II.

A sea of blues, reds, yellows and greens spread in waves against a slithering coastal line of forest trees at a faraway border. There was an entire world of beautiful colors just beneath their feet. Madoka could hear carefree thoughts of birds above and small thoughts of predators hunting around the forest. As they surveyed the area she found that the city walls were slowly getting further away from them.

"Don't git too close to the forest! Monsters are everywhere in there and you ain't got no weapons!"

Guards warned them multiple times before they departed. Madoka felt her swords' grips. She had plenty and Audrey had many miracles that could turn this world of colors into dark flames in an instant. Kind gods willing, Madoka would not have to use anything today. Despite the people she's spoken to these past two days, she preferred the city than the many months spent wandering on a mountain.

"So, like, red flowers," Audrey picked two red flowers and examined them. "Bah!"

"Don't complain," Madoka sighed. "You were the one who chose the paper."

"All these flowers are red, Madoka!" Audrey complained. "All of 'em! You got any idea how hard it is to—"

"Little red flowers with blue tips," Madoka recalled. She picked one of them up. It matched the drawing on the commission scroll. "Just need fifteen more."

"We gotta get more than five?" Audrey checked the scroll again and confirmed the amount. Dismay flushed her face. "Bruh. Damn, we really have to grind reputation in the Guild, huh?"

From slaying a dragon to picking flowers, Madoka mused as she held the flower up. The flower's petals matched her red hair except for their flowing blue tips.

"So that's what they look like," Audrey stole a glance at Madoka's hair and then she directed her gaze to the flower. "Put it in here."

The portal manifested before Audrey and Madoka tossed it in.

"Still, there's a lot of things I don't have a clue about," Audrey picked random flowers of different sizes and colors. Was she even paying attention to the flower's details? "Those red strands that the mage fought you with, who or what Ceghinort is, your magic. That Koj guy said that it was called Knotting or something."

"Maybe the magic board was faulty," Madoka hoped. The way those golden chains changed materials never seemed normal to her. They smoothed out metal as one did to the wrinkles of a dress, connected strange devices she never could dream up and showed her magical weapons in that dragon's realm. Could she possibly be capable of doing the same? "I don't think I wanna learn magic."

"It's not that bad!" Audrey tied the stems of the flowers in a crown. "Here!"

She placed the flower crown on Madoka's head and pulled out the hand mirror. The sight of herself wearing a beautiful and colorful accessory felt wrong to Madoka. Audrey giggled.

"Have I told you how pretty you are?" She held the hand mirror up at an angle. "I wish phones or cameras were a thing. I could take one of you. Maybe a hashtag, like first quest with this queen—"

"Nope, don't like whatever idea that is!" Madoka took the crown off her head and put it on the princess's head. She recalled the first time she saw the girl in the throne room of the Palace. She was wearing a shining crown. All Royals have those and one made out of mere flowers did not compare to their crown's glory.

Audrey seemed satisfied with the crown of flowers on her head, inspecting herself from different angles.

"Perhaps I should make cameras, huh," Audrey mused. "Since paper is a thing in this world and everything. I could coat it with..."

"A-Are cameras some kind of magical device?"

"No," Audrey tucked the mirror back in the portal and flung the crown off her head. "But the memories created on a photo made by a camera sure are. Like a portrait, except, like made immediately instead of days later. I hated family portraits back in the palace. You know how hard it is to sit still for hours straight while some guy stares at you the whole time?"

"You never sit still," Madoka giggled. Audrey looked offended but resigned herself into a shrug. Her feet were light off the ground. She avoided patches of flowers and flitting above dew covered grass with a grace only a Royal could carry. A former Royal, Madoka was reminded over and over. It did not matter to the maid.

"I wonder if such memories are what those spell circles are made out of. Like the strands remember what they are and then boom! Fire! Or something like that."

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Memories? In strands? Madoka recalled the flames that rose from Rin's feet formed after the spell circle and runes completed. Audrey's magic, however, never created runes or spell circles before they manifested.

They stopped at a fallen log to catch a break. The two have found enough of the herbs but the princess insisted. If there was trouble lying in wait for them, could they make it to the town without fighting? Madoka wondered that but she knew she would fight it off for Audrey.

"To be honest," Audrey had a look in her eyes, as if she was remembering something. "I think I was an ugly duckling in my previous life. Maybe I was ugly or maybe I wasn't and I just thought I looked disgusting. Felt like no matter what, my shoe was too big and I couldn't fit right. Heh, I still feel that way."

Madoka could not imagine Audrey as ugly. Perhaps her attitude annoyed her a bit too much at times but the maid never thought she was one to speak of such things. Her own appearance mattered not for she never would belong in someone else's court. Especially the princess's. Two women being together was impossible in Fiara and slave with a Royal was beyond that. Audrey was observing her so she straightened up out of habit.

"I can sense you're going into idle mode so I'll spare you the Audrey monologue," she chuckled. "Sometimes, I think too much about other people's thoughts of me, that's all. Can't help but think I'm an ugly mess making things worse."

"I'll be there to clean you up," Madoka put her hands on her hips. "Speaking of that, your new cloak is going to be dirty if you sit on that."

"Ah, nae waah! Mood ruined!" Audrey stood up and patted herself off. She pulled out the wand from the portal. Madoka guessed she snuck it out of the Hall. "I dunno how this thing works. I can see red strands gathered at its tip but yeah. This stick is weird."

"Please, be careful," Madoka warned her. Audrey looked at the wand inquisitively with childlike eyes. The maid could tell that it was an intricately designed device despite its size.

"There's glowing manas all around me and all around you," Audrey pointed the wand towards the forest line. How did they even get out this far from the city? Madoka hardly had the time to think. "Zippidy, dippity, dadeedoo!"

She swung the wand at a target after saying her ridiculous chant and the maid was fearful of what might happen next. Fortunately, the wand did not react. Audrey shook it and then inspected the inactive magical device.

"Huh," Audrey questioned it. "Your runes glowed but I got nothing. What gives?"

"Perhaps it's the chant?" Madoka guessed aloud before realizing what she has done. Why was she encouraging the princess to cause trouble?

"A NEW HAND TOUCHES THE WAND," Audrey bellowed. "LISTEN! HEAR ME AND— Oh god watch out!"

Red mana strands grew from Audrey's hand and formed beautiful crimson patterns along the wand's surface. The princess's strange spell formed two circles made up of impossibly small runes. Madoka's eyes had no time to study what they were due to the heavy amount of arcane energy emanating from the wand as if the world itself was bending to Audrey's will.

More strands burst forth from the wand's runes and caused the circles to collapse into each other. Audrey screamed out of excitement as she launched the spell. A brilliant burst of exploding light lanced itself from the wand, penetrating all it touched. Madoka dove out of the way and caught a glimpse of the girl's flight as she careened back from the magic's recoil.

In an instant, the spell was over.

And behind her, a line of trees were gone and the wake of a fiery and devastated path was left in their absence.

"Audrey!" Madoka shrieked. "I can't clean up ALL of your messes."

She stomped up to her reckless friend who was sprawled out several meters away on a bed of colorful flowers. Audrey's hands were red as the strands receded back into her veins. Audrey puffed out smoke from her mouth and just stared back at the maid. Madoka crossed her arms in disbelief.

"How could such a tiny girl like you cause so much trouble!"

"I think," Audrey's voice was rough yet quiet. "I like being me here. The shoe fits this time around. I used to feel sorry for who I was. Like I died before my body did and watched it move around precariously."

"Your hair is a mess," Madoka gave up and lay in the field of flowers with her princess. A chuckle escaped out of her mouth.

"Could you understand the dysphoria, the stranger that I had to live with? Not that it really matters," Audrey's hand gripped ashes before letting them crumble in black chunks between her reddened fingertips. They matched Madoka's hair color. "I am me, I am a girl, not a princess, that's all to it. And you're you! Those scars, those burn marks. Each one of them is a part of you, but in the end, you are yourself no matter what. Scars don't define you."

Madoka raised her hand up and looked at the scar snaking across her palm for a moment. At the same time, Audrey raised hers and the maid could see the dragon tattoo resting on her wrist. The mark was fading! The red mana strands seemed burn the mark off her skin.

"Can you get up now?"

"What's the rush?" Audrey giggled. "I'm like, totally in zen mode right now."

"You can't, huh," Madoka sat up and cringed from seeing the devastation Audrey's foolish trick caused. "You think the Guild will get mad at you for casting that spell?"

"Probably," Audrey sat up. "I'll fight 'em all for you. Hiyah! Oh, the wand is completely blown up."

"Thank the kind gods," Madoka praised aloud. "Just what the hell was that?"

"I dunno," Audrey shrugged as she jumped to her feet. She recovered so quick! "My elemental affinities as a Support Mage - Level 2, I might add - appear to be Christmas colored."

"Christmas?" Madoka shook her head. "Make sense, please!"

"Sorry, Christmas is a holiday with red and green used for one of its popular themes— Okay, sorry for real this time! Red mana strands seem to be connected to attitude, or something. Heightened emotions."

"So the more Rin is angry the more stronger her spells get?"

"I guess so," Audrey looked at her hands. "I can't believe the bugger's gone. That tattoo has been with me for a long time. The green mana strands are used to heal stuff, as you know. I hypothesized that red was the opposite and wouldn't ya know, I was correct."

"A-And you can cast spells without strands," Madoka felt sick from the revelation that her friend was so strong. "That's definitely going to scare Rustazian people."

"Look, I was not expecting to create a freaking laser beam, okay?" Audrey protested. "I dunno how these strand thingies even work! Perhaps those guys at the Truth Guild or whatever will explain it to us? We'll have to find out when we get promoted."

"IF," Madoka huffed behind the girl. "If we get promoted. Why are we going into the forest? We finished the commission!"

"Still daylight, Madoka!" Audrey hiked up the forest trails. Madoka could not sense any thoughts from any creatures around her but she was on high alert. The sound of water rippling soothed her ears nearby. "I'm certain nothing could go wrong!"

"Don't say that," Madoka growled as the two neared the an opening in the forest. A lake filled the way between them and deeper into the darker parts of the woods. The water was azure and crystalline, but Madoka could not see the bottom below its murky and opaque surface. Something was wrong. She cursed Audrey for she knew trouble was arriving much quicker than she anticipated. But from where? Her eyes darted around the oblivious girl.

"Say what?" Audrey picked up a stick and tossed it into the waters.

Instead of sinking, the branch began to sizzle like meat in a stew. Smoke accompanied with a hiss as it dissolved within the surface. Suddenly, the lake itself seemed to jiggle and not ripple. The water writhed and oozed together violently as waves of liquid fluctuated and thinned when it contorted into an arm. Madoka groaned while Audrey stood there excitedly.

"It's a slime, Madoka!" Audrey exclaimed. Hideous bubbling noises retched through the air as the slime gathered itself. The lake was nothing but a cradle of goo and acid. The two stared upward as its massive shadow blocked the view of the sky. Each movement caused its entire weight to wobble inward on itself before reforming into a massive hill of slime.

"Y-You little..!" Madoka sighed. She doubt her weapons could harm such a beast. "Better have a plan, Audrey. These swords will melt inside of it."

The slime morphed and shook pieces of itself haphazardly before the girls. As the chunks of its body splashed on the ground, a low reverberation from bubbles gurgling within it shook the ground. The two girls backed away slowly from it as it challenged them by hissing menacingly.