Chapter 2: What’s beyond that stupid wall?

Alright, it’s been a whole five months. Elly and I started doing etiquette training. We were to become proper young ladies or so one would think. I was terrible. For the last few months Elly and I were subjected to learning proper manners, sitting, fine dining and even how we should introduce ourselves. Meanwhile Norn is here to oversee our education. I say oversee but all he’s done is flirt with the maids and get slapped when he talks about their chests. Whenever Ruu returns he tries extra hard with her. I wonder………why…. Trina was right, this guy is hopeless. Ruu turns him down each time and after each day he leaves.

“No big sister. Like this.” Elly said as she demonstrated a perfect curtesy.

I tried to mirror her action only to lands flat on my butt.

“Ugh!” I groaned. I didn’t get it. I could read, write and do other things like adults but I couldn't understand etiquette. It was boring and I was terrible at it.

“What an unsightly child.” I looked around and found two of the maids on the other side of the room talking amongst themselves. Harsh. I mean I am a child, but I can’t fake it that well. Honestly, I don’t think I’m trying to hide it anymore. I gave them a sharp look of annoyance to their comment. They gave me their own look like they were scared and walked away.

“Big sister you shouldn’t make face like that.” Elly the ever so sweet girl, said as she grabbed my hand.

“I’m not like you. I can’t just be fancy and other stuff.”
“You shouldn’t say that!” Elly said with a bit of disappointment.

I let out a deep sigh. “Alright…”

After a few more tries Elly clapped her hands with cheer as I finally was about to do a proper curtesy.
“You did it, you did it!”

“I guess so.” I said this as I tried my best not to fall again.

“Well done.” Looking over both our eyes landed on Norn. He was standing in the doorway with a very noticeable and rather red hand shaped mark on his face.

“Oh, it’s the pervert.”

“I AM NOT!” he shouted back.

“What do you want?”

“It’s time for your next lesson. Come along.” Norn said this as he left. Elly and I looked at each other before quickly following behind him. As we caught up, he slowed his pace to match our own.

“So how are both of you feeling today? Getting the hang of it?” He asked.

“It was hard at first, but I feel like I understand it now.” Elly replied.

Because Elly was a normal child, I’m sure her being groomed and pampered left and right is shaping her the way they would want a noble lady. I couldn’t get the hang of much. The only thing on my mind right now was….

“Marida?” Norn asked.
“Huh?!” I apparently spaced out. My bad. “Y-yeah?”

“Are you feeling, okay?” He said a little worriedly.

“I’m fine…” I normally would try hiding my thoughts from everyone but it’s clear as day on my face. I felt trapped.

While we were walking there was a doorway with two knights standing guard. It was a staircase going down. Was that the way out? I needed to know what was on the outside and I had just the plan to see for myself.

Later that night as usual the maids and dressed us and put us to bed. Elly and I shared bed. We’ve always been together because that’s what Elly wanted. Did I want that? Did I care about Elly the same way?

“Big sis?”

“What is it?”

“What do you think our father’s going to be like?”

Oh, that’s right. We’ve been doing all of this just to have an audience with our own father. It was hard to think that we’ve never even met our birth parents yet. It’s no wonder she’s attached to me by the hip.

“If he’s king then he’ll probably be super tough.”

“Really? Do you think he’ll be mean?” She said worriedly.

I let out an exaggerated snort. “If he’s a jerk, I’ll clock him one. No one messes with my little sister.”

Elly smiled and gave me a big hug.

A few hours went by and Elly was sound asleep. I however wasn’t. I slowly slipped out of bed and into the hall. I started slowly making my way down the hall. A few maids and other guards almost caught me, but I found a few unlit areas to hide in. Looking up on the walls I noticed a few dimly lit green lights. I used these to figure out where I was. If I passed twenty-five of them, I’ll make it to the door that takes me outside. The door came into view and I was almost free.

Well….almost.

A door right before the one I needed to reach opened. Out walked Nora. You’ve gotta be kidding me! I stopped and ducked behind the nearest thing I could find.

“Huh? Is someone there?” He asked. He looked around but didn’t notice me. After a brief moment he started walking away. I could feel my little heart beating out of my chest before I worked up the nerve to move again.

I made my grand escape. I ran as fast as I could to the door and opened it slowly.

I was now in the outside garden. Looking around there was no one outside and it was pitch black. I quickly ran up to the wall closest to me on my right. If anyone was in the garden, they would see it was massive with little man-made hills, a few trees, a little pound and a massive thirty-foot wall surrounding it. My room, the dining hall, the study hall and this garden was all that I knew.
That being said I noticed an odd pattern with the wall. Almost like a wave there were a few bricks that stick out. They were pretty wide apart until you got closer to the wall of the castle. A few of them go back a fourth on the castle and on the wall. They made a little ladder I noticed one day when Elly and I were playing. I was gonna climb it.

I made my way up to the wall and with my little hands and feet, I climbed.

Was this really a good idea? Probably not but I couldn’t help it anymore. I needed to see what was beyond this stupid wall.

I climbed and climbed until I noticed I was almost to the top. That means I was over twenty feet in the air. Yikes, if I look down now and fall, I’m screwed. I’m almost there, just a little more.

Success! I made it to the top, I reached my hand over the edge and pulled my head up.

“Hello.” Norn said cheerfully as he was sitting on the very stop of the wall.

I of course slipped from being startled.

“Huh?”……

Just as I was about to hit the ground, everything went black.

Damn it…….did I….did I just die?! No….no….wait. I just had my eyes closed really tight.

“Big sis, what are you doing?” A voice I knew all too well asked.

“Huh?!” I said as I opened my eyes.

“Did you need to go potty?” A sleepy Elly asked as she rubbed her eyes.

I was back inside my room. What the hell happened? I looked at my hands and they were shaking.

Was that a dream? Looking down at my clothes there were clear scuff marks on my stomach area as if was dragged against something dirty.

“Hell no, that wasn’t a dream!”

I quickly turned around to grab the door handle before freezing in place.

“I…..I can’t move.” I was scared. I knew if I opened this door….I was gonna die.

Before I knew it, I had crawled back into bed and just laid there.

Elly hugged me before I fell asleep.

The next day came and we were studying again.

SMACK! “You jerk!” a maid yelled and she stormed off. Standing there was Norn with a familiar red hand shaped mark on his face.

While I was looking at him, he noticed me and waved.

“I hate that guy.” I was pissed.

“Huh?” Elly looked up confused.