“G
Rubbing my drowsy face, I look around the room. There was no one in sight.
“Down here!” it said again.
I slid my pale hands down the cool lavender sheets to the edge of the bed. My position was that of a feline stretching. As my messy hair dangled, I loomed over the edge and saw Dog stood before me. He was very petite. His chestnut beast ears were as tall as him. His fur was an earthy coloured that glowed red in the sunlight. His face bore smooth tanned skin but his body was furry. I leaned over the bed more. There I met his wide eyed yellow gaze.The mongrel smiled and greeted me again, wagging its fuzzy tail.
“You're finally up!” he said with glee.
“Mn.” I answered.
There was a discomforting pause between us.
“Uhm,” he stammered, “uh?”
“You can wait outside. I will be ready in a minute.” I ordered.
“Absolutely!”
The disgrace ran out, closing the door. My head fell into my arms. I let out a loud sigh from deep in my diaphragm. With a scrunched up face, I got up. Something felt different from before. Though this place was all new to me I looked up and down and swore on my immortal life that something was different. The gaping window now had tiny branches growing from it. The food I left out on the windowsill disappeared and the floor. I put my jacket on and crouched down to observe the floor. The roots were all starting to connect to each other like a loom of thread. I got up and brushed the question aside. I needed to get more information. Using the amenities provided, I attempted to tidy myself. Then I made it out the door. Right in front of the entrance the mutant was waiting for me. In his paw-like hands he held fluffy charcoal slippers. In a formal manner he knelt down and spoke.
“Here,” he rejoiced, “for your feet!”
I paused, standing in silence.
“I got fluffy black ones like your jacket.” He stammered.
I let the beast put the slippers on my bare feet as his tail wagged. After ensuring the slippers fit, we made our way down the corridor. Akin to my room the walls and floors continued to be amalgamations of both stone and wood. Roots were breaking through the rock and again, they intertwined with each other. With confidence the mutant rushed in front of me. I stopped to observe the uniqueness of the place, but caught up before he could notice.
“As of right now, your room is located in the vacant housing just outside the main palace. But don’t worry Miss, my masters are working hard to get you citizenship status so you can sleep in the royal wing!” Dog said.
“Why?” I asked.
“Uhm, " he stammered, “Where you're from might be different but over here we really value Elders. All Elders in this region work for a high position within the palace and now you will too.”
My eyes widened. I wanted to laugh but I kept a straight face.
“Don't the humans have an issue with this?” I asked.
“Well, we have humans on our council. It’s not like it's the dark ages anymore. We can support each other.”
The mutant stopped in front of a large passageway. From where I stood it looked like it led to some outdoor garden. A decorative fountain was visible from a distance. Suddenly, I came eye to eye with the creature.
“What is the real difference between us Elders and mortals? We may live way longer, but there's no guarantee a human wont turn into us one day and get that opportunity, right? We both die, right?” Dog asked with a dark tone, “So, why should we hold grudges against each other?”
“What are you getting at?” I questioned.
“I mean, for years we worked to service mortals with our abilities but were really not that different, we all live in the present. None of us are promised tomorrow, much less the next hundred years. I risked my life at a disproportionate price all because I'm an Elder. How can we lose what we do not have?”
“I don’t understand.” I expressed.
“Ah, well,” he stammered, “ I just wanted to know what this all might seem like to you. You have little memory of everything…”
We stood in silence for a moment.
“Sorry. Forget about what I just said. I crossed the line.” Dog groveled.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
We walked down the short staircase and made our way outside. My eyes met earth, actual grass shimmering in the gaps of sun poking through shaded leaves. We were in a garden, a well maintained one at that. Lush bushes and flowers illuminated the land. We took a stone path that led us to the fountain I saw. Up close, it depicted a beautiful woman in a saint-like manner. The statue was clean, without a speck of dirt on it. Dog’s tail hung low, still awkward from before.
“This garden is the heart between the maids quarters, servants quarters, the watchhouse and of course, the inner palace,“ Dog stammered, “Oh, and despite our foundation being made up of our grand tree, we can still plant a ton of agriculture!”
I stopped and paused in front of a bunch of white flowers dancing across the fountain. They were beautiful. The way they swayed was nothing but graceful.
“Are these lilies?” I asked.
“Correct! Our Empress adores lilies. They're our national flower!” Dog said with childlike enthusiasm.
I crouched down with my fur coat grazing the ridged stone path and leaned in towards the flowers. I closed my eyes and felt the tranquility of them enter my airways.
“Do you like lilies Miss?” Dog asked with his tail wagging.
“They smell nice. I guess I don’t hate them.” I replied.
“Then why don’t we call you Lily? I mean,” Dog stuttered, “until you remember your name of course.”
My eyes turned away from Dog. I said nothing fore there was nothing to say. I stood up and continued walking forward without Dog, catching glimpses of the delicate lilies embellished throughout the garden.
“Miss Lily, wait!” Dog shouted.
Annoyed, I kept walking ahead as Dog chased to catch up to me.We walked down the stone path until it led to a giant fenced gate.
“Miss Lily,” Dog huffed with sweat dripping down his face, “this is the inner palace gate!”
I paused and glared at Dog for calling me Lily without permission. Then I headed closer without much thought.
“Wait Miss Lily!” Dog wailed.
His furry, beast-like paw grabbed my arm and I shoved him off with a flick. He flung back and gave me a harmed look, that of a child who lost his home in war. He froze. His staggered gaze looked at my disgusted, lifeless face. It took him a moment to recollect himself, but once he did, tears started falling down his soft cheek. They dropped and got lost in his mangled beast fur. Dog brushed himself off and wiped his tear filled face with his fuzzy arm.
“I’m sorry Miss Lily,” he said with a raspy voice, “I shouldn’t have grabbed you so suddenly like that.”
I looked away and avoided replying to him.
“I know you think of me as some kind of beast, but I’m well trained, I promised!” He said with a forced smile.
His eye bags were puffy red but he was holding back from breaking down. His paws clenched his white tunic, as his tail tucked behind his feet. Backing up, he started looking down, as if staring in my direction would puncture him.
“I’m sorry. I need to go.” Dog muttered.
Wasting no time, he turned away and ran off towards the fountain. I watched as he bolted.
“Miss?” a breathy voice called from behind.
I turned around to see Luciano coming out of the gates with an entourage of women. There had to be about six to seven of them. A lot of them looked like servant girls and maids, but in spite of that he treated them well. He held their hands and touched them with grace. His light coloured hair flowing in the wind reminded me of the wheat field I landed in.
“Ah, I thought it was you. What are you doing here?” he said as if I was a familiar friend.
“Dog was giving me a tour.”
“Ah, disciple Dog is quite a cutie isn’t he,” he said in awe to his group of girls, “where is he now?”
“He ran away.”
The cluster of girls looked at me in dismay. I could hear their mutters as Luciano frowned.
“Why?” he inquired, holding one of the girls in his arms.
“I made him upset.” I said.
The group of girls gasped. The woman in Luciano’s arms gripped him tighter and the whispers got louder. Luciano tilted his head and cracked a grin.
“You speak quite blunt.” he chuckled.
The response brought the group of girls to ease and the tension lightened.
“Don’t worry my friend, Dog is sensitive. He once cried over losing his wooden comb.” he added.
The girls all laughed in unison to Luciano’s remark. I could make out some mutters on how adorable Dog is. The damsel in his arms looked at him and he looked back. She chuckled and bit her lip. Luciano smiled and released her from his arms.
“My girls, I need to talk to the new maiden now.” he said with a smile across his face.
Audible awes came from the group. Then he looked at the damsel he was holding before.
“Meet me in my bedroom tonight, my love.” he said while kissing the maiden's hand.
The girls made off squealing as Luciano waved goodbye.
“Sorry about my friends,” Luciano laughed, “their a little much.”
I stared at him in silence.
“Not a talker are you?” he asked.
My stare turned into a glare.
“Hmm, did I do something to offend you Miss?”
Uninterested in whatever this was, I tried to walk past him, but he stopped me by blocking my path.
“Wait, I wish to speak with you,” he demanded, “why are you in such a rush dear?”
Annoyed, I met his gaze. All I could see were eyes the colour of rain clouds. His long lashes were as light as his hair and he had a pleasing face, one you’d see in paintings.
“I need to meet with your emperor.” I replied.
“Emperor? We don’t have an emperor.” he explained.
“Then who rules this empire?”
“Our beautiful Empress. We're a proud matriarch.”
Shocked for a moment but came back to my senses. This was rather unexpected.
“I need to speak with your Empress.” I corrected myself.
I tried to get past Luciano again but failed.
“Wait a moment. You need proper permission to be given an audience with her majesty,” he said, “now why does our amnesiac maiden need to see our great Empress?”
“None of your business.” I stated.
“I could grant you that permission.” he smirked.
I backed down and attempted to walk away from Luciano.
“Ah, Miss where are you going? Wait up!” he exclaimed.
I walked away from Luciano. I wanted to get as far away as possible from him. He continued to chase after me. I felt shivers throughout my whole body. I had a premonition and it possessed me to run. Whether it be instinct or desire, I ran away from him like I did to my Father, my Mother and God all those years ago. There wasn’t much land on this grand tree, so I prepared to jump the edge.
“Stop, Miss!” Luciano belted.
I halted, taking a few steps back. Breathing with force, I harbored all my might into my feet and jumped into the vast blue sky. Before I could sway my arms to create a wormhole, a small creature, the colour of coal, shot at me. It smacked into my head, leaving me staggered. Its sharp pains were familiar. As I fell, droplets of my own blood rained over my architecture. I saw Luciano’s troubled expression looking down from the ledge. And so, I plunged to my death.
