The Crown of Illyri

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I woke up to a sense of immense fear. I sat up, struggling to get air in my lungs. It felt like I was drowning in something. I looked below me to see blood all over my hands and soaking into my clothes, staining them. My heart lurched and it made me throw up blood and spit. Soon as I was done, I had the ability to breathe once more.

I looked over to my side to the forest that I didn't notice. There were three bodies lying there. I instantly got to my feet, hand over my shoulder and other hand holding a knife. I stumbled back, breathing harshly as I moved to get a safe distance from the bodies.

Those are bodies and they are dead. What the hell happened here? Did I kill them? Do I remember my name? Yes...it's Adria Hart.

I had many rushing questions and thoughts racing around in my mind that I felt numb. The one thing that stood out to me was a singular question. Who am I? I only remember one thing and it's my name.

"Hello?" I heard a woman's voice.

I turned and instantly had my knife out in front of me. I was shaking harshly. The woman had pretty brown eyes and long white hair. She was wearing medieval-like clothes. The one thing that I had noticed was her pointed ears and long skinny white tail with the end being puffy.

"Brother!" She called. "I found her!"

Me? I pointed at myself with wide eyes. She rushed to me. I instantly raised my hand to warn her. I could barely breathe or speak. She held her hands up.

"My name is Ala. I'm not here to hurt you, miss. My brother, Jacob, and I heard screams of a young woman over here."

"Where..." I began, throat feeling raw. "Where am I, Ala?"

"You are in a village of Illyri." She tilted her head. "You're not...Illyri or any type of fae, nymph or anything like that. You smell more like a human however more of...different."

"Ala?" A dark skinned man with white hair came running with his white tail trailing after him. "You found her!"

"Careful!" She turned to him. "Jacob, she's a human! She has never seen us before!"

Jacob got to her side, frowning. His brown eyes went to me. He assessed me from one single glance. The man was silent.

"You can lower your knife, kid. We're not going to hurt you. Do you want to explain why you killed three guards of King Rowan's Royal Knights?"

I stared at him, lowering my knife. I turned to look at the bodies. "I...I don't think I killed them." I stared back at Jacob with scared eyes. "I...I just woke up. I found myself in a pool of blood and..." I shivered.

"Jacob...she's not lying."

He glared at Ala. "You are too young to know if a human is lying or not. Most humans aren't to be trusted."

I swallowed. I found myself lowering to the ground. I felt sick. I threw up more blood. I felt uneasy and dizzy. I looked at my side to see it bloody. Was I going to die?

"She's hurt! We can't just leave a kid alone to die! These parts are dangerous for her at night and you know that!"

Jacob bristled. "She's most likely wanted by Illyri!" He pointed to the bodies. "There are bodies and she's bloody with a knife in her hand."

"We would know that if she was!" She argued back. "Jacob, please. If she dies, she will have no one to grieve for her!"

"Do you know what village you lived in?" Jacob asked me.

I looked up at him as my hair moved in front of me from the wind. I could suddenly sense someone watching me with careful and watchful eyes. Village?

Jacob stared at me a few moments longer. "Do you remember your name at least?"

I nodded. "It's...Adria."

Ala turned to her brother. "Jacob, please! We can just have her be with us for the night and we can help her to the docks so she can leave!"

Jacob glanced at her then me. "Are you able to walk?"

I quickly glanced at my ankles. I instantly looked over my shoulder when I felt the stare intensify. "Y-Yeah." I mumbled, getting to my feet.

I didn't like the heavy feeling that we were being spied on. Ala took my arm instantly, grinning up at me. I felt embarrassed a bit that my ears felt too warm for my comfort. I tried to act cool but I knew I was a mess.

Ala led me to the path with Jacob in the lead. I found myself looking over at the tree lines. "What are we going to do about the bodies? The animals shouldn't eat them."

"I'm going to report it." He called over his shoulder, not looking at us. "Someone is bound to look for them."

Anxiety came over me. Why am I scared? I breathed in deeply. Calm yourself. Nothing bad will happen to you. You are safe. Suddenly I had a smaller voice that wasn't familiar with me. It sounded like a man, deep and bone-chilling. Are you sure about that, Adria?

I almost stumbled over my own feet. My heart raced, threatening to break out from my chest. Ala paused, eyeing me with anxious eyes. I quickly recovered and smiled at her to reassure her.

"I'm okay." I lied to her, hoping she wouldn't detect it.

She clearly bought it. She nodded and continued to guide me gently along the pathway. I couldn't help but look over my shoulder once more. I stared at the lush greenery of the forest tree line.

I made myself look further into the forest. My heart lurched with horror. I saw a figure standing there with a cloak covering the person's face and body. I continued to stare at them, unblinking. My body told me that this very person was the one who had been staring at me when I had first realized it.

The feeling I had wasn't a good feeling. Something about this cloaked figure also felt familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. This person is someone I shouldn't cross paths with. However, I had the urge to call out and acknowledge them.

I heard Jacob shout to have us not dawdle around and hurry so that we can get to the cottage. I blinked and the cloaked figure was gone when I looked over to where it was. I had a bad feeling. Whoever I used to be...must've have been in neck deep in something that I lost my memory.