Eternal Awakening

Chapter Four

Chapter Four

No Way Home

Richard once more sat down on the long and luxurious couch next to Aura, the woman who had decided he had had enough of being carried around by her strange and creepy bondage magic. The heavy curtain over the large arched window remained open and the light of two moons cascaded through it, serving to remind him that this was not his world. It was so odd he that had to force himself to ignore it and focus on the stately Queen who sat across from him with a smug smile on her beautiful face.

Oh how he wished he could wipe that smirk off her face.

An uncomfortable silence had filled the room after his shocking discovery and for a while it seemed like no one had any idea about what to say. That was to be expected he guessed. What do you tell someone after they find out that they somehow teleported across the stars to a strange and unknown world? Not even a 'Sorry' seemed to fit.

This silence didn't last very much longer however. Queen Lystia seemed eager to move on and had probably waited longer than she was used to. Being a Queen—which he was now certain was an actual fact, and not just something she liked to call herself—she probably wasn't very used to going at someone else's pace. Things were most likely run on her time.

Richard saw the glint in her eyes that told him that she was getting to the end of her rope and he knew that there was still a lot that needed to be discussed. He just wasn't sure what it was or even how important it might be. He didn't expect her to get mad at him for arriving illegally without a passport though. At least he hoped not.

"So what now?" he asked once more and broke the silence before she could. She might be a Queen, but she was not his ruler in any way. He hoped not anyways. "How do I get back home?"

"That is the pressing question," Aura commented next to him but Richard couldn't tear his eyes away from the Queen. She obviously held all the answers and all the power.

"First we must figure out how you came here in the first place," the woman spoke. "I believe that question has already been answered however."

"H... how?"

"Lystia believes that the artifact you wear on your wrist is to blame for your current predicament," Aura answered for the Queen and now Richard looked towards her, finding her pointing to the item on his left wrist with interest.

The Queen smiled softly and edged closer to him, nearly sliding right off her seat as her eyes locked onto the golden bracer. A little curious himself, Richard held it in front of his face and stared at it. It was pretty impressive, but he had no idea how it could have possibly shot him across space like that. It was just an item.

"When I first met you I felt magic coming from your body and thought that maybe you were a mage," she spoke softly and his eyes drifted back up to her thoughtful face. "However I do not believe that to be the case anymore. You seemed genuinely surprised to learn that magic is real and I would wager that your world can't use it. So that leaves us with one question. How did magic transport you to our world if it does not exist on yours? I believe the answer is in the strange item you carry on your wrist. After looking over it I am now certain that it was originally from this world and that it must have contained a very strong spell within it. One that would teleport the one who wore it to this location."