Chapter 13: What the...?

Endless darkness. She wanted to escape from it. Her screams for help were swallowed by the void. Was she always going to be stuck in this endless death of her senses? She couldn't find her way out of it. She...

~***~

Alastar stared down at the slumbering Serenah. Even asleep her beauty couldn't be denied.

"Any change?"

He turned to look at Lael in the doorway. He spotted the bowl of warm water in her hands. Ah, it was time for the Princess's daily bath. He stood and stretched.

"No. The healers checked her earlier. They still can't identify what is wrong. Not that our King is even worried about her," he growled, angry once again at the King's neglect of the Princess.

Lael set the bowl down and touched his shoulder. She, too, felt the same way about their king. He was a horrible father and a bad leader. It was his fault the Princess was in this condition. She had been this way for a year.

Since coming to this new world, things had become difficult. Just like Autem had decreed, the magic they were used to wielding had dwindled to a fourth of what it once was. They had just enough magic to hide their dwellings and people in the forests and mountains of the place known as Virginia. It had taken them a year to acclimate to this world with humans and their "science."

Through it all, Princess Serenah slumbered. Miraculously, Serenah did not wither away and die even though she was not being fed. Lael and Alastar made sure to give her water which was all she seemed to need. The only time they had tried to feed her resulted in her having a seizure. They never did it again after that.

Alastar glanced at the Princess before bowing to Lael and leaving the room. It took her fifteen minutes to sponge-bathe the Princess and redress her.

"Done," she called out.

Alastar reentered and started to take his customary seat when a blue glow surrounded Serenah's body.

"What in the seven hells!" He grabbed Lael's arm, pulling her behind him as he drew his sword. Tensely he waited for something, anything to happen. When nothing did, he cautiously approached the bed.

"My Lady?"

Lael gasped and his eyes widened. Serenah's eyes were open.

"Princess!" Ignoring the glow around her, Lael rushed to Serenah's side and pulled her into a hug.

Alastar stared at the pair, relief almost making him weak. She was awake. The Princess was awake.

"I will go report the good news to our King," he informed Lael before leaving the room.

"What?" Serenah asked.

"My Lady, we are so glad you are awake."

"How long was I asleep? Must have been a couple of days, right?"

Lael frowned. "No, My Lady. You have been asleep for a year."

Serenah gasped and paled. "What? No, that can't...." her voice trailed off as she stared at Lael in shock.

"My Lady, I....,"

Serenah raised a shaking hand, cutting off Lael's next words.

"Please, can I have a few minutes alone?"

Lael gave her a sympathetic smile and stood. She bowed and left Serenah to her thoughts.

~***~

Once the door closed, Serenah got out of bed and looked around the unfamiliar room. The ceiling was made of a material she didn't recognize. Beneath her bare feet was some sort of soft rug, only it was not animal fur. The bed didn't look too strange. This wasn't her room in the palace. So that begged the question, where was she?

A year. She had been asleep a year. How had she not withered away? Was this Autem's doing? Did he use magic to preserve her body? Why a year?

She winced when her head began to throb. Her thoughts were going in circles. This was not good. She had to get to the bottom of this and quickly.

The knock on the door startled her.

"Yes? Come in."

The door creaked open, and Lael came inside, carrying a tray with food.

Serenah blushed when her stomach rumbled. She was hungry. Wait? How had they fed her if she was asleep?

"My Lady!"

She twitched and focused her attention on Lael. "Sorry, what?"

"My Lady, I know you are confused and afraid, but I promise that I will do my best to explain it all to you."

"Alright." She took a calming breath. Getting worked up would not help her.

She followed Lael to the nearby table and sat down. Lael placed the food on the table and joined her.

Serenah grabbed the food and hungrily started eating. She focused on what Lael was saying.

"My Lady, Autem transported us to a different world. We no longer have our spacious kingdoms. And our magic has dwindled. We and our enemies are here together but spread out. We are not sure where they are exactly, but the Grand High Priestess says they are near us."

She tried to wrap her mind around Lael's explanation. What did Autem intend by sending them all to this place? What did it mean for her and her future? She felt queasy and put down the spoon. She didn't want to die.

She blinked hard and refocused on Lael, when her maid patted her hand.

"Breathe, Your Highness."

Serenah did and felt herself calming down. She couldn't control anything except herself nor was she going to try. Autem would contact her. This time she would listen.

A knock on the door interrupted her inner musing. Alastar entered and bowed to her. "Your Highness, I have returned."

"Alastar, what did my father say?"

She didn't miss the faint hint of frustration that crossed his face. She felt a pang in her chest. Her father still didn't care about her. Why did she even try to get into his good graces?

"Never mind," she muttered, embarrassed at her father's lack of care for her well-being.

"Princess,"

She held up a hand to stop him. He fell silent, his eyes on her face.

"It's alright, Alastar. I don't need to know. What I really need is knowledge about this new world we live in."

"It is currently spring here. Once the fall comes, you will be enrolled in the local school."

"You mean like the ones my mother had for the commoners?"

"Yes, here they don't do private tutors for those in power. All children are treated equally and go to places of learning."

"Hmm, that sounds like fun."

"Also, here, you aren't considered an adult until the age of 18."

"So, in one more year, I will be an adult?"

"Yes, My Lady."

"My Lady," interjected Lael. "There is one more thing."

"Yes?"

"When we leave the boundaries of our land, our appearance changes to that of a human. We look very different than we do now. Also, when we are out and about in human society, we have to be careful of our mannerisms and words."

"It makes sense. This is a foreign land." Serenah pursed her lips and drummed her fingers softly on the tabletop. "I will need tutors to help me catch up to my sister. I don't wish to embarrass myself or the royal family when I go to school."

"That is a wise idea, My Lady. I will set it up." Alastar smiled at her.

She smiled back, happy with the plan she had come up with. She knew her father wouldn't help her. She had to do it herself. She would make sure to stay out of her father's and sister's way. She just needed to make it a year in this new place and then she would be free.