Chapter 124 - Shibatsu (1/2)
When Abby woke up, she was in a scratchy straw bed wearing strange clothes. They looked like something a serving wench from a period drama might wear.
Dizzy and disoriented, she looked around the room. It was small and shabby, barely managing to fit the bed and a small dresser with an oil lamp sitting on it. This was not her apartment. Had her stupid, desperate idea actually worked?
She tried to get up and look around some more but did it too quickly. Waves of vertigo crashed over her and she would have hit the floor if not for the strong arms that came out of nowhere to catch her.
”Easy there, Miss. You're in no condition to be running about,” a kindly voice stated.
Abby strained to look up at the person holding her and discovered a middle-aged man with silver hair and shockingly purple eyes. The silver hair was one thing but purple eyes?
She vaguely remembered that Queen Mariela, her sister's friend, had the same coloring and she was from a distant land called Shibatsu. Was that where she had ended up? How far from her destination was she exactly?
”Excuse me…but where am I?” she asked.
”Have you lost your memories?” the man clucked sympathetically. ”You're in a farming village on the northeastern side of the kingdom of Shibatsu. My son fished you out of the river. The clothes you were wearing are hanging out to dry right now; my wife let you borrow one of her dresses.”
”Only my recent ones,” Abby said. She remembered everything except how exactly she had ended up here. ”I am not sure how I ended up in the river but be sure to thank your son for me.”
”Why don't you thank him yourself? He should be home from his training soon. My wife is making dinner right now. You should join us and regain your strength. Where are you from, anyway? I've never seen clothes like yours before.”
She flushed. She had been wearing a pair of high-waisted reddish orange capris with a black and white striped tee shirt tucked into them and no shoes because she had been at home.
”…nowhere around here, I can tell you that much. But I have family in the Kanta region. How would I get there from here?” Abby asked.
A new male voice scoffed from the doorway. ”You don't look Kanta. What family could you possibly have in that forsaken part of the world?”
A tall, muscular young man with Shibatsu's signature eyes and hair leaned against the doorframe. Her breath caught in her throat. He was probably the most handsome man she had ever seen even though his hair and forehead glistened with sweat.
This must be the man who saved her. His father reprimanded him by swatting his arm. ”Don't be rude to our guest, Hugo! She is still weak from nearly drowning.”
Hugo rolled his eyes but gave Abby some sort of strange salute that looked like it was supposed to be a respectful greeting. ”Well you already know my name. Nice to meet you Miss River Rat.”