The Second Beginning

It was hard to keep track of the time it took to get to Sidera.

Mostly because she kept falling asleep. Her body was exhausted, and the carriage ride was not as gentle as a ride in a car might be.

Donncahd kept up a brutal pace, as there were barely any pauses or breaks - apparently switching out horses and drivers rather than stopping for camp.

Logically, she knew that it couldn't be more than a day or two, as her 'host' didn't bother to stop and bring her refreshments of any kind.

As to whether she slept through an extra night and missed it, or whether it was only one night...

She didn't know.

What she did know was she felt dizzy and delirious by the time they did arrive, famished and drained from the trip.

The carriage came to a stop, and the door was opened.

She leaned out, staring up at the castle - which was less of a castle and more a fortress.

Dark.

Black stone.

Unyielding.

She swallowed, and gripped the door as the guards helped her down.

She kept her expression still, and attempted to look regal, even as she felt her legs would give out from beneath her.

A young man stood by the door, in an expensive outfit, smiling faintly.

"Welcome, Lady Airie." He greeted. "Allow us to escort you to the chambers prepared for you."

She gave a short nod, lifting her head.

Keep the illusion.

Buy time.

Find a way out.

Keep up the illusion long enough for Laine to escape.

Keep up the illusion long enough to run away.

She repeated it in her head, over and over.

She took a step forward, and all at once her knees buckled, vision swam, and she fell.

Something moved into her vision, a blur of pale skin and dark hair.

A moment before unconsciousness claimed her, strong arms caught her up, sparing her from the pain of crashing into the stones beneath her.

***

She couldn't remember any dreams.

She did remember snatches of movement.

Hushed voices.

Someone feeding her and moving her.

Glimpses of light.

Then-

She gasped as she woke. Sweat soaked, lying in an unfamiliar bed, dressed in something that felt loose and airy.

She blinked, bleary and dizzy, lips dry and chapped.

How long had she been out?

Her hand reached up, rubbing her eyes, and she struggled to sit up.

The room she found herself in was larger than the room she'd gotten used to in Aurania, but felt devoid of its simple warmth.

The window was smaller, and the decor was simpler, but it did have a large fireplace, which was blazing and filling the room with warmth.

Beyond the furnace, there was a plush bed, a vanity, and a dresser. That was it.

There was room for other things to be added...

But it seemed wherever she was preferred sparse decorations and practicality.

At first she wasn't sure where she was.

She reached up to touch her head, and winced.

Her hair felt dirty to her touch, and her fingers found old sweat on her forehead.

That's right.

She...

She collapsed, after arriving in Sidera.

And after that...

She wasn't sure.

There was a pitcher of water next to the bed with a small cup, and she quickly grabbed it with shaking hands.

"Water..." She whispered to herself.

She poured some of the water into the glass and sipped it slowly.

As she drank, the sound of the door opening reached her ears, and she froze, her hand trembling.

"Waking up, huh? Well. Good. Had me worried you wouldn't wake up at all." She didn't recognize the voice of the man who stepped into her room, but it wasn't an aggressive or intimidating one.

"...Thank you." She replied softly, voice still weak.

"What are you thanking me for?"

She glanced up at the man speaking. He seemed...

Normal.

Just a normal looking man, wearing a coat that might have indicated he was a doctor - as it was about the same thing the doctor in Aurania wore.

"For...taking care of me?" Her voice was still raw, lips cracked.

He huffed and shook his head. "Don't know what you've heard, but not even Sidera wants to have the prince's bride fall dead as soon as she arrives."

He approached the bed, and began to inspect her. He grabbed one of her wrists, checking her pulse - apparently - and then pressed his hand to her forehead with a soft grunt.

"Seems your fever broke."

He took a step back then, wiping his hand on a towel.

"Didn't expect to hear that the princess of Aurania would be so fragile she'd collapse and nearly die from a short trip. Do you have The Quickening?"

She froze once more, midway through another glass of water.

She did.

But.

The royal family wasn't supposed to have that.

So-

She swallowed after a moment, and set the drink down in her lap, not looking at him.

"...One doesn't recover when they become sick with The Quickening." She spoke in a soft, measured voice, as firmly as she could manage in her state.

The Auranian doctor had said something like that.

Warned her she'd die if she ever got sick again.

But here she was with twice overcoming one of those close calls.

The man stared at her for a long moment, and then finally gave a short nod.

"...Well. If you've got some kind of special royal variant you want to keep secret, at least consider telling me what you need. It's my head if you drop dead."

She said nothing as the man turned and left the room.

Her eyes lingered on the doorway.

She was alone.

The first thought that struck her was to run.

Now.

Escape.

Run away now when they least expected it.

But.

That wouldn't work.

If she ran, Donncahd would easily hunt her down. She didn't know Sidera well enough to escape so recklessly.

Besides that, she couldn't be certain Laine was safe yet.

She set her drink down on the bedside table and gripped the sheets, swallowing.

No.

No running.

She would hold it together until Laine was safe, and she'd plan her escape carefully, so that she'd only need to make one attempt.

Rache turned her gaze to the window near her bed.

Aurania was a land of sunshine - so much so that it had once been a desert.

Outside her window, rain poured in sheets.

The light was so dim, it almost felt as if she was underground, even though she knew for a fact that the palace was built on a mountainside, towering above the rest of the kingdom.

Rainy days always cast a gloomy shadow on things.

But Rache.

Rache loved rainy days.

It was cozy. It was warm. It was nice to sit by the window and watch the drops trickling down the pane, and the steady pitter-patter of the droplets striking the ground outside.

That's how it was in her first world.

It didn't feel that way right then, though, staring out the window as the damp chill of the outside fought against the warmth of the fire.

She...

Stared down at her hands.

She'd only just managed to get out of bed and walk around freely.

But here she was in it again.

And this time...

The sweet, friendly face of Laine wouldn't appear in the doorway, praising her for little steps, coaxing her out of bed and spoiling her over nothing.

Her hands shook.

A heavy droplet splashed across the back of her hand, followed by another.

She...

Curled her knees upward, hunched over in the cold, and-

She couldn't seem to stop her tears.