FATED FOLLY

I huddled in the corner, arms crossed over my bosom, shivering with uncertainty. Replaying the events of the last hour, all the things I predicted during this role-playing session I certainly didn't expect to be naked in a forgotten part of the forest like a mythical water fairy. 

"Damn you, Soo-yeon!" I wailed. My voice echoed through the columns surrounding the bathing pool.

In response to my cry, a light breeze picked up blowing through the space causing my skin to pickle, its gentle touch heightening every sense. With it came the familiar sweet scent of jasmine. 

A sorrowful melody of a stringed instrument began to play, accompanied by a melodious chant, its cadence reminding me of a battle scene I had watched in one of my favourite dramas recently. The particularly poignant refrain in the melody stirred me to action.

"I will not laze about in this bath, softening up for some wild beast to eat me." I declared.

Stuffing a finger in one ear first, I wiggled it around, trying to ascertain where the music came from until I looked down at the water lapping hungrily at my stomach.

My gaze was now held hostage, trepidation filling me with fear as the pool began to glow brightly, lit with an ethereal light.

I scrambled, slipping, dropping the hand that had covered my top half, half expecting an evil entity to rise from its depths, and swallow me whole. 

The wind that had crept in, rushed backward through the chamber, as though running away, but not before tugging the top knot of my hair to release its lengths to fall over my nakedness. Its final caress invoked a firm, determined calmness I had no right to feel. 

Clutching my arms to cover myself once again, the soft rustle of silk reached my ears, amidst the music that stilled upon the woman's approach.

I couldn't help but stare at the large green amulet hanging from her throat. Its appearance invoked a sense of the familiar—like I'd seen it before or knew it impacted me in some way.

The woman, like the others, wore layers of delicate silk that shimmered like moonlight. Upon closer inspection, no ghoulish faces appeared in her garments. Breathing a little easier, I can't help but wonder if I imagined the tortured souls before. 

"Wonderful of you to join us." Her eyes, kind yet elusive, met mine. A hand held out to assist me in exiting the once warm waters.

I hesitate unsure if she were friend or foe. Her pure gaze rests on mine, reassuring me I would come to no harm under her watchful care.

I grasped the extended hand and exited what I was certain would have been my watery grave if she hadn't arrived. 

Turning away as I shielded myself, the woman retrieved a bundle of clothing in the hands of a handmaiden who appeared in a timely manner.

I stood with my backside to the woman, as she untied the garments wrapped within a colourful cloth.

Surprised when she draped the garment over my shoulders, dressing me as though I were a child she had been mother to for eons. Each layer, she added with a low hum, a binding of protection which soothed a deep unease, extending a sense of eternal belonging echoing of home.

She finished the last layer, stepped back, and nodded as if to approve her work. Her pert face lit with joy. Before I could find the right words to thank her for her care, the air grew warmer and a new presence made itself known.

I turned to see the man I had rescued step from the shadows, and my cheeks flamed red.

Whether he remained hidden while I bathed was unknown. His movements were fluid and purposeful now, exuding a quiet resolve. His gaze roamed my form, holding me captive with unwavering force.

I had stared at his face as he'd been slung across the saddle as we rode, but it's flawlessness hadn't prepared me for his eyes. Dragon-like scales flared within their depths, smattered with iridescent flecks of silver.

I comforted myself with the thought that they had to be some expensive contacts, though I didn't quite believe that myself, any longer. 

The woman who dressed me bowed her head deeply in respect to the man. I followed her lead, though my heart thundered in my chest. 

I could still feel the weight of his look, coupled with an intensity that caused my knees to tremble.

"Wanghu Mama, you have awakened." His voice a deep, resonant rumble caused the ward bells in the room to tinkle.

I wanted to ask what these words meant, but the words stuck in my throat. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to say anything, given his earlier instructions that still echoed in my mind.

"Walk with me, I have much to tell you," he said. 

They led me out of the chambers in the most direct fashion, the way out complicated enough I would have never managed on my own.

As we strolled, we entered the inner courtyard of the structure and walked toward the stairs of the throne room.

From the front, a chorus of hooves hitting stone drew our attention, followed by the gasp that rippled through the handmaidens.

The single rider in dark ornate armour cut an imposing figure as he dismounted, his cape fluttering behind him. His eyes, also dragon-like with less penetrating force fixed upon me with a look I couldn't decipher.

Meeting his gaze boldly, I fanned myself, looking away in case my thoughts managed to be displayed. Wherever city they had found these actors in, it seemed there was an eternal wellspring of handsomeness. 

The woman who had dressed me stepped forward, her voice authoritative. "This is—," she announced, pronouncing a word I couldn't reproduce.

"He has come to fulfill the marital obligation of our esteemed ancestors."

I clapped my hands and stared at the trio stupidly, excited I would get to witness a marriage during my time here and in my exuberance, I would regret the words that spilled from my lips.

"Oh, how exciting. I cannot wait to watch a wedding and attend the feast. But tell me... who is the bride?" I looked beyond them to the handmaidens who stood there.