Aloura, a journey of the Dimensions Book 1

An honest conversation

Pondering Karianna's question, I sighed heavily, weighing the truth against the absurdity of my circumstances. I couldn’t shake the feeling that lying was easier, yet something felt deeply wrong about it, even if I knew how crazy it would sound.

"Well," I began, nerves coiling tightly in my stomach, "I can tell you, but I don't know if you will believe it. I sound crazy even to myself." My fingers nervously picked at the lint on the hem of my cape.

"Life is nothing if not crazy at times," Karianna said thoughtfully, a glimmer of intrigue in her eyes.

"Yeah, this is more than just a 'little' crazy," I admitted, realizing how ridiculous it sounded. "It's really weird to explain, honestly."

"Try me," she coaxed gently, her expression encouraging. "If something doesn’t make sense, I'll ask, and you can try to explain."

I nodded, anxiety gnawing at my lip as I collected my thoughts. "I grew up in a different world. It seems the people are the same—or some of them, at least. My father, my mother... I haven’t run into anyone else I knew in that world yet. So it’s like a parallel dimension where some or maybe all exsist but aren't who or what they are here, I guess—same but different?"

Karianna nodded, her brow furrowing in curiosity but lacking any sign of disbelief. Encouraged, I plunged deeper into the revelation.

"My parents weren’t kings and queens. I grew up in a small town, in a nice neighborhood, and as an adult moved into a little apartment—it's like a small space inside a bigger building, a place you can live in. I own a car to get around from place to place," I paused, wondering how to explain such a foreign concept to her.

"What’s a car?" she asked, her expression perplexing.

I chuckled nervously, "A car is a metal wagon, I guess, with a roof and windows. But it doesn't get pulled along by an animal; it has an engine, which creates the power that moves it using a fuel source."

"Sounds like magic," she replied with a chuckle.

"I guess, compared to here it would be?" I mused. "Three nights ago, I went to bed in my little apartment, and I woke up in this world, with Drissel banging at the door and no idea if I was dreaming or dead." I admitted, the memory washing over me like a chilling wave.

"Hmmm," Karianna said, her lips pressed together in thought. "You just went to bed and poof—transported. That had to be a shock."

"Honestly, I just went with it. My brain didn’t seem to want to process it. Anyway, Lacy—she's the handmaiden, the young one—she apparently has been in Aloura's service for a while and I had triggered her suspicions. But I managed to convince her I wasn’t Aloura," I explained, feeling the need to provide context. "Her mother was my mother's maid, and she came from Theourgia with her. Apparently, she was there the day I was born."

“Interesting,” Karianna interjected, her interest visibly piqued. “Yes, she’s actually related to me, though we're distant in the bloodline. I never knew of her until the other night when I sensed a very small family bond in her signature.”

“Oh, does she know?” I asked, momentarily distracted by the familial connection.

“Not sure. I haven’t spoken to her yet. Carry on though; I can tell there’s more to this story,” she encouraged, tilting her head slightly.

“Yes, well, it turns out Andi was there the day I was born. My mother sensed my power and was ecstatic. She told Andi about it. Then, three days later, my mother came to get me only to find a baby that looked identical to me with no power signature and no family tie to her. She swore Andi to secrecy and raised my parallel twin, I guess?”

“Really? So you’re saying the girl we thought was you was actually the girl who should have grown up in the world you did, and vice versa?” Karianna’s eyes were wide with the realization.

“Yeah, that’s what I’m saying! I didn’t even know magic existed as a tangible thing until the night Andi and I met. Plus,” I added, “there are no shapeshifters in that world. That idea is sheer fantasy; it’s found in movies or books, not real life.”

Karianna’s expression betrayed her astonishment. “Really! That's so weird. I couldn't imagine being unable to shift or being in a place where my kind didn’t exist.”

"Try being in a world where they suddenly do," I sighed, the weight of my thoughts settling heavily around me. The entire day felt like madness: wolves, shapeshifting people, controlling water—it was a lot to take in.

Karianna studied me carefully, her demeanor evolving into one of concern and understanding. "Now that you say that, I imagine it would be overwhelming to cope with." She leaned back, tilting her face to the sky.

"Karianna," I began tentatively, echoing her relaxed posture, "why haven't you just dragged me back to Ryker? I mean, I’m sure he sent you, so it would make sense if that's what happened."

Her soft chuckle was a gentle breeze against my anxious mind. "He sent me to find you, my Queen. But he cannot demand your return. You chose to follow his kingdom's laws."

"Yes, but he's the king. Doesn’t that mean he has the right to just demand my return? I read up on some of Amoridia's laws; women are just property."

“Amoridia and Ketican have different laws," Karianna clarified. "He is king, but he only has the right to demand you brought before him if you have done something illegal. Leaving him naked and soaked on the shore isn’t illegal. You are not indentured by contract to be at his disposal; you are his wife, and therefore his equal.” She smirked, her confidence radiating.

"Oh," I muttered, feeling the various rules and customs swirling around in my mind like a tempest. This complex world would take a lifetime to unravel.

"When you wish to return, we will. Until then, we can camp out under the stars; it doesn’t bother me. The day you married my King, my service transferred to you. That means I follow your orders unless you're in danger, then my job is to keep you safe, which overrides your commands if they put you at risk." She explained all of this matter-of-factly, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"You’re under my command? But why?"

"My grandmother is a prophesizer," Karianna said. "That means she sees potential futures. When I was a kid, she had one. She said if I ended up in service to the king and that king found his true queen, my destiny was to serve her. And you don’t shrug off a prophecy; the consequences can be disastrous."

"Really? How so?" I asked, my curiosity ignited.

"Well, thousands of years ago, there was a prophecy about a girl who would one day control the dragons," she recounted. "This terrified people; someone with control over those creatures could destroy entire kingdoms. Though the prophecy said she would bring peace, people chose to ignore it. When the girl surfaced a few hundred years later, the dragons' king swooped down to claim her. However, fearful of her true mating to a dragon, her people killed her. The dragons spent the next several millennia hunting our kinds, burning kingdoms down and wreaking havoc. It took an eternity before their wrath finally slumbered, and they took to the mountains, apparently waiting for the dragon king's mate to be reborn, which will awaken them once more—so says the prophecy."

I blinked, attempting to process the notion of dragons in this world. Dragons. The mere concept felt colossal, terrifying even.

"Karianna," I ventured once more, pulling her attention back to me.

"Yes, my queen?" she replied, the formality thick in the air.

I was beginning to loathe these formalities; it often felt like I was imposing authority rather than conversing as equals. Shaking off the thought, I continued, "Can’t we drop the formal greetings or replies when no one’s around? Also, would you help me learn about these things? I feel like I'm constantly struggling to understand this world; it’s so different from the one I've known."

"Sure, I’d be happy to help. I'll also be delighted to teach you how to use those daggers you acquired. It'll make my job easier knowing you could at least try to save yourself. Though your little campsite here gives me the indication you’re going to be capable in many ways," she said, her smile easing the tension.

I laughed; it was odd how this seemingly intimidating woman became easy to be around after having a conversation. In a world turned upside down, perhaps I could find solidarity in an unexpected friendship, guided by destiny and the threads of prophecy.

And so, beneath the starlit sky, as the weight of my tale became a shared burden, the unknown ahead began to feel less like an abyss and more like an adventure waiting to unfold.