Out of breath and out of options, Giselle stumbled from the thick brush onto a pristine lawn. Before her, on a small green island all its own, sat the large castle of those she considered to be her enemy. With few options and no time to consider any others she rushed across the bridge, the sole way on or off the lake surrounded piece of land. For a brief moment, she wondered if there was time to slowly lower herself into the water. Maybe it was possible to hold her breath long enough for her pursuers to give up and look for her elsewhere. But even if she had that kind of time, surely the creature that inhabited the lake would tear her apart.

There were no guards at the gate. There was no need. No one would dare attack the castle, not when the inhabitants controlled the vast majority of the country. It wasn’t even a spot that held any strategic value in a war and stories of the creature usually ran off anyone with a notion to try. The castle itself was built to withstand a siege and considered to be a great sanctuary for it contained large stone doors that could keep out all intruders when closed, even a giant, but what about three?

She ran through the gates just as the three giants following her emerged from the brush. She made a quick dodge to the right, hoping they wouldn’t see her. It was getting harder for her to run as her lungs gasped for air but she pressed on. Better to pass out later than die now. She made her way to a nearby cart stacked with hay and jumped in. She prayed the scent would mask her own as giants have notoriously powerful senses of smell.

Their thunderous footsteps stopped suddenly, and she was curious as to why. Not curious enough to emerge from her hiding, but curious none the less.

 Maybe their giant feet were too big to make it across the bridge, she thought.

The water surrounding the island was said to have the power to eat anything put into it except for the creature that lived there, not that she believed in such nonsense. But they were giants. Surely they could take an extra long stride or jump across the water to the island for her. She took the opportunity to catch her breath while pondering why they stopped.

All around her was deathly quiet. She could feel a change in the temperature and light as the sun set over the mountains. She had been hidden for so long that she was completely rested, but her legs had gone so numb there would be no way for her to run. She made a small hole with her finger in the hay and peeked out. The area looked completely abandoned, like people had left in a hurry. It was not surprising. There were giants outside the gates. She made the hole a little bigger for a closer look, but it was void of any living creature.

They could never have left for fear of the giants. Perhaps they were all hiding.

She thought back trying to remember if anyone was there when she ran in. When she was forced to answer no, her heartbeat again began to race. The castle had been abandoned before her arrival.

She carefully revealed her head so she could look at the sky for the giants. There were weapons scattered around in various places of the dirt covered yard. She completely emerged from her hiding and glanced around. The sky had become dark as midnight yet there was light coming from an unknown source. She knew the time should be far earlier only just touching the twilight hours, the prettiest time of the day.

Forgetting about the danger, Giselle dashed farther back toward the castle doors crashing into a wall. She felt the wall where the doors should have been. The doors weren’t real. She spun taking in the scenery. None of it was familiar. Tentatively she wandered the premises. Where was she? She thought back hoping to piece everything together. Maybe she took a wrong turn. But if that were true, who owned the property and where were they?

She headed back to the gate and pushed through. The doors were much lighter than she remembered. When her eyes scanned over the landscape, everything had changed. There were more lights, as far as her eyes could see, all blindingly bright. So much so that she couldn’t see all of the stars. What she thought was her brother-in-law’s residence, was a large fakery made of a substance she hadn’t felt before. She started to walk in the direction of the lights but was stopped by a strange fence filled with holes.

“Hey!” a male voice shook her from her thoughts. The light that he held in his palm was bright in her eyes and she couldn’t make out the face of the person talking. “How’d you get in here?”

“I-I am not certain.” It was rare for her to stutter. “I was running and then….”

“I’m sick of you kids trying to mess up the castle. The park is closed.”

His voice made her feel uneasy and she turned back to the fence. She pushed at it but it bounced back mocking her. The closer the man got, the more scared she became. By lucking coincidence, she found a place in the fence that was open and squeezed through. The man caught her by her foot, but she managed to push him off before running off into the night.

Her feet moved quickly down over the uneven terrain as she approached the bright lights. She stopped at the top of a hill just shy of falling down a very steep side, but it wasn’t the drop that had her spooked. So many things were different in this place. There were so many buildings all close together and the ground was covered in a strange substance. What could only be described as carriages moved by themselves and were equipped with bright lights of their own.

 She slid carefully down the hill and touched the black top. It seemed firm to the touch. She stood and dipped her toe onto the surface. Once she was satisfied with the hardness, she took a deep breath, and let it hold her—fascinating. She took a few steps but was released from her examination by the blaring sound of a strange horn. She looked up and managed to take a quick step forward while the fast moving carriage swerved behind her. More blaring came from her other side. There was squealing, shouting, and strange smells like burning coming from all around her. Someone grabbed her from behind.

“Hey, girly!” The burly man had a tight grip around her small wrist. “What are you doing out here? Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

The force of his voice scared her. She struggled.

“What’s wrong with you? Look at what you did to my truck!”

She kicked him as hard as she could and bit the hand around her wrist at the same time before running off. She heard him calling for her and could only hope that her legs were faster than his.

She ran until she was certain she was no longer being followed, but came to realize that she was so far from where she wanted to be. Frightened and alone, she wrapped her arms around herself in a tight hug. It was the warm season at home, but somehow she had found herself in a hard land during their cooler months. She walked quickly hoping to generate heat, but she grew colder with each passing moment until finally collapsing in a pile of bags.

Tom threw some stuff away in the dumpster behind the restaurant where he worked. It wasn’t the greatest place in the world to work, but it was a job. He stood outside in the brisk night air taking in the sights and sounds of the city when he heard a sound coming from down alley. At first, he thought it was the cat that had paid him a visit almost every night for the last few weeks. He sometimes kept scraps in his pocket to feed them. He pulled out some leftover bread and called out.

“Here, kitty. Come here, Lucy.”

There was a sound behind him. The sleek black cat had jumped up on the dumpster and called out a greeting of her own.

“Well, hey there, girl.” He turned back to pet her. “I thought you were over there. Did you bring some of your friends?”

He carefully made his way over to where he heard the noise. When he got closer, the creature moved again skittering across the asphalt. He froze at the thought of an animal so large. After a deep breath, he took another tentative step toward the area.

“Stay back,” called a female voice.

He released a huge breath. It wasn’t an animal after, just a girl. “I won’t hurt you, I promise.”

“I did not ask if you would hurt me. I commanded you to stay back.” Her voice sounded strange, an accent.

“You’re not from around here, are you? Visiting from Scotland or something?” He took another small step and knelt down. “You sound young.”

“What has my age to do with anything?”

His eyes finally looked into hers, large hazel eyes with flex of green. “You are young.”

“You seem no older.”

“Then you know I can be trusted.” He offered a smile.

“Being low in age does not mean you are low in danger.”

He stifled a laugh. “If I give you my word as a gentleman would you come out of hiding? I can offer you food if you’re hungry.”

“Your word?”

“Yes.”

There was a moment of silence while she pondered what to do next.

“Give me your hand,” she commanded.

“Huh?”

“Your hand, give it to me.”

He reached it but when he saw her jump back he slowed his approach. He felt her gentle touch, her soft hands caressing his ever so delicately before slipping away.

He waited for a response. “Um, does that mean you’re coming out now or…?”

She crawled a bit more into the light and he was stunned by her beauty. Even with her dirt smudged face she was the breathtaking picture of a doll. Her rounded cheeks were rosy from the chill as were her perfectly shaped lips. Her rich chocolate hair stretched over her exposed shoulder and kissed the ground ever so lightly. She noticed his gaze and started chewing on her lower lip.

“Why do you stare?”

“I’m sure I’m not the first person who has ever stared at you.”

Her eyes narrowed scrutinizing his appearance. “What are these strange clothes you wear?”

“My apron? I work in the kitchens.”

She scoffed. “A common worker.”

He ignored her distain. “We do what we can to survive.”

Her expression softened. “Yes, we do.”

He offered his hand once more. “Can I help you out of there?”

She stood but tripped over her own feet and fell into his chest. Her body was cold and she was shivering. She looked up at his face and he could feel his own cheeks getting hot. She took in a deep breath and pushed herself away.

“Forgive me, good sir, I did not mean to fall into you like that.” She started fidgeting with her hands.

He let out a chuckle. “It’s okay.”

He watched her. She was shaking so much now that he had a chance to look her over. He was angry with himself for not bringing his coat, but why would he need that if he was only going to be out for a few minutes?

“So… um,” he cleared his throat. “Can I call someone for you? Family perhaps so you can get home.”

“I have no one.”

“Really? I’m sort of on my own too.” He reached out to put his arm around her, but she flinched. “Um, look you’re obviously cold. I can let you in the back here so you can warm up. If you don’t mind waiting, I can help you find your way home.” He caught a glimpse of a slightly upturned lip that was quickly covered with one of her delicate fingers.

“Thank you for being so kind.” She curtsied. “I am Giselle, Lady of Allaway and third child of Lord Aaron of house Solomaine and Lady Elizabeth of house Lod.

“Um sure, sure.” He was practically beaming. “Your name is almost as beautiful as you are.”

She closed herself off. “I beg your pardon?”

“No… I’m sorry.” Tom shook his head. “I’m Tom, Tomas Wells. No fancy titles for me, Giselle.”

She pouted. “We just met.”

“Um… yeah?”

“Well, you should not be so informal with me.”

“Oh, we’re playing that game are we?” He nodded before mumbling to himself. “Why are the pretty one’s also so crazy.”

He led her through the kitchen of the restaurant and into the dining room. She was in awe of all the tables and sparkling lights. He sat her at one of the tables and the spring in the red cushion surprised her. She bounced in the booth a few times before he could bring himself to speak.

“Would you care for something to eat?” he asked.

The heat had wrapped around her and she started to shiver again as if her body didn’t realize exactly how cold she had become until she started to warm up. Speaking had turned into quite the challenge through her chattering teeth.

“I’ll bring you something hot to warm your insides. I’ll be right back.”

She examined the table while he was away. The dark lacquer top felt so smooth to the touch. She bounced a few more times and almost burst out in laughter. She reached over grabbing a tray with some containers in it. She examined the white shaker and noticed the small holes.

“Here we are.”

Tom’s sudden return startled her and she dropped the shaker.

“Oh no. Better take a pinch and toss it over your left shoulder—or is it the right? I can never remember.”

He set a bowl off to the side then gathered the salt with the towel around his waist. She watched him take a pinch and toss it over his left shoulder before proceeding to do the same. He then gathered the remaining salt into his towel.

“Is that some sort of custom?” she asked.

“What, the salt?” He was going to laugh, but the hopeful look in her eyes gave him pause. “More of a superstition. If you spill salt then you have to do that so you don’t have bad luck.”

She tilted her head. “But salt is protective magic. How can it cause bad luck?”

“It’s just a saying.” He placed the bowl in front of her. “Here, I warmed some potato soup for you. I can bring you hot chocolate too if you like.” He handed her a spoon.

She carefully ran her fingers over the smooth surface and handle before smiling. He gently took it from her and placed it into the bowl.

“I know what a spoon is used for.” She glanced up and noticed the flush in his cheeks. “I was just glad to see something familiar.”

“What do you mean? Don’t they have stuff like this wherever you’re from?”

“Not exactly.”

He sat across from her and stared while she carefully dipped the spoon into the bowl taking just a small amount from the edge and touching it lightly to her lip before placing the spoon back down to stir.

“Too hot?” he asked. “It was in the microwave so it’s probably hot all outside and colder in the middle. Try it now.”

She did as she was told in the same manner before putting the soup in her mouth. She closed her eyes before taking the spoon back out and smiled at him.

“So it’s good?”

She nodded.

“I’ll get you some bread or something. You want some bread?”

“Tom!” A tall man with broad shoulders came out from the back and stormed over. “How many times do I have to tell you not to bring those homeless people in here? It upsets the other customers.”

Tom quickly stood. “We’re closed, Trevor. There are no other customers.”

Trevor grabbed Tom’s shoulders. “That’s not what I told you, is it?”

Giselle sat up on her knees in the booth. “Put him down!”

Tom struggled in his grip. “She needs help.”

Trevor let out a huge breath and released Tom. “You’re too kind hearted.” His attention focused on Giselle. “She doesn’t look homeless.”

“No, just lost. I told you. She needs help.”

Giselle glanced between them and noticed many similarities. They both had the same shade of black hair, the same round deeply blue eyes, and even the same shaped nose. In fact, their only difference seemed to be that Trevor was stronger and more arrogant.

“Pardon me, sir, but you are disrupting my meal.”

Trevor scoffed. “Your meal? Did you pay for it?”

“I did,” Tom interrupted. “Don’t worry about it, okay?”

Trevor growled through his teeth. “We’re not running a charity here, little brother.”

“C’mon, Trey. Look at her. She’s so small.”

She scoffed. “I beg your pardon.”

“So small and practically helpless,” Tom continued. “Look at her.”

Trevor did notice her tiny frame. “How old are you? Like nine? Ten?”

“Sixteen. And you, sir?” Her tone clearly showed her distain.

“Twenty-three.” He was intrigued by her lack of fear. “People don’t usually talk to me like that.”

“I’m seventeen,” Tom volunteered but it was clear he was not the focus of anyone’s attention. “Almost eighteen.”

She let out a huff. “It would seem like you could use a disparaging word or two. You are entirely too rude.”

Tom’s eyes widened and he glanced between Trevor and Giselle. Both of them remained in their stance fighting for dominance with simple glances. To his surprise, it was Trevor who broke first.

“Okay there, Spunky. So what’s your story?”

“My name is Lady Giselle and you may address me as such.” She sat back down turning away from him. “And if you desire information from me, I suggest you give me a proper introduction.”

One of the corners of Trevor’s lips turned upward. He pushed Tom out of the way and sat across from her. “I get the feeling you didn’t give me a proper introduction. Why should I give you one?”

Her eyes flashed to Trevor.

“I’m right, aren’t I?”

She remained silent while carefully eating her soup.

“What?” Tom was completely clueless. “What do you mean? What do you know that I don’t?” He sat next to Trevor in the booth.

“I know a lot more than you, like the fact that you have a mountain of dishes to finish before you can leave tonight.” Trevor pushed him to the end of the booth but grabbed an arm just shy of Tom hit the ground.

Tom stood and dusted himself off. “I’m not just going to leave you here to harass the lady.”

“Never fear, Mister Wells,” said Giselle. “Your brother will not harm me.”

Tom hesitated.

Giselle looked up into his eyes. “Thank you so much for helping me. I will be here when you have finished your responsibilities.”

“O-okay then,” Tom finally said. “But I want a full explanation when I’m done.” He shot a stern look to Trevor before retreating to the back.

“So, tell me,” said Trevor. “It must be true. You have the compass, don’t you?”

She froze and almost choked on her soup, but she tried her best not to let it show. “Every traveler has a compass.” She took another sip.

“Not a compass, the compass. Yggdrasil’s compass. The compass of nine worlds sometimes referred to as the Tree of Life compass. How else could you be here?”

She slowly placed the spoon next to the bowl but never looked up from it. “And what do you know about it?”

He let out a huff. “Probably a lot more than you.”

She looked him in the eye. “You are mistaken, sir. I have no compass.” She turned her head away.

He leaned back crossing his arms. “Okay, Spunky. I’ll play your little game. But no this…” he leaned into the table raising his finger to her in punctuation. “You won’t be going anywhere until I have it. From here on, you will be my prisoner.”

He pushed himself from the table and headed back to his office. Once he was gone she started shaking in her spot terrified of the situation she had gotten herself into.