A Court of Secrets and Moonlight

Part 2: Golden Light

Her

500 years ago, after the lie

I was floating.

Was this death? Was this what it felt like to drift off into the abyss?

Silent and cold, something filled me. It drifted through my body, through my soul, through whatever I was. It curled into the depths of me, lodging itself firmly inside of me, vaguely familiar but new at the same time.

Then again, I had no sense of new or old. I didn't know anything, did not think anything, did not understand anything.

All I knew was that I was floating, and something was changing whatever I was. I was taking from it, taking something vital.

I had the vague sense that I had been holding onto something, that something had been tying me down. Like a chant over and over, it had wrapped around me and kept me there. But I was gone now. I was nothing now.

What was time?

Was it passing? Was it meant to pass?

Or was it stagnant as I was, drifting free and unbound. No end, no beginning, I was one with the nothingness. I was darkness and light all at once, fire and ice, made and unmade.

And then I was something.

I broke the surface, and suddenly I had a body. I was swimming now, gasping for breath, my eyes open. All I saw was gold, everywhere, all over my body, all through the water I now fought against. It was instinct, the way my legs kicked, the way I glided through the fluid, the way air filled my lungs.

How did I know all these things? How did I know so much while knowing nothing at all?

What was I?

My hands found something solid, and I was crawling up out of it then. Leaves crunched under my body as I collapsed to the hard ground.

Leaves.

Leaves from trees.

A forest?

Names, so many names, so many words that I knew the meaning to. And yet, there was something screaming in my mind. Something telling me I was forgetting something, something important, the most important thing.

But what?

Who was I?

What was I?

That voice was there again, like a song, a melody. And some intrinsic part of me could decipher something in the background of it, even as I felt it slipping away.

No.

Don't go.

Please.

I am alone.

The dying melody faded more and more, deeper and deeper into the background. I clung to it, wilked it to stay, even if I did not know who or what it was. I knew nothing, but I could not let go. I could not give up.

It slipped through my fingers anyways, growing softer and softer.

Leuruna, a far away, delicate voice whispered. Was it my voice?

Your name is Leuruna.

And then it went quiet.

No, not completely. Not entirely.

It was still there, the melody. Weak and strained, as if impenetrable walls had formed between it and I. Muffled and lost, but not gone.

I am not alone.

I am Leuruna.

What did that mean? Why did nothing come to me? No memories, no recognition, just nothing. I was breathing heavy, my fingers curled into the dirt beneath me as if I could will it to give me answers. Ringing in my ears, cut with the sound of footsteps on the leaves.

Leuruna

Leuruna

An image of a night sky popped into my head, littered with stars, constellations framing the moon's glowing light. An echo of laughter. 

Nothing else.

Was I the night sky? Was I the moon? Was that what the floating had been?

Had I fallen from the sky and exploded into golden light? Had I taken too much light from the sun and was forced from the sky as punishment?

I thought and thought, but nothing else ever came. And then there were hands on me, someone was speaking in my ear, and my hands were glowing?

Everything was glowing.

I was glowing.

Rippling golden light, nearly blinding in it's strength, coming free from my chest, my hands, everything. I blinked, and it was gone.

Two males and a female stared down at me dressed in black and gold armor, shock on their faces. One of the males had wavy dark hair, a knife drawn in his hand as bright blue eyes stared down at me. The other was shorter, rich dark skin and eyes like darkened amber. Both of them had outstretched pointed ears. They were both broad and tall, and some instinct deep within me cowered in fear. I scrambled away from them, trying to cover as much of my nude body as I could. But it was the female, tanned skin, warm brown hair flicked with gold, and bright hazel eyes, the female removed her cloak in an instant, crouching down to wrap it around my shoulders. I gripped onto the heavy black fabric, held it tight around my body, willing it to piece whatever was broken back together.

Black tattoos twisted over my skin. Delicate lines curling up my forearms to form twisted bands around my arms, down to my wrists and then to...

My hands?

Burn scars littered them, as if they had been completely alight. Raised skin marred with remnants of black tattoos. Healed entirely, but the scars remained. I tried to remember something, anything, about what could have happened to me.

"She's gifted." One of the males said, "She has the star."

"What's your name, honey?" The female outstretched a hand towards me. The gesture was simple, kind mannered, offering to help me up. I still did not trust her, not enough, not with those two males still gaping behind her crouched form. I was shaking like a leaf, my breath coming in hard pants, cowering away from her.

But her hands were scarred too. Not like mine, not burned. But jagged crisscrossed lines, overlapping one another like a maze. A history of pain lingered there, something that must have been like whatever had happened to me.Something in her hazel eyes was familiar, the colors swirling into one another and bleeding to create an explosion of gold, brown, and green. So maybe it was foolish and reckless but I opened my mouth, and told her everything I knew, everything I was. All I had.

"My name is Leuruna." I breathed, closing my hand around hers. For a moment, everything felt like I was going to be okay. Perhaps my memories would come back in time, perhaps I would be safe, perhaps I'd be cared for.

But then she was yanking on my arm, forcing me to my feet. My legs gave out from under me as if my limbs were made of jelly, but she just kept hauling. A sharp pain coursed up my arms as shackles were places around my wrists.

"Hello, Leuruna." She hissed from behind me, all of that warm gentleness gone from her voice, "My name is Acantha."

And then the male who hadn't spoken, the dark haired one with blue eyes, stepped forward. His eyes glinted with something like satisfaction, and some part of me recoiled at that look in his eye.

"We have been looking for you."