Chapter Forty-One: Lullaby
~~~~~~~{Memory Core 10 Start}~~~~~~~
The palace walls glistened in the mid-morning dew as I watched through the wrought-iron fence gating in the courtyard. The fence gates opened and closed like a slumbering dragon, with the grating sound of the iron gates crashing back and forth as couriers, merchants, and dignitaries left for their morning duties after the prior day's festivities. I sat on my bench, hoping for an easy mark. The booming laughter of aristocrats without a care in the world emanated from behind silken-covered tarps as their drivers and guards led them away from the stables. Some groups left on foot, unusual for high society affairs but almost common in the early morning rush to leave.
The gates would close for a few hours until lunchtime for morning patrol at the top of the hour. As the final group left the safety of the palace, and the iron gates clinked close with a finality befitting royalty, I saw my mark. A tiny waif of a woman, it was clear she did not belong to the group she was coupled with. Her robes were a shade off, and that low-born group of wealthy merchants carried themselves off with a false sense of superiority that the woman failed to match. She was a person of purpose. Someone who came into the world knowing that every moment of her life was on a collision course with destiny. Her hair sparkled with the sheen that only came from upper-class pampering. And the way she slunk off alone down an alleyway only spoke to her lack of knowledge in debauchery. In short, she was a rank amateur up against a primordial pro. Or so I thought.
As I slinked down the alleyway toward my hapless victim, I was caught up in the idea that I was more intelligent and more aware of the situation than my victim possibly could be, which was how she managed to get the drop on me.
"Why are you following me?" She looked up at me with powerfully bright brown eyes that sang like a song of innocence that belied the cunning she so clearly had. Still, with her eyes focused on my face and not my hands, I moved closer and swiped a few things from her hands and bags.
The first rule of deception is to keep them surprised and focused everywhere you aren't
"Oh, just a bit of window shopping. Not many pretty travelers like yourself are heading into clandestine alleyways. Name's Rod, your Majesty." The shock on her face was worth blowing any advantage that knowledge would have gained me. But how the new Queen had escaped her confines and handlers, I didn't know. Honestly, something about it didn't sit right with me.
“Shh, not so loud. No one can know I'm here, or they'll force me back into the palace.” She placed her hand against my mouth. A faint blush was playing on her cheeks, hidden by the cowl. A scowl played on her lips despite it. She turned as if to walk away from me.
"Now hold on, I know your secret, and I haven't gone blabbing to the nearest guard… yet. What's in it for me to keep your secret?" I played with the ring I "found" in her possession. It tingled in my hands as if there was more to it than gold and precious gemstones. I could feel the ring urging me to place it on a finger. Is that magic? I took it out and stared through the hole. The new Queen looked at me as if confused that I would brazenly parade around the item I stole from her. I laughed and put it in my pocket. "I wonder how much the Queen's jewelry will fetch me on the black market. Thank you for such an excellent opportunity to enhance my wealth. I miss eating solid food. Now that you are Queen, will taxes lessen or increase? Starving the peasants for money only works for so long, y’know?"
Panic set in as she stared at the pocket where I kept my ill-gotten goods. “Look,” The Queen said,” I don’t know what you think you’re doing, but that ring isn’t as valuable as you think.”
“Don’t insult my intelligence. I’m destitute, not stupid.”
"Fine, since you truly know who I am, return my property. It's dangerous in the wrong hands." She said, "I'd hate to see you get killed over something as trivial as money. She clicked her fingers as if it was an afterthought, and a bag of coins appeared, falling to the ground with a clink. Without even thinking, I dove for the bag of coins. It was more money than I had ever seen. 50 Aurums. Most gold coins flowing through the city weren’t real gold, but an alloy made to be lighter and cheaper for everyday commerce. The palace; however, used magic to create sturdy pure gold coins called Aurums worth 1000 gold coins each. It was enough to buy medicine and solid food for a year. I was sure it would be gone by the end of the next day if my father found it, that is…
The Queen pulled back her hood, but I spat and threw the coins back at her before she could do anything. "I don't want your blood money. We starve while you parade around with your fancy titles and waste an entire smaller kingdom's worth of gold for your ascension. " I spat again. I really should have taken the money, but I was angry now.
“If I had a say, we would’ve spent nothing on this. I didn’t ask to be Queen. “
"And yet you are, and instead of fixing things, you let your father remain in power and run away to the city pretending to be a merchant's daughter." I was disgusted by her. What kind of human flaunts the level of wealth she has around and then pretends to be the victim? "It's been a week. One week since you ascended, and nothing has changed. My parents-."
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~~~~~~~{Memory Core 10 End}~~~~~~~
The memory faded, and I screamed in frustration. Why did it cut out in the middle of our argument? And yet, her blush froze in my mind, angelic and pleading. I was out of my mind. She was a Queen, and I was daydreaming about her smile like a love-sick puppy waiting for her master to come home. It was like she was now branded indelibly to the membranes of my mind; I closed my eyes and saw nothing but her.
In the memory, I was angry at her. She was the new Queen, the one primarily responsible for my predicament, and I hated her. But simultaneously, as much as I wanted to be angry, for once, I couldn’t get angry again.
As if saving me from my inability to control my emotions, a new notification came in, but it wasn’t Crystal.
{For unlocking 10 Memory cores, you have received 2 Overcharge Rings. This allows you to Overcharge Magical spells for different, more powerful effects. 30/30 charges.}
“Wait, what?” I looked at the rings as they appeared in the palm of my hand. Fat lot of good this will do me. I haven’t even gotten a magical class yet. I would need to put them in the vault if I could even remember.
As I stared at the rings, I asked Crystal a question, my conflicting emotions distracted. “Hey, Crystal, Elizabeth, whatever your name is. Any idea what these rings are, or why I got them from my Memory Cores?”
[Memory cores?] She questioned.
“Yeah, those orbs that fall from the sky and make me relieve memories. I just got my 10th, and it gave me these rings. I can’t even use them.”
[I don’t know what you are talking about, I haven’t seen any.] I froze, my face contorting. She hasn’t seen any?
“And let me guess, you haven’t seen my pause for minutes at a time while I relieve my past?”
[To my knowledge, no such event has occurred. It’s a little troubling, if I’m being honest.] She paused as if considering something. I was about to interrupt when she finally said, [Also, my name is Elizabeth, but it has been a very, very long time since anyone has referred to me by that name. I do not care which you use, just be consistent.]
I paused, considering my words carefully. “Why would you keep that from me? It would have probably stopped me from going on that stupid tirade.” I felt a pit forming in my stomach. Am I the baddie? “I’m so sorry. I was a jerk earlier. You had every right to vanish on me.”
Crystal, or Elizabeth, flashed the angry red that told me she was mad, but then it passed. [Yes, you were a jerk, but thank you for the apology. We have much to discuss now that Rellum has made his move. What do you know about the Creation of Penance?]
I blinked. “To be honest, apart from what the Magical Mural said about Penance, All I know is the nursery rhyme.” And then, for the second time that day, a memory core formed, taking me back, this time, further back than I had gone before.
{Memory core 11/???}
{Would you like to view the memory?} {Y/N}
~~~~~~~{Memory Core 11 Start}~~~~~~~
I was a little kid, maybe 3 or 4, and my mother had tucked me into bed. As my eyes closed, she began to croon.
"Two aurums, two aurums, you leave for the Merchant.
Two aurums, two aurums, you leave for the soul.
In Penance, the lost are a servant.
In Penance, in Penance, they all seek control.
The Penitent, the Penitent, no choice but to change;
The Penitent, the Penitent, they want to enrage
Rellum, Rellum, he wants to defame,
Rellum, Rellum, he wants to inflame.
Aurentum, Aurentum, all trapped in a cage.
Aurentum, Aurentum, the dungeon he must engage.
The Penitent, the Penitent, they want to enrage
The Penitent, the Penitent, no choice but to change;
In Penance, in Penance, Aurentum will control.
In Penance, In Penance, the lost are a servant.
Two aurums, two aurums, you leave for the soul.
Two aurums, two aurums, you leave for the Merchant."
As her singing faded, I drifted off to sleep, but instead of dreaming, I found myself standing beneath Elizabeth.
~~~~~~~{Memory Core 11 End}~~~~~~~
[He is trapped here, too. But by climbing the levels, there is every risk he can find his way to you and attempt to establish control of you. That must not happen. If he gains a foothold, there is no telling how insidious his power over you will be. If we hope to leave here, we need to…] I stood shocked as the memory of my mother faded. My memories and emotions disappeared through my hands as if they were a sieve for sifting sand at the beach.
[Were you even paying attention?] Elizabeth said to me. I shook my head no.
“You saw the memory core form; you even told me it was number eleven. Why are you even mad at me? It’s not like I can control them.”
[I don’t know what you are talking about.]
“The memory cores. I just mentioned them! Those orbs descend from the ceiling and allow me to relive my memory. I’ve found 11 of them?”
“I don’t remember you mentioning them at all.” What? What is going on here?