Two girls laying and facing the clear sky on the beach.
They looked so drenched but still unconscious.
The first to wake up and cough vigorously side by side was the little princess.
"Uhuk uhuk... ah ah ah..." with just that cough, the princess lost a lot of energy.
"Uuh salty... wlee..." the princess started to wipe the salty taste from her mouth but even her hands were full of white sand.
The dry and unpleasant feeling throughout her body was completely unbearable.
But other than that, the princess could only endure the feeling.
While still sitting, the princess fell silent, looking at her hands and body as she started to cry.
Her crying was so pitiful to behold, like a child who had lost everything despite this reality is real.
The memory of what she had just experienced made her unable to stop herself.
She burst into tears, gnashing her small mouth as if she wanted to scream, while clutching her frilly skirt tightly until it wrinkled.
It was all just the inner voice of a little girl who couldn't believe after she has been through.
She continued to cry, not so much but enough to be heard clearly.
Reminiscing her small memories with the people in the castle and the townspeople.
"Uuuuh... father... mother... sister... uuh" she kept wiping her tear-stained eyes.
The sound of her little cry also woke up the servant girl.
Startled, the maid turned her head left and right.
And what a surprise to see her employer, the princess crying bitterly.
She immediately approached the princess and hugged her.
There was no sound or sentence that the maid could utter other than the embrace of her body and hands around the princess.
And the princess' own cries described the situation.
"Uuh... salty salty salty... uuh... my body... uuh... it hurts... uwaaah" the princess was increasingly letting out her inner voice.
The maid could only continue to soothe the princess.
"Uwaaah... we... we... what to do... uuh hiks hiks."
"I... I... hiks... I don't know... anything... hiks uuuh..."
The princess in her crying continued to mumble to herself, endlessly in her mind continued to increase the anxiety that a child must bear.
"Uwaaaaaaah sister...!" and finally a loud cry on the shoulder of the maid was released.
After waiting for so long, the princess's voice began to subside, leaving sobs and wetness different from the sea water on the shoulders.
The princess continued to tremble and the maid's hands had also been patting her head and back.
Just like what the queen, the elder sister of the princess used to do when she was sad.
Be it from childhood until now, since both of their parents have been gone for a long time. But that was just a mere memory now.
Hence, the familiar feeling further overwhelmed the princess' unstoppable feelings.
The maid when realizing the princess was no longer too sad then released her embrace and made her look at her.
"I-I am sorry... I..." again with a frown the princess almost started her second round of crying.
But gently, the maid's rough hands began to wipe away the tears and red cheeks of the little girl.
Next, with a reassuring thumbs-up gesture and a big smile, the maid assured her not to worry as she was there with her, ready to protect her.
Of course, the innocent princess didn't really understand the meaning of the hand gesture or the smile.
"What are you saying maid. You should talk."
With an attempted hand gesture, the princess grabbed the maid's cheek and pulled hard.
"You should talk, maid mumuuuuh."
Her sullen and sad face was no longer there, replaced by an annoyed face.
The maid's hand patted the princess' hand to release the pinch.
"Ah I'm sorry... mmm." while lowering her hand her head also bowed as if she was a little at fault for her prank.
With a slightly sullen face while rubbing her reddish cheeks after being pinched, she also pinched the princess' cheeks.
"Ouch duh syop (mumble) it... iyt's fayn if you dony't want tyo talk. Syop (mumble)"
After replying to each other, the princess' face started to smile.
But soon she became flat again and started asking the maid.
"Thank you for everything maid. What do we do now?"
The two eyes stared at each other then as if getting a brilliant idea the maid got up and started pointing towards the exit of the beach behind the princess.
"Um... you're right maid, we should get out of here first. Let's go!"
By hand in hand, they headed out.
"Maid, don't you feel strange? There isn't a single tree around this coast! There are only cliffs! Look over there! There too! It's all just cliffs!"
The princess pointed everywhere as if she was curious about the condition of this area.
But the maid continued to walk with her, feeling nothing strange about it.
The longer they walked, the farther around they saw only snowy mountains and a top snowy forest nearby.
But in front of the beginning of the forest, a horde of people in red armor could be seen in the distance.
They slowly entered the forest with the silent flames of torches between them.
"Look maid! There are people! But why are they going into the forest... isn't it dangerous?"
The maid agreed with the princess this time, but she still planned to try to follow or meet the group.
"Uh we should meet them? Um... okay."
The princess looked hesitant but decided to go along since the decision now depended on the elder, the maid.
"Um, maid, do you think they're from another kingdom? I've never heard of red armor like theirs from big sister..."
Soon, they also arrived before the forest.
Although it was not clearly visible inside, but the path explored indicated that ahead was the forest road.
The forest, which was thick enough not to be felt from a distance, now revealed a bit of its gloom.
The sunlight that was supposed to enter between the trees, seen from the front of the forest was only a small glimmer of light.
The maid and the princess simultaneously swallowed their saliva in the face of their first obstacle.
"A-anu maid, maybe we should just wait for them...?" the princess hesitantly asked as she looked up to the side trying to see the look on her female guard's face.
It was a hard, puckered face trying to convince her of her intentions while staring deep into the forest.
Slightly surprised, the princess stared dumbfounded at that expression.
"You-you're not planning us to go in there are you!?" the princess immediately frantically asked.
But the answer she got was an opposite action.
One step from the maid and with her wide smile began to approach the forest road.
The princess who was dragged along was once again more panicked while making excuses.
"Wa-wait maid! Si-sister said before entering we should say greeting! Woi wait Sha-shalom aaahhh"
Slowly their two figures were swallowed up by the darkness of the forest, slightly show themselves from the dappled light.
A girl with confident steps and a little girl panicking in fear.
