A thousand year old wish…
Prontera, Midgard Capital City, just after Chapter 3
Alice looked at the shop in front of her. It looked very different and much newer then the buildings in Glast Heim while they still stood. Alice was taken away by the beauty of the architecture for a second. It was a long time since Alice has been out of Glast Heim, and to see such a change in civilization was simply astonishing.
She didn't even notice when a woman stepped out of the shop.
Jovich was the best hairdresser of Prontera, famous for perfecting the arts of dyeing hair, as well as appealing to some men's desire. She was going on to her routine pickup of dyes from the local Kapra receptionist. She sighed as the old man Rephere raved away about how expensive goods from Morroc were these days. Jovich slipped on her sandals and opened the door leading outside…
On the roadway in front of the shop, a girl dressed in a blue dress and white apron sat staring at the top floor of the building. She looked very young, and her eyes looked blank. Her skin was deathly pale, and her hair was dark blue, ending near her waist. She had a tear in one of her eyes, and Jovich had a feeling she was lost.
Jovich walked up to her and said in her warm, kind voice, "Hello dear, are you lost?" The girl in the strange dress took one look at Jovich, and then her face changed to a frightened look. She crawled backwards away from Jovich, as if she was a wolf about to pounce on her.
She must be from Al De Baran, Jovich thought, their clothes are quite strange and they don't seem to like outsiders much.
Jovich approached the girl again, this time trying to me more friendly. "Oh, don't be scared of me! I don't look at all scary do I? Here," Jovich offered her hand, "you look like you're lost, so why don't you come into the shop for a while?" She gave the girl a genuine smile, a smile the boys in the city would die to see.
The girl looked doubtful at first, and then slowly reached out her hand towards Jovich's…
Alice backed away from the person. She feared humans for killing her so many times, and feared them even more after what the lord knight did to her. This woman was just as uncertain to Alice as the rest of them; will she kill Alice or would she do something much worse? The last thought frightened Alice even more.
But the lady spoke again, this time rather cheerfully. Alice watched her carefully, feeling no bloodlust or anger in her words. She even offered to help Alice. Maybe the lady wasn't as bad as how she thought of all the humans. Maybe she was different from all the others? It might be worth trusting her…
Alice dubiously reached out her hand and let the lady help her up onto her feet. She wiped the last of her tears away and followed the lady into the shop. It was a small cosy room; there were two counters, one filled with bottles and bowls of coloured liquids, the other was completely empty. The room itself was quite small, with the door in the middle of the wall. The room hung pictures of people getting their hair washed by another person in a green and white dress. It looked like the lady somehow….
"So, what were you doing in the streets anyway? Don't your parents follow you around?" asked the lady suddenly.
Alice thought about the question, she was here to find Little Tails…she was here so she could escape the life of a slave girl…
And her parents never followed her around; they were killed the moment Alice was born…killed by the Titans in the Thousand Year Old War…
"I…I'm lost…" Alice lied; she didn't know what else to say, finding a kitten wasn't exactly the best reason. "And…my parents died after I was born…"
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that dear…but who's taking care of you now? You must have a guardian or foster parent. And what's your name?"
"Alice…Alice Ashkebourne" Despite a thousand years of enslavement, Alice still remembered her full name. She clung on to the last bit of knowledge she had about her family with iron determination. She vowed never to forget the name…
"I'm Jovovich, buy everyone calls me Jovich or Jo. You can call me either one you like better," Jovich…so this was the lady's name, Alice thought. "And you still haven't told me who's taking care of you."
Who was taking care of her? Alice didn't know what she should say. The Owl Baron was her master, but he never thought much about Alice or how she felt about her job…he never actually took care of her. And she just ran away from him…
"I-I ran away from…home…" Alice memorized every hall, room and corridor in the Glast Heim castle, yet, she was still unable to call it home. The painful experiences in the castle was too great, her heart still led her back to the inn, where she was happy to have a nice master instead of a evil tyrant. She would sweep the floors, make beds and server the customers however possible; it was a fun experience, and it always seemed like a long lost fantasy…Alice secretly wished she could have her old life back, and not clean up an impossibly dirty castle filled with agony and despair.
Jovich raised a questioning eyebrow at Alice, "You ran away? Well, you shouldn't have done it, you know that young lady? Some of us here in the city don't even have a place to go back to, left to die, cold and hungry on the streets, struggling to survive. They don't have the luxury of someone taking them under their wing, and you, little miss Alice, are too pampered to even bother to think how hard your guardian has worked to provide for you, aren't you?"
Alice thought of it…how the Owl Baron has worked for to provide for her? The only thing he ever gave her was a closet of clothes and a filthy room previously inhabited by bugs and pests. And the Baron tortured Alice regularly in her earlier days…it was a painful experience…
How could anyone living Alice's life be considered lucky?
"Ah, but what's done is done and can't be undone, only redone. I'll ask Rephere if he could let you stay in one of his spare rooms. But you're staying until we find your real home." Jovich walked into the room on the right, leaving Alice alone in the small room.
Alice took a seat on one of the benches. She scrutinized her surroundings, thinking back about the past. The room strongly reminded how the inn Alice used to work in looked like. The innkeeper would sit behind the counter, waiting for a customer to come. Alice would sweep the floor and the innkeeper would give her a thumbs up or a pat on a head if she got close enough. Alice has always kept everything spotless in the inn and was proud of it. It all ended when the Dark Lord attacked. The inn was destroyed in one hit from the meteors. Alice remembered how the walls and ceiling exploded, how she heard everyone in the inn screamed when they realised that they were going to die, how their bodies were crushed in one agonizing blow, and how she was the only one to survive…
Alice tucked her legs to her chest, sobbing softly into her skirt. It wasn't fair, they all shouldn't have died, they all should be living and breathing, like Alice…they should have all lived the experience together…or at least died together…
Jovich came back in, finding the sniffing Alice rolled up on the bench. She sat next to her and stroked her hair reassuringly, giving Alice a small sense of security. Her hand was so gentle…like the touch of an angel. Alice stopped crying, instead, she leaned closer to Jovich. She felt so warm too…like a big Little Tails…
Little Tails…
Alice cried silent tears for her lost friend. She wanted Little Tails to be sleeping in her lap again, like when they were still together…Maybe, if she didn't give him to the lord knight and priest, maybe they would still be together…but Little Tails didn't deserve living in such a poor life as Alice has, not while the Owl Baron was ruling you…
"Alice, dear, are you alright?" Alice nodded slightly in response. "Well then, I've persuaded Rephere to let you stay; under one condition, you help Tiana clean up the shop everyday. Understood?" Alice nodded again. "Alright then, let me show you your room then."
Alice was led up a flight of steps opposite to the room Rephere was in. On the second floor, there were six rooms; three had the names Jovovich, Rephere and Tiana on them. Alice's room was facing Tiana's room and was next to Jovich's room.
"All right, Alice, the toilet is the last room on the right. When you're going about cleaning this place up, the equipment store is on the last room on the left. Alrighty? Then make yourself at home."
The room Alice in was amazing. The windows had window frames with complicated patterns carved into it. It had a sky blue curtain covering it, letting in just enough light. The table had a huge vanity mirror on it, and the table itself was made of oak and had carved vines around its edges. The bed was the huge, only rivalled by the Owl Baron's own bed. A blanket was folded neatly on the bed and two pillows occupied the end where the head lay. A portrait of a city hung above the bed, and candles accompanied either side of it.
It was nothing you would ever dream of one thousand years ago. It was like sleeping for an eternity, then waking up to see everything around you has changed. Alice climbed onto the bed. It was warm and comfy, just the way she liked it. It felt like the bed Alice used to sleep on in the inn…big and comfy…big and comfy…it was just so soft…..
Alice woke up as new light shone on her face. She sat up straight, and found that someone has changed her clothes into a night gown. She peered out the window and saw the sun has just risen. It has been a thousand years since she saw the sun rising…and it looked much more beautiful then she last remembered.
A knock on the door and a young girls' voice came through the door. "Alice, are you awake? I'm coming in."
The girl came in, turning Alice's attention towards her. She looked the same age as Alice, but was definitely much younger. She had blonde, curly hair and rosy cheeks. Her eyes were blue and her mouth formed a small smile. She wore a plain brown cotton shirt and dress, contrasting with her facial features. She must be Tiana, the other inhabitant of this shop house.
She walked gracefully towards Alice, holding a set of clothes in her hands. "This is your new clothes, dad sewed it himself. Wear this, then go down stairs and have some breakfast. We'll start the morning clean up straight after that."
With that, Tiana walked out of the room, leaving Alice to her own devices. Alice looked at the set of clothes she was given. It looked the same as the one Tiana was wearing, except that it had the Prontera emblem stitched on either side of the sleeves.
Alice put them on, noticing how loose it felt compared to her old dress and apron. She looked at herself in the vanity mirror. Her face was very pale compared to Jovich and Tiana. She was still a half demon…even if she was hidden in somebody else's clothes. She touched her face with her right hand. It felt cold. Her face felt cold. Her hands felt cold. She didn't have the warmth Jovich, Little Tails or the bed could give. Is this really me? Alice wondered. I take warmth from others, but I can't give the warmth to others…
No, it's not the outside that counts, it's the inside. What mattered was if you cared, wasn't it? Alice picked up a brush on the table and brushed her hair for once in a long time. It was the first time since Little Tails she was happy. She had always wished to return to the life of the inn, and now she had a chance to make that wish true, didn't she? And one day, she'll venture out to find Little Tails again, and then maybe then her life will be complete.
Some day…one day, but not tomorrow…
Somewhere in Prontera, a lord knight holds a kitten in his hand…
