The Maid and Her Princess - Chapter 48: Chapter 48

The two trudged hurriedly down through the thick and crunchy snow. Madoka said nothing and simply steeled herself the best she could. There were going to be dead people down in that town. She knew that, but deep down inside she was scared. Audrey stopped just before they came across the ruins of a building. It appeared to be built like a barn. Or used to be one.
"These tracks are recent," Audrey looked at them in the snow. "No dark manas in the area which means my brother hasn't gotten here, but it still looks like an army passed through here. This was more like a village to stomp over than a town."
"Army?"
"They carved through here to the main road," Audrey said, thinking aloud. "Perhaps it was the one that invaded the capital. Maybe those troops were not the king's army at all and rather... maybe Esmeralda's troops."
"A foreign nation's army?" Madoka wondered. Audrey nodded.
"It's all conjecture, but maybe my time back in the study proved my theory right," Audrey said. "Someone either sold news to the other nations that this place was caving in or the lack of security on the borders caused other nations to become bolder."
Madoka peered around the barn's ruins. There were no dead animals within, thankfully. Even if there was, she felt like she had to be ready for an attacker. The building before her lay in ruins that stood out of the snow like bones of a giant burnt ribcage, reaching towards the sky for help as the tiny flames gathered at their tips. Brittle. Collapsed. It was a hopeless sight. Most of the other buildings looked the same way. At the corner of the barn, however, was something that caught Madoka's eye.
It was a wooden box, seemingly one with the ground and calling to her. Audrey was rambling about something as she usually did, but all Madoka could think about was the security of that box. The kind of hidden serenity that sat as low as it could muster from the cold, uncaring universe above offered itself to Madoka. The only kind of calmness that could be felt by embracing the rough texture of the wood within and curling up. Everything would be okay so long as Madoka had a moment inside that wondrous box.
She gave in and clamored up inside of it behind Audrey's notice. Resting on her knees and forearms, Madoka finally felt at peace. It was a tight fit, but she was flexible enough and found the cramped space a formidable and comforting ally against all the sights she will see. It was as if each of the four sides were there for her, patting her as she stared out at Audrey.
"— Which is why the army moved in. Wait," Audrey shrieked. Kind gods! She finally noticed Madoka! "Madoka! Why are you loafing in that box? What are you, some kind of cat?"
Madoka simply sat in the loafing position and looked silently at Audrey's dismay. She caused that look. And the box told her it was okay that she did.
"At least meow or something!"
Madoka still sat in that box silently.
"Okay then, I'll go scout out the area," Audrey reached out to pat Madoka's head, but she hissed. "Come on, you don't meow but you hiss? Even in this life cats don't like me. Tch!"
Audrey scooted another similar box close to Madoka in an attempt to coax her out of the one she was in but Madoka just looked at it.
"I don't want that one," Madoka said, the conviction in her voice stronger than any steel. "I want this one."
"The one that you are in," Audrey said, exasperated. "Okay, I'll put that one in the storage portal, okay?"
Madoka contemplated for a minute. Then she hopped out of the box and briskly pushed the dust off her knees and arms. Audrey was about to shove the box in the portal and when Madoka hissed again.
"I don't want it anymore," she concluded. Audrey sighed. She could not take it anymore so she left the barn, stating something about cats.
Madoka followed her without saying much. There were burnt remains all around her. They were possibly people but Madoka did her best to ignore them. Audrey's eyes were focused on something unseeable, but there was no fear like when she saw those evil roots.
"They scoured everything here," Audrey mused. "Then burned everything else down."
Something glinted in the corner of Madoka's vision. Carrion birds' hungry thoughts flew in circles above a certain area. It was near the largest ruins in the village. She pushed a red braid out of her eyes for a better view. Audrey gasped when she saw the gruesome sight.
"Is that a medal?" Audrey asked as Madoka approached it. A pendant? She winced. A frozen and charred hand gripped it. The victim was covered in a burned down wood. What was left of the body, that is. Madoka tore it off the body and kneeled down to take the pendant.
For awhile, the two stared at the remains. The wind blew snow over most of the blood but the face haunted Madoka. She placed her hand on the frosted fingers that held onto the pendant, but instead of taking it she clicked it opened and revealed the picture within the locket. It was quiet as Madoka looked at the dead person and back at the photo.
The dead body was a woman with part of her face burned off. Distinctive red hair flowed from her head. Another body was near her, a man's body wearing a noble's coat. His head was missing. Madoka shook her head and left the pendant alone.
"Do you think..." Audrey's voice was quiet, choking with shock. The red haired woman looked like Madoka, but she dismissed her and looked away.
"They're not," Madoka said, crushing the pendant and hand beneath her boot. Both shattered like ice crumbling. She did not want Audrey to see the photo. She walked away and fell to the ground again. "Family wouldn't give their daughter away. That's what you said, right?
Audrey stayed silent and tried to place a hand on Madoka, but one look from her caused her to pull it back.
"I'm sorry for even mentioning it," Audrey whispered and cried.
"That's what you said, right!?" Madoka howled to no one in particular. No, she knew exactly who she was yelling to. "Kind gods, what reason did you bring me here? To suffer?"
She screamed at the sky but in the end, only the wind howled. Those were not her parents. Madoka wailed for hours. Her voice hoarse and she was retching. To her side, Audrey did not move. She seemed hesitant on what to do but resorted to just listening to her friend let everything out. As the two sat in the snow, night began to fall.
"You're right," Audrey finally said. Madoka glared at her with stinging red eyes, but she noticed Audrey was crying for her. "I did say family shouldn't give up on each other."
She stood up and looked across the remains of the village's street before extending a hand.
"I won't give up on you or give you away," she said. Madoka's knees were stiff from sitting in one position for those long hours but she finally took Audrey's hand. The pair left that dead red haired noblewoman in the snow as a gift for the carrion birds flying overhead.
"This town was meaningless," Madoka said. "Where to next?"
After scavenging and coming up with nothing except a box for Madoka, the two departed down a barren road. There was no one around and everything was eerily quiet.
"This must be what the Apocalypse feels like," Audrey mused.
"That word," Madoka remembered that the word had a horrible meaning, but she did not know what it meant.
"Just means that all of mankind is dead. Destruction. The world has ended. You know, little things. We'll go west down this path," Audrey switched the subject. "The further west we go, the closer we meet these kind gods. These relics will start making a fuss when we do. Or another town. I hate to say it, but this country's finished. There's only death. Maybe one day I'll return here to get my stupid crown but we have to survive this."
"Crown?" Madoka wondered. She had forgotten that all Royals had crowns. She wondered if other countries were as horrible as this was.
"I cast it into a well. Oh well. One day, I'll get stronger and return to this kingdom," Audrey said with resolve. "I will give my brother exactly what he deserves for all of this. But especially what he's done to you."
Madoka wanted to say there was no need but the swarm of carrion birds' thoughts rose ahead.
"There is death ahead," she warned Audrey, sniffing. Audrey nodded. There was the stench of rot filling her nose already. The source of it was over the small hill they were climbing on. "Prepare yourself."
"Say, do you think zombies are a thing in this world?" Audrey asked.
"Dude," Madoka sighed. She didn't know what a zombie was but it sounded like yet another strange thing from her old world. She held Audrey's hand to prepare for yet another sight. She was asking weird questions to mask her own fears for Madoka's sake. It was night time but the two both knew they were not going to be able to sleep anyways. "Up ahead. Birds."
"Copy that," Audrey whispered. The two finally made it to the top of the hill and observed below. "A battlefield?"
It was indeed a mess of two armies. The majority of dead soldiers that lie there wore crests that Madoka was not familiar with. A strange sun symbol with a green bird facing left emblazoned on their coats. They were peppered in arrows which the birds ate around until their bones showed.
The birds had to do what they had to do to survive, right? Madoka started to feel like this was simply nature taking its course. If the two girls were not standing amidst these dead bodies the world would not stop and listen to the sound of the birds eating. If that was true, maybe it applied to all of mankind as a whole. A captain nearby was twitching. He was wearing a more decorated emblem, crushed by his dead horse and slowly but surely bleeding out. His eye was falling out his skull but his free one was watching Madoka. His voice was coarse and his arms were scarred from fighting off the birds. He made a gurgling noise but gestured to Madoka.
Audrey was busy scavenging other things and plugging her nose. Madoka figured she might as well hear the dead man out. Perhaps, the kind gods were truly preparing her for worse things to come. And perhaps there was a blackness inside her heart because the ghastly sight of these sorry soldiers strewn across the bloody hill did not affect her as much as that woman did. The soldier reached a stub for an arm out at her.
"Hey... you..." He uttered in Noble. "You... you are an angel, right?"
He grew more hysterical as Madoka watched him. She did not know what to say but she bowed to him.
"Take me away!" He begged, with more viscera spilling out his lungs and neck. "My... axe... my angel..."
The man uttered his final words. Madoka could not look at him any longer and puked at the sight. After heaving a bit, she did locate the axe embedded in another captain's head. Or maybe it was not his but another soldier's axe. With a single pull, she ripped the axe out of the dead man's skull and did her best to ignore the sickening sound that twisted the air as she did.
She found what she needed on this bloody hill and evidently so did Audrey. Audrey noticed the bloodstained axe but nodded in silent communication. Both of the girls departed the scene quietly until the scent of death only remained on them. They veered off the trail and set up a camp after Madoka detected no thoughts nearby.
"Bath time!" Audrey cheered. "That animal whisper ability is pretty cool, you know."
"I-It's a bit embarrassing to have," Madoka said. "Considering I don't know why I have it and can't use magic."
She froze up when Audrey ran cold soapy hands over her back. After cleaning her, Audrey retrieved the storage talisman. From the portal, she also took the box of and dumped a strange liquid to clean it and warned Madoka to stay away from the liquid. Madoka watched as she dropped the weapons inside the box. Whatever liquid she was using to treat those blades made the blood clean off easily. That axe the soldier "gave" her, however, remained as bloody as it was when she got it.
Madoka absently washed her former princess. Though she has changed her outlook and gone through many things these past days, washing her friend was something she could do blindfolded. The living tattoo glistened on her back, causing goosebumps to show. It must be exasperating to have such a scar, Madoka thought. She felt the princess's smooth skin and then latched onto her from behind in a naked embrace.
"Madoka?" Audrey asked. Her warmth was too smooth.
"S-Sorry," Madoka pulled away. "We just haven't done that it awhile, have we?"
"N-No," Audrey folded her arms and shivered. Normally, she would jump at the opportunity to grope Madoka but this night she remained vulnerable. She looked cute when she was bashful which fueled Madoka's curiosity. Yet, the thoughts of birds overhead distracted Madoka. They were in unknown territory and alone in the woods so Madoka did not do anything else. She knew it would leave Audrey bothered and embarrassed.
One by one, the soap bubbles popped out of existence. Audrey dried the weapons, after wiping off each of them. And the two had fresh traveler's clothes, washed by Madoka herself. She wondered if they could just build a house somewhere but decided against that idea. A passing army could raze it like that town.
"Ah, inventory management!" Audrey stood above the weaponry. Are young people like them supposed to be excited over objects designed to take other individual lives? She guessed so, hearing some of the eager talks of the new soldiers patrolling the Palace. They had hopes of joining their comrades in the front lines. These theatres that were far away are much closer then ever now, Madoka thought. Violence could be around every corner.
"2 Bows! 24 Arrows! Quiver!" Audrey threw each item of war in her portal. "A short sword I'll never use! A short sword for you that you will probably not use! And my axe! Sorry, your axe! That thing looks metal AF. Wicked."
She tossed the two weapons to Madoka. She held the axe in wonder. Blood tipped its brutal blade and it had strange etchings on its side. It was illegible due to how its various dents but Audrey said it appeared to be enchanted or something like that. An enchanted axe, Madoka inspected it. It had a small chain that let her hang it from her side but it was not as heavy as the one Lord Leopride gave her. She decided to not give the axe a name. It was simply a tool for war but having it by her side comforted her. Madoka sheathed the sword underneath the axe. It was dwarfed by its size.
"Say," Madoka said over a crackling campfire sometime later. "Whatever happened to Lord Leopride and Lord Zeron?"
"Beats me," Audrey said, munching on a sandwich. "Told them, 'hey, guys, so there's probably a lot of enemy troop mobilization in the east.' And like a voicemail, they did not listen to me... They're probably fighting for their lives as we speak. Those eastern jungles are no joke to fight in, but still after today..."
A bit of water formed at her eyes. She shook her head.
"Today, I just don't know if war is all that easy even for them," she said, her voice quivering. "I'll be fine. I keep telling myself that, but are we ever going to be fine? In my old world, war was depicted in art. Movies, videogames, even literature. It's like that here, probably in some lucky people's lives. It's less powerful in my old peaceful world because people can sit back and hear about it but the next day they'll forget about how damn awful it is. To be guarded and ignorant of all the death happening...! But here in this damn world... It's everywhere. It's just..."
"Easy, Audrey," Madoka said. "Just eat."
Audrey ate silently while Madoka reminisced over the bloody hills they traversed.