Only Chance

5.

Darwyn provided me with a soft duvet and fluffy pillows to sleep on, as well as a room with a wooden bedpost and a bark-made nightstand.

"It's not the best, but it will do," he whispered to himself.

"Thank you Da- I mean, Mr. Darwyn," I grinned, remembering my manners. "This is great."

"Be up by the sunrise next morning," he commanded. "We will start our first lesson then." Darwyn took a nod and left.

After he drifted away, I faded into a deep slumber.

Unfortunately, it wasn't a good one.

Flashes of Klide and the empress showed up, each one clearer than the next, trying to tell me something I'd never understand. I could hear voices and sounds, but each one was hazy and nebulous. I tried to wake up, but my eyelids stayed down. It felt like I was trapped in a place with no end, no start, but then also no middle. Trapped.

Then, I heard a knowing tone. It was louder than all the other voices, but still somehow blurred. But it was enough. And it was Klide's.

"I know you won't hear me," she vocalized, her voice oozing and blurred. "I know you won't. But I want to tell you, stay safe. Mother is going to send forces after you soon, you can't hide in the open on your own for much longer. The second you get back, she'll kill you. You won't hear this, but I pray you'll be safe, Adelphia. I pray."

"I- I- can hear you," I murmured, trying to speak. "I can."

I strained my hearing reflexes, but I couldn't hear her melting, beautiful voice anymore. Instead, another voice replaced it. Klide's oozing, soft tone was replaced by the empress's.

"Find her!" the empress's steady voice commanded. "NOW!"

"But empress," said a voice that could only be Mr. Nakarado's, "there are more than a billion people out there: elves, mermaids, and half-bears alike, that have black hair and blue eyes! It will take more than years to look at every single one of them and find the princess!"

"I don't care!" the empress howled. "Find. Princess. Adelphia. Black, inked-like hair, and blue, light sky blue eyes. You will bring her, alive, back here the moment you find her. Now. NOW!!"

And that was all, before my consciousness waned and I dwindled back into my restful sleep.

'''''

"Adelphia?" a voice queried-an unfamiliar voice.

I popped into wake, rubbing my eyes sleepily. The silhouette of a young girl formed into view. She had a thatch of tastled, brick-brown hair, a few freckles, beautiful brown-azure eyes, and was wearing clothes of moss and bark woven together.

"It's Adelphia, right?" she asked again.

"Wha...who are you?" I managed to nod sleepily, and scanned my surroundings: I was still in Darwyn's home. Good to know it wasn't just a dream.

"I'm Ozanne, Darwyn's daughter," the girl said cheerfully, and uncovered the blanket from my body, handing me a bark-woven moss dress like hers, and tartan shoes, just like hers.

I peered at them in disgust.

"Well, I think my father warned you, life here isn't like castle life," Ozanne said brightly, giving her own moss dress a tiny ruffle. "But you basically were screaming about how palace life was exactly not..."

"I was not screaming," I admonished, and slipped into the shoes. They were hard, and itchy, purely unlike my comfy slippers. I glared.

"Father told me. Anyways, he's making breakfast. Change and you can just fling your princess dress on your bedpost or something, okay? I'll see you in a few." Humming to herself, she headed towards the bedroom door.

"Wait!" I called brusquely. "O-Ozanne!"

"Yes?" she replied, turning around, her eyes innocent and bright; they were hazel-blue, and bright. Darwyn's were a wise, creasing gray. They had no similarities, whatsoever. I quickly turned my attention back to Ozanne, seeing her hand rested on the wood-carved door knob.

"Darwyn told me yesterday that his wife and child had perished in a fire the empress had sent out," I said quickly. "So how did- how are you...?" My voice trailed off.

"Oh." Ozanne's expression slumped a bit, and the cheerfulness faded a bit from her bright blue-hazel eyes. "Well...yes. I'm not Darwyn's birth daughter," she confessed. "My parents left me at the corner of the woods crying, until Darwyn found me and kindly took me in."

"Oh," I said, feeling numb, and also because there was absolutely nothing else to say.

"Okay. You go change and then come to have breakfast," Ozanne exclaimed, her joy back, and then flashed out of the room and disappeared into the hall. "Dad will be happy to see you!"

I stared in her direction for a few airy seconds, before I took off my dress and replaced it with the itchy, uncomfortable dress that pricked my skin, tossing my golden gown onto the bedpost and letting it hang there. Then I hobbled away, feeling very...scruffy.

"Good morning Adelphia, I assume you're enjoying yourself?" Darwyn smirked as I stumbled into the kitchen.

"No, not really, Darwyn," I sighed, mistaking the sarcasm. "How... How do you people live in these clothes?"

"Told you," Darwyn said boredly as he set the table with a few various nuts and berries, and freshly chopped up leaves.

I took a small step back.

"Um... you are, like, umm, expecting me to eat that?" I muttered, trying not to sound rude.

"Yes, indeed I am," Darwyn nodded firmly. "You cannot get used to the wild better than getting started off with a lovely breakfast of desolate nuts and the sap leaves of a tree."

"Lovely," I said sarcastically, but I took a brave step forward. Then, I scanned the table and selected a fat nut, eyeing it suspiciously. "Are you sure these are edible?" I wondered aloud.

"Yes, Ozanne and I have been eating them ever since forever." Darwyn turned his sharp gaze onto me. "You've met Ozanne, haven't you?" he asked more kindly as he took a seat at the wooden table along with me.

"Yes, I have," I admitted. "She's very...bubbly and energetic, easygoing." I popped the nut into my mouth, trying to savor the taste.

"She is. I adopted her not long ago... I just found her shivering body in the woods that evening when she was only an infant. No clue where she came from, but she didn't seem harmful. We've been inseparable ever since." Darwyn took a piece of chopped leaf and shoved it into his mouth, chewing harshly.

"Forgive me for asking, but is Ozanne your only child? And why did you adopt her?" I questioned.

"She is, unless we now are counting you," he responded, now picking up a berry. "I adopted her to get over the loss of my wife and own child, and because, well, who could reject a crying baby abandoned in the midst of the woods?" Darwyn sighed. "Loss is not easy, but seeking revenge is for the weak. To be strong, you need to remember the past while looking over the future."

"Makes sense," I nodded numbly, acting like I understood what he had said. "So, when do we start training?" I asked quickly, changing the subject briskly.

"Ah yes," Darwyn frowned. "You, again, are a weak and feeble elf. I'm going to suspect you know nothing of combat, potion-making, healing, or even much of knowledge you must even strive to possess."

"True," I said ruefully.

"It's really nothing to be ashamed of, royal's are mostly dense-brained," he said confidently. "Don't worry, I'll teach you."

Darwyn stood up, to which I followed.

"Training starts now."