Chapter 5: Visions of the Father

Be warned, this chapter contains underwear, frank body-oriented sexual language, and important plot points. If you're uncomfortable with any of that, then tough luck, no one's making you read this :p

(Chapter rated R for the above reasons)

Everything was black. Light was nonexistent. I felt scared, yet secure, for surely, no one could find me in this darkness. I could have been sitting there for seconds, hours, or even days, if it hadn't been for the figure that appeared out of the darkness. His face was shrouded in shadow and his clothes were ragged, but somehow I felt safe in his presence.

"So, you have finally arrived." He said, his voice fading in and out, like a smell on the wind. "I have known for some time now that you would arrive soon… And here you are."

"Who are you?" I asked, feeling as if my body were stone. "What do you mean, you 'knew' I would come?" Even though I couldn't see his face, I could sense he was smiling.

"This is not the time or place for me to tell you who I am. That, you will find out in time. I am here to tell you of yourself."

"Tell me of myself? Huh, what's there to tell? I'm just some kid thrown into all of this because of my own stupidity."

"No, you are much more than that. You will do great things, Michael – travel beneath the earth, touch the top of the world, save a lost Kingdom, and befriend the most fearsome of beasts. However, you also have many trials ahead of you. You must stick by your friends, follow your intuition, and avoid temptation, if you are to save the 10 Kingdoms." As he said all this, he began to fade back into the darkness. Desperately, I called to him.

"Wait! Can't you please tell me who you are?" As he continued to fade, he replied, ever fainter,

"Go to the town of the Wishing Well… That is where your path begins. I am waiting for you at the end… My son." With that, he vanished completely into the swirling darkness. I suddenly felt a deep pit in my stomach, a deep longing. I found it hard to believe, but I had just encountered my father! After all those years of thinking I was just an accident, the product of failed contraception, I had the feeling that I was much more entwined in all this than I knew.

Suddenly, the black mists began to fade to gray, than white, as I was shaken awake by Lena.

"C'mon, Lady Sleepsalot! Dawn was a full hour ago! You can't sleep the day away, you know!" I groaned, slowly opening my eyes. There was Lena, pushing me with her foot and looking at me as if I had just committed an unforgivable crime. I pushed myself up into a sitting position, and let loose a great yawn. Returning to the fire, she stirred something in a pot that was sitting over the flames.

"Well, do come on, this pheasant won't eat itself, you know!" The smell of cooking motivated me to get up. Unsteadily, I rose to my feet, and step by step made my way over to the log on which she was sitting. Plopping myself down next to her, I rubbed my hands together, warming them by the fire. She handed me a piece of pheasant, and I dug into it greedily. Chewing slowly on her half of the bird, she watched me as I ripped pieces off with my teeth. She swallowed what she had in her mouth, and said to me,

"My, someone's hungry today. You thirsty at all? You haven't had anything to drink since we took that dip in the moat." She laughed, and I realized that she was right. I could really use some water. Nodding, I accepted the beaker from her.

"I filled it up from a stream behind those trees." She pointed to a clutch of trees across the fire from us. "This is a very fertile area. But then again, what else would you expect in the 2nd Kingdom?" I shrugged concomitantly, letting her do all the talking. Suddenly, she blanched, edging down the log away from me.

"What?" I asked, as she pinched her nostrils shut.

"You, my dear friend, smell worse than a troll who's been at war for a year. You need a bath." I scoffed. "Yeah, right. I'm not taking a bath – I hardly ever did before I came here, and I don't intend to make it a habit now." She glared at me.

"You, missy, are going to take a bath right now, even if I have to scrub you down myself." I laughed. "You're bluffing! You wouldn't do that." She grinned, a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

"Wouldn't I?"

An hour and a half later, I sat on the bank of the stream with just my cloak wrapped around me, shivering and feeling thoroughly indignant. It had taken Lena fifteen minutes to get me to the stream, another ten to get me undressed, and one hour and five minutes to get me cleaned. Of course, I had been struggling the whole time, which would help to explain why all of this took so long. She stepped out of the stream and onto the bank, drenched from head to toe.

"Well," She said, plopping down next to me, "Now that you're nice and squeaky clean, thoroughly dried off, and generally more hygienic, it's time for you to learn how to dress yourself." I looked at the pile of clothes on the side of the bank, wishing I had my old garments back. She bent over, grabbing the pile, and placed it next to me. I looked at it, knowing that I didn't have the faintest idea how to put most of it on. She must have noticed my hesitation, because she suddenly slapped her forehead, and said,

"Of course, silly me – you've never put any of this on before, and most of it's probably completely new to you. Here, put on whatever you think you know, and I'll help you with the rest."

After 5 minutes, I had managed to get my lower body's clothing needs taken care of. The underwear had given me a bit of trouble, and I found it difficult to get my legs all the way through the jeans, but I had finally managed it. Lena nodded approvingly.

"Very good, you're a quick learner! So, can you get the rest on yourself, or do you need my help?" Reluctantly, I nodded my head, signaling that I needed help with the rest. Standing up, she grabbed the remaining clothing and told me what it was for as she put it on me.

"Alright, this is a bra. It's designed to hold your breasts up, so they don't stretch down, because that can be quite painful. You put your arms though here… Yes, that's it… and then it clips in the back. See? Easy as one-two-three." I stood there blushing, feeling very embarrassed at being talked to like a little girl going through sex ed. Hurriedly, I pulled the blue top on and attached my cloak to the back.

"Alright, so now you're dressed. Well then, I'll teach you how to walk properly, and then we can be off!" Grabbing my arm, she pulled me up off the ground. I clung to her, afraid of falling over again like the previous night.

"All right, the trick to walking in a girl's body is all about counterbalance. To even out the weight of your chest, you need to arch your back somewhat, leaning back a little as well." She showed me what she meant, and reluctantly I followed her example. To my surprise, it worked! However, it also gave me the uncomfortable feeling that I was giving anyone who cared to look a wonderful view of my cleavage. Lena clapped, complimenting me on my progress, as she packed up the little gear we had into a haversack. When everything as put away, she swung the haversack over her shoulder, and gestured to me.

"Come on, we need to leave! Who knows, the Queen has probably sent someone out to catch us!" Suitably shaken by this news, I followed her into the forest. Remembering my dream, I asked her if there was a town nearby with a Wishing Well. She paused for a moment, thinking, than snapped her fingers.

"Why yes there is, as a matter of fact! We could stock up on supplies there, and figure out our next move. No one would ever think to look for us there!" She abruptly changed direction, walking westward. I sped up my pace, not wanting to be left alone in the woods.