I remember sitting there feeling like my world had been turn upside down. You have to understand the Empire and Lataria, the kingdom I live and fought for, are two entirely different beasts. The Empire is massive and has authority over 101 kingdoms. Spanning an entire continent with a quarter of its territory comprised of island kingdoms alone. The name itself is imposing- Dreamscape. The world has 7 major continents and every civilization on the planet competes for the colonization of other planes. It's a lot for a cook to take in.
It's not just an invitation to marry a beautiful woman or even inherit an insane amount of wealth. It's that and the chance to sit upon the throne of something so big it's hard to wrap your head around. It's insane to me that I haven't been killed and replaced.
I look at Hannah, really look at her. She's unreal, the type of woman most men would let shit in their mouths and be grateful for the experience. She's just that beautiful. Now I know that's nasty but the things people do would surprise you.
Shakingly I say, "Ambassador, Princess, Hannah, Ms. Lullaby, I-."
She leans over and places her finger on my lip. "Shhh. Call me Hannah, introduce yourself, and try to calm down a bit."
Audibly I cleared my throat and began my introduction, "Hi Hannah, I'm Adam, a cook. I like listening to the crickets chirp and chasing stray cats. I miss the blade and don't particularly care for politics. I've never had a girlfriend. Oh and I love my job, I think I'm quite the cook."
She stood at that and holding her hand out asked, "So Adam, will you accompany me to the capital?"
"No. Whatever the likes of you want from me, it can't be anything good. Even if you truly are the prettiest woman to walk the earth, nothing's worth giving a peaceful life up for a life full of lies and deadly schemes. For the games of stuck up nobles and…" I never quite got to finish that thought because she drew her hand back and then everything went dark.
I'd like to say that I woke up and calmly assessed my surroundings. The truth was I woke up with a start, screamed in pain when the chains rubbed my wrists the wrong way, and my head felt like it was about to explode. I'd been blindfolded and chained to a bed. And something was close, something I knew was looking at me like how I liked at a duck or rabbit before finding the best way to prepare it for the meal I had in mind. The air was warm, but stagnant. And whatever was watching me made my hair stand on end. Something was inhibiting my ability to sense the world around me with my inner eye. But the ambient mana, particularly the earth mana's concentration, felt so alien I just knew I was far from home.
Hair on end, heart racing, I sat there for hours before anyone came to visit me. It wasn't Hannah, but a man. I felt steel fingers on my head and then the blindfold fell. The first thing I saw wasn't the giant of a man clad in bluesteel before me, but the black and orange monster of a cat curled up across the room, this same cat that never took it's eyes off me.
God's above it was larger than even the brown bears we'd sometimes run into on marches through the woods west of Felburn.
And then the man spoke, "That's Urn, Hannah's familiar. He's a right cunning bastard and gets his rocks off toying with his prey. Try not to piss him off." He stepped back and pulled a chair from a desk to my left and sat before continuing, "This is your room. Urn is your bodyguard. To your right is a door to a windowless bathroom. When it's time to eat Urn will lead you to the dining hall. I'm here to undo your chains and leave you with a warning. You'll consider yourself a prisoner, we know you dabble in magic, and you're blood's too thick too even claim otherwise. That cunning bastard is a greater mage than you. That's fact. Whatever magic you try working up he'll shatter it. You'll do as your told and greet those who greet you. You will dine with the Imperial family and you will not speak. You don't want to find out what will happen if you do. Everywhere you go Urn will follow. He will report your whereabouts, the contents of every conversation you have, every coin you earn, every friend you make, the name of every book you read, and every coin you spend. He'll also be your guide. Your not required to be in the palace after lunch. You will be back everyday no later than an hour after midnight. Good luck Lockheart."
The whole time he spoke I'd wanted to interrupt, to move to do anything, but it wasn't until he had unshackled me and left the room that I was able to act. And all I could do was scream and curl into a ball. To have your life in the hands of others, to have your freedom stolen no matter the carrot they left you, was truly the worst thing you could do to a man.