The Maid and Her Princess - Chapter 47: Chapter 47

They followed a road for awhile during the day, but as the sunlight started to wane they took to the woods again. No one was out on the roads. The countryside seemed like it was peaceful but eerily quiet. It was then Madoka wondered what her former princess, Elise, or Audrey was thinking. Now that all was quiet compared to the raging prophecies she's seen. The forces of the universe has placed them in this dangerous element. Madoka herself did not know how to process her own traumas.
Her feelings.
Her love.
Her fears.
In Madoka's mind, however, were not many thoughts. She simply did not know what to do. Audrey did not utter a single word as they trudged along and Madoka considered her to be the one with the plans. Was she looking ahead? Did she have more visions of the future? Madoka looked once more at the softness her beautiful cheeks. Night fell quickly, so they hunkered down for now. Madoka heard no animals. No enemies. When the time came for them to rest, Madoka fell a tall pine tree over with a single kick. Audrey looked surprised but gave up trying to understand how much strength those relics gave Madoka.
Later, two prepared a campfire and planned the nightwatch shifts but Madoka felt calm. Nervous. Electrified. Peace. They swirled around like the wind blowing leaves in the crispy air.
Was it Elise or Audrey?
Was it her newfound strength?
Was it her newfound freedom?
Audrey was asleep first so Madoka watched first. She would pick her friend up and run if she detected danger nearby. Audrey did not have any weapons besides that knife she used to chop up her hair. She did her exercises in the meantime to stave off her anxiousness. A former maid in the woods, doing exercises no one has ever heard of. Madoka could no longer laugh at the unbelievable ridiculousness of their situation. They were but refugees from a cruel fate. This was not how two fourteen year olds should be spending their birthday — desperately trying to compact the creeping sadness of a once thriving world they once stood stable on.
Like that strange neon world Madoka dreamed of when she was... Madoka shook her head at the memory. Let it fade like the embers of the dissipating fire before her. She also did not know how to inform Audrey that she made it to her birthday alive. Both of them now, were now fourteen.
Some time later, Audrey stirred and woke. Madoka turned to her and nodded without a word. She dragged wood to the firepit and snapped. Fire spit from thin air, settling in a new dance routine upon the log. Then she just stood up and stared up at the stars above. During their time at the Estate, she mentioned people from her original world wished upon a falling star. The look on her face haunted Madoka, a mix of harrowing eyes and solemn yet a wavering throat deluged with sadness.
She was not wishing.
What would Madoka wish for? As Audrey stood there and stared at the stars, fully turned so Madoka could not see her eyes. For a moment, she was left to indulge in her fantasies. She knew what she would wish for. Audrey's happiness. For the stars to pale in comparison of her twinkling irises, bursting with the heaven's light. For her to see everything in wondrous amazement and peace within all things.
Moonlight slid off her hacked hair and bare shoulders. Madoka wanted to scold her and say she will crane her neck by looking up like that but the silence was significant. Audrey turned to face Madoka, as if she sensed her stare from behind. The two stared at each other, when Madoka looked into Audrey's soul and found glossiness, the resolve weakening within those azure eyes. The sky was clear enough with the stars above and their cascading blues, their oranges dying in final moments, their silvery gleaming whites. Audrey fell to her knees and collapsed on Madoka.
Like the moonlight on Audrey's shoulders slipping down her skin, so did her tears om Madoka's own shoulders. She held Audrey in a tight embrace for awhile before she simply wiped her tears and sat besides Madoka only to rest her head on her arm. Audrey was not quite tall enough to reach Madoka's shoulders.
"H-Happy birthday, Audrey," Madoka croaked.
"Mm," Audrey's only response came. "Hey, Madoka?"
"Yes, princess?"
"Heh."
"Oh, sorry, Audrey."
"It's fine, it's cute," Audrey unrolled the blankets and pat them. "Your turn to sleep."
"With a fine person like you around me?" Madoka absentmindedly muttered. "I could never."
"What did you say?"
"I can't sleep," Madoka told her, watching the flames. Audrey contemplated for a moment before reaching an idea in her head.
"I get that," Audrey mused. "I haven't been this nervous and relieved at the same time. It's... Exhilarating."
"You feel that way, too?"
The former princess nodded. Madoka guessed she no longer had visions by her demeanor alone. Therefore she was happy for Audrey.
"I know!" She said, jumping up and stretching. Was the cheerfulness a mere facade? Time would only tell in secret increments. "We can share stories! Scary stories!"
"P-People don't do that, Audrey," Madoka stammered. She could handle some scary things, but Audrey's unpredictability was beyond scary. Madoka reiterated herself in desperation. "They don't do that, do they?"
"Aw, don't be a scaredy-cat!" Audrey said. "Let me cook!"
"Cook what?"
"It's a saying—" Audrey paused at sound Madoka's stomach demanding food. "Fine, I'll actually cook! Check this out. I can pull meat out of my pocket!"
With that, she pulled a slab of meat out from her pocket and ran a stick through it. Then she pulled a kiln from her robe and smirked. Madoka guessed that she channeled the portal underneath her cloak. It did not make the process any less alien to her, but Madoka was determined to look as nonplussed as she could.
"Ta-da! Sheesh, tough crowd," Audrey sighed. She propped two other branches for the meat and kiln to hang over and cook. Madoka was impressed. "So, I'm going to share a little secret with you: I burned most of the palace's West Wing."
"What?"
"Yeah! It was a lot of fun!" Audrey laughed. She got bitter again. "Running from those vines, watching my servants die, getting cornered by my Brother... You know, I might have ruined the vision by being the one who burned part of the palace. We'll never know!"
"T-To think you could," Madoka was worried.
"Oh, come on, it's not like I had a choice!" Audrey said defensively.
"It's not that I am worried about you burning the palace," Madoka gasped. "It's just how large of a fire can you make with magic...!"
"Look, Madoka. I promise I will be safe with my fire magic, okay? I no longer set myself on fire anyways," Audrey pouted.
"Just how large of a fire can you—"
"Ding, ding! Meat's done!" Audrey cleared her throat. She split the sizzling meat with wind magic and handed one half to Madoka. "Don't ask me what animal this was, I just know it's meat I scooped up. I stopped by everywhere in the palace, but especially the kitchen, you know. It's also really hot!"
Madoka held the meat up effortlessly and tore through it with her teeth like a beast.
It's tasty, Madoka thought. Audrey still ate like a Royal. Madoka taught her how to eat, but she no longer cared as she tore through the meat. Audrey did not mind, seeing her friend eat must have been enough for her to be happy.
"It's good right?" Audrey asked, leaning in to wipe Madoka's face with a cloth. Madoka nodded enthusiastically. "The meat tastes kind of plain, but we don't got much to choose from."
Madoka did not care about the taste. What was it that made it taste good? She pondered for a moment before noticing Audrey's caring and kind face. It was camaraderie. Kinship in the face of overwhelming hardships. It was the taste of a bond being forged.
"Tell me," Audrey spoke up. "Do you remember anything after you died? Well, besides the stabbing part. Second thought, it's probably a bad thing to talk about but I'm so curious!"
"I remember," Madoka said after some time, tossing the stick that held the meat into the fire. She felt sleepy now. "I remember that I made a wish to see you again."
"Did you meet a god?" Audrey asked, her eyes twinkling in the starlight. "What was that like?"
"I don't remember much," Madoka lied. "Just that I was falling into oblivion."
"Ah, that sounds fun. Sorry for bringing it up," Audrey apologized. "You look tired now, Madoka. Get some rest. A town isn't too far off from where we are so we'll need..."
Madoka was already fast asleep before Audrey finished her sentence.
Later, she woke to rain sprinkling on her nose. She stretched and felt something soft on her left side. It was Audrey's arm. Madoka sighed. What good was a night watch if she is just going to fall asleep? She poked Audrey's nose.
"I'm awake!" She sputtered and sprung up. Madoka noticed the dragon tattoo on her arm. It has been some time since she has taken notice of it. "Did not let my guard down! Not even for a second!"
"Elise. Audrey. Audrey Elise," Madoka rolled her eyes. Audrey looked at her offended. "You're supposed to be on watch."
"I was watching," she said with a sigh. "I was watching you."
"For other things. Not me," Madoka snapped. She got up and watched the dragon tattoo crawl back up Audrey's shoulder. Madoka gave a stretch and pulled a sleepy Audrey up from the ground. "It's time to go find that town you were talking about."
Madoka found it odd that she did not feel cramped after getting up. Maybe it was the relics' power within her. Perhaps it was all of her nights sleeping on the ground in various positions that trained her to be able to be comfortable after sleeping. She wanted to groan at the thought but Audrey stretched and fully straightened out.
"Right," she said. "It's quite a ways away, but hopefully we'll be able to get information from locals or something. I don't know!"
"You don't?" Madoka asked.
"Yeah, well," Audrey said. "Didn't think this far. Maybe a super convenient event will happen that'll take us to a clasdic starter town and we'll get info there! Maybe we'll become adventurers in a guild!"
"Guild? Event?" Madoka asked.
Audrey hopped up on a log and turned to Madoka.
"I read about that stuff on a book before," she said. "The Adventurer Guild is a thing in this world. It is kind of cliché, wouldn't you think? Someone's got to go into the spooky labyrinths of this world, of course, so they made an organization for it. There's possibly a bunch of other boring things that adventurers do. And dumb progression systems."
"What if I don't want to go into one?" Madoka said. Audrey hopped off the log and they began to walk the trail she pointed out on the map. "What about that?"
"Then we won't do that!" Audrey said cheerfully. Her sudden consideration for Madoka made her concerned. "Don't look at me like that! If there's too much risk involved with those strange labyrinths then I definitely won't."
"I don't believe you'll stay true to that, Audrey," Madoka said as they approached a hill. The frost began to form icy crystals on the trees. The forest was teeming with many animal thoughts, like fruit before it goes rotten. They'll have to hunt in there eventually. Audrey said nothing but stood there halfway up the hill and watching the flakes of snow begin to fall.
"Say, Doka," Audrey said, throwing her hood on. She held her palm out and watched the snowflakes land on her gloves.
"Don't push your luck by calling me that," Madoka snapped. She still had trouble calling her Audrey. Should she go by a different name? Madoka shook the thought out of her head. Audrey scrunched up her nose.
"Do you smell something odd in the air?"
"What?" Madoka sniffed. It was... "Smoke."
"That's not right," Audrey started heading faster up the hill. "There's supposed to be a town below this hill. Hurry!"
Madoka climbed up after her but Audrey already stopped.
"Audrey?"
Audrey pointed downward. Madoka looked on with horror at the sight. Just below at the foot of the hill lay the burning remains of the town in razed radius. The flames left their scars in the dirt between the snow and the destroyed buildings.
"Well," Audrey's lips quivered. "W-We were too late."