The Princess's Dame

Things start to get a little strange when a teenage girl finds herself the first female protector and knight for a princess - from a world unlike her own.

Chapter 1: Her Unknown Strength

Of all the days for him to do this to her, Alexa did not anticipate her own brother outplaying her on their parents’ anniversary. Just to look like a jewel to them. What a kiss-a*s.

“Max, that was so beautiful! If I wasn’t wearing all this eye makeup, tears would flow from these eyes,” Mrs. Miller exclaimed. Max’s eyes glistened at the compliment and he winked at Alexa.

She returned a smirk, then looked away, crossed her arms and frowned. Inside her head, she attacked him with all sorts of nasty words, one of them being ‘Cheater.’ How did he figure out that she wrote a special song for them? Did he create his own song just to put her back into his shadow?

“Right, right, that was pretty good,” their father agreed. He patted his son’s shoulder proudly while Mrs. Miller stroked his hair. Alexa remained where she was, clenching the music piece in her hands. The more he smiled, the more she felt the urge to pour that nearby bowl of cocktail on his little head.

“Lexa, I don’t hear you saying anything about my piece " talk about common discourtesy,” Max teased.

Her eyes narrowed. Then a sigh escaped from her lips. There was no other choice but to step up to the plate now, isn’t there?

Biting her bottom lip, she strode to the seat and promptly sat down beside him. She opened the book, placed it in front of her and took a deep breath. Cracking her knuckles, Max yawned particularly loud and tapped his foot two times, something that was his pleasure to do and her annoyance to bear. That impatient, pompous…So he wants to play the hard way, does he?

Immediately, she played away.

Her fingers scattered all over the keys like little mice playing a game of tag. Her eyes closed to the beat and melody of the piano’s sound, her head swayed slowly to its hypnotizing music. The mother laid a hand to her heart, teary-eyed, while her father’s mouth opened slightly at what he heard. Max sat still while his eyes studied her face and her piano playing. Alexa forced her mind onto the notes in resistance to see the look on Max’s face.

Throughout the house, the family could feel the determination and ferocity of her music, but Alexa felt the shameless beauty pouring straight from her heart to her fingers. Mrs. Miller clasped her hands together as her eyes brightened at the bridge. Mr. Miller gave out a little smile. Max’s expression remained blank, but in his eyes now burned with a sensation of envy. Alexa felt that glare bearing down on her, but she did not falter to his intimidation.

As she ended the piece, her hands rested against her sides again. No words spoken…but then her mother’s arms wrapped around her body and she kissed the side of her forehead two times.

“Ahh, my little girl! I swear, you’ll be a maestro at this thing one day, I just know it!” Mrs. Miller said.

“Happy anniversary Mom and Dad,” Alexa said. She could feel the heat in her face rising the more her mother hugged her.

Max unfolded his arms and clapped slowly, although the glare in his eyes still remained. “Heh, you did a great job…you know, enough for your Mommy and Daddy but not for a concerto.”

Well, that ruined the mood. Before Max saw it coming, Alexa slapped the muscle part of his arm. Despite being bigger than her, she wanted him to feel some bit of pain for that stupid remark.

“Not funny, Max! I worked all month on this piece. The least you could’ve done was give me some kudos without tearing me down at the same time,” Alexa scolded.

Max raised an eyebrow. “W-wait a second here " weren’t YOU the one who couldn’t man up and say something about my performance? Some little sister you are.”

Alexa snatched up her music paper and stood up over him while straightening up her dress. “I was just being polite " something that you obviously didn’t learn, Max.”

He stood up as well, his height towering over her. “You’re one to talk, Lexa! I can take criticism because it helps me get better. Looks like there’s something we BOTH have to learn, eh? By the way, jealousy isn’t attractive for a little kid your age.”

“Enough, you two! Can’t you guys at least get along today, without it involving your skills somehow?” their father interjected as Alexa’s eyes started to well up after Max’s last remark.

Mrs. Miller nodded. “I have to agree with Mike here " you two are BOTH talented. I don’t see why you have to compete with each other so much.”

“Well she started it by being a rude half-pint!” Max said. Sneakily, she stuck out her tongue a little bit then faced her father just as Max snapped his head to her direction.

“Uhp! Lexa, I saw that. Stop it,” her father said.

Alexa started to blurt out something, but he held up a hand.

“Now, I want you to apologize to each other and stop arguing today. It’s a time for us to celebrate, not be at each other’s throats. And if I hear more bickering from either of you, I’m takin’ away one of your piano and phone privileges,” he warned. He left the two children to help his wife in the kitchen.

The siblings stood there, still glaring at each other in silence. Alexa couldn’t stand those blue eyes of his. They can be so arrogant and patronizing, even though she loved his eyes and always thought about how she could’ve traded her boring brown ones for his any day. But it was like he said: jealousy was not something pretty to admire in a girl like her. Somehow that remark hit deeper than she would’ve allowed it. Not only did he think her as being rude…

As soon as a tear streamed down her cheek, her brother’s hand went up to wipe it away. The mood in his eyes changed " they were calm and cool.

“Hey look…I didn’t mean to say that, alright? That was the jerky part of me talking,” Max apologized. Alexa shrugged, but she smiled a little.

“It’s okay " we’re both a couple of idiots for arguing about stupid stuff,” Alexa said, poking her big brother’s chest. “Not my fault you’re that impressive. I - I just need to practice more. But really though, let’s not keep this going during Mom and Dad’s anniversary " they seem happy enough anyway.”

Max nodded. “Agreed.”

They did not say anything for what felt like ages. After a while, Max sat down and played with the keys, while Alexa remained standing. As though her body made it an involuntary process, her hand played around in his brown hair, lost in her own world. She loved his hair for as long as she could remember. Max still played on the keys, not noticing the touch of Alexa’s fingers combing his hair out. She could caress it forever…

“Max…”

“Hmm?”

“Are you going to the café again with the guys?” she asked softly.

After a moment of silence, Max slowly nodded his head and said “Yeah, I am. But the guys aren’t only going to be there. Susan’s there as well.”

She raised an eyebrow, her interest piqued at this foreign name.

“Susan? Who’s this Susan you’re talking about? Someone new at your school?” she asked genuinely.

“Oh no, she’s just someone that I tutor…she plays the violin, but she wants to learn how to play the piano too. Funnily enough, she asks me to teach her instead of Frank,” he responded.

It took a short minute for her to think about it before she asked the next question. “Well….is she pretty?”

Max looked up. “Mmm, yeah I think she’s pretty...”

Her insides burned in hectic tumbles and squirms. Suddenly she didn’t feel like going to fencing practice; she wanted an inspection of this Susan girl and her intentions with her brother.

Instead, Alexa laughed a little and sat beside him, brushing her hair back from her face. “I see…I hoped you could come with me to my training this time, but you rarely do.” Then, she looked up into his eyes and mocked, “Some big bwother you are.” She stuck out her tongue playfully.

Max rolled his eyes and smiled. “Alright, alright " I promise you that I will get to see you in action soon. Not tomorrow, not the day after, but SOON.” He tapped her nose.

Satisfied, she stood up and kissed him on the cheek. “Good " I’m gonna hold that against you though! See you soon, Maxie,” she said as she ran up the stairs to her room. Max waved back and walked to the dining hall where his father sat reading the newspaper.

The swipe of the blade flew so close to her neck that Alexa blocked its path with her own foil. She jumped back and lunged forward at her opponent’s torso. Her grip tightened as the blades clashed against each other with the sound of metal echoing in the room. Panting, she thrust the foil, aimed for his hand, but missed.

“Alexa, remember to keeping lunging - keep lunging! Maintain your position,” her instructor urged. But the words went in one ear and out the other; she focused on advancing her level by using a counter -parry against him. He blocked her attacks each time and she became weary.

Then, she stopped for a brief second. Closing her eyes, she searched out that one pulse, that one surge of strength she knew was deep within her. That familiar feeling of the energy rushing inside her veins when she combined her desires…her hopes with the core of the blade. Every time it happened, she felt stronger at every second she swung the sword. It felt sacred, empowering and it lent her the confidence she needed.

Opening her eyes, she switched sides, twirled around, counter-parried her opponent, tripped him up and aimed the blade right at his throat.

Her instructor, panting, stood up and put his sword away. He took off his mask and beamed at her. “Well, even as you didn’t listen to me the first seven times, you still find a way to jump ahead of me, don’t you?”

Alexa took off her gloves, laid her foil down and took off her mask. Her face flushed, she gulped down a bottle of water and walked a few steps around him.

“It’s like I told you before " I have a secret you can’t feel,” Alexa teased in sing-song.

And she was right " she does have a secret no one knows. The problem was that even she doesn’t know what the secret actually IS " she only felt it.

“Then make sure your ears are the ones who are at attention " and not your instinct. You can’t keep your trust in your instincts all the time,” he said.

The energy in her veins still coursed through and her face turned red. She loosened her brown hair and sat down on the bench beside her duffel bag.

“Ms. Miller, you have to understand that nobody can immediately know how to talk the talk with a sword,” her instructor said with sympathy laced around his face.

Packing up her foil and picking up her mask, she walked up to him and handed him back the mask she borrowed. “Right, right, I guess I’ll remember that for next practice,” she said in passing. And with that, she bade him goodbye and left out the door, duffel bag in tow.

______________________________________________________________________________

A few streetlights flickered on and shone spotlights on the road as the sun set behind the skyscrapers in the distance. Alexa looked up into the sky and shivered, hugging herself to keep warm from the icy chill of autumn.

Everything felt so lonely and deserted…lately, the city of Grenland held a 2 week festival that held the citizens’ attention. That could have explained it but still…it felt too quiet for her comfort.

As she walked past the usual café where her brother and his friends hung out, she peered into the window and spotted Max sitting with a tall and stocky guy, another guy who was short and built and a girl with auburn hair and a white smile.

So that must be that Susan girl he was talking about. Her heart stalled and a slight nausea swept over her as her brother paid close attention to the hand gestures Susan made as she was telling a joke. She sat in the seat…HER seat, which was right next to her brother. Alexa walked on, discouraged from opening that door to hear the familiar jingle of the doorbell.

It grew darker and darker as she walked on. The air grew colder and her stomach twisted in hunger. The twilight of the evening disappeared, replaced by the solemn curtain of night. There was a slow melee to the night, a restful period.

Alexa, however, was preoccupied in the explanation she gave the instructor about her ‘secret’. Now that she thought about it, where did that feeling come from? How can she explain in words where she wouldn’t be seen as a crazy person? She’s had this happen to her ever since she was as high as her father’s kneecap, holding simple sticks and playing Knights and Horses with Max and Her friends.  Not much thought was put into what was happening. It didn’t occur every single day either. It only happens when she gripped a sword or anything like a sword…

A ball of warmth suddenly rose in her chest, even as it was cold…wait, what?

She turned her head left, right, looked behind her, and then looked in front.

And as she figured, something had definitely caught her attention.

Ahead of her, a small but beautiful light danced in midair. Mesmerized, she looked behind her, just to make sure no one was following her, and followed the light. Somehow she felt warmth and beauty from the light itself. It was so attractive and she felt so safe even as it was far away. She craved its presence.

Then it trailed away from her in a fast pace…she ran toward it.

It wasn’t long before she saw that light being carried by a person, a female. Even as it was a first glance, she saw that the girl looked her age and she had very pretty eyes. Another, larger person walked beside her. He looked rough and ugly to her, and he dragged the female into a dark alleyway, the girl struggling against him.

She felt that something wasn’t right about what she just seen. Suspecting a robbery in action and fearing for the girl’s safety, she slowed to a jog and lagged behind them so as to not be easily heard and seen by the man.

“Now, hand over the bauble if you know what’s good for your world,” a gruff voice threatened.

Alexa could see the girl’s shadow back away farther into the alleyway, curling into herself as though she held something very precious. A dagger flashed in the moonlight before her eyes as the man moved in closer to his prey.

Panicking, Alexa reached the alleyway where the people disappeared off to. Her first glimpse of the scene beheld the man stabbing the beautiful girl in her abdomen, with her keeling over in a bloody mess and the bauble that held the pretty light slipping through her fingers.

Author's Note

I'd like constructive criticism on my writing! Tell me what you like, what you don't like and how I can improve. Thanks!