Chapter 5 Seri

Seri

The second the door shut, the room felt too quiet.

I stared at it for a few seconds.

Okay. Think.

I needed information. Fast.

Names. Where I was. Who these people were.

Start small.

The attendant. I needed her name.

How do I ask without sounding like I’ve never met her before?

I shifted slightly in the bed, wincing as my chest pulled tight under the bandages.

“Hey, what’s your—” I started out loud, then stopped. My mind was still jumbled.

How am I gonna make it through this? I can't even stop talking to myself!

I dragged a hand down my face.

Think. Think.

Maybe I could pretend I forgot? No—she already thought I was confused. That might push it too far.

Or—

A knock sounded at the door.

I froze.

“Princess?” her voice called softly from the other side.

“Come in,” I said, a little too quickly.

The door opened, and she stepped inside, balancing a tray in both hands. The smell hit me instantly.

It was warm, rich, and comforting. It smelled like home.

My stomach twisted hard.

Oh my god.

She nudged the door shut behind her with her foot and walked over to the bed, setting the tray carefully across my lap.

“I thought something light would be best,” she said.

I barely heard her.

There was a bowl of steaming broth, thin curls of something green floating on top. Fresh bread—still warm, the crust golden and slightly cracked. A small wedge of cheese. And a handful of dark berries on the side.

The smell made my mouth water.

“Careful, it’s hot,” she added.

“I’m fine,” I said automatically, already reaching for the bread.

I tore off a piece.

It was soft inside and perfectly warm.

I dipped it into the broth and took a bite.

I actually had to stop myself from inhaling it.

Okay. This is unreal.

I swallowed quickly, then tried to slow down.

“Thank you,” I said.

She smiled a little. “Of course.”

She moved around the room as I ate, picking up more candles and lighting them one by one.

The room slowly came into focus.

And—

Yeah. This is not normal.

The walls were old stone. Not decorative, but real stone, uneven and worn in places like it had been there for a very long time.

The windows were tall and narrow, the glass polished so clean it almost didn’t look real. Moonlight slipped through in soft lines.

The bed I was in was massive. Made from a dark wood frame, carved with intricate patterns. The sheets were a deep forest green, heavy and soft-looking. A maroon canopy hung above it, draped in thick fabric that pooled slightly at the corners.

Across from me, the desk and armoire matched, both carved with twisting ivy that wrapped along the edges like it was growing out of the wood.

Okay… it's a...castle.

Or something close to it.

My eyes shifted to the walls decorated beautifully with paintings.

So many of them.

But not portraits, these were ocean scenes.

There were waves crashing against cliffs. Schools of fish moving in perfect sync. A massive blue whale painted in deep blues and grays. A kelp forest in colors that looked almost too bright to be real.

It was like someone had taken pieces of my world and dropped them into a completely different one.

Did I… go back in time?

The thought slipped in before I could stop it.

No electricity. No modern anything. Everything was handcrafted, detailed, old.

Am I in the countryside somewhere? Like some kind of historic estate?

My brain scrambled to make it make sense, but none of it worked.

I took another bite of bread, mostly to keep myself from spiraling again.

Focus.

The attendant moved closer again, adjusting one of the candles near the desk.

Up close, I noticed more about what she was wearing.

A white blouse, simple but clean. The fabric looked soft, slightly loose at the sleeves.

A skirt—long, gray, almost silver in the candlelight. Natural, not dyed bright or patterned like anything modern.

Okay… definitely not normal clothes.

“Is it all right?” she asked, glancing back at me.

“The food?” I said.

She nodded.

“It’s… really good,” I admitted.

She smiled again, a little brighter this time.

“I’m glad.”

Okay. Ask her name.

I wiped my hands on the edge of the cloth napkin.

“Hey—” I started.

Another knock cut me off.

She turned toward the door immediately.

“Come in,” she called.

The door opened slowly this time.

An older man with graying hair and a leather satchel slung over his shoulder stepped into the room.

He must be the healer.

I instinctively straightened a little, then immediately regretted it as my chest protested.

The attendant moved toward him, her back to me now.

“I told you she was awake,” she said quietly.

He nodded, stepping further into the room.

That’s when I saw the back of her skirt.

My brain didn’t process it right away.

It was darker than the rest of the fabric. Shiny in a different way.

Textured.

Rounded.

My eyes narrowed slightly.

What… is that?

She shifted, stepping aside to let the healer pass.

The fabric caught the candlelight.

And I saw it clearly.

A seal’s head.

Not embroidered.

Not a pattern.

An actual head.

The shape was unmistakable—the smooth curve, the small rounded ears, the way the “fabric” changed slightly in texture near what would have been the face.

My stomach dropped.

No.

I stared.

She turned slightly, and the rest of it came into view.

The entire back panel of her skirt was seal skin.

My grip tightened around the edge of the tray.

No. No, no, no.

My heart started pounding.

That’s not—there’s no way—

Poachers.

Fucking poachers.

My chest tightened, breath catching.

But she—she brought me food. She helped me.

My mind scrambled.

Maybe it’s fake. Maybe it’s just—some kind of costume?

But it didn’t look fake.

It looked real.

Too real.

My stomach turned.

Is this some kind of—what...a cult?

Seal skins.

Ocean paintings everywhere.

A castle in the middle of nowhere.

Did I get picked up by a bunch of seal-obsessed lunatics?

The thought should have been ridiculous.

But it didn’t feel ridiculous.

It felt possible.

The healer stepped closer to the bed.

“Princess,” he said, giving a small nod.

I forced myself to look at him.

To not stare at the back of her skirt.

To not react.

“Hi,” I said.

My voice sounded normal.

Good.

Act normal. Act normal. Act normal.

The attendant turned back toward me.

Her face was the same—soft, kind, worried.

Completely normal.

Like she wasn’t wearing the skin of a federally protected animal.

“Did you eat enough?” she asked.

I nodded.

“Yeah.”

My fingers dug slightly into the blanket.

“Thank you.”

She smiled again.

And I smiled back.

Because what else was I supposed to do?

Don’t freak out. Don’t freak out. Don’t freak out.

But my heart wouldn’t slow down.

And I couldn’t stop seeing it.

That skin.

That head.

That—

Oh my god. What did I wake up into?