Woo! Thanks to everyone who reviewed or followed! Here's chapter two, I hope you like it!
Disclaimer: I own nothing but Korina's character...
The round brush slid effortlessly through Princess Serenity's silvering hair, clutched tightly in Korina's hand. She slowly worked her way through the entirety of the young lady's long hair, careful not to miss even an inch.
'Maybe today I'll braid it…' She mused to herself, pausing a moment to take in the sheer length of the Princess's hair. As difficult of a task as it was, Korina had forced herself to do it once before. Of course, that was out of sheer boredom.
Today Korina was just anxious.
After the stressful meeting with Prince Diamond, she had returned to a less-than-agreeable team of nurses to work with. Being the youngest of any of the nurses on duty, Korina had faced a challenge to rise through the ranks and become the Princess's head nurse. When the previous head nurse had retired, it only took Korina a matter of days to convince Prince Diamond to promote her. Then again, she had cheated her way to the top. Cheated her way through medical school, cheated on her resume, cheated her way into the castle…
'It all had to be done.' Her thoughts spat bitterly. 'No matter the cost, to get close to the Princess.'
Her hand automatically started running the brush through the silver hair again.
When Korina returned to the Princess just a few hours earlier, there had been three other nurses in her quarters. The first two were just helpers; they knew little of the medicine behind the vials of liquid and IVs. The third was Mani, a thirty-something brunette of a girl with a fierce loyalty to Prince Diamond, with whom Korina never seemed to see eye to eye.
"What did Prince Diamond have to say?" Mani said when Korina walked through the doors.
"Nothing too important. Continue what you were doing." Korina replied, not even bothering to glance up at Mani.
"Your job isn't the only one on the line!" Mani spat, pointing her all-accusing finger in Korina's direction. "Don't keep secrets from us!"
Flipping one of her lavender pigtails over her shoulder, Korina's scarlet eyes rose to meet Mani's green ones. "We discussed some changes in doses that will hopefully be more effective in his plan. However, these changes will not be taking place until tomorrow morning. You may return to your room for the evening." Although the last sentence was meant to be a request, both girls could easily see the underlying command.
The two other nurses, whom had been quietly avoiding the argument, took the cue to quickly make their exit.
"Why don't you let someone help you?" Mani asked, her voice holding an unusual amount of concern for the younger head nurse. "Maybe then you'll get more sleep, and make less mistakes." She added, returning to her usual spite filled self.
"I can do it myself." Korina said through clenched teeth. She didn't need help. Everything would be better off if she did everything herself, and made sure everything was right.
"You know, we're supposed to be a team," Mani's scowl deepened as she crossed her arms. "So when the Queen wakes up we will all be rewarded equally."
"Equally…" Korina scoffed to herself, setting the brush to the side. What about any of this was equal in her eyes?
Her gaze rose to land on the metal post standing inches away from the Princess's bed. From the post hung three plastic tubes, strung through square machines that measured the pressure of the liquids inside. The first tube, hanging from a clear bag at the top of the post, ended in the crook of Serenity's elbow, delivering various nutrients and electrolytes that her body needed to survive. The second tube carried a strong combination of narcotics and opioids, creating a drug dubbed 'hydrophormine' that effectively keeps its user in a medically induced coma. That tube ended in an external stent near the Princess's heart, delivering the drug right into her bloodstream.
Scarlet eyes trailed the third tube, which carried a pale blue substance, as it traveled to the back of Serenity's head. She knew it ended at the base of her skull, where the hallucinogens inside it had the greatest effect on the Princess's unconsciousness. Or, more specifically speaking, on her dreams.
When Serenity had been first sedated, Korina wasn't yet in the palace. She had no idea how Prince Diamond and the nurses had constructed the dream world that Serenity was trapped in.
"To build someone's dreams…" She murmured to herself. The whole idea was absurd to her at first: creating a perfect world for the mind to occupy as if it were conscious? It didn't seem possible.
Yet here Serenity was, as motionless as she had been for years. Her mind and body made no effort to try and wake themselves up, as they were both completely tricked into thinking that they were, in fact, awake.
Since Korina's arrival in the palace she had been studying every known fact about the different drugs used on the Princess. To wake Serenity up, she would have to be slowly weaned off the two at the same rate, or else her body would be thrown into a shock. Her mind would need to accept the fact that it wasn't exactly awake before either of the drugs could be removed completely, which was easier said than done.
Korina rose from her stool and crossed the room to the grey cupboards, where the concentrated drugs were stored in multiple glass vials. She took each bottle labeled hydrophormine and pulled the lids off each one. After a quick glance at the door she swiftly poured a small portion of each bottle down the drain. Korina grabbed a bag of electrolytes and topped off each bottle, diluting the drug inside.
She had been doing this for a while; each time she thought the Princess was ready to be taken off a little more Korina would dilute all of the drugs. This way the other nurses still thought they were giving her the right amount, but instead were giving her less.
Korina continued down the line of drugs, diluting not only the combinations but the ingredients as well. When she finally finished, she added a little of each new concentration to the Princess's IVs.
She let out a long sigh and fell onto her chair again. "I hope you wake up soon." She whispered to Serenity. "I'm not sure how much more I can get away with, right under Diamond's nose."
The air around Korina suddenly changed, alerting her to someone's presence. She stiffened, waiting for whoever it was to speak, but he or she didn't say anything. Finally she turned, and felt her shoulders relax at who it was.
The person behind her, a young man with wavy white hair that fell short of his shoulders, smiled to the nurse. His golden eyes glinted with specks of orange, matching the horn perched atop his head.
"Helios." Korina greeted, a small smile gracing her lips. "How are you?"
"I am fine." He said, stepping closer to stand at Serenity's bedside. "Did Prince Diamond summon you?"
She nodded to him.
"Is he becoming more suspicious?"
Korina's smile was replaced with a grimace. "Not exactly. As of our meeting earlier he just thinks I'm incompetent."
She noticed him smile. "How foolish of him. You are anything but incompetent."
Heat flushed to Korina's cheeks, which she fought furiously. "Anyway, I don't think our luck will hold up much longer."
Her hands tightened into fists as she glanced down at the sleeping Princess. Serenity's delicate features remained so still, as always.
"We don't have much time left. I want to pick up the pace a little bit." Korina murmured.
"Pick up the pace?" Helios repeated, sounding more than a little skeptical. "I feel as though that would be rather conspicuous. That, and dangerous to Serenity."
"Diamond seems to think she can handle anything." Korina huffed, crossing her arms as she recalled his comment earlier. "Besides, I'm starting to think that abruptly stopping the flow of narcotics will be just the shock we need to wake her up. Otherwise, her body will become used to keeping itself asleep on the smaller amounts."
"You sound as though you are guessing."
"I never actually finished medical school, remember?" Korina's gaze lowered to the floor.
Helios chuckled softly. "Right. But don't you think you should consult someone else first?"
At this, a spark of anger flashed through Korina's eyes. "No. We can't trust anybody in this castle, and I don't need to consult anyone about this."
The two fell into near silence, both listening to the rhythmic beeps from the Princess's heart monitor. Helios let out a sigh. "We can't let her stay this way." He finally said, somewhat agreeing with Korina.
She nodded slowly. "I need to find the breaking point in the drugs. Then we can bring her back. Hopefully."
A frown formed on Helios's face. "Are you sure that can be done without risking the Princess's life? As crucial as time is, it will mean nothing if…" He trailed off, refusing to finish the obvious.
"I know." Korina whispered. "But… I have to get serious about this. Everything up until now has just been messing around in comparison, and if Diamond realizes I'm not here to serve him then things will get ugly."
Her gaze rose to meet his, and she could see so much worry in his golden eyes, so much concern for Serenity… and for herself.
She continued. "The sooner we get her out of here, the less time Diamond has to find us."
"Just don't get yourself caught." Helios looked away, his frown deepening. "If you're gone, then it's all over."
Korina nodded. She knew this; even though she would almost instantly be reincarnated, her next self would be far too late to save Serenity. No matter the cost, she knew she could not fail.
"You should try to awaken her memories again." She said to Helios. "That seemed to work well last time."
"I will try my hardest, but it's up to her consciousness to remember them." He reminded her. "There is little I can do…"
"There is plenty you can do." Korina interrupted him, her eyes softening. "Even if you don't think it's much, it's helping."
"Of course." Helios said with a sigh. They stood silent again.
"Can you… can you promise me something?" Korina asked, her voice barely audible. When Helios nodded, she continued. "Just promise me that if you see Diamond… you get out of there as soon as you can. If he were to see you, he'll know you aren't a part of her dream! And he will do anything to make sure you aren't threatening his plans."
She looked up to see Helios staring back at her, a confused expression riddling his face.
"Just don't… I mean, make sure you aren't…" She stuttered before letting out a sad sigh. "I just can't stand the thought of you getting hurt. We've lost too many already." A fierce blush crept onto her cheeks, prompting her to add the last part at the last second.
Helios smiled to the girl. "Then you promise not to get hurt, either." With that he turned to the sleeping form of Serenity, a golden light emanating from the horn on his head. There was a pale flash and he was gone, finding his way into the very consciousness of the Princess's dreams.
Korina let out the breath she was holding and fell onto her chair again, realizing that neither of them had even agreed to their promises. "Good luck, Helios." She whispered.
A golden light led the way through the darkness, illuminating nothing but the empty path ahead. Voices started to find their way to his ears, but none of the words they carried held any emotion. A place and time started to take shape around him, familiar crystal castle walls rising up to meet the infinite sky above.
The dream world swirled into view around Helios. It had not yet reacted to him, however, as he was still a simple specter and could only observe. He used the safety of the shadows to make his way about the castle, looking for Neo Queen Serenity.
Finally he heard a voice up ahead, and sped up his pace to find two young women standing by a large window, talking about a party of some sort happening soon. Helios paused and watched as they suddenly froze, mid-sentence, and faded away.
The dream Serenity was trapped in was ongoing and complex, and since there was only one consciousness walking around it was pointless for the dream to sustain the life of the entire world. Only when the Princess was near did other people appear, and then when she was far enough away the dream stopped creating their presence.
In a way, the entire world literally revolved around Serenity.
Being a guardian of dreams, Helios was free to wander farther from Serenity and remain in the castle, but he knew that without him there the physical surroundings would have faded away as well.
Helios took a deep breath in and felt a familiar tingle run through his body. He glanced down to make sure that he was no longer Helios, but instead Amana, one of the Queen's personal handmaidens.
Now disguised, Amana took a step forward and saw the world around her almost light up, finally noticing her presence. She nodded to herself and folded her hands before continuing her walk.
A few hallways ahead, Amana found Neo Queen Serenity eating supper, alone, with two of the inner scouts standing guard at the door. A frown pulled at the handmaiden's lips, and she was propelled into the dining room.
"Amana!" Serenity's eyes lit up when she saw her, and the older lady smiled back. "Are you hungry? Why don't you sit and eat?"
The two inner scouts, Venus and Mercury, paid no mind as Amana accepted the invitation and sat down across from the Queen, a plate of fresh foods placed in front of her. "How are you, dear?" Amana asked.
"Everything had been fine. My King and I rode through the village today, and the weather was beautiful." A sort of cloud was darkening her blue eyes, and Amana cursed under her breath.
'Every time he visits her dream, it undoes any progress we make!' She thought, watching the Princess as she ate her food, completely carefree. "Are you two up to anything later on?"
The Queen looked up at her. "No, my King had some business to attend to."
"Why don't we do something nice with your hair tonight?" Amana pushed the food around on her plate. This dream food never seemed to do any justice.
"Something nice?" Serenity blinked. "Like what?"
"Well…" The older lady glanced over at her hair. Sure, she could wash hair, but styling it was a completely different story… "How about I braid it?" It was nothing she had ever attempted before, but she had seen Korina and the shrine maidens do it plenty of times. How hard could it be?
After a second, the Queen smiled. "That sounds like a lovely idea!" She said before returning to her supper.
Amana released the breath she was holding. She looked over at the two girls standing guard, neither of which had moved an inch since her arrival, just in case they decided to spring to life. Not that she expected them to, of course. Unless they were spoken to directly they seemed to be lifeless.
She smiled back to the Princess, still eating, and patiently waited for her to finish.
The heart monitor and Serenity's breathing were the only sounds surrounding Korina as she sat silently, watching her. It was nearly sunset, the other nurses should be arriving any second for the evening recording of vitals.
A loud sigh escaped Korina's lips as she envisioned the inevitable battle between her and Mani.
'I should probably figure out an alibi ahead of time…' She thought, crossing her arms. Normally Mani believed anything she said, but with the tension between the nurses and Prince Diamond she may be more on her guard.
Before another thought could cross her mind, the door to Serenity's quarters clicked open, and was pushed aside.
Korina stood tall, ready to face the older nurse, but felt herself turn cold at the realization of who had entered the room.
"Prince Diamond…" She breathed.
The Prince ignored her, instead walking up to the Princess's bedside. "She appears to be doing better." He noted.
"Of course! I set to work right away correcting the doses." Korina replied, a little too quickly. "Is there something I can help you with?"
He smirked at her. "I intend to visit Serenity in her dreams more often. I think it will help her… adjust."
Korina clenched her teeth. 'I'm not stupid!' Her mind threatened to scream. 'You're just here to make sure I'm doing what I'm told!'
Diamond turned back to the sleeping Serenity and brushed a strand of hair from her eyes. "That is, of course, you have any reason I shouldn't." His eyes glinted dangerously at her, daring her to say something.
'Shit…' She thought. If he went in now, there was no way Helios would avoid him.
One thing was for sure… she was in deep water this time.
Alrighty, well there we go! I'm kinda winging it with this story, but I like how it's going in my head so far. Oh and if anything is confusing please let me know! I'll clear it up in the next chapter. Hope ya liked it! :)