A/N: I'll answer a review left as it looks like a question that other people would be interested in as well. A reviewer asked how I went from the original anime's storyline to this.

I have been planning this original storyline and world for years. When it came to how I wanted the lead pair to act, the dynamic between Izetta and Finé always resonated with me. Thus this AU was born where I was free to create my own world and events, just borrowing some knowledge of how Izetta and Finé (and the other referenced characters) would act in this world. Furthermore, I have also been trying to make the characters understandable even if somebody has not watched the original series.

So I hope that people will continue to enjoy this story, one that hopes to be able to stand alone while still being able to act as an extension of the original characters.

A young Izetta opened her eyes to see a blur. Her eyes blinked a few times as she tried to focus. Eventually she could see the ceiling, though she did not recognise it.

"Ugh…" she muttered as her hand crept to her head. She wanted to rub it to try to assuage the dull pain that started to register. Her fingers brushed against the fabric of the gauze wrapped around her head, causing her eyes to go wide.

"Your Highness!" the memories of that explosion flooded back to her as she jerked upwards, only to wince as her body protested.

"So you're awake," Izetta's grandmother commented.

Izetta turned her head to see her grandmother sitting at the bedside. As she leaned forward, she almost screamed, "Grandma, what happened to Her Highness?! She was shot because she protected me!"

"She's fine. Her operation went off without a hitch and she was discharged already."

Izetta's eyes softened slightly as she let out a breath. Then her head shot up with another sharp intake of air. "What about the others?! They said that only I survived!" Tears welled up in Izetta's eyes as she choked out, "Does that mean that… That… Mom and Dad… are…?"

Izetta's grandmother looked away. "Yes," she confirmed, "They're gone."

Izetta buried her head in her hands. She started to weep, calling for her mother and father with more and more intensity. Despite the pain that littered throughout her, her body would not stop convulsing. When her grandmother stood up to embrace her wordlessly, Izetta lost the last bit of self-control she had left and wailed uncontrollably.

Izetta's parents were the forerunners of the project. They knew that Izetta's body had accepted the magic, but manifesting it was always a problem. When the readings failed to go up, there was pressure to schedule in more exercises for Izetta. Despite her parents' objections, there was no other way to justify the enormous amounts of funding spent, leaving Izetta exhausted every day. Her parents then made sure that Izetta was happy whenever possible, such as getting her favourite foods often or buying her any toys she wanted.

Izetta was too young to really understand the situation, but she could tell that when she did not perform, a lot of people would argue with her parents. So she pushed herself to the limit, not wanting to let them down and to repay them. Eventually her efforts bore fruit. Her magic could strengthen and protect her at will, at least for a while. Her parents fought hard to dial down the amount of exercises she had to do once the results showed, but Izetta continued to do her own training out of her immense gratitude towards them.

Now they were gone. Izetta regretted not running away with them when they said it was too much for her. Their lives would have been much harder if they deserted the country, but at least they would be alive together. They were not her biological parents, but they treated her as their own daughter. Yet without any warning, they were dead. Just like that, Izetta could never see them again.

It took a while for Izetta to finally calm down. When her grandmother heard Izetta's breathing slow down and felt her body relax, she gently put Izetta back down onto the bed.

"Which hospital is this? How long have I been here?" Izetta asked with her eyes half closed.

"The Royal one. It's been three days but the Princess said you can stay as long as you want to at no cost."

Izetta's eyes widened. "Three days? That long?"

"If the explosion managed to hurt you despite your magic protecting you, your magic must have been very low. As I told you before, magic is a part of our bodies. We should take care not to use too much, or else our bodies will shut down just like if you don't drink enough water." Izetta's grandmother sighed before she continued, "Your physical injuries haven't healed yet either so just rest for now."

Izetta took another look at her body. Although she could feel the stinging before, it was only now that she saw that she had several other bandages on her that covered the bruises she got when the explosion flung her across the room. "But Grandma, what about you? What about after I recover?"

"Nothing about me," she dismissed with a wave. "The Princess was true to her word. After she was discharged, they told me I was free as well. They gave us a bunch of money that's enough to put you through college and more. Our house is being sold as well so once you're better, we'll be leaving. Probably for a small quiet town where we can settle down."

"Leaving? Why?"

"They don't know why the explosion happened yet. There are two possibilities, either it was an accident, or somebody wanted to stop the project and possibly you as well. If we assume the second, then we need to leave and lay low least the attacker strikes again."

Izetta's body shivered. To think that somebody out there was trying to kill her, while she was still just a child, was an unpleasant thought to say the least. "What if the attacker finds me there? Won't they try to…," Izetta gulped, struggling to finish, "Kill me again?"

"When we're ready to leave, the Royal Service will disguise us for the flight. Trust me," her grandmother smirked, "I know how to run and hide even if I don't know who the enemy is. How do you think I survived all those years?"

Izetta laughed a little at the quip. She relaxed back into the bed as she voiced her next thought, "What if it was an accident though? Then I wouldn't have to leave, right?"

"They would take too long to find out for sure," her grandmother replied while shaking her head, "You should still hide until they are sure that it wasn't planned. If you have to hide, it would result in the same case where there is somebody with malicious intent. We should leave once you're better to be safe." Her grandmother looked away as her voice grew soft, "Besides, you probably need time away from here to recover from that experience."

Izetta blinked a few times. Then it clicked in her head and she looked downwards. "Oh… You're right. I… I don't know…"

The room became silent. It takes a while before Izetta spoke up, "When is the funeral? I want to at least be there for that before we leave."

"The King has been seeing to the funeral proceedings. We've been told not to attend to stay hidden. We'll just have to pay our final respects from afar."

"Oh… okay…" Izetta mumbled. She turned on her side to face away from her grandmother, shuffling around under the blanket.

Izetta's grandmother slid over to stroke Izetta's hair. "I know that nothing's going your way now," she notes solemnly, "But things will get better. Once we settle in our new place, I'll register you for school. Forget about the magic and just enjoy a normal life."

Izetta gripped onto the hem of the blanket. Since she was facing away from her grandmother, her grandmother could not see Izetta's mouth that opened and closed with no words being spoken. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Izetta finally peeped, "Grandma, I don't want that."

Izetta's grandmother paused. She sat back in her chair with her hands folded over each other. "What do you mean?"

"I don't want to stop here," Izetta resolved as she sat up and turned to face her grandmother. "I want to continue training with magic. I want to become what the project intended me to. Please," Izetta begged with a bow, "Teach me more about magic. Please teach me how to fight as well, without magic."

"You know, the Princess told you to live the way you want. You're not some project specimen anymore. You never were in our eyes."

"That's exactly why!" Izetta cried with her vision getting blurry. "I want to do this, I want to become stronger! I want to show Mom and Dad that all their hard work was not wasted! I want to be able to repay my debt to Her Highness!" With tears dropping onto the blanket, Izetta sobbed, "Please, Grandma… train me…"

Izetta's grandmother hung her head in thought. With a loud breath, she let out, "Alright, alright. You don't have to beg me so much you know." She rubbed the back of her head as she conceded, "I told your mother that I would stop being selfish, so I'll see this through with you to the end."

Izetta's fist cut through the air, her body following through with the punch. She then swiftly spun around to strike what was behind her with her other elbow. She raises her back foot to knee level before stomping it on the ground in front. She turns around again, slightly bending backwards while unleashing a kick to where somebody's head would be. She quickly recovers her stance, keeping her feet forward, knees bent, arms up and hands open.

Sweat drips from her face to the ground. Izetta takes a few deep breaths as she relaxes, slowly standing at full height. She walks over to a pod and grabs a bottle from it, chugging down water that her body relishes. Surrounding Izetta and the pod is nothing but rocky terrain. Izetta had asked for a pod so that she could find a place to train by herself. This way, she could turn back from the White Agent and work out without magic.

Izetta lets out a refreshed gasp as she puts down the bottle. Next, she takes out a towel and wipes off her sweat. Then she reaches for her phone, only to stare at it when looking at the time. There is still a few hours left before the time that Command specified. 'Even after travelling back and taking a shower, I would still have hours to go before the mission starts. What should I do?'

Izetta's mind ponders over it as she gets into the pod and sets the destination. She continues drying herself with the towel as the pod speeds back to base, as she would have to transform back into the White Agent before she gets out of the pod and goes back to the apartment. With her adrenaline from the workout wearing out, her movements start to become sluggish. After she puts the towel down, she sinks into the seat.

'Maybe I should take a nap after my shower. Yeah, I don't want to be too tired during the mission itself so maybe I can rest with the extra time.' Nodding to herself, Izetta takes out her phone to set an alarm for a few minutes before the mission starts.

"Your Majesty, she's here," a Royal Guard announces as she lowers her hand from her ear communicator.

The King's eyes shoot towards the door. "Please," he trembles, "Let her in."

The Royal Guard goes to the door, standing to the side as she opens it inwards. As the King's vision refocuses, he sees multiple figures past the door. Then the one in the centre bounds towards him.

"Father!" Finé cries as she runs to the bed.

"Finé!" her father returns with his arms open.

Finé slows down as she gets closer. Seeing his frail body up close made her hesitate. As much as she wanted nothing else than to embrace him right now, she did not want to tackle hurt him. Her father notices it, only to beckon with his hands, "Come on, I'm not that weak yet."

Finé lunges with her last step, grabbing tightly onto her father. He wraps his arms around her as well, cradling her head.

"Father," Finé sniffs, "I'm home…"

"Welcome back. You must have been through so, so much…"

The two of them hold each other close as fresh tears flow freely. The other people leave the room silently, closing the door with a soft click.

Moments pass before Finé and her father separate. Her father rubs a finger across Finé's cheek while she smiles in response. "You look much better now."

Finé holds onto her father's hand. "I feel much better as well. I know I'm the Princess, but I was treated like royalty there," she adds with a smirk.

"Well, you haven't seen anything yet," he grins. "You haven't had dinner, right?"

"No, I knew we would arrive in time for dinner so of course I waited to have a meal with you."

"Great, let's get started then." He reaches over to a phone and presses a button on it. It dials for a little before the line connects and he requests, "Please serve us dinner."

The door opens as Royal Maids enter the room. They bring in portable but sturdy furniture, setting up a table on the King's bed for his meal. A few of them ask Finé if she would like a bed table as well or one set up elsewhere in the room. She replies that she'll sit on the bed, close to her father.

Soon after the tables are set, another group of Royal Maids bring in the appetiser soup. Royal Guards renter the room as well, retaking their positions to guard Finé and her father. Finé's father gestures to her bowl, "Dig in, I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised."

Finé raises an eyebrow at him but picks up a spoonful. As soon as the food enters her mouth, her eyes light up and her head moves back a little. Then she wolfs it down, even putting the spoon down to drink the remainder from the bowl directly. It is only after swallowing everything that she remembers where she is. With a sheepish smile, she puts the bowl back down. A Royal Maid rushes out, promising to bring the next course for Finé immediately. The Royal Guards try to keep a straight face.

"Told you," her father quips as he beams.

Finé lowers her head as her cheeks turn red. "Jeez, I can't help it…"

"I know," her father assures her with a melancholic smile. "You've been malnourished for years, probably eating scraps while you were kidnapped. Even after you were saved, all you had was hospital food and maybe some rations from the Royal Guards that prioritise nutrition over taste. Our Royal Chefs are on another level so this meal will be the best you've had." He rubs her hand with his own, soothing her, "Eat as much as you want. Don't worry about anything and just enjoy the food."

The Royal Maid returns with Finé's main course, deftly taking her empty bowl away with one hand and setting down the plate with the other hand. Finé smiles back at her father, covering his hand with her other hand. "I will," she turns to the Royal Maid who bows and steps away to reciprocate, "Thank you."

The two of them continue having their meal with Finé devouring hers. She finishes all the dishes brought to her quickly but when asked if she wants more, her stomach is too full to accept. She settles for watching her father chew away at his, though her hands start to clench.

"Father…" she finally speaks up. "I…"

Her father looks up from his plate. "Go on, I know you have something to say that's been weighing on you. Your body language is practically screaming."

Finé relaxes her hands, knowing that her father has seen through her. "I want to pick up on my studies immediately. I want to relearn everything so I can become the princess that this country deserves as soon as possible."

Her father puts down his cutlery. "I had a feeling you were going to say something like that. I'm glad that your sense of duty is still as strong as before, but as a father, I have to make sure of something." He shifts around, sitting up straighter to look at Finé closely. "Are you sure about getting back into it so soon? You were only nine years old when you were kidnapped. Six years of your childhood were spent in hell. Don't you want to fool around and enjoy what was taken unfairly from you, at least for a while? There's no rush for you to succeed me, our cabinet of ministers are highly capable and have been very helpful."

Finé closes her eyes. After a deep breath, she replies softly, "Yes, I'm sure." Her eyes open to look at her father directly. "During those days in the hospital, I learnt how to use a laptop from the Royal Guards. I looked up articles on Eylstadt throughout the years and seeing its growth filled me with pride. Then I realized that I am nowhere good enough to hold the title of Princess of Eylstadt. It is as you said, I am six years behind, probably more as I've forgotten many things from before. Everybody has spent so much time and effort to rescue and nurse me, it's only right that I do the same to serve them back."

Her father chuckles. "You really are my daughter." Finé's gaze relaxes, her eyes slightly widening. "Alright, I'll talk to the Royal Advisors. But give them at least tonight to plan your study schedule. Don't worry about anything tonight and just sleep peacefully, a Royal Maid will wake you up in the morning and give you the schedule then."

Finé nods her head vigorously.

Finé wakes up to the darkness of her room. With a groan, she reaches over to her phone to see that it is the middle of the night. She flops back into bed and closes her eyes.

'But who really saved me?'

Finé's eyes open again. She sits up while rubbing her temple. 'I'm wondering about him again. Her? I don't know. I thought my curiosity would eventually die down but it seems like I'm still fixated on it. Why, though? I should respect my saviour's wishes if he wants to be unknown.'

The window where the moonlight seeps in silently beeps with a mild red light. Unless Finé deactivates it from the inside, it is set to trigger an alarm should it be broken or even touched from the exterior. Outside Finé's room, there are two Royal Guards standing by the door. Down the corridors, there are more Royal Guards watching over the intersections, with another pair stationed right outside Finé's father's room.

'Maybe I unconsciously think that I'm still in that horrible situation, that I need him to save me. Everybody has been treating me with nothing but kindness, but I'm still heavily guarded like I was in that cell.' Finé closes her eyes as she shakes her head. 'That can't be right, the difference between now and then is like heaven and hell. Do I need closure from the incident because I never properly thanked him?'

Finé looks to the moon. 'Or is it because it might be her that I have to know for sure?'

"Father, I have something confidential to discuss with you," Finé announces as a Royal Guard lets her in.

The occupants of the room look at her for a moment before turning to the King. He looks back at the Royal Doctor to seek confirmation, "If there's new for me to take note of, please leave us for a moment."

The Royal Doctor, Nurses and Guards bow as they leave the room. Finé closes the door behind the last person and locks it. "They can't hear us, right?" she checks with caution.

"No, like I said when you came back, our rooms are soundproof. I checked them myself when they were upgraded." The King licks his lips as he pats the bed to continue, "So, what did you want to discuss?"

Finé walks towards the bed, her eyes shifting around. She takes a deep breath as she sits and looks at her father squarely. "Do you know who the White Agent is?"

His gaze relaxes as his head tilts to the side. "What makes you think I know? I'm just as privy as you to the information on him. If you think I've managed to deduce who he is from the articles on him, you give me too much credit."

"Yes, if he is somebody from another country, it would be borderline impossible for us to find out who he is," Finé swallows. "But I don't think that's the case. I think the person under the suit is from the Magical Being project years ago. Since the project was strictly confidential to Eylstadt, if they are the same person, you would probably be informed."

"Finé, did you forget that you were the one that asked for that project to be shut down? It was likely that it would collapse anyway after losing the whole research team but you pushed desperately to free the girl. We let her and her grandmother go free, and they left for a place far away with no way of contacting them."

"That's why I'm so torn up over this," Finé sighs. "Even after coming back home and absorbing myself in my studies for days, I still wake up in the middle of the night thinking who the White Agent really is. With how he, or she, acted when I was saved, it makes me think of her. But I can't discount the possibility that it is somebody else either. Please, Father, I have to know, is she Izetta?"

Finé's father looks to the side as his thumb rubs over his fingers under the blanket. "What are you going to do if I tell you that it is her? What would you do if it isn't her?"

"If my dear friend has returned, I want to see her in person," Finé answers resolutely, "Not just to thank her, but to spend time with her again. If it isn't her, I want to at least talk to him in private. He's definitely not an ordinary person, maybe he is involved with Izetta somehow. Maybe he can tell me how she's doing. But I have to know for sure, is Izetta the White Agent?"

Finé's father chuckles. "It sounds like regardless if she is or not, you still want to meet this White Agent." Finé's eyes widen as the fact hits her. "Tell you what," her father proposes, "How about I schedule a meeting for you? He can decide how much he wants to divulge as it is his identity after all."

"Oh yes, that'll work as well," Finé nods with excitement.

"Though…" her father pauses while rubbing his chin, "He has turned down offers from all other countries so far. Of course we are immensely grateful to him for rescuing our precious babies and would like to honor him, but he always declines. You may have to give him a speech that can move him."

Finé smiles, "If it's Izetta, I'm sure I'll be able to talk her around. Even if it's not her, I'll think of something."

Finé and a group of Royal Guards walk towards the White Agent's apartment. Finé reaches for the doorbell as the Royal Guards take up positions around the apartment, guarding it as if it were a room that would be housing the princess. The door opens to reveal the White Agent. He holds it open while gesturing with his other hand, "Please come in, Your Highness."

"Thank you," Finé curtsies as she enters.

The White Agent peeks out at the Royal Guards facing away. When none of them move, he sinks back into the apartment, closing the door with a soft click.

"They told me your apartment is soundproof, so we can talk freely like this, right?" Finé probes which causes the White Agent to spin around to face her.

"Yes," he answers curtly.

Finé smiles as she drags him away from the door and closer to the centre of the apartment. Then she strolls around him, looking up and down at him.

The White Agent fidgets as his head turns to follow Finé. "Uh, Your Highness, I thought you wanted to talk?"

"Hmm…" Finé hums as she stands beside him, noting that he stands half a head taller than her.

"Oh!" the White Agent gasps. "I'm terribly sorry Your Highness, I should have given you a seat." He scrambles towards the table, pulls out the chair and places it behind her. "I'm sorry for not offering immediately," he apologises as he steps back and slightly bows.

Finé laughs which makes the White Agent look up. "I'm really sure now," she giggles, "You're Izetta."

The White Agent straightens up as panic seeps into his voice, "No, no, that's just your theory. I only agreed to talk to you because you sounded really desperate to hear about your friend."

Finé places a hand on his shoulder as she leans into his ear, "Izetta, you can drop the act. I know that it's you from how you've been behaving here." The White Agent goes still. "Can you take off the helmet? I want to see my dear friend's face again."

The White Agent slowly reaches for the back of his neck. Finé steps away with her eyes shining. With a soft, "Thank you," the suit is replaced with normal clothes and a furiously blushing Izetta is revealed. "Y-Your H-Highness…" she sputters with her eyes looking away and hands covering each other between her knees. Without the boots and helmet, Izetta is a quarter of a head shorter than Finé.

Finé lunges forward to embrace Izetta who takes a step back at the surprise and sudden force. "Thank you, thank you so much Izetta. When I had given up, you came in and saved me." Finé's arms wrap around Izetta tighter as she admires, "You've become so much stronger. I bet you underwent even more harsh training while you were gone. Look at you now, you've become a beacon of hope, all because of your hard work."

Izetta's body loosens as her eyes start to water. She holds Finé tight, careful not to use too much strength. "Your Highness…" she croaks, "I… I'm just…" She sniffles before she can manage out, "I'm just glad you're safe now… I'm sorry I took so long to save you..."

Finé's smile broadens as she feels Izetta's muscles loosen up. Before, Izetta's body felt hard like Bianca's, the result of their training and stiff posture. Now that Izetta was completely at ease, her body feels much softer and it made Finé happy. Finé rubs Izetta's back as she continues to praise, "You did very well. You're the best there is."

Izetta buries her head into Finé's shoulder as she clings to Finé, warmth spreading throughout her body. Izetta can only wonder, 'This feels incredible… To be acknowledged so much by Her Highness… Is this what I've always wanted…?'