THE MOMENT
Princess Eva woke up first, then she opened her eyes. She could feel a gentle, firm surface beneath her and she knew she was on her back. It was simultaneously comfortable, and very much not. She didn't know where she was, nor could she remember where she was supposed to be. That was when her eyes fluttered open. She found herself in a dark, candle-lit stone room. The mass of white, dusty spiderwebs spread out across the ceiling caught her interest first, then she heard a noise. She sat up to get her bearings.
A teenage girl in black leather armor stood on one side of the room next to the corpse of a giant black spider, at least twice her size. The girl was focused on a grey pane of glass that hovered in front of her.
"Hello?" Eva spoke up as she swung her legs off the bed and stood. The girl looked up, then made a gesture with her hand and the slate disappeared. She approached Eva with a wave.
"Hi, I'm Abby," she nodded at Eva. "I think killing the guardian..," Abby gestured at the over-sized arachnid with her head. "... broke the spell. Congratulations on waking up," she added with a smile. "I can help you get back to town, if you want," she offered. She didn't want to assume it was what the woman wanted, and it would've been better for her if she didn't. It was still early in Abby's exploration for the day when she found the hidden chamber. She wasn't expecting a boss fight, but she came out on top with a new skill, and possibly a new friend.
Eva turned and looked around the spacious room. It had once been an elegant bedroom, maybe even hers. But now, everything was coated with a mass of white spider webs and dusty cobwebs. She couldn't stay there anymore. She was a princess, but she was sure this wasn't her castle, even if she couldn't remember much else.
"Please guide me to the entrance of the castle. From there I can journey safely to the town," she said.
"Well, at that point, I'll just take you all the way," Abby giggled. Eva joined with a laugh too. "Let's go," she headed toward the door, and Eva followed close behind. Except, along the way, Eva stepped on brick that sank under her weight, then clicked.
"Uh oh," it wasn't a memory; but, the sound was obviously a trap and it stirred butterflies in the pit of her stomach.
"Huh?" Abby turned to see, then a new voice drew both of their attention.
"You'll never escape Princess!" A well-dressed goblin in a black gothic suit appeared in a plume of white smoke at the center of the room. He was shorter than the teenage rescuer, but stockier with sickly green skin and long pointed ears that matched his nose. He made frantic gestures with both hands, then a large black portal opened in the air next to him. It took up almost the entire height of the room from stone floor to ceiling, and several black thin rods shot out. It wasn't until they touched the ground and more came that Eva realized they were legs, and the spider was even larger than the one Abby already killed.
"Defend me, Abby!" Eva panicked and dashed to the girl's side. Even as she tried to hide behind the shorter girl, she wasn't comfortable with how easily she panicked.
"I'm sorry, Princess," the goblin chuckled as the spider emerged fully, then he disappeared with another puff of smoke.
"I'm sorry," Eva apologized to Abby, but the teen shook her head.
"This is great!" Abby giggled as she readied her spiked mace. "You've got nothing to apologize for, this is why I come to the castle," she added. "And the best part is...," she winked at Eva, then spun around and dashed up the wall behind them. She dashed up and upside down across the ceiling above the giant spider, then her mace began to glow. "I get to test out the new skill I just learned!"