Two Years Later
Emelia perched at the window, her bony fingers tracing patterns on the sill. Her gaze was fixed on a wren perched in a nearby tree. She imagined how it must feel to be that bird, to spread its wings and soar away from this place. She blew out a deep sigh, her thoughts straying to the memories that had eluded her. Two years had passed since her memory had disappeared, and not a trace had returned. Achoo! The sharp sound of the guard’s sneeze shook her out of a daydream. She was one of the lucky ones—if you could call it that. Despite their imprisonment, Hayes allowed them some liberties as long as they followed his orders. They were allowed to go out into the village, but his guards made sure they stayed within the limits he had set. But many people still tried to escape, and Hayes showed no mercy; their bodies were displayed at the town gates as a warning not to attempt to flee.
Lily padded toward Emelia with a weathered parchment tightly folded in her outstretched fingers. “Here,” her sentence trailed off as she handed the letter to Emelia. Tucked away in her pouch was a secret stash of letters written on any material Lily could find, from torn book pages to the back of a map. Lily had trained Emelia to keep them hidden and safe, just in case. “Come, let’s brush your hair,” said Lily as Emelia sat on the stool in front of the vanity mirror, a pink brush in her hand. She began to hum as she brushed Emelia’s long, thick hair, pulling the bristles through it in long strokes until her hair reached her bottom. Lily looked nothing like Emelia. Lily had pale skin and beautiful brown hair that was straight and smooth, while Emelia had dark skin and wooly curly hair. Yet the two of them had formed an unexpected bond since they had first met. Emelia embraced Lily as her mother, even though she could not remember her own.
Every chance she got, Lily gathered books for Emelia to take back to their guarded cabin. They were one of the few respites from the monotony of a life spent imprisoned. Life became routine like this, and even though Lily knew she had limited power to protect Emelia from any harm that came to her, Lily kept a vigilant watch over her.
Every day Lily’s thoughts swirled around her husband Edward, the pain of their separation, and her longing to be reunited with him. She wanted very much to be by his side, and bleak thoughts roamed her mind until loud blasts of horns from a convoy echoed in the distance, breaking through Lily’s trance.
Lily and Emelia sprinted to the window, their eyes searching in unison for the source of the distant noise. Her breath stilled as the smoke gradually rose in the air, a cloud-like wisp of burning destruction. The wind carried with it something that only Lily could understand, “It’s Edward. I know it is.” With a glimmer of hope in her teary eyes, she smiled as she watched the flames dance in the distance.
The two guards burst through the door, their faces red with anger and their heavy boots pounding against the hard stone floor. Lily and her friend were dragged out of the cottage as villagers around them ducked for cover, screaming and scrambling to safety as thick plumes of smoke filled the air. The clang of swords and the whoosh of arrows slicing through the air echoed through the village. One of the arrows caught one of the guards in his arm, and he loudly grunted as he doubled over in pain. In an instant, Lily grabbed a small letter opener from her pocket and lunged forward, plunging it into the neck of the other guard. “Emelia, RUNNNNNN,” Lily’s voice called out, the urgency in it triggering a faint memory that came with a feeling of fear and dread. Emelia’s eyes snapped open in a trance, and she saw a figure sprinting towards her, their face hidden in the shadows. Instantly, she felt a pair of strong hands wrap around her shoulders and yank her back to reality. That’s when she saw Lily’s eyes wide with fear and the haste in her grasp as she pulled Emelia’s hand. “Come on! We have to run now!”
Emelia and Lily raced through the village, dodging panicked villagers and small groups of soldiers with swords drawn. Emelia’s chest burned from running, and her heart pounded in her ears. Everywhere she looked, people were being cut down where they stood. Blood stained the dirt pathways, and its metallic smell hung in the air like a pall. Emelia tried to push her doubts aside as she and Lily ran, desperately searching for a way out. But there seemed to be no escape – only more carnage, more death. Her breath came in short gasps as they ran, and she could feel the darkness threatening to overwhelm her. Are we going to make it? Emelia thought.
As Emelia and Lily approached the nearby woods, the heat from the blazing wagons made it hard to breathe. Emelia’s chest tightened painfully, and she stumbled to the ground with a gasp. Lily reached her side in an instant and quickly helped her up. “C’mon,” she said urgently, her voice tight with fear. “We have to keep moving.” She pulled Emelia away as the distant sound of chaos faded away. The trees rustled around them as they ran in the forest, their feet thudding against the earth in an effort to escape the danger they’d left behind. All too soon, they were stopped by one of Hayes’ soldiers. Lily stepped protectively in front of Emelia and calmly said, “Let the girl go.”
The soldier’s grin revealed a set of stained-yellow teeth. He stomped forward, swiftly raising his large, two-handed sword. Lily reached up shakily, her frail arms unable to keep a grip on the weapon as it quickly slipped from her grasp.