Scrubbing the walls of a dirty palace in the rain isn't exactly fun. Moreover if the walls are coated thick with a hundred layers of accumulating grime and you are numb, chilled to the bone from the cold.
"This palace looks like it hasn't been cleaned in a decade!," Mia grumbled, trying to wipe off a stubborn patch of grime."Pointless it is!".
"Sometime around 13 years to be exact. At least the guards are keeping us fit and healthy by making us do physical exercise everyday, who cares? They'll die of heart disease. We won't," Kira said brightly, as she scrubbed off bird-waste and hummed softly as she worked.
Mia nodded and smiled, even though she admired Kira's positivity, she didn't exactly think that Kira was the image of good health.
"Yeah, aren't you cold by the way?," Mia shivered as a cold wind blew and the rain soaked her clothes.
"Nah, I'm an Icental remember? Anything icy or related to ice doesn't affect me and rain is water which is melted ice so you figure the rest out," Kira said cheerily,"it gives me strength!," Kira widened her arms as if absorbing the raindrops.
"Lucky you," Mia said miserably when a guard marched over to them. The same, smart one from yesterday.
"Boyfriend incoming!," Kira made smacking, lip sounds as Mia playfully slapped her with the cloth.
The guard stood between Mia and Kira." You two! You talk a lot! No work, just jabber, jabber, jabber!," he said, putting his hands on his hips.
"We're sorry," Mia said as she glared at Kira who widened her eyes and gave a thumbs-up to Mia." We'll work hard from now," Mia stifled a laugh as she saw Kira pretending to lick the guard.
"No! Enough now! I'll have to separate you two, " the guard said and grabbed Mia by the elbow and dragged her away from Kira as she stood there, sticking her tongue out.
"Let me go!," Mia struggled to loosen the harsh grip of the guard." Leave me!".
"Shh, come with me," the guard put a hand on Mia's mouth to stop her from screaming. Mia let out a muffled scream and squirmed and wriggled to set herself free as the guard heaved her towards the back of the palace. Mia's heart thudded loudly as the people disappeared from view.
He's gonna kill me now. I have to do something.
The rain had made her skin slick and so she used the opportunity and moved her hand forward quickly, this sudden movement surprised the guard and she managed to slip one of her hands away from the guards grasp.
"What the-," the guard started but Mia punched him on his face as hard as she could. The guard reeled back, letting Mia go, spitting curses as he pinched his bleeding nose. Mia's heart pounded in her chest and her breathing quickened as she made a run for it. It was difficult to run and see in the run, especially when you were bare-feet.
"Wait!," the guard screamed and ran after her, sharp stones spiked into Mia's soles but she kept on going. The guards boots thudded behind her.
Just a bit more distance and I'll be among people!
Mia ran faster, training her eyes on the corner which was her freedom, she'll turn and the people will be there to save her. Her eyes became blurry and she quickly blinked.
Almost there..
Mia focused and ran as hard as she could, blinking rapidly to clear her blurry eyes just as she reached the corner, her feet slipped on a smooth stone and she fell face-first into a puddle.
"No!," Mia shouted as the blanket of increasing rain descended upon her, she felt as if she was drowning as the guard caught up to her." Leave me alone!," Mia screamed,picking up a spiked stone to defend herself.
"Really? That's the best you could do?," the guard smiled at her and broke the stone's sharp end," though you put up a good fight! I'm surprised..," the guard hesitated, staring at Mia's eyes. She opened her mouth to scream a last call for help just as the guard covered her mouth.
"Look I'm not going to hurt you and when I remove my hand, I advice you not to scream and by the way you are one tough chick...Princess Mia" he laughed, wiping the blood from his nose. Mia gasped as he removed his hand from her mouth, her first thought was to scream as loud as she could but when he called her Princess, she stopped, speechless.
How did he know? Who is he?
The guard took Mia's hand and helped her to her feet." How?," Mia was able to utter only one word as she gazed into the warm depths of his eyes, she was reminded of cream and coffee.
"Follow me Princess, quick," he started to jog away as Mia stood there in the pelting rain, unable to decide whether to trust him or not. The guard turned around.
"Oh come on! If I wanted I'd have killed you already!," he slapped his forehead dramatically, raising his hands in defeat." I won't hurt you Princess," he smiled and Mia smiled back and jogged with him.
A few seconds later they were in a small room at the very back of the palace, hidden among the ivy vines, camouflaged in the stone walls of the palace.
When they were safe inside the room, the guard bowed swiftly." I apologise Princess but this was crucial," he said softly.
"How do you know me?," Mia asked, bending over, trying to catch her breath.
"I'm sorry for not properly introducing myself. Eric Aspernal, Royal Guard and commander at your service," he saluted smartly,"I served the noble King and Queen. Your loving parents Princess Mi-".
"Please, call me Mia," Mia interrupted as the guard- Eric- nodded.
"I was captured and forced to work for the Dark Prince. I hate this job," Eric sighed, running his hands through his hair." When you were born Prin- I mean erm..Mia. I was the one who guarded the nursery where you slept, I watched over you in the night and sometimes you'd wake up at night when everyone but me were asleep. Your parents trusted me enough to give me permission to enter the nursery and so when you woke up in the night," Eric paused to give a short laugh.
"You were adorable Mia. We used to play together at midnight and you'd laugh and smile and wave your little, chubby fists in the air. I loved and still love you just like a daughter and nobody forgets their daughter do they?," Eric smiled, lovingly stroking Mia's hair." I also spotted the crescent birthmark and became sure that you were alive and oh my joy when I saw you healthy and walking!," Eric exclaimed as Mia smiled.
Eric watched hurriedly out of a small window at the marching guards.
"We don't have much time Mia. Your parents desperately need you and your help. You have to reach them somehow and convince them that you are alive! Here take this, it will help you!," Eric pressed a crumpled piece of parchment in Mia's hand.
"You are our only hope Mia. Don't let us down," Eric paused and stared at her a bit too longer before giving a sibylline smile.
"You're smart, use your brain and figure it out," he said and with that, he was gone. After a few seconds Mia watched him from the window, marching across to the palace front.
Mia stood there, flabbergasted and unable to move.
What just happened..?
Some seconds and a few hard slaps later, Mia was finally able to come out of her trance and move her limbs. She shuffled quietly out of the room and rushed over to the palace, shoving the paper in her pocket.
She passed Eric on the way and they shared a brief, secret smile before Mia walked over to Kira.
"You took a whole hour to sn-," Kira started when she saw Mia.
"Shhh, not now Kira," Mia put a finger to her lips and the girls passed the rest of the time doing their work in silence with Kira giving Mia strange glances as Mia thought about the events that just took place.
I have to help my parents, but how? The paper will help maybe!
As the sun set and the people formed lines, Mia walked quickly back to her cell, eager to spill everything and look at the contents of the paper. It seemed as if Kira was also equally curious to hear about her adventures.
The lights went out and the wall became opaque. They were in the safety of their cell when Kira scrambled over to Mia.
"Spill!," she whispered, Mia nodded even though, in the pitch darkness she couldn't even see her hand before her.
"Okay so..," Mia started and told Kira the entire story, down to the very last detail in a hushed whisper. Kira exclaimed in fascination at the heroic parts but near the end she became increasingly quiet. A few minutes later the story ended and Mia gasped for breath and Kira sat dumbstruck in the silence.
"Kira, you alright?," Mia fumbled in the dark to find Kira's shoulder and shake it."kira?".
A few seconds passed and Kira didn't reply, Mia started to get worried, if only she could see..
Borshe Berry!
Mia smiled and took out the halved berry from her pocket, she slipped it in her mouth and moaned internally at the taste before rolling her tongue and producing the fire.
"Kira, say something..I'm not giving up on you," Mia absent-mindedly uttered the lyrics of a song she loved as she transferred the shining flame to her palm." Kira? You're scaring me".
Mia shone the flame near Kira's face and was astonished to see that Kira was blushing and her mouth was moving but no sound came out, Mia shook Kira hard.
"Snap out of it!," Mia screamed in a low voice as Kira's voice returned and she dissolved into endless strings of apologies.
"I'm so sorry Princess, I didn-I talked so bad-oh my go- I'm such a fool! I'm really so-- I even laughed at he- such an idi-," Kira muttered when Mia slapped her gently.
"Kira, stop it!," Mia said sternly.
Kira looked at her with wide eyes full of shame." I'm so sorry Princess I didn't believe you and I called you a wacko and nutjo-," Kira muttered, shaking her head.
Mia slapped Kira playfully." Hey I didn't mind being called a nut job in the first place and me being a princess doesn't change anything so you better not give me any of that Princess shit," Mia said, pretending to be angry." I'm just plain, wacko Mia".
Kira laughed," Okay..Mia," she laughed again," it seems so strange to say your name now that I know you are a Princess! Anyways how did you..not die!? I mean how are you alive?," Kira asked excitedly.
"All that later, first we have to escap- oh wait a sec!," Mia exclaimed as she remembered the paper Eric gave her. She fished it out of her pocket as Kira held the flame. Mia straightened the paper and both of them leaned in to take a look at it in the creepy, pink flame.
The paper was filled with a drawing etched with careless hands, there were lots of shaky lines and scraggly dots and crosses marking specific areas between the lines.
"What is this? It makes no sense," Mia furrowed her brow and turned the paper upside down,"hmmph," Mia grumbled turning the paper over and in different directions.
"Let me see," Kira took the paper and stared at it closely," lines and dots and crosses, the lines may represent some sort of path, a narrow tunnel..".
"Hallways?," Mia opted.
"Could be, crosses represent something forbidden or dangerous, somewhere where you aren't supposed to go..."
"Maybe danger zones? Traps or something," Mia offered.
"Yeah and the circles or the dots represent green light! I mean a safe zone, this means this is a path..".
"A map!".
"A map!".
Both girls said simultaneously.
"Great work Kira, you are a genius!," Mia said happily and put up her hand high. Kira smiled sheepishly, blushing beet-red and stared at Mia's outstretched palm.
"Ki-i-i-ra," Mia said awkwardly, she was left hanging." Slap it".
"Slap what and why!?," Kira asked puzzled when she saw Mia's eyes stray in the direction of her hand," oh! You people are really weird!," she said and slapped Mia's hand as hard as she could." What do you get from hurting each other? Squeezing your hands and slapping?," Kira shook her head, smiling.
"Y-e-e-a-h," Mia faked a smile, rubbing her stinging, red hand.
"Back to the map, do you think it is the map of the palace? Marking a straight route for escape? To stay safe from possible traps?," Mia said, biting the ragged cuticles on her nails absent-mindedly.
"I think so. Yes. Since Eric is a guard and must know all the hidden traps and stuff and yeah! That's our ticket to freedom right there!," Kira clapped her hands.
"Shush, calm down Kira," Mira scolded Kira even though she was smiling too.
"Wait, there's something written here," Kira said as she noticed the tiny print at the corner of the page.
"What is it?," Mia asked, leaning closer.
"The crescent is more useful than you think", Kira read aloud as Mia let out a frustrated scream.
"Arghh! This crescent won't leave me alone!," she cried but realized guiltily that it was the same crescent which had helped her get here." It is useful but it's so difficult to find a way to use it," Mia sighed, cradling her head in her hands.
"Crescent. Crescent. Crescent," Mia shook her head as she began to pace the length of the room," stupid crescent," she said, utterly frustrated at the reference.
"Don't worry, I'll help you get out of here, maybe solve the mysteries, save the King and Queen and rid us of the Dark Prince. I have my faith in you!," Kira looked at Mia. Her eyes glittered in the flame as a smile framed her face.
"Sometimes your overenthusiastic positivity really comes into use," Mia said happily, internally thanking the gods for Kira's cheerful vibes illuminating and shining through the darkness around.
Kira nodded," I want you to escape and forever free us all from him".
"Hey, hey, hey? Hold up, hold up," Mia said," I am not going alone okay? I'm not leaving you here, you're gonna come with me and together we'll save this world," Mia pumped her fist in the air.
"Nah, I'm better off here. I'll be nothing but a dead-weight, a burden on your shoulders, trailing after you like a useless rock," Kira replied, lowering her eyes.
"No way! Rocks aren't useless you know? They are used to light up fires and are also handy in pelting some idiot, I repeat: rocks are N.O.T U.S.E.L.E.S.S just like you," Mia smiled.
"But Mia-" kira started
"No but's and no if's," Mia replied sternly." You are coming with me and my word is law!," Mia said and smiled. This time Kira smiled back.
"Quit yer gibberish will ya!?," a rough voice roared and banged the rippling wall of the prison.
The two girls giggled softly. Mia nodded to Kira who swallowed the flame and sighed in pleasure as they were doused in darkness. Kira and Mia headed to their bed- haystacks.
"We'll think about this tomorrow, with a clear mind,alright?" Mia said as she settled down for sleep but instead of a reply heard Kira's soft snores echoing in the room.
"Goodnight to you too," Mia smiled and closed her eyes.