Forget Me Not

Part One: I

What just happened? I thought groggily, groaning at the consistent throbbing in my head. I slowly forced my eyes open. A blinding light was shining above me and I blinked rapidly. I raised a hand to shield my eyes. Where am I?

Something cool suddenly and quickly came over me and I coughed as it hit my face, filling my nostrils and mouth before going away. A few seconds later it returned again. It appeared and receded in a pattern... Water. I was lying near water.

"Miss?" A boy's gentle voice said suddenly, appearing above me and blocking out the light. "Miss, are you okay?"

I removed my hand from my face and squinted up at the boy, confusion no doubt written all over my face. I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. "Hey, it's alright. Here," he reached down and wrapped one arm around me in support, helping me to stand up. My legs instantly doubled under my weight. My whole body felt weighted down and weak.

"I got you. Just lean all your weight on me. It looks like you hit your head pretty bad."

Not knowing what other option I had, I let the kind boy carry me off. Every step was slow and wearing. It felt like a long time passed, though the place we were heading to wasn't that far. I lifted my head and stared half-stunned and half-amazed at the magnificent gray stone structure towering on a small hill in front of us. A castle.

The boy yelled for help and gave out commands when we crossed the threshold of the castle, and a few plainly dressed people immediately rushed to help us. Others, dressed in armor and equipped with weapons also came running, but stopped short and only stood back and watched silently.

The kind boy, after handing me over to two women, headed straight over to the armored group and started to talk with them in hurried and hushed whispers, casting a look back at me. It was like he was part of their group--but he was dressed in regular clothes and not armor like they were. Yet he had to be of some high status in order to give orders like he did, right?

The women helped me forward, and I didn't look up again at the kind boy who had helped me. I was led away to a room where I was checked for any signs of serious injuries, in which there was only a cut on my head. It had stopped bleeding, but it was still tender and stung when they tried to clean it. I was then given a bath, and they gently washed the blood out of my hair. I was then put into fresh new clothes, and tucked into a warm bed. They set a bell on the table beside my bed and promptly told me to rest and to ring the bell if I ever needed anything.

I was surprised to find myself unbelievably tired, though I had been passed out just moments before. Before I knew it, I was waking up to a new days beams of sunlight streaming through the window, washing the room in bright warmth. I basked in the comfort of it, but it was short lived. The boy who had helped me the day previous slowly walked into the room, clad in intricately designed armor, his hand resting lightly on the hilt of his sword.

Did he think I was a threat? I couldn't exactly blame him for being cautious with a stranger. Even I hardly knew myself and what I was capable of. Though I could barely fathom the idea of bringing any type of harm upon my savior's, there was no way to prove to him that I wasn't dangerous.

"You're up," he said with a smile, "And I'm glad to announce, looking much better than you did yesterday when I found you."

"Yeah," my voice was quiet, "I just needed some sleep, I guess."

I sat up, threw back the covers, and turned to set my bare feet to the floor. Would my legs support me if I stood up?

Unsteady at first, I kept my hand rested against the wall and took a few slow steps forward. The kind boy looked at me worriedly, his body arched forward slightly as if he were about to spring into action.