“It is my pleasure to announce my engagement to Queen Goldenvalor,” King Blackheart said when Sandy arrived at the banquet hall. “With our marriage, Havenshire and Crystaline will be united.”
The applause from the group of men and women in the room were so loud that no one heard Sandy’s low groan. She didn’t bother smiling. This was a forced marriage. She saw no point in pretending she was happy about it. Besides, she was wearing a ridiculously elaborate purple gown. The shoulders puffed out and sequins lined the part of the skirt that formed the shape of a bell. She didn’t know what contraption Noel used to make the skirt spread out like that, but whatever it was, it was designed to torture women. Then to top it off, she had on matching purple gloves. She felt like she was nothing more than a pawn for King Blackheart to get what he wanted.
“Once we marry, you’ll get a crown to match mine,” he told her.
She glanced at the gold crown with the rubies in it. She guessed her crown would be smaller, but she had to admit that it was an attractive design.
He extended his arm to her. “I’ll escort you to your chair.”
She debated whether or not to hold onto his arm but decided she would find a way to escape soon enough, so there was no reason to fight him.
The people in the banquet hall bowed as they headed for their chairs. When she saw that their chairs were together, she momentarily stopped walking but quickly picked up her pace. Of course, they would sit next to each other. If he was planning on marrying her, he’d want to sit by her while they ate.
She dutifully sat in her chair and did her best to ignore the triumphant smile on his face. Talking to him hadn’t worked. He was determined to see the marriage through, and she knew better than to keep trying to reason to someone who couldn’t understand logic. For goodness’ sakes, he wasn’t even a real person! He was a character—a figment of her imagination. And everything around her stemmed from her imagination as well. So what if aspects of it were different from how she visualized it? But she guessed that was because she wasn’t the type of writer who went on and on about details in the settings of her book. At least not the one book she’d been writing. As things were going, she didn’t know if she’d get the chance to write another book or not.
As the king sat beside her, he leaned toward her, and though she tried not to squirm to get away from him, she did anyway. To his credit, he acted like he didn’t notice. “You’ll be pleased to know that we have entertainment during all of our meals. This evening, we brought in a historian. Considering the fact that you’re the author, I thought you might enjoy hearing the establishment of the kingdoms from our point of view.”
“Our point of view?” she asked.
“Your characters’ point of view.”
“There can be no point of view other than my own since I wrote the book.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. In every event, there are different ways of looking at it. It’s my pleasure to acquaint you with history as we see it.”
Amused, she smirked. “Whatever.” What did she care that her characters had modified the background of her story?
The man wearing a long blue robe came to the center of the room while servants presented food to the fifty-some people sitting at the tables. She wondered why there were so many people eating with the king but decided she didn’t care enough to ask. At the moment, her stomach was growling and the meat and vegetables were tempting her taste buds. If this was half as good as breakfast, then she was in for a treat. She turned her attention to the man standing in the center of the room.
“I, Gen Evermore, have come to present to the future Queen Blackheart the history of our world.” The man gave a solemn bow, something Sandy thought was going overboard with the formalities. “Long ago, we were once one country, one continent, one people. All swore allegiance to King Fairview, a fair and just man who held the respect of all in his kingdom. He had seven sons, but there was one who didn’t want to share the kingdom with his brothers after their father’s death. His name was Leo, and he swore to all who would follow him that he’d reward them with wealth and land for their service.”
Sandy turned her attention to the food on her plate and sipped the wine while Gen Evermore continued to go into detail about the Twenty Year War. So far, he wasn’t telling her anything she didn’t already know. If King Blackheart thought this was giving her something new to think about, he was sorely mistaken. As she ate the succulent buffalo meat, he continued to speak.
“The ravages of war took its toll on the inhabitants of the world and the end to the destruction was not in sight. Then,” Gen paused dramatically, lifting his hand up to the ceiling, “one night, Leo traveled to a lake reported to have immortal properties in it, thinking to give the drink of immortal life to him and his men. With this, victory would be assured since you can’t kill a man who can’t die.”
Surprised by this twist to the tale, Sandy stopped eating and focused on what the man was saying.
“He was warned never to venture to the lake, for all who do, do so at their peril. The path there is a dangerous one, and only one other has reported to have survived the trek. But instead of getting immortal life as a man, he was turned into a unicorn, the only one living of its kind. So one must be careful what one requests when reaching the lake.”
“I don’t understand,” Sandy interrupted, not sure if protocol smiled upon someone speaking up during the presentation but figuring it was her right as the author to know what was going on. “What did this man do or say to become a unicorn? And I wasn’t aware there was a unicorn on this world.”
“There are many things about this world that you aren’t aware of,” King Blackheart told her.
“So you brought in someone to demonstrate that, hmm?” she replied, unable to hide the sarcastic tone underlying her exasperation.
“It would help if you understood what is truly here. You might have imagined all of this, but once you did, it took on a life of its own.”
“Then I can un-imagine all the new things that popped up without my permission.”
Offering an amused grin, he lowered his voice. “Once the world is created, it’s out of your control. You think you’re in the driver’s seat, but the truth of the matter is, you’re merely the passenger.” He motioned to Gen. “You may answer the queen’s questions.”
Gen bowed his head in acknowledgement to the king’s statement. “The lake is located in the country currently known as Reinhold. King Petros named it the Lake of Many Woes. There is a group of blue fairies who guard the lake, and while one might think it’s to protect the lake, it’s really to protect the poor souls who chance upon the Grim Reaper’s Path. Those who have passed through the fairies’ enchanted barrier walk the path at their own peril. The man who became a unicorn survived the obstacles and tasted the water from the lake. Once drinking the water, he had to state what he wanted his immortality to be like. He wished to run faster than men, to have strength stronger than a bear, and to never lose his way. The request bound him to the body of a unicorn, a noble horse known for its speed, its strength.”
“And its horn,” Sandy added.
“Its horn works like a compass, leading those who find it to the correct way.”
“And where is this unicorn?”
“The unicorn is a creation of enchantment. It is neither here nor there but appears at a hero’s most perilous moment.”
“Does this man who became a unicorn have a name?” Sandy pressed.
“No one knows what it is,” Gen replied.
“Of course not,” Sandy muttered. The world, as King Blackheart put it, might have taken on a life of its own, but she couldn’t help but notice it left some holes in the plot.
“There is a legend,” King Blackheart began, undeterred by her lack of enthusiasm over the tale of the unicorn’s genesis, “that claims the person who finds out the name of the unicorn becomes its master.”
“Naturally.” Why wouldn’t there be some ridiculous legend like that?
“Please continue,” King Blackheart told Gen.
“Yeah,” Sandy continued. “Are Leo and his band of men running amok on this world as immortal men?”
“No, my lady,” Gen replied. “Leo never made it to the lake, but he did chance upon the dark magician who lives off the Grim Reaper’s Path. Leo and his men promised their service to him if he’d grant them victory over King Fairview. The deal was struck. The magician raised up his scepter and hurled it into the ground. Everything grew silent before a deep rumble emerged from the land. That was how the world became divided into four territories: Havenshire, Crystaline, Reinhold, and Floracrest. With the division of the lands, King Fairview and his allies were forced into Reinhold. Leo and his men organized an attack on all sides of the large island and finally conquered them. But there was a price Leo and his men paid for their victory. The magician changed them into trolls to do his bidding for the rest of their days, so while they were given victory, they did not have the pleasure of enjoying it.”
“That sucks,” Sandy commented. Not that she’d been rooting for Leo or anything, but it seemed like the price they paid wasn’t worth the thing they wanted.
His face somber, he finished, “The four remaining sons of King Fairview each took one of the continents and ruled over the people living on them. So it has been to this day.” He gave a bow, signaling his oral presentation was at an end.
Sandy joined the others in clapping. If nothing else, she did find the speech both entertaining and informative. She wouldn’t have made up an elaborate Twenty Year War or the whole thing with the magician if she’d written the history of this world, but since the world decided to write its own history, she just had to accept it. When she got back to her own world, she could always go back through the story and rewrite it if she wanted. But she figured it was neat enough, so she’d probably leave it alone.
When the banquet came to an end, King Blackheart insisted on escorting her back to her bedchamber.
“There’s no need,” she replied. “I know the way.” And besides, she wouldn’t mind some time alone. It seemed that ever since she woke up, someone had to be with her.
“I realize you know the way, but since my bedchamber is close by, it makes sense I take you there. Unless, of course, you’d like to take a stroll through the gardens? I think you’ll be delighted with them.”
“You don’t have any gardens. All you have is a bunch of thorns growing along your castle walls.”
With his usual irritating smirk, he said, “In your version that was true. But in my version of the story, things are different.”
She groaned at the reminder. “I’ll pass. I’ve had enough of you and this place. All I want to do is go home.” Before he could reply, she added, “Don’t say it. I know you want me to accept this place as my home, but it isn’t going to happen. Ever.”
She turned to leave, but he was quick to join her. “I’m afraid I can’t let you go unescorted until you come to accept your new life.”
“Great. Then I’ll be tailed around by some idiot for the rest of my life.”
“Must you put up such a fuss?”
“Look,” she began, “I was a good sport back there, alright? I smiled and didn’t argue when you made the marriage announcement. Then I sat through the entire spiel of things that happened long ago on this world.”
“And some of those things impact where we are today in this world.”
Being that he was a character who belonged in this world, she couldn’t argue his point, but even so, she didn’t see what that had to do with her.
She proceeded down the dark corridor lit by torches. The damp air was a solemn reminder that she should be in the comfort of her cozy, warm apartment. He had no right to drag her here against her will, to force her into a so-called marriage to change the course of her book. It was her book! Not his. She would have been better off if she’d picked King Petros to be the villain of the book instead of King Blackheart. But how was she to know King Blackheart would take on a personality of his own? He was a thing of fiction, a figment of her imagination. And now he was acting as if he was real.
“I really hate it when characters get an attitude with me,” she muttered.
“What was that?” he called out, close behind her.
She decided not to answer him. She was tired of talking to him. At the moment, she was tired of trying to think of a way to escape. It’d been a long day. All she wanted to do was go to bed, pull the covers up over her head, and wake up in her apartment.
“I was thinking,” he added as she continued her brisk walk down the corridor, “that you should refer to me by my first name.”
“You don’t have a first name.”
“Of course, I do. Everyone has a first name.”
“The villain of my story doesn’t.” She found no reason to give first names to characters she planned to kill off.
“I gave myself a name.”
She turned down the corridor and hurried up the steps that would take her to her bedchamber. Unfortunately, he was close behind and that meant she wasn’t any closer to ditching him than she’d been last night when he abducted her.
“It’s Gavin,” he called out. “I know you would have preferred something like Ire or Brute, but I thought an ordinary name fit better.”
“I don’t care what you named yourself. You can be Bob or Jim for all I care.”
“I like Gavin better.”
“Great. Then you have something you want to be.” When she reached the top of the steps, she spun around so she was facing him. “Why can’t you be content with being my character? Why do you have to be more than that?”
“Because there’s more to me than you were willing to write.”
She sighed and headed down the hallway. “Of all the characters in all the world, I had to get the one who has delusions of grandeur.”
“It’s a delusion of grandeur for me to want to live? I think that’s a rather cold thing to believe.”
She rubbed her forehead and stopped at her bedchamber door. “What you want is irrelevant. You’re not real. You’re someone I made up. But you know what? Right now I don’t care. I’m tired and my head hurts, so I’m done having this discussion.”
“Someday you’ll understand how real I am.”
“Whatever.” She opened the door and slipped into the bedchamber. “Don’t follow me in. We’re not married yet, pal.”
Then she shut the door and stumbled to the chair by her vanity and sat down. She closed her eyes and waited for the world to stop spinning around her before she opened them.
“It’s probably the corset,” she mumbled as she rose to her feet. “I’m surprised I didn’t pass out during the meal with the restrictive thing nearly suffocating me.” She was ready to pull the cord to call Noel when her lady’s maid entered the bedchamber. “Oh, good. You’re here. Please remove these abominable clothes from me at once.”
“Yes, my lady.”
She breathed a sigh of relief as Noel worked to swiftly release her from the confines of the dress and then, even better, the corset. In due time, she was comfortable in her nightclothes and settled into bed. She pulled the covers up to her chin, surprised that a chill should be in the room when the fire crackled nicely in the large fireplace. She hoped that when she woke up from her slumber, she’d be back in her apartment. But when morning came, she was still in the story.