Confusion took over my senses. Suddenly, all the memories overwhelmed me.
I remembered one specific night, when I was six years old. It was one of those nights where the sky was completely gray, the trees moved uncontrollably in time with the wind that came and went again and again, leaving no breathing space. I was lying on my bed, next to me was my mother. She was reading me my favorite story, one about fairies and dragons.
'One more time mommy, I want to hear it one more time,' I cried out.
'That's enough for today, I think you could tell me this story from beginning to end without any mistake,' my mother joked.
'I just love the magic, I wish it was real', I said with a certain tone of resignation.
'Who knows? Maybe it is. Now, Milaia, I want you to promise me one thing,' she paused, waiting for my response.
'Of course, mother, whatever you want,' I said confidently.
'When you feel that everything around you is getting out of control, remember that you are strong, that you are special, and that you will always be protected, do you promise me that?'
'I promise.'
That same face was standing in front of me. She was young, she looked just as I remembered her from when I was a little girl. She was alive, safe and sound. I wanted to hug her, to tell her that I loved her, that I remembered every minute of the life she shared with me. I wanted to hold her one more time. But then I realized where I was. This was a lie, this was a memory, she was not alive, she was not real.
But, even if it wasn't real, what was my mother doing in front of the King of Crescendo?
'Elina, I'm sorry I had to call you here at this hour, I know that your condition makes it difficult for you to come here often.'
King Gelon spoke to her as if he had known her all his life.
'No problem your Majesty, I am always at your service, I am eternally grateful to you for allowing me to marry Percival, I will spend my whole life making up for it.'
The King rose from the throne and walked slowly towards her. He passed by me, like a breeze, I felt his presence even though none of it was real.
'I'm only going to ask you one favor my dear Elina, only one.'
The doors of the throne room opened again and through them a woman entered, accompanied by two guards. With each step she took, I was able to observe her better, even though it was hard to take my eyes out of my mother.
She was of medium height, with dark brown hair and bright amber eyes. What surprised me most was that she was pregnant.
'Your Majesty,' my mother bowed to her, although the woman took her hands and urged her to stand up. Apparently, she was the Queen.
'No bows, you are my equal and I am yours.'
My mother smiled broadly. How I missed that smile that could ease any pain in my heart. Or her caresses, which made everything that was wrong suddenly right. My mother's love, that was what I missed most.
'To what do I owe this honor?' asked my mother, confused by the strange behavior of the monarchs.
'We must ask you something extremely important.' The King said, and gave the Queen room to speak.
'If Syform succeeds once more in his prophecy, tonight, my baby will be born,' she touched her belly as she said this.
A chill ran through my body. I knew their baby was going to die, all three of them would die at the hands of the King of Bieno.
'And I need... I need you to take him away as soon as he or she is born.'
What? Tears ran down my cheeks, one by one.
'I don't understand,' said my mother, as confused as I was.
'Tonight, Bieno will attack this Kingdom. Only we and our warriors will remain here, the rest will go to safety. I made sure to prepare a secret place where everyone will be safe. But, our only hope to truly win this battle is to save our heir, as Syform told us.'
My mother was not at all happy with the idea of taking the baby. She will refuse, she already had three children, she couldn't take care of one more.
'But your Majesty, I could not...'
'I know you have two children.'
Only two? No, the King was wrong, there were three of us, my mother had three children.
'Just make sure you raise our baby as your own, and when the time is right, everything will happen as it was meant to,' said the Queen, grabbing her hand. 'Please, you must do it.'
Although I couldn't believe it, my mother nodded. My ears were covered, my vision was blurred. I wanted to scream, I wanted to tell them I was there, that I was watching them, but the images vanished and I appeared somewhere else.
It was a room, decorated with the same golden tones as the rest of the castle. I was next to a bed, King Gelon was kneeling next to the Queen, who was screaming in pain. She was having the baby. Two midwifes were helping her, and my mother, Elina, was also there, wiping the sweat from her forehead.
'You can do it love; you are strong my Sheba.'
"Sheba", that was the name of the Queen, I never knew it until now.
None of the history books I had read mentioned King Gelon's family. Only horrible things were said about him, that he was a tyrant, a madman who used dark magic to win. I guess it was another one of the many lies I had grown up with. How many more lies could I take?
I looked through the window of the castle for a second and what I saw puzzled me. Thousands and thousands of horses were approaching at full speed. The desperate cries of the soldiers made me understand that war had arrived. The gallop of the horses started my heart and fear spread through my spine.
And then, I heard a baby cry.
'It's a girl.'
I turned around just as the midwife brought the baby to the Queen of Crescendo, who held it carefully.
'Hello little one,' sighed the Queen after giving birth.
My eyes filled with tears, it was one of the most beautiful scenes I had ever witnessed, but if what I had been told was true, very soon this whole family would fall into disgrace. And my mother had to get out of there, maybe she was already pregnant with me, she had to get out.
'Mommy loves you; mommy will always be with you.' She kissed the baby's forehead and brought it to her husband.
'She has your eyes Sheba, the most beautiful amber eyes.'
Amber eyes, it was just a coincidence. Although I had always found it strange that my brothers had light blue eyes like my father and mother and that I had eyes of a completely different color. Never mind, my mother needed to get out of there.
'You will be powerful my little princess,' King Gelon said, on the verge of tears.
The two embraced her at the same time, surrounding her with a strange violet light that spread throughout the room.
'I am sorry, Sir, but it is time.' One of the midwives brought them out of the trance.
The Queen looked at his husband carefully, as if the pain of that moment was even worse than the one she had just endured. She rotated a few inches and offered her baby to my mother.
And my mother... my mother took the baby in her arms, as if she were something fragile and extremely important.
All the pieces fit together right before my eyes. Everything made sense in that instant. But it was impossible, I wanted to believe with all my strength that it was impossible.
'Syform said you can't call her by her real name, but I want you to know it. Her name is Gaia, like my mother. Princess Gaia of the Kingdom of Crescendo.'
'It's beautiful, it's a pity she won't be able to know it. I was thinking that she will always be my lady, so maybe... my laia... Milaia.'
What she said, I just couldn't take it. It went into my ears, but it just kept ringing in my head. It blinded me, it left me speechless. It blocked all my senses until it left me in nothingness itself. Everything collapsed as soon as I heard her.
My heart was broken into a million pieces. My whole life had been a lie.
Not only had I lived in a Kingdom of Lies, but my very existence had been one.
And I knew it. It was true. My mother was not my mother. She had been chosen to take care of me. That is why she had always defended me so fervently. That's why she had always stressed how special I was, how important I could be. My father was not my father either, not even my brothers. Marco was not my brother; Mena was not my sister.
My real parents, my real family, were a King and a Queen who were willing to die to save me. They were dead and I would never be able to meet them.
This was too much.
I wanted to leave, but for some reason, the images continued, there was still something else I had to witness.
'Elina, I want you to give her this when the time comes.' The Queen took off the necklace she was wearing around her neck. My mother took it and put it on.
It was my necklace. The one I thought I had inherited had been mine all along. I took it in my hands and breathed out.
'Take her now, Elina, run, they will help you go home, and remember, she cannot know the truth, she must find her own way home.' The King said without taking his arms from his wife who began to fight him over the image of another woman taking her daughter.
Elina put her head down and came out with the baby...with me in her arms.
I thought it would all be over, but not yet.
Gelon lay down next to Sheba, while he tried to calm her down. Sheba kept screaming and crying, as if her heart had been torn out.
'My memories will be safe in the cave. Gaia will find them. I know she will.'
'Do you think she will love us darling, that she will know who we were at all?'
'I hope so, my love.'
My soul shuddered inside my body. All this time, all these years, I had never known them, they were my parents and I had never known them, I would never know them. But I knew that they loved me, they loved me so much that they let me go to save me. That was such a great love that I did not feel worthy of it.
A few seconds passed in a silent embrace, while outside I could hear the bloody fight of warriors.
I approached the bed, I approached the two of them, and put my hand over the arm of ... of my father. He smiled tenderly.
'Everything will be all right, Sheba. Gaia will know that Lucius uncreated magic, but she will also know that the only way to get it back is to recreate it. She will have to use the sign.'
'Why do you say that now?'
'Because I know she is listening,' he kissed her forehead and caressed her cheek. 'There is not much time left. I feel it. My magic is evaporating. He really did it, that wretch.'
'He would pay the price. Our little one will make sure to save them, she will restore magic, she will be their savior.' The Queen... my mother managed to stop crying.
The blows in the Castle became more noticeable. Until several soldiers burst into the room, breaking down the door in their wake. Neither of them moved from the bed, they kept looking at each other. They were beyond what was happening.
I tried to stop them, pointed my hands at them and called for the breeze but nothing happened.
King Lucius entered the bedroom, drew his sword and approached the bed.
'A pity, such a beautiful couple,' he said with a wicked smile. 'Look for the baby.'
'I love you.' They said to each other.
'NO!' I shouted with all my strength.
The image shook, everything shook. I felt like both Kings perceived my presence. But it was no use. Everything evaporated the second King Lucius raised his sword.
And I was back in the cave, but I was not the same.
I wasn't Milaia Pleiton anymore.
I was Gaia, daughter of Gelon and Sheba, and Princess of Crescendo.