The burning sun rays is what woke her, the salt in the air filling her nostrils.
She turned on her side as she choked up salty ocean water, wheezing into the sand. Sand coated her from head to toe, her light blue gown like second skin on her.
When she was done gagging, she slowly sat up, the world tilting before righting itself.
She gathered her bearings, looking around.
She was on some unfamiliar beach, the ocean licking at her toes as if asking for her to go back in. Palm trees had fat coconuts attached to it, as if it was moments away from falling down on her. Pulling herself away from the ocean's grasp, she glanced around, confusion on how she got here filling her thoughts.
"This...isn't home." she said allowed to herself, as no one was around her, or anyone that she could see anyways.
And if there was...would she even recognize them?
She stood up from the sand on shaky legs, her dress weighing her down, and when she tried to walk, a sudden stab in her left foot rendered her to fall on her behind and stare at the tiny crab that had pinched her foot.
Just as she was about to give up, a wave of water slapped her in the face, causing her cheeks to sting from the salt. She sputtered out, as something appeared out from the waters, making her freeze in place.
The first thing she noticed about it was it's massive head. Horns sharpened to an everpoint made the creature look menacing, scales the color of the ocean rippling and shimmering as the water dropped down from it. It's underbelly was a pale yellow, covered in a hard armor exterior. Eyes the bluest of aquamarine stones blinked at her, and relief covered its facial features as it rose up, the neck long and thick, attached to a bulky lizard-like body with massive wings.
It would make sense for her to run, if only she could remember how to use her legs.
"My Lady." the dragon said, it's voice so deep, and loud, the beach shook a little, and she looked around before pointing at herself as if to confirm this thing was talking to her.
The dragon didn't even bother answering, before scooping her up in his hands, the scales feeling sleek and wet. Talons that looked razor sharp had her heart thudding in her chest, before the dragon shot up to the sky, its wings flapping.
She screamed until she passed out, welcoming the darkness as it dragged her under.
"...rest. Lady Miriam has ingested too much ocean water and is dehydrated, plus she sustained blunt head trauma on the back of her head. I was able to heal her, but if it'd taken you any longer to find her, I fear her chances of survival would have been even slimmer than before." a voice says, a nagging memory pulling into Miriam's-was that her name? It didn't sound right-mind as her eyes gradually opened.
Miriam was in what felt like a hospital bed, her arms bandaged, and it felt like there was a bandage upon her head as well. She tried to sit up, but stopped moving when she felt the world move against her, nausea hitting her full force.
"Lady Miriam, you shouldn't move." a voice told her calmly, yet anxiously.
Miriam followed the voice into the corner of the room, where a massive man stood. Tall, about six-foot-six, with bands of muscle around his arms and torso, he looked dangerous. The man had long dark blue hair braided down his back, bronze skin and aquamarine blue eyes that bored into her. He had full lips, and a scar at his throat that caught Miriam's attention, and he wore a dark blue tunic tucked under rough pants, shining black boots clad at his feet. A sword was strapped to his hip, and Miriam tried to put a name on his face, drawing up empty.
He must've noticed because he gathered himself as he cleared his throat.
"Due to the blunt force trauma you got to your head, some of your memories might not be present at the moment. I'm Kier Von Thomas, my Lady, your personal guard." he explained, and Miriam nodded, accepting his answer.
"You were the dragon that rose up from the water, correct?" Miriam asked, wincing at how her voice rasped against her throat. The other person that was here tending to her was right; Miriam had ingested too much ocean water, and the salt of it had scrapped her throat raw.
"Yes, my Lady." Kier winced, turning around as he poured some tea into a teacup, the strong smell of lemon and honey hitting Miriam. "The healer said that if you woke up with pain in your throat to make you drink this tea."
Miriam sat up, trying to get more comfortable in the bed despite feeling the many pillows propping her up. Kier walked towards her, not really making any noise despite his large stature.
She took the teacup from him and thanked him, taking a big sip from it.
The hot liquid burned her throat, and sinuses, making her almost choke. Miriam forced it down, drinking the entire teacup of it before she handed it back to Kier.
"May I have some water?" she asked him, sounding a lot less gravelly. Kier nodded, filling up a metal cup of water with ice cubes from a holder, and then grabbing a glass pitcher and filling it with water.
As he handed it to her, Miriam caught her reflection on the cup, her movements pausing. Dark eyes peered back at her, circles under her eyes. Her skin was darker, almost sunburnt, stray strands of her dark brown hair sticking to the sides of her face. Her hair was made into a neater, and cleaner braid, no sand sticking to her. Lips that were plump and raspberry colored were chapped, signs of her dehydration. She had a heart shaped face, her features delicate, and precise.
But for some reason, this didn't feel like her, and Miriam raised up her free hand to trace the bandages on around her head, Kier's words echoing in her head.
Her memories were disoriented or-
-she didn't remember them because they weren't hers.
The cup slipped from her hand, splashing cold water on her chest, and blankets, Kier rushing to clean her.
Meanwhile Miriam was-
-in the supply closet of the museum as she tried to do inventory. She read off her clipboard, frowning as she adjusted her glasses on her face.
Laney had complained to her bosses that the vases were placed way too high for comfort on the shelves, making it hard for her to reach, and count. But of course, her words fell on deaf years, and Laney had to drag around her stool in front of each shelf.
As she was getting down from the stool, and finishing the counting the rest of the vases, her stool hit the shelf a little too hard.
The shelf moved, the heavy oak object almost shifting back.
Quick on her feet, Laney dropped her clipboard, and used both hands to pull the shelf forward, not enough to make it fall on her, but enough to balance it out.
Once the shelf settled back down, she heaved a sigh, noticing too late that a vase had taken the initial shock and toppled over, hitting her in the back of the head.
Laney went down, cracking her head on the wooden floor, lights out for her.
Cold water splashed on Laney-Miriam's? -face, and she sputtered out, fearing that she had somehow ended back up in the ocean.
Kier, with a terrified look on his face, relaxed as he used a towel to dry her off.
"I'm so sorry, my Lady. I did the first thing I could think of, since you weren't moving or responding to anything." he explained, and Miriam only nodded, accepting the fresh cup of water he'd given her.
She avoided looking into the metal cup's reflection, lest the same thing happen to her once more.
"It's fine Kier." Miriam replied, waving off his concerns. "How long was I....?"
"Missing?" Kier finished, and Miriam nodded. "About a month and a half, my Lady. Your father, Duke of Azuris Malcom Weston cut his meetings in Magmis short, and he's set to arrive in three days."
Miriam nodded, fidgeting a little.
"Why was I stranded on that random beach?" she asked him, and Kier shifted, a dark look coming over his face.
"That's what I don't understand. That was the beach of Neptulus, my Lady, and you asked me to drop you off at Typhos, in the kingdom of Scorpius. You said you had business and allyships to attend to. But when I asked over to see when you'd want to be brough home, the guide of Scorpius said you never set foot in Typhos, let alone all of Scorpius." Kier replied, and Miriam frowned.
If she hadn't made it to where she said she was going...then where did Miriam actually go? And why did she end up in Neptulus if that wasn't part of her plans at all?