The Maid and Her Princess - Chapter 50: Chapter 50

She got used to a lot of things this Winter and Fall.
She got used to people losing their homes.
She even got used to people losing their lives.
Crying is useless, the red haired girl thinks to herself.
We are useless, Madoka punches a tree down.
When the soft hands wrap around her,
she turns to see her friend's worried eyes.
And then she cannot stop the flow of tears once again.
Victory was hollow.
The two faded from exuberance to silence fairly quickly and got to work without a word. Madoka pushed the bear in the storage portal effortlessly and the two vacated the battlefield quickly. She must have lost track of time thinking of the fight with the bear. On how she was so weak that even the princess was in danger. Elise, or Audrey, had magic that was capable of being called miracles. Her control over water, even if they were just numerous bubbles, had a solemn weight that testified in favor of their wielder's power. She did not know it but the maid simply did not want to dwell on it any longer.
Madoka caught a rodent with her bare hand to test whether living animals could be stored in the storage. To both of the girls' surprise, Madoka's hand phased right through the hexagonal portal with the squirming rodent still in her grip, undeposited into the swirling void. She sighed and let it slip away into the snowy paths.
The next morning, Madoka followed Audrey quietly. She appeared to know where she was going. But Madoka did not and could not help but ponder if Audrey did not as well. Secretly, or perhaps obviously, Madoka felt like she was going mad. She knew she was in way too far over her head by promising the princess to serve her forever. It was a difficult task to do each new day. The journey was an onslaught of being burdened and trying not to be a burden. It was an endless balancing act on a scale of noble and slave.
Yet the two silently carried onwards, from one rugged mountain path to another. They all seemed to spiral to the heavens and now a crossing stood between steep cliffs and treacherous switchbacks that threatened them with eternal winter below should they slip. She held out her hand and took the lead, wiping her nervousness and snow off her robe. Audrey, surprisingly, took it without a worry shattering her beautiful face.
You could waste your life searching for safety in the country, Madoka thought grimly. Yet, the princess was the country. Surely they could have found survivors living faraway from the Palace, but for whatever reason Audrey chose these mountains instead. Was it cowardice? Her prophecies told her survival was not an option if she chose to find resistance in the surrounding towns? She recalled the burned village they came across, the others they passed by. Each were like withered candles whose smoke could not even reach the sky from their mountain view. Perhaps safety was a memory and one she had to keep for the girl's sake.
One she could never let go for others, she gritted her teeth and pressed on through her doubts. If they find others and don't die up in this forsaken place, that is.
Madoka found herself holding the former princess's hand more often as they traversed the snow covered mountain paths. She would lead Audrey and would go wherever she pointed. An eternal staircase of snow and cold awaited her on this path, once again. It winded into a blank and steep incline of snow, really, for the two girls' boots crunched into the snow leaving prints under threadbare boughs of trees scorned by the weather. The sky is grey, gauzed with foglight and the fairy-like powdery tendrils of ice that resembled tinsel. Madoka heard from the thoughts of hidden creatures that night was descending like her heart felt looking at the cliffsides below.
She could no longer feel her feet in her boots, no longer could see the smoke rising from the fallen palace or destroyed villages, and not even the hints of green hillsides. Only trees, snow and the uncaring night sky kept the two company. Audrey suddenly stopped walking, her hand slipping from Madoka's. She turned. She was doubled over, her arm now covering her eyes.
"El- Audrey?" Madoka rushed to Audrey's side.
"I-I can't do this!" Audrey screamed. Her eyes were searing their anguish up at the clouds above. Then she slammed her head against the ground. A gash of crimson splotched the snow, like red bird feed scattered across a silken blanket. Madoka restrained her from hitting her head against the ground, so the former princess wailed in Madoka's arms instead. "I can't do this! I can't do this! I can't! Madoka, I..."
"Stop!" Madoka held onto her friend's head, ripping off a part of her sleeve and wrapping it around the former princess's fresh head wound. The wind's blistering chill clawed itself on Madoka's exposed skin, but she promised Elise, no, Audrey her heart will remain the same. Of all her own sufferings and failures falling like a glacier shattering and crumbling into fine ice, the screaming princess in her arms' own sorrow were avalanches tumbling into a frozen sea dwarfing Madoka's personal issues. Her tears solidified into ice before they stuck to the ground.
Her mind must be slipping into the cold oblivion because she was alternating between both of the former princess's names.
"Audrey, Elise, Audrey!" Madoka held onto her words like a prayer to ward off her wailing princess's defeat. She must hold onto the princess for dear life, Madoka concluded in her mind as Audrey slammed her head into Madoka's shoulder again. She embraced Audrey tightly while she screamed until her voice grew hoarse. "Audrey, Elise, Audrey!"
"I... can't... do... this..."
Audrey whispered into the night. Madoka's exposed arm must be purple by now, but she vowed to remain her friend's faithful servant with or without her arm. Ah, Madoka looked up and thought to herself as her vision faded.
There was starlight above them still and the night did not care if they slip away forever.
"I must look pathetic, don't I? Whining even after..." Audrey mumbled to herself. Madoka must have blacked out but she pretended to be asleep still. "I used two more charges on you already... Down to four left. My spells aren't getting any better and I no longer have any visions of the future. What good am I to anyone, huh?"
"I-I'm sorry for not keeping you safe. Or talking much," Madoka grunted as she sat up. It was day before the sunrise. Or evening when the moons were leaving. Madoka did not care. Audrey was surprised that she was awake. "I was blaming you for my own shortcomings in my foolish thoughts in my head and I never knew you were suffering—"
"It's okay, Madoka," Audrey affirmed the maid. It did not quiver or tear up like before and Madoka liked that. "I just... had a bit of a mental block back there. You know, I say 'I hate this world' but I really don't mean it. I have all these big expectations of myself, magic is real, and I have potential! Or so I thought. I dropped the ball in a real battle."
She looked at the fire bitterly.
"You kept me alive," Madoka told her brooding princess. "That's good enough."
"I wish I could say I will make it worth your time," Audrey sighed. "But I feel like I'm a fake. A lie, leading you to nothing but trouble."
"Stop wallowing, then," Madoka scoffed, halting her princess's words. Audrey squeaked. She took the princess's hands and stared at those beautiful eyes. "I am your servant, remember? You have been leading me all this time."
Audrey was about to complain in her usual self but she sat back and sighed.
"But I wish my spells were more effective," Audrey brushed snow with her boot. "My patented all-powerful bubblebeam was worthless!"
"I vowed," Madoka went on, ignoring her strange words. "To protect you no matter what."
Madoka released her hand and traced Audrey's stomach with her hands down to her waist. Her arm was no longer frozen and only rough cloth was between her princess's skin.
"M-Madoka!?" Audrey stammered, glancing nervously at her maid. "W-What are you—?"
"Do it," Madoka looked down at the storage talisman.
"H-Hai," Audrey's core flickered and the storage portal opened. In a flash, Madoka stood up and took an object out of the portal. A knife. "W-What are you going to do with that? We can portion out the food, ya know? Eh?"
With one hand on the knife and one on her last braid, Madoka heard the swish of the blade behind her and felt the weight of her hair loosen. Red strands of hair fluttered in the wind and Madoka tossed the braid in the flames. Her former princess gawked at her as she sat back down.
"I could kiss you right now," Audrey said dangerously, stealing glances at Madoka's new hairstyle. "Y-You're... hot! Why did you? What did you-!"
The sight of Audrey's beautiful eyes glittering with the streak of stars in the cold sky above made Madoka's heart pound, but she did not do or say anything more. The sound of her stuttering made her want to laugh but she already took a risk and remained still. The princess's and Madoka's hair lengths matched now. Wind swept her hair aside easily but Audrey's smile prevailed through snow and ice. Madoka felt her cheeks go red but she was satisfied. If she liked her without the braids, she guessed it was fine.
"I will be fine whenever I am with you," Audrey vowed.
"And I with you, Audrey," Madoka scoffed, folding her arms and looking away. "I did it because the braid got weighty on one side and not for your appro—"
"Don't ruin the mood!" Audrey said with a sigh. "Gahhhh, okay! I'm going to bed!"
With that, Audrey dove into the tent and spoke not a word after that but for some reason Madoka knew she was staying up a little more.
Spirits were higher in the morning. Madoka thanked the kind gods for that. Despite how annoying Audrey could be, she hated the silence and awkwardness the last days brought and preferred her friend's rambling. Even if Madoka herself did not have much to offer in the passing conversations. Audrey was chattering a lot about the bear as they hiked.
"You got a wild look on ya," Audrey pointed at her hair. Madoka chuckled because she thinks the same everytime she sees her friend's hair. "You roar like a cheetah and can smash through trees and even that damn beast's legs like nothing! I don't wanna know what it was infected with but yeah. Nothing says anything about diseases and parasites in my books."
"What is a cheetah?" Madoka was embarrassed for some reason so she did not want to actually know. "Please, your spells could also cut the parasite."
"They're not really spells, but more of me manipulating the particle— Anyways, they're not complex enough!" Audrey sighed. "I just feel useless."
"You can use three elements," Madoka reminded her. "That's more than most people. Probably."
"Nevermind that!" Audrey rubbed the bandage on her forehead. "The truth is, I don't know if you know that you are very powerful. I can't even keep up, you know? All I got is like three spells and Cherish-style dodges. Ain't that an awful character build?"
Madoka was about to argue some more but rumbling was heard above their heads. An aerial attack? Audrey scanned the cloud activity for anything suspicious.
"What's wrong?" Madoka doubted her axe can solve this new problem.
"Storm's a-brewing," Audrey remarked. "We gotta move quickly. Uh, like now!"
Another loud rumble occured. Was it another bear? Something loud was approaching them but Madoka did not sense any thoughts. Audrey took off towards a ridge. Madoka learned the source of the rumbling as she chased after Audrey. Large chunks of snow began falling from the mountainsides above. The snow was much further up but Madoka would not be fooled by the distance.
"We've got to get on the other side of that ridge," Audrey shouted. "This mountain ain't up to no good."
"Speak Noble, please!" Madoka begged as they moved.
"We gotta move! Avalanche inbound!"
And so they marched quickly. Madoka could see chunks of snow falling off other mountainsides like heavy wet blanket quilts across from where they stood. So this is a "mountain range," Madoka swatted snowflakes out of her face. The peaks of the other mountains seemed suspiciously smaller than the ridge they scaled across. It was quickly turning nightmarish and visibility was getting lower. Audrey stuck her hand behind her for Madoka.
"Take it, take it, take it!" Audrey reached out desperately. Madoka grabbed it just in time as the path she was on was swallowed by snow. It was fast! The two felt along the ridgeway until an opening showed itself. "A cave?"
Madoka felt like they were quite over their heads at this point but she had no choice but to get her princess out of here. A cave with potential danger was better than a dark storm.
"Let's get inside," Madoka shouted over the rush. She still kept her voice determined and that was all Audrey needed. She was her servant and she will try to endure for her friend's sake. She shoved the girl could say anything into the mouth of the cave. Snow piled up and threatened to cover them so she kept forcing the girl to move.
"Waah!" Audrey finally cried out. She was wailing but Madoka realized that in the dark hollow her princess was the only one making noise.
"Shush," Madoka snapped. Audrey shrieked in surprise but realized she as safe. The wind and chaos were beyond the packed snow at the entrance but sounded like a quiet echo.
"Welp," Audrey muttered. "You shoulda stopped me from whining like a baby if it was quiet already. It's embarrassing, man."
She turned to face the darkness as Madoka's eyes adjusted. The maid sighed. Audrey could be a little more serious, she thought as she sat up and brushed herself off. Especially now, since they were now trapped alone in this horrible cave.