Running, Arian thought with displeasure, my least favorite form of cardio in the whole world.

Thankfully the tiny woman did not have a stressful pace as she held her petticoats to avoid snagging on stray branches. They had run into the woods to escape danger, but Arian didn’t know where she was going. The low shrubs of the forest scraped across her exposed legs, soft bites stinging the surface of her skin. The choices she made for direction were based on the path of least resistance, avoiding dense foliage as much as possible. 

Eventually they came upon a shallow river. The water was glassy and clear, showing all the various shapes of rocks sleeping on the bottom. Not hesitating, Arian stepped into the river, the cold water soothing the cuts on her shins. After a few steps she realized that no sound followed her. Turning around, Arian found the woman standing at the river’s edge looking helpless.

With a loud sigh, Arian walked back to the woman. She squatted and wrapped one arm around her frilly thighs, then placed the other on the woman’s arm to stabilize her. As she lifted the woman, Arian heard a small squeak of surprise.

Slowly Arian trudged across the river, holding the woman high to not get her skirts wet. They looked like a misshapen candle, with the woman’s hair burning like a flame somewhere above Arian’s head. Once at the other side, she unloaded her ruffled package and twisted to stretch out her back.

“My lady, you are quite strong.”

“You are barely heavier than a child,” Arian said, deflecting the compliment.

The woman politely smiled at the response. Her face appeared to be an adult, though not a particularly old one. She was beautiful with crystal blue eyes, wavy red locks, delicate collar bones, and wispy limbs. If someone told Arian she was a fairy, she would not have been surprised.

Thinking of fairies stopped her stretching, and Arian was called back to the reality that she had no idea where she was. This woman in a fancy dress had been chased by a knight and was now addressing her as my lady. She hoped she had fallen somewhere in the vicinity of a renaissance faire but was silently terrified by the possibility of that not being the explanation.

How do you ask what country you are in without drawing suspicion? Better yet, how does one ask what year it is without signaling some form of mental instability? How does someone ask if they are in a new world or realm?

“May we, by chance, rest for a moment,” the delicate woman asked, “I am a bit weary.”

“Of course,” Arian said and found a small boulder to sit on. She slid off her shoes to let them dry a bit during their rest.

The other woman collected her skirts and carefully sat down, and they took a few breaths in silence. They were two women that each experienced a traumatic life event, and this was the first moment they paused to process it. Arian’s mind was racing but her face was blank, and she did not know how to start navigating her way out of the uncertainties that buried her.

“Thank you for saving me.” The woman spoke softly, looking at Arian with a concerned face, but a genuine smile. “My name is Gwendolyn, but I would be quite pleased if you would call me Gwen.”

Introductions were a solid start. Arian realized her best option was to just take things one little bit at a time. She had gotten overwhelmed in her mind thinking of everything. Getting paralyzed by her emotions wouldn’t help her get home.

“My name is Arian, but you can call me Ari.”

Gwen beamed at this response.

“So… why was that knight chasing you?”

“I am not certain, I was returning to my home estate, but the pathway was blocked by a fallen tree. Our detour was a place I had never been, and it was there that we were attacked.”

Well, that is extremely suspicious, Arian thought. Out loud she said, “Where were you coming from?” Maybe the location could be a clue to where she was.

“A picnic in the tulip fields!” Gwen gushed passionately. The change in tone and energy made Arian blink rapidly to process the emotional shift. Gwen continued, “I was having a romantic lunch with my betrothed, Prince Walter, but he was called away by the King on an urgent matter.”

Arian unconsciously crinkled her nose at the name Walter. All the Walters she knew were nonces.

“So, you met your betrothed for a remote romantic lunch that got conveniently interrupted, then he left you to return home alone on a route that was blocked, sending you on an unknown path where you got attacked?”

“Well, the interruption was most inconvenient,” Gwen corrected with a smile.

“You don’t think it sounds a bit… coordinated?”

“Why would anyone do such a thing?” Gwen asked in surprise.

Focus Arian, she thought. This does not give you any information that you need.

“You are right. That is silly,” she said, suddenly concerned that this woman was exceptionally naive.

She needed answers, but she realized they also needed a plan. The sun had crossed the sky and Arian had no idea how much sunlight they had left in the day. She was not an outdoorsy person. In her mind, well-adjusted families went on camping vacations together. That was never her reality, she had never been camping and was not a survive-in-the-woods kind of gal.

“Do you know where we are?” Arian asked.

“I thought you knew the way, as you chose to lead.”

“That was just adrenaline,” Arian stated. Gesturing to her clothes, she continued, “I’m not from around here, I don’t know where to go.”

“That does explain your unusual state of dress.”

What a polite way of telling me I’m dressed strangely, Arian thought.

“Are those the style of undergarments from your country?”

What a polite way of telling me I’m immodest, Arian chuckled.

“Yes,” Arian clutched to the lie that Gwen had given her. “I was taken from home while in my undergarments.”

“You escaped? How are you faring?” Gwen asked, her blue eyes filled with concern, likely assuming Arian had been kidnapped. A plausible assumption from a woman who had just been attacked.

“I don’t know,” Arian said in a bit of a breathless statement.

She was not okay, but she was also not in a safe place to release her feelings about the experience. Survival was the order at hand, mental stability would have to come later. As she had been reflecting, Gwen had stood and come towards Arian. She picked up Arian’s hand and spoke confidently.

“You saved me, and I am duty bound to aid you. You shall stay at my family estate until you can find a way to return home.”

“I would be grateful for that,” Arian said with wary apprehension but an appreciative smile.

“We shall be as sisters!” Gwen said a bit too excitedly as she did a little jig in delight.