3 CHAPTER 3 MAGIC

With her mouth so dry, Jane had no words when she awoke. When she opened her eyes she found herself in a grand bedroom, it took her eyes a moment to adjust to the golden glow of the sun rise peeking through the large windows.

She looked around to see on the bedside table a glass of water which she grabbed immediately downing it all at once. With much relief she looked down, she was in a crisp white nightgown her arms were completely healed of all the scrapes she had gotten from her fall in the woods, she rotated her ankle around stunned that there was no pain.

"He said he was a prince… could this be a castle then?"

She murmured to herself as she got out of the extremely comfortable bed she had been sleeping in. She looked around the room, it was clearly decorated for a woman with pale pink walls and gold trim, the crystal chandelier catching the light of the rising morning sun was cascading a bunch of tiny rainbows around the room.

Jane wandered over to what looked like a makeup table and sat down in front of the mirror, she pulled her waist long black hair down from it's terrible messy bun and picked up a hair brush and began to tame the birds nest that had been created.

Beau's father seemed all too excited when he told him about the lost girl in the woods. He was typically a calm and serious man, but the mention of finding a terrified and strangely dressed woman in the woods had him on the edge of his throne. He even had demanded the young wizard and prince retell the story again to confirm all of the details. What was even stranger was that he put his son in charge of her care.

"Honestly, he is acting like an angel fell from the sky or something…"

Beau sighed as he cracked open the door of her room, highly doubting she had awoken stunned by the sight in front of him.

There she was brushing her long hair, as dark as a starless night , the light of dawn lighting her face beautifully, when she pulled her hair in front of her he could see the shadow of her tiny body through the thin white nightgown she was wearing.

He could feel his heart ramming against his rib cage. He closed the door silently and leaned against the door taking a breath to cool off the sudden heat that swallowed him whole.

"She may not be an assassin but I can see here being an enchantress. God. I'm acting like a teenager seeing a naked woman for the first time."

"She's naked? I too would like a look."

Beau shoved his childhood friend on the shoulder, his presence instantly releasing him from the sudden overwhelming warm feeling he had felt when he saw the girl pushing her hair.

"You're doing it again aren't you? That calming aura spell?"

"Now I can't let you get all flushed before speaking to our mysterious guest. When I was healing her last night it was her mental turmoil that caused her more issues than her physical ones. She's been betrayed, and I think pretty badly."

Beau sighed frustrated looking away, Simon knew more than he was letting on. After speaking to his father he stood behind to speak to the Emperor alone.

Maybe she was a forest fairy disowned for loving a mortal? It wasn't uncommon in their land that known for it's uncommon tolerability of magical and non magical unions.

"Well let us ask our lovely guest some questions and answer hers. I'm sure she has just as many as we do."

Jane wandered over to her bag that was placed at the foot of bed, everything was accounted for except for her identification card.

"Thank goodness I pack extra clothes in case i get dirty at work."

She felt relieved pulling on a fresh pair of jeans, she was minimalism at its finest. Jeans and another white shirt this time a delicate blouse with flowy short sleeves.

"Why do you insist on dressing like a man?"'

She yelped startled, her hand flying to her chest over her pounding heart. There stood the same two men from the forest, this time their clothes even more formal than before.

"I do not dress like a man. How do women dress here for you to say that?"

She crossed her arms protectively over her chest, and watched as the blonde of the pair, the same one who had pointed his sword at you, walked over to the wardrobes pulling out a silk gown that truly looked as though it fell out of one of the childhood story books she read when she was young.

Simon motioned pointedly at the gown he pulled out of the wardrobe to get his point across.

"Women wear dresses in this kingdom, you young miss would be called a cross dresser in our lands with that mess you are wearing."

"Mrs."

"I beg your pardon."

Jane shook her head annoyed.

"I am not a Miss. I am a Mrs. I'm married, at least I wa- Ah!"

As soon as she began to recall Jun, her husband a sharp pain overcame her head.

"Are you alright?"

The prince came forward offering his hand in support, but Jane only took cautious steps back away.

"I'm fine. I just had a sharp pain when try to remember..."

Then the scientist in her wanted to test the theory, she tried to picture Jun's face, remember his face when he told her that he was proceeding with a divorce. She instantly felt the color from her face begin to drain, the pain even stronger than the first time.

"Simon, she's fading out again."

Beau caught Jane in his arms as her balance became uneven.

"The cause is definitely magical, lay her on the bed."

In a daze of agony Jane struggled to remain conscious, but she willed her eyes to remain the slightest bit open despite the pain. Beau laid her on the bed and made way for his friend who's hands had already started to have a light blue glow to them as he came close.

"Did you say magic?"

"Yes you foolish girl, a part of your mind is locked away by some type of magic. And it's punishing you every time you try to remember something it doesn't want you to."

As he spoke Simon held her face in between his hands letting his healing energy enter. He could feel the pain, the heartbreak, but the thing that stood out the most was a loneliness only compared to death.

The instant relief had caught her off guard, how was he able to do this just by holding her face like this? Beau smiled in relief seeing the color return to her face, he reached over taking Jane's hand gently.

"Simon is the best sorcerer in the whole Empire, he healed your physical wounds in a single night. You have nothing to worry about when it comes to his magical abilities."

Jane gave a small polite smile, soon Simon released her and she was able to sit up.

"Where I come from, magic is just a made up thing. Stories that we tell children."

Both men stood stunned. No magic ? The entire globe ran on magic, even the smallest towns had a single person that knew basic magic. They both looked at each and back at Jane.

"It's like you've come from a completely different world. I'm starting to think my father wasn't so crazy to think you fell from the heavens."

The door suddenly bursted in with a frantic maid.

"Your majesty, your grace you must hurry. Your father the Emperor has been poisoned!"