The Queen They Forgot

The first thing I felt was Alex’s hand holding mine.

The second was the cold.

Not the ordinary cold of a winter morning in New York, but something deeper, something that seemed to seep straight into my bones.

Then the darkness disappeared.

And I forgot how to breathe.

The world before me was beautiful.

Terrifyingly beautiful.

A vast sky stretched above us, painted in shades of deep violet, crimson, and midnight blue. Two enormous moons hung above distant mountains, their silver light spilling over forests of black trees and rivers that shimmered like liquid stars.

Floating islands drifted between towering mountains. Waterfalls poured from cliffs into the clouds below, and enormous crystal structures rose from the landscape like something created by magic rather than human hands.

In the distance, a city glittered beneath the strange sky.

Its towers were impossibly tall, their pointed rooftops reflecting the light of the moons. Bridges connected buildings that seemed to float above the ground, and glowing carriages moved through the air without horses.

I stared at everything.

I couldn’t help it.

“Alex...”

He stood beside me, watching my face instead of the world around us.

“Welcome to the Underworld.”

I slowly turned toward him.

“This is real?”

“Yes.”

“All of it?”

“Every part.”

I looked back at the horizon.

Somewhere inside me, something stirred.

A strange ache spread through my chest, accompanied by a feeling I couldn’t explain. It wasn’t fear exactly. It was closer to homesickness.

But how could I miss a place I’d never visited?

“Why does it feel...” I began.

Alex waited.

“Like I’ve been here before?”

His expression changed.

Only slightly, but I noticed.

“Because memories don’t always disappear just because you do.”

Before I could ask what he meant, a sharp pain struck my head.

I gasped and grabbed my temples.

Images flashed through my mind.

A long corridor illuminated by blue flames.

Silver symbols carved into black stone.

Someone laughing beside me.

A hand reaching for mine.

A familiar voice whispering, You promised you would never leave.

Then everything shattered.

“Abby!”

Alex caught me before my knees gave way.

I clutched his coat, struggling to breathe as another wave of pain passed through my head.

“Make it stop,” I whispered.

His arms tightened around me.

“Look at me. Abby, look at me.”

I forced my eyes open.

His face was frighteningly close, his usual confidence replaced by something I had never seen in him before.

Fear.

“You’re going to be okay,” he said. “Just breathe.”

“What’s happening to me?”

“Your memories are coming back too quickly.”

“My memories?” I repeated. “You mean those images were real?”

He hesitated.

“Yes.”

A new image flashed through my mind: a grand hall filled with people, all of them bowing as I walked past.

I heard my name.

Your Majesty.

I pulled away from Alex.

“Stop saying things like that! What memories? Why are people calling me that? Why does this place feel familiar?”

“Abby—”

“No! You brought me here. You knew this would happen!”

He didn’t deny it.

That silence hurt.

I stepped away from him, trying to steady myself.

Then I noticed something strange.

My hands looked different.

Not completely different, but older somehow. My fingers were more slender, and my reflection in a nearby crystal surface showed a young woman who looked like me, only more mature.

I stared at my reflection in disbelief.

“What happened to me?”

Alex approached carefully.

“The Underworld doesn’t always follow the same rules as the human world. Crossing the boundary has changed your appearance. Here, your body reflects the age you were meant to have in this realm.”

I looked at him through the reflection.

“You’re telling me I look older because I crossed a magical boundary?”

“That’s the simplest way to explain it.”

“And what’s the complicated way?”

“Something we’ll discuss when you’re feeling better.”

I turned around.

“Alex!”

“I know.” He exhaled. “I know you’re tired of hearing that.”

“Then stop using it!”

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Then he reached toward me, slowly enough for me to move away if I wanted to.

I didn’t.

His fingers brushed mine.

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly.

It was the first time I’d heard those words from him without a joke, an excuse, or a promise attached.

I wanted to stay angry.

Instead, I found myself staring at him, searching his face for the answers he still wasn’t giving me.

“Are you going to tell me everything eventually?”

“Yes.”

“When?”

His eyes met mine.

“When you’re ready to hear it.”

I almost argued.

Then another wave of dizziness hit me, and I had to grab his arm.

Alex immediately steadied me.

“That’s enough walking for now.”

He glanced toward the distant city.

“We’re going to the kingdom.”

“The kingdom?”

He nodded.

“The Vampire Kingdom.”

The words sent a strange shiver through me.

I didn’t know why.

But somewhere deep inside my mind, a door seemed to move.

And I heard a voice whisper my name.

The journey to the kingdom felt like travelling through a dream.

Alex led me along a road paved with dark stone. Strange flowers glowed beside the path, and tiny lights drifted through the air like living stars.

We passed creatures I’d never imagined outside the pages of fantasy novels. Some resembled humans, while others had horns, unusual eyes, or wings folded against their backs.

Yet nobody seemed surprised to see Alex.

They bowed as he passed.

Some lowered their heads. Others stepped aside immediately, whispering among themselves.

I noticed that several people looked at me, too.

Their expressions changed when they saw my face.

Confusion.

Shock.

And, in some cases, something that looked suspiciously like recognition.

One woman dropped the basket she was carrying.

A man beside her whispered something I couldn’t understand.

Then he bowed.

Deeply.

I stopped walking.

“Alex.”

He didn’t look at me.

“Keep walking.”

“Why did he bow?”

“Because he knows who I am.”

“And the others?”

“Some of them know me, too.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

“I know.”

I stared at him.

“You’re impossible.”

“I’ve been told.”

Despite myself, I almost smiled.

Almost.

Then we reached the city gates.

They were enormous, made of black metal decorated with silver vines and ruby-red stones. Two guards stood on either side, wearing dark armor and carrying long spears.

The moment they saw Alex, they knelt.

“Your Majesty.”

I blinked.

Alex barely acknowledged them.

“Open the gates.”

One guard obeyed immediately.

The gates began to move.

But as we stepped forward, the second guard raised his head and looked directly at me.

His face went pale.

For a moment, he seemed unable to speak.

Then he whispered, “It cannot be...”

Alex stopped.

“Did you say something?”

The guard lowered his head again.

“No, Your Majesty.”

Alex watched him for a second before continuing.

I followed, but my thoughts were racing.

Everyone knew Alex.

Everyone seemed to recognize me.

And nobody was willing to explain why.

As the gates opened completely, a magnificent palace came into view.

It stood at the heart of the city, surrounded by gardens filled with silver-leaved trees and crimson flowers. Tall towers reached toward the strange sky, and enormous windows reflected the two moons.

The palace was beautiful.

But something about it made my chest ache.

I had seen it before.

Not in a dream.

Not in a photograph.

Somewhere inside the memories I couldn’t reach.

I stopped so abruptly that Alex nearly walked into me.

“Abby?”

I stared at the palace.

“I know this place.”

His expression became serious.

“Are you sure?”

“No. I don’t know anything anymore.” I pressed my fingers against my forehead. “But I feel like I’ve stood here before.”

Alex looked toward the palace.

For a brief moment, sadness crossed his face.

Then he turned back to me.

“Come on. There’s someone I want you to meet.”

“Who?”

Before he could answer, a voice called from the palace steps.

“Alex!”

A young man came running toward us.

He had silver-blond hair, striking blue eyes, and an easy smile that disappeared the instant he saw me.

He stopped.

His lips parted slightly.

For several seconds, he simply stared.

Then he whispered a name.

“Abby?”

I looked behind me, wondering whether he was speaking to someone else.

There was nobody there.

I turned back.

“Do I know you?”

The smile vanished from his face.

He approached slowly, as though he were afraid I might disappear if he moved too quickly.

“It’s really you,” he murmured.

I took a cautious step backward.

“I’m sorry, but—”

“You don’t remember me.”

It wasn’t a question.

I shook my head.

He looked down, attempting to hide his disappointment.

Then, unexpectedly, he smiled again.

Not the carefree smile he’d worn when he first approached us.

This one was quieter.

Almost fragile.

“I’m Lucien,” he said. “We grew up together.”

My heart skipped.

A memory flashed across my mind.

Two children running through a garden.

A boy with silver-blond hair holding out a small flower.

A promise beneath a tree.

Then the image disappeared.

I grabbed my head.

“Abby!” Alex caught my elbow.

Lucien immediately stepped forward.

“What happened to her?”

“She’s recovering,” Alex replied sharply.

“Recovering from what?”

“That’s none of your concern.”

Lucien’s blue eyes narrowed.

“She’s my concern.”

The air between them changed.

I looked from one to the other.

“Could somebody explain what’s happening?”

Lucien turned toward me, and his expression softened immediately.

“Of course. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

He offered me his hand.

“Would you like to see the gardens? You used to love them.”

I hesitated.

The gardens.

Another flicker of memory.

Laughter. Sunlight. A boy chasing me through a field of crimson flowers.

I couldn’t remember his face.

But I remembered being happy.

“I’d like that,” I admitted.

Lucien’s smile returned.

“Then I’ll show you everything.”

Before I could take his hand, Alex stepped between us.

“She’s tired. She needs to rest.”

Lucien raised an eyebrow.

“I asked Abby, not you.”

“And I answered.”

I stared at Alex.

What was wrong with him?

Lucien glanced at me, clearly trying not to laugh.

“Some things never change.”

“What does that mean?” I asked.

“Nothing,” Alex replied immediately.

Lucien’s smile widened.

“Absolutely nothing.”

I narrowed my eyes.

They were both hiding something.

Wonderful.

I’d arrived in a world where everyone seemed to know my past, and within ten minutes, I’d already found two people determined not to tell me anything.

This was going to be a long day.

My room in the palace was larger than our entire apartment back in New York.

A massive bed stood beneath a canopy of black silk. Silver curtains framed enormous windows overlooking the city, and a balcony opened onto the gardens. The walls were decorated with intricate patterns, and a crystal chandelier cast a soft glow over everything.

I should have been amazed.

Instead, I felt as though I were standing inside someone else’s life.

Someone who had once belonged here.

Someone whose memories were slowly beginning to return.

Alex stood near the door while I explored the room.

“Do you like it?”

I turned toward him.

“Is this my room?”

He paused.

“Yes.”

“How do you know?”

He didn’t answer quickly enough.

I looked at the bed, the balcony, the silver ornaments on the desk.

Then I noticed a small framed painting.

It showed a garden beneath a violet sky.

Two children stood beside a tree.

One had silver-blond hair.

The other looked remarkably like me.

I picked up the frame with trembling hands.

“Alex?”

He came closer.

I pointed at the painting.

“Who are they?”

He looked at it.

“Lucien and you.”

My throat tightened.

“How long have I known him?”

“Since you were children.”

“And you knew him, too?”

“Yes.”

I turned toward him.

“Then why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I wanted you to arrive here safely before dealing with everything else.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“I know.”

I put the painting down.

“Does he remember everything about me?”

Alex’s jaw tightened.

“Probably.”

“Does he know what happened to my memories?”

“Some of it.”

“And does he know why everyone keeps looking at me as though I’m supposed to be someone important?”

Alex went silent.

I laughed without humor.

“Of course he does.”

I walked toward the balcony.

The city stretched endlessly beneath the strange sky, its lights glittering like stars scattered across the earth.

I could hear distant music from somewhere in the palace.

For a moment, I wished I could return to New York.

Back to my bedroom, my schoolbooks, and my ordinary life.

Then I remembered the attack.

The door.

The creatures.

The vision of the black hall.

Maybe my ordinary life had never been as ordinary as I’d believed.

Behind me, Alex spoke.

“Lucien cares about you.”

I turned.

“He’s my childhood friend. I hope he does.”

“That’s not what I mean.”

Something in his voice made me pause.

“What do you mean, then?”

He looked away.

“He has feelings for you.”

I stared at him.

“What?”

“He has for a long time.”

I didn’t know what to say.

Lucien had been kind to me, but I had only just met him—or rather, met him again. I couldn’t even remember our childhood together.

“How am I supposed to respond to that?” I asked. “I don’t remember loving him. I don’t remember anything.”

Alex’s expression darkened.

“Then don’t let him pressure you into anything.”

“I don’t think he would.”

“You don’t know him anymore.”

“And neither do I know you as well as I thought I did.”

The words escaped before I could stop them.

Alex went still.

I regretted saying them almost immediately, but I couldn’t take them back.

After a long silence, he nodded.

“You’re right.”

He walked toward the door.

“Get some rest. I’ll come back later.”

“Alex?”

He stopped.

“Are you angry with me?”

He looked over his shoulder.

“No.”

It was the fastest lie he’d ever told.

Then he left.

I stood in the middle of my enormous room, staring at the closed door.

I had a childhood friend who remembered a version of me I couldn’t recall.

A mysterious kingdom that seemed to recognize me.

And Alex, who grew colder every time Lucien’s name came up.

I pressed my fingers against my forehead.

My head was beginning to hurt again.

And somewhere deep inside my mind, I could hear the echo of a boy’s voice.

I’ll find you again. I promise.

I didn’t know whether the voice belonged to Lucien.

Or Alex.

And that frightened me more than anything else.

That evening, Lucien returned.

He knocked politely before entering, carrying a small tray with tea and a plate of crimson pastries.

“I thought you might be hungry.”

I smiled faintly.

“You’re very thoughtful.”

“I used to bring you food whenever you forgot to eat.”

“Was I really that bad?”

“Worse.”

I laughed.

It felt strange, laughing with someone whose face I barely remembered but whose presence somehow felt familiar.

Lucien placed the tray on the table.

“Would you like to take a walk with me tomorrow? Just around the gardens. I can tell you about some of the places we used to visit.”

I’d been wanting answers all day.

And if anyone could help me understand my forgotten childhood, perhaps it was him.

“I’d like that.”

His expression brightened.

“Really?”

“Really.”

For a moment, he looked as happy as a child receiving a long-awaited gift.

Then his smile softened.

“I missed you, Abby.”

I didn’t know how to respond.

He wasn’t asking me to remember him. He wasn’t demanding that I feel something I couldn’t understand.

He was simply telling me the truth.

“I’m sorry I don’t remember,” I whispered.

Lucien shook his head.

“You don’t have to apologize for something that wasn’t your choice.”

He paused.

“I won’t ask you to become the girl you used to be. I just want the chance to know the person you are now.”

Something in my chest ached.

“That sounds fair.”

He smiled.

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow.”

After he left, I found myself thinking about his words.

For the first time since arriving in the Underworld, I felt that perhaps I could discover my past without being forced to become a stranger to myself.

I didn’t notice the figure standing in the corridor outside my room.

I didn’t hear the quiet footsteps moving away.

And I didn’t see Alex stop at the far end of the hallway, his hands clenched at his sides.

He had heard every word.

Including the way I’d smiled at Lucien.

Including the promise I’d made to meet him the next day.

And for reasons he still refused to explain, the thought of losing me to someone who remembered my past was almost unbearable.

The following evening, Alex found me on the balcony.

I’d spent the day exploring the palace with Lucien, learning about the city and hearing fragments of stories from my childhood. I still couldn’t remember most of them, but some details had begun to feel familiar.

Alex had barely spoken to me all day.

Now, he stood beside the balcony doors, watching me.

“How was your day?”

I turned toward him.

“Good. Lucien showed me the gardens.”

“I heard.”

“Did you?”

“Apparently, he remembers a great deal about you.”

I frowned.

“Why do you sound upset?”

“I’m not upset.”

“Alex.”

He looked at me.

I folded my arms.

“You’ve been acting strangely since we arrived. You get angry whenever Lucien is around, and now you can barely have a conversation with me without bringing him up.”

His expression hardened.

“Maybe you should ask yourself why you’re so eager to spend time with him.”

I stared at him.

“Because he’s helping me remember my past!”

“And what happens when he starts asking for more than friendship?”

“That’s his decision, not yours.”

The words landed between us.

Alex looked away, his jaw tight.

I stepped closer.

“Why does it matter to you?”

He didn’t answer.

“Alex, look at me.”

He did.

And for a moment, all his anger seemed to disappear, leaving something far more vulnerable behind.

“Because I can’t stand the thought of you looking at him the way you look at me.”

My heart stumbled.

“What?”

He seemed to realize what he’d said.

He turned away, running a hand through his hair.

“Forget it.”

“No.”

“Abby—”

“You don’t get to say something like that and then tell me to forget it.”

He looked back at me.

The silence between us felt different now.

More dangerous than any creature we’d encountered.

“Do you want to know why I’m angry?” he asked quietly.

“Yes.”

“Because he remembers every moment of your childhood. He knows the things that made you laugh, the places you loved, the promises you made.” His voice faltered. “And I have to stand here watching him give you pieces of a life you can’t remember, while I keep wondering whether you’ll ever look at me and remember what we were to each other.”

I couldn’t speak.

“What were we to each other?” I finally whispered.

Alex stared at me.

For one second, I thought he might tell me everything.

Instead, he lifted his hand and gently brushed a strand of hair away from my face.

“That’s a question I can’t answer for you yet.”

I should have been angry.

Instead, I found myself searching his eyes, trying to understand why his words hurt so much.

“Then stop looking at me as though I’m supposed to know.”

His hand fell.

“I’m sorry.”

He took a step back.

I caught his wrist before he could turn away.

“Don’t go.”

He looked down at my hand, then back at me.

“Abby...”

“I don’t remember my past. I don’t know who I used to be, and I don’t know what everyone expects me to become.” My voice trembled. “But I know who I am right now. And I need you to stop deciding what I can handle without asking me.”

For a long moment, he said nothing.

Then he nodded.

“You’re right.”

He moved closer, slowly enough that I could step away.

I didn’t.

“Can I ask you something?” he whispered.

“What?”

“Can I kiss you?”

My heart began to race.

I had imagined kissing him before, though I’d never admitted it to myself. But imagining something and standing in front of the person who could make it happen were two entirely different things.

I looked into his eyes.

“Yes.”

He leaned toward me, hesitated for one last moment, and then kissed me.

At first, the kiss was gentle, almost uncertain.

Then I reached for him, and he drew me closer.

The world seemed to fall silent around us.

I forgot the strange sky, the palace, and the memories waiting somewhere inside my mind. For a few precious moments, there were no questions I needed answered and no secrets standing between us.

When we finally pulled apart, I was breathless.

Alex rested his forehead against mine.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered again.

I looked at him, my heart still racing.

“For what?”

“For waiting so long.”

I didn’t know what to say.

So I held his hand.

And for the first time since entering the Underworld, I felt as though I might be standing exactly where I was meant to be.

Then a sharp pain tore through my head.

I stumbled.

Alex caught me immediately.

“Abby?”

I pressed my hand against my forehead.

The balcony disappeared.

The palace vanished.

And suddenly, I was standing in a magnificent black hall beneath a ceiling covered in silver stars.

A crowd surrounded me.

Someone was crying.

A boy stood in front of me, his silver-blond hair falling across his eyes.

Lucien.

He looked younger, but his expression was unmistakable.

He was holding my hands.

“Please,” he whispered. “Don’t leave me.”

Then another voice rang through the hall.

Alex’s voice.

“Abby, you have to choose.”

The vision shattered.

I gasped, clutching Alex’s coat as I returned to the balcony.

He held me tightly.

“Look at me. Abby, stay with me.”

I forced my eyes open.

His face was pale.

“What did you see?” he asked.

I tried to speak, but the pain made it difficult to form the words.

“Lucien...”

Alex went completely still.

“What about him?”

I swallowed.

“He was there. In my memory. He was asking me not to leave.”

Alex’s arms tightened around me for a fraction of a second before he forced himself to relax.

“And then?”

I looked into his eyes.

“Then I heard you.”

He said nothing.

“What did it mean?” I whispered. “Why were you asking me to choose?”

Alex looked toward the city, where the two moons cast their silver light over the kingdom.

For the first time, I understood that his jealousy was only one small part of something much larger.

He wasn’t simply afraid that Lucien might win my heart.

He was afraid that when my memories returned, I might discover a truth that would change everything between us.

And somewhere in the palace, behind doors I had yet to open, my forgotten past was waiting.

End of Chapter 1.