Treasures of Andalia Chronicles: Ring of Flames

Chapter Two: Secrets are your Worst Weakness

AMARIS

I woke up panting. Unconsciously holding my chest out of fear. Heart beating so fast that it felt like bursting out of my rib cage. Tears welled up in my eyes. My eyes darted from one place to another.

I felt so much pain in my chest as if it's being ripped open. I opened my mouth but my voice was stuck. No sound came out. I wriggled my body sideward. Hoping to ease the pain but I fell helplessly on the ground, only making the pain I felt much worse than before.

Where am I? What is this place?

I grew nervous in the unfamiliar room. I fixed my eyes on the door as footsteps came rushing through. Banging the door open, a man wearing golden armor with black, side swept hair stood at the entrance. He was a fine man with a smooth rectangular jaw and thin lips. His eyes have different colors, the right one was grayish blue, and the other was brown. He was panting hard as he bolted inside. Sweat dripped from his forehead, and down to his jaws.

He dashed on the floor and threw his weapons aside. He was good at hiding his weapons because I didn't even notice him carrying two swords and a bronze-hilted knife. He placed my head on his lap, elevating my head at the right angle.

He checked if I had any wounds on my body and felt relieved when he couldn't find any. "Princess, are you okay?" He asked.

I nodded.

"Call the King. Tell His Highness that the Princess is awake," he said to one of the soldiers stationed outside the door.

He carried me gently, making sure not to inflict any sort of pain. His hands were firm on my body but I felt no pain. Instead, I felt gentleness and care. But my body was still sore, and every beat of my heart was painful in my chest.

He gently set me down on the bed and leaned back on the headboard for support. I tried to relax myself by taking small breaths because inhaling too deeply hurt my chest. I sucked in another breath, and finally, my voice came out. "Where am I?" I asked, my voice still hoarse.

He looked worried but smiled anyway. "We're inside your room, Your Highness," he paused. He opened his mouth again but closed it in hesitation.

From the look of his uniform, I can see that he's a guard or knight but his face looked too worried for some reason. The way he held me earlier felt like he was truly afraid if something happened to me. Not like how a guard cares for his employer but something more than that. I don't know if it's just a habit he got from his work but it seemed a little too intimate.

"Why are you calling me 'Your Highness?" I asked. My head was in less pain than before. I grasped my temples with both hands and massaged them.

"What else should I call the Princess of Ravalor?" He answered with a confused look all over his face.

My hands stopped, and I stared at him, puzzled. My eyebrows shot downwards. I held his sleeves and asked, "what's my name again?"

He was reluctant to answer at first. "You are Princess Aleiah Veltigar." He's giving me a look like I've become crazy. Well, maybe I've gone mad. After all the things that happened to me, I don't think it's impossible.

I threw him another puzzled look but he was just as confused as I was. Then, I remember the woman who saved me earlier. She kind of implied that we were the same person. Maybe she came from a parallel world, and she brought me into her world. Although that was never confirmed, I'll go with that theory. That woman said her name was Aleiah, so he was referring to her.

Does this mean I'll be taking her role as a princess?

"King Orrian and Queen Seveena have arrived."