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Tuesday, February 8, 2022

Enigmatic Fantasies - Maid in Fantasy Part VI

Part I|II|III|IV|V|VI

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           Deciding that rejecting the robed figure’s offer might end with a knife planted in her back, Serena played along. She’d have to choose her words carefully, but she might just make it out of here alive. Best case scenario, she’d learn some helpful information. Although, considering the figures said they speak for Lady Aphros, would it even matter?

           “What exactly are you asking me to do?” Serena tried to stand firm. “I’ve heard so much about you, but this is my first time speaking to you directly.” That sentence in and of itself was not a lie. She had heard about those who favored the second princess.

           “I see you’re a touch apprehensive, don’t worry, you’re among friends,” the figure assured. “Gentlemen, please step away, give the girl some breathing room.” The other cloaked figures stepped away but remained at attention. “We’re not asking you to do much, just bring the child to the right place, at the right time.”

           “I see,” Serena gulped. “Regardless of my opinions on the…child, I’d just be putting myself at risk for your plan.”

           “Again, I understand your concern,” the figure approached her, speaking more softly. Serena swore she heard his voice somewhere before. “Like I said, we speak for Lady Aphros. She’ll ensure you’re given a much cushier position when all the dust settles.”

           “I’m grateful for that,” Serena lied.

           “Your orders shall be provided at the right place at the right time. You’ll know it when it happens,” the figure stated before he and the rest of the cloaked individuals slipped back into the shadows as fast as they came.

           ‘I’d bet good money they’re still following me,’ Serena realized. ‘I need to speak to Lady Aphros.’ The maid rushed out of the underground.

~--~

           After leaving the first princess in the hands of some capable guards, Orion prepared to retire to his room. The young man wondered where Serena was, as she had not been attending the third princess since this morning. A panicked thought crossed his mind that she had been given some share of blame in the assassination attempt. Thankfully, that thought was dispelled when he saw the raven-haired girl rushing down the hallway. He had never seen someone run that fast in a dress, except for the third princess…and Lady Aphros that one time.

           “Serena, what…?” Orion tried to ask.

           “No time,” Serena half replied as she bolted past him.

           “What’s going on with her now?” Orion wondered. ‘I hope she’s not taking after Lady Aphros and the princesses. Something about this palace makes all the women act a little…no, it’s just my imagination.’

~--~

           “Please, I must speak to Lady Aphros immediately,” Serena bowed before a squad of royal guards.

           “I apologize, but Lady Aphros is not taking visitors right now,” one of the guards replied. “Please return to your duties, young maid.”

           “I come at her request,” Serena clarified.

           “Please return to your duties, young maid,” the guard repeated with a little more force.

           “I must-!” Serena tried to continue.

           “Return to your duties!” The guard interrupted.

           “What’s this about?” Lady Aphros peaked out. “Oh, Serena, I was hoping you’d return soon. Please come in,” she welcomed the maid. “You two, leave us.”

           “But, my lady,” the guard tried to argue.

           “That’s an order, soldier,” the blonde snapped.

           “As you wish,” the guards left as Serena was let into the room. Lady Aphros’s quarters were about what Serena would have expected. It was large, filled with luxurious furniture and a several-meter-long table dedicated to jewelry. Fine silks and perfumes covered every surface. All topped off with a massive heart-shaped bed.

           “Lady Aphros, I need to talk to you about-” Serena began.

           “Shush,” Aphros put her index finger to Serena’s lip. “I know.”

           “But what’s this about-?” Serena tried to ask.

           “Shhhh, it’ll all work out, trust me,” the blonde hushed her again.

           “But the-?” Serena remained frantic.

           “Stop,” Aphros clamped her hand of Serena’s mouth and leaned dangerously close to the younger woman’s face. “The walls have ears on both sides,” Aphros whispered, “nod if you understand.”

           ‘Lovely, two groups of people spying on me,’ Serena thought as she nodded.

           “Stay the night with me, Serena,” Aphros smiled. “We’ll have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”

           ‘Oh god,’ Serena glanced at the heart-shaped bed as her brain moved a thousand miles a second. ‘I’m not emotionally ready for this. Even knowing it’s all a cover.’ Serena moved towards the bed.

           “I’ll be gentle,” Aphros whispered in Serena’s ear, causing the latter to do a spit take. Serena whipped around to see Lady Aphros childishly sticking her tongue out and winking.

           ‘Is she trying to defuse the tension or give me a heart attack?’ Serena wondered.

~--~

           The following day, Orion sat on his own in the servant’s dining quarters. It was not even 7:00 am, but the working class was well into their breakfasts, as their duties began fairly early. In Orion’s case, the first princess was not much of an early riser, so he had quite a few hours to sort through his duties and complete his tasks. Alas, his mind was elsewhere, Serena had not returned the night before, and he struggled to sleep, wondering what happened.

           “Did you hear about Serena?” Two of the female servants began gossiping at a nearby table. Normally, Orion wouldn’t concern himself with trivial gossip, but seeing Serena’s name piqued his interest.

           “What happened? Did the third princess push her to quit too?” The other servant asked.

           “No, I heard she spent the night with Lady Aphros,” the first servant revealed. Orion felt his heart clench. He knew where this conversation was going.

           “Another poor soul pulled into the lady’s web. How long before she tries to steal her away?” The second servant pondered.

           “With all the panic, they might take a newer servant like Serena off the third princess in a heartbeat,” the first servant proposed. “The real question is, how long before she gets bored of this one?”

           “Well, poor Orion over there was strung along for months before she dumped him on the first princess,” the second servant stated. Orion tried his best not to choke on his food.

           ‘Why do people keep saying that? I was never supposed to work for Lady Aphros permanently,’ Orion thought to himself. The young man was blissfully unaware of his own naivete. ‘Now they’ll be spreading those nasty nonsense rumors about Serena too. I should warn her.’ Orion stood up and walked away with purpose.

           “Did he hear us?” The first servant noticed the young man leave.

           “He definitely heard us,” the second servant affirmed.

~--~

           “Did you hear about the first princess…?” “Princess Atlanta is nothing like her mother…” “I hear she hates the youngest princess more than anything…how petty…”

           Orion trudged through the halls of the servant’s quarters, desperately trying to ignore all the nasty rumors about his charge. He had yet to find Serena, and already the rumor mill produced something far worse. It was strange, the first princess was never the favorite among the servant staff, but she wasn’t disliked either (that privilege was reserved for the third). Now suddenly, she was the black sheep?

           ‘Do they have nothing better to do than gossip?’ Orion wondered. It honestly disturbed him to a degree. Some of these servants were his own, albeit distant, family members. ‘Where’s Serena? I need to talk to her about this now too.’ By some stroke of luck, he finally spotted her rushing through the servant quarters like a woman on a mission. Orion dashed to her side and tried to get her attention.

           “Serena I-,” the young man began.

           “Not now, Orion,” she shut him down and zipped away.

           ‘What’s gotten into her?’ Orion followed. Some small inkling at the back of his mind told him this wasn’t a good idea, but he dismissed the feeling as irrational. After a long trek through twisting corridors and narrow passages, Orion realized Serena was trying to lose him. ‘Now I know something is wrong.’ The blonde acknowledged. He let the girl disappear from his sight before shifting into stealth mode. Serena was good and a bit of a natural in their unique positions. However, Orion had been training for over a decade, and if there’s one thing Lady Aphros taught him, it was how to be sneaky.

           Orion trailed Serena from a safe distance, practically spidering across the walls like a pop-culture ninja. As he watched the raven-haired girl duck into one of the less-visited parts of the palace, Orion felt the strangest tingle. Something here was a danger to his princess, and he must become aware of it. It was the weirdest feeling, as something like this had never happened before. He made a brief glance towards Serena again as she slipped into a nearby room, noting her sweat and paling complexion and wondered if she felt the same thing.

           Orion hung above the door and pressed his ear to the wall, taking in what little of the conversation inside he could. The voices were muffled, but he’d recognize Serena’s anywhere. Thankfully, the discussion was quick and direct.

           “Finally…arrived, I hope…?” One male voice said.

           “A little…sudden, if I don’t… I’ll miss my…duties and…suspicious,” Serena replied.

           “Don’t worry…just take…princess to the g…and it will all…” Another male voice answered.

           “This is all…so fast…” Serena commented.

           “Do not…by the end of…the third will be gone…” The first male voice assured. This statement made Orion’s skin crawl. What were they talking about?

           “I still don’t…understand…” Serena stated.

           “Do not concern yourself… we’ve already handled the first…” The second voice declared. That new sensation assaulted Orion again; the whole situation reeked of something sinister.

           ‘I don’t know what Serena is involved in, but I have to warn someone,’ Orion dashed away.

~--~

           “Princess!” Orion busted into Atlanta’s room. The girl was still in her nightgown and looked frustrated as she rooted through her desk.

           “Orion, you’re two minutes late,” the princess commented. “But forget that now, someone has been fingering through my stationery and pens.”

           “Princess, this isn’t the time. Something sinister is afoot,” Orion warned.

           “What nonsense has Lady Aphros poisoned your mind with this time?” Atlanta sighed.

           “Shadowy figures, speaking ill of you and your youngest sister,” the young man explained as he bowed.

           “Let me guess, you believe that the assassins are involved and that they plot beneath our very noses?” Atlanta inquired.

           “That was my first instinct,” Orion admitted.

           “There are many shadowy meetings within the palace walls, Orion,” the princess explained. “They speak in riddles and double meanings, but a better question would be how you stumbled across one.”

           “I…followed Serena,” Orion admitted.

           “Ah yes, Lady Aphros’s new favorite,” the first princess rolled her eyes. “Do not concern yourself. She has likely been pulled into that woman’s grand machinations. You should keep your head out that mess and help me discern who was so bold as to steal my stationery and-” Atlanta looked again, “make off with my royal seal!”

           “At once my, my princess,” Orion bowed again, gears turning in his mind. ‘The theft of her stationery and seal is also of concern. Someone may attempt to forge a letter in her name. But it’s not as though-’ The blonde thought, his mind turning to the mystery men’s words. ‘If they’ve said they’ve already dealt with the first, does that mean they intend to…Oh, no…’

           “Your face speaks a thousand words, Orion. What paranoid thought has crossed your mind now?” The first princess asked.

           “Where might Princess Irene be at this moment?” Orion asked.

           “Running at full charge across the courtyard into the gardens,” Atlanta looked out her window. “Or rather, walking in march step with her maid. There they are now.” Orion walked up to peer out the window, and like Atlanta said, Irene and Serena walked, hand in hand, across the palace gardens.

           ‘I need to know for certain,’ Orion thought. “Forgive me, my princess,” he begged, “but I must go. Lives may hang in the balance.”

           “If it may finally cure you of these concerns, then go,” Atlanta stated. “You have my blessing.” Orion nodded and dashed out of the room and down the hall.

           ‘Please let me be wrong,’ he thought as the sights of the palace whipped by. ‘It would be a paper-thin deception, but they merely need to get the idea out there. No need for hard proof if you could spread enough misinformation to convince many that the first princess was behind this plot. Even if proven innocent, just the fact people might accept the idea without question could damage her reputation.’

           Orion emerged out into the gardens and zig-zagged through to find his way to where Serena and Irene walked. As the two came into view, he rushed towards them faster than before. His sudden arrival clearly took Serena off guard. However, her face quickly went from surprise to confusion to anger.

           “Serena, you must tell me what’s going on,” Orion shouted. He immediately regrated his outburst as his instincts flared up, and out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a shadowy figure. The figure pulled out what looked like a rifle and took aim at the now stationary Serena and princess.

           Everything slowed down. Orion saw some feeling cross Serena’s face. He instantly recognized it as the same one that assaulted the two of them in the depths of the palace that morning. The young woman pulled herself and the princess to the ground, right before a bullet rang out through the garden, missing the two girls by what felt like a hair.

           Orion glanced back at the assassin, who looked to be cursing his misfortune. He had a split-second decision to make, charge the armed assassin or move to protect Serena and the princess. For the former, while he was certainly far faster than the average person, he couldn’t outrun a bullet, especially one he was charging at. For the latter, he still couldn’t outrun the shot. But maybe they could move to safety, assuming there isn’t another assassin.

           “Orion, behind you!” Serena warned. The blonde looked back to see a cloaked figure charging him from the shadows, dagger drawn.

           ‘So, there was another assassin,’ Orion realized. He turned to face his new foe, praying the sniper wouldn’t shoot him out of spite. Then a dagger flew over his head and nailed the second assassin in the chest, knocking him over with the force of the impact. Orion looked back to see it had been thrown by Serena.

           “You idiot,” she said as she clutched the princess close to her chest, a look of resignation on her face. It was then Orion remembered there was a sniper, and he darted forward. Perhaps he couldn’t outrun a bullet, but maybe he could block one with his body.

~--~

           The night before, as Serena and Aprhos sat in the latter’s private chamber, hidden beneath Aphros’s bed covers. They spoke of strategy and intrigue, of a plot that threatened the former’s charge. Serena never expected to be in a position like this, her discomfort apparent, but Aphros comforted her to the best of the noble’s ability.

           “I understand your concern,” Lady Aphros stated. “But we must act with care. These assassins don’t care whether Irene lives or dies. They only care about pinning the blame on Atlanta.”

           “I don’t understand this whole political squabble,” Serena admitted. “What’s so great about the second princess they’d be willing to kill the third and frame the first?”

           “Well, the second is known to be wise beyond her years and said to be the one most like her mother,” Aphros explained. “But the real reason is far less poetic. I’m sure you’ve noticed the second is like a ghost around her, mentioned but never seen. There’s a reason for that, but the rumor is that she’s…invalid. They want someone they can more easily manipulate.”

           “Well, now I’m just sick to my stomach,” Serena commented.

           “As am I,” Lady Aphros agreed. “I must ask you to play along with these would-be assassins. I’ve already talked you up to them, and you’re still viewed as something of an outsider, so they won’t question where your loyalty lies.”

           “So, is this why you hired me? An outsider to help foil a political plot?” Serena inquired.

           “Well, it was more of a happy accident,” Aphros admitted. “But in a sense, yes, that’s why I pushed you through training so quickly.”

           “Victoria was right. I really am being strung along,” Serena said without thinking.

           “I’m sorry, Serena, I really am,” Lady Aphros said genuinely. “You’re just the unfortunate third party in all this. I did wrong by Victoria, and I won’t make the same mistake. No harm will come to you, I swear on my life.” The noble hugged Serena.

           “You owe me a full explanation after all this,” Serena stated.

           “I know,” Aphros agreed. ‘Forgive me, Serena, there’s still something I haven’t told you. I just know Orion will sniff out something is wrong, and he’ll interrupt whatever plan we make like the noble idiot he is. I can’t tell you as much because I don’t want you to rely on him the off chance he leaves well enough alone.’

To Be Continued…

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Workplace violence is best avoided, and should always be reported to your immediate supervisor.

Until next time, Read, Comment and Enjoy

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