THE MOMENT
"Who goes there?" Phillip called out from the tree line. As soon as he reached the heart of the forest, he spotted a person shrouded in mist within the clearing. He drew his sword and raised his shield to approach with caution when the question remained unanswered. "Identify yourself as a citizen of the empire!" he threatened.
Phillip genuinely hoped the stranger was on his side. He wandered into the forest with the rumor of foreign spies as an excuse. He said timing was critical in surprising them and left as soon as the rain stopped, even though it was still midnight. In truth, he was chasing rumors he created in an effort to spend some time alone. Phillip had a very confusing night and didn't know how to process it.
Phillip was a 32-year-old knight that had been trying for the past several hours to remember his childhood. Or even his training; or, even that afternoon. It bothered him that a flash of golden light was the first thing he could actually remember.
He heard a crack of thunder, and he found himself seated at a table surrounded by familiar faces. He pulled the turkey leg from his mouth and looked around as if it was the first time it was seeing the hall he'd been in countless times. Phillip noticed a strange princess by the door wearing an elegant pink and gold gown with a silver tiara.
She stood at the exit to the hall talking to something in her hand; then, she walked forward into the storm and the forest. Phillip had enough time to be curious about it before the captain of the guard demanded everyone's attention for a speech. As the speech went on, Phillip's attention wandered to the knights around him.
Rolfe on his left was a squat, burly dwarf with a thick, braided red beard. He loved his drink and Phillip wasn't surprised to see him repeatedly finish a stein in one gulp. But, as the captain's speech droned on; Phillip realized that Rolfe's cup wasn't being refilled by anyone. The dwarf would pick up the white-headed wooden mug and spill half of it on himself while pouring it down his throat.
He held it upside down to wait for the last drop to fall, then slammed down the mug with a hollow, wooden thud. Phillip's eyes kept moving between the peasant servers looking for one with a pitcher. None of them approached the table; but, Rolfe reached forward and picked up his full mug again.
The more he watched around him, the more Phillip felt he needed to leave. The servers flowed between the kitchen and tables; but, they never dropped anything off or picked anything up. The captain was repeating his speech for the third time when the rain ended. Phillip decided the muddy forest would give him some time to think.
The last thing he wanted was to fight anyone. Regardless of his personal crises; his empire was at war. But, Phillip was barely holding on to his sanity at the moment. And, he got the impression that this stranger didn't want to fight either. They remained silent and obscured by mist despite Phillip's proximity.
"Fine, don't identify yourself. Just leave; I never saw you anyway," he said. He unintentionally took a step closer to the stranger in an effort to turn around. They jumped forward out of the mist. The princess in gold and pink startled Phillip as she spoke eagerly.
"Thank you for rescuing me! Please guide me to the entrance of the forest. From there I can journey safely to my home," she said.
"What are you doing out here, Princess?" Phillip asked. He recognized her as the one he saw earlier and his curiosity returned. He was the first person he saw when things changed for him. Maybe she knew something about why. She looked at him and smiled.
"Please guide me to the entrance of the forest. From there I can journey safely to my home," she repeated. Then, Phillip heard a faint giggle.
"Who's there?" Phillip drew his sword again and turned around to put himself between the Princess and whatever was lurking in the mist. Light from the full moon helped him see the clearing with ease; but, there seemed to be no one there. He was about to turn his attention back to the strange princess when a large red light caught his eye.
A shield-sized red hole opened in the air next to the princess. It hovered vertically low to the ground and a black cat walked out. The cat had a white patch of fur on its head that resembled a skull. It sat on its haunches once the hole vanished and looked up at Phillip.
"You are?" the cat asked with a stern, feminine voice. Phillip's mind gave up trying to make sense of anything beyond that point. The cat asked him a question; the only thing he could do was answer it.
"Sir Phillip; knight of the great empire of the Kingdom," he replied with a formal bow. "I recently discovered this lost princess and was about to render aid. However, she does not seem very forthcoming."
"Thank you, Sir Phillip," the cat replied. "There is quite a bit happening here; but, I appreciate you trying to be helpful. I'll reward you as soon as I help her," the cat said. Phillip nodded, unsure what else to say. The cat turned her attention to the princess as soon as she was done with Phillip and he felt like giving any reply would be an interruption.
"Thank you too, Rosario," the cat said while looking up towards the Princess. "The fact that Sir Phillip got close enough to try to help shows good judgment; Helios would be proud," she added. Phillip wondered if that cat was talking to the princess, but then he heard another voice. It sounded like the giggle he heard earlier. He assumed it was the cat, but this new voice definitely matched the laughter.
"Awww, shucks...," a woman said. The mist grew denser and coalesced into a single spot in the shape of a human. It was a young woman wrapped in dark green clothes. She winked at Phillip. "... who. Me?"