Chapter Text
The flowers were quite beautiful…Weren’t they?
All were assorted, and diverse.
Most were thriving. Though of course in all the sea of flowers, a few were looked past upon and neglected.
It wasn’t like Iki could express it though, she stopped talking when she was 4. Ever since then not once has she uttered a word. Of course that wasn’t entirely true, during those years she has said things.
Not that many knew.
Her parents tried everything of course, of course they would.
She was Princess Ikuko Nikalai Niko after all. The kingdom didn’t want a mute as their princess.
Neither did the King and Queen want one as their daughter.
They tried many things, sinister or not. It was their call after all, they were the ones who ruled, the ones who were feared.
They had the power, unlike Iki, she was nothing more than a pawn to them.
“Iki-chan, my darling!” They’d tend to call her when they needed anything.
It wasn’t like there was much she could do. It was she either obeyed them, or she received a punishment. Those punishments didn’t make that big of a difference, the bruises and scars only piled up more, it wasn’t anything new.
They never called her by her name, the name they had given to her so lovingly.
“Child of life” she was named. Yet she was so soon to be discarded. They were hypocrites.
The King and Queen.
They wanted commoners and folk to treat their children kindly, how violence to them should cease to exist, yet right after they’d turn and beat Iki.
They already had what they needed, an heir to the throne, Isamu, Iki’s older brother, and a princess who will help them gain connections, Junko, Iki’s younger sister.
They didn’t need Iki. She was nothing more than a thing to beat and toss around.
She endured the assault and beatings, for seven years until it all stopped one day. Iki remembered that day clearly, it was the day Junko died, at just seven years of age she was murdered.
That was the day they started caring for her as their daughter again.
“Princess Ikuko!” a cheery voice called, snapping her out of her reminiscence. The elegant Jubei-san was both her talker and her main lady-in-waiting.
Iki tilted her head in a sign of acknowledgment to Jubei-san’s calling.
“Ah! There you are! Ikuko-Sama, the King and Queen are looking for you. Come along Princess, they have summoned you. They are asking for your presence, and we mustn't make them wait, now would we?” Jubei-san gave her a look before ushering her out of the garden towards the King's drawing room.
Iki didn’t feel like seeing her parents at the moment.
Not when she kept recalling old memories that were far from pleasant.
Ikuko enters the King and Queen’s sitting room, standing awkwardly, fidgeting with the hem of her blouse.
“Iki-chan, my child,” The king says, “Come sit. We must have a talk.” He gestured for her to sit on the arm chair across from him and Ikuko’s mother.
Iki nods, sitting down on the seat stiffly, afraid to even slouch a bit.
“Honey,” The queen said, “Relax my dear, don’t be so stiff.”
Iki nodded, moving just barely an inch.
“Ikuko-chan, you’re at the age where you should be getting betrothed.” The queen said, giving her daughter a sentimental look.
It seemed the only time they wanted to use her name was when they wanted something of her.
“The kingdom is expecting that of the future Queen.” Iki’s fathers says.
Of course that was why they had summoned her, it was always because of that.
She was all the kingdom of Chigorime had left for an heir after all.
“No!” Ikuko wanted to shout, “I don’t want to be married! There is no boy I know that I will be willing to marry. I refuse to marry a stranger.”
Yet she wouldn’t, she wouldn’t waste all those years of silence, just for an inconvenience that she didn’t like.
Rather she stormed out of the room, it is an absolutely preposterous proposition, she will not be accepting.
She refuses.
“Young lady!” The king shouted, though to no avail she didn’t stop.
Ikuko flinches hard, her fingernails biting hard in her skin.
“I-I’m sorry. Sorry. I’m sorry.”
She blinked, tears pricking her eyes.
She was so pathetic.
Crying over such a small thing.
Jubei-san saw her storming out and was about to follow her, ready to call out to her, yet she didn’t, something stopped her.
She paid no mind to it, rather going where her legs took her.
She didn’t know where she was going until she arrived.
It was one of the gardens in the east wing, it was one of the more secluded places, not many people tended to it in the palace.
Really it was only Iki who really stepped foot into the garden.
It was her favorite garden.
There was a small pond, as well as a weeping willow, so pretty, near.
Ikuko loved to come here to write, or whenever she needed to cool down or concentrate.
She sat down at the trunk of the willow, curling in on herself.
What would her parents do for the way she had acted?
Would they punish her like they did when she was younger?
Looking up to the sky her vision blurred, surely there was somewhere in the world that had an answer for Ikuko.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw a moving white thing.
Iki looks down to see something bobbing in the pond.
Curiosity got the best of her, and without much thought she waded into the pond.
She wasn’t worrying much about her attire, since today she was just wearing a blouse and breeches, which she had many pairs of.
The water went up to her hips, for the thing was almost near the middle of the pond.
Picking it up it was a piece of shiny paper.
Walking onto the grass she studies it more closely.
It was a letter wrapped in plastic, and was connected to the string of a balloon which was now deflated.
Iki pulled the letter out to read it, though she was only half way through when she was interrupted.
The King and Queen walked towards her flanked by Jubei-san, and Ikuko’s guard..
Iki quickly sealed it back into the plastic, concealing in it her blouse.
The letter didn’t seem to be addressed to anyone in particular, though it was intended to reach someone.
She wasn’t able to fully see it though.
“Iki-chan! Why are you all wet!? You're going to get sick!” Ikuko’s mother screamed, “Jubei-san! Go get her a towel.”
She was quite harsh to the servants.
“Of course my queen.” Jubei-san said, running off to get Iki her much needed towel.
She was getting kinda cold. It was the middle of fall, so unfortunately it wasn’t the warmest of times. Seeing as the wind was strong.
Ikuko might catch a cold, though it was that big of a difference to her that much. It seemed to be a big deal to everyone else.
Jubei-san comes back 2 minutes later with a big fluffy towel, and wraps her up in it.
After a while of tense silence, King Reio cleared his throat, “Iki-chan, my darling, I apologize for bringing up marriage to you so suddenly, I know how that doesn’t seem appealing to you. But one day you’ll have to accept it. You’re the kingdom's heir.”
Again with this. Though Iki understood what her parents were getting at.
She nodded, bowing her head.
Queen Oumi smiled, hugging her daughter. “Come along now! Let’s get you changed into a more fitting outfit.”
If only Princess Ikuko knew to not so easily trust them.
If only she picked up on how everyone was acting.
