10

You Can Just Use Your Imagination

Think of a bed being left out in the woods for many years. Now scrape off the top layer of debris and tangle it into Alais’s hair until it’s just one big clump that hangs down to her butt; Pretty nasty right? Well, that’s how her hair looked when I left her in Elyon’s care. When I came back, however, she not only smelled nice but her hair was so flowy and red, it looked like a majestic river of blood. Well, it actually looked like normal red beautiful hair. I only said it that way for Alais’s sake. Also now that I think about it, red hair isn’t normal; Not blood red at least.

“It’s so beautiful~ Almost like a majestic river of blood,” I said getting but a grunt in reply as she stood there under the sunlight, stretching. Something she normally did every day but this time she seemed a bit more… flexible, but the look on her face seemed to be a bit more relaxed and annoyed at the same time. I don’t even know how that was possible. “What’s wrong, Alais? You seem… displaced. More so than usual, I suppose.” Once again I received nothing more than a grunt as she bent and twisted her body. The unnatural pops and cracks were enough to make my skin crawl. It almost made me forget about my budding curiosity of… maturity. “Wait!” I said when I noticed she was about to start sprinting.

“What, you little pervert?”

I let her insult slide.

“If you get sweaty, you’ll have to take another bath. We’re going to be heading out today.”

“Is today the day of your balls?” She teased.

“Your jokes are as crude as ever. But no, Mr. Henry will be taking us into the city to get proper clothing for the ball.”

As if staring into her past, she said, “Henry? He reminds me of a small boy I knew.”

“Don’t say it, I know you just like to make me upset. Anyway,” I started to say while taking a step closer. “I wanted to ask you something. Do you think people will panic if they see you?”

“I sure hope they do,” said the former Orc Queen.

“The question?” I asked patiently.

“How in the hell should I know? Humans are cowards.”

“It’s okay to be afraid. I think the scariest thing for me was seeing sister Mary at your door. I thought she was there to take you away from me. That and seeing Apple for the first time.”

She grunted as she made her way back into her cabin. I was a tad grateful that she didn’t close the door in my face as I followed behind her… Not that she didn’t try to. I managed to hop inside at the last second.

“I’m sure they still remember, and I wouldn’t be surprised if your mother was counting on it,” She said while dropping her naked frame to the floor, back against the wall.

“That’s why I’ve reason to put you in a mask to hide your identity,” I said.

“Throw away those storybooks or you’ll rot your brain,” She said, lightly jabbing the side of my head with her finger. I made a mental note to trim her fingernails.

“It’s a great idea!” I began. “Wait right here.”

I rushed from the cabin and into the palace. Slowing only when approaching doors and corners until I finally arrived in my chamber. Rushing over to my desk, where a pencil and tablet sat waiting; Uhm… tablet as in writing pad. Pulling them both into my arms, I spun to leave, only to see two sets of eyes staring back at me. Elyon was sitting behind Apple with his tail raised. It later came to my understanding she was giving him an examination. There seemed to be a clear lack of communication because I also forgot to inform her that Apple would be sleeping in my room instead of the stables. A decision I hoped wouldn’t get me in trouble. It was either that or in the cabin with Alais. Sadly, my confidence in Alais’s ability to play nice was low, at the time.

Time seemed to stop as we locked eyes, in silence. Well… near-silence as my chest rose and fell with excitement from running. Apple’s cheeks seemed to be as flush as mine as he raised his hand, offering me a wave. Returning the greeting, the tap of my shoes finally echoed through the palace once again. Back in Alais’s cabin, I plopped myself down in her lap.

“Okay, so first we draw your mask,” I said, sketching an oval. “And… that’s it.”

“… All that just to draw an egg?”

“It’s a mask without a face! It’s a magical mask that lets us change what you look like. You’d put it on when we leave and take it off when we get back. I’m going to request a map to see if there’s someplace we can get such a thing made. It’s a great idea, I promise. I just wish we had the mask now before our first outing. The plan doesn’t work if,” My words were cut off as the sound of grinding metal could be heard drawing my attention to my lap where my writing pad sat. “I don’t remember putting metal in the foundation of your cabin.”

Picking up my notepad, the grinding stopped as my pencil dropped into my lap. At least that’s what I originally thought until I picked it up. My eyes grew wide before leaning my head back to see Alais’s expression was a mix of confusion and anger. Mostly anger… she’s always angry. We couldn’t believe it, in my hand was a mask. I stood up out of her lap pacing around the cabin with it in my hands.

“No, shut up,” She said.

“But I didn’t say anything!” I said.

“You should practice not saying anything, it’s good for you.”

“It just appeared out of nowhere! I knew I had magic powers!”

“That wasn’t magic.”

“Please do it,” I begged.

“I’d much rather risk cramps from eating your face.”

“Oh, I see…” Silence fell over the both of us as I finally stopped pacing. “Put your face in there!” I lunged, trying to press it to her face.

“Damn it, I said no!”

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!”

“Kiss my ass!”

“Washing it was more than enough!”

She might have been strong but I was relentless… moments later I found out that being relentless wasn’t enough. The door opened and in walked Apple and Elyon.

“Doesn’t anybody knock?!” Alais barked as she grasped both of my arms.

“I’d have to agree with her. Please knock and wait to be permitted inside,” I said.

“Same goes for you!” Alais snapped.

“I’m the one who built your home! Or at least paid for it.”

Apple stepped forward and began to speak in a proper tone; “Apologies, Lord Adam. But from the outside, it sounded as if you were doing something inappropriate. You do remember your outing today, yes?”

Apple’s use of lord pulled my attention from Alais to look him over. He was all dressed up in a frilly white sundress that left his horse half exposed.

“Your Highness?” Elyon began slowly, “From this point on, Apple will be your Valet.”

“Apple?” I began just as slowly. “I’ll ask you this once. However, if you lie to me, I’ll refuse you as my Valet… Are you being set up to spy on me?”

“Why would you think that?” He asked, seaming a tad hurt.

“Your presence feels oddly convenient and let’s not forget the fact, last night you were barely alive. You may not remember anything but I believe you’re being manipulated by someone with magic.”

“Magic? Do you mean someone like Ms. Elyon?” Apple asked.

We both gazed up and over at Elyon who stood silently. Completely not odd for her to simply stand there and let us talk about her as if she wasn’t even there. She has always been someone to let me figure things out on my own. Excuse me, I mean to say, force me to figure things out on my own. I once asked her how birds fly… flew? And she made me write a thousand-word essay on how I thought birds flew only to fail me when I misspelled flew with flu as in sickness.

“She can use magic I’m sure, although I’ve never seen her use any. But Elyon doesn’t have to spy on me. I’d happily tell her anything she wants to know. Just be on the lookout for anyone who seems… suspicious,” I said.

“Do you mean like Ms. Alais?”

With a playful smirk, I said, “That depends on who you ask. I think Alais has her demons… demons who might be too afraid to cross her path, but she’s my best friend. Anyway, don’t mind me. I like giving things a lot of thought and I ask a lot of questions.”

“You never shut up,” Said Alais.

I finally pulled away, giving up on trying to make her wear the mask and ignoring Alais’s rude comment.

“I learned from Elyon to always seek out answers, and…. Got you!” I threw myself back onto Alais, smacking the faceless mask to her face, and right before our eyes, her long beautiful red hair sparkled white. She shrank to my size as the mask seemed to dissolve into her skin. “I win! Bleh!” My victory cry was cut short when she pushed me to the floor.

“Your Highness!” Apple trotted over, helping me to my feet and brushing off my clothing. “Are you hurt?”

“No, I’m fine. Thank you, Apple,” I chuckled. “Alais, you’re tiny… and your hair turned white!” I glanced down between her thighs for a quick second. “… All of it. How do you feel?”

“I feel like you should shut the hell up… and for some damn reason I can see you doing the opposite.”

“Adam?” Recognizing the voice, I threw myself into Alais once again, this time swiping at her face. While not even sure it would work, I managed to remove the mask and tuck it under my clothing. Alais snapped back to her normal larger self, glaring at me with her back to the wall. I turned to see sister Violet stopping right outside the doorway and Elyon stepping to the side. Not even caring to glance around, big sister Violet’s gaze focused on me. “I’ve made preparations to have Apple here be your Valet, to help guide you in the city.”

I stepped from Alais’s lap and made my way over to my sister.

“As much as I would enjoy the company, I… don’t think Apple has recovered enough since last night.”

“And yet he’s been up all day,” Violet said. “I figured Elyon might have had a hand in his recovery.”

“If you mean in terms of magic… Elyon has never used such a thing here. I wouldn’t want her to be wrongly accused.”

“Then do you know who?” She asked with a raised brow.

“I do not, I assume it has something to do with either Mr. Henry or… the one who had done such a horrible thing to Apple as some sort of filthy experiment,” I explained.

“How about this, you make Apple your Valet and I’ll be sure to voice your concerns when the need arrives.”

“I don’t think voicing my concerns is the goal.”

“I see… I’ll be sure no blame… comes to you or your loved ones.”

“That is a tad uplifting… although from the stories I’ve read, that kind of sounds like something a villain would say,” That last part was in my head of course. “I must admit dear sister, I’m still getting used to the fact Apple is half-horse.”

“Hmm… are you unhappy that your horse is a centaur? I remember my first gift being a cute pony. I wish I had a gift as adorable as this one.”

“I uhm… I’m grateful… I’ve just never seen one before, is all.”

“… I’d like to talk with you about that. How about Apple and Alais go wait in the carriage while the both of us go for a walk?”