However, before she had a chance to sit down, one of the people who looked like they at least considered themselves to be important stepped forward, he was dressed rather regally and Beth had a suspicion that he was in the room she'd been brought to the night before she entered that garden that had something happen in. Though, she couldn't be sure. He also didn't seem to look at Beth with the same hostility she'd started to get accustomed to from those who seemed to be in charge.
"I wanted to thank you for saving my son," the man said, surprising Beth with how she was able to understand him. Clearly she wasn't successful at hiding her surprise as he continued, "If you're wondering how you can understand me, it's because of this." The man held up what looked like a squarish tile or stone plate or something. If her attention hadn't been drawn to it, she wouldn't have thought it important.
"What is it?" Beth merely asked, feeling a little confused at the surprise the man showed her with her question.
"It's a translation plate," came the reply, sounding like Beth should have known that.
"Uh, yeah," Beth remarked. "Like I know what that's supposed to be."
The man sighed. "Either way, you saved my son. He told me all that you did to protect him and how the cut-ear who you fought had attacked you," he said, but then glanced at the group behind him. "However, my advisers aren't so confident that you're what you seem. So, what they want to know is why were you in the gardens in the first place?"
Beth shook her head, more out of exasperation than anything else. "Look, I don't remember anything of what happened in that garden. So, whatever I did, I'm not accountable for it," Beth protested, not sure if what she said made sense of not. "As for why I was there, I had been looking for a cafeteria or kitchen or some place I could get something to eat. Then when I saw the garden, I thought that maybe there might be something I could eat in there. Besides, my friend Charlie used to have her own garden that she grew. So, I've learned how peaceful they can be."
Beth wasn't sure if what she said was going to help her or not, but she wasn't sure it would matter anyway. Several of the people in the group behind this man definitely looked at her with open hostility in their eyes. She wondered if she and her friends had made a mistake in not going back through the gate when they had the chance. If nothing else, it would have saved all of them a lot of headaches. At the very least, they wouldn't have been separated like this.
The man, however merely nodded. "How did you know about my son's nursemaid having been tied up?"
"Oh, I heard sounds coming from one of the rooms I passed. When I looked, I saw she was tied up and since it didn't look anything like S and M that I've heard about, I thought I should help her. Though, I had no idea what it was about," Beth answered.
Though, she couldn't help but wonder why she didn't think something was off about that. Was it just that she was so hungry that she couldn't think past that or was there something else at work there?
Yet, the man didn't seem concerned about that. He merely walked back to the others and Beth heard him say, "I'm satisfied with her answers. Her friends are to be brought here and they will have anything they need. Also, return to them their possessions. Anything they need is to be provided."
Beth felt stunned at what she heard. As she sat on the couch, she couldn't help but feel like her body was moving on its own. Almost like her motor controls had been hacked and she wasn't in control of herself right then.
Beth closed her eyes as she leaned against the arm rest, hoping that the chatter in the room would die down so she could get some sleep. Yet, it wasn't very long before she'd sat down when she felt someone small sit next to her. She couldn't say so it was, so she groaned softly as she lifted her head, opened her eyes, and turned to look to see who it was.
She saw a little boy there, looking at her with admiration in his young eyes. It took Beth a minute to place where she'd seen him before and realized that he was the boy who had apparently been hiding under the couch on the night she'd first arrived on this world.
Beth smiled weakly at the boy before resting her head back on the arm rest and closed her eyes. Sleep was the only thing that she could think of that would get her mind off of her hunger. There didn't seem to be anything to eat in this room, and the man had started up a discussion or something, so she didn't see that it was likely that she'd be able to ask about getting some food. Either brought here or have her taken to where it was.
Maybe it was just because of all that had happened, but she couldn't really think of anything but sleeping and food. She knew she hadn't been like that before. Even when she'd gone for a couple days without eating, just because she wanted to win a bet with a classmate when she was in sixth grade.
Why she thought of that, she couldn't say. Maybe it had to do with her being so hungry at the moment, but she wasn't too worried at the moment. Sleep was again calling her and she didn't see a reason to ignore it.
_
Charlie was annoyed when she was shaken out of her peaceful nap. She was enjoying her dream too much. If it had been her alarm clock in her room that had pulled her out of that dream, she would have needed a new alarm clock.
As it is, she wasn't able to smash what woke her up, instead it was the guy who she'd met earlier that Dephna had told her was the one in charge. Yet, while she was annoyed at him waking her up, she couldn't help but find his expression entertaining.
It looked like he had been forced to eat something that was really bitter or that he just didn't like. Almost like he had a change of heart against his weill or something.
"Get up, you and your friends are coming with me," the man said bluntly.
If he had the expression on his face from before, she'd have been worried with that statement. However, his expression mad Charlie wonder if he merely was being directed to do something that he wasn't happy about.
Regardless of which it was, she couldn't help but find herself amused at it. Yet, she had a feeling that she shouldn't be a jerk about it. Which meant that she'd need to get Ralph to not be his usual self and be a pest.
"Where're we going?" Charlie asked, yawning as she stood up, nearly falling over with her legs themselves having trouble waking up.
"The Royal Tree," the man answered.
Is that supposed to mean something to me? Charlie couldn't help but wonder. Especially with how the man said it, it sounded like it was a place that people were supposed to know what they were talking about without any further elaboration. Either that or this was his way of retaliating for being required to do something he didn't want to in the first place.
So, Charlie merely nodded and followed him as he led her through the building. To Charlie it looked like a police station, though it didn't seem like there were many people who worked there. She couldn't help but wonder if this world had a low crime rate, or if it was just this area of this world. Or just maybe the people who worked here were all somewhere else at the moment.
Maybe if she hadn't been woken up she would be a little more clearheaded, she wondered briefly as they kept moving through the building. They picked up Amelia and Hannah from different room on different floors of the building that looked almost identical to the one Charlie had been in.
"So, what'd you say to convince them that it was just all a big misunderstanding?" Hannah asked when she'd walked out of the room she'd been in.
Charlie merely shook her head. She hadn't said anything, so she couldn't say what may or may not have been said to get them to get this sort of reaction. Besides, she hadn't said anything really, since she'd been asleep for the past while. Unless Dephna had found something that made their 'hosts' feel like they could trust Charlie and her friends.
"I didn't say anything," Charlie answered, not caring if she ever found out. "I was asleep when he woke me up and told me to follow him."
"What for?" Amelia asked as they started heading down some stairs to the next floor down.
"Not sure…" Charlie started to say when she suddenly remembered about what Dephna had said. "Actually, I think I heard one of them say something about their crown prince being saved by one of us. They didn't say who, but given both of you are here, I'd assume it wasn't either of you."
Amelia and Hannah nodded together. "Probably isn't Ralph either," Amelia remarked. "I'd expect him to piss people off more than save them."
As Amelia said that, the man opened another door. This one had Ralph come out of it.
"I heard that, Amelia," Ralph drawled.
"Like I care if you heard it or not," Amelia said, acting like it wasn't a matter that had any importance, although Charlie suspected Ralph would see it differently.
"Well, you are here, so it couldn't have been you anyway," Hannah chimed in.
"Maybe, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't save someone," Ralph retorted.
"You know, he might have a point," Amelia said, with an evil grin on her face. "If it pissed someone else off, I could see him saving someone."
Charlie couldn't help but giggle at that, not caring that Ralph was giving her a dirty look in response.
"I can save people without having to worry about things like that," Ralph protested.
"Maybe, but I'm sure it'd help," Hannah remarked, patting Ralph on the shoulder as they turned down another hallway.
"You know, I just remembered," Charlie said, recalling how she'd seen Hannah put in a different room than where they'd picked her up at. "Weren't you in a room near the one they put me in?"
"Yeah, but then they moved me. They had a bag of plastic rings that I assume they were asking me about. Though, the bag was also plastic, a ziploc bag," Hannah said.
"Wait, when did we bring plastic rings on the trip?" Amelia asked.
Hannah shook her head. "No clue, but I'm sure someone did."
Charlie shrugged. "Wherever they came from, we can discuss that later. I just thought you were in the room by me the entire time," Charlie said, looking up towards the ceiling where the lights hung down.
"I tried talking to you guys with my magic, but no one answered at all," Amelia said. "They kept me in that same room, but not one ever replied to me."
"I didn't hear anything," Ralph said. "And I've been up all night."
Charlie considered this information. "Maybe they have something here that affects that?"
"Like what?" Amelia asked, glancing at Charlie.
"Like maybe an enchantment or item that stops magic?" Charlie suggested.
"How would they have something like that?" Ralph asked.
"This is a different world than ours," Hannah remarked. "Maybe they already know of something like that? I mean, they didn't seem to question us about magic, so what if that's something they already know about?"
"Good point," Amelia answered. "If they know about magic, then they'd likely have ways to counter it."
Charlie let the others discuss the finer points of that as she focused on where the man was leading them. Soon Wes and Tim were both with them and the theories on what this whole things was about was shared with them.
"I guess it must have been Beth then," Wes remarked as Tim joined them.
"Well, if it was Beth, I'm sure she'll meet us where we're supposed to go to," Amelia said as the man led them to a back entrance that they probably wouldn't have noticed if he hadn't opened it.
Outside they were stunned to see a very old fashioned truck. The man motioned for them to get in the back of it, looking rather impatient. Charlie also couldn't help but notice that their packs were in the back of the truck as well. Though, she suspected that they'd need to do an inventory to determine everyone was carrying what they had originally been carrying before they moved on.
"I think he wants us to get in," Wes remarked.
"I do too," Hannah concurred.
"Hasn't he heard about vehicle safety?" Amelia asked. "Are there even seat belts in the back?"
"Can this thing even go dangerous speeds?" Tim asked. "We could probably run faster than this P.O.S."
"At least our back packs are here. So, lets get in anyway," Charlie told them. "I have a feeling that this is the best we're going to get right now."
While the others grumbled, they still got in the back of the truck and sat down. Although, Charlie was surprised to see benches on the sides of the truck bed. She would have thought that they'd have to sit on the truck bed itself.
Charlie's friends continued to chat with each other as they started to drive away, though Charlie didn't pay attention to what was being said. Though, she had to admit that Tim hit it on the nail with how fast the truck seemed to go. Charlie could only assume that this world had only really just invented automotive vehicles with how fast this would go, in addition to the fact that there seemed more horses and horse-drawn vehicles than cars.
While it was nice to not have to walk again, she couldn't help but feel like it wasn't any better, given how fast the truck was moving. Idly she wondered if she should hop out and walk alongside the vehicle. Partly just to amuse herself, but also partly to let these people know that she wasn't impressed with their vehicles. However, she stayed put, largely because she had a feeling that they were merely looking for an excuse to not do what they had said they were doing.
When they finally arrived at where they were going, Charlie looked at the building. Not only was it bigger than any of the other buildings she'd seen, but it had a wall and gate around it, that looked almost like it was carved out of a single piece of wood. It was either naturally while or painted so well that it didn't look like it was painted.
She also recalled that the man had called it 'The Royal Tree.' Not only was it grander and extremely well decorated, but it was in the shape of a tree, like most of the other buildings. However, she could tell that this one was clearly not a real tree. Partly because she could see some of the 'branches' came out too low. Then there was the fact that some of the 'branches' had supports holding them up. Even what she'd seen with sequoias and redwoods didn't have branches like The Royal Tree. So, while it looked very grand and impressive, it was the only building she could say with certainty that it wasn't an actual tree.
When they arrived, the man who'd first escorted them from where they'd been held and then driven them to this place, stayed in the truck. Charlie wasn't complaining, and when they'd all gotten out of the truck with their packs, two of which Charlie made sure she had, so Beth wouldn't lose hers, he merely drove off without saying anything. Not that Charlie or any of her friends minded.
In place of that man was what looked like a guard, who merely motioned for them to follow him. Charlie couldn't help but feel like a tourist The tree looked like it was maybe as tall as a sequoia, and she caught herself gawking at how high it went. If it wasn't for Amelia, she couldn't help but wonder how long she'd have stood there and how far behind her friends she'd have fallen.
They were led through the building and from the inside, it hardly looked like it was inside a tree. Although, the hallways along the edge did curve around, but Charlie hardly even noticed that as they followed their escort.
While Charlie had been annoyed at how slow the vehicle had travelled, she was at least happy that her feet weren't tired from going as far as they did. Especially with how much walking they were having to do here. She couldn't help but acknowledge that even the snail paced cars were useful. Not that she'd say that aloud.
It didn't take long before they were all ushered into a room, that had another guard standing outside of. Inside Charlie was happy to see Beth, though it was clear that she'd fallen asleep. Even her puppy was curled up on Beth's lap.
Charlie felt bad at having to wake Beth, but she doubted that Beth would want to remain sleeping when the rest of them were there. Especially if Beth was as hungry as Charlie was starting to feel. Though, she suddenly realized something. If these people were so grateful to them for whatever Beth did, she wondered if they couldn't get at least a meal out of this. So, she poked her head out of the room to talk with the guard.
"Excuse me?" Charlie said, hoping to start this off amicably.
The guard glanced at Charlie, but didn't say anything. Which Charlie assumed meant for her to continue on.
"The thing is, we were wondering if we might be able to get something to eat. None of us has had anything since last night," Charlie explained.
However, the guard didn't move at all. She merely looked away from Charlie, moving back to the position she was in before Charlie said anything.
So, Charlie pulled on her magic and peeked inside the guard's mind. Fortunately, she wasn't blocked to Charlie's mind probe and she was able to quickly learn that she was supposed to keep Charlie and her friends in that room for the time being. Nothing else was said to her, nor was she told why.
So, Charlie pulled her head back in the room to wait as patiently as she could. It helped that she wasn't alone, but that didn't help much when they didn't know how long there were going to have to wait. Yet, at least they had something comfortable to sit on here.
At the very least, Charlie hoped that the reason the guard didn't go get them something to eat, was that their hosts were already doing that. Though, she didn't have anything to base that on, but that didn't really matter to her. Just imagining them getting Charlie and her firends something to eat ready was enough for the moment. Although, she couldn't help but wonder what might happen if that didn't turn out to be the case.