Beyond Destiny ~ A Saga Of Timeless Love

04 ~ Friends

"I really hope we all have friends who take our names in prayers without our knowledge."

Ruhanika

When morning finally arrived, it felt like an eternity had passed. The first rays of sunlight began to creep over the horizon, but they did little to thaw my frozen body. My legs had gone numb, locked in place as I stood in the river all night. Every part of me was shivering uncontrollably, my teeth chattering in rhythm with the icy water that clung to my skin. The chill had seeped deep into my bones, leaving me feeling like I was carved out of ice.

I barely noticed when Maya came running toward me, her footsteps frantic on the riverbank. I was so lost in the overwhelming numbness that the world around me felt distant and muted. Without a word, she pulled me out of the water, her hands firm but gentle as she wrapped a thick blanket around me. The soft wool was like a lifeline, warming me slowly as I clung to it, desperate to feel anything other than cold.

Maya's lips were moving, her voice strained and shaky, but her words blurred together in my foggy mind. I couldn’t focus on what she was saying. All I could do was stare at her, trying to make sense of her expression. Her eyes were swollen, red-rimmed, and bloodshot, and it was clear from the smudged tracks of dried tears on her cheeks that she had been crying. But why? She was always composed, the epitome of strength. Yet here she was, her face etched with worry and sadness. What had caused this sudden change in her?

Before I could ask, she hurried me back to the small room where I had been staying. The warmth of the blanket and the faint heat from the hearth inside the room did little to ease the stiffness in my limbs. My body still ached, and though I was grateful to be out of the water, the emotional weight of last night lingered. Maya helped me out of my soaked clothes and into a fresh set of garments. I expected her to leave soon after—there were duties to attend to, other attendees to oversee—but she lingered, her presence quieter than usual.

I should have been focusing on what had happened, but my mind wandered back to that princess. Now that I had time to think, my anger flared up again, fueled by the warmth returning to my body. That damn princess, I fumed. The more I thought about it, the more ridiculous it seemed. The curry had merely spilled over—an accident, nothing more. Yet she had acted like I had committed some unspeakable crime, yelling at me as if the world depended on the perfection of her dish. I wanted to storm back into that hall and smack her right across her smug, delicate face. Who does she think she is, treating people like that?

But then reality settled in again. What am I even supposed to do in a situation like this? I couldn’t help but cry when people yelled at me. I could take physical pain—hell, I had fallen off my bike before and barely winced—but the moment someone raised their voice, my tears came rushing to the surface, uninvited and unstoppable. It wasn’t something I could control, no matter how hard I tried. And here, in this strange world, where hierarchy and power ruled everything, my tears felt like a weakness, a flaw that marked me as vulnerable. Oh my God, I thought bitterly, this is so embarrassing. Why can’t I handle this better?

I sighed deeply, pulling the blanket tighter around me. How did I end up here, standing in freezing water all night because of something so trivial?

A feeling of dread began to creep in, one I had been avoiding ever since I arrived in this strange place. I had been trying so hard to stay hopeful, to believe that I could find my way back to my life, my world. But now... now, the uncertainty was suffocating me. What if I can’t go back? The thought sent a wave of panic through me. I missed my friends more than ever in this moment. They weren’t just my friends—they were my family. We had shared everything—laughter, secrets, dreams. They would know how to make me laugh in a situation like this. They would make me feel like I wasn’t alone.