to once belong to a fallen soldier. I kept the pike close for safety and then wrapped the robe around my shoulders to conceal myself. Despite the haunting silence, I continued to advance toward the gates leading into the castle grounds.
The vendors I had visited over the years to trade and catch up on the latest gossip had not only abandoned their posts; they had vanished entirely, existing only in my memories. Overturned crates, demolished huts, shattered goods, and items too cumbersome to carry were all strewn about. It not only pained me to witness this aftermath, it was almost unbearable. Despite the agony, I pressed on and prayed to the gods and goddesses for the well-being of my people. When I finally reached the castle walls, I noticed the gate, which had been open when I fled, was now lowered. A glimmer of hope ignited within me; perhaps there were survivors.
"Dunna come any closer!" a voice cried behind the gate. I scanned the area with my eyes but couldn't discern where the voice was coming from or who it belonged to.
"Hello?" I called out to no one.
"WHO GOES THERE?" the voice shouted back.
"I am Nereida, the Princess of Triteria; open the gate!" I answered sternly. I hadn't regarded myself with that title in some time. Hearing it come from my mouth now not only felt unfamiliar but incorrect. The voice remained silent, frustrating me with this delay. "I said, OPEN THE GATE! YOUR PRINCESS COMMANDS IT!"
"The Princess, Nereida, is dead, having perished in the siege. Ye cannae be her, now return to wherever you are from," the soldier replied carelessly.
"I refuse to argue with you, sir. Open the gate and see for yourself," I challenged. The silence persisted, but before long, the sound of chains moving reached my ears, and the gate slowly rose from the ground. Two guards stepped forward, their pikes pointed at me.
"No one has seen the princess in almost a year; we cannae know if what she says is true," the soldier whispered to the other.
"I—"
"Let's take her to the king. He will decide what to do, and lass, if yer an imposter, ye will find yourself in a lot more than trouble," one of the guards instructed. They followed me, pikes pointed, but I paid them no mind as I pushed forward into the bailey grounds of the castle.
