The Maid and Her Princess [On Hiatus]

Is It Alright If I'm Determined? (Spm final)

IX.

Days after that night, Madoka was working nervously when several guards Madoka had never seen before marched to her and restrained her. She knew since she was connected to the princess, she would be the first to go. She was dragged all the way to the Royal Court, the very one the princess almost set fire too. Madoka struggled as she was dragged along. Did they suspect her to be an accomplice? The thought of being beheaded was terrifying to her, made worse when she recalled her explaining what the concept was in a generous detail with a sickening glee.

Still, she was dragged to the court, only to witness the princess also in there standing before her Father, King Fiara.

"All of you standing before me, all of us are going to die!" The princess screamed, her voice ragged. She was being restrained by the guards, but she still persisted.

"O, Daughter of mine," the King held a hand to his head in a sad state. "How long must you suffer from these delusions? Has the Demon already taken over you?"

Madoka could only remain on the ground where the guards tossed her at the entrance surrounded by spears. The conversation between the princess, the Prince and the King continued regardless of her presence. Her head was low and she once again feared for her life. If she mentions Madoka at all, the King could easily blame her for poisoning his Daughter.

"He is plotting against you!" She tore her dress, ripping the seams of her sleeve so she could point at the Prince. "How can you be so blind? I overheard their conversations! Father!"

King Fiara looked angry for a moment, rising to strike the princess for her insolence, but the handsome Prince Fiara intervened.

"Father, allow me to speak before you do anything irrational," Prince Fiara pleaded with the King. Madoka was worried that the King might kill his own daughter right then and there. She has never seen the King this angry before.

His glowering countenance faded as the Prince's words reached him.

The Prince, even with these false accusations against him, still very much cared for his ailing little sister. Kindness truly ran through his veins.

"You traitorous...!" She screamed.

Madoka watched a guard restrain her again while the Prince barely contained his hurt.

"It's truly taking a hold of her, like the Healing Mages and Clerics say. The curse will consume her. Father," he spoke to the King, who nodded. "Perhaps we can take her to the farthest estate so that she may rest easily and eventually pass. I cannot bear to see her punished for something a demon did long ago. She is, after all, your own flesh and blood as my dear Sister - I..."

The King raised his hand, silencing the Prince. Even the princess remained quiet. Her life hung in the balance, Madoka's as well. What if she was killed? What would happen to her if the princess dies? For now, the beating war drums inside her heart pounded in procession of his verdict.

"Even with these horrible things she says against you," the King said solemnly. "You still choose her life above all. Truly, you are my son and she is also my daughter."

The court roared in disapproval.

"She is a witch! An evil spirit who wants to seed chaos in our nation!"

"Kill her! This one is evil! She has been tempted by an evil God!"

The King raised his hand. "My verdict is clear. She shall be taken away, far enough to not cause us grief. Dismissed."

The angry court dispersed, shouting insults and omens upon the princess. Relief fell upon the Prince's face as he heard the King agree to spare his sister. "Take her to the Northern Estate, so that she may rest and live out her life in peace."

"Thank you, Father," the prince bowed.

"You're making a mistake!" Princess Fiara screamed as they dragged her outside to a carriage, already waiting for her. The Prince must have planned for her survival and ensured a safe getaway. "He's going to kill you!"

"It is your act of kindness that earned your sister's life," the king sighed. "If only she was sane enough to recognize that... Speaking of that, you."

Madoka gulped as the King directed his attention to the young maid. The King dismissed the Prince, who bowed and strode out the hallway. The guards dragged Madoka before him and she fell to her knees, begging for mercy.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty!" Madoka cried in hysterics. "I did everything I could to help her!"

An old mage leaned towards the King and whispered something in his ears.

"No, I never suspected you, child. You don't have mana and couldn't sway the princess's curse," the King said gently. He was closer than she thought, the blurry view of his boot appeared on the edge of her vision. Madoka was crying still, but she felt his strong hand guide her face to match his eyes.

"It is not your fault, child. The princess, my beloved daughter, is cursed. The child I loved so dearly is slowly fading away into a husk. I did not want to end her life regardless, and even if my son did not intervene as he did I would lay my own life down to stop the order."

Madoka could not believe her ears. The King was also weeping for his daughter, as one deals with the loss of someone they loved.

"However, she had nothing but good things to say about you. This might be difficult for you, servant of mine, but I must ask of you to do me one further thing for her."

"A-anything, Your Majesty," Madoka still blubbered. "I'll do anything you ask of me!"

"I would ask of you to look after my Daughter as you always have," he returned to his throne. "She would feel better with someone like you around her."

"As you wish, Your Majesty," Madoka bowed deeply, her forehead pressed against the marble floor. She survived the ordeal, though she had a strange feeling that Princess Fiara was planning this all along. The King merely grunted in response, dismissing the guards who led her to a carriage. It was presumably on its way to an older facility where the princess was taken.

Madoka was determined to make things right and serve her princess until the day she died.