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Chapter Text

It is five o'clock in the afternoon of the day of the moon, and princess Ena Shinonome was painting in her personal garden for the twelfth time this month.

Sitting on her stool, the blank canvas standing in front of her slowly captured the image of her favorite spot in the garden; the one window of flowers that appeared to let her observe her favorite person, the knight she so diligently watched from afar for years: Akiyama Mizuki.

If she ever dared be honest about her feelings out loud, she'd speak lovingly about the pink haired girl that had long since stolen her heart. How many years had it been? At least three since the guard first wandered off into the princess's garden.

Whatever, it didn't matter anymore, ever since her brother had ran way into a different kingdom for the sake of his own love life Ena had been doomed to marry some other prince in order to fulfill her duties as a princess.

"Ugh..." with a loud groan and some shuffling around, princess Ena Shinonome threw her canvas away in favor of her sketching papers. Out of all the gifts like this one she had gotten, the red-ish brown color the leather had was her favorite, which was the reason she used it to sketch her guard so often.

She still couldn't believe her crush had been assigned to take care of her, it seemed like it was something that only happened to other people or in those romance books the knight had read to her night after night.

Filling the new paper with the same girl over and over again, Ena decided to stop her daily sketching as her knight had just finished training.

From across the window, a gentle hand waved around, a stupidly in love smile plastered all over the face of the knight.

Princess Ena could only smile back with the same fond look in her eyes. She really wishes she could marry that girl right fucking now.

Picking up her things she ran over the castle's walls, going downstairs as fast as her legs allowed her to all to reach her knight's side, smiling widely as she approached the pink haired girl.

"Mizuki!" Ena exclaimed, happily reaching the side of the girl.

"Enanan! Did you paint anything today?" The warm light of the setting sun bathed the girl of pink hairs in a view too beautiful for the princess. The song of the birds almost seemed to mock the brunette's thoughts, flowers nearly spoke to her and the sun was likely begging for this poor girl to kiss the knight.

But she didn't, instead she just sighed and looked away, shaking her head side to side in an attempt to answer the knight's question and get rid of such ridiculous ideas.

"Hm...bummer" the knight said, stretching her arms in front of her. "If you'd like to, I can make you feel better~"

A tease, as always, the knight grabs the princess's hand and slowly kisses it, rubbing her thumb along the knuckles of the brunette's hand.

"Quit it! Someone might be nearby..." The princess said, attempting her best to hide the blush that quickly took over her face.

"Yet you haven't taken your hand away from mine" the knight spoke, looking mischievously at the girl she served. Quickly, the brunette took her hand away and kept on walking forward, leaving the knight behind in the hallway of the castle.

This usual banter had long since become a routine, the knight would tease and chase while the princess always made sure to wait not too far off from where she had left her.

"My sweet princess~ would you give me the honor of walking you to your room?" Holding a hand out, the knight got down on one knee in an attempt to humor the princess.

Thankfully, the princess accepted, and both girls now walked hand in hand to the princess's room, smiling like fools as the setting sun illuminated them from the windows.

Reaching the rather secluded room, the princess dismissed the maids that seemed to always be on guard. Were they suspicious of the pair? Whatever, no one in their right mind would think there's a romance between the two girls, no one would dare say anything about the princess.

"Come on, my lady~" Mizuki spoke, closing the door behind her as she still held the artist's hand. "Let me see your sketchbook! I'm sure it all looks as perfect as ever"

"No! Keep your hands to yourself you indecent knight" Ena's words weren't ever too serious or loud, making sure no one would get the wrong idea of what could be happening inside the room.

"Y-you gotta stop saying it like that!" Laughing, the knight's face finally showed a glimpse of shyness, a touch of red faintly appearing on her face.

"Oh? Is my knight not as confident now?" Turning around, Ena slowly made her way to the girl. Dropping her sketches all over the floor, she grabbed the knight's waist in an attempt to simply distract her.

"Ah, w-well..." her voice trembled "it's just-"

Before she could finish her sentence, the faces of both girls now were far closer than either of them had planned. But they were in the princess's room, the knight's back against the door.

There was no way anyone would enter, right?

Silence filled the room, seconds felt as if they turned to hours, the sensation of each other's nervous breaths and the soft touches from gentle hands in the taller girl's waist were all that filled the minds of both people standing in the room.

"Can I...?" A simple question, maybe unfinished, but both knew what it was about. Mizuki simply nodded, trying to not turn her face away in her shyness.

Slowly, Ena approached the lips of her knight, closing her eyes and gently closing the gap between both girls.

And god did they both miss the sensation of the other's lips.

It was like a puzzle piece, they fit right in with each other and the sweet smiles between kisses just made it all the better.

The desperation from how long they both had waited slowly began to grow into hunger, showing through the kiss as the knight's back slowly got pressed even harder to the door.

"E-ena- wait-" rushed words between heavy kisses, the artist's mouth relentlessly attacked the mouth of her not-lover, barely letting space between each kiss for the words to come out.

The kisses only stopped as the knight slowly pushed the brunette's shoulders away, trying her best to catch her breath after the hunger had been partially satisfied.

"Ah...I'm sorry, I got a little carried away" the brunette hid her face on the space inside Mizuki's neck and shoulder, giggling happily as she held the girl closer.

"It's- it's fine, I just...I didn't know I was that attractive"

There she is, back again into the usual routine, bringing back the type of words that made her fall in love all those years ago.

"Sure sure, let me get changed and then maybe we could cuddle?" Loving eyes looked at the knight's eyes, her long hair framing her face in a way that made her look perfect.

But who was the knight even kidding? She thought that girl was perfect no matter what.

"Sure" As the princess turned around, she felt a pair of gentle hands grab her by the waist, soft hair and tender air near her neck. "Only if you let me take a peek though~"

"Quit it!" Ena took Mizuki's hands off of her, and walked towards the folding screen, hiding behind it and letting her clothes fall next to her, immediately changing into her night gown and coming out to see her knight, who was now sitting on the princess's bed. She lit up immediately upon seeing the brunette, making her laugh while she approached her.

"So, was today a good day?" Ena asked, her arms gently holding the knight's hands as she took apart the bandages that tried to protect the girl's skin.

"Hm...I suppose so, i couldn't hear many murmurs today" she spoke, admiring the softness with which the brunette held her hand.

"I think I've been getting better with the sword, Yoisaki has been training a lot too" she laughed "she might just take my spot as your personal knight"

"Nonsense, I wouldn't accept her" Ena speaks, switching hands as she finally had finished with the first bandages.

"She's sweet, I'll admit it, but..." a small pause, a sigh "but I want you with me"

Saying that was embarrassing for both girls. It had been months since their routine had gone that way, yet somehow they both were always desperate and impatient. They really did love each other.

"I'd love to be with you two, Ena" Mizuki used her free hand to grab the brunette's cheek. Calloused hands weren't something Ena ever thought she'd consider attractive, yet here we are.

"You say that as if I'm asking you to be my..." Ena couldn't finish the word, but both girls knew what came next. Girlfriend.

Why was it so hard to say it?

"Well...what if I did want you to be-?"

"You know we can't...I'd rather save you the heartbreak for when the day comes" Ena said, her heart heavy with pain and sadness. She couldn't bear the thought of being away from the girl, she was almost sure she'd die of loneliness.

But it was fine, she was just being selfish, she did this for her brother.

"Why don't we run away?" The pink haired girl spoke, a slight tremble in her voice. Was it anger? Frustration? Sadness?

"You know we can't...but if I could, you bet I'd take the chance" a lie, one they both knew. She wasn't selfish enough to do that, she'd rather let the knight be free and run away on her own, even if it hurt her.

"Hm...I'll just have to wait until your wedding, then I'll kidnap you and run away" she inched closer to the brunette's face, whispering "that way we can be together forever"

"That...sounds wonderful" Ena laughed, holding Mizuki's face with both hands after finishing with the bandages, plastering the pink haired girl's face with kisses, making the other giggle.

"Aha, Ena, stop!" Trying to get away, the knight fell onto the bed, the brunette on top of her still giving her kisses. After a while, she stopped, only to admire the work of art she had made of her knight's face.

"I wish we could stay like this...forever" laying on the pink haired's chest, both girls hugged the other tightly, not wanting to let go at all.

Silence filled the room, they were simply comfortable in the princess's bed, but they no longer had a rank. It was just Mizuki and Ena, two girls who loved each other like it was breathing.

"...Do you want me to tell you a story?" A whispering voice broke the silence, the knight never really liked that absence of sound.

"Tell me the one about the goddesses again" Ena said, hoping to hear her favorite story once more.

"Well, if you ask so nicely..." she laughed slightly, giving a kiss atop the head of the brunette.

"Once upon a time, there existed two goddesses, opposites of each other. One gave life to everything, taking care of all living beings and carving away new beings every time she could, while the other one gently embraced the things that had reached their end." Stroking silently the brunette's head, the knight kept speaking.

"They'd slowly fall in love, with offerings of flowers and gentle hands that took every offering she could, happiness was all they knew, and the god of love thought they were the perfect example for how the relationships should be"

"You always tell it like you were a part of it" the brunette laughed silently, her eyes were closing as she felt the tender hands and lovely warmth surround her. All the knight did was laugh back.

"Then, the king of the skies changed, trying to separate the pair of lovers, all because 'death and life should be rivals, not lovers'" the pink haired girl took a deeo breath, ready to change the way the story went originally.

"But they fought for their love, even if it meant spending their forces on the most powerful being...they disappeared together, all to be together"

The princess was always quick to fall asleep, and the knight loved admiring the beauty she had...but now, it was time to do her job. Carefully, she stepped out of the bed, tucking in the other girl as she left the room to stand in front of her door.

She wishes she could stay there to sleep, but alas, she has a job to do if she wants to keep being close to the princess.

Chapter Text

Another joyous day at the Tenma household! Or rather, the Astrum kingdom's castle.

Truth be told, the oldest of the siblings never woke up happy, ever since they were kids he was forced to train as a way to protect his sister: the blessed child of the goddess of life.

Putting on the formal attire he was always supposed to wear, prince Tsukasa Tenma walked over to his younger sister's room, knocking in the pattern only the two of them knew.

"Just a second, big bro!" Quiet shuffling, a sign for Tsukasa to prepare his best act in an attempt to not upset or sadden his sister.

A small creaking sound woke Tsukasa up from his thoughts, forming a smile on his face. Partially real, partially fake, who could tell the difference?

"Good morning big bro! How are you doing today?" The prince's little sister, Saki Tenma, had once more gotten ready for the day by herself. Unlike her brother, she was only allowed to be near four people alone: knight Ichika Hoshino, a childhood friend of the girl who never cared about the "blessing" she beared, Mochizuki Honami, a high society lady who would never disobey a rule by a royal, Hinomori Shiho, a lady of the high society too elegant to ask for a favor to anyone, and her own brother.

"Hey Saki! I'm doing quite spectacularly today" posing with a hand to his chest, the older blonde smiled. "I see your horns have grown, do you have an appointment for wishes today?"

A heavy sigh, yet a sweet smile appeared on the girl's face. Kind as ever.

"Yeah! But I think I'll be going to the market with Ichi today, so it's all worth it" she said joyfully, almost as if those appointments weren't slowly turning her into something she wished she wasn't. Both siblings knew how things would end.

"Well, I'll be at the castle's library reading or writing for most of the day, you can ask for me if there is anything you need." Tsukasa said, hearing the hurried steps of the kind maids that took care of the younger, sick girl.

She may not look too sick most of the time, but her skin was quite pale in comparison to that of her earlier years. Along with that, some parts of her body had begun to obtain scales like those of a dragon, extending all the way from the back of her hands to her shoulders. Add onto that her diminishing capability of walking, the girl was turning for the worse sooner than the older sibling anticipated.

He had to act fast.

Typically, the weird sorcerer would help Saki obtain back some of her abilities, he'd helped her before regain her sight and her hearing, but ever since the horns started coming in, his powers had been of little to no help. Was there any way to cure the curse of the goddess of life?

"If there was..." he murmured, a silent path towards the library. To him, his sister was more important than his kingdom, those selfish wishes others wanted to obtain at any cost meant nothing when his sister had to suffer.

"A scale of the princess will make anyone fall in love with you!"

"A piece of her hair will heal any disease!"

"Rubbing her horns will give you good luck!"

"The princess is all we'll ever need!"

Suffering is a part of a human being's nature, why did they yearn to live a completely happy and enjoyable life?

He supposes that train of thought would be hypocritical, but he couldn't care less.

"Ah, prince! Good to see you" a familiar voice spoke to him, a purple haired man who had messy hair and extremely confusing clothes.

"Oh, Kamishiro..." a sigh "Have you found anything to...reverse the blessing?"

A silence, the purple haired man refused to stop smiling yet his eyes told the truth: nothing.

"Well well, let's not get discouraged my dear prince! I'm sure my dear familiar can find something of use" a gentle hand, guiding the blonde man to a pair of chairs nearby where they could both sit.

"The longer we take the less you can do to help my sister...I just hope we don't take too long"

A silent nod, both men reading the books that the sorcerer had previously summoned.

Their relationship was never meant to exist, really, even now the prince thinks of this as a weird turn of events: an illegal sorcerer with a familiar being friends with the prince of the Astrum kingdom could only exist in the universe of one of the blonde guy's theater plays. He wasnt really complaining about this, as much as he wouldve loved to meet the purple haired guy sitting besides him under different circumstances, he is still glad he obtained a new friendship.

A quick knocking on the door of the library was enough for both men to close the books and quickly hide the "contraband human".

"Prince Tenma, your training grounds are ready" a maid spoke, making the knight-in-training pick up his things quickly.

A silent nod was all the sorcerer needed to know he could go back to reading about the goddess of life and her so-called blessings.

Walking through the castle was always the prince's favorite way to freshen up, the sweet aroma of the flowers relaxed him, and whenever his sister was allowed to be outside he felt a little more at ease.

At least he knew the knight Hoshino would help her with whatever she needed.

_____________

Standing next to her best friend's door, knight Ichika Hoshino tried her very best not to sound sad whenever she had to answer Saki's unending questions about life as a "normal" girl.

"Wait, so Shii and Hona can eat outside daily?!" Her surprise was both amusing and depressing. A small laugh came of the dark haired girl as she waited for the young princess to finish braiding her hair, as she insisted on doing it herself this time.

"Yeah, but I don't think either of them goes out daily, specially not Shiho" she said, thinking back on the ammount of times she'd accidentally stumbled upon Honami buying desserts.

"What?! How could anyone let that opportunity pass them by?! That's just insane!" The princess turned around, she almost looked offended by the sole idea of not going out daily if you have the chance.

"Well, if you asked me..." she slowly approached the girl sitting at her mirror, her hands reaching for the girl's face as soon as she was close enough.

"I'd give up anything if it means I get to spend more time with you"

A gentle hand brushed the princess's red cheek, at least this was a way of making her look less pale?

"Ichi, stop it! You'll make me blush and people will wonder what happened..." she tried looking away, using her braids as an excuse to not look at the short haired girl's eyes. The knight simply let out a kind laugh and left a soft kiss on the princess's cheek, returning to her spot next to the door right after.

"Well, they can't separate us anyway, why aren't you a bit selfish?" She asked, knowing she'd get the same answer she had been getting for the past year.

“I can't be selfish, everyone does so much for me already!” She turned around in her wheelchair, slowly approaching her best friend before letting a heavy sigh out of her.

“Let's do this” was all the knight needed to hear to open the door. A new day meant less life for the princess, but it didn’t matter, she was happy she was sometimes allowed to go outside.

_____

The day went by uneventfully, it was surprising that no one had tried rubbing the princess's horns for once, and thankfully they had made it safely to the market.

“Do you think Hona will be buying apple pies here?” The princess asked as she got wheeled through the market's stalls slowly.

“Maybe, although i think she was busy attending some family matters today” the knight spoke, looking through the stalls herself in hopes of getting something from her favorite goddess.

“Ichi, look!” The blonde girl pointed at a book on top of a table. The title read “Tales of the sky”

“How much is the book, good sir?” The knight asked before the princess could say another word. It was obvious she wanted it, the knight knew her better than most people.

“Twenty asters, young lady” the old man spoke gently, his right hand shaking as he grabbed the book to hand it over, taking the girl's money carefully.

“You don't have to buy everything I like, you know…” The princess whispered, embarrassed to be spoiled by her knight. Truthfully, she would've complained more had it been someone else, but because it was Ichika she could barely hide her blush.

“Well, you love the stories of the gods thanks to me, it's only fair I feed your addiction” a soft smile was on the knight's face. Buying the princess a book was the least of the things the knight did for her, going as far as to buy her flowers weekly, each bouquet meaning something special.

After that, the way back home was mostly silent as the princess read her book, some quiet laughs were spontaneously heard from the girl with horns, making the knight smile in return.

While the princess was usually ordered to stay in her room, the knight decided that the day had been tough enough for her to deserve a bit of rest at the castle's garden.

“Say, Saki…why is it that you love the gods so much?” Ichika asked, sincerity clear in her words. The princess simply closed her book and looked around the garden for some seconds before speaking.

“I just think… the goddess of life might have been a bit cruel with me, yet” a small pause, the princess made sure to collect her words carefully. “she was once in love too, and that was taken from her. Had that been me… I'm sure I would do something similar”

“Your heart is kind, Saki, I do not think you'd be capable of blessing someone the way that goddess did to you” Ichika spoke firmly, a gentle smile appearing on her face. Her princess was a kind and gentle person, she doubts there was any way she'd do something as atrocious as cursing someone.

“If they took you from me… I'd do anything to talk to you again”

Barely above a whisper, the princess allowed herself to be selfish. There were no words needed from the knight, the princess knew the dark haired girl understood her words: a silent declaration of love and devotion far bigger than what anyone could ever say.

“Princess Saki?” A maid interrupted the silence filling the garden, both girls simply turned their heads around.

“Your father has requested you go to your room immediately. He insists you rest for tomorrow” The maid's solemn expression told both girls everything.

“Alright… Ichi, will you help me up?” the princess spoke, turning to face her knight, who simply picked the blonde girl from the chair in a bridal style carry and walked upstairs to the princess's room as the maid took the wheelchair with her.

_______

It's Tsukasa's turn to guard his sister's room.

Every week, knight Hoshino and prince Tenma would switch their places of guarding, and the prince always made sure to prepare fun things for his sister to know about

This night, however, the princess fell asleep earlier than usual, likely a side effect of her diminishing health.

The cold nights of the Astrum kingdom never failed to remind Tsukasa of the horrible situation his sister was in: a body once filled with warmth was now slowly decaying because of the selfishness of others. How cruel.

Approaching his sister's bed, he kneeled down and held her hand with both of his, gently kissing the back of the scale filled hand, before whispering something to himself.

“I promise I'll find a cure soon, just wait a little longer… Rui wouldn't fail me”

Chapter Text

A couple of days had passed since the last night the princess and the knight had spent together, and the pink haired girl missed the cuddles and kisses she shared with her beloved.

Still, the knight knew she had to keep up with her job correctly if she didn’t want to be taken away from her and replaced by someone else, which meant spending a lot of time training to still be the most qualified knight. Everything was worth it for her princess, and it wasn’t like being on top was too difficult when she had some anger to let out to the exact people she was training with, only knight Yoisaki was nice to her.

“Oh, Akiyama, good morning” A gentle voice spoke to the pink haired girl, the smell of a kind tea filling her nose as she realized who had approached her.

“Ah, Yoisaki, it’s good to see you!” The girl spoke, looking at the tray in the white haired girl’s hands. “Do you need help with that?”

“No, it’s okay” the older knight said, gently sitting down next to the pink haired girl.

The personal garden the princess owned was definitely the best one in the castle, but Mizuki couldn’t deny just how pretty the regular garden where most knights spent their free time was. The multitude of flowers filled the air with a sweet and relaxing aroma that anyone would enjoy, and the shade the trees gave was an amazing spot to rest at.

For Mizuki, however, her favorite spot was none of those. Instead, hidden inside the maze of roses was a secret passage that led to a small pond with a weeping willow tree growing alongside, one that only the royal family could reach back when she was a kid; the royal family and her of course. This was the beginning of her own story, the start of the tale she shared with both royal siblings. The princess didn’t seem to remember much of the youngest Akiyama who, at the time, had no courage to show herself as who she was and hid with the roses away from the wandering rumors the rest of the maids had of her and her family.

“I still wonder how you managed to find this place…it would’ve taken me at least a day to get here” the knight said, bringing back to reality the other girl. Both were sitting under the shadow of the willow tree, their weapons laying in the grass as both girls admired the blue sky and the nature that surrounded them.

The quietness of the place put everyone at ease, and both knights had kept this place a secret from everyone else: only the royal family, a couple of maids and these two knights had the knowledge necessary to access the secret area of the garden.

“It’s a secret only I get to know~” the knight said, untying her ponytail and letting her blue ribbon next to her. “Hey, you’ve been getting better with the defense, pretty soon you could take up my spot as the princess’s personal guard y'know” Taking one of the teacups in the silver tray, Mizuki carefully drank the liquid; not too cold nor too hot, Yoisaki was always very considerate.

“I highly doubt it…the princess looks quite attached to you, almost in love I’d say” The white haired girl spoke, taking a sip of her own teacup while her friend nearly choked on hers.

“Why don’t we talk more about your kingdom?” putting her teacup down, Mizuki covered her mouth with her right hand as she tried to recover from the words of her friend. Had she heard the rumors going around? That would mean they’re spreading far faster than either of the girls thought.

“Bass Sonis? It was a beautiful land really…I just wish the curse of the hermit didn’t expand” the white haired knight spoke, a quiet sadness in her voice could be heard, but the undeniable love she had for her kingdom was clearly in her words.

“Right, that’s the curse of death right?” It was Mizuki’s turn to speak, taking a sip of her tea after doing so, looking curiously at the girl sitting besides her, who gave a heavy sigh as her eyes filled with an indescribable feeling and softness.

“Yes, it is widely known like that…but it’s not truly a curse” she said, extending her right arm towards the sky in an attempt to cover the rays of sunlight that peeked through the leaves of the tree.

“You see, the effects of the hermit exist mostly because of the people around them rather than the hermit themselves” She took her teacup back into her hands, looking at it for a moment before speaking again.

“If the people believe a hermit will kill their children, they will see illness everywhere, unconsciously making their child sick. The same applies to most things that surround them” The knight said, a soft smile on her lips as she remembered the beautiful days in her kingdom.

“I wish I could go back…before my mother fell ill, I mean”

The rustling leaves of the trees and bushes as well as the silent sound of the water rushing nearby was the only company the two girls had, and it seemed to comfort the both of them when moments like this one happened. An arm on the back of the white haired girl took her out of her thoughts, realizing her friend smiled gently at her.

“Hopefully one day your wishes will come true, and when that happens…” The knight stood up, letting her pink hair be moved by the wind as she put her hands on her hips “you better show me all of it!”

“...I’d like that” A kind smile appeared on the white haired girl’s face, standing up herself and taking the silver tray with the teacups with her.

“We should get back to training, we wouldn’t want to have to work extra hours” Mizuki spoke, tying her hair back into the ponytail it was before. Her friend simply sighed, exhausted simply by the idea of training more, getting a laugh out of Mizuki.

“Hey, why do we keep calling each other by our last names?” The pink haired girl said, climbing back up into the maze as she opened the passage for her friend.

“I’m…not sure, actually” a soft laugh emerged from her mouth “You can call me Kanade from now on, hopefully you don’t mind that I call you Mizuki”

“Of course not! We’re friends, aren’t we?”

Silence.

Suddenly, Mizuki realized what she had said. Friends? Were they really friends or were they just close teammates?

Her smile faltered ever so slightly, ashamed of thinking she could be friends with anyone. She had learned this lesson before, she should’ve kept her mouth shut, she should’ve never mentioned the forbidden word to begin with, she should’ve—

“Yes. We are friends”

Four simple words that made Mizuki’s world lighten up immediately. She was sure this couldn’t last, but god would she appreciate every second of their friendship now that she knew it truly existed.

_____

Training started as usual: divided into pairs, each knight would have to practice fighting with one another.

Mizuki was usually very good at this, her confidence didn’t falter once during her training. But today was different.

Ever since leaving the garden, the pink haired guard had felt this particular sensation of being observed, a worse sensation than she had ever felt before whenever she walked around the castle by herself, which had led her to make a couple of mistakes. Nothing big really, but definitely a couple of missed steps that could’ve been fatal if she hadn’t realized them sooner.

“Akiyama, are you okay?” The knight she had been paired up with asked, genuine concern in her voice. This type of loose training wasn’t the usual for the best knight of the castle, everyone could know that much, so it was normal to worry for her well being.

“Yeah, I’m just a little tired but we can keep going, now bring it on!” Mizuki said, smiling widely as she positioned herself to attack once more.

She wasn’t even two attacks in when she felt the effects of something reach her leg, twisting it awkwardly causing her to lose her balance. The knight she had been training with apparently didn’t realize just how close her sword had been to the pink haired girl’s right left arm, or maybe she did it on purpose, but the important part was now Mizuki had a clean deep cut on her arm, bleeding profusely, and a twisted ankle.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry Akiyama!” The girl quickly let her sword on the ground, covering her mouth with both hands as she realized how grave her mistake had been. The rest of the knights stopped their training as well once they realized something had occurred. The steps of another pair of knights approached her quickly, helping her up and helping her wound stop bleeding.

“We need to take you to the maids.” Kanade said softly, making Mizuki look down to the floor.

She was almost sure she had been sabotaged by someone, but who exactly was it?

Whoever it had been, Mizuki would take care of them later, right now she made sure to get with the nurses as fast as she could, and with the help of her teammates she managed to reach it easily.

“Thanks guys…I seriously don’t know what happened” Mizuki said, sitting on one of the additional beds the nurses kept in their rooms.

“Don’t sweat it Mizuki, right now just make sure you’re okay” One of the youngest guards said, her enthusiasm showing in her voice.

“I’m here, I’m here! Everyone get out for treatment!” A maid with short orange hair shooed every other guard away from the room quickly, not allowing Mizuki to say another word to any of them.

“Alright, Akiyama, I’ll disinfect your wound before the princess arrives and tries to help” The maid said, scrambling quickly for the materials she needed in order to do exactly what she wanted to do.

Mizuki was already exhausted, getting hurt would only bring more problems, not just for her but Ena as well.

She really hoped the brunette wouldn’t be too worried about her.

_____

Taking care of wounds seems to be an area of expertise for this maid, at least that’s what Mizuki thinks with how fast she got things done. Had she worked as a nurse before?

A sudden knock on the door took Mizuki away from her thoughts, she knew exactly who this was.

“Mizuki! What happened? Are you okay? Please tell me you didn’t overwork yourself and ended up hurt” the princess hurried inside when the maid opened the door, immediately going to check the knight’s arm and her swollen ankle trying her best to understand what had happened.

“I’m fine Ena, you don't’ have to worry, I just made a silly mistake”

“This is a silly mistake to you?! How can you say that so calmly?! You got hurt, and it could’ve been worse!” Ena said, anger clearly visible in her face. “You’re lucky it was just a cut, things could've ended worse, and if that was the case— if that had been the case, how would I…”

Ena had started to ramble now, thinking of all the possible ways this “silly mistake” could’ve gone wrong. Mizuki sighed, grabbing the brunette’s face with her left hand, carefully turning her head so they could see each other face to face.

“Hey, I’m alright” A gentle smile appeared on Mizuki’s lips, trying her best to convince Ena not to worry.

Bad idea.

“Ugh, you have to be more careful! I want to have my knight, the one I chose!” The princess had gone from worried to angry, and Mizuki didn’t exactly know if this was a good or a bad thing.

“Aw, how sweet Enanan! Don’t worry, I won’t let anyone take my place” Mizuki said, smiling widely as she tried making fun of the brunette.

“Actually…” The maid spoke “I think it’d be best for you to rest for the following days, you need to let the swelling go down”

“Thanks Minori, this idiot likely would’ve gone back to training immediately” Ena turned to see the maid, a look of gratitude in her eyes.

“Are you saying I can’t guard your room…?” The knight’s words almost broke the princess’s heart in half, but she knew it was something that would benefit both of them in the end.

Still, neither of them wanted to be separated from the other more than they already were.

“Yes…I’m sorry, but you’ll need to avoid all physical activities that could further injure your ankle” Minori spoke, an apologetic tone in her voice as she smiled to both girls.

“Ugh…These things never happen to me, I could swear someone sabotaged me”

“Whatever it was, you need rest” A quick kiss on the cheek of the pink haired girl brought her back from the spiral of possible people who would like to take her place.

“Ah…I-” The knight blushed, not expecting the kiss from her beloved princess.

“Let me ask Yoisaki to bring you to your room, she could help Minori guard my door at night if that would make you more comfortable too” The princess spoke, smiling gently at her knight trying to reassure her everything would be fine-

“Yeah…That sounds like a good plan”

_____

The first night not taking care of the princess was almost torture for Mizuki. Having to sleep next to people who not only didn’t understand her but also preferred to keep her away was her least favorite thing.

Add to that the fact that her only true friend in the headquarters was away taking care of her beloved brunette. What a fun couple of days these would be.

On the good side, Minori and the rest of the nurses said the injury wasn’t too bad and she would be back to work in two or three days after the incident.

She was waiting eagerly for that day, talking to the princess whenever she had the time to go visit the garden, hoping that the brunette’s safety would be intact. Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that someone had sabotaged her the day she got hurt.

Whatever, it was time to drink tea with the princess in the secret spot only a few knew of, and she was already quite excited for it.

“How are you feeling?” Ena spoke, sitting down next to the knight.

Mizuki wasn’t wearing her uniform, there was no need to do so when she wasn’t on duty, but she kept her signature ponytail with the blue ribbon tied on her head.

“Perfectly fine! I just miss my dear princess” The pink haired girl spoke, leaning on the brunette’s shoulder. The princess gently laughed as she hugged the knight with one hand, rubbing circles on her back.

“Just two more days, we can do it” Ena said calmly, leaning on her knight too.

“I have to admit, knowing you’re not at my door protecting me…” the princess paused, holding the other girl’s face in her free hand to make her look at her.

“It’s a little lonely at nights, hopefully you can recover soon enough” The princess’s words were just above a whisper, slowly closing the distance between both girls until they were almost about to kiss.

“Uh…w-well, we’ll have enough time for your wishes, your majesty” The knight tried her best to fight back, but her clear blush was giving away just how embarrassed she was. This only served to fuel the actions the princess was taking.

“Hm…really? I’ve never been good at waiting, so I might just steal a kiss the next time I see you” The princess smiled, as embarrassed as she might’ve been she enjoyed the flustered look in her beloved knight’s face far more, seeing her so weak for her was something the brunette loved.

“W-wait, but what if—” The thoughts flooded into the pink haired girl’s mind, the rumors, the possible punishment the king and queen would have for both of them, it all scared the knight…but even she had to admit if the princess acted on her words, she would definitely not complain.

Still, before her thoughts took over her body and mind entirely, the princess had already joined their lips into a soft and loving kiss, one the knight almost immediately melted into. She had missed the sensation of soft lips against her own, and she was so glad she could still feel them.

“I think that’s enough for today” the princess said after breaking apart the kiss, trying her best to hide how flustered she was.

“Eh? But I wanted more!” The knight almost looked like a kid whose candy had been taken away from them. This made the princess laugh, which made the knight soften.

She loved seeing her princess laugh, she loved how sweet her smile was and how full of emotion her eyes always were. She wished there was a way to marry this girl.

_____

That night, the princess was followed to her room by her temporary knight and maid. Truth be told, her temporary knight was really kind but rather quiet, she liked the silence sometimes, but during the last couple of nights the brunette had felt observed by someone else.

Whatever, it was likely just her fears acting up in some weird way.

Preparing herself to bed with the help of her maid, Ena untied her braid and left the ribbon on her vanity. Looking into the mirror, the brunette realized she was, in fact, not alone in her room.

“Hello princess” An ominous shadow spoke, the only visible thing were her purple eyes. Who was this person and what did they want from her?

“Wha- Kni—!” Before the princess could yell out for her knights, the shadow raised her left hand and threw a spell to the girl. Whatever that spell was, it made the princess’s words die on her throat, now she truly was scared. How did that person even get into her room?

“I intend to do no harm, I’m actually here because the smell of love attracted me to this castle” The witch explained, motioning her left hand while she talked in an attempt to look friendlier.

“I know there is a special someone who has stolen your heart, princess, and I can make your wishes come true” Ena looked skeptical, there was no way something like this wasn’t a trap of some sort.

“This is no trap princess, I just wish to make your life better” the witch said, a gentle hand brushing the brown hair of the girl. “I know you had a fight with your father today, the king really could use some discipline, right?”

That was true, Ena had fought with her dad again. He insisted she had to attend classes on how to be a proper lady, a princess worthy of being a queen, but Ena didn’t want that. She didn’t ask to be born as a princess, was it too hard to understand her heart had devoted itself to art just as her father’s had done once in the past?

Ena thought for a moment, whatever this witch wanted came with a price even if it wasn’t a trap. How could she be sure she wanted this?

“I’ll make it simple: with this blessing you can be forever with that knight with pink hair…” she motioned both hands this time, creating small illusions in front of the princess that resembled her and the knight dancing happily in her garden.

“and you can keep doing art forever.”

That last sentence was intriguing, yet she felt slightly offended by the implication that she would need some sort of magical miracle to live off her dreams.

“I’ll answer any questions you have as long as you don’t call the knights” the brunette nodded, feeling her throat clear up and finally being able to talk.

“Do you think I’m some sort of idiot? I don’t need the help of a witch to make my art valuable, I know I have the talent for this” Ena said, crossing her arms as she looked into the purple eyes of the figure standing next to her.

“Oh but of course not! I would never dare insult your highness’s art” the witch said, kneeling in front of her quickly. “All I’m saying is your dad won’t pester you again, think of this more as a…change on your surroundings.” The witch smiled.

Ena would like a change on her surroundings, specially with how hard days were from time to time, without her brother around things were practical hell on earth.

“So, do we have a deal?” The witch stretched out her right hand, a blue aura surrounding it. Ena thought about it for a moment.

This change would mean more people would accept her and Mizuki, which meant there was a possibility they could live happily ever after.

Maybe it was the lack of sleep, maybe it was the first spell having some side effects, but for whatever reason, the princess made up her mind quite fast.

“All I ask is you don’t change Mizuki” She said, taking the handshake.

“Oh don’t worry” the witch spoke, pulling the princess near her with her right hand “My magic could never change her”

With a quick movement of her left hand, the witch put a spell on the princess that quickly knocked her unconscious, and disappeared into the night with a purple light surrounding her.

“Sweet dreams princess”

Chapter Text

Silence.

Was that a thing Mizuki was used to?

The answer was yes. Mizuki was an old friend to silence and loneliness, as much as she’d love to not be. Still, her life had gotten a thousand times better ever since she had been assigned as the princess’s personal knight. Spending time with the brunette was always a mood lifter, it was a relaxing activity the pink haired knight always looked forward to during her training and the end of the day, even when it was work related.

So then, why was she having this dream again?

Walking in an empty place that seemed to be infinite, decorated with randomly placed structures that resembled something broken, Mizuki reached a new area, one she had never seen before: a lake.

The silence of the place, the calm waters that didn’t move even one millimeter, the dim light shining in the lonely area. Someone else might’ve found the place to be very comforting, and sure, it was a place that had tempted Mizuki before, but in this very moment, the pink haired girl felt a threat coming.

As she leaned over the river to observe if there was anything inside, she saw it: a subtle purple light shining at the bottom of the lake. Moments after, she could hear a voice, a scream, a familiar sound she wished she hadn’t heard.

“Ena?” She asked, the sound of the brunette’s voice getting muffled by the water. Deep inside, Mizuki knew she wouldn’t receive any answers, and she certainly knew her beloved princess wasn’t trapped underwater, but a part of her wanted to make sure the girl was alright, get an answer that said “I’m fine!”

Instead, all she got was a light shining even brighter, the sound of an unknown laugh, and then…silence.

The knight was desperate, she wanted to go inside the lake and swim towards the light, she wanted to reach her princess and protect her, not because it was her job, but because she was truly worried.

But her body didn’t react.

“Mizuki!”

The feeling of two hands aggressively shaking her and the loud yells a girl let out of her mouth was enough to let the knight wake up.

“Wha—Is everything okay, Minori?” Mizuki asked, barely awake enough to understand what was going on or realize everyone was looking at her.

“The princess…she won’t let anyone enter her room, we hoped you could convince her to let you in” Kanade spoke, the knight seemed worried about something but her gentle smile still appeared in her face.

“Uh…sure? Let me just—” Mizuki had no time to say anything else before she was dragged by a couple of knights right towards the princess’s room, handling the poor knight almost like an unbreakable toy.

“Woah! Wait up, I just woke up!” The maids following right behind the group of people seemed to be entertained by the entire interaction, and although Mizuki would’ve loved to enjoy it too, she was far too worried about the brunette. Had something happened to her?

Quickly, the knights reached the princess’s front door, everyone taking a step back as they let Mizuki knock on the door. Before she did, the knight looked back to the rest of the people and shooed them away, knowing the princess likely didn’t want anyone outside her room trying to hear whatever they’d talk about.

“Hey…can I come in?” No need for names or fancy titles, just the gentle voice of the knight and the soft knocking on the door was enough for it to open.

As soon as Mizuki entered, she realized something was very wrong. The curtains were closed, allowing only a small ray of sunlight to pass through, and the entire room was a mess; pillows all over the place, brushes and paint scattered across the floor, and the princess…she was wrapped in blankets and bed sheets, fully covering herself.

Closing the door behind her, Mizuki took quiet steps towards the girl, trying her best not to trip over anything or step in anything. Soon enough she was by the princess’s side, sitting in bed next to her as she just looked at the brunette. What had happened?

“I’m sorry…” a quiet sob came from the brunette, her body starting to shake as the tears fell from her face.

“Hey, no don’t apologize” Mizuki was quick to answer, rubbing her hand against the back of the princess.

They stayed like that for a good minute or so, the knight trying to let the princess calm down with gentle rubs and an attempt at comfortable silence.

“I was weak, and now—now I’ve fucked up everything!” Ena said, tightening the blankets around herself as more tears fell down, this time from anger.

“I knew I shouldn't have trusted, I knew it but it just—”

“Ena, what are you talking about?” Mizuki tried her best to get a better look at the girl’s face, not understanding what was going on.

“This! This is what happened!” The girl let the blankets that covered her body fall, letting her appearance show.

It all made sense now: the girl had started growing a pair of horns.

“The…hermit?” Mizuki managed to get out, her voice loud as a whisper as she processed what the brunette now had transformed into.

“I know, I know! I was an idiot and-and I shouldn’t have accepted the deal but…!” Ena’s eyes flooded with tears, her face turning redder by the second as she paced around her room, carelessly stepping on sketches, paint, brushes, and even clothes.

The pink haired knight didn’t know what to say, the hermit was a myth that had no real origin story, and although it is unpredictable if or when it’ll come to each kingdom, hearing one a couple of years after the fall of Bass Sonis was definitely in the “rare” category of things.

“We-we’ll figure something out!” Mizuki said, trying her best to comfort the princess, hugging her in an attempt to bring comfort. But how can one bring comfort to the person who would now destroy their own kingdom?

“You should leave, tell the rest of what I’ve become, dying would—” Ena sniffled, cleaning her eyes with one of her hands as she rested her head on the knight’s chest.

“No, I will not let you die” A quiet voice spoke, seriousness and fear clear in her words.

Silence filled the room, the princess looked at the knight, eyes wide open and her brows furrowed in clear confusion: why wouldn’t she? It was better for everyone, the hermit was known to bring misfortune everywhere they went.

“What are you—”

“I’m saying I’ll stay here, I won't let this…curse affect anything” Mizuki said, a dedication she had never felt rising in her chest.

Ena was the first ever person to approach her when both were little, and ever since that day Mizuki had sworn to herself she’d do anything to be by her side. No matter what came in her path, how many times Mizuki found her clothes torn, how many times she had wanted to quit, it all meant nothing when she saw the princess smile at her again. When the princess complimented her hair for the first time, when the princess had asked her personally to be a model for her art, when all those things happened, Mizuki knew she had found the only place she ever wanted to be in.

This curse was not going to stop Mizuki, this curse only served as a reminder of the thing the knight had wanted to do for so long.

“We can run away, just the two of us somewhere no one can find us” She spat out, trying her best not to let more of her fear show.

It took a couple of minutes for Ena to say something. Usually, she’d decline the idea as soon as it was mentioned, does this mean she was thinking about it seriously?

Could the knight and the princess live happily ever after together?

“We can do it, but…you need to let me prepare” the brunette dried her tears and looked at the knight, a mix of emotions on her face that the pink haired girl couldn’t quite comprehend.

“But when we do, you’ll be in charge of everything” Ena finally spoke again, a soft smile on her face.

“Of course” Mizuki’s voice was soft, kind, just an attempt to get the princess to not focus on her problems.

_______

Some time had gone by since the princess had gotten cursed, and it was getting increasingly harder to keep this a secret.

Rumors started spreading like wildfire: the most popular at first was the one about the princess getting pregnant, and when enough time passed and no one noticed any baby around people started saying she was slowly going insane. Both of those rumors had made Ena’s blood boil, but there was a flip side to this as every pre-existing rumor about her beloved knight had been old history for every nosy and annoying person that crossed their paths.

Collecting clothes, selling some precious jewels and gifts from princes that wanted her attention in the past, Ena had only allowed her personal knight to enter her room for the past 24 months as they both prepared a life outside the kingdom.

But even if you run away, your problems won’t just disappear, and this was proven to Ena the day a letter slipped under her room’s door.

An envelope with an address from…the Astrum kingdom?

Upon opening the letter, Ena knew this was her brother’s doing, and suddenly everything fell silent.

“Dear sister,

As of late, both lady Momoi and I have been worried about your health and whereabouts, most of the kingdom seems to think you’ve suddenly disappeared inside the castle while the other spreads…unlikely rumors. Still, our worries have only grown these past two years, and although we hope your knight is keeping you safe we’d like a direct update from you.

In other news, I wanted to say your sacrifice was not in vain as my knight training in Astrum has been proven to be fruitful, I have been ascended to second in command for knight and prince Tsukasa Tenma. Do you remember him? I believe his family once made negotiations with us back when we were kids and both of them were far too energetic for us.

Adding onto that, Toya has been very successful in his flower shop with lady Shiraishi. Hopefully one day you can come visit us, maybe buy some flowers from them? I think Lady Shiraishi would be rather happy to see you, she’s a big fan of my older sister.

Forever grateful for your sacrifice and with love, your older brother.

Akito S.”

This letter could not have come at a worse moment. Mizuki and her were just a week away until their departure, they had routes planned where no one would find them and her bags had already been carried off to a special place her knight had prepared.

But if she runs away now, they’ll go looking for her brother.

Ena touched her horns, a reminder of the curse she now bore. She covered her body with cloaks and fancy fabrics to hide away what she was now.

A soft knocking on the door woke Ena up from her thoughts, letting out a low “come in” while still turned away. She knew it was Mizuki, there was no need to ask.

The pink haired girl made sure to close the door as she stepped inside the princess's room, hugging the girl from behind.

“Are you ready?”

Silence. The brunette didn't say a word nor did she hug back her knight.

“...We can wait more if you want, you know I—”

“No. We're leaving tonight”

Ena’s words were clear, she was angry and sad yet she had made her choice long ago. They had to leave.

Turning around to hug Mizuki correctly, Ena placed her head on the pink haired girl's chest in an attempt to calm down, crumbling up the letter still in her right hand.

“Sometimes I think we switched roles” Mizuki said, letting out a laugh as she gently played with the brunette's hair.

“How so?” Ena asked, curious to hear her knight's words.

“You're always so…direct, so forward with anything and everything. It's part of what made me fall for you”

A comfortable silence spread across the room. The sudden coldness Ena had been feeling disappeared as the knight's words filled her heart with warmth.

“...That and how obsessed you were with me, of course!”

“I wasn't!” Ena retorted, angrily looking up at her beloved as she gently hit her chest with her left hand.

“Sure you were! Asking me to model for you constantly wasn't as sly as you think it was~” A soft finger placed itself on Ena's nose, quickly moving away as the whole hand landed on her cheek.

“You're insufferable, I'm staying” Ena said, turning away.

“Don't be so mean Enanan! What am I supposed to do without you?” Mizuki asked, laughing at the question.

Why would she ever need to be without Ena anyway? It was a stupid thing to ask.

______

Hours passed and the sun was setting. Mizuki made her way back from the princess's room with a couple of extra flowers from her garden. She wasn't the best with romantic gestures, but she knew the princess loved flowers.

Knocking gently on the door, Ena opened it quickly as Mizuki came in.

“What's—?” Before the princess had time to ask anything, the knight already had hugged her.

“Woah! What got into you, you cat?” No answer was received, but Ena could feel the smile on the lips of her knight’s face.

“I’m just…hopeful, I’ve wished for this day to happen for so long” The knight spoke in a whisper, tightening her hold on the princess.

The silence engulfed the room, it was a quiet warmth that both girls loved to be with, a silent love they had for the other for years, and this was the first time they’d be free.

Free from the expectations, free from the eyes and rumors of everyone around them, free from the critiques and disguised kindness, free from everyone and everything. And both girls wanted it to be true finally, ignoring the horrid fate one of them held now.

But the sound of a metal sword dropping to the ground scared both girls.

Weird, Mizuki never lets her sword fall, was it somehow Ena’s fault?

As both girls separated from the hug and looked around, they realized the sword wasn’t theirs, it was a new knight.

They stood around for some seconds, Mizuki took a step forward trying to protect Ena, but the new knight had no intention of attacking.

“A hermit!” Was all he screamed, fear clearly painted on the young man’s face as he stepped back in an attempt to run away. Suddenly, as Mizuki got ready to chase him, a cold fog covered the halls.

“What in the—?” Mizuko whispered, grabbing Ena’s arm with her left hand. When she felt the rigidness the brunette suddenly had, she realized where the fog had come from: Ena had somehow created it in an attempt to hide.

Before any of the two girls had time to say a single thing or explain anything, the boy had already run away, only his footsteps echoing through the cold and empty halls of the castle.

It didn’t take long for the cold fog to dissipate, and Ena finally looked at Mizuki.

They didn’t need any words to communicate, they both knew it:

Their plan was done for.