2 Two Riders

"Looks like it's you and me against the world now, little beanie." I say to my stomach.

Today may not be my day. But at least I wasn't going to be alone in this new world. The sun was glaring down at me and there was sand as far as I can see but starting today, in 8 months' time, I was going to be a mother.

And knowing myself, I know that I'll cross the bridge when I get there.

A man lay in the middle of a king-sized bed, his torso bare as he slept. He was having a dream. A very vague dream about a beautiful woman with midnight black hair and blood red eyes. She was talking to his dream, seemingly calling unto him. Last thing he remembered; he saw a uniquely shaped mole behind her left ear. When he woke up, he was inside his royal chambers. Alone and sweating profusely.

The man groaned and slowly got out of bed. He opened his curtains and the late morning sun blared on his face, making him squint a little.

He hates mornings. But today he felt like he wouldn't be able to sleep again even if he wanted to. With a squinted gaze, the man was welcomed with the elevated view of the royal gardens.

The roses- red, blue, and yellow bloomed brightly in their own colors. They looked healthy and it was a beautiful sight to behold indeed. However, the man was not in the mood to appreciate the beauty of the flowers. He was thinking of the woman in his dream.

Black hair and red eyes. Those were the features of the woman he ever touched in his life.

He tried to find her but all his investigation led him to a lot of dead ends. Like a dream, she appeared and bewitched him using her undeniable beauty. Then after they spent the night in each other's arms. A night he couldn't forget even when he closed his eyes. She disappeared like a fog in the morning.

The man sighed and combed his hair with his fingers feeling a little frustration spreading across his chest. It's been a month since she disappeared and he desperately wanted to see her again. He may not admit it verbally, especially to his retainers who didn't understood his obsession in finding this mysterious woman. But he wanted to see her again. And every minute, every hour, every day that she wasn't found- he thinks he was going insane.

People close to him say that he may be under a strong hypnotic spell or something. They think the mysterious woman was a witch of some sort. But he doesn't have a logical reason as to why he wanted to find her. He has a lot of questions and the answers to his questions will only be answered when he finds her. Period.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Your Majesty, it's Bronson."

"Enter…"

Bronson, his prime minister and friend, entered his room all dressed up in his imperial robes and an expression ready for business.

"I see that you've woken up...." Bronson opened the other curtains, bringing in more sunlight and luminance into the dark and dreary corners of his master's bedchamber. "Work awaits your magnificent presence, my king. Have you eaten yet?"

"I had the same dream again."

Bronson halted for a second there. "Are you still hell bent on searching for that woman?"

"I never stopped."

Bronson looked at his master. There were dark shadows under his eyes- clearly didn't sleep very well last night. The drugs failed to achieve their purpose and judging at the frown at his master's face, he was obviously annoyed.

Oh well. Today's work appears to be harder than it was yesterday.

"Any news from the twins?"

Bronson shook his head. "No news, only information that they plan to go further outside the borders in search for your mysterious woman."

"Good. Inform me immediately when their letter arrives. I want to be the first to read them."

*Sigh* "Of course, my king. Thy wish is our command." Bronson bowed his head and His Majesty walked past him, getting himself dressed in front of the mirror with the assistance of the palace staff.

Rianette

I have been walking and walking for miles now and so far, nothing has changed in my scenery. There's still sand and more sand wherever I turn my head and I was getting sick of it. When am I going to see other colors other than brown, light brown, and dark brown? Like, is there a river in this place? Even a little stream?

I was really getting thirsty from walking straight ahead going West. I need water. Or else I'm going to die from dehydration before I find a forest in here or something.

Anyway, I don't know how many hours I've been walking aimlessly in this Godforsaken place, but after calculating the angle of my shadow, I think the time must be three or four in the afternoon.

If this world has 24 hours per day just like on Earth, the sun will be setting soon and the night will come. She has to find somewhere safe to sleep or else she'll be beast food tonight.

My heart skipped a beat when I suddenly a saw a dark spot on the sandy horizon before me. The spot was far and I couldn't deduce what it was. However, guessing at rapid size of its growth, it seems to be running towards her direction- Wait.

I squinted my eyes. "Is that a horse?" The dark spot formed into a horse and a rider. And then it suddenly split in two.

Two horse riders…

Hope suddenly filled my chest with the excitement of meeting other people other than those from Etolia. What should I do? Would they be able to understand me if I suddenly speak to them in English?

I don't have a lot of idea about this world yet but interacting with these horse riders might be my chance to gather intel about this world and the people living in it.

I, however, have some concerns with the upcoming situation like; I really hope that they're friendly. And that they're human. If not, I hope they don't eat people. Because that would be bad. Especially for a pregnant lady like me.

The riders finally came into sight and I breath a sigh of relief when I saw that they are- praise God- human looking-ish.

"Hey! Yohoo! Hellooo!"

I jumped and yelled to get them come to me even closer. And when they did, I was shocked at the massive size of their beast. It stood tall in front of me and their riders were large obviously men, and they have a black cloth covering their noses and mouths. Their eyes were the only visible thing I could see from where I stood considering the sun was still blaring down at me, making it quite hard for me to really stare at someone especially when they towered me in height.

"Hi! I'm… Lily. Thank you so much for responding to my call."

The rider from the left stared down at me. "You're an Etolian…"

I blinked. "Uhh. Yes. Is there something wrong with that?"

The rider on the right faced his companion. "She seems clueless..."

"Don't let her beauty distract you, Dimi. All Etolians are lethally beautiful for a reason."

"Uhh. Excuse me, I'm still right here."

Both riders eyed her carefully, assessing if she was really a threat to them both or not.

First, they both studied her clothes.

They were the same clothes Rianette wore before she woke up, and became exiled from her homeland. Her shoes were also starting to get tattered really badly, especially the pair of sneakers he wore this morning.

She didn't look important. But she nailed the most comfortable fashion in the world of clothing lines.

The world became something more El didn't think to give to his bodyguard or a general to the Princess Kirana.

"Why are you wandering alone in this barren land, Etolian?"