Ruby rushed through the empty streets, filled with adrenaline from her daring escape. Once she'd made it to the heart of the citadel, she found herself before an enormous statue that sat in the middle of the kingdom. The statue was so odd and out of place that it felt almost comical and daunting at the same time.
Ruby circled the giant stone rubber duck statue with furrowed brows and an expression of quizzical confusion. This odd place had her feeling more and more terrified by the minute. She sat against the statue's pillar, surveying her surroundings.
Enormous, looming walls surrounded the kingdom from every angle, and guards stood at every possible exit, looking for those who dared enter. Or in her case, attempt to escape. She was effectively trapped. Despite her haste to escape the castle, she'd never considered how she was going to scale the walls that kept her inside.
"Safire." A deep voice called from ahead. Ruby's head whipped toward the sound in a panicked frenzy as she scurried to her knees to find a middle-aged man with long black hair and dark robes approaching her. He spoke to her I the same strange language as Odeen, though his tone was tender and concerned.
Ruby could feel her heart beginning to pound once again as the male stood before her in confusion and anguish. He held his hand toward her, giving her a sympathetic look—something about how he seemed to genuinely care crushed any fears and worries that she harboured.
With a quick glance back toward the castle, her mind was made up. She turned back to the strange man, taking his hand. "Ruby. My name is Ruby Bates. I'm not from here, but if you're going to get me away from that tyrannical bastard, I'll follow you anywhere."
The man's brows furrowed as he tilted his head to the side in confusion, speaking rapidly. Not a word translated as he pulled Ruby toward the outskirts of the town. Ruby found herself being taken through the slums of the kingdom. Dilapidated homes, murky soft ground, and a wretched smell that sent Ruby into fits of reching.
She was brought into a darkened alleyway, far from the prying eyes of the rising kingdom and far from any help. Ruby's stomach began to churn as the hairs on the back of her neck stood. She pulled away from the strange man, furrowing her brows in weariness. "You're here to help me, right?"
The silence that followed her question had her stepping backwards a few feet. The man continued to talk, though his tone seemed off now. What was once concern and kindness was now anger and accusations.
Ruby's heart sped up as she turned to flee the alleyway before being pushed against the wall by the strange man. "Get your hands off of me! Who the hell do you think you are?" Ruby's cutting words wavered with fear as she watched the man pull a blade from his cloak. His eyes narrowed into vengeance as he held the blade above his head.
Ruby recoiled, closing her eyes tight as she awaited the cold sting of death. Her entire body flinched once something splattered against her face. Hot to the touch and thick. When Ruby opened her eyes, she'd find herself before a new, unknown man. His chain earring swayed with the movements he'd enacted moments before.
Ruby's gaze shifted to the ground, finding the gruesome remains of the strange, cloaked male who'd attacked her, now lying dead against the ground with a spurting wound across his throat. Ruby had to hold the wall as the world seemed to sway from the sight. Her rescuer spoke to her in concern, causing tears to spill freely from her eyes helplessly. "I don't understand a word!"
The man seemed taken aback for a moment, staring at Ruby as a smile forced its way across his lips slowly. Ruby grit her teeth with the look, despite her obvious fear. Until he spoke in clear English back to her. "I knew it. I knew there was no way Safire was back. You're from Earth, aren't you?!"
Ruby felt her muscles tense as she stood up straight, staring at the man with a mixture of relief and gratitude. "You speak my language? Wait – Earth?" She rubbed her forehead, feeling overwhelmed and lost. "What do you mean, Earth?"
The man chortled in amusement. "I mean, our home. We aren't on Earth anymore. I am Jasher. I, too, come from Earth. But I'm afraid that's not where we are right now. I'll explain everything to you shortly, but right now, the king has every knight at his disposal scouring the kingdom for you. I'd highly recommend coming back with me. I'll explain that you're not who he thinks you are, and we can get this whole debacle sorted out."
Ruby shook her head, having to lean back against the wall with the information. "What the hell do you mean we aren't on Earth right now? I'm fed up with this. I need clear answers now before I'm willing to follow you anywhere. Didn't you see that guy? He was about to kill me!"
Jasher nodded in agreement, humming as he attempted to sort his thoughts out. "I always wondered how I'd explain this to someone from my world. Uh – welcome to the kingdom of Ocerania. You passed through the Inbetween and arrived in another dimension. Things here are a bit different from our world, but luckily for you, I'm here. I had to learn everything by myself from scratch, but I'll teach you all that you need to know. I only ask for one thing in return. Help me get home."
Ruby scoffed, shaking her head in dismissal. "The Inbetween? Just like that crazy old lady told me about before the ground ate me. Look, if I knew how to get home, I wouldn't be here a second longer. Either this is one hell of an elaborate prank, I died, or you're out of your mind, and somehow, some way, I collapsed and ended up in another country. There is no such thing as another world!"
Ruby pushed past Jasher, attempting to make her third escape attempt. Jasher simply chased after her frantically. "But there is! You're in another world right now. As far as I'm aware, we aren't dead. But Nexus told me that I was brought here to prepare for your arrival! Apparently, he pissed Serina off by meddling with human souls, so I was sacrificed until you come along and do whatever it is that you are meant to do! Don't you remember falling through the ethereal planes?!"
Ruby halted her stride, turning back to Jasher with a look of utter bewilderment. "What the hell are you going on about? Ethereal plane? Nexus? You're making no sense! I met an elderly vagabond, gave her some money, she told me the Inbetween called me, then the ground ate me, and I fell from the sky! That is the only series of events that happened to me!"
Jasher nodded in unexpected understanding. "That's right. You're not a whole being, so you can't access the Inbetween." Ruby was left utterly stunned, staring at Jasher as though he'd lost his mind. "Look, I know this doesn't make any sense, but unless you want more people attempting to behead you for something that you didn't do, the castle is the safest place for you. Don't worry about his highness, I will talk to him."
Ruby groaned, feeling an oncoming headache before gesturing for Jasher to take the lead. "I still don't trust you. But considering that you're the only person I've met that I understand, my choices are limited. Why do they want to behead me in the first place? What did I do?"
Jasher took the lead, walking Ruby back toward the castle. "You've done nothing. Safire, a princess from the neighbouring kingdom, was set to marry Odeen. She fled a year ago, and now tensions between the kingdoms have risen so high that war is imminent. I have to admit, you do look like her. The resemblance is frightening."
"Oh, great! So, because I look like some runaway princess, I have a target on my back? And how is that fair? I haven't done anything! Plus, that creep Odeen wouldn't be at the top of my list for marriage anyway."
Jasher let out a nervous laugh, turning back to look at Ruby with a crooked grin. "I'm so relieved that I'm the only one who can understand you. Odeen has beheaded people for insulting him before. I really suggest you keep your... disdain for him a secret."
Ruby groaned in annoyance as she was brought back inside the walls of the castle. "Well, it's not like he knows what I'm saying about him. The language barrier ensures that safety net. But why should I have to tiptoe around that creep's feelings? Do you know how terrifying he is when he yells? I'm not going to hold back just because he's a king, or whatever."
Jasher sighed, rubbing his temples as he brought Ruby before two large wooden doors. "Whatever. It's not like you're going to be able to piss him off, anyway. Just do as I say, I'll translate for you, and for the love of God, do not insult the ducks."
Ruby threw her hands up, letting out an exaggerated sigh. "Why the hell not?! What is with the giant rubber duck statue in the centre? Jasher!" Ruby's complaints were ignored as Jasher pushed the doors open, entering the throne room to bow low. Ruby sighed weakly, entering behind him with no proper protocol. Jasher immediately switched to the king's tongue. "Sire, I have located the lookalike. I can confirm that she is not our missing princess, despite her appearance."
Odeen leaned back against his throne, studying Ruby closely with narrowed eyes. "Jasher. You have been my most loyal subject, my most competent knight, and my most trusted ally. Why would you lie directly to my face?"
"I know it doesn't make much sense, sir, but I speak the truth. The young lady behind me is not Safire. Her name is Ruby Bates, and she's from my world. She speaks my language exclusively, and she is understandably rattled from the experience."
Odeen stood from his throne, approaching Ruby with a quizzical expression. He circled her a few times, causing her to become defensive. Once Odeen approached her back once again, she turned to face him, eyes narrowed. Odeen seemed taken aback, looking at Jasher with a raised brow. "She glares so freely. Is this how you show royals respect on your plane?"
Jasher began to actively perspire, nodding his head aggressively. "Yes, sir! Glares and raised voices are how we show respect. You found me after I'd been here a while and had a small grasp on the language and customs. Ruby has not been here long enough." Jasher whipped his head toward Ruby, switching to English. "Are you trying to get us killed? Unfurrow your brows before I remove them!"
Ruby scoffed, shaking her head in amusement. "I see. You're so whipped by this bully of a king that you'd break your back bending over for him." She turned her gaze back to Odeen, approaching him with reckless abandon. "You have servants and guards at your beck and call, you bully and stand above the rest, and you love the authority that comes with the title. We have something like that on Earth. Ever heard of SLAVERY?!"
Odeen looked to Jasher to translate. By now, Jasher was beginning to soak through his padded, quilted jacket beneath the chainmail. He cleared his throat nervously, feeling himself grow flustered. "She says she likes the drapes."
Odeen nodded in acknowledgement, humming slightly. "Alright. Tell her that she can have them. I think this will work out perfectly. She will take Safire's place as my bride until the runaway princess returns to finalise her obligations."
Jasher's mouth opened and shut as he addressed Odeen. "SIRE?! Uhm – I don't think that Ruby would be comfortable marrying you. Not because you're not worthy of her! I mean, she's planning to return to our world with me in tow."
Odeen frowned as he gazed over Ruby cautiously. "She will be merely a placeholder. Her name will not be on the marriage certificate; she will merely take the place of Safire while she's missing. In return, I will lend you the wizard's order to explore the idea of another world."
Jasher looked to Ruby with a soft expression of sympathy. He took a sharp inhale as she stared at him in confusion, awaiting Jasher's interpretation. However, he neglected the translation, turning toward the king with a simple nod. "She'll do it."
-End of chapter 3-