Abigail Fredrickson

Blanca

I feel myself waking.  No…no, that’s not what was supposed to happen…  When I lied down to go to sleep, it was supposed to be for the last time.  I hadn’t expected to wake up one more time.  Let this end! I scream in my mind.  Just let me die!  But no, a distant voice is speaking, the unintelligible words falling on my ears and calling me up from sleep.

Wake up.  Come on, wake up.

No… I groan, but know I’m awake now.  I open my eyes, though it does nothing to change the dark veil that’s permanently fallen between me and the rest of the world.

“Are you okay?”

I turn my head in the direction the voice came from, feel a hand on my shoulder.  “No.”

“What happened to you?”

My family disowned me because I was weak; I was going blind.  “Leave me alone.”

“I’m not leaving you here.  You could’ve fallen into the stream and drowned.”

I close my eyes and let my head fall back to the ground, “I wish I had.”  The other person is completely silent now.  Yes, thank you, now leave me to die in peace, please.

“What’s your name?”

I sigh, but murmur, “Blanca.”

“Well, Blanca, I’m Demien, and I’m not gonna let you die.”

“Oh, joy.”

“There’s a village not far from here.  They can take care of you-“

I raise my head, sending a glare in the direction I’m fairly certain this ‘Demien’ is in, “Can they fix my eyes?”

“…It’s…possible.  I’ve seen them heal stuff before.”

“Then take me to them.”

Twenty-nine years later

I lift my hand from the tanned forehead, smiling at her contorted expression as the black mist clears.  “It is done.”

“Thank you, Blanca,” my husband peers at the young woman appraisingly.  “It’s high time she was back with us.”

Liam and Cearia glance at each other when he’s not looking, both confused and uncertain.  I smile softly, “When she wakes, she won’t remember a thing.”  And they said it shouldn’t be done.

Tigress

I test my legs before standing.  When I’d fallen, they’d been broken, along with my wrist.  It’s been a rather tedious three months.  Well…I suppose I’ve only been awake for two of them.  The blow I’d taken to my head when I fell gave me amnesia, as it turns out.  The physician only just yesterday cleared me to be free to return to my previous lifestyle.

I pull on the striped shirt and black pants, drag a comb through my hair, and look in the mirror.  No matter how hard I try, I can’t remember a single thing from before I woke up here.  I’m grateful to Saber Demien for explaining to me, but…It still feels as though I’ve lost my sense of being.  I narrow my eyes and pull on the black, claw-like weapons that were left on my dresser.  Looking at them, I flex my hand.

Someone knocks on the door, then it opens.  A samurai stands there, looking at me strangely.  “It’s time.  They’re waiting.”

I smirk and walk past him, “Thank you.”

As I walk through the red and gold halls, I have to actively restrain myself to just a purposeful stride.  Three months of recovery from both broken legs resulted in more pent up energy than I would have expected in any human.  But I’m not quite ready to release that energy just yet.  It’s better directed at…certain people.

I turn to enter the throne room as the doors slide open, not breaking my stride.  The samurai on each side stand at attention, but my focus is on the royal family at the hall’s end.  Saber Demien, the man who raised me even after I was abandoned, his flowing robes and commanding presence seeming to penetrate every corner of the room.  Empress Blanca, his wife and a great source of comfort to me while I was recovering and bed-ridden, her white clothing making her appear as an ethereal creature.  Prince Liam, the one I owe my life to after the last battle I’d been able to participate in, and someone I would almost consider a friend if he wasn’t my superior.  And last, though not least, Princess Cearia, a hard-working and determined individual.  I haven’t interacted with her as much, but enough that the respect is there.

I drop to one knee before them, bowing my head.

Saber’s advisor breaks the silence, “Tigress, are you ready to reclaim your mantle and title as champion of the royal family, and a warrior in the service of Saber Demien?”

“I am.”

“Then rise, and pledge your loyalty.”

I stand, keeping my eyes locked with Saber’s, and press my fist into my breast, “I vow to serve the royal family in every command, to be their champion in battle, and to give my life to protect them when or if the time comes.”

Silence reigns for a brief second, and then Saber rises from his seat, smiling and spreading his arms, “It’s good to have you back, Tigress.”  I smile in his approval, glancing at the others as well.  The queen nods in both respect and approval, Cearia gives a smaller, similar one, and so does Liam.I mentally shrug off the slight furrow in his brow, meeting Saber’s hand in the middle, our hands clasped in a nearly bruising bond.  And as I hold the deep brown eyes, I make another vow in my heart.  The people who did this to me…The Rebellion…I vow that they are going to pay.