The Doll fell to her knees. Physically she felt no pain; it was as if nothing had even happened. There was no reason to fall down in such a way.
Yet, she felt a shiver run down her body. A piercing feeling similar to that which she felt earlier when Lukaz had kissed her. For the second time today, she was forced to bite back bile in her throat with a thick swallow.
That creature, The Strings it claimed to be The Doll.
But it couldn't be her.
But I am.
She couldn't accept that it was her.
Its face, her face, was all The Doll could think about until she heard, “Are you okay?” The Doll heard two different voices say in the same tone, followed by a much quieter, unintelligible mumble that she assumed to be from Lila.
I think I should keep my meeting to myself.
The Doll opened her mouth intending to tell them about The Strings, "I'm fine.” That's not what she wanted to say. The Doll stood up and dusted herself off. "Let's stop idling in the hall; we have class to attend.” Why wouldn't she tell them about The Strings? She needed to tell somebody; there was no practical reason to keep this hidden.
I think it's best I head to class.
The Doll began moving towards class, allowing the others to follow. As she walked, Malina suddenly appeared in front of her, blocking her path. “What happened? You look different.” The Doll looked different. What did she mean by that?
I truly find her annoying.
Attempting to speak, The Doll found herself choking on her words, "I-I'm." Malina looked more concerned. "I'm just tired; it's been a long day.” The Doll managed to force out. It seemed she would have to solve this problem alone.
Shouldn't be an issue for her; she was used to that.
Malina opened her mouth as if she were about to say something before closing it. Lila came up from behind and said, "Le-let's just he-head to class. La-Lady Ashencroft said she was fine.” The girl flinched after saying this as if expecting retaliation.
Yet no retaliation would come as Malina relented and moved back to The Doll's side, saying with a big huff, “Very well, I'll drop it for now.” She then pointed at The Doll and added on, “But I expect answers from you at some point. Dollie.” She said that last word with a smile before starting to walk again.
She really was such a strange girl.
In a way, The Doll appreciated her concern, but she couldn't ask her for help.
The words just refused to roll off her tongue, no matter how hard she tried to get them out.
With these thoughts the group proceeded to class. The rest of the walk was rather uneventful; Malina and Lukaz didn't argue once, Lila remained timidly silent, and The Doll was finally allowed to be alone with her thoughts.
For some reason it didn't feel as nice as it should've.
But I don't need them; I have myself.
After a short walk, the group arrived at the door to their next class, the History of Rivenheim, indicated by the locator scroll pointing directly at the door. They weren't too late; class should have only started a few minutes ago. Without missing a beat or giving Malina any time to complain, The Doll pressed down on the store rune, causing the scroll to roll itself back up, allowing her to put it in the pocket of her uniform, and pushed the door open, earning a quiet groan from Malina.
Observing the scene The Doll noted the class looked familiar to their previous class with a similar seating arrangement, though notably more empty. The class once again turned to look at them, but The Doll paid them no mind, instead examining the teacher who was slumped over the desk, laying his head down on his arm.
He appeared much younger than Sir Aurum with messy hair that had a light tone, accompanied by a slight stubble. He was notably very thin, with The Doll being able to see his cheekbones despite his stubble and taking special note of how his baggy clothes that resemble pajamas with their soft texture and single color very loosely fit him. Underneath his dark eyes were very deep dark circles implying a notable lack of sleep.
He opened his mouth and spoke. “Huh? Why are there eight of you?” He asked, causing confusion to arise in The Doll, which evidently seemed matched by the rest of the group, who stood in stunned silence, looking from each other to the teacher.
Interrupting the silence, a man in the class with hair that held a similar whiteness to that of Malinas with eyes to match spoke up, "Sir, I believe you forgot that you were seeing doubles because of your exhaustion, sir." His voice was laced with a supreme amount of confidence, surpassing that of even Malinas.
The teacher blinked twice before putting his head back down. "Whatever, sit wherever you want. Since Braveheart seems inclined to speak, he can explain what you all are doing.” That was hardly proper for a teacher, but she wouldn't cause a fuss.
Lukaz, on the other hand, unshockingly showed lacking self-control compared to The Doll, “Sir. It's hardl—" He began to speak but was quickly interrupted by a loud snore.
Lukazs' face remained calm, but The Doll noted a slight twitch that indicated what she assumed to be annoyance. She was never very good at reading others.
Malina, on the other hand, seemed thrilled and grabbed both The Doll and Lila by the shoulder, pulling them into her. “Now this is the kind of teacher I can get behind. Don't you two agree?" Lila's face grew dark as she attempted to stammer out a response.
The Doll simply removed Malina's hand and said. “Hardly.” She punctually said as she turned to the blonde student who previously spoke up, presuming him to be Braveheart, "The professor said that you would relay his instruction to us.” She stated awaiting a response.
Lukaz backed up The Doll, saying, "Well, out with it.” There was a notable tone of venom in his voice, likely due to the long history of animosity between the Braveheart and Zephyr houses. The Zephyr house always held the belief they deserved to be one of the four major families, something that the Braveheart house also believed; as such, the two families naturally formed a rivalry of sorts.
Braveheart either didn't notice or refused to acknowledge Lukazs's venomous tone as he spoke. "Yes, I suppose he did. Well, he essentially just said his name was Sir Somnus and that for class we would introduce ourselves and share one historical fact about our family.” He then smiled seemingly towards Lila for an unknown reason and added on, “We haven't started yet, so you haven't missed anything.” How strange.
Malina, who was still holding Lila by the shoulder, pulled her in closer and said, "Nope, mine.” This caused Lila to get even darker.
Even stranger.
Well, no matter, The Doll moved to sit down, followed by the rest of the group as they sat in the same position they walked to class in.
And there was silence.
It seemed nobody wanted to start this odd assignment.
The Doll couldn't blame them; it was hardly schoolwork and seemed more like something Sir Somnus threw onto them so he could sleep. What an improper professor.
However, thankfully, Braveheart suddenly stood up. "Well, let us begin.” He said in a confident tone, drawing the attention of the entire class. He walked to the front of the class, standing in front of Sir Somnus’s desk, and did a deep bow of greeting before putting his fist to his chest and announcing, “My name is Richard Braveheart. I am the third son of the Braveheart line and a student of the sword. My historical fact is that my grandfather, Rickar Braveheart, once held the title Master of the Sword.”
The Doll’s eyes widened.
Master of the Sword was a title granted by the royal family to the greatest swordsman in the realm. How had she not known the Braveheart family had once housed one?
She clearly needed to brush up on her lessons.
Lukaz rapidly stood up after Richard's introduction, walking around the back of the seats towards the front of the class. When he passed The Doll, she heard him whisper something in a low tone, “I’ll show you how to make a proper introduction.” The Doll could only think how childish his need for competition was.
Upon reaching the front of the class, Richard smiled at Lukaz. "Ah, Zephyr, I'm pleased to see you so willing to participate in class introduction," he said without a hint of animosity.
Lukaz put on a smile as well and said, "Ah, so you know who I am. Braveheart.” The lost word came off his tongue with a notable amount of animosity that even The Doll could pick up on. Yet despite this hostile tone, Lukaz kept his face in a neutral and calm state.
Richard once again brushed off the hostility in Lukaz’s voice instead extending out his hand with a smile, "I'm happy to meet someone from such an equally prestigious family. I would ask your name, but I do already know it, and that would defeat the purpose of these introductions, so I will settle for a simple handshake.” His voice did not waver even once.
Perhaps Ricahrd was attempting to make nice with the Zephyr family? The Doll could not figure out another reason for his odd behavior.
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
Lukaz stared at the hand in shock for a moment, his face temporarily losing its typical calm look before quickly recovering it and moving his hand to accept the shake. As he did so, he spoke, “I would hardly say 'equal' anymore considering the circumstances.” Following this declaration was a slight laugh from Lukaz in an attempt to veil the insult as an attempt at humor.
Richard merely laughed along with him as the two shook hands. “That is a mighty fine grip you have there, Zephyr; I can feel the passion in it.” His lack of reaction to the clear insult confused The Doll. Nobles always cared ever so greatly about their prestige and how others perceived them. Yet Richard had continuously let Lukaz get away with things most nobles would never allow.
After finishing the handshake Richard merely performed a bow and returned to his seat, leaving Lukaz with a slightly twitching, calm face.
The Doll thought that this typically indicated his annoyance, but why would he be annoyed?
At the same time, The Doll heard Malina let out a silent giggle that could likely only be heard by her and Lila. Yet again, The Doll couldn't figure out how Malina thought. Perhaps she was simply pleased by Lukaz’s seeming annoyance.
When Richard fully sat down, Lukaz immediately turned to face the class and performed a deep bow of greeting that was far more formal than the one performed by Richard earlier. After finishing this bow, he would look up to the class and put on an equally formal smile. “My name is Lukaz Zephyr, main heir to the Zephyr family and the one who will unite the Zephyr and Ashencroft bloodlines by marrying the most beautiful girl I have ever laid eyes upon.” As he said this, he winked at The Doll, causing a collective gasp to run from the entire class with the exception of Malina, who groaned.
An uncomfortable feeling ran across her spine.
I dislike him.
After his performative wink, he didn't turn his gaze from the class, instead keeping his attention on The Doll. “My historical fact is that House Zephyr has always understood pleasure better than any other house in the realm.” He said this without moving his gaze from The Doll for a moment.
Was he attempting to impress her?
The Dolls face did not shift in the slightest, though the rest of the class had varied reactions. She heard Richard laugh and Lila start mumbling something.
It was quite chaotic.
This, however, was interrupted when Malina suddenly slammed her fist against her desk, causing everyone to look at her and immediately silence themselves.
Nobody spoke a word.
Not even Lukaz.
This silence spread across the room, mimicking the previously awkward state they were in previous to Richard's introduction.
But once again Richard decided to step up while everyone else remained silent: “It seems the princess would like to go next; I'm sure we can all arrange that.” He turned his gaze directly to Lukaz up at the front and narrowed his eyes. “Right?”
Lukaz simply said, “Of course," and returned to his seat, taking the long way around to avoid walking by Malina. It seemed even Lukaz didn't want to anger a member of the royal family too much.
But it still struck The Doll as strange.
Lukaz made it very clear he didn't care for Malina's status as the 4th born.
Yet he and everyone else in the class seemed to silence themselves.
I need her to go.
The Doll felt a feeling in her chest that she hadn't felt in a long while. Was this fear? Did Malinas rage scare her?
But it didn't feel like her own fear.
It felt like the fear of something or someone else.
Malina, seemingly having calmed down, giggled. "Yes, I think I would like to introduce myself.” Her tone came off as almost playful as she practically skipped to the front of the class. It felt like a child getting her way after throwing a tantrum.
She was so improper for a princess.
After reaching the front of the class, Malina gave a curtsy similar to the one she used when first greeting The Doll. “My name is Malina Regius something that I'm sure you are all aware of.” She stood up and covered her mouth, giggling once again.
The class stared at her, unsure how to react.
Despite this atmosphere, Malina kept talking after she finished giggling. "I'm the 4th in line to my family's throne, and my historical fact is..." She stopped talking and rubbed her chin, thinking about what to say. The previously tense atmosphere was replaced with an equally tense atmosphere of anticipation.
Even The Doll felt a slight feeling of anticipation.
Knowledge of the royal family that didn't come from word of mouth was rather rare. Most members of the Regius line never spoke on their own history, very unlike other noble families. Rumors about what the family was capable of spread throughout word of mouth like wildfire, but they were always rumors. The chance to hear something directly from a member of the royalty was rare, to say the least.
Malina snapped her fingers, indicating that she had figured out what she wanted to say. Leaning in closer to the class, she said, “My historical fact is that we are all liars.”
What did she mean by that?
Malina wasn't done. “Every single one of us is a liar, even me.” She then stood back up straight and put a finger to her mouth. “But that's all I’ll say.” The Doll could only sit there in confusion.
The one thing she has said I can agree with.
After making this declaration, she stood there for a moment moving her finger between The Doll and Lila whilst silently moving her mouth as if talking to herself.
After a moment of this, someone from class spoke up, "Wh—" Whoever it was that spoke up was quickly interrupted by Malina, who finally stopped moving her finger pointing at Lila.
She loudly declared, "Yes, Shyla will be next.” The Doll turned her face to Lila, who once again turned a darker shade and began rapidly looking around as if there was someone else Malina would call Shyla.
Malina skipped over to Lila's table in a seemingly great mood and grabbed Lila by the hands, whose face grew ever darker. “Pleaseeeeee.” She leaned in closer to Lilas's face.
Lila moved back and shouted out in that high-pitched voice, “OKAY FINE.” She then sheepishly got up as Malina let go of her hands and happily sat down next to a very confused doll.
Would Malina have made The Doll go next if her finger had landed on her?
Lila slowly got to the front of the class and began nervously fiddling with the bottom of her uniform. She didn't bow nor curtsy, instead choosing to look down at her feet as she began speaking, “I-I’m Li-Lila Kurath.” She was so quiet The Doll could barely hear her.
She looked up at the class, practically shaking, and shouted out, “MY FAMILY HAS ONE OF THE THREE GREAT WEAPONS.” The words came out far louder than anything she had said before.
Then she hurried back to her seat, dropped into it, and buried her head in her arms.
What were the three great weapons?
The Doll never recalled a single lesson from her father speaking of them or a single book that mentioned them.
Everyone else seemed very aware of what they were.
She would have to add it onto the pile of private research she already had to do.
After Lila, the other five members of the class performed their introductions without much hassle. The Doll paid vague attention.
Franc Mercilin a son of a major merchant family.
Cecilia Umbra, another daughter who was her family's sole heir.
Jimith Nonno, a son of a minor family The Doll vaguely recalled.
Tanieth Gratus, a daughter of another minor family who spoke in an upbeat manner.
And finally, Icar Herba, a son of the current Master of the Swords family.
Now at last all eyes lay on The Doll, who had sat silently, avoiding giving her own introduction for as long as she could. She didn't know what she would say or what she could say. She didn't have a first name.
Yes, I do.
No, she didn't.
Wait, who was she even arguing with? Nobody said anything. She hadn't even heard a voice.
I heard my own voice.
No, no, she hadn't.
The Dolls eyes widened as she recalled her meeting with The Strings.
Could it still be here?
Did it truly reside within her own mind?
As if responding to her thoughts, a figure manifested itself with a dark mist sitting directly on The Dolls desk, staring at her with her own eyes.
Her own blue eyes.
The Doll opened her mouth to speak, but The Strings put her finger to her mouth similarly to how Malina had. "It's time to introduce myself," The Strings said.
Then slowly The Doll began to stand.
Why was she moving? She hadn't willed her body to move. It felt as though invisible strings had pulled taut around her limbs, dragging her body forward against her will.
Malina, seemingly having sensed something was wrong, looked over to The Doll and asked, "Dollie, are you okay?” Concern was etching her words similarly to the previous altercation in the hallway.
The Doll wanted to shout no; she wanted to scream NO.
But she couldn't.
Instead, she delivered a simple nod.
Malina looked as if she wanted to say something more but once again chose to bite her tongue. That's right, Malina shouldn't find this strange at all. The Doll never spoke much in the first place, and it merely seemed as though she was moving to give her introduction.
She felt violated.
Every step she took was against her will, yet she couldn't communicate it in any way.
It was truly as though she were a doll.
The Doll had truly become a doll.
How ironic.
Eventually The Doll stood in front of the class, and The Strings manifested next to The Doll's ear and whispered, “Now curtsy." The Doll complied immediately, doing a curtsy that was far too informal, disregarding the instruction she had received from Sir Aurum.
The Doll stiffly stood and faced the class, puppeted by these strings, still unsure about what to say.
The Strings moved once again, manifesting over her shoulders, like it seemed to enjoy doing oh so much. It opened its mouth, and The Doll felt a breath colder than the winters of Gelun. “Now say my name.” The Doll opened her mouth, but no words came out.
She had no name; there was nothing to say.
The Strings, seemingly irritated, tightened its grip. "Yes, I do now say my name.” The Doll couldn't.
The Doll wanted to disappear; she stood in front of the class, mouth agape, with no words coming out.
Gazes looked upon her.
What were they? Disappointment?
Yes, that had to be it. The gaze—she had grown so used to disappointment; every single one of them stared at her with this look.
The same one Father held for her.
The Strings appeared in front of her, holding her face in its hands as if it wanted to comfort her. This soft grip was the same one Mother used to hold her in.
The Strings moved its head to touch The Dolls and quietly said, "It's okay; I have a name. I know I do.” A tear ran down its blank face, and The Doll felt a single tear run down her own.
The Strings moved its hand and wiped the tear away in the first fluid motion. The Doll had seen it make. After doing this, The Strings disappeared, leaving The Doll to stare at the class in front of her.
Yet its voice still lingered.
The Doll felt its influence remain on her; she couldn't control her own body. She opened her mouth, and her words perfectly mimicked that of The Strings in her mind.
“My name is Del—"
The bell tower rang, signaling it was time to transition classes.
As it did, The Doll felt The Strings' influence leave her body, and she collapsed to the ground.
Ah yes, comforting darkness.