"Be careful what you wish for. You might just get it."
~~~
The snow fell heavy around her. White flakes fluttered and fell. The cold was familiar, but not anymore bearable. The question rose in her head. Wait, how did I - where am I?
The thick clouds rolled above. Felicity could barely see the pale winter sun through them. She picked up her foot. Her fur boots mushed in the tall snow. Once again, confusion tugged at her mind.
"Where am I?"
"Felicity!"
That voice seemed... strangely familiar. From where, however? The girl blinked. Her unfamiliar eyes were speckled with thought.
"Dinner!"
She blinked and looked on ahead. She realized that she saw a large shape ahead. Squinting her eyes against the snow, she trudged on forward. Leaving ditches of snow in her path, she pushed towards the shape. Eventually, she saw through the snow. It was a house. The cottage was made of insulated wood and coated in furs. The door was waiting for her to open it.
She stood there, still. What was this place?
"Felicity! Your food is getting cold!"
Her stomach rumbled. Felicity shook her head and walked towards the door. The pine steps moaned as she walked up. Something felt off. So, so off.
She opened the door.
Inside, a roaring fire burned bright in the center of a dark room. A small table was nearby. Meat and winter grown vegetables sat in a dish. Delectable, the aroma drew her closer.
"Remember to close the door!"
Felicity turned and softly shut the door. Turning to the table, she felt it was strange that she was so gentle with the door. Still, she is walked towards the table. As the flames flickered, coloring the bland log walls, she stepped up to the table. Then, she saw something at the corner of her vision.
She looked up to see a black haired woman with a round face and brown eyes. She was smiling as she carried a bucket of water to the table. She was astonishingly familiar. Felicity knew exactly who it was.
"Mother!" She cried. She was shocked that she sounded excited about this. She felt an involuntary smile creep along her face. Inside, she was panicking.
What is this!?
Her mother placed the bucket down and wiped her forehead. She dusted off her dress and looked up to her with a smile. "Sit down, dear."
Felicity sat down, still too shocked by, well, everything.
As the older woman cut up her moose meat, she sighed. "I get worried about your father, Felicity. He's fighting so hard..."
My father?
"... He promised to come home with another glory story about how he and your cousin fought off those - those-"
She paused, bringing her fist to her mouth and clearing her throat. "Well... no words can be used to describe the wretched nature of the Neandertals. Beasts!"
Felicity did not jump, she did not react at all. Shocked, she continued to listen.
The woman put a cut up vegetable in her mouth and swallowed quickly. "Who knows what that one that attacked me would of done if your father had not rescued me."
She looked over to Felicity and smiled, "I know you will find your own prince one day, sweetheart."
Felicity felt lightheaded. What was going on? How did she get here? What was this place? She simply put a chunk of meat in her mouth and chewed. Were her hands moving on her own. She felt shocked that the whole time, her body had been straight and her head nodded in agreement. She was too stunned.
Suddenly, the feeling of food going down the wrong tube forced her to choke. Coughing, she remembered the procedure to take care of this, yet she did not do it. Instead, she kept on coughing. She felt herself jump from the chair and race to the bucket. Using a wooden cup, she forced down water and swallowed between coughs. Soon enough, she stopped. Tears flooding her eyes, she thought that her reflection looked strange. She wiped her eyes dry as her mother rubbed her back, whisping soothing words.
Felicity was alarmed at what she saw.
She was much skinnier than she usually was. Her forehead was human sized. Instead of stringy, red locks, her hair was black and smooth. Her eyes were blue, not green.
Her heart rapidly pounded inside her chest. She felt horrified. This was not her!
"Felicity!"
Wait, that voice!
"Felicity, take my hand!"
She was bewildered and frightened to see that through the water, a ghostly hand seemed to be reaching up. Confusion grasped her, but she obeyed. For the first time, she could truly control herself. She reached into the water and felt her hand intertwine with another's. She felt the world disipate around her. It crumbled like paper and flew away like a feather. The house, her mother... it faded like mist. She realized she was underwater. It was dark, yet she sensed magic surrounding her being. She was still holding onto the hand.
She felt him pull her up.
Liquid slid off her as she emerged from the water. It felt like ten million pounds had fallen off her body. She felt like she was in a deep slumber and just woke up. She panted, catching her breath. She looked around to see herself in a round tub, filled with a dark grey liquid. The room she was in was simple, empty with pillars holding the walls up. The pillars were carved in the images of the Great Thaynes. She looked around to see that the tub she was in was one of many.
Her memory was foggy. How did she get here?
"Felicity."
Felicity looked up to see a familiar face. It was the Lesser Thayne, Gwenael. He was the Thayne of time and space. His amber eyes were flooded with concern. He also seemed just a tad bit annoyed. His lips were slightly turned down.
"I told you to watch your step!"
Felicity blinked, her memory blank. She looked back down into the liquid to see her reflection.
Red hair, green eyes, neanderthal forehead, sturdy figure.
Still panting, she looked up as the liquid continued to drop off her body. "Wh-what was..."
"-These pools." Gwenael explained, "They contain alternative reality simulations."
Eyes wide, Felicity looked down again. She could not get the images out of her mind. The cabin, her smiling mother, the story of the circumstances of her birth, her reflection..."
Tears flooded her eyes once again.
"I want to forget that!" She shouted. She looked to Gwenael with pleading, desperate eyes. Her chest felt like it could burst. She wanted to curl up and forget it all. "Please! I can't get it out of my head!"
Tears streamed down her face as her blood pressure soared, making her light headed.
"Gwenael! Please!"
