Song of the White Nightingale

Chapter VI | A New World

Kara felt like she was falling, but she could not feel any wind. In fact, the only thing she could feel was her brother Sam. She held on for dear life. She looked below her, and she could see the ground coming closer and closer. She closed her eyes and clenched her fists right before impact.

Then, she awoke. Kara sat up quickly, breathing heavily. She looked around her, squinting her eyes as the bright morning sun shone on her face. She realized she was not in her bed like she was yesterday. She was laying on a pile of dirt and leaves, and still wearing her school uniform. She was in the middle of the woods.

Kara looked around, seeing she was alone. She called out, "Sam! Sam! Where are --"

"I'm right here," Sam said from behind her to her left.

Kara let out a sigh of relief. "Oh God, my head hurts. Where are we?" she asked him.

"Whichever branch timeline we echoed to," Sam said.

"Which is..."

Sam shrugged. "How should I know?"

"Nevermind. How long have I been out?" Kara asked him.

"The whole night. I was still awake when we echoed, but you were out cold. I decided to not wake you, and to set up camp. I had a hard time sleeping, so I decided to survey our surroundings. I've walked for thirty minutes in every direction, and found nothing but forest. There must not be a town or city for several miles," he explained.

Kara wiped her face. It was covered in the soft dew of the morning. Then she quickly sat up at a sudden realization. "Mom! Dad! Are they okay? Did Mr. Cromwell..." she stopped herself from asking the full question.

Sam sat down next to her, eyes welling. "I don't know. I'm not sure who's alive and who's not, or what's happening to them. But we can't worry about that now, we've got to find some food and shelter and figure out our next move."

Kara nodded her head as she placed it in her hands. "I have an awful headache. Got any water?"

"There's a stream nearby. We can head there," he responded.

Kara gave herself a few moments to fully wake up and straighten out her clothing, and then the two headed north. When Kara saw the quiet flow of running water, she ran towards it and began hastily gulping the water, cupping her hands to drink it. She did not bother trying to be neat, and let the water drip down her face and neck and onto her shirt. She had never felt or drank such pure water before.

It was still morning, and the sun was sitting atop a nearby mountain range. The trees covered the most of the sunlight, allowing the forest floor to be much cooler than at the treetops. Kara looked up at the trees and then towards the sun, seeing if any part of the forest gave any signs that could point them in the way of a nearby civilization.

"Hey, is that a berry bush?" Kara asked, pointing to a nearby bundle of bushes sprinkled with purple dots.

"Looks like it. I wouldn't eat them until we know if it's--" Sam said, but Kara was already munching away at the berries.

"Kara!" he ran over towards her. Realizing he was too late, he decided to examine the berries. "Jeez, slow down." he said to her.

Kara ignored him, and her lips and cheeks became purple from berry juice as she chomped away.

"This could be poisonous," Sam said. But then his face changed, and he shared a slight grin. "Hopefully you don't die or something," Sam let out a quiet chuckle.

"You think this is funny, Sam?" Kara said raising her voice.

"No, not at all. In fact, I'm gravely afraid. We're basically on another earth with no knowledge of culture, language, geography, or even the berries. But, might as well laugh at anything we can find amusing," he replied.

Kara sat back slightly as her eyes widened.

Sam shrugged. "Anywho, I think we should get going soon. If we found a market or village or something, I wonder if we could get some real food."

"You're probably right. Where should we go?" Kara asked.

"I say we just keep heading north. I'm sure we'll end up somewhere eventually."

As they walked, the sun began to beat down on them as it rose higher in the sky. They found some small animals that resembled that of squirrels, but they were unable to catch any of them. They began to grow tired, and eventually Kara sat on her knees in the shade to catch a break. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to mentally override her hunger. When she opened her eyes again, she noticed something in the distance, a structure of some sorts.

"Look! What do you think that is?" she said, pointing towards what looked like a tower.

Sam looked in the direction she pointed. "No idea. But whatever it is, I hope it's got food."

As they got closer, they noticed the tower was the corner of a massive castle wall. To the right of the tower was a giant gate with a dirt road leading out of it. There was a line of people outside the gate, with a mix of carriages and livestock. Most people looked dirty, as they were dressed in variations of rags and tunics with leather boots.

"Why does this place look like something straight out of Robin Hood? Did we go back in time or something?" Kara asked.

"No, that's not how Dad explained it. You don't go backwards or forwards in time, only side to side between timelines," Sam replied. "He also mentioned in some timelines civilization is more technologically advanced than others. Looks like we found ourselves on a timeline with carriages and castles."

Kara observed the line of people extending out from the gate. She noticed several armed guards, who appeared to be wearing a sort of chainmail, and carried large spears.

"So, how do we get in?" Kara asked.

"Well, maybe we can hitch a ride," Sam said, giving Kara a mischievous smile. He pointed to a carriage full of hay.

"God, really?" Kara sighed.

"When it gets closer, I'll cause a distraction and then we'll jump right in."

"Fine. If we end up getting caught or worse, it's on you." Kara looked at Sam, and the two shared a brief smile.

They were now right at the side of the road, behind a bush. The carriage was just before them.

"Okay, ready?" Sam asked.

"Ready," Kara replied.

Sam threw a big rock at a tree on the other side of the road. The sound startled the man steering the horse-drawn carriage, and he stood up to take a look while the carriage was stopped temporarily. Kara and Sam ran and jumped into the giant pile of hay, hoping no one saw them.

The carriage rode up to the front of the gate. Kara and Sam could hear a few men talking, both in a language neither of them understood. The men seemed to be arguing before finally coming to an agreement, and Sam saw the guard juggling a small coin pouch. They soon heard the sound of a snapping whip, and the carriage began moving again as it went through the gate and entered the city.

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Stay tuned for Chapter VII: The Deer's Harbor

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Image Source: ArtStation, "Medieval City Entrance - UE4" by Samuel Joseph Smith