There are an abundant amount of information to pay attention to when in a unfamiliar place. Body language, gestures, customs, facial expressions and more. Not a lot of that was possible from the position she was in. It seem to be the underbelly of the great city since not many people pass through the street. They come at times. Most would have their face hidden, many were drunk, women laughter bounced off walls and few would roam around, blood dripping through their shaky hands.

Another matter that should come off as a surprise but didn't to her was the abundance of children. Not the average four or seven but far higher. The common fifteen, she had time to count them all. There was not an excess of comparability between them, Little boys wore simple long robes in style and colors. Several of the wore belts of intricacy that held a shielded curved dagger. The girls wore more elaborate clothing, with a great deal of cinch patterns. They wore minimal jewelry that matched their beautiful headscarves, pulling the outfit together. Age varied in the group but none seemed to cross adulthood. It was hard to tell their specific milestone because though being children, they were already her height.

At times they would come poking near the windows; eyes stuck on her. Murmurs would melt in the window but quickly disappear when they noticed her gaze.

One element she observed dealt with the never setting sun. It had been hours since she first entered the city. It had taken two full naps before it was past noon. It was only when she asked the guard about the phenomenal, did everything make sense. Days here were longer.

For her guard she would see him at times. It looked like he worked on a shifts; coming in for some time then leaving.

Right now the sun was setting. The blood red light that entered through the windows alerted her of it. In the rear, Shelia had finished cooking what was probably the fifth meal of the day. In the hours that dragged along, Eliza had gotten antiquated to the helper. The woman could carry on the conversation for both of them. Although she couldn't understand what she was saying, there were times when it looks like Shelia had said something in perfect English. The affect didn't last long but was coming often. She couldn't hep but feel like somehow she was able to comprehend what was coming out of that lady's mouth. Which was a whole lot of something.

By the time the guard came it was getting dark. Shelia had said her goodbyes and left for the night. The heavy curtains were draw and instantly the interior of the house glowed like stars in the sky.

Eliza waited on the cushion at the wooden table. Supper and tea steamed up the cool table. She waited for the other person to come around before she ate. He did. All armor was removed down to a very simple loose shirt and pants. After joining him in a simple prayer of thanks they both ate. It was simple flatbread with sweet beans. It was quiet till she decided it was time to break it.

"What is your name?" Her mouth was slightly full as she looked up at him.

It took some time as she could tell he was digesting he question and stringing together a sentence.

"thou mayest refer to me as Niklas." His voice was now easier to hear and it sounded in a nice sing-song kind of way.

"What yours?" It was her turn now.

"Call me Eliza." She smiled and he nodded.

The food was done in due time.

"Where am I by the way? Did they dump us in the Middle East? Sahara's?? If so then, can you point out the direction?" She knew her hopes was too high.

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"Wait. Wait. Slower." He waved his hands to further indicate his confusion.

"Is there a U.S Embassy around here?" She started with one question.

"What is U.S Emba-ssy?" He tasted the new word slowly.

"Am I dead?" A gulp of air was held for this one.

A reassuring laugh bubbled out of Niklas, "No mine lady, far from it."

She released the air imprisoned in her lungs.

"Is..is this Earth?" The answer she been answer she has been avoiding but couldn't anymore.

"No. This is Sihir."

The bandage has been ripped off her bleeding heart. It stopped her in her tracks and mace her eyes.

"How do you know English so well then?" Maybe there was a chance.

The paused was expected but the response wasn't.

"Back in mine home land we spake many languages but could not writeth."

She knew what this meant but something else caught her attention,

"Which country are you from? Britain, Denmark, France or Finland?" She set her empty cup back on the table.

"Svithoid."

"That sounds familiar but I'm pretty sure it doesn't exist today. It either perished or changed its name."

She noticed the sadness in his eyes quickly turned to joy.

"Tell me more about yourself and how you came about Sir Niklas."

They talked for hours. Mostly about Niklas life as she was in no position to completely trust anything. He was a peasant with innate call for travel and cartography. However, being it in the middle ages and being lowest on the social hierarchy his family couldn't support him. So he left on his own to a trade city and picked up a few things. Suddenly in the end he was called back for war. Couple of years went by on the battlefield until one day in combat he was no more and found himself here. A case if not similar but close to her own.

After the talk she felt more confident in his character. While covering, he never took his eyes off her, is speech was steady and his body relax. Either he was a master of deception or was very trusting. Soon she was retire in the bed she woke up on, leaving the guard to sofas in the front.

The night was like watching paint dry. Eventually she found herself asleep for a good while but woke up in complete darkness. After tossing and turning she left the room.

It wasn't hard to navigate through the house. The low glow of the cement and the tiles lit a path. She decided to take a look around. While it was hard to see much but it was enough to take notes of the numerous amounts of maps and charts she missed during the frenzy. A good amount of them was in the room adjacent from where she slept. She had spied in from the wide door. Other maps were glued on the wall.

Like a owl in the night she made her way silently down the hall. The place was actually not too big. Cozy and humble like the owner. The kitchen was only a few feet to the right and with a turn she was in the center of it all. The soft pillows she sat on and the vases which she used as scapegoat lied before her. It took her a while to get past the glamour of the pottery and to gear towards the small bookshelf that clung to the corners.

It puzzled her greatly. If all what the guard said was true then why would he have such wealth in such a quaint place. It crashed with everything.

Her thoughts were slashed by the movements in her peripheral view. She had forgotten about how she took his bedding.

He didn't look surprise by her being there and got up slowly as to not scare her. Her eyes never left his figure as he made his way to the hind of the building. Rustling could be heard and she spotted him through the opening of the wall that divided the house.

A flash of light finally made her turn away. The whole room was enveloped in a lovely shade of pink. Niklas came out with two cups of warm substances. He motion for her to sit and drink.

Hesitantly her legs moved to the designated area. More flames were lit and the house was strewn in sunset colors. With the room a lot brighter her host made his way to her, candle in hand.

"Nights hither art very long. Daylight wilt shine not for a while." He placed the candle in the middle of the table and sat down rigid.

"Drinketh and thee shalt lay till dawn.." His hands waved at her still hot cup.

She looked at it warily.

A hand reached for the terracotta cup and soon a sip of it was drown by Niklas. He was motioning to her it was safe and after a while she took a gulp. It tasted of tender medicines and herbs. Time went by and she noticed how she wasn't dying but rather felt heavier.

"You shouldst wend. To catch but a wink." A soft reverberating voice called her.

She knew who it was and could vaguely make out the meaning by the signs her body was giving. A groggy yawn escapes her lips. In the end she could push herself to the calling of a certain mattress of certain area and narrowly made her way there. With what little strength left she locked the door and crash on the bed. Falling asleep immediately.