Chapter 12 #2
Andrew stood alone. The quiet was broken only by the distant wind and the soft movement of the trees far below.
“What the hell is my life right now,” he muttered under his breath, looking upward at the ceiling of wood and roots.
His gaze drifted back outward, across the endless green horizon.
Ayla crossed his mind. The thought came uninvited. He frowned slightly, pushing it down.
Not now.
He straightened, rolling his shoulders once, trying to shake off the lingering weight in his chest.
The Queen was coming.
He sat down on the bed and was surprised by its comfort. He tapped the surface. He’d probably sleep well here.
His mind wandered, and for the first time he thought about what he had left behind. He stared into the distance and felt… not much.
He didn’t have many friends. He had a dead-end desk job with colleagues he disliked.
He lay down, his hands behind his head, taking in the fresh air of this strange world.
He let his head fall to the side and stared at the view again.
Then he realized it.
He sat up, then got to his feet, staring out into the distance.
The forest stretched out endlessly. This wasn’t the size the woods he had entered to find the gold were supposed to be. At this height, he should at least be able to see the edge of it… or a city far off in the distance.
This doesn’t make any sense.
It was like he was in a completely different world.
His heart started beating faster.
Could it be?
“Are you ready?” a sudden voice behind him said, making him jump.
“Jesus!” he exclaimed, turning to find Valeria in the doorway.
She raised an eyebrow slightly. “My apologies,” she said dryly. “The Queen has arrived.”
“That was fast.”
Valeria had a twinkle in her eyes. “Our Highness knows what she wants.” She gestured for him to follow. “Follow me, Seed Bringer.”
Andrew sighed. “Look, stop right there for a moment,” he said.
Valeria paused, looking at him curiously.
Andrew gave a small chuckle. “I think we’re going to be spending a lot of time together, so can you do me one favor?”
Valeria remained silent, waiting.
Andrew placed a hand on his chest. “My name is Andrew. Please call me Andrew.”
Valeria smiled. “But of course, Andrew.”
The way she let his name roll off her tongue sent a small jolt through him.
He followed her out of his quarters.
As he followed his caretaker, his thoughts were still circling the same realization—that this place might not even belong to the world he had come from.
The idea lingered, unsettling in a quiet way, as Valeria guided him through the open spaces of the chambers.
They stopped in a quieter section of the terrace, partially framed by long, flowing curtains that moved with the wind. Sunlight streamed through them in soft layers, shifting with every breeze and casting faint patterns across the wooden floor.
Valeria stepped aside, her role in the moment complete, and allowed the space to open.
For a brief moment, nothing happened. The breeze moved the curtains, the distant forest whispered below, and the light continued its slow shift across the terrace. Then the fabric stirred, and the Queen stepped through.
The light seemed to follow her movement, catching along the edges of her form, the soft fabric she wore revealing just enough to draw his attention.
He recalled her naked body from the ritual and swallowed a lump in his dry throat.
Andrew felt it again—that same pressure he had noticed before, that awareness that made it impossible to fully relax in her presence. The difference now was the distance. There was none. No audience, no separation to shield him from it.
“Andrew,” she said, her voice calm, almost warm.
His name sounded different when she spoke it. He shifted slightly, unsure whether to stand more formally or remain as he was.
“Your Highness,” he replied, settling on the safest option he could think of.
A faint smile touched her lips as she approached, her gaze lingering on him before drifting briefly across the space, as if confirming everything was as it should be.
“I take it you have settled in?” she said.
Andrew followed her glance for a moment before returning his attention to her. “Not really,” he said, exhaling lightly. “I just got here.”
She nodded slowly as she started to walk around him, her body close. “Valeria will take good care of you.”
Wanting to say something to keep the conversation going, he said, “I thought this place would feel more like… I don’t know. Somewhere I’d be kept.”
Her eyes returned to him, sharper now, though not unkind. “And does it?” she asked.
Andrew hesitated, considering the question more seriously than he expected to. “No,” he admitted.
“Good,” she said simply.
He thought of what Ayla had said, about the Queen forbidden them to be together. “So, I can just go down to the city whenever I want to?”
She stepped closer, closing the remaining distance between them. Andrew became aware of the warmth of her presence, the way her scent pleasantly penetrated his nose.
“This is not a cage,” she said. “It is a place where you will thrive.”