For the second time that day, her eyes opened, temporarily blinded by the sun. This time, however, she was inside a house. Her eyes came into focus and she looked around. She was obviously in a girl's room. The walls were a pale violet and dried white roses decorated the ceiling corners. A small wardrobe was on the other side of the room, and next to it sat a desk and chair. A small bedside table sat next to her and on it was her clothes.
For a moment, she wondered how her clothes could be on the table and on her at the same time until a draft blew through the open window and she was suddenly very cold. She looked down in shock to find herself in only a white silk slip. She blushed furiously at the thought of someone undressing her.
A light knock on the door made her jump a foot in the air. She made sure that the sheet fully covered her before calling out that it was safe for the person to come in. The door opened just wide enough for a tall woman to enter. She wore a brown dress with a white apron that ended just above her leather boots. Black hair was piled on top of her head in a tight bun. She had a pale complexion, which made her rosy cheeks stand out. Green eyes peered at Amy through thick curled lashes. The woman walked over to where Amy sat on the bed and set down a brown purse-like bag that clinked loudly as it was placed on the bed. The woman pulled the desk chair over next to Amy and sat down in it.
"Hello, dear. I'm glad to see that you're awake now. You've been asleep for nearly three days."
"Three days?!" Amy's exclamation made the other woman blink. Amy flushed at her own outburst and continued in a softer voice. "But how on earth did I even get here? And who are you?"
"My name is May. I'm the healer here in Orange Village. As for how you got here, one of the men found you in the Wonder Woods and brought you here. You certainly were quite a sight to everyone, what with your strange clothes and all. To tell you the truth we weren't quite sure what to make of you, but I insisted that you be taken care of before they did anything else."
Amy let everything she had just learned sink in. Cat-girls, dragons, Orange Village, Wonder Woods. An idea began forming in her mind. She began to let the "what-ifs" take over and couldn't help but think that this seemed all too real to be just a dream.
But how on earth could this have happened? I mean, people don't get sucked into video games. It just doesn't happen.... But it all seems to make sense. I mean, the cat-girl, the dragon, even the names of all of the places, they're exactly like the ones from the video game.
Her thoughts, however, were interrupted by May. "So I brought you here to my home while I tended to you. You don't seem to have any major injuries, just some minor cuts and bruises. Your feet aren't too bad either, considering you had no shoes. However, I can't say the same for your clothes."
May gestured towards the pile on the bedside table, and Amy picked up the shirt that was on top. She winced as she saw all of the grass stains, mud streaks, and rips and tears. She placed the shirt back on the table, not wanting to see the condition of the rest of her clothes. She sighed and looked up at May with a tired look.
"So what should I do now?"
"Well, you seem about the right size. You see, this room was my daughter's before she left. I really didn't have the heart to get rid of any of her things, and now I see that it's a good thing I didn't."
The healer walked over to the wardrobe and began pulling out garments. "Here you go. Try on some of these things in here. You can have anything you like." She saw the protest forming on Amy's lips and cut her off. "And yes, you can. These things weren't doing any good just sitting around here anyway. Besides, I can't just leave you with what you have. So get dressed and meet me downstairs. We can continue our conversation then."
May got up from the chair and picked up the bag full of medicine. As she was turning, however, the bag knocked into the bedside table. A vase tilted over and began to fall to the ground. Amy lunged for the vase, catching it mere inches from the ground, her fingers hooked into the mouth.
Green eyes widened as May looked at Amy in amazement. She thought she heard the woman mutter something about "Ancients," but couldn't make out the whole sentence. Her smile returned and she took the vase from Amy, setting it back on the table. Without another word she left the room, shutting the door behind her.
Slightly puzzled, Amy rose from the bed and went over to examine the contents of the wardrobe. Dresses of all colors and materials were lined up neatly. She pulled out a dress and examined it. It was dark green with silver lining. The neckline was a low circular cut and the sleeves billowed out from the elbow. Finding another slip – the neckline of the one she had on was too high – she put it on and then slipped the dress on over it. It had a vest sewn into it, with silver ribbons trying it together in the front. Pulling them slightly tighter, Amy stepped back and examined herself in the full-length mirror on the door of the wardrobe. The dress slightly dragged on the floor, and Amy looked around for a decent pair of shoes to wear with it. She pulled open the other side of the wardrobe to reveal dozens of shoes, each matching an outfit from the other side.
After selecting the proper shoes, she was able to fully take in the splendor of the dress. She knew, however, that it would not be wise to walk around in something like this in case she met another dragon and needed to run. But she could not make herself put the dress back. She took it off and neatly folded it and the slip on the bed, placing the shoes on the floor. She selected one more dress, its body a purple-blue while the sleeves and neckline made of white silk. Once more, she folded the dress and placed it on the bed, setting the corresponding shoes on the floor in front.
Amy began sifting through all of the dresses until she came upon a simple blue one. It had an average neckline with short sleeves. It was loose and came down to her ankles. Not one to dress plainly, Amy picked out a yellow cape to go over it. The sleeves were long and the bottom ended shorter than the dress, showing the blue underneath. A blue button the size of Amy's fist held the neck closed. Amy found a pair of simple blue boots like the ones May had been wearing near the bottom of the wardrobe.
Looks like I'm not the only one who thought of this combination.
Amy took everything off once more and looked over all of the things that she had put out. "Well, I have a casual dress and two fancy ones. Now all I need is something to travel in. Granted, I don't know when I'll ever use any of it, but it's all so pretty I can't help but want to take them with me. And May did say I could take whatever I wanted."
She wasn't quite sure why she needed travel clothes either. After all, she had no idea what was going to happen. Nevertheless, if her guess was correct in that this was like the video game, then she no doubt would be doing a lot of exploring.
She continued to rummage through the multitude of clothing and had almost come to the conlusion that women's lib had obviously not occurred in this world when she came across a few pairs of leggings.
Well, it's better than nothing.
Picking out a brown pair she pulled on the leggings and grabbed a tunic that was shorter than most but allowed Amy to move comfortably and quickly. The tunic was a cream color with a green pattern alone the bottom of the skirt and long sleeves. Amy took a dark green sweater vest and pulled it over the tunic to keep it in place and tied a cream colored sash around her waist. She grabbed a brown cloak, laced up a pair of sturdy boots, and stepped back to look in the mirror. Rather than pick out yet another outfit to wear outside, Amy chose to wear her travel garments.
Amy kept the other clothes on the bed as she left the room. It was at the end of the short hallway with only one other room on the floor. Smiling faces stared down at Amy from the walls as she walked down the stairs. There were many expensive looking pieces of art along the walls and similarly rich curtains hung from the small windows.
I guess being a healer pays well. She gave a mental snort. But then again, all doctors seem to make more money than they could possibly need.
After peeking through a few different doorways, Amy found May sitting at a small table in the kitchen. As Amy walked in, boots thumping slightly, May looked up and smiled.
"I see you've found something you like. And from the time it took you to come down, I take it you found a few other things as well? I have a bag that will hold everything for you. Come."
Amy wordlessly followed May back upstairs, grateful that the woman was allowing her to take things that had belonged to her daughter. Amy was left in the hall while May went inside her room and brought back a large rucksack. The couple went inside of Amy's room and began to pack. Somehow, everything managed to fit, with room to spare. In fact, it seemed as though everything had shrunk considerably with the amount of room left inside.
I wonder how it does that, Amy thought to herself.
Once the bag was tied shut, May opened up her own small bag tied to her waist. A few small vials filled her palm, each with a bright shining liquid. Each was a different color and small labels were fixed to each bottle. Though the writing was too small for Amy to read at a distance, she could only assume it was medicine May was adding to her collection.
"These will help you when you feel ill. You don't need to take much, just a small amount will cure you."
With a word of thanks Amy once again followed May out of the room and back downstairs. She marveled at how strong the woman was to be able to swing such a large bag around. Downstairs, May busied herself at the stove while Amy sat at the small table and let her thoughts drift.
Every now and then May would look over and mutter something to herself. Amy began to get angry. What was this woman's problem with her? As if sensing the other girl's emotions, May hastily said, "Oh dear, I'm so sorry. You must think I'm incredibly rude. But, it's just.... Well, everyone in the village thought it was strange enough that you were in the Wonder Woods, what with the witch wandering around. Not to mention your clothes. And then there was the thing with the vase. I hadn't even realized that it was falling until I saw your hand there. I've never seen anyone with reflexes like those, and I can guarantee that no one else has either. I was thinking if it was possible for you to have the powers of the Ancients."
Seeing the look on Amy's face, May flushed with embarrassment. "But of course, I could be wrong."
The wheels in Amy's brain began turning again as she wondered over what she had just learned. Powers of the Ancients, huh? Well, I suppose I have to have some sort of magical ability. After all, it's not as if I have a horn like Cornet to do, well, whatever it is I'm supposed to do.
"Well," Amy began, "is there some way to find out?"
May looked at her, thought creasing the corners of her eyes. "Yes. Yes, I think there may be a way for us to figure it out. Come with me."
Amy picked up her bag and pulled the strap over her head. This way, the strap was over her left shoulder, though the bag was against her right hip, a trick she'd learned helped lessen the weight. To Amy's immense surprise, however, the bag felt as if it were empty. She'd long since given up trying to figure out how everything worked in this strange place and followed the woman outside.
For a moment, she wondered how her clothes could be on the table and on her at the same time until a draft blew through the open window and she was suddenly very cold. She looked down in shock to find herself in only a white silk slip. She blushed furiously at the thought of someone undressing her.
A light knock on the door made her jump a foot in the air. She made sure that the sheet fully covered her before calling out that it was safe for the person to come in. The door opened just wide enough for a tall woman to enter. She wore a brown dress with a white apron that ended just above her leather boots. Black hair was piled on top of her head in a tight bun. She had a pale complexion, which made her rosy cheeks stand out. Green eyes peered at Amy through thick curled lashes. The woman walked over to where Amy sat on the bed and set down a brown purse-like bag that clinked loudly as it was placed on the bed. The woman pulled the desk chair over next to Amy and sat down in it.
"Hello, dear. I'm glad to see that you're awake now. You've been asleep for nearly three days."
"Three days?!" Amy's exclamation made the other woman blink. Amy flushed at her own outburst and continued in a softer voice. "But how on earth did I even get here? And who are you?"
"My name is May. I'm the healer here in Orange Village. As for how you got here, one of the men found you in the Wonder Woods and brought you here. You certainly were quite a sight to everyone, what with your strange clothes and all. To tell you the truth we weren't quite sure what to make of you, but I insisted that you be taken care of before they did anything else."
Amy let everything she had just learned sink in. Cat-girls, dragons, Orange Village, Wonder Woods. An idea began forming in her mind. She began to let the "what-ifs" take over and couldn't help but think that this seemed all too real to be just a dream.
But how on earth could this have happened? I mean, people don't get sucked into video games. It just doesn't happen.... But it all seems to make sense. I mean, the cat-girl, the dragon, even the names of all of the places, they're exactly like the ones from the video game.
Her thoughts, however, were interrupted by May. "So I brought you here to my home while I tended to you. You don't seem to have any major injuries, just some minor cuts and bruises. Your feet aren't too bad either, considering you had no shoes. However, I can't say the same for your clothes."
May gestured towards the pile on the bedside table, and Amy picked up the shirt that was on top. She winced as she saw all of the grass stains, mud streaks, and rips and tears. She placed the shirt back on the table, not wanting to see the condition of the rest of her clothes. She sighed and looked up at May with a tired look.
"So what should I do now?"
"Well, you seem about the right size. You see, this room was my daughter's before she left. I really didn't have the heart to get rid of any of her things, and now I see that it's a good thing I didn't."
The healer walked over to the wardrobe and began pulling out garments. "Here you go. Try on some of these things in here. You can have anything you like." She saw the protest forming on Amy's lips and cut her off. "And yes, you can. These things weren't doing any good just sitting around here anyway. Besides, I can't just leave you with what you have. So get dressed and meet me downstairs. We can continue our conversation then."
May got up from the chair and picked up the bag full of medicine. As she was turning, however, the bag knocked into the bedside table. A vase tilted over and began to fall to the ground. Amy lunged for the vase, catching it mere inches from the ground, her fingers hooked into the mouth.
Green eyes widened as May looked at Amy in amazement. She thought she heard the woman mutter something about "Ancients," but couldn't make out the whole sentence. Her smile returned and she took the vase from Amy, setting it back on the table. Without another word she left the room, shutting the door behind her.
Slightly puzzled, Amy rose from the bed and went over to examine the contents of the wardrobe. Dresses of all colors and materials were lined up neatly. She pulled out a dress and examined it. It was dark green with silver lining. The neckline was a low circular cut and the sleeves billowed out from the elbow. Finding another slip – the neckline of the one she had on was too high – she put it on and then slipped the dress on over it. It had a vest sewn into it, with silver ribbons trying it together in the front. Pulling them slightly tighter, Amy stepped back and examined herself in the full-length mirror on the door of the wardrobe. The dress slightly dragged on the floor, and Amy looked around for a decent pair of shoes to wear with it. She pulled open the other side of the wardrobe to reveal dozens of shoes, each matching an outfit from the other side.
After selecting the proper shoes, she was able to fully take in the splendor of the dress. She knew, however, that it would not be wise to walk around in something like this in case she met another dragon and needed to run. But she could not make herself put the dress back. She took it off and neatly folded it and the slip on the bed, placing the shoes on the floor. She selected one more dress, its body a purple-blue while the sleeves and neckline made of white silk. Once more, she folded the dress and placed it on the bed, setting the corresponding shoes on the floor in front.
Amy began sifting through all of the dresses until she came upon a simple blue one. It had an average neckline with short sleeves. It was loose and came down to her ankles. Not one to dress plainly, Amy picked out a yellow cape to go over it. The sleeves were long and the bottom ended shorter than the dress, showing the blue underneath. A blue button the size of Amy's fist held the neck closed. Amy found a pair of simple blue boots like the ones May had been wearing near the bottom of the wardrobe.
Looks like I'm not the only one who thought of this combination.
Amy took everything off once more and looked over all of the things that she had put out. "Well, I have a casual dress and two fancy ones. Now all I need is something to travel in. Granted, I don't know when I'll ever use any of it, but it's all so pretty I can't help but want to take them with me. And May did say I could take whatever I wanted."
She wasn't quite sure why she needed travel clothes either. After all, she had no idea what was going to happen. Nevertheless, if her guess was correct in that this was like the video game, then she no doubt would be doing a lot of exploring.
She continued to rummage through the multitude of clothing and had almost come to the conlusion that women's lib had obviously not occurred in this world when she came across a few pairs of leggings.
Well, it's better than nothing.
Picking out a brown pair she pulled on the leggings and grabbed a tunic that was shorter than most but allowed Amy to move comfortably and quickly. The tunic was a cream color with a green pattern alone the bottom of the skirt and long sleeves. Amy took a dark green sweater vest and pulled it over the tunic to keep it in place and tied a cream colored sash around her waist. She grabbed a brown cloak, laced up a pair of sturdy boots, and stepped back to look in the mirror. Rather than pick out yet another outfit to wear outside, Amy chose to wear her travel garments.
Amy kept the other clothes on the bed as she left the room. It was at the end of the short hallway with only one other room on the floor. Smiling faces stared down at Amy from the walls as she walked down the stairs. There were many expensive looking pieces of art along the walls and similarly rich curtains hung from the small windows.
I guess being a healer pays well. She gave a mental snort. But then again, all doctors seem to make more money than they could possibly need.
After peeking through a few different doorways, Amy found May sitting at a small table in the kitchen. As Amy walked in, boots thumping slightly, May looked up and smiled.
"I see you've found something you like. And from the time it took you to come down, I take it you found a few other things as well? I have a bag that will hold everything for you. Come."
Amy wordlessly followed May back upstairs, grateful that the woman was allowing her to take things that had belonged to her daughter. Amy was left in the hall while May went inside her room and brought back a large rucksack. The couple went inside of Amy's room and began to pack. Somehow, everything managed to fit, with room to spare. In fact, it seemed as though everything had shrunk considerably with the amount of room left inside.
I wonder how it does that, Amy thought to herself.
Once the bag was tied shut, May opened up her own small bag tied to her waist. A few small vials filled her palm, each with a bright shining liquid. Each was a different color and small labels were fixed to each bottle. Though the writing was too small for Amy to read at a distance, she could only assume it was medicine May was adding to her collection.
"These will help you when you feel ill. You don't need to take much, just a small amount will cure you."
With a word of thanks Amy once again followed May out of the room and back downstairs. She marveled at how strong the woman was to be able to swing such a large bag around. Downstairs, May busied herself at the stove while Amy sat at the small table and let her thoughts drift.
Every now and then May would look over and mutter something to herself. Amy began to get angry. What was this woman's problem with her? As if sensing the other girl's emotions, May hastily said, "Oh dear, I'm so sorry. You must think I'm incredibly rude. But, it's just.... Well, everyone in the village thought it was strange enough that you were in the Wonder Woods, what with the witch wandering around. Not to mention your clothes. And then there was the thing with the vase. I hadn't even realized that it was falling until I saw your hand there. I've never seen anyone with reflexes like those, and I can guarantee that no one else has either. I was thinking if it was possible for you to have the powers of the Ancients."
Seeing the look on Amy's face, May flushed with embarrassment. "But of course, I could be wrong."
The wheels in Amy's brain began turning again as she wondered over what she had just learned. Powers of the Ancients, huh? Well, I suppose I have to have some sort of magical ability. After all, it's not as if I have a horn like Cornet to do, well, whatever it is I'm supposed to do.
"Well," Amy began, "is there some way to find out?"
May looked at her, thought creasing the corners of her eyes. "Yes. Yes, I think there may be a way for us to figure it out. Come with me."
Amy picked up her bag and pulled the strap over her head. This way, the strap was over her left shoulder, though the bag was against her right hip, a trick she'd learned helped lessen the weight. To Amy's immense surprise, however, the bag felt as if it were empty. She'd long since given up trying to figure out how everything worked in this strange place and followed the woman outside.