Arthelnda: one who guards the immortal

ARTHELINDA POV

I grin mischievously as I gaze at Amelia, the first daughter of Mariana, the Queen of the Ferra Realms. She's applying an excessive amount of makeup to her already caked face. 

"Sister Amelia," Juliet, Amelia's sibling, chimes in, her own makeup looking even more haphazard than Amelia's. Amelia pauses her makeover and turns to face Juliet, who is striking a pose halfway between where I stand patiently, behind Amelia.

"My goodness! You look amazingly beautiful, dear sister!" Amelia coos.

‘Lies’ I mutter in my head.

"I can't say the same for you, Amelia," Juliet taunts. “You'd better give up now and let me win."

"Are you afraid that if I don't step down, you'll lose?" Amelia questions as she focuses on dressing her mascara once more.

Juliet snorts, as if Amelia has just told a ridiculous joke. She adjusts her fan and shifts the conversation. 

"I've come to inform you that our mother, the Queen, has requested everyone's presence." 

Amelia dismisses her with a wave of her hand. "Duly noted. You may leave now, little sister." 

Juliet snorts again, exiting with a dramatic flourish by slamming the door behind her. 

Amelia sets down her mascara and glances in the mirror, chuckling to herself.

 "Just a little powder..." she trails off, applying a bit more to her cheeks. "All done!" she squeals, delighted with her reflection.

"With Juliet looking like that, I'm pretty sure she'll be overlooked. The other girls don't stand a chance against me.” Amelia declares, turning from her chair to face me. Her gaze fixes on mine, and I slowly look away from my reflection in the mirror, my eyes settling on her.

“Right Linda?”

 I remain silent, simply staring at her. 

"I forgot you're dumb," Amelia sneers, getting up from her seat. Her long dress flows behind her as she walks towards the door. "Oh, and..." she pauses halfway and turns to me.

 "I left something for you on the shelf next to the drapes." Amelia adds before finally exiting. I watch her leave, followed by the guards who were stationed at the door. Once the door closes, I disunite my hands and sigh out loud before placing my hands on my hips. 

"Finally," I groan.

I pulled the seat Amelia had occupied earlier and sat down, positioning the chair in front of the mirror. I stared at my reflection, my ginger hair falling to one side of my face, covering one eye, while the other gazed back at me in the mirror. My emerald eyes, normally bright, seemed slightly dull, a reflection of my boredom. 

Suddenly, I remembered Amelia's parting words and jumped out of the chair. I hurriedly opened the shelves and searched eagerly. A loud gasp escaped my lips as I finally found what I was looking for. "Finally!" I exclaimed out of excitement. "I get to read this!"

It was a book - not just any book, but one that revealed the true history of Ferra, the kingdom where I grew up. I had always been fascinated by the details of our past, but the books I had come across barely scratched the surface.

 I had always sensed that there was more to the story... and now, finally, I had the chance to read the full account - not the sanitized version everyone knew. 

As I opened the book, I read: "God, the creator of all beings, chose to create man in His own image... His very own image. He created the planet Ferra and fashioned a beautiful woman to rule and guard it. He bestowed upon her powers to rule, wanting her to be just like Him. His very own made-to-order REPLICA!

But soon after creating her, He realized it wasn't wise to have someone with so much power, someone just like Him. He decided to try again with a new creation. Yet, He loved His first creation, Lilith, dearly. She was a beauty to behold, radiant like the sun, and He loved her so much. Instead of eliminating her, He chose to make her and the planet invisible to other eyes.”

I dart my gaze away from the book, lost in thought as I reflect on the present situation. Sadly, we have a queen ruling over Ferra Realm, but it's not Lilith. I never got the chance to experience life under Lilith's rule, and that's why I desperately wanted this book. I need to understand what happened to her, to grasp the full story. Unlike everyone else in Ferra Realm, I'm different - an outcast who found solace in the Queen's eyes.

Speaking of the Queen, she's called for an important meeting, something she's never done before. The only time her daughters meet her is when they're personally summoned to her Chambers, which rarely happens. But today, she's sent word to all her daughters, asking them to come prepared in their finest attire. I didn't prepare myself like the others did, since I'm different from them. Although the Queen took me in as her daughter, it didn't change the fact that I'm not her biological daughter. Additionally, Amelia would torment me by denying me books and other privileges,  if I followed them to see the Queen. 

I was found outside the gates of Ferra Realm as a baby, in a basket, by the Queen herself. I wasn't like them; I was Human. 

After Lilith's disappearance, the rest of Ferra Realm learned about the place God created, and the possibility of God dropping me there sparked the Queen's interest in me. She took me in, sheltering me as one of her daughters, despite her maids suggesting I become a slave. Little did she know, her children had turned me into a personal maid.

I pull the stray strands of my hair to the corner of my ears and sigh. At least I have my chance and space to finish the book I've always wanted. But first, I've got to tidy Miss Amelia's table. My gaze falls on the mascara, and I stifle a chuckle.

 I place my hand on the table, then clutch it and cover the slide properly. I pull the drawer and place it inside, doing the same for the rest of her makeup. I sigh in relief as I tuck the last one in her drawer neatly.

 My gaze catches a shiny object, and my eyes widen in shock - Amelia's ring! She never goes anywhere without it. She must have left it while bickering with her sister. 

Once upon a time, Amelia and her sisters bonded nicely, but not with me. They all hated my guts. However, since I agreed to become Amelia's personal maid in exchange for her protection and the freedom to read, her sisters have grown jealous of her.

Without much consideration, they had all agreed that Mother had given me to her. Even though they all had maids, they deemed me special because I was cared for by the queen.

 I pick up the ring and quickly stand up, making a mental decision. "I'm going to give it to her." If I don't, she might call off the deal, which I'm pretty comfortable with.

 Even when Amelia makes me do most of the work I shouldn't be doing, I'm completely okay with it. It's better than having the rest of them toss me around. I'm pretty certain I'll meet her halfway. She couldn't have gone far. 

When I get to the her room exit, I open the door hastily, just to see the Amelia siblings coming from the other end.

"Wow" and "Woah" escaped the maids' lips as they watched them walk in, exuding royalty. Their makeup was identical to Juliet's, suggesting one of the maids had done their makeover. Two maids walked past me, stood at the side, and whispered, "They're so pretty." I bit my lip to stifle a chuckle. "But why does everyone find them pretty, and I don't?" I wondered. Perhaps it's because I've never worn makeup, which makes it seem weird and a bit stifling when I see them apply it. 

I forced myself to look away, dismissing my thoughts, and focused on my goal. I watched the direction the girls were headed, knowing that's where I needed to go.

Getting to the place was not a problem for me.

But when I begin my walk to the direction in which Amelia were taking, they all looked at me visibly livid. My impulse is to look away but I don't. I proceed forward and Within a short time I have gotten towards the exit of the room. They could have too… But they were taking slow steps and showing off their pretty gowns.

I shut the door calmly after getting in and look ahead. There were so many doors in the pathway and for a minute I was bewildered.

Am I in the wrong place?

I wondered.

I let go of the door knob and ventured inside.

The hall way was dark but the glimmer on the doors, helped radiate enough light to get one through the hallway.

I snapped to attention remembering why I had come here in the first place. I clutch and un clutch my hands that were straight to my side. And I tried to keep my focus trained on the other side of the hallway… Before taking hastily steps forward.

H