Landyn's Curse

"I can tell you."

I shot up in bed and looked around wildly. My ankles were shackled to the bed and my wrists were too. I had been redressed in a pale blue gown of sorts, like those given to you in a hospital. I was in a different room now. It seemed to be a hospital wing, with stark white walls and tiled flooring. A rolling cart full of medical equipment sat next to me.

The bed I was in was a four-poster with a metal frame and noisy springs under the mattress. A pale blue curtain was drawn around it, so I could see only the wall behind me and a small portion of the room to my right, through a slight opening in the curtain. That's where the medical cart sat, holding the curtain open a smidge.

"Hello?" I called, my throat beyond dry. My words came out quietly. It sounded like I hadn't used my voice in months. Perhaps I hadn't.

"Did you hear something?" I heard the unmistakable voice of Serenity from right in front of the curtain.

"Serenity!" I called, my voice slightly stronger now. Moments later, the curtain was pulled open fully and tied to a post, revealing the extent of the room beyond it. Beds just like mine were set along each wall at even intervals, most with open curtains. Two other beds had closed curtains, the one across from me and the one nearest the door, which stood on the adjacent wall and about five beds down. Three medical carts circulated the room, including the one next to me. The walls and floor were so white I had to squint against their sudden brightness.

"He's awake," came a deadpan voice very unlike that of Serenity. I blinked a bit and got my eyes to adjust. It was a man, sat to the right of me. He wore a white medical coat and pale blue scrubs underneath. His long, messy blonde hair fell to his shoulders, reminding me of my own from when I was younger, except his was only wavy. My hair had always been wildly curly. His skin was tan and his eyes a pale blue color that almost matched that of the accents in the hospital room.

"Arghhgh," a strange gurgling sound came from the bed across from me. The strange man's attention was taken momentarily. He excused himself and went to help the patient.

"Do you remember what happened?" Serenity asked hesitantly.

I started to shake my head and think about it, but trying to think of what happened made me dizzy and my eyes rolled back. Serenity caught me before I fell back and my head hit the bed-frame. She settled me back on the bed gently and told me not to strain too hard.

"It's okay if you don't remember," she began, "I can tell you. It was yesterday morning. You went exploring, I suppose, and didn't bring a guide with you. You got lost, and we couldn't find you for hours. Finally, we heard a loud banging noise and rushed to the stairs only to find you'd fallen down them incredibly hard. I rushed you here and you haven't been awake until now."

My head felt fuzzy and confused. I felt like Serenity wasn't telling the truth about how I got hurt, but I didn't have any alternative to her story. I didn't remember what actually happened. In fact, I was starting to forget even more than that. My memories grew hazy around the edges and began to fall away one by one.

"I feel like I was looking for something," I conveyed cryptically. "There was something I needed."

"Perhaps you wanted a snack from the kitchen?" Serenity offered. Something clicked and I found myself nodding slowly.

"Yeah, the kitchens. I was trying to find the kitchens, but I got lost and couldn't find anyone."

"Do you remember why you came here in the first place?"

Woah, alarm bells. Why would she ask that? As soon as the suspicion came, it was swept away by a sea of dizziness and confusion.

"I- I dunno. I thought I'd always been here," I cocked an eyebrow.

"That's right, in a way," Serenity improvised. "You were brought here as a child and put in the care of Clock. You remember him, right?"

The face of a man with a clock for an eye came to surface. Yes, I remembered him. He was strange, and made me uncomfortable. I nodded uneasily.

"Yeah, Clock took you in, but he never leaves his study. My mom practically raised you." Serenity smiled sadly and brushed a hair behind her ear. She was remarkably pretty. I felt safe with her.

"What about-" I broke off, the name dying in my throat. Serenity's smile fell away and she studied me for a moment. I wrinkled my brow, trying to figure out what I'd been about to say. With a casual shake of the head and a forced smile, I said, "Well, must've been quite a fall. I hardly remember anything."

"We were worried for a while," Serenity's smile returned. I'd do anything to keep that smile on her face. Wait, but why? Muddled again, I glanced to the bed across from me.

"Bleeding hell! He's been bloodied up well and good, hasn't he?!" I exclaimed, feeling sick to my stomach.

The man in the bed had a nose that'd been snapped sideways and steadily dripped dark, old blood. His eyes rolled back and forth, as if he fought to stay conscious. His leg had been amputated and angry red stitches covered the wound. His left arm was broken to where the bone stuck out, and his chest (which was on display due to the nurse's current job of applying some cream to it) was covered in dark bruises. This man had been in one hell of a fight.

"Yes, he was riding the other day and fell off his horse," Serenity clicked her tongue sadly. "Got caught right under the hooves. His leg was so badly shattered we had to remove it. We're still trying to save his arm."

"Glad my fall wasn't that bad."

"You wouldn't be awake right now if it had been," Serenity stood. "I must take my leave now. The nurse will check you out and then you'll be cleared to go. Hector is waiting outside the door."

"What did Ferris say?" I asked without thinking.

"Ferris? Say about what?" Serenity seemed slightly nervous. I thought for a moment but couldn't think what Ferris would be saying anything about. In fact, I didn't know who Ferris was.

"I dunno. Who's Ferris?"

"Oh, Ferris is my fiancé and the leader of Clock's army. Surely you remember him."

"No, not at all. I remember Hector, though!"

"Brilliant. At least that's a start." Then, without so much as a farewell, Serenity was out the door. Gone.