My head felt like I’d taken one too many shots of the bottom-shelf rum. I shifted and it felt as though sharp needles pricked every part of me. A whimper escaped me and I curled into myself to escape the discomfort.

A soft breeze kissed my cheeks and soothed my aching body. I risked opening my eyes and found myself staring at a brilliant blue sky. A few wispy clouds floated past the bright sun.

How long was I out? I wondered as I eased myself onto my arms.

A thick strand of silver cobweb draped itself over my face. The soft touches tickled my nose. I frowned and brushed it away but the cobweb returned and brought friends. Every time I moved more of them appeared until I realized the ‘webs’ were really strands of silky smooth hair. I cupped a generous handful in my palm and blinked at the unfamiliar fibers. They glistened in the sun like a freshly made web touched with dew. I gave them a pull and winced as pain shot through the top of my head.

“What are you doing in my gardens?”

The deep, even tone came from my right. I whipped my head about and found myself staring at the most beautiful man I’d ever seen. He stood over me and his height was a few inches above six feet. He wore an elegant Asian-style robe with many silver silken layers that glistened in the bright sun overhead. The edges showed off a brilliant scarlet cloth of such fine silk that it shimmered like water. His hair was as bright as his ‘coat’ and the silky strands reached down to his butt. He had alabaster skin and a set of perfect black eyebrows, one of which was raised as he studied me with his dark eyes.

He also had the most indifferent expression I had ever seen.

My mouth flopped open a couple of times and I was even more dumbstruck when I noticed my surroundings. I lay on a wide terrace that overlooked a set of small stairs and a small square pool was at the end of the platform. The stairs finished at a wide and very white stone path that came to a crossroads some twenty feet away. The path parted in three different directions and each of those led to an arch flanked by high walls of bright stone. Everything was a brilliantly clean white color. Not a speck of dirt was out of place nor was a smidgen of dust to be found.

My heart pounded in my chest as I sat up. The long strands of unfamiliar hair slid over my breasts and pooled in my lap.

My naked lap.

I looked down at myself and my mouth fell open. My clothes were nowhere to be found. A rising steam of terror and embarrassment boiled up within me. I screamed and tried to cover myself with the thin strands of hair. They performed about as well as a silken curtain but I couldn’t hide all my assets.

A robe fell over my shoulders and I eagerly wrapped it around myself. A quick tie across my front and some of my modesty was returned to me.

My scream must have been impressive because two guards with spears hurried through one of the arches. They both wore helmets with face guards and sported padded chest and waist armor along with shin guards. The pair stopped at the foot of the stairs and their confused eyes fell on me.

“We heard a noise, sir!” one of them reported to the man who stood over me.

The man turned to them and used a smooth gesture of his arm to indicate me. “This woman screamed.”

One of the guards squinted at me. “Who is she, sir?”

“I do not know.”

The guard’s eyebrows crashed down and he tightened his grip on his spear. “Then she is an intruder, sir? If she is, we must take her with us.”

The handsome man didn’t get a chance to reply before a tall, thin man with a sharp face sauntered into the gardens. He wore a flashy set of purple-colored robes of various hues. There wasn’t a speck of white to ease the eyes as he scurried over to us with curiosity in his eyes and a condescending smile on his lips.

“My dear Emperor Eastwei!” he cooed as he reached the guards. “I heard a commotion as I was passing by and just-my goodness!” His attention had fallen on me and his mouth fell open. “Who is this young woman, My Lord? I have never seen her before. Is she an intruder?” He didn’t wait for a reply but puffed out his weak chest. “Well, if she is I will take her forthwith to His Majesty for judgment! Guards! Seize this woman!”

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

I couldn’t understand what he was talking about but the tone was far from friendly. The guards marched up the steps and each of them grabbed one of my arms.

“Let go!” I pleaded as I was dragged to my feet and hauled down the path by the pair. “I didn’t do anything wrong! I don’t know how I got here! I don’t even know where here is!”

The man sneered at me. “How can anyone mistake the heavenly realm for anywhere else? Whatever reason you have for invading the emperor’s palace, you will be justly punished! Take her away!”

The guards were far too strong and I could only stumble along in their unbreakable grasp. The skinny man followed behind us with his chin held high and a supreme expression of satisfaction on his face. I was half-dragged through the completely unfamiliar place. It seemed to have many buildings and paths, all made from the same pristine white stone and dotted with gardens and gazebos. The place was a veritable maze of narrow paths and wide sidewalks, however, and I soon became lost.

My ‘guides’ knew where they were going and led me onto a very wide boulevard. The street itself was lower than either side where a few wide walks followed the main path. Gardens abutted the rear of the walks where the trees shaded the sides. Behind those were thirty-foot walls of the white stone, and beyond those I glimpsed the roofs of many buildings. Wherever I was, it was a massive place.

A few people chatted on the wayside walking path. They, too, were dressed in immaculate robes and all wore their hair long, even the men. None of them featured the same brilliant red as the man I had met.

They ceased their conversation as I was paraded past them. “What news, Pampir?” one of them spoke up.

The pompous leader of my incarceration lifted his chin a little higher. “I have caught an intruder.”

A gasp rose from the group and one of the women shook her head. “Surely not!”

He swept an arm toward me. “As you see. I am taking her to His Majesty to question her about her intentions and seek a harsh punishment.”

Some of the group tagged along while others hurried away, no doubt to spread the false narrative set up by my scrawny accuser. Nearly naked and confused as I was, my indignation arose at the thought of being introduced to these strangers as nothing more than some intruder intent on some horrible deed.

More people assembled on the side paths, no doubt lured by the lurid tales of their companions. They gawked and pointed at me, and I shrank under their attentions. Pampir puffed out his chest and strode to the front of our little party. He sauntered so leisurely that the guards holding me were forced to slow their own pace lest they crash into the puffed-up peacock.

The chatter among the dozens of people was like the buzzing of bees. Pampir walked through the noise like the queen enjoying the fruits of his fame.

I glanced ahead at where he led me and saw that the avenue led to a large palace. Dozens of wide steps led up to a large portico that covered a pair of closed doors. I was marched up the stairs with the crowd eagerly following on our heels. Another pair of guards stood watch on either side of the entrance and at our coming they stepped into Pampir’s path.

“What business do you have here?” a guard questioned my captor.

Pampir stretched to his full height which was barely above my own. “I bring important news to His Majesty and need an audience with him.”

“His Majesty is in council at the moment,” one of them replied.

Pampir frowned. “But I have brought with me an intruder into the sanctity of His kingdom! She must be judged before him!”

One of the doors opened and a man stepped out. He was nearly six feet tall with flowing silver robes and a warm smile on his ovular face. His long black hair draped down to mid-chest and one of his perfectly-kept fingers sported a ring of intertwining gold and silver coils. His eyes were dark and playful, but they showed a spark of intelligence in their depths that showed he wasn’t all games.

He stepped aside and swept his arm toward the interior. “You may allow them to enter.”