I had checked my e-mail on Monday afternoon during my last break at work, and found the announcement that we could decorate the Queen's throne. I smiled my first real smile in a while. It felt wonderful to have something else to do besides mope and fret.
I switched on the computer as soon as I got home that night, and signed into Second Life. Once I'd changed into my uniform and checked to make sure I had the right group title, I found my landmark for AYA ... but couldn't click on it.
For some reason, the idea of seeing the Queen's throne empty felt like it'd be too much to bear. The logical side of me tried to reason away the irrational emotion, but it refused to budge. After a while of fighting with myself, I decided to change and go visit some friends, hoping I'd feel better later.
Spending time with my friends definitely helped. Once I said goodnight to them, I headed back home. It wasn't too bad changing back into my uniform, but I just couldn't bring myself to teleport.
Feeling like a coward for not being able to face such an obviously unreasonable fear, I logged out and dragged myself to bed. After tossing and turning for a couple of hours, I eventually fell asleep, then drifted into an incredibly vivid dream.
Before I could start wondering how I wound up there, I heard someone sniffling nearby. I turned to find a maid with a drawn, pale face and bloodshot eyes. I wanted to offer some words of comfort, but I knew we were supposed to be quiet. Instead, I reached out to her and gently squeezed her hand. Despite the pain I saw in her eyes, she managed a small smile as she squeezed back.
I heard a soft murmuring near the entrance, then saw the tops of heads starting to move outside. I’d been pretty close to the back of the room where the maids had gathered. I sorta hung back, feeling uneasy, since I wasn’t sure what was going on. The maid who’d smiled at me still held my hand and drew me along with her, so I swallowed my nervousness and got in line.
When I got closer to the entrance, I saw maids on either side of the line. They held up silver trays full of lit white candles in little glass tumblers, and people would pick up a candle as they walked past. Eventually, all the candles were taken. I felt incredibly disappointed, until I realized there had been tiny wicker baskets behind the candles.
Following the example of the maid in front of me, I picked up a basket from one of the trays. Even though it was too dark to see what was inside, I could smell the faint scent of roses. I looked up, and saw the line was heading towards a glass staircase that spiraled up into a moonless sky full of bright stars.
I was expecting the sharp tick of a high-heeled boot on a solid block of glass when the first governess started up the stairs. Instead, there was a clear, echoing chime. As more people ascended, it sounded like the beginning of a song. While not completely coherent, there was still a haunting, lyrical quality to it. If someone could make music that sounded like angels singing, that’s what it would have sounded like.
The climb seemed to take a long time. Although the breeze picked up a little when we got higher, it was very gentle as it swirled around my stockinged legs and played with the crinoline under my skirt. I glanced down at the ground far below, but my normal fear of heights wasn’t there. I felt completely safe and secure in the company of the governesses, mistresses, and my sister maids.
The stairs led up to a dark, grassy area. Nearby was something that looked like a church, but without as much of the spires, arches, and such I'd usually expect. A flickering, golden light was pouring out of the open doorway everyone was walking into.
The first thing I noticed when I walked inside was a set of thrones set on platforms on either side of the center aisle. The thrones were all occupied by governesses. Further in, I could see mistresses sitting in several sets of pews.
I noticed the maid in front of me had moved to one side of the aisle, then reached into her basket and began sprinkling red petals on the ground. I moved to the other side of the aisle, then reached into my basket and began dropping petals behind her.
When I reached the end of the aisle, I stood there for a moment, feeling awkward and lost. Someone tugged on my arm. I turned and saw a maid kneeling on a white, velvet pillow. There were a couple of rows of pillows, but most of them were already occupied. I found a vacant one near the aisle and quickly kneeled on it with what grace I could manage with the nervousness I felt.
Once I was settled, I looked ahead and saw several steps leading up to a high platform. On the platform was a golden throne with red cushions. Dozens of candles were clustered on either side. I was about to try whispering to the maid beside me to find out what was happening, when I heard people behind me starting to talk.
Before I could turn to see what was going on, I felt someone touch the top of my head. I looked up and saw someone in white armor glance at me before moving on. There was a playful look in her eyes I couldn’t imagine belonging to anyone else. It was the Queen!
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I woke up crying.
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