My Promise to My Four King Mates

The sun - familiar

Everyn's POV:

Everything feels a bit hazy. My memories, my vision, my head, everything seemed as if it had been scrubbed clean with a sponge and there were only smears of everything left behind. Nothing clear. Everything was fuzzy. And even now that I was staring at this older man, nothing came to me. Just a strange feeling I've known him for long enough, to be disrespectful to not know his name. My cheeks brighten as I sit up and I start fidgeting with the multiple rings I have on my fingers.

"Uh-" I muttered and laughed nervously. "Hi!" I looked away and around me.

The door of the room seemed to close and for a brief moment I felt panic swelling inside me. Where was I?! Who... who was I?

"A bit of confusion is not something to be afraid of, your highness." the man smiled at me and this gets my full attention once again, as my vision got a bit better.

The man that seems to know me so well, to recognize my panic, suddenly seems like a friendly face I could trust. Could I? Of course I could! Just look at that gentle and serene smile... I can't help but smile back.

"I am Lastier, your servant, your highness. " the man bowed his head and I feel something in my stomach twist and turn with discomfort.

"Servant? That sounds-"

"Wrong?" the man interrupted me and chuckled. "I am your friend then. Does that sound better?" He offered and I'm not sure if he was mocking me or not.

"I'm not sure how anything sounds right now, Lastier." I tried my best to not f**k up his name but the man did not correct me, so I might have done a great job at pronouncing it. One of my hands reaches up to brush my forehead and the man nods gently.

"That makes sense, your highness. How about a bath and some dinner, then? Does that sound appealing?"

When my brows narrow, I feel him get a bit anxious and he hurries to straighten his back and offer me a stern face. "I did not mean to be disrespectful, I just-"

"Disrespectful?" I jumped in to correct him with a pitched chuckle. "No! No! I just... your highness does not sit right with me. You said you're my friend, right?!" I pushed myself up and stretched a bit. "If you are my friend, then go ahead and use my name, Lastier." I offered the man a smile as I slowly started walking around, studying the room I am in, hoping he would buy it.

"As you wish, Everyn." the name rolls off of his lips and It fits right into my hazy memories.

I am Everyn. That much was true. Or I think it was...

"Thank you, Lastier." I smiled to myself as I stopped in front of the fire place.

The room was absolutely huge, and the only light inside was the lovely fireplace that burned brightly, casting warm shadows over the whole place, making the reds and gold of the room appear warm and comforting.

One thing I am certain of. This was not my room. I would never plaster the walls with such strange patterns that seemed to resemble patterns reserved only for the royals. I would never pick such thick crimson drapes, I would never own such a fireplace... nothing here felt like mine, yet it all seemed so familiar.

"Now, about that dinner, Everyn-" Lastier spoke and pulled me right out of my silly thoughts.

I jumped slightly and turned to face him, finding him still by the bed, the same gentle smile on his lips as he watched me.

"I would love some dinner-" I hurried to reply as I ran both my hands over my stomach.

Gods! It felt like I had not eaten in ages! It felt like my stomach was sticking to my own damn spine and I feel the ribs poke out under my hands.

"I'll have the usual ready for you." the man smiled and nodded gently, more like a bow , trying to make me feel a bit more at home than I was. But nothing here felt like home. "In the meantime, The bathroom is there-" he gestured for a smaller door, that I missed. It had the same color and patterns as the walls, camouflaged amazingly with the room. "I'm sure you'd find a hot bath soothing after all this." Lastier spoke as he walked to the main door. he stopped for a second as if he wanted to say something else. but he did not. he just smiled and bowed once again, before walking out of the room, leaving me alone, with my confused and ruffled mind.

As the door closes, my smile fades and, despite the storm that my mind keeps churning, somehow, I don't panic. There is a strange familiarity about this place. It soothes my soul, even if my mind is frenetic. I walked to the camouflaged door and pulled it open. Behind it, as instructed, there was a bathroom. A huge one. There was a bathtub, a giant one, that could fit at least two grown adults, made entirely out of glass, with golden legs and metallic edges that made me feel like it was a showpiece, not an actual tub that was intended to be used.

I dared to step in and look around and after a few seconds of hesitation, I turned the water on and allowed it to slowly fill the tub. I check the few drawers of the cabinet under the sink and find some herbs and flowers that I dump into the tub. My body seemed to have a strange memory of this place, and I did not need to think twice about what I was grabbing and where I was searching for the things I needed. Strangely enough though, my mind did not remember any of the things my body did. As I was satisfied with the way my bath looked, I allowed the water to fill it while I walked out of the room once again and towards the closed doors of the balcony the room held.

They were made entirely out of glass and allowed me to look out without any obstruction. I realise now that I'm in a high building, with an amazing view of a bright crimson forest, whose trees swing in the wind. a chill rushes down my spine and I turn away after a few moments, a bit hesitant to actually go out. The sky was a deep shade of purple and it was peppered with countless stars that shone in bright colors, and made me feel nauseous. I'm not entirely sure if that's how the sky was supposed to look, and this gives me the hesitation about not going outside.

I turned on my heels and hurried back to the bathroom. I closed the door behind me and with a bit of hesitation. I-strip my strange looking clothes. They were baggy and hid my small body, masking every little curve my body held. Not as if there were many... but whatever there might have been, the large baggy jeans and the turtle neck sweater hid them from hungry or annoying eyes.

Naked, I stood in front of the mirror, giving my figure an overall look, before unpining my hair and letting it fall freely down my back, covering my bare back completely. After admiring my own hair as if I had forgotten it was mine, I step into the hot water, and dip into the tub with a gentle sigh. But as my head leans backwards and I find a decent position to relax into, that flies out the window when I hear the main door of the room open.

Did I lock the door of the bathroom?! I pull my knees to my chest immediately and cover myself with my wet hair, waiting with terror for the stranger to burst into the bathroom as if I was some intruder, as if I was Goldilocks inside the bears' house.