From Awe to Rage

Rhea woke up to an unfamiliar ceiling and the feeling of being hit by a bus, which didn't surprise her from the way she was tortured by that sadistic royal pain in the ass. Her head throbbed as she sat up to assess her situation. She was lain on a soft bed with sheets that felt as smooth as silk. Bright light beamed through the open window as a cool breeze fluttered the curtains. She looked around the room and found a spread of steaming food laid out on a dining table. Her stomach growled at the sight and Rhea took a deep breath to get a whiff of the delicious-looking meal only to wince in pain.

"Shouldn't have done that," Rhea muttered as she forced herself to get off the bed. She glanced around once more and took a long look at the door. She scraped the chair at the dining table back and sat down slowly. "Food first, escape later."

The first bite was euphoria. Rhea couldn't stop herself from taking one bite after another until she was choking the food down. She grabbed the pitcher filled with liquid and gulped it hurriedly only to spit it out immediately. She coughed violently, holding her stomach as she fell to her hand and knees on the floor in pain. "That was fucking disgusting."

"An herbal tonic," a voice said by the doorway. Rhea turned her head in their direction and saw a dark-haired beauty with glowing green eyes. She held a tray full of medical supplies and walked over to the table to help Rhea onto her seat. "Good for bones, not so much in taste. It was first seeing someone drink the whole pitcher."

"So, you weren't trying to poison me," Rhea said wryly as she gauged the woman before her. She didn't feel any hostility, only a kind of stillness. The woman only laughed, and a wave of kinship washed over Rhea. She didn't know why, but she liked this woman.

"Morning Dew can be quite bitter that it may seem as if you were poisoned," the woman said as she held her hand out for Rhea. Rhea placed her bandaged hand in hers and the woman began redressing her wounds. "How are you feeling?"

"Feels like I've been hit by a truck, then run over by a train, only to be tossed around by a gorilla," Rhea chuckled. The woman looked at her perplexed. Rhea checked out the woman's outfit. She wore a dark green corset with an off-shoulder black cloak, a long dark skirt that floated over black boots. She wore no jewels save for the one on her left ring finger. "So, not to be rude or anything, but who are you and where am I?"

The woman finished dressing Rhea's arm then stood up and curtseyed.

"Many apologies," she stood up and looked Rhea in the eyes, "My name is Terra Locke, and this is the Tower of Keepers."

"Okay, first I was in a dungeon, now I'm in a tower," Rhea muttered to herself, "I'm starting to think I'm not in Kansas anymore."

"Is that where you are from?" Terra asked, curious.

"Oh, no. I'm from Seattle," Rhea answered and continued when she saw the confusion on Terra's face. "It was just an expression. You know, from the movie."

"I'm sorry," Terra said a bit forlorn, "I don't understand."

"You haven't seen Wizard of Oz?" Rhea asked just as confused.

"Is this wizard someone of high standing where you're from?" Rhea stared at Terra for a very long moment. She didn't look like she was joking. The sincere curiosity in Terra's eyes made the fact that Rhea was in a different plane entirely sink in faster.

"What country is this?"

"The Mysta Kingdom," a deep voice answered by the door. Rhea swung around and made eye contact with a tall handsome man with dark locks and golden eyes that seemed to pierce through her. His shoulders were broad, his body filled the doorway and looked as if he worked out almost daily. Rhea's throat went dry as she tried to take in the marvelous beauty in front of her. She's never felt more attracted to a man since…no, she's never been more attracted to a man than the one in front of her. A strong jawline, one dimpled cheek, thick full lips, and a lithe, toned body that took every bit of effort to tear her eyes away from.

"Mysta Kingdom? Never heard of it," Rhea said as she turned away from him to pick at her food. She couldn't see it, but she could feel her face growing warm. She wished she still had her long hair so she could hide behind it. Damned lightening!

"May I ask for your name?" he asked as he moved to make a slight bow. "I am Bren Dharius Halvard, first Prince of the Mysta Kingdom." Rhea stopped playing with her food and looked again towards the prince, but this time not with admiration but with furious rage.

"Who did you say you were?" Rhea said through gritted teeth. Confused, Bren repeated his name for her. Before anyone could stop her, Rhea had Bren on the ground with a dinner knife close to his neck. Bren held Rhea's wrists tightly to keep her from stabbing him. Terra stood back, unconcerned about Bren's safety. She only took a few bites off the cookies on the table and enjoyed the show.

"You fucking bastards!" Rhea yelled as she used what little strength she had to try and kill Bren.

"Wait!" Bren said as he tried to wrestle the knife away from Rhea. Rhea repositioned herself so that she'd have more leverage to drive the knife down, but Bren was just too strong for her in her weakened state. "Just listen, please!"

"After I'm done with you, your fucking brother is next," Rhea threatened as she struggled to push the knife down. Before she could hear what Bren said next, she felt a blow at the back of her neck and everything went dark.