Ivan's Queen

Chapter 26

Chapter Twenty-Six - Far From Home

Ivan Romanov's P.O.V.

End of February.

Location: Eastern Region, West Area.

I open my eyes once more when I hear someone enter the hut I have been staying in. A familiar, elderly man enters who is dressed in simple clothes. His eyes are grey but wrinkled at the corners and his hair has become white along with his long beard. His hand grasps a wooden staff to support him as he walks and as usual he gives me a warm smile.

Edgar.

"How are you feeling, your highness?" He asks as he takes a seat on the wooden chair beside my bed.

Immediately, I frown...as always. "Please don't call me that. I don't even know if I am truly a king."

"You don't believe me?" He grins and his eyes sparkle with humor.

"That's not what I meant." I sigh heavily as I sit up on my bed. "If you say my name is Ivan then please, call me that."

"Ivan it is." He nods albeit reluctantly.

"Can I go outside?" I ask and hope that he will say yes today.

"Depends on how you feel." He shrugs while assessing me.

"I feel much better, Edgar. I'm sick of staying inside. I would like to walk around please." I request and he moves to help me up.

I brush my teeth and freshen up before changing my clothes. I pick up a long brown tunic with shorts that reach my knees. But I catch the sight of my body in the long shard of glass that is leaning against the wall and sigh heavily. Changing quickly, I make my way outside and exit the hut I'm staying in.

As soon as I step outside though my eyes widen as I take in my surroundings. The sun is setting and casting a warm, orange glow everywhere. We're surrounded by trees and the village seems to be deep within a forest. There are numerous huts around mine that seem to be made from wattle and daub with roofs made from straw. Everything here is plain and traditional. It's like I've stepped back in time.

"Do you remember anything today?" Edgar asks as we start walking slowly.

I shake my head with a frown as I try to remember anything about my past life or how I ended up in the valley. Apparently when Edgar and his men were out catching food for their village they saw a man drag my unconscious body and throw me into the river. They also saw a car in in flames on one of the mountain's edge and people waiting above with vehicles. Some of them pulled that man up by a rope before they all drove away.

As soon as Edgar and his men saw that they were in the clear they pulled me out and brought me back to their village. I have spent almost three months in a coma recovering as Edgar tells me that I had many wounds. When I woke up a week ago, I remember seeing my heavily scarred back in a large shard of glass that was in my hut. But now my entire torso also has a collection of new scars and cuts that are in the process of healing.

I touch the bandage wrapped around my head and grimace when it aches in protest. Edgar told me that the wound on my forehead was quite large when he found me and that I had lost the most blood from there in addition to my bullet wounds. When they brought me to their village they stitched me up but they also say that I must have hit my head quite hard. Now, I am experiencing memory loss as I can't remember anything that happened before I woke up.