Flower Girl

The flower frowned, which looked almost humorous on a flower. "Who am I?" It said, then stroked it's flower chin with a leaf. "Oh my, you don't remember," it said, more to itself than to Chuck.
"My name is Magson," the giant flower stated, leaning down a little further to get nearer to Chuck. "It's been a long time for us, here. Almost six years, I believe. But you don't feel much older at all. Intriguing." Then, sensing her terror, "Pleas don't be alarmed, old friend. You don't remember, it seems, but we were actually good friends before... It was you who planted me here, in fact. You gave me new life!" A brow formed above the flower's sunglasses, looking concerned "Please, ask whatever questions you may have. My children sacrificed their lives to bring you back to Gnale; I don't want you to feel uncomfortable, or for their sacrifice to be in vain."

Charlie spent the next twenty minutes in a stupefied and confused terror.

She spent the next five trying to control her dream, which she had become pretty good at.

She spent the next ten looking for cameras, mics, wires, etc, much to Magson's dismay.

Finally, she sat, still highly skeptical.

"I don't remember any of this," she said carefully. "What do you mean we've met before? I'm going to need details. A lot of them. And where am I?"

Where is Jordan?

Magson waited patiently as Chuck ruminated, and violated its personal space looking for who-knows what. Most people were not allowed this close to the giant flower, but Chuck was a special case. Afterall, it was imperative that she at least trust it.

"Six years ago," Magson began, "You and three others appeared in Gnale-- that's the continent where we are now. I was only a small flower then, and you and your group carried me about in a pot.
"We're currently on the island of Syle. You planted me here on your travels those many years ago. You don't know this, but you are one of the few humans to have ever set foot on this island. Syle is the magic nucleus of Gnale. All the magic of this continent stems from here. Actually, most of it stems from me, now." The flower broke into a proud grin at this "After you planted me here, I became quite powerful, you see. Of course, I lost my sight, but some things are a small sacrifice for the greater good. Ah, but I digress, forgive me."
Magson's petally face took on an expression of deep though. "Details... Let's see, it's been a long time now, but I'll try and provide you with whatever proof you need. Let me see... Your friends, the other three, were called... 'Alyssa,' 'Jessica,' and I believe you called the third one 'Whit?' I traveled with you for some time, so I was privy to many of your conversations... Let me see...
"You, Chuck, find poop humorous. You four also joked often about a by you had liked in school. The others often said you two would get married when he 'got back.' You also were a writer, correct? Jessica seemed quite enamored by your writings.
"My... what else? Jessica, Alyssa, and you often spoke on a foreign language to each other..."

Magson paused, still looking thoughtful. "What other details do you want?"

Charlie crapped herself.

Well, figuratively.


"I have friends with those names..." she trailed, half-lucid. "How do you...?"

She hadn't seen Whit and Alyssa since her reception; Jessica since graduation. But she'd only know them for... three, four years? ((Wow, that's long.)) The... talking flower... said it had been six years.

"That doesn't make sense," she thought aloud. She felt trapped in one of her own books, which only meant weird, terrible things were about to happen.

Magic? Center? What? "Gnale?" she repeated. "So... I'm in America, right?"

She eyed the large flower. Magson. The name sounded familiar. Why? Something felt familiar about all of this, now that she'd calmed down. But, what, why? How did this... plantman... know anything about her?

"Okay," she said, taking a deep breath. "I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. What do you want, and how do I get back?"

Magson tried to speak in a comforting, soft tone. It debated whether to lace it's words with some very diluted magic, something to help her calm down, but that felt a little like betraying its old friend. "I know them too," it said. "It was six years ago for us, here in Gnale, but you feel... perhaps two years older than you used to be. It's a magic thing," it added at the end. The feeling.

"I'm afraid you're not in America anymore, though, Chuck. I'm quite certain Gnale is another world from your own. Or perhaps a different shadow, or mirror. Things get so complicated with the layers of the universe." Magson gave a small sigh at this, shaking its huge head.

"As for why you're here... I can't be too specific there. There are many prophecies, many rumors and legends... We discovered last time you were here that they could be corrupted. Prophecies, that is. What we thought to be a true prophecy was actually a terrible lie created by..." Magson paused here, wondering whether it would be wise to continue. This was an awful lot to put upon someone recently torn from her own world. "There was... is... a sorceress. She perverted the prophecy surrounding you and your friends. Even today, we're not sure which ones are true and which ones are lies. I've been trying to work out the truth ever since you four left. But I'm afraid it's quite impossible to do when you are all a dimension away."

It decided to stop here. There was much more related to the prophecies, the sorceress, and the reason why Magson and the others working with him had brought the four girls back to Gnale. But... it would be too much, too soon, too fast for her to take today, Magson decided.

"Are you doing alright there, Charlie?" Magson asked, sincerely concerned. "I realize this is a lot. I'm planning to be around for several millennium yet, so there's no need to rush things. You are more than welcome to rest, eat, bathe... whatever you need."

Charlie eyed MAgson with that same, skeptical glare, holding it for an absurdly long time as the flower spoke. ((In the real world, she was cursing her ear for itching terribly without relief.))

A moment passed, she breathed deep, and said, "Okay." Skeptically, yes, but she couldn't deny the growing sensation of familiarity she had with the... blind... talking... flower. Possibly immortal flower. "What do you know about these... prophecies?" she asked carefully. "And if I was here before, why did I leave? And why aren't Alyssa and the others here?"

"None of us really know why you left," Magson said, somewhat sadly, "You appeared one day, and then disappeared the next. It was quite a terrible time. There was a lot of confusion around you four, and when you disappeared, it only multiplied."

Then, answering her question about where Alyssa, Whit, and Jessica were, "You four are not of this world," Magson stated obviously. "You are... slippery, in a sense. It's impossible for a normal person, and even a quite skilled magician, to bring any one of you here. I would not be surprised to find that you four have certain strengths over many things that are common in our world, perhaps even immunities. Of course, I wouldn't test that theory on anything too dangerous. The other three are in Gnale, I think, or they will be somewhat shortly. But I'm afraid even with all my power, I can't feel where they are.

"As for the prophecies, I know just about everything you could ever want to know about them. Except, of course, if they're real or not. Some say you four are to bring about a new age of enlightenment to Gnale. Others, that you'll destroy the world, you'll bring plagues, wars, death.

"Six years ago, there was a prophecy that the four of you were to fight each other to become the new Queen of a United Gnale. At the time, we believed it was correct. But, as I mentioned before, the sorceress had perverted the prophecy. I am of the opinion that you four were an obstacle in whatever she has been planning. Thus, she changed the prophecy to have you fight each other off.

"This is but one reason why I am more apt to believe the prophecies that say you four are to save our world."

She processed this, slowly, choosing her questions wisely.

She thought she could take out Alyssa, but Whit would be hard and Jessica would buck her to... whatever country was far from here.

"Okay," she exhaled, "what do you want me to do, exactly?"

She spun around, taking in her surroundings with new, calm, skeptical eyes. It was pretty. Green, lush, and sunny. At least she had that.

She didn't have her purse, which was upsetting. Fortunately, she had her pink glasses and chapstick in her pocket. And her fob from work, though she imagines it wouldn't do much good here.

((I"M SORRY IT'S TAKING ME SO LONG I'M TRYING TO DECIDE WHAT I WANT TO HAPPEN TO YOU/ gomen! I'll post for sure after church todaaaay~!))

((SORRY FOR THE DELAY!!))

"I'll need something of yours," Magson said "To help me when examining the prophecies. It has to be something close to you. Your clothes, or some of your hair, would work best. (I had this idea before the fishing thing Whit! I swear I didn't steal it from you! haha sorry <3 )

"After that, Aislin will take you to her village. She has your staff there, though it feels like you'll have to be taught how to use it again. If I presume correctly, you've forgotten all your magic, haven't you? Well, not to worry, she'll help you fix that. Come on out here, Aislin," Magson called, titling its flower head over what would be its shoulder, if it had one.

A tall, beautiful woman stepped out from behind the trees. Her face was round, pale, with auburn hair trailing in long swathes. Her eyes were a piercing blue, but most notable on her face was a long, golden horn coming out of her forehead. If Chuck looks, she will also see that her ears are those of a horse. Her clothes are strange, foreign to Chuck, but very elegant, even in their simplicity. Live flowers adorn the waistline, and from beneath the drapings of her skirt, cloven hooves are visible as she walks even to wear Magson stands. She eyes Chuck without trying to hide it, examining her.

Aislin

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Magson?" she asks the flower in a foreign tongue, "She was not exactly a friend last time she was in Syle."

"Trust me," the flower replied. "Now go and be a good host!"

The woman snorted, shaking her head slightly, very horse-like, and took several steps into the clearing, nearer to Chuck. "Welcome," she said, bowing slightly, "To the island of Syle. I am Aislin, queen of Eiterra. I am responsible for your well-being until the time when you leave our island. If there is anything you should require, I am at your disposal."

"Something of mine?" Charlie repeated, looking over herself. She had no problem giving a lock of hair--it was already cut into bizarre layers anyway. "Uh... I guess I can give you hair, but I don't have anything to cut it with. You're not going to clone me or mind-control me or anything, right?"

A very large part of her didn't want to cooperate. "Do you need it... right away?" Can I think about this?

Then, "Aislin?" she near-interrupted. "Staff? Magic? I knew what-now?"

When the unicorn-woman stepped out of the flowers, Charlie immediately stepped back, her guard up. True, she didn't know how to fight well, but she had watched lots of exercise videos that incorporated kickboxing. Maybe that meant she knew how to throw a punch.

She stared. She couldn't help it. Aislin looked like something straight out of a fantasy novel, perhaps something Charlie herself would write. This has the be a dream, she thought, despite how cliche it was. Aislin didn't look terribly friendly. Where had she come from? Charlie had searched around Magson for wires and cameras. Was the horn makeup, or was it real?

She stubbornly held her ground. "What the fetch is Eiterra?"

Magson chuckled at Chuck's reaction "I have missed you," it said.

Aislin, however, did not looked so pleased. A look of irritation crossed her face for a moment, though whether it was at Chuck's comment or Magson's, or perhaps both, was left unknown. The look soon passed however. "Eiterra is my village," she responded, evenly, tail flicking behind her. She was aware of Chuck's gaping, though it seemed to bother her little-- Chuck had reacted much the same last time they had met, but with perhaps even more suspicion. Aislin herself was not with suspicions of her own, but Magson had grown very wise over the years, and she trusted him.

Magson spoke again, addressing Chuck's earlier question. "No, I don't NEED your hair right away, but the sooner I can have it, the sooner I can get back to deciphering the prophecies. And I suppose I ought to mention that if we do go with your hair, I'll need a good several inches of it. Eight to ten, I'd say."

Aislin scared Charlie, a little. Charlie also felt bad for apparently offending her. She did that a lot.

Upon Magson'sannouncement of 8 to 10 inches, however, Charlie's hands instantly flew to her head, protecting it.

"Eight to ten? That's ridiculous!" she blurted, then regretted her tone. This flower guy was trying to help her... right? Or clone her. She wasn't sure, yet. Maybe frame her?

Hesitating, she pulled off her pacman jacket, the one her old roommate Heather had given her. It was warm in Syle, so she didn't really need it. "Here, take this instead. Avoid destroying it, if you can."

She didn't know if flowers could reach out and take something, so she awkwardly held onto it, waiting.

Then, to the unicorn woman, "Sorry, this is all... a little weird to me. I'll go with you." And watch every move you make.

Charlie paid very close attention to everything around her. She still expected a camera crew to jump out at any moment.

Magson smiled, and reached forward with its leaves. It grasped around a little bit (blind, afterall) before finally grabbing hold of the coat. "I'll do my best," it said to Charlie's request to not destroy it. Then, in one swift movement, it opened it's mouth and swallowed the coat. "Mm, yes, this will do quite nicely I think." It chuckled, and small sparkles of light started floating around the giant flower-head. "Now, back to work, back to work...! I'll call you if I find anything out Aislin, thank you!"

Aislin bowed to Magson, then started leading Chuck out of the grove. "I must apologize as well," she conceded. "Humans are not usually welcome on Syle. You were the first in a long time when you were here six years ago," she explained. "And humans have a history of destroying. I hope you will forgive my discomfort." she said nothing more on the matter.

The horned woman led Charlie out of the clearing and past huge bushes of flowers that grew up between very tall trees. After a bit, the flowers slowly grew less voluminious and more normal. The path wasn't clearly marked- just a streak of grass slightly lighter than the grass and moss around it, but it was easy. Small rocks and roots crossed the trail, but they were mostly half-submerged in earth and covered with green.

click!!
click!!

After about 20 minutes (and talking can take place during this time if Charlie so desires, but for time and simplicity I wish to include the entire journey here) the terrain changes, and the path becomes more rocky. Five minutes later, the two of them head down a steep slope, turn a corner, and the gates of Eiterra appear before them. Though to say "gates" would be misleading. They were, in actuality, two posts set on either side of the path. The city itself bloomed out of the earth, out of the rocky cliff side they had just climbed down, and the forest that continued at the bottom of the cliff.

(I couldn't find any pictures I liked, I'm sorry!) The city was made mostly of white rock that matched the cliff behind it. The architecture was simply, but elegant, balancing several tall towers (they must be five stories!!) with medium and one-story ones. The nature around them had obviously inspired the design, and was in fact integrated into the buildings. Flowers and moss grew up the sides of buildings, saplings grew up in the middle of the roads, and traffic had moved to accommodate them, even a few fully-grown trees could be seen poking out the roofs of a few houses.

A variety of strange creatures walked the pathways ahead, some mostly humanoid, like Aislin herself, others were completely animale-- a few unicorns trotted along-- as well as centaurs. Most of the creatures were horse-based, at least in this town, but other foreign beasts lived here too, now. If Charlie looks into the window of the nearest shop, she will see a human-sized lizard selling premium moss and aspen leaves to a group of skeptical male centaurs.

"Welcome to Eiterra," Aislin said, bowing slightly to Chuck as she did. "Is there anything you require? Or would you like to have your staff returned to you right away?"

Charlie gaped when Magson ate the coat, but smiled a bit. It was kind of funny.

She followed Aislin, appreciating the apology and explanation. "Six years?" Charlie said. "You mean... I came here when I was 16?" Why can't I remember?

"I'm sorry," she added, hearing the part about humans destroying. "But I believe it. A lot of us... we tend to do that. We're kind of dumb." Aislin wasn't so un-human herself, but Charlie chose not to say anything on that point, for the moment. Charlie's eyes shot between the flowers, scanning her surroundings, especially when Aislin wasn't watching her. Everything seemed so sunny and happy, though.

(It would be awesome if those pictures actually loaded on my computer.. but i can see the thumbnails!)

The walk was long and awkward, but Charlie didn't do much to alleviate it. She didn't ask how far the city was, and she didn't know how to strike up conversation with a moody anti-human unicorn woman. So she walked in silence, always searching. Her searching soon morphed into marveling. What was this place? The plants, the life, the... everything was so strange and beautiful. When they finally arrived at Eiterra, a simple "wow" escaped her lips.

The city was gorgeous, though she wouldn't bother repeating the descriptions the narrator had already mentioned. She felt like she was in some secret alcove of Greece, somewhere out of, again, a fantasy novel. She stared in dumbfounded awe. If this was a prank, someone had put a LOT of work into the set.

Charlie stepped closer to Aislin as creatures of all sorts walked by. Centaurs are real? Lizard people? she freaked inside her head. They startled her at first, but Charlie calmed herself, soon mesmerized by the animals...the people... who so resembled the strange worlds she brewed in her head. She couldn't help but think of her book, The Prayer of Haradis. This looked so much like it. Had the story stemmed from a long forgotten memory of this place?

"Is there anything you require? Or would you like to have your staff returned to you right away?"

"Uh...." Charlie stumbled over her words, obviously distracted. "The staff... sounds good." Then she would ask for something to eat... though hunger was one of the last things on her mind.

(THIS IS JESSICA BEING TOO LAZY TO CHANGE TO FATE.)

Aislin nodded, and led Chuck through the town, she wasn't much of a tour guide, but if Chuck asks questions about buildings, she will provide answers and explanations. The magical creatures in the streets obviously respected her, they bowed or greeted her in whatever ways the could, and while the actions were respectful, subject did not seem distant from their queen. A gnome tipped his long, green hat to the group, nodded slightly and making a comment about the beautiful weather. Two young unicorns, fully horse in shape, whinnied as they passed. Aislin made a similar noise back, and one of the horses seemed to blush.

They neared the foot of the cliffs, where a building with several towers was nestled into the rocks. They arrived at the bottom of a short flight of stairs, when a pure-white centaur seemed to appear out of nowhere by there side. He human chest was very bare, and his dark brown hair curled over the tips of his shoulders. He had a very attractive, strong face, with deep, brown eyes. "M'lady," he said, bowing. His eyes looked Charlie over, intensely. "Magson was right, then. She's returned."

"Yes," Aislin replied, "Charlie of the Four has returned to Gnale. Magson requested we care for her, as well teach her the magic she once knew. It appears she has forgotten."

"I see," replied the man/horse/stallion? frowning slightly in thought. "Shall I accompany you, then?"

"Yes, I would appreciate that." Aislin turned to Charlie now, "Charlie, this is Farrel, one of my advisors. He is also quite an adept. Your staff is inside the castle," and she started up the stairs. Farrel followed, though it was much harder for him with his horse body. He managed, having had much experience during his years working for Aislin.

Farrel walked next to Charlie, a good deal taller than she. "Do you remember anything about the magic you used to know?: he asked. If he was to re-teach her what she'd forgotten, he wanted to know where she stood.

(AND CHARLIE FORGOT TO LOG OUT AS FATE)

Charlie made specific effort not to ogle any of the strange creatures around her. She even managed to nod back to a gnome. Fake it 'til you make it. One of Charlie's personal mottos. A million questions pulsed through Charlie's mind, most inappropriate, so she kept her mouth shut. She could ask Magson... or someone friendlier... later, though the impatience was killing her.

And what about Jordan? she thought. Where was he during all this?

They got to what looked like a white-washed castle, and Charlie's steps slowed as she took it all in, mouth awkwardly ajar. Suddenly a white centaur--dazzling as both horse and human--approached them.

"Magson was right, then. She's returned."

"Returned from what now?" Charlie muttered before thinking. She naturally withdrew away from the centaur. While she thought horses were grand, she naturally shied away from them--they were a lot bigger in real life than on TV. Her past conversation with Magson semi-answered her blurted question.

Charlie of the four, she thought as the two conversed. WEIRD. She felt weird. And awkward. She didn't like that feeling.

After the introduction to Farrel, Charlie said, "Hi."

The stairs were really wide, allowing Farrel to walk beside Charlie, who was still getting used to the idea of centaurs.

Do you remember anything about the magic you used to know?

"Um.... no," she answered truthfully. "When Aislin said I'd forgotten, she meant I'd forgotten. I don't know crap about this place." Then, realizing her tactlessness, said, "Sorry... uh, 'crap' means something different from where I'm from."

A good enough excuse.

"So. A Staff," she continued. "I supposedly had a staff once upon a time." It made her think of Gabriella from Xena: Warrior Princess. Had she known how to fight, assuming all of this wasn't a huge hoax?

"Everything?" Farrel repeated, "Interesting. Well I suspect you'll remember it quickly enough."

The odd group turned down an alley between two towers and met with a sight out-of-place next to the white rock that made of the castle.

The stairs were narrow enough that the had to walk single-file, but wide enough that Farrel could still ascend, with some difficulty, without fear of falling off.

Aislin led the way up the brightly-colored steps, which went up about three floors hugging the wall. Farrel followed behind Charlie, becoming silent and he concentrated on placing his hooves in the right spots. Up front, Aislin had reached a big, old-fashioned door. It had fancy carvings and metal fittings, but no handle or obvious way of opening it. The queen placed her golden horn lightly against the wood, and breathed out a string of strange words, mixed with whinnies. She pulled back, and the door glowed a faint gold where her horn had rested. After a moment, the glow expanded and grew stronger, washing over the whole door. Then, hinges creaking, it opened in. Aislin enters.

((AND BECAUSE SOMETIMES IT TAKES ME FOREVER TO POST I WILL JUST KEEP GOING. If you want to stop or whatever we'll just go back and post what happens before you enter the room. Haha.))

The room was dark, but as the entered, several torches flared to life, revealing a large, circular room. The floor was polished and smooth, with ornate, organic designs built into the floor like a mosaic. Farrel led Charlie to the center of the room and the floor design. "Wait here," he requested, then disappeared through a second door in the circular wall. Aislin, meanwhile, drew back long, thick drapes that hung from the wall, and dazzling, multi-colored light shone in through the stained glass windows the drapes had covered.

Farrel returned, a variety of weapons in his arms. "Let's start with these, shall we? Choose one," he told Charlie. Ailsin slipped through the door Farrel had returned from.

As they reached the scary stairs, Charlie hugged the wall. She was paranoid like that. They reached a door, to which Aislin touched her horn and chanted in a weird, human-horse type way. Charlie bit her cheek to keep from laughing. It sounded ridiculous.

However, the humor turn to awe as the door glowed and opened. Could technology do special effects like that?

Torches sprang to life inside. Charlie's paranoia built as she stepped in, feeling like she had entered an Egyptian tomb. They could kill me here and no one would know, she thought. She eyed the door, scared.

However, Farrel tugged her to the center of the room with the instruction to wait. Charlie debated if she should do so, and checked the ceiling above her for any anvils or the like that could hurt her. She found none. Aislin opened curtains Charlie hadn't noticed, revealing colored sunlight tinted by stained glass. The illumination made Charlie feel safer, for some reason.

Farrel returned with weapons, telling Charlie to choose one.

Are you kidding? she thought. If they were -giving- her a weapon, surely they didn't intend to kill her. Unless they wanted her to go down fighting.

Charlie selected a short sword, one that look dangerous but light enough to wield.

The sword feels right, comfortable, in Charlie's hand. The metal also feels oddly warm. If Charlie cares to try, she will find that she'd oddly adept at experimentally swinging the sword or anything else she tries.

Farrel deposits the other weapons off to the side of the room, and then returns to the center, holding a large ax himself. "Well then, shall we begin?" He asks. Without waiting for an answer, he lets out a loud (and manly!) grunt and swings the ax, hard and fast, right at Charlie.

(I never know what tense to post in lol.)

A strange sensation washes over Charlie as she holds the sword--almost like quick, near-undecipherable tingles washing up her arm and through her body. Enough to be recognized, but faint enough not to startle her. She suddenly knows how to hold the sword, how to swing it, how to parry a frontward blow. Things she knew she didn't know. And yet, she did know. Not an inkling, but sure-knowledge. It felt bizarre, yet... enticing.

"Well, shall we begin?" Farrell asks, pulling her attention away from the sensations running through her. He held a large axe, grunted, and CHARGED right for her.

"AAAHH!!!" Charlie screams, bolting from the circle to the side of the room, just missing the centaur's swing. Somehow she had maintained her grip on the sword, but she held both hands above her head as though the roof were coming in.

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?" Charlie shouts at the centaur, face flushed and eyes tearing. She holds the sword in front of her defensively, somehow knowing the pose, but her hands quiver faintly. "Leave me alone, let me go!" she demands.

Farrel recovered quickly from the miss-- both halves of him were quite muscular and strong. He hefted the ax up and over one shoulder, very nonchalant despite his ATTACKING her. "Good stance," he commented, "Stop running, you know how to defend yourself." And then he swung the ax at her again, though not quite as fast or hard as the first time (He was affected by the obvious terror in her eyes).

Although Chuck wouldn't know this, Farrel was quite a skilled fighter and was completely in control of all of his attacks. He had no intention of hurting Chuck, and if she somehow failed to parry his attack (which he seriously doubted), he would be sure to miss her.

"Good stance. Stop running, you know how to defend yourself."

And he charged her again.

Terrified and cornered, Charlie did what her natural instinct told her to do--Duck...

A second instinct flashed over her faster than thought, an instinct that wasn't hers. The massive centaur--at LEAST six or seven times her size--swung his axe, and in a tumult of adrenaline and terror, Charlie moved in a way she never had before.

She parried the blow, knocking the thick blade of the axe aside. But she didn't stop there. She spun with an unnatural balance and slashed Farrel's hand on the follow-through. How badly she got him is up to Fate.

As she and her opponent pulled apart, Charlie was wildly out of breath, red-faced, teary-eyed, and gripping her short sword with white knuckles.

Farrel, being a skilled fighter, manages to pull away and avoid much damage from Chuck's counterattack. However, as he pulls away, a small red line of blood forms on his hand. He stamps a few times on his hooved feet, but he was smiling. "Very good! Now you come at me." He stood a defensive stance this time, either unaware of her terror, or ignoring it.

Charlie stared at him in disbelief.

"No."

She lowered her sword. Dropping it would have made a better point, but in case the insane centaur charged her again, at least she could attempt to defend herself.

"No," she repeated, fuming but managing to control it. Her voice threatened to crack, as it always did, but for some miraculous reason she managed to keep it in check. "What are you doing? You bring me up here so you can try and kill me? Is this some kind of sick training? At what point did you think that barreling at me with an axe was a good idea??

"I don't know you!'" she raised her voice, almost shouting. "I don't know where I am, or who you think I'm supposed to be. I've been in this weird place for less than an hour and I have half-horses ten times my size telling me to 'come at them'! Stop it. Please, just stop. I don't want to do this. I just . . . I just want to go home."

She stared at the door they'd come through, debating whether or not to leave. She thought she could find her way back to Magson, maybe. If she had to.

A welling of confusion and despair threatened to overtake her.