Her footsteps heavy as she rushed down the long alley, rocks cracking beneath her heels. She grabbed her dress to run faster and looked back, her long brown hair flowing in her view of the unknown figure chasing after her. Suddenly, she tripped, and was grabbed from behind. 

Vera sat up from her bed with a gasp and held her arms. That dream again... "Good morning, ma'am." She glanced toward the opened door to see her maid, Chrissy holding a dark blue dress out on a hanger. "Your father sent for you, get dressed quickly." Chrissy laid the dress across the end of the bed and left, shutting the door gently behind her. Vera sighed deeply and threw her legs out of bed. She stood up and pulled her pajamas off. She pulled the dress over her head and down her body, brushing it out and turning to the mirror. Something's missing...like always... She sighed deeply, walked to her wardrobe, and opened it to see bunches of clothes. She saw a pile of three different corsets and grabbed the most comfortable one to pull it on. 
"Chrissy?" She said loudly, holding the corset's strings. Chrissy stepped inside to see Vera. 
"Need help?" 
"Yes, please." Vera smiled back at her. Chrissy rushed to her side, grabbed a hold of the strings, and pulled it tightly. Vera let out a gasp as she pulled again, then felt her tying it. "How is your family doing?" 
"My brother is doing much better, thank you for the medicine, ma'am." Chrissy let go of the strings and stepped back a small bit. 
"I thought I asked you to stop calling me that when it's just two of us." Vera looked to the mirror to situate the corset better. 
"Right...sorry, V. I just don't want to ruin this. My family needs it." 
"You're my best friend. I won't let you lose your job because of me." Vera turned around and wrapped her arms around Chrissy. 
"Right. Now, we should go, before we both get in trouble." Chrissy pushed out of Vera's grasp and walked to the door, holding it open to Vera to walk through. 

Vera bowed in the presence of her father, the king. "Rise, child." She nodded, and walked toward him. 
"You sent for me?" 
"On your way home from your teachings, I need you to get something."
"Don't we have...people for that, father?" 
"I want you to do it. Experience it." 
"What am I getting, father?"
"A gown. Of your choice. For your mother's funeral." 
"B-but isn't that tomorrow?" Vera asked, her heart beating up her throat. 
"Do not stutter, child. You will go this afternoon for a simple gown, and don't take too long, alright?" 
"Yes, father." 
"Now get to your classes." Vera nodded, and turned to rush out of the large room. She gasped as she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to her left to see Chrissy. 
"I heard that. I'm still sorry about your mother." 
"We mourn, we don't cry. I'm fine. She had a disease, I saw it coming eventually." Chrissy nodded, and gasped to loud footsteps. "Go." Vera whispered, pushing Chrissy down a corridor. She turned to look down the long hallway and walked a normal pace toward the footsteps. She saw one of the cooks turn into the kitchen and sighed deeply as she kept walking toward the castle gates. 

It's getting so dark so fast. Vera's pace quickened as her grip on her bag tightened. She saw the torches along the pavement being lit for the night and sighed. I can't let anyone see the princess walking around on her own at night.  She rushed down an alleyway, and headed toward the castle, still a ways away. suddenly, she heard the crunch of rocks beneath her feet and stopped in her tracks. I...I know that sound... She took another step, the rocks crushing more. It's my dream...t-that means... She spun around, seeing a dark figure emerge from the shadows. Her heart began to race as she spun around to run. She heard the loud footsteps following after her, and she rounded a corner, going off course. She grabbed her dress to run faster and looked back, her long dark hair flowing in her view of the unknown figure chasing after her. This is NOT my dream, this is my nightmare... She panted as she turned another corner. I need to stop...hide somewhere...She skidded to a stop and saw a pile of trash and ducked beside it. She heard the loud stomping grow near, and covered her mouth to stay silent. She heard the footsteps slow down and realized something. I never got to this point in my dream... The figure of a man passed by her slowly, then stopped abruptly. She held her breath as tears filled her eyes. She re-situated her numbing leg, making the rocks beneath her foot crackle. His head jolted her way and she gasped. His evil grin caused a pit in her stomach to grow and he suddenly grabbed her. She was thrown to the pavement and her arms were pinned. "N-NO!" She shouted, kicking her feet recklessly. Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her side, and strained to breathe. 
"That's for my brother." The man growled, running out of sight. Vera pressed her palm against the spot the pain was, and felt wetness seeping out. I...I've been stabbed...help me, somebody... She strained as she sat up slowly, and heard more footsteps. She gasped and scooted back toward the trash, seeing her bag with her gown in it. 
"Oh, my god..." She heard a familiar voice say. Is that Chrissy...? "V, are you here?!" Chrissy said, walking closer to the almost unnoticeable small pool of blood. She followed the drops of blood to see Vera leaning against the wall and gasped. "What the hell happened?"

"W-what're you doing here, Chrissy?"
"Your dad was worried you were taking too long at the store, so I went there, then heard your screams on my way back to the castle. What happened to you?"
"Some...guy. Said that it was for his brother." Vera groaned as Chrissy pulled her hand back. She could see the hole going through her corset and dress. 
"Let's get you back to the castle. Can you walk?"
"Ma-maybe." She stuttered. Chrissy wrapped her arm around Vera, and pulled her to her feet. "Wait." Vera groaned as she grabbed the bag off of the ground. 
"That's the least important thing here."
"It's still...important." Chrissy scoffed and stumbled with Vera back toward the castle. 
"Let's just get you back home before you bleed out." Chrissy's grip on Vera tightened as she pulled her toward the brightly lit up castle. 

Vera awoke with a groan. She opened her eyes to see the sun shining brightly through a window. She sat up, and noticed she was in the medical wing. What happened...? She looked down, feeling a sting in her side. She pulled her shirt up to see a large bandage on her side. She lightly touched it and winced. She heard the door creak open and dropped her shirt down immediately. "You're awake, i'll get Chrissy." 
"H-huh?" 
"You don't remember? She wouldn't leave your side. Carried you all the way to the medical wing on her own, sat outside on the ground this entire time. No one could convince her to even go eat. She really cares about you for someone who's just your servant." The nurse smiled oddly as she dropped a dress on the foot of the bed. Vera frowned as the nurse left, and jumped out of bed. She pulled her pants off, then tried to get her shirt off, but as soon as her arms went above her head, she felt a sharp pain in her side. She threw the shirt off and wrapped her arms around her stomach. 
"You alright?" She heard, making her look up. She saw Chrissy standing in the doorway, blushing slightly. Vera's face reddened as Chrissy closed the door. "You want some help?" She asked. Vera nodded slowly, standing up straight. Chrissy grabbed the dress and pulled it over Vera's head. She helped her push her arms through the sleeves and pulled the dress down. Then, Vera noticed it was the dark blue gown she had bought for her mother's funeral. 
"W-what's this?"
"Your mother's funeral is in an hour. C'mon, let's get you to your room so you can get fully ready." Vera nodded, following Chrissy out of the medical wing. 

Vera let out a long sigh as she stumbled away. She heard loud footsteps behind her and stopped. "Where are you going?" She heard her father ask. 
"I need to rest." 
"The funeral just ended. You can't wait a little longer?"
"I don't want to be here." Vera mumbled, just before she continued walking. She glanced back, seeing her father turning around, and started running deeper into the castle. She climbed the stairs quickly, and rounded a corner into the wing her bedroom was at. She stopped at her door, noticing it was wide open, and peered inside. She saw Chrissy sitting on her bed, hugging her pillow. The door creaked as Vera leaned against it, making Chrissy jump to her feet. 
"M-ma'am!" 
"Chrissy, don't call me that. What's going on?" Chrissy's cheeks reddened as she put the pillow back where it originally was. "Chrissy?" Vera stepped inside and closed the door. 
"I-I can't help it..." She mumbled, looking to the ground. "I just can't hold it in anymore." 
"You can tell me anything." 
"I love you." Chrissy said bluntly, noticeable tears falling to the ground. 
"Why're you crying?" Vera sat on her bed and folded her hands in her lap. 
"Because it hurts. You can't love me back, for more than just because i'm not at the same level as you."
"Vera, I love you as my best friend. I can't lose you. Don't talk like this." Vera's heartbeat quickened as she felt compelled to touch her shoulder. Chrissy held her hand to her shoulder and smiled. 
"I shouldn't have said anything. Don't worry about me." She chuckled, wiping the teary eyes away. She pushed her hand off of her, bowed, and rushed out of the room, shutting the door behind her. Vera flopped over on her bed and exhaled a shuddering breath.