"You messed with the wrong princess."
The almighty king found himself being bound to his desk by the princess, even though she was casually perched on the windowsill.
"Everything would have been much easier if you just showed me your powers. It can't be that hard to call down the rain or something. Unless," he paused for a mockingly dramatic effect, "you can't do it?"
Ally felt her eye twitch in irritation. "Of course I can do it. I just won't do it for you. It's not some neat parlor trick! Controlling the skies-calling the rain, moving the clouds...it's a ritual that takes preparation."
"I can arrange that for you." Strangely, a funny image of Ally chanting in a dark room with a bubbling cauldron popped into his mind. "Whatever materials you have in mind, I can easily get it."
"No, it's not like that."
"Then what do you need?"
Ally looked out the window into the starry night. "I don't need 'materials'. The ingredients I need are experiences and feelings. Before I do anything big like making it rain, I need to feel connected to this land, and really feel the beauty of the surrounding world. The song I sing to bring forth the rain needs to be arranged by me. I arrange the song by taking inspiration from the land's climate, land, and scenery. They affect the basic melody and rhyme. But first the one who desires the rain, in this case, you," she looked at him dead in the eyes, "have to show me, the caster of the spell, the beauty of the Moon Kingdom. Do you actually want to see?"
She doubted he wanted to go through all that effort. However, Austin held his ground. A genuine determination lit up his hazel eyes. She did not know, but he had more than a simple impulse as reason to want to see her use her powers. Ally was slightly taken back by the intense conviction he radiated.
Is he taking this seriously?
The king nodded thoughtfully, still holding her gaze. He could see it in her eyes that this was very important to her. "I understand. There's a garden in east of the castle, we-"
"Your Majesty!" The same butler burst through the room's doors, with some guards behind him. "the princess has..." He trailed off as his eyes landed on the very princess he was speaking of.
King Austin pointed at Ally. "Not escaped. Anyway, Sebastian, please escort her to her room that was arranged for her originally. I'll see you in the morning, Princess Ally. I am willing offer anything that'll aid your powers, but it is your choice in the end whether you'll allow me to witness your abilities. A ship is ready at anytime after the sun rises should you choose to decline. My apologies for my behavior today."
While the princess headed to her bedroom more puzzled than ever, Sebastian handed the king a letter. "A report from Lord Dez," he said, "apparently the enemy's forces have been acting up lately. I assume he is informing you to be more careful."
Austin sighed. "Why do they bother to rebel? Thank you, Sebastian."
Ally woke up to the the slamming of doors and enthusiastic voices.
"Good morning, Princess Ally!" The maids sang in unison. They introduced themselves briefly before moving towards different areas of the room. "We're here to get you ready for your day. You'll be having breakfast with His Majesty, and then taking a stroll through the west garden."
One maid, named Marilyn, took out a dress and laid it on the bed Ally was still sitting on. "Would this dress be suitable, princess?" she asked politely.
"Yes, it's fine. Thank you," Ally replied, finally getting out of the extremely soft bed.
One glance at the dress told her that yes, it was very different from what she normally wore. This dress was for true royalty. The Kingdom of Dawson was small, and not as rich as the Moon Kingdom. Sure, she did occasionally wear something nicer for an event, but her country did not have the means for such things as luxurious as the Moon Kingdom's. The elaborate bedroom she was given was proof of that. She was not surprised either, as the Moon Kingdom was the richest of all countries since Austin took the throne and made the country thrive.
The king was confusing. He was the same age as her, yet he had the tired, dead eyes of a much older person. How he managed to take control of all of the countries was beyond her. Austin seemed smart, but he was so young. How did he become like this?
The maids helped her get into the beautiful dress, and did her hair. Once that was all done, she was led to a dining room of sorts. The king sat at the head of the table laden with breakfast food. Ally took a seat at the other end. "Morning," she greeted.
"Morning."
They began to eat their food, with nothing but the clink of silverware and plates filling the silence. The food was delicious, of course. Ally looked through the large window to her left, and saw the clear blue sky stretched out before her. Not a single cloud marred the heavens. She could see the city down below too, but she could only see the rooftops of buildings. Maybe she could go explore the city sometime.
"Have you been to the Moon Kingdom before?" The king finally broke the silence.
Ally turned her attention to him to see that his was entirely on her. "No, I haven't."
"Well, what's your first impression of it?"
"It's...different. Everything is so dry here, and it feels like a desert with all this sunshine. You should consider renaming your country to Sun Kingdom."
The corners of King Austin's lips turned up. "I think Moon Kingdom sounds better, but you're right. We actually don't get any rain here. The irrigation systems bring water to the farms and the city, so we don't really need rain. However, I would like to personally see rain myself."
"You've never seen rain before?" The princess couldn't imagine it. The Dawson Kingdom gets a lot of rainfall, especially with their singing that makes it rain.
"Not a drop."
The frank honesty of his statement made it clear why he wanted to see her powers so much.
The two continued to make small talk until their plates were cleared. Since Ally came from such an isolated country, she didn't get a lot of news. This opportunity for knowledge was not wasted. She learned more about the Moon Kingdom in those few minutes than in the dusty books of her castle's library. Austin could be agreeable when he tried, it seemed.
Royalty was royalty, after all. After the breakfast, Austin offered to show her one of his gardens. Desiring all sorts of knowledge, Ally couldn't help but agree.
"These are beautiful!" Ally exclaimed in delight as she crouched down to take a closer look at the flowers. The climate and vegetation of their countries were unique too. Never have she seen such yellow but gold like petals.
Austin and Ally had come to the gardens promptly after their plates were taken away. As soon as the gardens came into view, Ally had sped off in curiosity. She loved the world, and nature fascinated her. Austin trailed behind with Sebastian the butler, taking his time to get to the gardens.
"I suppose," he said, "but flowers are still just flowers."
Ally turned around to look up at him. "What?"
The king remained impassive as he inspected the flowers. "Flowers are just flowers. What's so amazing about it?"
"You..." the princess looked at him sadly, "even though you conquered the world, you don't appreciated it. What a waste."
What a waste.
Austin waved away Sebastian. "Yes, they might have looked more beautiful a long time ago. But you must understand, that certain circumstances have made me not enjoy their beauty as much, and that's just how it is."
She looked at him and saw nothing but truthfulness. Why does she feel so sad when she looked in those lifeless eyes? The princess stared at him for a long time before speaking.
"Will you please try, just for me, to see the beauty in nature today?"
The king saw the hope in her eyes, and couldn't help but appease her. "Alright."
Ally smiled brightly. "Great. Hey, look at those trees! Aren't those apples?"
The princess was too careless as she ran towards the fruit laden trees, and fell into a pond below. Soaking wet, she emerged from the pond grumpily. She heard a weird sound and raised her head to see Austin laughing. It was like a loud roar, and Austin was clutching at his stomach in laughter. Sebastian ran back to them at the commotion and was flabbergasted at the sight, but then he smiled.
Maybe, Ally thought, this guy's not completely cold hearted.
King Austin composed himself and offered her his hand. "I am so sorry, but you are quite...clumsy." The humor lacing his face said otherwise.
"And you're just so gullible," she replied, grabbed his hand, and pulled him into the pond too.
She cackled at the sight of the usually dignified monarch soaked to the bone. He gave her a mock glare, and then joined in her laughter.
As the laughter died down, she cleared her throat. "I think I'll remain here a while and see the sights. Not everyday I get to come to the Sun Kingdom."
"Would you?" The king looked at her with slight disbelief.
"I think everyone should see the rain. " Ally smiled as he tried to hide his surprised joy. "As long as you don't throw me back into the dungeons, I'll see what I can do."
He scoffed then stared at her for a long moment, causing her heart to stutter in her chest. The king gave her a little smile and then spoke in a low voice. "Thank you."