As far as I was concerned, getting sent to another world was a nightmare.
From afar, it seemed like a swashbuckling adventure filled with magic, dashing heroes, beautiful maidens and a healthy dose of escapism. But once I had touched down on to this strange world, it was more like; magic (this part was thankfully familiar) , unsanitary living conditions and habits , and suspiciously eloquent hermits.
To my utter embarrassment, I had wailed like a baby during my first hour in the new world , and had quickly gone through the five stages of grief in the next few hours with a sympathetic hermit who had chanced upon me while I was screaming at the sky. It was a highly humiliating scene, but I preferred not to dwell on it and my new companion was gracious enough never to bring it up.
“Perhaps you are here for a higher purpose?” The older hermit sagely hummed as he gingerly offered me a kerchief.
“Is there a war going on?” I gratefully accepted the proffered fabric and blew my nose on it, an ugly sound ringing through the dense forest.
I missed the hermit’s barely concealed disgust.
“The last war was nearly fifty years ago.”
“Oh. Um." Well that kind of put me in an uncertain position. "Is there a big demand for heroes?”
“Not that I know of.”
“A bloodthirsty rampaging dragon?”
“Dragons are endangered folk.”
“Oh.”
I quickly realized that there was absolutely no purpose to my summoning. The world wasn’t in danger from any powerful force, sans terrible sanitation, and it actually looked like a relatively peaceful domain that didn’t need any intervention from an outside force . Plus, even as an outsider, I doubted that I had the necessary skillset to solve those types of problems.
“What will you do now child?” The hermit suddenly asked as he looked at me in curiosity.
I pursed my lips as I contemplated my choices. This was a very dangerous world I had wandered into. I had nothing on my person aside from meager clothes and perhaps a stick of gum in my pocket, which wouldn’t really be useful in the long run.
At that moment, I wished I had some magic or some sort of ridiculous overpowered skill that would allow me to have an advantage. I mean, wasn’t that the norm in situations like this? People who found themselves in new worlds often had some sort of ability that allowed them to survive, or were at least people of import and would be pampered like crazy.
Unfortunately, I am certain that I did not have the aptitude for magic as I had tried to cast spells earlier by screaming at the sky with no such luck. I even tried to do some appraisal on my environment but all I got were blank stares from squirrels and the chirping of birds.
It was moments later that the hermit had walked in on me and an awkward silence ensued.
I shook my head to clear all thoughts of my earlier embarrassment.
“I’m not sure,” I frowned as I fiddled with the hem of my shirt. I dimly realized that there was a loose thread and I wondered how long my shirt would last . That thought was enough to evoke a new batch of tears from me but I quickly wiped them away with the back of my hand.
I didn’t want to embarrass myself any further in front of this kind old man.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
The hermit hummed to himself as he raked a hand through his beard, oblivious to my distress. “Being an adventurer in this day and age is a lucrative occupation. The lot of them end up as heroes with fat pockets and a sizeable land. Of course, that is, if they manage to survive their quests and live well enough past forty. A hazardous livelihood for sure, but well, what job doesn’t have an occupational hazard?” The hermit scrutinized me from head to toe and I felt a little self-conscious. “Forgive me for saying this but you don’t look like you’d make a very good adventurer. So I would suggest against it. But it is the easiest path to power and fame.”
I had to admit he had a point.
At present, I had severely limited options in terms of livelihood. I was lucky enough that I spoke the same language as this world but I wasn’t so sure if that meant that I could also read and write their spoken language. Being an adventurer sounded ideal but I really wasn’t an adventure type of person.
Besides, being a hero sounded tedious and I had the defense of a wet tissue.
“I think I’ll pass. I don’t really need any sort of power or fame. I just want to go home.” I said.
If I had paid more attention, I would have noticed the pleased glint that appeared in the hermit’s eyes at my response.
“What about jewels, gold, or riches? Surely a girl such as you would have some need for comfort.” He pressed and I felt a bit offended. Did I look like such a high maintenance girl?!
“I’m not really fond of jewels and excessive riches just stir unnecessary envy and trouble. Being comfortable is nice but I wouldn’t really know what to do with gold or any of those fancy stuff.”
The hermit looked even more pleased and I instinctively took a step back. It was a very peculiar look and the abrupt shift in his mood unnerved me.
“You could encounter a mage who could send you back to your home as an adventurer.”
“I could but…I don’t know. Being an adventurer sounds awfully dangerous and doesn’t seem like such a stable job. Being a farmer sounds like a better deal—wait, that’s it!” I clapped her hands in delight. Why did she not think of this sooner? “I’ll be a farmer! Surely , it isn’t that different in this world and there’s always a demand for agriculture regardless of society!”
“You want to be a…farmer?” The hermit croaked on the last word and I thought his voice suddenly sounded awfully different, almost younger, but paid it no heed. Perhaps it was a norm to change voice pitches every now and then in this world.
I nodded in excitement. “I used to help around in a farm before, so I’m not completely clueless about it. And it’s a whole lot stable and safer than being an adventurer!”
The hermit’s jaw dropped in surprise before he guffawed.
Loudly and violently.
A swell of concern filled me. That couldn’t be healthy for an old man right?
So I spent the next few minutes trying to calm the hermit down as I voiced my worry over his state and he just took one good look at me before laughing harder, as if there was one big joke that I wasn’t aware of. Had I done a social faux pas ? Oh gods. What if I just propositioned myself to the old man?!
“You have a distinct lack of ambition, no desire for power or to improve your station, and that space between your head isn’t completely empty.” Laughter tapered off into chuckles and the hermit looked at me with bright green eyes.” Overall, you are a sensible young lass.”
I wasn’t sure if he was dissing or praising me.
“Um, thank you?”
Nonetheless, I was raised with manners so I would accept the insult or compliment graciously.
“And of polite upbringing as well.” The hermit nodded to himself as he ignored my questioning gaze. “It seems I’ve made an excellent choice.”
I stared in surprise as wisps of black mist surrounded the hermit from beneath his feet and his drab gray robe disintegrated into specks of little flames that radiated an ethereal shade of blue. Beneath the atrocious robe was a considerably younger fellow with white hair –perhaps not a day older than thirty—garbed in much more flamboyant and questionably fashionable robes in shades of purple , white and yellow.
Back in my world, he would be a walking fashion disaster.
“Greetings, Mallory the Luckless.” I squawked at the offending title but my complaints fell on deaf ears. ”My name is Myrddin,” The walking fashion disaster curled his lips into a lazy smirk as he looked at me. “I understand that you must be terribly confused at this turn of events. But time is of import and you have proved yourself worthy.”
Terribly confused was putting it lightly and I wanted to grill the man for answers. Why did he conceal his age? Why did he have such terrible choices in clothes? Was his hair naturally white?
But instead, I asked. “…Worthy of what?”
A small part of me just knew that I was going to regret asking.
“Mallory, how would you like to meet Prydain’s Once and Future King?”