I've just opened my eyes. I am panting heavily, sweated, and with my heart beating as fast as it can.
My head's killing me. I have a terrible headache that makes me feel dizzy.
"W-Was that...a dream...?" I think out loud, nervously and desoriented.
The moonlight breaks through a small window on the wall, painting the room with a thin but visible blue.
I can't recognize anything, and there are no hints avaliable to help me out to at least relate this place to something I know.
I've tried to look around me again, wishing to recall on the second attempt where I am. But it isn't easy, because I can almost see nothing, same as what there is in this tiny room.
I am on a freezing cold and dirty floor made of stone, in a room where the coldness in the air is in abundance. This two factors produce the most deductible of all things: I am shivering.
The only one piece of clothing that I possess is a brown tunic, which covers most of my legs and just a little of my arms from below my shoulders. It brings a small sensation of warmth to my body, meanwhile my feet are somewhat purple, because of me being barefoot.
There is a small window with iron bars on the wall made of stone bricks at my left, which lets an small amount of light come in to this place.
The one at my right is just a plain, dirty, and muddy wall made of bricks of stone, as well.
The closed wooden door in the wall on front of me makes the final detail for the complexity of this place. It has no window, and it is apparently clean, surprisingly.
There is nothing else to look at, an empty room with me and the moss as residents.
I am confined what seems to be a prison's cell, maybe I am some sort of criminal...wait...If I was a criminal, wouldn't I know it? Why wouldn't I know what I am...?
"No...it's not just why I am in here...w-why can't I...!" I say to myself, as I fall into the perplex realization of me being incapable of remember not only my lifestyle, but my whole identity.
"N-No! Th-This can't be...! I-I am...WHY CAN'T I EVEN SAY MY OWN NAME?! What's happening...why-why, JUST WHY?!" I exclaim, getting really anxious and severely stressed due to my memoryless mind.
"I can't even think of ANYONE I know, not even one person, not that I can remember a single place; let alone something I have done." I say, doubling my anxiety levels.
This reality is quite horrible. My mind is blank, unable to think of past experiences of any kind. No matter how much I try, I simply can picture none.
"Dammit..." I curse, frustrated because of how futile it is to think.
This amnesia is yet to be understood and resolved.
I am done with failing to remember, it is too much stress. It is time to make use of that petite fenêtre, and try to see something from outside, maybe that will help me out to localize this jail of rock and desolation.
"Oh, but of course..." I say, as I notice the disgraceful fact of my body feeling heavy. My movements are greatly reduced, as if there was something over me restricting me.
I am unable to move much due to my body's condition, so I will leave standing up for later...
If I can't move from this stance and walk to that window, I may as well look at myself to get hints of who I am.
Well, the first thing that I can analyze is my clothing, which is composed by my brown old tunic. It looks like it is made of wool. It has some leafs on it, and it has some red stains all over it. These look like blood.
It doesn't tell me why I am in here but, I can assume that whoever I was, that woman was someone who hadn't a fine life.
I have a pale light skin. My arms have several scratches and bruises all over them, giving me a severe sensation of discomfort.
Both of my hands are dirty just like my nails, which are long and 3 of them are missing...
I can't see much of my legs, and I don't want to dare to uncover them, for the coldness of this room is torturing me enough.
I am no looking at my hair. Its length reaches my lower back, and looks like the previous owner almost didn't wash it...
It has leafs on it too, like the tunic, which makes me think that I have been in a forest or a place with lots of trees.
The only one fact of my body that I have discovered, and is concerning me, is the thin line around my neck. It burns when I touch it, so I didn't give it too much focus, but it still is weird.
There isn't much more I can see of myself as I am right now.
Several minutes have passed since I woke up in here, just for the headche's pain to be aceptable. And the cherry on top of this disgrace is that I am really hungry. So hungry, that it makes me think that I may have not eaten anything for at least one day.
"I am starvi-" I say, but repent murmurs from the other side of the door interrupt my speech.
I got quite tense because of it.
I seem to be imprisoned, so, they must be this prison's guards. What could they possible wish to do? Could it be that they want to feed me? No, it can't be. I am starving, so feeding clearly must be out of their priorities.
I can hear two voices outside, arguing about something that I can't hear well. The sound of keys being tossed is heard. They are going to open the door.
Abruptly, there is silence. The sound of a lock being unlocked, resonates in the cell.
A not so bright light starts to enter the room, illuminating it a little more and more as the door opens.
A man with a candle on a porcelain plate, is entering the room. He is wearing black pants and a gray doublet, holding the tiny flame with his left hand. He has a sword which is sheathed on his waist's left side.
He is young gentleman, with hair long enough to reach his shoulders.
He is making the most unpredictable of all faces: eyes that display pure amusement, and a mouth that is closed, still, as tears have started to run down his chin.
"Oh, dear lord! I-I cannot believe it...! You are alive...! R-Renesse!" He says, while smiling happily, with a tone that made me think that maybe he haven't seen me in quite some time. Such a pity that I can't remember who he is...
Wait a minute..."Renesse"? Is that my name? And of course I am alive, am I not? Why wouldn't I be? Did something happened to me which made this guy think that I was dead? Did we know each other? Is that why he is crying? There is so much that I wish I could kno-
He has started to run towards me, leaving the tiny plate with the candle on the floor, as he gets on his knees.
I don't know what's going on but, it isn't like I can't do much about it right now...
He is hugging me, while crying aloud. His tears make my right shoulder wet.
The physical contact is awkward but well...
"Who are you?" I ask, simply wishing to know the person that is showing this much of emotion for me.
"Y-You can't remember me...Ren?" He asks, interrupting my inner crisis. He has separated from me a little, looking at me with a worried expression.
"No, I can't! And no matter how much I try, I also can't remember a single thing about myself!" I exclaim, getting less anxious and stressed than before.
He sighed profusely, disappointed by what I stated. He is now staring at me with soulless eyes, looking really affected by what I said.
"It's okay, you don't remembering me is better than you being death. I can finally talk to you for the first time in almost 2 years, and after knowing what happened yesterday, I couldn't stop crying. So please, spare me some minutes to be calm, Renesse" He says, now standing up, while showing a emotionless face and eyes that stare at me in the same way a dog does when its owner leaves it alone.
This silence is even more awkward, but he is now sitting on floor infront of me.
I am paintently waiting for him to feel like talking, after all, how could he answer my questions if being rushed?
"Oh dear! Look at you, you must be shivering from the cold in here, I will be back right away! Just wait, okay?" He states, as he stands up and goes out of the room.
Several minutes have passed for him to be in here again, and now he has brought a black blanket, and a plate with what seems to be meat with smashed potatoes.
He is leaving the plate near me, and reaching his arm to give me the possibly, best savior ever. I've just putted the blanket around me, covering from the coldness in here, and the sensation of comfort that invaded me, is quite likable.
He is handing me untensils, while sitting on my left side, which he took out of a bag he has brought.
"I am most grateful for the food, I was starving and thinking about when will I eat just moments before you two came in." I say, attempting to break the ice and be polite for the favor he has just have done to me.
"Ha ha ha...by your pale and apathetic face, you must be really pissed off...aren't you? I am deeply sorry..." He says, with a downcast face.
I am confused, why did he said that? Did my face express angriness? But I was only being grateful for the food...this misunderstanding could be dire, I need to clarify it.
"Don't be sorry...I am really satisfied with this meal. We could talk while I eat, if you wish. And the blanket that gave me is helping me a lot to feel more warm." I say, expecting this to be enough to the misunderstanding to be gone.
"I am happy that it is helpful, Ren!" He says, now regaining a child-like face of happiness, irradiating sunshines and rainbows with his smile.
His black straight hair and dark skin make quite the pair. Such expressive and charismatic boy, it is helping with the stress I was in just minutes ago.
"Then, if everything is okay, let's start! You said you couldn't remember my name, nor anything about ya, well then, first goes first, my name is Thomas! And we were friends!" He says while smiling ear to ear, and having an even happier expression, if that is even possible.
"Alright Thomas, nice to meet you." I say, while extending my hand to him.
"Nice to meet you, again, lady Renesse!" Says Thomas, after what he giggles.
Wait, how did he just cal-
The smell of the meat, spiced and well condimented, takes away all my focus. And even though I want to reply to Thomas, resisting the temptation of having such an appetizing dinner in front of me, while starving, is impossible.
I have just cutted a slice of the pork-like meat, and it looks just...so yummy.
I am chewing it, and the flavors explosion inside of my mouth is erradicating all of my burdens. This pleasure is addictive.
The headche is gone, making the whole situation of me and my body, less stressful.
The soreness isn't as severe as before, but I still have some complications when moving.
I feel a simple sensation of tranquility, nothing is bothering me much, so I could say that I am okay. And these salty smashed potatoes are making me lose any stress left in my body.
I am devouring and guiding this warm, and delicious, piece of culinary art to its final destiny.
It is gone...
I should have eaten more slowly, since nobody was planning to take it away from me...
Such a shame that there is no other thing to eat...
Thomas is taking out of his bag a leather mug, while he is getting closer to me.
He is reaching it to me.
"H-Here! I almost forgot about this, I am sorry! Drink this water, you must be thirsty!" He exclaims, anxiously.
I am drinking it, finally getting my dry and cricked lips, something refreshing. Now I am recalling what he told me and...wait... did he ca-
"What is that which you want to know? Do ask me!" Says Thomas, now regaining with a more positive energy.
"Well...at first, I would like to know, who am I. I heard that you called me Renesse, but, do I have a surname? Do I have a family? That kind of information would be what I need the most, if you will..." I say, now accommodating myself over the wall, resting my head on it.
"But of course! I will help you out! Well, you are lady Renesse Rinvalley, daughter of the baron Lethe Rinvalley. He is in charge of administratethe Barony of Dembeth.
So yes, that makes you a noble, the sole heir of your bloodline." He replies.
Wow. I AM a noble. How does one normally reacts to a revelation like that...?
That leaves me with the second most relevant question.
"So I am "Renesse Rinvalley", huh?
I have another question then, Thomas. If I am the daughter of a baron, and his heir, then why am I in a prison's cell?" I question, curious and incapable of thinking of a way in which those two facts would relate.
"...there is no easy way to explain this, Renesse." He answers, looking somewhat angry, and looking to the wall at our right.
"I can't go anywhere, can I? We have plenty of time, so, please, do explain." I say, wishing for him to give me an explanation of this nonsense.
"Lord Lethe has been absent for almost 2 years now. He is commanding the barony's army in the frontlines of the territorial dispute of the kingdom in which it is situated, the Kingdom of Azulle. Our kingdom is fighting over the possession of the city of Wunderfahën with our western neighbor, the Cyrus Kingdom." He says, dead seriously.
"So my father is helping and giving aid with this place's troops? I get that he is busy, but, what does that have to do with me being imprisoned...?" I question.
"That disgusting wrench." Murmurs Thomas, with an enraged face.
"...She is the one that made hell to you." He tells me.
"Who? Who is this "she"?" I ask, in confusion.
"The only one that has the power to pull off something so outrageous like this, your stepmother, madam Madelda." He replies, with an angry expression.
I am processing all of this new information, still don't understanding why would my stepmother do this to me, and how does this relate to the fact that I lost my memories, and that I woke up feeling like a corpse?
I guess I should ask the-
"Since lord Lethe has been absent, she has taken the all the power of management as the baroness. But instead of doing things as the lord has done them for years, she used this position of charge, to fulfill her greedy desires.
With methods like increasing the taxes of the citizens, she has bought herself things such as a golden bathtub with diamonds on it.
She has sended to prison for torture or execution innocent people who just didn't like her ways...
Among all the absurdities that she has done, this is one of the most condemned. And nobody can help you, Renesse, not even me...
Most of the higher-ups are on her side, assisting her for the profits and goods which come in such robbery.
She has been using her connections to hide the fact that you were captive from the lord, killing those whom attempt to tell on her.
I had intended to do it, but that act has costed me everything...
I wasn't executed, but instead I got 7 seven months of forced labor on a mine.
Lady Aurora helped me to be free and to gain a useful position and a good work, for that, I am most grateful to her.
A few men remain loyal to you and the Rinvalley's Linage, but there is not much to do..." States Thomas, with pain in his voice.
"I must confess...that after getting to know what happened yesterday, I was incapable of stop crying." Says Thomas.
He is watching my hair, for some reason, now gaining a deep soulless look in his eyes.
"I am sorry if your first impression of me is that of a guy who only talks and looks like he is sad but, I can't help it right now." Thomas is forming a little smile while talking.
"I don't get it, what happened yesterday...?" I ask, confused.
"...you had hanged yourself, Renesse." Says Thomas, with a soulless glance.
Oh...so that's why I have this line around my neck, it is a rope burn. Well...fuck.
This explains why he is in such a negative mood, her friend died in such circumstances...everything makes much more sense now.
Wait...if I hanged myself, how am I alive?
Could it be that...THAT wasn't a dream?
Let's not focus on this, it isn't like I can't change what I had done before regaining consciousness yesterday...
"I'd like to ask you about that lady Aurora which you mentioned, and, if we were friends like you said, what stuff did we use to do?" I am sitting on cross as I speak.
"Well, as for the Aurora's part, she is woman with an incredibly strong influence in this barony, and she is the head maid of the mansion in which you used to live in. She helped your parents with your education, and assisted in pretty much everything related to you. She is an incredible person, that did everything she could to make those which looked over you in the Miwel fields, to communicate her about your physical condition, and they provided you of some potions which were meant to satiate your hunger and thirstiness. For what I know she had planned an scape for you, and you did get free, but oh well...we know what happened.
Henry, which had helped you, was executed this very morning..." Thomas is moving his thumbs one over the other repeatedly while he speaks.
"..." I remain silent, listening carefully to him.
"And as for friends part, well, I have known you for many many years, so I'd say we did an absurd amount of dumb and funny activities, such as trowing ourselves in a river, seeking reach the bottom of it before the other did." He explains, as a happy smile forms on his face yet again.
"There are quite a lot of tales to tell, but I don't think they would matter to you right now, as you can't remember skibidi squat." He says, with an expression which I am uncapable to describe.
"Well...it is a good thing that this lady Aurora has given you a second life. And as for what she did for me, if I see her someday, I will remember to give her my gratefulness. I can't say that I am happy beacuse, well, since I have woke up, I couldn't feel much about anything. Sorry if you had expected a emotional moment." I say, while staring at him to see his reaction.
"Maybe it has something to do with that creepy smiling man..." I think out loud, deducting a possible reason.
After hearing me speak, his face is making a drastical change, to one of extreme alert and fear.
"RENESSE, DID YOU SEE HIM?!" Questions really loudly Thomas, with a face that shows preoccupation in its purest form.
"Whom...?" I reply, not completely sure about "who did I see".
"ÖLISE!The "creepy smiling man"." Says Thomas, now getting closer to me.
"The man you described is, without a doubt, Ölise. There is no one else who could be referred with such a description!" He says, looking quite serious, as his hands are placed on my shoulders.
"Ö-Ölise...?" My confusion reaches its maximal as I repeat that name.
"Wait, w-what's going on...?" I ask, feeling incredibly dizzy and desoriented.
Everything is spinning, and my eyes are closing on their own. It is difficult to maintain my eyelids open.
My consciousness...is leaving my body...
Everything...is getting dark...