The Noble Queen-A Shadow Slave Fanfic

'This wasn't here when I opened the door.'

Noble looked out at the street. Things were relatively quiet in the morning sun. The shadows were still long enough to shroud the homes in their embrace before being bathed in light. No one was in sight, but that didn't mean that no one was there. 

Looking down at the package again, Noble smothered a smirk.

'Nobody, hm? Let's see what Nobody has to say.'

Opening the package, Noble's eyes went wide. 

She read the note on top. 

A peace offering from a nobody to a somebody. You know what to do.

The contents of the package caused her fingers to twitch. If not for her ability to levitate, the parcel would have fallen to the ground. Noble gasped.

'It can't be! There's no way...' 

"Everything ok?" Fort asked from inside the house. 

Not trusting her readable face, Noble kept her back to the room.

"Everything is fine!" 

It was more than fine. What she was looking at was amazing–but also highly problematic! What would happen if this were found in her possession in Ravenheart?!

Suddenly, Noble felt a great urgency to act. 

"I'll take care of it," she whispered. 

Wrapping the paper back around the package, the professor took a deep breath. 

Peeking her head back in the door, Noble smiled at her family. 

"I left a lot of work in the Waking World. This morning air has invigorated me, so I think I will pop over to my classroom and tackle what I can." 

"Only you could make traveling between worlds sound like a summer stroll." Fort furrowed his brow. "Wait. It's Thursday. Don't you have the Dreamer Academy today?"

"It isn't meeting until this afternoon. I will be back before then, I promise. If Saint Kai drops in again, be sure to bring him by so I can show him our future location." Noble winked. 

"You didn't tell me that you got that settled!" Fort motioned for his wife to come back inside. 

Reluctantly, Noble floated the package back to the doorstep. Entering the home, she explained quickly.

"Oh yes, that was one of the reasons I went to Government Headquarters yesterday."

"And everything went smoothly?" The ambassador put a kettle of water to heat on the stove.

"Mostly. There was just one hiccup. The area I selected was more than the government wanted to pay, so I struck a deal with them to cover the difference." 

Fort's brows came so low that they nearly covered his eyes. "What kind of deal and how much of a difference?" 

"I just asked for an advance on future contract work. As for the amount, I'm not sure. I will look when I get the documents tomorrow. But it would also be nice if you could convince Song to come down on the price." The beautiful woman batted her eyelashes playfully. 

"Bee..." 

"Please?" The professor flashed a sweet smile.

"Aw, help her out, Dad," Brock came to his mother's aid. "I need the school to be built so I can attend it next year." 

"N-next year?!" Fort's eyebrows shot in the opposite direction into his hairline. "Son, you are barely thirteen, what makes you think..." 

"As riveting as this upcoming discussion will be, I am heading out," Noble pounced on the opportunity that her elder son had given her. 

"Aren't you going to shower or...change clothes?" Blaze looked at his mother's rumpled clothing. 

Noble flushed. Being on the ceiling hadn't been comfortable or good for her wardrobe. While it would be good to clean up, Noble didn't want to leave the package on the doorstep for anyone else to find.

There was no time to waste.

She summoned the Loyal Tabard and pushed back her hair from her face. 

"I'll shower at the Academy. No offense to our plumbing, but their water pressure is far superior." Noble hugged her husband and kissed him. She frowned. "I'll brush my teeth there also."

"Your words, not mine." Fort grinned, looking her up and down with a curious expression. "Are you sure you don't want to clean up a little?"

Noble's smile faltered. "Are you ashamed of me unless I am fully put together?"

"No. You are beautiful no matter what." Fort backtracked quickly.

"Aw, thank you! I'll see you this evening. There are biscuits in the cupboard for whoever wants them. Oh, boys, make sure Rain rests today. No going outside Ravenheart while her shoulder is healing!" 

"Yes, Mom!" the twins chirped, happy to be able to boss their older sister around. 

Noble would let them figure it out. Problem-solving was part of growing up. She headed out the door fo the second time. 

Thankfully the package was still on the porch. It was a risk to leave it outside, but a bigger one to bring it in to be spied by little eyes.

Noble summoned her storage memory and stuffed the parcel inside. Dismissing it to her Soul Sea, she felt calmer but no less curious.

'Forget this. I don't want to wait,' Noble smoothed her hair, trying to fight the unruly tangles with only her fingers for a brush. 

How did her hair get so messy just hanging in the air?!

It didn't matter. Noble called on her bracelets and adjusted them on her wrists. Then she quietly whispered the name of light and getting darker.

The world directly around her dimmed.

Was this what it felt like to be a shadow?

Probably not, but it was as close as Noble would come.

She lifted into the air and flew toward the Jade Palace, abandoning all pretense of walking in the early morning light.

It didn't matter if someone saw her. No one had any way to know about the mysterious gift in her possession.

'Hiding only makes me look suspicious,' she realized and adjusted the light around her back to its normal state.

Coming to the steps of the Jade Palace, Noble lowered herself to the ground, startling the guard stationed there.

He held up his sword and then lowered it.

"Master Noble?"

'Why does he sound like he doesn't know me?'

"Yes, it's me, Tino," the professor dipped her head. "I'm on my way to the Awakened Academy."

"I see." Tino continued to stare. "I almost didn't recognize you with your new look."

Biting her tongue, Noble picked a splinter from her hair.

"Yes, well. It's only temporary. Have a good day, Tino."

The woman rushed to the gateway, ignoring the stares of any of the clan song members up at this hour.

Finally, she passed through to the Waking World. Thankfully, her classroom was empty.

Well, almost empty.

"There is no class today. I advise you to come back at a later time unless you…Professor?!" Bee Two exclaimed as the woman looked her way. "Did you get run over by a PTV?"

"No. Hasn't anyone ever seen someone who spent the night on a ceiling before?!" Noble dug through her desk to find a mirror.

"But it's Thursday. You aren't usually here on Thursday," the android protested.

"Something came up that needed my immediate attention. I'll show you."

Noble found a reflective object and looked at her ash-covered face. Thanks to the volcano, her ceiling was in desperate need of some cleaning.

Noble winced. "I'll show you…right after I shower."