A single candle light's bright colours cascaded across the page. The girl traced her finger across the lines, trying to find the exact place where they left off the night before. The boy shuffled a bit, placing his chin on her shoulder and taking a cautious movement with the candle. She glanced at the boy and felt her cheeks tint, but just turned her view on the worn out book. The pages were lop-sided as she turned them and there were stains in each corner. "I don't understand why she has to kill her,"Rin whispered and Makoto rose her brow. "Well,"Makoto blinked at the book and twisted her lips. "The queen is obsessed about looks since that was what gave her the crown. If Snow White's beauty finds her a husband, then she'll rule and the queen will lose her power,"Makoto explained and pursed her lips when the boy leaned further into her shoulder.
"Then why kill her? Why can't she just make her ugly? She has magic, right? Why not just use it to make her ugly and then use her as a slave like she always has?"he questioned. The girl placed her finger in front of her lips and hushed him when they heard steps above. They sat under the stairs and they knew it was long past the princess's bedtime. They hesitated a moment when the maid stepped up to the laundry room and crouched when they saw a shadow across the walls. "You can't change the story,"the girl whispered. "It's just how it goes,"she said under her breath and felt a tug when the boy walked over to the little counter table.
"Yes,"he replied, "but we can change the story." She tilted her head and furrowed her brow at the pen he held in his hand. "How,"she mumbled and the boy handed the candle to her as she handed the book to him. He fiddled with the pen and then slowly ripped the last few pages. The girl wanted to stop the boy, but reminded herself that there were several other copies of the book that lay around the library. "See,"he whispered, "we can rewrite the story. We can remove these pages," you already have, she wanted to say, "and replace them with our own pages. We can write our own story." The girl grinned at the boy's enthusiastic smile. "And all it takes,"she poked the pen he held, "is a pen and paper?" He nodded and the girl quickly pressed the paper in between her fingers.
That was a memory that whispered and mumbled in her mind as she gazed at the red head that ruffled her horse's mane. She pressed her hand on the bold creature's neck and fidgeted a bit on it's back. She didn't say anything when he walked around the horse and then passed her, but she wanted to. There were many things that bubbled and squeaked and chimed in the back of her head. She could hear them, but she didn't understand them. He wasn't supposed to exist, she noted. Well, he did, of course, but all she could understand clearly about him was that he was in her childhood. Her childhood imagination, to be exact.
"Um,"she mumbled and the boy looked over his shoulder at her. He was so much different from what she remembered. So much taller, so much more stronger and his face was structured. He wasn't a boy anymore; he was a man. And she was a woman. So why does she still fidget and fluster when she's around him? They weren't children. But she didn't feel like an adult around him. "Yes, Makoto?" She felt a tug when he didn't call her 'princess' but didn't say anything. It would've been very childish if she complained, but she didn't like it either. "Rin,"she felt a tingle saying his name, "when did you come back?" He stood there and stared at her for a moment, and it didn't make her less flustered. "A while back,"he answered. She nodded and didn't say further as she the built animal strode out of the stables.
She shuffled her shoulders as she felt hands shaking her arm. "Onee-chan! Onee-chan! He arrived today!"the little girl chirped and the brunette moaned. "Who has arrived?"she groaned and pulled the blanket over her shoulders. The little girl shook her sister. "The knight! The knight that Papa has hired to guard you!" "Not that I can't do that myself," she heard the familiar voice and shot her head to the dark head boy. "Haru,"she whispered and smiled.
She sat up slowly and placed an arm around her sister's shoulder as her friend sat on the mattress. "Mako,"he greeted and slid a strand of hair behind her ear. "Did you arrive this morning?"she asked and the younger nodded. "Oh yes, yes he did Onee-chan. And there's another person that came this morning." "I know,"the brunette patted the girl's head, "the knight. You told me." Well, actually her mother told her, yesterday.
Her mother told her that her father has assigned a knight to protect her. In the past in many other royal weddings, people have captured the bride and held her for ransom. The bride was always captured for without her there won't be any children to pass on the royalty. This time, though, the Tachibana family planned ahead and assigned the most recommended knight in the Samezuka Academy. Makoto wasn't against the idea, but she wished she'd known about it sooner. Her parents always did let her know at the last minute. The same with her engagement.
"I don't like him,"Haru said simply as she took her hand down the stairs. She smiled and hooked her arm in his. "You said you didn't like Rei either, but you two got to be friends,"she shrugged and ticked her fingers on his arm. He rolled his eyes and stared at her for a moment. She was used to his stare and just kept her view on the tall golden doors. "You honestly don't know who your knight is?" She shook her head lightly and looked up at him curiously. He smirked and turned his head. She took that as a sign of 'if you don't know then I don't either'. But she knew he knew but didn't want to waste time on asking him. He'd probably tease her if she asked. Not with words, but she knew he would with his blank expression.
The Russian violet haired girl waved at the princess as the two stepped closer. "Ah, Princess Makoto, good morning,"the servant greeted and the princess replied. Haruka didn't say anything and the two were used to his silence. The brunette peeked over the violet's shoulder and blinked at the tall figure that didn't wear his uniform. The violet looked over as well and tugged the man's sleeve. "Princess, I would like to introduce you to your royal guard," the brunette felt her heart sank as the scarlet haired man turned to her, "Rin Matsuoka."