A/N: Shiboi I die. Welcome back friends! This week we have some more LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORE and also gay.
Guest: Hey thanks friend! I'm so glad you enjoyed!
Magicantix: Thank you friend! Worldbuilding is my favourite thing, and I love hinting at stuff. This week we get a bit more elaboration on hinted stuff. I'm glad you enjoyed my friend, and stay determined! You'll beat that block eventually.
DuwangChew: Local Shield of the Princess tries her best! It is Sucy's pride and joy to knock Akko's supports out from under her. And oof you can bet them sexy ankles will have Akko on the floor. Thank you my friend!
Guest: Eyyy well I guess there's only so much you can do with a description of someone's face. But it makes me smile to think I got you in the right ballpark! Thank you friend!
I hope you enjoy this week's episode of gay princess knows what she wants.
-oOo-
Roughly twenty minutes were spent in that garden before Her Highness was called to the dining hall for breakfast. The servant girl took charge of Haya, taking her back towards the kitchen; politely listening as bombastic stories flowed from the child's mind.
Akko, with Her Highness attached, walked quietly down the hallway, the defender taking proper care to always be moving her eyes. Though it was the castle interior and hundreds of guards were posted within and without, one could never be too careful.
"Thou'rt very quiet today." Her Highness spoke up, keeping her eyes forward on the hall ahead. "Tell me of this morning; of thy training efforts."
"My silence is because of focus, Your Highness." The defender explained. "I must always keep you safe."
The fire in her chest became tamer the more she spoke, as if repeating her oath aloud pleased it somehow.
"I didn't know I meant so much to you, dear Defender." Her Highness teased, smiling up at her shield. Akko's brain clunked to a stop, thoughts becoming jumbled and twisted with embarrassment.
"No! I- Yes! It's my job but-" Her cheeks puffed. It was clear there was no way out of this that didn't end in a red face and laughter. The princess giggled at Akko's side, leaning against her shoulder as chuckles racked through her chest. "You are so easy."
When the laughter subsided she sighed happily, continuing to lean against her defender with a smile. "And very sweet."
Defender Kagari's red face lasted the rest of the journey as she spoke of her training, causing various passing servants to stare and smile. They were already guaranteed to be gossiping in the kitchen, and this would only add to the tales.
Opening the door to the dining hall with a bow, Akko allowed Her Highness to enter first before following her inside.
The room was quite spacious, but in a different way to the council chamber. It stretched back for a time, mainly taken up by a long ornate table, covered in white tablecloth embroidered with gold. At the head of the table, sat in a far more ornate seat than any others in the room, was His Majesty. He sat with his eye closed and his brow furrowed, listening as a servant read what was presumably a letter aloud to him.
To his right a middle aged woman in white rested her chin on bridged hands, looking across the table at the servant. An elaborate golden crown similar in structure to His Majesty's adorned her head, a silken wimple flowing down the side and back of her head, around her dark brown hair to sit just below her shoulders.
The countless golden accessories and gemstones that adorned the woman's body brought colour to her otherwise monochrome outfit: a rainbow of familiar shades- pink, green, blue, purple -as well as many others.
Her sharp and enchanting features and silky looking hair made it clear who this woman was- as if the crown wasn't enough indication.
This was the queen of Luna. Sucy's mother.
Closer to the end near the door, the table was filled with what seemed to be His Majesty's advisors and other high ranking figures within the castle. They sat and conversed, though the rumble of voices obscured specifics from the defender's ears.
Akko increased her speed slightly to make it to the head of the table before Her Highness and pull her chair out preemptively.
'This is what a good knight does right?' She thought, blindly committing chivalrous acts in hopes of impressing the royals. Her Highness smiled as she took a seat, holding out a hand for her defender to show the proper respect. Akko kneeled, giving three quick kisses before standing and bowing low at the hips to the king and queen.
"Your Majesty. Your Benevolence."
Without being able to see him, the defender knew His Majesty had opened his eye. It was easy to feel a Manbavaran's gaze on you.
"Ah, Defender Kagari. We thank Thee for bring our daughter to us with such haste; dining together as a family is such a rare opportunity."
Her Benevolence chuckled, a very close three puff laugh to her daughter. "So this is the Kagari I have been hearing about. Rise please, loyal defender."
Though she had been getting better about it recently, having multiple members of the Manbavaran line staring at her made Akko tense.
"She seems so professional." The queen remarked, scanning her daughter's shield up and down. "Art thou sure this be the same girl who mistakes left shoe for right?"
"How do you know that?" Akko accidentally blurted out. She had been alone on every occasion that mistake had been made.
She was just about to prostrate and beg forgiveness for her rude interruption when King Ataas burst out laughing, his sharp rows of terrifying shark teeth clearly visible.
The way he laughed was leaps and bounds different to the ladies: where they kept their mouths closed and giggled, he barked out round after round as if the power of his amusement was too powerful for mortal lips to contain. It was almost infectious.
But all humor drained from Akko's face as the laughter ceased suddenly, his eye beginning to glow blue.
"Please, Defender Kagari." He admonished, an impish grin growing. "Thine every step is known to me."
A shiver ran through the defender's spine, her heart skipping a beat as the fire shivered like a candle in the wind. She gulped.
Luckily the food arrived shortly after, allowing Akko to breathe easier and focus on her actual job. Her hand resting on the back of Her Highness' seat to always have a physical check, the brunette scanned from one end of the hall to the other. Her eyes jumped from one door to the ceiling, back to the door, and then towards the kitchen.
"Defender dearest." Her Highness' voice broke up the pattern. Craning her head back to look up at her shield, the princess offered a forkful of the day's breakfast. "An opinion?"
Bending down to bring her mouth closer to the morsel, Akko took a bite. The quality of the meat was utterly baffling, especially in this month of icy hell. It melted in her mouth as she chewed, soft and rich.
"My own opinion, Your Highness?" She verified once the glob of gold dropped into her stomach. "It is the most delicious thing my peasant tongue has ever been graced with."
The princess observed her face for a moment in silence. "Anything thou wouldst add?"
"I've always enjoyed salt more than the average person, so perhaps that." In her younger days when the family's income was far less stable, her father coming home with a preserved and salted scrap of meat was like Christmas; that feeling of joy followed her for years after.
Turning back to her plate for a moment, Her Highness sprinkled something on the fork before offering it once again. The defender giggled, taking the offered food. "Your Highness." She began once her mouth was no longer busy with the freshly salted morsel. "If you just enjoy feeding me, we can do that later. This is your meal, you gotta eat."
Her Benevolence smiled from across the table. politely covering her mouth as she chewed. Defender Kagari was back to her watchpost, holding the back of Sucy's chair and scanning the room like a stone sentry.
The princess and her knight spoke in hushed tones, sharing quick glances and smiles as the food was consumed and the table guarded.
"The Nine have certainly gifted us with a different cut of knight, haven't they dear?" The queen murmured to her husband, smiling as she cut the rest of her meal into smaller chunks.
His Majesty hummed, side eyeing his daughter's new shield.
"If the weapon at her hip is indeed Capella's lost light, you may be correct."
The king and queen looked at each other in silent agreement. This winter was a curse, an unknown plague of unfathomable power brought about by an unknown being. During such crises in the past, the Nine would lend their aid in whatever form they deemed necessary.
"It has been quite a time since our last chat Sucy darling." Her Benevolence started, bringing the two separate conversations back into one. "Tell us of thy studies."
Her Highness set her knife and fork down, looking down at her hands and stretching them a few times. A lovely pink glow surrounded her fingers, bringing Akko back to those soothing healing sessions.
"I believe I have nearly mastered Piscoria's gift, though the mending of bones requires some amount of natural healing." She seemed rather disappointed by this limitation, as if healing flesh and muscle within seconds wasn't enough.
King Ataas nodded along in agreement, his eye shining with pride. "Piscoria has forever been close to thee, child. Though bones may yet be a point of struggle, thou beith the most skillful healer our line has ever seen."
Sucy drooped her head bashfully, her hands returning to normal. "I am not nearly as skilled with the other gifts." She murmured, bunching up her dress in her fists as she side eyed her shield. "I cannot control Cirenia's sight. The visions come and go as they please."
Akko was enthralled by the royal's talk of magic- of 'gifts' as they called them. Her mind was pulled towards a memory of the council room, of the nine figures holding out different coloured orbs. Slowly bits and pieces were beginning to connect; soon Her Highness' world would be hers as well.
The queen smiled gently at her child, angelic features sending waves of warmth their way. "Perhaps the sanctuary would be a place of further guidance? Thou mayst appeal directly to the Lady of the Blue Moon."
Her Highness was quiet for a second or two before looking up at her shield. "What dost thou think? Would an outing to the Temple of the Nine be acceptable?"
Akko bowed before answering. "As long as I may follow, your wishes- your joy, are mine as well." Though worded in a way that made it sound rehearsed, the entire statement was true. With the princess was at her side, literally anything could be enjoyable.
"Since when did you get so suave?" Her Highness murmured, blushing. "This was more fun when you were an idiot."
In truth, this was the one job which the defender would be competent in. She had learned under Chariot since she was a small child; there was little else she was qualified for.
Courier? She got lost too easily.
Woodcutter? She always missed the log.
Stablehand? Farm animals hated her.
It made Atsuko smile, more out of relief than anything. The only job she could do, and she was successful in it. This was the only acceptable conclusion.
"Sucy? The temple?" Her Benevolence asked again, shaking her daughter from her red-faced reverie.
"Oh. Perhaps this afternoon, mother." The princess answered, patting her cheeks lightly to try and get rid of the blush and continuing with the actual conversation topic. "I wish to return to my room and practice with the other gifts."
The king nodded, stacking his empty plate atop hers. "Thou should givest an attempt at puppetry." He suggested. "Thou hast yet to create a construct of thy own, correct?"
Her Highness stretched her fingers again, this time with a purple glow surrounding them. "I have not, father." She confirmed with a glint of determination in her eye.
"Defender Kagari shall assist. With such loyal help surely thou shalt succeed." King Ataas smiled at the shield, standing from his seat to hold the back in a similar fashion.
"I will be eagerly awaiting the results, my child." The queen agreed. "This afternoon?"
Sucy nodded, taking the defender's offered hand and rising from her own seat. "Yes mother. My shield shall escort me to the temple after lunch."
With Her Highness attached to her bicep as always, Akko bowed upper body slightly to the king and queen. "We shall take our leave, Your Majesty; Your Benevolence."
Goodbyes said, the pair left the dining hall, the door held open for the princess by her shield.
As they walked, Akko filled the silence with small talk.
"Her Benevolence is a truly lovely woman." She stated to the princess, keeping her eyes moving from window to hallway to door. "I can see where your own beauty comes from."
"You certainly know how to make a girl swoon, Defender." Princess Sucy teased, a hand held to her cheek in false embarrassment. Though secretly a flush was attempting to climb up her neck, the defender's compliments not entirely ineffective.
"Oi! I can be charming when I want to." The defender pouted. She had hoped Her Highness to be the one flustered; the princess' breakfast blush leaving Akko wanting more.
"I am well aware, Akko." The princess chuckled, thinking back to all the times her shield had kissed her hand, or helped her up, or opened a door for her. "Your chivalry and smile could win over any young lady."
Akko flushed further. "I h-have no need for any other young lady, Your Highness." She reassured, fumbling her cool knight line. "I am sworn to you until death and then centuries more."
Her highness merely closed her eyes, hugging her defender's arm tighter.
-oOo-
"Alright, here we go."
It didn't take long for the princess to decide on what would be puppeted. A finely crafted porcelain doll, flawless pale skin identical to Her Highness', lips pouted cutely, carefully painted makeup completing the look.
"A childhood favourite. Though it mostly collects dust these days."
Carefully sitting the doll down in the middle of the floor, Princess Sucy took four steps back. Akko took five, standing opposite Her Highness on the other side of the room. "Good luck, Your Highness."
"Yeah." She nodded, closing her eyes.
Her Highness' eyes began to glow purple under their lids, her hands outstretched to either side of her wreathed in a deep violet flame. The floor around the doll shivered as the bigger and bigger rings of a magic circle surrounded it.
Akko watched in complete fascination, eyes locked on the princess' constantly moving lips. She was mumbling strings of words, entire paragraphs flowed from her mouth like water and filled the empty spaces between rings with symbols and sentences.
Embers of magic rose up from the floor as the circle glowed brighter and lifted off of the ground, each part spinning at a different speed like the symbols on Her Highness' ceiling.
Finally the doll itself floated up into the air, in the exact same position as the princess with the same glowing purple eyes.
"By the power of the Nine! Rise and serve!" With a shout, the princess threw her hands back together in a thunderous clap, causing the whole magic circle to spiral inward and slam into the doll.
When the flash of light subsided the doll was standing upright, engulfed in purple fire that slowly died down. Saving further observation for later, Akko ran over to catch Her Highness before she collapsed, allowing the royal to lean against her defender's chest and catch her breath.
They stood there for a little while, just staring at the animated doll as most of the fire vanished. There were a few tears around the key joints; the shoulders, the elbows, the knees, the neck; and a chip on the doll's left cheek and forehead, where a purple inferno could be seen within.
"My first actual construct..." The princess panted, looping her arms around her defender's neck with her eyes still locked on her creation.
Akko's eyes however were locked onto Her Highness, watching her small chest move up and down with heavy breaths. 'Absolutely enchanting...' She thought wistfully as her eyes took in the princess' beauty. The fire within agreed, pulsing with an even stronger desire to keep this angel safe.
"Are you alright Your Highness? Can I get you something to drink?" Another part of her duty, defending the princess' health and well being, came to the forefront and filled Atsuko with concern.
"I'm fine Akko..." She breathed, resting her head on the shield's shoulder. "I just need a second."
When she recovered, the pair took a step towards the construct, it's rigid posture twitching every so often as a bit of purple escaped through the cracks.
"Awaiting designation..." The voice that came out of the doll's motionless mouth seemed fitting, like a small girl that had just awoken from a nap, but layered behind it was a deeper and breathier voice that lagged behind by half a second.
Her Highness let go of her defender's hand, kneeling down in front of the doll. "You are Anakapi." She declared after a moment of thought.
"Designation Anakapi: Saved..."
The construct Anakapi curtsied, standing in a less stiff way- similar to the way Lotte stood while talking with its hands clasped together and hanging down. "I exist to serve, Your Highness." It said robotically, lacking emotion or inflection like all the other constructs did.
"Run movement diagnostic." Princess Sucy ordered, shifting her legs to sit more comfortably.
"Acknowledged." Anakapi seized up, its feet pulling in to align perfectly straight up and down, its arms shooting out to the side with every finger straight and parallel to the rest of its arm. It stood there in a T pose for a second before its head began to spin.
Its head spun three times fully around in one direction before reversing and spinning three times in the other. The doll's head then ceased movement, halting for a full second before it bent down, pressing its chin to its chest; moving the opposite way to test backwards.
"Head movements optimal." It droned before testing each of its other joints; the shoulders, the elbows, the wrists and fingers, the waist, legs, and feet.
"No impairment detected." Akko snorted at its conclusion. No impairment was an understatement: the doll could spin its head around in circles as many times as possible, bend its knees forwards, contort itself into all manner of inhuman positions.
"A successful experiment. Well done, Your Highness." Akko praised, tucking a stray strand of hair behind the princess' ear.
"Anakapi, sleep mode." She ordered, contently letting the shield play with her hair.
"Acknowledged." It responded, sitting down like a normal girl would and seizing up like stone, the fire within and the lights in its eyes going out simultaneously.
Her Highness looked up, her half lidded eye unfocused. "Take me to my bed." She demanded, standing up and leaning into Akko. "I would like to lay down."
Atsuko was just about to take a step, when the princess stopped her, grabbing her arm. "What are you doing? Carry me."
And so, one arm under Her Highness's knees, the other under her back, the defender carried her up the stairs towards the bed.
Orders were orders.
A/N: WE GOT ONE LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! A PRINCESS CARRY! Sucy is totally abusing her authority here. Advancing her homosexual agenda. For shame.
But hey! We got some lore on the different gifts of the Nine, the names of a few of them, and the queen! I'll try and find a good facial reference for her for next week.
Man I love that effect in movies, shows and games, where a doll or other hollow human looking thing has a crack in it and fire or abyssal darkness or whatever pokes out.
Anywhowatzit I hope you enjoyed my friends! Tell me how it was!