5 - Evangeline

                                    

                                          
Evangeline looked at her surroundings, frowning at the mess that her suite had transformed into. Dresses of dozens of different colors and shades hung on racks and open screens. The floor was littered with an endless sea of pretty boxes, all wrapped in perfect red ribbons—she'd opened a few, but they'd continued to arrive throughout the previous day, and Evangeline had felt a little overwhelmed by the excessive number of gifts. The room was still splendid enough to look like it had come straight out of a dream, but as her eyes ran over it, she felt more lost than she had yesterday.
Evangeline felt as though the remaining jagged bits of her heart were being fractured again, and she held her breath for an instant, hoping that if she didn't move, the sensation would disappear. At that moment, she missed her parents like she had never before. All Evangeline wanted was a hug from her father, or a gentle word from her mother; anything that could be at least remotely familiar. Although she had Apollo, maids and guards that looked after her, she felt painfully alone in that distant, foreign land. 
Ever since she was a little girl, Evangeline had dreamed of venturing into the cold and mysterious realm of the Magnificent North, but she had always imagined she would do it beside her mother. She had pictured the two of them in wonderful scenarios, similar to the tales her mother, Liana Fox, used to tell her before Evangeline went to bed. 
It seemed cruelly ironic to be there now without her, and Evangeline wished for the hundredth time that she could get her memories back. 
Prince Apollo had somberly told her that her missing memories were the evil work of this Lord Jacks, and she imagined that, by now, the news already were spreading throughout the kingdom. Even if it made her feel bad, Evangeline secretly hoped that that was the case.
She couldn't stop wondering if it actually hadn't been her own fault—she could not pry that thought from her head, and it truly frightened her. Maybe she really did trade her memories for everything she had now. And although she couldn't see it right now, perhaps her past-self had reasons enough to believe that losing her memories was a reasonable price to pay. The Evangeline she had been certainly knew things that the person she was now did not, and maybe a life beside Apollo was really worth it.  
Evangeline looked out the window, watching as the rising sun illuminated the snow-capped pine peaks. It was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen, and she wished she could enjoy the view. She sighed instead, closing her eyes tightly for a moment. 
Although she thought Apollo to be as charming as any fairytale prince, Evangeline couldn't bring herself to understand how she could've exchanged something as precious as her memories for him. She had to admit that she'd dreamed a lot about becoming a princess, and honestly, she could easily see herself falling for him—maybe even loving him enough to do something crazy—but how could only that be worth such a huge sacrifice? What was the point of having someone by her side if she couldn't remember them? 
Evangeline didn't know Apollo—not anymore, at least. She would have to learn how to love him all over again.
It seemed like a terrible idea to give away her memories like this. 
She knew that sounded horrible, but she really hoped they had been stolen—somehow, it would be easier to deal with the situation if she knew she wasn't the one responsible for it. And if they had indeed been stolen, and not traded, then she would have the right to look for them and get them back.  
Evangeline shook her head, trying to dissipate her thoughts. She was feeling so many things she didn't have an explanation for. It wasn't just the anguish she felt for being in a place she did not know, or the desperation that struck her every time she realized she didn't remember a single thing from these last few months.