Chapter Two: A New World

Dorian blinked. Sunlight streamed through the treetops above him. He groaned and sat up, observing his new surroundings. His head pounded, "Where am I?" He thought. Last he remembered, he was in a dark, cold cell grasping at light. Now, he was waking on a forest floor.

Dorian pulled himself to his feet and started walking. There was no path that he could make out, but he figured if he kept going toward the sun, he would make it out eventually. His stomach growled. Dorian realized how hungry and thirsty he was. He listened for the sound of running water, but could not make anything out.

Dorian exclaimed with despair, "What has become of me?"

He had no time to mope further; a sudden movement caught his eye. Dorian stepped closer, only to be frightened back by a terrible creature. It's scaly skin was black and blue. It unfolded both sets of taloned wings to expose it's full (and rather impressive) wingspan.

"Human?" It hissed, "What is a human doing in these lands?"

Dorian gulped and reached for his sword, but it was nowhere to be found. "I- I don't know how I got here. But if you help me, I will give you whatever you want- money, power, land!"

The thing chuckled heartily. Dorian took another step back only to run into another one of the same species. "We don't need money," the second one stated, "Or land, or power. But, I am feeling quite peckish. I think you would make a nice snack!"

The two lunged at Dorian at the same time. He jumped out of the way, but one of them snagged his leg, leaving a nasty cut. "I am king of Adarlan!" He cried. "If you kill me, war will come!"

"Adarlan?" The first said, "Never heard of it. Let your armies come."

Dorian turned and sprinted away. His leg screamed with pain, but he did his best to ignore it. Eventually, he found a little spring of water. Thanking the gods, he bent to take a sip.

"I always liked the chase." The two things flanked him, and Dorian jumped into the water. It was much cooler than he had anticipated. A shiver went through his entire body.

Dorian drew from the well of his magic. He pulled from the cold water and formed ice crystals. He sent a blast of ice towards the Things, but all that came was a chilling breeze. His lip quivered.

"How," he mumbled to himself, "that's not possible."

The two went into position to finish the young king off, but they stopped before swiping. One sniffed. The other looked around quizzically.

"I wouldn't kill him," A voice said. Through the brush appeared the most beautiful young woman Dorian had ever seen. Her long, blond hair was complemented by her bright eyes and fair complexion. He could tell that she was a fae. A powerful fae.

"Why not? Why don't we kill the lot of you?" One of the beasts asked.

"The High Lord of the Night Court wants him alive, and myself, for that matter. If you kill us, you answer to him."

Apparently, this High Lord was feared by the beasts. They quickly slivered away to the dark places whence they came. Dorian was still staring, awestruck, at the woman.

"You'll catch cold if you stay in that stream any longer," She said, now addressing Dorian. "Come, Rhys will want to meet you."

Dorian stepped carefully out of the stream. "Who is Rhys? And why does he want to meet me?"

The woman laughed lightly, "Rhys is the one who is in charge around here. And you are a human in the heart of the Night Court- he'll want to know how you got here."

"Okay," Dorian said quietly, "And who are you?"

"Morrigan," She smiled, "But my friends call me Mor."

"I'm Dorian."

"King of Adarlan, apparently." Mor smirked. She pulled out some bandages from her pack and handed them to Dorian, who made quick work of his wound.

"How did you know that?" Dorian inquired, tightening the final knot.

"I've been listening." Mor chirped. "But I don't think I've ever heard of such a place as Adarlan."

"Well, I've never heard of the Night Court." Dorian said curtly. Mor started off into the forest and Dorian followed close behind.

Mor laughed, "Then I suppose you aren't from around here."

"No, I'm not."

"Well, then, Dorian. Let me show you around. This here is tree, and this- this is another."

Dorian scoffed, "Wow,"

"And over here," Mor continued, "Is a bush!"

"Yeah, we have a couple of those in Adarlan." Mor laughed.

"What is Adarlan like?" She asked, seeming genuinely curious.

"It's rough," Dorian sighed, "There was a lot of corruption and tension before I took the throne. There still is. My father was a tyrant. I didn't want to be like him."

"How did he die?" Mor asked quietly.

Dorian stopped walking. "I killed him."

If Mor was surprised she didn't show it. Instead, she turned around and continued leading Dorian through the forest. The terrain began shifting upward, and before long Dorian realized they were climbing a mountain. The summit was not visible over the tree tops, but soon torchlight could be seen in the distance.

The sun was beginning to set now, and the terrain was getting more difficult to navigate. Mor helped Dorian whenever she could, but mostly they just went along in silence.

The two made their way to a pair of large, black gates. Mor sighed, "Here at last."