Maybe I'll Stay

Rich settled in the soft linens of the bed. So much had happened in such a short time and he barely had a moment to himself to go over it all. He closed his eyes, doing his best to recall what had happened.

The leash, the door, my phone. I was out walking Arrow, and I got to the road… He opened his eyes, staring up at the canopy above bed.

“I got hit by that truck…” he muttered softly. Arrow whined and laid down next to him, resting his head on Rich’s stomach. Rich rolled onto his side, curling up around Arrow and pulling him into a hug. He buried his face in Arrow’s fur, mumbling softly.

“We, got hit by that truck,” he corrected. He clutched at Arrow’s fur, who in turn licked his arm. As tears crept into the corner of his eyes, he heard a soft knock at the door. He sniffled and sat up in the bed, staring at the door. After a moment, a second louder knock rang through the room.

“Oh, come in!” Rich called out, a slight strain to his voice. He composed himself as the older attendant returned holding a ceramic bowl. He slowly lowered it to the ground as Arrow pulled away from Rich and walked over to the bowl, giving it a sniff. He began lapping at the water.

“Excuse me, I’ve forgotten your name. What was it again?” Rich said with caution.

“Edward, My Lord.” the attendant responded.

“Very well. Thank you Edward. Can I see the key to Princess Schon’s room?” Rich asked. Edward frowned at that, but shuffled forward and removed the key from his pocket. He offered it over to Rich who took it gingerly.

“If that will be all, My Lord,” Edward said. With a nod from Rich he left the room, closing the door behind him. Rich stood and walked over to the window as his mind continued to race.

So I wake up here, in this place and in the body of this Prince Fulcher. My dad seems like a jerk and my sister is being sent off to get put into an arranged marriage to that gross fat guy’s son. I also have a wife, at least I think she’s my wife. Who I found locked in her room…

Rich looked down at the black key in disgust. He did not want anybody to be trapped in a room on his orders. Walking over to the window, he pulled the curtains aside and pressed his palms against the glass. To his surprise he saw rolling waves far below, beyond the cliff the castle had been built on. When pressure did not make the window move, he looked along its border to try and find where it opened. After a moment he came to realize this window did not open at all, and was a permanent part of the wall.

“What, they haven't figured out window hinges yet?” he muttered. He took the end of the curtain and wrapped it around his fist. Placing his hand in the center of the largest panel on the window, he took a deep breath and centered a punch directly through it. Shards of glass plummeted as the sea breeze snuck into his room. Removing the hand from the curtain, he grasped the black key and dangled it out of the window. With a flick of his wrist he sent it spiraling towards the roaring waves below. He refused to hold the power that allowed his supposed wife to be trapped in her room.

I don’t think there’s a path back for me. I don’t even know how I wound up in this world in the first place. Maybe instead I can use my power here to help people. And that woman who healed me… There is magic in this world. If I could learn it, or maybe I already know it?

Rich raised his hand, aiming at a blank wall.

“Fireball!” he declared. Arrow looked up with wet lips, having thoroughly dried his water bowl. The air stood silent as Rich waited.

“Fireblast! Flame! Flamé! Igne! Burn! Uh… Emalf! Spark?” Rich sighed as his wall remained unburnt.

“Guess I’ll have to learn it from scratch. If I even can.” Another knock came as Rich settled on his realization.

“Come in,” he called. Edward entered once more, lowering a leather pouch down to refill Arrow’s water bowl as the wolf wagged his tail.

“My Lord, your father has summoned a meeting of his advisors. It is best you attend, as he apparently has news to share.” Edward said, groaning slightly as he stood up straight again. He shuffled out of the room again, closing the door behind him.

Advisors? Maybe I can get an idea of who I can talk to about changing this place around. Rich thought. As Arrow lapped up the excess water, Rich dusted himself off and did his best to remove the blades of grass from his form. Taking a deep breath, he patted his leg twice to alert Arrow and opened the door to the hallway.