Who am I in the Dark?
A cold wind howled through the trees and I wrapped my dark cloak closer around me. It was too cold for autumn and one could hardly believe that it was barely October. I kept my mind distracted as I advanced upon my destination, but not distracted enough that I didn’t hear the blundering footsteps of the castle guards in the forest. It was easy enough to avoid them, and soon enough the castle was in my sights. I pulled out a map from the pockets of my dark blue robe, and quickly ascertained where I would enter the woodland fortress.
Moving with speed and grace, I quickly found myself near an old run down wall, that’s time of a part of the castle had long since past, in some war long forgotten, for another one had been built in its place. I hide behind a piece of the rubble from the guards on the wall high above until they passed, before beginning my work. There was supposed to be a secret passage here! I searched and searched, for anything that might have been hidden in the wreckage, but found nothing. Silently I cursed myself. If I did not come back to my people with the boy in hand, the war would rage on.
For twelve years, my kingdom and this kingdom had been at war, and thousands had died. Among them had been my parents. I was fifteen when I had been orphaned in the first year of the war, and it was then that I decided that the magic I had been gifted with, would no longer become a simple plaything. I trained long and hard, until finally I was noticed by the military. I was in the King’s Army for three years before I was given a task worthy of note. My task is to kidnap the young prince of this kingdom. I cannot come back a failure.
But I sat down upon an old brick in despair. I did not know where this secret passage was and any other way would be suicide. Suddenly a thought occurred to me. Part of the old wall was still intact and from my position I swore that I saw the faint outline of a door. I gasped as I stood, and lay a tentative hand on it. To my surprise the stone swung open without a noise. A staircase lead down into the bowels of the castle, and I followed it down, a small magical flame illuminating the way.
The staircase ended with a door, and I pushed it open, and discovered myself in an old wine cellar. Another staircase had me on the first floor of the castle. The prince would be sleeping on the fourth floor on the third room on the right. His room would be decorated with various knickknacks and shelves filled with books of all kinds. He would be asleep by now after having taken his medicine.
Suddenly, I was snapped out of my thoughts as I rounded a corner and almost ran into one of the servants. Frightened, I recited a quick spell and a faint red light illuminated the hallway as the old man fell over dead without so much as a gasp. I panicked and fled the scene as quickly as possible. I hadn’t been revealed though. I was safe for the moment. Now I was more aware though, and I ducked out of the way of passing guards and servants.
Finally I was near the room where the boy would be sleeping. My slender hands trembled as I reached for the knob and padded into the room silently. I felt uneasy in this room, but I pushed it down as I walked to the boy’s bedside. His face. His face! I took a hurried step back in horror, though I didn’t know why, and knocked something off the nightstand. The teenage boy awoke, and looked at me with a puzzled, yet… joyful face! Murmuring the words of the spell, I pointed at the boy and his eyes flittered and he was soon back to sleep. Someone was outside. They must’ve heard the noise!
Quickly I threw the sleeping figure of the boy over my shoulder. He wouldn’t be asleep for long, and I would have to hurry and dispose of the figure outside and then leave. I opened the door, and muttered the same words as I did to kill the old servant. This was no servant though, but a fellow mage, one much older than me and more powerful. Startled the spell threw him back, but he no doubt had magical protection that allowed him to survive. I ran.
I couldn’t do anything else, for already he was coming around. He shouted something over and over. “ Alfred? Alfred?!” I assumed he was shouting the boys name and continued running with him over my shoulder. Already I heard the sound of armored men pursuing men. I had to escape. They’d torture me for years on end. They’d use me against my friends and family!
“ Quick,” shouted the old mage behind me. “ Block off the cellars! Don’t let him get away!”
I ran harder. My heart pounded against my chest as if it was trying to escape from its confines of flesh and burst out into the air. I almost tripped down a flight of stairs and only a miracle prevented me from falling and breaking my neck. I was so close! So close! Three guards stepped from the hallway and into my path. Fear pumped through my veins as more came out into the open and I didn’t notice the uncertainty on their faces. In a panic I ran down into another hallway and into a large open room, feeling the boy stirring.
Five thrones sat on a raised pedestal and behind them was a family portrait. I flinched back, looking at one face in particular and dropped the boy onto the ground, causing him to awaken quite suddenly. I brought a trembling hand up to my face and took another step back, and as I did so, the entrances were filled up with the castle guards. Four figures pushed themselves to the front. One was the mage from before. Another was an older man, his hair a salt and pepper color, but despite his apparent age, he radiated power and was unmistakable from the king in the portrait. Standing beside him in a nightdress was the queen; her green eyes shimmering with tears, just like the girl who was no older than seven standing beside her. I took another step back and away, becoming dimly aware of the crossbows the guards were holding aimed at me.
“ Alfred…” called the mage as he walked forward. “ What are you doing?”
I looked around shocked and wondering whom this ‘Alfred’ was. “ Who are you talking to old man,” I spat at him.
“ I’m talking to you child…you’ve been gone for so long,” he said with great sorrow in his voice. The boy sat on the floor where he had been dropped and looked at me strangely.
“ I-I…I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m not Alfred!” I screamed, but memories flashed up in my mind, things I shouldn’t remember. I staggered back under their assault, pain and confusion welling up inside of me. Shuddering, I struggled to regain my breath and noted the look of pity on the royal family’s faces. “ I’m-…I’m Mitchell Coppersmith. My parents died when I was fifteen and I’ve trained ever moment since then to avenge them and end this pointless war!”
I realized that I was shouting and that I was beginning to sob. ‘ Who am I?’ was the only thing I could think. Two lives ran through my head. In one I was Mitchell Coppersmith, a vengeful young man who wanted too see everyone in this room dead, and the other I was a stranger, a young prince who would soon be heir to the throne, would soon be married to a beautiful princess. Sobs wracked my throat. “ Who am I?”
The king moved forward slowly to speak, meanwhile the young boy moved forward on his hands and knees in an attempt to escape to the safety of his family. “ You are my son… Alfred. We lost you…six months ago. You road out to battle and you did not return…we feared the worst, but here you are alive. We can help you Alfred…”
“ No! You’re lying! Stop messing with my head! I’m not Alfred! I’m not!” I shouted, my voice growing hoarse. It was then that I noticed the boy’s attempt to escape f and I made a sudden move that brought me to his side. I lift him off the ground by the scruff of his neck before pinning him against me in chokehold. “ I’ll kill him! I’ll do it! Stop messing with my head damn you!”
The woman burst into full-blown tears at this point and I heard the guards shuffle, unsure what to do. The old mage looked at me with a sad look in his eyes. They didn’t take me seriously! I tightened my hold around the boy’s neck cutting off his air supply for a moment. “ Please…Please! Alfred let me go. Don’t hurt me,” he choked as tears streamed down his face, and for a moment I felt horrible for what I was doing.
“ We can help you child…you’re lost and confused,” pleaded the old mage imploringly.
“ No! Stop it! Stop it please,” I cried out as another wave of memories assaulted me. I’d kill the boy! Even if I died I’d make them pay for this! I began to murmur the spell that I had used so often this night, when something slammed into my back, followed by four more. Agony flashed throughout my body and my breath caught in my throat.
The next thing I knew I was on the ground, blood trickling from my mouth and from my wounds. Pain overwhelmed my senses, but the ground was cold against my cheek, providing some measure of comfort against the searing agony. I saw black on the edge of my vision, which was of only of the people around me’s feet. I am going to die here, I thought, but the thought did not disturb me as much as I would have thought it would days before. I wish that I had died that night…I wish that we had died.
Unfortunately for us, a healer had arrived at the last moment and helped us live through the night. The next day, I awoke to complete darkness. I awoke as Mitchell Coppersmith. Suddenly a light flared up in my cell, where I was bound and chained. The old mage walked in and said he would help me remember who I was. We’ve come to dread his visits that only leave pain as he forces memories upon me.
I’m so lost and confused. I don’t know how long I’ve been here or when I’ll get out. I don’t know who I am and I’m in the dark, but I’m not alone. Alfred or Mitchell or both? Or neither. Who I am in the dark? Please Lord help us…he comes again! If only we were stronger, I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of our screams.
