“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

  I woke up terrified, with a scream that felt as if it had torn my throat. I gasped for breath, looking around, making sure that what I had seen was gone and that I had left that terrible, sinister pce.

  It was my room. I saw my closet, the chest Ki gave me, the bookshelf with some of the storybooks that had been brought to me a couple of days ago when I started to learn to read and write. To the right, the rge window fag outside was covered by thick curtains that blocked most of the light from entering my room and barely let me see anything inside. On one side of the window was a small desk that, to everyone's surprise, Dad had already prepared to put in my room. It was brand new, made of a very beautiful reddish-colored wood.

  Everything looked normal. Even my bed, disproportionately rge, in which three like me could fit with enough room for each of us to stretch out our arms.

  I sat up, feeling the bed and my clothes damp, my body drenched i and my face full of tears. I looked down at my hands that wouldn't stop shaking. I csped them together, interg my fingers and bringing them to my forehead, while making a huge effort not to hyperventite, not to let ay and panie me. I mentally prayed to Sathalia, hoping that she could take that horrible feeling away from me.

  Loud footsteps were heard in the hallway. Someone was running towards my room. Thank heavens.

  “Young dy!” echoed Ameli's voice. She entered without hesitation, looking ily at every point in the room, ensuring no one else was hiding in the shadows. “Young dy, are you all right, what happened?” she asked with a ed tone.

  I tossed aside the bs c me and rushed towards her. “Ali, *hic* Ali, Ali, Ali!” I repeated her name over and over as she took me in her arms and pressed me against her chest. She didn't care that I was wet, she just took me in her arms and did her best to e as I cried both from the ahat still kept its filthy e, and from the relief of having someohere with me.

  Ameli kept stroking my bad whispering words of fort, as the feeling of panic slowly left me. Soon after, more hurried footsteps came down the hallway.

  “Ameli, what happened? What was that scream?” Ki had e to my room. When she arrived, she sounded just as worried as Ameli. I heard her approach us quickly and pce her hand on my back.

  “Tya!” came another voice, this time it was Zenya who sounded agitated, most likely from running from her room to here.

  I jumped out from between Ameli's chest, tears still falling down my face, and looked at Ki, mortally worried. I immediately threw myself into her arms, and she weled me to her chest, then cradled me, trying to soothe me. Knowing they were here, and feeling Ki's warmth was really helping. However, those images still lingered in my mind.

  “Ameli, what happened?”

  “I don't know, Madam. I had just woken up and utting on my uniform when I heard her scream. I immediately left my room without even being able to finish dressing, and when I arrived, I found her like that.” Replied my maid worriedly and with some pani her voice.

  Because of my age, I was allowed to have my own room, but also, because of my age, Ameli was given the room, for the sole purpose that she could quickly get to me in case she o. Something that was just proven to be effective.

  Logi the period stories I had read dictated that, iy, there should always be someone ready at my room door for auality, but they couldn't put Ameli there all the time either, and Ki didn't trust other maidservants to be able to care for me properly. Unfortunately, this situation might ge her mind.

  “ you go a her some water? Of course, finish getting dressed first.”

  “Right away.”

  There was a small silen the room after Ameli left. The only noise was my breathing and sobbing, as I tried with all my might to calm down.

  “Maki...” I heard my sister's voice, hesitant as she called out to our seother. Her voice sounded distressed and worried; she didn't seem to know what words she should use to tinue.

  “Don't worry, Dri, I'm sure it's nothing for us to worry about.”

  By the time Ameli returned, I could breathe normally. Having Ki and my sister with me helped me push away that horrible feeling that was tormenting me.

  Maki sat on the edge of the bed, sitting me on her p, while Ameli brought me a cup of water. I drank a out a long sigh, with the tension that had built up inside me slowly dissipating.

  “Nita. what happened, are you feeling sick, are you in pain?”

  I shook my head. I wished that was it. Physical pain would have beeer than feeling that kind of panid ay.

  “Did you have a bad dream?” asked Zenya.

  I ched the cup tightly as I nodded. I wouldn't call it just a “bad dream” though. It was a terrible nightmare. Even worse than the one I had some time ago.

  There was a collective sigh of relief. Zenya came over to me aly took me by the hand, Maki spoke at that moment.

  “Well, now you don't have to worry about that anymore, we're here with you.”

  I nodded, relieved to have them with me.

  Now that they uood what happened, I ampered by both of them, until they were sure that the scare I got had passed. Then Maki ordered Ameli to bathe me and ge my clothes, before leaving with Zenya to fulfill her duties for the day. Before leaving, she kissed me on the cheek and walked away keeping a worried expression.

  “If anything, else happens, anything at all, let me know and I'll e right away,” Ki said, also leaving to tinue her work for the day.

  “Of course, Madam,” Ameli replied with a bow and a sigh of relief. We immediately left in the dire of the bathroom.

  It was rexing. The warm water pletely washed away all the tension and ay left over from before. The clothes I was wearing now were also especially fortable and soft, one of my favorites ever. We went down to the dining room for breakfast and I received several of my favorite foods. It had been Maki's order that I be served all of those to help improve my mood.

  The rest of the day was simir. No matter who I was with, that person was dedicated to pampering me as much as they could; whether it was Maki while teag me, the maids who gave me some sweets on my break, a lunch specially made for my taste, or even Zenya who captured me in a hug and didn't let go the whole time she was teag me.

  Despite how it started, the day ended up being especially pleasant.

  By the time I was lying in my bed again, with the sheets and bs pletely ged, I couldn't help but wonder about that dream.

  Uhe one I had had when I was youhis one was several times more terrifying. I was enveloped in darkness, experieng over and ain my st moments of life, and each time it was someone different who stabbed the knife while ughing with a distorted void a face that became deformed as the ughter grew louder and more terrifying. I couldn't escape, no matter how hard I struggled it always ehe same way.

  And that voice, that... being or thing that spoke to me and told me stantly that I didn't deserve this sed ce, that this family was just usihat Sathalia had lied to me and her real goals were others. It was trying very hard to put strange ideas into my head and that made it much more difficult to e was disturbing to think about what was going on.

  But what worried me most was whether this would bee a stant. Would I keep having these nightmares over and ain? And even if I didn't, was there any meaning to this or was it because of my trauma? I thought that this feeling I had with my family, of not feeling a part of them, had disappeared on my first birthday. I was sure I moved past that, so why the hell was I having this kind of nightmare?

  I closed my eyes and sighed, wishing I didn't have to worry about something like that, w if there was something wrong with me.

  “There. Would you like me to read you a story, young dy? Or do you want to sleep now?” Ameli asked in her usual melodious voice. She had pulled up a chair and was sittio the bed, ready to stay by my side as long as it took to make sure I could get a good night's sleep.

  A story sounds good. An unfamiliar story from this world might help me rex...even if I felt terrified to do so.

  “Story,” I replied without muergy, and I saw her face light up immediately. She stood up and walked quickly to the bookshelf and, after finding the one she seemed to have been looking for, returo her spot.

  She coughed twice, adjustioo that of an experieoryteller.

  “The story of Theor the traveler.

  Once upon a time, there was a young man heor, a Friasan with dark skin and hair, ash-gray eyes, and horns as bck as night. Although his body was well trained and his efforts were tireless, Theor had a great sadness in his heart: no matter how much he practiced, he was terrible at the use of ons.

  The knights of the great orders rejected him again and again. And to his misfortune, he couldn't use magic either, because he was “gray-eyed” so others pushed him away. With no magid no skill with ons, his dream of being a knight of the emperor seemed impossible.

  But Theor did not give up.

  With hope burning in his heart, he left his home and traveled the vast territories of the empire. He visited many nds and learned as much as he could, tirelessly searg for a master who could help him fulfill his dream. And so, after many years of wandering, he came to the distant nds of the Njrton, a raown for their short stature and incredible strength.

  It was there, he border between the Njrton kingdom and the Mirua kingdom, that he found something that would ge his destiny.

  As he walked uhe starry sky, he saw a figure ed in a gray cloak. Although the figure was covered, Theor still felt its enormous power, a preater than any knight he had ever known. Theor's heart pounded as the figure approached him.

  With a soft smile, the stranger spoke:

  “Greetings, O raveler, your nds are far from this pce. What motives bring you to the borders of the nds of Mirua?”

  The voice of the stranger was like the murmur of a brook in the moonlight, soft and soothing. Theor, captivated by the presence of the mysterious female, could barely speak. He hesitated for a moment before replying.

  “I am on a jouro find myself,” he said at st, nervously. “I am not good with ons, and as you see, I am gray-eyed, uo use magic.”

  Those words weighed on his heart like stones, painful and distressing. How Theor wished he had at least a bit of talent so he could prove his worth!

  The female silently stared at him, with a deep and passionate gaze. Then, with a leisurely gesture, she removed her hood, revealing emerald-green hair, falling softly down her back. Her eyes, shining like polished silver, seemed to illumihe surroundings, and her long-pointed ears firmed what Theor had already suspected: she was a Miranis, a member of a long-lived race, powerful and wise.

  “You are not the only one who has felt the weight of those expectations,” the female said, her voice softer and warmer. “Have you ever wondered if you already possess that light within you? Perhaps, you've always had that answer inside, but haven't been able to hear it yet.”

  Theor looked at her, intrigued, his heart beating hard against his chest.

  And then...”

  I looked at Ameli, expetly. She paused deliberately, watg my rea ily. She covered her face with the book, leaving her eyes barely visible, which reflected an amusement that normally would have annoyed me, but now kept me on the edge of my seat, waiting for her to tinue. However, she remained silent, clearly enjoying the moment, as if mog me.

  “And, ed?” I asked, giving in to my curiosity and hiding my embarrassment at having fallen for her obvious scheme.

  “You'll know tomorrow, young dy.” She replied, finally closing the book in her p.

  “Eh..."

  Ameli let out an amused ugh at my disappointed rea. She rose from her chair aurhe book to its shelf. “It's already te, and you'd better sleep now. Besides, wouldn't it be better if I told you the whole story over several nights? That way you might enjoy it much more.”

  I leaned bad turhe other way, annoyed. I didn't want to listen to her anymore.

  “Hahaha, young dy don't get mad, I promise it'll be worth it. I-”

  For some reason, Ameli stopped mid-sentence. I wao turn around, but I was still annoyed with her, I wasn't going to give in so easily anymore.

  I heard her footsteps approag, but decided to ignore her, even as I felt her sit on the edge of my bed.

  I felt a warm hand stroke my hair gently with long, motherly strokes. The touch was familiar, which fused me quite a bit. Since when did Ameli behave this way? She never did this...unless...

  I turned around, feeling a small throbbing in my chest, and there was someone ued.

  “Mami?” I asked a little disbelieving and fused. Mom smiled sweetly as she nodded. I rushed into her arms and hugged her tightly. I was absolutely happy and relieved to be able to see her. She hugged me back, gently bing my hair with her fingers. Her gentle caresses flooded me with relief and happiness, something I didn't know I was so in need of.

  “Fia told me you'd had a nightmare st night.” She whispered without holding back her hand. I nodded silently, a little self-sciously, afraid she would see me as... well, a scared little girl. Teically I was, but certain things make me feel a little embarrassed to be seen that way. I know I'm being weird about it, but it's plicated.

  “Do you want to talk about it?” she asked in a soft g tone of voice. She sounded ed, but also sympathetic. I was sure it wasn't the first time she'd had to act like this with one of us, probably already very used to it. And maybe that's why I refused. I didn't feel ready to talk about it, especially given the tent of those nightmares.

  Mom whispered an “I see” and tinued with her caresses. I feared my refusal might have worried her more, but her touch remained just as soothing and motherly. All of a sudden, she even started humming a lulby, one I remembered from long before when I first woke up in this world. That definitely helped me rex even more.

  Her soft voice was all the sound that could be heard in the room, a momeweewo that felt soothing and warm. I could feel my worries and fears that those bad dreams might assail me again dissipating with each passing minute in my mother's embrace.

  Feeling this love, this care, made me mentally sigh with te. This was the kind of thing I loo have. To feel my mother's love, to feel that I had a e with her, that she would be with me whenever I needed her. This was what I wanted with all my heart, and I finally had it. My heart warmed, and I felt the desire to cry with relief, but before that feeling could fully settle, Mom whispered:

  “Tya, remember I promised you I would give you a very special gift?”

  I pulled my face away from her chest, looking at her a little fused but also somewhat excited. I could almost feel my eyes sparkling at the anticipation of receiving her gift. As always, she kept the promises she made.

  She moved me aside a little and picked up an object ed in a colorful cloth that she had pced on the floor o the bed. It was about half my size, and it was quite difficult to determine what it was with just its shape. I looked at my mother dubiously, almost as if I were asking her permission to open it, and she responded with a smile and a nod.

  With excitement, I began to un the cloth, finally revealing a stuffed bunny.

  It was nothing special, it was just like an ordinary rabbit, or at least one from this world. Its ears were a bit shorter, but also wider, its fur was just as soft, and its tail was a bit rger. The biggest differehey possessed from the ones I knew was a third eye in the middle of their foreheads, which was able to give them some sort of sixth sehat made them incredibly difficult to catch.

  This stuffed animal was, no offense, horribly made. Just having three eyes alone was hard to get right, but the normal two were crooked and the third was not tered. The nose was noticeably upside down, and the mouth was sewn on as if it were a smirk, the kind that offends when you see it. Not to mention that several of the parts of the rabbit were a bit badly sewn, looking like they were going to fray if I pulled on the loose threads.

  ... a I was still overjoyed.

  To be objective, it was very ugly, and I couldn't see how this could be called a gift for a child with how poorly made it was. But, from the bottom of my heart, it was the most wonderful thing I had ever been given. I loved it, I really did.

  “How cute~” I excimed softly, delighted with the bunny. Out of the er of my eye, I could see Mom sigh in relief at my response.

  “S-so, do you like it?” asked M to firm my answer.

  I nodded immediately. “Lot!”

  The joy in my words brought a smile to her face, which made me smile.

  “You know, I made it myself.”

  “You did!?” I questioned incredulously. A handmade gift from her? I couldn't believe it.

  “Yes, I did it with a lot of love for you.” She said, as her face ged from a bright expression to a sad aful smile. “I have not been the best mother to you, Orinthya.”

  She paused to sigh sadly, stroking my hair gently and drawing me bato her embrace. I felt a sting in my heart. I wouldn't call her a bad mother, far from it. I know very well what a truly bad mother is like.

  Of course, she doesn't usually have time for me, and it's painful that it's that way, but, I know why that is, and I uand it...even though I'm lonely. Besides, she has never lied to me, she has never failed me, and she has never shown me anything but love. How could I ever call her a bad mother when I have been able to see all the effort, she has put in for me and my sisters?

  After a moment, she tinued, “That's why I decided I had to do something, even if it was something small.” She rested her hand on the rabbit's head as she gave me a hopeful look. “I started sewing this little one so she would be with you when I couldn't. She'll take care of you and chase away all those nightmares, giving you only pleasant dreams.”

  I didn't know what to answer. I didn't know if those nightmares would tio hau night, but, for some reason, I felt that I now had a guardian with me, ohat maybe, could keep all those bad things away.

  “And...” Mom hesitated for a moment before tinuing, looking at me with sincere eyes. “it is my wish that, whenever you feel lonely, you hold this little one and know that, even if you 't see me, I will always be with you. I will always be on your side and I will always love you, no matter what.”

  I nodded softly. I could feel the siy and love in her words. I hugged my new friend as a smile formed on my lips. Mom loves me, I repeated those words in my mind over and ain. They were words that brought me true joy. A joy that was almost impossible to describe or even tain within my heart. I turned my face away from the bunny to look my mother in the eyes and called out to her.

  “Mami?”

  “Yes, baby?”

  “I wove you.”

  “...I love you too my sweet baby.”

  Mom hugged me tightly, kissed my forehead, and tio tell me how much she loved me for a long while.

  It was te enough in the evening, if what Ameli said at the end of the story was correct. I was sure Mom was tired too, but would it be too selfish of me to want to enjoy her pany a little longer?

  Luckily for me, she stayed a little loelling me about her day, how much she missed me, and how hard it was to sew the stuffed animal, we even thought of her name!

  Ladies alemen, I present to you Lancea, Lan for short, she will apany us from now on in our travels!

  Shortly after naming her, my eyelids finally began to feel heavy. Tug Lan and me in, Mom kissed my cheek goodbye, wishing me a good night. Within seds I was pletely asleep.

  That night there were no nightmares, just peaceful dreams.

  FivesZeta