Chapter 3 More Mysteries than Answers
Still reeling after learning she of all people had ended up in one of her friend's novels, she tried to remember more about the story.
Honestly she hadn't been interested in the romance stories, the female leads being written too be too gullible or thoughtless for her tastes. How her friend devoured books with characters that made repeated unwise decisions or believed something wildly untrue was beyond her and she gave up trying to understand.
But now she wished she'd payed attention to her friend's gushing and wondered if this predicament made her a bad friend. Ignoring something Camille liked beyond entertaining it when free time allowed and needing it when it was convenient for her.
She hoped her friend forgave her for such thoughts.
'Camille deserves a coworker and dormmate who wholly supports her interests,' she thought with a tear sliding down her face.
'not someone who forces smiles, promises a Christmas and birthday gift and reprimanded her passion'.
'If I ever see her again I want her to tell me all the stories she read. Just to be in her silly, genuine company.' she thought as she was fitted into a proper dress for the day.
'Aphrodite Olympian huh- she seems like the strong type of girl. If my- her memories are correct." She mused watching the maids clean the hallways of the castle.
She was lost in thought trying to think about how she should go about things. But what was the point when she knew nothing about the world building or even the story itself?
"Sorry to ask you this but would you guide me to the library?" She asked tapping lightly on a maid's shoulder.
The maid looked up from dusting a spotless stair railing and nodded, smiling warmly as she agreed to take her to the castle library.
Once at the library, after getting over her shock at how big it was, she walked (at the maid's insisting) and searched for her books of interest. Resolving first to get one only.
She poured over a textbook trying to understand the way this world worked.
Several hours and multiple times later, she had read the morning away and it was definitely time to stop.
She rubbed her eyes and stiff shoulders.
'I don't know what I'm looking for....'
Her expression changed to dismay. "This is no good. I'm not grasping anything about the monarchy of the present. I can't do much with the knowledge of the past. "
'And on top of which Aphrodite's memories are selective. Or I'm not doing anything to trigger them again. Nothing else has come up.' she thought with a huff of disappointment.
She slammed the book closed a bit louder than she intended. She stiffened then relaxed as the library was empty, being her personal library and not a public one where many people would be; with a irritated librarian ushering "quiet in the library!"
She stood up, green dress almost fluttering around her with every semi-graceful movement.
"This is another thing, I've never owned such nice clothing before." She hummed.
Folding her arms she decided to change tactics.
"Alright so that was a bust but not an entire waste of energy. What do I know?"
' I'm dead... In the real world. I'm in Camille's newest novel. .. As the main character the newly crowned Emperor Aphrodite Olympian.'
She straightened. 'A main character who was recently injured and a ... Emperor?'
Whatever. Who was she to question that.
Vaguely she recalled the kingdom being in some sort of three way power struggle. The Heroine herself, the warring tribes and small city states, and a third party responsible for a great deal of other problems.
She made a mental note of both her thoughts and all the items in the soup she swears was gumbo. It had vegetables and meats she recognized the shapes and tastes of and some she didn't.
She supposed if it was a different world there was no reason it would have the same things as earth.
However she couldn't really focus on the meal irregardless of his going it looked.
"Well yor Majesty, if you are in a state of unrest perhaps a sparring session might help?"
She recalled his name was Simmons.
A look of surprise lit up her face.
❃❃❃❃❃❃❃⍟❃❃❃❃❃❃
Greetings your Majesty! I'm glad to catch you at a time like this," a voice had her turning around to regard the newcomer with a suspicious gaze.
'How did he enter the castle?' she wondered.
Who might you be?" She questioned.
I'm a messenger bearing a gift. It had to be delivered in person you understand. My master wouldn't have you missing it for anything," he informed her, dark green suit looking out of place with his shiny skin. His ears made her think of a aquatic animal the webbing noticeable in how they looked like fins.
"A gift?" Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "I don't see any sort of present boxes-" she started to say reaching for the so called invitation the messenger held aloft.
"Your Majesty! Be careful!" She jolted as the Captain of the Royal guard pushed her out of the way and swung his sword with effortless precision. Not unlike how the sparring session went.
The invitation morphed to glowing seaweed likely meant to trap her, quickly cut to tiny shreds by Simmons.
"A trap,? How appropriate for congratulations," she muttered angrily. The sword in her hand felt a little useless. Training was one thing but a real battle meant death for a small mistake.
"Perhaps a formal introduction is in order. I'm Triton a messenger of Poseidon. " The messenger's ears looked more like fins and his skin a bit more like fine scales.
"Poseidon is already making an enemy attacking like this?! She asked.
"You were never on good terms with him after the gala went south," Simmons offered sympathetically.
She wanted to tell in frustration at the reference to an event she had no idea about. She didn't even know if that was the start if the story or not.
A whirlpool appeared and she raised her sword deflecting... Some marine animal hidden by the water.
"So the gift isn't just trapping me," she thought as the water shifted carefully keeping the hidden creature hidden.
At that moment her mind reminded her, unnervingly in Camille's voice, that Poseidon was the villain of the novel.
She deflected another whirlpool this time the teeth of whatever deadly fish tearing off the cuff of the right sleeve of her dress
She internally grimaced.
Even if the real Aphrodite didn't put any superficial value on her clothes, for all she knew she was borrowing this body and the real owner could come back and find a dress she owned -and possibly liked- ruined.
"This sword fight was good practice and exhilarating, but this is too much!" She muttered attempting to backtrack to the castle.
Triton smirked as if knowing she was weakening.
"You're injury must be hindering you, your Majesty," he said softly.
"A shame. You've been more of a challenge when you were half awake!" He said letting the waves descend revealing a shark like creature that would have had her screaming in concern.
The captain of the guard at that moment chose to jump in front of her as a force she registered as a hand pulled her back. The water crashing down drenching everything in its path.
The messenger's eyes widened in surprise as a blur or dark orange charged towards him, sending him to the thorny path below.
"Simmons?" She asked weakly. She could wonder about what helped her just now later, when someone she knew wasn't in danger.
"It's alright! I'm alright your Majesty!" Simmons was a bit scratched up but he was still in one piece.
"The shark was easy to defeat without it's master puppeteering it," he said with a smile.
" Tell me what's your opinion on shark for dinner?" He joked referring to the still twitching fish with a spear and a sword pinning it to the ground.
"Ah-?" She started then blinked owlishly in disbelief at the giant sea creature. Then she began to laugh.
After a moment she stopped laughing.
'I want to feel bad for the animal, it was just following orders. At least I want to believe that.. but my life... I should prioritize that too.'
"By the way your Majesty?"
"Yes?" She hoped he wasn't asking why she performed so poorly in the fight.
"How did you move like that? You are impressive with a sword even in your condition, but I've never known you to move at near lightning speed."
"Yes, I believe someone helped me..." She said scanning the training ground and the bushes but finding no one.
❃❃❃❃⍟❃❃❃❃❃
Finally back in her room, Alexandrite opened the curtains, automatically reaching over and doing it herself instead of asking the maid picking out clothes to wear.
"Good morning! Your Majesty!" She exclaimed cheerfully. Vaguely she recognized her as the maid who helped her back to her room yesterday.
'Majesty?' she let the word bounce around her mind aimlessly.
'I heard that enough to grasp that I'm a monarch of some kind, clearly newly appointed if Aphrodite's memory is correct.' Alexandrite pulled her attention away from the book on history she was reading.
"Yes... Miss..?" She struggled to recall the name. She'd been in her own headspace and wasn't sure if the maid had mentioned it.
"Oh! I am Lucille!" She said proudly.
"Ah .. Lucille enlighten me," she spoke hesitantly.
"Yes your Majesty," she nodded dutifully, hands clasped in front of her.
"How did I get .. in this predicament?" Alexandrite asked hesitantly.
Lucille immediately turned on the waterworks.
Alexandrite jolted, oddly reminded of her friend for some reason. 'oh no have I upset her?'
Perhaps emotionally expressive people would be a constant in every life.