Adelheid 1: The Sleeping Princess

Warm sunlight peeked through the curtains and landed atop Matilda's face. The twelve-year-old girl groaned and twisted her body so that the sunlight no longer hit her eyes. The world seemed to return to stillness as the girl's breathing started to slow as she drifted off to sleep once more.

Without warning, the girl's eyes snapped open, revealing her amber-yellow eyes. "Oh no!"

The girl quickly scrambled off of the bed and sat in front of her dressing table. Using her fingers, Matilda untangled the knots in her flaxen hair. Luckily for her, it didn't take very long as her hair only reached her chin.

Walking to the water basin, Matilda activated the magic tool and filled a cup with water. She opened a jar and scooped out a fingerful of medicinal paste, which she mixed into the cup. After the paste had fully dissolved, Matilda used the mixture to gargle her mouth before spitting it out in an empty basin.

Dipping a square cloth into the water next, the lass wrung the fabric so it was slightly damp and wiped her face and neck, fully awake now. The girl observed herself in the mirror and frowned at how harmless her facial features appeared. Matilda still felt uncomfortable, so she used some time to wipe her body with the damp cloth.

Next, the young girl changed out of her nightgown into a black dress that reached her feet and covered her arms. Sitting on her untidied bed, Matilda pulled up her white stockings and slipped on her black shoes. Then, she pulled on a white half-apron, tied it around her waist, and finished changing.

Matilda's shoes made a very distinct sound as she raced through the palace corridors, the stone walls and the suits of armors flying past her as she ran with speed unbefitting of her size. As she ran, Matilda wondered where the other palace servants were. Did they all oversleep like her?

The young girl quickly dismissed the thought as she was late to her post. The girl swore to herself that she would never stay up late training again. It was an oath she swore numerous times but consistently failed to keep.

As Matilda moved nearer and nearer to her destination, the decor of the palace began to change and change. The floor was no longer bare stone. Instead, red carpets lined the floors, pots of flowers that Matilda could never name lined the walls atop pedestals, and red tapestries depicting a downward sword circled by six swords could be seen at every corner.

When she had first arrived in the palace two years ago, it was like a maze to her, but Matilda was proud to say that she no longer got lost, not that it would aid her in her current dilemma. Finally, after many twists and turns, she arrived at her destination.

Standing in front of the oak doors, the young girl held her hand to her chest and regained her breath. Steeling herself for the scolding she would receive, Matilda placed her hand on the bronze doorknob and opened the door.

The room was at least ten times larger than Matilda's own. The flooring was of plush carpet, numerous dressers lined the walls, a dressing table with an elaborately rimmed mirror atop, and a massive glass window that somehow prevented the outside temperature from affecting the inside.

However, the most eye-catching thing in the room was, no doubt, the bed. The bed was a magnificent piece of work that could be called art. The bedframe was carved from ebony wood, and a large red canopy with translucent white sheets hid the sleeping child within them.

It wasn't exactly the bed itself that was eye-catching, but what was underneath the bed.

A magic circle enclosed the bed and exuded a gentle light. Matilda wasn't someone talented in magic, but even she could feel the dense mana in the room.

"Matilda, what are you doing here so early?"

Matilda turned to look at another girl, a maid just like her. Sofia was three years older than her, but both girls stood at the same height at one hundred fifty-three centimelers. Unlike Earth, the common measurement system was in melers, not meters. In contrast to Matilda, Sofia had dark brown eyes with long black hair that reached her waist.

"Sorry for making you wait. I'll take over now," Matilda said as she walked next to Sofia.

"What are you talking about? My shift isn't over," Sofia said.

"Huh?" Matilda turned towards the sun beaming outside the window. She once again confirmed the time.

Sofia turned towards where Matilda was gazing and also saw the sun's position. Sofia looked at Matilda with an exasperated expression. "Matilda, it's currently the Early Water Month. The sun comes out earlier than before, so you still have a good hour and a half before your shift."

Matilda stood there stunned. Moments later, she could only let out a small, "Oh."

-line break-

Matilda slumped down on one of the many tables in the dining room, her eyes full of unshed tears. "Why do I keep forgetting to check the time? If I knew I had time, I would've gone to the training grounds and honed my swordsmanship, but now that I'm already in my uniform, it'll take too much time to return to my room to change into my training clothes. Not to mention, I'd have to clean myself up after I finished training. I don't have enough time now," Matilda grumbled aloud to herself.

The young girl stayed there for several more minutes before her stomach began to grumble, reminding the girl that she had yet to eat breakfast. Slapping herself on the cheeks, Matilda encouraged herself. "Don't stay down. Otherwise, you'll never achieve your dream. You can do it, Matilda!"

"Haha, you still want to become a knight like Sir Avery, huh?" a booming voice sounded above her, causing her to look up to see a giant of a man.

The man was Sir Gerrald Brandt, a member of the Imperial Guards Knight Order, but he was once a knight under the command of Edmund Avery, Matilda's father and Count Avery of Kent County.

"Of course, I'll become an even stronger knight than my father!" Matilda said as she stood up with her back straight and her chest puffed up.

Gerrald laughed some more as he reached his hand out to pat Matilda on the head. Matilda, of course, slapped his hand away. "Stop it, Sir Gerrald. I can't let my hair be messed up. I haven't even begun my shift yet."

"Oh right, you were one of the seventh princess's maids," Gerrald said as if only recalling the fact.

Hearing mentions of the seventh princess, Matilda felt a sudden curiosity. "Sir Gerrald, has the seventh princess always been sleeping?"

"Oh? You didn't know?" Gerrald asked as he motioned for Matilda to follow him. He had just finished his morning training and was preparing to have his meal. The duo walked towards the kitchen to pick up their breakfast.

"When I arrived at the palace, the princess was already asleep," Matilda said as she picked up a tray of food and returned to the table with Gerrald. She looked around the dining room to see more and more people entering, filling the once sparsely populated room.

"Hmm," The knight crossed his arm in deep thought before he sighed. "Princess Adelheid has already been sleeping for three years."

"I thought she was asleep even longer," Matilda said with surprise as she began to eat, making sure to swallow her food before speaking.

"The rumors say so, but that's only because the princess rarely appeared in front of others since her birth." Gerrald turned and scanned his surroundings before leaning close to Matilda. "I heard she used to appear more, but she started to appear less after an assassin almost killed her."

"What!?" Matilda’s spoon dropping out of her hand and onto the table.

"Shhh!" Gerrald held his finger up and quieted Matilda down. "It's not a big secret, but you're better off not mentioning it."

"Okay," Matilda said as she used both hands to cover her mouth.

Gerrald chuckled.

"But why would anyone do such a thing?" the girl asked, her innocent brain unable to fathom why someone would kill the princess, a girl younger than her.

"Who knows, but there are rumors that it's the elves," Gerrald said, his voice still low.

"Elves?" Matilda said. She recalled the only time she met an elf when she still lived in Kent County. The elf was over two hundred years old yet appeared even younger than her father. Far more beautiful, too.

She couldn’t wrap her head on why such a beautiful race would stoop so low and commit such an act.

"Yeah," Gerrald said as he dipped his bread into his soup.

"But why?" Matilda asked, her large round eyes gazing at Gerrald.

Seeing the innocent look, Gerrald couldn't help but guffaw. He quickly stopped upon noticing the attention they were receiving. Leaning close to Matilda, the girl leaning closer as well, Gerrald whispered, "That's because the princess's mother is the sister of the sovereign prince of the Principality of Alvarius. It's taboo for their royal family to interbreed with other elves, much less humans."

"Why?" Matilda asked again. "Aren't the princess's father and mother married? Why can't they have children?"

"It was a marriage never meant to be consummated. It was a marriage of alliance. After Prince Albrecht's death, Princess Syr would return to the Principality. The Vuldar Empire and the Principality of Alvarius almost went to war when the elf princess died during childbirth," Gerrald said with a shrug.

"Really?" Matilda asked.

The seasoned veteran nodded. "Yup, they demanded that the princess be put to death for stealing their bloodline. There are even rumors that the princess's eternal sleep is the work of their mages."

"Poor Princess Adelheid," Matilda said, looking down at her plate. Her voice was full of pity towards the younger girl who had lost her mother at birth. The girl looked out towards the sun, and her eyes caught sight of the clock, a magic item that told time.

"Oh no!" Matilda practically screamed. She turned back to her plate and began to stuff the food into her mouth. The girl picked up the bowl of soup and drank it without a spoon, scalding her tongue in the process. Once that was done, Matilda picked up her tray and said to her companion, "Thank you, Sir Gerrald, for your time. If we have the chance, may we continue the conversation!"

Seeing the rapidly diminishing form of his former captain's daughter, Gerrald just sat there stunned at the bundle of energy that was Matilda. A moment later, he chuckled. Matilda must have been a handful when she was younger. Imagining the stoic Edmund Avery's reactions to his daughter, Gerrald's chuckle turned into booming laughter.

Matilda was met with an irate Sofia, who crossed her arms and was tapping her foot, causing Matilda to gulp.

"Matilda Avery, I'd expected you to be on time today. You woke up early today, so I'd thought you wouldn't be late again, but no. Once again, you proved me wrong in the worst possible way. We are the princess's maids. You can't continue making such careless mistakes!" As Sofia continued her tirade, Matilda seemed to shrink and shrink while Sofia seemed to grow larger and larger until she towered over the younger girl even though both of them were the same height.

The young girl of twelve finally released a sigh of relief when Sofia finished her lecturing and left. Patting herself until her heartbeat returned to normal, the flaxen-haired girl entered the princess's room. Since the princess was always sleeping, maids like Matilda and Sofia only had to take turns standing until their shift was over.

Before long, Matilda began to fidget, unable to contain her exuberance. The amber-eyed girl began to pace back and forth within the room, creating a trail in the plush carpet under her feet.

Finally, Matilda began to swing her arms up and down while imagining a sword in her hand. From a young age, she had admired her father, Edmund Avery, a renowned knight of the Vuldar Empire. At first, her goal was to become a legendary knight like her father.

Then she heard of the famed Order of Mercedes, a knight order of the Holy Seraph Kingdom only composed of women. Matilda's goal changed to establishing an all-women knight order within the Vuldar Empire, becoming a knight like those fables her father used to read for her every night when she was younger.

Soon the room disappeared, and what appeared was a barren land full of monster corpses. Matilda had changed too, growing taller and wearing a full suit of armor emblazoned with the heraldry of her all-female knight order and a sword spoken of in legends in her hand.

Across from her stood a beast spoken of with hushed, terror-filled tones. It had the head and front of half of a lion, a goat head, the hind legs of a goat, and a viper for a tail. Poison dripped from the viper's fang, and flames flared from the lion's nostril while the goat head released an ear-grating bleat. This was the mythical chimera, a legendary monster capable of destroying cities.

There was no else aside from the two of them on this vast barren land. Either Matilda eradicated the monster, or she would lose her life to this beast. Retreat was not an option. If she fled, then countless innocent people would suffer.

Holding the gleaming mithril sword in front of her, Matilda spoke the oath she took when she became captain of the knight order. Once she had finished her oath, light encompassed her and her sword. Like a blazing meteor, Matilda charged towards the chimera.

The battle between her and the legendary beast would be long and hard, with her death almost becoming reality several times, but she would prevail in the end against all odds. With the beast of calamity slain, Matilda would chop off all three of its heads and bring them back to the capital of the Vuldar Capital, Midgard.

Matilda would be summoned to the throne room to be honored personally by Emperor Wilheim himself!

The crowd would roar her name as she paraded down the streets. The women would admire her. The men wanted to be her. And the kids wanted to grow up to be like her.

There was a sudden sound outside the door, causing Matilda to almost jump out of her skin in shock. Broken out of her daydream, she moved so quickly back to her original position that it almost seemed like the girl had teleported. With her hands clasped together in front of her, Matilda watched the door with great trepidation.

Only after several minutes had passed with no one opening it did Matilda release a sigh of relief. She wiped down the sweat that had been dripping down her forehead. Glancing outside, Matilda noted that the sun had already started to set. Had she been daydreaming that long?

Matilda slapped her cheeks. "Get it together, Matilda! If you get caught slacking again, you'll be sent back to Kent in disgrace. The empire won't knight you if you can't even pay attention during your shift!"

Pumping herself up, Matilda stood with her back straight like the textbook-perfect maid that she wasn't. However, soon after, Matilda's thoughts began to drift once more. This time, it was a tragedy of love and vengeance.

She recalled the story of the blacksmith's son. The boy had once seen the princess of the kingdom with his eyes and vowed to marry her. Before reality could destroy the boy's dream, his father had been killed.

The boy took his father's last and greatest masterpiece, the mythical sword Gramarchia, and left on a journey for revenge. Along his journey, the boy met many friends and foes alike. After the boy became a man, he returned to the kingdom to find his father's killer.

Through many twists and turns, the boy-turned-man slowly uncovered the truth. The identity of the murderer was the princess. The king had tasked the man's father to create a gift that would make the princess smile, so his father created the greatest sword in his life.

But the princess didn't smile at the blacksmith's creation, causing the king to fly into a rage. In his wrath, the king ordered the blacksmith's death.

The man who discovered the truth became twisted. The love he had for the princess when he was a mere boy turned into hatred. Enacting his revenge, the man killed the princess with the gift his father forged. Using an ancient ritual, the man sealed the princess's soul into the sword before piercing his heart with it.

To this day, it is said that the sword is sealed under a palace, waiting for the hero’s successor.

Speaking of princesses, Matilda found herself tiptoeing towards the bed. She knew that no matter how loud she was, Princess Adelheid wouldn't wake up, but Matilda still couldn't help but be cautious. It was as if she was committing a travesty.

Carefully and ever so gently, Matilda lifted the drapes to reveal the sleeping beauty. Matilda found her breath stolen every time she gazed at that sleeping face.

Alabaster skin, long and lush eyelashes, a perfectly symmetrical, oval-shaped face, inky black hair that only made her skin look even whiter, a small nose, and delicately pink lips just waiting for her knight in shining armor.

Matilda's heartbeat quickened as she neared the porcelain princess. The princess turned seven this year. Her growth was stunted, making her appear even younger, but that did nothing to detract from her beauty despite her young age. She was like a meticulously crafted doll not of human make, with features too perfect for mere mortals.

Time always seemed to pass incredibly quickly whenever Matilda gazed at the princess's enthralling features. Only the princess's neck and face could be seen; the rest of her body was fully guarded by the luxuriant red sheets.

Matilda prepared to close the drapes and return to her position, waiting for the next maid to take her place. It wouldn't be good to be caught staring at the princess instead of doing her duties as a maid. However, before Matilda left, her eyes gazed towards the princess's ears.

She didn't know what compelled her to behave in such an ill-mannered action, but Matilda began to lean in as her fingers drifted towards the princess's pointy ears. When her fingers grazed against the princess's hair, it was as if an electric current had tunneled through her, causing her hand to snap back.

Matilda gulped.

Slowly, her fingers reached forward once more. Her fingers brushed against the black hair, and Matilda felt as if she was touching strands of silk. Matilda continued her actions and brushed the seventh princess’s silky locks behind the princess's ear. She was instantly entranced.

Exquisitely pointed ears were reflected in Matilda's eyes. As if charmed, the aspiring knight began to rub the ears and found the sensation extremely satisfying. In complete dereliction of her duties, the young maid began to knead Princess Adelheid's half-elf ears between her fingers.

"...stop."

The voice was barely above a whisper, its tone weak and raspy, but Matilda flinched in shock. Instantly standing with her back as straight as a pillar, the flaxen-haired girl whipped her body around towards the door, expecting to see a furious maid, but all she saw was an unopened door.

Confusion filled Matilda's mind. Was she just imagining things, or was her subconsciousness rebuking her? Whatever it was, Matilda decided that she had committed enough offenses for the day and turned around to seal the drapes.

The charmed girl couldn't help but turn to gaze one last time at the sleeping princess's face.

Matilda’s amber eyes were met with steel-colored eyes.

She blinked, her brain not processing what her eyes were seeing. Eyes the same color of drawn steel continued to stare at her. It wasn't until the voice appeared once more that Matilda broke out of her trance.

"...water... I need water..."