"Morning, El", said Jake in a sluggish voice. None in my office were enthusiastic, but Jake was the worst. "Morning Jake", I said, feigning interest. Maybe if I tried to pretend it was okay, it would really be.

"Elora Norman!!!", bellowed my manager, dragging the syllables. With no way to escape, I rushed into his office to start my day with criticism. Let being okay go to hell.

After an hour of being lashed at, I sighed as I sat down in my moth-eaten chair in the gloomy cabin where I'd spent my last three years toiling. Life had been normal for me, but normal was simply not enough. I wanted more.

A crisp autumn breeze penetrated the heavy air. The scent of fallen leaves filled my lungs as I inhaled. Somehow, the earthy aroma of autumn always made me crave something familiar. I didn't know what, but it felt like craving the warmth of your long-lost mother whenever someone touched you. It created an ache in the heart. A longing.

Every leaf of autumn was unique. It was like the leaf was conveying something through the complex designs and patterns. I swirled my hand unconsciously. A reddish smoke curled up around a set of orange leaves with intricate patterns and made them dance to my rhythm. It was like magic. It was magic.

I focused on the leaves that were still dancing to the rhythm of my heartbeat. They were swirling and bending, completely defying the laws of physics.

It was a secret of mine. I had eyes that could read an autumn leaf, and Will that could make them dance in the air. My grandma used to say I was special and I needed to protect this superpower of mine. Silly Nana.

I tried to read the markings on one of the leaves. I had no idea how I did it, but every time I tried to read a leaf, I magically understood its meaning. But that time was different. I looked at the veins forking and joining repeatedly, building an intricate story full of twists and turns. I looked at the color, gradually changing from red to orange and back to red again. But before I could comprehend it, my vision blurred, and my head got dizzy.

I dropped the leaf and held on to my table. A scene materialized in front of me. It was heavenly. Covered with autumn leaves, the view was a thousand shades of red, orange, and yellow. It was like a giant portrait of life.

Suddenly, the scene shifted, transforming into a dark room built with large stones. Large hooded figures stood in a semi-circle, looking pointedly at the small figure in front of them. The girl was surrounded by reddish smoke, just like mine. The curled-up creature whimpered, and I immediately recognized the sound.

One of the hooded figures stepped forward. "Elanora Esther, you have committed a grave mistake that could've destroyed the whole of Ithil."

"No", said the small figure in a stern voice. It was almost unbelievable that it was the same girl who whimpered like a wounded animal a while ago.

"Even if you object to the crime, you can't escape the banishment", said another shorter-hooded figure.

A more familiar voice sounded from somewhere on the other side of the room. I turned to see the silhouette of a woman in the shadows, almost unnoticeable. "Isn't banishment too harsh for the girl? After all, she's the royal-" The sentence was cut short by another hooded figure, the tallest of 'em all. "Know your place, Carla."

My heart began to thrum, and the image started to swirl, mixing everything into an unrecognizable pool of autumn leaves, now littered in my cabin.

***

"My baby", my Nana cooed. "I see you remember".

Remember? "Nana, I had a vision, and I can't make heads or tails with it." The vision was still vivid in my mind.

For the first time in my life, my Nana seemed old. Fragile. The wrinkles on her face were more pronounced, and the tiredness showed through her strong outer facade.

"You're so close to the answers, my child. But I'm not the one who can give them to you". She made her way to the golden-framed mirror, our only family heirloom, and placed her palm flat in the middle. The solid mirror melted and flowed outward, revealing an old letter.

Nana carefully picked up the letter and placed it in my hands. The mirror flowed back and solidified, perfectly disguised from human eyes. Nana patted me gently and left the room.

Dear Elanora,
If you were reading this, you would have lost your memory and identity. You are the banished princess of Ithil. You have to return to Ithil on your 25th birthday. By that time, the fate of Ithil will be in your hands.

There was a large ink spot in the letter, and the rest was scribbled like it was written hastily.

To open the gates of Ithil, you have to find the golden leaf.

The rest of the paper was crumbled, and the letters were smudged like the ink had no time to dry. But I could make some words in the pool of letters.

Birthplace. Maple. Crest. Blood.

Everything else was a mess. I stood there dumbfounded. My whole life was a lie. All I could make out of the letter was that a gold leaf was the key to finding who I was, and I had to acquire it at all costs before my 25th birthday. How on earth was I going to find a single leaf in a week?

***

I sighed as I sat on a park bench. I had moved to my birthplace, as mentioned in the letter, and narrowed down my search to only maple trees. I had spent the last week relentlessly running around from corner to corner, but not even one single leaf felt special. I couldn't even focus on the beauty of the patterns like I usually did. It was all just trash. Useless.

I would be turning 25 tomorrow, and it was already after dark. Tears rushed into my eyes, and I let them spoil my white shirt like I'd let myself spoil my life.

Suddenly, something sparkled, and I looked at the large maple tree, faintly glowing in front of me. I wiped away the tears and approached the tree. The glow died down to reveal a symbol.

A crest?

I remembered the word from the letter. The crest was two phoenix birds gliding in the air, forming a curved V with their wings and fire in the middle. As I stared at the crest, intuition kicked in. I took out my pocket knife and slit my finger, rubbing a drop of blood on the crest.

A shining, luscious maple leaf, unlike anything I've ever seen before, landed on my hand. It was so delicate that even touching could hurt it. I stood there, a leaf in my hand and hope in my heart, waiting to go where I belonged.

As the clock hit midnight, the tree bark split in half, revealing a flat surface. I placed the leaf in the middle, and after a blink, I was in another land. The place from my vision. Home.

I could feel the magic flow through my veins and the heartbeat of the land in every pulse of my body. But one thing was missing. Leaves. The trees were dry and withered. Like they were cursed.

Memories flooded back, overwhelming my brain. I stood there in the dark forest, my eyes sparkling with determination to take back what was mine. The banished princess had finally returned.

***

"How long do you plan on peeking, Carla?", I asked, my tone indifferent. The lady I've called Nana all these years appeared in front of me, clutching the hem of her dress, uncertain.

When she didn't speak, I asked, "Where's Hilbert?", my tone arrogant. She gasped. No one addressed the head priest by name.

"I'm sorry, but the Head Priest forbade me from telling you about everything. Don't mistake him. If you had regained your memory, you would have stormed into Ithil before you were ready".

***

That's how I ended up in that forest. I still didn't know if Hilbert betrayed me or not. But I trusted Na-- Carla. According to her, on my 25th birthday, I was to visit the forgotten spring cave. But the thing is, it was forgotten. No one remembered where it was.

As I was delving into the wilderness, I came across a hunched-over old man in rags. "Elanora?", he asked, astonished.

Hilbert?

He grabbed my hand with a force that wasn't there moments ago and dragged me through the thicket of barren trees to a cave.

The forgotten spring cave!

The sight was ethereal. The water shimmered red, reflecting the rubies at the bottom. I was lost in its beauty before the head priest placed something wet and slimy in my hands. I glanced at my hand to see bloodied metal gleaming. Whose blood was that? I snapped my head to see the old man clutching his chest to keep the blood in. I rushed to his side, but he held his hands out.

"My child. Forgive this old man. If I hadn't banished you, you would've been long dead. All the other priests sided with your brother. I had no other choice", he hastily whispered.

"My brother?", I asked in disbelief.

My brother was the original heir to the throne but was stripped of the title and banished when he killed a whole village for sport. He was a savage animal who gained joy from the suffering of others. But he also lusted for power. His insatiable craving for control would be the end of Ithil. But I thought he had at least a little good in his blood from our parents.

"He poisoned the land with the venom of the serpent king and killed your parents. The priests became his acquaintances. I had to play along to keep you alive."

I froze. My brother... killed my parents? My rage boiled over, and all I could see was red.

"There's only...", he panted, straining to utter every single word. "There's only one person who can cure the land. The first Queen of Ithil"

He stared right into my eyes and said, "According to the prophecy, the ruby pond... and this bloody sword... I've made with the lost bones of the... seven dragons should be enough to... awaken the magic in you... Get into the... pond and... save... Ithil". His breathing ceased, and his lifeless body collapsed in front of me.

***

I could evidently see the shock on everyone's faces as I entered the palace throne room. Watching the horror in the eyes of the old hags was the best part. I wanted to make them suffer for the rest of their lives and bask in their sorrow. I glared at the priests one by one to see them visibly cower.

"Welcome back, Elanora", sounded a voice from the back of the room, but I kept my sight straight ahead. I don't answer to arrogant rats. I heard footsteps approach me, and a handsome man as vicious as a serpent stood in front of me. He looked as fine as the king himself.

"I didn't expect my little sister to escape banishment so soon. I'm glad", he said, malice dancing in his eyes.

With a smirk, I willed the colossal magic in my body to take over. Fresh autumn trees grew around me. Multiple gasps sounded from the onlooking crowd, and a torrent of murmuring followed when someone shouted, "She's the rebirth of the First Queen!"

There I stood with gleaming, vicious red eyes, an implacable stare, and thick, deadly reddish smoke curling around me. I stared at his glassy eyes filled with mortal terror and said, "Glad to see you too, brother", my tone impassive as my magic choked him to death.