Royal Reboot: Level up, Your Majesty!

The Handmaid’s Tale 

3

The smoke was sharp and bitter, stinging Natalia’s nose and throat. Heat pressed against her skin, and the roaring flames drowned out everything else. There was no place to run.

"Run, Red!” Her brother’s voice broke through, but she couldn’t move. She stood there, crying and frozen in place.

“Lionel, I… I didn’t do it. It wasn’t me,” she cried, lying. If Mom and Dad found out, she’d be in huge trouble.

"Nat, come on!” Lionel sounded panicked now.

Through the smoke, she spotted him, his face smudged with ash and sweat as he shoved through the burning wreckage. Relief washed over her as he reached her and wrapped them both in a wet towel.

He scooped her small form in his strong arm. "You're safe. You're with me, sis, you're safe."

His face lightened up as they reached the door, just then, the ceiling beam fell down with a crash.

Natalia gasped as her eyes snapped open.

A dream.

Just a dream. A memory that should have stayed forgotten.

She sat up in her bed, her hospital gown clinging damply to her trembling form. Her eyes darted towards the window where Eydis stood in the glow of the setting sun.

Piercing amber eyes, even through a layer of her thick glasses, locked into Natalia’s.

"Bad dream?" Eydis asked gently. She remained by the window, making no move towards the bed.

Natalia glanced around the room. "Yeah," she mumbled, picking at the corner of the white sheet. "Thanks for keeping things quiet with Colette and Birgit.”

Eydis gave a small, knowing smile. “Gossip? Not my style. Besides, keeping up with messaging apps is tedious.” Her voice softened. “You alright, Natalia?”

A long pause filled the silence.

Natalia gathered herself, then chuckled. “I’m fine.”

“Are you?”

“Yea… but, I’m just…” Natalia’s eyes flickered to Eydis, then she swiftly looked away.

“Tiffany’s back. And this time, she has powers.”

“I see.” Eydis studied her. “But that’s not the only thing weighing on you, is it?”

Natalia flinched. “Aren’t you worried? What if she—”

Eydis cut her off gently. “We’ll deal with Tiffany later. Right now, focus. What is it you really want to tell me?”

Natalia opened her mouth, hesitated, then finally let out a shaky breath. “There’s something else, Eydis—something I haven’t been completely honest about.”

Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. “I just… I need to say it out loud.”

"I'm listening," said Eydis.

Natalia swallowed hard. “I wasn’t completely honest about why I kept my abilities hidden.” She took a deep breath, then forced herself to continue. “My power—it wasn’t a gift. It was a curse.”

“You might think it’s stupid. Privileged, even, to say something like that, but—”

“It’s not foolish, Natalia,” Eydis cut in gently.

“It first appeared when I was eight… He saved me, but the flames—” Natalia broke off, her breath hitching.

Tears spilled down her cheeks. “They took everything. His football career, his scholarship… I never wanted this power. I just wanted the people I cared about to be happy. But instead… I ruined my brother’s life.”

Eydis moved closer. With a gentle thumb, she wiped away a tear. "Family love. Such curious concepts for one such as myself. Yet, from a purely logical standpoint, he chose you."

Natalia's voice trembled. "But what if I lose control again? What if I hurt someone I love…again?"

"Then you learn to control it, embrace it. It is a fundamental part of you, as essential as your breath or your heartbeat. To reject it is to deny yourself.”

Then, without warning, she flicked Natalia’s forehead.

“Ow! What the hell?” Natalia yelped, scowling.

Eydis smirked. “Overthinking leads to wrinkles.”

Natalia let out a choked laugh, but it quickly faded. “But… what if that’s all I am? Just fire and destruction?”

"Fire? Yes, Natalia, you are that,” Eydis murmured, an unreadable expression flitting across her face. She hesitated, then asked, “Do you understand what magic truly is?”

Natalia shook her head. All this time, hate had blinded her to any deeper understanding. Could she have been so wrong?

"Magic," Eydis explained, "isn't about bloodlines or some grand destiny. It's not a reward for the good or a punishment for the wicked. It just is. A mirror that reflects who you are, nothing more, nothing less.”

She paused, catching Natalia’s sharp intake of breath, then smirked. “At least, that’s what Tweeter says.”

Natalia felt a lightness bloom in her chest. "So you're saying..."

“And fire?” Eydis tapped a finger against her lips. “Let’s see. Well, it burns too hot, jumps into things without thinking, and tends to make a mess.”

Natalia groaned. “Wow, just keep going.”

Eydis’s smirk softened. “But also brave, passionate, and fiercely loyal. Sound familiar?”

“I—Brave?”

Eydis leaned in slightly, her voice quieter now. “Yes. The girl who stood up to bullies when no one else did. Twice. Nearly lost her life doing it. I think you know who she is.”

Heat flooded Natalia's cheeks, something deeper than just embarrassment.

"Thank you," she said. Before she could think better of it, the next words tumbled out, "Can I hug you? Wait—no, forget it."

“Gratitude received, Natalia. However, physical affection is… inadvisable. Praise is a rare currency, and I wouldn’t want you getting greedy.”

Natalia let out a small, exhausted laugh. “You and your words. Sometimes I wonder… are you secretly ancient?”

Eydis placed a hand over her chest. “Ancient? How rude. Clearly, you need etiquette lessons, dear handmaiden.”

“D-dear what?!” she exclaimed.

“Rest now,” she said over her shoulder. “I suppose even fire needs to breathe.”

Natalia was left with a growing fire in her chest. Eydis was right; trying to hold her power down was like plugging a volcano.

No more. Natalia refused to be powerless again. She shut her eyes and reached inward, not for fire as a weapon, but as an extension of herself, of her will. Strength, loyalty, passion. The flames would be more than just destruction.

They would protect.

As heat surged within her, a thought crossed her mind: If Eydis were Gifted, what would her power be?

Light. It had to be light, didn't it?

Eydis flung open the door and nearly collided with Astra, who was apparently deep in a silent strategising session with the wall. Her crimson eyes widened in surprise before narrowing with barely concealed irritation.

"Didn't expect to find you practising your brooding warrior pose against the door." Eydis said playfully. "Though, I confess, didn't know you could swing it that way."

Astra blinked, as if caught between scowling and questioning reality itself.

"Eydis. What. Are. You. Talking. About?”

Eydis shrugged nonchalantly. “Your… sword. Is that not the term you use for… well, for deflecting dark energy with a wooden stick? Though come to think of it, a fly swatter might be more effective against that particular... gnat."

For a second, Astra looked stunned, then relaxed her arms. A hint of amusement danced in her crimson eyes, so brief it could’ve been a trick of the light, as if her ice princess mask had nearly slipped.

Eydis blinked, surprised. The sight was... unsettling. Not unsettling in a bad way, but... disorienting.

"Has Natalia woken up?" Astra asked softly. Clearing her throat, she quickly schooled her features back into their usual stoicism.

"Stable, but the healers say she needs rest." Eydis replied, watching tension visibly eased off from Astra.

Despite Astra’s icy demeanour, she did indeed care more about others than she let on. Defrosting that personality, though? Maybe an industrial-strength heat lamp and a lifetime supply of therapy hot chocolate wouldn't hurt.

"Doctors," Astra corrected automatically, the word bouncing harmlessly off Eydis' preoccupied mind.

Eydis’s gaze drifted back towards the infirmary glass door, where Natalia sat frozen on her bed.

"Why did she push herself so hard?"

Astra, her crimson gaze unreadable, responded swiftly. "She cares about you. And the power Tiffany used, it felt..." She frowned.

"You recognised it?” Eydis’s eyes glinted with intrigue.

“It’s… complicated,” Astra answered vaguely. Then she turned, disappearing down the hall.

Eydis inhaled sharply, forcing down the unease as memories of Tiffany’s duel resurfaced. A vivid image of the dark tendril lancing towards Natalia burned itself into her memory.

Tiffany back already? About as surprising as a cockroach infestation in a bakery. At least roaches were easier to exterminate.

Human nature was a captivating enigma for Eydis. Her social media scrolling wasn’t born from boredom alone; sure, puppy videos were passable, but it was the sheer volume of humblebragging and blissful ignorance that truly fascinated her.

This world, no matter how many AI filters they slapped on their reality, couldn’t hide the ugliness that mirrored her own. Same old human drama — the powerful stomping on the powerless, all while singing hymns of freedom and democracy. Cute.

Eydis would not be the hunted. Tiffany was itching for a fight? So be it. The game was on, and it would wrap up according to her rules.