Disclaimer: I do not own the Magi series. The Magi series is the property of Shinobu Ohtaka (writer) and Shogakukan (publisher), and are not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.
The Two Princesses
It's late at night when she wakes up, hushed commotion happening right outside her bedroom door. Curious, she slides off her bed and tiptoes out into the hallway, making sure to keep out of sight of the servants rushing about the dark corridors. From behind the foliage, her ears can pick up the workers' excited whispers as they carried sheets and bowls of water to and fro, which greatly confused the child. Whenever there was cleaning up to do, especially because of her, the servants were almost always annoyed.
So, spurred on by her childlike inquisitiveness, Serendine creeps through the castle and towards what she is realizes is her parent's room, where the heart of the commotion is. In her wonderment, the young princess slowly inches towards the jeweled doors and pokes her head through them to peer inside. There, in the dancing candlelight, she can make out a group of women surrounding her parent's bed and her father sitting on the edge.
"Princess!" one of the maids exclaim, causing everyone in the room to turn to her. Serendine instinctually curls into herself, the fear of being scolded growing inside of her. However, her father merely gives her a kind smile and makes his way over. He kneels down as low as he can go and speaks softly.
"I'm sorry if we woke you up, Seren." Said girl silently shakes her head, as if to say that everything is fine. "I was going to have one of the maids bring you here later in the day, but I suppose now is a good time as any. Come on, there's someone your mother and I want you to meet." The king easily scoops her up in his arms and walks back to the bed.
Her mother smiles, tired yet proud, and shifts the bundle of white blankets cradled in her arms to reveal a tiny, chubby face. Serendine straightens herself in her father's arms and leans in to get a closer look at it. There's a small tuft of soft pink hair that was noticeable several shades lighter than either her own and her mother's.
"Is this what was inside mommy's tummy?" the princess asks, staring at the pudgy face in pure wonderment. She reaches out and pokes a plump cheek of the baby's, giggling a bit at the squishy touch. However, when it lets out a low whine, Serendine immediately pulls her hand back, afraid that she did something wrong.
"She's not a 'what', but a 'who'," the king chuckles. "This is your little sister, Ayla*." And at that moment, the baby opens her eyes and Serendine finds herself staring back into deep elder's breath catches in her throat and her whole body freezes up. Even though she was just a baby, Serendine can't help but feel like there's something in her gaze; something that made her eyes glisten like crystals. A couple of tense seconds pass before Ayla's mouth forms a little 'o' and she starts to make gurgling noises towards Serendine.
"Aw, it looks like Ayla already loves her big sister," her mother coos. She reaches up to loosen the blankets a bit and, once given enough wiggle room, the little human begins to reach towards the shell-shocked princess.
"Really" Serendine whispers in astonishment. The king leans down to allow the child to grasp the pudgy, reaching hand. Once their hands were connected, Ayla relaxes into the blanket and her eyes flutter close.
"Do you know what this means, Serendine?" The princess looks up at her father, pink eyes wide in innocent amazement. "As Ayla's big sister, it's your job to watch out for her, to protect her. There will be times when you will annoy each other, maybe even fight, but never forget that you two are part of each other."
And big sister Serendine, with little Ayla's hand in her own, took those words to heart.
A/N: This story isn't connected to my other Magi story, it's just something I wanted to write. Also, as a heads up, the format of this story will be short chapters (500-1,000 is my goal) told from the POV of other characters about the OC, Ayla, as opposed from Ayla herself. I wanted to try my hand at something new and I think this will be fun.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
*Ayla - Turkish name that means "moonlight" or "halo"
