My first time outside my room leaves me in awe. The bedroom I was in was one of three. Besides mine, there are two additional rooms to the left and right. My siblings are already waiting for me. My astonishment at their appearance is palpable. The image I saw in the mirror is identical to theirs. I am at a loss to call out their names. Although we are triplets, we were always able to distinguish each other. Now, it's a different story. I have no inkling about who is who other than my identity. The expressions on their faces mirror my thoughts.
"Please allow me to introduce Laria De La Ysidro, Royal Princess..., Faria De La Ysidro, Crown Princess, and her majesty Aria De La Ysidro, High Princess!" An elderly woman announces. She looks identical to Constance, with a similar tone.
"Oh yes, High Priestess Penelope De La Ysidro, the current Chancellor. Next to her is the current Viceroy, Allysandra De La Ysidro," Constance adds.
"They have the same last name as me?" I ask.
"Yes, we do, as we are the last royal's predecessors and sisters like you. The house of De La Ysidro is honored to receive you," Penelope explains.
She is correct; they are identical, except for their hairstyles. Penelope has long, waist-length hair, and Allysandra has long, flowing hair. Knowing that doesn't help me determine who is who. Laria takes the thoughts right out of my head.
"So, who is who?" Laria asks.
"Oh, this is Aasha Hollander," Allysandra points to Faria.
"And she is Dasha Hollander," Penelope points to Laria.
How they know our names is beyond me. It must be some magic they used when the ritual Constance mentioned happened. Then I remember her saying something about scribing for me. 'Did it happen here as well? Was that required to bring us here? A simultaneous ritual.' I wonder how the logistics worked if that was even the case.
"Figures, that MUST be Masha then," Faria says.
"Well, now that we've gotten that out of the way, shall we?" Constance says, leading the way.
Before I can say anything, my handmaidens usher me on. I notice we all have handmaidens. They, too, wear the same hooded dress. Two massive, elegant, towering, arched doors open up to reveal a vast, long hallway. It is the most impressive sight anyone could imagine. The floors are all white marble, with long royal blue rugs extending down the entire way, and both sides of the hallway have large arched windows. A vast castle seems to surround the massive tower we just left. It is the heart of this place. This is the only corridor that connects to the central building. 'How is that possible? I saw two other doors that would make three. Then I remember the door in the room that my handmaiden went through. Maybe that was more than just a closet.'
We walk down the insanely long hall. The ceiling and walls are well-lit. I am surprised there is electricity. I half expected torches to line the walls. My now sisters are quite like me. They seem to avert my gaze as we walk. If I had to guess, they are both uncomfortable with these new things. I worry about them. We still need to talk to each other or even let this new reality sink in. 'In fact, where is this place, anyway? It couldn't be another world, could it? Another reality. What...?'
We walk for a long time before coming to the hallway's end. Two doors like the one we passed through stand tall. The engraved crests on the walls match my room's emblem and my sisters' doors. Constance knocks on the door, and with a loud creak, it slowly opens. Four men push the towering door open. They wear medieval-style armor. Their uniforms' blue, white, and purple colors are very stylish. Constance leads the way once more. After another long walk and descending several grand stairways, we enter a chamber. It is huge, with a domed ceiling. At the far end is a raised platform with stairs. Three giant, heavy-looking chairs sit in the center of the area. As we approach, I realize there are three stairs with flat breaks between them. On each side are smaller chairs at each level. The picture begins to take shape for me. We are in a room with a throne. As she reaches the bottom of the stairs, Constance pauses.
"You may each take your places atop the thrones of fate," Constance says.
I stand puzzled and unsure of what to do. The Regent is telling me to take my place, yet I don't feel it is my place or that I have the right to do such a thing. She looks at me and smiles, holding her hand out.
"It may seem overwhelming at first. But you have me as your sisters have mine. This is my duty and purpose. A fate that I will uphold with great honor and pride. It will take time to adjust. We haven't explained everything in more detail, but these are troubling times. We need our rulers to take their place now more than ever. To wait another twenty thousand years would be far too late," she says.
As I turn toward the only two people I know, I realize I don't know them. Suddenly, I don't even recognize myself. I take her hand, and she leads me to the platform's top. The chair in the middle is mine. Looking at it feels like the weight of more than one world sits on my shoulders.
"What did you mean you couldn't wait?" I ask.
"We summoned you here out of turn. In fact, we have been trying to summon our Royals for the last three hundred years. Our last rulers each died one by one, the last being three hundred years ago. So you see, our royals live for up to ten thousand years. The greater ones even longer."
"We had no choice but to summon you. It took so long and was done at great cost to our kingdom," Penelope says.
"What does that mean? Why would you do that?" Aasha asks.
"We are on the cusp of another great war. The central kingdoms that our Kingdom of Sidra ruled have suffered greatly over the last thousand years. Three Great Wars have been fought and lost already. Yet, the only reason we still stand was due to our rulers," Allysandra explains.
"Who are we at war with?" Dasha asks.
"A kingdom to our east and one to our south. Both are formidable enemies. Both have laid claim to our kingdom's throne, and for the first time, they have a legitimate right," Constance states.
"Hold on a second. So my understanding is that we are the heirs?" I ask.
"Indeed, you are. But before you came, there was a vacancy that would not have been filled for twenty thousand years. The law states that our throne, the Kingdom of Sidra that rules the Central Kingdom, cannot go more than three hundred years without a Royal," Allysandra says.
"And the time just ran out, except now that you are here. So we must follow tradition and the law," Constance says.
"Then everything will be fine," I say.
"The envoys of both kingdoms will arrive soon. Once they have, they will want to meet with you…," Allysandra says.
"What happens then?" the three of us say in unison. That makes me feel better. It is something we can do, saying the same thing in unison or finishing each other's sentences.
An announcement from a man interrupts the talk.
"The members of the Royal court will assemble in five minutes. A delegation from the Eastern Kingdom of Byzantia, the Southern Kingdom of Retallia, and the Western Kingdom of Silveria will arrive in ten minutes," the man states.
"Please take your seat; we must hurry now. Act as if you have been informed of your duties when the Royal court arrives. If you are unsure how to answer, lift your hand or finger to either of my sisters, and we will answer in your stead. Once the envoys arrive, follow suit," Constance says.
"Is there already a crowd here to see us? We barely had time to form a cohesive thought, let alone settle into this world. I thought I was a prisoner in some psycho's basement just a few hours ago."
"We just got here!" I say, trying to hide my nervousness.
"It's true, but the envoys left months ago. So the fact that you arrived when you did is a miracle," Constance says.
"What are we supposed to do?" I ask.
"Calm yourself; we will guide you in the matters," Penelope whispers.
It feels like they've thrown us off the deep end. No time to prepare or adjust. This is it, do-or-die time. I can only imagine what would happen if we failed or if we'd been a moment too late.