Minara climbed the few stairs, opening the door and entering back through the doors of the castle, light leaking out into the night. She kept forward, finding the stairs, looking up at the winding column, wishing she didn't have to climb each and everyone. After the long day, her feet were sore, redness permeating around the edge of her sandals. With each step, her feet radiated with pain, each one chipping away at her current strength. By the time she reached her floor, she had not one ounce of strength left, but she carried herself onto her bed, flopping down.
Her hair draped over her face, a quick blow pushing it to the side, Minara staring up at the ceiling, thinking of the day she had, the things she said, everything. She put her hands on the bed, pushing herself up, unbuckling her sandals, placing them down next to her bed. She got up, taking her first step, feeling pain but also relaxation with being out of the sandals, no longer any constriction on her feet. At the end of her bed, she crouched down to open her small wardrobe, reaching for her nightwear, placing it on the edge of her bed. Quickly, she swapped into it, taking her ceremonial dress, folding it carefully, and placing it into the wardrobe, not knowing when she might wear it again.
As she got up, she grabbed a small bag, full of her care items, and closed the wardrobe, making her way to the washrooms for her family. Those lay on one of the highest floors of the castle, where it met the mountain behind, built into the mountainside. She pushed the doors open, revealing the cavernous interior, Rolando on his way out. Minara smiled and waved gently, but Rolando passed without any acknowledgement. She turned and stared as he turned the corner, mouth agape. "What is his problem?" Minara thought,turning back to head in to get ready for this night's sleep.
The washroom had a pool, filled with crystal clear water, collected from cracks inside of the mountain that flowed through the area. As she entered, an attendant grabbed a bucket, filling it with water, moving it into a small basin near the wall in front of a mirror, which Minara approached. She thanked the attendant before turning back, starting her nightly routine.
She splashed water up, coating her face with the mountain water, reaching next to her and grabbing a small cloth, patting her face dry. Reaching into her bag, she grabbed a small brush and a jar full of a fragranced liquid, applying a small amount onto the brush, before wetting it. She brought it to her nose, sniffing, always appeased by the minty aroma, one of her favorites. She brushed her teeth, making sure to reach every area, taught by her father to brush for at least two minutes, as he had been taught before her, and it really did help keep her mouth feeling clean. She was grateful to always have a supply, they had to source it from the south of the country, the minty plants growing in that area, nowhere else in the country.
As she spit it out, she looked up at the mirror, remembering that she still had a pin in her hair, reaching back to pull it out, and as her hair fell forward, she noticed a dark figure in the mirror, standing behind her. Her eyes opened wide, spinning her body around to face the figure, frantically checking every area in sight, finding nothing. She stood there, back to the mirror, pin held in front as a weapon, brandishing it back and forth, ready for any foe to strike, when she heard a scratching noise behind her. She turned slowly, looking towards the mirror, seeing the figure holding a knife, cutting on the mirror's surface.
She yelped, backing away from the mirror, almost tripping as she stumbled back, still holding the pin in front. The figure reached up, pulling down their mask, revealing a feminine face, who started to talk.
"Minara Pfeistos, fancy seeing you here," The figure started, cracking a sly grin, "Why so scared?"
"Who are you, what are you?" Minara spouted, feeling her back hit the back of the room, the cold of the stone seeping through her cloth night dress.
"Why I oughta ask you the same question, princess," She responded, "How long did you think you could hide from us, an awakened one right under our noses?"
Minaras nose furled up, head tilting to the side, "What do you mean, what is an awakened one?"
The figure looked ticked off, pointing her knife at Minara, "You think you can trick me, princess? You don't know what an awakened is, when you are out brandishing the power all the time?"
"I don't have any powers, nobody else does either, I don't even believe that you are here. This has to be my imagination, the stress must be getting to me," Minara said, holding her head in her hands.
She wiped her eyes, tears threatening to fall, looking back at the mirror, the figure still present, peering out of the mirror at her. Minara pushed herself away from the stone, rushing to leave the washroom, when she heard an echo behind her. Turning back, she saw the figure's head poking through the mirror, a sneer plastered on her face, their hands coming through on either side of the mirror, pulling themselves through the mirror.
As the figure pulled themselves through, Minara rushed backwards, pushing through the doors back into the castle, yelling out, "There is an intruder in the washrooms, they pulled themselves out of the mirror!" Guards rushed to the sound of voice, arriving by the washroom, weapons at the ready. Her father rushed up, running from his study, his attendant by his side.
"Minara, what do you mean a figure came through the mirror?" Astaros questioned, Minara facing him, fear plastered on her face.
"I mean I saw the figure pull itself through, so I ran away. They should be able to find it in there!" Minara sputtered, turning back to face the washroom entrance, guards having entered already. Astaros brought Minara close, tears streaming down her face, her face a mess.
As the minutes went by, guards reappeared at the entrance, shaking their heads, not finding any assailant inside. Minara didn't believe it, she saw the figure climb through the mirror, hearing them hit the ground. Did they escape back into the mirror as she left?
Minara looked towards her father, "You have to believe me, I saw it come out of the mirror, I wouldn't lie about this."
Astaros looked at her, "I think you may be too tired, honey. Head to bed, I will be in my study if you need me."
Minara looked at him, looked away, and then walked back to her room, head low, tears hitting the floor below. When she reached the door to her room, she opened and walked in, closing it behind her, before diving onto her bed. Tears flooded into the covers, her head bobbing with every sob.
________
After a few hours, she turned over, her face moist with tears staining her cheeks. She wiped them away with the backs of her hands, looking around the room as she did. Everything was in its rightful place, everything stored away, the surfaces clean, just how she liked it, except a small note, slid under her door.
She walked over, picking it up off the ground, taking a look at the outside. The note was on plain parchment, off-white marks dotting the paper. There was a small seal, pressed of wax, holding the note shut. The seal displayed a small portrait of the country's insignia, the double stars clearly visible in the wax. She was sad to pull it open and wreck the wax, but she did so reluctantly, eager to see what was inside.
Inside it wrote:
Dear Minara,
I hope this finds you well. I heard all of the commotion and wanted to see how you were doing, but your door was shut, and any attempt to speak with you came back with no response. I just wanted to let you know that I don't think you are crazy, I believe what you saw was correct. I, myself, have seen things like that before. At midnight, meet me down in the courtyard. Take the side exit, the guards will be at the front and have suspicions.
Rolando
Minara stared at the note, reading the ending over again. She did not expect anything like this from Rolando, especially based on how he was acting today. This time of year, the moon would be directly above at midnight, and peering out the window, Minara saw that it was nearly at that point, so she scrambled to put on a light coat for any cold that might linger in the night.