Broken Souls

A Joy

~AN: Hi everyone! I really hope you're enjoying the story so far, just wanted to pop in and apologize for the late update, I've had a horrible writer's block for about a month so I've struggled to get down the chapter, but here it is and I hope you like it! Feel free to leave votes and comments, feedback is what I live off of;) Stay tuned for more adventures, because now it starts to get interesting...~

Kiera arched a brow as she looked up from a book, sitting on the plush bench in her window as she watched Miriel move around the room while she worked like always. Something was different about her, and she wondered what could be wrong. The maid rushed around with quick steps, darting from one side of the room to the other as she dusted off tables and laid out the little clothes that Kiera had been provided with, despite that she had gotten more over the months.

Miriel nearly slammed the stack of clothes onto her desk before she roughly pushed in the chair, continuing her work in a rush and Kiera's eyebrow rose further towards her hairline. This was something she had never encountered with the maid-turned-friend.

"Care to explain what bothers you, my friend?" She asked, taking a sip of wine from the glass that had been standing on her windowsill as she watched Miriel nearly rip out the drawers as she cleaned them inside.

The maid barely glanced up before focusing back at her work. "Nothing is wrong, I'm fine, my lady. Just a bit busy." She explained bluntly, swallowing hard to keep her voice and anger under control before she did something she would regret.

Kiera arched her other brow and set aside the glass, leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees. "I'm sure my drawers and my clothes are busy being ripped apart from the anger you're holding in as well." She said, putting Miriel on the spot as she closed the book and moved to plop down on her bed instead. Patting the quilt gently, she gestured for her friend to join her. "Sit and speak your mind."

Miriel sighed, annoyed by herself that she had to burden her mistress with personal problems just because she couldn't hide her frustrations. It wasn't right. However, she evened out the slightly crumbled fabric of her maid uniform and hesitantly turned, walking to the bed as she sat on the edge and focused her eyes on her hands. "I'm frustrated."

"And why is that?" Kiera asked.

"Castien doesn't think. He acts without thought sometimes." Miriel explained with a sigh, scratching the inside of her thumb out of habit when she was nervous.

Kiera frowned and laid her hand on Miriel's to catch her attention, noticing the obvious discomfort she felt. "You don't have to be anxious in my company. You can come to me when something is on your mind. What did Castien do wrong?" She asked and retracted her hand to give her friend some space.

Throughout the months, she had come to know Miriel rather well as a friend despite that she still felt distance between them. She knew Castien was a century or two older than Miriel, but still the sister acted like the more mature in the family. Born in the middle of winter, she had always been an intelligent young elleth who was kind to everyone. Often when she was off duty, Kiera had found her in the halls among other elven friends where she played the fiddle in the dark nights or sang songs in the early mornings. She had a peaceful demeanor and reminded Kiera of a deer jumping through a spring field, unaware of the dangers around it.

Whenever Castien and the woman started talking about fighting techniques or guard posts, Miriel disappeared to spend time with herself or help in the kitchens when it was needed. She was an elf who knew every corner of the palace and everyone in it, making it efficient for Kiera to understand how to get around within her new home, discover new places or know where to go depending on what she needed. She was different, yet still reminded Kiera of a particular friend from Earth who she hadn't seen in at least a few years. If Miriel and Rose ever met, she knew they would get along very well, and the mere thought made her smile softly.