Maya shifted around in a big, warm bed, enjoying the comfort of the mattress, and the softness of the blanket.
That was one hell of a dream,
she thought, remembering how real everything felt. She took a moment to appreciate her room, her clothes, the lack of weird accents around her...needless to say, she hoped to not have another dream like that for quite a while.
"Are you awake, miss?" she heard next to her.
Maya immediately sat up. "Ow! Shit!" She groaned in pain as her hand went straight to her head, where she felt a thick bandage.
"Oh, please, please, don't be in a rush to get up now. That was a pretty nasty fall you had, miss. Hit your head pretty hard."
"I'm sorry, but who..."
"Oh! Please forgive me, miss. Name's Annis. I'm in charge of the food and the other cooks here."
"My name's Maya. It's nice to meet you." Maya took an instant liking to Annis. She was short and a little chubby, and had warm brown eyes and a very kind, welcoming face, much like Maya's own mother. Annis made her feel very comfortable at ease.
"Thought you might like something warm to eat when you woke up," Annis wheeled in a cart and placed it next to the bed. "Hope it's all to your liking. Just put the cart in the hall when you're done."
"Thank you very much." Maya smiled brightly at the kind woman, hoping to effectively convey how truly grateful she was. Annis smiled back, curtsied, and left the room.
Once she was alone, Maya slowly propped herself up to get a good look at what she guessed was going to be her new, temporary room. She let out a long, exhausted sigh. Even though she still wasn't sure if she was going to accept her situation as reality, or try to continue thinking of it as a dream, she would admit that she was curious. Getting to see a medieval village, castle, etc., first hand definitely wasn't something you could experience every day. So, real or not, she decided to make the most of it.
For starters, she was lying on the most impressive thing in the room. It was a king sized four poster bed, with a red and black canopy draped over it. The rest of the room more or less match the canopy. The floor was made of cold, dark grey stone, like everything else, with a small leather bench and a red oriental rug placed at the foot of the bed. To the right of the bed was a nightstand, which held a candelabra with three large, lit candles, and a giant oak armoire. To the left was simply a small desk and a chair.
Maya slipped out of the bed, and headed towards the armoire to see if she could find anything more appropriate to wear.
When in Rome
, she figured.
When she opened the doors, it definitely hit her the she was no longer in the 21
st
century. There were so many different pieces of clothing. She had no idea what to wear, how to wear it, where to wear it. She decided to play it safe, and slipped on a simple chemise, a pair of stockings, and a petticoat. She had no idea if everything was on the right way, or in the right order, but she figured she looked better than if she'd tried to put on the corset and gown by herself.
Once she was dressed, or close to it, she hopped back in the bed to take a look at what Annis had brought her. Maya had no idea what time it was, but she hadn't eaten since waking up in the strange country, and just about anything sounded good.
Looking at the tray of food, Maya fought to keep from salivating over everything. There was a giant bowl of what looked and smelled like some sort of hot chowder, and a plate that held pieces of freshly baked baguette and various types of cheeses.
Since she was all alone, Maya saw no problem with digging in and eating like a pig, as long as she didn't get the clothes dirty. She took food seriously. If you got anywhere near her while she was eating, there's a good chance you'd lose a finger.
Maya began with dipping a piece of bread in the chowder, and shoving the whole thing in her mouth at once. As she happily chewed, enjoying the flavors and textures of the comfort food, she heard a knock at the door.
"Uuufff ifff," she mumbled with a mouthful of food, thinking that Annis had returned to bring her more to eat.
The door slowly creaked open, and when Maya saw that her guest wasn't Annis, she struggled to get her food down ASAP. The stranger crept in, and shut the door behind him. It was hard to make out specific features in the dim candle light, but just his presence had an immediate effect on her. He had a curiously handsome appearance, with neatly combed back, black wavy hair, a thin nose and ghostly pale skin. Maya couldn't get a good look at the color of his eyes, but they were very large, and demanded the attention of anyone who looked into them. Maya felt like those eye could see right through her, into her soul. She felt naked, and vulnerable, but at the same time, she was amazed that one person could have such a strong effect on her, especially without having to do anything.
The stranger walked into the room and took a seat on the leather bench. "Hello there," he smiled. Maya was momentarily taken aback by the man's abnormally sharp canines, but quickly regained her composure.
"H-hello," she muttered quietly.
"Your name is Maya, correct?"
"Yes."
"Pleased to meet you. I am Prince Michael Edmund d'Auvay VI, but you may refer to me as 'Your Highness'," he told her, looking up at her through thick, dark lashes, gauging her reaction to his introduction.
Ignoring the dull pain in her head, she got off the bed, and tried straightening her clothes to make sure she looked somewhat presentable. "I'm so sorry!" she cried out, standing before him. She had no idea how to act or make up for her rudeness, so she simply bowed. "Please, forgive me, your highness. I had no idea."
Michael burst out laughing at her embarrassing display. Not only did she know nothing about properly bowing, or presenting herself to royalty, but her appearance was atrocious. Her hair was a mess, and the way she was dressed made her look like a harlot. But he fully understood that she had come to his palace under...unusual circumstances.
"Please, don't apologize," he said, still trying to hold back his laughter. "I'm the one who should be sorry. I shouldn't have teased you like that. You can just call me Michael."
Maya rose, but couldn't seem to look directly at him. "B-but you're a Prince, right? Wouldn't it be rude for me to be so casual?" she felt like she was walking on thin ice. All she wanted was to find a way to get home, and she was terrified that one wrong move would leave her stuck there.
"Normally, yes. But I can make an exception for you, Maya. Not to mention that it seems I'm the one who's been embarrassingly rude. You were in the middle of enjoying your meal, right?" he asked, nodding towards the cart.
"Oh, no! I, uh, I'm not that hungry. I was just picking at it," she lied. Maya was starving, but she wasn't the most graceful when it came to eating, and she didn't want to embarrass herself even more in front of a prince.
"Do you not like the food? If you want, I could have Annis make you something else."
"No, it's fine, really! Like I said, I'm just not hungry."
"Maya, if you ever need anything here, or if something isn't to your liking, just let me know, alright?" He stood up and approached her. She could've sworn she felt her heart skip a beat when he said her name, especially with that accent. His voice was so deep and smooth, every time he spoke she felt like she was melting.
"I want us to be good friends," he continued, bringing a hand to her chin, forcing her to look up at him. "I want for us to get to know each other." He let go of her and walked over to the bed, taking a seat and patting the spot next to him.
Maya's legs trembled as she walked over and sat down. She felt like she was too close, but was worried that she would come off as too cold if she moved further away.
She jumped a little when she felt his hand on her knee, and prayed that he didn't notice. At the same time, she was confused as hell. This incredibly attractive guy, with a mysterious aura, claiming to be a prince just walks into her room, says he wants to be friends, and starts putting the moves on her...a lot of things didn't add up. Actually, absolutely nothing added up. Maya wanted to put her guard up, but she was a stranger in a foreign land...a foreign time period! She couldn't afford to screw up, especially if this guy really was a prince.
"Why don't you tell me about yourself? For starters, where are you from?" Michael asked. Maya was ecstatic. If he was interested in where she was from, maybe he'd be interested in helping her get back.
"I'm from America. I lived in a city, er, a village called Richmond. I don't know where this country is, or how far it is from America, but I have a family, and friends that are going to be really worried about me, so it's important that I get back as soon as possible." There were a few moments of silence as Michael contemplated her words. During those few moments, Maya realized her mistake and felt like the biggest idiot in the world. "Actually, I guess you really wouldn't have any idea what I'm talking about. Eli told me it's 1483...the place I'm from won't really be habitable for several hundred more years." She began laughing, "actually, in about, what, 9 years or so, it's going to be discovered for the first time."
"You seem very sure of this," Michael noted.
"Well, yeah. They spent years drilling it into our brains at school...and there's even a holiday, and a little rhyme-'in fourteen-hundred-ninety-two Columbus sailed the ocean blue'...no one really remembers much after that."
"You must be from a very young country."
"Pretty much. But it's...influential, I guess you could say."
