Chapter 1

Falling. Wind washed over me like I was being whipped from a million different angles. Heat from the sun warmed and overheated my body. Falling. My eyes refused to open. There was a certain disconnect between my mind and my body. A hole in my mind that I couldn't quite grasp at. Falling. I'm falling, and I haven't hit the floor yet.

Adrenaline pumped through my veins. My eyes snapped open in panic. I looked around wildly. I was in the sky, falling towards the earth at high speeds. The buildings beneath me were an ant colony to me. My mouth opened of its own accord, but I could not hear any sound that may have come out. I was naked, the wind battered relentlessly at bare skin. 

I was victim to the will of the wind. I spread out with my arms spread as I fell head over foot. I needed to slow down or I would die. When I thought about my death something in my chest felt empty. The disconnect in my brain becoming obvious once more. An emptiness the left me feeling like something else. Even I didn't know what I meant by that. 

As I began to get closer, I could see the world beneath me. A sense of wrongness came over me as I stared at the desert humongous city underneath me. The city was a packed, the buildings were close together and tall. There was a long space between the end of the city and its border which was marked by a wall. Outside the wall was nothing, but pure desert. The largest building in the city was directly beneath me. It was slightly disconnected from the rest of the city, on higher ground. 

A white and gold castle that glinted beautifully in the sun. It had its own walls surrounding the outside. The castle had five hexagonal spires in total that connected to the central floors of the castle. One on each floor and then one in the center of the castle, each topped with a gorgeous golden dome. These spires were several floors above the rest of the castle. The rest of the castle was made of rectangular floors and rooms that stacked on top of eachother. The top rooms had golden pyramid roofs. 

And it looked like I was going to land in the middle of it. Where it was looking like I was going to land was outside of the main castle. A small dome-like building that stood in the far corner of the castle grounds. I tried to adjust my trajectory, but the wind had other ideas. I simply began to spin and flip even more violently in the air. A yell was ripped through my throat as I tumbled wildly. My velocity reached its peak, and I no longer could control my own body. 

My brain was starting to feel clear again, but the whole remained. My chest resisted against my beating heart. I couldn't see it very well, but I felt it. The ground was close. That dome looked pretty solid from over a hundred feet or so ago. I could see the building out of my peripheral vision. This is gonna hurt. 

I crashed and the sharp sound of breaking glass overwhelmed my senses. Then I didn't stop falling. I held my forearm over my eyes to protect them from glass. Screams echoed from around me as I smashed into the ground. The pain response I was waiting for never came. Glass made a fairy-like tinkling noise as it fell around me and on top of me. 

Heavy silence for several moments after my belly-flop from the sky. Then gasps and whispers. I laid face down on the floor for several moments. I raised my head off the ground for the first time. I was surrounded by shards of yellow stained and clear glass. In front of me was, what appeared to be, a wedding. 

A man and a woman stood at the front of the room. The man was tall and lean. He had long dark hair that was braided with golden chains neatly down his back.  He wore a white tunic and loose pants that had golden piping that contrasted his umber skin. His jewelry was all gold as well; necklaces, rings, bands that wrapped his biceps, and earrings. He had a sharply sculpted face, a hawk-like nose, and severe eyebrows. The woman across from him was fair-skinned. Blonde hair curled leisurely out of her head, and ended at her jaw. Her dress was made of tight silk and lace. She had less jewelry than her soon to be groom, but her hands sparkled with pure diamonds. Everything about her was soft.

On each side of me were rows and rows of chairs. All of the people were dressed in formal wear. One side consisted of more golden colors, their formal wear made of sheer fabrics, silks, lace, and sashes. The other side consisted of more traditional button up shirts and slacks, all white. The ends of their sleeves and the edges if their collars glinted with diamonds. 

Where a priest would be a table with crowns, jewels, and chalices stood. On either side of the table stood the bridal parties. My eyes drifted to the groom's side. Directly next to the groom stood two younger people around seventeen or eighteen, my age. A girl and a boy with the same umber skin and hawk-like nose as the groom. Their eyes were different from the groom's, but identical to each other, at least in color. 

The girl's deep mahogany brown eyes stared at me in awe and shock. Her mouth was pressed into a tight line, but her eyes were wide. An attempt at stoicness. She was tall and well muscled like an elite athlete. She looked  powerful in her flowy golden dress. A strip of white sheer fabric wrapped around her shoulders. Lace wrapped her collarbones and shoulders, but did not go down her arms. Cool brown hair was pulled back tightly in a ponytail. Her brother nudged her with his elbow effectively drawing my attention and causing the girl to smirk. 

The boy's deep mahogany brown eyes were filled with mirth. A wild smile spread across his dimpled baby face. He was much skinnier than the girl. He was also several inches shorter. Shaggy and highlighted hair hung across his forehead in light waves. His tunic was more of a sleeveless vest with a sheer long-sleeve underneath, and it was covered in golden chains. His pants were slacks that almost consumed his feet, but dirty leather shoes peeked out from underneath. A strip of reddish-brown fabric hung from his pocket. 

I met his eyes and his mouth began to twitch. He swiftly covered his mouth as I narrowed my eyes at him. He stifled a laugh, then two, then he burst out in the dead silence. He bent over laughing, hands on his knees, "Oh my gods."

I lifted my head up a little more, and felt something sharp dig into my scalp. I turned my head ever so slightly. In my peripheral vision, a man in full body metal armor held a spear to my head. The whispers around me only grew with time. I looked back to the front, and let my head bang to the floor. I mumbled into a shard of glass, "Just kill me."

"Hold," commanded a deep and smooth voice in front of me. Silence descended immediately in the room. I peeked upwards and allowed the spear to dig into my head again. The groom stood facing me instead of his bride now. He waved his hand in a slow shoo motion. The spear point disappeared from the back of my head. Several retreating and clunky steps sounded behind me. The man spread his arms and smiled lazily at me, "Welcome to my palace, young man, I wish you would've sounded ahead that you would drop in. I could have lined the floor with thick velvet instead of silk for you."

I looked between the groom and the girl who was actively rolling her eyes at the joke. I looked at him with an open jaw, the shock of my own survival and surroundings still processing. I stuttered, "Sorry about the window."

He laughed boisterously and it filled the room. He waved his hand several times, "Don't worry about it, the last dust storm left it dirty anyways. I am King Alexandros of the Golden Kingdom, welcome to my wedding."

I gaped at the the king. The customs of royalty were a mystery to me, but they always seemed very strict. I said, "I am Jasper of…"

I tried desperately to remember where I had come from. There was something missing in my brain. The information wasn't anywhere to be found. I tried desperately to recall anything about myself, but found nothing. I knew things off the top of my head like math and science, but things about myself were lost to me. The mitochondria was the powerhouse of the cell, but who knows what my last name is. 

I refocused on the king in front of me. He kneeled down a couple feet in front of me. He nodded at me, "It's okay, you're safe here." Alexandros stood up and dusted off his knees, "Does anyone have any spare clothes for this young man to have at this moment in time, I will replace all the lost items on my honor."

Silence descended once more for several moments. The royals and important people that filled the room suddenly found their hands and laps more interesting. 

The young man as a part of the bridal party jumped into action, "I'm on it, Ali!"

He sprinted out of the room like a dog who had been sitting still for several hours and grown tired of it. Alexandros's eyes followed the younger boy with a tired smile, "My brother, Roshan, he is excitable at best and chronically bored at worst."

I smiled weakly at the king from my place at the floor. I didn't like the feeling of being so exposed with only my closed legs and the floor blocking my more vulnerable parts. My skin itched like crazy from my own insecurities. I knew I'm broad, but I didn't have much meat on my bones for reasons I couldn't recall. I let my head droop to the floor again. I heard the clicking of heels, but I didn't bother to look up. The footsteps paused, and then continued again. 

"Brother?" A deeper and slightly raspy voice piqued my curiosity once more. I looked up as the girl from the bridal party strutted forward. A thick strip of white cotton that had tassels on each end. She threw the cotton over my backside. It was thick enough to reach to my knees. She looked at her brother who was about her height at the moment, "You owe council member, Lord Lucio, a replacement."

A pudgy man threw glares at the three of us from the front of the room. Alexandros looked at the man and smiled kindly. He then whispered to his sister, "You can't simply take clothing off a man's back, Arunika."

Her hands landed on her hips as she flipped her hair back behind her shoulders. She whispered back, "And yet I have."

"Must you anger the council members, I am the one who has to cool their tempers."

"He can afford a thousand, besides Ro is flighty, and the boy needs to cover up." She looks down at me with an apologetic smile. She wiggled her fingers down at me in a cutesy wave, "Hello."

"Hello," I replied awkwardly. 

Roshan came running carrying a set of clothes. The maroon cloth that had been pushed into his pocket was now wrapped around his forehead, and his pants were messily rolled up to his mid-calves. Even his vest was unbuttoned. He skidded to a stop between his siblings. He let out a very deep breath, and held up the clothes above me triumphantly. Roshan declared with a wide smile, "I brought him my spare formal robes."

"Formal robes?" I questioned incredulously. 

Alexandros raised his arms and straightened his back, "Today is a happy day, a celebration of life in its purest forms," he was addressing the guests around him more than me, "And the gods have deemed to bless my kingdom with a new life, so I invite you, Jasper, to stay in my home for three days and these celebrations. I will clothe you, feed you, and help you adjust to this world."

He smiled down at me, "The clothing will come first, of course, if you accept."

I shuffled awkwardly on the floor to tuck the cloth underneath my body. I wrapped it around my hips and tucked it tightly. I rose to my knees, the cloth brushing my lower thighs. I looked back up at the royal family, and let out a deep sigh, "That would be really, really nice." 

Alexandros clapped his hands together with a large smile that mirrored his little brother. A small smirk is all that appeared on Arunika's face. Alexandros yelled, "Excellent, Roshan, take him outside to get dressed we shall resume when you return."

Roshan grabbed me by the upper arms and hauled me up. He dragged me through the large double door. We stood several feet outside the circular building. Roshan shoved the clothes into my hands, before swiftly turning around. I looked at his back for several moments in shock. My brain was covered in a thin fog that was keeping me from completely processing all the information that was hitting me. 

I looked through the clothes. A pair of silk boxers with some sort of drawstring waist caught my eye. I slipped them on underneath the cloth I was already wearing. I gently placed the cloth on the ground. The pants were loose, and made of some sort of pure white cotton. They hung loosely around my calves. I pulled a golden button-up onto my torso. My shaky hands made it hard to button. I rolled the sleeves up past my elbow, and pulled the final piece onto my body. A white vest that I left unbuttoned. 

Roshan turned around suddenly. He smiled widely at me. I looked down at my bare feet. He waved his hand in front of his face, "Don't worry about the shoes, most of the people will lose theirs once we go inside."

He bounced up and down on his toes several times before smiling and jerking his head towards the door. He seemed to be trying very hard to hold his tongue. He bounced through the double doors several feet ahead of me. His strides were long and leisurely as he went down the aisle to re-join the bridal party. I evaluated the room very quickly. I saw an empty seat at the back of the room that I quickly ran to and sat down in. And the royal wedding commenced once again.