King of a Lost Castle

Chapter 1

Why? I thought, Why does everything connected to her involve her torture?

The maid came out to the courtyard slowly, as if not to startle me. As if anything can startle me now.

I stared at some flowers moving in the breeze, watching her from the corner of my eye. As she got closer, I realized she had something shiny in her hand.

"No!" I said, thinking back to the knife in Thug Man's hands. But when I looked at her, I saw it wasn't anything close to that.

It was a necklace.

The maid jumped back, but she was quick to recover. "I'm so sorry, sir. I didn't mean to startle you. I just came out to tell you that I want to help." There was that thing about her. She knew almost everything about me, but I don't even know her name.

"I don't need help." I said, while crossing my arms over my chest and turning my head away. "I am perfectly fine." But the curiosity was already taking over. "What's that for?" I motioned toward the necklace with a disgusted look on my face.

"It was my mother's and her mother's before her. It has been passed down for generations, but I have no children to give this too. And never will, with this problem of mine." She moved her hand in front of her plump body, as if saying her largeness got in the way of any chance of a bloodline.

"Okay, you kno-"

"I wasn't finished." She said, cutting me off. "I was going to say that you are like an only child to me, Lei."

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!!!" I yelled, then realized what she was saying. "Oh. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled. Please forgive me. But why do you say this when I don't even know you? If I were like a child to you, wouldn't you tell me more?"

"Even maid's have secrets, boy." She waved her pointer finger at me.

Mystery, mystery, mystery... I thought. Maybe she has a reason.

"Why can't you tell me though? I want to know." I whined.

"I- I can't. I have to keep you safe, I wouldn't forgive myself if you got hurt because of me, and that's why I don't tell anyone about me..." She said quietly. Then she remembered the family heirloom in her hand. "I want you to have this."

"Okay. I'll take it. But you have to tell me your name." I told her.

"Alright, child. My name is-" Screaming. More screaming. I couldn't see where it was coming from, because the maid was still talking. I fell to the ground, fear written all over my face.

I could feel myself being moved, and the maid's face was in front of mine. It got dark, and I realized we were in the castle.

But I couldn't see. I couldn't hear. I couldn't move.

Something was wrong.

⪧⋇⋇⋇⪦

When I regained consciousness, I think I was temporarily blinded. There was a bright light above my head, and I had to squint my eyes to see around the room for a while.

I was in the castle's mental hospital. I could tell because of all of the white or blue beds. But what would I be doing here?

When I tried to sit up, I felt something holding me back. I couldn't see what it was, because it was on my shoulders, holding my head down too.

"Uh, doctor? He's awake." A kind voice said. It was a woman's voice. A girl, more like. I tried to look at were it was, but again, the restraints.

"Whoo isss therrr," I slurred. They must have drugged me.

A rolling chair squeaked and the girl came into my vision. If the ropes or whatever weren't there, then I would have fallen off of the bed.

She's beautiful, I told myself, then, No, it's the drugs making me think that.

Then the doubt came back. Live in the moment, said a voice in the back of my head.

"Oh, heeyyy," I mentally slapped myself for that one.

"Yeah, obviously the things are still wearing off. Doc, where are you?" She maneuvered herself to look out the door.

"Yes, yes, I am right here." Said an old man who shuffled through the door with a clipboard. "We should take the ropes off of him, but he can't sit up yet. If he does then syncope, a loss of consciousness and muscle strength characterized by a fast onset, short duration, and spontaneous recovery, would take over him. It is caused by a decrease in blood flow to the brain, typically from low blood pressure."

"Ack. You need to learn English." She turned toward me. "What he means to say is that if you sit up right now then you could pass out because the blood in your head is going to fall." She took one look at my relieved expression, and said, "You're welcome."

The doctor walked over to me and slowly took of the thick ropes.

"What's your name?" I asked the pretty girl when she came back into my view.

"Raven. Raven Willow."

"I'm L-"

"I know who you are. Everyone does. I thought you knew that."

The doctor huffed, as if he thought of something but didn't know how to say it.

"What is it, Doc?" Asked Raven.

"He seems to be fighting off the anesthesia faster than any other patient I have had. You can tell because he is talking better already." I was? I didn't notice.

"Can I sit up then?" I asked the doc.

"You should try it slowly, and if you feel like you are starting to get vertigo, then you should immediately lay back down."

"Vertigo means getting dizzy," Raven explained.

"Thanks..." I said while propping my arms at my sides and pushing up, slowly getting to the sitting up position. I was getting a bit dizzy, but I forced myself to ignore it.

"Okay, it seems as if he is doing fine..." Doc mumbled, scribbling on his clipboard. He looked at me, then back down, "Eyes not crossed... face normal color... lips pink... oh, are you cold?" He looked up at me.

"No, I feel great, actually." I lied.

"Okay... no shivers..." He went back to writing stuff down.

⪧⋇⋇⋇⪦