Heart's Gift

Author's Note: The beginning is a little slow. I intend to remedy that once the story is complete. Just keep with it. I assure you, it gets better. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave me a message! If you happened to like the story, drop me a like! Enjoy your reading! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Something was wrong. My head felt all fuzzy and my stomach was twisting. When I tried to think about what I had eaten, I couldn't remember. I tried remembering what I had done before bed. Nothing came to mind. I couldn't even think of what my bed looked like. I couldn't remember anything about me but my name. Aila... I think. It was the first thing that popped into my head. I opened my eyes as a violent rocking sent me flying from my bed. I hit the floor with a loud thud and a grunt of pain, sliding a bit as another violent sway hit whatever I was in. As I looked around, I realized it was what could unmistakenly be a cabin on a ship. And not just any cabin. A cabin fit for a queen. The wooden walls held numerous tapestries and sheer, hanging curtains from ceiling to floor in various rich colors and patterns, and a few lit oil lanterns were placed carefully between them. Bookcases, at least ten of them, stood tall, hundreds of volumes looking polished and gleaming tucked within the shelves, thin glistening chains keeping them in place against the rocking that was brought about by the storm I could now hear outside the windows. Across the cabin stood a polished desk topped with golden candle holders and a matching inkpot, most likely bolted down for they never shifted to the sway of the ship. From there, my eyes wandered over various shelves with neatly placed knick-knacks like small statues of mythical creatures and colorful crystal figures of various shapes and sizes, surprisingly undisturbed. Beneath the shelves sat the plumpest, most comfortable looking couch I had ever seen. The seats looked to be made of silk of the darkest red imaginable with a dark wooden frame accented by golden designs. A cabin for a queen, no doubt. Which begs the question... What the f**k was I doing here? I wasn't a queen... I don't think. I stood slowly, fighting to keep my balance against the rocking of the ship as a sharp roll of thunder sounded outside. Looking down at myself, I found I was wearing a silk nightdress, two ties at my throat keeping it on my shoulders. It felt like nothing. Maybe I was a queen. I jumped as the heavy door swung open and slammed into the wall, thanks to another violent crash of the waves outside. A woman stood in the doorway, soaking wet and looking very out of breath as she supported herself against the frame. Her eyes were shining unusually bright, almost shimmering, and a color I couldn't even begin to describe. It seemed to shift in the light from the few lanterns' flickering flames. Despite her heavy breaths, her cherubic face held a bright smile, her cheeks slightly flushed with the effort to, I assumed, cross the storm ridden deck to get here. "Oh, good. You're awake." She said between breaths. Before I could blink, before I could even process what she was doing, she had closed the door and spun in a quick circle. Instantly, she was dry. As if no rain had even touched her. Her hair, no longer plastered to her face, was long and flowing, swaying and shifting ever so slightly as if she were underwater. Its color was like sunlight, golden and bright with hints of red glinting subtly in the full waves. How...How did she do that? She was walking quickly toward me, and, instinctively, I drew back. "Wait!" I shouted shrilly, holding up a hand to stop her. "Wait! Who are you? How did you do..." I gestured toward the door where she had done her spin-dry trick. "...that?" She blinked up me, confused and stunned at my reaction. Her eyes turned to the door then back to me. It was like she wasn't processing what I was asking about, as if she had done it on reflex. "Do what?" She asked slowly. She stayed where I had stopped her, seeming slightly fearful of coming closer. I kept pointing to the door, my tongue tripping on words and my whole body shaking with fear and confusion. "That thing you did!" My voice was still shrill. "You did a...uh... spin and you were...you were wet and then suddenly you were dry and all you did was spin in a circle and I don't understand or know where I am and WHAT THE f**k IS GOING ON!?" I had grabbed my head in both hands, cradling it as I hunched over and stared at my feet without realizing I was doing it. I didn't even realize in my confusion of finding myself on this ship out on a stormy sea that I was terrified. And now, it was all bubbling to the surface. "I was afraid of this." The woman said softly. "Aila, come sit down." My head shot up when she said my name and I saw she was gesturing to the plush couch, still in the same spot I had stopped her. "You know my name?" I was speaking softer now, and before I knew it, I was moving to the couch and sinking into the softest cushion I could ever remember sitting on. She smiled sweetly. "Of course. I have to know your name." She gestured next to me, asking without words to join me. I nodded and she sank next to me, turned slightly to face me. "You're the new queen and I'm here to help you." I blinked. Opened my mouth. Blinked again. Closed my mouth. What? So I was a queen? But how did I become a queen? Did I inherit? Marry into it? Who was my husband if I married into it? All these questions flew through my mind at the same time, making me nauseous and dizzy. I cupped my head again and leaned down to put it between my knees. "But you don't remember anything." She said it as a statement of fact, not a question. "Okay. I'll tell you everything I can." I didn't sit up but turned my head to look at her with hope. I wanted to know everything, who I was, where I was from, and how I got here. I needed to know. But first... "Who are you?" "Oh!" She suddenly exclaimed. "How silly of me! I thought you knew. But how would you if you can't remember anything?" She let out a little laugh and stood up, twirled to face me and bowed low, her dress shimmering around her. "I'm Ashley, your majesty. I've been brought here to guide you on your journey and provide as much assistance as you require. I'll be joined by Katlyn at the palace once we have arrived." Ashley... I felt like I knew an Ashley. I had forgotten everything before I woke up to being thrown from the bed. Perhaps I did know her from before the strange memory loss. The name Katlyn, too, seemed to stand out, loud and clear. I cleared my throat, feeling uncomfortable with her still bowing to me. "Um...It's nice to meet you, but could you please not bow?" I finally pulled myself up to sit against the back of the couch. I felt drained after all this pandemonium in my brain. Ashley straightened, looking slightly embarrassed. "Sorry. I wasn't sure if you expected it or not." She rejoined me on the couch. "Now, for how you got here." I couldn't blink if I wanted to. My attention was fully on Ashley, trying to read her mind to learn what I needed faster. This is what I needed. What I craved. Where did I come from? "I have no idea." She said simply, blushing. I blinked. "What?" My tone was flat. She didn't know either? "I'm sorry, but I woke up here, too. I don't know how I got here, but I was told I was here to watch out for you." She explained. "Once they told me that, I knew immediately what I had to do." "Obviously! They had just told you!" I lashed out. "And who is 'they' anyway!?" "The Draumur guards sent to bring you to the palace." "You're only bringing up more questions than answers, Ashley!" I covered my face with my hands, feeling the fear creeping over me again. I heard her take a deep breath, and then she was off, explaining what seemed like everything she knew. "Draumur is the kingdom you are to reign over as queen. You have been chosen against every other woman in the world by the king for his wife." She said, her voice somewhat tense when she mentioned a king. "I don't know why you were chosen, I can only assume it has to be because of your Heart's Gift, or you might know it as magic. I can feel it flowing through you. I have been brought here to help you, guide you into being the queen to match the king." I looked at her sharply. "Heart's Gift? Magic? There's no magic in me." I didn't believe in magic, that much I remembered. Then again...She had done that weird insta-dry thing. Maybe it was, indeed real. Or maybe I was delirious. "And what do you mean 'match the king'? That doesn't sound like a typical marriage. More like a battle. Am I going to have to kill someone?" I was being sarcastic. Ashley's face, though, was deadly serious. "I wish I could tell you everything. But I'm not allowed to. I can't answer your second question." She said. "However, I can answer the first." She was like a cat the way her mood switched. Dangerous, then happy and cuddly in a matter of moments. "Heart's Gift is magic that gets its strength from your heart. It's just what we call it here. Your heart contains the strongest magic I have ever sensed in all my life. You're riddled with it. You just don't know how to use it yet. That's where I come in. I will teach you how to harness your power. As will your new husband, I dare say." Her eyes narrowed at her last statement. I still didn't get this magic-Heart's-Gift thing. How could I have magic and not even know about it? However, whenever she mentioned this king, something in her shifted, something dark and terrible. Her eyes kept flashing making me think something was horribly wrong with this man. I tried a different approach regarding this king I was supposed to marry that didn't involve murder. "What can you tell me about him? This king." There it was again. The flash in her eyes. Red tinged with black. Either she was scared, or very angry. "He's...a good man. Mostly." She looked around us as if expecting to see people watching and listening. Then, she gestured me closer, leaning in herself to whisper. "He likes to play games with people. He'll get into your mind and use your darkest desires to trap you into performing his. I've never seen anyone beat him at this game. He's very powerful and very dangerous. And his eyes have turned to you. I think he senses the Heart's Gift within you like I have and wishes to harness it for his pleasure." I gulped. What had I gotten myself into? How, even? Then I had a thought... "Do you think he would know where I come from? Who I was before all this?" Ashley bit her lip in thought. I couldn't tell if she was trying to think of a way to say she didn't know, or if she was trying to figure out that my question of myself had no answer. "Well, he can. But I doubt he will. If you were brought here not knowing, it's because he doesn't want you to know." Great. I'm going to a place I've never heard of, full of magic- or Heart's Gift, whatever- I wasn't aware of, and I'll never know who I am because some king wants to use me for some twisted game he likes to play. I was starting to feel angry. The thought of being a pawn in someone else's game did not appeal to me. Not one bit. I felt hot with my anger and closed my eyes to fight it back down. "Don't do that!" Ashley suddenly shouted. "Don't fight it! That keeps the Heart's Gift dormant and you need it now more than ever if you want to survive!" That did it. I screamed, letting everything out. My fear, my anger, my confusion, my exhaustion... It all poured out of me in a fury of fire, enveloping me in silver flames. As quickly as it came, it was gone again, my shock putting the flames out like a great wave. "What...what the hell did I just do!?" My voice was shaking, barely a whisper. I turned wide eyes to Ashley. She looked unscathed, even shimmered slightly as if encased by a shield of some sort. "What the f**k just happened?" I looked around us to see my fire had scorched a circle around me two feet in diameter. The floor, the couch, the wall behind us... Burned. But I wasn't, and neither was Ashley. She was grinning broadly and started clapping her hands. "Your first explosion! I'm so proud! That was your Heart's Gift! Very primal I might add. I've only heard of such flames in stories. Usually, they're just dull blue or green and only cover the caster. Never silver, so bright, and wide. It was very pretty!" I just stared at her, stunned. I really did have magic? And I just made fire come from my body... "Listen to me, Aila." Ashley was serious again, reminding me once again of a cat changing moods. "That right there is the very reason I am here. You need to learn to use your Heart's Gift at will. You have to match the king if you want to survive." "What do you mean 'survive?'" I blurted. "Am I going to die?" She shook her head quickly. "No, worse than that." She bit her lip hard, fighting the urge to say something else. "I can't say anymore. I'm sorry. But now you know what's going on. I must tell you, Aila, with the strongest of truths, I am here for you and you alone. I will be here to guide you and teach you. I will never leave your side unless you tell me to." I believed her. I don't know why, but I trusted this very strange, cat emotioned woman with my life. "Thank you," was all I managed to say. She smiled her bright smile, her eyes swirling with their indescribable color. "Good." She looked around us again, less suspicious this time, then back to me. "It seems the storm outside has calmed. You should try to get some rest." She stood and gestured toward the bed, moving to it herself and straightening out the covers for me. I didn't want to. I wanted to talk more, but my body and mind were beginning to feel the exhaustion coursing through me. I moved as if dragging stones and was asleep before I hit the pillow. Before I had completely succumbed to the sweet darkness, I heard Ashley speak again. "You're the last hope, my queen. I will ensure you do not fail." What the f**k did that mean?