The Armadillo with No Heart

Chapter 3: The Forest Palace

The first thing Kuro became aware of was the sound of his own breathing, slow and steady.

His whole body ached; his head spun... his mind felt numb, sluggish... what had happened to him?

He tried to think, to concentrate... inconsistent, fragmented images flowed in and out of his mind; he could not tell if they were memories or remnants of a dream...

After a few seconds, something inside his head seemed to fall into place, and he remembered being in the forest... it had started to rain... he had fallen to the ground...

What had happened after that? His memories were hazy...

As his thoughts became slightly clearer, Kuro realized that he was not lying on the forest floor, but on something soft and clean... a bed? It couldn't be...

He opened his eyes.

It then occurred to him that he was, in fact, on a bed. The sheets were pure white and felt very clean; he breathed their soothing smell in several times. Turning his head, he saw a door to his left. He seemed to be in a bedroom of some sort. The only source of light in the room was a window opposite the bed. Wherever he was, it was certainly not the forest.

Kuro sat up, feeling dizzy. With a much greater effort than it normally required, he got out of the bed. His legs hurt, as if they had grown unaccustomed to the weight of his body. He noticed his backpack was propped up against the wall.

Limping slightly, he walked toward the window and pulled open the curtains. Light flooded the room, forcing him to blink several times. To his surprise, he saw a seemingly endless stretch of trees outside. So he was still in the forest, after all. The building he was in appeared very large, and, looking down, Kuro saw he was on the second floor. As he turned around, something else in the room caught his attention, a mirror next to the door.

Kuro looked in the mirror and was hardly able to recognize himself. His face was bruised and dirty, but what shocked him most was his weary expression, the look of pain in his eyes. He had never seen that look on his own face before, but he knew it well... he could see the shadow of his father in that mirror.

Kuro turned away, feeling repulsion at the sight of his face. He left the room and found himself at the end of a long, dimly-lit corridor. The floor was black and white marble, and the walls were lined with candlesticks. At the far end was a single window.

What was this place?

"Hello?" he called.

All he heard in response was the echo of his own voice. Kuro began to cross the hall, rather apprehensively. The floor tiles felt cold and hard against his bare feet. After about one minute, he reached the end of the hall. On the left-hand side was a flight of stairs that went down.

Kuro slowly walked down the stairwell, which was darker than the corridor above, and just as deserted. At the bottom of the stairs, he found himself in a vast room. To his right was a very large double door, and to his left, a staircase going up. He assumed that this was the entrance hall.

Kuro was halfway through the room when someone spoke.

"Ah... you are awake."

The shock was such that it made Kuro's heart miss a beat. He turned around abruptly, almost losing balance in the process.

Before him stood a woman in a green robe. She was a foot taller than him; her eyes were bright green. Although she wore a reassuring smile and could be described as beautiful, there was also an uncanny quality to her.

"Fear not, young one," she said. "You are in no danger here."

The woman was not a Dillo, that much Kuro was sure of. He thought he knew what she was, as he had heard many stories of them in the past, but he had never seen one with his own eyes. Few Dillos had, in fact.

"You're... a forest witch, aren't you?" he said nervously.

"Yes," she replied. "My name is Parsinea. This palace is our home. I believe you are the first of your kind to set foot in here for a hundred years... in any case, our queen wants to speak with you. Please come with me."

She led the way up the staircase. Kuro followed her in silence, not knowing what to expect... why did the witch queen want to talk to him? He never imagined he would end up here when he left home.

At the top of the staircase, they went through another double door, and into a smaller room. On each side were two ornate pillars, and all the light came from two windows in front.

The witch queen stood at the center of the room, in front of a tall wooden chair. She also wore a long robe, but it was deep red, and white flowers adorned her head. She bore great resemblance to Parsinea.

"I have brought the child of the river as you requested, Mother," Parsinea announced.

Parsinea turned around and left the room, shutting the door behind her. After a few awkward moments, Kuro decided the break the silence.

"It's... it's a great honor for a lowly Dillo like me to meet you, Your Majesty," he murmured sheepishly.

"I hope you feel better now," she said with a very subtle smile that nevertheless made Kuro feel much more at ease.

"Much better, thank you... you were the ones who saved me, weren't you?"

What a stupid thing to ask, he reprimanded himself. Way to make a fool of yourself...

"Yes. My daughter Parsinea found you unconscious in the forest. You were very weak... had she not found you when she did, you might not have survived."

"Thank you. I owe you my life."

"Think nothing of it... we forest witches vowed to always help a child of the river in need. And I can tell that you need our help, even now..." she closed her eyes thoughtfully. "I sense great distress in your heart... tell me what ails you, child."

Kuro had already expected this, but didn't know what to say. No longer able to look at her, he turned his eyes to the floor, feeling ashamed of himself.

"I... ran away," he muttered.

"Ran away?"

"Yes... I was meant to be sacrificed on my sixteenth birthday. It had to be done, for the future of our race, for the sake of our people... but I couldn't face death... I was a coward... and I ran away, thinking of no one but myself."

Kuro felt tears welling up in his eyes again. Contrary to what he had expected, confessing his betrayal did not relieve him of part of the guilt he felt. In fact, it only made the pain worse.

"I see," she said gravely. "Then that mark you bear..."

"Yes. I am the Dillo with No Heart."

Still looking at the floor,and unable to think of anything else to say, Kuro fell silent.