Hello, readers! I'm currently bored, so I'm going to update now, rather than later. Gives people the chance to read more before they kick me off my high horse. Sorry, I'm a little angry right now. Gimme a minute...
(inhale...exhale)
Thank you. Glad to have you reading, so I hope you like it, even a little. Enjoy!
Chapter 2: The Castle Gardens
Amy awoke with a start, her pulse thundering in her ears. Her head ached as if someone had hit it with a baseball bat. She groaned and sat up, looking out the window to see the rain still pattering lightly against the glass. She squinted at her clock, reading the time as almost four. She groaned and got out of bed, dragging her feet all the way downstairs and into the kitchen, where she laid her head on the counter and clicked on the coffeepot. She yawned and stood there, staring at the front door from the counter's level.
She'd had the craziest dream ever. She'd been in the castle, in the gardens, and it was raining. She was tending to the animals living near the pond when there'd been a loud crack, like thunder. She'd covered her ears, but no sound followed. It was as if the world had stopped moving. There was no sound. No chirping birds. No sound of shoes on concrete. Not even the sound of the rain.
The coffeepot chimed loudly, causing Amy to jump and bang her head against the cupboards above her head.
"Gah-Ouch! Flipping'-no good-rotten…,"she muttered, turning to the coffeepot with her personal mug in hand. "Stupid cupboards…need a freaking' sign. Beware of Cupboards, watch your head!"
She sipped her drink casually, turning on the living room TV with the kitchen remote.
"-And the prince said himself that he had a wonderful time last night-"
"Like I care," Amy grumbled, changing the channel.
"This toothbrush changed my life!" a man in blue overalls said with a grin, holding up a toothbrush.
"And I don't care," Amy responded, pressing the channel button again. She flipped through a few more channels before ending on the Sci-Fi channel, pushed into a laughing fit by Doctor Who. The TV guide said it was the opening episode of season four, and Amy had a really tough time keeping herself from laughing aloud.
The grandfather clock near the front door chimed it as 5am, so Amy went back to her room and pulled on her slacks and a loose T-shirt, then spent a few minutes in the bathroom before pulling her shoes and raincoat on. She opened the door, only to be met by the cold wind's slap to the face. She blinked back tears and pulled her hood up, then exited the house.
The sky was lighter than usual, since Amy could actually see the cobblestone road. Her shoes slapped the sidewalk loudly as she ran under an awning, wringing her hair out before continuing her journey to the castle.
Everyday for her was like this. Everyday she'd get up, make coffee, and run to the castle. They'd feed her there, once the royalty was done eating, and then she'd get to work. She head all the way to the third floor garden, since that was the queen's personal garden, then she'd head down to the courtyard garden. It wasn't exciting, but it was something she liked doing.
Amy snapped out of her reverie as a carriage passed in front of her, the driver shouting curses at her. She watched the carriage bounce over the cobblestone road, the horses' hooves clattering on the ground like drums. Ever since the princess had died in an accident, all transportation technology had been successfully banned from the city, as to prevent any further mishaps. The grieving had lasted for almost two full weeks, then the queen had begun joining Amy when she was gardening. Amy had figured it was just a distraction from her pain.
Amy looked both ways before crossing the street and following the carriage's path, which had been the route to the castle.
The queen was a truly gentle person, with a kind heart and soothing voice. She enjoyed playing the piano, which Amy had heard many times. The castle was filled with music almost everyday, and if you listened carefully, you could almost hear the deceased princess singing along with the music. But the princess was dead, and the queen needed to move on.
Amy paused as she neared the entrance of the castle, noticing the same carriage that had nearly run her over was parked in front of the entrance. She bit her lip and ran to the staff entrance, which was under the entrance staircase.
"Please come this way, sir," the driver said, opening the door as one of the servant held out an umbrella. A man with long silver hair stepped out, dressed in a beautiful black suit. He looked familiar to someone, but Amy couldn't remember anyone like him.
She sunk down lower as another boy stepped out of the carriage, his hair long and black, a little more than shoulder length. His blue eyes darted to from the castle to the man he'd ridden with, then landed on Amy. She ducked into the staff entrance and fumbled for her key, but succeeded in dropping it in the grass. She bent down to retrieve it, but froze when a gloved hand plucked it from its place. She looked up slowly to see the blonde boy holding it out towards her. She took it from him slowly.
"Thank you," she said quietly, looking at her feet. The boy smiled warmly, his aquamarine eyes melting her insides.
"You're welcome. Do you work here?"
"Y-yes…I gardener. I-I mean, I'm the gardener!"
The boy laughed, holding his hand out for her to shake. "I'm Ross."
"Amy," she said, shaking his hand. A small smile appeared on her face. "A pleasure to meet you."
"Sir Ross! It's time to head inside!" the silver haired man shouted. He leaned over the railing, catching the last glimpse of the two holding hands. "Come at once."
Ross nodded, then kissed Amy's hand in a gentlemanly fashion. "The pleasure is all mine, Amy. I hope I see you again."
"I'll be in the gardens the entire day," she blurted out. He smiled and ran back up the small hill, stopping only to wave before heading into the castle. The butler stared at Amy in surprise, then followed the guests inside.
Amy stood there, watching the castle doors close behind the strange boy. He was really cute. She wondered if he was nobility. But if he was, she'd shown disrespect toward him, since she hadn't bowed her head. In fact, she'd done the opposite. She'd made eye contact!
She felt her face flush as she opened the door, coming face to face with her best friend, Irene. She had her bleach blonde hair back in the usual bun, and she held a mop and bucket in her hands.
"What happened?" she asked, taking in Amy's red face. Amy sniffed.
"I, uh…nothing."
"Right," Irene said, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, I have to go mop the entryway, so go change, then head to the gardens. Good luck today."
"Thanks, Irene," Amy said. Her friend nodded and headed up the stairs on the far side of the room. Amy went to the door opposite that one and slid the curtain open. Inside the small room was a rack of maid outfits. Most of them had labels. Amy flipped through the outfits until she found hers. Her uniform was a green and black maid's dress. The dresses themselves had minor differences that symbolized there the person wearing it was to be stationed. Red was with the king, orange was with the princes, yellow was with the last surviving princess, green was in the gardens, blue was in the dining hall, and purple was with the queen.
Amy carried her short dress into a nearby booth, changing as quickly as possible, since the room wasn't locked. She didn't trust a lot of people in the castle. She exited the room and grabbed her bag of gardening tools from the table, heading out into the castle's halls.
The castle was built extremely well, since it could withstand so much rain. Each pillar was exactly the same. Every arch was meticulously hand carved. Every hall displayed tapestries with the royal crest on them. The carpeted hallways were sewn by every expert in the kingdom, and they were expensive to clean. The staff of the castle saw to it that no one got them dirty.
Amy took a right, walking past other maids on her way to her job. She was late because of her meeting with Ross. She was going to be in trouble again. Crud, she hoped the queen was in a good mood.
She ascended the last staircase and stopped in front of a large door, her heart hammering in her chest. She was scared for her job. She needed this really badly. But, better to get it over with than wait. She gulped down one last deep breath, then pushed the door open.
The smell of rain was overwhelming in the small room. The queen's chambers stretched out in front of her, assaulting her with the sweet scents of home made perfumes. She felt her spirits rise as she stepped inside, closing the door softly behind her. She searched the room, hoping the queen hadn't woken up yet. But the queen sat in her chair by the window, staring sorrowfully at the rain. When the door clicked shut, the queen turned and looked at Amy with her kind blue eyes. Her long golden hair was loose over her shoulders, and tumbled down her back wildly.
"It's good to see you again, Amy. Did you sleep well?" she called. Amy ran to the queen and kneeled at her feet.
"Forgive me, you majesty! I'm late! I'm so sorry!"
"Be calm, Amy. You are right on time."
Amy looked up at the queen with grateful eyes. "Thank you so much, my lady!"
"It's quite alright, child. Now, let's get to work. I'm eager to see how my sunflowers are doing." The queen smiled gently, as eager as she would ever seem. Amy nodded, and offered her hand to the queen, which was accepted. The queen slipped her slim hand into Amy's and led them into the hall.
They walked a short distance, just to the connecting room, and entered the queen's garden. It was bright with sun lamps and vibrant flowers. There were ten rows of plants, allowing a plethora of flowers to bloom. They were organized according to the amount of light they needed, then by how much water was necessary for blossoms. The queen let go of Amy and began wandering the rows, gently touching each plant with loving hands. She hummed as she walked, wishing everyday for new blooms and more colors.
Amy began her work with a deep breath, digging her tools out of her tool bag with determined hands. It was thanks to both of them that the small garden had grown into a sea of flowers, and any slacking off would kill it. The gardening is what gave her inspiration to paint when she was at home.
She rolled up her sleeves and began misting the plants, flipping the switch by the door. Small amounts of water began covering the plants as Amy began cutting off the blossoms past or in full bloom.
"What are you doing, Amy?" the queen asked curiously. Amy looked up and smiled.
"My lady, if we do not cut off the blossoms already in full bloom, then they will steal nutrients from the buds. It would kill the plant."
"Ah, I see. Good idea. I'll collect the blossoms."
The queen picked up a nearby pail and began following Amy around the room, placing all the dying flowers in it carefully. Amy smiled at the happy look on the queen's face. She looked so cheerful, but she was still a sickly pale. It worried Amy, but she didn't dare ask about her health. It might bring up something painful and ruin the day.
The flower gathering continued for a while, then Amy began spraying each plant with a special fluid the last castle gardener had created.
"It prolongs the life of the flowers, and it gives up bigger blooms," she explained to the queen. The woman drank in every bit of information Amy offered and helped in every way possible. It was as if Amy had a child following her. It was a nice feeling, and it made time pass at an alarming rate. It was lunch time before anyone knew it, and the only reason Amy and the queen noticed was because the guards came in with food for them.
They sat down near the window, enveloped in a warm, familiar feeling. It felt like a dream to Amy, that she was sitting in a chair not three feet from the queen of the kingdom. It was so…incredibly un-awkward that is was almost scary.
Amy sipped her soup slowly, unsure of what to talk about. The queen sipped her tea, watching Amy fumble for words.
"Something is troubling you, Amy?" she eventually asked. Amy stirred her soup for a minute, then nodded.
"Yes. I'm trying to think of something to say."
"Well, what has happened recently in you life? Anything knew or exciting?"
Amy pondered the thought for a minute, then snapped her fingers.
"I had a dream last night!"
"A dream?" the queen repeated, surprised by Amy's sudden enthusiasm. "About what?"
"It was about the city. I was here, in the courtyard gardens, during a big storm. I was trying to save the flowers when there was a big crack of thunder. The sound seemed to leave the world. But the strangest thing was that…the rain stopped."
The queen nearly choked on her drink. She coughed a few times before she was able to speak again.
"The rain stopped?!" she cried in disbelief. "What an odd occurrence. I wonder why the rain stopped."
"Is that bad?" Amy asked. She suddenly regretted saying anything.
"No, it's not bad. It's just odd. Everyone dreams of the rain here, even I," the queen said, looking at the city outside the window. "To dream of the rain is to dream of peace. The rain is good for the land. It provides the land with life force. This land has adapted to the rain. If the environment changed, the land would surely die."
"Ah, I see, your majesty," Amy said with a nod. What the queen said made sense. If you go on a diet after eating nothing but junk food, your body would react badly. You would have to gradually begin eating healthy foods, or you'd get sick.
After lunch was over, Amy bid farewell to the queen and made her way down to the first floor courtyard. She had until 8:00 to tend to the garden, then fifteen minutes to get home, if the curfew wasn't early. She hoped that it wasn't. But if it was, then it was a good thing she had her ID card.
She pulled on her raincoat and stepped out into the courtyard. The rain had lightened to a drizzle, but it was still there. She sighed and began getting to work. She started trimming the hedges until they were free of dead branches and full blooms. She picked up the slim, thorned branches and threw them in a bag at her hip. The castle healer might have some use for them, and the queen would want the flowers.
Amy was halfway done when she heard voices coming. She ducked behind one of the larger bushes, one shaped like a dragon, and peered at the people. It was the oldest prince and the princess, accompanied by a boy who was none other than Ross! Amy smothered a smile and went back to work. She liked the way Ross smiled, the way he walked, the way he spoke. She sighed and finished trimming the dragon, then carried on to the next bush statues, which were a cat, a dog, and a fox. She began humming before she knew it, and the next few moments passed by in a blur.
Before she knew it, the whole garden seemed alive. She took a quick break by the fountain in the center of
the area, feeding the ducks some crackers she'd saved from lunch.
"So, we meet again, Amy," a voice called. Amy turned to see Ross standing behind her. She jumped and nearly fell in the water, but Ross grabbed her hand and pulled her back in time. "Be careful, or you might get hurt."
"Of course, Lord Ross," Amy blurted out. Ross smiled and shook his head.
"I see no one around, so please call me Ross. I insist."
"But, sir, I am merely a maid. It would be disrespectful towards your lordship."
Ross sighed and sat down on the fountain's rim. "Then become my friend, Amy. I am new to this land, and I am without any true friends."
Amy stumbled for an answer, but ended up sitting next to him. They spoke of where Ross had been and where he'd come from. The talked about many subjects, and laughed at each other's jokes, even if they weren't funny. To Amy, this was a nice feeling. She'd never had such a nice person talk to her, aside from her brother and Irene.
They'd begun to walk around the garden now, but Amy was still clipping bushes.
"So how long have you been working in the castle?" Ross asked. Amy pondered the thought, then answered.
"About six months now."
"Do you like it?"
"Yes, I do. It gives me inspiration."
"For what?"
Amy glanced at him with a smile. "You ask a lot of questions, Sir Ross."
"I try. Now answer the question."
"Of course, sir. I paint in my spare time, but I haven't had any really big ideas lately. Do you have any hobbies?"
"Oh, that's a tough one. I like to fence, but it's odd. I never like the feel of just one sword."
"You fight with two?"
"No. I've never fought before. I only practice under the guidance of my teacher."
"That silver haired man?" Amy guessed, clipping another blossom off a bush.
"Yes. He is Professor Xe." Ross was surprised by Amy's reaction. She had the look of someone who just seen a ghost. "Do you know him?"
"I saw him on TV once. Last night," Amy said, recalling last night's episode. "He spoke of other worlds. I don't remember the details, but he sounded crazy for a while."
"Yes, Professor Xe is a little unorthodox, but he speaks the truth. He showed me the other worlds."
Amy felt the branch cutters slip from her fingers as Ross' words thundered in her head. Ross picked them up and led Amy to a nearby gazebo. She stared blankly ahead as she sat down in the swing. Ross' words had struck some chord in her mind, but she couldn't remember what.
It took her a while to speak again, but when she did, her voice was shaky.
"Are…are there…Nobodies?" she asked. Ross checked the surrounding area, then grasped her shaking hand for comfort.
"Yes, there are. I'm sorry, but I must go. I'm being called."
"R-right," Amy said, snapping out of her daze. "Have a wonderful evening."
Ross nodded and set off towards the castle, leaving Amy blinking in confusion. Her hand was warm where Ross had held it, and it was a gentle warmth. She held it to her chest, trying to memorize the feeling.
The clock tower in the middle of town began tolling out the hour, causing Amy to jump. She saw it was almost 8:00, which set her into a frenzy. She had to be home in time for the curfew!
She walked as quickly as possible up to the queen's quarters, but only stayed long enough to give the queen the colorful blossoms from the courtyard. After that, it was straight down to the staff room to change, then running home to make the curfew. She had to be fast, or it was another punishment in store.
As she ran home, Amy was overcome with an odd feeling. She began seeing red flowerbuds out of the corners of her eyes, blooming into huge camellias and roses. A breeze blew around her, carrying the petals across her vision and into the sky.
Suddenly she felt as if she'd struck a goldmine. She had her inspiration. She ran as fast as her legs would carry her, making it home with almost ten minutes to spare. She kicked off her gear and ran up to her room, setting up her easel with a fresh canvas and new paint. She pulled on her painting apron and got to work.
The red paint seemed to flow freely from her brush, giving birth to the scene set before her. It was as if Amy herself was in a field of red flowers, with a blue sky above her and green grass below her. She painted what she saw. Blood red petals floating in the air, large flowers bending in the breeze, the white wisps of clouds sailing overhead. The paint had a life of its own, that carried a power that Amy had never felt before. It called to her. It sang of lush, open prairies and flower filled meadows full of peace.
When the painting was done, and the inspiration gone, Amy set her brush down and saw it was almost midnight. She yawned as her fatigue took her, and she collapsed on her bed, still wearing her paint covered apron. She hadn't even washed the smudges of paint off her face. She only felt the cool embrace of sleep.
Destiny Islands, Wednesday: 6:00 pm
Sora was dead tired. He and Riku had been working on the island since 6am, and the only break they'd had was lunch. The girls had decided they wanted to paint the walls with forlorn looking spirits and frightening ghosts.
Sora dropped his empty bottle of paint on the ground and chugged the last of his water.
"Want to go see if the little girl shows up again?" he asked Riku. The silver haired boy stopped painting and looked at his friend in annoyance.
"For the last time, Sora, the girl probably won't show up. She was probably just an illusion or something."
Sora clenched his hand. The little girl who'd taken it hadn't been an illusion. She had been real.
"Well, I'm going to go check."
"Okay. Get your butt back here if she isn't," Riku mumbled as his friend scampered off to the Secret Place. Sora checked for any people nearby, then ducked into the small tunnel.
"Hello?" he called. "Little girl? Are you here again? It's Sora."
He emerged in the cavern, the sunset's light illuminating the rocks just enough to see. He searched the area, but found no trace of the little girl. He turned to go when he heard the howling. He turned back to the rock wall with the door, and watched the keyhole appear in a swirl of darkness and light. He fell backwards as a shadow melted away and pooled on the floor in the light. It took a moment to take its shape, then settled on the form of a human.
The little girl looked up at Sora with eyes that no longer belonged to that of a heartless. Her eyes were different now, her left eye was blue and her right was a brown that seemed to be closer to red. Her skin was pale and flesh colored. She wore black clothes, and her hair was black as well, but at least she looked human.
"Sora?" she whispered. He blinked and nodded, still in shock from her appearance. "It's nice to see you remembered me. Am I really back on the island?"
"Y-yes, you are, but could you explain how you got here? You appeared out of the door."
"The door?" she repeated, looking behind her. "I don't see a door. Can I see the island again?"
Sora opened his mouth to speak, but stopped. He'd forgotten normal people couldn't see the door. He stood up and led the girl out into the light of the retreating sunset. She was in awe of the beauty of it. She'd never seen anything like it before. Sora showed her the entire island, but stayed away from Kairi and Selphie. Everyone else had gone home a few hours back, claiming they had homework to do.
Sora talked easily to the girl, telling him about the islands, but didn't mention anything about his adventures. He'd let those go long ago. After a while, the conversation had turned towards the girl. She didn't remember her name, and she didn't know anything about where she'd come from. At first, Sora thought she might've been a castaway from another world, but she'd come through the door instead of falling from the sky like Kairi had. That was also how he and Riku had gotten home after their battle with Xemnas.
They reached the place where Riku was in a few short minutes, since they'd used a shortcut, and the silver haired boy was surprised by the girl's appearance.
"So you're a human," he said, looking in the eyes. "I'm Riku."
"Nice to meet you, Riku. I wish I could tell you my name, but I can't remember it."
"That's fine. We'll give you one for now," Sora said. "Right, Riku?"
"Sure. What would you like to be called?"
The little girl leaned against the wall, staring at the sky. "I don't know…I really like the sky here. It's a nice color. Is it because of the sun?"
"Yes," Riku said, opening another bottle of paint.
"Then I want to be Sunny."
"Sunny?" Riku repeated. It was a little bit contradictory towards the girl's appearance. She looked like she'd have a darker name, and Sunny seemed like it was meant for someone cheery. This little girl was mysterious, not cheery.
"Yes. I like the sound of it," she said, rocking back on her heals.
"Okay, Sunny it is!" Sora said, picking up his paintbrush. Sunny grinned, her smile almost identical to Sora's. Riku shuddered mentally. Oh, please, not another Sora! One was enough trouble!
Sunny watched the boys paint, feeling something tug at the back of her mind. She reached for a bottle of paint, but stopped when she saw her hand.
It was translucent. She bit her lip and stood up and reached for a paintbrush, but her hand went through it. She whimpered and reached for Sora, but this time she went through him entirely.
"Sora, what's happening?!" she cried. Sora dropped his brush and reached for Sunny, but she disappeared.
"What happened?!" Sora asked, running his hand over the spot where Sunny had been standing. Riku joined him, shaking his head.
"I have no clue. If only the king were here to explain it."
"Explain what?"
Both boys looked up to see Kairi standing next to Sora. Her expression was confusion mixed with amusement.
"Nothing. We'd better head home now," Riku said quickly, standing and walking towards the docks. Sora joined him, leaving Kairi standing alone on the path.
"Who…was with them?" she whispered. She shook her head and ran after the boys, tired of being left out. She would demand that they tell her what was going on tomorrow, and that was that. But for now, she'd head home and get some sleep.
Yeah, so there's chapter 2, and chapter 3 will be up soon. I'm trying to focus on my LoZ fic, so that's taking up most of my attention. If you want to read more, review please!