I was summoned to talk to a stranger at midnight

I thought that after such an eventful day, I would be tired and fall asleep immediately. But how could I sleep when my mind was still running, trying to process the things that happened to me today?

After about two hours of tossing and turning in bed, I decided to get some fresh air.

I put on some clothes and wrapped a shawl around my shoulders. The Obedience necklace was still in the pocket of my apron, and I left it there. It was a dangerous thing, and I did not want this thing to be used ever again. I needed to hide it, or even better, destroy it. But until I find out how to, it will be safer to keep it with me.

I opened the heavy wooden door and went looking for a window with pretty scenery. It had to be midnight as there was pitch black in the hallway. If there weren’t a few candles on the walls to light my way, I would probably slam into something. I remembered a layout of the castle, as Korvan showed me the whole building today, but I did not want to open just any window in the hallway.

So I walked and walked until I found a spiral staircase. If I remembered properly, these stairs should go to the castle tower I was able to see out of the window from my room.

I climbed up, hoping to find a high place, which would let me inspect the country and see it properly for the first time. Up until this point, I saw only a few glances of the scenery, but I never had a clear picture of it. Not that it would help me find out where I was, I wasn't a geography expert anyway, but I just wanted at least to see what this ancient world looks like.

I was not expecting to be still alive after 24 hours, so that fact opened new possibilities in my head. My mind was constantly trying to find a way to run away from this new reality I was summoned to, but there were no escape routes yet. I wouldn’t survive in a wilderness, and I was not sure if I even wanted to live with the people from this world. I was here only for a while, but I already noticed they are quite short-sighted, and that would surely bring some trouble.

I was not behaving like them, and I would definitely refuse to in certain situations. Do you remember what people did in the past with women who were eccentric or different? They were burned at the stake like witches.

Considering the fact that I studied ethnology and folklore back in my world at the university, I knew a lot of things about mythology and old traditional practices and rituals. I adored our folk fairy tales, and with them came also a knowledge of many supernatural creatures. If that doesn’t spell witch, then I do not know what else does.

I just wondered how it was possible that Babena was still able to live in that village and was supported by them. She was probably some kind of wise woman, knowing a lot about folk spells and medicinal herbs, but if she was able to pull off a ritual and tear me off from my reality, she had to be powerful.

Lost in my thoughts, I went up the spiral staircase, believing it would take me up to the castle tower. After I climbed over the last step, I pushed the door open, and I was there.

This room was round, following the shape of the tower. Korvan already showed me the library below, but this chamber also looked like some kind of study. Next to the window, there was a massive desk with a comfortable chair. On the desk, I could see a few empty pages of paper and an inkwell with a quill. I came over to investigate it.

I could see blotches of spilled ink from the inkwell and a pair of birdie footprints. Was Korvan stealing the paper for tomorrow's study session from here? I had to laugh. He was really motivated to learn to read. Was His Highness working on something that required reading?

I stepped back and looked around. A lot of antiques were stuffed into the corners and shelves. I would love to take some time to check them out, but that was not why I was here. Turning, I noticed a ladder going up to the roof, so I just went there. I could see, there was a trap door in the roof, so I gripped the ladder firmly and climbed a few more steps up.

I opened the trap door to get up on the roof.

I froze in my steps.

Once my head poked out of the door, I was on the highest point of the whole castle. But that was not the thing that stopped me. On the roof, right next to me, was a stranger I did not recognize.

It was a young man, dressed in a simple beige blouse with no embroidery ornaments. His brown linen pants were stuffed into the dark leather boots. He has raven-black hair so long, it fell behind his back.

I knew at first glance. This was no ordinary peasant from the village. Men who had to work usually cut their hair short so it wouldn't bother them while they were in the fields. This had to be someone important.

Surprised by my sudden appearance, he looked at me, and I gasped.

Two rich green emerald eyes were looking right at me, peaking from behind the long black lashes. They were sharp and were making him look annoyed. Or maybe it was because I invaded his privacy just now?

“Is this space occupied?” I asked, embarrassed.

My voice came out as a squeak of a tiny mouse.

I was unable to look him straight in the eyes, so I just gazed at his pointy nose instead. His jaw was not missing the sharpness, but broadness, and even his chin was pointy, making his face even colder, not welcoming.

“Feel free to join,” he responded.

Surprised, I stole a few glances at him. I was expecting him to kick me off this tower, annoyed, but it was the opposite. His voice was surprisingly soft, and I could feel a small hint of warmth in it. Maybe this person was not as cold as I thought.

I climbed up, and he moved to the side to make space for me. I sat awkwardly next to him, hugging my knees.

“Did you come to jump out of the tower?” he asked.

It should be criminal to ask such dark questions with such a honeyed voice.

I looked at him with raised eyebrows.

“I… I just wanted to see a bit of the scenery,” I said meekly. “Did the previous brides jump to run from their fates?”

He did not respond. I tried to ignore the awkward silence between us, and so I just raised my head to gaze at the moon. Tears started trickling down my cheeks. Even though this whole world was unfamiliar to me, the moon looked exactly the same as back in my world. It broke my heart.

“Why are you not running away if you don’t want to be here?” he asked. “You could use that fancy Obedience necklace you have and force people to help you leave.”

I froze on the spot. Tears stopped in its tracks. He knew about my necklace. I never showed it to anyone.

“I don’t want to use it,” I said.

“Really?” he asked. I could see he was not believing in my words at all. “Why?”

“I had it on me and it was not a very pleasant experience, to say at least. And I do not want others to experience the same.”

He went quiet, probably questioning the sincerity in my words. But I did not care. What does it matter if some strangers from a different world believed in me?

“Either way, even if I used it to run away, where would I go?” I asked. “Back to the village, to the people who tried to sacrifice me like I was some kind of animal? Or climb over these mountains, when I do not even know what is behind them? If I am to be honest, I am not much of a resilient person. I would probably die somewhere on the way. To survive in a wilderness is something completely out of my expertise. So sorry to say, but you are all stuck with me here now, until I figure out where to go.”

“Do you have royal blood?” he asked. “You don’t behave like other villagers. They would know how to start a fire or hunt something.”

Yeah, to people from this world, I probably seemed like some spoiled princess. Just because I am from the modern era, where I could live my life as I wanted and everything was readily available, if you had enough money.

“I wish I had some,” I laughed and wiped tears with my sleeve. “Maybe then I would not end up as a sacrificial bride to some kind of evil dragon.”

“But you know how to read,” he said. “And you know how to write.”

“I do.”

“But you are not royalty. You are a strange one,” he said.

I laughed. “It was not even a full day, and everyone I met told me, I am strange or crazy.”

“Because you are. Where did you even come from?”

“That is… a secret,” I told him. “But I can tell you that, where I come from, many people know how to read and write. In fact, fewer people can’t.”

“How did you end up here? Were you kidnapped?”

“I do not remember,” I said truthfully. “Once I came to, I was dressed as a bride, and they put that cursed necklace around my throat. Now I am waiting for my turn to be eaten.”

“You won't be eaten,” he said, with a hint of annoyance in his tone.

“Have you seen the evil dragon, villagers are talking about?”

A short pause.

“Yes,” he said. “You can ask anything about it and I will tell you.”

“Is that so? Is it true that it has three heads?”

He looked at me, shocked. I could feel anger rising in him. His emerald eyes were trying to pierce me.

In our folk tales, dragons often had three heads. Some of them even seven or nine, representing their power. Multiple heads often regenerated when they were cut off, so the dragon was always hard to kill. Nevertheless, the brave prince always found a way to slay it to save a princess.

“He definitely doesn’t,” said that man with a cold tone.

I probably shouldn’t provoke him, right?

“Thought so,” I said. “I just never saw it properly, so I was just curious.”

Would it be considered extremely impolite to ask for his name? Should I just risk it? I decided to pull the trigger.

“Hey, what is your name?” I asked. “Can you tell me?”

“It’s Dragan.”

“Nice to meet you, sir Dragan,” I said and smiled. I offered my hand for a handshake. “My name is Zora.”

“Zora as dawn or daybreak?” he asked.

“Yes, exactly,” I confirmed.

“Nice to meet you, too, Zora.”

I was expecting a handshake, but he took my hand into his and kissed it instead. He surprised me. I could feel heat rising in my face, coloring my cheeks a vivid rosy color. Suddenly, I was feeling embarrassed.

“Ah, I… I need to go,” I mumbled. “Tomorrow, I… I have a lot of things to do! G-good night.”

I opened the trap door and went back into the tower. Scared by my self-consciousness, I ran away from the tower, hiding in my chamber. Once I arrived in the safety of my room, I put my cold hands on my cheeks. They were burning as if I had a fever.