The boyfriend jerks away from me abruptly and I imagine him shaking his head in surprise.

  I feel him lean in close to me again, his scent filling my nostrils.

  “I’m Angus,” He whispers a bit loudly but soft enough to where my mother will not hear. “Do you not recognize my voice? I am your betrothed and the third prince of Elgoss.”

  “Betrothed?” I ask croak loudly, shock in my voice.

  “Yes, betrothed,” Angus replies in a normal voice since I made obvious the lack of a need for whispering. “We were betrothed when you were six and I eight… You do not remember any of this do you?”

  I shake my head from side to side.

  “Okay, then what do you remember?” He asks sighing.

  I look in his direction even though I cannot see him and motion for more drink. He brings the glass to my parched lips and I drink deeply, enjoying the clean coolness of the water. When I finish, I push the glass away and I hear him set it on the table.

  I clear my throat.

  “I-I’m not sure if you believe me if I told you what I remember, I’m not even sure this isn’t a d-dream.”

  “Please, Beira, just humor me.”

  “O-okay,” I say, sighing softly, my brain racing on how to proceed. “Let me start with what I r-remember before waking up in this bed.

  “I remember storming out of my grandp-parent’s house in Seoul,”

  “Seoul?” I hear my mother ask curiously.

  “Yes. Seoul? K-Korea? As in South Korea?”

  I only get silence in response.

  “A-anyway,” I continue, “I ran out of their house because I was mad at m-my mother because she had just informed me that she was leaving me in Korea to stay with my grandparents while she went back to the US to handle the final details of my father’s estate before moving all our stuff to Korea to live p-p-permanently.

  “So, I left the house and started walking down the street to cool my temper when, out of nowhere, a delivery truck hit me. The l-last thing I remember is lying in a pool of my own b-blood with the driver standing over me. Then I, well to say w-woke up is a bit of an exaggeration, I came to consciousness in this bed. I thought I was in the hospital in a shared room with this B-Beira person you keep mentioning,” I am rambling now, “but it was awful quiet for a hospital and I have never heard of any that use hearths for heating. At first, I could only feel when something was touching me, a h-hand on my hand and the weight of the blanket, as well as smell, such as the wood burning in the hearth.”

  I motion for more drink and once again the glass is pressed to my lips. The cool water sooths my throat which is starting to get sore from talking so much. I hear more people entering the room and assume it is the duke and the doctor, but I don’t hear them approach the bed so I continue.

  “E-eventually, I regained my ability to hear but not move, that only came recently when I squeezed your hand. I have figured out that I am Beira, the girl that I thought was the other person in the room with me. That the other man in the room when you assisted me in sitting up is my f-father who is apparently a Duke, which makes the woman at the far end of the bed my mother, a Dutchess I presume. You, however, I had no name or title to go with until just now, nor the girl who came with you a few times but seemed like a s-sister to you. Now you tell me we are to be w-w-w-ed and not only that, but that you are a prince as well? And where is Elgoss? I have never heard of it.”

  I heard a muffled cough and an elderly sounding man say “The young lady must be confused having only recently regained consciousness. Please let me examine her and I will let you know my opinion afterwards. If you all will please wait outside?”

  I feel my mother get up from the foot of the bed and hear her walk lightly to the door. Angus’s weight shifts away from me as he stands up and I hear the thud of his boots leave the room, closing the door behind himself.

  “Now, young lady,” he says. “I only caught part of what you were telling the prince and your mother so I am going to ask you some questions just to confirm a few things. What is your name?”

  “F-from what I have gathered it is Beira, beyond that, I know no other name given to me here.” I say truthfully, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

  “That will do for now, Beira,” He replies. “Now, do you know where you are?”

  “Not really. If I h-had to guess based off what A-Angus said, I would say the kingdom of Elgoss?”

  “Can you not be more specific than that?”

  I pause and think for a minute about all the environmental clues I have been able to glean since awakening.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  “I-I think I am in my room?” I ask questioningly. “Maybe in the Duke’s, erm, my father’s house? I cannot see so it is hard to tell from sound and smell alone.”

  The doctor sighs.

  “Okay, next question. Do you remember how old you are?”

  “Seventeen.”

  “You sound quite confident with that answer.”

  “Am I not?”

  “No, you are fifteen.”

  Fifteen?

  “O-oh.” I stammer.

  “I am going to assume you don’t know what year it is also, correct?”

  “Two thousand and twenty-four?” I ask shyly.

  He sighs.

  “Let’s just move on to the physical exam.” He says. “Now, I have gathered that, despite your eyes being open, you cannot see anything. Is that correct?”

  I nod.

  “Hmmm.”

  I hear him mutter something under his breath and feel the air move around my face as if he is waving something in front of it.

  “No response to stimuli from your pupils.” He informs me. “That confirms the blindness.

  “Ok, I am going to feel around on your skull just to check for any lumps or bruises I may have missed when you were unconscious. Let me know if I touch any spots that feel sensitive or painful.”

  I feel his finger tips as they lightly touch my skull at the hairline. They slowly and methodically begin to work their way through my hair, covering every inch of my scalp hidden beneath my hair. It is a soothing sensation, almost like getting my scalp massaged. I feel myself relaxing as his fingers work their way across.

  “Hmmm, I’m not feeling anything to indicate that you struck your head,” he says.

  His fingers pull away.

  He takes my right hand in his weathered hand and suddenly I feel a sharp sting in the back of it. I jerk my hand away with a cry of pain.

  “Pain receptors are normal,” he observes. “Okay young lady, I need to you to lie down on your back, I’m almost done.”

  I do as instructed and soon he is gently pressing on different parts of my abdomen and asking me if I am experiencing any pain. I inform him that I am not in any pain other than on the back of my right hand which is still aching from him poking it.

  Finally, he helps me sit back up and I feel him cup my right hand between his. There is a moment where my hand feels warm and then the aching stops.

  “Okay, that should take care of your hand. Does it feel better?” He inquires.

  I nod.

  “Well,” he begins, “as far as I can tell, physically, you are healthy for a girl your age. Mentally, well, there is cause for concern but your memory may come back with time, hopefully your odd answers are nothing more than confusion due to you being in a state of unconsciousness for the last three weeks.”

  Three weeks?

  “As for the blindness you are experiencing,” he continues, “I cannot find anything, at least externally, to explain it. Your pupils are nonresponsive to light, which tells me it is something physical, but what, I do not know. Hopefully, it will return in time as well as your memory.”

  I nod.

  “I will go report to the prince and your parents about my observations, but mostly I recommend you continue to rest for the most part. Get some light exercise like walking for a little bit each day, to build up your strength, I am sure the prince will happily assist you in that if you ask him.” He concludes.

  I thank him as I he leaves my room and shuts the door behind him. With nothing else left to do, I lay back down and roll onto my side facing away from the door.

  I wonder what I look like? Am I pretty? I’m young, I know that, the doctor said I’m only fifteen. And I’m a girl. Wait, does that mean I will get a period? And what is up with me being promised to be Angus’s bride as a child? Even if he is a prince, that is just an antiquated way to do things. I wonder what he looks like. He is seventeen based of the ages he gave for when we were promised to each other. At least he sounds nice, but I do not even know him. I can’t believe I’m finally a girl! This is going to take some time to adjust to, so far it don’t feel very different though.

  There is a light knock at my door, interrupting my thoughts. I hear the door creak and the gruff voice of my father speak softly.

  “Lass, do you mind if I come in for a moment?”

  “No, please, come in.” I say, working myself back up into a sitting position.

  I hear him shuffle into the room and close the door behind him.

  “Errr,” he begins awkwardly, “We just got done speaking to the doctor and told us that your sight will hopefully return with time, but there is a small chance that it wouldn’t.”

  So there is a chance I may be blind permanently?

  “But try not to worry about that too much.” He continued. “What I’m more concerned about is the lack of memory he says you have. Your mother said that you were speaking a bunch of nonsense when asked about what you remembered. I even heard the tail end of it.”

  “The doctor told me he t-thinks I am just confused from being unconscious for so long.”

  “Aye, that is what he told us as well. Beira, I need you to remember what happened, not these fantasies that have you confused.”

  I’m not confused but he will never believe the truth. The doctor, Angus, him and the dutchess will only think I’m delusional. Why did I even blurt all that out to begin with? I look like a crazy person to them.

  “I-I don’t even know what I’m supposed to be remembering.” I say my voice starting to sound rough again from dryness and lack of use. “Can I get some more water, please?”

  ‘Sure, lass, sure.” I hear him moving and soon the glass of water is at my mouth and I drink in greedily as he continues to speak. “The night of the masquerade, your fifteenth birthday. Do you remember what happened then? You were in the ballroom enjoying the ball. You stepped out into the gardens for some air, and then you disappeared. You were missing for hours. Angus finally found you stuffed under a hedge, cold as death but with nary a scratch on you. What happened?”

  ‘I d-don’t know.” I reply truthfully. “I don’t remember any ball, masquerade or otherwise. I don’t remember anything about this place. I don’t r-remember anything about being who you say I am. I don’t even remember you or my mother, or even Angus. I don’t even know what I am s-supposed to call you. Do I call you Duke, Father, D-dad, or Daddy? I d-don’t know any of this!”

  I feel my anxiety rising which is making my stutter worse.

  “Shhh,” he says placing a big hand on my head. I feel his weight sit on the bed beside me and he pulls me into a gentle hug, pressing me against his chest and I smell a light woody scent come from him.

  ‘Call me whatever you are comfortable with, lass.” He replies softly. “You are my only daughter and I’m just happy that you are still alive, even if you have no memories of who you are. You are my little girl and nothing will ever change that.”

  His hug loosens and he gently guides me back into a lying position.

  “Try to get some sleep, child, I’ll come get you in the morning for breakfast once your maid finishes helping you dress.” He says, standing up. “Even if you cannot see, maybe the sounds and smells around the keep will help with your memory. Angus will likely be there too; he has been terribly worried about you”

  With that he walks out of my room, shuts the door behind him, and I roll over again, this time determined to sleep.