"In the beginning, there existed the heavenly kingdom, Celtairne. With the passage of time, foolish humans could not withstand the divine blessings of the gods and caused dissent amongst themselves, fracturing the holy Paradise. The celestial beings that once watched over the land vanished and the kingdom faded into oblivion, its lesser fragments claimed by those who identified as kings. Slowly, the ancient arts were washed away from frail mortal memory by the tides of time and inhabitants of the once-peaceful lands settled for a heathen existence. Still, she grows restless, awaiting the day when Retribution is delivered…"
Miku felt another yawn forming in the back of her throat as Sir Bruno droned on. She barely stifled this one as the brown haired man gave her a stern look while he lectured. History was her least favourite subject and it didn't help that she already hated academics with a passion. As it was, she could barely remember the names of all the current kingdoms, so trying to reproduce entire timelines of long-dead empires was most definitely impossible. Most of all, she couldn't see the point of this hellish torture. Their history books were too incomplete for her to gain anything of value, although her teacher would never admit it. Miku wished she was in one of her combat training sessions right now. She could spar with Aria and then maybe go down to the stables and ride that friendly mare or…
"Your highness, I asked you a question."
"Huh…?" Question? She hadn't heard a word of what he'd said in the last five minutes and with the speed at which the man spoke…that was probably an entire chapter of information that she'd missed.
Bruno sighed and set his jaw in annoyance. Miku noticed his fist tightening around the decorative blade that he carried, as if he wanted to unsheathe it and hack everything to pieces. The teal haired princess gave her tutor a sheepish grin and shrunk back in her seat. The Royal Historian adjusted his cravat and repeated his earlier question in a dangerously strained tone.
"The name of the First Kingdom, princess, what was it?"
"C…Celtairne?" Miku blurted out the first word that came to mind. She wasn't even really sure that it was a kingdom but it was the only thing she remembered from the past few lessons.
"Incorrect," Bruno scowled and shook his head, "Celtairne is the name of the Blessed Lands, otherwise known as the Lost Paradise. Most believe it to be a myth. The First Kingdom is the oldest kingdom in recorded history. Its foundation is estimated to be almost one thousand years ago when- Princess!"
"Yes! Uhh not Celtairne! The First Kingdom…uhh what was it called again?"
Miku jumped guiltily in her seat as Bruno snatched away the quill she had been doodling with.
"How many times do I have to tell you that these books are artifacts, priceless treasures found only in the Royal Libraries! This is desecration!"
"S-sorry," The teal-haired girl mumbled and shifted in her seat. Bruno's patience was wearing thin, meaning it was time to find an escape route. She was quite perceptive to the man's moods and limits by now, seeing as she hadn't failed to infuriate him in every lesson for the past five years he'd been teaching her. Miku put on her best innocent face and forced what she hoped was a melancholy expression, "I…I can't be in my right mind to do such a terrible thing! Maybe if you'll excuse me for today-"
"No." Bruno didn't even spare her a second glance as he continued inspecting the tome that the teal haired girl had been scrawling on.
"Just a washroom break!"
"You tried this last time, your highness. Your washroom break lasted an entire week."
"I'll be quick this time?" Miku winced as her teacher's tone grew increasingly displeased.
"No, we're going to finish the lesson today. It's already been delayed for weeks because of your truancy. I refuse to-"
"Lady things!" Miku half yelled.
"What?"
"You know! My uhh monthly visits…you did have basic medic training, yes?"
An awkward silence passed between them and Bruno's face began to darken into an ugly shade of purple. Miku could feel herself beginning to turn red. She wished she didn't pick the most embarrassing fake reason but if she let their argument last any longer she was risking an entire day of having strange names and dates drilled into her eardrums.
They must've stared at each other for a full minute before Bruno relented and hissed a quiet "You may go" at her and began gathering his belongings. Miku was out of the room before he could assign her any extra readings for homework.
The corridors of the Inner East Wing were bright, with sunlight spilling through the numerous windows to create soft dappled patterns on the cobblestone floors. Miku hummed as she skipped along, feeling light as a feather upon her successful escape from the stuffy lecture room. Now that she had time to herself, she couldn't quite decide what to do.
Idly, she examined the wall decorations as she moved along. It was a great day to go outside and train, or she could continue exploring the castle as she'd been doing ever since she could remember. By now, she probably knew the place better than anyone, even the Royal Guards that Aria was so proud of and they were trained to be familiar with the layout of everything. Miku grinned to herself. The world seemed much more agreeable when she wasn't getting useless information crammed into her skull.
Out of the corner of her eye, a colourful tapestry caught her eye. The intricately woven fabrics depicted an armored knight raising his sword against a massive dragon that took up almost the entire picture. The inscription underneath read: Aurelius the IVth – Slaying of Black Tornado. Enamoured, Miku ran her hand along the black threads that formed the glossy scales of the dragon. Although only the best artists in Viridace had the honour of patronage by the Crown, this tapestry was clearly exceptional, even among the elite. The amount of detail was unbelievable and the cloth almost seemed to come alive under scrutiny.
As she stroked the dragon's roaring head once more, Miku noticed a suspicious protrusion under the fabric. Checking the hallway for any wayward servants, she applied pressure to the spot once the coast was clear. The rough sound of stone grating against stone greeted her and the teal-haired girl ducked into the newly uncovered passage behind the tapestry. The hidden door slid shut behind her and Miku found herself standing in pitch darkness.
Excitement built in the teal haired girl's chest as she fished out a small metal cylinder from her pocket. It had been much too long since she'd last discovered a secret tunnel. With two gentle taps of her finger, glowing yellow orbs flew out of the tip of the cylinder and floated steadily at her sides, illuminating the area around her. Miku smiled and began making her way forward.
"Thanks." She whispered to the object, which seemed to hum in response.
When she had first received the thing, she had been quite disappointed by its diminutive appearance.
"It's made from the finest material and arcane spells from Alteria, princess. It'll light your way under any condition and keep you warm. You can't find many like this Lumioscone…"
The man who had presented the little cylinder to her for her thirteenth birthday had explained desperately, trying to lift the slight frown she had been wearing. Not wanting to cause any trouble for the merchant, she had taken it quickly, not expecting much use from her gift. It wasn't until she found her first tunnel before she realized that the thing was anything but ordinary.
The Lumioscone never seemed to run out of energy and it always lit up the area with the same intensity, no matter the environment. Despite its metal casing, it always emanated a comforting warmth and holding it was like having a friend hold your hand. Although she liked to call it 'the light stick' rather than 'Lumioscone', it was definitely among her most prized possessions.
The small stick buzzed a little in her hands and the orbs of light danced around her excitedly, as if responding to her thoughts. Miku laughed and swatted at her playful companions.
"Calm down you guys. We're almost there."
Sure enough, the ground was sloping up after what seemed like an eternity in the narrow passage. Miku was burning with curiosity by now. The only other tunnel that rivalled this one in length had led outside the castle grounds entirely. She wondered where she could end up. There weren't many new places left to explore.
As she approached the end, she could make out slivers of light filtering through little cracks in the exit. The tunnel must be fairly old for its door to have fallen to such a state of disrepair. As she touched the door, the two little orbs of light fizzed and returned to the Lumioscone. The area was just bright enough for her to not need any extra lighting.
Miku ran her hands along the weathered stone, looking for a switch. Ten minutes later, her search remained fruitless. Cursing, the teal haired princess decided that brute force was the way to go and pushed against the door with her all her strength. The contraption shifted a little under her weight. With renewed hope, Miku backed up a few paces and gave herself a running start. She closed her eyes and braced herself at the moment of impact…except the resistance she expected never came. Her shoving seemed to have loosened the door and the moment she touched the exit, the stone slab swung open easily.
Unceremoniously, Miku tumbled out of the tunnel. The exit was elevated almost half a metre which, unfortunately for her, meant a painful reunion with the ground. Leaves flew in a frenzy around her and the teal haired girl sneezed as dust kicked up and intruded her nostrils.
Groaning, she pushed herself up from the dirt and into a sitting position. Her knees were bruised for sure and her ribs felt like they'd been broken. Miku looked back at the place she'd exploded from. A small gargoyle carving poked out from behind a curtain of lush, green ivy. If she hadn't just come out of the tunnel, she would've never suspected that it was there. Taking a deep breath, the princess began to examine the courtyard she currently sat in.
"You're going to have to clean this up, you know."
"Arghh?!"
Miku yelped in surprise as she turned to find angry blue eyes scorching her. She scrambled backwards using her palms, crawling in a manner that was far below her status. A girl with long pink hair tied in a ponytail was leaning over her with a broomstick. Judging from her clothes, she was probably one of the many servants that the castle housed. The teal haired princess definitely had more than enough authority to tell her off, yet somehow, Miku was finding her more intimidating than even Bruno.
"I'm serious. Don't think you can get away with making a mess here just because you're some noble. It takes forever to clean this up."
Noble? I suppose I don't come here often so it makes sense that she doesn't recognize me…
"Sorry! I'll fix it right away!" Miku scrambled up and shook off the remnants of the leaf pile she had destroyed. The pink haired girl looked surprised as the broomstick was snatched from her hands.
A few sweeps into it, the princess understood the other girl's cause for anger. The courtyard contained many wind currents and only a few spots were suitable for leaf piles; one wrong move meant starting over again. Miku sighed and looked over at her companion. The pink haired girl was sitting in the shade, propped against a tree, looking amused as she watched the princess struggle with the menial task. The tealette huffed a little at the smug expression and went back to sweeping with more force than necessary. Miku wondered why she was even bothering to do this. Although it was her fault for messing up the girl's work, she was still the princess. She should be more selfish and exercise her powers and-
Why is she looking at me again?!
Miku felt her heart jump a little as she caught the pink haired girl smiling at her, a genuine, non-mocking sort this time; although she quickly turned away as soon as she saw that the princess had noticed. The tealette's face grew hot. That girl was actually kind of pretty when she wasn't so angry, she thought as she kept sweeping.
A gust of wind suddenly kicked up and Miku found herself chasing after her quickly scattering pile. Anger boiled in her chest and the tealette was ready to murder.
"Here, I'll do the rest," A cool hand gently unclasped Miku's fingers, saving the broomstick from its imminent fate of being snapped in half like the tealette had intended to do.
"Huh?" The princess felt her anger dissipate in mere seconds. Maybe it was her sudden appearance or how she treated Miku more like an equal than a princess, but something about this girl was so distracting.
"I suppose I was too harsh on you earlier, although, you should see why now."
The pinkette gave her a friendly little smile and Miku felt like she was ready to sweep an entire castle's worth of leaves.
"No, it was my fault. I shouldn't have uhh…materialized out of a wall like that. I'm Miku by the way. What's your name?"
"Luka."
They didn't speak much more as the pinkette worked. Miku merely stood awkwardly at the side and watched as the leaves were methodically gathered up. Now that she wasn't too busy avoiding Luka's wrath or fighting nature, the princess realized she had many questions about the pink haired girl.
For someone who looked her age, or maybe even younger, it was strange for her to be working in what Miku was sure was one of the castle's outer courtyards. These areas had fewer servants and more guards. Usually, only maids who had offended someone were sent to the outer walls as punishment, since work was a lot more physical and lodgings were in less than pristine conditions. It was strange to see such a young face in a place filled with women well past their prime. The tealette wondered why Luka was sent here and where she had been before that. There weren't many people her age and Miku was sure she'd have remembered if she'd seen the pink haired girl elsewhere before.
As the last leaf was dealt with, Luka threw down the broom with a sigh and headed over to the tree again and collapsed against the trunk. Miku followed close behind and sat down beside her pink haired companion.
"Tired?" Eyeing the beads of sweat that had accumulated on Luka's forehead, the tealette offered her handkerchief. Luka gave her a suspicious look but accepted the cloth with a grateful nod.
"Thanks. I really shouldn't be…seeing as I do this every day. I guess I shouldn't be using your stuff either but you're not like most nobles around here."
"Oh? What am I like?" Miku cocked her head curiously. She could feel her heart thumping loudly in her chest. The princess scolded herself in her mind for being so anxious. It was just a conversation and she wasn't one to be shy. Stupid nerves.
"You seem…actually nice? And sort of clumsy."
"I'm not! The wall did it, I swear!"
Luka laughed a little at her protest and shook her head.
"I'm still not sure where you came from but I think I forgive you for messing up an entire morning's work. I mean, most of you fancily dressed people would have just told me off…or maybe punished me…"
The pink haired girl trailed off as if pondering her earlier actions. Miku pouted.
Stupid wall, messing up my first impressions…wait…
Her earlier questions came back to her.
"How long have you been here?"
Luka shrugged, "As long as I can remember."
"What? No way…most people born here aren't sent to this place."
"I wasn't born here but…I don't know…" the pinkette frowned and murmured softly, "I don't remember anything before this. That's part of why they sent me to work here, I think. Can't trust an amnesiac, after all."
"O-oh…" Miku felt a sudden pang of sympathy for the girl. It must be hard to work such a strenuous job when she didn't even know who she was.
"I've been here for almost ten years? I'm not sure."
"..I don't suppose you were a child when you came?" The tealette felt faint. She hadn't expected Luka to have been working in such a place for so long.
"No…I know I don't look it but I haven't grown since I got here. So I must've been at least in my teens when I arrived."
"Wow that makes you…so much older than me!"
"Thanks."
"I didn't mean it like that!" That glare again…Miku shivered at the cold blue gaze and mentally slapped herself for being so insensitive. The pink haired girl (woman?) was probably feeling bad enough about not knowing her age, without the tealette's obvious comments.
"No…it's fine," Luka sighed and her gaze softened, "I just wish I knew more than life inside these walls. Every day is so boring here. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be a bird and fly away." She paused and took a deep breath, "I don't know why I'm telling you this…I-I have to go."
As if only just realizing that the conversation had become somewhat personal, Luka stood up quickly, a soft rosy colour warming her cheeks. A twinge of disappointment filled the tealette as she also got to her feet. She had wanted to know more about Luka. An idea occurred to her and she smiled at the girl.
"I guess I shouldn't keep you from your other duties."
Luka returned her smile sadly and held out the handkerchief, "I'd wash this for you but who knows if we'll ever see each other again…"
"No, you should keep it. Think of it as a meeting gift from me."
Before Luka could say anything in protest, Miku gave her one last grin and began walking towards the corridor that led inwards. She heard the pinkette call out a hurried "thank you" and her heart leapt with excitement. Footsteps quickening, she quickly made her way back towards her quarters.
Don't worry, Luka. Your life won't continue to be boring…because I'll make sure we meet again.
A/N:
So I've been thinking about/planning this fic for a long time. It'll still be Negitoro but I want to try focusing on plot and using more characters in this one. I've always wanted to write a fantasy fic so we'll see where this goes. Current estimate for word count is around 100-200k (I have two more chapters written but I want to try updating at more regular intervals so I won't release them yet :'3)
I have no idea if anyone would enjoy fantasy fics that don't have my usual romance heavy shenanigans so please feel free to leave your opinions/critiques in the reviews :D
And finally: Happy 8th to my bby~