The City of Athelas (Part 1)

Aystaria looked out at morning sky as the sun was beginning to rise over the horizon. She looked back to Reina, and Lyis who were knocked out from the night she had with them. I guess they didn’t have the stamina to keep up with me, Aystaria thought as she covered them up with the blanket to ensure they didn’t catch a cold. Looking over the room, Aystaria looked around for her clothes. Wait, maybe I can wear the maid outfit Lyis wore, and help the two of them out this time, she thought as she picked up the maid outfit.

They are the first people I’ve ever told that story to that were not apart of a unit. It’s scary, but I actually did it. They actually stayed, which surprised me even more I dare say, Aystaria thought as she finished putting on Lyis’s maid outfit. Stepping carefully throughout her room, and to the door, she silently exited without wake the two twins up. Moving down the hallway, skipping merrily, Aystaria made her way for the kitchen. Finding herself greeted by the stares of the two maids on-duty, Aystaria simply smiled as she struck a cute pose.

“I’m going to be taking over for Reina, and Lyis, okay?”

“Of course, Miss Pynn.”

“Please, call me Aystaria.”

“R-Right. But Aystaria… do you know how to cook a meal for a noble family?”

Aystaria giggled.

“Of course, just let me do my thing,” Aystaria said with a wink.

The two maids continued to tend to the food until overtime, they began to get sidetracked by Aystaria’s ability to cook. Before long, Aystaria was the only one tending to the cooking as she quickly prepared a meal fit for a noble family. After adding the finishing touches, she smiled as she handed the tray to over to one of the maids.

“Since you two watched instead of helped, you can take the trays, okay,” Aystaria said with a smile.

The two maids nodded, and exited the kitchen. Grabbing a roll of bread, Aystaria placed in the oven, and took it out with her dagger as she had the first time she came to the manor. She walked the halls of the manor as she ate her bread slowly. I should probably get Emyria’s school uniform, Aystaria thought as she headed for the outside laundry area where all the clothes were hung out to dry on the sunny days. Six lines were each spaced evenly, and were roughly six feet in length. Looking over all the clothes on the lines, she managed to find the one that held only Emyria’s school uniform. Taking each piece off the line, Aystaria folded up the clothes into one neat square as if she had done it over hundred times.

Oh, it looks like our little noble wears pink panties, how cute, Aystaria thought she folded them on top of the rest of the clothes. After gathering up the uniform, she made her way inside, while humming a cheerful tune. Knocking at Emyria’s door, Aystaria did her best impression of a noble maid.

“Excuse me, Lady Hyteria. May I intrude for a moment?”

A moment passed before Emyria opened the door. She looked like a corpse. Her hair was messy, and looked as if she had been scratching her head for hours on end. Under her eyes were black circles where she clearly had not had any sleep. Aystaria smiled as she brushed back Emyria’s bangs from her face.

“Looks like someone stayed up studying,” Aystaria said as she moved passed Emyria, and laid the clothes down on the bed.

“Yeah, I just couldn’t sleep,” Emyria said with a loud yawn.

Aystaria sighed as she turned to Emyria. Looking her over for a brief second, she grabbed Emyria by the hand, and sat her down in the wooden chair by her desk. Pulling out one of her daggers, she carefully used it to straighten out Emyria’s hair until it was reasonably straight. Looking her over one more time, Aystaria tried desperately to get Emyria’s bangs to stay off to the side.

“Hmm. Your bangs are just not working with you, are they?”

“They never do.”

Aystaria thought about what she could do for a moment before removing the hair clip she wore, along her bangs to fall naturally down. Brushing Emyria’s bangs back again, Aystaria used the hair clip to hold back her bangs on the right side.

“Please don’t break or lose this hair clip, okay?”

“Why? What’s so special about it?”

The room suddenly fell silent before Aystaria smiled, and spoke.

“A friend I knew gave it to me before he passed away.”

“Oh… Wait, are you sure you—”

“You can wear it. Just keep it safe. That is all I ask.”

Emyria could tell by the serious tone in Aystaria’s voice that she wasn’t joking around.

“Don’t worry, Aystaria. I’ll keep it safe. I promise.”

Aystaria smiled as she helped Emyria to her feet.

“Time for you to get dressed. Do you require assistance, Lady Hyteria?” Aystaria said in a noble tone as she bowed slightly.

“You just want to see me naked, don’t you?” Emyria asked in an amusingly.

“Hehe. You think you’re actually worth my viewing pleasure?” Aystaria asked with a smug expression.

“Okay, I don’t think I have a reply to that.”

“It’s okay. You’re learning. Now, you get dressed before you’re late for school.”

“Right. Also… Aystaria?”

“Hmm?”

“Why are you wearing a maid outfit?”

Aystaria giggled as she twirled on the ball of her foot, and placed both her hands on her hips, and winked seductively.

“Why not?”

“I just… You look nice,” Emyria said blushing slightly.

Aystaria moved in closer as she inched her face closer to Emyria’s. Their eyes gazed upon each other as Emyria started to smell the subtle aroma of warm baked bread.

“Yeah, I know,” Aystaria said with a smirk of confidence.

Without a playful skip to the exit, Aystaria left the room, and made her way back to her own. Upon opening the door, she could see Reina awake, and yawning as she stretched. Taking a moment to allow her brain to process, she rubbed her eyes once.

“Either my maid fantasy came true, or I’m still asleep,” Reina said as she yawned once more.

Aystaria giggled as she bowed slightly.

“I’m at your service, princess.”

Another yawn echoed out next to Reina. Lyis rubbed his eyes as he sat up. Looking over to his left, he was surprised by the beauty of Aystaria dressed in his maid outfit.

“Good morning, master,” Aystaria said in a cutesy tone as she winked.

“Aystaria?”

“Oh… Uh… little brother…”

A paroxysm of laughter escaped Aystaria’s mouth as she held onto her side.

“What are you two laughing—”

Lyis looked down as he realized just what the two girls were talking about.

“Master, it seems something is rising, and it’s not the bread,” Aystaria joked.

Lyis could feel his face turning red as he ducked under the covers to hide his face.

“You can hide your face, but not the monster under the covers.”

“Can we stop talking about me? What are you even doing, Aystaria?”

“Well, you two seemed pretty tired so I decided to take over your duties for you.”

“That is sweet of you, but we can’t let you do that,” Reina said.

“No, no, it’s fine. I enjoy it actually.”

Aystaria sat down on the bed, and seductively inched her face loser to Reina’s.

“Now you, and your brother just relax while I take care of everything, okay?”

Reina was unable to hide her blushing face as she knew there was no winning against Aystaria.

“Fine. We will take you up on that offer then.”

“Good, I’ll be back with a meal for the two of you.”

As Aystaria left the room, Reina laid back on the bed as she closed her eyes. She is an odd one, but I can’t deny that her abilities, and skill match up to how well trained she is. Still, it’s hard to believe after everything she has been through that she can smile like that, Reina thought.

“Hey sis?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you think we should join?”

“I don’t know. She said it was out there. Either we stay here, and pretend life goes on as normal or we learn how to fight like her, and use our skills for the greater good.”

“It sounds like fun, doesn’t it?” Lyis asked with a smile.

“It does,” Reina said with a happy expression on her face.

#

Emyria yawned throughout the day as she tried to stay awake. My body hates me so much right now, Emyria thought as she turned the corner. The smell of baked bread filled her nose as she passed by the small shop that sold her favorite bread. After purchasing a small slice, she continued on her way to school. Emyria looked up to the sky to see the position of sun. I’m going to be late, she thought as she sighed heavily.

In the distance, she could see a young woman walking alone in her direction. She was dressed in a black corset with a crimson red miniskirt. The sound of her brown leather boots echoed with each step on the cobblestone street. As the girl passed by her, Emyria could see she had long beautiful white hair that peaked out from her hood that she had drawn over her face. For a moment, Emyria felt something cold graze her cheek. What was that feeling, Emyria wondered as she stopped for a moment. She quickly realized that she could no longer hear the sound of the woman’s boots.

Emyria noticed her bangs were starting to fall downwards near her eyes. Turning around on the ball of her foot, she could see the woman running into one of the nearby alleyways. Touching where Aystaria had placed the hair clip, Emyria realized what the girl had done. All right, you want to steal from me? Let’s go then, Emyria thought as she rushed to catch up with the girl. Entering into the alleyway, she watched as the girl quickly vaulted over the various objects, and obstacles like an assassin in the night. Following behind the girl’s lead, Emyria vaulted clean over each obstacle as she started to close the gap.

The white haired girl continued to move through the alleyway until she reached a small stack of crates. In one fluid motion, she stepped onto the crates, using them as a staircase to make her way up to the rooftop. Following the training that Aystaria had taught her, Emyria was able to make it to the rooftop within a fraction of the time it took for the white haired girl. She just doesn’t give up, Emyria thought as she continued to follow the girl from rooftop to rooftop. As Emyria hopped a gap to another rooftop, she noticed the girl pulling something out from under her cloak. Barely having a second to realize what it was, Emyria calculated exactly what she had to do. Stepping on the ball of her right foot, and out of the trajectory of the dagger aiming to pierce her heart, Emyrai grabbed the oddly shaped dagger in mid-air, and spun on the ball of her foot using the rotation, and momentum to reverse the path of the dagger back at the white haired girl.

Emyria watched as the girl skillfully caught the ring that was carved out at the hilt, and twirled in around her finger before sheathing it back on to the thigh-holster. Before long, Emyria was getting annoyed with the girl, and her will to continuously evade her.

“Can you just give up already!?” Emyria yelled as she watched the girl jump down onto another rooftop.

The white haired girl stopped at the edge of the building to the street below. Unlike the other rooftops, there was nowhere for the girl to run. Below her was a forty foot drop onto the cobblestone. Emyria cornered the girl, and readied herself for a fight.

“Nowhere for you to run. Now, hand over my hair clip or I’ll have to hurt you,” Emyria said with a smug expression.

The girl smiled as she stood at the edge of the rooftop.

“If you think you can, you’re welcome to try,” the girl said in a playful tone that marked the boundaries of cute.

Without warning, the girl fell backwards as Emyria’s face turned to one of shock. What the hell, she thought as she rushed forward to the roof’s edge. Looking out over the edge, she noticed that the girl was nowhere to be found. It was as if her body had vanished from existence. Emyria sighed as she tried to understand what happened. Before she could process the events, she felt a sharp pain run throughout her whole body before everything went numb. She could see a pair of arms holding her steady as a chilling whisper echoed into her ear.

“Shouldn’t have let your guard down.”

The voice was of the girl that Emyria had saw. Damn, I should have been more careful, Emyria thought as she felt her mind starting to shut down. Within moments, Emyria could no longer see the world around her as she drifted off into a deep sleep.