She opened her eyes with a jolt, heart racing.
Blinking fast to clear her vision, Arabella found herself in an unfamiliar room — simple, rustic — with two strangers staring at her.
Impossible.
I was just...
"Who are you? How dare you kidnap a royal family member?!" she shouted, panicked.
The couple's eyes widened.
"Oh heavens, she hit her head too hard!" the woman whispered.
"Helena, dear… we're your parents," she added between sobs, clinging to the man beside her.
Blasphemy.
Arabella stood frozen, furious.
"How dare you!" she screamed, startling them. The woman began to cry harder.
I'm the one who should be crying, Arabella thought, swallowing back her tears.
Everything felt wrong.
She didn't know these people.
She didn't know this place.
But she knew this wasn't her home.
"What do you want from me?" she demanded. "How did you break through palace security? Who sent you?"
The couple exchanged nervous glances, clearly confused.
"She must have hit her head real bad," the man whispered.
"It's rude to whisper, dear," the woman replied, whispering.
"Why don't we just have a nice, civilized conversation… as a family?" she offered with a hopeful smile.
They're insane.
"Please," Arabella begged. "This is a huge misunderstanding. I'm not Helena. I don't know who she is. I have a family, responsibilities. You don't want to do this. I know you're good people..."
"What's she talking about?" the woman asked the man.
He simply shook his head, lost.
"Just let me go," Arabella pleaded. "And I won't hold you responsible. I promise."
The two nodded sympathetically.
"No one's keeping you here, Helena," the woman said gently. "We know you need to return to the palace."
Arabella froze.
Yes... the palace. The coronation...
Wait.
The coronation…
Suddenly, her mind was flooded with broken memories — falling, shouting, pain. Arabella clutched her head as a sharp ache took over.
No.
She refused to believe it.
She wasn't dead. She was alive. She just needed to escape and return to Gardenia.
That's all.
Before she could think further, loud knocking shook the house.
Metal. She recognized the sound of armored fists immediately.
Soldiers! They've come for me!
She ran to the door and opened it, wind slapping her face as she blinked through the brightness, only to find unfamiliar uniforms.
Blue and black.
A golden dragon crest at the center.
Not Gardenia.
Solem.
"High Priestess Helena of House Fay…" the soldier announced.
Arabella's eyes widened.
"...you are to be escorted back to the palace immediately, under imperial order, to treat and heal the Second Prince. Disobedience will be considered treason, punishable by death."
Pain surged again through her skull — this time, not from fear.
Memories.
"High Priestess Helena Fay of the Solem Empire. The most powerful priestess in recorded history. In 897, grief-stricken by the Emperor's death, she cast a divine seal to summon the powers of the Goddess of Time and Space, destroying everything around her… including herself."
Including Gardenia.
Year 897…
Ten years in the future.
Arabella staggered, trembling, then fell to her knees before the decree.
She didn't understand how.
She didn't know why.
But she knew one thing:
The name they said.
Helena Fay, now belonged to her.
"I, Helena Fay, accept the imperial decree," she said aloud, voice steady.
"And thank the Emperor for his mercy."