Nethermost Realm: Prisoner of Arlunn

Chapter 37

     Please note: I am updating this draft of The Prisoner of Arlunn. The most important change is that the main character's name has been changed from Philip to Rian.

37

Anya woke with a headache and a feeling of panic. She remembered how angry Shaz had been with her last night. He had hit her, several times. She'd been terrified to see him in such a state.

Had she deserved it?

She had misled him, about her age. She should have told him how young she really was. In Earth years, she was barely 14, but in their world, in Chuness years, that was only about 9.

The thought that she'd have the baby and not be married brought a new bout of tears. She cried helplessly for awhile. She had begun to hate Arlunn. It was a dismal place. There was nowhere to go and the sun never really shone here.

But would going back to Chuness be any better? Surely Aldena was disappointed in her. Aldena was the Regent of the Seven Worlds of Cathal right now. Having a pregnant daughter with a failed engagement to the prince of Chuness had to be an embarrassment. But Anya wasn't even Aldena's true daughter. And Aldena hadn't adopted her. She was just a foster mother. They'd known each other less than a year.

After this mess, Aldena wouldn't even want her any more. And this thought made fresh tears fall.

Finally, Anya got out of bed. First, she took a hot bath. Her bedroom had its own bathroom. She didn't know if they'd really invented hot water plumbing, or if the tub were enchanted. Either way, she didn't care.

After soaking for a good, long while, she felt better. She got up and found a suitable dress, not too frilly, because her mood was gloomy. Something practical—modest with long sleeves and a button up front, made of a dark brown material. It came down to her knees, but there was a slit. She wore knee-high brown leather boots and striped leggings and a leather hat with goggles. She thought of it as her Amelia Earhart outfit.

She didn't bother with her translator hat. She didn't feel like talking to anyone anyway.

Almost she worried that her door would be locked again. She was still furious at Shaz for locking her in last night. What right did he have—prince or no prince!

But the door wasn't locked, so she opened it, checking to see if Shaz was around. His door was ajar, which usually meant that he wasn't home. On most days, he'd left already by now.

She slipped across the hallway into Shaz's room. He was not there. She entered, cautiously, almost afraid of getting in trouble somehow for entering his room. But nothing happened.

His room was larger than hers, a large bed sat in the corner with a large carved wooden dresser and armoire next to it. Next to the door was a small sitting area with a loveseat and end-tables. In the other corner was a large desk. It was the only thing in the room that was disorderly. Papers and books were stacked all over it, in no particular order.

She wandered over there. Most of it as written in Vassi, a language she still struggled to read. The rest must have been in a more arcane language because she didn't recognize it.

A large shelf on the wall held some decorations and knick-knacks, or were they more than that? There were some small sculptures, some pendants. One in particular caught her attention. It was an amulet with a small, sabre-tooth tiger carving on it. Near it was a round purple stone with a single rune on it and a map. She picked up the map. She could only read two words on it: Nethermost Realm.