Anastasia woke slowly, her mind drifting between alert and asleep. Blue eyes cracked open, but she let them fall back, closing and allowing her to succumb to an almost sleep-like state. It was peaceful, and quiet, and everything she needed, because she didn't wake up expecting to be back in the space station. She knew better. Anastasia knew she was on some other planet, surrounded by aliens, and sleeping in the castle of the alien queen. She knew her shuttle crashed, lacking most details. She knew she had no contact with her crew. The worst possible circumstance as a pilot, happened, and she never thought it'd happen to her.

No one ever does, though. The worst case scenarios can never happen to yourself, but they do. No one is immune to nature's design or the circumstances given, and Ana thought she knew that. She thought she understood the way that the universe worked in all its random chaos, but she was clearly wrong. She had underestimated the impact of nature, and had royally screwed herself this time.

More sleep was futile for Ana. She simply laid there with her eyes closed, her mind blank, but still capable of keeping her awake. So, she stood up from her bed and began searching through the room. There was a closet she hadn't noticed upon arrival; too warn down to notice. Inside held extravagant gowns, ranging in colors and sparkle. They were magnificent, and Anastasia was in absolute awe. Pulling out a blue gown, she held it to her chest, examining the way the silver accents of it sparkled against her slightly olive skin and shoulder-length, chestnut hair. Marveling at its sleek design one last time, Anastasia continued to awe at every dress she pulled out.

Before long, there were no dresses left, and, while the wardrobe was astonishing, Ana knew she needed to do something more productive than look at dresses. While it probably did kill time, her mind was running and her curiosity peeked regarding the rest of the castle. Without further ado, Ana carefully pushed open the door leading to the hallway, noting the lack of knobs.

Weird, she thought, talk about lack of privacy.

She scanned the hallway left and right before stepping out, trying her best to avoid the traffic of any creature living in the place. Ana wasn't sure how she'd communicate, guessing that they all didn't speak or comprehend English like the Queen did.

And of course the queen would have a clue about the language Anastasia spoke: royalty always knew more than peasantry, especially when it came to education. Perhaps they spoke other languages too: French, Chinese, maybe German? Or maybe, Ana was simply holding onto too much hope. Perhaps she had imagined the communication she had with Queen Eris. Perhaps this was all a mistake. Perhaps she was going to be jumped, mauled, cut, thrown into a stew, and served in silver goblets and bowls of a range of styles.

Perhaps this new environment was making Ana's imagination flood in absurdity.

A man, or so she assumed, emerged in front of her, red in color, beautifully intricate horns decorating his skull, like that of a ram. He had a delicate white petticoat, navy vest underneath with a white collared shirt. Black pants covered his legs, but he remained barefooted, revealing the unusually raised skin on the tops of his feet. As he approached, Ana could see the grey designs tattooed on his skull, down the side of his face, and stopping at his neck. They resembled that of tribal designs mixed with mandala effects, dancing on his skin beautifully. His eyes were bright, green, and complementing with his skin.

He didn't speak, simply staring at Ana before turning around and beckoning her to follow with the wave of his hand. Nervous yet unreluctant, she followed, passing red-skinned and a few purple colored creatures. The red ones were dressed similarly; the guys matching the one leading Ana, and the girls in white slips with a navy ribbon wrapped around their waists. The purple skinned women were lavished in silk dresses of various colors, and the men, most with longer hair, wore black pants and colored, sleeved blouses. Ana was curious, wondering the meaning behind their skin tones, as it was obvious there was a class system set into place.

Approaching tall, floor-dragging curtains stained with satin red, the man halted, keeping Ana behind him. He reached behind the left curtain, ringing a bell once, then twice with a swift flick of his wrist. The curtains were pulled away opening like automatic doors. The red creature knelt onto one knee, eyes forward to a familiar purple woman seated upon a throne. Anastasia stood awestruck, gawking at the magnificent throne room and its lavished queen.

Portraits of past royalty hung on the left wall, adorned with crowns, jewels, and satin and silk clothes. Tapestries with various tribal designs and hieroglyphics decorated the opposite wall. On the adjacent wall was the throne. Made out of dark, cherry wood, the armrests were carved with swirls, worn because of their extended use. The top of the throne was carved as well, resembling three hills with the middle being the largest, and the adjacent hills smaller, but identical. Black jewels adorned each hill, centered perfectly and oval in shape. Two large windows complimented both sides of the throne, black tapestries falling on the sides and hovering over the taupe, stone floor.

The woman seated on the throne was just as ravishing as the throne and throne room. Eris had perched herself on her throne; one leg crossed the other at the knee. A gold gown caressed her body. A long slit traveled up to her mid thigh, showing smooth, pale-purple skin. Strapless, the dress evaded the inch of skin below her shoulders, but clung down her arm to her wrists. Onyx jewels hung from her neck and wrists, hitting the light in such a way that a small, grey twinkle flashed past Ana's eyes.

The horns on her chest were accented with gold gems around the bases, almost glued to her skin. Slick, onyx hair was wrapped up, cradling the top of Eris' head in a seemingly effortless manner. Specks of gold danced in the dark strands, furthering the color scheme of the outfit, and matching the brightness of the creature's golden eyes. Plump lips were painted dark violet, border-lying black, and parted slightly. Eris' chin was pointed upward, exotic eyes glancing down at the red-skinned man. Her attention then went to Ana, and those same lips started to curl upward. She stopped herself, regaining regal composure and spoke in her native tongue.

Ana assumed that Eris had told the man to rise and come forth, as that's what he did, but he did not rise until he was inches way from the throne. He dragged his body forward, still in kneeling position before he dared to raise himself. She found it interesting; their customs in regards to royalty. It was definitely different than on Earth, but of course it would be. Why Ana was assuming they would act the same way that humans did, she'd never know. It was asinine to even consider.

The queen spoke again, and Ana had no form of translation. Eris lacked facial expression, leaving no room for interpretation on body language. She felt like a foreigner, obviously, stuck between two locals as they conversed about their weekend. Were they talking about her? Ana would never know.

They finally stopped talking, at least in their language. Eris addressed Ana, but the way she said her name was closer to the actual pronunciation unlike last night's 'Ava'. Ana wondered if she practiced saying her name, or if it was just a lucky guess. She assumed the latter.

"Ana, how was rest?"

And now, Ana felt like she was experiencing one of the negative outcomes of translating programs.

"It was good," she coughed out, her voice meek and mild, not wanting to offend the queen in any way. "Thank you for your hospitality."

"House-vitality?"

She seemed to try to keep her queenly stature, but the slight crinkle in her nose gave way to her confusion. Ana noticed the detail and couldn't help but mentally call it adorable. She'd remember that little thing for the rest of her time alive.

Ana explained herself better. "Hospitality. It's when you have guests, and you treat them very well."

Her stomach chose that moment to growl; more noisy due to its emptiness. The man snickered, but quieted himself, obviously remembering who he was in the presence of.

The queen raised an eyebrow, this time allowing a smile to grace her lips. "I thank you." She directed her attention back to the man. "Seti prašome esmerá. Açiú kozanjamesh ledo et rifmafę dïeršh. Ićho."

He nodded, bowed his head and turned on his heel to leave, never motioning for Ana to follow him. So, she stood there at odds, not entirely certain of what to do. She looked up at Eris, noticing how she had focused her attention to what looked to be a scroll. Ana didn't want to disrupt her, but she couldn't stand here for God knows how long, awaiting the man's return.

Instead of speaking, Anastasia took a few, small steps towards the queen, silent except the pad of her feet on the cool flooring. She was still dressed in her clothes from the wreck; jeans layered with tights underneath and a grey Henley. She wondered how close she was allowed to get to the queen and her throne, but once golden eyes glanced up at her, she was captivated, and it was like an out-of body experience. Her feet moved on their own accord until she was directly in front of Eris. Ana's heart pounded—nervous, homesick, and lusting after the queen.

"Hi," she breathed, not having anything other than that to say.

Ana watched Eris with rapt attention. The queen stood from her throne elegantly, smoothing her gown. She towered over Anastasia, looking upon her with soft eyes. Her lips were turned into the smallest of smiles, and Ana felt her heart pound erratically. The human's mouth widened, flashing her teeth at the queen.

"Ana," the queen hummed. "With me."

She stepped towards the throne room doors, the back of her dress trailing. Anastasia watched her move, stuck in place until "Where?" flew from her mouth.

"Meal."

"Oh," she deadpanned, and rushed to follow the queen, walking besides her and every so often, looking up at her dreamily.