"How come you know about it then?"

"I used to be a itinerant doctor in my country, so I had the occasion to visit a few people that had your same issue. I was able to decodify a good part of the language as I was doing my research on their illnesses. The most appropriate term I would use to define your condition is reincarnation."

They paused for a while, looking at each other.

Dafina sighed.

"What is fundamental for you to know is to not mention your peculiar situation to anyone here."

"Why?"

"Because, you see... they would dispose of you."

Amantine widened her eyes.

"I have seen it first hand. There was a little boy who , after a month of deep coma, woke up and started talking in your language. They declared him crazy; some fanatics even thought that he was possessed by demons. He ended up locked down in what locals call "the punishment tower" and eventually died from starvation, like mostly everyone that is confined in that prison..."

The princes started nervously biting her lower lip.

"I can help you adapt here. I can teach you the language, the faces, the customs. Meanwhile we can pretend that you only lost your memory, and talked gibberish till now because your mind is still disoriented."

Amantine lost herself in thought for a moment.

Then after looking Dafina in the eyes, she asked:

"I know nothing comes for free. Why are you helping me?"

"Because I made a promise to myself once. I will not let the princess of this country die or be used by the foxes that live within the castle. They want to marry Roxelana of Apuleius off to the Orhan country. I believe, whoever you might be right now, that in a country such as Apuleius, you are the one that should inherit the crown, especially because people are very wary of women. Let's say that I am a sympathizer of the future queen Roxelana of Apuleius, instead of Roxelana the secluded wife of Roderigo Orhan."

"What if I can't take the pressure of the title? I am not Roxelana. I don't know if I can manage to be a princess, not to mention being a queen."

"If you start trusting me, I can help you become one. I can assure you that the rewards are fulfilling as much as the obstacles are tough. Power is a great thing to have, once you now how to manage it properly."

"What do you know about being a good queen?"

"I am one."

"Then why don't you take over yourself?"

"I already have a bad reputation. I am a foreign queen, a slave in this castle, a shadow that haunts the living. Here, they call me "The Eastern Witch". That's not a nice name, don't you agree? I am a lost cause from the very first step on this land. You however,or whoever you might be now, to apuleians you are their princess. You have always been good. You are seen as a pure being, untouched by the corruption of the world, because you have lived your life only within the castle, showing modesty a virtuous behaviour in the few public occasions. Or at least that's the image that you have constructed on yourself till now."

"But you said they want to marry me off to Orhan?"

"That would be the royal secretary and his sympathizers.His name is Dolos.Be very careful around him. He is sly and cunning. He has made that decision over you from the very beginning. That mysoginist prick want's a true man to rule the country after your father dies..."

"So what's your plan?"

"You refusing the marriage, because 'you pledge to be a loyal subject of Apuleius, and can live only in your motherland'. In the past it wasn't unusual for the firstborn daughter to inherit the kingdom. In the last 100 years though, they have managed to get around the rules by marrying off the girl everytime there were cases such as yours. If you refuse to marry, they really can't do anything about that."

"What if I refuse to follow this path?"

"Well, you can always be at Roderigo's mercy. But from what I heard, his previous wives weren't really happy with him. You can ask them, but I'm afraid their mouths are full of dirt as they lay several feet underground..."

"..."

"You can try to escape. But the place is heavily guarded. And if they catch you, which is the most probable thing that would happen, I think your life will surely turn like mine:a total nightmare, shunned and abandoned till you eventually end, again, in Orhan. Or, in an even worst case scenario, you'll end up dead. Because unruly women, regardless of their social position, have very little rights."

"Isn't refusing to be married off in the same category as being unruly?"

"That's the only right that you have, dear. Your only privilege as a princess. The only time you can say "no". And it would be justifiable because you "love your country and your heart would ache if you got away from it". For apuleians, there is nothing more noble than showing off your national pride. They can accept that. What they cannot accept is you escaping from your country, because you'd be considered as a traitor."

"This is so f**ked up...." whispered Amantine, but the queen heard anyways.

"I know. But if you'll follow my advice, you'll have the power to help changing this crooked mentality of theirs."

Amantine stayed silent.

The queen suddenly moved, as she remembered to ask something important.

" Does Milena know about you speaking french?"

"..."

The young woman was titubant still. She was not entirely convinced by the queen's apparent reasons to help her be the next monarch.

 

"I wrote a sample to her in the hopes of decyphering it."

"Ok. I'll take care of it."

Immediately Dafina slightly opened the door and called back the doctor.

"Your highness..." bowed Milena as soon as she entered again in the princess' chambers.

"Give me the paper."

"I'm not sure I understand what you mean..."

The queen patiently looked at Amantine.

"La poche gauche..."  said Amantine without producing any sound, but moving her mouth so the queen could understand her only by the motion.

Dafina forcibly sneaked her hand in the young doctor's right pocket, finding what she thought she was searching for. Without even looking at its content the queen moved her hand elegantly towards the nearest candle.

The flame rose up immediately and extinguished in a matter of second, leaving only a few black traces that fell on the floor. A slight burning smell filled the room.

Milena could not understand what exactly was happening.

In that same moment the guards entered, followed by Sir Menelam and the royal secretary, Sir Dolos.

"Madam, it doesen't take a genius to know that you are not welcomed into the princess' chambers."

"Dear Sir, it is my obligation to see a patient if I think I can help with the treatment. I am sure that Sir Menelam knows about the importance of the doctor's vow."

"However, Dear Madam, I have to remind you that you are not a doctor, therefore you have no authorization to check her up."

"Do I have to remind you that I not need anyone's authorization to visit whoever I want? Know your place Sir Dolos. You might be the Royal Secretary, but I am your Queen."

"It would have been so, if your highness wasn't suspected of harming the princess in the first place. I sure am your subject , Madam, but protecting the princess' health is first priority in this case."

"Agreed. Her condition is the most important thing right now. Too bad that the one that is accused of harming her, has actually found the solution."

"Oh? Your highness... you found out what her problem is?"

"Years ago I came across to an identical case. Her mind is confused so as a result she has lost her sensibility in her mouth and ears. As a consequence she can't hear properly and her tongue can't pronounce the words correctly. She also has lost her memory, but, very much like the other case she surely will recuperate what she lost in the next months. It's a slow process, but she'll be the same as usual. The disease was first discovered by Pleyel. It's called Phantom Amnesia."

Without even saying goodbye, the queen got out of the room, leaving the rest of them in silence for a while.

Sir Dolos stabbed his eyes on her back as she walked away. 

"I hate that bitch" he whispered to himself.

"Phantom Amnesia..." spoke softly Sir Menelam while gently stroking his white fluffy beard " Never heard of it...."

Meanwhile Milena, still lost in her doubts, tightened her grip unto the piece of paper in her other pocket. She still had the original paper that the princess had written, but her instinct made her cautious. She was afraid to show it to either of the two men that had come to her rescue.