Just like how I arrived, Maximus and Georgina transported me with horses. Georgina's horse was a light brown mare with white patches and a braided mane. Maximus' horse was a massive black stallion with a well-combed mane and a braided tail.
I rode on the back of Georgina's horse with her.
The village houses seemed to be modern built, but old fashioned to me. Most houses were made out of stones and bricks. Regardless, they held some sort of beauty that I couldn't fully appreciate just yet.
We stopped riding just as we reached the foot of the hill, before a rather large house with large garden and a barn.
After dismounting the horses, they left them in the garden and lead me towards the front door of the house. It was a large wooden door; very old fashioned looking with iron framing and a large door knob.
Maximus unlocked the door with a large iron key and then pushed it open. He and Georgina both gestured for me to go inside first.
With a deep breath, I walked past them and into the house. The interior was just as pretty as the exterior. The walls were made of stone and the floors were marble. So very modern, yet medieval. The furniture was rather modern too. Through a large door, I saw what looked like a modern kitchen and through another door on my other side was a flat screen television.
"Everything is so...modern," I said. Electricity and electrical appliances. It seemed so odd for a place where people dressed and acted so medieval.
"Did you expect candles and straw beds?" Maximus asked.
I bit on my bottom lip as I turned to face them.
"Kind of," I admitted. "Everyone dresses and acts the part."
"The modern world out there is not that different to our world here," Georgina reassured me. A nervous laugh escaped her. "Despite how we dress and act here. This is not the only hidden kingdom in the world either."
I nodded.
"Do I have a bedroom here?" I then asked.
Maximus pointed towards a door across the room. I stepped across the room and walked through it. Before me was a long corridor and wide corridor with several doors. Most of them were closed.
"It's the very last door," Georgina said.
I walked down the corridor slowly, taking in all the decorations. The hallway was adorned with many different things, a potted plant, a painting or two, and framed photographs of people that I didn't recognize.
When I passed a photo of a small girl with wild curls and a massive smile, I paused and looked at it. Was that me? It looked like me, and not just because of the similar style in hair. I knew that oval face and hazel eyes anywhere.
I looked up from the picture, only to find another. This one of me was easily recognisable. I was a teenager, maybe a young adult. I was standing rather proudly, dressed in the same white leather coat and brown boots that Maximus and Georgina wore. In one hand I held a bow and in the other, my pendant. The more noticeable thing was my hair. It wasn't nearly this untamed. In the picture, I wore it loose and the curls had been smoothed down to simple waves.
I touched my hair as if to flatten out the spirals. It must have taken a lot of effort to tame the curls that much.
"You had this weird kind lotion," Georgina said. I turned to face her. "You used to buy a bottle of it every month from one of the newer alchemists in the order. It helped you straighten your hair out." She smiled as if remembering something amazing. "You would always complain that the curls were too difficult to work with and that it was better than getting a Brazilian blow-wave from the hair dresser."
I looked at the picture.
"It doesn't really bother me now," I said. With that, I turned back towards the last door and continued towards it. When I stepped before it, I reached out and twisted the golden door knob. The door opened freely with a slight creak at the hinges.
I stepped inside the room and looked around as if I was a child in a sweet shop. The bedroom was well lit by the sun shining through the large bedroom window. Despite the clutter of so many different knick knacks and ornaments, this room seemed like a paradise that filled a deeper part of my childhood desires. This bedroom was everything that I could imagine as the perfect bedroom. Everything was blue, black and white. Not just any blue; cerulean blue. The bed was large and had four posts with a silken curtained canopy. A large writing desk in one corner, packed with art supplies. A massive closet built into one wall and a bookshelf packed with many books. Small framed photos were all over the place; hanging on the wall, placed on the desk, the night stands, the window sill – all of me and people that I didn't recognise. There were so many things in this room, more than I could have asked for as a child. Things that I instantly fell in love with.
A lump formed in my throat and I swallowed against it. This bedroom, in all its glory, threw me off and unnerved me. Before this exact moment, I wasn't nearly as frightened as I was now – and all for one reason. It was the last thing that Maximus and Georgina needed to convince me that what they said was true. And so they did.
Everything in this room was swarming with things that made up who I believed I was. Assuming that I really was who I believed to be. What if changing my memories changed me completely? What if I'm someone completely different? It couldn't be, though, could it? Maximus had said that going into hiding changes identity, but not personality. That's means I am exactly who I was before, just with a different identity.
I sat down on the bed and ran my hand along the bed covers. The cotton was so soft, so nice to touch.
Maximus and Georgina stepped into the room. I looked up at them and sighed.
"Why did you do this to me?" I asked them, forcing myself to stay strong. If I broke into tears, it would just unnerve me further.
"The customs have always been drastic," Maximus said. We didn't want you to go into hiding, but as the leaders of the order, we had to do our part on the council decisions."
Georgina moved over quickly, a pained expression on her face.
I stood up and stepped around the bed post, using it to block the space between us.
Georgina paused and then took a step back. She seemed to be ashamed of something. When she looked up at me her eyes looked glassy. God, I hoped that she didn't cry. That was the last thing I needed; a woman crying over the claim that I was supposedly her daughter.
"Look, Georgina," I said. "You've convinced me. You both have, but despite that, you left me with the belief that I was orphaned for years. Regardless of the fake memories or the lost memories, I don't know you two. Without that memory potion you claim to know of, that's not something I can help."
"Of course," Georgina agreed.
"This was all thrown at me within a couple of hours and I'm really not comfortable with it right now," I said.
"We understand, Zelena," Maximus said. "And it's okay. However, we love you and always have. We've missed you very much."
"Time just needs to pass," Georgina agreed. "You'll just need to readjust. The memories will start surfacing too. Maybe they'll be useful ones too."
I nodded. Now that that was discussed and understood, I could ask more questions.
"What is this place?" I then asked and stepped out from behind the bed post. "I get that this place is a kingdom and that the order protects it, but who was Xenophil and Agamemnon? What is this ring for? I kind of zoned out when you mentioned magic back at the academy."
"They were both wizards," Georgina answered.
"As in magical? Actual fairy-tale magic?" I asked.
"Does it really sound so ridiculous?" Georgina asked, a smile touching her mouth.
I sighed.
"Probably not, considering everything I've been through these past two days," I admitted, looking through the window.
"Maybe, its best to talk about this another time," Maximus suggested. "There's already a lot to take in as it is."
"You've got that right," I agreed.
"Besides, Vincent and Kelian are on their way," he then whispered to Georgina.
I turned my head and looked at them.
"Who are Kelian and Vincent?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows.
"Mom? Dad!"
"We couldn't wait, sorry!"
"We saw your horses outside. It seemed kind of senseless to go all the way to the academy again."
I frowned at them.
"They're your brothers," Georgina answered.
I froze.
"No friggin' way," I muttered to myself as I ran my hand over my face. Brothers? I have brothers! Well wasn't this just a good day for surprises. Not only did I apparently have parents, but I had brothers too. Today was just a constant string of surprises, coming one after the other.
Maximus had been right. This was tipping the scale of overwhelm.
The door burst open once again and a new face appeared in the doorway. A thin handsome face with big blue eyes and a large smile. The man had light blond hair, almost silver. He was tall and broadly built, wearing the same uniform as Maximus.
Behind him, another face appeared, one identical to the first. Just like the first man, the second had short silvery blond hair and a large smile. He too was wearing the same uniform. The two men were identical, except for one difference. The second did not have two blue eyes like the first. He had one blue and one brown.
Once again, this was a surprise. Not only did I have brothers, they were identical twins.
"Zelena!" they both cried together, smiling wide.
I bit down on my bottom lip, unsure of how I was supposed to act. I felt positively awkward because I felt no joy to see these people, like how they had joy in seeing me. I didn't know them either.
"Relax boys, she doesn't have her memories back," Georgina warned them.
"We don't mind, Parentals," the second twin said, brushing off the facts. "It's cool."
"Well then, we need an intro," said the first twin. "Zelena, I'm Kelian and the slightly less handsome clone of me is Vincent."
A smile touched my lips when Vincent scoffed at Kelian.
"Never mind," Kelian laughed and then stepped closer. "Just as gorgeous as ever, Zelena. The natural look suits you much more."
"Aw Zelena," Vincent piped in. "You let yourself go; lost muscle and got scrawny."
I furrowed my eyebrows and looked down at my body. How on earth could they tell what I looked like while still wearing this coat? What kind of comment was that, anyway? It's an odd thing to say to someone for a first meeting.
"Did you bother to keep training while you were out there?" Vincent continued to speak.
"Well..." I said, not sure what I was supposed to actually say. What training was he talking about?
"Don't worry about it," Kelian then said. "You'll gain it all back in no time."
I cocked an eyebrow at them.
"How old are you two?" I asked randomly.
"Twenty-seven," they answered together.
Really? They were twenty-seven? They acted rather young for their age, but maybe it wasn't as bad as it seemed. I guess it was just their sense of humor that threw me off a little. It seemed a little twisted.
"Your wives must never be bored," I said.
They both laughed.
"We're still unmarried," Vincent said. "However, I sense that Kelian might be entering that future phase with Nirvana."
Kelian shrugged.
I smiled a little. They seemed okay.
"Um," I murmured as I looked around the bedroom. "Can I maybe be left alone? There's a lot that I need to process here; I need some time to think."
"Of course," Georgina said.
Maximus was already out the room. Vincent and Kelian followed him out and Georgina was the last.
"If you need anything, just call," she simply said and then closed the door.
I sat down on the bed and sighed.
Finally. Some time alone to think.
So then, what now? What do I do now that everything I knew was turned upside down? Did I stay or go back? God, what was I thinking? It was obvious that I couldn't go back to Pretoria – and not just because I had no way getting back there.
How on earth did my life come to this? How was one supposed to act when one was told their life is a lie? That they are someone else; someone completely different.
How should an orphan react when they are told that they really never were an orphan? Again; the thoughts are drastic. A family? I have a family and yet, they're complete strangers. Strangers that I am not comfortable around. In fact, they were strangers that I didn't particularly like. I couldn't help that, though. I had no recollection of them to help me love them. All I've ever known was that I was orphaned and left alone in the world. For that, I couldn't exactly pretend to be fart of this big amazing family as if all were resolved.
I sighed.
I felt rather isolated, like I didn't belong anywhere now. I don't know how to live here, and I most certainly can't live in Pretoria anymore. My place wasn't there anymore.
Then there was the sudden tale of magic. Could it really be true? Magic and sorcerers? Could that myth really be a vital part of our reality? I guess I'd have to find out for myself.
I stood up and paced around the bedroom, looking around at everything again.
My first spark of curiosity landed on the closet. I stepped up to it and pulled open the door. Inside were many different cubicles of clothes. I opened the other door and found an open space with a long metal pole. Clothes, clothes and more clothes hung on it by many hangers.
The amount of clothes weren't what intrigued my interest, though. It was the style. Just like everyone else in this place, the clothes seemed modern, yet baroque. Very steampunk, if you will. It was all leather, boots, and tailed coats, with a minimal amount of the more modern variation of clothing I was used to. There were some dresses in there, some shirts, sweaters and, thank God, a few pairs of normal jeans. Several pairs of shoes at the bottom of the closet weren't leather boots; which was good to know. It looked like I had a vast collection of leather boots multiplying in here.
I looked at several items in the closet and proved to myself that they were mine. They were all my size, so it must have been mine. I guess you couldn't have too much proof.
I slipped the backpack off my back and placed it on the bed. I rushed to open it and rummaged through its contents. Now I could find out what Zacarias had packed in here for me. As I rummaged through, I took things out and put them on the bed. Inside was a dress – one of my flowered sundresses – a sweater and my pair of light brown snug boots that I usually wore as slippers. My handbag was inside.
I slipped it out and opened it. Inside were my cell phone, wallet, cards and money. Everything was still there.
I closed my handbag and continued to rummage. My toothbrush was inside the backpack, cell phone charger – thoughtful move for a bounty hunting lunatic – but no hairbrush or perfume.
I stood straight and looked around the room again. It looked like I wouldn't need those. There were several hair brushes and perfume bottles on a large dressing table in the corner of the room. It was right beside another door that I hadn't noticed earlier.
I peeked into it and found that it was a bathroom.
What else was in here? What clues could this room give me? What messages could I find? What memories could still be recovered in all these drawers?
I could see photos; and lots of them. All sizes, framed and placed all over the place. Most of them looked like me and the people who were in the next room. My apparent family members. By the looks of the photos, most of them were taken a while back when I was still a teenager.
I looked strange with straightened out hair. The clothes I was wearing was odd too; that strange steampunk fashion. By the looks of it, I was rather expressive with it. There was one of me smiling and presenting the pendant around my neck. Another was of those twins and myself; laughing and holding onto each other's shoulders.
I stepped past the large bookshelf and looked up at all the books. There were so many. Not only books, but a journal collection too. Curiosity sparked me when I noticed they were numbered and covered in fine styles. They were all bound in leather or velvet of different colours.
Perhaps these journals could enlighten me on the life I lived here, but I didn't want to dive into it just yet. What if I read something that I couldn't particularly process well enough? Perhaps, I needed to adjust to this place a little first.
There was a strange amount of items in this room. A half painted clay tea-pot and a simple mannequin wearing a dress made entirely of what looked like textbook pages. An artistic part of me, perhaps?
Swords. Three of them. Two of them were mounted on the wall and the third was in the corner of the room, resting beside a hunting bow and a quiver of twelve silver arrows. The room was filled with daggers. Small, large, decorative, plenty sorts, and all of them were beautiful. I could see at least eight of them placed in plain sight around the room. They were all mounted on displays. One made up part of a dragon statue.
I must have been quite the warrior if I had all these weapons. I probably had a good mind for it too. These weapons, all of them, were stunning; each had its own individual brilliance. It was a new appreciation; one that I never really realized I had. The last time I showed this kind of appreciation, it was the day Linda put that compound bow into my hands.
I paced past my closet and peeked at my boot collection. That's when I noticed something at the bottom of the closet. I turned and bent down on my haunches. It was some kind of blue gift box, just big enough to put a cat inside.
I sat down on the marble floor and pulled the box out. I placed it down on the floor in front of me and slowly lifted the lid. Inside it was a number of things; many of which were photographs and papers. The most noticeable thing inside it was a large red rose; still living rather stunningly. There were some other things too. A necklace, a ring, a small ceramic of a bow and arrow.
"What is all of this stuff?" I whispered.
I picked out a handful of the photos and took them out. I looked down at the photos, flicking through them. Most of them were polaroids, the rest were developed from a store. Regardless of their make, they all had one thing in common; they were of some guy and me. A lot of these photos were much older; from when this man and I were kids.
I stared down at one in particular when I came across it. This man and I, a younger teenage version of us, were kissing rather sweetly.
I furrowed my eyebrows. Who was this man? A boyfriend I might have once had? It was obvious, that was a fact. The question is, was he an ex or still a current boyfriend? He must have been an ex-boyfriend if I thought about it logically. If he was still current, I wouldn't have kept the memories in a box tucked away at the bottom of a closet.
I wondered about him. He was very handsome; strong looking too. I'm not exactly sure why a girl would break-up with a pretty boy like him. If that was the case, I guess he might have been the one who ended it.
I slipped an envelope from between the pictures and then tossed them back into the box. It looked like a letter. It was addressed to me and sealed with a large red crest. So old fashioned.
I pulled the letter from the envelope and opened it. It was marked with a number, written in the neatest hand writing I'd ever seen.
Letter twenty
Dear Zelena,
The mountains are more about the journey, and not just the view. Cape Town is beautiful, just like you said. You were right. The travel here was rather amazing too. The land and its citizens are rich with the very same culture you read about. I only wish that you could be here to see it for yourself.
The privateers and warriors found the scrolls that Xenophil spoke of. I wasn't allowed to take part of the search. My father left me to adventure around the city to enjoy the scenery while they worked. Nevertheless, they told me of the search after. The scrolls were kept within an antiquity shop. The seller asked for a decent price and gave it over to us.
I miss you. These past three weeks have been lonely without you. I can't wait to see you again, to hold you. I look forward to nothing else.
I love you,
Eternally yours, Mathew.
I put the letter back inside its envelope and then took out another. This one was numbered thirty-eight. I preoccupied myself by reading the letters inside the box. There were so many.