The Chronicles of Kyle

Chapter 6

Kyle squeezed his eyes shut as he buried his face deeper into his soft blanket. The world around him seemed abnormally bright for the early morning. His room in the Horde was so dark and gloomy that the only way Kyle could differentiate between morning and night was by the ear-shattering wake-up bell. But he wasn't in the Horde now. Kyle's eyes snapped open as his body involuntarily jerked. His foggy mind was quickly filled with the confusing and jumbled memories from the previous day. He gazed down at the clean white sheets and fluffy blanket that were neatly tucked in to his bed around his body. He definitely wasn't in the Horde anymore.

"Oh, good! You're awake!" said a man who had poked his head around the doorframe, "I'll get Queen Sarai and General Amaya."

The man's footsteps echoed along the stone walls as Kyle tried to process this new information. A queen and a general? The only queen he'd ever met was Angella, and she was apparently too preoccupied to be bothered with Kyle. What did Sarai want from him? And Amaya was a general? He shuddered slightly. All the generals he'd encountered in the Horde had sent him off into battle or on dangerous missions which he'd always ultimately fail. Amaya had seemed nice enough, but Kyle hoped it wasn't a facade that would come crumbling down as soon as he disappointed her. What if she only took him in to recruit him for whatever war this kingdom was fighting? Would she dump him back in the forest where she found him when she realized he was completely useless?

Kyle sighed and sat up against his pillow. His eyes scanned the room searching for something to distract himself from getting worked up. A wooden dresser stood against the wall in front of Kyle. The simple, neat design matched the small table beside his bed. A red rug covered the center of the floor, and a few chairs sat in the corner. The stone walls were bare but not foreboding and prison-like as they were in the Horde. The whole room was pleasantly lit by a large, glass window beside his bed that was propped open by a piece of wood. Kyle gazed outside. Castle walls surrounded a large rectangular courtyard several feet below him. He must've been on the second or third floor. People were peacefully milling about and attending to their duties as the sun rose behind them. Birds were chirping with more happiness than Kyle ever thought was possible. A cool breeze drifted through the window and brushed against his cheek. Kyle smiled as he was met with the scent of flowers and something baking in the distance. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. He wasn't sure he'd ever experienced a place so... pleasant. 

His brief moment of peace was quickly interrupted by a knock on the doorframe. Kyle jumped in surprise and snapped his head towards the door. He relaxed as he saw the faces of the two kindest people he'd ever met, but an invisible wall erected itself between him and the two women as he remembered the intimidating titles they held. 

"Hello Kyle," Queen Sarai said with a warm smile, "can we come in?"

Unable to find his voice, Kyle nodded. The sunlight streamed through the window and glinted off Sarai's crown as she entered the room and pulled a chair close to Kyle's bed. In the confusion of yesterday's events, he had barely noticed the golden circlet beneath her dark hair. General Amaya, whose armor could've convinced Kyle she was the queen's bodyguard, followed her sister into the room bearing a plate of something that smelled 10 times better than anything Kyle had ever eaten in the Horde. His eyes inadvertently locked onto the mysterious food as Amaya sat beside his bed. The warm, buttery scent filled Kyle's nostrils, and his stomach growled. He winced and looked at the women sheepishly as he tried to remember the last time he'd eaten. It must've been close to a whole day ago before he'd escaped his room back in Bright Moon.

Sarai chuckled and took the plate from her sister, "here," she said as she offered Kyle one of the golden tarts with ruby red centers, "we brought you some jelly tarts!"

Kyle met her eyes skeptically and wondered what the catch was. After a moment of hesitation, his hunger overpowered his distrust, and Kyle timidly took the pastry from her hand. He took a bite, and his mouth was suddenly filled with the sweet, tangy flavor of the warm jelly as the flaky, biscuit-like crust melted in his mouth. His eyes widened as his senses were overloaded. Kyle wasn't aware food could taste this good. He quickly finished the rest and accepted the plate filled with several more tarts that Sarai was offering him. He took another bite before becoming self conscious of the speed at which he was eating. He hastily swallowed.

"Uhh... Thanks," he said awkwardly.

The queen smiled, "we weren't going to let you skip the most important meal of the day!" she tilted her head as concern filled her eyes, "how are you feeling?"

His chest felt so normal, it was hard for Kyle to believe that less than a day ago he'd been stabbed with a knife and killed. Well, he thought he'd been killed. But if he was dead, it felt remarkably similar to being alive. He set his plate on the table beside his bed as he tried to regulate his ravenous eating. He tentatively pressed his hand to where his wound should've been. Nothing.

"I feel... fine," Kyle stated as confusion clouded his mind, "I remember someone threw a knife at me, and I could feel it! But now it's gone..."

The women glanced at each other in shock, and Amaya signed something to her sister. The queen seemed lost for words for a moment before she spoke.

"Who threw a knife at you?" her voice was sharp with worry.

"Catra," Kyle blurted out before immediately wishing he hadn't. These people had been kind so far, and they looked nothing like the Horde soldiers he'd grown up with, but they could easily be under Hordak's control or allied with him. He froze and inspected the women's expressions for any sign that they recognized the name. After a few moments of silence, the women's perplexed expressions had not changed. 

"I've never heard of anyone with that name," Sarai said, furrowing her brow, "not even in the other kingdoms. Where are you from?"

"Um..." Kyle hesitated. If he told the truth and these people were working with the Horde, he would be in serious trouble. But they didn't even know who Catra was which seemed highly unlikely for Horde sympathizers. Could they be playing dumb? Kyle's brain was jumping in a million different directions trying to come up with a feasible lie. An uncomfortable silence was weighing on him as he scrambled to decide what to say. He felt like the women's eyes were burning into his soul and uncovering the truth.

"I'm from the Horde," Kyle said, wincing as his mouth spoke without his brain's permission.

Amaya was staring intently at him as if she were trying to solve an intricate puzzle, and Sarai shook her head in confusion. 

"The... Horde?" 

"You haven't heard of it?" Kyle asked, unable to keep a hint of hopefulness out of his voice.

"There's no Horde around here," the queen confirmed, "you must have come from very far away. Won't your parents be worried?"

"I don't have parents," Kyle said nonchalantly. 

An expression of confusion blended with compassion appeared on both women's faces. Kyle jolted, and a tingling of embarrassment crawled up his spine.

"I mean, uh..." he looked away awkwardly as he tried to think of something to say to clear up the situation. Everything he said seemed to make Sarai and Amaya more confused and concerned. With a sigh, he decided the only way to make any sense of this situation was to tell them everything. He lifted his gaze from the ground and started from the beginning.