Author's Note: Hm what to say? I'll probably just warn you guys that I only did this for fun, mostly as an exercise to jumpstart myself from months of hiatus. I'm trying out new things recently like this discovery writing style. Given that, this isn't going to be a super serious fic I believe. I'm just here to mess around with a prompt I found in the Internet and entertain my jittery brain cells.
Alright, so this is a light Kingdom AU story. It also has a teeny-tiny bit of magic thrown in. There will be other shipping but they're only there as minor mentions- well, it depends. Only time will tell.
Summary: Next-in-line to rule the Kingdom of Magnolia, Princess Mirajane has been having troubles finding the fitting husband since her 19th birthday. Growing impatient, King Makarov decided to take matters into his own hands, by enlisting the services of a mysterious blond. However, Mira wasn't prepared for his rather reckless idea. Will they ever find the worthy one? And perhaps find love along the way?
Disclaimer: I don't own FT. Rated T for language.
Chapter I- A stroke of bad luck
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In a land far away, nestled between the rocky mountains of Hakobe and the lush Eastern Forest, lie the Kingdom of Magnolia. Well-known as 'the land blessed by the fairies', it was one of the prosperous kingdoms among the continent. Abundant crops were easily accessible to the townsfolk as well as raw materials used for crafting all kinds of items items and knickknacks. Traders and travelers come by here and go back to their lands with a positive impression as Magnolia was also a home to a thousand hard-working, lawful, and mostly good-natured citizens.
The early morning was like any other day in the kingdom, the blazing sun shining down the merchants and business owners hustling to make a living. Mothers were out in the market buying and stockpiling food for their families. Hard laborers making their way through the busy streets to go to work, and a few already passing mugs of ale and sharing laughs and gossips in the taverns.
"So, what do you think? He's so dreamy and handsome." A busty woman in a waitress' uniform fawned, on her hand was yesterday's newspaper. Her creamy brown eyes fluttered lovingly at the printed picture of a curly, brown-haired man garbed in a prince's clothing.
The shot was taken when Prince Trevor Berin, second to the heir of the Kingdom of Zeopa, had arrived from the West, perched in an immaculate white horse followed closely by the kingdom's escort knights. The news of his visit had been anticipated by everyone. He was the first and only prospect who had been invited more than once to the Royal Castle, travelling across the lands and rivers the third time in just a span of weeks. His purpose, to pursue the princess' hand in marriage.
"I wish I was there at the entourage."
"Too bad you weren't there when a little girl went to him and gave him a flower crown," said another woman, a fellow waitress, who sat beside her. She rested her chin on her palm facing her friend and added, "I was just right at the corner!" She pointed her long, painted nails at the second picture. It showed the handsome prince bowing his head down so that the little girl's arms could reach his crown. The next one was them smiling sweetly to each other, at the background were the townsfolks' touched looks and hopeful stares.
"He's a keeper, I tell ya."
"I know, right?" The woman sighed, pouting in jealousy. "I'm sure the princess can't resist this one…"
"Well, if she doesn't want him, he could always swing by here y'know."
They both giggled at their wishful thought.
"Ah, but I do hope Princess Mirajane should give him a fair shot. It's just too cruel for her to turn him down after all the trouble of going here."
"Plus she's been rejecting everyone for so long. Doesn't she want to be the Queen already? King Makarov looks like he's about to dig himself to the grave waiting."
She slapped her friend's shoulder. "Don't say it like that."
They snickered at each other.
Just then, the back door abruptly banged open. They both stopped and stood up straight at the sight of their boss, a grumpy old man with a limping leg. He looked around his small diner, noticing that the place had not been tidied up yet. He scowled.
"What're you two bimbos laughing at? Jewels don't have feet, get your butts up and start working!"
"Y-Yes, sir!"
The old man shook his head and grabbed the newspaper. He had actually been listening to their chatters a while ago. He scoffed as his eyes glossed over the pictures before crumpling the pages and throwing them out in the trash.
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"Urghk!"
At the castle's garden, a different story was unfolding.
"P-Please, I beg of you, Princess!" exclaimed the young prince, his arms flailing as he tried to get himself up from being stuck at the low, thorny bush. No one bothered to help him out of it though. Instead, the helpers and the guards present were glaring hot daggers at him.
"This isn't what it looks like! Let me explain!" He argued defiantly while carefully trying not to rip off his expensive clothing. That didn't work for him though when a green-haired, leather-armored knightess grabbed his collar and threw him to the grassy ground.
Thump!
Trevor coughed, disgusted, thinking he almost ate dirt. He glared over his shoulder but he quickly shifted to fearful as Bisca Moulin unsheathed her sword and pointed it at his throat.
"You foul cretin! How would you explain why the jade lilies wilted upon contact with your acid poison?" She tilted her head to the side without keeping her eyes away from the man, gesturing to the melted, damaged flowers. The prince paled and panicked at the sight.
He didn't foresee that anyone would notice. He was doing so well at being discreet, putting the colorless concoction to the princess' drink. They were both having a good time with their teas and freshly-baked breads a few minutes ago, fairly secluded from the court guards and maids.
However, he was still caught red-handed by this woman. More importantly, he wasn't truly aware that the potion had been poisonous all along!
Alas! All the hard work he had done to ease his way into the princess' circle was quickly crumbling to dust.
"Your silence only means admission of guilt. Guards!" shouted Bisca.
"H-Hold it!" Trevor argued. Bisca raised her arm, causing the guardsmen to halt. "How could you accuse me of such crime when it was your maids who delivered the drinks to us!"
At that statement, the young helpers held each other tight and fervently shook their heads. "We didn't do anything! How could we do that to Your Highness? It's unthinkable!"
Bisca glowered at the man, disgusted how he put the blame to others. Even from a far distance, she was able to see through his evil intentions as he tried to distract the princess' attention and swiftly added the liquid to her tea. No one could outclass her keen eyesight, and she wasn't the Kingdom's best archer for nothing!
"Stop it with your pitiful excuses!" She moved forward, "For attempting to poison the—"
"I wasn't trying to poison her!"
"—princess, you are to be arrested and detained! Guards!" Bisca stepped back as the two castle guards picked him up from the ground. The struggling prince however threw a sly kick to the back of their knee and one to where it hurt the most, causing all three of them to fall over. Bisca gritted her teeth in annoyance. She decided to join the fray and escort him herself to the dungeon, but a soft grip stopped her.
Trevor looked up and met the disappointed stare of Princess Mirajane.
Mirajane Dreyar, second granddaughter of King Makarov Dreyar, didn't look pleased at the sudden turn of events.
"Your Highness! I ask you to move away from this criminal!"
"It's alright, Bisca." She stepped closer to the prince. "Our kingdom and I have good faith with the Berin Family. I'm willing to listen to his explanation."
"But—" Bisca was about to argue back but Mirajane gave her a meaningful stare. She slightly bowed her head and closely stood beside her.
"Princess Mirajane." Trevor started. "Please hear me out! It wasn't my intention to harm you or our ties to Magnolia!"
"Then would you kindly care to explain?" She held her hand out for the prince to grab. Surprisingly to everyone, he didn't jump at the princess. Mirajane was a bit relieved at this. Her intuition was right. Her face remained wary however. "If it wasn't poison, what was it supposed to do to me?"
Trevor looked down at his feet, contemplating hard. He felt trapped. While it was true that it wasn't poison, he would still get in trouble regardless.
"Well?"
"…"
Everyone was waiting for his answer.
"Speak now!" Bisca commanded. "Don't waste this chance!"
"…" Trevor bit his cheek and clenched his fist. He couldn't come up with any good excuse. He cursed at himself for not thinking far ahead.
Bisca was about to bark at him again.
"A love potion."
All eyes widened upon hearing his confession.
"A-A love potion?" Mirajane gasped.
"You mentioned you didn't mean harm, but you purposely wanted to manipulate the princess?" asked a new-comer, a woman with a long purple hair tied up in a ribbon. Her round glasses gleamed as Laki Olietta fixed it upwards. "It turns out you are not an honorable man but a pig dressed like a prince."
Those words hit Trevor hard. To be compared to an animal when they knew nothing… His shoulders shook, eyes blazing with rage. "Like hell you commoners could understand!" Trevor spat, venom laced in his voice. At that point, all the frustration and anger he was keeping inside for so long burst out in the open.
"If I didn't bring you home as my wife, they would disown me!"
Bisca stood protectively in front of the princess.
"Disown you?" asked Mira.
"Didn't you hear what I just said? Yes, they would fuckin' discard me, their own son!" Trevor screamed angrily, his face getting redder and redder. "Mother and Father—no, those senile fools always turn a blind eye to everything good I've done to the kingdom! They would berate me, tell me it wasn't enough, and I'm so sick of it! What's more, you find out after all this time It didn't fuckin' matter when it was always big brother who gets all the credit just 'cause he got pushed out of that womanhole first!"
The people present flinched slightly at his outburst.
"But what does that have to do with the potion?" A clueless guard asked, not getting the connection.
"I see. It's obvious now," said Laki. "You made a deal with them, didn't you? If you could make the princess of Magnolia your bride, they would reverse the birthright."
"And make me the true successor of Zeopa." Added Trevor, a smirk working its way on his lips. Now that everything has been brought to light, he didn't care about appearances anymore.
"I can't believe the gall of this bastard" exclaimed Bisca, fuming. "Saying all of this in front of Your Highness!"
"He has revealed his true colors," commented Laki. "Despicable."
"Call me whatever the hell you want. But my brother doesn't deserve the throne." He shot a sharp, malicious glance at Mirajane. "I'm certain Your Highness understands how I feel. After all, weren't you at the same boat before?"
Mira's concerned look gradually turned dark.
"…"
"If the time comes when Princess Er—urghk!"
Without warning, a hard boot swiftly connected to his stomach. Trevor dropped down to his knees, cussing and hissing in pain.
"I advise you not to take advantage of Your Highness' kindness." Bisca warned.
Mirajane frowned as the situation was getting out of hand.
"Prince Trevor." She called out in a composed tone, yet for some reason it sent a chill down the young man's spine. Mira drew in a sharp breath before she continued. "I understand your sentiments, I really do." She paused. "However, I nor anyone in this Kingdom would ever condone what you did today."
Trevor squinted back at her, still not recovering from Bisca's kick. Mirajane stared at him sadly. Kneeling down, she gently put a hand on top of his and continued. "We were doing so well the past months. You could have just tried to be yourself and let time do its work. I-I truly did enjoy your company."
But strangely to her, there wasn't enough confidence behind her voice.
"Then why do you keep making this hard for us, huh?! Just accept me now and—"
"It's not that simple as you think." Mira shook her head. "How could I trust someone to rule the Kingdom with me when he deceived his way to the throne?"
Trevor froze. He could almost taste defeat in her words.
No.
"I've already given you enough chances."
"No!" He swatted her hand away from his.
"I'm sorry."
"I don't accept this!" He screamed once more in rage. "I won't take no for an answer! I won't leave this place without you!"
Mira abruptly stood up and glowered at him. "I am neither a prize nor a souvenir to be won and taken somewhere else!" She argued back as she icily stared down at him, surprising everyone at the scene. The princess has always been calm and kind to others, regardless of their social status. It was such a rare occurrence that she showed anger on someone, yet alone to a fellow royalty.
"This Kingdom is my home and you are standing on its land. No matter what you insist or argue, as the princess, I have the final word. We asked for your respect but clearly you did not deliver." Mira spun around and turned her back on him. "I'm afraid you need to leave this castle." She cast a quick threatening look at the prince. "Before grandfather learns any of this."
Trevor gulped. He felt like a bucket of cold water rained down on him. She can't be serious!
Because if she was, King Makarov would certainly put a nail in his dreams of overtaking the throne. That, or he would have his head. Either way, he already lost.
He was too caught up in his frazzled state, he didn't notice the guards tying his hands with a rope and pulling him to the castle's exit.
"Demon."
Trevor looked over his shoulders and for the last time, he spat loudly. "You're a demon!"
Mirajane froze at his hurtful words. Laki and Bisca who were consoling her scowled angrily at the crooked prince.
"No one's gonna bother putting up with a stuck-up bitch like you!" Trevor laughed like a maniac even when the guards holding him down to the ground. "You think you're perfect? Well guess what, you're not! You're just a useless whore who got lucky! This Kingdom isn't yours! Wait till Er—GAHHH!" He screamed at the top of his lungs when an arrow grazed his leg and pierced the ground. "YOU BITCH!" He doubled over, applying pressure to the slashed wound. He stopped midway however when all his energy got drained. A few seconds, he slumped down to the ground unconscious.
"Bisca." Mirajane started. "You didn't have to do that."
Bisca lowered her bow and gave Mira an apologetic look. "I apologize Your Highness, but as your personal guard I couldn't take it when he kept throwing insults at you…and Princess Erza."
"I apologize too." Laki chimed in, her face sullen with shame. "It seems Juvia and I have failed you, Your Highness. If we were more careful with the selection of the candidates, then you wouldn't have to deal with any of our miscalculations."
Both were staring down at the ground, unable to face the princess. But instead of hearing reprimands, the two were shocked when Mira pulled their hands and smiled softly at them.
"It's okay. Don't apologize. We could never know what would happen. No one is at fault but Prince Trevor himself." Mira looked at their intertwined hands. "You three have done so much for me." She let go of them as her eyes wandered to the vast horizon, a bittersweet smile etched on her lips. "This just means today isn't the day for me."
Laki and Bisca silently sympathized with the princess.
"I'm certain you will find him soon."
A hesitant look crossed over Mirajane's face, but she didn't let them see it. She didn't want to cause any more trouble for them.
"Is it alright if you leave me be?" She requested. "Just for a while."
"Of course." Laki agreed. "Is there anything else you need?"
Mira shook her head. "Nothing I could think of."
"Then, if you'll excuse us," Bisca bowed and left while Laki soon followed, leaving Mira alone in her thoughts.
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Little did she know, someone had been worriedly watching over her from one of the high balconies of the castle.
King Makarov had been there at the beginning throughout the end of the fiasco. He took in a deep breath and sighed, glad that he didn't have to intervene, moreover proud that her granddaughter stood up to that halfwit of a prince. However, it saddened him that this has been becoming a routine for him. It had been almost half a year since Mirajane's 19th birthday. The day after, royalties and knights from all over the continent flocked their land in a quest to gain her hand in marriage. Makarov was pleasantly surprised when these young men showed interest. At his old age, he thought he was blessed to be living at this moment, witnessing the courting rituals and his granddaughter possibly falling in love.
The demand was getting out of hand though, that his poor Mira had to accommodate at most three hopeful lads per week.
This prince Trevor was an outlier. Even if he had shown to be a tad different from the rest, at first glance Makarov felt wary about him. Good thing he reared his true head and her granddaughter got rid of him. Heh.
That made him somewhat feel relieved. Mira has to have high standards in choosing her partner. He knew she had a great deal of qualities to consider, after all, the man she will be marrying in the future would also replace him as the successor to his crown.
How long is this going to take? I'm not getting any younger. Makarov asked himself. Admittedly, he was gradually getting tired of waiting. It didn't help that he also feared more men like Trevor would take advantage over his precious child as days pass by.
Makarov took out his pipe. He watched the smoke rise from his mouth and vanish up in the air. It led his eyes to the cloud-filled sky, taking notice the familiar sight of migratory birds flying their way back home.
With it, a memory came to his mind.
"…"
If only things turned out as it should…
Makarov looked at his granddaughter for the last time before retreating to his quarters.
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Author's Note: Whew I'm done. Advance apologies for the grammatical mistakes. It's really hard since I haven't gotten any practice for months. As for updates, I'm still quite busy. September caught me off guard. A surprise birthday party, sick days, game events, more sick days, and a few real-life deadlines.
Kindly review if you see any errors, if you have questions, if you're liking the story so far, suggestions etc. Personally, I think I might've overdone Trevor. My original draft was a lot shorter but I guess I had too much fun writing him. He's just a character for the prologue though. Eh, who knows?
Anyways, thanks for reading! Glad to be back 😊