Destiny Calls for a Truck and Romantic Fantasies

I stared at myself in front of the mirror, nearly unrecognizable in a wedding dress. I was placed in a room that was all too extravagant for its taste, with too much pink, loud embroidered designs and untouchable expensive furniture. In a few minutes, I would be summoned to marry a man for political reasons. A man who I thought to be arrogant, non-chalant and far too handsome for his good. In any other situation, I would have loved to read about this in a novel, but the fact of the matter is, I was not home and not sure how to find my way back.

You see, I wasn’t supposed to be here. This was not my world.

How did I find myself here, you might ask? Well, I got hit by a truck on my way to the convenience store late one Tuesday night, after spending six days at home glued to computer. I was working on my script for a theatre production with a ridiculous cheesy fantasy plot where they all live happily ever after… After hitting submit to the director via email, I began to feel peckish. I was living off nothing but cup noodles and protein bars that tasted like cardboard and blueberries simultaneously.

I wanted tasty, convenient store food that I could microwave and pair nicely with a beer. Ordering food in my area instead meant having to let strangers potentially see how messy my home was, and possibly show concern for how much it smelt of cigarettes. I needed some fresh air, and nothing felt as comforting as the starry night sky welcoming me with open arms. I was looking forward to 3 days off of pure relaxation, before the rush of edits were requested. In the end, I decided to go with the obvious choice, a Katsu Curry and a nice cold pack of beer. No need for complications, I was a simple girl who needed no luxury.

As I was walking home, I noticed a small black cat meowing in the middle of the road. A car was approaching it without any caution. I yelled at the cat to move. It was only until then I realized that the cat had a small limp as it was walking towards me. The poor thing was in pain. I sprinted towards it without hesitation, and just in time the car stopped. I ran to the other side of the road immediately, with the tiny cat in my arms and placed it comfortably on the ground. The owner of the car apologized profusely for not seeing what had happened, as it was too dark to see the cat on the road. She seemed to be a young woman in her twenties, and even offered to take the cat to a shelter for help immediately.

Suddenly, I heard a voice calling for me. It was the convenience store's manager letting me know that I had left my wallet at the counter by accident. Deciding to forgive the driver then and there for her potential reckless driving, I excused myself and rushed over to the convenient store again.

And just like that: Splat. As they say in the Otaku world, truck-kun overpowered my destiny.

The next thing I knew, I opened my eyes and found myself lying down in what looked like a cold dark room filled with ornate furniture, a small library and only a single candle to give light to the environment. A tall man whose features I could not recognize stood over me. Had someone dragged me here for safety after I had been hit by a truck?

I murmured the words, “Water.” Without hesitation, he held me in his arms and placed a leather flask upon my lips as water poured out. While I was gaining my sight, I felt an unfamiliar yet comforting warmth. Had it been that long ago, that I was held by another?

“Can you stand up?” He pulled away from me immediately, as if he felt uncomfortable to be as close as he was. I rubbed my eyes, to see the clothes he was wearing were far different from my own. He looked straight out of a Medieval love story. His build was strong, and he wore a dark green cloak over what looked like a fine linen shirt and fancy trousers. His eyes were a combination of gold and green swirled in one delicious pair. His hair was the colour raven and touselled ever so slightly. Even if he was covered in mud, he had put every fictional character I had ever fallen in love with to shame. However, I also realized that no one in this day and age dressed like that, so he was most probably an aspiring pick-up artist, disguised as a Cosplayer.

“I’m sorry, are you a Cosplayer? There aren’t any festivals miles from here. Maybe in Tokyo, but definitely not in-” I rambled on before he placed his fingers on my lips.

“I don’t know what a Cosplayer is, but all I do know is that you are my destiny.”

He looked dead serious. This man must have been an aspiring pick-up artist. I burst into laughter.

“Oh sure, you are funny!” I picked myself up from the ground, dusting off as much dirt as I could. "Thank you for taking care of me after I got hit by a truck, but seems like nothing hurts so I should go home."

“Woman, you do realize who I am?” he asked.

“A pervert obviously.” I tried looking at him eye-to-eye, despite our massive height difference. Although I had always been a bit of a tomboy, I was small enough to either be confused for a teenage boy or an incredibly petite woman whose cup size was nearly non-existent.

He smirked, “I am George the Seventh and heir to the throne. Through a ritual that I only could perform due to my magical abilities, you were summoned by me to fight against the Demon Lord and marry me. And that is why you have arrived in Pendagona.”

I looked beneath my feet to realize that I was indeed, standing over what looked like a magical circle that involved summoning. And then it hit me: this was the plotline for the awful theatre script I was working on.

“I refuse to take part in this, please send me back to my land.” I demanded.

“I think you will find that this is your destiny-”

“Destiny this, destiny that - I’m just a writer! This isn’t real. This is but a stupid dream. I am probably dreaming this while I’m in a coma because I got hit by a truck.” I was beside myself, laughing so hard, I could feel tears accumulate. “Yes, surely this is a dream. I am in a coma.”

“I can assure you that this is not a dream and I have summoned you. However way that might have manifested, I apologize if it means you can no longer be part of your world…” he grabbed my hands and placed it against his heart, “Could it be that you had a lover of your own? Perhaps had any children?”

I slapped his hands away from me. “Who would have had time for these things in this economy?”

He smirked, “Come now, I was merely teasing. With the way you were dressed, I obviously had an inclination that you had no such things waiting for you at home.”

A new level of anger boiled inside of me. I realized that wearing black leggings, an oversized purple hoodie with flip flops might not have been the best look, but it was enough to go to a convenient store for Katsu Curry and beer… which was evidently no longer with me.

I grabbed his cloak, making our face as close to one another as possible. As handsome as he was, I was not going to give in. “Send. Me. Back."

George pulled away from me instantly and laughed. “You foolish woman, do you think this arrangement suits me? I have a world to save, and for some reason, you were summoned and possess magical powers that could help me accomplish this. I would have rather gone on my own, or have a harem then be married to the likes of you - but it’s what’s written in stone.”

It dawned on me that the reason this was all written in stone, was because I had written it to be this way. It was true, the female protagonist who was summoned had to marry his royal Highness to make a spiritual covenant that connected their hearts and powers, to destroy a Demon Lord.

“WHY DID I WRITE THIS CRAP!” I yelled, as I tried to pull my hair out. At the time I thought the paycheque and recognition to work with the Director would have been my entry into the playwright industry, and now I realize it was at the cost of my life and sanity.

“May I at least ask you for your name?” George asked.

“My name?” it’s true, I hadn’t introduced myself. “I am Saito Mizuki.”

George knelt before me and kissed my hand, “Saito Mizuki, it is an honour.”

I retrieved my hand immediately and turned around to hide my blushing face. It had been a while that I had been alone with a man, let alone one that I found attractive.

He stood up and sighed, “I have no doubt I shall win you over in due time. But at least for now, we must tend to our duty to save the world you see. I cannot bear to get rid of this responsibility simply because you refuse to stay in this Castle with me. We are getting married tomorrow morning."

I hated myself for knowing that I knew this is exactly how the story played out. Of course I would have had to get married the following day, for the sake of the kingdom and PLOT.

“Just promise me one thing,” I began, “that after we defeat the Demon Lord we find a way to bring me home. Even if there isn’t much waiting for me back there, it’s still my home and I like being a writer.”

“Very well,” George responded, “we will annul the marriage and send you back home to your spinsterhood and strange job as a writer.” He smirked once again, and it made me angry that my own fictional character ended up being so desirable.

And so we have it; I was now waiting patiently for a wedding I did not want, but understood that it would only be the way to come back home. Even if the two characters do end up happily ever after, that would not be my ending. I, Saito Mizuki, will return home and go back to my normal life as soon as this nightmare was over.

I swear it.