“I’ve finally found you.”

I looked at the man with a confused expression, trying to keep a smile on my face as everyone at my 30th birthday party was now staring at me and not saying a word.

“You’re Patricia VanLeuwen, no? I don’t even know why I’m asking. I know who you are. It’s written all over your arms. The throne of Alimanthra awaits. Do you consent to being transported?”

I was at a complete loss, which didn’t happen very often. I was very quick on my feet with quips. What was this man was saying to me? Written all over my arms? The throne of a place I’ve never heard of? There weren’t many thrones that even existed in the world anymore that I know of, besides Great Britain. At this point, I just had to assume one of my friends was playing a weird joke on me, so I spread open my arms and said, “Of course! Take me there!”

The man snapped his fingers. My vision went dark. I then felt like I was having one of those dreams where you’re falling. I jolted awake before I hit rock bottom. When I opened my eyes, however, I wasn’t at my birthday party anymore. I was standing on a wooden bridge of some sort. Refusing to believe this was real, I started to search for any reasonable explanation. Did my friends somehow drug my drink and get the drugs to hit at the exact moment? That seemed too smart, and also too cruel, for them to pull off.

After my brain came up with the first potential explanation, I finally looked around to take in my surroundings. And I just about lost my breath. My jaw certainly dropped. I was in a valley with a river cutting through it. Towering mountain peaks on either side of me. And an incredible castle in front of me. This man who, I supposed, transported me here was standing next to me on the drawbridge.

“See? Written all over your arms.” He gestured to my arms with a smirk on his face.

I raised my arms and looked at them. In swirling patterns, from shoulder to finger tips, the word Queen was glowing a soft gold all over my arms. At that point, my brain, not being able to process what was happening, just went into overdrive, and I passed out.