Chapter Text
Once upon a time, in a land across the ocean, a baby princess was born. Her birth should have brought joy to many. However, on that day none could have foretold what the King would say...
"What kind of a baby is this? Look at those wrinkles, those eyes! She's completely average!"
The King apparently did not know that all newborn children looked as such. Highly disappointed, he waved the babe away and blamed his genetics. As one of the relatives of Prince Ah-vur-Ahj (Average), he supposed it wasn't unreasonable.
He held no love for an unpretty daughter, however.
Growing up, Princess Annaliese was put into all sorts of "beautification" rituals. There was no effort spared on her poor mother's part, as she tried to convince her husband that Annaliese was decidedly "not average". After all, years of trying ended in disappointment. They could no longer bear any more children.
When Annaliese was at the tender age of 13, her mother died. Although she had been healthy in the year of Annaliese's birth, she had steadily been getting weaker and weaker. Before she died, she had one thing to say to her daughter.
"You are the best princess," she sighed. "The most wonderful. I could not have been any less blessed to have you as my daughter."
Annaliese was sure her mother was trying to make her feel better, so she kept quiet.
When she cried after the funeral, safely hidden in her quarters, she thought that it was good her mother was gone now. Her mother always tried and did comfort her... but there was no one who could love and care for her mother. Not in the capacity her mother wanted or needed.
Time passed as it pleased, and the King decided to go across the water once more, back to his homeland.
A place Annaliese had only heard of, but never seen with her own eyes.
The Fairy Tale Islands.
Well, not exactly.
My father, King Absalom of the Sequin Colonies Beyond the Water, was once known as Second Prince Absalom of the Pearl Kingdom.
The Pearl Kingdom was part of a series of different Kingdoms, all of which made up the country they all unanimously called Fairy Tale Island.
How else did you suppose that that many princesses and princes existed all in one place without trying to take over each others land?
Because Absalom was young and ambitious, he went beyond the water to rule over a colony. This colony was like the backend of a dirty river when he had first come. Seeing it as it is now, it is no wonder the citizens are content.
My royal tutor from the mainland had told me from beyond his high nose that my father had improved it by leaps and bounds.
However it might have been a "colony" in name, it was truly Absalom's kingdom in his own right. There might have been homage and lip-service paid, but everything in the Sequin Colonies was owned by my father. He was a thorough man, when he wanted to be.
I had a status nearly like one of a princess.
My father... was a great man to many people. And I once thought the same.
I didn't think that even great men would have weaknesses, and so, I never expected that he would want to leave the place my mother died. Where the woman he used to love rested.
He would respect her memory this much wouldn't he? I had thought to myself. Oh how the times have changed.
But perhaps his daily tirade of my face never improving to look like my mother's face should have let me on to it. My father had one weakness, and that was beauty.
Two years after the passing of my Mother, fifteen-year old Annaliese would figure it out.
Father would have continued to rule the Sequin Colonies until the end of his days, if not for the calling of his homeland, the Pearl Kingdom. Or at least, that was my assumption.
My father, having single-handedly increased the economy of the Sequin Colonies, was called (pleaded) to become a regent at the death of his brother.
My uncle had been careless. At least, that was my opinion. Otherwise, how could he have died without a true heir?
There was trouble in finding a proper heir, and in an effort to not have Prince Average as the next nearest heir in line for the land of the Pearl Kingdom—
Well. My "ambitious" father could not say no to such an offer now could he?
He agreed.
Fifteen year-old Annaliese was very much against moving back. At the time, it was too soon for me to leave my mother's grave unattended. I had thought it too soon for my father as well.
Father left me for a total of 7 months in the capital when a new summons came. The King had found a new woman to wed and Princess Annaliese was required to attend.
That, my friends, was the beginning of all the trouble...
On the wedding day, the woman seemed nice enough. Of course, I wasn't looking for a new mother; no one could replace her after all. But I had hoped my father would be able to have something else apart from... well work and me to focus on.
Who knew that this, beautiful, incredibly stylish lady, had a daughter of her own? And that this daughter was as beautiful and incredibly stylish as she was?
The fact was, Father very much liked them.
The whole castle in the Pearl Kingdom liked them.
So I could not understand then why they had developed an attitude towards my existence. They were well-liked, and they had all the prestige they could possibly want. Now that Father was king, anyway.
Then again, I was officially of First Princess status. And, the idea that I would be inheriting things they would not must have partly been an incentive.
It started with the parties.
My new step-mother needled father into letting her bring me along to "tea-parties" and "societies" with the purpose of being more connected with the mainland nobility.
He considered it helping me. She considered it opportunities to not teach and help me.
I commited many a faux pas. I was going on sixteen, homesick and tired, and I missed understanding things. At least in the colonies, things weren't like this.
Whispers trailed my path.
Uncouth.
Backwards.
Look at that face! Poor child, she won't be able to find a husband easily.
Clearly whoever raised her had no idea what they were doing!
Society was looking at someone in the face and being civil while turning around and saying the worst possible things.
It was terrible.
My father's new wife propagated many of the rumors, on the pretense that I was very dumb and would not figure it out. I was not. I just couldn't muster up the will to care.
My father's new daughter was incredibly sharp at ostracizing me, totally defeating the purpose of even going to these social events.
I didn't even know if Father knew what his new wife was saying about my mother.
At some point, I had given up in between his selective hearing and the weariness I felt in my bones. In that first year of being the new and unfamiliar princess, I had spent most of it hiding in hedges of gardens.
There was always a certain time given to the exercise of "walking" and walk I did. I walked and I hid. Sometimes, I cried.
The one time I had been caught was the first time I felt true connection on the mainland.
"So I guess you're new to these kinds of events huh,"
I felt my face flush. I didn't think I would be caught in a place this hidden. Embarrassed, I buried my face into my arms longer.
"Hey, it's alright," the voice continued soothingly. "I'm not here to judge. Ah... I used to come here too. Kind of my favorite hiding spot. Think you've got room to share?"
I bit my lip. This was so embarrassing. I couldn't bear to let my tear streaks be made known, so I shuffled sideways a bit more.
Unexpectedly, a warmth comfortably pressed against my side. I blinked and looked up to see a girl with the softest smile and most beautiful eyes.
She looked at me for a minute before rummaging through her skirt. She slowly pulled out a handkerchief.
"I hope you don't mind," she said with a small laugh. "It's clean. A little bit rumpled but, it should do the trick."
"Um. Thanks." I said lamely. As she passed the cloth to me, I could feel how soft her palms were and how warm.
I remember that she reminded me of my own mother.
"I don't usually like attending balls," she chatted, seemingly comfortable with me. Who was feeling supremely awkward. "But Papa wants me to get along with more people."
Compelled by the need to reply and the realisation I could, in fact, say something of substance I said, "you and me both."
"Your father too?"
"Yeah. He's convinced that if I attend enough of these sorts of events, I'll somehow obtain more beauty by association."
"Oh wow. My Papa just wants me to have more friends."
I smiled bitterly. I couldn't claim to understand my father at all.
"What's your name?" She asked kindly. "I think we can both hang out together, if we both happen to meet."
"Uh. I-I'm Anna- I mean, Princess Annaliese of the Sequin Kingdom," I stuttered.
Her smile was brilliant.
"I'm Princess Snow, of the White Kingdom."
Thus was the birth of a beautiful friendship under the hedge of a garden in some noble's house.
My experiences started getting better, at a very slow pace.
Snow lived far, far away. I found out that the White Kingdom was in the far Northwest, passing by some mountains and some lakes and some forests. The parties where she was present as a guest weren't as excruciating, I had discovered. Even if they were few and far in-between.
Apparently Snow was a social pariah herself, although it was very quickly obvious that it was not because she let the society affect her, but because it was her own choice to set herself apart.
"I mean, the Southern court is really beautiful," I remember her saying to me once. "The people in it? Are not. And it's really hot here too."
"I guess you're not a coastal kind of person then," I remarked.
Truthfully, the only thing I liked about this Pearl Kingdom was the bay and the harbor. Sometimes, if the day was clear and cloudless, I could see the Sequin Colonies at a distance.
I began a habitual morning walk to watch the sun rise above my home before going back to the castle.
It was after one of these walks, during a party Moria was hosting, that I spent time with Snow. It was her first time in the kingdom and I wanted to show her around, hence her disposition.
"Probably not," she agreed with a laugh. "I enjoy the woods a lot more."
"I can see that. Well, I can only ask for your guidance then."
"I'll have a tour set up for you when you come to visit me," she promised, with a twinkle in her eyes. The apples of her cheeks were flushed with the heat and humidity and I didn't know that it would be the last time I saw her for a very, very long time.