The Maid and Her Princess [On Hiatus]

From Dragons to Picking Flowers part 2

II.

A sea of blues, reds, yellows and greens spread in waves against a slithering coastal line of forest trees at a faraway border. There was an entire world of beautiful colors just beneath their feet. Madoka could hear carefree thoughts of birds above and small thoughts of predators hunting around the forest. As they surveyed the area she found that the city walls were slowly getting further away from them.

"Don't git too close to the forest! Monsters are everywhere in there and you ain't got no weapons!"

Guards warned them multiple times before they departed. Madoka felt her swords' grips. She had plenty and Audrey had many miracles that could turn this world of colors into dark flames in an instant. Kind gods willing, Madoka would not have to use anything today. Despite the people she's spoken to these past two days, she preferred the city than the many months spent wandering on a mountain.

"So, like, red flowers," Audrey picked two red flowers and examined them. "Bah!"

"Don't complain," Madoka sighed. "You were the one who chose the paper."

"All these flowers are red, Madoka!" Audrey complained. "All of 'em! You got any idea how hard it is to—"

"Little red flowers with blue tips," Madoka recalled. She picked one of them up. It matched the drawing on the commission scroll. "Just need fifteen more."

"We gotta get more than five?" Audrey checked the scroll again and confirmed the amount. Dismay flushed her face. "Bruh. Damn, we really have to grind reputation in the Guild, huh?"

From slaying a dragon to picking flowers, Madoka mused as she held the flower up. The flower's petals matched her red hair except for their flowing blue tips.

"So that's what they look like," Audrey stole a glance at Madoka's hair and then she directed her gaze to the flower. "Put it in here."

The portal manifested before Audrey and Madoka tossed it in.

"Still, there's a lot of things I don't have a clue about," Audrey picked random flowers of different sizes and colors. Was she even paying attention to the flower's details? "Those red strands that the mage fought you with, who or what Ceghinort is, your magic. That Koj guy said that it was called Knotting or something."

"Maybe the magic board was faulty," Madoka hoped. The way those golden chains changed materials never seemed normal to her. They smoothed out metal as one did to the wrinkles of a dress, connected strange devices she never could dream up and showed her magical weapons in that dragon's realm. Could she possibly be capable of doing the same? "I don't think I wanna learn magic."

"It's not that bad!" Audrey tied the stems of the flowers in a crown. "Here!"

She placed the flower crown on Madoka's head and pulled out the hand mirror. The sight of herself wearing a beautiful and colorful accessory felt wrong to Madoka. Audrey giggled.

"Have I told you how pretty you are?" She held the hand mirror up at an angle. "I wish phones or cameras were a thing. I could take one of you. Maybe a hashtag, like first quest with this queen—"

"Nope, don't like whatever idea that is!" Madoka took the crown off her head and put it on the princess's head. She recalled the first time she saw the girl in the throne room of the Palace. She was wearing a shining crown. All Royals have those and one made out of mere flowers did not compare to their crown's glory.

Audrey seemed satisfied with the crown of flowers on her head, inspecting herself from different angles.

"Perhaps I should make cameras, huh," Audrey mused. "Since paper is a thing in this world and everything. I could coat it with..."