Disclaimer: I do not own Familiar of Zero/Zero no Tsukaima.
Chapter I – Late Night...
Chapter I – Late Night...
Somebody to Love
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Chapter I - Late Night Encounters
Disclaimer: I do not own Familiar of Zero/Zero no Tsukaima.
Chapter I – Late Night Encounters
"Give that back!" Louise bellowed.
She chased after the other girls across the grounds of the Tristanian Academy of Magic. The three little twits had snatched her bag from her, and when she caught them, she would make them pay. That they were flying instead of running did not help her ire any, the little show-offs.
However, no matter how fast she ran, the trio seemed to keep getting further and further ahead. Then they would wait for her to catch-up a little, before taking off again. They had been leading her on this merry chase for a while now, and her arms and chest were beginning to hurt.
Finally, the three of them stopped by the edge of the forest, and after a couple of minutes, Louise had finally caught-up.
At first she could not say anything, her chest burned, and she needed to focus on her breathing. The only thing she could hear, was the blood thundering in her ears.
Eventually her breathing grew level, and her blood slowed. When it did, she could hear the three of them laughing at her, and her blood began to boil again.
"Give it back!" she growled.
"Give what back?" asked one of them. She was standing in front of the other two, and looked like their leader.
Louise gritted her teeth, she did not have to put-up with this.
"My bag," she answered.
"Bag?" the leader echoed. "What bag? Girls have you seen a bag?" she asked, turning to the other two.
Her friends giggled again.
"Nope!"
"Uh-uh!"
The lead girl hummed to herself, she began to stroke her chin, and looked to the sky, as though she was thinking. Hah! As though the tart had a brain to think with.
"Oh!" she suddenly exclaimed. "You don't mean that bag, do you?"
She pointed upward, Louise raised her gaze to follow, and felt her heart fall into the pit of her stomach. Her bag was dangling from one of the tallest branches in the tree.
She heard them giggle again, and she rounded on the three of them, anger burning inside her.
"Bring it down!" she demanded.
"Why should we?"
"Because you put it up there!" she yelled.
"Well I never!" the girl exclaimed. She put her hand over her heart in faux-indignation. "I have never been exposed to such slanderous lies."
Louise growled.
"Give it back!" she demanded. She was not pleading with them, she would not plead with them.
The girl smiled mockingly, and raised an eyebrow.
"Or what, you will tell your daddy on us? Or are you going to make me, Zero?" she asked.
At the sound of that name, Louise drew her wand and pointed it at her. Almost instantly the three of them had their wands out, and were pointing them right back.
"Now, now," the leader said. "Do you really want to do that, Zero."
"Do not call me that!" she roared.
The girls ignored her.
"There is three of us, and you can not even do magic. You know how this will end."
Louise was tempted to throw caution to the wind, and attack anyway. However, as she looked up at the three of them with their wands pointed at her, she felt her anger slip away. Very slowly, she lowered her arm.
"Give it back," she said again.
The lead girl placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Here is an idea, how about you float up there and get it yourself?" she said. "After all, levitation is such a simple spell, that I'm sure even you could get the hang of it … eventually."
The three of them walked passed Louise, and cackled on their way back towards the castle.
For the briefest moment Louise wanted to attack them again, to beat them until they cried. Then the moment passed, and she suddenly felt incredibly empty.
As Louise stared up at her bag, she could feel a heavy weight building in the pit of her stomach.
The hand holding her wand started to tremble, and she forced it to stop. She could try casting a levitation spell on herself, but considering how all her attempts to cast magic had ended so far... She felt her stomach turn at the image that formed in her mind. As much as it pained her to admit it, she would have to make do without magic.
She could feel the burning at the back of her eyes, and tried to blink it away. No! She would not be reduced to tears by a trio of brain-dead harlots!
Instead she tried to focus herself on the task at hand. She stared up at the tree, and tried to assess just how she was going to climb it. The lowermost branches were still too high to reach, perhaps if she took a run up?
She tried it; she sprinted straight at the tree, placed one foot on the trunk, and immediately fell to the ground.
She moaned in pain, and rubbed at her sore rear end.
Ow.
She dragged herself back to her feet, and glared up at the bag. She would not be defeated by a tree, or by three obnoxious idiots. She grit her teeth and prepared herself to try again.
The second attempted ended much the same way as the first, as did the third, and the fourth. By the time she was finished, she was pretty sure her backside was going to be bruised.
Very well, this was clearly not working, she needed to try something else.
She began picking rocks up off of the ground, and began throwing them at her bag. Unfortunately, this proved to be fruitless endeavour. Her aim was far from perfect, and even when she did manage to hit it, it never even came close to being dislodged.
She cast her eyes about, looking for anything that could help her out.
Hmm, there were a number of fallen branches on the ground, and some of them looked quite sturdy. Perhaps if she placed them against the tree?
She gathered the thickest and heaviest branches she could find, and stacked them against the side of the tree. Some of the branches were so heavy, that she needed to drag them over. When she was finished she had an improvised ramp.
Carefully she stepped onto branches, they shook a little beneath her feet, but they held. With them she was able to reach the lowest branches of the tree, and pull herself up.
She continued to climb, weaving her way through the branches of the trees, and grumbling to herself as she went. What had she done to deserve this? Why did her magic not work properly? Why was she the butt of everyone's jokes?
Her clothes caught on the branches a couple of times, and she had to pull them free. At one point she pulled so hard that she very nearly lost her balance, and almost went plummeting to the ground.
She felt a sudden stinging pain in her hand, and drew it back with a hiss. A quick look told her there was no blood, it was just a light graze. She put it to her mouth and sucked at it anyway.
Eventually, she made it to the top, and she breathed a sigh of relief as her hand closed around the treated leather of her bag. She was tired and sore, but she had done it!
She allowed herself a moment to catch her breath, before beginning her descent.
At first the climb down seemed to go as smoothly as the climb up. Then about halfway down she heard a loud crack, and had just a moment to realise what was happening, before she was falling through the air. She hit the ground with a dull thud.
For several seconds she just lay there, unmoving. The only sound she made was a low moan, as she a dull pain spread through her entire body.
Eventually, she dragged herself back to her feet. Only to dragged herself back to her feet, only to immediately collapse against the very tree she had just fallen from, sliding down to sit with her back against it.
They would be serving supper now, she thought, as she stared at the castle from where she sat. However, she did not feel hungry at all. Besides, she had no desire to sit at a table by herself, whilst the other students mocked her behind her back, like she would not notice. Idiots, all of them!
She hugged her bag against her chest, and breathed in the scent of the leather.
The back of her eyes started to burn again. This time, no matter how hard she tried, she could not keep the tears from flowing.
Siesta arms burned and she could barely lift them, she was glad that it was almost time to retire for the day. Well, she supposed it was only natural she would be worked hard like this, she had only been here for a couple of weeks, after all.
The hallways were abandoned at this hour, the students and most of the faculty had already retired to their chambers. The sun had just set, and only the light of the candles lit her path forward. Everything was silent, all she could hear was the wind, and the clicking of her own feet against the tiled floor. She felt a shiver run down her spine, and it was not because it was cold. She could not wait to get into bed.
It was very easy to believe that an old castle like this could be haunted. It even kind of reminded her of the ghost stories her grandpa used to tell, the ones that always ended with grandma telling him off, because she would be too scared to go to bed. No, she was being silly, there was no such thing as ghosts.
That was when she heard it, a strange noise echoing through the hallway. Her heart leapt up into her throat, and she very nearly fainted on the spot. She all but collapsed against the wall for the support, her legs suddenly very weak. She could feel her heart already starting to beat heavily against her ribs.
There's no such thing as ghosts, she told herself. There's no such thing as ghosts.
She closed her eyes to focus on the words, as she repeated them over and over in her head. However, doing that just made the strange sound ring even clearer in her ears.
It sounded like crying, and something being dragged across the floor. Worse, it was coming from the direction she was heading in; it was between her, and the safety of the servant's quarters.
Oh gods...
What if it was the ghost of a student who died in an accident, and was looking to punish the staff for negligence? Or, what if it was the ghost of a jilted lover who committed suicide, and was now looking for its lost love? What if it mistook her for its lover, and tried to drag her into the afterlife?
Stop it, she told herself. You're almost a grown woman now, and there's now such thing as ghosts! Excellent, her mind's voice sounded suitably firm, now if only she could make herself believe it.
Swallowing a whimper, she crept forward on trembling legs, keeping her back pressed against the wall the entire way. When she reached the corner, she cautiously peeked her head out to take a look, and almost breathed a sigh of relief.
It was not a ghost at all, but a girl, a pretty girl at that, and one who looked to be about her age. Siesta took note of her cloak, it was brown, she was a first year.
The girl's hair looked like she had been dragged through a hedge backwards, and she was slumped over as she walked. It was an impression not helped by the dishevelled state of her clothes. The dragging noise was coming from the school bag she pulled behind her as she went, and the way she barely lifted her feet as she walked.
It took Siesta a moment to realise that the crying was also coming from this girl. Once she had realised that, it became impossible not to notice the tears running down her cheeks.
Siesta hesitated for a moment, unsure of what she should do. It tugged at her heart a little to see the state the girl was in, but she was loathe to interact with a noble by herself. Who knew how being upset would make her react? She had heard the stories from the other servants. Still, she could not just leave her there, sobbing to herself in the middle of the hall.
If this was one of her books, then there would be a dashing, young squire to sooth the girl and wipe her tears away. Of course, this was not a story, this was real life, and she had no dashing squires on hand. Oh well, she supposed a caring maid would have to do.
Siesta took a deep breath to steady her nerves, then stepped out of the shadows. The girl did not even seem to notice her at first, so she cleared her throat.
The girl jumped like a startled rabbit, and stared at Siesta with wide eyes. She was a little on the petite side, so Siesta thought the effect made her look rather cute.
"Are you alright, my Lady?" she asked.
The girl just stared at her with those wide eyes for a couple of seconds; then Siesta noticed the colour rise in her cheeks, and her lips pull back in a snarl.
Oh dear...
"I – I mean, it is quite late, so you must've been quite busy to still be awake," she stammered. "I was just wondering if you perhaps needed something, maybe?"
Siesta squeezed her eyes shut, and waited for the girl to begin yelling at her. Only it never came, the only thing she could hear was silence. After a moment she opened her eyes, and found the girl glaring at her, her eyes narrowed. Still, at least she was not screaming at her.
"Why are you still awake?" the girl asked, her voice terse.
"Ah, I just finished returning the cleaning supplies to the storeroom," Siesta answered.
"I see," she replied. Then she averted her gaze, and turned her head to the side.
An uncomfortable silence hung between the two of them, and it put Siesta nerves on edge. She searched for something, anything, she could say, that would help sooth this girl's temper further.
"You must have been hard at work to still be up this late," she said, eventually. "Perhaps I could fetch you something to eat?"
The girl did not turn to face her, but looked at her out of the corner of her eye.
"I am not - " she began.
A low growl rumbled through the hallway, causing Siesta to jump, and the colour to rise in the girl's cheeks again.
"Well, p-perhaps just a little something," she said.
Siesta felt the desire to giggle, but fortunately, she managed to hold it in
"Very well, Miss...?" she replied.
"Valliére," the girl supplied.
"Miss Valliére," Siesta said. She dropped into a curtsey, then turned and headed off towards the kitchens.
Once she was far enough away she breathed another sigh of relief, she just had to encounter such trouble in only her second week She had thought for sure that Miss Valliére had been going to yell at her, and counted herself lucky to have avoided it. Of course, that meant that it would now be even longer before she got to go to bed. Oh well...
Naturally the kitchens were empty at this time of night, or almost so. There were only a couple of maids cleaning up the remains of supper. She could not exactly relight the stove at this time, so she set about piling some of the leftovers onto to a plate, and poured some milk into a cup. Neither of the other girls bothered her, except to tell her she would be the one to clean those dishes.
Meal in hand, Siesta set off to find Miss Valliére's room. It should not be that difficult, all of the first years' chambers were in the same general area, and they all had nameplates on the doors . That said, there were an awful lot of first years.
She moved as silently as possible as she searched, desperately trying to keep the plates from rattling. If one of the students were to hear something and come out, it might lead to awkward questions. Naturally, Miss Valliére's room was the very last one she found.
Siesta felt her stomach drop as she knocked lightly on the door, she was sure to be scolded for her tardiness.
The door creaked open slowly, to reveal Miss Valliére on the other side. She had managed to tame her hair, and had changed out of her dirty and crumpled uniform, into her nightdress. She now looked the very picture of a proper, young lady.
"What took you so long?" she asked. She stood aside to let the maid through.
Siesta did not reply, instead she simply entered the room, and placed the tray down on the table. Then she pulled out the chair, and Miss Valliére took her seat. That had probably been unnecessary, but it never hurt to extra polite, especially with someone who might already be mad at you.
"It is cold," Miss Valliére mumbled, as she took her first bite.
Well what do you expect, supper was over an hour ago, Siesta thought. Although she kept it to herself, she was trying to avoid trouble.
As the young Lady continued to eat, Siesta took the opportunity to look around her room. This was actually the first time she had been inside one of the student's chambers, and she had to admit, she was a little jealous.
Apart from the table she had placed the food on, there was also a desk against one wall. There was a large wardrobe, a vanity, a standing mirror. Then there was the bed, it had four posts holding up a canopy, and was surely too big for one person. It looked so soft, that Siesta was quite sure it would swallow her whole if she were to lay on it!
Not to mention, that she did not have to share a room with half a dozen other girls. Privacy was not a priority for servant's quarters, and it was so much harder to properly enjoy her books when other people were around.
As her eyes continued to roam over the room, they caught sight of Miss Valliére's discarded clothing, sitting on top of the clothes hamper. This close Siesta could see the dirt marks, and frayed edges in the fabric. She also saw her school bag, and for the first time noted a leaf caught in one of the clasps.
No, it was none of her business. She turned away, and stared resolutely at the stars sparkling in the night sky, outside of the window.
The sound of coughing caught her attention, and she turned to find Miss Valliére bent over her food. It took her a moment to realise the girl was choking.
Without thinking much about it, Siesta quickly went over and slapped her on the back, hard. Miss Valliére coughed once more, and the troublesome piece of food flew from her mouth to land on the table.
For a few seconds Miss Valliére just sat there, sucking in great lungfuls of air.
"Thank you," she said, eventually.
"It was no problem, Miss," Siesta replied. Not least because who knew what would happen to her if the girl had died, with her in the room.
The rest of the meal, and Siesta passed the rest of the time staring out of the window. The sun had long since set, and the academy grounds were dark and silent, it was eerie.
Eventually, she head Miss Valliére sigh in satisfaction, and the creak of her chair as she leaned back.
Immediately Siesta began to collected the dishes, The sooner she got these washed and put away, the sooner she could get to bed herself. It was already so late, there would be no reading for her tonight, she would have to make do with her dreams.
After she was finished clearing the table, and was heading for the door, she heard Miss Valliére rise to her feet.
"Servant, what is you name?" she asked.
"Siesta, Miss," she replied.
"Well then, Siesta," Miss Valliére said. "Thank you."
For just a second Siesta froze, then turned to face her. When she looked, she saw that Miss Valliére had the cutest little smile on her face.
"You're quite welcome, Miss," she replied, returning the smile.
Once out in out in the hallway, Siesta found she felt a lot lighter than she had on the way up. She had not actually expected Miss Valliére to thank her. In fact, she thought that this might be the first time someone had sincerely thanked her, since she had started working here. She had been given a couple of mumbled "thanks", of course, but this was the first time someone had thanked her properly.
It was always nice to be appreciate, especially now that her own parents did not want her around anymore.
Miss Valliére was a good person, she decided. She was just a little … prickly.
The time it took her to get down to the kitchens, and to wash the dishes, seemed to fly by. Before she knew it, she was back at her room in the servant's quarters.
"Where have you been?" a voice hissed, almost as soon as she stepped inside.
Siesta took a look around, all the other girls in the room were already asleep, all except one. She could see Gabrielle in the moonlight, sitting up in her bed, and staring straight at her.
Siesta had to keep herself from groaning. In truth, she did not like Gabrielle very much. She was a little older than Siesta was, and always so bossy and overbearing.
Not to mention, she had a habit of sticking her nose into other peoples' business. One time, Siesta had returned to the room, to find Gabrielle reading through one of her books, without asking. Then she had dared to call it smut. Smut! So on top of everything else, she did not have any taste either.
"Where have you been," Gabrielle repeated herself. "We expected you back an hour ago."
Siesta sighed, and explained what had happened with Miss Valliére. How she had run into her in the hallway, and how she had served her dinner in her room. She left out the part about seeing her crying, she did not need to embarrass her like that.
When she was finished, Gabrielle snorted.
"I should have known," she said. "That one of them would expect you to serve them in the middle of the night."
"It wasn't really like that," Siesta responded. She walked over to the side of her bed, and began to change into her nightclothes.
Gabrielle did not seem to be paying any attention.
"If you're not careful, they'll have you running around after them all the time," Gabrielle continued.
Siesta tried to tune her out, she knew pretty much everything Gabrielle was going to say. So continued to get ready for bed, and left her room-mate to rant to herself.
"And they say that Valliére girl's the worst."
That caught her attention.
"What?" she asked.
"Oh yes," Gabrielle replied. "She's so bossy and demanding, even the other students don't like her."
Suddenly a pillow came sailing through the air, and struck Gabrielle in the face. Then a voice that Siesta recognised as Lily's called out:
"Gabby, shut up! Some of us are trying to sleep."
As the two girls began to argue, Siesta climbed into her bed, and lay her head down on her pillow.
Was Miss Valliére really so disliked? Sure she had seemed angry when Siesta had first encountered her, but her clothes had been all dirty, and she had been crying; she had clearly had a bad day. On top of that, she had been really rather nice once she had gotten to her room.
No, Miss Valliére was not such a bad person, so she wondered why people said she was?
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Author's Note: So yeah, this is an expansion of the Yuletide Yuri omake I wrote in the Maid of Honour thread. Since people seemed interested in hearing the full story behind that. I know I said I wasn't writing anything else before the new year, but I just got the urge to write, and ended-up doing the first chapter in a single sitting.
I'l start the next chapter of Maid of Honour this weekend, and I should have it to you by the end of next week.
Chapter I – Late Night Encounters
"Give that back!" Louise bellowed.
She chased after the other girls across the grounds of the Tristanian Academy of Magic. The three little twits had snatched her bag from her, and when she caught them, she would make them pay. That they were flying instead of running did not help her ire any, the little show-offs.
However, no matter how fast she ran, the trio seemed to keep getting further and further ahead. Then they would wait for her to catch-up a little, before taking off again. They had been leading her on this merry chase for a while now, and her arms and chest were beginning to hurt.
Finally, the three of them stopped by the edge of the forest, and after a couple of minutes, Louise had finally caught-up.
At first she could not say anything, her chest burned, and she needed to focus on her breathing. The only thing she could hear, was the blood thundering in her ears.
Eventually her breathing grew level, and her blood slowed. When it did, she could hear the three of them laughing at her, and her blood began to boil again.
"Give it back!" she growled.
"Give what back?" asked one of them. She was standing in front of the other two, and looked like their leader.
Louise gritted her teeth, she did not have to put-up with this.
"My bag," she answered.
"Bag?" the leader echoed. "What bag? Girls have you seen a bag?" she asked, turning to the other two.
Her friends giggled again.
"Nope!"
"Uh-uh!"
The lead girl hummed to herself, she began to stroke her chin, and looked to the sky, as though she was thinking. Hah! As though the tart had a brain to think with.
"Oh!" she suddenly exclaimed. "You don't mean that bag, do you?"
She pointed upward, Louise raised her gaze to follow, and felt her heart fall into the pit of her stomach. Her bag was dangling from one of the tallest branches in the tree.
She heard them giggle again, and she rounded on the three of them, anger burning inside her.
"Bring it down!" she demanded.
"Why should we?"
"Because you put it up there!" she yelled.
"Well I never!" the girl exclaimed. She put her hand over her heart in faux-indignation. "I have never been exposed to such slanderous lies."
Louise growled.
"Give it back!" she demanded. She was not pleading with them, she would not plead with them.
The girl smiled mockingly, and raised an eyebrow.
"Or what, you will tell your daddy on us? Or are you going to make me, Zero?" she asked.
At the sound of that name, Louise drew her wand and pointed it at her. Almost instantly the three of them had their wands out, and were pointing them right back.
"Now, now," the leader said. "Do you really want to do that, Zero."
"Do not call me that!" she roared.
The girls ignored her.
"There is three of us, and you can not even do magic. You know how this will end."
Louise was tempted to throw caution to the wind, and attack anyway. However, as she looked up at the three of them with their wands pointed at her, she felt her anger slip away. Very slowly, she lowered her arm.
"Give it back," she said again.
The lead girl placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Here is an idea, how about you float up there and get it yourself?" she said. "After all, levitation is such a simple spell, that I'm sure even you could get the hang of it … eventually."
The three of them walked passed Louise, and cackled on their way back towards the castle.
For the briefest moment Louise wanted to attack them again, to beat them until they cried. Then the moment passed, and she suddenly felt incredibly empty.
As Louise stared up at her bag, she could feel a heavy weight building in the pit of her stomach.
The hand holding her wand started to tremble, and she forced it to stop. She could try casting a levitation spell on herself, but considering how all her attempts to cast magic had ended so far... She felt her stomach turn at the image that formed in her mind. As much as it pained her to admit it, she would have to make do without magic.
She could feel the burning at the back of her eyes, and tried to blink it away. No! She would not be reduced to tears by a trio of brain-dead harlots!
Instead she tried to focus herself on the task at hand. She stared up at the tree, and tried to assess just how she was going to climb it. The lowermost branches were still too high to reach, perhaps if she took a run up?
She tried it; she sprinted straight at the tree, placed one foot on the trunk, and immediately fell to the ground.
She moaned in pain, and rubbed at her sore rear end.
Ow.
She dragged herself back to her feet, and glared up at the bag. She would not be defeated by a tree, or by three obnoxious idiots. She grit her teeth and prepared herself to try again.
The second attempted ended much the same way as the first, as did the third, and the fourth. By the time she was finished, she was pretty sure her backside was going to be bruised.
Very well, this was clearly not working, she needed to try something else.
She began picking rocks up off of the ground, and began throwing them at her bag. Unfortunately, this proved to be fruitless endeavour. Her aim was far from perfect, and even when she did manage to hit it, it never even came close to being dislodged.
She cast her eyes about, looking for anything that could help her out.
Hmm, there were a number of fallen branches on the ground, and some of them looked quite sturdy. Perhaps if she placed them against the tree?
She gathered the thickest and heaviest branches she could find, and stacked them against the side of the tree. Some of the branches were so heavy, that she needed to drag them over. When she was finished she had an improvised ramp.
Carefully she stepped onto branches, they shook a little beneath her feet, but they held. With them she was able to reach the lowest branches of the tree, and pull herself up.
She continued to climb, weaving her way through the branches of the trees, and grumbling to herself as she went. What had she done to deserve this? Why did her magic not work properly? Why was she the butt of everyone's jokes?
Her clothes caught on the branches a couple of times, and she had to pull them free. At one point she pulled so hard that she very nearly lost her balance, and almost went plummeting to the ground.
She felt a sudden stinging pain in her hand, and drew it back with a hiss. A quick look told her there was no blood, it was just a light graze. She put it to her mouth and sucked at it anyway.
Eventually, she made it to the top, and she breathed a sigh of relief as her hand closed around the treated leather of her bag. She was tired and sore, but she had done it!
She allowed herself a moment to catch her breath, before beginning her descent.
At first the climb down seemed to go as smoothly as the climb up. Then about halfway down she heard a loud crack, and had just a moment to realise what was happening, before she was falling through the air. She hit the ground with a dull thud.
For several seconds she just lay there, unmoving. The only sound she made was a low moan, as she a dull pain spread through her entire body.
Eventually, she dragged herself back to her feet. Only to dragged herself back to her feet, only to immediately collapse against the very tree she had just fallen from, sliding down to sit with her back against it.
They would be serving supper now, she thought, as she stared at the castle from where she sat. However, she did not feel hungry at all. Besides, she had no desire to sit at a table by herself, whilst the other students mocked her behind her back, like she would not notice. Idiots, all of them!
She hugged her bag against her chest, and breathed in the scent of the leather.
The back of her eyes started to burn again. This time, no matter how hard she tried, she could not keep the tears from flowing.
- - -
Siesta arms burned and she could barely lift them, she was glad that it was almost time to retire for the day. Well, she supposed it was only natural she would be worked hard like this, she had only been here for a couple of weeks, after all.
The hallways were abandoned at this hour, the students and most of the faculty had already retired to their chambers. The sun had just set, and only the light of the candles lit her path forward. Everything was silent, all she could hear was the wind, and the clicking of her own feet against the tiled floor. She felt a shiver run down her spine, and it was not because it was cold. She could not wait to get into bed.
It was very easy to believe that an old castle like this could be haunted. It even kind of reminded her of the ghost stories her grandpa used to tell, the ones that always ended with grandma telling him off, because she would be too scared to go to bed. No, she was being silly, there was no such thing as ghosts.
That was when she heard it, a strange noise echoing through the hallway. Her heart leapt up into her throat, and she very nearly fainted on the spot. She all but collapsed against the wall for the support, her legs suddenly very weak. She could feel her heart already starting to beat heavily against her ribs.
There's no such thing as ghosts, she told herself. There's no such thing as ghosts.
She closed her eyes to focus on the words, as she repeated them over and over in her head. However, doing that just made the strange sound ring even clearer in her ears.
It sounded like crying, and something being dragged across the floor. Worse, it was coming from the direction she was heading in; it was between her, and the safety of the servant's quarters.
Oh gods...
What if it was the ghost of a student who died in an accident, and was looking to punish the staff for negligence? Or, what if it was the ghost of a jilted lover who committed suicide, and was now looking for its lost love? What if it mistook her for its lover, and tried to drag her into the afterlife?
Stop it, she told herself. You're almost a grown woman now, and there's now such thing as ghosts! Excellent, her mind's voice sounded suitably firm, now if only she could make herself believe it.
Swallowing a whimper, she crept forward on trembling legs, keeping her back pressed against the wall the entire way. When she reached the corner, she cautiously peeked her head out to take a look, and almost breathed a sigh of relief.
It was not a ghost at all, but a girl, a pretty girl at that, and one who looked to be about her age. Siesta took note of her cloak, it was brown, she was a first year.
The girl's hair looked like she had been dragged through a hedge backwards, and she was slumped over as she walked. It was an impression not helped by the dishevelled state of her clothes. The dragging noise was coming from the school bag she pulled behind her as she went, and the way she barely lifted her feet as she walked.
It took Siesta a moment to realise that the crying was also coming from this girl. Once she had realised that, it became impossible not to notice the tears running down her cheeks.
Siesta hesitated for a moment, unsure of what she should do. It tugged at her heart a little to see the state the girl was in, but she was loathe to interact with a noble by herself. Who knew how being upset would make her react? She had heard the stories from the other servants. Still, she could not just leave her there, sobbing to herself in the middle of the hall.
If this was one of her books, then there would be a dashing, young squire to sooth the girl and wipe her tears away. Of course, this was not a story, this was real life, and she had no dashing squires on hand. Oh well, she supposed a caring maid would have to do.
Siesta took a deep breath to steady her nerves, then stepped out of the shadows. The girl did not even seem to notice her at first, so she cleared her throat.
The girl jumped like a startled rabbit, and stared at Siesta with wide eyes. She was a little on the petite side, so Siesta thought the effect made her look rather cute.
"Are you alright, my Lady?" she asked.
The girl just stared at her with those wide eyes for a couple of seconds; then Siesta noticed the colour rise in her cheeks, and her lips pull back in a snarl.
Oh dear...
"I – I mean, it is quite late, so you must've been quite busy to still be awake," she stammered. "I was just wondering if you perhaps needed something, maybe?"
Siesta squeezed her eyes shut, and waited for the girl to begin yelling at her. Only it never came, the only thing she could hear was silence. After a moment she opened her eyes, and found the girl glaring at her, her eyes narrowed. Still, at least she was not screaming at her.
"Why are you still awake?" the girl asked, her voice terse.
"Ah, I just finished returning the cleaning supplies to the storeroom," Siesta answered.
"I see," she replied. Then she averted her gaze, and turned her head to the side.
An uncomfortable silence hung between the two of them, and it put Siesta nerves on edge. She searched for something, anything, she could say, that would help sooth this girl's temper further.
"You must have been hard at work to still be up this late," she said, eventually. "Perhaps I could fetch you something to eat?"
The girl did not turn to face her, but looked at her out of the corner of her eye.
"I am not - " she began.
A low growl rumbled through the hallway, causing Siesta to jump, and the colour to rise in the girl's cheeks again.
"Well, p-perhaps just a little something," she said.
Siesta felt the desire to giggle, but fortunately, she managed to hold it in
"Very well, Miss...?" she replied.
"Valliére," the girl supplied.
"Miss Valliére," Siesta said. She dropped into a curtsey, then turned and headed off towards the kitchens.
Once she was far enough away she breathed another sigh of relief, she just had to encounter such trouble in only her second week She had thought for sure that Miss Valliére had been going to yell at her, and counted herself lucky to have avoided it. Of course, that meant that it would now be even longer before she got to go to bed. Oh well...
Naturally the kitchens were empty at this time of night, or almost so. There were only a couple of maids cleaning up the remains of supper. She could not exactly relight the stove at this time, so she set about piling some of the leftovers onto to a plate, and poured some milk into a cup. Neither of the other girls bothered her, except to tell her she would be the one to clean those dishes.
Meal in hand, Siesta set off to find Miss Valliére's room. It should not be that difficult, all of the first years' chambers were in the same general area, and they all had nameplates on the doors . That said, there were an awful lot of first years.
She moved as silently as possible as she searched, desperately trying to keep the plates from rattling. If one of the students were to hear something and come out, it might lead to awkward questions. Naturally, Miss Valliére's room was the very last one she found.
Siesta felt her stomach drop as she knocked lightly on the door, she was sure to be scolded for her tardiness.
The door creaked open slowly, to reveal Miss Valliére on the other side. She had managed to tame her hair, and had changed out of her dirty and crumpled uniform, into her nightdress. She now looked the very picture of a proper, young lady.
"What took you so long?" she asked. She stood aside to let the maid through.
Siesta did not reply, instead she simply entered the room, and placed the tray down on the table. Then she pulled out the chair, and Miss Valliére took her seat. That had probably been unnecessary, but it never hurt to extra polite, especially with someone who might already be mad at you.
"It is cold," Miss Valliére mumbled, as she took her first bite.
Well what do you expect, supper was over an hour ago, Siesta thought. Although she kept it to herself, she was trying to avoid trouble.
As the young Lady continued to eat, Siesta took the opportunity to look around her room. This was actually the first time she had been inside one of the student's chambers, and she had to admit, she was a little jealous.
Apart from the table she had placed the food on, there was also a desk against one wall. There was a large wardrobe, a vanity, a standing mirror. Then there was the bed, it had four posts holding up a canopy, and was surely too big for one person. It looked so soft, that Siesta was quite sure it would swallow her whole if she were to lay on it!
Not to mention, that she did not have to share a room with half a dozen other girls. Privacy was not a priority for servant's quarters, and it was so much harder to properly enjoy her books when other people were around.
As her eyes continued to roam over the room, they caught sight of Miss Valliére's discarded clothing, sitting on top of the clothes hamper. This close Siesta could see the dirt marks, and frayed edges in the fabric. She also saw her school bag, and for the first time noted a leaf caught in one of the clasps.
No, it was none of her business. She turned away, and stared resolutely at the stars sparkling in the night sky, outside of the window.
The sound of coughing caught her attention, and she turned to find Miss Valliére bent over her food. It took her a moment to realise the girl was choking.
Without thinking much about it, Siesta quickly went over and slapped her on the back, hard. Miss Valliére coughed once more, and the troublesome piece of food flew from her mouth to land on the table.
For a few seconds Miss Valliére just sat there, sucking in great lungfuls of air.
"Thank you," she said, eventually.
"It was no problem, Miss," Siesta replied. Not least because who knew what would happen to her if the girl had died, with her in the room.
The rest of the meal, and Siesta passed the rest of the time staring out of the window. The sun had long since set, and the academy grounds were dark and silent, it was eerie.
Eventually, she head Miss Valliére sigh in satisfaction, and the creak of her chair as she leaned back.
Immediately Siesta began to collected the dishes, The sooner she got these washed and put away, the sooner she could get to bed herself. It was already so late, there would be no reading for her tonight, she would have to make do with her dreams.
After she was finished clearing the table, and was heading for the door, she heard Miss Valliére rise to her feet.
"Servant, what is you name?" she asked.
"Siesta, Miss," she replied.
"Well then, Siesta," Miss Valliére said. "Thank you."
For just a second Siesta froze, then turned to face her. When she looked, she saw that Miss Valliére had the cutest little smile on her face.
"You're quite welcome, Miss," she replied, returning the smile.
Once out in out in the hallway, Siesta found she felt a lot lighter than she had on the way up. She had not actually expected Miss Valliére to thank her. In fact, she thought that this might be the first time someone had sincerely thanked her, since she had started working here. She had been given a couple of mumbled "thanks", of course, but this was the first time someone had thanked her properly.
It was always nice to be appreciate, especially now that her own parents did not want her around anymore.
Miss Valliére was a good person, she decided. She was just a little … prickly.
The time it took her to get down to the kitchens, and to wash the dishes, seemed to fly by. Before she knew it, she was back at her room in the servant's quarters.
"Where have you been?" a voice hissed, almost as soon as she stepped inside.
Siesta took a look around, all the other girls in the room were already asleep, all except one. She could see Gabrielle in the moonlight, sitting up in her bed, and staring straight at her.
Siesta had to keep herself from groaning. In truth, she did not like Gabrielle very much. She was a little older than Siesta was, and always so bossy and overbearing.
Not to mention, she had a habit of sticking her nose into other peoples' business. One time, Siesta had returned to the room, to find Gabrielle reading through one of her books, without asking. Then she had dared to call it smut. Smut! So on top of everything else, she did not have any taste either.
"Where have you been," Gabrielle repeated herself. "We expected you back an hour ago."
Siesta sighed, and explained what had happened with Miss Valliére. How she had run into her in the hallway, and how she had served her dinner in her room. She left out the part about seeing her crying, she did not need to embarrass her like that.
When she was finished, Gabrielle snorted.
"I should have known," she said. "That one of them would expect you to serve them in the middle of the night."
"It wasn't really like that," Siesta responded. She walked over to the side of her bed, and began to change into her nightclothes.
Gabrielle did not seem to be paying any attention.
"If you're not careful, they'll have you running around after them all the time," Gabrielle continued.
Siesta tried to tune her out, she knew pretty much everything Gabrielle was going to say. So continued to get ready for bed, and left her room-mate to rant to herself.
"And they say that Valliére girl's the worst."
That caught her attention.
"What?" she asked.
"Oh yes," Gabrielle replied. "She's so bossy and demanding, even the other students don't like her."
Suddenly a pillow came sailing through the air, and struck Gabrielle in the face. Then a voice that Siesta recognised as Lily's called out:
"Gabby, shut up! Some of us are trying to sleep."
As the two girls began to argue, Siesta climbed into her bed, and lay her head down on her pillow.
Was Miss Valliére really so disliked? Sure she had seemed angry when Siesta had first encountered her, but her clothes had been all dirty, and she had been crying; she had clearly had a bad day. On top of that, she had been really rather nice once she had gotten to her room.
No, Miss Valliére was not such a bad person, so she wondered why people said she was?
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Author's Note: So yeah, this is an expansion of the Yuletide Yuri omake I wrote in the Maid of Honour thread. Since people seemed interested in hearing the full story behind that. I know I said I wasn't writing anything else before the new year, but I just got the urge to write, and ended-up doing the first chapter in a single sitting.
I'l start the next chapter of Maid of Honour this weekend, and I should have it to you by the end of next week.
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- Location
- Portugal
So in this universe, the bullying is worse for Louise it seems, at least i don't recall it being this bad in canon where it was only verbal("only" does not imply it's not awful and terrible because it is) bullying.
I mean, damn, i really want those three girls from the start to be punished.
I also like that Louise and Siesta are awkward around each other, Siesta very clearly fears her for her noble status and Louise is aware of her status and is ashamed that Siesta saw her in a weak moment.
Still, i can see the seeds for the relationship to begin, Siesta already thinks of Louise as beautiful and finds her smile pretty damn cute, Louise on the other hand, i don't see anything yet.
But hey, this is from the Yuletide Yuri universe so i know they will start dating and be happy around each other.
I mean, damn, i really want those three girls from the start to be punished.
I also like that Louise and Siesta are awkward around each other, Siesta very clearly fears her for her noble status and Louise is aware of her status and is ashamed that Siesta saw her in a weak moment.
Still, i can see the seeds for the relationship to begin, Siesta already thinks of Louise as beautiful and finds her smile pretty damn cute, Louise on the other hand, i don't see anything yet.
But hey, this is from the Yuletide Yuri universe so i know they will start dating and be happy around each other.
- Location
- Australia
Oh cool, this will be interesting. I suspect quite a bit of tears. But at least the ending looks happy,
- Location
- Portugal
Yeah, the bullying seems worse in this universe, and Siesta is getting an biased view of Louise from Gabrielle.
It makes her seem so unlikeable no one wants to be friends with her, when really, they are bullying her and don't want to be friends with her because she can only do explosions.
Granted, Louise does have an temper, but bullying her will only make her worse, i do wonder if she lashes out a bit at servants hence Gabrielle saying she is "bossy and demanding".
Then again, her mother is Karin, an woman who expects the best of her daughters at anything they do, and she looks like the kind of woman who expects everyone to be professional, she even taught Louise the Rule Of Steel, that basically translates to work hard and be professional all the time in Halkeginia, so the servants in the Valliere's house must be amazing and Louise thus just probably expects everyone to be professional and do a good job all the time, and it may come off as her being too demanding to other people.
Yeah, I see what you're getting at, it's why the girls drew their wands as soon as Louise drew hers. They weren't looking to start an actual fight, they were just looking to belittle the failure. I was just couldn't work that into the prose without it sounding clunky.
Second years picking on a first year, they get a little carried away with not being the bottom of the totem pole.
And if anyone wants to know where I got the title from:
Cause there's never a bad time to listen to Queen.
- Location
- Portugal
There is nothing wrong when it is related to or somewhat inspired by the Queen.
The Queen had Freddy Mercury, an guy so awesome that they made an anime version of him in Cromartie High School, an series with aliens, gorillas, average really tough high school students with weird names like Mechazawa and more and he still ends up being the best character in the show.
Chapter II - New Friends and Second Servings
Disclaimer: I do not own Familiar of Zero/Zero no Tsukaima.
Chapter II - New Friends and Second Servings
Louise was not enjoying her breakfast, it tasted like ash in her mouth, and she chewed on it listlessly. Weeks of repeated failures had robbed her of her appetite.
Why? Why had she not been able to perform a single spell properly since she had gotten here, wha was she doing wrong? Why did everything keep blowing-up in her face? She was the daughter of Karin Desiree de la Valliére, the Heavy Wind, what was wrong with her?
She had been looking forward to attending the Academy, looking forward to learning magic properly. She had been sure, so sure, that she would make her mother proud.
She chuckled to herself, bitterly.
What a joke. As soon as her mother found out what little aptitude she had for anything, she would likely never look at her again. How could someone so great give birth to someone so meagre? It was no wonder the others mocked her so much.
She shook her head, to rid herself of such despairing thoughts.
No! She could not give up yet, it had only been a handful of weeks! She was just a late bloomer, who had yet to discover her real talents. All she had to do was work just a little harder, and she could still make her family proud. Then she would be able to put those idiots in their place.
"Well hello," a voice interrupted her thoughts.
She raised her gaze, and found that there was a red-haired, dark-skinned woman staring back down at her. Louise could not help but notice that she was dressed somewhat provocatively, her skirt was a little too short, and the top three buttons of her shirt were undone, exposing her cleavage. She looked like a harlot, yet she was wearing what was unmistakably the Academy's uniform.
"Is anyone sitting here?" she asked, indicating one of the empty seats.
Perhaps she was being unfair, she thought. She did not know this woman, despite how she dressed, she could be perfectly nice. She did not want to jump to conclusion, like those idiots that were always whispering behind her back.
"No," she answered, with a shake of her head.
The woman smiled, and took her seat.
"Allow me to introduce myself," she said. "Kirche Augusta Frederica von Anhalt-Zerbst."
Zerbst? Louise could have sworn she had heard that name somewhere. No matter, for the moment she should introduce herself, she did not want to be rude.
"Louise François le blanc de la Valliére," she replied.
"A pleasure," Kirche said, still smiling. "My apologies for being so presumptuous, but it is my first day here."
Louise almost raised an eyebrow. Her first day? How odd. Sure it was still early in the year, but that was still a couple of weeks worth of lessons she had missed.
"If I may ask," she began. "How come you are starting so late?"
"Well," Kirche replied. "I was originally supposed to attend a school back home in Germania, but there was an incident, and father thought it best that I attend a school a little further away."
"Oh," Louise replied.
What could she say to that? It was clearly personal, a family matter, to ask further questions would be prying.
"Are you not going to ask what the incident was?" Kirche asked.
Louise looked at her, surprised.
"I – well, I did not want to pry," she replied.
Kirche smiled, and it was a smile that made Louise uncomfortable. It was a grin that was one part teasing, and one part … something else.
"It was a duel," she said. "Two dashing young men decided that they did not want to share, so they started a fight over me."
Louise raised her eyebrows, that sounded like something out of a story.
"So what did you do?" she asked.. She was intrigued, despite herself.
"I slept with both of them," Kirche answered.
Louise almost choked on her own saliva, and the sound of chuckling met her years. Once she had her breathing under control, she looked up and found that the Germanian's grin had grown wider.
"How could I not," she continued. "Oscar won the duel, but Frederick was so very valiant."
Louise could feel her face going red, just what sort of woman was this Kirche von Zerbst?
"Oh my, Valliére, you face has gone quiet red," Kirche said. "Was it something I said?"
She searched for a reply, anything she could say in response.
"Was that – I mean were there any more?"
She could have slapped herself, no matter what had been said, she should not be questioning such things.
"Oh plenty," Kirche replied. "I am a very passionate woman."
This woman … this woman was indecent. She was a tart, a philanderer, a scarlet woman!
The woman in question sighed dramatically, and she look in her eyes, it looked like pity. Louise bit her tongue, she neither needed, nor wanted, pity from someone like this.
"I must admit myself disappointed, Valliére," she said. "They told me there was a fire in you, but you seem just as dull as the rest of your countrymen, Perhaps that is the real reason they call you Zero?"
Perhaps it was the use of the nickname, but in that moment, something inside of Louise just snapped. This harlot had come here pretending to be her friend, but really she just wanted to mock, just like all the others.
She was not going to take it any more! Especially not from someone so … so … perverse!
Before she even knew what she was doing, she was on her feet, and pointing her finger at the Germanian.
"Do not call me that!" she bellowed. "Just because I do not feel the need to put myself out in such a way!"
"Not that you have anything to "put out"," Kirche said, staring at her chest.
Louise fought very hard against the urge to cover her chest with her arms.
"Unlike you," she said. "I do not need such a large amount of useless flesh to compensate for my lack of charm."
"So what do you use to compensate for you lack of charm?" Zerbst asked.
Oh, Louise would like nothing more than to wipe that stupid smirk off of her face.
"I have charm," she replied. "All you have is syphilis!"
"Yes," Zerbst responded, rolling her eyes, "Because you are being so charming right now. Tell me, did you inherit it from your mother? I hear she is something of an ice queen."
Louise could feel her rage boiling over, she had never been so angry in all of her life! How dare this trollop talk about her mother like that!
"Do not," she growled. "Do not dare speak about my mother like that, you brazen harlot!"
Her blood thundered in her ears, but under it she could murmuring coming from all around her. She dragged her gaze away from the Zerbst woman, and found that every eye in the room was on the two of them.
Without thinking she turned on her heel, and stomped out of the Great Hall, leaving her half-finished breakfast behind.
She stalked through the halls of the academy, muttering to herself under her breath. How could she be so foolish, as to let that red-haired bimbo goad her like that? She had let her guard down, allowed her to get under her skin.
Yet, what was she supposed to do? Just stand there whilst she insulted her, insulted her family? Her mother was a great woman, and no one was allowed to talk about her like that! No one!
She had had enough of being mocked, of being ridiculed, and she was not going to stand for it anymore!
She had no idea where her feet were taking her, but eventually she found herself standing outside of the library. She looked up at the large oaken doors for a moment, and came to a decision.
They may not have classes today, but that was not any excuse for her to slack off. Whilst the rest of her peers were doing whatever it was they did in there free time, she would be studying, getting better. Then eventually when she surpassed them all, she would make them regret ever mocking her, or her family.
Inside, she found that it was almost entirely empty, even the librarian was missing from her desk.
Good, she told herself. That meant that she would be able to study without fear of interruption.
Yet, as she walked between the empty rows it seemed entirely too quiet, and the bookcases seemed to loom over her like silent sentinels. It made a tiny shiver run down her spine.
She shook her head, she was being ridiculous. Setting her jaw she grabbed two books from the nearest shelf, and carried them over to the nearest table.
After their chance meeting, and her talk with Gabrielle, Siesta wondered when she would get to see Miss Valliére again. As it turned out, it would only be a mere handful of days later.
It was another hot, spring day and there were not classes. Today was the day of rest, and most of the students were taking full advantage of it. She could hear their voices as he lazed around outside, enjoying the feeling of the sun against their skin. Lucky them, she would love to have an afternoon off, and settle down for a nap underneath the shining sun, with a gentle breeze caressing her skin.
Whilst she was jealous of the students, Siesta was not sure whether to be jealous of the servants who got to work outside amongst the festivities, or glad not to be out under that boiling sun. Even for a spring afternoon, it was incredibly hot, and napping was one thing, work was quite another
Instead, Siesta had been assigned to help clean the classrooms whilst they were empty. Well, more accurately, she had been assigned to clean the library.
She sighed, the library was huge, it would take her forever to clean it by herself.
However, upon entering the next room on her list, she had found that it was not in fact, empty.
Sitting at one of the desks, and surrounded by books, was a girl with a head of very familiar strawberry blonde hair. Her quill was tapping idly against a sheath of parchment, as she stared into space. The sunlight drifting in trough the window highlighted her hair, making it glow. For some reason, Siesta was reminded of a line from one of her books.
"What's a lovely girl like you doing inside on such a beautiful day?" she asked.
The words were out of her mouth before she even had a chance to think about them. Oh, she could have slapped herself. Things like that were incredibly inappropriate to say to someone of Miss Valliére's station. What a way to ruin a good first impression.
Miss Valliére's shoulders stiffened, and she slowly turned to look in her direction. Siesta's stomach felt a sinking sensation in her stomach, and her own body grew tense. She got an unpleasant feeling of deja vu, as she waited to be scolded for her comment.
However, the reprimand never came. Instead, Miss Valliére only stared at her blankly for a moment, before her eye lit-up in recognition. She even smiled at her; it was only slight, but Siesta caught it.
"Siesta?" she said.
"The very same, Miss," she replied.
She briefly placed her cleaning supplies on the floor, so that she could give a proper curtsey.
"What are you doing here?" Miss Valliére asked.
"Cleaning, Miss," she answered.
She began to do just that, dipping her cloth into the bucket of soapy water, and beginning to scrub the table.
"And yourself?" she asked.
Louise glanced down at her parchment, a troubled look on her face. Siesta felt that such a sad expression did not belong on such a pretty face, but she kept that to herself.
She stood on her tiptoes, and saw that Miss Valliére had apparently done quiet a bit of writing. No doubt she would not even understand half of it.
"Are you not going outside, to join the sun?" she asked.
Miss Valliére stared down at her parchment with such fury, that Siesta was taken aback, and briefly paused in cleaning the tables.
"I would really rather not," she replied. "Who would want to spend time with those, those..."
Whatever those people were like Siesta would not find out, because Miss Valliére's voice just trailed off into a growl. Gabrielle's words from last night floated into her mind, but she pushed them aside. Surely someone so caustic would never have thanked her the way Miss Valliére had?
Having no idea out respond to Miss Valliére's mood, Siesta stared silent, and continued scrubbing the tables. Eventually, the sound of Miss Valliére's quill scratching away returned, and sure enough, when Siesta looked, she found her once again writing furiously. It was not exactly a comfortable atmosphere, but it was not uncomfortable either.
While she worked, Siesta could not keep herself from sneaking glances at Miss Valliére. She noted the furrow of her brow, and the tense way she held herself.
As Siesta finished drying off the last desk, she once again looked over at Miss Valliére sitting by herself. She wondered, was she just to leave the girl sitting there by herself? Just how long had she been sitting there, anyway? In that moment she came to a decision.
"Excuse me, Miss?" she said.
Miss Valliére once again paused in her writing, and looked over at her. Her eyebrow was raised, and she looked a little irritable. Siesta hoped she was not about to overstep her bounds.
"Yes, Siesta?"
"Have you eaten lunch yet," she asked.
There was a brief moment of silence before Miss Valliére responded.
"No," she answered.
Siesta felt like there were butterflies in her stomach, as she opened her mouth to speak again.
"Then if you would like," she said. "I could bring your meal to your room again."
This time there was a slightly longer moment of silence, and Miss Valliére stared at her, as though contemplating her words.
"If you would be so kind," she answered, eventually.
"Of course, Miss," Siesta replied.
She could not help but smile, and curtsied once more, before leaving the room with her bucket and wash-cloth.
That was how it came to be, that half an hour later, Siesta was once again carrying a tray of food to the student's quarters. Only this time it was freshly made, what was meant to be hot was hot, and what was meant to be cool was cool. The chef had looked at her oddly as she had piled it onto some plates, but she had simply told him it was for a student who had fallen ill.
The only thing she had not thought through, was that she had not yet eaten her own lunch. Watching someone eating, did not make it easier to bear her own hunger. She was just trying to distract herself with thoughts of her novels, when her stomach growled, loudly.
Miss Valliére paused, and Siesta felt her face burn, as she turned to face her. Her expression was incredulous.
"Siesta," she said. "Have you not eaten yet?"
Siesta focused on not shuffling her feet, as she answered.
"No, Miss."
Miss Valliére continued to stare at her for a few seconds, and Siesta felt increasingly uncomfortable under her gaze.
"Sit," she said, eventually.
What? For a second Siesta was sure that she had heard wrong.
"Excuse me, Miss?"
"Sit," Miss Valliére repeated.
Her voice was firm, and it sounded like and order. Almost without thinking Siesta obeyed, taking the seat opposite her. She had barely sat down, before Miss Valliére was thrusting a sandwich at her.
"Eat," she said.
With trembling finger, Siesta took the sandwich from her, and began to nibble lightly on the end of it. Was this some sort of trick?
"How do you expect to perform your duties, if you are not eating properly?" Miss Valliére asked.
Siesta stared at her blankly for a second. Miss Valliére had turned her head away, and was staring determinedly at the door. Eventually, she just decided to take this as her way of expressing concern.
"Thank you, Miss," she said.
"You are welcome," she replied, still not looking at her.
Siesta could not help smiling, as she took another bite. There was not really much taste to it, but that was alright.
She could not think of anything to say, and apparently neither could Miss Valliére, so the two of them ate in silence. Although she apparently have Miss Valliére's permission, she made sure not to overindulge. This was not her food, after all, and the last thing she wanted to was annoy her at this point.
Still, this was kind of nice, and she was technically dining with a noble. She tried not to laugh at the thought.
"Why?"
The sudden sound of Miss Valliére's voice made Siesta jump. She needed to take a second to calm her heart, before responding.
"Why what, Miss?" she asked.
"This is the second time you have brought my dinner," she said. "Why?"
"Perhaps I couldn't just leave a cute girl all by herself," she answered, with a smile.
Miss Valliére narrowed her eyes, and glared at her.
"Are you mocking me?" she asked.
Siesta's own eyes went wide, and she felt the blood drain from her face. Why had she said that? Had she not just been thinking about not annoying her? What a stupid thing to say!
"No-No," she stammered. "I wasn't! You really are cute! Well, more pretty than cute, but I wasn't making fun of you I swear. I wouldn't - "
Louise raised a hand, cutting her off. Siesta almost whimpered, and looked down at her feet, expecting Miss Valliére to reprimand her.
"Yes," Louise said. "I understand already."
Siesta raised her head, and found that Miss Valliére's face had gone quite red.
"I-I understand," she repeated. "Thank you for the compliment."
Siesta could not help but stare, not noticing that Miss Valliére's face was turning more and more red. It was not until she turned her head to the side, that Siesta realised how rude she was being.
"W-Why are you staring," Miss Valliére asked.
"Ah! No it's nothing!" Siesta replied. She dragged her gaze away and locking it onto the table.
"I mean, you're welcome, Miss," she added.
Silence reigned between them once more, and this time it was distinctly uncomfortable. That silence seemed to drag on forever, and for a few seconds Siesta did not dare raise her head.
"I am curious, Siesta," Miss Valliére said, eventually. "Do you go to all this trouble for every student?"
Now Siesta raised her gaze, and found Miss Valliére trying to sip nonchalantly from her cup.
Had she not just asked her this? Was this a trick, a trap? Or was Miss Valliére giving her another chance?
"No, Miss," she replied.
"Then why do so for me?" she asked.
Siesta's stomach churned in a most unpleasant way, she may not have much experience talking to nobles, but she recognised the question as precarious. Saying that she had felt sorry for her would surely wound her pride, but so could acting too casually about it. Miss Valliére may be pleasant to her now, but who knew how she would react if she felt insulted?
Siesta swallowed thickly, around the lump that had suddenly formed in her throat.
"B-Because I wanted to?" she eventually managed to say.
Miss Valliére just stared at her, one eyebrow rising curiously.
"I mean, I can't really explain it any better than that," she added.
For a moment Miss Valliére just continued to stare at her, then thankfully, she turned her head away. Siesta almost could have sighed in relief.
Before long the two of them had finished the food Siesta had brought up, and Miss Valliére leaned back into the chair, satisfied. Well almost, there was something of a frown forming on her face.
"Siesta," she said. "I have not been keeping you from your other duties have I"
"Not at all, Miss," she replied.
That was a lie. However, she could make up for the time she had missed by working through her own lunch. She had already eaten now, so it should not be a problem. She would probably have to miss her afternoon nap, but oh well...
Miss Valliére's gaze lingered on her for a moment, before moving away.
"Good," was the only thing she said.
With the meal over Siesta began clear the dishes, whilst Miss Valliére began to root through her books. As she was making for the door, she heard the young lady speak again.
"Thank you again, Siesta," she said.
"Not at all, Miss," she replied, with a smile.
As she carried the dishes towards the kitchens, she hummed a jaunty tune, and she could not help but walk with an extra bounce in her step. Gabrielle's words from the night before came back to her, but they rang so hollow now. She did not care what Gabrielle, or anyone else, had to say, Miss Valliére was clearly a good person.
Later that night, Louise was stood before the fire, gazing into the flames. She was wondering how best to describe the day, between Siesta and that Zerbst woman, it had been very … odd.
She was already changed into her nightclothes, and it would not be long before she went to bed. There was just one more thing that she needed to do.
She sat herself down at her desk, pulled out a piece of parchment, reached for her quill, and began to write.
Dear Mother, she began, then paused.
What should she say? This was the first letter she had written home since she had gotten here, and she wanted it to sound good. She was not about to admit to all the ridicule she had been forced to endure, she did not want her mother to think she could not handle herself.
My first weeks at the academy have gone fairly well, my classes are interesting, and I have learned much.
This was true, no matter what anyone said. She may have yet to successfully cast a spell, but she had studied hard, and knew the fundamentals better than anyone. It was only a matter of time, she was sure.
It is an interesting experience, being at such a prestigious centre of learning, there is such a variety of people here.
She paused, what else could she say? She had not exactly made friends with her classmates, and she was not about to mention the Zerbst woman.
There is one maid, who is named Siesta, who is most curious. She is rather pretty for a commoner, and the two of us are of a similar age. She seems to be a lot more eager in her duties than the others, and much more eager to serve. Twice now she has offered her services to me, without my needing to request anything.
Although, she is perhaps somewhat too friendly, she referred to me as "cute" when we dined together recently,
She stopped, and went over she words she had just put down...
What the hell had she written?!
She should not be writing so much about a servant! She especially should not be mentioning that the two of them had eaten dinner together! She did not want her mother thinking that she was so starved for attention, that she was making friends amongst the serving staff, no matter how pretty they were. Which was another thing, she should not be commenting on the attractiveness of the servant to her mother.
What was wrong with her? What if Eleanore found out?
She felt a shiver run down her spine at the thought. If he eldest sister read what she written, she would never hear the end of it!
No, this letter could never be sent, and that was all there was to it. She would just have to start over.
She scrunched the parchment up, threw it into the fire, and reached for a new sheet.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Author's Note: So, I tried to keep this chapter from feeling too repetitive, despite it being so similar in format to the last one, not sure ow well I did.
Chapter II - New Friends and Second Servings
Louise was not enjoying her breakfast, it tasted like ash in her mouth, and she chewed on it listlessly. Weeks of repeated failures had robbed her of her appetite.
Why? Why had she not been able to perform a single spell properly since she had gotten here, wha was she doing wrong? Why did everything keep blowing-up in her face? She was the daughter of Karin Desiree de la Valliére, the Heavy Wind, what was wrong with her?
She had been looking forward to attending the Academy, looking forward to learning magic properly. She had been sure, so sure, that she would make her mother proud.
She chuckled to herself, bitterly.
What a joke. As soon as her mother found out what little aptitude she had for anything, she would likely never look at her again. How could someone so great give birth to someone so meagre? It was no wonder the others mocked her so much.
She shook her head, to rid herself of such despairing thoughts.
No! She could not give up yet, it had only been a handful of weeks! She was just a late bloomer, who had yet to discover her real talents. All she had to do was work just a little harder, and she could still make her family proud. Then she would be able to put those idiots in their place.
"Well hello," a voice interrupted her thoughts.
She raised her gaze, and found that there was a red-haired, dark-skinned woman staring back down at her. Louise could not help but notice that she was dressed somewhat provocatively, her skirt was a little too short, and the top three buttons of her shirt were undone, exposing her cleavage. She looked like a harlot, yet she was wearing what was unmistakably the Academy's uniform.
"Is anyone sitting here?" she asked, indicating one of the empty seats.
Perhaps she was being unfair, she thought. She did not know this woman, despite how she dressed, she could be perfectly nice. She did not want to jump to conclusion, like those idiots that were always whispering behind her back.
"No," she answered, with a shake of her head.
The woman smiled, and took her seat.
"Allow me to introduce myself," she said. "Kirche Augusta Frederica von Anhalt-Zerbst."
Zerbst? Louise could have sworn she had heard that name somewhere. No matter, for the moment she should introduce herself, she did not want to be rude.
"Louise François le blanc de la Valliére," she replied.
"A pleasure," Kirche said, still smiling. "My apologies for being so presumptuous, but it is my first day here."
Louise almost raised an eyebrow. Her first day? How odd. Sure it was still early in the year, but that was still a couple of weeks worth of lessons she had missed.
"If I may ask," she began. "How come you are starting so late?"
"Well," Kirche replied. "I was originally supposed to attend a school back home in Germania, but there was an incident, and father thought it best that I attend a school a little further away."
"Oh," Louise replied.
What could she say to that? It was clearly personal, a family matter, to ask further questions would be prying.
"Are you not going to ask what the incident was?" Kirche asked.
Louise looked at her, surprised.
"I – well, I did not want to pry," she replied.
Kirche smiled, and it was a smile that made Louise uncomfortable. It was a grin that was one part teasing, and one part … something else.
"It was a duel," she said. "Two dashing young men decided that they did not want to share, so they started a fight over me."
Louise raised her eyebrows, that sounded like something out of a story.
"So what did you do?" she asked.. She was intrigued, despite herself.
"I slept with both of them," Kirche answered.
Louise almost choked on her own saliva, and the sound of chuckling met her years. Once she had her breathing under control, she looked up and found that the Germanian's grin had grown wider.
"How could I not," she continued. "Oscar won the duel, but Frederick was so very valiant."
Louise could feel her face going red, just what sort of woman was this Kirche von Zerbst?
"Oh my, Valliére, you face has gone quiet red," Kirche said. "Was it something I said?"
She searched for a reply, anything she could say in response.
"Was that – I mean were there any more?"
She could have slapped herself, no matter what had been said, she should not be questioning such things.
"Oh plenty," Kirche replied. "I am a very passionate woman."
This woman … this woman was indecent. She was a tart, a philanderer, a scarlet woman!
The woman in question sighed dramatically, and she look in her eyes, it looked like pity. Louise bit her tongue, she neither needed, nor wanted, pity from someone like this.
"I must admit myself disappointed, Valliére," she said. "They told me there was a fire in you, but you seem just as dull as the rest of your countrymen, Perhaps that is the real reason they call you Zero?"
Perhaps it was the use of the nickname, but in that moment, something inside of Louise just snapped. This harlot had come here pretending to be her friend, but really she just wanted to mock, just like all the others.
She was not going to take it any more! Especially not from someone so … so … perverse!
Before she even knew what she was doing, she was on her feet, and pointing her finger at the Germanian.
"Do not call me that!" she bellowed. "Just because I do not feel the need to put myself out in such a way!"
"Not that you have anything to "put out"," Kirche said, staring at her chest.
Louise fought very hard against the urge to cover her chest with her arms.
"Unlike you," she said. "I do not need such a large amount of useless flesh to compensate for my lack of charm."
"So what do you use to compensate for you lack of charm?" Zerbst asked.
Oh, Louise would like nothing more than to wipe that stupid smirk off of her face.
"I have charm," she replied. "All you have is syphilis!"
"Yes," Zerbst responded, rolling her eyes, "Because you are being so charming right now. Tell me, did you inherit it from your mother? I hear she is something of an ice queen."
Louise could feel her rage boiling over, she had never been so angry in all of her life! How dare this trollop talk about her mother like that!
"Do not," she growled. "Do not dare speak about my mother like that, you brazen harlot!"
Her blood thundered in her ears, but under it she could murmuring coming from all around her. She dragged her gaze away from the Zerbst woman, and found that every eye in the room was on the two of them.
Without thinking she turned on her heel, and stomped out of the Great Hall, leaving her half-finished breakfast behind.
She stalked through the halls of the academy, muttering to herself under her breath. How could she be so foolish, as to let that red-haired bimbo goad her like that? She had let her guard down, allowed her to get under her skin.
Yet, what was she supposed to do? Just stand there whilst she insulted her, insulted her family? Her mother was a great woman, and no one was allowed to talk about her like that! No one!
She had had enough of being mocked, of being ridiculed, and she was not going to stand for it anymore!
She had no idea where her feet were taking her, but eventually she found herself standing outside of the library. She looked up at the large oaken doors for a moment, and came to a decision.
They may not have classes today, but that was not any excuse for her to slack off. Whilst the rest of her peers were doing whatever it was they did in there free time, she would be studying, getting better. Then eventually when she surpassed them all, she would make them regret ever mocking her, or her family.
Inside, she found that it was almost entirely empty, even the librarian was missing from her desk.
Good, she told herself. That meant that she would be able to study without fear of interruption.
Yet, as she walked between the empty rows it seemed entirely too quiet, and the bookcases seemed to loom over her like silent sentinels. It made a tiny shiver run down her spine.
She shook her head, she was being ridiculous. Setting her jaw she grabbed two books from the nearest shelf, and carried them over to the nearest table.
- - -
After their chance meeting, and her talk with Gabrielle, Siesta wondered when she would get to see Miss Valliére again. As it turned out, it would only be a mere handful of days later.
It was another hot, spring day and there were not classes. Today was the day of rest, and most of the students were taking full advantage of it. She could hear their voices as he lazed around outside, enjoying the feeling of the sun against their skin. Lucky them, she would love to have an afternoon off, and settle down for a nap underneath the shining sun, with a gentle breeze caressing her skin.
Whilst she was jealous of the students, Siesta was not sure whether to be jealous of the servants who got to work outside amongst the festivities, or glad not to be out under that boiling sun. Even for a spring afternoon, it was incredibly hot, and napping was one thing, work was quite another
Instead, Siesta had been assigned to help clean the classrooms whilst they were empty. Well, more accurately, she had been assigned to clean the library.
She sighed, the library was huge, it would take her forever to clean it by herself.
However, upon entering the next room on her list, she had found that it was not in fact, empty.
Sitting at one of the desks, and surrounded by books, was a girl with a head of very familiar strawberry blonde hair. Her quill was tapping idly against a sheath of parchment, as she stared into space. The sunlight drifting in trough the window highlighted her hair, making it glow. For some reason, Siesta was reminded of a line from one of her books.
"What's a lovely girl like you doing inside on such a beautiful day?" she asked.
The words were out of her mouth before she even had a chance to think about them. Oh, she could have slapped herself. Things like that were incredibly inappropriate to say to someone of Miss Valliére's station. What a way to ruin a good first impression.
Miss Valliére's shoulders stiffened, and she slowly turned to look in her direction. Siesta's stomach felt a sinking sensation in her stomach, and her own body grew tense. She got an unpleasant feeling of deja vu, as she waited to be scolded for her comment.
However, the reprimand never came. Instead, Miss Valliére only stared at her blankly for a moment, before her eye lit-up in recognition. She even smiled at her; it was only slight, but Siesta caught it.
"Siesta?" she said.
"The very same, Miss," she replied.
She briefly placed her cleaning supplies on the floor, so that she could give a proper curtsey.
"What are you doing here?" Miss Valliére asked.
"Cleaning, Miss," she answered.
She began to do just that, dipping her cloth into the bucket of soapy water, and beginning to scrub the table.
"And yourself?" she asked.
Louise glanced down at her parchment, a troubled look on her face. Siesta felt that such a sad expression did not belong on such a pretty face, but she kept that to herself.
She stood on her tiptoes, and saw that Miss Valliére had apparently done quiet a bit of writing. No doubt she would not even understand half of it.
"Are you not going outside, to join the sun?" she asked.
Miss Valliére stared down at her parchment with such fury, that Siesta was taken aback, and briefly paused in cleaning the tables.
"I would really rather not," she replied. "Who would want to spend time with those, those..."
Whatever those people were like Siesta would not find out, because Miss Valliére's voice just trailed off into a growl. Gabrielle's words from last night floated into her mind, but she pushed them aside. Surely someone so caustic would never have thanked her the way Miss Valliére had?
Having no idea out respond to Miss Valliére's mood, Siesta stared silent, and continued scrubbing the tables. Eventually, the sound of Miss Valliére's quill scratching away returned, and sure enough, when Siesta looked, she found her once again writing furiously. It was not exactly a comfortable atmosphere, but it was not uncomfortable either.
While she worked, Siesta could not keep herself from sneaking glances at Miss Valliére. She noted the furrow of her brow, and the tense way she held herself.
As Siesta finished drying off the last desk, she once again looked over at Miss Valliére sitting by herself. She wondered, was she just to leave the girl sitting there by herself? Just how long had she been sitting there, anyway? In that moment she came to a decision.
"Excuse me, Miss?" she said.
Miss Valliére once again paused in her writing, and looked over at her. Her eyebrow was raised, and she looked a little irritable. Siesta hoped she was not about to overstep her bounds.
"Yes, Siesta?"
"Have you eaten lunch yet," she asked.
There was a brief moment of silence before Miss Valliére responded.
"No," she answered.
Siesta felt like there were butterflies in her stomach, as she opened her mouth to speak again.
"Then if you would like," she said. "I could bring your meal to your room again."
This time there was a slightly longer moment of silence, and Miss Valliére stared at her, as though contemplating her words.
"If you would be so kind," she answered, eventually.
"Of course, Miss," Siesta replied.
She could not help but smile, and curtsied once more, before leaving the room with her bucket and wash-cloth.
That was how it came to be, that half an hour later, Siesta was once again carrying a tray of food to the student's quarters. Only this time it was freshly made, what was meant to be hot was hot, and what was meant to be cool was cool. The chef had looked at her oddly as she had piled it onto some plates, but she had simply told him it was for a student who had fallen ill.
The only thing she had not thought through, was that she had not yet eaten her own lunch. Watching someone eating, did not make it easier to bear her own hunger. She was just trying to distract herself with thoughts of her novels, when her stomach growled, loudly.
Miss Valliére paused, and Siesta felt her face burn, as she turned to face her. Her expression was incredulous.
"Siesta," she said. "Have you not eaten yet?"
Siesta focused on not shuffling her feet, as she answered.
"No, Miss."
Miss Valliére continued to stare at her for a few seconds, and Siesta felt increasingly uncomfortable under her gaze.
"Sit," she said, eventually.
What? For a second Siesta was sure that she had heard wrong.
"Excuse me, Miss?"
"Sit," Miss Valliére repeated.
Her voice was firm, and it sounded like and order. Almost without thinking Siesta obeyed, taking the seat opposite her. She had barely sat down, before Miss Valliére was thrusting a sandwich at her.
"Eat," she said.
With trembling finger, Siesta took the sandwich from her, and began to nibble lightly on the end of it. Was this some sort of trick?
"How do you expect to perform your duties, if you are not eating properly?" Miss Valliére asked.
Siesta stared at her blankly for a second. Miss Valliére had turned her head away, and was staring determinedly at the door. Eventually, she just decided to take this as her way of expressing concern.
"Thank you, Miss," she said.
"You are welcome," she replied, still not looking at her.
Siesta could not help smiling, as she took another bite. There was not really much taste to it, but that was alright.
She could not think of anything to say, and apparently neither could Miss Valliére, so the two of them ate in silence. Although she apparently have Miss Valliére's permission, she made sure not to overindulge. This was not her food, after all, and the last thing she wanted to was annoy her at this point.
Still, this was kind of nice, and she was technically dining with a noble. She tried not to laugh at the thought.
"Why?"
The sudden sound of Miss Valliére's voice made Siesta jump. She needed to take a second to calm her heart, before responding.
"Why what, Miss?" she asked.
"This is the second time you have brought my dinner," she said. "Why?"
"Perhaps I couldn't just leave a cute girl all by herself," she answered, with a smile.
Miss Valliére narrowed her eyes, and glared at her.
"Are you mocking me?" she asked.
Siesta's own eyes went wide, and she felt the blood drain from her face. Why had she said that? Had she not just been thinking about not annoying her? What a stupid thing to say!
"No-No," she stammered. "I wasn't! You really are cute! Well, more pretty than cute, but I wasn't making fun of you I swear. I wouldn't - "
Louise raised a hand, cutting her off. Siesta almost whimpered, and looked down at her feet, expecting Miss Valliére to reprimand her.
"Yes," Louise said. "I understand already."
Siesta raised her head, and found that Miss Valliére's face had gone quite red.
"I-I understand," she repeated. "Thank you for the compliment."
Siesta could not help but stare, not noticing that Miss Valliére's face was turning more and more red. It was not until she turned her head to the side, that Siesta realised how rude she was being.
"W-Why are you staring," Miss Valliére asked.
"Ah! No it's nothing!" Siesta replied. She dragged her gaze away and locking it onto the table.
"I mean, you're welcome, Miss," she added.
Silence reigned between them once more, and this time it was distinctly uncomfortable. That silence seemed to drag on forever, and for a few seconds Siesta did not dare raise her head.
"I am curious, Siesta," Miss Valliére said, eventually. "Do you go to all this trouble for every student?"
Now Siesta raised her gaze, and found Miss Valliére trying to sip nonchalantly from her cup.
Had she not just asked her this? Was this a trick, a trap? Or was Miss Valliére giving her another chance?
"No, Miss," she replied.
"Then why do so for me?" she asked.
Siesta's stomach churned in a most unpleasant way, she may not have much experience talking to nobles, but she recognised the question as precarious. Saying that she had felt sorry for her would surely wound her pride, but so could acting too casually about it. Miss Valliére may be pleasant to her now, but who knew how she would react if she felt insulted?
Siesta swallowed thickly, around the lump that had suddenly formed in her throat.
"B-Because I wanted to?" she eventually managed to say.
Miss Valliére just stared at her, one eyebrow rising curiously.
"I mean, I can't really explain it any better than that," she added.
For a moment Miss Valliére just continued to stare at her, then thankfully, she turned her head away. Siesta almost could have sighed in relief.
Before long the two of them had finished the food Siesta had brought up, and Miss Valliére leaned back into the chair, satisfied. Well almost, there was something of a frown forming on her face.
"Siesta," she said. "I have not been keeping you from your other duties have I"
"Not at all, Miss," she replied.
That was a lie. However, she could make up for the time she had missed by working through her own lunch. She had already eaten now, so it should not be a problem. She would probably have to miss her afternoon nap, but oh well...
Miss Valliére's gaze lingered on her for a moment, before moving away.
"Good," was the only thing she said.
With the meal over Siesta began clear the dishes, whilst Miss Valliére began to root through her books. As she was making for the door, she heard the young lady speak again.
"Thank you again, Siesta," she said.
"Not at all, Miss," she replied, with a smile.
As she carried the dishes towards the kitchens, she hummed a jaunty tune, and she could not help but walk with an extra bounce in her step. Gabrielle's words from the night before came back to her, but they rang so hollow now. She did not care what Gabrielle, or anyone else, had to say, Miss Valliére was clearly a good person.
- - -
Later that night, Louise was stood before the fire, gazing into the flames. She was wondering how best to describe the day, between Siesta and that Zerbst woman, it had been very … odd.
She was already changed into her nightclothes, and it would not be long before she went to bed. There was just one more thing that she needed to do.
She sat herself down at her desk, pulled out a piece of parchment, reached for her quill, and began to write.
Dear Mother, she began, then paused.
What should she say? This was the first letter she had written home since she had gotten here, and she wanted it to sound good. She was not about to admit to all the ridicule she had been forced to endure, she did not want her mother to think she could not handle herself.
My first weeks at the academy have gone fairly well, my classes are interesting, and I have learned much.
This was true, no matter what anyone said. She may have yet to successfully cast a spell, but she had studied hard, and knew the fundamentals better than anyone. It was only a matter of time, she was sure.
It is an interesting experience, being at such a prestigious centre of learning, there is such a variety of people here.
She paused, what else could she say? She had not exactly made friends with her classmates, and she was not about to mention the Zerbst woman.
There is one maid, who is named Siesta, who is most curious. She is rather pretty for a commoner, and the two of us are of a similar age. She seems to be a lot more eager in her duties than the others, and much more eager to serve. Twice now she has offered her services to me, without my needing to request anything.
Although, she is perhaps somewhat too friendly, she referred to me as "cute" when we dined together recently,
She stopped, and went over she words she had just put down...
What the hell had she written?!
She should not be writing so much about a servant! She especially should not be mentioning that the two of them had eaten dinner together! She did not want her mother thinking that she was so starved for attention, that she was making friends amongst the serving staff, no matter how pretty they were. Which was another thing, she should not be commenting on the attractiveness of the servant to her mother.
What was wrong with her? What if Eleanore found out?
She felt a shiver run down her spine at the thought. If he eldest sister read what she written, she would never hear the end of it!
No, this letter could never be sent, and that was all there was to it. She would just have to start over.
She scrunched the parchment up, threw it into the fire, and reached for a new sheet.
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Author's Note: So, I tried to keep this chapter from feeling too repetitive, despite it being so similar in format to the last one, not sure ow well I did.
- Location
- Portugal
Damn it, Kirche, if you hadn't called Louise a Zero things would have gone much better, it's sad that Louise wasn't behaving like her short-tempered self and was being nice but it's no reason to say you are dissapointed at her when she was just trying to be nice and then calling her by the nickname other people must have warned is not one that Louise likes.
Then again, Louise goes for the syphilis comment which is not charming in anyway too, and Louise reveals herself to be a bit paranoid when she assumes, right after being called a Zero, that Kirche was planning to mock her the whole time, and then she goes ahead and insults Louise's mother making sure that their relationship won't be exactly great.
And i like that Siesta without noticing just starts spouting lines from romance novels towards Louise, and that both seem to be already attracted to each other at this point.
Too bad Louise and Siesta are still focusing too much on the commoner and noble's difference in status.
Then again, Louise goes for the syphilis comment which is not charming in anyway too, and Louise reveals herself to be a bit paranoid when she assumes, right after being called a Zero, that Kirche was planning to mock her the whole time, and then she goes ahead and insults Louise's mother making sure that their relationship won't be exactly great.
And i like that Siesta without noticing just starts spouting lines from romance novels towards Louise, and that both seem to be already attracted to each other at this point.
Too bad Louise and Siesta are still focusing too much on the commoner and noble's difference in status.
Well, they've each acknowledged that the other is "pretty", but not much else at this point.
Dermonster
The Shittiest Wizard
You may want to consider askign around for a beta. There are numerous minor spelling and grammer mistakes, and a second pair of eyes would help with that.
- Location
- Portugal
It's a start, particularly for Louise, i mean, i don't know how Halkeginia views homosexual relationships in general, but it always felt like the Vallieres are a conservative family to me(except for Cattleya), and Louise in turn does have an tendency to think and act on traditional values and such, so her coming used to the idea that she is gay/bi will help her in the future, and most importantly, make her more open to the idea of being in a relationship with Siesta in the future, hell, her sexuality not being what is considered normal and proper by Tristain and having to come to terms with it is a great catalyst to make her rethink her views about many of her beliefs.
Then again, Louise doesn't seem to think her finding Siesta attractive odd in anyway so maybe Tristain is actually pretty accepting of gay relationships.
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GeshronTyler
Kleiner Giftzwerg
Historically, in Europe, and likely elsewhere in the world, females of "noble" blood tended to be constantly surrounded/accompanied by female servants and/or nobly born companions/chaperones, to make sure that the woman in question was not put/put herself in a situation that might call her virtue in question. Because marraige between members of the nobles/upper classes was often arranged for social/politcal/power advantage, and actual compatibility, relative age, or even level of blood relationship (at least around the 17th century or so) was secondary.
In essence, the amount of freedom the noble students have at the academy would be unusual to such a setting normally, especially the co-ed education. This could imply that, for whatever reason, perhaps the ability to abort/prevent unwanted pregnancies through alchemy/spells, and/or being certain of a child's parentage by same, that its just not that important to control the sexual behavior of the scions of the noble/mage class families. Also, other authors and fans of the ZnT setting have taken the position that the sexes are much more equal, at least among the mages, because magic evens the "playing field" as to projecting overt power. Female mages can not be simply forced to submit to a patriachial system that denies them little or no agency.
Thus, a relationship between young women and men (of various pairings) of the appropriate social standings might not be faced with complete censure, so long as things are more or less discrete, and no problems arise.
On the other hand, the problem with Louise and Siesta may be concerns that either Louise is taking advantage of Siesta, ie using her standing and freedom to control her sexuality to seduce/coerce Siesta, or Siesta is basically being a "gold digger". Resentment towards Siesta from her peers could be a big problem, and pressure from the Academy faculty, and derision from Louise's peers.
In the scenario where Siesta is/becomes Louise's Familiar, that would tend to place their relationship within a more or less acceptable framework, for all that society would still have problems with Siesta being a human being.
If Siesta is not Louise's Familiar, then ultimately I figure Louise would still have give Siesta a formal contract of employment- The Academy would be unlikely/unable to allow Siesta to remain employed.
In essence, the amount of freedom the noble students have at the academy would be unusual to such a setting normally, especially the co-ed education. This could imply that, for whatever reason, perhaps the ability to abort/prevent unwanted pregnancies through alchemy/spells, and/or being certain of a child's parentage by same, that its just not that important to control the sexual behavior of the scions of the noble/mage class families. Also, other authors and fans of the ZnT setting have taken the position that the sexes are much more equal, at least among the mages, because magic evens the "playing field" as to projecting overt power. Female mages can not be simply forced to submit to a patriachial system that denies them little or no agency.
Thus, a relationship between young women and men (of various pairings) of the appropriate social standings might not be faced with complete censure, so long as things are more or less discrete, and no problems arise.
On the other hand, the problem with Louise and Siesta may be concerns that either Louise is taking advantage of Siesta, ie using her standing and freedom to control her sexuality to seduce/coerce Siesta, or Siesta is basically being a "gold digger". Resentment towards Siesta from her peers could be a big problem, and pressure from the Academy faculty, and derision from Louise's peers.
In the scenario where Siesta is/becomes Louise's Familiar, that would tend to place their relationship within a more or less acceptable framework, for all that society would still have problems with Siesta being a human being.
If Siesta is not Louise's Familiar, then ultimately I figure Louise would still have give Siesta a formal contract of employment- The Academy would be unlikely/unable to allow Siesta to remain employed.
Obloquy
CrossMyHeart And HopeToDie, StickANeedleInMyEye
- Location
- the Physical Realm
I really like what your doing with this development. We don't see nearly enough of pre-series Louise in fan fiction, and it's a shame, because her first year of school is most of what makes her who she is.
I'll have to check out your other works as well.
I'll have to check out your other works as well.
- Location
- Portugal
I know!
This is a rare ZnT story that happens in Halkeginia but isn't just retelling the same story again, and the point in time it's focused on means that Reconquista, Wardes, Henrietta and the Familiar Summoning Ritual won't appear or be important for a while.
It's also a fun idea to have Louise and Siesta meet each other before Saito or whatever familiar arrives, at the very least, becoming friends and apparently falling in love with a female commoner(in a Tristain that seemingly isn't very accepting of gay relationships) should lead to Louise being nicer, less arrogant towards commoners and less judgemental(she is a lesbian/bi in a conservative society, that is bound to make her question the values of Tristain more at the very least) even before the start of canon, hell, Siesta is already having a positive effect on Louise, as she has met someone she actually likes in the Academy already unlike canon where she was a friendless loner that didn't really like anyone in the Academy.
Chapter III - A Knight in Stockings
Chapter III – A Knight in Stockings
The morning dawned the same as any other, a bit busier perhaps, due to today being the day the second year students summoned their familiars. However, that did not affect her, she continued sweeping the floors, washing clothes, and dusting shelves, as she did every day. If she often thought that she caught a flash of strawberry blonde hair out of the corner of her eye, well that was surely just a trick of the light. That was, until the kitchens began to serve the evening meal, and her work was finally beginning to slow down.
She took the route past the library as she hurried to finish her chores. It was technically the long way around, but that was fine, she had plenty of time. She certainly had not taken this route with the idea that she would run into anyone in particular.
As she walked through one of the empty hallways, her footsteps echoed around her. The sun was setting outside the window, casting a red and orange glow through the hallway. The effect was a little beautiful, and Siesta paused to stare out of the window.
As she stared at the sun set across the trees, she could not help but feel a little wistful. She wondered what her family was doing now, especially her brothers, were they keeping out of trouble?
Yet thoughts of her parents also made her feel somewhat bitter, like something was weighing her heart down; especially when she remembered the last time she had seen them. So she pushed those images aside, and tried to think of something else.
With some effort she turned her mind away from those dark thoughts, and down brighter roads. She wondered what Miss Valliére was doing right now? Probably eating her fill at dinner no doubt. She could just picture it, the petite noble taking careful bites of everything in front of her. She giggled at the image.
So lost was she in her reverie, that she almost missed the odd sound that began echoing down the hall. It was a rhythmic clacking, like something hard tapping against stone. She could feel her skin tingle as she wondered what it could be. Then another sound followed the clacking, so quiet she could barely hear it at first; but it steadily grew louder and louder, until it filled her ears.
It was a growl. A low, deep, and threatening growl.
Instantly every muscle in her body grew taut, and a chill ran down her spine. Her heart began to beat violently in her chest, and she couldn't breath. Against her own will she slowly began to turn around.
No! She did not want to look, but her body refused to listen!
What she saw almost caused her to stop breathing entirely.
It was a massive beast, shaped like a dog, but much larger. Its fur was so black that it was almost difficult to define it's shape, and its eyes glowed like coals in a fire. She could see its fangs bared at her, long and sharp, and its breath rose around it in wisps. It crept towards her, its burning eyes locked on hers.
Something deep inside screamed at her to run.
She tried to take a step back, but her legs gave out from under her, and she crumbled to the ground. The pain did not register, all she could think about was the great beast, and how it was drawing steadily closer.
Her breath caught in her throat, and raw panic clawed at her mind.
Oh, gods no!
I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die I don't want to die I don't want to die -
Then the dog vanished, and for a moment all she could see was brown, like the bark of a tree. It took Siesta several seconds to realise someone had stepped between her and the monster.
"What do you think you are doing?" the newcomer asked.
Siesta recognised that voice instantly, it was Miss Valliére!
Suddenly cackling laughter echoed through the hallway, and she could hear the sound of footsteps against the stone floor. Gathering her courage, Siesta peeked out from behind Miss Valliére, and almost hid again immediately when she saw that the beast was still there; but there was also two more people, walking towards them from the other end of the corridor. They wore black cloaks, second years.
"And here comes that handsome chevalier, to spoil our fun," said one of them, sardonically.
"Your idea of fun seems pretty cruel," Miss Valliére replied.
"Oh, we were just having a little jape, nothing serious," said the other one. "Weren't we Anya?"
"Just testing out my new familiar" Anya replied.
"Why couldn't you test it out on a squirrel or something?" Miss Valliére asked. "Instead of terrifying poor Siesta?"
One of the girls hummed, and a predatory smile grew on her face.
"Oh, "poor Siesta" is it?" she said. "You are familiar with this commoner then, Miss...?"
Louise said nothing, but she did not need to, for Anya filled the silence.
"I know who she is, Em," she said. "She's the Valliére girl, the one they call The Zero."
Both girls erupted into cackles again.
"Oh, that makes so much sense!" "Em" exclaimed. "The failure can't stand amongst proper mages, so she has to make friends with the servants!"
"It must have given you quite the thrill, Zero," Anya said. "To be able to step in like that, to feel like you were competent."
Miss Valliére said nothing, she merely stood glaring at them.
"It was pretty foolish to step between my familiar and it's prey like that though," she continued. "Is she that precious to you? Is she perhaps the only friend you have? Perhaps you are so pathetic that even the servants want nothing to do with you?"
Suddenly Miss Valliére's wand was in her hand, and it was pointed directly at Anya's face.
"Speak again," she growled.
The beast growled in returned, and Siesta felt like she was going to be sick.
"I would not do that if I were you, Zero," Anya said. "Conan might take offense."
"Then I'd reign him in," Louise replied. "It would be a shame for you to lose the beast mere hours after summoning him."
Anya cackled again.
"Are you threatening me, Valliére?" she asked. "I know you, all you can do is..."
She cut herself off, and her face contorted, as though she had come to a sudden, unpleasant realisation. Silence hung in the air for a moment, before she sighed dramatically, and continued:
"Very well, I bore of this," she said. "There's no point continuing this charade, Em. Come Conan!"
Then just like that the two of them walked away, the monster trotting at their heels.
She could not relax until they rounded the corner and were out of sight, then an overwhelming sense of relief passed over her, and she released a trembling breath.
"Siesta, are you alright?"
Siesta raised her head at the sound of Miss Valliére's voice, and found her gazing solemnly down at her. Then she smiled, and in the light of the setting sun it seemed like the sweetest smile Siesta had ever seen.
It was like something broke inside of her, and suddenly it was all too much. She grabbed Miss Valliére around the stomach and buried her face against her shirt, as the tears began to pour from her eyes. She could not even form the words to thank her, all she could do was mumble incoherently against her chest.
Louise watched the two girls as they left, the barghest familiar following close behind them.
Her heart was still beating fast, and she had to force herself to breathe properly. Her legs felt weak, like they might give out from under her at any moment, but she willed them to remain firm. She clutched at her right hand beneath her cloak, and tried to force it to stop trembling. It had been doing that the whole time, she had had to keep it hidden.
She took a deep breath and released it, as though to purge the anxiety from her body.
It was just the creature's nature affecting her, she assured herself. Barghests were omens of death and inspired fear in others, that is why she was trembling so badly. She would never cower in front of a mere bully, no matter how big of a pet they had.
Just what was wrong with those two girls, anyway. They summon a really powerful familiar, and the first thing they use it for it to bully a maid? What kind of ridiculously childish behaviour was that? Her mother certainly would not have stood for it, and neither would she.
If – no, when – she summoned her own familiar, she would be sure to use it properly; she would make her mother proud.
She turned to face Siesta, pre-planned words of comfort on her tongue; but they died on her lips as soon as she caught sight of her.
The girl was an absolute wreck, there were tears streaming down her face, and her eyes were bloodshot. Her skin had turned completely pale, and she was quivering noticeably. Even from here Louise could see that her breathing was rough and haggard. Had the barghest really had that much of an effect on her?
Louise could of kicked herself; of course it had! Siesta probably did not have much experience with magical creatures of any kind, and the barghest was a very sinister beast!
Slowly, moving as softly as possible, she knelt in front of the maid. She reached out to put a hand on her shoulder, then thought better about it, and let the arm dangle awkwardly at her side.
"Siesta, are you alright?" she asked.
The girl almost leaped out of her skin, causing Louise to jump in turn. Her eyes looked lost for a moment, before they locked onto hers. Louise felt a heavy weight press down on her chest, as she stared into her eyes. Ah, this was no good, seeing Siesta's pretty face scrunched up in fear and pain just felt wrong.
…What now?
Although she was loathe to admit ignorance, crying and terrified maids were far outside Louise's area of expertise.
Feeling the need to do something to help, Louise forced a smile onto her face.
Siesta's reaction was unexpected, tears began streaming down her face again, and for just a moment Louise thought she had done something wrong. Then Siesta sprang forwards, and seized her about the waist, in crushing grip that squeezed the breath right out of her. She had not known that the maid had such strength in her.
Siesta buried her face in her chest, and Louise had to bite back the reprimand that sprang instantly to her lips. She could already feel her shirt growing damp against her skin, and hear Siesta murmuring unintelligible over and over.
Louise swallowed thickly in response to the butterflies that sprang to life in the pit of her stomach, and uncertainly raised her hand to stroke Siesta's hair. She said nothing, but simply repeated the motion over and over, as she thought about what to do.
They could not stay out here, the hallway was not exactly an appropriate place to help someone calm down. Not to mention, it might be embarrassing for Siesta if someone were to come along and see her like this. She should probably take her somewhere else, the question was where?
Then a thought occurred to her, and she nodded her head. It was as good as anywhere else, and it was not like Siesta had not been there already anyway.
Louise tried to stand, and attempted to drag Siesta up with her. However, the girl lacked either the strength or the will to move.
"Come on, get up," Louise said, as gently as she possibly could.
Surprisingly, that gentle prompting seemed to work, and Siesta pushed herself up. Her legs were clearly unsteady, and she leaned heavily on Louise, but she was up.
Then Siesta wretched, and there was a wet slap as the maid's lunch met the stone floor.
Louise unconsciously fished her handkerchief out of her pocket and dabbed it against Siesta's mouth, as she stared at the puddle on the floor. She could smell the acrid stench already... Well, that was someone else problem, it was clearly far more important for her to deal with Siesta's tears than it was to clean-up a little mess. Besides, that was a servant's job anyway.
As she guided Siesta away, she amused herself with the idea of making that Anya girl and her mutt deal with it. Dogs would eat anything, right?
As they passed through the various corridors Louise found herself thanking the gods that most of the castle was at dinner. She did not want to try explaining this to anyone that saw them. She would absolutely be reporting those girls later, but right now it would just be an annoyance.
Eventually they reached the one place Louise knew that they would be guaranteed some privacy, her chambers. After managing to work the door open, she half-carried Siesta across the threshold, and kicked it closed with her heel.
The first thing she did was offer the maid some water from the pitcher at her bedside, so that she could wash her mouth out. The maid complied, and spat it out of the window.
She sat Siesta on the edge of her bed, and then simply stood there, as she was once again faced with the question of what to do next. The colour was starting to return to her cheeks, but she still looked shaken. Her crying had tapered off, but she was still snivelling a little.
"Siesta," she began, her voice more confident than she felt. "Are you feeling better now?"
"Yes, Miss, thank you," Siesta replied. However, her voice was hoarse and trembling, and Louise did not believe her.
Still, she was not really sure about what she should say, so she just stood there as an awkward silence hung in he air. She could order her to tell the truth, but just thinking about it brought to mind visions of her tear-stained face from mere minutes ago.
"Siesta," she said, finally. "Why don't you just take I quick nap, and I'll wake you in a minute?"
The maid stared at her with blank eyes for for a moment, as though she could not quite comprehend what she was hearing. Then she looked down at the bed she was sitting on, and then back up at Louise.
"Oh, Miss, I couldn't," she replied.
"You can and you will," Louise said. She tried to make her voice firm, without sounding cruel; given that Siesta's expression did not change, she must have managed well enough.
"Y-yes," Siesta responded. "Thank you, Miss."
Louise watched as the maid dutifully removed her boots, placing them to the side, before lying down and resting her head atop the pillow. It was not long before she seemed to fall asleep.
It felt strange seeing someone else sleep on her bed, especially when that someone else was a servant, a commoner. However, Siesta had gone out of her way to show her kindness twice now, it was only appropriate that she return the favour. A true noble should always pay her debts, her mother would be ashamed is she were to do otherwise. On top of that, was the fact that Siesta was one of the most agreeable people she had met since leaving home.
Siesta breathing began to even out, becoming smooth and rhythmic; Louise took this too mean that she had fallen into a deep slumber. Yes, she looked much better now, serene and peaceful, even with tear tracks still running down her cheeks.
She would let the girl rest for a couple of hours, before waking her and sending her back to the servant's quarters. It was not like she needed the bed right now anyway, she still had to do her evenings studying before she even thought about sleep.
She grabbed a couple of books, and carried them over to her desk. The first one she opened was a basic introduction to the different elements, their temperaments, and the current theories surrounding elemental affinities. Her peers mocked her for being unable to perform proper magic, but that was just because she had not discovered which element she was attuned to yet. She was sure that once she found that out, she would put the rest of her classmates to shame. Then she could stand beside her mother with pride.
Yet even as she tried to study, the evenings events kept forcing their way back into her mind. It was absolutely galling to her, the way those two girls had acted. It was one thing to discipline an unruly servant, but they had seemingly picked on Siesta simply because she was there. Moreover, even if Siesta had done something wrong, threatening her with a barghest was simply too much.
However, she remembered the look on Anya's face, that brief second of doubt that flashed through her eyes before she walked away. Louise was not ashamed to admit that it sent a brief tingle down her spine, that someone had been made to think twice about crossing her.
She shook her head, and tried to force those thoughts aside, so that she could continue with her studying. Let's see...
Fire is the first of the elements we will be considering in this chapter. Fire is often considered the element of passion, but passion takes many forms...
Passion? She could be passionate!
The image of that Zerbst girl floated in front of her mind's eye.
...Or perhaps not.
She was not aware of how long she had been sat there, with her nose in a book, but eventually she heard Siesta moaning. She turned her head, and saw that the girl was beginning to stir.
She made sure to mark her place, then closed the book and rose to her feet. She walked over, and sat on the edge of the bed. She noticed that some of her hair had gotten loose and fallen in the maid's face, without thinking she leaned over to brush it away.
Then Siesta's eyes fluttered open, and she froze as though she had been caught doing something indecent. Fortunately they were still clouded and unfocused, she was clearly still half-asleep, so if she acted quickly she could –
Her thoughts came to a screeching halt, when she felt something light and fleeting against her lips. Siesta smiled sweetly at her, then her head flopped back onto the pillow.
Louise rose to her feet stiffly, her thoughts travelling at a mile a minute.
Had she? But then...? What?
A kiss! That had definitely been a kiss!
Louise's first instinct was to chuck the girl out of her bed, and demand an explanation. However, she reigned herself in, marched over to the window, threw it wide open, and took a deep breath of the crisp night air.
She raised a hand to her lips, they tingled slightly, and the room felt very humid all of a sudden; perhaps she would stay by the window a while longer.
As the cool air brushed against her skin, she thought a little more on what had just happened. Siesta had still been half-asleep when it had happened, she must have dreaming of someone else and then... Yes, that was clearly the proper explanation.
It was not long before Siesta began to stir again, and this time she dragged herself up, and rested against the headboard; her eyes searching around the room. Louise schooled her expression into a carefully stoic mask, then stepped away from the window, and Siesta's eyes were drawn right to her.
"Ah, Miss Valliére," she said, groggily. "How long was I asleep for?"
Louise shrugged, feigning nonchalance.
"No more that a couple of hours," she answered.
"I see..." Siesta responded.
Louise watched as the maid's gaze dropped to her lap for a moment, before rising to meet her eyes again. There was an apologetic smile on her face.
"I'm sorry for the trouble I caused," she said.
Louise snorted, and waved her hand, as though she was waving away Siesta's apology.
"You have nothing to be sorry for," she replied. "I was glad to help."
Indeed, it was those two girls who should be sorry, and if Louise had anything to say about it they would be.
Oblivious to her thoughts, Siesta just stared at her blankly for a moment, before smiling again and rising to her feet.
"Thank you," she said, and dropped into a curtsy so deep she was almost sitting on the floor.
"Think nothing of it," Louise replied. "I trust you are feeling better now?"
Siesta nodded her head.
"Yes, much," she answered. "I feel more embarrassed now, for allowing myself to be seen in such a state."
"You have nothing to be embarrassed for," Louise replied. "That beast was a barghest, a symbol of death. Anyone would be afraid at being confronted by something like that so suddenly."
Siesta made no reply, and simply stared at her for a long, drawn-out moment. Louise could practically feel her gaze boring into her, and had to keep herself from fidgeting, she could feel the blood rushing to her face. She was on the verge of asking what she was looking at, when she spoke again.
"You did not seem afraid at all, Miss," she said.
If Louise thought her face was warm before, it felt like it was on fire now; somehow there was something faintly embarrassing about hearing Siesta say that. She coughed into her hand, and forced a chuckle through her throat, in an effort to hide her sudden outbreak of modesty.
"Well, I am a Valliére after all," she replied. "It would take much more than that to scare us."
Siesta's smile was radiant, and it caused Louise to feel slightly bad about her self-aggrandizement, small as it was. She tried to think of a way to change the subject, but came up empty. She was not sure whether fortune was with her or against her, when her stomach chose that precise moment to release an impressive growl.
The smile slid off of Siesta face, and Louise turned her head to the side to conceal her embarrassment.
"Miss?" Siesta began.
Louise refused to face her, and racked her mind for retorts to whatever mockery came her way.
"Did you not eat dinner," she asked.
"S-so what, I could not very well leave you here all by yourself, could I?" she responded.
Louise regretted her words almost immediately, as Siesta's expression fell. It almost looked like she felt guilty over causing Louise to miss a meal.
Suddenly Siesta sprang off of the bed, and onto her feet, and she gazed at Louise with determination burning in her eyes.
"Right, Miss," she said. "You just wait right here, and I'll go fetch you something to eat right now!"
"Y-you do not need to do that," Louise replied, taken aback.
Siesta shook her head furiously.
"It's the least I can do to thank you for taking care of me," she said.
With that she disappeared through the door. In fact, she left so quickly that she forgot to put her shoes back on, Louise could see them still sitting there next to the bed.
Now alone in her room, at least for the moment, Louise lowered herself onto her bed, and stared up at the canopy. All in all, she was glad she had helped Siesta. Not just because it was the right thing to do, but also because Siesta was someone who clearly deserved good things to come her way. She was polite, attentive, and uncommonly good looking for a commoner. Yes, a pretty face like hers was more suited to smiles than tears, and Louise idly pondered whether she could help with that.
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The morning dawned the same as any other, a bit busier perhaps, due to today being the day the second year students summoned their familiars. However, that did not affect her, she continued sweeping the floors, washing clothes, and dusting shelves, as she did every day. If she often thought that she caught a flash of strawberry blonde hair out of the corner of her eye, well that was surely just a trick of the light. That was, until the kitchens began to serve the evening meal, and her work was finally beginning to slow down.
She took the route past the library as she hurried to finish her chores. It was technically the long way around, but that was fine, she had plenty of time. She certainly had not taken this route with the idea that she would run into anyone in particular.
As she walked through one of the empty hallways, her footsteps echoed around her. The sun was setting outside the window, casting a red and orange glow through the hallway. The effect was a little beautiful, and Siesta paused to stare out of the window.
As she stared at the sun set across the trees, she could not help but feel a little wistful. She wondered what her family was doing now, especially her brothers, were they keeping out of trouble?
Yet thoughts of her parents also made her feel somewhat bitter, like something was weighing her heart down; especially when she remembered the last time she had seen them. So she pushed those images aside, and tried to think of something else.
With some effort she turned her mind away from those dark thoughts, and down brighter roads. She wondered what Miss Valliére was doing right now? Probably eating her fill at dinner no doubt. She could just picture it, the petite noble taking careful bites of everything in front of her. She giggled at the image.
So lost was she in her reverie, that she almost missed the odd sound that began echoing down the hall. It was a rhythmic clacking, like something hard tapping against stone. She could feel her skin tingle as she wondered what it could be. Then another sound followed the clacking, so quiet she could barely hear it at first; but it steadily grew louder and louder, until it filled her ears.
It was a growl. A low, deep, and threatening growl.
Instantly every muscle in her body grew taut, and a chill ran down her spine. Her heart began to beat violently in her chest, and she couldn't breath. Against her own will she slowly began to turn around.
No! She did not want to look, but her body refused to listen!
What she saw almost caused her to stop breathing entirely.
It was a massive beast, shaped like a dog, but much larger. Its fur was so black that it was almost difficult to define it's shape, and its eyes glowed like coals in a fire. She could see its fangs bared at her, long and sharp, and its breath rose around it in wisps. It crept towards her, its burning eyes locked on hers.
Something deep inside screamed at her to run.
She tried to take a step back, but her legs gave out from under her, and she crumbled to the ground. The pain did not register, all she could think about was the great beast, and how it was drawing steadily closer.
Her breath caught in her throat, and raw panic clawed at her mind.
Oh, gods no!
I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die I don't want to die I don't want to die -
Then the dog vanished, and for a moment all she could see was brown, like the bark of a tree. It took Siesta several seconds to realise someone had stepped between her and the monster.
"What do you think you are doing?" the newcomer asked.
Siesta recognised that voice instantly, it was Miss Valliére!
Suddenly cackling laughter echoed through the hallway, and she could hear the sound of footsteps against the stone floor. Gathering her courage, Siesta peeked out from behind Miss Valliére, and almost hid again immediately when she saw that the beast was still there; but there was also two more people, walking towards them from the other end of the corridor. They wore black cloaks, second years.
"And here comes that handsome chevalier, to spoil our fun," said one of them, sardonically.
"Your idea of fun seems pretty cruel," Miss Valliére replied.
"Oh, we were just having a little jape, nothing serious," said the other one. "Weren't we Anya?"
"Just testing out my new familiar" Anya replied.
"Why couldn't you test it out on a squirrel or something?" Miss Valliére asked. "Instead of terrifying poor Siesta?"
One of the girls hummed, and a predatory smile grew on her face.
"Oh, "poor Siesta" is it?" she said. "You are familiar with this commoner then, Miss...?"
Louise said nothing, but she did not need to, for Anya filled the silence.
"I know who she is, Em," she said. "She's the Valliére girl, the one they call The Zero."
Both girls erupted into cackles again.
"Oh, that makes so much sense!" "Em" exclaimed. "The failure can't stand amongst proper mages, so she has to make friends with the servants!"
"It must have given you quite the thrill, Zero," Anya said. "To be able to step in like that, to feel like you were competent."
Miss Valliére said nothing, she merely stood glaring at them.
"It was pretty foolish to step between my familiar and it's prey like that though," she continued. "Is she that precious to you? Is she perhaps the only friend you have? Perhaps you are so pathetic that even the servants want nothing to do with you?"
Suddenly Miss Valliére's wand was in her hand, and it was pointed directly at Anya's face.
"Speak again," she growled.
The beast growled in returned, and Siesta felt like she was going to be sick.
"I would not do that if I were you, Zero," Anya said. "Conan might take offense."
"Then I'd reign him in," Louise replied. "It would be a shame for you to lose the beast mere hours after summoning him."
Anya cackled again.
"Are you threatening me, Valliére?" she asked. "I know you, all you can do is..."
She cut herself off, and her face contorted, as though she had come to a sudden, unpleasant realisation. Silence hung in the air for a moment, before she sighed dramatically, and continued:
"Very well, I bore of this," she said. "There's no point continuing this charade, Em. Come Conan!"
Then just like that the two of them walked away, the monster trotting at their heels.
She could not relax until they rounded the corner and were out of sight, then an overwhelming sense of relief passed over her, and she released a trembling breath.
"Siesta, are you alright?"
Siesta raised her head at the sound of Miss Valliére's voice, and found her gazing solemnly down at her. Then she smiled, and in the light of the setting sun it seemed like the sweetest smile Siesta had ever seen.
It was like something broke inside of her, and suddenly it was all too much. She grabbed Miss Valliére around the stomach and buried her face against her shirt, as the tears began to pour from her eyes. She could not even form the words to thank her, all she could do was mumble incoherently against her chest.
- - -
Louise watched the two girls as they left, the barghest familiar following close behind them.
Her heart was still beating fast, and she had to force herself to breathe properly. Her legs felt weak, like they might give out from under her at any moment, but she willed them to remain firm. She clutched at her right hand beneath her cloak, and tried to force it to stop trembling. It had been doing that the whole time, she had had to keep it hidden.
She took a deep breath and released it, as though to purge the anxiety from her body.
It was just the creature's nature affecting her, she assured herself. Barghests were omens of death and inspired fear in others, that is why she was trembling so badly. She would never cower in front of a mere bully, no matter how big of a pet they had.
Just what was wrong with those two girls, anyway. They summon a really powerful familiar, and the first thing they use it for it to bully a maid? What kind of ridiculously childish behaviour was that? Her mother certainly would not have stood for it, and neither would she.
If – no, when – she summoned her own familiar, she would be sure to use it properly; she would make her mother proud.
She turned to face Siesta, pre-planned words of comfort on her tongue; but they died on her lips as soon as she caught sight of her.
The girl was an absolute wreck, there were tears streaming down her face, and her eyes were bloodshot. Her skin had turned completely pale, and she was quivering noticeably. Even from here Louise could see that her breathing was rough and haggard. Had the barghest really had that much of an effect on her?
Louise could of kicked herself; of course it had! Siesta probably did not have much experience with magical creatures of any kind, and the barghest was a very sinister beast!
Slowly, moving as softly as possible, she knelt in front of the maid. She reached out to put a hand on her shoulder, then thought better about it, and let the arm dangle awkwardly at her side.
"Siesta, are you alright?" she asked.
The girl almost leaped out of her skin, causing Louise to jump in turn. Her eyes looked lost for a moment, before they locked onto hers. Louise felt a heavy weight press down on her chest, as she stared into her eyes. Ah, this was no good, seeing Siesta's pretty face scrunched up in fear and pain just felt wrong.
…What now?
Although she was loathe to admit ignorance, crying and terrified maids were far outside Louise's area of expertise.
Feeling the need to do something to help, Louise forced a smile onto her face.
Siesta's reaction was unexpected, tears began streaming down her face again, and for just a moment Louise thought she had done something wrong. Then Siesta sprang forwards, and seized her about the waist, in crushing grip that squeezed the breath right out of her. She had not known that the maid had such strength in her.
Siesta buried her face in her chest, and Louise had to bite back the reprimand that sprang instantly to her lips. She could already feel her shirt growing damp against her skin, and hear Siesta murmuring unintelligible over and over.
Louise swallowed thickly in response to the butterflies that sprang to life in the pit of her stomach, and uncertainly raised her hand to stroke Siesta's hair. She said nothing, but simply repeated the motion over and over, as she thought about what to do.
They could not stay out here, the hallway was not exactly an appropriate place to help someone calm down. Not to mention, it might be embarrassing for Siesta if someone were to come along and see her like this. She should probably take her somewhere else, the question was where?
Then a thought occurred to her, and she nodded her head. It was as good as anywhere else, and it was not like Siesta had not been there already anyway.
Louise tried to stand, and attempted to drag Siesta up with her. However, the girl lacked either the strength or the will to move.
"Come on, get up," Louise said, as gently as she possibly could.
Surprisingly, that gentle prompting seemed to work, and Siesta pushed herself up. Her legs were clearly unsteady, and she leaned heavily on Louise, but she was up.
Then Siesta wretched, and there was a wet slap as the maid's lunch met the stone floor.
Louise unconsciously fished her handkerchief out of her pocket and dabbed it against Siesta's mouth, as she stared at the puddle on the floor. She could smell the acrid stench already... Well, that was someone else problem, it was clearly far more important for her to deal with Siesta's tears than it was to clean-up a little mess. Besides, that was a servant's job anyway.
As she guided Siesta away, she amused herself with the idea of making that Anya girl and her mutt deal with it. Dogs would eat anything, right?
As they passed through the various corridors Louise found herself thanking the gods that most of the castle was at dinner. She did not want to try explaining this to anyone that saw them. She would absolutely be reporting those girls later, but right now it would just be an annoyance.
Eventually they reached the one place Louise knew that they would be guaranteed some privacy, her chambers. After managing to work the door open, she half-carried Siesta across the threshold, and kicked it closed with her heel.
The first thing she did was offer the maid some water from the pitcher at her bedside, so that she could wash her mouth out. The maid complied, and spat it out of the window.
She sat Siesta on the edge of her bed, and then simply stood there, as she was once again faced with the question of what to do next. The colour was starting to return to her cheeks, but she still looked shaken. Her crying had tapered off, but she was still snivelling a little.
"Siesta," she began, her voice more confident than she felt. "Are you feeling better now?"
"Yes, Miss, thank you," Siesta replied. However, her voice was hoarse and trembling, and Louise did not believe her.
Still, she was not really sure about what she should say, so she just stood there as an awkward silence hung in he air. She could order her to tell the truth, but just thinking about it brought to mind visions of her tear-stained face from mere minutes ago.
"Siesta," she said, finally. "Why don't you just take I quick nap, and I'll wake you in a minute?"
The maid stared at her with blank eyes for for a moment, as though she could not quite comprehend what she was hearing. Then she looked down at the bed she was sitting on, and then back up at Louise.
"Oh, Miss, I couldn't," she replied.
"You can and you will," Louise said. She tried to make her voice firm, without sounding cruel; given that Siesta's expression did not change, she must have managed well enough.
"Y-yes," Siesta responded. "Thank you, Miss."
Louise watched as the maid dutifully removed her boots, placing them to the side, before lying down and resting her head atop the pillow. It was not long before she seemed to fall asleep.
It felt strange seeing someone else sleep on her bed, especially when that someone else was a servant, a commoner. However, Siesta had gone out of her way to show her kindness twice now, it was only appropriate that she return the favour. A true noble should always pay her debts, her mother would be ashamed is she were to do otherwise. On top of that, was the fact that Siesta was one of the most agreeable people she had met since leaving home.
Siesta breathing began to even out, becoming smooth and rhythmic; Louise took this too mean that she had fallen into a deep slumber. Yes, she looked much better now, serene and peaceful, even with tear tracks still running down her cheeks.
She would let the girl rest for a couple of hours, before waking her and sending her back to the servant's quarters. It was not like she needed the bed right now anyway, she still had to do her evenings studying before she even thought about sleep.
She grabbed a couple of books, and carried them over to her desk. The first one she opened was a basic introduction to the different elements, their temperaments, and the current theories surrounding elemental affinities. Her peers mocked her for being unable to perform proper magic, but that was just because she had not discovered which element she was attuned to yet. She was sure that once she found that out, she would put the rest of her classmates to shame. Then she could stand beside her mother with pride.
Yet even as she tried to study, the evenings events kept forcing their way back into her mind. It was absolutely galling to her, the way those two girls had acted. It was one thing to discipline an unruly servant, but they had seemingly picked on Siesta simply because she was there. Moreover, even if Siesta had done something wrong, threatening her with a barghest was simply too much.
However, she remembered the look on Anya's face, that brief second of doubt that flashed through her eyes before she walked away. Louise was not ashamed to admit that it sent a brief tingle down her spine, that someone had been made to think twice about crossing her.
She shook her head, and tried to force those thoughts aside, so that she could continue with her studying. Let's see...
Fire is the first of the elements we will be considering in this chapter. Fire is often considered the element of passion, but passion takes many forms...
Passion? She could be passionate!
The image of that Zerbst girl floated in front of her mind's eye.
...Or perhaps not.
She was not aware of how long she had been sat there, with her nose in a book, but eventually she heard Siesta moaning. She turned her head, and saw that the girl was beginning to stir.
She made sure to mark her place, then closed the book and rose to her feet. She walked over, and sat on the edge of the bed. She noticed that some of her hair had gotten loose and fallen in the maid's face, without thinking she leaned over to brush it away.
Then Siesta's eyes fluttered open, and she froze as though she had been caught doing something indecent. Fortunately they were still clouded and unfocused, she was clearly still half-asleep, so if she acted quickly she could –
Her thoughts came to a screeching halt, when she felt something light and fleeting against her lips. Siesta smiled sweetly at her, then her head flopped back onto the pillow.
Louise rose to her feet stiffly, her thoughts travelling at a mile a minute.
Had she? But then...? What?
A kiss! That had definitely been a kiss!
Louise's first instinct was to chuck the girl out of her bed, and demand an explanation. However, she reigned herself in, marched over to the window, threw it wide open, and took a deep breath of the crisp night air.
She raised a hand to her lips, they tingled slightly, and the room felt very humid all of a sudden; perhaps she would stay by the window a while longer.
As the cool air brushed against her skin, she thought a little more on what had just happened. Siesta had still been half-asleep when it had happened, she must have dreaming of someone else and then... Yes, that was clearly the proper explanation.
It was not long before Siesta began to stir again, and this time she dragged herself up, and rested against the headboard; her eyes searching around the room. Louise schooled her expression into a carefully stoic mask, then stepped away from the window, and Siesta's eyes were drawn right to her.
"Ah, Miss Valliére," she said, groggily. "How long was I asleep for?"
Louise shrugged, feigning nonchalance.
"No more that a couple of hours," she answered.
"I see..." Siesta responded.
Louise watched as the maid's gaze dropped to her lap for a moment, before rising to meet her eyes again. There was an apologetic smile on her face.
"I'm sorry for the trouble I caused," she said.
Louise snorted, and waved her hand, as though she was waving away Siesta's apology.
"You have nothing to be sorry for," she replied. "I was glad to help."
Indeed, it was those two girls who should be sorry, and if Louise had anything to say about it they would be.
Oblivious to her thoughts, Siesta just stared at her blankly for a moment, before smiling again and rising to her feet.
"Thank you," she said, and dropped into a curtsy so deep she was almost sitting on the floor.
"Think nothing of it," Louise replied. "I trust you are feeling better now?"
Siesta nodded her head.
"Yes, much," she answered. "I feel more embarrassed now, for allowing myself to be seen in such a state."
"You have nothing to be embarrassed for," Louise replied. "That beast was a barghest, a symbol of death. Anyone would be afraid at being confronted by something like that so suddenly."
Siesta made no reply, and simply stared at her for a long, drawn-out moment. Louise could practically feel her gaze boring into her, and had to keep herself from fidgeting, she could feel the blood rushing to her face. She was on the verge of asking what she was looking at, when she spoke again.
"You did not seem afraid at all, Miss," she said.
If Louise thought her face was warm before, it felt like it was on fire now; somehow there was something faintly embarrassing about hearing Siesta say that. She coughed into her hand, and forced a chuckle through her throat, in an effort to hide her sudden outbreak of modesty.
"Well, I am a Valliére after all," she replied. "It would take much more than that to scare us."
Siesta's smile was radiant, and it caused Louise to feel slightly bad about her self-aggrandizement, small as it was. She tried to think of a way to change the subject, but came up empty. She was not sure whether fortune was with her or against her, when her stomach chose that precise moment to release an impressive growl.
The smile slid off of Siesta face, and Louise turned her head to the side to conceal her embarrassment.
"Miss?" Siesta began.
Louise refused to face her, and racked her mind for retorts to whatever mockery came her way.
"Did you not eat dinner," she asked.
"S-so what, I could not very well leave you here all by yourself, could I?" she responded.
Louise regretted her words almost immediately, as Siesta's expression fell. It almost looked like she felt guilty over causing Louise to miss a meal.
Suddenly Siesta sprang off of the bed, and onto her feet, and she gazed at Louise with determination burning in her eyes.
"Right, Miss," she said. "You just wait right here, and I'll go fetch you something to eat right now!"
"Y-you do not need to do that," Louise replied, taken aback.
Siesta shook her head furiously.
"It's the least I can do to thank you for taking care of me," she said.
With that she disappeared through the door. In fact, she left so quickly that she forgot to put her shoes back on, Louise could see them still sitting there next to the bed.
Now alone in her room, at least for the moment, Louise lowered herself onto her bed, and stared up at the canopy. All in all, she was glad she had helped Siesta. Not just because it was the right thing to do, but also because Siesta was someone who clearly deserved good things to come her way. She was polite, attentive, and uncommonly good looking for a commoner. Yes, a pretty face like hers was more suited to smiles than tears, and Louise idly pondered whether she could help with that.
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Dermonster
The Shittiest Wizard
A lot of the spoken dialogue is missing question marks.
Which parts? Because maybe I'm blind, but I'm not seeing them.
Dermonster
The Shittiest Wizard
Just read the bits that are phrased like a question and have commas instead?
I can't go in depth at the moment.
Actually, a lot of your dialogue just ends with a comma. Don't use a comma unless they say something after the 'said x' bit.
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- Location
- Portugal
I hate those two noble girls, i want Anya and the other to be punished!
Besides that i found Louise and Siesta pretty cute, i can already see the love blooming!
Besides that i found Louise and Siesta pretty cute, i can already see the love blooming!
I'm still not seeing it.
Did you mean stuff like:
Because that's not intended as spoken dialogue.
Dermonster
The Shittiest Wizard
Well, I just reread this whole thing because I didn't remember it, so it could have been earlier chapters.
You do have a serious problem with putting commas where different grammar should be though.
for example.
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Except all the writing resources I use tell me that's the correct way of doing it, because it's the end of the dialogue, but not the end of the sentence. You only end the dialogue with a period, if there is no "s/"he said after it.
Like he examples used here:
Punctuation in direct speech | Oxford Dictionaries
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Oh yes, I can see the progression now:
"It doesn't count; she was half asleep!"
"It doesn't count; I was half asleep!"
"Ii doesn't count; we were both half asleep!" <-- Ignoring they were asleep in the same bed.
"I-it doesn't count; we only opened out mouths a little!"
"I-i-it doesn't count; it was my tongue in her mouth!"
"...okay, that counted. Aaaand, so will this one~!"
Dermonster
The Shittiest Wizard
I don't believe I've ever seen anybody write dialogue like this. It looks wrong and it really takes me out of any immersion I have when I spot it. It's like if my internal narration had a hiccup.
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