The One That Got Away

GRANNIES AND WOLVES

When Layla opened her eyes, the warm light of the sun, coming from a window on the opposite wall, greeted her. She peeked around and realized that she was in what looked like a country clinic, lying on a bed. She had just noticed she lacked her dress, when a metallic sound made her turn. A woman with her back on her, wearing a traditional garment, was handling some medical tools rather unsuccessfully.

"Where am I?" she addressed the woman, feeling her throat sore. The woman was startled, a fact that resulted in more metallic sounds as the tools met the floor.

"Oh, thank the Light miss, you gave us quite a scare!" she chirped as she turned around to face Layla. She had a pleasant face and a kind smile. She looked too young to be a doctor.

"Can I have some water, please?" Layla felt thirsty. It must have been hours since she had something to drink.

"Course, course." The young woman picked a jar of water nervously and poured some in a cup. She offered it to Layla, who grabbed it without even bothering to change position. She consumed it all at once and asked for more, all the while trying to sit up straight. Suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind. She touched her neck.

"Where is it?" -she glared at the supposed nurse- "I was wearing a necklace."

"Oh, here it is." The woman opened a drawer, took the necklace out, and gave it to Layla, who grasped it fiercely. She tried to put it back on but was too exhausted to manage even that. The girl smiled in understanding and moved to help her. "'Tis precious to you it seems. Is it from your beloved?"

Layla blinked a few times to suppress the tears that threatened to emerge. Her beloved.

Her beloved who was dead, almost four years now.

She shook her head. "Never mind that, is everything alright with me? Did you run all the tests required?" Layla gazed at the woman. It alarmed her to notice she had the same look on her face as the guards of the night before. Like, what she was saying to these people made no sense to them.

"I do nat understand what you are saying, miss," the girl confirmed her suspicions. "But if you are asking whether you are well then yes, you are, since you woke up."

Layla was tempted to ask what that "since you woke up" meant, but something told her it would only result in a repetition of her previous conversation with the guards. Instead, she decided to try a different approach.

"Can I ask you something strange?" On hearing these words, the young woman seemed to become nervous. "You see, I am kind of confused after my accident"-she wore her most reassuring smile- "and I don't know where I am. What is this town called?"

The girl regarded her with suspicion. "What kind of accident did you have miss? 'Tis nat possible you do nat recognize Anetha, the capital of the kingdom!"

Right then and there, Layla realized something was seriously off. No matter how hard she tried to rationalize the things happening to her, it was obvious she had crossed the point where common sense helped to make sense. She needed to think out of the box, and she needed to do it fast, before she got into trouble with these people, whoever they were.

"I think I may be suffering from some form of memory loss," she lied to the nurse, who appeared to be relieved to hear such an explanation. "Could you tell me some more, you know, to help me remember?"

The young woman sat beside her on the bed. "Course dear, why didn't you say so before? As I said, we are in Anetha, the capital of the kingdom of Ellania, and king Lucius is our king. Also, 'tis the beginning of summer, oh, and today is Monday." After her mini-speech, she looked quite satisfied with herself.