Okay, some notes about the world-building in this story. A lot has changed since I wrote the first 5 chapters.

Fencing→ Kendo. I wrote Mikan's and Natsume's childhood really FAST. Like in one sitting. I used fencing to describe the sword art Natsume practiced. I will edit this out in later chapters, but KENDO is the sword art that Natsume and Co practice in this story. Sword and Katana will be used interchangeably and will refer to the same Japanese style of swords. Not to be confused with the broadswords and shield style of fighting in Medieval times.

Legal Age: 17. For the purpose of my story, the legal age of adulthood, drinking, smoking, voting, and owning property etc is 17 in this world.

Alice Kingdom is a mix of western and eastern fantasy setting. This is seen most obviously in the clothing, architecture, and livestock. The King and Queen are addressed as Ou-sama and Joo-sama, but the Prince is addressed as Prince, unless he's being teased and Ouji-sama is more of a pet name in this world. Knights are addressed with -sama not Sir or Lord. As for the armor style, you are welcome to imagine either western or eastern. I'll leave this ambiguous.

Remember this chapter is still in Flashback mode.

Chapter 4

Mikan hid in the stables, dutifully mucking horse crap and attempting to cover her face behind her hat. She had never felt so embarrassed and terrified in her life. She just called Prince Natsume Hyuuga an "arrogant, perverted fox." There was no way she wasn't going to get fired, or worse, arrested. Maybe if she kept her head down, he'd forget about her.

"Hey, idiot peasant, prepare two horses for me and Ruka." The Prince's voice shattered any hope of her coming out of this occasion alive. She gulped, stepped out of her hiding spot, and held her head high with what remained of her dignity.

"Yes sire." She replied through gritted teeth. Natsume snickered at her.

"What? No 'do it yourself, you perverted fox!'" Natsume mimicked her high-pitched voice. Mikan cringed. He looked like he was enjoying himself. "I must say, I've never been called perverted by a man before." He chuckled to himself. Mikan gaped. Did Natsume just call her a man?

"Come on Natsume, the boy didn't know who you were." Ruka tried placating the prince. Even this Ruka fellow thought Mikan was a man! Well, who was she to correct the arrogant prince?

"So, you have been called a pervert before, Sire?" She couldn't help sneer a little. She even deepened her voice for the effect. Natsume abruptly stopped laughing and glared.

"Just prepare the damn horses." He snapped and left dragging Ruka in tow. Mikan smirked victoriously when the prince disappeared out of sight. As she was strapping the horse with a saddle, a loud CRASH sounded from the forge. There were also panicked cries. Mikan ran out of the stables to see what the commotion was about.

The blacksmith's forge had a stall out front to display the weapons. The stall, held up stone pillars, had collapsed on him. There were only servants in the vicinity. Mikan watched in horror as they could barely lift the stones off the man. "Use your magic. He needs your help," a small voice whispered in her mind. Mikan's fists curled into her tunic. She couldn't. She swore she'd never use magic again.

"Ruka!" Natsume called. They both rushed to the scene and Ruka knew just what to do. He yanked a long wooden beam out from the forge and Natsume grabbed the other end. They placed the beam under the slab of stone over the man and began pushing down with all their strength. Both Natsume and Ruka's faces turned red from the effort, and she could visibly see the veins bulging on Natsume's head.

Mikan didn't know what possessed her to sprint across to Natsume and Ruka, but she did. She grabbed the beam behind Ruka and pushed with all her strength. The two men spared her a quick glance but were distracted by the man's groans of pain. Soon, the other servants began grabbing beams to use as leverage. It took two beams, two knights, four servants, and Mikan to lift the stone slabs.

Natsume quickly pulled the panicking man out. He ordered one of the servants to tell the physician to prepare him a bed. She then watched in fascination as Natsume murmured soothing words to the man and examined his leg. He then tore the end of his cape off and began tying it around the man's bleeding leg. Together, with the help of another knight, Natsume carried the injured blacksmith into the palace. Mikan could only watch in surprise. She felt someone tap on her shoulder. It was Ruka-sama.

"I err wanted to apologize to you for the Prince's behavior earlier. He's not an early riser." Ruka explained sheepishly. "And I also wanted to thank you for your help just now—uhh." He froze, realizing he didn't know Mikan's name.

"Yukihara." Mikan blurted without thinking. Crap...why did she use her surname?

"Thank you, Yukihara-san." Ruka nodded politely and chased after the prince. Mikan watched him leave in awe.

That night at the Igarashi Palace, the royal family was holding a banquet in honor of Prince Natsume's eighteenth birthday. Ioran Ou-sama cleared his throat and raised his sakazuki cup, the chatter in the ballroom immediately quieted down.

"I would like to propose this toast to my son, Natsume Hyuuga, on the eve of his eighteenth birthday." The king said, addressing the court. He then turned to Natsume and with a fond gaze he spoke directly to his son. "Natsume, no father could be more proud than I am tonight. In my lifetime, I have trained thousands upon thousands of knights, but none have endeavored to show the raw talent, the brute strength, the cunning thought, and chivalrous spirit that you possess, my son." Ioran Ou-sama then turned back to the court, and raised his sake cup higher, signalling for all others to follow him. "To my son, the bravest and brightest knight in all of Alice Kingdom."

"To Prince Natsume!" The court echoed back at him. Mikan watched the spectacle with a tiny smile on her face. The prince was flustered, his face even turned red. It was Mikan's first time witnessing a royal banquet. The noble men and the noble women of the court were all dressed in their finest clothes. The younger men wore trousers and tunics with embroidered jackets, while the ladies wore long flowing dresses. The older men and women wore kimonos. There was more food on the tables than Mikan had ever seen in her short seventeen years of life. She felt so underdressed in her father's tunic and trousers.

When the chattered died again, the king continued. "Natsume, my son, it gives me the greatest pleasure to present you with this sword as your birthday present." At his word, seven servants passed a sword encased in a studded holster to the king to present to Natsume. Natsume rose to his feet in surprise. "I give you...Hiryu—the fire dragon." Gasps rose from the spectators as the majestic sword was unveiled.

BOOM! A sudden crash interrupted the ceremony. The shattered windows rained down glass shrapnel on the guests. A giant lizard demon slithered down the walls and crawled menacingly to the center of the banquet hall. Mikan and many other guests took cover alongside the walls. Natsume wrenched Hiryu from his father's grasp and prepared to face the enormous creature. He only had Ruka and a knight she'd recently been acquainted with, Tsubasa Andou, at his side to help.

There was no way Natsume could defeat that thing by himself. Amidst all the panic and the battle, Mikan saw Kaoru Joo-sama looking right at her. It was as if the queen knew Mikan could help in some way. Panicked, Mikan quickly looked around for a way to help Prince Natsume.

Along the wall she was hugging were massive chains that lead directly to the large chandelier in the center of the ballroom. The chandelier was directly above the monster. She grabbed the chains and pulled with all her strength. It was no use. They were too heavy for her.

"Magic, use your magic!" The voice pleaded again. She realized with a startle, that voice was hers. She was pleading with herself to use magic again. Mikan swore she wouldn't, but one look at Prince Natsume's face and she was able to throw all doubts out of the window. Mikan stepped back and took a shaky breath. She held her palm out and felt the magic gather at her fingertips. It was instinctual. The power spread through her upper arms; Mikan grabbed the chains with both hands and pulled. There was a snap and the chandelier was loose.

The reaction was instantaneous. The chandelier slid free and crashed down hard on the lizard beast. Natsume didn't even bat an eye as he cleanly sliced the demon's head off without giving it a moment's pause. He then fell back breathlessly against Ruka and Tsubasa.

"Natsume, are you alright?" Ioran Ou-sama appeared beside his son and looked him over quickly. The nobles were just starting to get up and comprehend what had just happened.

"I'm fine, Father, if it hadn't been for that chandelier…" Natsume trailed off. Suddenly, Mikan felt all the eyes in the ballroom turn to her. She realized with a panic that she was still holding onto the chains. Shimatta…

"You there, servant, what is your name?" The king himself addressed her. Mikan froze. She just used magic. Did they see her? Did they know?

"His name is Yukihara, sire. I think he's new here." Ruka answered for her. The queen then appeared next Ioran Ou-sama and sent a knowing look in Mikan's direction.

"This is the child of your new head physician, Izumi-san, and my personal maid, Yuka-san." Kaoru Joo-sama supplied. Mikan gaped. She thought the queen would clear up the whole 'Mikan is actually a lady not a man' misunderstanding. The king looked at her thoughtfully.

"I see. Yukihara-kun you will be awarded for saving my son's life." The king announced.

"N-no, your highness. I d-didn't really—"

"No, don't be modest." The king cut her off. "You shall be made Prince Natsume's personal manservant."

"What?!" Mikan's and Natsume's eyes met; they both stared at the other in horror.

Mikan was summoned to the queen's private quarters immediately after the banquet. Izumi and Yuka were already inside waiting for her. Their eyes were glassed with concern, and Mikan began fearing the worst. Mikan halted in front of the queen's desk. An attendant was just finishing his report in hushed tones. Kaoru Joo-sama dismissed the man.

"I had a few personal servants examine those chains for me Yukihara-kun." The queen began. Mikan flushed at the sound of her alias. She couldn't tell if the queen was joking or seriously threatening her. "They've reported that those chains were much too heavy for any normal person to carry, let alone a young maiden." Her dagger sharp red eyes stared Mikan down.

Mikan swallowed nervously and looked to her parents. They were both hanging their heads in resignation, Izumi was holding Yuka's hand tightly. Mikan felt like crying. Her father and mother both loved their work here. Now because of her, because she used magic, they'd have to leave, again.

"I-I used magic your highness," she whispered softly, never feeling so ashamed as she did in that moment. She mentally prepared for the queen's order to arrest her.

"I suspected as much." Kaoru Joo-sama said instead. Both Mikan and her parents looked up in surprise.

"My lady?" Mikan asked, bewildered. The queen smiled at her kindly.

"My son may be the greatest swordsmen of his generation, but he is not invincible, Mikan-chan. I want you to stay by his side as his manservant and protect him." She explained simply. Mikan's jaw dropped.

"But my lady," Her mom interrupted, a worried expression adorning her face. "Mikan is a lady. The role of a manservant is done by a man." Her mother insisted.

"I am aware of that Yuka-san, but in the King's eyes, Mikan is man. To reveal that now would be an embarrassment to the royal family. Rather, I intend to use this misunderstanding to our advantage. As a man, Mikan can stay at Natsume's side at all times and protect him with her magic." The queen presented diplomatically.

She then turned to Mikan. "I saw what you did in there, Mikan-chan. Although I'm not too familiar with the craft, I know powerful magic when I see it. You managed to free that chain from the bolts without so much as a spell. Tell me how you did it. Did you enchant a spell in your mind?" Kaoru Joo-sama asked with increasing curiosity. Mikan hesitated.

"I-I don't know any spells, your highness. I've been able to use magic like that since before I could even walk." She answered honestly. The queen's eyes widened.

"A-amazing. Mikan-chan I believe you possess a gift."

"A gift my lady?" No one's ever called magic a gift.

"Yes child, I've never heard of a sorceress using magic without spells. Dear me, I think I might just be in the presence of the most powerful sorceress of our time." The queen whispered with a look of awe in her eyes. Mikan felt thoroughly embarrassed. She never saw herself as powerful. All she did with magic were some tricks here and there.

Kaoru Joo-sama was suddenly standing in front of Mikan and took the girl's hands into hers. Mikan's eyes widened. "Mikan-chan, promise me you will protect my son." Her dark, wine red eyes, so brilliant and enchanting, had Mikan under a spell. There was something about the queen's offer that just felt so...right. Finally, she found a purpose for her magic.

"Hai, Kaoru Joo-sama. I promise." Mikan answered unhesitatingly, and shared in the queen's ecstatic smile.

"Good girl. Here, this is a key to the restricted section of the royal library. The Hyuuga family has been storing books on magic for a time of need, and I want you to have it Mikan-chan." The queen handed her the key.

That night, Yuka and Izumi Yukihara declared that they were the proudest parents in the world and spoiled Mikan silly with hugs and kisses. She felt so happy. Her magic was not only accepted by the queen, but thanks to the royal, she now had a purpose for it— a purpose that her parents could be proud of.

It seemed like things couldn't get any better…until she remembered she would start serving Natsume as a man from tomorrow onwards. Oh fluff puffs, Mikan thought.

"Quit playing around, Yukihara! You're not even trying." The perverted fox prince taunted and swung his sword wide again. Mikan brought up her own in time to parry the blow and once again thanked kami-sama for her over-sized armor.

"Why can't —clang— you practice —clang— with dummies —clang— like the other knights!" She said in between blows. Natsume snickered at her efforts.

"Too boring. I prefer a moving target." He swung again and this time Mikan lost grip of her sword. Natsume took advantage of the moment and quickly kicked her in the stomach. Mikan let out a loud groan when she hit the ground on her back. "It's not really practice if the dummy sits around, Yukihara." Natsume tutted, mockingly.

"Yes, Sire…" Mikan moaned.

"What was that?"

"I said, I got it you perverted fox!"

Natsume just laughed and helped her to her feet. She spent the rest of the afternoon getting pummeled by Prince Natsume.

It all came down to a question of whether Natsume would give her the usual punishment of washing his horses and mucking the stables, or if he'd finally make good on his promise to cut her foot off (and replace the second left foot, of course). Oh well, it was for the prince's own good.

"Sorry, Natsume," Mikan whispered. The servant took several steps back and then ran forward and launched herself on the prince's bed.

"GYAH!" The prince cried, wide awake now. He looked around for the source of the sudden heaviness. "Yukihara?"

"Yo! Ohayo Natsume!" Mikan greeted cheekily. Natsume blinked. Then he noticed the sunlight pouring into his room, signalling it was mid-morning already.

"Yukihara, you-you-you—"

"Idiot," Mikan supplied helpfully.

"Right. YOU IDIOT!" Natsume screamed, throwing the servant off his bed. "You were supposed to wake me up at dawn! Does it look like dawn to you!"

"I tried, you were sleeping like a log." Mikan whined, passing the prince his clothes for the day. A boot flew from his changing screen.

"Shut it, you-you—"

"Imbecile?"

"Imbecile! Would it kill you to be on time for once?"

"I'm always on time. It takes an extra hour to wake you," She replied, matter-of-factly. Natsume emerged, dressed, and looking ready to kill (her).

"The next time you try crawling into my bed, I'll have you thrown in the stocks!" He threatened. Mikan, quite used to the threats already, nodded in agreement.

"Hoshio, Kokoro, take your men to the Eastern Woods. Kitasuneme, Yuu, you'll hold front on the Southern Woods. Mochiage, Hayate, you two are in charge of the Western Woods. Tonouchi, Shuuichi, and Hayami, I want you to take charge of the Northern Woods. Ruka, Tsubasa, and Sono, you three will remain in the Central Town with me. It's been a while since we've seen so many demons mobilize at once, men. Do not hesitate to kill anything that moves." The prince warned and dismissed his men. Natsume headed towards the stables with Mikan at his side. They were in a rush, so she finished putting Natsume's armor on in the stables.

As he was mounting his horse, Natsume stopped to give Mikan a sharp look. "Yukihara...you are quite possibly the worst manservant I've ever had. But I expect you to be alive when I return." He told her gruffly. Mikan's eyes widened. Was Natsume trying to say he cared? The opportunity was too good to resist.

"What are you talking about, Sire? I'm coming with you." She smiled brightly, completely disregarding the direness that Natsume had been building up. She mounted her own horse and expertly strapped the supplies to its rump. Natsume's jaw dropped, looking flabbergasted.

"What are you talking about?" She pulled ahead of him with a chuckle. "You could get killed, Yukihara." He warned, still perturbed by the idea.

"Careful, Prince Natsume, I might start thinking you actually care about idiotic servants." Mikan smirked. Yup, that was so worth it. Natsume shook his head and pulled his horse up next to her.

"If you die, I won't feel bad about replacing you." He deadpanned.

"Maybe your next manservant will be more competent." She shot back, enjoying their bickering. She knew Natsume did too because he was still smirking at her.

"Kami, I hope not. If he was anymore competent, I might actually start making my meetings on time." They both laughed at the one.

"Hey kiddo, when you're done with Yuki-chan can we borrow him?" Tsubasa Andou grinned as he rode up alongside Natsume and Mikan. Natsume narrowed his eyes.

"No, you may not 'borrow' Yukihara." The prince scoffed.

"Hey! Yuki-chan is our friend too, Oujou-chan!" Tsubasa teased. There were only three people allowed to get away with making fun of Natsume. One was Ruka, his best friend since childhood. The second was Tsubasa Andou, Natsume's second cousin and close friend. Lastly was Mikan, although she had no idea why Natsume let her talk to him like that. If she didn't know any better, she might have thought Natsume actually liked her.

When they reached the town center, Natsume ordered Mikan to take cover as far as possible from the battlefield. Kaname volunteered to guard her, for which Natsume was grateful, even though he'd never admit it. Kaname Sono was one of five people who knew Mikan's secrets. Both of them. Kaname found out quite literally by accident, but he accepted her gender and magic easily and swore to help her in any way he could. It wasn't until much later that Mikan discovered Kaname's potential for magic and that his parents had both been sorcerers. He soon became her best friend and closest confidant.

"Are you ready, Mikan-san?" The knight asked politely. Kaname was a gentleman through and through. It was one of her favorite qualities about him. Mikan nodded. She hid against a lone stone wall, left from the debris of the battle. Kaname covered her back with his sword while Mikan used magic to keep the other knights safe.

Her magic had grown tremendously in the past six months. But it couldn't prepare her for everything. Like right now. Natsume sliced the head off a double-headed snake demon and turned his back on it. The creature's heads regenerated and opened its venomous fangs, poised to attack him.

"Natsume!" Mikan cried, she sprinted from her spot and tackled him to the ground.

"Yukihara? What the—" He didn't finish as the snake demon launched to strike him. Natsume spun them over so he was on top, and hurled his sword with power and precision. The sword cleanly pierced the creature's heart. It withered on the spot and died. Once Natsume was sure, he let Mikan stand up.

"You idiot!" He suddenly shouted. "What were you thinking? You could have gotten yourself killed!" Mikan pouted. Even if he was worried, he didn't have to yell like that!

"I was thinking someone had to save your royal backside!" She screamed back in his face and stormed away angrily. Natsume stared, stunned.

"Hey Yukihara!" Natsume shouted after her.

"What?" Mikan growled, not bothering to turn around.

"Thanks."

"Yukihara, clean my room. Polish my armor Yukihara, muck out the stables Yukihara." Mikan mimicked Natsume's voice as she angrily carried up the fifteenth bucket of hot water that afternoon since his royal pain-in-the-neck decided he wanted a bath instead of washing up with a bucket and rag like a normal person.

When she poured the final bucket into the tub in the center of his room, the relief was so overwhelming she thought she had died and gone to heaven. She was brought back to the mortal world when a very half-naked Natsume Hyuuga sauntered into his room. Mikan's jaw dropped. Even if she wanted to turn away, she couldn't stop staring.

"While I would normally appreciate being gawked at for my godly looks, it's disturbing coming from a man." Natsume gave her a pointed look. Mikan clamped her jaw shut and glared.

"Forgive me sire, I was simply trying to figure how all four of your stomachs fit in there." Mikan smirked, smugly.

"What exactly are you implying?" Natsume glared.

"Only that I've seen your godly appetite." Mikan answered nonchalantly and gestured for Natsume to get into the bath. If she provoked him enough, maybe she wouldn't have to stick around and watch him bathe, because as much as she didn't want to admit it, Natsume Hyuuga was quite possibly the most beautiful man she had ever seen.

"I'm not fat, Yukihara." Natsume deadpanned.

"Of course not, sire." She teased in a sing-song manner and hummed as she checked the water temperature. Perfect; then SPLASH, Mikan was pushed head first into the water. She came up sputtering and coughing.

"What was that for?" Mikan cried indignantly, she was sopping wet. And what was worse was that her hair was about to fall out of her hat! Natsume leaned in real close and told her,

"I figured it was a better alternative to arresting you." He mocked.

"For bruising your ego?" She shouted.

"For annoying me." Natsume smirked and walked away. Mikan's jaw dropped.

"W-what about your bath?"

"I'll have it tomorrow." Natsume called, distantly. Mikan sunk into the water and screamed.

If there's one thing Mikan learned about Natsume in these past nine months, it's that Natsume was ridiculously reckless when it came to protecting his people. While it was one of the things she admired the most about Natsume, it also meant a lot of close calls with death, and watching Natsume teeter on that precarious line one too many times.

Mikan was adept at nature manipulation, brute attacks, and glamour and transportation spells but she was atrocious at healing spells. That was when she sought out Serina Yamada, a respected healer and a rumored (and proven) seer in Alice Kingdom. It was a welcome surprise that Serina-sensei had knowledge about healing magic even though she didn't have much of a talent for magic herself.

"Konban-wa, Mikan-chan." Serina-sensei greeted the lethargic manservant-secret-sorceress.

"Konban-wa Sensei, your message sounded urgent. Is something the matter?"

"Hmm, I had a vision last night. There's a sorceress who's come from the great white mountains. She goes by the name Luna Koizumi. Last night, Koizumi-san entered the Northern Woods to present herself at the gateway of the Magic Realm in hopes of becoming a high sorceress. I saw her being rejected by the gate, Mikan-chan." Serenia-sensei informed the young sorceress. Mikan blinked.

"Why is this so important, Sensei?" She asked. Serina-sensei turned grim.

"She's not to be underestimated, Mikan-chan. If I had not met you, she'd be the most powerful sorceress I would have ever come across. Also, I'm afraid she did not take the rejection well. Her ambition is power and recognition. If the Magic Realm rejected her, then what would be the next target?" Sensei asked in that knowing tone she only used when she was testing Mikan.

"The Human Realm. Alice Kingdom." Mikan answered, it only took a second for it to click. As if she needed something else to protect Natsume from. Lately, the disturbances from the Demon Realm have been increasing as well. Mikan couldn't help but wonder if there was a connection.

"Mikan-chan, there is something I'd like you to do." Serina-sensei announced, pulling Mikan out of her thoughts. "Do you know how one becomes a high sorceress of the Magic Realm?" Mikan shook her head while Serina-sensei produced what looked like a simple vial of water. "To the common eyes this nothing but a vial of water from the Northern Woods, but for a sorceress, when she runs her magic through this water, it will either accept or reject her as high sorceress."

"How many high sorceresses are there?" Mikan asked curiously to which Serina-sensei smiled mysteriously.

"None. The Magic Realm has yet to choose its heir." She revealed as simply as if she was predicting the weather. Mikan had a sinking feeling where this conversation was heading. "I want Mikan-chan to try it." Yup, her instincts were never wrong.

She could barely handle protecting Natsume, let alone becoming some high sorceress of the Magic Realm— that was assuming if she was accepted. The thought of getting rejected hurt too. It would prove that she wasn't good enough to protect the prince, and nothing could hurt her worse than that. If it wasn't for the expectant look in Serina-sensei's eyes, she would have flat out refused.

Sensei poured the water into a flat dish and held it expectantly. Mikan took a deep breath and steeled herself for whatever decision the Magic Realm made. She let the magic gather at her fingertips; it felt like a warm breath of sunshine. She would never get tired of this feeling. Magic was the energy of life and Mikan couldn't imagine living without that constant thrum of warmth she felt under her skin. While these thoughts were running through Mikan's head, she noticed the water emitting an ethereal glow, and slowly, ever-so-slowly, her fingers began sinking into the water as if she was being drawn in.

Mikan gasped and recoiled from the water. However, the damage was already done, and Serina-sensei had seen it as well. The look in sensei's eyes quickly turned from curiosity to reverence. It was terrifying. So Mikan did something she swore she wouldn't do again— she ran away from magic.

Since I'm familiar with Merlin, the progression of Mikan's and Natsume's relationship makes sense to me. Does it make sense to you? Let me know. Also, is anyone interested in Beta-ing this story?

And, yes, Natsume's range of insulting vocabulary is limited Idiot. Probably because he's always flustered around a certain idiot.