Lilli felt something fluffy and silky under her head. She felt warm and light. Breathing in slowly, softly, Lilli felt at peace. I should have died sooner, if this is what Heaven is like. That place was certainly hell.
After shifting and flopping over to her side, she opened her eyes slowly. A bed, blankets, walls. Is this Heaven? She decided quickly it didn't matter too much, as everything appeared to be safe and welcoming. The window let in a cool breeze.
She sat up and noticed there was someone else in the bed. His side moving up and down with his breaths, Lilli watched him curiously. Who is this? She inched closer, peering at their face. Closer, closer, closer…
Oh my gods! Lilli gripped her chest, her heart thrashing violently against its cage.
She peered again cautiously, then snapped back. She pinched herself.
"Ow!" Not a dream.
"Ugh… not yet Lilli, I don't want to wake up…" Said a boy's voice.
No way It really is… She could hardly contain the voluminous mixture of emotions inside.
Adder sat up slowly, turned, and smiled at Lilli. Twelve years old, or at least that's how he looked. Lilli thought she must be going crazy.
Adder turned his head, confused. His eyebrows wrinkled. "Hm? Is there something wrong?"
She leaned forward and grabbed Adder's face in her hands a bit forcefully. She turned it back and forth. Then she gazed at her own hands, which she realized were smaller than she was used to. They had a rosiness they had long since faded due to harsh conditions of working outside, not wearing gloves in the cold, malnourishment, and other things. Lilli didn't feel that cold chill in her bones she once felt all the time.
"Seriously! You're acting weird…" the Prince was pouting somewhat, frustrated, likely due to confusion and being upset Lilli didn't seem happy to see his face in the morning. " Maybe you had a weird dream? What was it…? Ehh, that would be weird considering that's why I'm here. Hehe." He looked a little bashful.
"Actually…" Lilli felt strange speaking for some reason. Her words felt hard to push out. "Yeah… I had a really strange-dream." Lilli stared blankly at the wall for a moment, finding this hard to believe. She hadn't noticed until now, but she realized tears were streaming down her cheeks.
"Oh…" Adder looked at her with concern, then moved over to her with a warm, assuring smile. "It's ok now though. It wasn't real. I'm here for you." He pulled her into a hug.
Lilli let herself sink into his arms, as if relinquishing control of her body. She continued to cry silently, and breathe in and out, ever so slowly and carefully, like she was still checking if she was truly alive.
The girl in the mirror appeared just as she remembered fifteen years ago. Soft porcelain skin, straight lavender hair, down to her waist, and two round, grey eyes. The mole on the bottom corner of her left was there, like it always was. But she was so much shorter, and most of all looked more well fed and happy than she had in a long time. A fancy and lacy cream colored nightgown felt so silky and nice, unlike the tight leather boots, pants and shirt of a tactical outfit fitted with pockets which were filled with tools, weapons, and things she'd rather not think of. It felt heavy, in other ways besides the weight, but now Lilli felt so light.
As Adder slipped out of the room, Lilli traced her hands along the outlines of it. The purple wallpaper, with the same small flowers she knew so well. The bookshelf, with all her favorites like Onslaught on Giants, Lily Forevergarden, and Demon Expeller( She had been teased for being such a bookworm many times before.). The beautiful carving that the Grand Duchess did looked almost brand new on her bed posts. This room was just as special as her room back in Ionis Karst, where her parents, Marquis and Marchioness Wooden lived, if not even more special.
Yet when I think of it, I do miss my parents… I wonder when is the last time they've written to me.
That reminded Lilli, she didn't actually know what month it was. It was definitely winter or fall, though, because she could see the magnolia trees were barren. The other hint was the Prince's clear lack of the disease and sickness that racked his body when he was twelve. That must mean his birthday is…
A pair of footsteps came towards the room, the distinct sound of maid's black loafers. Getting dressed by maids for the first time in years sounds a bit odd. I'm kind of anxious about being touched.
Lilli sat on her bed patiently waiting.
Tok. Tok. The wooden door sounded.
"C-come in!" Lilli said hesitantly. Her voice shook a bit.
The door opened slowly to reveal Rosie as beautiful as Lady Lilli remembered. Her downward pointing lashes, her beautiful red curls hanging by her ears, the rest of it in a neat bun. Lilli's nervousness vanished.
Before she could blink, Rosie found Lady Lilli clinging to her dress childishly. Lill cried softly.
"Is there something wrong?" Rosie questioned, her voice dripping with honey.
"No, no it's just-"
The door flew open and hit the wall with a thud. "She had a bad dream." The Prince said.
"EEK!" Both of them screamed. Fortunately, they hadn't gotten to that point yet, but Rosie's arms had grabbed Lily's dress to pull it off. When Adder entered, she dropped her arms quickly and Lilli brushed the skirt down. Lilli grabbed a wooden brush from her vanity and threw it, and it hit him square on the head.
"Ouch! Heyy what was that for…?" He whined, rubbing his head.
"Knock first!" They yelled at the same time.
"Oh, haha right…" Said Adder, blushing a bit. "I just heard Lilli crying and…"
"Hmph!" Lilli breathed out of her nose. " Well I appreciate the concern, but you still need to respect my privacy."
Truthfully, she wasn't very upset at all(not that she wanted to be walked in on while she was changing). But If Adder wanted to appear whenever she cried, that made her very happy. Whenever she cried in the past, she would be ridiculed and the draconic Prince would just gaze at her with that inscrutable look that he always had. So eventually, she learned to stop crying. She hardly expressed any emotions at all, even. So it felt like for some reason all of the emotions she'd held inside were spilling out now. Maybe it was because she was a kid again. She didn't know.
Composing herself she pushed Adder out of the room quickly. "I'll see you later," She smiled.
"Alright!"
Rosie grabbed a loose blue dress with bows all over, and patterns like paw prints. Rosie giggled like a child as she presented it to the Lady.
"Today your favorite dress finally came! The one you requested!"
"The one I request…?" Lilli was confused. Her memory of this time was a bit foggy, so she didn't remember ordering it. She gazed at the lace, chiffon and silk, and its soft blue color, like the sky on a cloudy day. Looking closer at the hem, with paws embroidered into it, she remembered her love for animals. Even though she didn't remember asking for it, she gripped it lovingly, because it reminded her of her peaceful childhood, that she had now returned to. She smiled softly.
Rosie had a cheeky grin on her face. "As soon as I got it from the seamstress, I knew you would adore it! It fits you so well."
"Mhm." Was all Lilli replied.
"Well, let's get this on you!"
After a little while, the dress was on. It felt even softer than it looked. It was so simple, but just what Lady Lilli liked. She twirled happily.
"After all that crying it makes me feel so warm to see you so happy," Rosie said, her joy clear in her voice.
Lilli turned to her and grabbed Rosie's hands in hers gently. She played with a strand of her hair that was loose and grinned. " Rosie, you're the best maid a girl could ask for… I love you so much." Lilli grabbed her into a hug, and Rosie returned the embrace.
"I love you too, my Lady."