Dancing on Strings

Inviting Fear

         

Mai woke with a start on the banks of the lake, eyes snapping open to see the dream palace off in the distance, a gently glowing beacon in the night.

She got to her feet, lifting her white gown out of the way and looked towards the eleven swans a-ways down the bank.

Her one broke from the group and sailed towards her, stopping to let her step in before gliding across the still water to the opposite bank.

She climbed out, glancing down once to admire her smooth, perfect feet only to stop, surprised to see she was wearing her pale purple dyed pointe shoes. She had been fixing one of the ribbons in bed that night and must have fallen asleep still holding them. She hadn't expected them to follow her into her dreams.

It only made her pause for a moment however before she hurried to the shower of starlight that drifted apart to let her in.

The palace was as it had been before.

She drifted through the silence, peering towards the balcony Reve had been sat at before. He wasn't here.

"Hello?" she called.

Her voice echoed back to her, unanswered.

"Is anyone there?"

She turned, looking behind her, wondering if she should stay in the palace when she hadn't been invited any further in, then looked towards the stairs again and jumped, her hand flying to her heart in surprise.

That woman stood at the landing again, watching Mai through her black veil.

Mai stared at her for a long moment, then drew in a breath.

She half expected the woman to turn and walk away again, but she didn't and Mai stumbled over the first word she'd expected to not have to say.

"S-sorry, I didn't realise someone was here."

The woman didn't say anything.

"I... didn't mean to intrude."

"Hmm."

The soft hum from the woman startled Mai – perhaps because it was such a normal sound, like she was contemplating what to say.

"I don't suppose it's intruding; you were given permission to visit whenever you wished."

Mai blinked, surprised by the normal – though lovely – voice that filtered through from the shroud-like veil.

"I... wondered if Reve was here," Mai muttered and the woman chuckled.

"Of course," she said, "I assumed as much. Suffer a fright?"

Mai looked at her in surprise. "I... yes... how did you know?"

"Lucky guess? How do your fare after your fright?"

"I'm fine," Mai said.

"What happened?"

"Oh, nothing of interest."

"I hardly asked to fulfil a morbid curiosity, dear."

"...Oh..."

Mai glanced away, thinking of her 'fright'.

She had been returning from a day's worth of practice at the theatre. Thankfully Zet had travelled home some hours earlier so he hadn't been involved.

She had been riding home, the royal carriage in front, her maids' carriage behind, as usual when another carriage had caught up with them, riding at such speed, he could have caused an accident even without being near someone.