A/N: A little Alya and Nino to join into the pack. Any fairy tales you can think of, don't hesitate to suggest! I really want to make this story worth publishing and sorry for the random updates (I'm terrible at time management)

"I really should cut my hair," Alya sighed as she brushed out her long auburn locks.

It took on average around three hours to brush through the long and wild hair, a daily chore for the otherwise bored princess. A princess stuck in a tower and forced to wait as men climbed up her hair, leaving dirt and other things inside her otherwise clean locks.

Her life was aggravating to say the least. Or it was to her. She had wanted to see the world and explore. To be her own person, and yet here she was stuck in a tower. Her chores and passion for painting being her only company.

"Oh let down your hair, fair maiden."

Alya rolled her eyes as she peeped out of her window. Down below was a dark skinned man. He was young and unlike the others wore no fancy clothes or jewels. This intrigued her. So she let down her hair.

The young man climbed, making sure not to yank too hard or to get unnecessary dirt in her hair.

'He is different,' Alya thought as she watched him climb.

But different wasn't enough. She wasn't in the market to become a wife. To spend her days birthing children and probably dying from said birthing. No she wanted to explore. To be independent. And she was almost there. She just had to stay silent for a week or so and she would make her escape.

"So it's true," Her thoughts were broken by the man whose face was only inches from hers. "There is someone in the tower."

"Yep and you can go back home, because I'm not in need to be saved," Alya spoke fiercely, her hands ready to yank her hair from his grasp.

"Well I didn't come to save you," The man replied sheepishly, "Only to talk. From what I've heard it sounds pretty lonely up here."

"It is," Alya eyed him warily as she loosened her hold, "But why would you care? Don't you have better things to do?"

"I wish I did," The man laughed as he extended his hand to shake hers. "I'm Nino."

"Alya," She smiled as she shook his hand. She then swiftly removed her hair from his grasp, causing him to fall to the ground. "If you really want to keep my company come back tomorrow."

"I will," He responded and the princess only laughed as she thought about him. He really was a fool if he thought she couldn't see past his act.

A week had passed and Nino still persisted. Each day he would come and tell her stories about his life, or give her gifts like flowers he found or a book. Once he even gave her a flute.

"So you have something to pass time," He'd answered when she'd asked why.

He definitely was strange. Well that's what Alya thought of him. But the young man was growing on her. Unlike the first few visits, she let him climb down. She didn't make him fall from the tower. In fact she even shared her wish to explore the world with him and he told her he'd accompany her is she'd let him.

So Alya decided that today she'd let Nino 'rescue' her from the tower.

But he didn't come. She waited and she waited but his voice didn't call for her to let him up.

"Where could you be?" Alya sighed as she rested on her windowsill. Doubt began to cloud her mind and she frowned as she looked at the setting sun. "Maybe I was right when I suspected he was like the others..."

Then, as the last rays of the setting sun shone, Nino appeared a smile on his face as he spotted her waiting.

"Why are you late?" Alya frowned as she looked at the man.

"Sorry I looked around all day for these," He held up a pair of scissors. "You won't believe how hard they are to get."

"You - you would let me explore the world?" Her voice was quiet, "You'd let me escape, even though you could easily claim me..."

"Well you said you wanted to explore the world," He grinned sheepishly. "Plus I'd rather earn your heart than take it."

Tears filled Alya's eyes as she thought about what he'd just done. Lowering her hair, she clambered from her window and took the scissors from his hands. Cutting her hair into a shoulder-length cut, she placed a firm kiss on his lips startling the man.

"You've already earned it," She smiled softly before smirking, "Now let's explore the world!"

Nino smiled as Alya began to marvel about the grass and sky. She definitely was different, but then again she probably thought of him in the same way.