X
Unfamiliar Zero
Chapter 5
=x=x=x=x=X=x=x=x=x=
Louise paused long enough to draw in a big breath of cool air. Sweeping the floors was not too difficult of an activity in itself, but the amount of sweeping she had done so far, and still had to do, was considerable. It was now a few hours past midday and she had been at it since morning, yet there was still plenty more to be done on this level of the fortress.
Ten days had already passed since she first started working directly for the Head Butler, and the young girl was finding it increasingly difficult to keep up with what was being asked of her. Her body ached all over and every muscle constantly felt stiff and tired. If Bartho noticed, he didn't seem to care, because her workload appeared to grow by the day and she went to bed each night feeling even more exhausted than the last.
In fact, she had been working so hard that she hadn't even had much time to think of a way to get out of her current situation. And she knew this could not go on for too long. A life of tedious manual labor such as this did not suit her in the slightest. But she dared not ask for a reprieve. She still had some pride left and she was not about to show any more weakness here than she already had.
She quickly glanced around the outer courtyard, one of several in this massive fortress, making sure she was alone. There were trees and stone benches and flowering bushes. All of which had been overgrown and wild until only a few days ago, when she was tasked with cleaning up all the outer courtyards. This was the last, and largest, of eight courtyards found all around the keep. For a place called the Black Fortress, it certainly had a lot of space for entertainment and recreation.
Overhead, the ever-present gray clouds clung to the mountain into which the fortress city was built, hiding the sun as usual. Out here the air was nice and cool and far fresher than inside, but the lack of direct sunlight was starting to get to her. Not once had she seen the sun since she arrived in this strange land, and she was beginning to wonder if there even was a sun in this strange world.
Deciding to take a break, Louise leaned the broom she had been using to sweep against the low wall that separated her from the edge of a very long fall. A fall that would mean certain death. She tried not to think about it as she leaned on the wall, feeling the cool stones against her palms as she looked out at the fortress city below.
The city stretched out from the base of the fortress keep, full of lifeless dark buildings of every shape and size. All of them draped in silence and, at least to her, wrapped in mystery. Beyond the outer walls was a vast forest with even darker trees that seemed to go on all the way to the horizon in every direction.
Despite the eerie stillness, she had to admit that there was a certain beauty to the place, and she spent some time admiring the view.
Once she was finished with her duties at the keep, she wondered if Bartho would make her clean the other buildings in the city. Noting the sheer number of them, she winced at the thought. Hopefully that wouldn't come to pass. Though she did want to go out and explore this lifeless city for herself some day. Even back in Tristain she had barely explored the country, let alone the world beyond it.
She only knew about the wider world of Halkeginia through her books and classes at the academy. Now, some part of her felt excited at the prospect of being somewhere totally new. Of seeing things she, or anyone else back home, had never seen before.
Louise felt a prickling sensation on the back of her neck and glanced around the courtyard again, having the strangest sensation that someone was watching her, but saw no one.
The first few days of working under Bartho had involved the butler actually observing her directly as she went about doing things he ordered her to do. Not once did he ever physically help her with her work, regardless of whether she was doing it correctly or not.
What he did do was to comment on what she was doing and how she was doing it, with the intention of correcting and instructing her on how to properly perform the tasks asked of her. And he had a lot to teach her on how to be a proper maid. So much so that Louise was surprised the butler hadn't already snapped at her for her incompetence. His patience was almost unnatural.
Louise, on the other hand, barely managed to endure it. There were times when her instinct told her to talk back or to simply give up on the task, but how could she when she knew that her life likely hung in the balance? Any wrong move could be her last, and of all the things she didn't want to do, dying in this strange land was at the top of the list.
Thankfully, Bartho eventually stopped following her around. That was about two days ago. Whether it was because he was now confident enough in her abilities not to watch over her shoulder or because he finally was attending to his own duties, Louise wasn't sure. Regardless of the reasons for his leaving her alone these days, she was most relieved.
The butler did, of course, check in on her from time to time, and he seemed to have the uncanny ability to find her wherever she might be, but otherwise she was left to her own devices. Only at the end of the day was she to report to him about all that she had accomplished, and if there was anything of note to mention.
"Enjoying the view?" asked a now familiar voice behind Louise, startling her into turning around and grabbing the broom to use as a weapon.
"Lady Elena!" Louise gasped at the unexpected arrival. The ability of this woman, and Bartho for that matter, to sneak up on her so easily was simply amazing. And frightening.
Lady Elena stood before her with a smirk, dressed in yet another beautiful gown that was equal parts elegant and seductive. The chosen color today was emerald green. Something that Louise knew Lady Jade would probably approve of. The warrior was most fond of the color.
Louise had learned from Bartho that Lady Elena was an actual queen, and that certainly explained the air of supreme confidence and superiority that the woman had about her. And she was not just any queen either. She apparently had the specific and rather imposing title of Night Queen, the significance of which was of course lost on the girl from another world. And why the woman wanted to be called a mere Lady was beyond Louise's understanding.
If Louise were a queen, she would want to be honored by her title at all times. Her Royal Majesty, Queen Louise, certainly had a nice ring to it.
"Tell me, my dear, what exactly did you think you were going to do with that?" Lady Elena asked with amusement, raising one of her thin eyebrows at the broom held menacingly over Louise's shoulder.
Embarrassed, Louise put it down and bowed her head. "I-I'm sorry, Lady Elena… y-you startled me and…"
Lady Elena chuckled. "You need to learn to relax! You always seem so tense and anxious. Perhaps you need a massage to help ease the tensions you are feeling. I can give you one, if you'd like." She smiled, showing her perfectly white teeth. And her sharp fangs.
Louise bowed her head again, partly to avoid looking at her fangs, and swallowed hard. "I uh... appreciate the offer, my Lady. But I must decline for now." In truth, the prospect of receiving a massage was very tempting, given the tortured state of her body at the moment. Were it not for her fear that Lady Elena might try and bite her again during the massage, Louise might have accepted the offer in a heartbeat.
Lady Elena shrugged and walked up to stand next to her by the low wall. "Suit yourself." She looked out at the view that Louise had been admiring only moments before. "It's beautiful, isn't it? Even in its… diminished state."
Louise followed her gaze out towards the city below.
"You should have seen it back in its day. It used to be so full of life here. So full of energy and excitement," continued Lady Elena. "This fortress may have been built as a place for war, but it eventually grew to become a proper city. With all the sights and sounds. . . and smells!" She let out a soft laugh and shook her head ever so slightly. "Oh, the smells. . ." she whispered fondly at the memories that came to her.
"Good smells, then?" Louise asked curiously.
"Sometimes," replied Lady Elena amusingly.
Louise smiled a little.
"There were all manner of creatures here too, from all across the continent," continued Lady Elena. "Dragons and wyverns and other beasts. Trolls and ogres. Orcs and goblins. Elves and humans. Dwarves and gnomes. Vampires and… lycans." Her face crinkled at the word, as if it left a bad taste in her mouth.
It sounded almost unbelievable to have so many creatures and races together in one place. "Lycans?" asked Louise, noting the disdain with which Lady Elena had said the word. She didn't know what vampires were either, but she figured she could ask about that later. She was more curious about the creatures that Lady Elena apparently disliked.
"Yes. Those mangy mutts were barely tolerable back then, but I hate to admit that they certainly had their uses too."
Louise frowned. "I'm sorry for my ignorance, my Lady, but. . . what is a lycan?"
Lady Elena's red eyes snapped to Louise. "You don't have them in your world?"
Louise shook her head. "N-No, my Lady. This is the first time I've heard of them."
"A fine world to be in, then," mused the lady with another smirk. "A lycan is a hybrid creature, my dear. Part wolf and part man. They can change their form between human and wolf. Hairy, smelly things that look like humans with sharp claws and foul tempers. Some can control the change at will. Others cannot. But for one night every month, all of them cannot stop the change into their wolf forms. Perhaps you know them as werewolves."
Louise did not, in fact, know them as werewolves either. "That sounds like a curse," she observed quietly.
"Oh, it certainly is."
Louise tried to imagine such creatures and shuddered at the image that formed in her head. A snarling wolf as tall as a man and standing on two legs like one. "One night a month. . . What night is that?" she asked.
"The night of the full moon, of course," answered Lady Elena with a smile. "When the full moon comes, they are all forced into their wolf forms. Some can't control themselves while under the effects of the full moon, however, and they are incredibly troublesome to deal with at that time because the full moon happens to also boost all their abilities. If you ever happen to encounter a feral one out in the wild during a full moon, I suggest you run away as quickly as you can before it tears you into bloody unrecognizable pieces. And it would be such a pain to collect what was left of you for burial."
Louise barely registered the new information that there appeared to only be one moon in this world as she shivered at the thought of being eviscerated by wolfmen. She squinted at the massive forest in the distance.
"Are there any lycans around here?" she asked nervously.
Lady Elena laughed. "Goodness no! They know better than to intrude on my domain."
"Your domain?" Though Louise knew that Lady Elena was a queen, she wasn't sure exactly what domain she ruled over. Was this all her land? But if that were the case, what realm did Lord Kaji rule over?
"Well…" Lady Elena blinked, this time her eyes went up to the highest part of the fortress well above them. "Not the Black Fortress specifically. But the neighboring land. In order to get here from where they now make their home, those beasts who play at men would need to cross my domain of Nifleheim. And they should know better than to attempt such a thing." She raised a hand and inspected her elegantly long nails as they settled into a quiet moment, each one lost in their own thoughts.
Louise digested that piece of information for a moment. Nifleheim. That was Lady Elena's name too, if she was remembering correctly. Marielena von Nifleheim. She broke the silence with a question. "If I may ask, my Lady, why do you hate the lycans?"
Lady Elena laughed. "Now that is a very long story. Perhaps one day I'll share it with you, if you're lucky."
"But. . . they were here too, right? Long ago when this place was still alive. That means you must have gotten along with them at some point."
"I said they were barely tolerable and had their uses," clarified Lady Elena. "We most certainly did not get along, that I can assure you. But we all served Lord Kaji back then and he did not tolerate any in-fighting. At least not out in the open. And trust me when I say that Lord Kaji is the last person in this world you'd want to anger."
Louise nodded. She definitely would not want to ever get that demon angry at her. And it only made sense that a ruler would demand his subjects be at peace with each other, despite any significant differences they might have between themselves. Unruly subjects meant an unruly kingdom, and that was something a good ruler simply could not allow.
"Was it like that with all the other races?" asked Louise.
"Yes and no. Some of them got along well while others didn't. But like I said, all who came here respected the rule of the Demon Lord and there was very little trouble. In public, at least."
"Would they not try to come back here then? Now that he's returned?" asked Louise, curious to see these lycans for herself. As well as all the other races that Lady Elena had mentioned.
The Night Queen crossed her arms over her ample chest and stared out at the landscape. "The others, perhaps. . . once they've learned of Lord Kaji's return. . . but the lycans? I very much doubt that. They were one of the first to abandon this place once Lord Kaji secluded himself beyond our reach. To come crawling back would be. . . upsetting. To me at least." Her eyes glowed menacingly at the thought, and Louise realized it was probably best not to continue with this conversation. For now, anyway.
As if thinking that very same thing, Lady Elena frowned and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath, and when her eyes opened again they were no longer glowing. "Now enough of that nonsense," she declared, waving her hand to signal an end to that line of conversation. "I didn't come here to talk to you about the lycans."
What did she come here for then? Louise eyed the woman warily. "Am I in trouble, my Lady?" she asked tentatively.
"Oh no, not at all. Bartho tells me you've been working hard for him. There have been only a few complaints." She sounded a little impressed. "For someone with little to no prior experience as a maid, it's commendable that you have learned so much and worked so hard to improve in such a short time."
"I. . . am doing my best, my Lady," replied Louise, surprised at the praise and unsure of how to respond to it.
Lady Elena gave her a curious look. "But he hasn't been working you too hard, has he? He's used to presiding over other vampires in my household, so you are the first human to ever work for him. He might not have appropriately adjusted to the differences just yet."
As she suspected, Bartho and Lady Elena were not quite human after all. They were vampires. But what that really meant, she didn't know. Though it was obvious enough to her that vampires probably all had red eyes and pale skin, judging from the two of them. "It's been. . . challenging, my Lady. But nothing I can't handle so far." Regardless of how Louise physically felt, she did not want to show any more weakness. If she wanted to be strong, she needed to act strong too. Although a part of her couldn't help but feel worried at the prospect that her statement might spur the vampires to give her even more things to do.
"I see." Lady Elena sounded unconvinced, but did not press the subject. "But tell me, Louise, do you not wish to do more? To be more?"
Louise gave Lady Elena a questioning glance. "I'm sorry, my Lady, but I. . . I don't think I understand what you mean."
"Very well. Let me rephrase then. Are you happy with simply being a maid here in the Black Fortress?" asked Lady Elena, arching an eyebrow while her arms were still crossed.
"I. . ." Louise hesitated. She wasn't sure if she was being tested or not. Was she supposed to lie and say yes, or tell the truth and say no? Because of course she wasn't happy about her current situation. She was a noblewoman of the proud Vallière family reduced to being a common maid! Not that anyone here knew about her family and lineage, nor did she want to get in trouble for complaining to her betters.
Lady Elena smiled reassuringly. "You may speak freely, Louise. I promise that no harm will come to you for it."
Louise hesitated for a moment more, then said in a quiet voice, "No, my Lady. . . I. . . I am not happy with being a maid." It felt good to say it out loud. And to say it to someone else too. She only hoped that she wouldn't somehow be punished for her honesty later on.
"I thought not. You don't seem like the maid type." Lady Elena's smirk returned. "Are you hungry?" she asked suddenly.
Louise hadn't really thought much about food since breakfast early that morning, but the question made her realize that she was indeed starving. As if to reiterate that, her stomach grumbled loudly and she placed a hand over it, looking embarrassed.
Lady Elena's smirk widened. "Come with me."
=x=x=x=x=
"What a beautiful day!" cried the young prince clad in magnificent gold-lined armor. Cascading behind him was a fine black and red velvet cape. His wavy long auburn hair danced in the breeze, partially held down by the thin golden crown that rested on his head, while his handsomely angled face looked up at the sky with closed eyes, basking in the warmth of the sunlight.
"Your Highness, please mind where you are going," cautioned the stern-looking woman only a few feet away.
They rode atop well-bred horses decked out in fine regalia of their own, matching that of their riders. Behind them some ways was the rest of their group, armed and armored similarly. A few of them held banners prominently displaying what was widely recognized as the Acheron Imperial Family crest.
The prince turned towards the sound of the woman's voice and opened his eyes, revealing sharply violet pupils. "Bah! Don't ruin my fun, Lezana. We are on the Imperial Highway and in the very heart of the Empire. It's all paved stone and safe travels for now. And besides," he leaned over just enough to pat the side of his horse's neck. "Grim here would never succumb to any pits or stones on the road that might per chance throw me off. If there were any such things on the road in the first place."
"I am more concerned that you might accidentally run into other travelers on the road, your Highness. Or that you may ride into an ambush set by your enemies. Especially if you continue to gallop ahead of our company like this."
"Well any other travelers would see me coming and move accordingly. I don't see why I have to move aside for anyone. This is my road after all." The man grinned at the dark-haired woman, as if daring her to say otherwise. "As for the latter, well. . . that's why I have you here, isn't it? To watch out for me? You'd notice any ambush or danger that comes our way and deal with it appropriately. Am I right?"
Lezana sighed. "Yes, your Highness."
"Good." The grin turned into a beaming smile that showed off his pearly white teeth. They seemed to shine underneath the sunlight. "It's rare for me to get out of the capital, you know, so let me enjoy some of this freedom and change of scenery, okay?"
Again, Lezana sighed. "While I understand that you are enjoying your leave of the capital, your Highness, need I remind you that we are not on a vacation? We are on a very important, and dangerous, mission for your father and for the Empire," she replied seriously. "I hope you are taking this matter seriously."
"Oh, please! Spare me your words of caution, Lezana. We all know the Demon Lord is long gone. It's been hundreds of years! The Black Fortress is nothing but a shadow of a dark past that we've long gotten away from. Whatever enemies are stirring up trouble there will meet their fate at the end of my blade. Or burn in the fires of my glory." He smiled as he looked up at the sky again, this time raising a hand towards the sun, as if to grasp it.
"Our mission isn't to eliminate the threat, your Highness, but to evaluate the strength of the enemy that now seeks to revive the Black Fortress," Lezana said in a lecturing tone.
"But while in the process of this evaluation, would it not be better if we also eliminated them at the same time?" queried the young royal. "Kill two bids with one stone, as they say."
"Well, yes your Highness, but if they happen to be stronger-"
"Nonsense!" The man cut his hand through the air dismissively. "I am Prince Firos Acheron of the mighty Acheron Empire! There is no enemy that I will not defeat, no challenge that I cannot overcome. Especially not with this equipment, " he patted the ornate hilt of the sword at his hip. "And the company we have assembled." He half-turned to look back towards the others trailing after them.
Lezana sighed and bowed her head. "As you say, your highness."
"I'm glad you agree," said Prince Firos with another smile. "It will take us some time to even get to the eastern border, let alone the Black Fortress. In the meantime, Lezana, I intend for us enjoy ourselves along the way. We will get down to serious business when we arrive at our destination, and no earlier!"
With that said, the prince spurred his horse into another gallop and let out a whoop of excitement as he sped off, Lezana desperately following after him.
=x=x=x=x=
Author's Note: Thanks for your continued readership. This is a shorter chapter than previous ones, but I wanted to put out an update to let you know that I am still continuing this. Writing multiple stories at a time has been incredibly challenging, on top of finding time to even write at all these days. More updates to come. See ya next chap!