The castle of dreams…
It was pretty much like your standard fairy tale castle. Beautiful spires with a central plinth at the top glowing with its gentle light. Gardens with magical flowers that always seemed in bloom and gentle fluffy white clouds floating giving their own strange light. A water moat surrounded though this under water area seemed to be a ‘room’ of its own, with various underwater features. Beyond the castle was a dome of light and just … empty space. Swirls of colours sometimes twinkled like stars only to vanish abruptly. It was a surreal place on the edge of reality…
“R-Risu?!” Maya blinked seeing her animal companion… though apparently here, she now had a humanoid form?
The squirrel-shaped anthro-women stood about five feet tall with a large bushy tail. She was also wearing a maid outfit and gave a formal bow to the girl upon being recognised. “Princess,” She smiled softly. “Yes. I serve you here as well as there…”
“You’re… a lot bigger here.” Maya observed.
The squirrel-woman gave a light smile but said nothing, glancing instead to the Queen.
The Queen seemed to float to the side of the squirrel-woman with her large dress hiding her movements. A gentle air of power emanating from her. “I am glad you two have been getting along,” she said. “Risu mentioned that you are… having some difficulty adjusting to your situation. Is that so?” She asked with a gentle concerned look.
Maya stared at the strange woman. She felt no… malice from her, not that she was sure she could, given the ‘person’ appeared to be made of some strange magical light. She was ethereal... beautiful… and when she looked deeper into her eyes, she could see stars… but reflected back…in her own eyes, Maya could see those same stars within herself. The two stared into the other and the new girl had to blink. “Whoa-“ She flushed suddenly acutely embarrassed. “What uh.. was that?”
“It’s a lot to take in I know. Come, let me show you your room.” The Queen smiled taking the girl’s shoulder. “Dear Risu, can you get some tea for us in Maya’s room?”
Risu bowed. “Yes my lady.” She glanced to Maya with a nod. “Princess,” and left.
The Queen gestured Maya to follow her across the castle corridors. Strange pictures adorned the wall… Maya paused a moment at a few of them as they showed various girls in different time periods. Then she saw a picture of … herself? In what looked like the modern world. She was wearing a school uniform… a cute black pleated dress. What the heck? “What’s this?”
“A future.” The Queen explained.
“For real? What about… the others?” She glanced towards the other girl pictures… something felt so ‘weird’ looking at them.
“My other daughters,” The Queen smiled. “You too… Just not you… though they are part of you now.”
Part of her… inside her head? This was too much. She had- girls inside her head?! IS that why she was getting these weird thoughts? “But- uh… what happened to them?” She had this horrible feeling now. Magical girls… did they fight until… until…
The Queen’s blue light gave a slight flicker of emotion. “They were all magical girls… and are now part of you,” She repeated. “Though you are quite… unusual. Not just by being a male but... also mortal. Very strange… but-” She patted Maya’s head. “I still think it’s wonderful. I wouldn’t change you for the world. You are the most precious magical girl I’ve ever seen.”
Maya bit her lip slightly. Looking at those that came before her felt very strange… these like… her sisters? These people… these girls existed before her, doing this ‘job’ ? “Only… one magical girl at a time?” She asked.
“Sometimes more can exist at the same time… through unusual circumstances but yes, One at a time,” She gave a light giggle. “Oh, but you do have your cousins too. I’m sure you’ll meet them in time. Children of my own brothers and sisters… I care for them too when I can.”
“Huh…” So this was some kind of ‘magical family’ she had just been taken into. The two continued down the corridor passed some windows overlooking a courtyard. This was really… her castle? But there was nothing here…
… she saw no kingdom out there. Just a vast empty space. All that was here was the castle itself. It didn’t feel like a good destiny to have at all. “Why me?”
“Why not?” The Queen asked tilting her head.
“Because I’m-“ Maya gave an awkward look. “I’m.. I’m a… boy… and…” Not to mention way older then what she looked to be playing dress up! More importantly though she always got things wrong. What happened on Earth proved she was unworthy of any power.
The Queen gave a laugh giggle. “A boy? Really, that’s the best excuse you have?” She shook her head. “Well, what you were doesn’t matter so much. In this world, you are the Princess. You have certain responsibilities, obligations now… that’s how Royal Ascension works. You took the name, you have the powers… and the Destiny.”
“What- just like that?”
“Pretty much.” The Queen said as she opened a door. “Here’s your room.”
Maya looked at a room that felt … familiar. She looked in a wardrobe finding various dresses and garments fit for a middle school girl. She looked at a dresser staring again at that strange visage… “I’ve … been here …”
flash – her mother brushing her hair with some kind of ‘dog companion’ teaching her poetry, She also saw a small humanoid gerbil trying to teach her ‘dance moves’- wearing a top hat? “No!” Maya put her hands in her ears as if to block out those weird memories. “I’m not – not-“ She felt memories that didn’t belong to her. That wasn’t her!
Her magic mom patted her shoulder. “This is a lot to take in, but really it’s good you remember some things!” She smiled. “Though I do wonder how the other girls feel about the latest incarnation being a boy … Hm… In any case you need to dress up for the Harpy Queen. We’ll have to bargain with her to get Terry back- and you have to make your address to the Dream-folk when you are ready.”
“There’s nobody out there!” She said looking into the darkness. “What people? There’s nothing here.” She felt like this was a trap now. She even felt a bit suspicious of the Queen proclaiming to be her mother.
The Queen gave a light joyful giggle at that again. “Well… perhaps this will help your memory a bit.” She made a strange gesture with her hand.
Maya felt … the ground move. It was so very subtle, she got that weird feeling like she was in a lift though it quickly settled. The young girl looked out the window … everything seemed to be moving gently. In the distance she saw a vast forest. It dawned on her just ‘where’ she was.
The castle was floating in the air!
The girl stared at the vast area around them. Trees, oceans…what looked like towns and villages, a great city in the middle… “There are people…”
“Yes. Many… some human, some not… and you are their princess.”
Princess… Maya gulped. This was nuts! Crazy! She would leave if she could but she had to help her friend Terry. “You said Terry is here, right?”
“Yes. She’s spent about a year now among the harpies. I think she’s doing well according to the Queen there.”
“A YEAR!?” She gasped. “But- But-“
“When one gets here can be a little different… a few days, months, years… decades…” She idly explained. “You get used to it.”
More strange things to deal with… Maya had a feeling thing were going to be very different from now on.
Jessica walked towards the mansion doors, as they opened automatically recognising her. “So… who is she?” the magical girl of justice asked. She had recovered from the battle. All indications were that reality had been ‘saved’. The monster was vanquished… everything certainly ‘seemed’ okay. “…and why did I have to bring ‘this’ mortal?”
She placed the small woman, Eva, on the sofa. The magical girl stared at her… “How was she able to know my name in magical form?” The small woman was asleep… a magical sleep that Jessica had induced. “What is she?” Jessica enquired to Lady Nisha.
The old woman gestured Jessica to give her some room as she contemplated the small woman sleeping. She placed her hands in her robes surveying the situation but gave a half smirk. “You got rid of the Harpy… but this… creature… is my responsibility. Please leave us.”
Jessica looked about to object. “…Lady Nisha I- I just want to know. How does she know me?“
“It is that she knows you I have had to ‘deal’ with her,” Nisha explained. “…this person has always been trouble… and I got rid of that trouble. I cursed her, so that she will never be able to reveal the secrets of magic to anyone. Her curse is now complete… her form is the results of all her actions… her attempt to undo the curse… has brought her to the one that cursed her. I will now decide her fate.”
Jessica gulped. When her mentor was like this... there was nothing she could say. Justice had to be served after all... it was their job. Still… “How did she know my name?”
“…because she knew things, she shouldn’t… she was not destined to know any of this… and she persisted. She broke into my home…she learned of your situation… and became mine to decide her fate.” The old woman took in a deep breath. “She was made an example against any who would ‘dare’ seek out such knowledge… I made sure of that. All in the magical community know… and never would dare come here… ” There was no emotion in Nisha’s voice. “…In any case… all her memories are now gone… she is no more. There’s just a shadow left… if even that.”
Jessica gave a slight gulp. “She knew me…”
“Perhaps the last memory she clings to… I will take care of it.. she will not be a threat to our work anymore…”
Jessica gave a grim nod. “For… Justice?”
“For justice...”
Eva was lost in her dreams. She was running…
Running towards something…
Running away…
People moved around her like shadows. She couldn’t see their faces… it was all a blur.
‘Find… the magic… change back… change back to normal… what is normal? What was I before?” She looked around. People were now all so big to her… treating her like a child. She was something insignificant… she was…
...nobody.
‘I’ll always be here for you’ the girl had said. ‘Please hold my hand… what happened to you was not justice… and I’ll make it right. I promise.’
Eva held out her hand… staring at the shadow. She tried to reach out.. almost begging to. There was nobody there… she felt nothing. She grasped at the air… she was gone. Everything in her life was gone. “Mom… Dad… who were they… I don’t remember… did I have … friends? Friends… my…friends…”
The shadow came in front of her. Lady Nisha half smiled, seeing the result of her curse… a curse that took a long time to reach this point. “Hello… Eva, I believe you call yourself now?”
Eva stared at the black robed woman. “…are you my friend?” She asked hopefully. “Please help me…” The small woman looked up pitiably to the witch almost as a child.
Nisha laughed at that. “... you don’t remember a thing do you…” She shook her head. “… however yes. I will help you. I believe it’s time for you to go home…” She gestured to a strange light. A door… “You belong there now. You wanted to see magic? It’s all there… take your reward. Leave now… your role in this is concluded.”
The small woman stared at the door. A bright light… welcoming in every way. She slowly started to walk towards it. She had never felt such a feeling before. There were others… her size… welcoming her. She wasn’t alone now. They waved at her, promising a life of joy and beauty. She felt tears stinging her eyes as she started to walk towards them and hearing their voices- but then stopped.
“…Jessica?” She asked. “She... was my friend…”
Nisha frowned. “No… she most certainly was not. There is nothing in ‘this world’ for you. I am offering you another world now…” The curse was done. Why does she hold onto this memory!
The small woman glanced back. “I.. I want to go… but…”
Nisha chuckled again. “Little creature…” The witch approached her, towering over the small woman. “…what makes you think you ‘have’ a choice?” Suddenly she placed her hand outward. A great and powerful blast of air knocked the girl off her feet. She was being forced through the door!
Eva held fast to the ground clutching at whatever she could… but she couldn’t hold on… Why was this Witch doing this! What did she do? What can she do against such powerful people… nothing. She was just … mundane… nobody… insignificant. ‘I… I… should just let her… let her…’
Suddenly a much more powerful blast of light appeared. Nisha gasped as the great light burst through her entire being ending the dream.
“AAAH!” Nisha growled. “What is this!”
Eva’s body gave a soft light… there was a star-symbol on her forehead that glistened with moonlight… a gentle glow before returning to normal.
“…how… dare... she…” The witch’s voice became a guttural screech of anger.
“Lady Nisha!” Jessica returned hearing the cries of her mentor. “What happened?” She stared at her and at Nisha’s hand… slightly burned but she quickly healed them with her own power.
The old woman shook her head. “Hmph… change of plan. I was not able to banish this creature. However, she has no memories so… I believe that will suffice. If she wishes to continue torturing herself, that’s her decision… and she will continue to serve as an example against any who stand in our way…”
“Shall I take her back?”
Nisha shrugged. “Yes… send her to the docks… she’ll wake up there with not a thought..”
