Chapter Text
In the very center of the quietest wood in the kingdom, there’s a raised white pedestal where a girl lies sleeping. Her auburn hair spills over the edges of it, shimmering in the sun. Nature seems to have taken over the space once again, vines and flowering bushes creeping up towards her. However, it doesn’t appear that she’s an intruder. Instead, the tendrils seem to cradle her. Pink blossoms erupt from tall plants on either side of the altar to caress her face and petals drift down from branches to rest in her hair. The birds of the wood gather in the clearing, their chirps and songs a lullaby for the girl’s endless slumber.
The exact location of this grove is hard to find.
A newcomer enters the clearing and the flock startles. Feathers join petals as they drift down from the sky. The girl remains asleep.
...
Ahiru feels a gentle pressure on her cheek. She tries to blink awake but is assaulted by a bright white light. She yelps and sits up, covering her eyes. As her vision adjusts, she opens her eyes and takes in the scene surrounding her. She’s in a clearing full of flowers. The dewy blossoms of many different breeds of flower glisten like gems in the mid-morning light. She looks up and winces. Ah, so her sudden blindness was due to looking directly up into the sun above her. She focuses on the trees and sees birds blinking down at her from the branches. They seem frightened. Glancing to her left, she sees a young man she has never met kneeling besides her, looking surprised.
She yelps, twists around, and aims a kick towards the man’s chest. He grunts as she slips backwards off the altar, landing on her rump.
“Who are you!?” she shouts, “Where am I?”
Slowly, the young man’s brow furrows. She can practically hear the cogs turn in his head.
They stare at each other for some time. His face eventually softens in understanding while the girl only becomes more and more confused.
Ahiru starts to think he cannot talk, when suddenly he speaks up, his voice an uncertain and unfamiliar sound.
“You don’t…?” He trails off. Ahiru’s head tilts, confusion twisting her face. He shakes his head, sighing. He rises from the forest floor and dusts pollen off his shoulder with a gloved hand. He was going to say something, she was sure, but he must have thought better of it. He trains Ahiru with a determined stare.
“I’m escorting you back to the castle,” he says, motioning towards her, “Ahiru.”
Ahiru scrambles to her feet at the sound of her name. The familiarity of the word is grounding, although she still doesn’t trust him. He turns on his heel and swiftly begins making his way through the flowers. Ahiru, with little other option, follows.
“Why should I follow you?” she accuses, keeping a good distance behind him.
He throws a glance over his shoulder before stopping. He lifts his cloak, flashing the hilt of his blade. Ahiru’s eyes train on the royal insignia—a swan engraved in the hilt, and the royal guard style patterns on the sheath. “My name is Fakir. I was assigned by Mytho as Rue’s appointed knight.”
“Rue’s?” Ahiru’s eyes widen, “But, I don’t recognize you…” She frowns, eyes drifting down to her hands as she wrings them in the white fabric of her skirt. Come to think of it, she doesn’t know how she got into this little white lace number either. She definitely wouldn't just be wearing something like it for any old stroll in the woods. Fakir watches her for a moment, his seemingly permanent scowl shrouded in thought. She jumps as he twists back to the trail ahead, and hurries after him as he pushes out of the clearing and into the woodland proper.
There are less flowers here, although the fact that they were growing wild at all comes as a surprise to Ahiru. For some reason she can’t remember why that is.
“How did I get here?” she asks, bare feet tripping over the underbrush. Fakir is not so far ahead of her now, and reaches out to steady her so she doesn’t fall. He glances down at her, surprised, and asks, “You really don’t remember how?”
Ahiru bites the inside of her lip and shakes her head. “N—no. I really don’t.”
Fakir releases her, looking thoughtful. “Well, it’s a long story.” he says, and they continue on. He doesn’t explain any further than that.
The rest of their walk is silent. Ahiru wracks her brain trying to find the last thing she remembers while Fakir muses about who knows what. As she glances down to a lily growing alongside the woodland trail, something prods at the back of Ahiru’s mind. A flower shop that sells fragrances and honey, and the shopkeeper herself... The details are hard to recall. She eventually stops trying. Her feet are beginning to grow sore. She stares off into the woods, Fakir a constant silhouette ahead of her.
She watches her companion, taking in his dark complexion, lightly armored attire and long hair. It's tied back and it swings as he walks. She truly has no idea where this man came from, but he's Rue's very own knight, right? Otherwise he wouldn't have the sword. But she was Rue's very own lady in waiting, and she had never met him before. At least, she doesn't think she has. Her mind is... foggy, but he is definitely someone she does not recognize.
Ahiru sighs and looks away into the forest. She wonders how long this trip will take, thinking of her poor bare feet. As she stares out into the green depths of the forest, her mind starts to wander.