The maid Yelli entered the door and bowed, "Your weapons and equestrian training, your highness."
'Oh shit, I have to ride a horse,' Ambai gulped. "I don't even have my riding boots. How could I ride without it?" She held her head and cried.
"Oh, it's already prepared your highness." Yelli went to the wardrobe and pulled out a pair of knee boots.
Ambai blinked rapidly. "What a bummer, I don't have my helmet. I guess I'm gonna have to skip my class today. Haha," she scratched her hair and laughed.
"But your highness, you don't need a helmet for your class," Yelli whispered in a hesitant tone.
Her mouth flew wide. "Oh, I see. Then I will get ready for my classes," she said. But she was mentally screaming, 'What the hell should I do now? I don't know how to ride a horse.' She bit her fingernails as she watched the maid walk out of the room. "Ms. Yelli wait, I have something to ask of you."
"What is it your highness," she bowed.
"Err, you remember about the demon attack, right?" Ambai whispered, stepping close to her.
"Yes, I do your highness," she whispered with her brows furrowed.
"Oh good, give me a brief of that incident." The maid gave a skeptical gaze at her so she clarified, "I am just testing your memory. If you can't even remember that…." She raised her eyebrows.
"I do remember. Demons attacked our kingdom eighteen years ago on your first month birthday celebration, and they almost succeeded in kidnapping you. But my highness the King dashingly saved the day. He killed them with his fiery blade," she said with her eyes shimmering.
Ambai held her chin. 'Looks like the events have changed. Is it what they call butterfly effect?' She glanced at the maid to find her still in a daze. 'She is a fan girl of my dad,' she shook her head.
"Wow Ms. Yelli, your memory is not to be trifled," she patted the little maid's shoulders.
She snapped out of her daze and blushed, "Thank you, your highness."
Ambai smirked and walked to her wardrobe. She wiped the droplets of sweat lining her brows, 'I have to act like I know to ride.'
She found a brown shirt and white pants. She wore them quickly, subtly glancing back at the maid.
'Eh, what is this?' she held out a leather jacket. There were so many straps and buckles near the shoulder and waist. She turned it over and over again, but she could not figure out how to wear it.
'I'll just wing it.' She looped her hands inside the arm hole. But a strap got tangled with her hand. She flayed her hands around, but the straps got tangled even more.
"I can do this," she huffed, pulling the strap around her chest. The strap slipped through her fingers and snapped her back. "OW. Mother... Of gods," she screamed.
"Ahem, Your highness do you need any help?" Yelli whispered from behind her.
She turned back and pouted, "Please."
The maid helped remove all the straps and retied them properly. "There, it's done," she whispered, patting her chest. She looked up at her with a smirk.
"Thanks," Ambai mumbled, patting her leather padded chest. "Now, lead me to my classes," she gestured towards the door.
Yelli chuckled and said, "Follow me, your highness."
Ambai followed her. The little maid led her through the castle hallways and through the dense forest of huge trees. She stopped in front of a large tree and said, "It's here your highness."
Ambai turned her head to the sides. 'Where?' she raised her eyebrows and looked at her.
The maid gestured towards the tree and nodded towards the side door.
"Ah, okay. So long then," Ambai said and walked towards the double door. She stumbled along the way and reached the huge door.
'This is it, Ambai. It's time to use your Oscar worthy acting skills.' She took a deep breath and entered the tree.
"Erudite, why are you late? Come in before Huyt finds out," a kid with corn braids said. He looped his hands over her shoulders and pulled her inside.
"Yeah, I was—a little sick," she mumbled as she glanced around. The entire classroom was filled with shirtless kids brawling on the floor. Some were even climbing onto the ropes tied to the ceiling like little monkeys.
She pulled his hands off her shoulders. "Em, what…." She mumbled peering at the students jumping from one rope to another.
"Eru, go do your ropes, otherwise Huyt will start screaming," he whispered and pushed her towards the ropes.
"Sylas, get over here. We have to start our bout soon," Another blond haired guy shouted from far.
"Coming," He shouted at him. "I'll see you after class," he whispered to her and bolted towards the other students.
"Hmm, bye," Ambai waved. "Now, what should I do now?" she looked up at the rope and took a deep breath.
With shivering hands she held the coarse rope and mumbled, "Let's get this done with."
Ambai hugged the rope with her legs and wormed up. Her hands and legs shivered as she reached the halfway mark of the rope. "Don't look down," she whispered, closing her eyes.
"Eru, are you a worm? Climb faster," someone yelled in a harsh voice.
Ambai glanced towards the door to find a bulky man with a long scar on his face. "Who is that?" she whispered.
"Erudite, climb now," He shouted.
'Shit, shit, shit.' She started to worm her way up the coarse rope. Suddenly her hand slipped, and she fell onto the floor with a thud. "Ow, that hurts," she mumbled, holding her aching back.
The burly man walked over and towered above her. "Erudite, what the hell was that?"
"Erm, I am—I am scared of heights," she said, pushing herself up from the floor. Her lips trembled as she glanced at the menacing man.
He put his hands on his hips and shouted, "Go to the climb tower. And jump five hundred times." He turned back towards the class, "You, why haven't you started your spar," he shouted and walked towards the other students.
Ambai panted and glanced at his retreating back. 'Who is that man? Is he that Huyt the little kid mentioned? And what is the climb tower?'
Questions filled her head, but she was hesitant to ask it out loud. She started observing the surroundings and found a tall tower behind the ropes. And the kid named Sylas was on one of the ropes and was waving at her.
She walked towards the tower and started climbing the steps. "Why the hell am I doing this? I could have avoided all these problems if I had admitted that I don't remember anything," she mumbled.
"What, you don't remember anything?" a voice came from behind her. She immediately turned back, but no one was there.
"Hmm odd," she whispered.
Turning back, she almost ran into someone. "What's odd?" the guy named Sylas hung upside down in front of her.
"AHH," she punched his face.
"That did not hurt at all. When did you start punching like a girl?" He said licking the blood flowing from his nose.
'Buddy, your nose is bleeding like a fountain and you are telling me that my fist is weak,' she rolled her eyes and walked past him.
"Hey, Huyt punished you right. Best of luck with that," he patted her shoulders.
"Your words are not helpful," she whispered and walked ahead.
"Little snappier than usual," he whispered and climbed back on the rope.
Ambai heard this statement and pouted. "Snappy? Of course I'm snappy. I just fell on my ass and now I'm punished by an unknown man. Of course I am all sunshine and rainbows right now," she mumbled as she climbed the steps two at a time.
Soon she reached the top and looked down at all the kids training. Her hands and legs trembled as she glanced down at the deep plunge. There was no railing, and it was a 70 feet drop from there. Her heart pounded rapidly, her breath came in short pants.
"I—I can do this. I can."
She took a deep breath and jumped.
"I'm going to fucking die, AAHHH," she screamed. Her hands flapped in air. 'I really wish I had wings.' She felt the air whooshing on her face.
Ambai was falling at a rapid speed, but as she was about to reach the ground, her instincts kicked in.
She spread her hands and reduced her falling speed. landing on her right foot, she rolled twice on the ground. This reduced her excess momentum. After two rolls, she hopped on her feet in no time.
'I... I did it. I jumped and survived. Oh my god, I am superman,' Ambai did a little victory dance.
This little show was noticed by Huyt. "Continue jumping," He ordered from the distance.
Ambai did as told. She jumped again and again and again. By the 150th jump, her legs started shivering from the strain, but she still kept going. After 400th jump she was totally bumped. She laid flat on the floor.
'I still had 100 jumps more,' she thought as she pulled herself up, but her legs refused to move.
Someone squatted next to her, but she didn't have the energy to lift her head.
"When is this torture going to end?" Ambai muttered with drool hanging down her mouth. she panted. Her wet mask stuck to her face making it harder for her to breathe.
"Are you giving up?" Huyt shouted.
"No! How can I give up that easily? I will prevail even if my legs break from overexertion," she said with determination shining in her eyes. "I will never give up," she whispered.
"Then get the fuck up," Huyt screamed into her ears. The long scar on his face trembled as he spoke.
With shaky legs, she stood up and walked over to the stairs again.
"No need to jump, your warm up time is over. Now it's time to spar."He held her jacket on both sides and lifted her up. "You, come over here and spar," he pointed at the blond guy next to Sylas.
'Shit, how am I going to fight with that hunk?' Ambai bit her lips.
Huyt dropped her in the middle of the circle. The blond guy walked over and got into attack position.
"Start your spar," Huyt shouted, ringing a loud gong.
"Sorry your highness, I know that you are still recovering but I can't go easy on you," he said holding his fist next to his face.
"It's… fine," she panted, holding her knees. "Bring it on," she whispered.
"I'll make the first move," he said and bolted towards her.
Ambai panted and glanced at his rapidly moving form. Suddenly he moved behind her. She could feel the air whooshing as his fist reached her back. She stepped right and his fist moved right past her face.
"Ahh," she stumbled back. Aching pain vibrated through her spine. Gasping, she glanced back to find another one of his fists had landed on her back.
"Fuck this shit." She balled her fists and landed an upper cut on his face. Wheezing, she jumped back from his attack range.
"Oh, it's on Blondie," she panted. She wiped her sweat with her sleeves and cracked her back.
Blondie licked his lips. He spat out blood and dashed towards her with his balled fists aimed for her face.
She dodged to the left, but another blow landed on her back. He lowered his legs and stood in position. "Prince, is that all you can do?"
Panting, she peered at him. "I am not going down without a fight."
"Good," he smirked.
'He is too fast. I have to take him down soon,' she thought, clenching her fists. "Hey, Blondie, why don't we have a deal," she smirked.
"What deal?" he smirked and raised his eyebrows.
"Let's see if we can knockout each other with just a blow," Ambai raised her eyebrow.
"I like this. I might finally have a chance to defeat you," he smirked.
Ambai bit her lips and clenched her fists. He ran rapidly towards her and she rushed towards him, raising her fists. "Ahh," she yelled, punching him firmly on his face. Seconds later, a fist landed on her chin.
Ambai felt her brain jostle at this blow and lost her consciousness.
She felt her head throb. Gritting her teeth, she opened her eyes slowly.
"Eru, my baby," her mother whispered, cupping her face. She turned back towards her father and glared.
"What did I do?" He shrugged with his eyes wide.
"It is your fault. Firstly, you didn't let him rest after he almost drowned. And secondly, why is his training schedule so tight? He is just eighteen years old; he doesn't need to train amongst twenty-year-olds in advance training." She shouted and punched his chest.
"Honey, I went to war when I was just fourteen," he scratched his head. But her mother glared and pinched him. "Honey, he is a man now. Besides, he is very strong, so he needs to be trained in the advance classes."
"Ahem, mom, dad.... I have something to tell you," Ambai hesitated.
"What is it Eru? You know you can tell us anything right," Rukle stated noticing her hesitation.
"Ermm... Yesterday when I woke up, I couldn't remember anything other than you guys. And my memory has been hazy since then. I... I didn't want to worry you, so I didn't mention it before," she stated.
"Oh, my god dear, does your head hurt. Lie down, lie down quickly. Honey, call the healer now something is wrong," her mom gasped and started ordering her dad around.
Her dad was like a headless chicken running here and there. "Maids, call the head priest and the head healer Gaius. Royal guards! The entire palace is in full lockdown. Close the gates. No one leaves, and no one comes inside."
"Em guys, it's not that big of a problem. I am totally fine. Just my memory is hazy. Nothing much," Ambai tried voicing in but they seem too into their conversation to even bother.
"Honey, send for the knight guards. This room is to be sealed as well. Gaius is not enough. Order all the healers here," her mom started spitting out orders.
"Ahem guys, hello," Ambai waved.
"There might also be magic involved. Guards, order the head mage to come here as soon as possible." Her dad started barking orders as well.
At this point, Ambai gave up. She found her black mask nearby, and she wore it. 'People are gonna be barging in here left and right,' she mentally rolled her eyes.
No later than five minutes, twenty people ran into the room, judging from the amount of precipitation on their forehead, Ambai could guess all of them ran as soon as they got the order from their King.
"Your highnesses," they greeted.
"Come here Gauis, check the prince's pulse." Frowning, Kaye ordered the healer.
"My prince, give me your wrist please," the healer gave her a small pillow to lay her wrist on. He checked her pulse with a series expression.
Ambai on the other hand was staring wide eyed at the aging man.
A huge number two was shinning and shimmering on his forehead. It reminded her so much of the horror film
"Your highness, the prince's health seems to be stable now. I am sure the fever might have burned his memories a little, but he will get it back in no time." The healer assured.
Her parents visibly relaxed at this. But Ambai was too distracted by the healer's forehead to pay attention to them.
'What is that number? Maybe it is the number of days, or maybe is the number of the victims he has killed. I am not sure.' She started speculation about all the scenarios, but she couldn't come to a final conclusion.
"Your highness, might I intrude. I have a solution for our prince's condition," Gaius said with hesitation. "Can we talk outside?" he whispered to the king.
They both walked out of the room.
"Your highness according to the ancient scrolls, there is a way to retain your highness the prince's memory. The Therilium flower...." their vague murmur was heard before they closed the door.
The queen frowned, gazing at the closed door. "I will be back, my dear," she cupped her face and darted out of the room.
"Gaius, take some kings guards and set…." Her father's muffled voice was heard inside the room.
"There is no memory to retrieve though," Ambai placed her hand on her chin.
A loud whistle came from her left.
Startled, she glanced around. The guy name Sylas stood next to the balcony. When their gaze met he smirked and waved at her.
He plopped on her bed and said, "Your fight today was awesome. Usually you would finish him in one move, but today your showdown with Orion was phenomenal. God, you guys knocked each other out." He exclaimed holding her hand.
"Emm, Okay," she whispered, pulling her hands out of his grip. "Wait, you said I knocked him out," she gazed at him, eyes wide.
"Yeah you did," he nodded.
"Oh my god, I did!" Ambai exclaimed.
"Yeah man, you really are a force to be reckoned with," he whistled.
"Really," Ambai whispered. She could feel her face heating up.
"Eru, are you blushing? So cute," he whispered, pinching her cheeks.
She pushed his hands away. "Nothing's cute about a man blushing."
"hmm, with your face everything is cute. But seriously, have you seen Orion Blushing? That gives me Goosebumps." He shivered, hugging himself.
Ambai giggled at his antics.
He patted her head with a smirk. "Get well soon your highness," He whispered and walked out of the room.
Taking a deep breath, Ambai plopped on the soft bed. She patted her chest and whispered, "Let's live day to day, Erudite. We can survive." Her heart palpitated as a response. With a small smile on her face, Ambai dozed off.
The next morning, her parents came in with her breakfast. And they sat on the nearby couch just stared at her as she ate her porridge. Suddenly a guard rushed into the room panting. "Your highness, Gaius he—he is gone."
"What?" Rukle stood up from the couch. He glanced back at her with a worried look. "Let's talk about this in my study," he whispered and pulled the stunned guard out of her room.
Her mother followed them out, leaving only the maid Yelli in her room.
"Ms. Yelli, what happened to Gaius?" Ambai whispered.
"I don't know your highness," she said with a weird look in her eyes. "I can follow them and I'll let you know what happened," Yelli said and darted out of the room.
After just fifteen minutes, she returned with a somber face. "What is wrong?" Ambai pulled the little maid next to her.
"Your highness, it's bad. Gaius is dead. He went to search for an herb that brings back your memory. But—But a landslide killed him," she whimpered.
"What? He is dead?" Ambai gasped. A bad premonition rose in her heart thinking about the mysterious number.
"Yes, and the king and the queen are talking about adopting his orphaned son," Yell cried, leaning into her chest.
'Did that number foreshadow his death?' Ambai glanced at the sobbing maid.