Seraphiell
When I open my eyes, I'm in a kind of cave. A gorgeous cave. There are these pristine, glowing crystals everywhere and the floor is littered with white lilies. I can hear water running in the distance. For some reason, this place feels familiar.
"Who are you? You are either incredibly impudent or incredibly stupid." A deep voice speaks from behind me. I turn around, raising an eyebrow. "I have no one to respect, so I'm surely not the former, and nothing in the world will ever make me the latter." I meet his eyes. Green. Pale green. It's like staring into a stream. Skin like caramel and long white hair. Makes me want to play in the snow. His ears are slightly pointed. A dark elf? He lets out a smug laugh "Feisty, aren't you?" He touches my hair. "Lilac. Perhaps from Carleton?" Carleton, a kingdom outside the empire. I pull my head, yanking my hair out of his hand. "Why am I here? And where's Lucas?"
"I could ask you the same thing, woman. And who the hell is Lucas?"
"Did you kidnap me from the duke's estate? Perhaps those attackers are your men."
"Now, why in the world would I kidnap you, princess?" He spins on his heel and sits on a throne covered in the lilies.
"If you didn't, how do you know I'm a princess?"
He rests on his elbow. "Could it be more obvious? Your ball gown practically announces it, your hair is clearly well taken care of, and the crown on your head isn't just for cosplay." I frown. He's cocky. Real cocky.
"Then where are your manners? Don't you typically bow to a princess?" He looks up and grins. "Oh, it seems I've forgotten my etiquette." He gets up and pulls my hand to lay a kiss on the back of my palm. "You see, chivalry isn't dead." I want to punch his smug face. His smug, handsome face. Now, I'm annoyed because I just got bowed to; yet it feels like he won. I scoff, "Take me back home, now."
"Calm down sweetheart. First, I need to know how you got here in the first place. Or how you're still alive after being here for more than five minutes."
"What do you mean by that?"
"What country are you from?" He ignored my question.
"Wouldn't you like to know." I fire back. I'm not answering a single question of his.
"Surely, it isn't the empire. And Carleton has no posh aristocracy, so your attire doesn't fit. You're clearly not an elf or a dwarf, so not Sylvarael or Elondoe..."
"How are you so sure I'm not from the empire?"
"Darling, no offense, but you have absolutely no mana, and Aetherwyne's royalty is widely known for having an excess of it." He said it so plainly, it felt like he twisted the knife that was already in my chest. "No tail or furry ears, so not a demi-human..." He kept mumbling, doing his best to figure out who, no; what I am.
What am I?
"Look here, I was in my country when I blacked out and appeared here. So, show me the way out of this... Hold on, is there no exit?" I look around, only now realizing that although this cave is large, there is neither an entrance nor exit. You can't even tell the time in here.
"Next time, could you try telling me something I don't know, princess?"
"S-so we're trapped here?! No, no I have to go back, I NEED to go back!!" The world is falling in on me. My heart starts running a marathon. "Alright, calm down. There should be a way for you to escape. The simple fact that you're a human and you're in here is a miracle, and according to what you said earlier, you simply appeared here from your country. Meaning that you might just be able to go back to your body."
"I'm confused, my body?"
"Yes. This place is a kind of sanctuary for the souls of elven royalty. The only way a physical body can come in here is when the barrier is down."
"Barrier?"
"Yes, darling. A barrier that should keep outsiders well, outside."
"Why does this place need to be protected?"
"The crystals you see around are mana stones; coveted by every nation. It only makes sense to have a guardian placed."
"So, is it just you, or do you take shifts?" He's suddenly looks very sceptical. "You're not a spy, are you princess? Because if you are, the people who sent you are about to lose a member of their monarchy." It isn't an empty threat. He'd kill me without hesitation if I were up to funny business.
"Calm your nerves. A little curiosity never killed anyone."
"But it's a bit too convenient. A member of the monarchy of an unnamed country just happened to appear in a place coveted by millions and happened to be able to survive the drawing of the stones because she happens to have no mana to draw."
"Drawing mana?" I still ask questions, regardless of his suspicion of me.
"The stones absorb all the mana of every living thing they come in contact with." And he still answers me, regardless of his suspicion.
"So, if you don't take shifts, does that mean you stay here all the time?"
"What else can it mean?"
"So, you live here by yourself? All alone?" He flinches at my words. "I apologise, I didn't mean to-"
"It's fine. I don't mind it anyway." He looks away from me. I don't know about him, but that sounded like a lie.
He's wondering about me again. I take deep breaths and try to calm down when something catches my eye. "Well, I'll be..." I run to the centre of the cave. It's the flower I used to see in my dreams. The one with shrivelled, yet beautiful petals. It's a light purple that fades into blue. It looks magical. That's when I realise that I've been here before. A long, long time ago. I reach out to touch it, and gently lay my hands on a petal, when I feel a hot surge run through me.