Chapter Text
Cass Harbour was a perfectly average girl with perfectly average grades, perfectly average friends (at least as perfectly average as a group of dramatically inclined college students could be), and a perfectly average life. But recently, that state of perfect averageness had been overturned and thrown out the window, all because of one TV show.
The Islands Awaken. A royal fantasy drama that took the internet by storm. First produced by some small indie movie company called Ish Studios, it was pushed into the mainstream when a popular livestreamer watched season 1 as part of a subathon. Captivating audiences with its beautiful graphics, dramatic storyline, and (it had to be admitted) very hot characters, it rapidly became an online sensation.
And Cass’s newest addiction.
“Are you still watching that?”
Cass looked up from her screen, startled. She spun around in her chair to see her roommate, Kieran Freehaven, standing behind her.
“How long have you been back?” she asked.
“Around ten minutes. I’m surprised you didn’t notice me coming in- I wasn’t exactly subtle.” Kieran folded up his sunglasses and stuffed them in the pocket of his ever-present red leather jacket.
“You’re never subtle.” Cass snarked back, pausing her game and standing up.
“I never said I was.” Kieran smirked. “How’s that show of yours coming along?”
“Pretty well, actually.” Cass replied. “The queen of Tricolor and the emperor of Westhelm have been sending letters back and forth- everyone’s pretty sure they’re planning to get married!”
Kieran laughed. “I’m going to pretend like I know what that means.”
“You would know what it means if you watched Islands like I have literally been prodding you to do for weeks!”
“I’ll get around to it… eventually.” Kieran said. “For now, I have to go. I’m meeting Allie and Pascal at the Crooked Crow and I’m already late.”
“Chronically as always.” Cass replied.
“You sure you don’t want to come? I’m sure the crew wouldn’t mind having another one along.”
“Nah, it’s okay. Besides, I would like to not be nursing a terrible hangover tomorrow. I have stuff to do, thanks.”
Kieran laughed at that, then slung his bag over his shoulder and headed out the door. Cass turned back to the screen, engrossed in the story once again.
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Cass woke up to a throbbing pain on the back of her head. The surface underneath her was hard and smooth, like the hardwood floors of her childhood home. Through the pain, she could hear muffled birdsong coming from somewhere outside.
Weird. How did I end up on the floor? I must have fallen off the couch- that’s why my head hurts so bad.
“My lady? My lady, are you okay?”
The hell?
Cass cracked her eyes open to see someone strangely familiar bent over her.
“Lady Cass! Are you alright? Is there any pain anywhere?”
Lady Cass? Who the hell would be calling her ‘Lady’? And why did this person look weirdly… familiar?
Oh. Oh, no.
Cass recognized this room. The vaulted wood ceilings, the blue-and-pink banners, the hardwood floors polished to an almost blinding mirror shine- this could only be one place.
The bedroom of Lady Cassandra Gardienne, also known as Lady Cass of Harbourbloom, also known as Cass’s favorite character.
And somehow she, Cass Harbour, had ended up in the world of Islands, and as Lady Cass of Harbourbloom.
Slowly, Cass got to her feet, rubbing her head where it had hit the floor. Now that she was actually standing upright, she could more easily recognize the person or people that had been standing around her. Most of them were random background characters, but one of them was Therin- the most loyal and significant of the Cass Council.
“Lady Cass, what took place here?” Therin asked. “I was coming to see if you were awake, and found you lying on the floor. I was a mere ten seconds away from calling a doctor!”
Great. I’ve somehow become the leader of an entire country. I’m not ready for this, I can’t even do my taxes without calling my dad for help!
Cass pasted a rueful smile on her face, praying that she didn’t look constipated. “I was getting dressed for the day when I tripped and fell. I don’t remember much after that, but I guess I hit my head. I should be fine though, nothing appears broken.”
Therin looked worried still, but backed off. “If you’re sure, Lady.” Cass nodded, and Therin left, bringing everyone else with him.
Ignoring her still disagreeable head, Cass hurried over to the full-length mirror hanging on the stone wall.
The strawberry blonde hair loose around her shoulders.
Emerald green eyes that more than one weirdo online had gushed over.
Ever-present iconic gray headphones.
The face of someone who had to deal with endless amounts of royal drama in canon.
The face of someone who was responsible for a whole nation of people.
“Splendid. This is my life now, I guess. At least until I can find a way home.”
Cass walked over to a desk set against the opposite wall. On the desk was a notebook with a brown leather cover. She grabbed a white-feathered quill from an inkpot nearby and started to write.
Facts
I’m in the world of The Islands Awaken.
I’m somehow Lady Cassandra of Harbourbloom.
I need to find a way to get home without people getting suspicious.
Goals
Do a convincing enough job as Lady Cass that people don’t get suspicious
Avoid running Harbourbloom into the ground
Don’t get caught up in drama
Survive
On that delightful note, Cass shut the notebook and went back to the mirror. Adjusting the capelet that sat over her shoulders, she steeled her little resolve and left her room. Surprisingly, she didn’t have the same shoulder slump that she had back at home, the result of a too-heavy backpack. It felt weird, like she was walking in someone else’s body.
Altogether too soon, she entered a large central room that she recognized as the audience hall. Lady Cass had given many a speech in this space during Islands, standing in the center of the sunken stage. The soft morning light streamed in through the open windows, casting patterns on the polished wooden steps. Standing in the center of the room was Therin, conversing with some people she recognized as Aleegi and Pascalos, members of the Pirate Republic, the other half of Harbourbloom.
“Ocean’s greetings, Lady Cass!” Aleegi said.
“Hi!” Cass responded, trying to match her energy.
“We came as soon as we heard the news.” Pascalos said.
“What news?” Cass asked.
“Your fall, my lady.” Therin said.
“Oh, right.” She inwardly winced at the mistake. Having a terrible short-term memory probably wasn’t a very ladylike thing to do.
“Anyway,” Aleegi continued, “We’re glad to see that you’re doing alright.”
“We also came to tell you that we’re ready for the arrival of the Luminaran delegation. All the ships have been moved to allow space for the Luminaran vessels, and all the members of the Pirate Republic are going to be on their best behavior.” Pascalos said.
“Ciarán’s seen to that!” Aleegi added.
Ah yes, Captain Ciarán, self-proclaimed King of the Pirate Republic. Kieran had been so annoyed when he saw that the pirate’s name was spelled differently but pronounced the same, and he refused to pronounce it as anything other than ‘sear-i-an’. Petty as hell, that one.
But there was definitely something more concerning than spelling. The arrival of the Luminaran delegation was a major plot point in Islands, and one wrong move could spell disaster for the Harbourbloom-Luminara alliance. But it went well in the show… so all Cass had to do was pull the act off successfully, or die trying.