II.

The ornate door stood like an assistant waiting on them. It was not dangerous, for Madoka knew the feeling of dread that true predators gave outside. She has felt the cold unwelcome feeling of living outdoors in the winter and nothing about the door gave her that feeling. Its gold trim framed the edges of the door and its handles felt like they were custom-fit for her hands. Audrey inspected the other side of the door and found nothing but the lake.

The platform itself was reminiscent of the altars they had been to before, but modified to the taste of its god. Water dripped from the ceiling and Madoka could still see the raindrops frozen in place outside of the grotto. The spires were smoothed at the tips and small gold rings adorned their circumferences like belts. Of that golem in the Conqueror's belly and the large ringed gate flashing out of this world, Madoka put the grotto and its gateway third in the list of strangest things she's seen.

She gulped as she inspected the door once more. She felt guilty from the conversation they had. Madoka realized she was not being fully truthful herself to Audrey. She was the hypocrite who never spoke of things about the afterlife. Pelé, the strange bird she's ran into and probably a lot more things she has failed to reveal to the princess. Did it matter?

A hand squeezed hers and an expectant look closed in on her eyes. Right, Madoka pulled out of her thoughts. There was a truth lying beyond the door. She was not sure if she would like it but her hand twisted the handle. Her arm rattled as she did, taking her by surprise. It was shaking violently apart!

An intricate cyan pentagram pattern of light expanded outward from beneath the door. A magic attack? She was not prepared to fight against such attacks. The waters reflected the beautiful and dangerous pentagram attack but began to stir violently. Its range covered the entire lake!

"Madoka?" Audrey questioned her. How was she supposed to know this would happen? The waters in the grotto's lake began to churn rapidly into a whirlpool. Madoka's hand remained on the door's handle as water sprayed her. They were sinking and Madoka did not know how to swim. She groaned. Not because she would drown in waist high water but because she was soaking now.

"This is ALL your fault," Madoka cursed but she doubted Audrey could hear her over the violent whirlpool. She shoved her body into the door and it caved in with her. Her face ate soft grass. Her body followed.

She rolled over and sputtered out lake water feeling for Audrey at the same time. Again, nothing but the meadows brushed across her hands. Madoka could barely hold onto any of her senses from the overwhelming guilt that flooded her. Her arms felt like weathervanes in the wind as she was flung in the odd door's dizzying storm.

Yet here was quiet and peaceful. She noticed the door she tumbled through was gone. There was no longer the lichen and moss covered cavern. Here was different -- the sky was smudged blue speckled with stardust, the air was perfumed by sweet and pleasant flowers, and the wind singing its music in Madoka's chest. The breeze gently reordered the chaotic notes within her heart.

When her breathing evened out through her anxiety, she realized she was all alone on the other side of the door.

Did she let go of Audrey during all that commotion? As if the mere thought summoned her, the distant yelling of a familiar voice came from above her. A light body landed on her and blonde hair whipped her face. Madoka's chest felt constricted.

"Waah!" Audrey's muffled voice came from her chest. The girl was soaking wet but warm to the touch. More mumbling came from the princess but Madoka could not understand her.

"Audrey?" Madoka blew the strands of her hair off her face.

Blue eyes peered at her from the peaks of her chest. For a moment, things were serene. Madoka was content with their reunion in the middle of this strange and beautiful landscape. Audrey was warm and small. The maid found it difficult to keep herself from her soft curiosity. A flash of mischievousness suddenly lit up in her eyes and Madoka braced herself for trouble.

"Boobies!" Audrey buried her face back into Madoka's breasts. The maid flailed as the princess squished her tongue between them. Audrey's voice was muffled in between her persistence and Madoka's skin. "I... love.. your..."

"Audrey!" Madoka gripped somewhere on the girl's body. Luckily she was not pinned down and Audrey was light. "You are such a..."

She tore the girl off of herself and threw her back as hard as she could. Audrey screamed as she sailed through the air under the splotched clouds. Madoka sat up and tied her cloak tighter. She noticed the princess landed squarely on her back quite a distance from her. The yelp of pain coming from the girl only made Madoka proud of her throw.

"Naee waah," Audrey sat up. "That hurt, Madoka!"

"Next time," Madoka darkened her voice. "I'll throw you even further."

The princess gulped.

"You are a Royal, Audrey," Madoka began to unleash her new attack: A lecture. "Know your place. My body is yours but it's unbecoming of you! You need to control and save yourself for..."

She stopped after seeing the princess's face.

It was not that Madoka hated the girl's attention to her. There was something inside of her that refused to budge. A block in the heart that stopped her from being free still remained inside her chest. She was a slave after all. There were all kinds of chains far too tightened that she could untangle. There were too many obstacles she could not cross. Was she worthy of Audrey? Why would she be when the princess could have anyone she wants?

"I'm sorry," Audrey finally broke the silence. There was sorrow tinged in her words. The red haired girl had heard that tone in the rejected suitors from the palace. The wails and heartbreak entwined from young noble women after the Prince rejected them. Fiara allowed multiple women to be together but only for men's courts, Madoka recalled. How could Audrey have any desire for a servant like her? She has never heard of anything like that in Fiara.

Madoka wanted to apologize, or deflect, like a shield but to protect Audrey from herself. A vague declaration that she should postpone her love until she finds someone far better than the maid. The promise that there was definitely an individual worthy of Audrey although that only stirred selfishness within her heart. She hoped there was such a person but she also wanted to be that person.

She wanted to stand in the princess's court alone but that could never happen. Madoka wanted to ask why would the princess have love for only her again but they have had one hard conversation today. That is, she mused. If today is still the same day they fought the slime monster.

There was a source of light like a sun- an orange glow tangled within the trees and clouds. Whether it was actually the sun or not, its light was fading. Madoka turned her focus to where they actually were.

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"You're strong, Audrey," Madoka admitted. "I already threw you as hard as I could and you survived."

"Well, I've survived worse than that," Audrey sighed. That statement worried the maid. "Now, we have to survive wherever this is. Grass and pine needles, rocks and dirt. Nothin' 'bout this place makes sense. They look almost like, no, they can't be..."

"What's wrong, Audrey?"

"T-This place," Audrey went pale as her blue eyes took in all her surroundings. She seemed to recognize where she was. "It can't be!"

The girl took off into the forest. Madoka did not realize there was a forest to begin with inside this realm. She recounted how this came to be. They were in a grotto in a forest's lake, in a strange place that led straight into another forest. She groaned. All this has happened because they needed to gather herbs.

"Audrey, don't leave me!" Madoka ran after her. The forest grew darker, as whatever sunlight shown through slowly faded away. Glimpses of blonde hair fluttered through thin branches as she chased Audrey. She pushed through them and realized the girl stopped before an opening. Soon, night settled on her skin. A streak of stars smeared across the sky in a curve as if an unseeable giant carried a silvery bone across his shoulder.

"What is this doing here?" Audrey's voice quivered into a high whisper. Her eyes were fixated upon something.

Madoka's eyes adjusted. She saw a rock resting in the center of the clearing.

"A... Rock?"

"This is where I ran away from my home when things got bad. There was the little rusted..." Audrey turned and pointed. Madoka saw a strange, rusted sloped structure resting at the edge of the opening. Another worn down structure stood tall nearby. It had chain links connected to a strange chair. Madoka decided it would not be fit to rest upon.

Audrey instead sat down on the rock so Madoka silently sat with her back against Audrey's. She looked up at the night sky and was surprised to see a single waxy moon. It was gold instead of silver like the twin moons.

"W-Wait," Madoka gasped at the realization that they were in Audrey's old world. The air was fresh and she could not hear any thoughts. "We're in your world?"

"Could be," Audrey slumped back on Madoka. She was not heavy enough to move the maid. "It might be memetic and a cognito hazard all over again. Or just magic bringing up my memories. But I don't care anymore."

I do, Madoka wanted to say but she was still wrapped up in her confused feelings for the princess.

"I like places with a little mystery, you know? Haunted houses, abandoned parks like these..." Audrey's voice was wavering. "Used to go here all the time because I felt like I could escape. Beyond the woods is where I lived. You might not feel like it but we're in the middle of the suburbs of a metropolis."

"My momma used to go here, screaming at me the whole time," she continued. Madoka did not hear any thoughts around. This place was surprisingly peaceful despite being abandoned. "She used to not scream at me but oh well."

"The Queen," Madoka mused aloud.

"Father must have been broken," Audrey sighed. "Can't imagine what it's like to lose a loved one like that. They must have had goals, desires to run the country, a vision. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you. Again."

"Audrey," Madoka was about to protest.

"I'm sorry Madoka," Audrey rested her head on her back. "I'm putting way too much pressure on you. Can't get you out of my mind and my feelings are just getting stronger. I can't resist myself around you sometimes. You reminded me that if if I can't stop myself from you I'd be no better than that fat noble."

"T-That's not what I--" Madoka's heart bloomed at the princess's deep consideration. "I would never compare you to that."

"But it's the truth!" Audrey sighed. "I-I'll wait for you! As long as it takes, okay?"

"Why, though?" The red hair girl got up. She stood in front of the princess and folded her arms. "You deserve a lot more than me or maybe I don't have a lot to give to you. How could I meet your standards?"

"M-My standards?" Audrey gasped. Madoka shrunk. Did she offend her somehow? "What do you know of my standards? Why are you deciding who I want?"

"I--"

"It's you, Madoka," Audrey suddenly blurted. She looked like she wanted to stop herself but could not. "We've gone through hell and back! You, literally, have gone through hell and back. How can anyone compare to you? Who could enter my courts and match you?"

Audrey calmed down when she realized she was yelling. Madoka turned her back and wanted to melt from the embarrassment. She knew the princess loved her all along. She was not blind. She was a hypocrite. Or she felt like one. What a troublesome thing this girl was!

"You remember what I said on that balcony during our time at the Estate, right?" Audrey's voice whispered. Madoka did not. Those blissful times seemed like a lifetime ago. "Well, I don't like men at all. Not one bit. Madoka, I'm..."

She chuckled.

"Orientations, what would they matter in these days and age? I am only interested in women, Madoka. You. Heh, I feel like I'm coming out to my momma all over again. She screamed curses at me and I ran away to... here."

"C-Courts," Madoka stammered. She could barely hear herself over her pounding heart. The princess truly wanted her. She would rather clean a thousand hallways of the Palace than try to sort this mess out.

"I want you to someday realize how much you mean to me," Audrey sighed. It was a relieved sigh, like she finally lifted a weight heavier than the slime's core. "I want you to someday realize just how important you should be to yourself. I wanna help you find that out, too!"

It was dark out but Madoka's body could not feel anything other than small. Audrey snapped out of it.

"Shit," Audrey gasped. Madoka went on high alert at her sudden change of demeanor. "We're in the middle of a dungeon! Look at what you've made me do! I confessed to you and everything... Gah!"

Madoka caught a glimpse of her bright red face before she buried her head in her own arms.

"Let's get out of here, Audrey," Madoka finally broke the silence. "Wherever we are."

"Yeah," Audrey still hid her reddened face but stood on the rock. "Whatever this lost god has in store for us better be good."

She hopped off the rock and headed towards the edge of the clearing. Madoka was quick to follow, unsure of this new territory. For some reason, she felt at ease here. There was no threats that she could hear. It was just her thoughts, fluttering feelings and the sinking feeling that things between them were going to be much different.

Even as they walked, Madoka felt too nervous and giddy to speak with the girl. What was this feeling? Should she be allowed to have it? To capture its light and socket it into a necklace, she pondered. To take it wherever she went and watch it walk confidently towards a full blooming future. This was beyond her fear. Or it was where her fear placed her.

Like seeing color for the first time.

"Where are we headed?" Madoka asked.

"There's going to be a row of houses ahead," Audrey walked along. The little trail was plain but beautiful. Madoka looked behind her at the dimming forest they have left. This place was quiet. Too quiet, Madoka gripped her swords under her cloak nervously.

"Careful," Madoka cautioned. Her feet stepped on a hard surface. A narrow street divided by oddly lit lamp posts lay before her bordered by a wall of strange tall structures. She has never seem such architecture. The buildings were uniform with little changes, stretching infinitely to her left and right. They were neat and tidy although they unnerved her. "So these are houses?"

"Yeah," Audrey made a motion with her hands. Nothing happened. Madoka gasped. "Huh? My magic... It's not working?"

"This is bad, isn't it?" Madoka guessed.

Audrey tried again with the same motion. Once again, her magic did not seem to work. She felt fine but she was sure whatever magic she had would not help her in the slightest.

"It ain't good, I tell you what," Audrey muttered. "Come to think of it, there wasn't a trace of manas floating in the air. Maybe we truly are in a simulated version of my old world. T-Take care of me as we head to a little place I know of."

"This place is like a maze," Madoka complained. "How do you know where you're going?"

"Well," Audrey shyed from looking at Madoka's face. "I'm going home."

"H-Home?" Madoka asked. This was getting stranger by the minute. She stopped to recollect herself.

"Madoka?"

"S-Sorry," Madoka breathed in. Why was it so hard to breathe all of a sudden? "I just feel lightheaded. I don't belong here, don't I?"

Audrey looked concerned but helped the maid up.

"My house is close by," she pointed at a house. It looked no different then the other ones but Madoka believed her. A street made of black concrete divided the girls from the rows of imposing houses. Odd structures made of metals rested in front of several of them. Were they beasts similar to those in the afterlife? Did they guard the houses?

Were they dead? Madoka shuddered at the thought of approaching one. Perhaps they were sleeping? Audrey strode on without fear of the metal beasts. They approached one resting on their side of the road. The maid moved to stop her princess, unsure of what would happen if they wake one up. Audrey smirked and put her hand on the beast's curve.

"These are called cars," she explained, tracing a metal line jutting out of its side. Madoka saw her reflection in its... ear? "That's a rear view mirror. People sit in these and drive them."

"They... go inside there?"

She stood behind her princess. She was still unsure of what they could do. Its sides were windows and she could see a chair inside. Audrey was close to her. She suddenly did not want to go further.

"Yeah," Audrey pulled away from Madoka. Her cheeks were still bright red as she shifted shyly. Was she going to be this shy all the time from now on? Madoka found it to be cute but worried it would affect their battle effectiveness. "Now it looks like we're casing this car so we should probably leave it alone. Dunno if this dungeon will simulate people. House is up ahead."

"What is it like?" Madoka strayed away from the car. Audrey laughed.

"Awful," Audrey began to step on the tarred road. The road split the neighborhood and the forest like a black river. "Heh, it's got its issues. You know? You can see its the same as all the other houses here but its interior is going to make you upset. What, being a maid and all that. It's gross in there. Like a dirty secret but hidden under a rich and perfect facade. People put up an image of themselves all the time but that's not the real them inside."

"We all have things to say and keep to ourselves, Audrey," Madoka shuffled behind her. Audrey stopped as they traveled up a small incline and to a porch. The paths were all uniform and the grass did not seem like it was real. This must be her house as Audrey stopped before the doorway. Madoka did not know why but she steeled herself for the horrors behind it. She grabbed Audrey's hand.

"Huh?" Audrey turned.

"Before we go," Madoka started. "Is this something you want me to see? Are you alright with me seeing your past?"

There was a long pause. Audrey looked at a peculiar object on the door.

"Yeah," Audrey finally resolved herself. "Looking good is the easy part. Especially for you. Heh. It's what's underneath it all that is the tough part. Really, it's truly all that matters. Making sure that maybe, one day, finding those things that are good inside is what will keep me going. The memories and things to cherish the most. Now, I sound like an old lady. Whatever."

You matter, Madoka thought. Yet she did not say it. Her feelings were too frazzled and fractured from the overwhelming sense of wrongness she felt here.

"Ready?" Audrey turned to her briefly.

"Yes," she left it at that.