Chapter 2

A light? I can feel a light brushing against my skin. I can’t open my eyes, so I can’t see what’s going on. Who’s there? The light. . .It feels so warm and comforting. It feels like it’s been forever since I’ve felt the warmth of light caress my skin.

Could someone really be here? I could have sworn I heard something. A crash? A voice? I want to wake up and see what’s going on, but I’m still so very sleepy. I need energy, not a lot. Just enough to open my eyes, is that so much to ask?

Please stranger, I need your help. I need you to make contact with me, just a little touch is enough. I need your life energy to wake up. I can’t bear to live like this any longer. I am begging you, help me. . .

Mark continues to stare at the young woman who is laying on the bed he found in the room buried deep in he earth. He is paralyzed with an array of conflicting emotions. He is scared, yet curious. For a second, he felt that he might be dreaming or hallucinating. But with a small pinch, he knows that he is awake and lucid. Nothing could have prepared him for what he found deep in the mines of Forget-Me-Not Valley. He was expecting treasures beyond his wildest dreams, but he found a person instead.

He wants to run back to the surface yelling and screaming like his life is in danger. His curiosity keeps him there instead. His knees are weak from shock, and his hands are trembling so much that his flashlight shakes violently. His mind is hazy with a flurry of questions. It takes him all his might to not faint right there.

He calms down after a few minutes to catch his breath. After a deep sigh, he notices something odd about the young woman laying in the bed. Despite pointing a flashlight in her face for quite some time, there seems to be no reaction. Her eyes are not squinting, she isn’t trying to block the light with her hand, no movement at all. She just lays there as if he was not standing next to her.

He then points the flashlight to her chest. No rise or fall. She isn’t breathing at all. Mark takes a sigh of relief, believing that he didn’t find a person in the mines. Just a statue or effigy laying in the bed that time forgot about. “Oh thank goodness. I don’t know what to think if I found an actual living breathing girl down here.”

He points the flashlight at her face again, but notices something else odd. Her skin is as pale as a ghost. It also looks soft with no wrinkles or signs of aging. Based on the woman’s facial features, she appears to be about nineteen years old. Her lips are blue, which is odd for a statue or mannequin. Her jet black hair shimmers with the light from Mark’s flashlight and looks soft to touch. Her hairband matches the colors of her yellow robe she is laying in. Her clothing is decorated with exotic beads and tiny gemstones that twinkle like stars in the night. She also has jade earrings and a necklace that rests on her chest. The more he examines her, she seems more and more like a real person.

Curiosity gets the best of Mark, so he decides to touch the skin on her face. His hands tremble as it moves closer to her creamy skin that looks young and soft. As soon as his fingers touch her skin, he feels a massive shock that forces him to pull away as he screams in agony. He drops the flashlight as he holds his hand while breathing heavily. His arm is throbbing with pain, and he has no idea what just happened to him. His fingers feel as if they are on fire, and his arm throbs as if something got torn off.

“What the hell happened to me,” he asked himself. “Was there a scorpion that stung me? Or some biting lizard I didn’t notice? Am I going to die down here?”

The pain subsides a few minutes later. He grabs his flashlight to check on his hand expecting to see it bleeding uncontrollably. He gasps in shock as he sees nothing wrong with his hand. No bite or sting marks. No blood dripping from his fingers. Not even an inconvenient rash or swelling to explain what happened to him. With the pain he felt, he thought he just lost a finger. No matter how much he examines his hand, he is perfectly fine.

“That’s weird,” he comments to himself. Curious to know what happened, he points the flashlight at the young girl’s face. Her eyes suddenly open, causing Mark to panic and fall to the ground. He scoots back until he hits the wall as far from the bed as he can. He then points the flashlight at the bed, hoping that what he saw was only his imagination. His eyes tremble with fear as he sees the young woman’s bare feet slowly climb out of the bed. His heart races as she walks up to him. There is a terrifying look on her groggy face as the sleepy eyes make contact with his. Her golden robe and long hair drags along the floor as she gets close. She stands before him with a cold dead stare, as if she had woken up from the longest nap in history.

So many thoughts are running through Mark’s head. He feels that she might be a zombie craving blood or brains. None of his thoughts have a happy end to them. “Please don’t kill me,” begged Mark as he is about to accept his fate. His life is flashing before his eyes, and he is doing his absolute best not to wet himself.

He begins to calm down as the young woman makes no attempt to hurt him. Soon enough, she begins to look around, lost and confused. The room is dark, and the flashlight he carries is the only light they see. Seeing that his life is not in danger, he pulls out a lantern and slams it on the ground to give them more light. Mark gasps as he is able to finally look around and see where he is.

Mark thought the strange room was some sort of odd storage room hidden deep in the earth. Once the room is fully lit, he realizes that it’s a bedroom. The furniture has clothing inside, hair brushes, toys, games, and old books. “Is this your bedroom,” Mark asked the mysterious young woman.

She turns around and tries to say something, but nothing comes out. She holds her throat, shocked that she is unable to speak. Mark raises his brow in confusion, then tries again, “hey, who are you? What’s your name?” She tries to speak again, but she is completely silent.

“I see, you can’t talk,” asked Mark. She doesn’t nod or react to his words. She just trembles in fear, not sure what is happening to her. Her sad and confused look worries Mark. He has no idea who she is or what’s her story, but he feels that he needs to help her. He takes a few minutes to think of something, but he has no idea what he can do.

“I’ll get Carter, he’ll know what to do,” shouted Mark. He tries to leave, but the young woman grabs his shirt stopping him. He looks back at her, the look on her face breaks his heart. She feels alone, and wants Mark to stay with her.

“Don’t worry, I won’t leave you behind. I’m going to get help so I can get you out of here. Do you understand what I am saying?” She doesn’t react to his words. She only clenches his shirt harder as she trembles. He tries to take her hands to comfort her, but they’re cold as ice. She is obvious afraid to be alone, but Mark needs to get help. “I’ll be back, I promise. Why don’t you wait for me on the bed. I’ll be back as quickly as I can. Do you understand?” She looks up to him, not knowing what to do. Mark points at the bed where he found her and asks again for her to wait. She eventually releases his hands, and walks back to her bed to sit and wait. Mark then slowly backs out of the room and into the mines so he can race back to the surface. The young woman only tilts her head down and waits.

It takes him about an hour to rush up the mines back to the surface. He can’t get his mind off of the young woman he found in the mines as he ascends. Every question that passes through his mind remains unanswered as nothing he found makes any sense. All he can hope for is some answers from Carter or Flora. He finally escapes the mines and rushes off to the tent. He bursts in breathing heavily after the marathon in the mines. Carter and Flora look back at him wondering what’s going on with him.

“Carter! Flora! We need to get down the mines quick! I need your help!”

“What happened? Did you find anything down there,” answered Carter.

“I don’t have time to explain! Even if I did, I wouldn’t know how to explain it! Even if I could, you would never believe it. We can’t waste time, we need to head down now!”

Carter and Flora look at each other and nods. They know that whatever Mark found in the mines must be very important. They then grab their gear and rush down the mines as quickly as they can. As they descend, Mark trips and falls constantly. He is exhausted, but he pushes ahead thinking about that woman he left down there. Carter tries to ask what’s going on, but Mark is too focused on getting back to that room to answer any questions.

An hour later, they finally reach the lowest floor of the mines. Carter and Flora gasp as they see the wall Mark found. They rush over to study the foundation and the words carved into the bricks. “Amazing! You found a piece of the castle still intact! With this, we can finally learn how the ancient people lived. Our research could finally take off!”

“Actually, that is not why I called you down here,” said Mark as he points into the opening he broke in. They curiously follow him inside the room wondering what could be so important. Carter gasps and Flora shrieks as they see the mysterious young woman sitting on the bed in the middle of the room. There is a long pause for several minutes as everyone tries to process what’s going on.

“Mark, who is this,” asked Carter.

“I have no idea. She was down here sleeping when I found this place.”

From the entrance of the room, Carter takes a few moments to examine the young woman. She appears frightened seeing more people in the room with them. Carter tries to approach her and say something, but she jumps off the bed and rushes to Mark. She trembles as she hides from Carter behind Mark’s back. “Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you. My name is Carter, we want to help you.” Carter tries to take another step closer, but she clenches Mark’s clothes harder and shuts her eyes.

“Why is she so afraid of us, but not you,” asked Flora curiously.

“I don’t know. She can’t talk, and she’s so frightened. None of this makes any sense,” answered Mark.

“If you found her here, then she must be from the ancient civilization. But kingdom fell hundreds of years ago. How is she still alive and still so young looking?”

“Your guess is as good as mine.”

Flora turns to Carter and asks, “what should we do? Should we contact the main office?”

Carter takes a moment to think. “Our contract states that we must contact the main office if we find something of great importance. But she’ll be in danger if we did that. They’ll just experiment on her like some lab rat to find out why is she still alive. We should just take her back to the surface and figure out what to do later.” Mark and Flora nods in agreement.

After discussing things for a while longer, Carter and Flora leaves the room and prepares for their journey back out of the mines. Mark follows them, but feels the young woman tug on his shirt again. Mark holds her hand and tries to lead her out of the room, but she pulls away and steps away from the entrance. She is paralyzed with fear as if she is too afraid to step outside.

“It’s okay, we are going to help you. Please trust us,” said Mark as he reaches his hand out to her.

She sees nothing but kindness coming from Mark’s eyes. She is afraid, but she feels that he can be trusted. She slowly reaches out to Mark’s hand. As soon as they touch, Mark feels how cold her hand is once again. She has been alone in the mines so long stuck laying on that bed, Mark can only hope that she can recover once she’s outside. Despite how cold her hand is, it also feels soft. He helps her over the rubble and takes her first step outside the room.

All four of them meet up at the rope ladder to start their journey back up. The climb will be long, but they are determined to help their new friend out of the mines. “So, what’s the plan,” asked Carter.

“I think you and me should head up first. We can then pull her up while Flora makes sure she doesn’t fall. She did live this long down here all alone, it would be bad if something happened to her now.”

“Hey, what’s that sound,” asked Flora.

Mark and Carter takes a moment to stop and listen. They also hears something strange, like the sound of something breaking. They all look to the wall that housed the room they found, and see it’s starting to crack. “Everyone duck,” shouted Carter realizing what is happening.

Everyone braces themselves and covers their face just as the ceiling in the room begins to collapse. With a loud snap, tons of dirt and stone begin to fill the room. The wall collapses, then a massive dust cloud fills the mine. The ground shakes, forcing everyone on the ground. They all pray to the Harvest Goddess that the ceiling of the mine doesn’t collapse as well, killing everyone.

After a few minutes, the ground stabilizes and they all stand up to see what happened once the dust cloud fades. The room is gone, and everything inside has been destroyed. Half of the mine has been filled with rock and dirt, but everyone is unharmed.

“Oh no! The artifacts! Our research,” cried Flora.

“Don’t worry about it, I’ll have an excavation team dig anything up later. For now, lets get out of here in case the rest of the mines collapses as well.”

Mark nods in agreement. As soon as they are ready, they all climb out of the mines one floor at a time. Climbing is normally not an issue, but they have a survivor they need to bring up with them as carefully as they can. She is weak after centuries of sleeping in the bottom of the mines, and they wish to get her out unharmed. Her inability to communicate with the rest of the team only makes things more difficult.

They reach the entrance about four hours later. It is past midnight, and the team is exhausted. They retreat back to camp to rest a bit and eat. They should sleep, but they are too worried about their new friend to do so. Instead, they light a campfire to put their thoughts together and figure out what to do.

Carter and the mysterious young woman sit on opposite sides of the campfire. Mark is helping Flora make some food for everyone. Carter sits with his hands folded, trying to piece together everything he has learned after years of digging in the mines hoping he can figure out who his new friend is. He has many theories, but no answers.

After some time, Mark walks up to the young woman carrying a plate of food. She looks up at him curiously as he says, “hey, umm. . . Are you hungry? Flora made some curry rice for us. It’s pretty good. I don’t know how long you were stuck down there, but you should eat something.” She stares at the plate of steaming hot curry, but does nothing. He then places the curry on the ground in front of her, curious to see what she does. She just stares at it. Mark continues to watch her for another minute, but she makes no attempt to eat.

Mark grabs a plate for himself and takes a seat between Carter and his new friend. Flora gives Carter a plate, then takes a seat on the other side of Mark to eat. They watch their new friend as they eat, hoping that maybe she’ll do the same. But the food in front of her grows cold, and she continues to watch it. It pains Mark to watch her like this, and he doesn’t even know her name. He wonders what is on her mind, what stories she could tell after centuries trapped underground.

“You okay,” asked Flora.

“I’m just worried about her. I really wish that she can talk to us. Tell us who she is and where she came from. I feel so lost and powerless.” Mark then turns to Carter and continues, “hey, do you know anything? Is she who we’ve been looking for all this time? Please, tell me the truth.”

Carter shakes his head no, “we just discovered this mine, there is no way that we could have known that anyone was down there. Especially alive. It’s a miracle that she could have survived so long with no food or water. If only she could talk to us. . .”

Mark lets out a sad sigh. He then turns his attention back to the young woman who continues to stare at the cold curry in front of her. He starts to think, then comes up with an idea. He gets up and goes to the tent to grab a white board with some dry-erase markers. He brings them out and offers them to the young woman. She stares at Mark, but does nothing.

“I get it! If she can’t talk, maybe she can write to us instead,” said Carter.

“I don’t think she knows what those are. Maybe you should write her a message first,” said Flora.

Mark nods, then moves back to his spot to start writing. She watches him curiously wondering what he’s doing. After writing his message, he holds up the board and shows his new friend. The board reads, “hello, my name is Makku Artisan. Please call me Mark. Can you tell me your name?”

He then wipes the board clean, and places the board in front of the young woman. She stares at it for a moment, then grabs the marker and begins to write. Everyone waits in anticipation as she writes her message to them. Once she is done, she holds the board up for everyone to see. Everyone gasps as they cannot read what she has written. Everything she wrote is in the same odd language they keep finding in the mines.

Mark takes the board sighing sadly once again. “There goes my idea. I should have known that communicating with her won’t be easy.”

“Can I see that,” asked Carter.

Mark passes the board to Carter so he can examine the writing. After a few minutes, he gasps as if he just discovered something important. He can’t read the old language, but he notices something far more important.

“What’s up,” asked Mark.

“Check this out! Notice something?”

Carter returns the board to Mark so he can take a closer look. “I don’t see anything.”

“Think about it. Most people back in the day can’t read or write, especially women. But not only can she write, her penmanship is beautiful. She is definitely highly educated, which means she must be someone extremely important.” Cater takes another moment to put the pieces together, then declares, “I think I know who she is!”

Mark and Flora gasps, “really? Who?”

“Before I answer that question, let me ask Mark a question.” He then turns to Mark, “do you know the history of Forget-Me-Not Valley?”

“No, not really. All I know is that this place used to be an empty field that Mineral Town once owned. Romana then bought this land, and built a villa. My dad and Vesta then built farms, then the rest of the people built homes and settled here. Other than that, I have no clue.”

Carter nods, “You’re right. Forget-Me-Not Valley is a very young village that didn’t exist not too long ago. But that’s not the whole story. You see, there used to be a kingdom right here a very long time ago. A powerful kingdom that fell only four hundred years ago during the end of the age of kings.”

“A kingdom? You mean like with a king and knights? Are you serious?”

“Indeed. You see, during the ancient times there were three kingdoms that ruled the planet for thousands of years. Each kingdom ruled in a different corner of the world. To the north existed the great Kingdom of Norad. To the west existed the Empire of Sech that wished to rule everything. And right here where we sit was the capital of the Kingdom of Hanabishi. Castle Hanabishi stood right where Forget-Me-Not Valley exists now.

“For as long as we know, Norad and Sech were in war with each other. The only thing that keeps things peaceful between the kingdoms is Hanabishi which was a strategic place separating them. King Ryouske Hanabishi was the last known ruler of the Hanabishi Kingdom. He ruled with his wife Queen Sakura Honjo and led his mighty army across Hanabishi territory. Their rule was very strict, yet fair. The people of the Hanabishi Kingdom respected their king and relied on the army for protection from the war between Norad and Sech.

“About four hundred years ago, Castle Hanabishi fell. It sank into the earth, forcing all known inhabitants to flee. The king and Queen led the inhabitants of the castle to the east where they established a new home. They had no choice but to leave the other villagers in the Hanabishi territory to their fates. Despite their efforts, the Hanabishi people could not establish a new kingdom and their culture eventually faded with time.

“When the word of Hanabishi Castle spread to the other kingdoms, all out war broke out between Norad and Sech. The Hanabishi land was their battleground, and everyone who was left behind was either killed or taken prisoner. Millions died during the war, and both kings were killed. The age of kings was over, and the survivors established a new democratic government. From that point forward, the people were free to live as they saw fit.”

“How did Castle Hanabishi sink into the earth,” asked Mark.

“Nobody knows. We do have several theories, but no definite answers. Some people believe that it was sabotage from the Sech Empire. Others believe that a natural disaster such as an earthquake caused the castle to sink. Another common theory is the mines under the castle collapsed, taking the castle down. Then there’s the theory that the castle sunk as punishment from the Harvest Lord. Hanabishi Kingdom was known to shelter many magical beings that were hunted to near extinction, which violated the common religion of the time.”

Mark nods after hearing the story. “That’s all very interesting and all, but what does all that have to do with her? Why was she down there in the mines?”

“Official records collected states that all Hanabishi Castle residents have escaped as it sank. But remember that stone tablet you found in the dig site outside the mines?”

Mark nods again. Carter continues, “historians back in the main office has translated the stone tablet for us. The text on the tablet had something incredible written on it. You see, King Ryouske and Queen Sakura had a daughter. A princess.”

“A princess? Are you serious?”

Carter nods. “Only a few people among the Hanabishi Castle population knew she existed. But when the castle sank into the ground, nobody bothered to make sure she escaped with everyone else. She must have gotten trapped down there all the way until now.”

“But why keep her a secret? What was the point of that?”

“We believe that she was kept a secret because of the war. Norad and Sech really wanted Hanabishi to pick a side, and they were willing to do anything to force their hand. They tried to assassinate the king, but Ryouske was a fierce warrior who can slay a dozen men alone. Queen Sakura stayed in the castle, over a hundred soldiers would defend her with their life at all times. But if either kingdom knew that the king and queen had a daughter, things would get complicated. They would find a way to kidnap her and force the kingdom to take a side. Whoever captured the princess would win the war.”

Mark lets out a deep sigh. He then turns to the princess for a moment, “I can’t imagine what life could have been like for her. I wonder if we ever learned her name.”

“Indeed we did. Her name was Princess Keira Hanabishi.”

The young woman turns to Carter once she hears the name out loud. Everyone gasps, then crowds around her. “Is that your name? Keira,” asked Mark.

She tries to open her mouth to say something, but nothing comes out. She forgot for a moment that she is unable to speak. All she can do is tilt her head down sadly, wishing she can say anything. Mark nods with determination, “She still can’t talk, but at least we know her name. That’s something, but how is she still alive after all this time?”

Carter takes a moment to think, “I have no idea. If only we can find a way to get her to communicate with us, she could tell us what happened to her. Until then, this is a mystery.”

“Okay, so what do we do now?”

“Well. . . I think we should have her checked out. Doctor Hardy is returning tomorrow morning, so maybe he can figure out why she can’t speak. Once we know what’s going on with her, we’ll figure out our next step.”

“Sounds like a plan,” answered Mark.

Soon enough, Mark decides to return to the farm and leave Keira in Carter and Flora’s care. He packs up his tools, then says goodbye to everyone else. But as Mark walks away, Keira runs after him and grabs his shirt. Mark looks back at Keira who is looking deep into his eyes pleading him not to go.

Carter and Flora are shocked to see Keira clinging to Mark. “She seems quite attached to you Mark. Did something else happen down there that we need to know about?”

“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?”

“I’m just kidding. I know that you are not the kind of person who would kiss a sleeping princess like the old fairy tales. I think that when you found her, you must have imprinted yourself onto her. Since you are the first person she met after all these years, she will only feel comfortable to be around you.”

“What should we do,” asked Flora.

“It would be a bad idea to separate Mark and Keira for now. At least until she is comfortable around other people. . . Hey Mark, you do have a guest room in your house. Am I right?” Mark nods. “Maybe you should stay with us for the night. Then you take her to Doctor Hardy in the morning. She could get too stressed out if we take her instead.”

“And you think she should live with me at the farm?”

“I know it’s a lot to ask. But you are kinda like her guardian now. Me and Flora will do our best to help her adjust to life here in the valley. Once she can live on her own, we’ll figure out what to do then. Can we rely on your help?”

Mark looks at Keira once again who is shivering with fear. He can’t imagine what sort of thoughts are going through her head at that moment. She woke up in a strange time centuries after her old life had ended. Now she is alone with nobody else to trust other than Mark. He knows that caring for her would be a massive responsibility, but he can’t simply abandon her. So he looks back at Carter and agrees to help.

Hours later, Carter and Flora are sound asleep in the tent. Keira is standing outside looking up a the bright moon. Mark comes out of the tent and finds her staring up at the sky. He slowly walks up to her, then says, “can’t sleep? Yeah, me neither. I guess you had a very long sleep, you won’t be sleepy for a while. Am I right? I guess I’m kinda jealous, I wish I could sleep that long. . . Never mind, I’m just kidding.”

Keira turns around to face Mark. The light of the moon is reflecting off her pale sad face, giving her a mysterious glow as she tilts her head in confusion. Mark then takes a deep breath and continues, “I don’t know if you understand me. . . But it looks like we’re in this together from now on. I don’t know what happened so many years ago, but we’re going to help you. I promise.”

Keira stands there quietly, unsure how to respond. Mark takes another sigh, then says, “I’m going to try and sleep again. I’ll see you in the morning. Goodnight.”

With that, Mark returns to the tent and into his sleeping bag. Keira continues to stare up at the moon as it slowly vanishes into the mountains. Soon enough, the sun will come up and their journey together will begin.