Magical Boys Lost on Earth

The living nightmare

So did you come back to make fun of me?

Yes! I admit. I missed a chance of which, only one in life is won. 

 You already knew that? Who cares, I already counted on this result.

Even the sun in my head hurt more than losing that bet! I merely wish I hadn't made myself so silly in front of all royalty.

I feel like I am waking up from a nightmare. 

 I remember being woken up by the housekeeper and filling my pathetic chest with arrogance as I let the maids dress me in new clothes.

As I always used the lame excuse of my fragility for one of the servants to carry me to the council room. How pitiful!

I had not looked down once while headed for the council room.

I even got to enjoy the fresh morning air! Pathetic!

I remember I still had a shameful smile on my face when I was seated in the red council chairs.

A smile that slowly disappeared as the king dictated his words.

I would like to skip the graceless details of the part where I am carried to the OUTSIDE of the castle gates. So that we finally arrive at my current situation.

At present, there is only the small me left, decorated with lady's frescoes to protect my fragility, along with my injured ego. I still remember the scornful face the heir had while he watched me being dispatched by the guards.

My countenance must be abhorrent, but right now I am unable to force another facial expression.

Throughout the plan, there was a good chance that things would go wrong and I would end up dead somewhere unknown. That is why I have emphasized my war merits to at least gain the right to live in peace without much effort. That was my primary goal, wasn't it?

No, I have been very greedy. I fall into the temptation that my diabolical teacher put in front of me. How could I be so manipulated?

I have to admit that his arguments were very convincing. A golden chance and I was so close!

Two plenary years of severe effort pathetically thrown away by a frugal and stupid prophecy.

A myth! A legend! A fairy tale of a senile old man!

And now this heat is frying my brain!

I was thrown adrift, at the mercy of the star king and his fatal ardor without any baggage! They already moved all my possessions to a residence in the citadel! I haven't even been granted accommodation in the castle!

And now I am wandering in this foolishly large square, stupidly full of individuals, at dullness at noon!

I can already feel my epidermis burning under the textile, even if taking refuge under this hideous umbrella.

The heat makes it difficult for me to inhale, plainly as it drowns out my thoughts. I need to get to # ¿$?%! of the house soon. Where was it again? Greenish rooftops, jaundiced-looking walls, and a red entrance… All the # ¿$?%! ¡ of houses have red doors and green roofs! My orbs commence shading. The people around me whisper continuously, I require to advance, red wall, green wall, melancholy sky-blue, green again, yellow… There it is! I conclusively located it!

I catch the latchkey out of my pocket and unhitch the door. In a desperate step, I enter the dwelling and lock the door behind me. The house was cold, I sit on the ground just as cold, enjoying the refuge. The place was also pleasantly dark, no lantern was lit. The heat that covered my whole body slowly disappears and the burning of my skin takes its place, although my mind is clearer now.

It is not a library but it is also not a bad place to spend the rest of my days.

The place is fresh, windowless, small, and simple. But, simultaneously, clean and well decorated. It was probably built to be the home of some important scribe. The lack of windows and the low temperature would protect the papers. Because it was a place of great importance the decoration is almost better than that of my old room in the castle. At least it is less red.

I got up and look more closely at the place. Despite the darkness, I can recognize every detail of the room. The entrance was located in a small room with a table in the center. Ahead were the doors and stairs to the other rooms, the walls were painted in yellow and green with ornaments on the ceiling and footer.

An extremely tempting smell for someone with an empty stomach like me coming from one of the doors. It is soup. As if I were hypnotized, my feet move towards the door. When I open it, the aroma increases with an uncomfortable cloud of hot steam.  

Found the kitchen. 

It is much larger than the previous room. With only a window and a chimney to provide lighting, which seemed to be enough for the maid in her usual uniform who was stirring a pot on the woodstove. 

In addition to the balconies that surrounded it, the kitchen also had cabinets and shelves above the counters as well as a bread oven in a far corner.

— I see that the knight finally arrived. I was about to finish preparing dinner. My name is Naukar and I will be your maid from now on.— She says doing a formal reverence, but she does not give time for me to answer, Castelians.— This house has only me as a servant, but I assure you that it will be enough. I was told that the knight appreciates privacy. — I don't know if I'm angry that she is here or that only one of them is here. I've been having many annoying surprises lately…

— I need a little time alone to organize my thoughts. You can leave dinner in my room, this house has a bathroom, right? — I finished the question just before closing the kitchen door. This terrifying thought had crossed my mind only after the smell of the food had awakened my mind again.

— Don't worry, knight, like all Kreg Island, we follow the ancient Roman customs of basic sanitation, there is a bathhouse just around the corner. —My hand had left the handle hanging silly in the air, probably just like my chin.

— You, you said, bathhouse, like a PUBLIC one?! And are you certain that it is the only way to bathe and meet my basic needs? — The maid grimaces as if she doesn't understand the question. I shouldn't have expected much from such a rustic culture.

— Sure, what did you expected, a private suite? — It is obvious that I expected at least some privacy during the day when attending to the necessities of my body. Well, I am too tired to argue, after a good nap, I think about how to solve this little problem.

One day, one day I will still build my library.

— Wake me up at dawn, as cert the prince would say, I refuse! —

I leave the mess created in the kitchen with the door open and go up the stairs to explore the other rooms. A small office with a desk, a balcony for lighting, and some shelves. A small store of food, firewood, and other materials from the floor below. And finally on the third attempt, a windowless room with a fireplace, a closet, and a nightstand beside the bed. It was a comfortable place, just like the others, and ornamented on the ceiling and baseboard. Not too simple, not too decorated.

There were still two doors that I hadn't opened. Perhaps it was the maid's room and the room where the scribe's documents were kept. I remove my dirty clothes and leave them in a laundry basket next to the bed, the maid would probably come in the morning to wash them in the bathhouse later. I let my tired body fall on the soft velvet of the bed and my tired mind does not wait a bit before falling asleep.

I felt myself falling into nothingness. I couldn't see or hear, but I still felt my body. Somehow smaller than usual. Moving in a single direction, which would probably be the ground.

 I'm already familiar with this situation. It is the same old dream again.

Whenever this dream starts, I am unable to stop the flow of events. 

I relaxed and waited for the impact with no more choice.

There is no impact, I felt my body touch the ground, but there was no pain.

I still couldn't move.

But now I could hear.

Someone else fell with me, I heard a second impact, but just as mine was muffled like a slight fall from a small body.

But then everything became numb again and I can't hear or feel.

When I come back to my senses a female voice comes close to my body, muttering incomprehensible verses.

I am wrapped in cotton cloths and carried in an indistinct direction.

I am placed in a warm place and away from the wind.

I was at I believe to be legalized children's auction, as always my turn soon came.

According to the study done in Italy, dreams are simply reflections of reality. Which may indicate that these are my repressed memories. But I always end up forgetting this dream when I wake up.

Well, what if focus a little more this time? There can be no harm in trying.

I stay there, like a rag doll. At least it is warm.

The voices around me rise suddenly. Now I can recognize the speaker's voice more clearly.

— Now we will proceed … to the next … of the annual council conference … Distribution of identified orphans … first name … brown hair and eyes … fire accident … next name … William Gords … Lost his parents in … — The announcer had an extremely young voice. But even so, I would recognize that Castile accent mixed with Kreg's dialect from miles away. It was the young voice of a boy who was thrown from the nobility to the neutral zone by his parents for a greater good. Why have I never noticed this before? I need to remember this when I wake up.

I am charged again, this time in a bright environment.

I am closer to the voice and can hear it more clearly.

— Next orphan has an unknown name and origin, red eyes, and white hair.

I can hear the same whispers from the audience and the narrator. There is no doubt, the speaker was none other than Rômulo Wohtinger, and he owes me some answers. I need to remember this when I wake up! I can't forget it again!

The voices rise and begin to merge before the speaker can calm them down. And as always I am awakened by the clarity before I can hear more. Strangely this time I am happy to see the light of day. Because this time, I remember everything.

I pick up my notebook next to the bed and write as much detail as I can.

— Your breakfast my knight, the sun has not yet risen as the knight wished. — The door had been opened and the moonlight illuminated the room. Beside the door was the maid dressed in her same uniform as usual and carrying a tray of freshly baked bread and fruit.

Unfortunately, the breeze coming from the open door refreshes my memory, the public bathroom.

I let the notebook and the book fall to the floor and I get up from the bed in hurry.

— You can leave the food on the desk, I need to go somewhere. — I answer without paying much attention to the maid. I take a deep breath to try to wake up and look for my bag and clothes…

— Where are my clothes?— 

— In the dresser are the two pairs of clothes made in the castle and tomorrow another three pieces will arrive based on their original model. — Says the maid in a calm voice.

— Based? Do you mean the same, right? — Please, don't be red.

— You could put it that way. — She answers again in a more playful tone while I searched for my new pair of clothes … red in the dresser. I knew it.

— Wait a moment. When we talk informally to each other? Ha, you know what, never mind. I forgot that I'm not that important now. — I protest before I put the clothes in my bag and leave the room.

The morning was bearable. Only rural workers walked the streets towards their fields. The temperature was low enough that you could see your breath. The birds had not yet begun to sing, giving a quiet and peaceful atmosphere to the great sleeping city.

I walked with apprehensive steps to the corner of the block that met the central passage on which I had previously been lost.

This time I know where to go.

The large marble house from which it was possible to see value escaping on all sides was anything but discreet.

There were no doors or signs that indicated some prohibition, so I calmly walked over to the wardrobes.

Despite the temperature outside and the lack of doors, the place was damp and warm inside.

After storing my clothes on one of the shelves, I head to the long-awaited next wing. For my comfort the place was almost empty, only the caretaker who was scrubbing the marble floor was present. Uncomfortable, but bearable.

After finally relieving myself, I went to the great pool hall.

There were two pools, one for washing and the other for bathing.

Apart from the pools, the lounge was almost empty. A few pots of soap and sponges were arranged around the wash pool, yet the ceiling in the room was high enough for even a whisper to echo.

The walls were bare and smooth stone, only four columns that supported the ceiling could be considered decoration. 

Just the well-known castellan simplicity.

The water in these places is changed and reheated every night. As I am the first one here it is spotless and warm.

Any remnants of tiredness or stress have been removed only by the body by hot water. 

Go back to the first page, I take back everything I said about this place.

The soap was herbal and brought a refreshing feeling to my entire body.

The sponges were natural (the sponge plant) although they were a little rough and had a strange smell, they were great for rubbing your back.

After finally being clean and awake I head to the second pool. This one was hotter than the first and filled with bath salts that made me almost fall asleep.

When I was about to close my eyes, footsteps echo through the hall and alert me again.

I look towards the entrance and see a shadow with a female silhouette. Without further ado, I grab my towel and leave the room through the second entrance. Nothing against women, I would have run even if I were a man, I just prefer to keep certain things private.

I change as fast as I can and leave the place. It wasn't perfect, but better than I initially imagined. Apart from having to wake up at four in the morning every day.

Oh no, I forgot the dream. 

I hope I have written down enough details. 

I'm sure it was something important. 

Better get home fast.