One Shots

40. [A Wake of Dreams]

The phoenix perched on its thin rod of wood, nuzzling its head against my skin at my touch. I ran my hand along the soft feathers, feeling the lightness on my fingers. It baffled me, how something as beautiful as these were plucked from poor animals to be used for things such as pillows and headdresses.     It seemed unnatural and cruel.

"Kurenai, my lady."

    I didn't answer, flicking my fingers along the bird's plumage. It was always so rare for phoenixes to come to me, so spending time with them was a pleasure to me.

    "Kurenai, my lady, it is time for your ceremonial dance."

    As they got closer, the phoenix flapped its wings and soared around the room until it disappeared out of the window, far above my reach. I sighed before turning my head towards the person calling to me.

    Ah, of course. I forgot I had that to do today. When you spend most of your waking hours trapped in a room, you tend to forget that there is a life outside of the walls. The only person who connected me to whatever was behind my bedroom door was this boy who was assigned to care for me, broken cuffs on his wrists from chains rattling as he got closer.

    "Kurenai, my lady, your attire."

    The boy snapped his fingers, and maids came flooding in with clothing for me. Always skimpy-looking, revealing so much skin that it made me sick to my stomach.

    "Kurenai, my lady, please, you are due soon," the boy said, his voice turning into a pleading tone. "Please."

    Oh, that was correct. If I refused to comply, he would be the one to suffer for it. Although I thought I could not care less about the boy whose name I didn't know, it didn't sit well with me to see him the next day with a bruise on his face due to my noncompliance.

    The boy walked out of the room so that the maids could dress me. With their nimble fingers, I was out of my nightdress and into ceremonial clothes that just barely covered my chest and below my waist. My wrists and ankles were weighed down with gold jewelry. With a swish of a bright glow made of the magical essence of a tome, my hair went from a bright red to a golden blonde that was more acceptable, and pinned so that both of my eyes were visible. The maids clicked their tongues in annoyance at the sight of my right eye, which had a black sclera and silver iris from what I remembered every time I looked at the glass,  and proceeded to cover it with a blue satin decorated with silver stones that irritated my skin.

    Once the maids have finished their work, they all disappeared into another room. The boy returned into the room. At least he was respectable enough to keep his gaze to the floor, his face a bright red.

    "Kurenai, my lady, I am sorry for your discomfort, but it is time," he said. "Please, follow me. Your hand, my lady. Please walk behind me."

    I let him take hold of my hand and drag me away with him on my bare feet. Before long, I was standing center-stage in front of a crowd of people who called for my dance to grace them. The bottoms of my feet were turning into ice the longer I was in contact with the ground: why was it always so cold?

    The sooner I gave them what they wanted, the sooner I can return back to my room behind closed doors. I didn't belong here, I didn't want to be here any longer than I had to be. No matter what I did, I would never be able to connect with these people.

    I would never belong here.

    So, I danced. When I danced, I began to sing.

In these shadows come the night