A Tale of Shadows - THE OUTDATED VERSION

Chapter 21 - An Unfamiliar Place

Griselda was, obviously, not at rest. She thought heavy thoughts a lot for the rest of the day, as she tended to do, not being able to stop, no matter how much she wanted to. She knew exactly how incredible it was that her mother had been able to control her life so thoroughly ever since its beginning, leaving her without a sense of individuality, using her as a pawn in her grandiose evil schemes. It was the part that her mind quite obviously lingered on the most.

What did motherhood mean to her mother in the first place? Was motherhood her natural desire, or was it simply a crutch for her true, heinous desires? Was she mad at the world for her miscarriage due to it being a miscarriage or due to it being the demise of yet another heir, yet another piece that was meant to belong to her on the morbid chessboard of life and death? Was there still love in her, or did it die with Malcolm? Did she even know the answer?

A part of her, the part that dominated her being, believed that the answer was clear as day. Her mother, cruel as she was, was not the type of person to care about motherhood. She only cared about herself and her legacy living on long after her inevitable assassination, willing to do anything to achieve the latter. It was why she'd told Griselda that she hated her with such ease, even if she didn't truly mean it. Upon the possibility of betrayal, Griselda'd been made disposable in her eyes, like a dirty napkin that was to be thrown into the garbage.

Thus, Griselda had to be honest with herself. She did not at all want to live like that anymore, to be stuck in a web of lies she'd never agreed to be a part of, to do as she was told by a woman who herself did not really know what she wanted to do with herself. She believed that anything was better than such an existence. After all, why should she accept being fed breadcrumbs of love and joy when she could go buy a loaf? The purchase could end up being unsuccessful, but it was the attempt that counted.

When she woke up at four in the morning the following day, she was more glad than she was tired. She'd gone to bed early, her mother not suspecting a thing, and she did not care for tiredness in a situation such as this. Obviously, she could not risk getting caught, terrified at the very thought of the punishment that would ensue. It was why she expected Maria to arrive at the palace courtyard at around that time. And she did, her facial expression quite grave.

She sighed in relief, her breath visible in the cold night wind. "Hello, Miss Belle- Griselda. I am so happy that you were able to come here at the same time as me. Let us leave the premises right now, or else the sleeping guards might wake up."

Griselda turned around to face the two guards leaning against the front door. They were still in a deep sleep, snoring so loudly that she'd concluded that they were among those people who wouldn't be woken up even by a bear. Still, she understood Maria's worry, taking her hand at the exact moment she began casting the teleportation spell, only distracted when she remembered something important.

"Wait," she spoke, raising an eyebrow. "How are you able to cast the teleportation spell? Is it not reserved solely for the best users of negative magic, such as my mother?"

"Hemingway may have discovered it first, but I've had years to discover it after that. Besides, even if it were an actual negative spell, I've taught myself not to succumb to those," Maria responded nonchalantly.

After nodding quickly, Griselda did nothing while being teleported to the Obscurian Field For Magic, appearing in front of the building in mere seconds. She'd never visited the place before, so she took her time to study it. She was amazed by its height, which was rather noticeable amidst all the clouds in the dark blue night sky that its roof pierced through. Its walls were a stark white, sending a clear message of order and organization, which she much admired.

When she came inside the building itself, she was able to notice its immense orderliness even amidst the overwhelming darkness. She was also able to notice that many people were seated beside the circular birch table in the middle of the room on her left, their faces all stern, not at all stunned by her arrival. They must've been notified ahead of time, she noted. Not long after, the woman with the obsidian ring and the cropped blonde hair greeted her amicably. Now it was her turn to act cordially, no matter how intensely her heart was beating among a crowd of strangers who were watching her every move.