by Leela Ash
“Urgh,” she said, “Great.”
She got to her feet and decided to explore. She was tired and felt emotionally drained, but she didn’t think there was much chance of her sleeping in this weird place. It was like something out of a horror movie, and she could easily imagine ghosts creeping out of the dark alcoves the second her back was turned. The thought made her shudder.
As she was checking out the very odd bathroom in the corner, she turned and noticed an old wooden doorway in the main room, shielded by a screen. She squinted at first to make sure she wasn’t imagining it, but as her eyes adjusted, she knew it was really there.
She crossed the room and stared at it. It was huge and very old, and it looked like it was from another time entirely. It had a big knocker, and it looked like it weighed a ton. Miranda looked behind her, suddenly aware that she was in a strange place and she hadn’t locked the door. She looked back to the one in front of her and reached for the handle.
Just open it and see what’s inside, then you can get yourself to bed, she thought. She was frightened that a vagrant may be lurking behind it, ready to pounce out on her in the night and stab her in her sleep. She breathed in deeply and pulled down hard. The handle moved and the door began to creep open. A blast of icy air hit her and she stepped forward, peering into the darkness. She couldn’t see anything in front of her, and it was like the world had stopped existing right there in that tiny corner of the room, behind the big olden door.
“Hello?” she whispered, expecting to be able to tell where the closet began and ended, but her voice drifted off, as if carried by the wind. She took another step, her feet connecting with ice cold ground. And then another. And then all of a sudden the floor seemed to give way beneath her and she was falling through black and white flashing space. She tried to scream… But there was no sound.
5.
She could smell the crisp burning of wood, and a fire crackled near her. She wasn’t cold anymore and wherever she was, was comfortable and warm. She could hear a woman’s voice, soft and different to any she had ever heard before. She had an accent. She was talking about horses and the king. Miranda pulled the fluffy sheets around her and buried her head into the pillow.
What is happening…? she thought. Her head was pounding, and she reached up and touched a large bump on her forehead.
“She’s awake,” the woman’s voice came closer. “Look, she moves.”
She sounded British or Australian, but Miranda couldn’t decide which. The accent wasn’t a classic one that she had heard before and as she blinked and opened her eyes slowly, her blood ran cold.
“It’s alright,” the woman said, leaning towards her, “Don’t worry, dear, you’re safe here.”
Miranda jumped up and looked around the room. She was in old bedroom, stone walls and floor, covered in wolf pelt rugs, and a fire crackled and glowed in the corner, casting shadows across the room. The woman could only have been around forty, but she looked frail and strange. Her hair tumbled down her back, and she wore old robes, like something out of a strange medieval TV show. She came closer to Miranda and rested her hand on her arm and smiled. Her teeth were gammy and jet black.
“What’s happening?” Miranda shouted, as she pulled the sheet tightly around her. She realized she was dressed in a long cotton robe with frilled cuffs.
“You’ve had an accident, dear,” she said, “You were found out in the woods by the one of the King’s Knights.”
“What?” she demanded. “Is this a joke… did Ryan put you up to this?” She tried to get to her feet and stumbled as she did.
“Shh,” the woman said, crowding over her and trying to get her back into bed. “You need to rest, you’ve had a trauma to the head.”
Miranda reached up and rubbed her forehead, the lump there was swollen and sore. She winced as she touched it and the woman slapped her hand away.
“I’m one of the King’s nurses,” she said, “I’ve been instructed to look after you.”
“I… come on…” Miranda said. “You can drop the act… Just let me out and I’ll go back and see Ryan… leaving him in my apartment was silly, anyway.”
The woman looked at her as if she were insane. She shook her head and passed her some warm water.
“Close your eyes,” she whispered, “I’m going to find him.”
She left Miranda in the bed and made her way to the door, and when she opened it Miranda could see a man on the other side wearing what she thought was a full chain mail suit and brandishing a sword as if he was guarding the room. Miranda looked around again… she definitely was not in the motel… where had the door taken her? It was as if she had gone back in time.
Moments later, she heard footsteps coming up the corridor outside the room. She closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep.
“She’s very confused,” the woman’s voice drifted through. “She is saying things, strange things… Are you sure she isn’t a witch?”
A man laughed and began to speak, “No, she isn’t a witch,” he said calmly, “I remember her, she’s a good friend from my childhood. Now let me in, I must speak with her.”
The door to the room opened and a tall, handsome man with sandy blonde hair and full metal armor stepped through the doorway.
“Miranda,” he said softly, “You’re awake.”
She sat up and swallowed. She was frightened and didn’t know what to say, and she didn’t want to anger anyone with the wrong thing… And the more she was seeing of her new surroundings, the more she wasn’t sure if this was real… No hoax could be this good, especially one crafted by Ryan.
“I found you in the woods,” he said as he sat on the side of the bed and trailed a finger down the side of her face. “I never thought I’d see you again.” He smiled at her, and she felt instantly warm inside. There was something familiar about him… But she was certain she could never have seen him before.
“How do you know my name?” she whispered.
“You’re hurt,” he said as he squeezed her hand, “But don’t worry, I’m here to look after you, as is Githa,” he smiled to the lady with the black teeth, and she nodded in agreement.
“Who are you?” she asked quietly.
He smiled warmly and brushed a lone tear from the side of her eye, “I’m so glad they brought you back to me,” he whispered, “I’ve been quite lost without you.”
He rose to his feet and bowed to her before walking towards the door.
“I hope you feel much better tomorrow m’lady. We can become reacquainted then,” he said before he left the room and closing the door behind him.
Miranda’s head was spinning… What on earth was happening? Was she dreaming? She pinched her arm with her nails and jumped as she realized her French manicure was gone and her nails were now bare, ragged stumps.
“He thinks the absolute world of you,” Githa smiled. “You’re lucky to have him, even after all these years.”
Miranda sank down in the bed and found that she was shaking silently. She had no idea what was happening… But whoever the man in armor was, he was certainly making it better…
6.
Githa sat by her side all night while Miranda lay and pretended to sleep. She was sure that at some point one of the people that came in and out of the room, bringing fresh water and clothing would mess up and the whole thing would be revealed as an elaborate plan. But they didn’t. And the more time that passed, the more Miranda began to believe it. She had somehow gone back in time when she stepped through the door at the motel. However unbelievable it sounded, she just knew that she was in another time.
The man in the armor… She knew she had seen him before, but she just couldn’t place him. He was so handsome, he could have been a movie star, and the whole night, as she lay there, he was the only thing on her mind.
When dawn arrived, so did her sense of confidence. She rose from the bed, stretched and decided to play her new acquaintances at their own game.
“Good morning, Githa,�
�� she smiled as she got to her feet. “I’m feeling so much better today,” she reached for a cup of water and took a sip. It had a strange taste to it; it didn’t seem clean. She reluctantly gulped and set the cup back down.
“You must dress and meet with Sir Caine,” Githa said as she hurried up to her and began to unlace the back of the nightgown. “I have your robes for you.”
Miranda lifted out her arms and let her do what she had to do. She was still confused, but she was looking forward to getting the hell out of that dark, smoky room and seeing Caine again.
***
As she walked through the corridors of the castle, her heart raced. She really was in some medieval world, and the people in it seemed to think she was someone important. Luxurious tapestries hung from the walls and the guards escorted her along the stone walkways as if she were some kind of queen. Githa had dressed her in ornate royal blue dress robes and her hair seemed to have grown by ten inches overnight. It hung in soft waves right down her back and skimmed her waist, and the weight under it was intense. With each minute she seemed to spend in her new surroundings, the more normal they became. She still had the overwhelming sense of familiarity, even while wandering the castle. Common sense told her that she never could have seen this place before, but there was something about it that was stuck at the back of her mind, as if she had lived there once before.
The guards came to a stop outside a high wooden door, much like the one she had seen in the corner of the motel room, and her skin prickled. They parted and another set of guards flanking the door stepped aside to let her move forward.
“Sir Caine waits inside for you m’lady,” one of the guards said before they all moved back as not to crowd her.
Miranda lifted her arm, and her wrist and hand were exposed from the long, swooping sleeves of her dress. She curled her fist and wrapped lightly on the door, once, twice.
“Enter,” the voice came from inside. It was him, she could tell, even after only seeing him once.
One of the guards opened the door for her, and Miranda stepped inside. The room was fabulous, like something out of a fantasy. Ahead of her were open doors leading out onto a balcony and long, flowing curtains were being blown in by a gentle breeze. The sunlight that shone in made the stone floor look gold and it matched the luxurious fabrics and paintings that adorned the room. Big velvet chairs flanked either side of the fireplace and gilded mirrors hung above it. She stepped further inside and jumped as she realized Sir Caine was out on the balcony and looking back in at her.
“Good morning,” he said quietly, “You look ravishing.”
Miranda felt herself blushing and she moved forward and took a seat. She hoped he would come and join her but he stayed still, silently watching her with a little amused smile.
“Sir Caine…” she began, “What year is this?”
He bit his bottom lip and studied her.
“I know,” he said, “I can’t believe it’s been so long since we’ve seen each other either. What, it must be, ten years?” He moved closer.
“Must be…” she played, “What year was the last time?”
“I believe it was 1066, I remember because it was before the great battle,” he said as he shook his head, “I don’t know how I’ve lived without you for so long.”
Her skin began to tingle… that made the year 1076…
“Tell me what happened,” she said, “When you found me in the woods?”
He shook his head and came inside, crossing the room and sitting down opposite her.
“You were just lying there… strange clothes… unconscious… as if you had just dropped from the sky,” he looked off into space. “It was… fate… for me to be there, I mean.”
“Where are those clothes?” she asked.
“My men burned them,” he said. “They feared witchcraft. Strange happenings go on in those woods, and I was scared for you.”
Miranda looked down at her feet, remembering studying something in college about how fucked up medieval times were when it came to witches. The last thing she wanted was them to accuse her of that.
“Did you think about me often?” he asked her as he stared up and looked longingly into her eyes.
“Always,” she said. And to her disbelief she realized that was true. Each second she was spending with him was making her feel like she had known him forever and he was a part of her that had been missing. She didn’t know how, but she knew that their souls had been connected before.
“I still remember the last time,” he smiled, “You were on the back of that big black horse, and your father ordered you to follow them as they left,” he looked down. “I knew you didn’t want to go and it broke my heart.” He reached out and touched her hand. “I always vowed that I would find you… And now here you are.”
Miranda smiled at him. Somewhere, there was a loose memory of what he had told her. She asked him to recall more details and with each little story he told her, a picture built up in her mind…
She had been Lady Miranda once and Sir Caine was the man she was supposed to marry. The more he spoke, the more she knew it to be true. They were madly in love and had been together since childhood, meeting secretly, planning their wedding, growing up together and being inseparable… until their families’ quarreled and Miranda’s was forced to leave York. She had been broken hearted, as had Sir Caine, torn apart by a feud over money and their fathers’ stubbornness. Caine always said he would wait… And he did…
The memories flooded back to her: In her mind’s eye, she could see herself as a child, running along the wild desolate fields with her horses and clinging onto a young Caine. She saw the townspeople in the square putting criminals into the stocks, she saw people being stoned and burned alive and the terror it had instilled in her. She saw her father putting her on that horse and telling her that they were leaving before they suffered the same fate at the hand of the king’s men. Caine’s father was an ally of the king and Miranda’s knew they wouldn’t have a future in York unless he made amends, which he wasn’t prepared to do… She saw her parents slain in front of her while they were in the forest, making their way south. And she remembered the brute with the biggest sword she had ever seen coming at her and swiping. She had been killed in the forest back then, and that was where she had returned. She had stepped through the door and fallen back into a past life, one she had lived hundreds of years ago. And she was now reunited with the love of her life… Caine.
As the feelings filled her, she found herself jumping up to embrace him. She had never felt feelings in all of her lives since than the ones she had for Caine back in the Middle Ages. She knew it all seemed too crazy to believe, but she could feel it in her bones. Something had aligned and made it possible for her to return. She was being given a second chance at the happiest life she had ever had. She was fulfilling a destiny that had been cut short. She had escaped from Ryan and her shitty life in 2015 and she was back where she could be who she was meant to be… Lady Miranda of York.
Caine looked into her eyes and pulled her to him. Her heart raced in her ribcage and as he held her tight and kissed her, it was if nothing had ever changed.
7.
Caine lay Miranda down on the four-poster bed and began to unlace the front of her dress robes. They were heavy, the fabric layered and soft against her skin. He ran his hand up the side of her leg and parted them so he could slip between them. Miranda gasped as he nipped the side of her neck with his teeth and pinned her back against the bed. With each touch, she remembered him even more, and she knew that they had made love before, when they were in their late teens and full of hormones and lust for one another.
She leaned forward and pulled his shirt up. Beneath it were his perfect abs. His muscles were tight and solid from hours of fighting, swinging a sword and jousting on his powerful horse.
“I’m so glad I found you,” he whispered into her neck as he kissed her once more and pressed himself against her. Miranda bit her lip with ecstasy when
she felt the stiffness in his trousers. She ran her hands through his hair and pulled him closer to her, needing to see into his large brown eyes. She saw everything when she looked into them; it was as if he were a mirror reflecting her own soul, and when he kissed her, he seemed to breathe life back into her. Ryan had taken so much of that away.
Caine pinned her arms back high above her head with one hand and with the other he began to pull down her robes, exposing her breasts. He sucked on them hungrily and reached between her legs to find her underwear. He pulled them down in one swift movement and plunged a finger inside of her. She moaned and thrust her hips up to meet him. She was soaking wet and desperate for him. She had missed his touch, which remembered so well now and couldn’t get enough.
I’m the luckiest woman alive, she thought. I’m getting a second chance at my perfect life.
Caine released her hands and kissed down her throat, her chest and her stomach before reaching between her legs. He pulled her to the edge of the bed and spread her as wide as he could before lightly flicking his tongue up and down her sex. Miranda screamed in ecstasy and Caine grunted as he crawled back on top of her with his rock solid manhood in his hand. He parted her legs again with his knees and positioned his helmet at her opening.
“I love you, Miranda,” he whispered before sliding himself slowly inside her. He grunted and put all of his weight on her. “And I am never going to let you go again.”
Caine thrust in and out of her slowly and pinned her back into the bed. He held her wrists against the bedframe and slammed her against it. Miranda could barely breathe as he took her, and before long, she was on the verge of the most intense release.