So things went according to plan I guess, seeing as the prologue played out exactly as it was supposed to. (minus my ultimately irrelevant presence)
It should have been reassuring but of course, the next part of the plot was for the entire world to be plunged into a demonic war for the next six years until the heroine reached maturity... if you can really call sixteen maturity.
Not going to lie, I'm sure there's a reason the game time-skipped over that part: because it sucked.
The continent had become over-run with monsters and fear and anxiety were an ever-present undercurrent through our everyday lives.
I vaguely knew that demons had existed before, after all, Maddy's brother had been cursed by one but they were rare creatures that were considered unusual to run into. For the most part, when they appeared, knights would swiftly be dispatched to deal with them.
Now they were everywhere.
At night, even through closed windows, I could hear unrecognizable howls and guttural gurgles out in the distant dark.
You could really feel the shift of the times when you went into town. There was an end to warm welcoming glass storefronts. Even though business continued on as usual, every window was boarded up, ready to act as a barricade for its occupants at a second's notice. The economy was hit for sure as well, the ability to trade with distant towns and countries was severely limited.
So yeah.
There wasn't much exciting that happened to me in this time.
While there was always the threat of demons raiding the manor or town, even that never happened. We were lucky to be pretty far away from the Demon King's main domain. As it worked, the demon king had seized the northern area he was originally sealed in. The density and ferocity of monsters to a region was entirely dependant on proximity to demon country.
As it was, I never saw much more than slimes and the occasional really dumb goblinish-thing here. Coyotes and run-off the mill predators were still more dangerous.
The only idiot who had actually injured themselves on a slime to any degree that I knew of was me. Since the green slime ate/absorbed grass I had the not-so-genius idea of making a home-made lawnmower by putting a slime in a raised box with a grated bottom on wheels and letting it just devour the tips of the grass at the height it was suspended.
Since it was a slime though, it seeped through the bottom and onto my shoes as I pushed the homemade device.
I learned my lesson and gave up on being an inventor pretty fast after that. The healer my parents had to call in was utterly flabbergasted by my stupidity.
Anyway, there wasn't much more to report for this dragging period of time. I think we can make like the game and skip over all that nonsense too.
Briar age 16
I put down the scissors onto the vanity's surface and looked at my work.
I turned my head experimentally, relishing in the lightness of my shortened hair. I ran a hand through the free and fluffy locks which were weighed down by gravity no longer.
Not bad at all. It was always a mixed bag of results when I cut my own hair but no one would actively help me 'perform such a monstrous action' upon myself.
I had given up on long hair a while back to much of the house's and my friends' horror but it was hard for anyone to deny I looked better this way. Whenever I tried to grow it, it always became a mess of matted split ends.
With that task over, there wasn't much left I could do to stall. I took a breath, still a little reluctant to move onward.
I was finally here, standing in my childhood bedroom, now left barren in the process of it's owner moving away. All of my favourite belongings were already packed and out the front door. It was finally time for the beginning of the game; the flower ceremony.
It was a surreal feeling- not too unlike moving away for college. It was something we always knew was going to happen, but it still felt like it crept up all the same.
All morning the servants I grew up with slowed when they passed my bedroom, glancing in wistfully. For all any of us knew, this might just be the last time I ever lived here.
My primary job in this ceremony as a noblewoman was to try and find a husband in this next year and if I were successful, I'd move in with him.
I was a little less averse to the concept now. I was older; which shouldn't have meant anything because I was already sort of an adult in a child's body but not as much as I had thought. I guess I was more like a child with an adult's memories. After all, biologically my brain was still a kid's.
It's not like I was suddenly gunning to get married this year but let me tell you... I really forgot about these teenaged hormones.
It has been a hot minute since this girl got some.
...And she's got some needs that need tending to.
This whole flower ceremony set up of having all of the rich kids from across the lands getting together for a year-long house party at the castle in order to 'find love' literally screamed bachelor in paradise on steroids and I was kind of pumped.
Best case scenario for this whole trip; I'd have a few drunk sloppy makeout sessions in my future. Goddess knows we all deserved some action after such a dismal last few years.
With that thought, I tugged at my dress to lower the neckline just a liiiiittle bit for some tasteful cleavage. I knew my assets. I didn't have this sort of development as a teenager in my last life. As someone gunning to be a pro-gymnast I practiced to a point of near amenorrhea. I had a very late puberty and got through high school with a washboard chest.
I never really let that get in my way of having my fun but it was still a little bit of an insecurity.
Well no longer. It was time to take these C's for a spin. Talk about a trade up.
There was a knock on the open door and a maid ducked her head in a small bow-like gesture. "Lady Briar, the carriage is ready, your parents are waiting in the front hall to see you off."
I acknowledged the need to go and left the room with one last wistful look.
As I headed down the stairs, my parents looked up at me.
"You cut your hair short again," Mother commented.
"Yeah," I said, "It was getting a little long again."
Velma sighed heavily, clearly feeling like all of her noble training with me was for naught. "It's supposed to, you will scare off a lot of potential suitors with that boyish haircut, we talked about this."
"I think of is as an appropriate warning sign," I said. "If he can't handle this he definitely wouldn't be able to handle me."
"She's not wrong," Father commented.
Velma sighed in defeat and brought her arms up in a why-do-I-ever-bother gesture.
"You should take this cover-up," Mother said, handing me a shawl. "It will be colder by the castle since it's on the ocean."
I took the shawl and wrapped it on my arm for later. "Thanks," I said.
They stared at me and I stared at them, at a loss for words.
Finally, Father pulled me into a tight hug. "It is important you go," he said, "but this house won't be the same without you."
"Truly, it feels like just yesterday you and Eden were running up and down these halls," Mother commented. "You be sure to check on him when you get there alright? He's always saying he's doing fine but you know how he is... He wouldn't tell us if he wasn't."
I nodded, still nestled in my Dad's shoulder.
"You'll do great," he murmured and let me go to give my Mother a turn.
"Take it easy on those poor boys," she said squeezing me tightly.
"I'll try," I said and she pulled away just enough to give me a peck on the forehead.
"But don't let them get away with anything," she said urgently.
"Oh I won't," I promised.
Velma sighed and approached me last. "You may be a little unpolished but you still grew up into a fine young lady." As she said this though she-not-so-subtly pulled the neck of my dress back up to a more conservative height. "Good luck," she said.
I won't lie, I got a little teary on the ride out of the mansion's grounds.
On the field that Eden and I used to run across to sneak to town, An assortment of green slimes now lazily slugged along the grass. Less than a health and safety hazard since they only hurt if you touched them, they were more just like an invasive pest. There were obvious ugly patches of brown throughout the once entirely green field where the slimes had over-grazed.
The carriage passed the emergency stone shelter my family had constructed a few years back at the base of the field. It was originally meant as a panic shelter for the village if things escaladed but we hadn't needed it yet for that original purpose. On the bright side, it doubled as a community center. We moved our yoga lessons there. Now that I was gone, Mother was going to take up the reigns as the instructor. She also started giving beginner Sihbarian dance lessons to ladies in town.
Speaking of town, as we passed my old haunt I noticed a large banner running across the town square, stretching from the Bakery to the bookstore.
[Good Luck Briar!]
The Baker was outside, waving a handkerchief cheerfully.
Edgar gave a chill nod. Maddie, latched onto her boyfriend's arm waved more animatedly.
Other various town members waved goodbye as the carriage passed.
Geez. This was just a little too bittersweet for me. Goddessdamnit, conceal don't feel, conceal don't feel. I tried with great strength to suck those big baby tears back in. I had makeup I wasn't supposed to let run.
As with my last journey to the castle (or castle adjacent), it was an entire day's ride out.
Things were different this time out in a lot of ways though. Hired Guards flanked my carriage watching every hidden corner and shadow with an intensity that frankly made me a little nervous. I hadn't considered the possibility of dying in transport until that point. I certainly didn't sleep for any part of the trip this time around.
A massive wall had been erected around the city proper after the first attack, turning the place into a bit of a fortress. Probably just to keep with the motif, the stone was the same as the castle and cathedral. Soldiers in the crimson uniform of the king's army were stationed on top, standing in the embrasures between battlements, eyes trained out on the sprawling fields outside.
When we approached the town, the doors were opened with little fuss. It helped to have a family insignia on our carriages.
The inside of town was just as lively as it had been the first time. The walls definitely gave a false sense of security, despite how many different types of flying demons could have easily swarmed over at any time. Nothing was boarded up here. Everything was unsettlingly normal.
From in town, it was a long trip upwards through winding streets of closely packed medieval townhouses. The entire city was built on an upwards hill that lead to the castle sitting on the precipice.
From the clacking of the stone roads to the noticeable incline the whole inner-city trip felt like the up-part of a roller coaster.
The market was in full swing, there were much fewer foreign stands than before but there still were a few. The streets were packed. It was a wonder how carriages could roll through the busy crowds so seamlessly. The people had it down to a science for the exact last moment they could casually disperse and not slow the horses.
A second and older set of stone walls separated the palace grounds from the town placed just where the geographical incline began to petter out. The walls were tall enough to hide most of what lay directly behind them but not tall enough to hide the towering spires in the further distance.
A man in the guard tower- a feature affixed to the wall just to the right of the gates nodded and then there was the sound of wheels turning as the metal gate slowly lifted.
The large front lawn of the castle stretched for about a mile towards the main building of the sort of multi-building compound. The width of the property was harder to guess as the fields literally had some of their own little forests that blocked the view of the true boundaries of the royal estate.
One perfectly maintained road lead straight up to the castle doors, cherry blossoms on either side of the path were in full bloom. A few petals even fell into my carriage as we made our way up.
Looking at the castle up close I realized it looked a hell of a lot like Cinderella's castle from Disney World; very elegant, very sleek.
The end of the road, made a loop in front of the massive front steps as a sort of carriage drop off location.
Several other noble carriages were already parked and palace staff were taking bags and helping beautifully dressed ladies off of carriage steps.
As my own ride came to a stop, a well-dressed butler rushed to open my door.
"Lady Briar Bell, it is a pleasure to have you partaking in this ceremony. I would humbly like to welcome you to the Primrose Palace."
"Thank you," I said, accepting his hand as I stepped down onto the ground. "
Someone will come immediately to fetch your things, so if you may follow me in the meantime..." He lead me into the building to the front reception room.
"While we are getting rooms prepared, please feel free to mingle," he said. "This reception extends to the garden party out those back doors," he said gesturing to a set of large open doors tucked a little underneath the grand staircase.
I nodded as he departed and immediately began scanning around for familiar faces. The girls in the foyer were unfamiliar so I figured my crowd were probably all grouped somewhere in the main area.
I headed to the center court gardens and glanced around in awe. There was a ridiculous amount of people here. I wondered just how many young noble girls there were in this kingdom. The young men of the royal city were scattered around as well, some grouped together but most trying their luck on one-on-one conversations with whichever girl caught their immediate fancy.
On the outside, this whole thing was classy AF. I felt like I was at a really expensive wedding reception. Men and women in freshly ironed suits and dresses walked around with champagne on trays. I gladly took one as a server passed by. Thank that beautiful Goddess she didn't give this world a minimum legal drinking age.
I remembered when no one was looking to tug my neckline back down. Oops, sorry Velma.
Make no mistake, as prim and proper as everybody looked and as restrained and cordial as conversation appeared on the outside, the overall desperation and horniness of the guests were absolutely palpable. Smells like teen spirit alright.
I noticed a shyer boy standing off to the side looking at me and I unabashedly winked. He quickly looked away, like a gazelle escaping a lion.
Well whatever, he wasn't my type anyway.
I got back to my much more important mission. I got my hoefit, got my booze, where in the world were my girls? We were going to have to squad up if we wanted to dominate this party.
I couldn't believe it was this hard to find a girl with fire-truck red or neon blue hair.
Regrettably, I did finally recognize someone. Or at least someone recognized me. Viola Doyle walked over, visibly uncomfortable by the party-setting.