Disclaimer: I don't own Pretear or any of its characters.

Of Fairytales And Princesses

Once upon a time, there was a princess. A simple, plain princess. She wasn't stunningly beautiful nor was she extraordinarily intelligent. There were no dragons to come and kidnap her and no evil witches to cast a spell on her. She was just your "normal" princess.

If anyone asked, many would reply that Awayuki Himeno is the modern version of Cinderella. After the death of her beloved mother, she and her father slowly sank into poverty, struggling to escape its cruel hold on them. That's when her father met Natsue, a refined but widowed executive of the acclaimed cosmetics company with two daughters of her own. And so, they married, uniting the two families, thus making the not-so fair lady into a lady.

Though her life was oh so very glamarous and wonderful, it was anything but. Jealousy aroused from her classmates, detaching her even further from the gulf of common people. The maids and manservants scoffed and sneered at her clumsiness and boyish attitude when they think she's not around. Her stepmother and stepsisters often alienate her from the rest of the family, seeing how she doesn't fit into the stereotypical role of a princess.

One day, all that changed. Himeno didn't meet a prince as she hoped to someday. Instead, she met someone else, someone perhaps even better than a prince. Besides, who needs a prince when they've got seven knights by their side?

Hayate the handsome but seemingly cold-hearted knight of wind. Charismatic and kind is Sasame the knight of wind. Passionate and cheerful are the characteristics of the fire Gou, the brotherly knight of heat, controls. As gentle as he is cute, Shin respects and adores nature as his title of being the knight of plants so vehemently declares. With the ability to administer the calm waters, Hajime is rarely seen without a smile. Frightfully straightforward and calculating, Kei the knight of light is the brains of the group. Last but not least, is Mannen, the stubborn knight of cold who wishes to be free from his body of a child.

Despite the fact she was called the Pretear, the Princess of Leafe, she wasn't considered your average princess either. She didn't clasp her hands, waiting for her knights to rescue her. Yes, she was a target of the Fenrir and her minions, due to her excessive quantity of Leafe and the threat she posed to them. Nevertheless, Himeno wasn't a damsel in distress. She fought in the frontlines, delivering the final blow to the demon larvaes. With the power of her knights, she would channel their magic through her, breaking all the limits and barriers to mastering magic. Now, as Yayoi, her best friend, claimed, her story was no longer a Cinderella story. It has evolved into Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.

But of course, this isn't a fairytale. If it was, Himeno would have found her Prince Charming already and they would have lived happily ever after. Good would triumph over evil and everyone gets a happy ending. No tears were suppose to be shed in vain and no hearts were meant to be broken, left for no one to pick up and put back together again.

It was the first time Himeno realized how executiatingly painful unrequited love was. It burns. It stabs. It bites. It breaks. It rips. It cuts. It simply hurts. That was the way it was for Takako, the previous Pretear, who was madly in love with Hayate who did not return her feelings. In the end, she became the very enemy she sworn to fight against: the Fenrir, the Princess of Disaster. She was sealed away from the circle of Leafe, unable to return, doomed to be encased in her undying hate and despair.

Sometimes, Himeno can't help but wonder. Would grief be so terrible that it would consume her? Would she destroy the world that she has saved? Would she hurt her family, friends and even the Leafe knights, whom she has grown to deeply cherish? Would she make the same mistake as Takako, as she has fallen in love with the same man?

No, she would be stronger than that. She refused to let such things take over her life. Nothing is worth hurting someone she cared about. Even if Hayate doesn't feel the same way as she does for him, she would continue on and move on from the past.

But even Himeno can't stop the darkness. The Fenrir did appear, sapping the surrounding Leafe away, demolishing the city as she did. Sasame's betrayal still lingered sharply in Himeno's chest, obstructing her from meeting him in battle. Her stepsister Mawata, was engulfed in her sorrow and heartbreak, devoured by the Great Fenrir tree, while her family watched helplessly. The knights died one by one, each death breaking her heart to pieces.

With all of that threatening to overwhelm her, Himeno refused to let go of that tiny shred of hope left. There were times that she did fall, stumbling and landing hard on the ground. But she rectified her mistakes and learned to stand back up again. She faced her fears instead of running away. She finally reconciled with her family, differences set aside in their attempt to save Mawata and when she reached out to her stepsister, whom she had always admired but did nothing more, both sisters came to realize that there is no need to fear loneliness as they have each other. She proved to Takako that love isn't always bitter and bleak and how true and sweet were her words when Hayate embraced her, kissed her, spoke tenderly to her, silently confessing his love for her ...

Once upon a time, there was a princess. At first glance, she doesn't seem really pretty or smart at all. She's obstinate, coarse and has not an ounce of grace or elegance, the complete opposite to the princess she is suppose to be. Who would want a princess like that?

But when she smiles, it lights up the whole room and the person beside her, can't help but smile back. She isn't perfect but she tries her hardest to make up for her flaws. One moment, she is kind and gentle and the next second, she becomes short-tempered, frightening and insanely powerful. The strength of her willpower is what makes her such an incredible person fit to be the Pretear.

Fairytales don't come true in this story. But there are certain princesses can make it true by their own hands.