Light. Air. Breeze. Salt.

I open my eyes to the familiar sense of warmth and sea. The sight of the emerald ocean sparkling under the rays of sunlight brings a small smile to my face.

This is my favorite place. My sole escape. And the scene that holds my most precious memories.

The hill by the Summer Palace.

Even now, I can hear the musical lilt of his laugh dancing along with the wind that smells like fresh earth and salty air. I can taste the sugar melting on my tongue. And I see him standing there, strong and unmovable against the backdrop of a cloudless sky.

My heart skips a beat when I realize he’s really here. Waiting at the top of the hill, he stands facing the ocean with his hands clasped behind his back. Looking solemnly at the view, he looks lonely and forgotten.

Without a thought, my body moves towards him as if through the sheer force of nature, I am pulled towards the man holding my heart.

He must hear me approaching because he turns his face, and as our eyes meet, he offers me a small smile. I soar with happiness at the sight of those rare smiles of his and that little dimple I always love to find. But, there’s something distant about him as he looks at me, and I long to bring him closer.

Richard walks towards me and takes my hand. “Jovine.”

Richard.

I freeze when my mouth doesn’t move at my command. I want to speak, yet nothing comes out.

The gentle breeze crescendos until the current of air echoes through my ears. Richard’s mouth moves in gentle syllables, but I don’t hear a single word he says.

“Richard, what’s going on?”

My voice fails to escape me, and panic begins bubbling in my chest.

“I can’t hear you,” I shout, but the gale carries my words far away.

I try to move towards him, but my feet stay grounded.

No. Let me move. Let me go to him.

Richard goes on, oblivious to my state. He suddenly takes out a small, ornate box, covered in strange engravings and places it in an outstretched hand that looks like my own.

Through the deafening sound of the wind, his muffled voice breaks through. “This belongs to you,” he remarks, a small tilt gracing his lips. But, there’s sadness weighing down his words.

He starts to speak once more, but the malevolent wind comes back to oppress his voice.

No. Please. Let me go —

The sun abruptly darkens until all the color is bleached from the world.

“RICHARD,” I scream into the abyss.

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The wind grows angry as it shoves at my swaying body, craving to rip me away from him. My vision grows dark, and the ground starts to rumble in reverberating trembles.

The quake shatters my consciousness until it feels as if I'm falling into the unknown.

No. Let me stay with him. Don’t take me away —

“Your Highness!”

“WAKE UP.”

Jovine opened her eyes, waking to the frightened cries of her ladies-in-waiting. Panicked shrieks pierced her ears as shattering glass violently exploded onto the trembling floor.

“Your Highness!” her maid, Erin, cried. “We need to —”

The ground shook with unrelenting, vicious quakes, pushing Jovine off the bed and slamming her against the wall.

“YOUR HIGHNESS.”

Erin stumbled over to help her up, but a throbbing ache rang in her mind and spread throughout her weak body. Falling back onto the floor, she felt several more hands and worried shouts surrounding her.

“What’s going on?” she mumbled feebly.

“The earth is quaking, Your Highness. We need to leave now to find safe shelter,” Erin replied hastily, helping her other ladies drag her towards the drawing room.

Jovine felt faint and lightheaded, as if all the strength had been leached from her body. She couldn’t recall what had happened to bring her to such a state of ailment.

There was a dream. The one with a box and…

Richard.

It all came rushing back to her.

His unexpected arrival in the rain. The death of the Emperor. The mysterious stranger. The Empress collapsing. And her husband turning away from her.

“Richard,” she breathed. “Where is he?”

Her ladies paid no heed to her words, occupied by the escalating trembles rocking the Palace walls. Slouched between Erin and Lady Margaret, her Court Lady, Jovine walked through the carnage left behind. The Palace was a mess as the rumbles grew harsher, and everyone was in a state of alarm as they rushed back and forth to bring people out to the courtyard where they could be free from the dangers of falling debris.

Windows started to shatter and people shrieked in hysteria. Jovine’s breaths started to hiccup in fear.

“The Empress. Richard. Where are they?” she demanded.

Lady Margaret bit her lips. “We need to get you to safety —”

“No,” she cut in, stopping them in their tracks down the cluttered hallway. “Their protection comes before mine.”

Erin and Lady Margaret looked back and forth from one another, looking uneasy and impatient. “The last we heard, His Majesty, Prince Richard, has forbidden anyone from entering his chambers. And Her Majesty was being treated by the Royal Physician, but Your Highness, you are not in a state to be worrying about others,” Erin pleaded. “We barely broke your fever after you lost consciousness in the rain, and now with the earthquake, we need to take you out. The others will surely take care of it.”

The rain. She must have fainted shortly after Richard left and the Empress collapsed. Jovine felt a surge of guilt overcome her at her negligence. The Emperor was dead, the Empress was ill, and Richard was barricaded away. She had to do something.

Just as she moved towards the Northern Palace, the ground rumbled madly, as if they had reached the thundering finale to the trembling. A grand shake of the earth threw everyone off balance until they were thrown onto the floor and an aberrant surge of energy pulsed through the space.

Jovine’s chest convulsed in a numbing pain and her head seized with a torrent of voices. She wailed in agony, wanting to rip her own head off to stop the misery. Then, suddenly, it all just stopped and everything came to a silent still.

She heard whispers of relief circulate around the Palace, but Jovine was rattled.

What was that? she thought. She had never felt so much pain and suffering in one moment of time, and she couldn’t even start to speculate where it had come from.

The sound of clicking footsteps echoing through the Palace pulled her out of her head.

“What’s going on?”

The sound of Richard’s harsh, angry voice took Jovine by surprise. Dressed in a silk robe, he stood just a few steps away from her in the Main Hall as he looked around at the disorder.

A young steward appeared at his side, looking agitated. He bowed anxiously and said, “The earthquake, Your Majesty. We were fortunate enough to escape it without any severe casualties.”

Richard frowned at the man, his face contorting in spite. “What earthquake?”

The man sputtered in confusion. “W-What earthquake? Y-Your M-Majesty, the earth was trembling fiercely just a few seconds ago.”

Richard scoffed in distaste. “If you think a poor excuse such as that one dismisses the state of the Palace, you will find yourself in the dungeons tonight. Get this mess sorted away and do not disturb me,” he bit out.

Jovine looked at her husband in a daze. He hadn’t felt the trembles? And, who was this unrecognizable man before her? He had never once spoken to anyone so cruelly before, even with his brash personality.

Richard moved to return to his chambers but his eye caught on his wife, who was still on the floor. With a look of revulsion, he scolded, “Jovine, that is no way the future Empress should be seen. Get yourself together, and retire to your chambers.” Looking around at the staring staff, he bellowed, “We have a coronation to plan.”

Without another word, he walked away, the slam of his doors ringing throughout the Palace.

Jovine shuddered at the hateful way he had just looked at her. He had changed too much. He was someone else entirely — someone she couldn’t recognize.

Where are you, Richard?

This wasn't her husband. Wasn't the man she loved.

Come back to me. Come back home.