The little handmaiden paused, staring at the street full of skeletons in festive clothing. It was rather scary--yet her eyes lit up as she saw them parading down the street--taking in the bright colors and festive music. In a second she had forgotten that she was scared and was taking the hand of the skeleton man that offered his and being pulled into a whirlwind of dancing on the street.

She had no idea where she was. She had no idea why it felt so lovely, either. There was no king, no beautiful tranquility, instead, she was being handed from one person to the next, pulled into dance after dance as the music lit her blood on fire. Laughter escaped her, bright, vibrant laughter that almost shocked her it was so loud. She reached out for the next dancer--her fingers entwining with theirs before she even looked at them--

And she found herself face to face with the Terra from the shadow.

Handmaiden Terra’s eyes widened, her heart jumping into her throat. This was the one she had chosen to love! The one she had thought of as she was climbing the stairs--wished to take the place of! Without a thought she threw herself at the reaper ghoul, hugging her tightly around the neck. “Oh how I have wanted to meet you!” she said, her voice loud--louder still as she realized the world around them had gone silent. She pulled back, flushing brightly. “I am so sorry, I should introduce myself,” she said, bowing to her other self. “I am... a fragment of you.”

Terra--the original Terra, stared at her blankly, confusion in her bright silver blue eyes. “Lo siento,” the ghoul said finally. “I do not think that I am understanding all of this,” she admitted. But her hand reached out, taking the handmaiden’s hand and holding it. “You dress somewhat like my very good friend Xiu!” she said, looking at the handmaiden more closely.

The handmaiden flushed shyly, looking down and up through her lashes. “I am--I am originally from a kingdom,” she said, her hands going to the skirt of her qipao and tightening on the silk material. “It is--was run by a fragment of a person named Xiu. I adored her very much--I was her handmaiden! That is a servant, but it is a much higher position than the kitchen workers--not that I cannot cook, I just am specialized in clothing and hair, I am capable of running a small kingdom from the servant’s perspective! I have many skills I can offer you! If you will let me... I suppose it is not serving, exactly,” the handmaiden said slowly, trying to figure out how best to word it.

The other Terra looked at her even more blankly. Then spoke. “Are you hungry?” she asked. “I know this is a dream--I think, but I do not think a meal would be wrong!” she decided, tugging the handmaiden along behind her. They entered a small rounded hut, one with red shingles on the roof. The little handmaiden blinked as she looked around, taking in the vibrant colors of the decorations. They were somewhat morbid--many pictures were of skeletons, but she found herself appreciating them.

“This is not my room,” Terra said as she headed into the kitchen. “This is my home from... before I came to Amity. I often dream of being here.” She started searching through the cabinets, pulling out strange items and starting to cook. “You say--you are me?”

“No! I am a mere fragment of you,” the handmaiden said as she slowly moved into the kitchen to start looking for plates and silverware. “You are me... but I am not you. I think, I mean... I am based on a memory of you from somewhere. There were seven kingdoms, and the Voice--it told us that there could only be one King. So... we fought. I was willing--I was just not... brave enough. But I loved my king so very much. I am a disappointment,” she admitted.

“Xiu is--was your king?” Terra asked, ignoring the lack of bravery. The other her had clearly beat herself up over it enough as it was. “I love Xiu, too!” she said, happily. “She is a wonderful person! I am glad to hear that even a small part of her was wonderful as well!”

“You know Xiu?” the handmaiden asked, her heart lifting to the skies as she realized how things would be. She would not lose her king after this! She would have both this Terra and Xiu--“do you know a Demi?”

“Si! He is one of my perro friends!” Terra said. “But I have not spent as much time getting to know him as I would like. I very much like the puppy students!”

The handmaiden stared at this Terra, her heart in her eyes. Abruptly she jumped to her feet, running across the room to throw her arms around her once again. “I am so happy!” she said, bouncing up and down happily. Their faces were mere inches away from each other, and she found herself looking into eyes the same color as hers--but a bit wider.

“I am... still confused,” Terra admitted. “What is it that you want from me?”

“I chose to love you before I ever met you,” the handmaiden told her. “I wanted to hold onto that love and dedication to the very end--but I did not know if I had chosen correctly. I built up a dream world for you, one with a loving older brother and a loving family, and I wished to protect you as--as I headed up the steps to my death. I do not know if I was correct in all of the facts, but I do know I chose rightly, now.”

“I... see?” Terra asked, even more confused. “I do have an older brother! He is very much an idiota, but he has been good to me.”

“Idiota? He is not a genius with classy style?”

“Not at all,” Terra confessed.

“But he does love you, at least?” the handmaiden asked, her images shattering.

“I believe so? He has been very protective and a bit bossy, but he can be very fun to tease!”

“You are happy with him, at least,” the handmaiden decided. “I have come,” she started out, “to ask that I can become a part of you. No longer a fragment, but a piece of the whole.”

“You do not have anywhere else to go?” Terra asked.

“If you do not wish me--“

“No! I am--it is--what does it mean, exactly?”

“It means that you will remember what I remember. And that a part of you will love you unconditionally,” the handmaiden decreed. “Because I have decided that I will!”

Terra blinked. Then, slowly, not quite sure what she was signing up for, she nodded. The handmaiden gave her a brilliant smile--then kissed her right on the lips. Terra was so shocked that she didn’t even realize that the ghoul in front of her had disappeared for a long few seconds.

Then she woke up--and remembered everything.