Crown of Daelin

Chapter 4: I Reach my Inner Water-Faucet Self

After what seemed like a million eternities of darkness, I woke in a well-lit room. It was filled with cots, all neatly put in rows on either side against cream-colored walls. A wet cloth was on my forehead, and I slowly sat up. Surely I couldn't be dead. I would not be in this much pain if I was dead. Every muscle in my body ached. I realized I was not in my homecoming dress anymore, but had been changed, unbeknownst to me, into a rose colored outfit. It was made of a soft fabric I could not name, and it consisted of a lose tunic and capris.

I looked at my right arm, and saw that it was tightly wrapped in several layers of bandages. I was thankful it was just the one arm that was bandaged and not my entire body. Otherwise it would seem as if the mummy had come back to life. It's not fun looking like a newly preserved corpse that has just had it's insides stuffed inside jars. Trust me, I know from first-hand experience. I've had quite a few accidents in my time. Although I did feel a sort of connection to the ancient peoples of the past; I too felt as if I had had my brain torn out through my nostrils.

I laid back down and stared at the beamed ceiling. I closed my eyes and quickly swept back into sleep, hoping I'd wake to find this all a dream.

***

Once again, fire was surrounding me. I gulped in the smoky air, coughing, it flooding into my lungs like poison. I heard the dreadful laugh, and I fell down to the bottom of the pit. I looked around, but all I could see was darkness. Then, emerging from the gloom, two glowing red eyes appeared.

I found myself screaming, and I sat up, finding myself still in the cream-colored room. A thin woman with long sliver-blonde hair and pointed ears glided into the room. She wore a strange white uniform and some sort of light shoes on her feet. She walked over to me and smiled.

"Glad you are finally awake. What seems to be the problem, m'lady?" She spoke in what sounded similar to an Irish accent, but it was not quite so, for at times it also seemed a bit like a British accent. Her voice was also soft and melodic, like a whisper of wind through the leaves, but still it was loud enough I could hear it quite well. I stared at her for a moment, then managed to mumble out an explanation.

"Nothing, just a bad dream. Thanks."

She nodded. "Call me Nadaline. Your friends have been worried about you. You would think that you were struck with my granddad's crown the way they were fussing over you. Would you like me to bring them to you?" I was a little confused with the crown remark, but it was quickly shoved to the back of my mind, as I had totally forgotten about Zoe and Rob. A million questions bubbled inside my head.

"Is Rob okay? What happened? Where-"

She interrupted me. "Robert is just fine, dear. You have no cause to panic." She glided out of the room.

I let out a sigh of relief and put my head on the pillow. Thank the Lord! They're okay! But what about Adam? And Rose? Despite Nadaline's instructions, panic once again arose inside of me. The big wooden doors at the end of the room swung open, and my two best friends came hurtling at me. They were both wearing pants and a shirt, but the style was different than anything I've ever seen before. It did, however, bear a slight resemblance to something you would see in the Renaissance. Zoe wrapped her arms around me and squeezed me until I couldn't breathe, then Rob and Nadaline had to pry her off of me. I hugged Rob and Nadaline gave me a jug of water and left the three of us alone.

"Where are we?" I asked Zoe.

"Adam told us it was some place called Kaerosa. When we touched the orb we were transported here. Now we're in a battle camp called Taren, by something called Smith's Hammer. It's like, a whole different world. A strange world. There are things here that should only belong in fairytales. Myths. But they're true!"