She was running. The dark surrounded her. Flashes of scenes taunting her. Memories. Her memories. They were all ranged from when she was still a toddler, up to just a few weeks ago. But what was taunting about them was the shadow in the background of all of them. The eyes glowing, watching.
They'd always been there.
Watching.
Cahira stopped, the ground before her reaching its end. She turned around to look behind her but was met with the same taunting glowing eyes. But it changed. Its entire form changed.
'Seren?'
He seemed to smirk as he reached forward. She took a step backward but was met with nothing. Time seemed to slow down as she felt her footing disappear underneath her.
She jolted, having difficult to breathe as her hands was resting gently against her neck.
It had just been a nightmare.
After she calmed down, she slipped out of the bed, grabbed one of the blankets from her bed, and walked over to a sleeping Seren outside her door. She stopped for a moment; the picture of her own nightmare still fresh in her mind. But she shook her head and gently put it over the man.
Despite knowing the halls were the same as the night before, she couldn't help but feel like they seemed so much bigger with the lights. Just thinking of the night before gave her chills. A maid approached her, a small bow as she held a hand out towards one of the doors. Cahira followed the directions, still trying to blink out the doziness out of her eyes. The table was already set as she sat down.
"Your training starts after breakfast, my lady. Roslyn will be in charge, so I advise you to be prepared," the maid said before scurrying out of the dining room.
Training? Roslyn?
She recalled the brunette that had been the one to bring her there. She thought she'd heard her name being Roslyn. On the other hand, she recalled some of the maids whispering about the warrior.
After finishing her meal, she stepped back out into the hallway. The same maid guided her towards the back of the house, to what seemed like the gardens.
"General, I brought her as you wanted. Now please excuse me, I still got plenty of duties to attend to."
Cahira watched as the only other person in the garden straightened her back and spun around. She was met with a huge smile.
"Finally, now I got to get some of your time for myself," she chimed, clapping her hands together.
"Do people usually train this early?"
"Even earlier, princess. But you're an exception."
She could almost feel her muscles protesting already.
"Just Cahira."
"What?" the brunette asked, picking up one of the swords from the ground.
"I'm just Cahira."
"And I'm Roslyn, now let's get down to business."
She tried her best to follow what Roslyn was doing as well as take in the information that the brunette provided through it all. Every hit hurt less than the one before, like a slap on the wrist. But she pushed through, the events from the night before replaying in the back of her mind. Jason wasn't dead. He never was.
"Don't look so serious, Cahira. You're more distracted than you should be."
With barely any time to turn around, Cahira staggered forward. She didn't fall over but looked over her shoulder at Roslyn. When had she gotten behind her?
"Don't your thoughts consume you?" she asked, steadying herself.
"Not really. But if I had a knight in shining armor guarding my door, probably," Roslyn teased.
"Roslyn!" she exclaimed.
They laughed.
Roslyn planted the sword in the ground and leaned against it, "tell me. Did he come to your rescue like a knight? Or did you manage to protect yourself?"
Cahira huffed and brushed some hair away from her face, "well, Jason was banging on my door practically. What else could I other than try anything. The guards that had been guarding my door were knocked out."
Something changed in Roslyn's eyes, Cahira noticed it. Was it something she'd been missing? She tilted her head at the other with a small frown.
"You know him," she said.
"Who?" Roslyn asked, frowning back.
"Jason."
"I do," the brunette said with a small shrug, "he's my coward of a big brother."
'Her brother? But if Jason was her brother, how come I haven't met the girl before now? How come-'
Cahira's train of thoughts was cut as she fell backwards, crashing onto her back. She gasped for air as Roslyn covered the sun with her body, laughter filling the air.
"You're getting too distracted, Cahira."
"You're a cheater," she forced out.
Roslyn held out her hand. Cahira debated to just swat it away but took hold of it and got back on her feet. However, she kept herself slightly bent forward, her arms above her knees. Why was catching her breath always so hard, but getting it knocked out of her so easy?
"That's enough for today, princess. Despite it being barely noon, you've pushed yourself far enough," Roslyn said, collecting the swords with ease before she headed to the mansion.
She frowned as she looked after the brunette. Something in the corner of her eyes, making her look over. Antine was standing with her back to the window.
"Aren't you curious as to what they're talking about?"
A cold shiver ran down her back as she spun around, looking for anyone. But no one was in sight, not even an animal.
'You might just be going insane.'
Cahira huffed, taking one last glance around before heading to the mansion herself. As she walked through the halls, she yet again thought back on the night before, and Roslyn's reaction to her brother being there. Maybe she could ask more about it when she got the chance to.
"Princess, your bath has been readied for you."
The maid was standing right in front of her, her whole upper body slightly bent forward. Cahira had to take a step back as to not crash right into her. She looked at the maid before slowly nodding, the feeling in her stomach getting heavier by the second. She figured they knew when to draw the bath, but this was just outright creepy. But it was no use of just standing there, staring at the girl.
Cahira cleared her throat, "Thank you, I appreciate it."
She walked around the maid with shuffled steps, the uneasiness growing the more she was close to this maid. With everything that happened the past few days, it wasn't a bad choice to be careful, right?
"That depends on who you're careful around."
It felt like someone were hovering above her, ready to dig their claws into her skin. Ready to just take her away. But here she was. All alone. Her back to the door, and no one else inside the room. Was it all in her head, or was there more to it?
"You can't ignore me forever, princess."
'I surely can try,' she thought as she walked over to the connecting room.
The steam rushed out of the room when she opened the door, taking a moment to compose herself. She opened the window in the room before closing the curtains.
"Princess-"
"Leave me be, if I need assistance, I shall call for it."
It had come out harsher than she'd intended it to. She heard the door to her chambers close and low murmurs from the outside. Why was she feeling so stressed about some voice that came every now and then?
She shook her head as she slipped out of the clothes, before stepping into the water. The hot water caressed her skin gently, leaving the heat behind. She leaned her head back as she looked at the roof. With her hands, she cupped some water in her palms before letting it fall onto her face.
"I am not here to cause you any harm."
Cahira closed her eyes, feeling their presence around her. Hands running along the edges of the tub and the soft breeze from the window. But it was always some kind of distance between them, like the presence couldn't physically touch her.
"No matter how much you're ignoring me, the threats, and the power in you will continue to grow. Heed my warning, for shall you continue, the consequences shall be dire."
"Cahira, look what just came in."
She barely had any time to look at the door before Roslyn walked inside with one of the most gorgeous dresses she'd ever seen. The red was a wine shade of red, a see-through black layer on top of the red. Black gems were sewn from the middle part and down, like stars gliding down the fabric. The neck of it was a bateau, which would be perfect for a necklace that they may have already chosen out for her.
"This must have taken so much time," she said, while giving the dress a closer look.
"Antine had someone owing her a favor, so they were up for the job. But this shall not be touched before the grand ball, princess," Roslyn said, "now get finished, you can't stay in here the rest of the day."
"I wouldn't even if I could. It's getting cold," she replied with a small chuckle, climbing out of the tub.
The brunette draped a light robe on her shoulders and hummed softly as she walked out of the room. How she was able to be so carefree, Cahira couldn't figure out just yet.
"I still have duties to attend to but tell the maids if there is anything you need."
With that, Roslyn had left the chambers. The dress was hanging by the wall, the sunlight hitting it and making sparkles all around the room. It was almost captivating with how the sparkles danced. Cahira shook her head and looked at herself in the mirror. The presence that had been there the last time she'd looked was gone, but she still didn't trust any of her feelings.
'Why does everything seem so quiet after yesterday?' she thought to herself as she got dressed into what the maids had laid on her bed.
It was a green skirt that went down to her ankles, a white blouse, and a brown-reddish loose corset. She tied it up and grabbed the book she'd been reading and headed outside to the gardens. The sun was still high on the sky as she sat down in the shadow of a tree and opened it.