Maddie walked through the halls aimlessly. She had no idea where she was going. She didn't want to go back to bed, she didn't want to go outside, she just felt so... tired of everything.
Maddie continued walking until her legs seemed to take her to what appeared to be her new favourite place in the castle... the secluded balcony.
Maddie sat down and just looked up into the bright, blue sky. It was a lovely bright day, the sky was clear, and yet she just did not feel happy at all.
Maddie sighed once more as she laid on the couch and threw her head back, she closed her eyes and moved her right hand to itch her face when the sleeve of the pink sweater she was wearing slid down her arm revealing a long, bright red cut that trailed from her wrist to her elbow.
Maddie opened her eyes, she looked at the cut and used her left hand to touch it. She hissed in pain as she faintly made contact with the cut. She was terrified this morning when she was in the bath and noticed this strange cut that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.
Maddie waved her left hand over the entirety of the cut, she attempted to heal herself, all to no avail.
She did not know why magic did not seem to work on this wound. It made her more worried concerning the origins of this wound. It certainly was not normal.
Maddie held her right arm tightly in an attempt to force the wound to close itself but it was all to no avail, it just caused her wound to bleed out even more in turn causing her to hiss in more pain.
"Miss Maddie..." called Adi from behind causing Maddie to jump up slightly in shock and she quickly covered her arm with her sleve.
"What are you doing here?" she asked quickly composing herself as she turned around to face Adi. Considering that the maid was with a tray in her hand, she could guess who exactly has sent her here.
"I...I... I was just passing by and thought that you would need something sweet, so I brought you some fresh fruits... and some...other... things..." said Adi with her face towards the ground, she was really trying her best here not to shake visibly.
Maddie did not say anything, she just looked at Adi, her expression unreadable. Adi on the other hand was seriously terrified, she had never seen Maddie so unapproachable before, she was shaking in her boots, she wished that she could just get out of here quickly.
After ten more seconds of silence, Adi wondered if Maddie was still there, and to her relief Maddie finally said something.
"Why?" Maddie asked, that one word making Adi lose all the courage she had mounted up before coming here.
Adi froze on the spot, if she was terrified before she was horrified now.
"I asked you a question." said Maddie sharply as Adi's shaking intensified.
"I... I... I... ju...st... wanted to... than...k you f...or the... cookies." Adi managed to spit out.
"Oh really now?" asked Maddie making it obviously clear that she did not believe her explanation at all.
"Y...es..." replied Adi as she nodded.
"Well there's no reason to thank me, I didn't even make the cookies anyway, Annie did, so you should be thanking her." replied Maddie coldly.
"I see... I am... sorry for disturbing you..." said Adi with her head bowed down, she wondered why she thought she was courageous enough to face Maddie.
Maddie took Adi's words as a signal that she would leave now, and just as Adi turned around to leave when she suddenly stopped and turned back.
"Miss Maddie... I just want to still say thank you, because you showed me yesterday that you're not as bad as everyone says you are." said Adi as Maddie narrowed her eyes.
"And what is that supposed to mean? Are you insulting me or what?" asked Maddie harshly.
"No, not at all miss Maddie, it was not my intention to do so at all. I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate your kind gesture. I've never had anyone try so hard to make it up to me, and for that I am thankful." said Adi as she could have assured you that she saw a flicker of softness in Maddie's eyes, but it was gone as quick as it had appeared.
"That's up to you to decide. I have nothing to say, so leave me alone now." replied Maddie as Adi took another deep breath, she could not leave until she had completed her mission.
"Miss Maddie, is everything alright, you look tired?" asked Adi as Maddie eyes her in anger.
"Are you trying to say that I look terrible?!" she asked.
"No, not at all, it's just that yesterday you looked so happy and today, not so much, did something happen?" asked Adi causing Maddie to instinctively touch her right hand.
"Nothing happened." replied Maddie.
"I might not know you well enough to conclude but, your eyes look much brighter when you are fine, right now, you look tired, scared almost, did something happen?" asked Adi once more.
"With the way you keep on asking me if something happened, how am I sure that if something truly did happen, you don't have a hand in it?" asked Maddie her eyes narrowed, by now she knew never to trust anybody, nobody at all.
"No, I would never have the guts to harm his highness's guest, I would be killed if I was found to be the one responsible, I am only asking because your wellbeing matters a lot to people who care for you miss Maddie." said Adi.
"You haven't eaten this morning, you must be hungry." said Adi.
"I am not hungry." replied Maddie.
"But you need to eat, here I have some nice fruits and cookies for you. I will just set it over here and you can choose whether to eat it or not, it's all up to you." said Adi as she placed the tray on the table as Maddie gingerly watched her every move.
"Are you sure that there is really nothing wrong?" asked Adi before she took her leave.
"Like I said, if there really was something wrong, why would I tell you?" asked Maddie with a scoff.
"I don't know, sometimes I feel that it's easier to talk to a stranger than someone close that you'll be afraid to talk to." said Adi as Maddie subconsciously nodded.
"Problems are easier to keep to yourself than to burden everyone else with." said Maddie as she looked away.
"Well I think that when it's shared with people who truly care, it's not a burden but a care." Adi replied.
"Miss Maddie, I really did mean it when I said that you're not as terrible as everyone thinks you are. You went out of your way to ask for my forgiveness when you could have just left things that way, so once again, thank you." said Adi as Maddie looked at her.
"Whatever." she replied as Adi could not help but smile a little.
"Well, I will take my leave now, I have bothered you enough, please whatever is making you feel bad, don't allow it to continue to do that to you. People should really take it seriously when they don't feel alright, or else, it might lead people to deal with their feelings some other way." said Adi her tone serious.
"I know that the blondie put you up to this, he's not as genius as he thinks." said Maddie as she picked a grape from the tray and threw it into her mouth.
"His highness might have asked me to bring you some food, but he did not ask me to thank you. I did that out of my own accord. I really did mean what I said. You are a nice person, even though you don't show it that much." said Adi as she was sure she had said too much now causing her to quickly take her leave.
Maddie sighed as she looked up into the big blue sky. Why did she suddenly feel a little bit better after talking to that annoying maid? And she hated how Ollie had asked that she be brought some food.
All of a sudden she started feeling her appetite coming back to her. Her stomach grumbled. Either the grapes were laced with a potion to increase her appetite, or she was really hungry.
Either way, she found herself eating again, and it annoyed herself even more.
"Curse that stupid blondie, thinking that he knows me, he doesn't know me at all. Oh I'll show him, I'll show him alright, he just doesn't know how to mind his own business." said Maddie in annoyance.
She would get back at him at that stupid picnic of his, she definitely would.