Chapter 4
I sat on my bed once again, but this time the door had been locked, obviously due to my outburst in the throne room.
Sweet.
After Jion left the ballroom, three women escorted me through the massive wooden doors and back to my quarters.
Though they were around my age, none of them spoke to me.
Perhaps they viewed Earthlings as an inferior class.
Who wouldn’t, growing up in this grand castle?
I imagined them in their extravagant ball gowns and suits, looking down on the countless shitholes I had bounced around throughout my youth.
Something told me they would be appalled.
As we walked down the corridors, I stole glances out the windows and discovered that Ornath was as captivating outside as it was in.
Lush canopies of greenery painted the skyline above a gorgeous, bustling town built almost entirely of marble.
Oh, how, despite my fears, I still hoped I could see it for myself.
What Earthling could claim they had explored an alien planet?
However, I instead, boredly sat, desperate for something to occupy my time as I waited for…what exactly? I had no idea.
I still hadn’t come to terms with the fact that this wasn’t a dream or delusion, that I wasn’t in fact, going insane. Every few minutes, I found myself pinching my arm, scratching away at the skin, hoping to wake up from this nightmare.
After what felt like many hours, I heard a gentle knock on my door and sprung out of bed to answer it, nearly stumbling over the cozy ornate rug. I unhooked the latch and swung it open, only to find a stranger standing before me.
She was much taller than I was, but lanky, as if her years hadn’t been spent working with her hands but rather walking long distances.
A ginormous toothy smile stretched snuggly across her diamond-shaped face as her eyes grew wide with the sight of me.
She wore a green velvet, floor-length skirt tied at her waist in a neat bow.
I noticed the apparel was much less grand than that of the royals.
“Hi,” I muttered a bit awkwardly.
At the sound of my greeting, she finally allowed herself to blink.
Her eyes were a darker shade of brown, almost black, complementing her long raven hair, which was tied in a single braid down the length of her back.
Her warm olive skin dazzled in the light of the lanterns as her perfectly straight nose gazed down upon me.
“I’m sorry to disturb you, Jane, but I am Kaiyah. I have been assigned as your handmaiden,” she claimed, her back straightening as she stood proud and tall.
“Handmaiden? Handmaiden?” I floundered, trying to recall anything I had learned during high school history classes.
Nothing came to mind. “I’m sorry, I’m afraid I’m not quite sure what that means.
Is a handmaiden just a type of maid, or…
?” I rubbed the back of my own neck. Was I slightly embarrassed by my own ignorance? Absolutely.
“Of sorts,” she replied as she tilted her head to one side. Biting the inside of her cheek, she said, “I’m here to help with anything you may need and to take care of your errands and tasks. I’m assigned only to you, so whenever you need me, just call.”
Though allowing a stranger into my bedroom seemed foolish, I nodded in acceptance and opened the door wider to let her in.
As I shuffled around the chamber, fixing and toying with my bedsheets and such, she stood perfectly still in the corner, waiting for me to assign her a job.
The silence grew excruciating, and I couldn’t help but break the ice of the ever-present awkward void between us.
“Kaiyah, where are we?” I asked her once I had settled myself into an uncomfortable chaise lounge.
My handmaiden’s narrow lips tightened into a thin line as she raised one eyebrow in the air. “Ornath…” she enunciated carefully, her eyes darting around the room in bewilderment.
She thought I was simpleminded.
“Yes, I understand that, but where in Ornath?” I pressed her. “I assume this world has cities and provinces…” My hands stretched forward at my sides as if they were physically begging for more information.
“We are in Britavon,” she giddily answered as she understood my inquiry a little bit more clearly.
“It’s the capital city of Ornath, built between the edge of a grand meadow and the shores of the oceanside.
Ornath is home to three expansive mainlands, and we’re currently located on the largest continent, in the north, Aurath.
You really have no idea what’s going on?
” Kaiyah ogled me as if I were a lost puppy.
“Your ignorance wasn’t just a tactic used to deceive the king, was it? ”
I laughed, although grateful for her frankness. “You were in the throne room when I met the king?”
Kaiyah nodded gracefully. “All the castle staff was invited to attend the king’s grand declaration. We’ve been waiting a long time for him to present you,” she noted as hope radiated from her heart so profusely I could feel it myself.
“So you must know that I can’t possibly be the ‘Last Daughter of Domus.’ I mean, look at me!
” I stated matter-of-factly, stretching my arms to present my very ordinary self.
“I’m just a normal Earthling. There’s been a massive mistake.
The king has kidnapped me from my home to pursue his…
his delusions! I don’t know a thing about Ornath or Domus, and I sure as hell don’t know anything about some prophecy!
” The air within my lungs felt hot and heavy as I huffed and puffed like a menacing wolf.
Kaiyah’s gleam evaporated, and her eyebrows shot downward as she asked, “What do you wish to know, Jane?”
I searched my brain for the words to express the multitude of details I wished to learn. “I want to know about the Tenebrae…Domus…Ornath…the prophecy…the Golden Oracle…where I am in the universe…why I’m here…and…and who I am!”
Kaiyah raised her hands in defence. “Okay, take a deep breath, Jane,” she urged, speaking slowly and conscientiously.
“You are the Last Daughter of Domus, the only surviving being of a deceased Celestial, a planet that no longer exists, all thanks to an evil race of humanoids. They call themselves the Tenebrae.”
I gaped at the woman. Disorientation didn’t even begin to describe the sensation that encompassed my mind. “That doesn’t make sense, Kaiyah. I’m from Earth. I was born and raised on Earth—for the past twenty years. You’ve all made a huge mistake!”
“I don’t know how you ended up on Earth, but you sure weren’t born there,” she shot back.
“For two decades, the king has searched the universe for a survivor of Domus. And he finally found you!” The woman bounced on the balls of her feet.
“It took so long because you were so far away, but that’s all in the past now.
Now you are here, and the preparations must begin. ”
“You’re nuts,” I scoffed over my shoulder as I walked toward the giant golden mirror in the corner of the room. My reflection shone back at me, yet I could not recognize the woman staring from the glass.
Kaiyah chuckled, as if it were amusing. “Did you ever know your parents?” she questioned, lingering near me, though ensuring I had enough of my own space.
“No. I’m an orphan.” I scowled, feeling a tiny swell of underlying emotion at the admission. The truth was hard to swallow: I had never known who my mother and father were.
I had been discovered as a six-month-old, abandoned in the northern forests, wailing and starving to death.
Taken in by the foster care system, I was never claimed by any relative.
They named me Jane Smith—the most generic name they could think of for an anonymous, unrecognizable, unloved little girl.
“It is humorous.” Kaiyah giggled.
My head snapped in her direction, and I stared at her in disbelief, baffled that she could find my dismay so amusing.
“You look like someone from Domus,” she said reassuringly. “You’re so small. They were known to be a petite people.”
The eye roll I suppressed could have moved mountains. “That still doesn’t explain how I ended up on the other side of the universe,” I chided, pleased with my ability to provide undoubtable facts.
Still, Kaiyah only shrugged her shoulders, stepping behind me to begin braiding my hair without my permission, mind you. Despite the urge to resist, I let her. I wondered if this was what it felt like to have a mother or sister to pamper you.
“Those from Britavon are so rigid and proper about the rules we must obey,” she confided, her fingers deftly weaving my hair.
“I follow them as I must, but we live a much freer lifestyle back home in Ashvael. There are even some places where civilians just bask in the nude…” She trailed off, seemingly lost in thought.
I couldn’t help but chuckle, imagining aliens unwinding in the town centre, butt naked. The thought lightened my mood…just a little bit.
“Try not to let them intimidate or discourage you, Jane,” Kaiyah suggested, her tone encouraging. “You are the Last Daughter of Domus, even if you don’t believe it. You are prophesied to bring peace. They need you. We all do.”
I twisted toward her, halting the braids in her fingers. “But what does that even mean, Kaiyah? I’ve never heard of any prophecy about myself.”
“Ah, well…” She hesitated. “That’s a lengthy tale, and I’m afraid we don’t have time for it tonight. The royal family awaits!” She tied the ends of my hair and extended her arm toward the bedroom door.
While the thought of leaving this room was exhilarating, I felt a pang of anxiety at the idea of spending another moment near the royal family.
“What do you mean?” I slowly asked.
“Dinner, my darling,” she declared, gathering her skirt as she headed toward the door.
A royal guard escorted me through an unfamiliar corridor, and I did my best to keep pace with his long strides.