King Windsor Viola III proudly held in his strong arms his first born child. Although somewhat disappointed that his first born was not a boy, it did not deter his love for the child even a little bit.

He sat on the head of the bed beside his wife and lovingly kissed her forehead. The queen smiled a peaceful smile. The last smile she shall show the world before she drifts into darkness and travel the way to the other world. A lone tear escaped the king's eyes yet he stayed strong.

"You, my dearest, shall be named Shizuru."


19years later

"Your highness! I'm sorry! She escaped…again" the knight kneeled before his king with his head down asking for deepest apology. He muttered the last word silently, afraid that he might anger the king.

"Again," the king muttered and sighed in false exasperation though a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "Stand up, Reito," King Windsor said while he gestured with his hand, "you know fully well that she is like this every time it happens. No harm done son. And no need to be so formal when we're the only one around. Come here."

"Ah yes," Reito bravely looked up to his king, his uncle to be exact, and stood up. "Uncle," he started while making his way to the king, "are you sure you raised a princess? She sure runs like a boy." he joked. "Well, I'm sure I did raise a girl but now I'm not so sure anymore," the kind-hearted king joked back. They both shared a laugh.

After their mirth died down, the king stood up from his throne and went out of the throne room with Reito following behind him.

"Are you sure this is wise?" Reito asked.

The king merely smiled in response. 'I promised to make her happy no matter what.'


A girl dressed in a commoner's outfit is humming a song while strolling in the forest. A smile was present in her lips and once in a while the forest will be blessed with the melodic laughter of the young lady. The soft crunching of the twigs and the gentle swooshing of the trees as the wind blows accompanied her.

Creamy white skin was revealed when a hand poked out of the long cloak the girl was wearing. She removed the hood of the cloak from her head to reveal long and soft chestnut hair. She tidied her hair and put it up in a neat bun. Crimson orbs shone brightly in contrast with the green lush forest she was in, taking in the scenery presented before her.

"Ara," an accented voice spoke, "it seems that I run a bit farther than I intended." A giggle followed.

Shizuru always did this. 'This' meaning running away whenever her father would set up 'dates' with one of her suitors. Not that she did not want to get married or anything, it just did not feel right with her. Nothing feels right except when she was out in the forest.

Of course, King Viola could easily send out his men to fetch her daughter but he trusted her enough not to ran away. He just set up the 'dates' to satisfy his advisors and the suitors. Lately, it was becoming a problem for the king since the number of suitors asking for his daughter's hand was increasing rapidly and his advisors were pestering him about marrying his daughter off since she was in a legitimate age. Many eligible suitors consisting of princes, knights, dukes, and even some princesses and duchesses would go in the castle to ask for her daughter and some even dared to threaten him with war.

Shizuru continued her stroll around the forest in a leisurely pace. She soon stumbled upon a clearing which took her breath away. The sun shone exceptionally brightly in that part of the forest. A small lake was unbelievably in the dead center of the clearing and animals were playing by the other side of the lake. They raised their head raised up and faced the direction she was at, stared at her for a while, and continued their play. This picked up Shizuru's interest. Normally, forest animals would scamper away when they feel a human's presence.

Unbeknownst to Shizuru, two pair of eyes were following her movements. One pair, which many would consider as downright creepy, followed her all through out her small escapade while the other pair stared at her in curiosity when she stepped foot in the small clearing.