I found myself drenched in water with waves lapping round my ankles and a headache throbbing in the back of my mind. "Funny joke you guys," I muttered, "let's let Brittany wake up in the water, it'll do for a load of laughs." But I knew they would never do something that severe to me…and I fought down a wave of nausea. I stood up, partially to get my bearings, but mostly to assure myself I did indeed have control of all my appendages. The scene was familiar, the shoe of the lake where I stood with Virginia, Marina, Selene—moments or days before—but something had changed, almost as if it had gotten cleaner, sort of a pre-industrial age deal going on. But that was good, because it meant I could find my way out, and eventually, home.
The path was there, only much less worn. To distract myself from this slightly psychotic twist on the Story of My Life I reverted to Lambchop:
"this is the song that never ends…
yes it goes on and on my friends
some people stated singing it not knowing what it was
and they'll continue singing it forever just because
it is the song that never ends…"
After a few times through, I got really into it, pitching my voice high or low, adding some air guitar moves and occasionally avoiding the odd tree that jumped onto the path when down from a tree fell a man, and of course, he fell on me. And he was laughing. At me.
"You sound ridiculous," he said wryly, from his none-to-comfortable position on my stomach.
"off!" I squeaked, and for the most part, was ignored. Realizing I had a limited oxygen supply left, I did something drastic, I rolled over, startling him who was still nameless) and buying me some air. Once I had gathered my wits, breath, and pride enough to move, I stood up and dusted my pants.
"I hope you do not often greet road travelers in that regard, for you may find yourself with several lawsuits," my warning was ignored as he also stood up and proceeded to shake my hand vigorously.
"Name's Roiben, and I'm much a-pleased to make your acquaintance ma'am," he said while tipping his hat.
" That still doesn't explain you sitting on me," I commented, raising an eyebrow and tapping my foot.
"Ah, well…" he looked about and cleared his throat sheepishly, "well, one of the princes 'as run off again, and all o' us patrols are required to man our posts and await his return," by this time we has stared walking down the brambled path, Roiben telling of the tizzy the Lord was in and the like.
"Does this prince have long brown hair, typically carry a bow/arrows, wear a green cloak and typically carry a blue-gray rucksack?"
"Why, yessim, he shore does," Roiben looked to me in surprise, "Why?"
"he's been tracking us the past seven minutes or so," I said, purposefully pitching my voice louder so that the mysterious traipser would come out in public and perhaps provide an answer to the question
"WHERE THE HELL AM I?" I blurted out, looking around wildly, panic setting in. memories came swarming back to me, someone crying, "duck!" a searing pain, Virginia's terrified face as marina pulled me up to the beach, "It'll be okay mate," she said over and over, and I couldn't say anything.
While staring at Roiben I slowly started teetering and fainted, the unnamedprince catching me in his arms as I fell.