Isadora still couldn’t understand why this Knight was acting so funny. Did he save her literally or was this some kind of joke? He was still staring at her which reminded her that she was still not safe, but she had to play along for now. If the guy wanted to spare her, she would be as foolish as to act otherwise or do something stupid that would lead to her demise.

"Thank you," she whispered but the guy looked at her as if she didn’t exist in the first place. She would have kicked him were she not in danger. Was he trying to act like she wasn’t there? Bold move! Why he was trying his best to save her, she was trying her best for the complete opposite. She was courting death indeed!

"Hey, let’s go now," the other Knight called when he noticed his colleague was taking too much time staring at a tree. Was there anything strange he had seen?

The bulk knight took a step forward, unsheathing his sword, his brown eyes scanning the area like a predator.

Isadora’s heart skipped a beat when she saw him take another step. Had he changed his mind? She swallowed in fear when she saw his grip on his sword tighten ready to strike at any given time. But why was he walking so close to her yet he was not attacking? Wait! Was there someone else behind her? She wanted to look behind but fear for her life got the better of her. What if he attacked when she least expected?

She held out her hands in a defensive gesture when the Knight took another step but what happened next left her jaw dropped. Her hand! It went through the Knight as if it was in gaseous state. A gasp escaped her lips, disbelief written all over her face. How was that even possible. And as if that was not enough, the knight took another step passing through her body as if she never existed in the first place. Wait! Did that mean he could not see her? Her hands instinctively flew to her mouth letting out another gasp.

The knights sheathed his sword again, a frown settling on his calm face. "I could feel another presence around that place yet no one is there. How strange," he said walking to his horse before he hopped on.

"I can also feel a presence not too far from here... behind that tree," the ponytailed guy said.

"I can assure there is not even a soul there," the bulk man added. "Strange!"

"Strange indeed! We have to keep going," the ponytailed Knight said before he urged his horse forward, the rest of the knights following closely behind, and so did the carriage.

Isadora moved from her hiding spot, releasing a sigh as she watched the small caravan drive away. Her gaze shifted into her hands still not believing what had just happened. She tried to come up with theories why such an occurrence would happen and the only conclusion she could come up with was she was in a dream. It was the only place where such things would happen, right? But why did it feel so real? And who the hell was being carried in the carriage? Maybe she should find out before this mysterious dream comes to a stop.

With that in mind, she held the hem of her dress and trailed closely behind the caravan. The fact that she could not be seen gave her the courage to follow them without hiding. She could meet with other people walking in the opposite direction who would at the caravan in amusement.

"I never thought they would finally give in to the demands of the crown prince," one of the bystanders said as he watched the caravan pass by. Isadora could hear what they were saying but couldn’t understand. And who was this crown prince, and demands... She was confused, but she didn’t care anyways. It was the high time she experience this adventure before it was over.

A fort! The caravan was headed to a fortified village, or was it the capital? She could tell that from the castle like sculptures seen from far, the only tall building in the so called capital. She walked faster, her feet trying to keep up with the caravan’s pace. She was glad they weren’t that fast nor slow either. The scorching sun coupled with the dust on the road proved to be hell for her. Was this even a normal dream? She couldn’t remember suffering in her dreams and feeling it, like it was all real! What was this place in the first place? Crescia.. Valoria.. The people she had met so far were Valorians, so this must be Valoria. That was at least what she presumed.

"Open the gates!" She heard the men on the top of the gate yelling. Why did they sound like they were excited to receive these guests? Was there a special occasion, an event maybe planned for the guests? Thinking of food made her stomach growl. Why was this proving to be real when she herself thought it was a dream?

The caravan made its way through the small town and halted right in front of the castle like structure that stood at the Northern most part of the village. Isadora made her way to the front taking in the details of her surroundings.

This place looked nowhere close to what she was used to. The houses were made of bricks and the commoners wore simple clothes made of silk. That was ridiculous! Whilst the knights wore leather, commoners wore silk! What about the king then? Wait! Yes! She had read this somewhere... no, her mother had read it to her once. Ancient Valoria traditions! What the hell! Had she transmigrated to the past? No! That couldn’t be! Why was she not waking from this dream now that she wanted to? Oh no! It now seemed like it was not a dream!

"I’m glad you finally made it, alive," a Knight adorned in all black, his hands on his belt, said as he stepped forward to meet the guests. His voice carried a tone of mockery. "Welcome to Valoria," he said stretching his arms as the knights behind him laughed hysterically.

"I hope the princess will like it here. We don’t have hot baths for your information," he added earning an uproar from the Valorian knights. "Only cold baths that will leave your princess shivering."

"We didn’t come here to be mocked or take your so called cold baths," the ponytailed Knight said. "We came here to bring the princess and end the war."

"Crescian knights take warm baths," the Valorian counterpart said to his knights who laughed at the compliment.

"His Majesty is waiting for you inside," he said adopting a serious tone. "But first, your weapons." The Valorian knights instantly swung into action taking the weapons from the Crescians even without their consent.

"Easy boy. We are not going to feed you to the hyenas like your brothers there," he said gesturing at a pack of locked hyenas feasting on human flesh. The Crescian knights swallowed in fear at the sight. "So... relax," the knight said studying their shocked expressions. Shocked was in fact an understatement of how their faces looked.

"I’ll have the boys attend to your horses and maybe you can use them... maybe," he stressed the word. Lord! This guy was just good at threats. But he was way better than confronting the crown prince. "May I see the femme female?" He asked looking at the carriage.

"Yes of course," the ponytailed Knight said alighting his horse, and so did the rest. He walked closer to the carriage and opened the door.

Isadora was looking at the whole scene in fascination. Since when did the Valorians become so bold as to insult Crescians? Why were these guys not freezing the whole village or something. Setting the place ablaze was the least she expected but this... These guys were humiliating Crescia. And who was this crown prince and femme fetale mentioned? The whole damn thing was making her curious. She cocked her head to one side and saw a man step out of the carriage dressed like a butler, and indeed he was. She could see him hold his hand out before a feminine looking one slid into his. He helped the so called princess out and the moment she stepped out of the carriage, the world seemed to have come at a halt. Even the Valorian knights couldn’t help but stare in disbelief, awe and amusement.

"Such a beautiful Lady for his Majesty. He really knows how to choose," the bossy Knight complimented in a whisper.

But among all the stupefied gazes, Isadora’s was completely different. Surprise and disbelief was written on her face as she blinked thrice simultaneously to confirm that what she was seeing was indeed true. How could she be here and there at the same time?