Princess Rieka’s discoveries

It started with the small details.

Things looking the same. Feeling the same.

Rieka started to realise that this feeling wasn’t just some deja vu. She had seen this before, but where?

People that she’d thought she knew were just strangers in a crowd. People she’d never seen before were close relatives. But that didn’t make sense.

Ever since these discoveries, she kept a diary where she documented them. In code, of course. Rieka knew that if someone knew that she was experiencing these weird things, that even she wasn’t really sure what was, they’d start asking questions. Not even the title of princess could protect her.

And as time went on, she stopped caring. These people, were they even real? Rieka was going down a rabbit hole and got herself to a point of no return. That is until she met one of the staff of the palace.

That face. She couldn’t place her finger on it, but if felt like it didn’t belong here. It wasn’t like the faces she thought she had known all her life, but this one. This one.

The girl was acting like everyone else and seemed to be unremarkable or so it seemed.

”Hey! Can I speak to you?” Rieka finally gathered the courage to confront this individual. “In private”.

She could hear the whispers from the other servants nearby. Luckily they weren’t directed at her and the mysterious girl didn’t seem bothered by it.

”Sure thing, your highness. In your chambers?” the girl spoke while pointed in the direction of Rieka’s room. This voice. Rieka was completely thrown off. What in the world was so strange to Rieka when it came to this person?

As they walked down the long hallway to her room, the girl began to speak with this annoyingly, mysterious voice. “To be honest, I wasn’t sure if you would talk to me just yet”

What was this girl saying? Rieka pondered, but chose not to say anything and as they arrived she realised all she needed to know was why this person was like this. Sticking out like a thorn which no one else seemed to see. Answers, answers, answers. That's what would quench her thirst.

”You got questions and I got a deal for ya, highness” the girl spoke so casually. Rieka didn’t know if she was supposed to be offended, but she felt relieved. Just straight to the point.

”Is this some sort of game you are playing? I cannot for the life of me figure out what you are doing and how it is benefiting you or anyone else for that matter” Rieka questioned and she tried to be somewhat intimidating, but the girl didn’t flinch.

”Your highness, you need to understand that this info will change your view” the girl paused. “Or not. I dunno. Usually the people trapped already know that they are trapped, but you do not. That’s sorta exciting, you know?” The girl smiled.

”What is your name? You who seems to know the predicament I am in”

”The name’s April, but that really doesn’t matter. What does matter is what you’re paying”.

Paying? What is she talking about? Rieka wasn’t sure what to make of the situation, but she wasn’t very good at detecting the intentions of other people which led to her not being very active in social circles.

”Paying? For what?”

”My dearest princess. Have you felt strange things such as seeing things that you are familiar with, but never seen before?” Rieka nodded to April’s statement.

”Well, you are trapped in a unfinished fairytale and you are starting to get aware of that fact so to speak. This is actually one of my favourites-” but Rieka wasn’t listening anymore.

For some godunknown reason, this made sense.

The people she knew and didn’t know were people who were removed and added to the story. Her character must have been used in many different stories as well. And the feeling of deja vu, someone was reading the story again and again. Turning the pages of her life. Rieka‘s life wasn’t real. It was entertainment.

”Hello there? You ok? Did I break your little worldview?” April waved her hand infront of Rieka as she looked at her barely visible feet because of her big, pink and out of fashion dress which didn’t fit her complexion at all. That’s what you get when you aren’t an influential figure and the maids hate you.

”How do I escape?” Was the only thing the crept out of Rieka’s mouth. April stopped waving her hand and coughed. “There is a steep price, is it not?” She looked up, straight into April’s eyes.

“Your soul is what I require, your highness”.

Silence. Rieka needed to process this. What did April mean by ’her soul’? Her memories, her will, her entire being? Did it all fall under those two words?

”You wouldn’t happen to be a daemon setting me up?” Rieka had to make sure.

”No no no-“

”Prove it”

April was slightly taken aback as far as Rieka could see, but she straightened her posture. “You will just have to trust me”.

Rieka really wanted to find out what was beyond, but could she leave the safeness of her home? She felt nothing towards these individuals she called family. She had nothing here.

All she had known was a room and just now she received a key to the outside. Should she take it?

She walked towards her bed. Her nightstand had her little book of discoveries. She sat down on the bed and April soon followed sitting in a chair nearby.

In the code that Rieka had made she wrote and wrote and wrote. Feeling heavy over this choice, she turned to the first page.

“11th of August, year 55 of the rule of Milicenta.”

That was four years ago.

“Something strange has happened, so I am writing in this diary in case more of this happens. I met one of my new maids and I could have swore that I have known her since birth. I got an instinct to hug her, but didn’t. I asked her if I’ve met her before. She reacted badly and started to laugh at my suggestion. I believe this has started the rumours that I am not the sharpest tool that the royal family has. Therefore they have started to distance themselves”

The page goes on and on. Rieka spots the last sentence of the entry.

“What I would give to understand all of this”

Rieka closes the book softly and turns her eyes over to April had already gone away from the chair and who looked out of the big window that showed the surrounding city. She went over and looked out.

They turned to each other.

”May I at least know what the price means for me?”

”No. Those are the rules”

Rieka wasn’t the type to go against rules and she needed to know what was beyond that door.

”Alright. Take it”

”Your soul?”

”I want to see what else is out there. Can I ask a question about the outside world?”

April looked uncomfortable, but answered anyway. “Sure, I don’t think that’s against the rules”.

”Is the outside world better than this?”

”I don’t know myself”

April gestured so Rieka could give her hand to April. As Rieka’s palm touched April’s, April began a chant. In the last few seconds of being in this fairytale, Rieka felt at peace. She smiled and whispered her last words in this world.

”And she lived happily ever after”