by Dani Hoots
“Not on me, no. We have to get her to a facility, we have to figure out what was given to her,” Elwood explained as he rummaged through the med kit.
“Galaftns,” I murmured. “Michael said it was from...” I started to lose consciousness.
“No, no, don’t you dare lose conscious on me cousin! Don’t you dare!” Elwood slapped my face a few times, but it was no use. My body had given up.
I collapsed into Emmerich’s arms.
Defeat the enemy and take their land. Don’t let anyone destroy what was ours. That was what I had been taught from day one. Show no mercy and don’t give in. I was to be ruthless, never letting emotion sway me. Straight-faced, I should never look back.
Those were the lessons my parents hammered into me every day until their death. I could remember now—everything they had said, every moment. I even recalled the tales of war grandfather had told before he passed away so long ago. It had been a gruesome war: all the blood spilt, the destruction of the Goedwig, native beings of the forest. They looked just like us in every way, humans, but grandfather insisted that they were offspring of the devil himself.
I had been trained to be a fearless leader, but there was only one problem:
I was afraid.
Every night I fell asleep afraid for the day to come. I didn’t want war and hate, I wanted to live in peace. I saw the people I ruled as my friends, and I wanted to treat any other beings on the planet, or on another planet, the same way. But that wasn’t the way of my ancestors. They were power hungry and wanted to rule the land with an iron fist. Most times I cried myself to sleep.
Then my parents died, along with my aunt and uncle who would have ruled in my stead until I was seventeen. I didn’t know what to do, I was a lost little girl. Michael had helped me get back on my feet and taught me everything else I needed to do, how to act, what was wanted of me. But through it all I knew none of it was really me. I wasn’t a leader, at least not the power-hungry one my people wanted. Not on the inside. I stood for peace, not war.
Then one day, a man appeared out of nowhere. He called himself Emmerich and after a while, I found out his secret— he was from a completely different world. He understood my fears and told me about how war on his own Earth had devastated millions. Many were left homeless, abandoned, orphaned, in pain, lost... I couldn’t let my people suffer like that. I promised myself I never would.
Not long after that the Galaftns appeared from out of the oceans, wanting peace. My people begged to go to war, and, more importantly, so did Michael. I wouldn’t hear of it. We began a long-running argument. Working behind my back, he organized riots. I found him out, but then he tried to poison me. Chaos filled the streets. Michael was doing a perfect job of getting my people to turn on me. There was so much pressure to declare war, it was a wonder that I could even get a wink of sleep at night. But Emmerich stayed by my side to make sure I wouldn’t waiver. I don’t know what I would have done if he hadn’t shown up—or where I would be today. I probably would have caved in to the pressure, or worst, be dead.
Even with his help, though, much weight was on my shoulders. Any group of Galaftn who entered the city were met with violence and it took everything I had to be able to speak to them without incident. I was surprised they kept seeking peace after everything they had endured with my people.
Days and nights went by and my people became more violent. I was having horrible nightmares about my people torturing them in the streets, and that I had finally given in and declared war.
The same nightmares I was having right now.
Hands were reaching for me, wanting to drag me down with them as they returned into oblivion. Countless destroyed souls, all wanting my blood. They clawed at me, leaving scratches down my arms and legs. I screamed for help, but there was no one there to help me, only darkness wanting to rip me apart. I tried to run but I couldn’t move. I was surrounded.
And it was all my fault.
I had sent them to fight, I had declared war when I didn’t have to. They were exacting their revenge because I was weak and had caused them to lose their lives. I wasn’t my father, I wasn’t my grandfather. I was simply a young girl who wanted peace instead of war. I was a girl who believed in good and wanted to live in a world were there was no suffering and fighting. Was that just too much to ask?
“Angel, take my hand!” a voice called from the darkness.
It was Emmerich. I could hear him but I couldn’t find sight of him. “Emmerich, help!”
“Take my hand!”
I searched and searched but I couldn’t find his hand—there were too many grabbing me. Tears ran down my face. I couldn’t hold on any longer, they were pulling me down.
“Emmerich!”
I opened my eyes to find it had all been a dream. Rubbing my head, everything was coming back to me in one big rush. My parents, my grandfather, the want of war but the need for peace.
But the headache was gone.
I looked up at the blue ceiling. Squinting, I watched little figures that appeared to be moving around. Were those things swimming on the ceiling? I blinked again. Fish, they were fish. How was that possible?
Then it hit me. The Galaftns. I was in their city.
I watched as a little orange fish scurried to catch up with others that were ahead of him. I smiled, understanding how he felt.
The room was... aquatic. It didn’t seem to be a medical bay, more like someone’s bedroom. The sheets were white and, wow, were they soft. I wished I could just lie here forever. But I couldn’t, I knew that. It was pathetic to even think it, especially knowing what I knew. There was an entire empire to get back under my rule and restore the peace that had been destroyed.
I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and examined the room a bit more. The room was nicely decorated, but open. The only thing I saw was a desk and...
Emmerich.
He was asleep, his head slumped forward and his chest slowly moving up and down. I wondered how long he had been waiting for me to wake up. How long was I out? I couldn’t tell, especially since before all of this happened I didn’t even know what day it was.
After everything, he was still by my side. I smiled as I watched him sleep, knowing he had probably spent hours worrying about me. He was sweet to me, more so than I deserved. Risking his life again and again to help me, he had left his home behind. I wanted to repay him, somehow, someday. I loved him with all my heart, and now I knew, he felt the same about me. I wished we were living another life, one without all this war, without responsibilities, and were able to just enjoy each other’s company for the rest of our lives. But no matter what may come, all we needed was each other, and that made me stronger.
He had searched for me for an entire year before he saw me that day at Portland State University. I had felt an instant connection then, and now I knew I was right. All of that searching was because Michael had tried to kill me
That’s right, the poison.
I tried to remember what had happened that caused me to use the portal to go to Earth, but it still was all a bit fuzzy. I remembered a large man laughing, chasing me as I tried to escape. His voice was deep but that was all I could remember before waking up in the hospital in Portland. It must be the poison keeping me from remembering.
I closed my eyes and processed what had happened before the poison had taken over. It still hurt that Michael had betrayed me. He tried to kill me twice, first with the poison and then he tried to shoot me in cold blood. I had known him all my life, he was like a brother, a best friend. Then just because of my decision for peace, he wanted to take over the empire.
How could he have betrayed me like that?
It made me sick to my stomach, that someone so close to me could just decide that I was no longer worthy of existence and would want to end my life. I could never do that to him, I could never simply kill him, even after all of this.
I didn’t know who to trust, especially since I couldn’t remember who had administered
the poison on Michael’s orders. At least I knew it wasn’t Emmerich—he had gone to such lengths to keep me alive. If he wanted to betray me, he would have already. No, it was someone else that I had trusted.
Emmerich stirred. When he saw me watching him, he practically jumped out of his chair. “Angel, you’re awake.”
I nodded, glad that he was awake so we could talk. “It would appear so. Would you mind telling me where I am?” I knew we were under water, but I wondered where in the Galaftns’ city I was.
He sat down next to me on the bed. “Galaftns. We brought you straight here after you passed out. We didn’t know what else to do. Since they manufactured the poison, we thought it was our best bet.”
He was right, Michael had said that the poison was of Galaftn origin. They would most likely be the ones to have an antidote. “If I recall, isn’t Galaftns at war?”
“They are, but they also know Michael set them up to make it look like they had assassinated you. They knew if they helped you they could get their lives back. King Kwai still trusts you and knows that you wouldn’t betray him. He made sure you were safe and had all of his best doctors making sure you were healed from the poison, along with Elwood’s help, of course. They figured it must have stayed dormant in your system due to head trauma that also knocked out part of your memories. Once the memories came back, so did the effects of the poison.”
I imagined Elwood running around frantically and helplessly as the other doctors took care of the poison. “I bet he was a bit eccentric for their taste.”
“He surprised them, yes, but tell me, how do you feel?”
“I feel... better. The headache is gone and my memory seems to have returned. I remember the people clamoring for war, the promises Michael gave them behind my back.”
He took my hand “What else do you remember?”
“Michael explained most of it when he captured me. How I was ruler of this planet, how he tried to kill me,” I paused and looked up at Emmerich. “Us.”
Emmerich stroked my hand. “I wanted to tell you so badly, but with the headaches, I didn’t know what was going on.”
“And you were right, I almost died didn’t I?”
He nodded. “Thankfully they had the antidote at the ready.”
“And what did you have to promise the Galaftns to get it? That I would help them defeat Michael? That somehow I would be able to win over my people and get them to believe in me once again? There’s no way, Emmerich, they don’t have faith in me anymore.”
“Don’t say that. You are the ruler of Cartref, not him. Losing a year won’t change that.”
I wanted to believe him, but the truth was that I had lost control. Michael had tainted their minds. How else could my guards treat me like a prisoner? If they believed in Michael and what he stood for, why would they ever want to go back? “Do you really believe that?”
He nodded. “Yes, I do. There are plenty of your people here in the Galaftn’s city, waiting for your orders. They believe in peace and don’t want to be ruled by Michael any longer. You saw the Capital, it isn’t thriving like it used to and people are beginning to understand why you didn’t want to go to war.”
“There are Cartrefians here, in this city? The Galaftns let them in even after all that’s happened?” I questioned, not able to believe they would trust any of my people after what we had done.
“Yes, they believe that you can bring peace once more.”
I let out a long breath, trying to rationalize why they would do such a thing. I tried to be a strong leader, yes, but that gave the Galaftns no reason to trust that I would follow through. How could they be so willing to lay down their defenses and welcome my people in after Michael declaring war on them?
“How long was I out?”
“Four days.”
My eyes widened. “Four days? What happened?”
“Michael announced that you were still alive. He claims the Galaftns brainwashed you into helping them and declared you a traitor. He wants you taken alive but by the looks of it many want you dead.”
I shook my head. “How could they think that? How could they be so gullible to believe everything he says?”
Emmerich shrugged. “Michael is a very persuasive man, he can get people to believe whatever he wants them to. All it takes is charisma and a strong belief to get people to trust. It’s a matter of power.”
Did he have this planned all along, to get rid of me so he could rule? He never seemed to care about power and leadership, he was always obedient and helpful. It wasn’t until the Galaftns appeared that he changed for the worse. “Then he has already won.”
“There are many that still fight for you,” Emmerich explained. “And they’re ready whenever you are.”
“What if I’m not ready?”
“What do you mean? You understand the situation, don’t you? The Galaftns trust you to help them restore peace, that you will do what you can.”
“Yes, but...” I trailed off, trying to gather my thoughts. “I was never a strong enough leader to begin with, that’s why Michael got rid of me. I’m not meant to rule.”
Emmerich put his hand on my shoulder. “No, listen to me. You are a far better ruler than any of your ancestors. You are compassionate and care about your people. Michael doesn’t care, he just wants power. Many still follow you. I still follow you.”
I looked up at him. Sincerity filled his eyes. He had always believed in me, I knew. It was just a shock, one moment being a girl with no memories, starting school for what felt like the first time, to having to rule an entire race and fight a war. It was overloading and I just needed to have time to sort it all out.
“How can you still have faith in me when I couldn’t even remember who you were?” I asked.
“Because I knew you would remember, in the end. I knew my Angel would come back for me,” he kissed my forehead. I closed my eyes, taking in the warmth of his lips on my skin. It had been so long since he had kissed me. “You just need time to remember, this is probably just overwhelming. I can understand that.”
“It is, I don’t know what to think. I don’t know who to trust,” I explained.
He brought his eyes to my level. “You can trust me. Know that I will always be here for you, through thick and thin. Whatever you want me to do, I will do it.”
I smiled, feeling a little more secure after hearing that come out of his lips. I no longer felt lost and alone. I only had to remember who and what I could believe in.
“Elwood should be coming soon with some food. I want you to eat and regain your strength. Stop worrying about everything else and just take a few breaths. With all that’s going on, I understand that you want to start panicking. Just take one step at a time, alright?”
I nodded. “I’m glad you are here, Emmerich. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”
“Just stop the war once and for all, okay? That’s all I ask in return.”
If only it were that simple, if only I could overcome my fear that my people will look at me and see me as a weak leader for wanting peace not war. It will take time and a lot of effort and might not even be possible after everything Michael has done. But Emmerich was right, I had to try. I had to stand up for what was right.
The door slid open and Elwood came in with a tray of food. The aroma quickly filled the room, making my stomach start to grumble. Yes, food would bring some of the energy that I needed back, and by the smell of it, it was going to be tasty.
Emmerich kissed my forehead. “I will be back later, alright? Then we can talk more. Enjoy your food for the time being.”
I watched as he left, wishing that he would stay. I loved Elwood’s company, but with Emmerich, I felt entirely different, I felt...
Love.
“I hope you’re hungry,” Elwood put the tray on a small table and motioned for me to sit.
I smiled. He was the only one in my family that had my back. The aircraft crash that had taken my parents, had also killed his. In t
he beginning we only had each other, and Michael, of course. At least Elwood was still at my side. Although I doubted he would ever betray me, I felt the fear linger in the back of my head. Was he the one that poisoned me?
He placed the bowl down on my table and handed me a spoon. “Talpan soup. Your favorite.”
This is what I was craving every time I ordered soup on Earth. I had tried so many types yet none of them ever hit the spot. Now I knew why.
I took a sip. The delicious sweet cream filled my mouth, along with scalding heat now pouring down my throat. I waved my hand back and forth, trying to cool off my tongue. “Hot, so hot.”
Elwood handed me a glass of water. “Sorry, I should have warned you. I didn’t know if you were awake and I didn’t want to let it get cold so I heated it a bit more than I should have.”
I chuckled at his worry and my doubts about him disappeared. I couldn’t believe that he would ever betray me. “Elwood, can I ask you something?”
He sat down in the chair next to me. “Anything.”
“Why didn’t you become Emperor when I disappeared? According to the laws of our society, a blood relative is to take power. Shouldn’t the people have turned to you?”
Elwood ran his fingers through his short curly red hair. “I guess it has to do with Michael being smart, and a total ass. He knew the laws as well as either of us and had to get rid of me somehow. The moment you disappeared, I suspected he was behind it, but he acted faster than I did. By the time I could call the guards on him, he had already declared me an enemy of the Empire. He said I was working with the Galaftns and planted evidence to prove I had a part in the assassination.”
“That’s horrible,” I whispered.
“Yeah, well, Michael is horrible. Luckily Emmerich put it all together and knew you weren’t dead. He had complete confidence in finding you and stopping Michael once and for all. After Michael put Isaac and me in prison for the crime, Emmerich broke us out and we’ve been trying to help him find you. I don’t know where he found you, or how, but he did. I have complete faith that we will overpower Michael and win this war. Then we can have peace, just like you wanted.”