You're not from the future: 6
Lucas blinked his eyes trying to comprehend the situation. He expected to see Queen Nythera Aston but an unfamiliar woman was standing inside her bedroom.
The first thing that caught Lucas's attention was the woman's beautiful foamy blue eyes. She nibbled her lower lip and constantly fidgetted her fingers in raw panic.
Lucas remained silent going through everything that his Mum said just before a few minutes, specifically, about his wife while his heart faintly thumped to an unknown rhythm.
" Her Majesty is not feeling well, King Aston, don't bug her with questions. As I told you before, she might've hit her head or something the other day since then she's acting strange. She'll even ask you if you're her husband or what's your name, just don't give up on her. "
He entered the bedroom only to greet her and he was just wondering to make his way out as soon as possible to let her rest. But the situation was different.
" What—what do you mean? I'm—I— " Ava was a stuttering mess. Despite lying to the King, she couldn't perfect the lie as she couldn't recollect what was the name of the real Queen.
" I asked who are you, miss? " he asked gently while meaning no harm to the woman, who frequently blinked in anxiety by stepping back and staying away from her safe zone.
" You—you mean I don't look like Queen Nyra— No, what was her name? " she blinked like a lost puppy, looking everywhere but at the King as if she expected the walls to give her an answer.
" Nythera, "
" Yeah—yeah! So...I— I don't look—look like Nythera to you? " The woman asked, stuttering, fiddling her fingers with the beautiful dress. Lucas looked at her before nodding to her question but he'd never have expected her beautiful eyes to swell with tears all of a sudden.
" Thank God! Oh my— I... I don't look like Ny—Nythera, right? Please—please! P—please, tell me! Tell—tell me, I have grey hair and—and I don't look beautiful! Please—please! Please, sir, I beg you! Tell me I'm not beauti—
" You look beautiful, " Lucas said, his voice softly gracing her heart and giving her a flight of goosebumps, " your grey hair is long and you have blue eyes. You definitely don't look like Nythera. " he quickly added, trying to not make her uncomfortable by his previous statement that sounded too blunt.
" Well... I... I—I don't have long hair but it's—it's fine. "
" Now may I ask you, why are you in our Queen's chamber? "
As if a bomb went off right over her head, Ava suddenly bowed 90° and shut her eyes close hurriedly, cursing herself in multi-languages while her lips too moved, apologising to the King.
" I'm—I'm so sorry! I didn't— I didn't get to make my greetings to you, um— Majesty! I— I'm sorry! Er— Please, accept my apology. Please, don't give me a life sentence for—for appearing inside your castle and into your own bedroom like your wife and— God knows how I did that! "
Lucas's thinned lips suddenly tugged upwards as he shook his head with a soft smile, no one have ever begun rambling before him like a kid instead of answering his question.
" No, you don't have to apologise, just tell me why you're here. " he directed her eyes to hers, she seemed too nervous to look him in the eye after almost urging a King to answer her in anxiety.
" I—I don't think you'll b—believe me! Because—because, hell! I can't even believe myself! This—this is freaking terrific...to stand as someone else who I don't have an idea of who she is, with a bunch of many more strange people calling me their Queen—
And Ava continued her ramble, definitely, forgetting the fact that one of the feared kings of the world was standing before her. She, finally, stopped after noticing Lucas's blank expression.
" I—I I'm— "
" Calm down, I'll believe whatever you tell me even if you're about to tell me that you came from Uranus and teleported our Queen to Neptune. " he casually said earning a gasp from Ava, who couldn't believe her eyes.
Who in the world would just joke when he could see an unfamiliar woman in his wife's place? Clearly, this King did.
" You don't have to fear me. On hearing everything from my Mum, I can guess that you've been trying to explain yourself to her. So, I can hear you and I'll be glad if you'd tell me where our Queen, Nythera is, if you somehow know her current location. " he requested politely walking to sit on a comfy sofa, taking off his golden crown from his head in the meantime.
Lucas asked Ava to take a seat and placed his crown on a nearby cushion on a table where Ava had also settled Nythera's platinum crown that sparkled with two blue sapphire stones and a diamond in the centre. He leaned on the sofa comfortably, ruffling his black hair to the back of his head while Ava was shifting her weight to her legs one by one.
" I'm— I'm so sorry! I...swear— I don't know anything about her whereabouts. She—she might be in my place... I don't know— "
" So tell me where are you from then? "
" I— Majesty— I... I think I came from the future...where we—we have hand gadgets to...to move our life. See— See...this is a mobile, from—from this, we could make calls or send messages— " While Ava was showing her cracked mobile to the King, he hummed.
" Send emails, take photographs or do anything with it. I know about mobile phones, I have one too, " he stated, fishing out his mobile phone from his back pocket and placing it before Ava's mobile to which she gawked like a dying fish.
" You— You guys have mo—mobiles?! "
" Yes, we do... It's okay, I still am ready to hear you, continue," he said assuring her that it was okay.
" There's no monarchy in the future or from where I came. We're...democratic country—
" What's the year you're from? " his question was sudden and blunt.
" Eh... 2021... "
" Don't take me wrong... Are you sure you're from the future? " Lucas gave her a concerned look and eyed his mobile and suddenly flashed the lock screen of his mobile with the time and date which Ava also happened to notice.
04:37 PM
17/07/2021
" It—it can't be...true. If I'm really in 2021, then—then can you— Can you please—please, tell me where am I? I—I... I mean Briston... When— Where is Briston on the world map? "
" Here, let me show you, " he clicked open his mobile and within a few minutes, he showed her a virtual map and pointed at a specific place.
" I'm sorry...but—but I can't get it right. This is...this is the US in North America, "
" I don't know what's the US...but it's Briston. A country in North America. "
" I... I don't know why or how you're saying this is...this is Briston as it seems like I've been studying it wrong the—the entire time. But I'm damn sure...this is—this is US which means the United States and I—I come from New Zealand, Queens town, " she pointed at the small island country while Lucas frowned.
" Yeah...this is New Zealand but I've never heard about the United States before but don't worry, I'll let my men go and search for the state— '
" No! No—no, it's— It's not a state in your country! Er—the United States is the name of a country in North America. " Ava was restless now. She seemed too frustrated upon the topic wondering how she could make someone believe that it was something else but Briston where he had been living.
Lucas, finally, nodded not wanting to argue about the thing and looked at her with a friendly smile.
" I trust you, but remember that you're not from the future or anything. We're in the same period. Briston is one of the wealthiest countries in North America and we're technologically well developed. I can get you to a psychologist if you want— Wait, don't take me wrong! I'm not telling you that you have something wrong with your brain, I just want you to confirm by yourself that everything that happens around you is true and not any of your dreams as you've been telling the same thing for more than a week. " he quickly suggested when Ava looked at the verge of crying. She doesn't know what to do.
" Then—then you... You'll not kill me? Please don't kill me, I swear on my life I— I don't know where your wife is. I really don't know how—how I ended up here like her. I'm— I'm just a normal woman working in a museum... I never— I never knew anything about your country or you. Please—please, don't kill me or do anything to me, I just want to go home. " she fell to her knees, sobbing in her hand while Lucas immediately jumped in alarm.
" No, no, don't. Don't cry, miss, I'll not do anything to you, trust me, miss. "
But Ava's sob seemed to only increase while Lucas blinked in confusion not knowing what to do.
He didn't know what to do or say to a crying woman to calm her down. Neither his mother didn't teach him to manage a woman. He could walk away, call anyone to console her as he was sure that the woman needed time and some peace to relieve some stress that had been building up since the day she appeared here. But he couldn't do it. He felt sorry and wanted to comfort her by himself but didn't know how to do it. He awkwardly kneeled to her level and sneaked her hands, slightly shuddering in the meantime, to hold her shivering hands.
He felt a chill run down his spine when he made contact with her small hands compared to his large ones. Ava wasn't focusing on him but was desperately crying her heart out.
Lucas didn't know what came up suddenly but he gently grabbed her hands and patted them softly.
" Trust me, I'll never harm you. You did nothing wrong. I promise I'll keep you away from any harm. No one would hurt you or ask you about Nythera, " he whispered, gently squeezing her hands to let her notice he was honest.
" Trust me and act along with me, I'll make sure to let everyone know that you're not doing well now. My mum, yeah her name is Mathilda Acton, she'll not disturb you anymore and I promise you, I'll send you back home. "
Ava couldn't help but sigh out loud, her breath shuddering with a flight of goosebumps running through her veins while the King still smiled at her, standing up to depart.
" I...I don't know what I'll do or how I can— I can repay you, but I'm so so thankful to you for—for keeping your trust in me. I swear on my life, I didn't lie! I just— I just want to go back to my brother, that's—that's all. "
" You don't have to be, don't worry. You'll be back home and about our Queen, I'll take respective actions to bring her back home. You don't have to worry about her and...what was your name again? " he asked, his eyes squinting down to look at the tear-stained face while Ava, quickly, wiped her face and flashed him a meekly smile.
" Oh! My name— I'm Ava... Ava Winslow, "
" And I'm Lucas Aston, "
To be continued
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