Chapter 3 : Where Am I?

*Amaya*

I didn’t want to open my eyes, I was terrified to do so. I survived but who was to say that I was safe? Was I kept alive just to die? There was no way of knowing and I wasn’t rushing to find out the answer.

Wherever I was, it was soft as if I was resting on a cloud. My bed back home wasn’t even this nice. The fabric beneath me was fuzzy, I assumed it was some kind of wool but I’d always found it to be itchy and uncomfortable. Whatever this was, it felt like a hug.

I slowly opened my eyes. I was in a room, unlike any room I’d ever been in before. My father’s castle was heavily decorated in gaudy ornate gold-plated furniture. Everything was too hard and too uncomfortable as if they weren’t meant for use but for viewing.

This room had a warmth of living within it. The furniture was expertly made, I could tell but only with further inspection. Nothing in this room had to scream its wealth or power as my father’s castle did.

I looked up to see on the ceiling a mural of gold stars against a deep blue night sky. In the moonlight, the stars glimmered and danced. It felt alive and magical.

I gasped when I realized that the illusion flowed perfectly with the night sky outside the open window. I sat up when I saw a sight I’d never seen so close up before, snow on the mountains towering in the distance. I realized that I was no longer in the Emerald Mountain Territory.

I felt a cold draft coming from the open window and looked down. I was no longer in my ruined dress but in a warm woolen robe. My leg was bare and propped on a large pillow. I’d almost forgotten what happened. It felt like a dream.

How long was I asleep? My leg felt almost as good as new, I could feel a tiny little twinge of pain when I tried to wiggle my toes. It made no sense. It felt like my father banished me the night before, but it was impossible. My leg shouldn’t be healed. It takes months for injuries like this to heal back home.

What happened to me? Why was I out for so long?

My mind began to race to try to solve the mystery but even I could tell that I was only trying to distract myself from my true pain. The loss of my beloved and my life. I felt empty and used.

I must’ve done something. Clearly, this was my fault. I wasn’t perfect enough. I wasn’t good enough. There was so much that I missed that only a mother could teach, she knew how to be the perfect mate. I felt like a failure. Somewhere along the way, I let everyone down.

I began to spiral, my thoughts only becoming darker and more painful. Memories of Caine flooded my mind. I desperately needed fresh air. I tried to get out of bed but was quickly met with reality. My leg looked healed, but the pain wasn’t completely gone and I couldn’t put my full weight on it yet. A small whimper of pain escaped my lips as I fell back into the bed.

The door creaked open and my heart began to race. Anyone could be behind the door and knowing my current luck, they were a threat. Instead of danger, a woman appeared around my age.

She quickly rushed to my side and gave me a warm smile. “I don’t think you’re ready to do it yourself.”

I was completely taken aback. She had the most beautiful smile I’d ever seen. Her long dark hair was twisted over her shoulder, exposing her slender neck. She was taller than me and by the looks of her exposed shoulders, stronger too.

She gently sat me up and placed a pillow behind me. Without saying a word, she lifted my legs from the side of the bed back to their place on the pillow. I could tell that she was of some status and not a maid. Why was she taking care of me like this? This wasn’t her place.

“Are you cold? It’s a little nippy in here,” she said in a joking tone as she looked down at her chest and jutted it toward me. I immediately understood the joke and began to blush but my words failed me. I was too caught up in her beauty and in the absurdity of the moment to say a word.

It didn’t bother her, she continued without missing a beat. “Are you comfortable?” she spoke quickly as if she was running off of pure energy. “You must be hungry. I’ll send for something. No worries. Anything special you’d like? I can have the chefs make you anything. Well, it’s pretty late but, nah. It’s okay. We can wake them.”

She spoke to me like she’d known me forever as if I was her friend. I wasn’t used to it. Truth be told, I didn’t have many friends back home. Everyone kept me at a distance and I was so wrapped up in Caine that I barely noticed how isolated I’d made myself.

The woman plopped onto the bed beside my feet. She looked down at my leg. “You know, you can barely tell it was broken. It healed up pretty nice, don’t you think?”

Healed? She must be crazy. There was no way. “Do you want to try standing again? I could help you,” she offered gently.

I shook my head no. It was a mistake to try the first time. She gave a warm knowing smile. “That’s okay. Maybe in a little bit?”

I softly nodded my head yes. I’d been too bold before. I needed to do what she wanted of me. Her kindness could be dependent on my willingness to obey, isn’t that how it always worked? At least in my experience, it was.

“Where am I?” My voice was hoarse. I could barely talk over a whisper.

The woman sat up, “Oh, that’s right. You wouldn’t know. Silly me,” she said as she made a silly face. I laughed a little but then quickly covered my mouth with my hand. She caught it and gave me a quick skeptical look before quickly returning to her normal tone. “You’re in Shadowguard–”

“What?” I exclaimed. “You’re kidding.” My heart began to race in fear. This was a fate worse than death. But there was no way that I could be in Shadowguard! This room was too nice and she was too nice.

The woman bent her head toward her shoulder with a puzzled look on her face. “No, you are. Come on, I’ll show you.’’ She stood next to the bed and extended both of her hands toward me.

I cautiously placed mine in hers as I swung my legs toward her body off the side of the bed. I slowly stood up as I held my breath.

“There you go!” she exclaimed with pride. “Atta girl!” She quickly moved to my side and slid her arm around my waist. “I’m Jessa, by the way.”

With her help, I limped slowly to the window. “See? Those are the mountains,” she said as she gestured with her free hand. “And over there, do you see it? It’s a little dark. But there’s the banner.” She pointed toward the courtyard below the window.

I could barely make out the symbol but I recognized the colors, dark metal gray and a smoky white. There was no doubt, Jessa was right. I was in Shadowguard. My breath began to become shaky and my heart was racing.

“Hey,” Jessa said softly. “Are you okay? Do you need anything?” She looked so concerned, it was uncomfortable. I was so confused. She must not know the truth, I wasn’t someone to concern herself with.

I sheepishly looked at my feet, I could no longer stand it. “Why are you being so kind to me?”

“Oh,” she said gently. I looked up toward her kind deep brown eyes. She smiled as she let out a small knowing sigh.

She said nothing further but instead gave me a reassuring look that said more than words ever could. There was still kindness in this world and even people like me deserved it. It broke my heart. She tenderly brushed my hair off my shoulder.

Behind us, the door opened. A part of me wanted to run but as if Jessa could feel it, she squeezed my waist as we both turned toward the noise. A man with short, bushy, ashy blond hair and broad shoulders absentmindedly entered the room.

“She’s awake,” he said, surprised. His voice was deeper than I assumed it would be based on his height. He was only a couple of inches taller than Jessa.

“Asher! You ass! Don’t talk about her like she isn’t here,” Jessa said playfully.

“I’m so sorry,” he said as he awkwardly approached me with his hand extended for me to shake. I quickly glanced over to Jessa who nodded her head in encouragement.

I cautiously placed mine in his and to my surprise, he shook it with a firm squeeze. “As this one said,” he said pointedly toward Jessa who quickly flashed him a sarcastic smile, “I’m Asher.”

He looked frazzled as if he was caught off guard. He locked eyes with Jessa and gave her a strange look. I couldn’t place it and it made me nervous. There was so much I didn’t know or understand. I felt completely lost.

Asher’s eyebrows quickly bounced up and then down as he curled his lips around his teeth. “Does he know she’s awake? Sorry,” he turned toward me and bowed slightly in apology for talking as if I wasn’t there again.

Jessa shook her head no. Asher bobbed his head and then slowly looked me over as he sucked his teeth. He then quickly turned on his heel and left the room without saying a word.

“Don’t mind him,” Jessa said knowingly. “He’s an-,” she took a short pause as if she was trying to be on her best behavior, “he’s a special one,” she finally finished as she helped me limp back to the bed.

“Who was he talking about?” I asked as she tucked me in. But Jessa remained silent. That wasn’t a good sign.

Before I could press further, heavy footsteps were approaching the door to the room. My heart began to race as I became filled with dread. The footsteps stopped before the door as if the owner was uncertain of their destination.

The uncertainty was short-lived as the door gently swung open. It felt as if the air was sucked from my lungs. Any feelings of fear or dread were quickly replaced. I couldn’t believe my own eyes, the most handsome man stood before me in the doorway. I thought Caine was beautiful, but this man made him look like fish bait.

He was tall and muscular. Even under the light linen shirt and woolen pants he was wearing, I could tell. He crossed his arms across his chest and shifted his weight from one thick thigh to the other as he placed a large hand on his chin.

His face was angular but not harsh. His brown hair was tucked behind his ears, the color reminded me of the little wren I saw in the woods. I would’ve smiled to myself but I couldn’t even think. He was staring at me intensely, his beautiful brown eyes full of concern.

“She needs to rest,” Jessa interjected. “You can do this in the morning.”

But the man paid Jessa no mind. She rolled her eyes and placed a hand on her hip, the other was on my shoulder.

“Are you alright?” he asked me. His question caught me off guard but not as much as the gentleness of his tone. My jaw fell ajar. I couldn’t speak. He quickly turned his attention to Jessa and then back to me.

“Come back tomorrow,” Jessa said curtly. “Like I said,”

But he left before she could finish. Jessa sighed as she gave me an apologetic look.

I didn’t know how to feel. I was terrified. I was in Shadowguard. I was so confused. Everything was so different here than it was back home. There was so much that I missed or didn’t know. But then there was a feeling I didn’t expect.

“Who was that?” I asked. There was something so familiar about him but I couldn’t place it. It was as if my heart knew him all along but that was ridiculous. I also didn’t need Jessa to answer my question. I knew as she spoke.

“Oh, that was Wren,” she began.

“The Alpha King of Shadowguard,” I finished.