I was picking some apples that had fallen from the tree when suddenly I heard a loud noise behind me. I quickly turned around and saw a beautiful creature of nature.
"My lady, wake up!", someone's yelling while shaking me. "Ms. Zerah, you're late for your class!" And then I woke up, so confused. Who is Zerah? And what class? I graduated two years ago! I stumbled to the mirror, my heart pounding in my chest, and my reflection sent a jolt of pure shock through me.
I looked... different. Younger. My reflection was a stranger, with a youthful face and bright eyes that didn't belong to me. A wave of panic washed over me. What was going on?
"Zerah who? Me? Am I dreaming?"
I stammered, feeling a knot of confusion tighten in my stomach.
"No, my lady, that is you," the woman in the maid's dress replied, her voice laced with concern. "I should call a doctor, my lady."
"No! I'm fine," I insisted, my voice shaking a little. "And why are you calling me 'my lady'?"
"Because you are a noblewoman, my lady, and soon to be a Queen," she said, her eyes widening slightly. "By the way, I am Mrs. Charlotte, your new maid, my lady."
My mind spun. Queen? Me? This was all so surreal. The maid's words were like a punch to the gut, leaving me breathless and reeling.
A queen? What was happening? Where was I? And who was this Zerah person I was supposed to be?
"A Queen she said?" I repeated, the words feeling foreign on my tongue. "I don't have any idea why I came to this woman's body. Besides, I still remember myself.
Before I got here, I saw a deer with an emerald crystal in its forehead. Maybe that creature is the reason. I should find that deer."
The maid, Mrs. Charlotte, looked at me with a mixture of concern and confusion. "Deer, my lady? What deer?"
"The one I saw," I said, my voice firming. "It was a huge deer, and it was watching me. I think it might be involved in all this."
A wave of determination washed over me. I needed to find that dragon. It might hold the key to understanding why I was here, in this strange new body, and why I was supposed to be a queen. I had to find out what was going on.
"But how?" I asked, my voice a whisper. "I don't have any idea what this place is, or how to find this deer. Maybe I should just get along in this world.
Attend classes, meet Zerah’s friends...or should I say my friends?"
A shiver ran down my spine. The thought of being thrust into this unfamiliar world, with a new identity and a new life, was both daunting and exhilarating.
It was like stepping into a storybook, a world of magic and mystery, and I was the main character.
"Mrs. Charlotte," I said, turning to the maid. "Can you tell me more about this world? About Zerah, about the kingdom, about anything?"
I needed to gather information, to learn the rules of this new game. And then, I would find the deer. I had to.
"My lady, the Prince Harton is here to see you," Mrs. Charlotte announced, her voice barely a whisper. Harton? A prince? My future husband? A shiver ran down my spine.
"Let him in," I said, my voice strangely calm.
The door swung open, and a tall, handsome man with a playful smile entered the room.
"Good day, my lady," he said, his eyes sparkling with a mischievous glint. "How is your day?"
"It's fine," I replied, my voice clipped. "What do you need?"
I could tell from the way he was looking at me, the way he was holding himself, that he was a womanizer.
His charm was a facade, a mask to hide his true intentions.
"Well, I'm here to ask you one more time if you still don't want to be in this marriage," he said, his smile widening.
I met his gaze, my own expression hardening. "I've told you before, Prince Harton," I said, my voice steady. "I'm not interested."
I was not going to be a pawn in his game, a trophy wife to be paraded around and used for his own purposes. I was Zerah, a queen in my own right, and I would decide my own destiny.
"Yes, why?" I asked, my voice steady. I wanted to know what his game was, what he was trying to achieve.
"Can I have a favor?" he asked, his smile turning sly. "You know I really like your friend, right?"
So that's why Zerah didn't want to marry the prince. She had someone else. It was brutal, the way he was using her feelings, her friendship, as a bargaining chip.
"What are you trying to say?" I asked, my voice hardening.
Prince Harton leaned closer, his eyes boring into mine.
"Do you like other boys?" he asked, his tone almost mocking.
This boy really had the nerve to say that? "No!" I snapped, my patience wearing thin.
Who was this boy? I really needed to find that deer, get out of this situation, and figure out what was going on. This was brutal.
"Okay, then," he said, stepping back with a shrug. "I should go. You're such a cool girl. That's why the king and queen like you." He winked and turned to leave, leaving me fuming.
What a charmer. He was using my supposed personality, my supposed coolness, to try to get what he wanted. He was playing me, and I wouldn't let him. I would find that deer, and I would find a way out of this mess.
"What, the King and Queen? Really?" I muttered, my mind reeling. This girl was lucky. She had the favor of the King and Queen.
"By the way," I said to myself, "I should learn to act like royalty so I won't ruin this girl's reputation. Where should I start first? Maybe talking? But how? I need help. Maybe my maid can help."
I looked around the room, searching for the bell button Mrs. Charlotte had mentioned. "Ting, ting, ting."
The sound of the bell echoed through the room. I waited, my heart pounding with a mixture of anticipation and nervousness.
It was time to start playing the role of a queen. But how? I needed to learn the rules of this game, and fast.
"Yes, my lady?" Mrs. Charlotte's voice, soft and respectful, filled the room. Wow, this thing is perfect.
I don't need to shout.
"I need your help with something," I said, feeling a wave of relief wash over me.
The maid, bless her heart, brought me a stack of books, filled with information about the kingdom's history, customs, and traditions.
We spent the next few hours discussing everything from court etiquette to the intricacies of the royal family's lineage.
"If the queen gives birth to a girl, then the king will find a mistress," Mrs. Charlotte explained, her voice barely a whisper.
It was brutal.
This whole culture was brutal. Why would royalty hate a girl to rule this place? It was so cruel. I felt a surge of anger, a burning sense of injustice. I couldn't understand it.
"Why?" I asked, my voice shaking with indignation
"It's tradition, my lady," she said, her eyes downcast. "The kingdom has always been ruled by men."
I scoffed. "But why?" I repeated, my voice rising.
"Why should a woman be denied the right to rule? Why should she be relegated to the role of a mistress?"
Mrs. Charlotte just shook her head sadly. "It's the way it is, my lady," she said.
I knew she was right.
But that didn't make it any less infuriating.
I had to change this. I had to find a way to make this place better, to make it fair for everyone. But first, I needed to understand the rules of this game.