The Small Hands Of Hope

Chapter 3: Sleeping Princess

For how long have I been unconscious? What is this place? My head was killing me with pain and besides being greeted by grey walls in the morning wasn't exactly refreshing. It seemed that something will creep out of the damp barriers the longer I stared. I stretched to take a peek out of the small window. There were Mountains that stretched infinitely and a river that glowed under the moonlight. Thrown into this unknown scenery, I was unable to make sense of my existence.

"It's alright', I thought to myself as I wrapped my hands around my knees. "I have no place to be anyway". There was then a tug in my heart. A sense of loneliness engulfed my spirit and images from a long forgotten nightmare sprung to my eyes. "What have I done? I don't deserve to live. Die, you monster. May the flames of hell feast on your soul". I spent my time chasing these countless fleeting ideas. It was a cold night.

As the morning flowers bloomed and the sun kept climbing to the sky, my cell was illuminated gradually. The shadows of the night left me for now. I started to feel, somehow, a little more comfortable. Suddenly, I heard footsteps of many people. Some of them wore armors, for the sound of the metal kept chinkling, echoing down the corridor leading up to my cell. The door was burst open. Two guards appeared followed by a sage of some sort. He had a wizened face and a slightly hunched back. Yet, he still kept a fiery gaze.

"Ah finally, the princess has woken up! ", he laughed. "We were waiting for you. A doctor told me you'll never get up again. But, look at you young woman. Here you are among us brimming with life."

I kept silent. I have seen no reason to speak. My eyes wandered off to the guard's shoes.

"No, my princess! You should be more polite to your elders."

Again, I met his words with silence.

His tone suddenly shifted. "I know this might seem rude considering your circumstances but we really need your help. Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Fou, sage of Mamori village. "

He extended his arms and clasped my weary hands gently.

"I beg you to help this village. We're going to die! "

A shiver was sent down my spine. My consciousness popped back to reality. I looked at his wrinkled face and tried to figure out what he was trying to say.

"You see, there's a plague. Many from our families and friends have left us. We can't afford to pay doctors and we don't have any medical tools. We only have the sky to implore. We believe you were sent us by fate. A farmer from our people has seen you healing your father and caring for him on top of the mountain"

"How? That is impossible.", I interrupted looking perplexed.

"When he died, you collapsed. Don't worry he respectfully buried him in the grave you prepared beforehand. We all prayed for him. The young man then brought you here. What seemed strange to us was that you had already prepared a grave for your father. It is as if you were just waiting for him to die. Tell me, was he sick? Maybe he had the same sickness that we're suffering from."

"It wasn't prepared beforehand; he was there from the beginning". A sinister smile drew itself on my lips.

"What are you saying young lady?", he panicked. An air of uncertainty hanged over the room. The metal in the soldier's armor clinked.

"He was dead. I brought him back to life"

"What kind of sorcery is this?" , he gasped.

"Oh you wouldn't understand. I killed someone else to grant myself that wish." I moved my head back and looked at the ceiling.

"Witch! You're a witch", he screamed and stepped away from me. "Quick guards close the door". They immediately left without uttering another word. I could see fear and disgust in their eyes.

It was a hot day. The birds were silent and every stone in the cell was melting. The blinding light kept streaming through the window. Sweat trickled down my neck. Sometimes, I would hear someone wailing from far away." Someone must have died." ,I assumed. I was certain that I cannot lift their suffering. What I knew from school is certainly not enough. I haven't even graduated yet. Regardless, they didn't have any sort of tools for me to do my job. Using my ability was also out of the question. I was powerless. I just kept listening to their agony and counting their screams. Beyond the cell's wall, I knew a dead person out there was drinking a mixture of sweat and tears dripping from a death bound weeping friend.

When the evening came around, the whole place calmed down. It was weirdly quite as if everyone has left the town or died from the plague. All of a sudden, I heard a clang. It was coming from the corridor. A fight was going on. A few swings and then the loud noise of someone falling. The sound of steps then got closer to my door. "Is this it?" said a young man. "Yes. I think so" replied a young woman. I could feel a strong wind gathering momentum coming from the other side. The door was then blown to pieces. "Ah there's our princess!"

They approached me hesitantly, pouring their gaze on my soul. I almost felt threatened. "Are you...the one?" said the girl biting her lips.

The guy had a spiky and flashy hair and was wearing a scarf hiding his mouth. He kept juggling with a spinning top. The girl wore a hat with feathers and had a long silver hair. She was casting a tenacious gaze at her surroundings.

"What are you talking about?", I replied slightly panicking.

"I mean, are you the one who revived her father?"

"...Yes."

"How did you do it?", she said staring me down.

"It doesn't really matter", I said looking away.

"We need you to answer us quickly! You revived your father by killing someone else isn't? We need to know how. Fast! We don't have that much time" , interrupted the guy stamping his feet.

"I just took the heart of another person and tranplanted it in his body"

"I knew it! " , said the girl bursting into a smile. "You have powers like we do"

She hugged me before I could even move. Everything seemed hazy for a moment until the guy said "We have to get out now. I don't know how long he'll be able to keep it going"

"He...?" ,I inquired.

"Yes! We've got another friend." , she said laughing. "He's currently playing rock-paper-scissors with all the people in town to keep them busy so that we can sneak up here. We're here to save you! "

"I seriously cannot fathom a thing from what you're uttering!", I exclaimed furiously.

"It's alright! You'll be safe with us". She took my hands and led the way. It was in that moment that I realized how vulnerable I really was. We stealthily moved from place to place. The guard they beat up lay unconscious on the ground. Curiously enough there was no blood. A while later, we were walking in a forest. We crossed the river and climbed up the hills of a mountain. There, we entered a hidden cave.

"This is our secret hiding place" said the girl smiling kindly. It was messy. Clothes were hanging outside. A big bowl full of food was on the table. All the other dirty dishes were thrown together in some corner. There were four piles of straw. Clearly, they used them as beds. A book was left open as a rock was put on top of it to mark the page. It was a small cozy cave. Somehow I felt home, again.