United (Magics AU - Part 1)

Chapter 15 - Amy

Although Amy had gone to Ariel to be the helper, she hadn't expected everyone to readily look to her when the final part of the plan came. Normally, Amy relied on herself and that only, which meant she didn't have a lot of friends or allies. She could only really think of two close friends, but one of them had gone missing several years ago - so she counted Linda as the only one. And Linda didn't really need to rely on Amy, either, so Amy was used to doing things on her own - and without anyone looking to her. 

But now that she had a whole kingdom as an audience, everywhere she went everyone seemed to turn their eyes on her as their hope - especially the citizens. Just a little while before, she had gone out into the streets of Ariel to get accustomed to the streets (which she had been able to do quite easily) in case she had to chase the killer through them. During that time, several of the Arielians had stopped her and thanked her earnestly for her help, and she accepted their thanks politely; but really it was quite awkward. 

Even the royalty was looking to her now, which made Amy even more awkward. The king and queen, the rulers, the higher-ups, were turning to her for help and relying wholly on her when she agreed. It was strange to think about - yet, Amy was happy with herself for it. She was achieving something great, and she counted her accomplishments as strength. 

Earlier that day, Amy had tried to get some sleep so she would be awake and lively that night - because she was going to stay up every night until she caught this beast - but with no prevail. For almost three hours, Amy had laid awake in the guest bed she'd been given, staring up at the ceiling and running through possibilities in her head. An hour ago, she'd given up trying and decided to head down to the kitchen to find some food. She would need her strength for what was bound to be coming. 

As Amy lounged on one of the cafeteria couches, nibbling on a pastry that was actually quite delicious, she couldn't help but gaze around her in wonder. With each new look around the huge room - which was most likely used for festivals and balls and such - she seemed to discover something new: an elaborate painting, several golden chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, and several other interesting things.

Everything in Ariel was bright and vibrant, whereas the home Amy grew up in was much different - duller, and much smaller. Her family had lived together in a small town near to the kingdom Utopia, though they never even thought about visiting the kingdom for the sights. The parents never even discussed anything such as sightseeing or leaving home as a family - they were much too busy trying to pay for everything with seven kids. On top of that, the family had not been a tight knit one. Amy hardly knew her parents as people, she just saw them as her authoritative figures. Being the oldest, Amy had to be the one to take care of her siblings most of the time, even though she was close to only one of them. 

Frowning, Amy took another bite of the pastry and gazed around her again. She didn't really like thinking about her family - for one, they were all dead now; and for another, she had never exactly liked her parents. They didn't do anything necessarily wrong - legally, anyway - but to Amy, they were wrong in the way of raising their children. 

"So you like the Apple Danish?"

Amy jumped at the man's voice, sitting up straight in her startle. Immediately after, she cursed herself for not noticing the man approaching. She usually could detect even the slightest movements or odd sounds, but she had been too lost in her thoughts to notice. 

Huffing and brushing some of the brown sugar from the pastry off her pants, she abruptly turned her head to the right, where the voice had come from. 

A broad-shouldered young man was standing on the right of the couch, his hands raised apologetically. He had lively green eyes and umber colored hair that curled and spiked upward at the front. His firm jaw was lined with a neatly trimmed, small beard that suited him well and complemented his slightly chubby cheeks. An apron was tied loosely around his waste and neck, covered with long-time stains and flour.