Nicolette felt the familiar heat of the sun on her face. Her body was warm and while she felt a dull aching in her body, she was oddly comfortable. She shifted beneath some of the softest blankets she'd ever been wrapped in and expected to see her love's face beside her. However, when her eyes opened, she was alone. As if that weren't enough to pique her worries, she had no idea as to where she was. The room was bathed in sunlight and the bed she was in was deep red in color. In fact, much of the room was decorated in red and gold. The furniture that was very ornate and obviously expensive was dark mahogany, and by the looks of the windows and walls, she guessed that she was in a place very much like a castle.

"Oh, Miss, you're awake!" An older woman's excited voice rang in Nic's ears. "We've been terribly worried about you."

She swallowed hard. "Where am I?"

The older woman smiled, the creases in her face noticeable. "Harstone Manor, dear."

"Why?" It was the only word Nicolette could come up with.

"It seems that you got caught up in the uprising outside, dear. We honestly thought you dead at first."

"My…friends…my…Jake!"

"Oh, you poor dear." The woman brought a stein filled with water to her. "From what I've been told, the people you were with either fled or…passed on."

"Fled? Passed on? No! Jake wouldn't have left me and he…he's not dead, he…" She began to cry.

"Now, now, dear, it's all right. You're not alone, after all. How about a warm bath, hm? Cleaned you up the best I could, but I didn't feel it right to get…intimate."

"I don't think I…"

"Nonsense, dear, you'll feel so much better. Come on then." The woman extended her hand and Nic took it. "I'll make sure that the sheets are changed while you bathe."

Her mind unfocused, she felt her feet cross the cool, marble floor. She barely realized that she'd been led through a doorway when the woman spoke again. "I'm certain this will make you feel better, dear." The woman smiled. "May I ask your name?"

"N…Nicolette."

"My, how pretty."

Nic looked around, yet again taking in new surroundings. She was in a large bathroom, almost purely white in color. In the center of the room, a pedestal was built up and a deep, round tub was built into the floor. Two young women were filling the tub with steaming water and scented oils. Despite all that was happening to her, she couldn't help but find the sight inviting.

"Thank you girls, let us leave her now." The woman gave one last glance to Nic. "My name is Henrietta, dear. I'll have a gown ready for you once you've finished."

"A gown, but…" But Henrietta was gone. Nic sighed deeply and surrendered to the water before her. Once she sunk into its warm depths, she succumbed to her emotions. She began to sob into her hands, not understanding why life had taken such a turn on her. Jake was gone – either having died, or somehow, even worse, abandoned her.

Her thoughts swirled so rapidly that soon, her mind became numb. She stayed in the bath until the water cooled, then dried off. She walked back into the bedroom and saw a black gown spread out on the bed. Not having anything else to wear (the clothes she was wearing had been taken), she put on the gown and looked into the full length mirror on the wall. Henrietta reemerged and immediately tended to the young woman's hair, pinning it into an intricate up-do.

"You're a beautiful young woman," she said sweetly.

"Um…thank you." Nicolette was disconnected from herself now. Her life was torn apart and she couldn't understand why she was in this strange, yet somehow wonderful place.

"You must be famished, yes?"

"A little, I suppose." Truth be told, she couldn't remember the last time she'd been so hungry.

"Well, I promise you a grand meal, dear. Oh, you'll adore Prince Harstone."

"Prince?" Nicolette blinked as if it would make a difference in the word.

"Don't be scared by the title, dear."