4 A Rough Day

Nick's eyes slowly opened, he looked at his clock. Twenty five minutes until six, guess I'll take a shower or something... Nick slowly sat up and got on his feet, he was still getting a feel for the whole walking thing but he was able to make his way to his bathroom and take a quick shower. Or at least he thought it was quick, when he came out of the shower forty minutes had already passed.

Guess my perception of time has been messed with slightly. Mom must have come to wake me up, she must have also heard the shower running and seen my wheelchair out here... I wonder why she didn't say anything. Nick got dressed, it took a little while but it was faster than another person doing it. When he left his room the sun was starting to peek over the horizon, and he could hear his mother making noise in the living room.

"Mom?" He walked into the living room, Faith was sitting on the couch, drinking coffee and watching TV.

"So, you can walk now, huh?" Faith asked, not even turning around to look at him.

"Yeah... I expected you to be a bit more surprised." Nick slowly walked over to the couch.

"Honestly, with all that has happened, it would take a lot more than you walking to surprise me at this point. Even though this sudden recovery makes no God damn sense." Faith seemed a bit more composed than the day before when she was a complete wreck. "I'll call the hospital and cancel the physical therapy appointment for tomorrow. I made you an omelette, it should still be hot."

Nick nodded, turning and making his way to the kitchen. He had never seen his mom like this, though he was slightly relieved that he didn't have to try to explain away his miraculous recovery. It was seven o'clock by the time he finished his omelette, sunlight lighting up the entire house. Nick was lost in thought as he washed his dish, his body was on auto pilot. He was broken out of his trance as Faith entered the kitchen and spoke.

"I canceled your physical therapy appointment and also the nurse now that you can take care of yourself." She told Nick, placing her mug on the counter beside the sink so that she could wash it when Nick got done. "One of the most surprising things about your recovery is how fast you got used to everything. You are already taking showers and washing dishes like you have been doing it your entire life."

Nick was saddened that he wouldn't be able to say his goodbyes to the nurse, but it would be weird to still have a nurse when he was cured. "Surprisingly, it all comes pretty naturally even if you have never done any of it before. Walking is a bit challenging for a few minutes, but even that is simple once you get a feel for it. Now I just need to start exercising unless i want to look like a skeleton forever." Nick was skinny and had very little muscle, he looked like he had some horrible disease.

"You can use my gym. Just be sure to put everything back in place when you are done." Faith sat down in a chair at the table as she waited for Nick to finish up.

"Well, I don't have much else to do until my teachers come so I might as well get started." Nick placed his fork in the dish drainer with his now clean plate and glass.

"Have fun." Faith got up and grabbed her mug as Nick made his way to the room his mother made into a gym. His mother often used it, and his father did too when he actually came home. He was a photographer for a nature magazine, so he traveled a lot and for long periods of time. Every month he sent money, not that it was needed with how much his mother made.

There was a treadmill, exercise bike, dumbbell rack, pull-up bar, and a few other machines and pieces of equipment used for various exercises. Nick did all he could do, draining whatever strength he had in his limbs completely by the time his teachers came. He did every exercise he knew of, so he could barely move the whole time his teachers were at his house. After his teachers left he used the computer until his mom called him for dinner. Every movement took more effort than usual, he decided he probably pushed himself a little bit too much too soon.

Nick entered the kitchen and sat down, groaning as he did so. "Maybe you should take it easy until you get a bit more accustomed to physical activity." Faith placed down a plate of chicken tenders in front of him.

"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing..." Nick picked up a chicken tender, dipping it in ranch dressing before taking a bite.

"Oh, by the way, while you were doing your school work I made a few calls. I enrolled you in Charles Robinson Academy. I just have to do some paperwork and you start the first Monday of next month." Faith sat down across the table from Nick.

Nick's eyes lit up, he could feel butterflies in his stomach as images of idealized school life went through his mind. "Really? I can't wait! I hope I make a good first impression..."

"I'm sure you will make friends fast, you have a likable personality. Besides, you're learning stuff most kids your age don't learn in school until a couple years from now. You will be able to help people with their work which should help you make friends."

"I guess so, I have never really talked with any normal people my age though. I don't know what kids my age talk about."

"Well, you have the internet. Find stuff you like and I'm sure you will be able to find others that like the same things. Try YouTube, kids talk about that a lot."

Nick and Faith continued to talk about the school he would be going to in a few weeks time, before he knew it Nick was done with his food and it was nine o'clock at night. "It's getting a bit late, you should get some sleep. Remember to brush your teeth before bed." His mother told him as she started to wash the dishes.

"Alright, good night." Nick Got on his feet and walked back to his room, it was still a strange feeling to see his house from a standing position instead of a sitting one. Nick brushed his teeth and put on his pajamas, getting in his bed. He was almost asleep by the time he realized what was waiting for him in that other world. He groaned and turned over, getting to sleep by ten o'clock.

And then, almost as if he never went to sleep, he woke up in the other world. Still dark out, seems I'm a bit early for my appointment. Nick sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Well, I suppose that is a good thing. The last thing I want is to be found away from my bed before I explain my situation.

Nick slowly stood up, only for a wave of pain to shoot through his body. Shit why am I so sore? Every muscle of Nick's body was in pain, he assumed it was because of working out in the real world. I was healed here and it effected my body in the real world, so it only makes sense that whatever I do in the real world would affect this body. Nick began to stretch, feeling a few of his joints pop.

Nick passed the time for what felt like the an hour by going over scenarios in his head, most of which ended with him being executed or imprisoned. Nick was no fool, he had read about the medieval times and learned about them before. This wasn't a Disney movie, one wrong word to the wrong person and he could end up dead or worse. He was still not sure what would happen if he died in this world, but he assumed the worst. Well, this is going to be an experience...

Nick was broken out of his train of thought by the sound of foot steps approaching, judging by the sound it could be nobody other than the living mountain himself. Nick's theory of it being the captain was proved correct when the curtain around his bed was pulled back. "Rise and shine, it's time to pay for your treatment."

Nick nodded, standing up from his previously sitting position. "I have to admit, I'm kind of nervous."

"As you should be. We are being civil by allowing you to tell us everything of your own free will, but if you mislead us we have other ways of getting the information." The captain smiled, a smile that sent shivers down Nick's spine.

"Yeah, I assumed as much. I'm more worried that you won't believe what I tell you just because of the extreme differences in our culture and society." Nick was hoping he would get some bit of leniency if he was being completely honest from the start.

"Well, you better hope you can at least convince the majority."

"Majority?"

"You will be telling it to the five most powerful people in the realm, including the king and crown prince. I will be in the room as well, but I won't have any authority in that room. Of course, there will also be several members of the royal guard."

"Who are the other three that will be deciding my fate?" Nick's voice was shaking, he is as scared as he would be if he was facing a trial that could place him on death row.

"It will be the king, crown prince, queen, court magician, and the royal guard captain." A list like that would have made Nick laugh if he wasn't staring death in the face. It was like he was a character in a fantasy novel.

"Should I change out of these clothes by the way?" Nick asked, he motioned to his pajamas. He seemed to show up in whatever he was wearing when he went to sleep which was his now dirty and smelly pajamas. "It would seem disrespectful for the king to have to see me in clothes like these... I have been wearing these since you found me in the woods."

"We have already thought of that, step in here." The captain motioned to a nearby door. Nick's body had been on auto pilot so he had not even noticed where they were going.

Nick opened the door and entered the room, it was full of fancy looking clothes. "Ah, you brought the boy." Nick heard somebody say, he turned his head towards the voice. The person who had spoken was a tall blonde man with elf ears. Nick's eyes widened in surprise, though the surprise lessened when he remembered he was treated by a woman with cat ears and a tail.

"Come here, child, it is time to get you dressed!" The rather flamboyant elf said. Nick could hear the captain laughing as he was pulled into a back room. What happened next would have probably been more embarrassing if he was not so used to getting dressed by others. The man dressed Nick in clothes that did not look much different from a modern suit, the biggest difference being the cravat in place of a tie.

The pants, vest, and coat were all black while the cravat and shirt were white, this was by far the most elegant thing he had ever worn. The coat was especially fancy, the dark black was complimented by a vibrant gold that decorated the coat. The coat was quite long as well, hanging down to right above the knee. "Yo, this is dope." Nick said, which made the elf visibly confused.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand..."

"Oh, sorry, it was a compliment. I meant that the clothes are really nice."

"Yes, I suppose they are indeed 'dope' then." The man smiled once again. "Oh, by the way, I don't believe I have introduced myself yet. I am the royal tailor, Alfonse."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Nick."

"I know." The cheerful man replied. "Well, you should get going." Alfonse motioned towards the door they used to enter the dressing room.

When Nick once again met up with the captain he could see him nod in approval to his new outfit. "Thank you, Alfonse."

"Don't mention it, it is my job after all." Alfonse gave a half bow before walking away.

"Alright, let's get going. We don't want to keep them waiting."

"Alright." Nick began to once again follow the captain, having a harder time walking now that he had shoes. They were a black leather and they felt a size too small, making them extremely uncomfortable. He would have mentioned something to the tailor, but he didn't want to make a fuss. I guess I can get better fitting shoes if I survive this...

The rest of the walk to the destination was quiet, the captain was a man of few words. It's not like it mattered to Nick, he was spaced out for most of the walk. He wanted to take in as much of the scenery as he could just in case this went south and he had to spend time in a dungeon or something. "We're here." The captain slowly opened the door to a room.

The room was dimly lit and spacious, torches lining the walls. As Nick walked in he noticed a few guards stationed around the room and a chair in the middle of the room. About thirty feet in front of the chair there was a table with five people sat at it, though he could not make out any faces. If they were trying to make Nick even more nervous than he already was, it worked. Nick slowly walked to the chair in the middle of the room and sat down, Capt. Draper standing behind him.

"Captain Draper, would you please state the circumstances of this interrogation so we are all clear." The voice that spoke was deep and commanding, though still feminine. The person who spoke sat on the far right of the table, though Nick could only see an outline of her figure.

"Yes." The captain said, moving towards the table. "We found this boy, who goes by the name of 'Nick', in the forest calling out. When one of the soldiers approached him he spoke a strange language that not he, nor the magician who used magic to translate, had heard before. Once we were able to understand him he told us he was from a land we have never heard the name of where magic was nonexistent. He also spoke of how he was paralyzed since birth and had no recollection of how he ended up so far from his home country."

When the captain stopped talking the panel was quiet for a minute before another female spoke up. "I don't understand. How could a paralyzed boy have just randomly appeared in the middle of a forest? No magic, with the exception of transport magic, could move a person such a long distance. If it had taken a long time for the boy to get here surely he would have noticed as well." This woman was on the opposite end of the panel.

"Yes, there is always a chance the boy had lied about a few aspects of his story, which is one of the reasons I brought him here today. In return for the treatment of his paralysis he is to tell us all he can about where he is from." The captain replied.

"He could just lie. We know nothing about the boy, he could be a highly trained spy for all we know." The woman on the right said.

"I am well aware of that, but he is just a boy. Surely a boy, especially one this nervous, would not be able to get a lie past you. After all, you are the captain of the royal guard."

The captain of the royal guard is a woman? That's unusually progressive of a world still stuck in the middle ages. I guess this will be a little bit easier for me if there is someone like her here who will be able to tell if I'm lying or not. Nick took a deep breath, trying to compose himself. Nick was not used to such intense situations, it was impossible to stop being visibly nervous.

"I suppose you are right about that, I've never had much trouble telling if somebody is lying." He could see the silhouette of the woman lean back in her chair. "Alright, Nick, tell us about the land which you come from."

Nick took a deep breath and began to explain earth, not holding back any details. Everyone on the panel stayed perfectly quiet as Nick told his story. He talked about his life, how he was incurable, and about how one day he woke up in this world. He also mentioned how if he went to sleep in this world he once again woke up in his old world, the body in this world seemingly disappearing. He also went into detail about government, geography, history, and science.

Once Nick stopped talking it did not take long for someone to speak up. "Either you are an amazing liar, or you are so insane you actually believe every word you just told us." The royal guard captain was the first to speak up. Nick's heart sunk when he heard that, as if he had just been sentenced to life in prison or death row. If he is not able to convince them, this is the end for him. "What do you think, court mage?"

"I have never heard of a magic that could transport someone from a different world, so this sounds absurd." The woman on the left side of the table was the one who spoke, she must have been the court mage.

"Is there any kind of magic that can be used to give someone false memories? He may be incredibly nervous, but I did not detect a hint of deception from him. He seems too young and inexperienced to be able to lie in this kind of situation, especially when he spoke in such great detail."

"I don't know of any magic that can be used to replace memories, but that doesn't mean something like that doesn't exist. However, the medical magicians would have found out if there was some kind of memory manipulation magic in play."

"His story does explain something, however." Nick heard Captain Draper speak up from behind him. "One of the nurses caused an uproar one morning claiming that Nick was not in his bed, though he was there when we came to check. I questioned some of the other people there at the time and they say they didn't notice anyone leave or come back during the time." Nick was glad the captain brought it up, he had forgotten about that.

"If he couldn't walk at the time that does add a bit of credibility to his claim. However, with such an outrageous claim, we will need a lot more evidence than him disappearing from his bed." Nick lost whatever hope the captain had given him as the royal guard captain spoke up. "If he was a spy, he could have people on the inside working to assist him."

"He sure doesn't look like a spy, he looks like a sweet young boy who has been thrust into a situation he is unable to explain." Said a sweet sounding female voice, he assumed the one talking this time was the queen, all things considered. She sounded kind and trusting, qualities Nick was glad to hear in such a situation.

"With all due respect, my queen, you can't seriously believe what this boy is saying." The royal guard captain seemed to be both the most critical and the most talkative person in the room.

"I may not believe what he has told us to be true, but I believe it is true in his mind." Nick was sad that she didn't believe his story, but he was glad that she knew he was not lying.

"I have to agree with mom. Sorry, um, the queen. I carefully watched all of his actions as he spoke. He was talking from experience, not from a script." Nick assumed this time it was the crown prince speaking due to the slip up.

"The court mage already told us that it is almost impossible that his memory has been manipulated, so how would he have these kind of memories unless he was completely insane?" Nick was starting to get seriously sour feelings towards this woman.

"Um, I guess I could try to prove it." This time Nick spoke up, he thought that maybe if he told them about a piece of technology from earth he could help himself. "I could tell you about a weapon we use called a 'gun'." This seemed to catch everyone's interest, he couldn't tell if that was a good or bad thing.

"Well, go on." As expected, the royal guard captain seemed to be the most interested.

"The gun is a weapon we have developed and refined over the course of hundreds of years to replace the bow and arrow. Though, it took some time to refine it to a point that it was more practical than a bow or sword. To explain the concept in a simple form, it is like a handheld cannon. We put black powder, an explosive powder also know as gun powder, down a metal barrel and put a projectile in front of it. When the gun powder gets ignited, the projectile is shot out of the barrel at a high speed causing devastating damage to its target." Nick tried to explain as best as he could, though he did not know much about guns.

"Originally we had to manually load in the gun powder and projectile and then light a fuse, but over time we condensed the projectile and gunpowder into small casings and called them bullets. The bullets are loaded into the chamber of a gun where once you pulled a trigger a hammer is pulled back and released, hitting a part of the bullet that ignites the gun powder and shoots out a projectile. Once the projectile is fired, a spring mechanism ejects the casing and puts another bullet into the chamber." He didn't know anything about guns or bullets besides what he learned from history class, but he hoped this was enough.

"Interesting concept, we do have cannons but none of the handheld cannons, or guns, that you described. I suppose we never had to develop such a thing thanks to magic. This could be massive advantage for our army if we keep the concept quiet until our next war. No need to use them currently, now that we are winning the current war. The concept sounds like it could work, though it would take a while to perfect."

"So... Do you believe me now?"

"Hmm... Not entirely, no. It will take more than a weapon concept to convince me you are from another world. However, telling us about such a thing at least gives us enough of a reason to not think of you as an enemy." Jesus Christ, this woman is so hyper critical.

"I believe him." A booming voice announced.

"My king?"

"Believe it or not, I have heard a similar story before." The king announced. "It was a story from my great grandfather. The story of a man who claimed to be from another world who propelled us into a prosperous age through technology and concepts that had never been conceived of. He was a man who also claimed to be from a place called 'The United States of America'."

Everyone went silent, though Nick was too busy internally cheering that the king believed him to notice. "How come I haven't heard of this?" asked the captain of the royal guard.

"He was a man that deserved wealth and renown, though he asked for nothing more than a room, food, and a quiet life. So, his story is one that was just passed down through the ages within the royal family. This boy claims to be from the same place, but they are from completely different generations. I'm not suggesting we completely trust him right away, but I think we should welcome him as a guest for now under the assumption he will help us all out in the long run. Heck, he already has given us valuable information."

Everybody seemed stunned, but after a minute of silence everyone seemed to agree. "Very well, Nick shall be allowed to stay in the castle as a welcomed guest in hopes of future co-operation." The king decided. Though Nick couldn't see his face, he felt like the king was smiling at him. It kind of crept him out. "Ask for anything you need, and in return all we ask is that you use your knowledge of this other world to help this kingdom prosper."

Nick could hardly believe his ears, they believed him now. Or, at least, the king believed him. He went from being a patient, to a suspect, to a guest all within one day. Not to mention he was not the first person from earth, or even america, to be sent to this world... But for what reason was he and the other man sent here?

"That concludes this meeting, bring the boy back to his bed and we will send a servant for him when the room is ready. Assuming he is still here by that time." Nick let out a sigh of relief, it felt like an elephant had just been lifted off of his shoulders. He slumped in his seat slightly, though the captain tapped him on the shoulder and told him it was time to go.

It was still bright outside by the time they left the room, but to Nick it had felt like he had been in there for half of a day. Nick began to stretch, he had been sitting for a long time after all. When he stretched he winced in pain, he had forgotten about the muscle pain completely. "Everything alright?" Evidently Capt. Draper heard the sound Nick made when he winced, prompting the question.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just a bit sore from working out. You must have noticed that I don't have much muscle mass due to being unable to move all my life, so I've decided to bulk up some. Muscle soreness kind of sucks, however."

"Now that you are a guest, you have access to the medical staff any time you need them. Even if its just for something like muscle soreness. You also have access to the gym and a personal trainer."

"Wait, so I can just ask to get healed after working out and cut out the couple days of soreness? That's amazing... I wish I could use medical magic."

"You might be able to, you are young enough and have been around enough magic so that you should be able to now use magic. You weren't born with it, so it might take a while to figure out what kind of magic you are capable of. Luckily, once you learn how to harness your mana you can get a divining to figure out what you are capable of. You might also see signs of your magic in days to come."

"What do you mean?"

"For example, if you have an affinity for water magic you might notice your palms getting unusually wet. Or if you have an affinity for fire magic you could become really hot, to the point of feeling hot to the touch. Sometimes its more subtle, like getting a green thumb if you have an affinity for nature magic. Though, I can't say for sure what will happen to you."

The prospect of having any kind of magic sounded amazing to him, so he was excited to see if anything would happen in this world over the next few days. For the rest of the walk they were both silent, they eventually made it back to the medical ward and back to Nick's bed. Without a word to him the captain once again left, saying a few words to Katrina before leaving. A few minutes later Katrina walked over to him. "Seems that went well, becoming a guest."

"It went way better than I expected, that's for sure. Best case scenario I thought would be me being thrown out of the castle."

"Well, I won't pry for details because I'm sure if I'm meant to know, then I will be told. Now, lay down and I will fix your muscle soreness." Nick nodded, laying down on his back as Katrina placed her palms on his chest. I guess that's what the captain told her. He felt a familiar feeling permeate his body, sighing deeply.

Within five minutes the noticeable pain was gone, and within ten he was completely healed. "Thank you." Nick sat back up as Katrina removed her hands and took a few steps back. Man this healing magic is super useful, I wonder how an affinity for it would manifest itself. Maybe wounds would just heal faster.

"It's no problem, it is my job to heal the residents of this castle after all. Guest or not. Let me know if you need any more healing in the future and I will see what I can do for you." Katrina said, giving Nick a slight bow before walking away to go check on another patient. She's pretty nice.

The day slowly passed by, it wasn't until after dinner that a rather old looking man came by and said he would guide Nick to his room. He didn't say much for the whole walk, which probably only lasted about fifteen minutes. He got to see a lot of the castle that he had never seen before, he wondered if he would ever memorize the layout of it all. "Here we are."

The servant motioned towards two large doors, they were intricately carved. Nick wondered how much money and how much time it took to build this castle. Even with magic he assumed it probably took more than five years. Nick attempted to pull one of the doors open, but the door was extremely heavy. He had to used both arms and strain in order to open the door.

As the door opened it revealed a fully furnished room, There was a large bed tucked in a back corner, a desk, a book shelf full of different books, a closet, multiple comfortable looking chairs, a large window with a nice view, bright white curtains, and the entire room was carpeted. "Wow." Nick said out loud as he walked into the room. The room was not super fancy by any means, but it looked a lot nicer than his old room.

"Do you need anything, sir?"

"Ah, no, not at the moment... Actually, a glass of cold water would be nice. Or milk."

"Very well, sir. I will be back with that shortly. You will find a change of clothes and the clothes you arrived with in the closet, tomorrow morning another servant will show up to guide you to the bathhouse." The man gave a quick bow before walking away, though Nick didn't see it.

"Alright." He replied to a man no longer present. On the desk there were a few books along with pencils and paper. The front and backs of the books were blank, and when he looked inside all of the words were runic symbols. Guess this is the written form of their language. I guess I'm going to need to learn how to read all of this.

The rest of the day went by slowly, a servant coming by to check on him periodically. Guess I should go to bed. Nick stretched one more time, changing into his pajamas and crawling into his bed. For the first time in a while he fell asleep with ease, feeling truly rested for a second before he woke up in the real world once again.