A New Life

Voices seemed to come from all directions, whispering and pulling at her yet she could not move and not cover her ears. She opened her eyes and found herself laying in that familiar four-poster bed with those warm blankets covered with flowery patterns. Had someone brought her back home? She wanted to believe that what she had heard was a lie but it seemed too real. She rang the bell for a maid, wanting to check what was going on.

The door opened and a woman with cropped blond hair and dark brown eyes came in, Louise. Louise had been her close friend and confident, but she had quit before they had lost for Theron, so what was Louise doing here? Perhaps, she had come back upon hearing that her friend had been hurt.

"Louise? Who rescued me from Theron? Did the Emperor really come and take over blaming my negligence on it?"

Louise laughed, "I didn't know you were so excited about going to Theron that you were dreaming about it. I mean, it seemed like you were dreading it. The Emperor did not do that since you never went, but I can see that happening. After all, he cares a great deal about you and treats you like his own daughter."

What was going on? Was this a joke? No, it couldn't be, Louise would not play such a cruel joke.

"How old are you, Louise?"

"Are you feeling all right, Claire? We celebrated my 19h birthday a few weeks ago. It seems quite odd for an eighteen-year-old to be having memory problems."

Clarimond gasped, if she was 18 then that would mean she had gone five years back in the past, before she had gone as a political hostage to Theron, "I'm fine, I just was distracted. Do I have anything on my schedule today?"

"Yes, you have tea time with Arabella at three and you need to pick out a couple of outfits for Theron."

"Louise, are you going with me to Theron?"

"If you would like, Claire. I mean honestly I would like to go since you need a trusty companion when going to another country and I wish to serve you."

After she had heard this, what had happened in the past seemed odd. Why would someone so excited to go just mysteriously quit? Something weird was going on and she suspected that it had something to do with Arabella. It was horrible that she had to go to tea with Arabella today but before that she needed to figure out why Louise had just gone away.

"I'm glad."

Clarimond clasped onto Louise's hands, feeling the warmth she had yearned for, for so many years.

"Umm, Claire, you need to go eat breakfast."

Clarimond nodded, focusing back of the present. She would change the future, and those she cared for would never be harmed again.