Page 62 of Court of Aether and Shadows

My eyes snapped open, my breath coming in short gasps.

What were these visions?

Why did they feel so real, so much a part of me?

All of this felt so damn confusing. Like I was two different people, fighting desperately to figure out the past that wasn’t mine while dealing with the confusing uncertainty of my current life that I obviously ran from.

I couldn’t comprehend what I wanted.

What answers do I yearn for?

"Princess?"

The voice, tinged with shock and something like reverence, made me whirl around.

The sudden movement sent a wave of dizziness through me, reminding me of how close to exhaustion I truly was. As I struggled to focus, I saw three figures standing a few yards away.

One was a woman who looked startlingly familiar – Elenore, the medic who had tended to me after I was shot. But she looked...different. More radiant, her eyes glowing with an inner light that matched the patterns swirling across her skin. Her hair, which I remembered as a plain brown, now shimmered with strands of living gold and sparkled with shimmering orange.

Matched with her turquoise blue attire, created in a sort of combat one piece, she looked a radiant princess ready to hop on a horse and gallop through the fields to ignite a war.

Beside her stood a man I didn't recognize, tall and regal, with features that seemed to shift and change as I looked at him. One moment he appeared young and vital, the next aged and wise. His eyes, a swirling vortex of colors, fixed on me with an intensity that was almost physical.

The most striking thing about him was his vivid red hair that shifted to silver — the red shade complimenting his youthful appearance while the silver ignited that onset of aged perception.

In between them was an older woman whose silver hair floated around her as if she were underwater. I could see the familiarities between her and Elenore, especially with the magnitude of golden tinsel strands that mimicked similarities.

Her face was lined with age, but there was a timeless quality to her as if she had seen the birth of stars and would witness their deaths as well.

Our eyes met, instantly igniting a warmth of recognition and peace despite never meeting this woman.At least, not in thislifetime.When she smiled at me, I felt a wave of comfort wash over me, easing some of the panic that had been building.

Having the three of them stare at me with a mixture of awe and disbelief made me feel like I was some long-lost treasure that was suddenly found.

Or a deer in headlights.

They were all staring at me with a mixture of awe and disbelief as if I were some long-lost treasure suddenly returned to them.

“Okay…” I began, staggering back to try and steady my gait. The world was still spinning, despite my attempt to stay completely still. I was still in a bit of the water, but it felt as though a soft path of grass cushioned my step — lending me strength that I didn’t register I needed. “W-Where am I? How did I get here? And who the hell are you?”

I circle my fingers but pause on Elenore.

“Except for you. I remember you, Elenore…though you were less…glowy?”

She nervously smiled at that, showing her perfect set of teeth.

The older woman stepped forward, her movements graceful and fluid despite her age. It was mesmerizing to witness the energy that danced around her — an aura of various shades that twinkled with gold and swayed with hints of light and shadow.

"Oh, my dear," she said, her voice rich with emotion. "You've finally come home to us.” Her eyes dare to water, growing glassy as if the sight of me has brought her immense joy. It made me feel as if I was a lost child finally being seen by a Mother who had been searching for years.Decades even.“After all these years, our lost princess has returned."

Home?

The word echoed through me, stirring something deep in my soul. The single word echoed. Again and again, a poundingreminder of what I’ve craved and yet couldn’t grasp was my current reality.

But how could this be home? I’m… Sparrow…wasn't I? A street kid…orphan…turned assassin…with no family…no roots...just me and my best friend, Liam…and yet...

And yet…

I know there’s a missing piece that’s desperately trying to click in place. I felt a sense of rightness that I'd never experienced before. The air itself seemed to embrace me, filling me with strength and vitality that defied the exhaustion of my recent ordeal.

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