Story Hub: [link]
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“…And another thing, this is the fourth time you’ve allowed Princess Irene to run among the rafters. Do you understand how irresponsible that is? Of course you don’t, because if you did you would not have allowed it to happen so many times…And another thing!” Lady Aré continued to scold Serena. The maid had long since zoned out and was simply waiting for the noble to tire herself out so she could get back to doing real work.
‘Sure, it’s my fault the Princess keeps getting herself into trouble,’ Serena rolled her eyes. ‘It’s not like she can magically disappear whenever you take your eyes off her or defy physics on a whim. She’s just a small, innocent child with no desire to cause trouble.’
“…And another thing, you’ve let your hair grow far too long. It should be cut down to a proper length. And another thing…” Aré droned on.
‘Yeah no, nobody touches the hair,’ Serena grimaced. ‘I’d make a snarky remark, but I’ve long since learned saying anything will just make her even more angry. Even if you say nothing at all.’ The maid lamented her situation and glanced towards the door. She felt the temptation to just throw up her hands and quit. She technically didn’t have that choice, but Caenia did it at one point, so why can’t she? Well, that had a simple answer. Caenia could take care of herself and clearly didn’t have many qualms about living in a gutter like the old city. In fact, Serena was confident Caenia could have been running things down there if she cared to (and Caenia very obviously didn’t care about anything but getting blackout drunk and cursing Lady Aphros’s name).
“And another thing…” Aré’s rant continued, but Serena wasn’t even comprehending it at this point.
‘If I ran out that door right now, what life would await me?’ Serena wondered. ‘Would I be on the run for the rest of my life? Would I sit in a gutter drowning my sorrows like Caenia did? Would I be snatched off the streets by one of the palace’s enemies and live a short but cruel life? Or worse, a long, miserable one?’ The maid’s imagination got to work, visualizing each scenario. She saw herself running through the streets on a rainy night, squatting in a miserable place intoxicated by an unknown substance, crying in pain in the dungeon of some twisted madman and completely broken in a dark, forbidden land, begging for an end that would never come.
‘Huh?’ Serena snapped back to reality, taken off guard by how vivid her imagination was being…or was it her imagination? ‘Happy thoughts, Serena, happy thoughts.’ She pictured being back home with her mother. Spending every day without stress or worry. Going to school, amusing the neighborhood kids, hanging out with Penelo and just being a teenager again. However, this daydream felt so much more distant than the previous ones. As if it was cut off from her. A possibility she could no longer reach.
‘Now I feel even worse…’ Serena felt a shortness of breath as more visions assaulted her. This time, another possibility laid itself out before her. Being born into service as a member of the Diane family right away, never knowing life as a low noble. She could see visions of strength, undying loyalty, and Lady Aré’s watchful gaze. But this time, it was different, it was…knowing. Like the noble was watching her for a different purpose.
‘I…I…’ Serena couldn’t pull herself out of it and her visions grew deeper. Her eyes were locked on the door now, which acted more like a window into a what-if. Now, she could see an image of the throne room, Queen Celene, Lady Aré, and even Aphros. They surrounded her, assuring her of something, but she couldn’t hear any words. Then the scene shifted again, but the players remained. As if it were a different version of the same moment. Serena could feel a torrent of emotions inside her, sorrow, fear, and a boiling rage. The Queen was telling her something, or was it Aré, or maybe Aphros? They tried to tell her something she knew but didn’t want to hear. They were…they were…they were!
“Snap out of it!” A splash of water blasted Serena back to reality. The maid was hyperventilating.
“I…” Serena gagged, barely holding back some vomit.
“Look at me,” Aré commanded the maid, who looked up at the high noble.
“I…I don’t…” Serena trembled.
“You seemed…lost for a moment there. Are you okay?” Aré asked.
“I’m fine,” Serena assured through a wobbly voice.
“I see,” Aré clearly didn’t believe her. “You should be more careful, peering into possibilities like that.”
“What?” Serena was taken aback. Not only did Aré know what she was daydreaming about, but she also knew what it did to her? But they were just thoughts, right? It’s not like she could…
“You concern me sometimes,” Lady Aré shook her head. “We’ll continue this discussion later. You should go rest. That’s an order.” The high noble left the room.
“Rest, yeah,” Serena took a deep breath and stood up but nearly fell over because her legs felt like jelly. ‘Just what I needed,’ the maid lamented. ‘It’s not like I saw something…Wait, what did I even see.’ The maid tried to remember her visions, but now they were all scattered images like a partially remembered dream. She could feel the context and meaning behind them but couldn’t put it into words.
“I don’t know why, but I think all my possible futures suck,” Serena groaned and made her back to her room.
May This Fantasy
Continue A Little Longer…
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When you open the door to possibilities, you won't always like what you see on the other side.
Until next time, Read, Comment and Enjoy.
