The Maid and Her Princess

her highness's next life plan (HotFQ 1.3)

-o-

The sun ducked behind the gray clouds again. So far, the only two things Madoka could hear was Audrey's strange magic talisman humming in the wind and their steps crunching ancient snow. She shuddered as the sky darkened. The girl's small form stopped for a moment as she lifted the talisman up to her ear.

Madoka immediately moved to cover her with her cloak. She did not need it, but Audrey had rejected her insistence with a silent shrug and a raised hand. That familiar gesture made her instantly obey. Royal habits trumped... whatever this was between them.

Friends? Madoka had trouble understanding such a concept even though she had mulled over it repeatedly in her head during the Spring of Colors. She had felt differently over Her Highness for a long time, but she did not know if it was purely friendship. She did not even dare get close to the other maids. Since Audrey stopped, she stopped. Since she refused the cloak, the maid stood tall against the wind silently while the princess carried her on with her quiet vigil.

Ever since they escaped the Palace, she knew some changes occurred within her. Firstly, she was not as pathetic as she was back when she trained in the Estate. Destroying a massive bear was only the beginning, even if she needed healing afterwards. Secondly, she did not feel cold or the need to eat. Her skin showed no signs of frostbite, as if she was not apart of those worldly affairs at all. Her energy did not feel worn down even at night, but she always could fall asleep easily. She did not let these things get to her. The burns and scars that etched her skin reminded her that she died once.

And lastly, she was feeling empty. It was not her stomach. It was her heart or whatever was revived when the princess saved her. This dreaded existence worried her for a moment, nearly making her brain break. What if she was not Madoka anymore? Who would take care of Elise if she was not herself anymore? What was she thinking?

A strand of red hair whipped her eye. She turned, but the princess was still standing there communing with the glowing talisman with her eyes closed. The girl's face did not have the look of despair she would get before collapsing and wanting to... Well, she did not seem like she was going to try to leave her all alone here again.

She turned before the princess could see her watching her. Audrey mentioned that she was from another world. The strange concept made her worry, but she knew it was not worth getting a headache over. What did cause her mind to spin was the fact that she came here after she died in her old world. What if she herself was not the original Madoka that died when the Prince stabbed her, would she not remember anything at all before she arrived here? Was she a new Madoka? She still could remember things before she died in the Palace, so that could not be true, right? With that thought, she felt a little bit more secure.

Then, the wheels of her brain started to heat up again.

Madoka shifted on her weight again as the world around her became white with snow. They were so high up here on whatever mountainside. She had lost track of where she was a few hundred trails ago. She could not even see Fiara's fields anymore. The roots that took them over, the burning countryside, and battlefields seemed like lost worlds of their own compared to how far they have traveled now. What would happen if she died again? Would she be reincarnated back in that strange place before it got destroyed again?

The one with the bright and big blue world floating above it, filling the sky with a deep and mysterious cerulean light. Would she see that beautiful angel again? That woman's terrified face haunted her dreams sometimes, but what truly scared her was the finality of dying again. Moreover, other than the fact that it was painful, she was afraid of dying with this emptiness.

"There," Audrey's voice cut her out of her winding thoughts. A small shadow stood out in the fog a short hike's distance away. Madoka blinked. How did she make that appear? "It's a tower. Beats a cave or hard ground to hide in for the night, right? Come on."