It was a new day—a new fresh start, as one could claim; would that the days were not largely the same. Things were happening in this land, obviously, as evident by the screeches of griffons that continued to echo even into the night, making Blossom’s struggle to sleep even more of a struggle; although, that all being so, sleep in general these past few days had not seemed to be as much of a struggle as it had been before.
Nevertheless, this day was seeming to be becoming different from the others before. Having appeared earlier this morning as if from thin air rather abruptly and unexpectedly, were…armored and armed guards—knights or retinues of sorts, seemingly. Of whose, Blossom did not know… However, considering what estate they were presently in, it was highly doubtful to be that of a king or prince…
Regardless, they were shiny, pristine, and it was almost as if there was a layer of silver imbued over the steel; engravings and patterns could be found in their armor too, as if they were meant for show rather than defense; their equally interesting helmets had a cream-colored plume or…‘horse-tail’ sticking out, likewise.
In far too many ways, these retinues of sorts were quite the…distraction, and not only because Blossom was trying to ponder the why of their being here, but also…
Well…
It made her heart palpitate, indeed, and not just because she was…perhaps…maybe…shamelessly conjuring images of what type of…hypothetically strapping men were underneath such armor, but primarily because the armor itself was just so…so…so very cool-looking; she fancied their armor, quite. They were so silent and professional also, with not even a single whispering gossip—which only added to her curiosity.
Indeed, all throughout the morning she had been constantly reprimanded for…staring; though, to be frank, her junior group’s overseeing maid was finding any even miniscule reason to chastise her. Her ‘bitch-levels’ had, quite frankly, escalated; she was still in opposition to Blossom’s even being here, despite it having been…nearing almost…two-ish weeks? Since that incident with Swordstaff…
Right… The equinox was fast approaching… The ninth month of this year—Autumn’s Eve—was…already nearing its end; merely three days away.
Regardless, at any rate, it was evident that this…whoever to whom these retinues belonged…was paying a surprise visit, for there had been no gossips of expectation amongst the maids and staff the day prior. And it was equally evident that this…visiting whoever was someone far more…well-endowed and was of much higher status…than the Berrybottoms—a reality made clear by not only the…stylishly decorated retinues, but…the very presence of such personal retinues to begin with.
The Berrybottoms—being ‘lesser nobles’—did not have a retinue or men-at-arms, having neither title nor fief with bounded communities from which to levy and recruit, nor bounded vassals and subservient aristocrats from whom to get cavalry and knights. Lower nobles in general were prohibited from raising personal arms.
Blossom had to wonder, indeed, who this visiting whoever was and why such an obviously fief-holding higher noble—a feudal—would bother visiting a petty house of the lower nobility.
Albeit not that such distinctions between ‘higher’ and ‘lower’ noble made any true difference to her, of course; she detested all of the nobility equally. She was just…rather curious; it was hard not to be… Her mother had told her many recounts of…those politicking games that would happen behind shut curtains. So, she had to wonder…the game being played.
“No distractions.” so suddenly did such words pierce from behind… Melon, ever stern and authoritative, trailed behind.
Blossom immediately spun her head around… “I was not distracted! I was walking…”
“In your soul and heart. I saw it. You were not thinking of your duties and tasks, rather of other matters.” Melon so remarked; “I have been your monitor sufficient enough to notice it… Never mind that your visibly perversive staring is revealing enough.”
Blossom stared blankly, before…blushing evasively…
Truly, there was no escaping Melon’s hawkish eye—she had to be a golem, truly and double truly. Blossom was very much…naive to the arcane, but golems were magical and magic was… well, magic; thus, Melon could have some kind of…magical sight that…read minds or…
Hmm…
Blossom once again stared, cogitating…many things—things that should illicit a reaction from any dignified lady should they be read, given their…socially unbecoming and shameless natures.
“…” Melon, unamused, glared as Blossom peered into her with such odd emphasis. “If you are pondering whether I can read thoughts or such, the answer is no. Now, keep walking, please… It is not only your time you are wasting, Pink. I have said this many times.”
“Rightly…” Blossom replied, turning herself around as she…continued to walk. “Golem. She must be a golem…” her breaths murmured as her head gently nodded up and down in apparent confirmation.
Although this belief of Melon being a golem had initially begun as mere personal hyperbolic humor, it was hard to even know if such was even so anymore—irony and sincerity having long merged.
Blossom quickly ahemed; “Anyway… So, why are you…drawing me away, again?” she inquired; “It is only the afternoon; I am supposed to be with my group…”
“Of course, you have forgotten already…” Melon muttered.
“To forget implies that I was attentive to begin with, which I… Uhm… I was, of course…” Blossom so remarked, initially humorous…though quickly backpedaled.
“Which implies you did forget, then…” Melon thus remarked, nearly bemoaning in a sigh; “While you juniors continue to sharpen yourselves, us propers have our hands full with true work…” thus she spoke…as though she herself had not been a junior up until relatively recent…and that their work was not also monotonous; “And because of this…suddenful visit, we have been rapidly driving all morning to double our laborious efforts and presenting quality despite the shortage in hands…”
Blossom glanced… “Oh… I suppose that must be why I did not see much of you this day…” Indeed, Melon had hitherto been largely absent throughout much of Blossom’s workday, for once… “But that does not…answer my…question” she frankly…said, albeit mellowly.
“I need help, as I had said when plucking you.” thus Melon stated; “And…you are…adequate enough, now at least, to be of help.” she…admitted?
“…oh…” Blossom’s brain short-circuited a little… She loosely blushed as her glance quickly withdrew…
Indeed, she had been trying to improve her work ethics and quality. Although Blossom did not feel that she was making progress in that regard, Melon seemed to…
Truly, some words that would otherwise be mundane could be so potent when uttered by the least expected mouths.
“…so, then, why am I the one who is walking in front?” Blossom thus inquired; “You should be the one guiding, rightly?”
“…excellent point” Melon…acknowledged… Indeed, having been the one shadowing behind Blossom almost always, this arrangement just came naturally… “You happened to be going the right way, but…it is better if you follow me. So, follow.” Immediately, Melon overtook Blossom as she walked in front, Blossom now the one trailing behind.
“Hmm…” Blossom mumbled, peering from behind… Melon was holding two buckets in hand… She had noticed this before, obviously, but did not…bother pondering such until…now. One was with oily-ish bubbly water…and the other, a bunch of rags and sliced bricks of… Wait… “…uhm, to ask… What do you need…help with?” Blossom…finally asked.
“…” Melon remained silent, atypically; she would remain so for the remainder of their walk.
The similarities to the last time Blossom had been so silently led away…were not lost on her; however, she…trusted Melon enough not to feel too strong a sense of dread.
It was only when they stepped outside and arrived to the where, that Blossom would find out the what, along with the why of Melon’s utter silence: they were to clean the latrines and outhouses.
Although Blossom was, naturally, quite…disgusted indeed, she was ultimately not as bothered as would be assumed of a girl; having largely grown up amongst the rural peasantry and remote villages—communities that were communal and cooperative, all hands needing to contribute—, she had to…clean many such…places…many times—and not exclusively appertaining to that of people.
The same should apply to most other maids of such peasant and serf origins… Yet Melon, on the other hand, had turned out to be quite…squeamish with this kind of task—obviously a city-born girl.
For once, Blossom ended up doing the better job. She just wished they had more soap.
----------------------------------------
-||-
It was becoming evening; the day was beginning its end. And, once again, Blossom so strolled down these halls of this manor-estate, as if she were a princess trapped in mind and not a maid wasting time.
Despite the…extra labor this…long and busy day, she felt…energetic, nevertheless. In fact, she felt…better rested this day overall; she was becoming accustomed to her late-hour routine, seemingly. And although such had been enacted out of a sense of ‘punishment’, and it had felt so originally, now it…felt more…
It was hard to put to words, truly.
It perhaps was more of a…benefit than not that…Melon would often so ‘pluck’ Blossom from her group, liberating her in effect, in order to repurpose her for…her own necessary doings. Though, now it was not only Melon doing such, but also…
“Achoo!” Suddenly, a startling sneeze… “Gods above, pardon me…” a soft voice in front so spoke, lunar-bright eyes glancing behind… “Apologies if that spooked…”
Blossom was…totally…not spooked; “…it’s fine, Moon…” Indeed, leading in front was…Moon…
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
Indeed, such was an occasional happening these past few days; Moon would so ‘pluck’ Blossom from her group—and Melon—as part of her…attempts at ‘making amends’. Although Blossom was—rightfully—very hesitant initially, and these moments were rather…awkward and uncomfortable, she was nevertheless…maybe growing to…accept Moon a bit more—or perhaps ‘accept’ was far too strong a word…
It was clearer, at least, that…despite all prior happenings and feelings, Moon had no hostile intentions; her efforts were…genuine. Though, such only made matters…weirder on the inside, truth be told, since…Blossom still struggled to believe that Moon was being truthful regarding that magical so-called ‘forgetting’ of hers; it was one of those things that had to be a lie. Yet…everything about how Moon had presented herself and spoken…
Indeed, more and more, Blossom felt that she was telling the truth…
But that only created more questions… More reasons to worry; more reasons to…be terrified and…anxious…and…paranoid… Since things like that, even if ‘magical’, did not magically happen without…causality.
Truly, Blossom did not want to think of these matters; she just wanted things to be normal and fine…so that she could simply…carry on with her life—a life that always felt bounded to wills beyond her own… Even though there was much to cogitate, pretending that everything was simply as it seemed at face value, convincing herself that everything was…no bigger in painting than what her eyes could see… Such felt like…the best thing she could possibly do—she so supposed.
Yet… “I keep thinking of these matters…” she sighed, thoughts escaping…
“Hmm?” Moon’s eyes glanced behind; “You blurted something, Pink?”
“…” Blossom stared awkwardly… “I was…thinking aloud; that is all…”
“Oh. Alrightly…” Moon’s eyes returned to front.
Blossom exhaled lightly, eyes peering around… “So… Uhm… Where are you drawing me to, Moon?” she inquired; “I am supposed be with…”
“With the group, I am aware…” Moon so completed.
“Yeah… And we are all on dinner-duty, so…” Blossom stated…
“I am aware; this will not take long” Moon replied; “And…as for whither we are going, I will…not say—I know that may sound…”
“Terrible and that I have every reason to be terrified? Because it certainly does, and I certainly do…” Blossom frankly interposed.
Moon sighed; “Sometimes it seems like you have a Miranda in you…” she remarked.
“Oh…” Blossom merely mumbled; “…I have not spoken with her in a little while, to be honest…”
Moon’s eyes glanced behind again, a light and gentle tilt to her head; “Is that so? Hm…” she thus replied…
Blossom squinted, peering… “Have you?”
“No, obviously not… I have seen her, though…I just… We just… She refuses to look at me…” Moon…replied, voice lowly…
“Deservingly…” Blossom more…blurted than said.
Moon’s glance became a faint, yet telling, glare… “Pink, we have been…tolerable these past days; I would rather not sour things…” she bluntly stated; “Especially in consideration to what…this was supposed to be…”
“…as if I know what this is supposed to be” Blossom frankly remarked, though not hostile or snarky in voice.
Moon sighed; “You truly make it difficult to be friendly with, Pink…” she candidly remarked, attention returning to the way ahead.
“Sorry…” Blossom apologized with a mellowly low voice, eyes drifting down a little…
A silence took hold as Blossom continued trailing behind Moon… She yawned, causing Moon to faintly yawn, before she gazed out the windows about… It was only drifting further into evening…
Hmm… Her eyes withdrew as she once again looked at Moon…
She and Moon hardly spoke much during these…awkward and uncomfortable occurrences of her being so ‘plucked’ away—besides, of course, work-related or other such relevant discourses…
Blossom…perhaps…might as well put in some effort on her part to…make this…work better. Indeed, chatting was also a way she could…see if there were any holes or incongruencies; if Moon was lying this entire time, there had to be…some giveaways…
Hmm… Yet…Blossom pondered… How to…start this small-talk…
What did girls usually…chit-chat about? A bizarre thing to wonder considering Blossom was a girl, yet she was…perhaps not the most…socialized girl. Her head was blanking; all she ever seemed to hear from her peers was…
Oh, of course…
“So… Uhm…” Blossom began to…awkwardly try to talk…
Moon turned her head, looking… “What…is it?”
“Uhm… So… You like Swordstaff, rightly?” Blossom…just kind of asked…
“…” Moon plainly stared with slightly agape confusion, uncertain how to reply.
“…rightly, of course, you do…” Blossom…proceeded to say, eyes…awkwardly drifting aside… Right, she…obviously already knew the answer; that was very pointless to ask… “Well… Uhm…” she continued nevertheless, “I like… Uhm… Well, I do not—at all—like, but… Billhook, he… he seems…smart and…nice, so…” She was failing at this ‘girl-talk’ endeavor, and she knew it…
Moon continued to stare… “Are you… Pink, are you attempting to discourse with me about…boys?” she frankly inquired; “Is that…what this is supposed to be?”
“…” Blossom immediately broke eye contact… “I… I… I do not…” her voice awkwardly stumbled; “I… I suppose so…”
“Pink, you are…amongst the last of girls with whom I expect…that kind of discourse, so…this is kind of very weird, to be blunt…” Moon, well, bluntly spoke.
Blossom’s eyes fell downwards… “…oh…”
Indeed, one who was normally perceived to be ‘atypical’ suddenly trying to be ‘normal’ could be perceived, paradoxically, as rather ‘abnormal’.
Moon realized quickly that her words had been perhaps…too harsh… “Oh, Pink… What I meant was that…” she struggled to convey… “Let me say it as this: nothing I am…is forced even if…reserved; I am who I am, and you are who you are… So, play into yourself more…”
Hmm… Solid words, “I suppose…” Blossom murmured in reply, eyes returning just a little…
“But…” Moon continued on, “I guess to…discourse suchy, since you brought it up…”
“Hm?” Blossom’s eyes returned in full…
“Well… I guess I may say, I have…had my fun, but… I have come to see that the young sir Swordstaff is…not the sweetest of apples, even if very…ripe and so… so…”—she quickly caught her thoughts before her mind could…drift—“Ahem: What I am saying is… I had my fun, and I thought there could be…more despite our blood differences, but now I am…bored of him… Or…rather, he is bored of me… Though, I have not really been… I suppose I can say, things are changing in us—in me, I meant… But, anyway, he has not asked for me…” Moon was being…surprisingly open.
“But he has certainly been asking for others…” Blossom promptly blurted; “Yellow, Orange, and Yellow—the blue-eyed Yellow… They practically had an orgy in his chambers, from what I heard…” She was perhaps…exaggerating what she had actually heard; “They might as well coronate themselves at a Temple of Fertility, pfft…”
Moon’s cheeks huffed as she nearly giggled, only barely managing to restrain it; “Perhaps there is a benefit to your mouth, saying such words on my behalf…” she remarked; “It is not as though your thoughts are unique, but…none would ever dare to say them…”
“Unless it’s directed towards me…” Blossom lowly remarked…
“Bah, do not ruin this moment with victimhood, please…” Moon replied, voice now more…annoyed even if still cordial; “That is another hateable thing about you, Pink, always conveying yourself as if you are a perpetual victim…” she spoke candidly.
“…sorry…” Blossom mellowly apologized, unable to become grumbly…
Moon was…perhaps too harsh again; “I should finish by saying… Fortune finds enjoyment in toying with us all equally…”
“That is…true, I suppose…” Blossom replied… Her eyes drifted aside, peering around…
However, she began to…notice… “Wait…” She had been down this hall…before, she realized… Her eyes lanced straight back to Moon… “Where… Uhm… Please tell, where are we going?” she asked, though already knew… Her breaths began to tense…
“…” Moon…hesitated, though…it was evident in Blossom’s voice that she was becoming…panicked. “The…library…” she sighed.
“…” Blossom went mute, yet the sudden hyperventilating wheezes in her breaths were answers in of themselves… “And…and… those three, I just… They weren’t…” Her eyes widened slightly… Indeed, she realized… Apple, Black, and Burgundy were absent from their group before Moon had plucked her… “Why did I not… Why I do always…” Many flags had now so flagged in Blossom’s head…
“Pink, I know how this…is appearing, but I need you to keep…following; this is not…what it seems… There are only so few places for…privacy here” Moon tried to reassure, her voice mellow and soft; “I promise… This is not what you fear, and you will not be hurt again…”
“Promises are…meaningless…” Blossom…replied…
“But words are not, and you have my word…” Moon…replied in kind.
“Then why will you not tell me what… What is this?” Blossom asked, her disconcerted voice rather…serious.
“It would ruin the…effect…” Moon answered…
“And this has not already done that?” Blossom frankly spoke…
“They want to talk; that is it…” Moon…finally said.
Blossom’s eyes withdrew… “I don’t want to talk with them…” Nor did she want to step foot back into that…stupid library…
“None of them wanted to either, but…this is something that needs to be done, so…just tolerate it… Please…” Moon stated, voice sincere…
Blossom’s breaths jittered… “F… Fine…” She should not be so trusting or easily convinced, yet…such seemed to be the direction her mind was falling; it made her feel naive and stupid, truth be told… Yet, nevertheless, she kept following.
-|-
Once again, Blossom was standing before that double door… Even being near it was enough to flash memories and emotions within… She was scared, terrified even… Yet Moon had reassured her, and as if a fool, she believed it despite doubting it…
Moon…stood before that double door in kind… Like the last time, she opened it just barely as her eyes peeked in… “Where is…”—she shook her head—“I am bringing her in…” she merely spoke, her head withdrawing out and turning to Blossom; her hand held the door open, albeit barely so. “Come on…”
Blossom took a deep breath, along with an equally deep gulp, and…stepped forward… Truly, this would be the ultimate test of truth versus deception, and how foolish she truly was… To repeat such a second time…
Moon opened the door in full, holding it in place much like before… Assembled in place, eyes evasive and so…awkward, were thus Apple and Black—two girls whom Blossom had hardly ever spoken with, yet their last encounter had nevertheless made her petrified of them…
“Hi…” a soft and mellow voice so greeted, evasively… shame filled within. Black’s orange-amber eyes shifted to Moon; “Burgundy bailed; she did not want to do this… Sorry…”
“It is fine… I expected such…” Moon replied, stepping forth in kind as the door shut behind.
Deep breath, deep breath, Blossom…opted to trust; she stepped forward… “…you wanted to…talk?”
“She told you?” Black eyed Moon, before reattending to Blossom… “Yeah…” she confirmed, her breaths…slightly off and uncomfortable.
The other girl, Apple, however… Despite being present, she seemed rather…absent. Her eyes were still avoiding, yet…hardly due to nervousness, attention having drifted agape rather blankly…
Black immediately elbowed Apple repeatedly; “She is here, Apple dear…”
Apple’s static head, finally, moved and turned…a bit slowly though maybe not too…abnormally; “Bhuh…” she just…mumbled, looking at Black…
“She is here, Apple dear…” Black repeated.
Apple’s eyes turned to the front, seeing…Blossom… “Oh… W-when diid…” she seemed profoundly confused, her voice somewhat stuttery...“Sorrry... Heh… Hello…” Hm… Odd.
Blossom had hardly ever paid much attention to them, especially after that…certain incident, but…did Apple always sound…like this? She recalled…not…
Oh, whatever…
Blossom stepped closer, though her mind’s attention was more on Moon behind than the two in front… “So… Uhm…” Her voice was more anxious than…not.
Moon stepped forward, causing Blossom to immediately tense and shiver… Though, she…relaxed as soon as it became clear…Moon was merely joining the other two before her, not…attacking her from behind…
“Here is your chance… You all have dinner-duty soon, so…use it” Moon simply said, standing behind the two.
Taking a deep breath, Black stepped forward, eyes evasive and her stance…slightly awkward; Apple did the same, albeit she was subtly more…sluggish—though, Black helped her along.
They stood there, becoming almost as tense as Blossom herself…
Before finally…
“I am sorry…”
“W-we are s-sorry…”
Thus, Black and Apple proclaimed almost at once.
“This sounds…contrived,” Black continued on with voice mellow and solemn, “but we do not know what happened to us…to make us do…what we did, but… We are sorry… I am truly sorry… for what we did…” She was a little teary.
“…w-we hope that…that saying th-this will fix things…” Apple said, her voice slightly stuttery but…honest, nevertheless—perhaps a bit too honest.
“…fix things?” Blossom murmured… Fix things for whom, she pondered… Certainly not her, she felt.
“…something is happening to us, I will say…” Black thus spoke, “And I think it is because we cannot…get what happened out of our heart and mind… Sometimes I still hear the…the…” Her breaths became momentarily…jittery…“We just needed to…look at you and…say this; to make amends and…”
“A-and say that…that… that we will… we will… not…do annything to you…again…” Apple completed.
“You have our word… It is best to keep this behind us…” Black said, honestly…
Blossom sighed… Unlike with Moon, she did not want to be…a bitch this time around—she did not even have…the time. “Apologies accepted… I suppose…” thus she just accepted, not necessarily forgiving… “And…if you want to talk, we can keep…talking, I suppose…” she added, allowing…
“We still…quite dislike you, to be honest…” Black stated, yet…rather awkwardly; “But maybe…we should strive to…be better acquainted…”
Hmm…
Well, this is an…interesting development
They seem to be…
Well, I will have to retain periodic monitoring, in any case