"As punishment for your incorrigible behavior, you won't attend The Prince's birthday party."
Kallen stared at her step-mother for a few seconds without blinking. "…that's it?"
The older woman frowned, obviously displeased with the answer.
"What do you mean 'that's it'?" She demanded, pursing her lips. "This is your punishment! You won't go to the ball!"
"Oh," Kallen deadpanned. "You're punishing me by making me ditch some prince's fancy party?"
Her step-mother nodded, finally satisfied with the reaction she was getting.
"Yes," she crowed. "And while you're sitting here, cleaning the whole house, your sisters will get a chance to marry the prince!"
Finally! Kallen thought gleefully. I might be rid of them!
Composing herself to show as much remorse as possible, Kallen stated in a regretful voice, "This is a terrible punishment indeed."
Her step-mother grinned in delight, clasping her hands and looking about ready to burst into giggles. "Exactly! That way, you'll never find a husband, and you'll always remain a meager servant!"
As if, Kallen snorted inwardly. I'll be gone before you know it.
While the Britannian woman walked away to tell the news to her daughters, Kallen couldn't hold back a maniacal giggle.
Tonight! Tonight I'll be free!
Lelouch stared at the brown haired boy in front of him with a solemn expression.
"Suzaku," he started seriously. "We're friends, aren't we?"
The Japanese boy squinted at the Prince suspiciously, obviously sensing a trap. "Umm, yes?"
"Was that a question?!"
"No! I mean yes! I mean, yes, we're friends!"
Lelouch nodded, satisfied. "And you'd do anything for me?"
"…if it's within my ability to do so …"
"Then get the hell outta my door!"
Suzaku sighed, crossing his arms and leaning against the door. "You know I can't do that."
"Really," Lelouch scoffed. "Are you telling me you're unable to move?"
Suzaku's brows furrowed and he looked at his friend with a serious expression. "I'm not helping you run away, Lelouch."
The Britannian boy scowled, then put his hands on his hips and leaned into Suzaku's personal space.
"I don't want your help," Lelouch enunciated slowly, poking the other boy in the chest. "All I want is for you to move out of my way!"
For a moment, it looked like the Japanese boy was torn. His gaze flicked back and forth between the door and the Prince, while his posture slackened. In the end, though, instead of moving, he clasped his hands together and hung his head.
"Lelouch," he pleaded in a quiet voice. "You know I can't do that. I need a clean record if I want to become the Knight of One! You know that's why he put me here!"
The Britannian boy instantly drew back, sending the other a disgusted look. "So that's how it is. A title is more important to you than me!"
Suzaku scrunched up his face, appearing hurt by the accusation.
"You're being unfair," he proclaimed in a level tone. "It's only a stupid ball. You've been to countless before. How will one more make any difference?"
"We both know that's not true," Lelouch snapped, turning around and walking towards the canopy bed. He then lowered himself onto his back and glared at the ceiling. "The whole party is just an excuse. He wants me to find a wife."
Suzaku sighed, already prepared for the answer.
"It's not that bad?" He tried, scratching his cheek. "At least he's letting you choose? He could always just sell you off to the highest bidder."
Judging by the Prince's sour expression, it wasn't the right thing to say. Lelouch propped himself up on his elbows and sent Suzaku a condescending look.
"You really think so?" He mocked. "So if I chose some peasant girl he'd just let me marry her?"
Suzaku didn't answer and Lelouch plopped back onto his back. "Welcome to Britannia, Suzaku."
The Japanese let out a breath and sunk down to the floor, propping his back against the door.
"You know what, alright. If you truly want to leave, I won't stop you. Hell, I'll help you, because we are friends," he paused, giving the other a searching look. "But you'll still have to pass all the other guards, and even with my help, I don't think it's possible to disarm all of them- your father had doubled the security tonight. It'd be especially difficult if you wanted to grab Nunnally along."
At the mention of his only full-blood sister, Lelouch's body seemed to have lost all energy. He didn't reply.
Suzaku sighed. "Come on. You had to at least expect it?"
"Not now! Schneizel is twenty-eight and he isn't married! And before you say that he's busy, Clovis isn't married either! So why do I have to be?"
"Well, if you haven't been fooling around with Princess Eu—"
"Finish that sentence and forget about ever dating my sister."
Suzaku swallowed. "Duly noted."
Lelouch waved his hand in the air, dismissing the matter. "This is just so annoying. I don't want to get stuck with some snobby girl that only cares about money."
"Maybe there won't be any suitable candidates?" Suzaku supplied unhelpfully.
"You think there's a shortage of snobby girls in Pendragon?"
"That's not what I meant…"
Lelouch brought a finger to his lips, appearing thoughtful. "Maybe I should sabotage the whole thing…"
Suzaku gulped. "I don't think that's a good idea… And besides, you were wrong earlier."
The prince frowned, not liking to be corrected. "How so?"
"You father did try to marry Prince Clovis off. You don't remember the…" Suzaku trailed off, looking to the side.
Lelouch's mouth twitched, bringing him close to a smile for the first time. "Right. How could I forget that event." Then his body suddenly tensed, and he looked at his friend in alarm. "Suzaku, what does the invitation say?"
Green eyes widened in faked innocence.
"What do you mean?" The knight asked confusedly. "I'm sure there's something along the lines of 'I hereby invite you to Princess Lelouch' birthday celebration'..." At Lelouch's glare, his face broke into a smile. "Joking."
When the initial annoyance washed off, Lelouch put on a thinking expression again. "You think there's still time to change it?"
"…what?"
"Well, Clovis did get away because of that!"
Suzaku brought a hand to his forehead and groaned. Oh God.
"Cinderalleeen!"
Kallen's brow twitched at the ridiculous nickname. Trust Milly to come up with something like that.
"What do you want?" The redhead grunted. She was in the middle of packing her belongings disguised as folding the clothes, so she wasn't happy to be interrupted.
"Are you finished with that yet?" Milly asked, walking into the room.
"No."
"Well, you are now!" The blonde bent down and scooped up the remaining clothes, ignoring the indignant 'Hey!'. "You're coming with me now!"
"Hell no!" Coming with Milly meant all sorts of terrible things, from crossdressing to acting as her training dummy, and Kallen wasn't willing to indulge in any of them. "Give that back!"
"Nope," Milly grinned, and Kallen prepared herself to lunge at the blonde. "Unless you want Mother to know about your big escape plan?"
That stopped Kallen in her tracks, and she looked at Milly with wide eyes. The blonde winked, then twirled in place, dropping all the clothes that Kallen previously folded. The Half-Japanese girl felt ready to murder her.
"Yep," Milly crowed, with a smile that stretched from ear to ear. "Nothing gets past me! Now, you will come with me or you will have to explain to mother dear why no work is done!"
Kallen gritted her teeth and followed her step-sister out of the room. Fucking Britannians.
"Lelouch," Schneizel's voice was as smooth and condescending as always. "I'm afraid a cold isn't enough to call off an event of such caliber."
"Well, maybe you should have asked me before setting it up in the first place! Seeing as it's my birthday!"
The Second Prince completely ignored the protestation, instead choosing to sit on the edge of his younger brother's bed. "I know you're nervous, but there is nothing to worry about. I'm sure the young ladies will be just enamored with you."
That's not the problem, you old prick, Lelouch wanted to shout but opted for glaring at the blonde instead. Judging by the smug look on Schneizel's face, he knew exactly what the problem was and was immensely enjoying his brother's current predicament.
"And what if I infect them with my cold," he tried reasonably. "That would be quite a bad first impression, wouldn't it?"
Schneizel's flat look clearly said, 'I know you're not sick, but I'm polite enough not to call you on it'. Instead, he said, "Then you'll have to make up for it some other way."
Lelouch buried his face in his hands and groaned.
Kallen survived Milly's machinations and her step-mother's scolding, only to be subjected to this. This also known as The Crying Mess Shirley™.
"I-I'm such a bad person," Shirley sniffed, wiping her nose with Kallen's skirt. "I know that it's awful of me, but I just really don't want you to go with us."
Kallen patted the orange haired girl's shoulder awkwardly, torn between annoyance and exasperation. Out of her two step-sisters, she definitely preferred Shirley. The only problem with her was…
"Especially since it would be such a good chance to make you into a proper lady."
…that. The girl just didn't get it. Kallen wasn't sure whether she was blind or just naïve, but she got it into her head that Kallen was acting like a servant out of her own volition and as a way of rebelling. From Shirley's point of view, her mother was just indulging Kallen in her whims. Nothing could dissuade her from that line of thinking, and that evil woman only enforced that picture by saying things like 'If she doesn't want to wear dresses, then she shall wear rags'.
…well. She didn't want to wear dresses, but that was beside the point.
"Don't worry, Shirley. I don't want to be a proper lady anyway."
Shirley looked up at her with wide eyes, and Kallen winced. That probably wasn't the best thing to say. And the girl was biting her lip, which probably meant that she was rethinking her first statement. Damn it.
"I mean," Kallen said loudly, drawing her step-sister's attention. "There will be other balls, right?"
That seemed to calm the other girl down, and she sent Kallen a grateful smile.
"Yes," she said, taking Kallen's hands and looking her straight in the eyes. "You will get your chance eventually! There are lots of princes in Britannia, I'm sure one of them will be able to look past your brash attitude and this dirt you've accumulated over the years!"
…ouch. Kallen was sure Shirley was a good person at heart. If only she wasn't so annoying. And hadn't she said that she didn't want Kallen to go? Who said that? (Except her step-mother of course. Milly would gladly take her along if only she could dress her up in some ridiculous costume.)
"And why do you want to go so badly?" Kallen asked suspiciously. The girl never seemed so excited about a ball before.
Shirley blushed, and Kallen immediately knew the answer.
"W-well," the girl stammered. "It's Prince Lelouch's birthday, and…"
Right. Shirley's eternal crush. She claimed to have met the Prince during one of her escapades to the market, where he apparently saved her from being trampled by a horse. Kallen still called her out on her bullshit. What kind of pampered prince went to the market?
Still. Shirley considered Kallen enough of a competition not to want her near the Prince? That was kind of… flattering. Not that Kallen cared. Of course.
"…and I don't want you to ruin my chances with him by being a total embarrassment!"
…and Kallen was once again reminded why she didn't like both of her step-sisters.
"Oh my God. You can't be serious. You're planning the party?"
Clovis beamed, giving a dramatic bow. "Yup."
Lelouch turned around and banged his head against the wall. "I'm so screwed."
The Third Prince draped an arm around his younger brother's shoulders and leaned closer to his ear, whispering, "Don't worry. It will be a night you'll never forget."
Lelouch had a sudden vision of all the times he humiliated Clovis at chess, as well as when he mocked him for being mistaken for a girl. All of a sudden, Schneizel didn't seem as intimidating as before.
Clovis laughed, patting his head, and Lelouch broke into a cold sweat, promising himself to never underestimate Clovis again.
(He forgot that promise the very next day)
It was the moment. The moment she would finally be free.
Her step-mother and sisters already left, leaving her alone with a list of chores to do. Kallen happily disregarded all of them, knowing that she would never return to that house again.
Dressing in her father's old clothes and picking up the small bag of belongings she prepared beforehand, Kallen set out on her way to freedom. She crossed the front yard and opened the gate, only to stop dead in her tracks.
She didn't know where to go.
All of her plans usually came down to 'leave Pendragon, leave Britannia, go to Japan'. She always assumed she'd have more time to plan all the details, and now that opportunity presented itself, she jumped at the chance. And now she was stuck.
Well, she thought, I need to go east, right?
Shrugging, Kallen resumed her walk. There was only one path leading to her house, so she didn't have much choice anyway. If she was lucky, she would find Ougi or Tamaki at the tavern and ask them for help.
The few houses she passed seemed to be completely vacated (their owners probably left for the ball), but Kallen was more pleased than concerned. The fewer people she met, the better.
The first crossroads she encountered made her smile, because she knew it. One way led to the heart of Pendragon, while the other… somewhere else. Turning around to face her approaching destiny, Kallen almost jumped out of her skin at the sight that greeted her.
There, in the middle of the path, stood a woman. At least Kallen assumed she was a woman because her face was completely obscured by a dirty veil. The rags she wore were even worse than Kallen's usual clothing at her step-mother's house, and the only visible traits were strands of something green peeking out from under her hood.
All in all, she looked like a monster. It didn't help matters either that it was already dark.
"W-Who are you?" Kallen stammered, raising her hands to defend herself if needed. She was pretty sure the woman wasn't there a few seconds before.
The woman coughed, and her entire body shook.
"I need food," she croaked, taking a step toward Kallen. "Give me food."
The red headed girl backed away, flicking her gaze between the woman and her bag. She wasn't one to give food to vagrants, but the woman was hella creepy. Anything to get rid of her.
Reaching to her bag, Kallen took out the meager provisions she prepared for herself. Throwing it at the woman, she said, "Catch!"
The woman caught the bundle with surprising ease, especially considering that a few moments ago she looked almost ready to fall over. Slender white fingers brought the provisions to her nose, and although Kallen couldn't see it, she was almost certain that the woman was frowning.
"There's no pizza," the vagrant complained, though her voice was no longer as old and cranky as before.
"What." Kallen got a very bad feeling that she just got tricked into giving free food to some thief, and her suspicions were partially confirmed when the woman took off her hood to reveal a very youthful face, framed by long green hair.
The woman tsked, shrugging off the rest of her rags and displaying a stunning dress beneath. It was black, long-sleeved, and encrusted with jewels, making her a complete opposite of the vagrant Kallen expected her to be. "You people have no imagination when it comes to food."
"What," Kallen repeated, staring at the woman with open mouth.
The woman (girl?) sighed, reaching to some hidden pocket and taking out what appeared to be a long stick.
"I suppose I shouldn't be complaining," she muttered, waving the piece of wood a few times as if to check if it worked. "Beggars can't be choosers and all that nonsense."
"You're not a beggar!" Kallen finally regained her vocal cords and pointed an accusing finger at the woman. "You tricked me!"
The woman smirked, tapping the stick against her mouth.
"Yeah?" She asked, leaning forward. "And whose fault is it that you got tricked?"
Kallen opened and closed her mouth, too enraged to say anything. Who was this woman to—
"Anyway," the woman interrupted Kallen's train of thought, waving her stick around. "I didn't trick you. I am going to repay you for that food. However poor it is."
The escapee looked at the woman suspiciously.
"Yeah?" She echoed. "How?"
The green haired girl raised her hand, muttered some words, and suddenly all Kallen could see was white. Sparkling white. It was as if she got blinded by the sun and lost her eyesight. It lasted for a few seconds, and when Kallen was finally returned to reality, she had to steady herself to not fall over.
"What did you do?" She demanded, bringing her hand to her forehead and glaring at the woman.
"Look down."
Kallen did. And this time she did fall over.
"Careful," the woman admonished. "You don't want to immediately ruin my work."
"What the hell is this?!" Kallen shrieked, pulling at the silky red fabric that now covered her entire body. Instead of the plain shirt and trousers she wore before, her current attire consisted of a long ball gown that reached to the ground and shone in the moonlight. "What did you do to me?!"
"I gave you an opportunity to go to the ball," the woman's voice indicated that it should've been obvious. "Isn't that why you were here? Sulking because you couldn't attend?"
"No!" Kallen cried. "I don't want to go to that stupid ball! Turn me back!"
"Oh," the woman paused, seemingly at a loss for words. Then the corners of her lips quirked and she sent Kallen a sly smile. "Sorry, no can do. The spell has a time limit which expires at midnight. You'll have to endure until then."
Kallen glared at the woman in front of her, before the implications of her words sank in and she swayed in place. "Wait. You're a witch?"
Said witch clapped her hands, all the while giving Kallen a dry look.
"Congratulations," she deadpanned. "Your reflex is truly astounding. Though I must add, I prefer the term 'Fairy Godmother' these days. Scares people less, for some reason," she said that as if she truly couldn't comprehend the phenomenon.
Kallen's brow twitched, and she was torn between lunging at the woman and trying to tear off that ridiculous dress she's been forced to wear.
"Alright," she declared, raising her finger to get the woman's attention. "Completely disregarding the fact that you shouldn't even exist, why did you attack me?"
"Attack?" The woman repeated incredulously, looking offended. "You call giving you a nice, new ball gown, one, might I add, you'd pay for a lot of money, an attack?"
"Well, what else am I supposed to call it?" Kallen demanded, pulling at the straps on her shoulders. "Y-You cursed me!" The damn straps wouldn't budge an inch.
The witch tapped her foot impatiently, looking at Kallen as if she was an especially dumb child.
"I already told you," she said, sounding annoyed. "The spell won't wear off until midnight, so how about you act like a normal girl and go to the ball?"
"Like hell!" Kallen snapped, finally giving up on taking off the dress and instead starting to look for her knife. She had it in her pocket, dammit! "Like I'd do that because some stupid, self-centered and arrogant bitch-witch told me so!"
For a moment everything was silent, and Kallen felt content enough to continue her searching for the knife. The gown didn't seem to have any hidden pockets, and her bag turned out empty as well. When she finally raised her head to glare at the witch, she had to take a step back.
The woman was positively radiating maliciousness. The smile plastered on her face could as well be called a grimace, while her hand gripped the stick (wand?) so tightly Kallen wondered if it would break. When she spoke, her voice was sweet but her words dripped with venom.
"A self-centered, arrogant bitch, am I?" She asked, taking a step towards Kallen. "How… eloquent of you."
It was at that moment that Kallen realized that antagonizing a witch probably wasn't the best course of action. She raised her hands in surrender, but she didn't get a chance to speak, because the woman started talking again.
"An evil witch, am I?" She asked, and her smile cracked into an ugly grin. "Well, if that's what you want to see, then who am I to refuse?"
The woman raised her wand, and before Kallen was consumed by whiteness, she could clearly hear the melodious words coming from the witch's mouth:
"Slippers, slippers, turn to glass, amazing night shall have the lass."
After being introduced to twentieth 'eligible maiden', Lelouch felt ready to die. It didn't help either that Suzaku seemed to have disappeared sometime around number twelve, strangely at the same time his sister Euphemia did.
Lelouch still couldn't decide how he felt about that. Every time the thought passed his mind, his head started to hurt, so he eventually gave up on the matter altogether.
It wasn't like he and Euphemia ever stood a chance anyway. Better if she ended up with someone like Suzaku than some stupid noble. If his friend managed to prove himself enough to even be considered a 'suitable match' for a princess.
The amount of people gathered at the palace was quite astounding. Almost half of his siblings came, though he suspected most did it only to mock him from behind.
Even Odysseus appeared, together with his ten-year-old Chinese wife.
Lelouch supposed he should've been grateful that at least all the women gathered at the ball were of legal age.
…did he just see Kaguya Sumeragi chatting with one of his brothers?
An heiress of a subjugated country couldn't possibly be considered a 'suitable bride', could she? Especially a fifteen-year-old one?
Of course not.
…right.
Lelouch downed the fifth flute of champagne that night and wondered how much more he'd need to pass out.
—
Hiding behind a pillar probably wasn't the most graceful thing to do, but that Milly girl was absolutely terrifying. She didn't even seem that interested in marriage, oh no, her life goal seemed to be making people's lives miserable. Right after being introduced to him, she instantly decided that he just needs to try on her ball gown, because he'd look stunning in it. With a completely straight face.
Her sister fainted. Her mother might have or might have not had a heart attack. Lelouch chuckled weakly before running for his life.
At least the hallway was relatively empty, save for the guardsmen who gave him sidelong glances while he passed. Lelouch didn't even try to leave, they'd probably stop him before he set a foot outside.
Much use being an imperial prince.
Lelouch took a deep breath, enjoying the few moments of peace. Since the beginning of the ball, he'd been constantly forced to chat or dance with various women, mostly by his brother Clovis It was exhausting. He was already dead on his feet, and it wasn't even midnight. He shivered at the thought of staying up till morning.
Clovis' voice reached him from somewhere behind, so Lelouch moved away from the pillar, ready to find some other hiding place, only to whirl around when a voice shrieked, "Get out of my way!"
It was too late. Lelouch managed to catch a glimpse of red before his body was hurled to the ground, pinned to it by a pair of strong arms. A silent 'ouch' escaped his lips, before his gaze refocused and he found himself at the receiving end of a fierce glare.
"What," the woman, because that's what she was, with red hair and blue eyes, gritted out. "Do you think you're doing?"
Lelouch stared at her for a moment, wondering whether she was mental or just extremely desperate. She could be both.
"I," he started, "am lying here, while you are pinning me to the ground."
When the woman only gritted her teeth and didn't move, Lelouch added, "I can also see everything."
It took her a moment to understand the meaning of his words, but when she finally glanced down and noticed her very exposed cleavage, the color on her face changed to match her hair and gown.
To Lelouch's complete amazement, she still didn't move.
"P-pervert!" She shrieked, looking like she was trying to get up but utterly failing at the task. What she achieved in her struggling was making her whole body shake, and this time even Lelouch couldn't keep his gaze away from her bosom for long. "D-don't look there!"
"Well then, maybe you should get off of me!"
"I'm trying! Can't you see?! This stupid witch cursed me!"
Definitely mental then. Lelouch wondered why the guards stationed at the hallway didn't intervene, and if they would if he called for help. Going by their snickers, probably not. Did his father tell them not to do anything if he was assaulted by a woman? God, she could start undressing him, and—
…and why did his pants suddenly start feeling tight at that thought?
Lelouch's face turned bright red, and with a sudden wave of strength, he gripped the woman's forearms and pushed, managing to throw her to the side—
…only to find himself pulled along and now lying on top of her.
He didn't think it was possible for the woman's face to redden even more. He was wrong.
"W-What are you doing," she stuttered, and Lelouch got the distinct impression that she would be punching him in the arms if she wasn't already holding them with her hands. "G-Get off me, you p-pervert!"
Lelouch was really getting tired of this argument, and his current state of body wasn't making it any better. He opened his mouth to repeat his earlier statement, but he didn't get a chance to speak up.
"Lelouch?"
Lelouch really didn't want to look up. He did anyway.
Clovis was staring at him with eyes as wide as saucers and his jaw on the floor. Beside him, another blonde, one he was hiding from earlier, bounced in place, looking like Christmas has come early.
Lelouch wondered whether being dead felt like that.
In all her eighteen years, Kallen has never, ever been so humiliated before. If the whole situation wasn't bad enough, now they had an audience. And one of them was her sister.
Milly would never let her live that down.
All of a sudden, her grip on the man's (Lelouch's?) shoulders slackened, and it took her a while to understand that she was finally able to move. That fact didn't escape the other's notice, and immediately after realizing that he was free, the man shot to his feet, scurrying away from her as if burned.
A ridiculous thought crossed her mind, and for a moment Kallen found herself being hurt by his repulsed reaction before she remembered that this was what she wanted.
Trying not to look at her sister and the other man (probably another ponce, judging by his clothing) Kallen tried to pull herself to her feet, only to find herself unable to do so.
Stupid, stupid witch.
"Lelouch," the man repeated, and everyone's attention landed on him. "Help the lady up, will you? You owe her that much, don't you think?" His demeanor changed from shocked to completely delighted, and Kallen felt beads of sweat appearing on her forehead. This wasn't looking good.
The man, Lelouch, who was standing a few feet away from her and looking absolutely mortified, swallowed. "Just for the record, this is not what it looks like."
And all of a sudden, the full implications of what it did look like hit Kallen with a doubled force. She felt like crying. If her Japanese friends were ever to hear about this, her reputation would be completely ruined. Not only that, how would she even be able to live with herself after that?!
Kallen was too busy despairing to notice the extended hand and did it only after a soft cough pulled her from her musings. Lelouch, who was as beet red in the face as Kallen, bowed awkwardly, with one hand hidden behind his back and another outstretched towards Kallen. He didn't meet her eyes.
Kallen stared at him for a moment trying to decide whether slapping his hand away was a good idea. Her body answered for itself. Just like before, a sudden pull forced her arm forward, and she gripped his hand with probably too much force.
Kallen didn't mind. The man evidently did, judging by his grimace, but to his credit, he didn't say anything. Kallen found herself once again on two feet and grateful for small blessings.
All her gratitude disappeared when she caught Milly's eye and her sister smirked. Feeling her cheeks burn even more, Kallen tried to turn around and leave. She probably shouldn't have been surprised that her feet refused to cooperate again.
"Lelouch," the name was repeated a third time. "Why don't you ask the lady to dance? That's the proper thing to do, don't you think?"
Kallen opened her mouth to protest but Milly chose that moment to throw her arms around her step-sister's neck, making Kallen freeze. "And you will agree, won't you, Kallen? After all, you wouldn't want mother to know, would you?"
She definitely didn't want that, especially since she still didn't have the full control of her body, but even in her flustered state, Kallen could see the fault in that logic. "But she will—"
"I'll take care of her," Milly waved her hand and pushed her towards the black-haired man, who was currently trying to get away from the other blonde. Kallen wondered what they talked about, but judging by the sinister smile on the taller man's face and the new deep flush on the younger's, she wasn't sure she wanted to know.
Swaying on his feet and looking about ready to faint, the man somehow managed to give a courteous bow and say without stutter, "Will you honor me with dance, my lady?"
Kallen didn't get a chance to refuse because her hand shot forward on her own, so all she could grit out was, "Yes."
The walk to the ballroom was awkward, to say the least, but Lelouch used that time to try to steady his breathing and return his skin color to normal. To achieve that, he absolutely refused to look at the girl whose hand he was holding, instead choosing to look at all the other girls gathered at the palace.
They all looked the same, there was absolutely nothing interesting about them, blond and brown everywhere, occasionally black, no vivid red—
Wrong line of thinking.
The crowds parted before them and for the first time that evening, Lelouch felt uncomfortable. He danced with girls before, but he didn't remember it to be this awkward.
Clovis' words and insinuations didn't help either.
Speaking of his brother, he was pretty sure he saw Clovis trotting happily to Schneizel, and that never boded well for anyone.
They stopped in the middle of the dance floor, and Lelouch extended his hand towards his partner. For someone who was so forward not a few minutes earlier, she sure didn't seem confident now.
With a slight hesitation, the girl accepted his arm and so they began.
Moving her feet accordingly to the music, Kallen was suddenly ridiculously grateful for the enchanted slippers. The last thing she wanted was to embarrass herself in front of such a large audience, despite the fact that she already knew the moves. Contrary to popular belief, Kallen wasn't completely opposed to dancing. When her mother was still alive, they often danced together, laughing and smiling and having fun.
No one was laughing now, but it still felt somewhat nice, even though she'd never admit that out loud. The dance also gave her a good chance to look at her partner, and for the first time that evening, Kallen really saw him. He was probably around her age, with black hair and violet eyes. He stood at least a head taller than her, though his entire frame seemed to be quite scrawny. It was also clear that he was more exhausted than her, but Kallen had to give him credit for still keeping up.
When the music finally stopped, they remained still for a few seconds, and their breaths echoed in the strangely quiet ballroom. Their eyes met, and Kallen felt a strange pull forward towards those alluring violet orbs and slightly parted lips, so she stood on her tiptoes, to—
The sudden clapping broke whatever charm she was under, and Kallen whirled around, suddenly remembering that they weren't alone in the ballroom.
Lelouch looked as discomfited as she, and standing there in the middle of a crowd, Kallen had no idea what to do.
So she did the only logical thing- she turned around and run.
Somewhere along the way, she lost one of her glass slippers.
(She tried to lose the other too, but the damned thing just wouldn't budge.)
Elsewhere, a clock just struck midnight.
To say that Lelouch was confused would be an understatement. He was completely baffled. The same girl who assaulted him not a few minutes ago turned out to be quite charming during the dance, and he even almost—
And then she ran.
"Women," Clovis sighed, appearing by his side. "And they say it's us men who are only after one thing."
Lelouch whirled around, staring at his brother with wide eyes. "Wha—"
The blonde patted his shoulder, giving him a completely sympathetic look. "She was obviously not interested in marriage. Don't worry, though. If you want a redhead, then I can introduce you to—"
"No!" Lelouch shrieked, stopping his brother mid-sentence. He had enough introductions for a day. "It's fine! I didn't want to marry her anyway!"
Whatever happened between them during that dance, it didn't mitigate the fact that the woman assaulted him earlier. He didn't need a wife who did that on regular basis (and the fact that she was stronger than him didn't escape his attention either).
"I'm afraid that decision doesn't belong to you."
Both Lelouch and Clovis' heads snapped around to meet the approaching figure. Schneizel looked as tidy and elegant as always, and the smugness practically radiated off him. There was also something shiny in one of his hands.
Lelouch really, really didn't want to ask. "What do you mean?"
Schneizel smiled, and Lelouch could feel shivers running down his spine.
"I already talked to Father," he explained calmly, stopping in front of his two siblings. "Seeing as this young lady was the first you expressed any interest in, I spoke on your behalf. His Majesty has generously agreed to let you marry her, assuming, of course, that she comes from a proper lineage."
Lelouch gaped. His mouth opened and closed but no words came out. Clovis laughed heartily, throwing an arm around his neck.
"See!" He chuckled, sending him a wink. "You might still get a chance with that particular ginger."
Lelouch finally regained his vocal cords.
"I-I don't—" He sputtered, trying to disentangle himself from Clovis' arm. "I'm not interested in her!"
"Really," Schneizel deadpanned in a way that only Schneizel could, which meant that he wasn't deadpanning at all. "That's not what I heard." He glanced meaningfully at Clovis.
Lelouch glared daggers at the Third Prince. The blonde shrugged. "Well, what? I wasn't lying."
"She," Lelouch hissed through gritted teeth. "Threw herself at me."
Clovis gave him a sympathetic look. "I know what you mean. Women throw themselves at me all the time. It's not their fault that I'm so handsome."
"That is not—"
"Whatever the case may be," Schneizel interrupted, drawing all attention to him. "The fact remains that Father has already given his permission, which means you will marry that girl, whether you like it or not."
Lelouch was about to snap at his brother again when a sudden thought made him pause. The corners of his lips quirked, and he sent the Second Prince a smirk.
"Riight," he drawled, wiping some non-existent dust from his sleeve. "I'd love to, but it's such a shame that she disappeared."
Schneizel didn't seem fazed.
"I already sent guards after her. And besides," he said, raising his hand to reveal the shinnying object he was holding since the beginning. "She's not going to get far in only one shoe."
Lelouch stared. He was about to ask who in the world would wear glass shoes to a ball when a new voice entered the conversation.
"Your Highness!" One of the palace guards was running towards them in a hurry. "Your Highness!"
The man dropped to his knees right in front of Schneizel, gasping for breath.
"Your Highness," he started again. "I-I'm terribly sorry, but—"
"Yes?" Schneizel's mouth curled in distaste.
"T-The girl. She got away."
For a moment everything was silent. Lelouch held his breath, anticipating his brother's reaction. Eventually, the blonde spoke, "Were you at least able to find out who she was?"
"N-No, Your Highness. I-I'm terribly sorry."
It took all of Lelouch's restraint not to burst out laughing. Schneizel's face appeared completely blank, but Lelouch knew him long enough to know that he was not happy.
"I see," he said calmly, but even the guard could sense the prince's discontent, if the sudden shaking was anything to go by. "Dismissed."
Lelouch waited until the man disappeared from view before his stony façade cracked and he gave a dramatic sigh. "For shame. Looks like I'll never marry the girl of my dreams."
Schneizel turned towards him, and this time Lelouch couldn't understand what his unreadable expression meant. "This situation is… unfortunate. I already gave The Emperor my word that I would take care of everything."
Oh. Oh. Schneizel was the one who brought the matter to The Emperor, so that meant that he would be the one punished if anything went wrong. Lelouch could barely contain his giddiness.
"Well," Schneizel said, raising the glass slipper to his eye level. "I suppose not everything is lost."
That couldn't mean anything good. "What do you mean?"
Schneizel sent him a smile, but it wasn't as smug and confident as before. "We still have time. I'll find that girl even if I have to try that slipper on every woman in Pendragon. Actually, I think I'll do just that."
He'll what.
"You can't be serious," Lelouch deadpanned. "There are thousands of women in Pendragon. Visiting all of them will take ages."
"Well, I suppose we can narrow it down only to the noble families," Schneizel murmured under his breath, giving the slipper a contemplative look. "We'll need to leave immediately. Kanon."
"Yes, Your Highness." The ever-present assistant suddenly emerged from his liege's shadows.
"You heard me. We need to—"
"Wait!" All heads turned to the Eleventh Prince. "But…" Lelouch swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. "B-But… that slipper can fit many girls!"
Schneizel inclined his head sorrowfully. "I realize. I can only hope The Emperor will forgive any mistakes, considering the circumstances."
I won't, you asshole!
"Now that I think about it," Schneizel paused, bringing a finger to his mouth. "The Emperor didn't see what that girl looked like. We could just pick any other lady present at the ball…"
"What!" This was getting ridiculous. "You can't do that to me! What happened to 'the only girl you expressed any interest in'? I don't want any other!" After all, if Schneizel was willing to tour the entire capital, there was always the chance that none of the women would fit the slipper. If he just picked one from the crowd, it would be the end.
The older man's brows furrowed, and he looked like he was weighing pros and cons of both options. Eventually, his lips thinned, and he gave his brother a serious look.
"If I do that," he started seriously, staring Lelouch straight in the eyes. "If I do that, do you promise that you won't try to weasel your way out of it? That you will marry the girl that fits the slipper?"
"I-I—" Lelouch swallowed. If he said yes, he'd be obligated to marry any girl Schneizel brought home from his endeavor. But if he said no, he'd still be forced to marry some random girl from the ball. At least that way he stood some chance. Schneizel always kept his promises. And during the ruckus, his father just might forget about him, just like he forgot about Clovis. "I will."
Schneizel nodded and put a hand on Lelouch's shoulder, giving him a slight smile. "Then for you, Little Brother, I will search for the girl you love."
By the morning, Kallen managed to convince herself that everything that happened during the ball and the dance was the result of that witch's spell.
The magic expired almost as soon as she left the castle, and she had to quickly hide herself in the bushes to avoid getting caught by the palace guards. Still, after the night events, she was way too tired to continue her journey to freedom, so, grudgingly, she returned to her house.
Everything was fine until Milly burst into her room and locked the door behind her, stranding Kallen alone with the blonde.
"Well, well, well," Milly drawled, leaning against the door. "Looks like I was wrong about you. You really are something."
Kallen raised her head to stare at her step-sister with trepidation. "What?"
Milly crossed her arms over her chest and gave her sister a blank stare.
"Didn't you hear?" Her voice was deceptively light, but Kallen could clearly hear the dark undertones. "The Prime Minister himself will be visiting us soon."
The red-head gaped.
"What?" She repeated incoherently.
Milly smiled, but there was nothing cheerful in her expression. "They're looking for the girl who lost a glass slipper last night. Apparently, the prince has fallen madly in love with her and will marry any girl who fits that slipper."
It took Kallen a moment to connect the dots. When she did—
"W-What?" It was ridiculous. Surely there was some other girl who lost a slipper. There was no chance a prince—
Fuck. His name was Lelouch, wasn't he? Damn it.
Milly gave her a moment to let that sink in before resuming her speech.
"See, when I told you to go dance with him, I didn't think you'd like it," she said slowly. "After all, you're a brash tomboy with no feminine grace. But not only did you enjoy it, you didn't even trip! Not even once! Now that threw me for a loop."
Kallen supposed she should've been smug about that fact, but she was still too hung on the first revelations to truly enjoy the moment. And besides, there was only one thing she could say in that situation. "I didn't enjoy it."
The blonde gave her a 'Do you think I'm stupid' look.
"Suure," Milly mocked. "You absolutely wasn't all moon-eyed during that dance. And cows can fly."
Kallen's face reddened. "Take that back, you—"
"Look," Milly interrupted, raising her finger. "Right now, I don't care. The thing is, the Prince is looking for a girl who can fit that slipper, not particularly you."
That stopped Kallen in her tracks. "Your point…?
Milly took something orange from one of her pockets and presented it to Kallen. It was a wig.
"You will put this on your head, then try on the slipper. The Prime Minister will declare you The Prince's Bride, and then you will switch places with Shirley. Do it and I will help you leave Britannia, just like you always wanted. Refuse," here she paused, giving Kallen a hard stare. "Refuse and I will make your life a living hell. And don't even think about running to your prince. You won't be even able to leave this house."
Kallen glared at her step-sister.
"Completely omitting the fact that I don't even want to marry him," she hissed through gritted teeth. "Don't you think the prince will be able to tell the difference? I and Shirley look nothing alike!"
Milly burst out laughing, having to hold her stomach to not fall over.
"Oh poor, poor Cinderallen," she said, wiping a tear from her eye. "Do you honestly think he remembers what you look like? That he's fallen in love with you?" She asked incredulously. "The only thing he remembers are your boobs! No wonder, considering he spent quite some time with his face buried in them!"
Kallen felt her whole body shaking from humiliation. Milly still wasn't finished.
"Well, even I have to admit that Shirley isn't on par with you in that regard, but he'll probably prefer her anyway in comparison to some dirty, ungraceful wen—"
Milly didn't get a chance to finish, because the next thing she knew, she was on the ground, holding her bruised cheek and staring at Kallen with wide blue eyes. Then, before the other girl could do anything, she sprang to her feet and ran for the door, throwing it open and then slamming it shut.
Kallen jerked to follow her, but it was already too late- she was locked in her room.
Cursing her step-sister and everyone else, Kallen moved to the window instead. It was the second floor and she didn't have any ladder, but it didn't matter. There was no way she was staying in that house any longer.
Gathering every piece of cloth she could find, Kallen started tying them all together in order to make something resembling a rope. She wasn't sure it would work, but she was willing to try. Distinctly, she heard raised voices from below, so she started working faster. She wouldn't give her step-mother and sister a chance to stop her.
When her task was finally complete, Kallen tied one end of the rope to her bedpost and threw the other out of the window. Pulling at it to make sure it was stable, Kallen sat on the windowsill and took a deep breath. There was no point in waiting. Forcing herself to remain calm, Kallen gripped the cloth tightly and threw her legs to the other side.
It turned out to be more daunting than she originally expected. She managed to somehow slip to the windowsill below, but there was no window on the ground floor. Gulping, Kallen tried to ground her feet hard into the wall, but the weight proved to be too much- somewhere above her, the self-made rope broke. Shrieking, Kallen fell to the ground.
There were no bushes to soften her landing, but there was sand. Kallen supposed it was better than hard ground, but considering her whole body was on fire it didn't make much difference. She was pretty sure she broke more than a few bones, and the fact that she couldn't move did nothing to alleviate her worries.
Her screams also attracted an audience.
"Goodness!" A man in some sort of a uniform appeared by her side, kneeling and looking over her injuries with a grimace. "Did you fall out of a window?"
"Y-yes," Kallen managed through gritted teeth. Inwardly, she was despairing that yet another one of her escape attempts failed, this time with fatal results.
"What's the commotion!" Her step-mother appeared next, followed closely by her daughters and a blonde man in some sort of a fancy suit.
"Cinderallen!" The woman exclaimed, staring at Kallen with wide eyes. "What's the meaning of this!"
"Your servant seems to have been injured," the man by Kallen's side stated, searching his pockets for God-knows-what. "Can you call a doctor?"
"I'm not her servant!" Kallen growled, having had enough of the constant abuse. She endured it only because she was waiting for a good opportunity to leave Britannia, and being considered a Britannian was better than being considered an Eleven. Now, though, she didn't give a damn, and if her step-mother was humiliated in the process, then all the better. "This woman is my father's second wife, and I'm a legitimate member of the family!"
The blonde man's brows knitted together, and he gave the older woman a questioning look.
"Indeed?" He asked curiously. "I thought you said you had only two daughters."
Kallen's step-mother shifted uncomfortably, and her palms sweated.
"I-I do," she stuttered, giving the man an apologetic look. "She's not my daughter."
"But she is Lord Stadtfeld's daughter?"
The Britannian woman gritted her teeth. "And an Eleven's, yes."
The blonde man gave Kallen a contemplative look before shrugging.
"As long as she's legitimate," he said, motioning to the other man. "Kanon, I do believe we have one more to check."
"Indeed," the uniformed man stood up, retreating back to the house. He returned a moment later, carrying something shiny in one of his hands. Kallen realized only after a moment that it was the glass slipper she lost during the ball.
It was in that instant that Kallen realized just who these men were and what they were doing here. She opened her mouth to protest, but all her words were cut short by what happened next. Milly, in her full drama mood, brought a hand to her forehead and swayed in place, right into the path of the man carrying the slipper. Not being able to evade her completely, the man lost his balance, stumbling a few steps and dropping the shoe.
There was the sound of a crash and several glass pieces scattered across the ground.
Kallen had a moment to absorb everything that just happened and to come to the conclusion that it was good. Then she saw Milly's smug smirk and remembered her words from before, and all rational thoughts were promptly thrown out of the window.
"Here!" She crowed, taking the other glass slipper out of her pocket. (She kept it only to remind herself that the night hadn't been a dream. Not because she liked it or anything. Of course not.) "Aren't you looking for this?"
The blonde man's (Prime Minister's?) eyes lit up, and it was only in that moment that Kallen realized what she had just done. It was too late.
The slipper was promptly snatched from her hands, and the next thing she knew, it was sitting on her feet, looking like it always belonged there. The fact that she still couldn't move didn't help her case much either.
"Wonderful!" The Prime Minister exclaimed, sending Kallen a smile. "It looks like we found our mysterious lady. My brother will be overjoyed."
"B-But—" Kallen's step-mother stuttered, looking ready to faint. "B-But he can't marry her! She's just a dirty Eleven!"
The blonde sent her a disapproving look, and the woman curled up on herself.
"This young lady is Lord Stadtfeld's legitimate daughter if I understand correctly. This makes her a suitable bride for by brother. Cinderallen, was it?"
"It's Kallen," Kallen stressed, before her brain caught up to the rest of his words and her eyes widened. "Wait, what! I don't want to marry him!"
The Prime Minister frowned. "I'm sorry?"
"I said I don't want to marry him! Find someone else that can fit this slipper, I don't care!"
The man stared at her for a while before turning to his assistant with a worried expression. "Kanon, I do believe this young lady is in a serious need of medical attention. On top of injuring her arms and legs, she must have also hit her head. We will take her to the palace with us, where she can be looked over by a medic."
'Kanon' nodded and immediately bent down, scooping Kallen into his arms.
Kallen sputtered. "Wait, what! I didn't hit my head! Put me down!" It did hurt when he was holding her like that.
She was completely ignored.
The gate to the courtyard opened, and a carriage pulled by two white horses came in. While she was being carried straight into it, even with all her wrecking and protestation, the only thing on her mind was: I screwed up.
Lelouch was depressed. The fact that his brother managed to find some girl who fit the slipper shouldn't have come as a surprise, but he still harbored a hope that Schneizel would fail.
And now he was honor-bound to marry the girl. Oh joy.
She probably wasn't even the one he danced with during that night. That thought should've been reassuring, but right now it only added to his rapidly growing depression.
Lelouch was very depressed.
Standing in front of the huge oak door, Lelouch hesitated. Apparently, the girl got injured during Schneizel's visit, and now was bed-bound. At least that would postpone the wedding for a few months, so he still could get a chance to think about a solution. Though, right now, he couldn't come up with anything short of killing the girl.
Taking a deep breath, Lelouch pushed the door-
Only to stare at the very same redhead that assaulted him during their first meeting.
"You!" The girl growled, pointing an accusing finger in his direction. "It's your fault!"
Lelouch blinked. "Pardon?"
If looks could kill, he would be already dead.
"Now listen here," the girl took a deep breath. "I don't care if you're a prince or whatever. I don't care if you're madly in love with me. I don't want to marry you."
…What?
"Oh," Lelouch said unintelligently. "I don't want to marry you either."
The girl opened her mouth, ready to snap at him again, when his words slowly sunk in and she blinked. "What?"
Lelouch shrugged, making his way to one of the sofas
"My father is determined to marry me off. That's what the whole ball was about- finding me a wife. And because of that… misunderstanding," the word tasted sour on his tongue," my brother has been convinced that I'm in love with you and wish to marry you."
"Oh," the woman said, staring at him with a strange expression. "So… you don't mind if I leave?"
"Well, to be honest, I don't think you're in the right shape to leave," he said pointedly, motioning towards her body. "But if you want to leave, then all the better for me."
He wasn't sure how Schneizel would react to that, but surely he couldn't force some random girl to marry him?
"Oh," the girl repeated, obviously still in shock after getting what she wanted so easily. "Okay?"
Lelouch shrugged again, before remembering his manners. "I just realized I still don't know your name."
The woman shifted uncomfortably under the covers. "It's Kallen. Kallen Kozuki. Or Stadtfeld, I guess."
Lelouch blinked. "Kozuki? That's a Japanese name, isn't it?"
Kallen gave him a strange look. "Yeah. My mother was a Japanese… or an Eleven, I suppose." That last senstence was spoken bitterly. She clearly didn't like the term 'Eleven' very much.
"Is that so," Lelouch murmured under his breath. "My friend is a Japanese. He's a knight of the round."
Her brows shot up in a surprise. "A Japanese man being a Britannian knight?"
"Indeed," Lelouch agreed, giving her a slight smile. "Times are progressive." What he didn't mention was that Suzaku wouldn't be able to achieve this rank without numerous sacrifices.
The red-head didn't look convinced, but she didn't say anything. For a moment nobody spoke before Lelouch broke the silence with, "Have you ever been to Area 11? Japan, I mean?"
That question seemed to have taken her by surprise.
"No," she said, glancing to the side. "But I always wanted to."
"Then why didn't you?" Lelouch asked, honestly curious.
The girl shrugged.
"My step-mother wouldn't let me. Well, I did try to leave, but…" she trailed off, avoiding his gaze. "Well, let's just say that it didn't turn out very well."
Lelouch tapped one of his fingers on the armrest. "What if you could?"
Her head whirled around, and she stared at him in bewilderment. "What do you mean?"
"Judging by the state of your clothes, I don't think you're faring well in Britannia, despite hailing from a noble family. Because of your mixed ancestry, maybe? And you're not ashamed of it. I can see that you want to leave, but can't. So. If you could, would you? Leave and never go back?"
Kallen didn't say anything for a while, chewing on her lip and obviously trying to guess his intentions. Eventually, she shrugged. "Yeah."
Lelouch bit his tongue. What he was going to say next was absolutely crazy, but… "I propose a deal."
Her eyes immediately narrowed. "What kind of deal?
"Marry me." Lelouch raised his hand to stop the oncoming protests. "Hear me out. Look, I don't want to get married and you want to get out of Britannia. If you agree to marry me, I can help you with that. I'll organize a safe transport and set you up nicely in Area 11. That way, I'll get a wife I won't have to worry about, while you'll get to live away from your step-mother."
The woman looked like she just swallowed something unpleasant. "And no one will mind that your wife lives in some far away land?"
Lelouch shrugged. "We might need to wait a bit for our 'honeymoon' to be convincing enough, I guess. I might even need to go to Japan with you at first. Then you'll just stay with your 'relatives' for a time and people will eventually forget about you. I don't live in the palace anyway. Believe me, men send their wives away all the time and nobody cares."
Judging by the glare sent his way, that wasn't the best thing to say.
"And I could just leave Britannia on my own," she growled.
"You could," Lelouch inclined his head. "But who knows how long would it take? You'd have to gather lots of money first, and then you'd be on your own while in Japan. What I'm proposing is a certain deal. You can even take your friends. The only setback is that you won't be able to get married. Would that be a problem?"
"I…" The girl hesitated. "I just don't get it. We can just part ways now and be done with it. You won't have to marry me. Isn't that what you want?"
Lelouch shook his head. "Sooner or later, my father will remember that he still has a son he can use as a tool. I will end up in that position once again, only the conditions will be probably much worse. That way, I'm covering all my bases."
"And I'm supposed to believe that you won't expect anything from me," Kallen said dryly. "That you won't interfere with my life."
"You have my word," Lelouch said solemnly, bringing a hand to his heart. "As a prince of Britannia, I swear to you that once we're married, you're free to do whatever you like, however you like. I won't tell you what to do, but in return, you won't expect anything from me. I'll provide you with everything a princess of Britannia is due, and yes, that includes money. The way you spend it? Entirely up to you. Build yourself a palace or give it to beggars- I don't care. As long as you don't use it against me."
Kallen was silent for a moment. "I need to think about it."
Lelouch nodded, expecting that answer. "There's no hurry. We can't get married until you're able to walk again anyway, so take your time. I'll visit you tomorrow to check if you've decided already. If not- that's fine," he said, getting up from the sofa.
"Hey, wait," Kallen shifted nervously in her bed. "Won't it bother you, though? Aren't you afraid that you'll eventually fall in love with someone but won't be able to get married because of me?"
Lelouch gave an awkward shrug. "Not really. I'm not one for romance anyway. Besides, all the girls I've met so far were either totally dumb or only after money, so…" He trailed off, looking to the side. "I'd need someone who could keep up with me, and I've been told that it's not easy feet."
Kallen didn't reply to that and Lelouch coughed in embarrassment. "I'll leave you now."
"Sorry."
Lelouch paused with his hand on the doorknob. "For what?"
Kallen averted her gaze.
"For… you know. At the ball. Even though it wasn't—" she shook her head in frustration. "Just sorry."
"Okay." Lelouch blinked. "Forgiven and forgotten, I guess."
"Also sorry for assuming you would be an asshole," Kallen added emphatically.
Lelouch's brow twitched. "Sure."
"And… thanks. For the offer. Even though I don't know whether I will take it," she said quickly.
Lelouch gave her a slight smile and a nod. Kallen smiled back.
"Of course."
Twenty years and a revolution later…
A young girl with long auburn hair and light purple eyes stumbled on the uneven ground, trying to evade all the trees standing in her way. In the meantime, she cursed her cousin Aoko for convincing her to wear possibly the most frilly and fluffy pink dress in the existence, making her task all the harder.
Then again, she didn't anticipate finding herself in the middle of the woods, with only one small bag of provisions in hand.
Stupid, stupid Michael.
Stopping at an empty crossroad, the girl took a deep breath, then shouted at the top of her lungs, "Crossroad Witch, are you there?!"
Silence answered her, so the girl repeated her task, this time with a renewed vigor. When her second attempt failed, she prepared herself to shout even louder, but instead jumped out of her skin at the sudden low voice in her ear, "What's that about a Crossroad Witch?"
Whirling around, the girl found herself staring straight at a woman with golden eyes and long green hair. Steadying her breath, she raised her chin and asked in a level tone, "Are you the Crossroad Witch?"
The woman raised a brow, giving the redhead a curious look. "I'm a witch. I have no idea where you got that 'crossroad' part though."
"You just appeared when I called for a 'Crossroad Witch'."
The woman paused.
"True," she allowed. "My mistake, I guess," she gave the other a piercing look. "So. What do you want?"
"I need you to turn someone into a frog for me."
The witch stared. "Surely you jest."
The girl shrugged. "Nope. I need to teach someone a lesson," she paused. "It can be an eternal lesson."
The witch stared some more.
"I refuse," she said eventually. "I'm not going to waste my magic on something so ridiculous."
"Hey, I didn't say to do it for free."
That piqued the witch's interest. "Oh?"
The girl picked up her bag and threw it in the woman's direction. "Catch."
The witch caught the bundle gingerly before cautiously looking inside. Her eyes lit up.
"Say," she said offhandedly, stowing the bag away in some hidden pocket. "How did you know to call for me? People tend to disregard the existence of magic in these parts."
The girl shrugged, brushing a strand of auburn hair away from her face. "I've heard stories."
"What kind of stories?"
"Something about hungry witches in the woods and body-controlling spells."
The witch deadpanned. "That sounds more like a horror story."
"Apparently, it was."
The woman gave her a contemplative look, bringing a finger to her mouth. "Say, what was your name again? You give me an awful feeling of déjà vu."
"Oh, it's Ella. Ella Vi—"
FIN
AN: I think the only thing I have to say is sorry for Milly? I needed at least one sister to be 'evil' and I'm afraid Milly fits the role more than Shirley.
No, there won't be a sequel- these stories are meant as one-shots and will remain that way, sorry.
So, thoughts? Reviews are greatly appreciated.