Songs of Fallen Stars

4

Elara

This man really just told me to calm down.

Who does he think he is?

“I am King Rion, this is my home” He says almost smugly.

I blink at him, is he for real?

“Come again?” I ask.

“I am King Rion. King of all beasts. Have you not heard of me? What land are you from? What is your name?” He seems confused by my own confusion.

“I’m Elara… I’m from New Jersey…” I say, he looks even more bewildered.

“What is that?”

“The United States… Where am I exactly?”

“These lands are called Kitora. There are no kingdoms that I know of called.. New Jersey… Where do you come from?” He looks at me as if I am an alien.

“I told you already. What the hell is going on here? I’ve never heard of Kitora before. Is this some kind of joke?” I pause for a moment, thinking before I continue, talking more to myself now,

“No.. it must be a nightmare. I’m seeing things, wolves turning into men. This has to be a very bad dream”. I feel a lump forming in my throat.

“It’s not a bad dream. It’s not a dream at all” He says softly.

I feel like I’ve somehow hurt his feelings. His eyes seem sad.

A throat clears from the door, another man is watching us, “Why not go back to the Witch?” He suggests.

“The Witch? What the hell are you talking about?” I demand, eyes narrowing at the new stranger. How long has he been standing there?

“Let’s calm down, you must be hungry and tired. Why don’t you rest for a while and I’ll come back later?” He offers

I nod slowly, dropping my arms. I didn’t realize I was still holding the metal bed warmer like a baseball bat.

“I’ll have a bath drawn for you and food brought to you” He says as he goes to the door.

“Thank you” I say with exhaustion.

Five minutes later, I’m being led to an adjoining room with a small in ground pool. I can see the steam rolling off the water, my body aches as I look at it. It looks inviting, I want to dive into it. A young woman tells me I can put my clothing on a small stool and she will bring me something to eat while I bathe. I quickly undress and step into the pool before she comes back.

The water feels soothing as it wraps around me. I sit on the steps, the water around me becomes murky from the remaining grime coming off my body. I slide deeper in and feel my muddy hair weigh down under the surface. I shake my head in the water and watch as my hair goes from muddy brown to the light, almost bleach blonde hiding beneath. I can smell the faint scent of cloves and citrus, the water must be scented with fruits and species, it’s nice.

The door opens and I sink into the water a bit more to cover myself. I see the woman from before, Rosa I think he called her, come back into the room.

“I brought your food, Lady Elara”. She has a large platter in her hands and sets it down on the edge of the pool. I push towards it and see an arrangement of fruits, some of which I’ve never seen before. There are soft rolls which almost look like cinnamon buns and a goblet of water off to the side. I reach for a slice of fruit and take a bite, it is bitter like a lemon and I feel my face pucker. I grab the goblet and take a long swig of the water, only it’s not water. It feels like liquor as it goes down. I cough and gasp as I swallow the liquid, Rosa raises her eyebrows at me in surprise.

“Easy with the spirit, it is strong”

“Can I use your phone?” I ask. I haven’t seen any landlines or cell phones since I got here. Maybe she has one.

“My what?” She looks at me with her head c****d to the side, confused. Before I can say anything else she leaves the room, giving me one last look of concern.

I continue to eat the fruit and a sweet bun. I was right, it is similar to a cinnamon bun, but with fruit mixed inside. I stay in the bath for a while, sipping on the ‘spirit’ and munching down on the food until I feel content and a bit woozy.

The water never seems to go cold, keeping at a comfortable temperature. It is easy for me to relax and I eventually doze off. The first time since I woke up that I have been able to breathe easily. Even if it’s just for a few moments.

The door opens again and I expect to see Rosa again, but when I open my eyes I realize it’s not her. It’s him. Rion. I am taking a good look at him now. He is solidly built, his shoulders are broad, he’s lean. He has dark hair, shoulder length, his head is shaved clean on the sides, aside from some markings that look like tattoos. His eyes are teal colored. I’ve never seen eyes that color before, he wears leathers with daggers strapped to his thighs. His black shirt is loose and open at the chest, I can see the tuft of hair spilling out. He has a strong jawline, a thick neck and thick brows.

I cover myself with my arms and stare at him, “What are you doing?” I demand, feeling the effect of the ‘spirit’ now, I slur my words slightly.

“I told you I’d come back later, it is later” He shrugs as he comes near the pool.

“Stay back!” I shout and sink deeper into the water.

“Why? It’s not like I’ve never seen a naked woman before”. He laughs and sits down on a chaise overlooking the pool.

“Do you need something?” I snarl at him. His smug attitude makes me angry, not only because he doesn’t seem to care that he makes me uncomfortable, but because I was stupid enough to let myself become vulnerable.

“I wanted to talk to you, I couldn’t wait” He reaches down and plucks a piece of fruit from the platter and pops it into his mouth.

“What do you want?” I ask dully.

“I want to know where you are from, really” He slides his eyes over me,

“I already told you! I’m not a liar!” I nearly scream at him. He folds his hands and puts them behind his head. He finds this amusing.

“Well, see the thing is, I’ve gone to see the Witch. Now she says that you are from a different land. But I have never heard of this New Jersey you speak of, neither have any of my informants”

“Well, maybe you're not as smart as you think you are. Now give me a phone so I can get the hell out of here.”

“What’s a phone?”

“Are you kidding me? How do you not know what a phone is? Do you not have electricity in this place? Just where the hell am I?”

“As I said before, this is the Kingdom of Kitora, in the Realm of beasts”. He sounds annoyed at this point.

“Realm of beasts? What the hell does that mean?” I think back to when I first woke up and the wolf.

So does that mean he was a… a werewolf?

This is impossible.

It can’t be real. There’s no way.

“How many times do I have to tell you before you listen? You are testing my patience now.”

“Well, I’m so sorry that I am not on the same page as you. I’m so sorry that I woke up in this freaky land and have no f*****g idea where I am or what’s going on. My bad”, I snap at him sarcastically.

“You have fire. That’s good. I don’t like to be bored”. He smirks.

“Excuse you” I snarl at him again.

“So the one thing I can’t figure out is, what are you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, all the people in my kingdom, in every kingdom are some form of beast. Werewolves, vampires, witches, dragons and sirens. Which one are you?”

“None. I’m human”

“Human? You do not have a beast inside you?” He seems very concerned by this news.

I shake my head stiffly,

“How is that possible?” He asks, lowering his arms and leaning closer to me.

“How is it possible that I’m even here?” I counter.