The Well in the Mires

Unfinished Prophecy

The chirps of dunnocks outside her window woke her. Warm rays reached past the curtain, casting themselves onto the end of the bed. She took a deep breath, laying her hand on her forehead, she allowed her eyes to adjust to her surroundings. As expected, nothing had changed.

She scanned the room with new eyes, noticing a small curved door near the fireplace. Curiously, she climbed up, out of bed and wandered over. What was it? A closet maybe? The handle was stiff but her determination prevailed. Wedging the door open revealed an incredibly cramped passage that twisted off to the right. At the end was another door. She pushed it open, right into a tapestry. Pushing her way past the tapestry, she realized she had let her curiousity get the better of her as she emerged into Udich's room once again.

He looked at her in surprise from atop his bed, still as shirtless as he was last night. Her face flushed as she stood there sheepishly. He was leaned back against the wall with his arm resting on his knee. He raised an eyebrow.

"Is this going to become a habit?" He joked.

"I'm sorry, I was curious and thought it was a closet." She scratched her neck, averting her eyes.

Amused, he tilted his head to the side. "Well, as you can see, it is not a closet, but my room."

"Ah, yes, I see that now." She felt as humiliated as last night when she ran from the party. It's the whole reason she was in this mess to begin with.

"In the future, try not to wander too much. No one in this castle means ill, but there are still plenty of ways to accidentally hurt yourself." His demeanor had not changed, but his words, despite his playful gaze, were sincere.

Just then, the double doors behind her opened. She looked over her shoulder to see Esher and Hati freeze in their positions. Hati's eyes almost bulged right out of their sockets, where Esher looked surprised but mildly amused.

"Perhaps we should take our leave? It seems we are interrupting." He pursed his lips, trying not to laugh. Hati's face boiled red as she gave him an incredulous look like she was ready to smack him.

Udich tilted his head to the other side, even more amused. Fenna wanted to die. The embarrassment was too much.

"No, that's alright. Hati. Please fetch Elen for Fenna. I would like to appoint her as Lady in Waiting for Her Lady Fenna."

Hati looked surprised but proud. "Of course, my lord!" She gently grabbed Fenna by the hand. "Come now, Lady Fenna, let's get you to your room. Elen will bring you some clothes shortly."

She didn't say a word but gladly followed, wanting nothing more than to be rid of the situation. She squeezed her eyes shut in relief once Hati shut the door to her room. Slowly, she looked over at the door and skipped over to close it promptly.

"I'm never opening this door again," she told herself.

In the other room, Esher and Udich smirked at each other. "She's certainly a handful, isn't she?" Esher joked.

He chuckled. "It seems so. But not in a bad way, at least."

"Now, what would have happened if Hati and I hadn't stumbled upon you two?" He teased.

He scoffed. "What? Do you think I'm some sort of wild dog or something?"

"Not at all, my lord," he bowed mockingly. "But you are a man, after all." Udich threw his pillow at Esher's head, making him duck out of the way.

"What? All that training and armor, and yet you need to dodge a mere pillow?" Both men laughed.

"But in all seriousness Udich, do you think it's wise to leave Lady Fenna with only a maid? Elen is strong and can wrestle a sizable, ornery sow, but what's coming is far beyond that."

He threw his leg over the edge of the bed, a grim expression darkened his face. He felt the dragon stir once more. His irises lit ablaze. "You have a point. Your brother, Landon, is returning from the north tomorrow. He is a fine knight, perceptive, strong, skilled. I will appoint him as her personal guard. In the meantime, I will have Elen receive training with the way of the sword."

Esher studied his eyes in silence for a moment. "That sounds wise." He cleared his throat. "Udich, my lord, are you perhaps imprinting on the young lady? I thought only the ancient dragons imprinted."

He looked at him, not sure how to answer. "The dragon's blood that was used to bring me back from the brink of death was that of an ancient dragon. I suppose it is a possibility, but I'm uncertain."

"You realize this could cause complications with the seer's prophecy?" Esher questioned cautiously as he shifted.

"We do not even know the whole prophecy ourselves, so everything is still uncertain."

With a sigh, Esher nodded. Accepting the end to the discussion. Perhaps an imprint could be useful. A dragon's imprint surpassed its greed, bringing it strength. But a human with the blood of a dragon was uncertain territory.

Back in Fenna's room, she paced impatiently, her thumb pressed firmly against her lips. She had a sudden overwhelming surge of emotions. She needed to speak urgently to Udich about her absence from her own world. What of her parents? Would Jake think she ran away because of him? How long would she be gone? She had so many questions that she didn't know how to ask. She wasn't a prisoner, but was she able to leave? The door opened suddenly, and she spun on her heel to face Elen, who was a bit taken aback by her intense demeanor and stressed expression.

"Lady Fenna?" She started nervously, "is everything alright?" She took a cautious step forward. "Did something happen?" Fenna was silent, eyeing her down. "I brought you some clothes." She showed them, leaning the bundle in her arms forward to be seen more clearly. "I hope that they are to your liking. Also, apparently, I am to tend to you as your Lady in Waiting. Lord Udich appointed me to you."

Fenna breathed slowly. She was having a hard time processing. "I see. Nothing has happened. But I need to speak with Udich. It's," she paused, "about my family and home country." She wasn't sure how to go about it.

"I see. I saw the prince walking with Sir Esher in the courtyard. They seemed to be having an important conversation. We could see if he has the leisure to speak. But first, let's get you dressed. We'd be the talk of the castle if you were to walk around like that." She pulled a chemise from the bundle.

Fenna sighed, letting out some of her anxiety with it. She allowed her new Lady in Waiting to dress her and put her together in the foreign garments of the land. They were something out of a fairytale. The chemise modestly poked out, covering any potentially exposed bits that the maroon vest and purple bodice missed. She played with the leather sprapped puffs at her shoulders as Elen laced her up and closed the leather wrap at her hips. She cringed at the large, oversized skirt Elen pulled out.

"No?" Elen noticed the discomfort. "Perhaps a set of breeches will be a better fit?"

"If you would please." She responded gratefully.

"I'll be back shortly." She smiled, lowering the heavy skirt. She quickly trotted off, catching a maid on the way as she stepped out. "Please inform Sir Esher and Lord Udich that Lady Fenna wishes to speak with them once she is dressed."

"Y-yes Elen- Madame!" She bowed after the correction and quickly left for the courtyard.

Elen spent some time rummaging in some old stock and sighed. It was mostly men that stayed in this castle. Spare women's clothes were not in abundance. Maid's clothing would not be appropriate. Suddenly, she got an idea. Lighting an old lantern, she ascended a small staircase into the top of the tower.

A small remnant of the prince's childhood still hid up here. His old books, blankets, small wooden swords and other things children would play with layed about. Going deep into the room, she discovered an old chest, painted blue. Clearing the years of dust and cobwebs, she set down her lantern. She opened the chest and peered inside with a triumphant smile.

"Perfect. I hope the prince won't mind." She pulled out a pair of maroon breeches that donned a studded burgundy strip down either side. "I think these will suit her well." She looked down at the rest, hopefully. "The rest might need some alterations."

Closing the lid, she picked up the lantern and hurried off excitedly. Maids looked at her in surprise as she passed by. She spun into Fenna's room and stopped with a smile.

"I hope these are to your liking!" She held them out to her.

"They're perfect." Fenna said, delighted.

Elen felt relieved. She helped Fenna step into them and adjusted them accordingly. The combination almost seemed intentional. At least her fashion sense would be the talk of the castle instead of her lack of clothing. The maids were fascinated enough and would probably be amazed by anything Lady Fenna would do.

In the courtyard, Esher and Udich wait proudly near the gates as Landon rides in upon his decorated white steed. His golden hair is pushed back out of his eyes as he rides with steady confidence. The maids giggle as they see him and run away with reddened faces.

"Landon!" The prince yells at his childhood friend with open arms.

He smiles warmly and leans on his horse to quicken his pace. "My lord," he says with warm formality as he approached.

"Now, what kind of greeting is that?" Udich said with disappointment. "An old friend such as yourself doesn't need such formalities. I'm hurt, "Sir Landon"", he teased.

Landon smirked as he pulled off his gloves. "OK, have it your way, Udich." The three men laughed together as Landon dropped down from the saddle.

"I have someone for you to meet. It's rather important." Udich started.

"Don't you wish for news from the North?" Landon seemed confused and concerned.

"Yes, but later. This is a bit more immediate."

"Ah, speaking of!" Esher said, turning to see Elen and Fenna approaching quickly.

"Perfect!" Udich said. "Landon, as you've met, Elen has just been appointed Lady in Waiting for Lady Fenna here." Undich looked between them with mild amusement as they sheepishly smiled at each other.

"Good to see you, Elen." He nodded slightly.

"And you as well, Sir Landon." She averted her eyes with a small smile.

"Just Landon will do." His gaze was soft.

Udich cleared his throat. "Lady Fenna! This is Sir Landon. He is a knight who resides here in the castle. Landon, this is Her Lady Fenna. She hails from a far away kingdom. She will be here for some time." Her heart sunk at the words, knowing the conversation she was desperate to have would not yield easy answers. "She will be needing protection while she is here. You will be appointed as her personal guard." Landon looked a bit surprised. Udich's eyes were pleading as they looked at him. "Please, keep her safe."

Landon placed a hand over his chest and gave a half bow. "By my honor." He turned to Fenna and bowed a bit deeper. "I am pleased to meet you, Lady Fenna. I am at your service and honored to have the privilege to protect you."

"Thank you, Sir Landon. Pleased to meet you. I am grateful to have your protection."

"Now that introductions are over, Lady Fenna, I believe you wished to speak to me."

"Ah, yes." She suddenly felt nervous, as if it wasn't her place. "It's about my stay. I was wondering if there was any way to return or inform my family of what's happening."

Udich and Esher exchanged glances. "Fenna," he breathed out. "Tonight, we have much to discuss. I don't have the most clear answers for you. But, hopefully, those discussions can help clear some things up for you."

"Oh, I see." She looked at her feet disheartened. They exchanged sympathetic looks between one another, not sure how to console her. "Thank you, Prince Udich, I will be patient for tonight."

He shifted in displeasure. He wished she wouldn't use his title. "Princess," he cooed. He smirked as she flinched from the word. "I will do my best to answer what I can." He looked down in surprise. "Are those my breeches?"

"It would seem so." Esher seemed just as surprised.

"Ah! Oh!" Elen awkwardly cut in. "The Lady isn't a fan of heavy skirts, apparently. I found these and thought they may suffice."

"I see." He nodded. "They suit her well. Excellent job finding a suitable solution. Please use what you can. We'll have the seamstress work out newer solutions for you as well."

"Thank you, Lord Udich." Fenna said. His eye twitched. "I will take my leave and await tonight. Until then, I will be patient." She turned to leave.

Elen quickly bowed, "Have a good day, Lord Udich." She hastily followed after her.

Udich's eyes burned as he watched after the retreating Fenna. Landon noticed his eyes and looked over to his brother, concerned. Esher mouthed "imprint". He nodded in understanding.

Fenna sat on the edge of her bed, having no interest in her day. What was she supposed to do? She didn't know this new world. She didn't know the right formalities. She felt sick with nerves. She longed for home.

Elen walked in to check on her. She fought back burning tears as she stared at her Lady in Waiting.

"How?" She croaked.

"Pardon?" Elen was confused.

"How does someone from a completely different world have a prophecy about them in another world?" She dragged in a wet, ugly sniff.

Elen fought a grimace. "I-I'm not really sure." She didn't know the whole story, and thus, didn't know how to respond.

"I miss home." She whimpered.

Elen wrapped an arm around her. She couldn't imagine being so far. She was only a few villages away before she became a maid in the castle. She had regular visits to her family and received mail from her mother often. She pulled out some linen handkerchiefs from her pockets and handed them to her.

"It will be ok. I know it's hard. The prince means well. He'll have you home as soon as he is able. I'm sure of it. He has always been a man of his word."

Fenna took them and buried her face in one, dragging in a ragged breath. She leaned onto Elen for comfort. Hati walked in on the sight and stopped in surprise.

"Oh my." She hurried over. "Come now, let's get you cleaned up. I had a feeling this would happen sooner or later. You didn't really have time to process before. Those feelings were bound to crop up." She dried her eyes on her apron in a motherly fashion. "I have some goodies for you. The prince sent them. He was worried you hadn't eaten today. If you've been crying your morning away, it would come to no surprise."

She set a small basket next to her. A large, warm bread roll and fresh, assorted berries filled the basket.

"He had this specially selected for you. Eat up, or you'll be too sick for tonight."

"He did?" She asked through a sniff.

"He did." She confirmed.

Fenna felt embarrassed. She had been crying away, only thinking about herself without thinking about the burdens and worries of others. She grabbed a berry and slowly bit into it. It had a foreign, sweet taste. It was good.

"Thank you." She whispered.

Hati smiled. "I'll let him know you liked it." She got up and left.

As she picked through her basket, Elen decided to leave her to it and give her some privacy. She stopped before exiting and smiled, relieved that the basket was distracting her from her heartache.

She caressed the different berries, checking their firmness, texture and color before trying them. Each was vastly different than the last. They were all sweet, some a bit tart. Her favorite was a large, plush, golden colored berry with a honey like taste. She wondered if horses could eat them and if Moonflower would like them. Then, wondered which berry the prince preferred.

Picking up the roll, she noted that it was moist. She pulled it apart, tearing it like a flaky cloud. Her stomach growled from the buttery scent. She almost melted with it as it melted in her mouth. She had never tasted bread this amazing. She got up and looked out her window. Udich stood outside, speaking with some men in studded leather armor. They nodded in affirmation at whatever he was saying before leaving. He turned and looked up at her window. He smiled at her and waved. Her face burned with embarrassment, and she pulled the curtain over shyly, waving back with the bread. She could see him laugh before he shook his head with amusement and left with a grin. He seemed pleased.

She stepped back into her room and saw herself in the mirror. She looked terrible. There was no way he didn't notice, even from that distance. She sighed and sat back down to finish her meal. She knew she had to be more understanding. None of this was any of their fault.