Heat gently basked onto her skin. The Princess felt such comforting warmth within her sleep, feeling like she was drifting ontop of the warm air. Letting it take her within its flows, enjoying the relaxing state it provided. Opening her eyes she found a harsher glow, taking a moment for her eyes to adjust before she could see. A drowsy confusion flooded her senses as she looked around the unfamiliar setting. Grand walls were painted white, golden highlights around the pillars alone. A comfortable warmth seemed to fill every inch of this strange Palace.
Each wall either had a unique pattern carved in or a painting that had been carved so delicately in the stones. "Quartz? How can one place have so much?" Shir sleepily wondered. Her eyes taking in the grand arch of this Palace alone, the entrance so beautifully and delicately carved. The architecture of this entrance alone was far grander than she could ever have wished for. Inside was foggy, it felt like she couldn't see in no matter how hard she tried. Shir could only take in the entrance.
Trying to take a step the Princess paniced as she felt no control of her own legs. They felt hot and numb and wouldn't respond to anything she tried to do. Even when she tried to just twitch her knee, her legs remained stiff. "Relax" the voice boomed to her, his voice far clearer here and coming from the entrance. Inside this odd Palace.
"Wh-what do you want!?" Shir called, shocked that she could speak this time. Last time she felt frozen that not even her jaw could move but this time she could talk. Communicate.
A deep but gentle chuckle rumbled out of the arch, a humour in his voice. "I am not your enemy, that is all you need to know" he spoke slowly, gently. A purr to his tone as he spoke.
"Who are you?" Shir asked, her tone still shaky but more under her control. She tried to focus in the fog but she couldn't make out a shape let alone a face. She could only hear this mystery.
"A past King, the future King" he sighed, a deep disappointment within his pitch. "My name has no meaning anymore" he spoke more quieter.
"Alright... "time King", what do you want from me? Why bring me here?" Shir questioned, "did you curse me?-".
"The only one who has a curse is those who I failed to protect!" the voice boomed, an anger within his voice. The grate arch rumbling like the volcano. "You are free from any spells, you have my word, Princess" he promised, softening his tone to be more gentle.
"Alright" Shir nodded, beginning to feel her heart race, "why did you bring me here?" She asked again.
A pause before the voice spoke, "I didn't" he admitted. A tired sigh to his tone. "I have only awakened" he mused, a pur to his tone that turned to a chuckle. "In other words we are stuck with each other now" his laughter built up.
"This isn't funny! What!?" Shir gritted her teeth as she snapped, "did you possess me!? Are you some ghost- demon!?" She demanded. Glaring into the fog which grew thicker as time went one. The grate arch beginning to fade within it. The Princess heard no response, only seeing the fog grow.
Shir tried to keep an eye on the building but her lungs grew thick. Coughing, chocking before she could calm down enough to recognise the smell of smoke. The glow grew harsher and the comforting warmth began to feel boiling. Scanning the area she could barly see the ground where she stood stiff. Smoke clouded her, making the air suffocating. "Hey- help!-" Shir tried to scream out but she couldn't. Her lungs filled with the ashy and thick smoke. Causing the Princess to fall to her knees as she coughed and chocked more and more. Suffercating in her own dream.
"Princess!?" Shir jolted to her feet. Taking the disciplined stand of her trianing to scan her surroundings in a panic. Confusion fell on her when cool and easy air hit her lungs. She choked and soot came from her throat. She had blink before she could process that water had been dripping off of her. "Princess?" Eva called again, her voice shook and her tone leaked with concern.
"Wha-" Shir coughed, her voice croaked as if the smoke from her dream had poisoned her voice. Her maid fetching her a drink of water.
After a few sips, the thick pain in her throat began to clear and when she spoke, it sounded and felt as if nothing happened. "What happened?" Shir asked, her panic beginning to cool. She took a quick glance at her window, clear skies showed the string twinkles of the stars. It was still night. Cool wind blew in as the last signs of smoke began to leave. One quick glance at her maids tear stained face, Shir knew the smoke wasn't just from her dreams.
"I don't know" her maid sniffled, looking over the Princess with a fright. "I-I came in to make sure your fire hadn't burnt out but when I got in" Eva sniffled again, trying to calm her tears. "When I got in," she spoke more clearly, having calmed down just enough to speak. "The fire had smoked the whole room, it suffocated itself out but you" Eva gently hugged the Princess. Shir hugged her back in a confusion. "Fire don't smoke like that on their own" Shir thought, trying to wake up when her head throbbed.
"Shh, Eva" Shir coughed again, patting her maids back, "take a breath, we'll get an answer". Her maid nodded before speaking up again.
"I don't know what happened, the chimney is not blocked, the window was open" Eva whipped her tears as she began to calm down. "You were just chocking in your sleep and I threw two buckets of water on you but you wouldn't wake up. I feared you wpuld suffercate in your sleep" her maid hugged her tighter.
"Hey, I'm ok, see I'm fine" Shir pulled her maids head to her chest. As much as she would love to say that it was ok; the smoke only began after she called the voice a "demon", she fears that she had angered it.
"Can you" Shir looked at her maid who looked back up at her. Her tears beginning to dry. "Can you get me some dry clothes and join me as we go to visit Toney?" She asked. Her maid nodding instantly and immediately going to the closet.
"Of course Princess" Eva pulled out a comfy pair, setting it out for the Princess to change out of her wet pair. Shir stayed quiet as her maid helped her change, "at least nothing else is on fire. I mean, Eva did say that the smoke had suffocated the main fire out" she thought. A confused shock beginning to fade, allowing both girls to calm down.
"If this is you" she thought, bitterly trying to contact whatever this "awakened" thing is. "You're messing with the wrong Princess" she warned, stretching as she was now in dry clothes. Walking down the halls at night felt so quiet, making it easier for her to hear the very hushed and muffler giggles of the voice. It spoke but it was too quiet for her to hear his words. Sighing softly, she continued her path down, following her maid as they soon made it to the bottom of the mages tower.
"Are you ok to climb?" Eva asked, looking back to the Princess who almost suffercated in smoke not even five minutes ago. Shir nodded back.
"I'll be fine, thank you" she promised, taking the first few steps up, climbing until she reached the old doors. Knocking she heard no response. Shir knew that Toney has his main doors locked at night but his sleeping chambers are above his lab. Meaning that he often doesn't hear emergencies even when they're knocking on his door.
"Let me try, Princess" Eva smiled softly at her, clearly her throat. With a very loud bang on the old doors, her maid yelled out. "Open the door now! The Princess is dying!" Eva called. This time there was shuffling, the sounds of uncoordinated footsteps sounded from inside. When the doors unlocked, Toney looked out in a drowsy daze.
"Huh?" He yawned, trying to wake up, "what happened? You look half drowned?!" He asked in a concern.
"Sorry to wake you" Eva smiled softly, holding onto Shir to sit the Princess down.
"Never mind that, what is the emergency?" Toney demanded, already prodding at the Princess to try and understand; "why do you smell like a campfire?".
"My room filled with smoke" Shir sleepily explained, rubbing her eyes. Already knowing they look bloodshot and irritated.
"If it was lazy fire care you wouldn't be here, what happened?" Toney questioned, looking over at Eva now.
"I don't know, I walked in and the smoke was so bad it suffocated the flame. I couldn't wake the Princess as she choked in her sleep even after two buckets" Eva explained, still shakened by the experience.
"My chimney wasn't clogged and I had the window open" Shir added, looking ready to just fall back asleep.
"So it just" Toney furrowed his brows as he thought to himself, "smoked out? Odd". Toney mumbled, pausing before grabbing his crystal. Mumbling a familiar chant as he casted the shock onto her, the same way he did for Eoviet. The shock stayed on Shir for a while, sending weird signals around her body before zapping back to its crystal. "Hm..." Toney frowned again, "maybe it's my crystal?". The mage examined every inch of the crystal, trying figure out why the spell failed on two people in a row.
"Well, Princess, there is some kind of magical influence on you but again, I can't have it reveal itself" Toney explained, more frustrated.
"A curse!?" Eva called out in a panic, fearing for her Princess. "Remember" the voice whispered to the Princess, "I gave you my promise, this isn't my doing". Shir felt herself grew more suspicious after it spoke. Not wanting to trust it after she almost suffocated in her own chambers.
Toney had moved to his window, holding his crystal to the moonlight. Only for to flinch back, "holy!-" the mage stared out. Shir rushing to see what he was seeing, only to see the thick layers of smoke from her chambers. It flowed down, too thick to be taken by the breeze, gassing the guards that were in the courtyard. Shir watched as one ran off to where the alarm bells were, "they'll probably assume this is some kind of attack" she realised. "How did you not die!?- that is a lot of smoke!" Toney looked over at the Princess in horror, disbelief in his eyes that she is even alive.
Not even a moment later and the castle alarm bells sounded, alerting the kingdom of a possible attack. "Urr... guess I have to go tell father" Shir shrugged, "you two coming?". She turned to the shocked mage and the concerned maid. Both nodded silently as they followed her down the winding stairs again. Following her down towards the throne room, wanting to avoid where the smoke had gone. Guards rushed down the hall, most having just woken up, struggling to put their gear on when on the move.
"Princess" Prince Rknom sounded from up the hall, his eyes scanned the little group, "are you alright? Do you know what is happening?". The Prince asked, his eyes both worried but formal.
"Yeah, come with us and I can explain" she promised, rushing past him and to the throne room.
"Hey!" Rknom called out but followed anyway, he was supposed to be there during this time anyway.
Shir opened the grand doors, inside King Arvin had just arrived, still dressed within his bed wear. "Give me your report the seconed you find anything!" Arvin had ordered as Commander Kyree rushed out of the room. "Princess, are you alright?" He asked, walking over as the room had guards in and out.
"Everyone can calm down" Shir announced, "the smoke came from my chambers" she explained. "There is no fire!" Her call was directed at the guards who were preparing fire blocks.
"Your chambers? Shir what happened?" King Arvin questioned, Toney speaking up on her behalf.
"Some magical misfire? That is my current best guess but I can not find out what is happening when there are guards running around every corner" he huffed. "I can assure you that there is no attack, the smoke had come from Shir's chambers" he declared. With a nod, King Arvin raised his voice to announce.
"There is no attack! Everyone stop preparations! Go back to bed and by morning we should have an answer!" Once the King gave his order, everyone slowed their pase.
On the way back to her chambers, the guards were now sleepily walking back to their chambers. Ready to go back and rest after the false alarm. Opening her doors, Shir could feel the fresh breeze her window provided. Having her chambers feel more normal, only that her bed was now drenched. "I'll clean that one up for you Princess" Eva nervous called, already working on changing out the bed sheets. Toney now investigating her chimney.
"You don't have time be here?" Shir yawned, Prince Rknom leaning on her door frame.
"I'm just checking" he mumbled, his gaze scanning the chambers, "anything could have happened here".