A/N: Hey guys! So, as you may or may not already know, I've been working on a collection of Rising of the Sun universe one-shots centered on Princess Xion and I've finally decided to start posting them! Admittedly, I haven't completed many and some of them won't be particularly long, but I'm hoping this will give a bit more of an insight into the character we all know and love.
I had hoped to write and post them in chronological order, but my imagination often takes me all over the place… So, with that in mind and seeing as there won't be a set amount of one-shots, I've decided that I'll post them in the order that I write, but I shall state at the beginning of each chapter the age of characters involved to clear up any confusion!
Big thanks to SummonerDagger88 for such a beautiful cover! You are amazing and I love you!
One last thing —if you haven't read Rising of the Sun yet, I suggest you do as some of these might not make sense to you… If you have, then great! :D
Welcome to Rising of the Sun: Xion's Story! I hope you all enjoy this first installment. :3
Summary: From hatred and bitterness to understanding and love; this is the tale of how a spoiled Princess, consumed by jealousy over the beauty of her cousin, discovers herself and a chance for a whole new life. A collection of one-shots and a side story to "Rising of the Sun".
AU — One-sided Ventus/Xion, Riku/Xion, Roxas/Naminé, Terra/Aqua — Adventure/Drama/Romance
Chapter One :: Ventus
Xion aged twelve; Ventus aged thirteen; four years before the events of Rising of the Sun
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A twelve year old Xion raked her gaze over her new servant with a disdainful expression. The boy was a scrawny little thing, with spindly arms, a mop of wild blonde hair and dull blue eyes staring at the floor by his feet. He looked weak, small and utterly incompetent. Her lower lip curled downwards.
How disappointing. When her father had promised to assign her a new servant, she had been expecting something...more and not this pathetic excuse of a human being. The thing didn't look fit to even stand, let alone cater for her ever growing needs.
"Is this some sort of joke?" She barked at the man who had brought this servant to her chambers, not even battering an eye when the scrawny thing cowering before her flinched at the sound of her raised voice. "I am to be given such a useless being to perform duties as my servant? Am I being mocked?"
The man — one of her father's own personal servants, she was sure — bowed lowly, one fist pressed over his heart. "No, Your Grace. I was instructed to gift you with a new servant who can perform admirably in comparison to your previous ones." He remained bent at the waist, one hand gesturing to the shrunken form of her new 'servant'. "This boy possesses great worth, or so your father has assured me."
Xion sneered. "Worth? Worth? What worth could this scrap of a boy possibly have to offer me?" She tossed her head arrogantly and turned away, letting out a scornful sigh. "I wish to be given somebody else."
"That I cannot do, Your Majesty." The man replied, regret and obvious fear heavy in his voice.
The Princess whirled back around, glaring darkly at him. "What did you say?"
He had the decency to appear frightened, respectfully keeping his face turned to the floor, still bowing to her. "I cannot complete your request. His Majesty has gifted you with this boy specifically and has demanded that you accept nothing less."
Xion fumed silently, her hands clenching furiously by her sides. "Very well." She spat, grinding her teeth out of annoyance. "I shall have to endure, it would seem. Although, inform my father that this is only a temporary situation. This boy, no matter what he says, shall not remain my servant for very long at all. I refuse to allow it. This is a mockery."
"As you wish." The servant bowed even lower before straightening and tossing the boy, who had yet to move or make a sound, a long look. If the boy sensed his gaze, he did not make any attempt to return it. The man sighed and promptly left the room to escape the Princess' wrath, closing the door behind him with a soft click.
For a long time, Xion stood a few feet away from the boy, staring at him with an unimpressed glower. If it were at all possible, the boy seemed to shrink in on himself even further, his chin remaining tucked dutifully against his chest. This irked her, for some reason.
"Look at me, servant." She said sharply, clicking her fingers for emphasis.
He flinched, but complied, turning his head up and hesitantly meeting her gaze, his eyes wide and fearful like a startled deer. Or, at least, she had initially assumed it was fear. But beneath this fear, she could see grief, pain and anger. It was a deep-set, all-consuming anger which seemed to be burning him up from the inside.
She found herself vaguely impressed with the sight. It meant that he wasn't as breakable or as weak as she had originally thought. Perhaps her father had been right after all — maybe he did possess some worth. With a self-satisfied smile, she began to circle him, like a predator would its prey. As she suspected, he tensed up, like a coiled spring.
Xion smiled nastily as she came back around to his face. "I suppose you'll have to do. Scrawny, pitiful looking... In need of cleaning up, but you'll do." The boy's face didn't betray a single emotion, but his eyes — they were a different story. Anger stirred up within those azure eyes, as well as a hint of apprehension.
She latched onto the emotion like a leech to a wound, her smile turning almost gleeful.
"I am Princess Xion Tenebris, daughter to the King of this Realm." She began grandly, gesturing delicately to herself. "More importantly, I am your master; therefore I have complete and utter control over you and your actions." She paused, allowing her words to sink in. "As such, I expect full obedience during your servitude to me, do I make myself clear?"
The boy stared at her, his gaze blank this time, as his lips worked around a suitable reply. Eventually, he settled for a scowl, neither accepting nor declining. Her lips twitched with annoyance, but she ignored it for now. She could punish him for his disrespect later.
"Now, you shall start by cleaning my room, servant—"
"Ventus."
Xion halted, her mouth open, her face a mask of surprise. Her expression quickly shifted to one of rage, her eyes darkening. "What did you just say?" She hissed dangerously.
The boy didn't react to her display of anger, nor indicate anything of any kind to suggest he had even noticed it. Instead, he spoke again in a raspy, rich voice. "My name is Ventus."
For a moment, she was hypnotised by the beautiful sound of his voice, her ears begging to hear it again, but all too soon her anger replaced her desire and she marched right up to him, glaring directly at him. "How dare you interrupt me? I am a Princess! You are beneath me!"
Ventus stared right back at her, his dull eyes sparking with an unrecognisable emotion. "You're a spoilt brat who has been told since the day you were born that you own the world. I don't care what you think."
She didn't know how to react, especially when he neatly withdrew from her and began going about his business as if nothing had been said, starting by straightening the sheets on her bed and plumping the feather-down pillows.
He had a name. And he had completely disregarded her status.
Only moments later, in a fit of anger, she threw a vase at him. Needless to say, the deafening noise which followed after it smashed against the wall inches away from his head had attracted the nearby guards and the boy was swiftly taken away to be punished for his 'actions'.
Being the bitter and prideful person that she was, she had him flogged five times for his rudeness and another five for breaking her vase.
A/N: Okay, just to clear things up; this is the girl Xion was before she befriended Ven. She was short-tempered, rude, obnoxious and thought very highly of herself. This is the boy Ven was before he began opening up to people again after the death of his family and destruction of his town. He's going to be pretty angry at the world, almost vacant and acts a lot like the foul-tempered Roxas we all know from RotS! xD
Kind of a lot to take in, right? I really enjoyed writing it though! It was such fun to play around with these two and I look forward to doing so in the future! I've started writing the next one, and it'll be a bit of a leap backwards in the timeline, but I'll put ages at the top of the chapter as promised. :)
I hope that you all enjoyed this one-shot and I look forward to hearing any feedback!
Thank you for reading, take care and I'll see you all next time!
~AusisWinds-13