As I walk through the shady forest behind the family manor, I feel something call for me. There exist no true sounds but the leaves flying alongside the wind and my own footsteps, but I can hear it.

Someone or something is calling for me. Father and Mother always told me not to leave the manor on my own but when have I ever listened to them. Continuing my adventure through the dark forest I come to a clearing and finally hear someone.

“This is supposed to be the place. I can’t stay here for too long, I’ve only got a few more minutes at best,” the voice says.

Strange… I had just been over there a moment ago and nothing was there. Curious as to who is there, I peer out from the brush and make eye contact with the man in front of me.

“So I had the right place after all. I suppose for you this is our first meetin’. I am ***** the ***** of *****, now I don’t have much time so I’ll make this quick,” the strange man said putting his hand up to my face.

Before I can comprehend what’s going on a light flashes before my eyes as I tumble back.

“I’ve given you a great blessin’, so use it wisely. Although I know you’ll do fine. I ought to be headin’ out right about now, but we will meet again. It’s inevitable after all. One day you’ll go on a grand adventure. You will know when the time comes for you to set out, but for now, farewell,” the man says while I’m still blinded from the light.

As I regain my sight I find that the man from before has disappeared. But where he previously stood, the grass has died and the trees in the area have lost almost all of their leaves as if they were dead.

“Young Miss! Young Miss Millie, are you out here!?” I can hear my family’s servants in the distance.

I don’t really want to go home yet though.

“Come on Young Miss, we know you’re here somewhere! We have snacks for you, if you want them you better come quickly!” one of the maids says.

Having been successfully baited at the prospects of snacks, I excitedly hurry over to where the servants are.

***Ten Years Later***

Ugh… I hate getting up so early like this.I’m still tired but that dream woke me up again. I’ve been having that dream pretty often these days, that dream of the past.

It’s been ten years since then. I can’t remember what that man looked like or his name. I didn’t know what he meant back then but it didn’t take long to figure out that I had gained something extraordinary.

Since that day I had been able to speak with animals. That man called it a blessing but it hasn’t done much, so what if I can talk with animals. Doesn’t mean much when the people around me just give me strange looks as if I’m crazy. This so-called blessing has done nothing but ostracises me from everyone else… no, not everyone.

I hear a knocking on the door. “Miss Millie, have you awoken? I’m coming in,” a gentle voice says as a young maid enters my room.

“Yes, I am awake Hilde,” I respond sitting up in my bed.

Hilde, one of the two people who treat me well. Although she works as my personal maid she looks about the same age as me, but she’s several years older.

Not long after receiving my so-called blessing a few animals had told me about an injured person collapsed in the nearby forest. I took a few of the servants with me to check it out and just as I was told, Hilde was on the ground with her brown hair stained red by the pool of blood she laid in. It took a lot of effort but I managed to convince my parents to take her in as my personal maid.

“Good, now onto why I am here. Congratulations on turning 16 today Young Miss,” Hilde says with a great smile on her face while clapping her hands.

“Oh that’s right, it is my birthday today. I had forgotten about that. It’s not like anyone really cares about it,” I say while trying my best to hold a smile.

“That’s not true! Both me and your sister Miss Minna care and… I’m sorry, I can’t think of anyone else,” Hilde apologises with a disheartened expression.

“No, you were right there are some people who do care. It’s enough that both you and Minna care for me,” I respond with a genuine smile.

Hilde’s face turns sour and I hear a pitch of annoyance in her voice as she says, “unfortunately though, before coming here your Mother told me to tell you to go see her and your Father”.

“I wonder if I can get out of this if I don’t show up?” I say as I step up to the windowsill.

Without warning my Father bursts into the room, “I figured you would try something like this! This time you will listen!” he yells in a dignified voice.

Looks like I missed my chance to get away.

“Listen here, young lady… no, I can’t even call you that. You’re a failure of a daughter. For once in your life, you’re going to do something useful. In a months time, you will be marrying an Austrian nobleman for the sake of building our family’s connections. So until then, you are under strict house arrest and your lessons are to be doubled. Even if just a little, maybe, just maybe we can at least make you look like a proper noblewoman,” my father says, continuing his lecture for the next half hour.

“Although I still have more to say, I do have several more important matters to attend to. For the rest of the day you are not to leave your room,” says my Father, with the door making a loud thump as he exits.

With an expression as if she had just solved a difficult problem, “I suppose that explains the unusual amount of guards I saw around today. They’re meant to keep you from leaving,” says Hilde.

He going so far just to confine me here, so I’m sure this is important for him. If it’s this important then that leaves me with no choice, time to run away.

I write up a small list of essentials and hand it off to Hilde, “can you get me the stuff I listed here? By nightfall if possible,” I ask.

She takes a moment to look over the paper I gave her and before long she clears her throat, “yes don’t worry I’ll take care of everything, just leave it to me. Now, if you’ll excuse me,” Hilde says as she bows and turns to exit my room.

I’ve dealt with that mans bullshit for sixteen years now. I’ve thought about running away before but I didn’t want to leave Minna behind on her own, but I don’t have much choice anymore.

If I am to be shipped off against my will to marry some stranger then Minna will end up alone anyways. But where do I go from here? Hmm, where did I put that map… ah, here it is.

For now, why don’t I try going to an Asian country, I’m curious to see what they are like. My best bet would probably be getting on a ship in the Netherlands and make that Dutch colony my first stop in Asia. I never thought that being forced to learn all those different languages would actually pay off. With my destination settled, all that’s left is to wait for Hilde to return.

Not too long after finishing the dinner that was brought to me I hear a loud sound coming from beyond the door.

Before I can even get the chance to get up from my desk a hear someone knocking on the door.

“It’s Hilde, I have what you requested for.”

“All right then, come on in,” I slowly respond, still bewildered by the previous commotion out there.

Hilde walks in and hands me a bag similar to the one used by couriers. After inspecting the contents to make sure everything I asked for is here, I take the map I previously had and stuff it in the bag and sling it over my shoulder.

“Now then, Hilde, just what was all that noise I heard earlier?”

“Oh, that, it was nothing much. I had just finished subduing all the guards that are here to prevent you from leaving. They are all currently taking a nice nap right now, albeit against their will,” Hilde says nonchalantly as if it were no big deal.

“Those should have been well-trained professionals, sometimes I wonder what you were doing before I picked you up. More importantly, I want you to accompany me to the front door. There is something I want to ask of you before I leave,” I say, taking a more serious tone.

“… as you wish,” Hilde responds as we begin our walk down.

We arrive at the front door to my family’s manor and as we finish our conversation I prepare to say my goodbye.

“I will follow your orders, Miss Millie. But I will make this clear, I don’t like this. I wanted to go with you,” Hilde protests.

I walk up to Hilde and gently hug her as I bring my mouth up to her ear and whisper, “I’m sorry, but I’m counting on you. Please keep that naive little sister of mine safe from my parent’s machinations. You two are the only ones who ever truly cared for me and I know you’re a capable person Hilde, so please do me a favour and keep Minna safe,” I say in a calm and gentle voice.

As we separate from each other Hilde hands me a rather heavy pouch.

“What’s this?” I ask.

“Nothing much just some money for your travels,” Hilde responds.

“Just where did you get this?”

Trying to avoid my eyes, Hilde says, “let’s just say your father was kind enough to leave a large chest unlocked for me and I just borrowed some money from it.”

“Hmm… fine, we can just leave it at that,” I say as I open the front door.

“Young Miss, allow me to ask one last question before you leave.”

“Alright. Oh and just call me Millie from now on. I’ll probably be getting disowned for this after all.”

“As you wish, Millie. Just what made you decide to leave on a journey like this all of a sudden? I know you have thought about it on many occasions in the past but you’ve never once acted on that idea until now.”

“To put it simply the time felt right. Not sure how else I can explain it, but there has been this feeling nagging me every morning for the past few days. It’s as if the wheel of fate has begun to turn for me. Then the whole marriage thing was thrown my way, I’d say that was the nail in the coffin. Besides, I’ve always wanted to see the world and now my chance has come. Anyways I’m counting on you, my dear friend. May we meet again someday,” I say as I begin to walk out the door and leave the manor.

“Goodbye, my dear mistress. Until the day we meet once more.”

I turn back to wave one last goodbye and Hilde waves back but with one hand wiping her tear filled eyes. A sight that almost made me turn back and jump into her arms. Steeling my heart, I strengthen my resolve to not turn back and begin walking down this new path laid before me.