The man’s name was Tiyrus.  It took a couple tries to pronounce correctly.  The first part was more pronounced than Olive first assumed.  Like ‘tea’.  Tiyrus, for his part, had far less difficulty with Olive’s name.  He considered it, like he was tasting a fine wine.  Then he gave her a soft smile.  His eyes, however, did not reflect the same warmth.  Perhaps that was just because of their unnatural color, Olive thought nervously.

“Will I be able to return home?” she asked, once the introductions were over.

It was, of course, the most important question.  Perhaps the only one that mattered.

“Not anytime soon,” he replied.  “I’m afraid it’s a complicated situation and will require a good deal of explanation.  Let’s focus on more immediate things - where you are.  What happens to you now.”

“Oh.”  

Her voice was very soft.  She’d hoped - she wasn’t sure what she’d been hoping for.  That this was just a nightmare and would end as soon as she woke up.  

Tiyrus explained that she was in the royal castle of Antris, the ruling kingdom across the entire world.  She’d been lucky in that she’d arrived in the capital city.  The royal guard were the ones to respond once word reached them that an outsider had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

“How long was I unconscious?” she asked.

Long enough for word to travel to the castle, she thought uneasily.  She didn’t like the thought of just laying there in the street, vulnerable and alone like that.

“A bit,” Tiyrus replied.  “And no one thought to move you out of the sun.”

He sounded disgusted.  Then his expression softened and he scratched at the back of his head and sighed.

“Commoners are unfamiliar with magic, though,” he said ruefully.  “I suppose I shouldn’t blame them for being afraid.”

“Wait.  Magic?”

It stood to reason, but hearing it so starkly like that…  Tiyrus smiled slyly at her.  

“Yes.  Magic.  Is it rare in your world?”

“It doesn’t exist,” she replied bluntly.

“I’ll have to introduce you to this world slowly, then.  You’ve had enough shocks already.  But… I suppose a small demonstration wouldn’t be remiss.”

He raised a hand and put his forefinger and thumb together.  A spark of light appeared just above the gesture, blossoming into a small flame like a candle.  Olive leaned forward on the bed in amazement, captivated.  Fire from nothing.  Her heart pounded in excitement.  It felt like she was floating.  Like nothing was real at that moment.

Then Tiyrus snapped and the fire was gone.  He laughed at Olive’s expression of surprise.

“It’s a fairly uncommon talent,” he said.  “I am… very fortunate in my abilities.”

“Was it magic that brought me here?” Olive asked.

“It was.”

“Whose - and… how?”

He tutted at her and glanced away, staring idly at the wall behind her.

“Slowly, Olive.  You were in here crying like your heart would shatter not long ago, if I am right.”

“Was it that obvious?” she asked, twisting her hand together in her lap.

“It is.  Here.”

He reached into a pouch at his waist and pulled out a handkerchief.  He tossed it to her.  It was soft and the edges were embroidered with a simple line of blue thread.

“For when you feel the need to cry again,” he said softly.  “I’m sure this won’t be the only time you grieve for what has happened to you.”

Tears stung the edges of her eyes and she hastily dabbed at them with the edge of the handkerchief.  No.  It wouldn't be.

“So, kingdom of Antris,” she said hastily, trying to distract herself.  

“Yes.”  Tiyrus settled back into the chair.  “I’ll continue my explanation.”

Antris was the ruling kingdom of the The World After.  The way he said the phrase made Olive think that it was significant, much like B.C. and A.D. back home.  She wanted to ask what the division was, but Tiyrus had clearly settled into a lecture and it would be rude to interrupt.  She’d learn it all at some point, she thought ruefully, if she was going to be trapped here for a while.

There were other kingdoms.  Antris left them to govern themselves, but they were all subservient to the Crown.  They paid a yearly tribute to acknowledge the King’s sovereignty.  He rattled off some more details about the capital, but Olive wasn’t entirely listening.  She was studying Tiyrus a bit more closely.  An admitted mage, but what exactly was his social position here?  Why was he the one handling her introduction to this world?  His clothing wasn’t particularly ornate.  A deep blue tunic that was slit down to his knees and a light gray hooded mantle, edged with crenulations and decorated with couching done with white and bright blue thread.  The only jewelry he wore was a silver pin on the mantle stylized to resemble a simplistic sun - a single ring with the rays emanating from it - some rings, and a scattering of earrings.  Simple hoops and a pearl teardrop.  From what little Olive knew of history, she had to guess that he was wealthy, but didn’t flaunt it.

“I think that should be enough for you to get by with,” Tiyrus said thoughtfully, wrapping up his explanation of where she was.  “You’ll need to know a bit about our history, but let’s save that for later.”

He stood, smoothing the front of his long tunic. 

“I’ll send one of my personal attendants to you,” he said.  “Are you feeling well enough to be on your feet for a while?”

“I am.  But… what for?”

She was expecting a tour.  That seemed to be the logical next step.  While she was still disoriented, she was desperately hoping for something to keep her mind occupied for as long as possible.  She felt like if she stopped moving for too long, if her mind dwelled on the enormity of her situation, she’d collapse into pieces.  

“Fitting,” Tiyrus said crisply.  “I need to present you to His Majesty and for that, you need suitable attire.”

“W-what’s wrong with this?” she stammered, glancing down at her outfit.

Was it the jeans?  Did women not get to wear pants in this world?  Her heart sank.  Sure, dresses were fine, she supposed, but she didn’t want to be confined to them alone as her only options.  Tiyrus’s answer, however, caught her off-guard.

“It’s foreign,” he replied with distaste.  “You belong to Antris now and should be dressed like us.  Only captives are presented to the King in their native clothing.”

He opened the door and stepped through.

“My attendant will be here shortly,” he said over his shoulder.

Then the door shut behind him and there was the heavy click of the lock.