Where We Lie

4. Rock-A-Bye

Lirian ushers me silently through the halls with a neutral expression plastered numbly on his face. I take no interest in examining the decorations—the colors seem less vibrant after I leave my mother's office. Lirian makes an immediate right instead of the left, which is where we had come from. We make twists and turns down skinnier hallways, move up and down stairways, and enter various doorways—leaving my head spinning with every changing corner.

The passageways we walk through are less crowded than the wider, more lively atmosphere, hallways we passed earlier. Only servants scurry like frightened mice throughout the hall. Some even look as if they belong in the mice family.

Our steps echo ominously and I memorize the back of Lirian's plain shirt. With so many servants, why is Lirian the one to show me around? I scrunch my face as I think aloud.

"So, is 'prince' just a title?" I blurt out my thoughts, not caring how crass I may sound. Lirian halts all movement as he snaps his head towards me, "What?" He scoffs with annoyance and slows down in his steps. I take this as an opportunity to catch up.

"Why are you the one taking me and not a servant?" I finish the rest of my thought with a raised eyebrow. Lirian stares at me, dumbfounded but I gesture my head and widen my eyes as a subtle way to tell them that we are still on different pages. I cannot understand his message no matter how he looks at me.

"Lady Eldwyn, and you, find yourselves in a very delicate circumstance that only few know about." He describes, "If we wish to keep this situation under control, then those who are already in the know will handle it accordingly." He finishes without taking a second glance at me. He hastens his pace and I try to match it with my shorter legs.

"Who is in the know, then?" I press.

"I am hearing an awful amount of buzzing from you." He grunts as he takes another turn without warning. I trip over my feet as I almost miss the turn.

"How about you get thrown into another world, yeah? See how situated you are." I mumble the last part, angered by his lack of compassion. I cross my arms over my chest as I mumble, "Bastard." 

Lirian finally halts his movements as he takes a deep breath. He stops before yet another large door and pushes it open without waiting for me. I follow behind him and he ever so quietly shuts the door. Lirian then turns on his heel and waltzs towards an armchair, where he composedly perches himself. When I shuffle towards him, he wags his finger in the air and points at the ginormous bed behind me "Your station is there," he proclaims sternly. 

I eye the bed and then back to him, "You want me to lie down?" He nods twice. "And you're going to watch me fall asleep?" He nods again.  "That feels...invasive?" I feel my eye twitch in irritation. Lirian sinks into the chair and rubs his temples as he ponders how to answer. 

"I have a duty right now. And that duty is to make sure you fall asleep." Lirian deeply sighs as he cracks his knuckles to relieve his tension but I take it as a threat. I scowl at his actions and he notices, instantly flexing his fingers to relax them. He rests both elbows on the armrests and leans back with his fingers interlaced over his stomach. When I show no sign of moving, Lirian gestures at the bed again. 

I huff and march over to the bed. I yank back the sheets and crawl underneath them. It feels wrong to go under sheets with dirty clothes and mud-covered socks on, but I do not have any other choice, and it seems that Lirian would chew my head off if I requested accommodations. I settle on my back with the blanket pulled up to my chest.

I heave out a sigh as I close my eyes and try to relax in the bed. But it feels like an eon has passed and sleep is nowhere in sight. I toss and turn relentlessly but it does nothing to aid me in falling asleep. Finally, I sit up with a groan and lock eyes with Lirian. 

"I can't sleep if you're staring at me," I grumble. Lirian shifts in his seat and rests his chin in his palm, "So then I'll look away." He turns to look at the window beside my bed. I roll my eyes and then fall back onto the bed with dramaticism, "I only just got here. It's still daylight." I frown as I peer out the window, too. The sun still hangs brightly while the bright blue sky mocks me.

I hear the soft pitter-patter of footsteps and soon curtains are drawn; effectively closing the room from outdoor lighting. "You need to sleep," Lirian says as he approaches my side. I sneer at him as he steps into view. 

Strangely, though, I feel a wave of calm rush over and consume me as he arrives beside me. "What magic have you just used?" I feel my eyelids grow heavy as I reposition the pillow under my head.

"You've caught on that there is magic in this world." He mentions mostly to himself. I yawn, "Yeah, no shit Sherlock." I cover my mouth and yawn even bigger this time. Lirian glowers at my reaction, "I do not know who this Sherlock is that you speak of, but I can tell you that I have not used any magic now." He claims as he walks away and plops back down into the chair. 

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." I wave off as my eyes stay closed. I breathe a breath of relief as I feel sleep slowly creeping towards me. Before I know it, the nauseous sensations welcome me back and the world spins once again. 

I try to fight off the bile piling in my throat and resist the urge to sit up to the best of my abilities. After a few more moments, I lose to my impulses and force myself up. When I open my eyes, I am greeted with my bedroom. 

"Woah," I sigh aloud and move to hold my forehead to soothe my headache. It does not take another second before I clamber into my bathroom for my toilet. I hastily throw both lid and seat up and hurl all my stomach's contents into the bowl. 

I pull away when I have emptied what I can and wipe my lips with toilet paper. Without delay, I peel off my clothing, mindfully noting my mother's picture is still in my pocket, and hop into my shower to scrub off all the dirt I accumulated from the other world. I take my time as I lather my different soaps into a foaming frenzy and scrub myself until I am baby-smooth. 

------------------

kinda short but i think this is a good place to end