Amai of Swan Lake

Chapter 1

The sun shone down on the bustling village below it, its streets filled with people walking and conversing. Merchants selling their goods and neighbors greeting each other as they passed. In a fine house by the square, a young girl hummed as she swept the floors, her voice carrying out the open windows.

She was very beautiful with long white hair tied in a ponytail accessorized with a bow. Curtain bangs framed her fair-skinned face, eyes of crystal blue and violet closed in calm bliss. Her name was Amai, a servant in the household of a wealthy merchant and his family. She had no family, and the merchant had taken her in a few years ago.

Life was alright, having a roof to live under and decent food. Amai never complained about anything and completed her chores with a smile and a song. However, she was a dreamer, and she would often stare into nothing, imagining worlds filled with magic and adventure. Other servants would smile when she spoke of her dreams, telling her that perhaps one day they'd come true. She hoped they would.

"Amai, dear." The merchant's wife brought her out of her blissful state, pausing her movements with the broom.

"Yes, ma'am?"

"We're leaving now. If you could, can you please go to the market and get some apples for the cook?" Amai nodded. "Of course."

The older woman smiled before leaving the house. The whole family was heading to the next town over for business, so they'd be gone for a couple of days. Amai and the other workers were usually placed under the charge of the butler whenever they left. This was the only thing the girl didn't like about her life.

No, the butler wasn't exactly evil, but he was stuck-up and prideful, and he always acted like he was the master of the house whenever the merchant wasn't around. He especially liked to pick on Amai because she was the "little street girl" as he tended to call her. So, normally she tried her best to avoid him.

Like right now, as she quickly put the broom away and headed out to the market with a basket so she wouldn't have to deal with him.

"Hopefully he'll be too busy to bully me when I get back." Amai said quietly to herself while walking down the street. A few people said hello to her, and she responded happily, not letting her thoughts about the butler dampen her mood. Reaching the market, Amai walked right up to the fruit stands. "Hello, Yui." She greeted the old woman who ran them.

Yui grinned and gave the girl a hug. "Hello, dear. What's it going to be today?"

"Apples, please."

"Coming right up." Yui took about half a dozen apples from the stand and placed them in Amai's basket. "Free of charge, as usual."

Amai thanked her. The fruit lady never let her pay, always saying that her kindness was enough payment for her. They talked for a short time, enjoying each other's company, then Amai left to roam around the marketplace for a while. She wanted time to herself before heading back to the house.

She sighed. "Another day, similar to yesterday, and the day before that. Sometimes I wish something would change." Humming, she looked out into the woodland beyond the village. The market was right at the end of town, so a lovely view of the forest was right in front of it.

Scanning over the grass and bushes, something suddenly caught Amai's eye. Standing by a tall tree, right on the border of the woods, was a horse.

A pure white horse, so white it seemed to be glowing under the sunlight. But that wasn't what caught Amai's attention. The fact that was staring right at her did.

She blinked slowly, thinking she was imagining things. It was still there, its gaze directly on her. Amai looked around. No one else seemed to notice the horse at all. The creature turned slightly and jerked its head in the direction of the forest. If she didn't know better, she'd say it was telling her to follow it.

It repeated the action, stepping back and waiting for her. Now Amai knew she wasn't imagining it.

Too curious to leave it alone, she went down the path connecting the village to the grass. Looking over her shoulder, nobody paying attention to her, she continued until she was a few feet from the horse. It huffed and started to venture through the trees with the girl close by.

The two traveled well beyond the village, far out of anyone's sight. Amai wondered where the horse was leading her, having never been this far out before. There was no way it belonged to someone, that was for certain.

"Who are you, white horse?"

A few more minutes passed before the sounds of rushing water reached her ears. Amai stopped for a moment, seeing what was before her.

Two large, wide waterfalls coming down from a rocky cliff, roaring with strength. In the open middle was a stone wall and connecting that wall to the other side was a stone bridge. The horse went ahead, its hooves stepping lightly on the stone. It stopped halfway for Amai to follow, which she did. The mist from the water hit her face, feeling cool and comforting against her skin.

Approaching the wall, the horse began to glow, which nearly made Amai jump back in surprise. Suddenly, the wall disappeared, revealing a secret tunnel. Hesitating for just a moment, Amai and the horse entered it, the wall reappearing behind them.

As they walked, Amai could hear the singing of birds from the other end of the tunnel. Rays of sunlight greeted her when she exited. She froze, face awestruck with her surroundings.

Another forest, but very different from the one before. It was like she'd stepped into another world. The sky was so clear, high hills in the distance with waterfalls touching the vast lake below it. Said lake looked like it was sparkling with the beams of sun on its surface, lilies and flowers along its edges. The trees were taller than any she'd ever seen, and when she observed them, she could see glittering on the leaves.

Neighing from her companion broke her from her amazement, and she turned to the side where the horse now was. She followed it through the mysterious wood, curiosity peaked to a higher level.

"Where are we? Why'd you bring me here?" The animal led her on, the need for answers growing inside her more and more. Finally, they stopped. The horse gave Amai a nudge.

"What?"
Amai's question answered itself when she saw something in the direction she was pushed. The trunk of a tree, about seven or so feet taller than her, with white bark and leaves of multiple colors. Jewels decorated the branches, draping like willow leaves. Right in the center of the bark, at the height of Amai's head, was a crystal.

She didn't realize that she was walking towards it until she was standing just a foot away from it, so hypnotized by its beauty. Clean cut, bright blue, a warmth pulsing from it. Something inside her told her to touch it, which she couldn't resist.

Fingers brushed the gem, and before she knew what she was doing, her hand pulled away with the jewel in its grasp. She cradled it carefully, staring at it like she was under some sort of spell.

It just felt so right, holding it in her hands. Amai couldn't explain it, but there was something about this jewel that was... magical.

"Oh!" Startled when the horse nudged her again, she clutched the crystal tightly so as not to drop it. "Don't do that so suddenly." It bowed its head, seemingly apologizing. "Is this crystal why you brought me here?"

"It's part of the reason."

Amai spun on her toes when a voice spoke from the trees. Her eyes widened when a couple of figures appeared.