A/N: This fic was already uploaded to AO3, but I figured it would be nice if FFN got the chance to see the introduction to my Odin Sphere AU series, Oracion Garden. The first story (technically the second), Coronation of Shadows, will be uploaded here as well once I've finished writing chapter 3.

Enjoy!

She wished that the clicking of heels would stop.

The constant pacing outside her door and the sound of her mother's voice, raised on a slightly irritating pitch, was nothing short of an ear sore. Melvin's smoother, calmer voice might have had an effect if it didn't instead cause a nauseating uneasiness. If anything, Mercedes just prayed and prayed that they would go away and return to being dead already. That was the way it was supposed to be, wasn't it?

Once again, her mother's voice piped up from outside her door, the usual calm, regal tone being strained by a slight panic.

"I may be the Fairy Queen, Melvin, but I am also her mother. Every mother has a duty to worry about her children."

Melvin made a small coughing noise.

"Forgive me for suggesting what you might find ludicrous, but isn't it also possible that she's simply feeling under the weather?"

"She screamed and bolted back into her room. In what Erion does that coincide with a fever?"

"Point taken, Your Majesty."

Mercedes wished that she could say hearing her mother and cousin's voices were surreal. Instead, the blankets shifted as she buried her head into her pillow, a tiny whimper leaving her as she once again became isolated with her thoughts.

Before she woke up, what she last remembered was the cackling of fire. The smoke from her trees had filled the air and sky, making it impossible to see or breathe. Despite the suffocating heat, she had been freezing, her body becoming colder and colder as death reached around her. The last word she had uttered was her true name before she finally succumbed to the flames, her body vanishing and her soul rising to the heavens.

Was this a dream created by death? It couldn't be, not when she felt so alive.

In a somewhat childish act, she finally forced herself to sit up and pinched her cheek. She yelped at the tiny prick of pain before pinching her nose shut and holding her breath. She did not and refused to breathe, not until her face had turned a comical shade of blue and her lungs felt as though they were about to give out. Gasping, she fell back against the pillow and took several deep, heavy breaths before swinging her legs over the side of the bed and tentatively placing her bare feet upon the floor.

She wobbled a bit as she walked across the room to the vanity and had to use her wings to keep herself from toppling over. Proof would be in her appearance, right? With a heavy sense of fright, she gazed into her reflection, looking over what she had hoped would a petite, childlike appearance.

Her mother had often teased when she was younger that she had stolen the color of her eyes from ripe, freshly-picked cherries. They were still round, shiny, and carried a wide-eyed sense of youth in them, much to her relief. Her eternally blooming crown of white flowers also remained the same, as did her carefully braided sunshine-blonde hair. Such reliefs, though, were negated by the changes in her other bodily features.

Nervously, she ran her hands up over her hips, over her sides, and stopped when she came to her breasts, the long nightgown she wore feeling awfully thin. How old was she? When she became Queen, she was barely fourteen. Her wings fluttered as she touched her cheeks, still red as her lips, but with just a slightly more mature touch to them.

She fluttered over to the chest of drawers and peeked inside at her wardrobe. There were many, many outfits she could have worn to better fit her figure, but she picked one of the leotard-like slips that featured a frilly, almost ballerina-like skirt decorated with flowers and leaves and a collar decorated with red jewels. Cautiously, she returned to the vanity and looked herself over again, her reflection still looking awfully worried.

She inhaled sharply.

"This…is real," she told herself. "I am alive. And I will find out why. I have a duty as the…future Queen of Ringford."

Slipping on her white slippers, she cautiously approached the door and turned the knob.

Queen Elfaria and Melvin's gazes immediately snapped to her as the door creaked open and she stepped out. Both of them looked exactly the same as when she had last seen them alive, although her mother looked much better. Her grave eyes softened at the sight of her daughter as her grip on her staff loosened.

"Mercedes…" she sighed softly with relief. Mercedes put on an endearing smile for her.

"I'm sorry, Mother. I'm sorry, Melvin. I simply had a nightmare and was still half-asleep when I saw you, so I thought I was still dreaming."

Melvin rolled his eyes. "The nightmare had to have been horrendous, then."

Elfaria gave her nephew a small slap on the shoulder. "Melvin, please. There's a time and place for everything," she said as she turned to her daughter. "Even so, I'm glad that you're all right."

Mercedes fluttered her wings in faux happiness, tilting her head slightly. "Yes, I am. Thank you. So, um…I'm a bit hungry. Can I have something to eat?"

"Yes, yes, of course," Elfaria nodded. She gently placed a hand against her back and began to lead her away with Melvin following close behind. "Although you were in your room for roughly an hour, so breakfast ought to be cold by now…"

"It's okay. I don't mind…"

Slowly, she began to remember things about her and this world. They came in like a gentle trickle of water, filling her mind with facts and images she could somewhat connect the dots to, although other things remained mysterious and confusing.

She was eighteen now. It had been four years since the end of what had been called the Cauldron War. The Demon Lord was dead, his throne taken up by his elder daughter Griselda. Despite what had happened to the Prince of Titania, there was still an heir to Edmund's throne; his long-lost nephew, who had been discovered to be Melvin's Shadow Knight. The truth about the Pooka had gotten out with some chaos following for a bit afterwards. Still there was one fact that loomed above all others.

Erion was at peace. There was no worry about war, at least, not right now. All the kingdoms were amicable with each other, although there was some lingering resentment for past transgressions. Time was healing those wounds, though. Thus, there was time for happiness.

Mercedes plucked at the grass by the pond located in the royal garden, thinking about her place in all this. She was once again a Princess, although she was expected to become Queen of the Fairies. Would Melvin cause a rebellion when that time came, just like before? Or was that world a dream with this one being reality?

Groaning, Mercedes dug her nails into her scalp and keeled over backwards, kicking her legs in the air. "IT'S SO FRUSTRATING!" She yelled, causing some nearby squirrels to scamper away out of fright. She just wanted to know what in the world was going on. Was that too much to ask for?

She settled down after a few moments, face hidden behind her hands. She could hear someone approaching her, probably to chide her for acting so childish when she was a Princess. Maybe a guard or perhaps Matthew? He was still around, after all.

Whoever it was carefully knelt down beside her and placed their larger, calloused hands upon her smaller, daintier ones. It was too easy for them to pry them away from her face, but Mercedes kept her eyes squeezed shut.

"And what is it that Princess Mercedes finds so frustrating?" His voice asked. "Probably me, seeing as I'm a day and a half late for this scheduled meeting."

Her eyes cracked open a little and she caught sight of messy locks the shade of autumn cornhusk and a small, tell-tale smirk. Her eyes closed again for a moment before they opened and she found herself looking up into eyes a dark, mysterious shade of violet. Her mouth opened as though to speak, but instead she found herself gripping the folds of the man's cloak.

"Ing…way…"

Her voice cracked as she flung herself into his arms, because she could remember finding his bloody body among the flames and she could remember the sight of the dead smile upon his lips. She could remember her heart breaking in two as she realized the promise he made had been broken and the tears that had spilled as she proclaimed him a liar.

And, naturally, Ingway must have been confused as Fairy Princess wept into his chest. She didn't care, though, not as long as she could confirm that he was there and just as alive as her mother and Melvin. She let out another stifled sob as she wiped her tears on her sleeve and looked into his eyes, finding that there was an expression of absolute concern upon his features.

"Mercedes, what in heaven's name is wrong?" He asked gently. Mercedes hiccupped, rubbing at her nose.

"It's nothing, I swear…"

"Mercedes, you just burst out crying from simply seeing me. Tis as if you thought I had died or…"

"BECAUSE YOU DID!" Mercedes snapped. Realizing what she said, she put her hands over her mouth and looked away. "I mean, you did, but it was a nightmare, and…but then it was…"

She could hear Valentine's Prince sigh softly before he took her in his arms. He gently stroked her hair and whispered to her, "Shh, it's all right. If it was a nightmare, it's over now, okay?"

She could only nod in reply before she looked back up at him. When she thought about it…yeah, it was blurry, but she could remember seeing him before this meeting. And it wasn't in a stinky sewer either. Despite the lingering tears, she found herself smiling up at him.

"Y-yeah. I mean, I really care for you, so…" She tugged at his cloak. There was a gentle, warm feeling in her chest as she hid her face in his cloak, a bit embarrassed. "A-actually, can I replace 'care' with 'love?' Because I love you…"

She hadn't gotten to say that before. Or maybe she had already and just didn't remember. Either way, she just knew her cheeks and the tips of her ears were turning a mighty shade of scarlet as Ingway whispered a few choice words to her.

"I love you too, Princess Mercedes."

She quivered slightly, put on a brave face, and leaned up to give him a soft, quick kiss on the lips. She felt him flinch, but he relaxed and gently cupped her cheek as he returned the kiss. She giggled softly.

"Dumb frog."

"…What?"

Oh yeah. He hadn't been turned into a frog in this world. Silly her.