A Dangerous Trip
The two walked back into the living room adjusting their clothes and fixing their hair to make sure the rest of the friends didn’t notice she’d been bent over the kitchen table just minutes before.
“Next time we sneak out you’re not going to be able to walk back in.” He whispered in her ear, squeezing her arse discreetly before sitting on the couch beside his friends.
Time continued to pass, shots and cocktails poured and drank. Bodies rocked against each other as they began to lose control of themselves with the alcohol in their systems.
It wasn’t long before her friends began to collapse one by one, falling into a drunken sleep and hoping they didn’t wake up with a hangover that lasted the entire day. It ended with just the two of them, him staring at her as she swayed her hips to the music now playing quietly. A smirk on his face as her eyes caught his.
She approached him placing a leg either side of his lap as she sat.
“I always love seeing you in this position.” He spoke as his hands ran up her thighs. She leant forward and kissed his neck, his hand pushing her body closer to his. “Woah, you want to go again already, I’m not opposed to an audience if one of these fucks wake up.” She ignored him as she pushed away and got off of hun, walking out of the room.
He followed behind her in a slight jog to get ahead of her. “I’ve got something.” He took out a small plastic packet from his pocket. “It’s been a while.” He smirked, taking one and swallowing it with ease. He took the other one in his hand knowing that she was uncertain, she always was but he always found a way to make her change her mind.
He placed it on his tongue as he stepped close the her, his hand on her face as he leaned in. His lips on hers and tongue intruding her mouth, a heated kiss ending quick. She swallowed feeling the pill moving down her throat.
“Tonight is going to get fun.”
She woke up the next morning, her eyes still heavy and her throat dryer than she had ever felt. She felt the cold wind around her and heard birds singing around her. A weird thing to hear in London.
She reached out for the wall beside her as she felt the vomit rising, retching on the ground she leant against the wall as her head began to spin.
Wiping her mouth with the sleeve of her shirt, she tried to stay upright. Her entire body felt heavy so she shrank to the floor. She heard rustling around her.
She groaned aloud realising she’d left the shared home with Thomas the night before. God knows what she did after the first pill or if mixing it with the alcohol had just made her spiral quicker than expected.
She stayed still for a few moments, her eyes adjusting to the morning light. She rested her head on the wall behind her, hearing it crunch slightly under the force of her head. But she’d never heard bricks make that sound before.
She picked herself up, looking at what she was leaning on. A tree.
She was confused, exactly how far had they travelled that night? She looked around her, acres and acres of trees surrounded her.
This definitely wasn’t London.
“Hello?” She called out, panic starting to resonate in her as she moved, the hangover making each small movement agony as her head pounded. “Thomas?” There was no response as she looked for the man.
She couldn’t believe him, he was such an arsehole sometimes. The mixed signals she was getting from him made her more confused about their relationship. But leaving her stranded god knows where, that really solidified how much she should stay away from him.
Having no choice, she walked through the forest, praying that the direction she was going in would lead to people. Hopefully somewhere she could get gone from easily.
She moved slowly, the feeling in her stomach worsening as she continued to move occasionally stopping to relieve herself of the bile rising.
I’m never drinking again she thought as she wiped her mouth again, regretting the decisions she had made for her 23rd birthday. I’m fact, she was starting to regret every decision she made with Thomas’ influence.
“What the hell did he give me?” She pondered, rubbing her forehead lightly. Usually, hangovers were a breeze for her- she had them so often- but there was something incredibly different about this one.
For what felt like hours, she trekked through the forest until, finally, a road came into view. A dirt road.
This definitely wasn’t London anymore.
She made it to the road before her exhausted body collapsed on the grass. Her hands thrown out to prevent too much pain from the fall.
Her exhaustion wasn’t enough to keep her awake anymore, the collapse had caused her entire body to shut down and she was asleep again before she even realised it.
Waking up the second time, she somehow felt worse. Her body shook as she groaned, the pain in her head still making it throb. She moved a hand to cover her eyes.
“She’s awake.” She heard beside her, her hand coming away from her eyes as she sat up quickly, looking over to where the voice had come from. “My dear, lay down you’re in need of rest.”
“What-“ she tried to speak but threw her head over the side of the road, committing for what felt like the millionth time already. It wasn’t until after that moment where she noticed the shaking she had felt was because she was moving.
She’d been set on a moving carriage, her head turned to face the direction they were moving. It wasn’t any normal carriage, a horse drawn one to be exact.
She turned to the middle aged woman at her side, hay bales surrounded the two as, what was presumably her husband, controlled the horses.
“We’ll take you to the physician.” She told me, “He’s bound to be able to aid your illness.”
“Illness?” She scoffed, “Hon, it’s a hangover.” She wiped her mouth again, sitting back against the hay. “How far is London?” She asked, she needed to be headed home soon if she wanted to make it back to work the next day.
“London? What town is that?” The woman asked confused, only earning an equally confused expression in return.
“London, the capital of England.” She stated, how could someone not know the capital of their own country.
“England? Ma’am I think you may have hit your head with that fall you had.” The voice of the man laughed as he started to slow the carriage down. “There’s no such place as England or London.”
“What?”
“Here, allow us to help you.” She was pulled by the hand as the carriage came to a stop. “What’s you’re name, dear?” She asked as the two carefully climbed out of the carriage.
“Maggie.” She replied, her arm forced around the woman’s as they walked to a nearby building.
“I’m Mira.” She introduced herself, “and that was my husband, Aldus.” She nodded, not wanting to speak any more with the strand people who were no help in getting her home. “Wilmot will be able to help you, he’s a good friend of mine and often helps the king.”
“The king?” The words came out of her mouth in utter disbelief. Surely not, England had a Queen. Where on Earth was she?
“King Noll, my dear this England you spoke of, how distant is it? You must have travelled from far lands if you’re unaware of King Noll.”
“Where am I? I need to go home.” She asked curious to what country Thomas had tricked her into going to.
“Osanor. Dear, you’ve travelled far without knowing where you were headed. Alone no less, you’re lucky we found you and not those ravaging pirates.”
“Pirates?” She scoffed again, stopping outside the building too curious to know more before Mira leaves her with Wilmot.
“The Devil’s Smile and his men have docked and made our land their home.” Mira sighed, “King Noll has been unable to do much since he lost his daughter. The prince of Adrenet has offered his aid with our kingdom. I think he hopes the Princess will return so the King will have them wed.”
“How long has the Princess been missing?” Maggie asked, curiosity getting the better of her.
“20 years as of yesterday yet the king still has hope.” She let out a sigh, “he’s a kind man, our king. Visits the market every week. It’s a shame he could never let go of his daughter.”
“Losing a child isn’t easy.” Maggie spoke quietly, “I can’t imagine ever wanting to let go if it were me.”
“Of course. But 20 years, the poor girl probably has no idea who she is.”
“You think she’s alive?”
“Of course, the witch would never have killed her. Her death would have broken the king, but the hope that she’ll come back makes him easy for her to control.” Mira spoke in a whisper. “Shes evil, that woman.”
Maggie stared at her in shock, the more Mira spoke the more she didn’t believe anything. Pirates? Witches? Kings and Princesses?
What on Earth was happening?
Mira pulled Maggie towards the door, opening it for her before calling out to the doctor. It didn’t take long for him to just prescribe her rest. And Maggie hoped after that she would be in bed, back home and this was just a horrible nightmare.
