LIGHT NOVEL Chapter 5: I have come to rescue you
Perry was dreaming again. All of the confusion of the day aside, he was at least sure of that much.
The grass swayed gently in the breeze and the gray sky seemed to stretch on endlessly.
"You are a stubborn one. No wonder it took so long to find you."
Perry turned at the sound of the strange voice. The figure wearing a yellow cloak stood some distance away. Not far enough away that Perry didn't notice that while the grass swayed softly with the breeze, his long cloak and hood remained completely still.
Perry opened his mouth to speak, to ask this person where he was, what this place was, but he found he had no voice.
The figure lowered their head and Perry swore he heard a soft sigh that sounded exactly like the soft breeze twirling around him. Or maybe the rush of the ocean.
"You do not belong here. Not yet. You have to find it first, only then can you forget."
Perry shook his head. Find what? Forget what?
He stepped closer to the figure, trying to speak again and moving his hands in random gestures, trying to be understood.
"Do not think too hard on things of little importance. Find what you need. And then—"
An earsplitting crack echoed from the sky and Perry pressed both hands over his ears.
"Find what you need."
The sky began to darken. Perry tried to run toward the figure in yellow. He'd get some answers, damn it, even if it killed him.
Before he could make it even halfway there, complete darkness enveloped him and he felt, for the briefest of moments, his feet leave the ground.
***
"Shh. Shh, Your Highness. It is alright, it is going to be okay. I am here now, I will take care of you."
Something cold and wet landed on his forehead. Something solid landed on his hand. Someone else's hand?
He tried to move his head and regretted it almost instantly.
"Please, remain still," the Captain's voice was impossibly gentle. His thumb traced small circles on Perry's palm. "You have been through quite enough."
Perry cracked his eyes open. He was lying on a narrow bed in what he thought was one of the rooms in the inn. The walls were dark wood and a single lantern cast a warm glow from the corner. The Captain sat beside him, way too close for comfort, his expression a mixture of concern and something else that made Perry slightly uneasy.
Perry swallowed and tried to gather his thoughts. Given everything, it was bit more difficult than usual.
"I'm not who you think I am," Perry said, trying to withdraw his hand.
His whole body ached – muscles he didn't even know he had were protesting their existence loudly. His foot throbbed, and the skin around his wrists was raw from the shackles that had thankfully been removed.
He made a mental note to be thankful for small mercies later. Maybe when he was back in his tiny apartment and after taking a long, long shower.
The Captain's grip on his hand tightened. "The trauma has affected your memory, but worry not. I have sent for a Royal Messenger. They will be here soon, and once word is sent to their Royal Majesties, we can get you safely back to the Palace."
Panic prickled in Perry's chest and he tugged his hand harder, finally breaking the Captain's hold.
"No, you don't understand." Perry coughed and made another mental note to never ever turn down water. Ever again. "I'm not your prince. I'm just... Perry. I work at Lucky Fries." Even as he said it, he realized how ridiculous it sounded. Did this guy even know what a fry was, let alone a lucky one?
Actually, now that he'd stopped to think about it, the name didn't even make sense to him. Was it the fact that they were fried that was the lucky factor? Or did you somehow gain luck by eating them?
Perry shook his head and winced when the movement made his brain feel like it'd been put inside a pinball machine. A malfunctioning one.
"Your Highness," the Captain leaned closer, his free hand moving to Perry's cheek. Perry froze, all his attention zeroing in on that way, way too intimate gesture. "Whatever they did to you, whatever enchantment they used, we shall break it. I promise you."
Perry's slow, and possibly drugged, brain finally started to put the pieces together. The Captain's gentleness, the handholding, the promises to avenge him, and the long night of political discussion. It all led to one inevitable conclusion.
This guy not only thought Perry was a lost prince who'd been put under some kind of memory spell - Perry mentally set that one aside to unpack later -, but also thought they had some kind of romantic relationship.
His brain screamed at him Abort! Danger! Abort!
Perry jerked away from the touch, his head spinning at the sudden movement. He knew enough to figure out where this was all heading. Best case scenario, they'd figure out he wasn't their prince and throw him in a dungeon somewhere far off where no one could hear him scream. You know, because royalty and all that.
Worst case scenario, he'd be accused of impersonating royalty and have his head systematically removed from the rest of his body. If he was lucky, they might not torture him first. Again, because, well, royalty.
And if he had to choose, he'd go with the third option: getting the hell out of there as fast as he could. Hopefully, with his head and all his other limbs still attached.
"I need… I need a minute," he said.
The Captain frowned at him and raised one hand toward Perry's face. Perry backed away from him.
"A moment. I need a moment," he corrected himself, remembering Myran's slight confusion at him saying 'minute' when they'd stopped to rest in the forest. "A momen. Alone. Please."
The Captain's frown deepened. "Your Highness, in your condition—"
"That's an order," Perry said, trying to inject some authority into his voice. He probably sounded more like a frustrated drive-thru worker than a prince. Or maybe one of his customers who demanded to speak to the manager. But to his surprise, the Captain stood immediately.
"As you wish, Your Highness. I will be right outside if you need anything." He bowed deeply and left the room, closing the door behind him.
Perry sat up carefully, groaning pitifully as his muscles protested. The room swam for a moment before settling. He needed to think, needed a plan. He needed a way out of this insane situation and to get back home.
His life might not be much, but it was his. And he wanted it back.
He glanced around, weighing his options. The window was small but might work as an escape route – except for the fact that he was pretty sure he couldn't climb down a building. He could try making a run for it, but the Captain was right outside. Maybe if he waited a few more hours for the guards to change. They did that, right?
In all the movies he'd seen, that happened. So that had to apply here, right? Except Perry had a feeling Captain Handsy on the other side of the door might not relinquish his post so easily.
And there was, of course, the matter of the messenger. He was damned if he stayed and almost positively damned if he left.
A soft knock on the wall beside his bed interrupted his tiny panic attack. Perry froze, listening. After a moment, the knock came again.
"Hello?" he called softly, then immediately cursed himself. Every horror movie he'd ever watched had taught him not to investigate strange noises coming from strange places. But apparently near-death experiences and interdimensional travel had damaged his survival instincts.
To his amazement, a section of the wooden wall slid aside, revealing a narrow passage. Myran's face appeared in the opening.
"Your Highness," the boy whispered, "I have come to rescue you."
Perry stared at him, wondering if he'd hit his head harder than he thought. Or maybe this was just another dream, and he'd wake up behind the counter at Lucky Fries, drooling into the cash register.
But no – the pain in his body was too real, the wood grain of the walls too detailed, the smell of dust and old timber from the hidden passage too specific to be a dream. This was happening, and he had to make a choice: trust the boy who'd already saved him once, or wait for the Royal Messenger to arrive and potentially - most certainly - seal his fatal fate.