Chapter Three
I sat with my head leaning up against the window, looking at the town's surroundings as I rode through it. If it was raining, I would've looked like one of those kids in a coming-of-age movie that was having an existential crisis while they stared out the window of a bus with angst. Part of me was in denial, part of me felt like throwing up, and part of me was bewildered, trying to figure it all out.
"What the fuck?"
That was the only thing I was able to utter, and I just kept saying it over and over again. My eyes glazed over as the people and houses I passed came in and out of focus. Every bump in the road reminded me that this wasn't a car on a highway, but a slow, horse-drawn carriage without a suspension system. The closer we got to the palace, the bigger the houses got and the more extravagant the clothes got. I turned my head straight, eyes staring at the carriage wall in front of me. Through the small window, I could see the head of the driver bouncing around. I wondered if he could hear me talking to myself.
"Hello, Mr. Driver sir, can you hear me?" I called out. No response.
"Mr. Driver, I am dying, if you can hear me, can you like, stop and help me not die?"
Still nothing, not even a head turn. I assumed that I was fine to continue thinking aloud. Slumping farther down into my seat, I tried to remember all I could about my character.
"Okay, so it sounds like I'm June, Ryia's lady in waiting. She's the one who… got hit by a carriage… was just a way for Ryia and Sawyer to spend time together… and then was never mentioned again," my mouth dropped in annoyance, "well, this just sucks." I almost felt bad for my character and the fact she only existed as a plot tool. I found it hard to believe that the author would just throw in a person who was supposed to be close friends with the main character only to never mention her again.
"Hold on, did Ryia just forget about her in the book? Weren't they supposed to be close friends or something?" I asked aloud as if someone was there to answer.
The more I thought about it, the more my heart dropped into my stomach. It was slowly sinking in that I was stuck in a world where my life had no real purpose.
"Whelp, at least I didn't get run over this time," I chuckled. Oliver's face flashed through my head, and I was reminded of what he had said. 'I can't believe I'm stuck here.' That perfectly summed up how I was feeling right now.
Turning my head back to the window, I let out an exasperated sigh and crossed my arms.
"What am I supposed to do now?"
***
Eventually, the carriage passed through the tall iron gates that surrounded the royal grounds and rolled to a stop in front of a massive castle that looked exactly like the 3D generated ones used in every manhwa ever created. The door of the carriage was opened by a guard in shiny silver armor with a red shirt peeking through. A large garden sprawled out in front of me. Sparkling fountains bubbled, little chirping birds hopping in and around them. Butterflies drifted from flower to flower, and large oak trees cast shadows over the bright green grass, their leaves dancing with every small breeze.
Waiting on the walkway to the palace was Ryia, standing next to Sawyer. When she saw me, she scampered over and worriedly grabbed my hand. Sawyer strode after, catching up in order to join us.
"Ryia, let's head inside and find a place to rest," Sawyer looked down at Ryia, his golden eyes glinting in the sun, and spoke to her instead of me as if I didn't exist.
"Yes, let's make sure she finds a cool place to lay down," Ryia added. Her grip on my hand tightened. The three of us started walking through the gold-decorated doors and into the palace.
The heels of our shoes clicked on the marble tiles and ricocheted off of the ornate white walls. Though I didn't like the fact that I was here in the first place, I had to admit that it was a beautiful sight. Mirrors and paintings lined the walls, and chandeliers hung from chains on the ceiling. The light from their candles' flames reflected in the crystal that decorated them. How they managed to get the candles up there and lit was a mystery, but it looked magical nonetheless. Large pane glass windows flooded the halls with natural light and cast geometric patterns on the floor. Every window that we passed revealed more beautiful gardens outside that seemed to go on and on for miles. After a few turns and a flight of stairs, we came to an abrupt stop.
"Right around this corner is a room for June, the maids can take her from here," as Sawyer spoke, two young women walked over, bowed their heads, and greeted us.
"Please take good care of her and make sure she gets plenty of rest, she is a very special guest."
Ryia gave a small curtsey and thanked them, while behind her Sawyer gave them a menacing look and then gestured towards me. A slight chill went down my spine and I got the vibe that this wasn't such a selfless gesture on his part.
"Right this way, Miss," one of them gently wrapped their hand around my arm and began to lead me away in a hurry. As I was practically dragged through the hallway, I could hear Sawyer talking and quickly whipped my head around.
"Ryia, let us head to the dining hall. It is almost time for dinner, and I'd be a horrible host if I let you go hungry," Sawyer turned to Ryia, looking her in the eyes with a warm smile that couldn't be any further from fake. I already disliked him from reading the book but being with him in person and seeing the façade he kept up around Ryia was repulsive.
"Actually, could Ryia come with me?" I quickly wriggled free from the girl's grasp and darted back to Ryia's side, grasping her hands and whimpering, "it's going to be lonely there by myself."
Sure, I don't know what I'm going to do now that I am in this world, but I know for a fact that I'm not going to let Sawyer get close to her. It's not because I'm attached to her or anything like that, I just want to piss him off.
"Oh, June, I don't want you to be lonely, let me go with you and I can keep you company," Ryia cooed at me, and for a moment I thought I saw her eyes flash with relief. Whatever it was, it quickly dissipated.
"Now that isn't a smart idea, you need to rest," Sawyer kept his smile, but I could hear his voice hissing through clenched teeth, "the maids will take perfect care of her and make sure that she isn't lonely."
"Please Ryia," I skipped over Sawyer's remark and continued pleading to her.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me. I greatly appreciate the invitation to dinner, but I believe that I need to be at June's side right now. Is it alright if I go with her?"
Sawyer shot me a nasty glare that made it clear that I had succeeded in making him angry, "all is well, I'll send the doctor and make sure that dinner is sent to you, Ryia."
"Thank you for accommodating me," I smirked slightly at Sawyer before turning and walking down the hall with Ryia. I could feel golden flames burning into me as I left.
Everything about the palace was extravagant, and the room I was put in was no exception. I brushed aside intricately sewn drapes that surrounded the bed and plopped down onto the comforter. I laid there for a few minutes, staring at the ceiling, my attention only shifting when there was a knock on the door. I sat up, ready to answer it, but Ryia got up and beat me to it.
"Hello Doctor, June is laying on the bed currently," Ryia curtseyed and led the doctor to where I was laying. I sat up, shoulders back, and greeted him.
"I heard you got into a little accident, miss. I'm just going to check a couple of things to make sure you aren't hurt inside and that you didn't hit your head too hard," he gave me a warm, but insincere smile, "Not stand up straight."
He poked and prodded around, nothing out of the norm. He asked a few questions, like if I knew what the date was, if I was seeing double and if I could recite the alphabet backward. It felt more like a sobriety test from a police officer, but I didn't care either way. I just wanted to get it over with. Ryia sat in a chair next to the bed, worried eyes following his every move as if she expected him to make a mistake.
"I want to have you stay here for the night, and maybe a day or two afterward just to be sure, but everything seems to be fine besides a little shock, which is to be expected," he took a step back and grabbed the bag he had brought in with him. After digging through it for a few seconds, he pulled out a blue glass bottle full of little pills.
"Here, you should take these, they are just some little vitamins that will help you get up to your full strength. Why don't you take one now," he unscrewed the bottle and handed it to me.
"Is it okay if I take this after dinner?" I asked, my gut telling me that something was off.
"I'd prefer if you took it now, just so I know that you did."
He looked at me with a strange glint in his eye. I dumped a pill into my hand and stared at it for a few seconds. The doctor continued to stare me down, and eventually, I gave in and swallowed the pill dry.
"Alright, thank you miss. I'll be back to check on you again tomorrow morning. I am going to leave the pills here, please take one before sleeping too," he left the room soon after, the door slamming behind him.
"I'm glad that everything is okay June, I was so nervous that something had happened," Ryia walked over and wrapped her arms around me and I hugged her back. Even though I didn't know her, it was nice to have someone there right now. Even if it was mostly to get her away from Sawyer, I was glad that Ryia was here. I really didn't want to be alone.
***
"You made sure she took it, correct?" Sawyer was waiting outside the room, his back leaned up against the wall. When the doctor came out, he stood up straight and loomed over the doctor with his daunting presence.
"Yes, your majesty," the doctor responded, his body shivering as if the hallway had become frozen.
"Good, we can't have vermin walking around with so much freedom here."