My Lady and Saviour (gxg)

Chapter 3: Captive

She was sure that she was dead. After all, dying people do say that when they see a bright light.

Natalia lay still on the warm, golden beach all drenched, clothes ripped and sand all over her face and body. She didn't know how long she had been washed up on shore or if she even was alive.

Her body felt like it was on fire and she barely had the energy to move. With all that she could manage, Natalia squinted and tried to sit up to take in her surroundings. Nothing out of the ordinary. It just looked like a normal seaside but she swore she could see a castle of some sort in the background, at the top of the hill but she thought she was hallucinating.

Her moment to look around was cut short, however, and a loud horn of some sort bellowed across the island and it wasn't long before the sounds of horses came rushing towards where she was.

It looked like an army of ten very angry-looking, strong women in armour came galloping. Natalia didn't even have the energy to scream or run. They wouldn't hurt her, would they?

They stood in a semi-circle in front of her. They all were so beautiful and regal-looking, with long, shiny hair in braids. None of them looked older than mid-30s, maybe the youngest was in her late-teens. The one in the middle wore a special headgear of some sort. It wasn't a helmet, it didn't cover her face, but sort of just her forehead.

They were speaking dumbfoundedly in another language, a language that sounded very old but sensual and unlike anything she had ever heard before.

"Hello. Please, help me. I'm Natalia and I - I don't know how I ended up here, where am I?" Natalia cried out. She was hoping they wouldn't kill her. An audible gasp came from some of the women as she spoke. Have they never met someone who speaks English?

"You trespasser, how did thou end up on our island? What sorcery do thee possess?" The lady in the middle declared.

"I - I am not a sorceress! I'm from Devonshire, and my family and I were travelling to the West Indies before... before... the storm happened." Natalia's memories came flooding back. She had managed to survive a storm and didn't drown.

Don't be so hard on the poor girl, Joan. She is clearly distraught.  I don't know how she made it through the barrier but she's not lying.

Quiet. We need to bring her to the Queen.

Natalia waited frantically for a reply. Were they going to murder her?

"You're coming to the Queen." The woman leader announced and two women jumped off their horse to grab her from her arms and hitched her up on one of the horses.

"Wait. Who are you and where am I?!" No one replied. "Please don't kill me." Natalia started sobbing as they made their way deeper on the island.

"That is not for us to decide." The woman said calmly.

Good Lord.

Natalia cautioned herself to not speak any further in case of angering them even more, but she didn't have to make a conscious effort for much longer. She was in awe of the beauty of the island. It wasn't a deserted place at all, but adorned with fine Greek architecture. More women on horses were riding around in a lush green field, or practicing battle skills with different weapons. Archers on their horses, getting bullseye like it was the easiest thing in the world.

There were some sitting near the large fountain either engaging in polite conversation or reading out of books that looked like ancient scrolls. It looked like she had stepped back in time to an older civilization. The architecture was magnificent - well polished but it looked new. The sun was reflecting off of the columns of the buildings, almost making them glow. The air smelled like some incense perfume she couldn't quite name but she felt like she had died and gone to Heaven.