Chapter Text
In a world of dragons, magic, fae, and adventure, every story worth listening to always seemed to begin with one sentence. Once upon a time.
How fitting, that this tale should also begin in that manner.
Once upon a time, there was a prince, and a priestess. The prince was sarcastic and cold, the youngest of the male siblings, and a sheep as black as his armor. He had clear, intelligent eyes, a straight nose, and perfect posture. His hobbies included reading, casting spells, and chess. Occasionally, he would garden, but only when the harsh ground of his kingdom allowed it.
Leo was his name, and he was bored out of his mind.
The halls of his childhood castle were entirely too empty and barren for him to find any enjoyment in walking them. The maids and butlers, even, had their romances and laughs together. It seemed that even the horses were friendly with each other, finding love and adventure all while the 2nd prince of their own country grew restless enough to count all the bricks on the South tower of the castle.
24,542, in case one would ever be wondering.
Nobody wondered. Not his retainers, Niles and Odin, nor the maids, nor the horses in the stables. He would've informed his father, as it was his castle, yet he wouldn't of truly cared either. Niles raised a white eyebrow and grimaced upon being told this. Odin, who could usually find the adventure in the small things, had even stayed quiet upon hearing his Lord's boredom. Leo, truly, and honestly, was becoming a very dull person. Between brick counting, he filled his days with dusting off old books, and categorizing the library.
It was upon a certain time in the world that all things happened, almost as if planned by destiny. Many a dreamy philosopher wondered if, perhaps, there was an entity penning out every move, and they were just characters in a book, awake and alive inside someone's mind only. They called this destiny, and it was destined when a purple haired woman fell prey to an apple, laying asleep in her glass coffin, waiting for a prince to save her. It was destiny that a blonde little girl began her 100 year sleep after pricking her finger, roses as pink as her lips growing up around her tower where her sleeping form waited. Destiny kept a white haired dragon-girl locked up in an ivy covered tower, looking out across the forest that surrounded her, and waiting for the day when she would be free. All would require princes, all would be considered 'in distress'. That was how destiny and fate worked, that was the way of this land, and nothing would change that.
It was a shame that our princess, Sakura, a young maiden of the prettiest kind, was not a damsel in distress, destined for the charming, heroic knight or prince.
For she was a princess no longer, but instead a Priestess.
Once upon a time there was a pink haired priestess, too shy for her own good. She had kind eyes, and was quite little. She was the youngest of her family, and would spend her days healing the sick and poor from their common ailments. She seemed to be the exact opposite of her destined prince, though she did not know him at that time. She was shy, she was careful with her words, soft spoken, and would go out of her way to help those in need. In all, she was the sun, and he the moon. Nobody in all the lands of fae would've guessed that the two would find each other.
Everybody besides two very important, very powerful people.
Iago and Orochi.
Though from opposing lands, it was Orochi who approached Leo, and Iago who approached Sakura. They did not work together, they did not know each other even, yet they were parallels in this spiderweb of fate that was ever spinning. For in this land of fantasy and fae, magic and wonder, adventure and conquest, there was always a story to be told.
Leo's began with Orochi's tea leaves. Sakura's with Iago's poison tongue and cursed words.
The prince of our story was alone in his big castle now, with only retainers and servants to keep him company. His father was growing old and more sinister by the day, and oftentimes did not care to have his son's company. His eldest sister, Camilla, had gone and gotten herself cursed by some poisoned apple. Leo thought this silly, as she didn't even enjoy apples. The youngest, Elise had angered some evil witch and gotten locked up in a tower, pricked herself on a spinning wheel, and fallen asleep. And crown prince Xander, on the other hand, had been questing for the last month. The eldest of the family preferred, really, to stay home and do paperwork, ruling his future kingdom.
If only those fawning village girls knew how introverted the oldest prince truly was, they wouldn't be singing of him in taverns at night. If only the princes and noblemen that sought out the fairest Camilla knew that she deserved that poisoned apple, they wouldn't be trying to kiss her. If only the adventurers that fought their way through ivy and roses to get to Elise knew that she actually just wanted to take a really long nap to avoid having to go through tutoring and schooling, they wouldn't be enduring all those scrapes and cuts.
Fairy tales, tavern tunes, whispers of legends and bold quests, they were all nonsense, and Leo wanted nothing to do with any of them. He would gladly endure boredom for the rest of his life if that meant not having any stupid tales written of him and his exploits. He did not want his love life with some poor cursed princess to be jotted down and read for centuries from then on out. The author most likely wouldn't even write it down correctly, and he'd end up being a villain. Just like as a child, those games he would play in the courtyard, he always played the villain.
"Keep it up, and at this rate you'll be a hermit," Niles shook his head, his hair falling into his eyes. He pulled back the string on his bow and lifted the weapon up to his cheek, "Not that that would be bad, my lord. In fact, you'd be so devoid of human contact that the first moment a woman touches you…" He pursed his lips and hummed, a low and deep sound that vibrated in his chest. To emphasize this, he finally let the string go and watched the arrow slice through the air, right onto the painted red target on the hay-bale, "How sultry."
Leo was not amused.
His glare could slice through any obstacle, with how sharp it was, "How many times have I told you to stop talking like that?"
Niles closed his one eye, and raised both eyebrows as he pulled himself out of his stance. He held up his free hand innocently, "I'm just saying, my lord, you're going to die of loneliness. Every prince needs to find a princess, it's the common law of the land."
Leo knew the common law of the land. He was a prince, he would have to go out and save a princess. He wasn't a female, so he couldn't become an evil witch, even though that would be a more preferable career path for him. Perhaps an evil wizard, though he'd be the first of his kind, and he would have to curse some poor lovers to an eternity of god knows what. In this world of fairies and tales, Leo felt like the black sheep.
He was not galiant. He was not heroic. He did not come onto the scene wielding a sword of light, with the brightest, most charming smile one could ever imagine. He didn't have strong arms that could hold even the most terrified of princesses, and he had absolutely no desire to slay dragons in their names either. He simply was not cut out for the life of a fairy tale prince, and he would not force himself to be what he was not. Simple as that.
Huffing at this thought, he lifted his bow and notched his arrow, squinting one eye closed as he focused on the red painted target ahead of him, "Well, I'm afraid if I ever do go out and save any princesses, they'll just be disappointed that it's me instead of Xander."
He let the arrow loose and watched it cut through the air smoothly, making a soft whizz noise as it did so. The haybale began to rustle and shake, with two hands taking a hold of it from behind and lifting it to catch the arrow right into the red painted circle in the middle. The feathered shaft of the arrow shook and vibrated as Odin popped up from behind the hay bale, "That's not how true love and destiny works, my lord!"
"Were you…" he was flabberghasted, "behind that the entire time? I could've hit it without your help."
"But you wouldn't have gotten into the red area!" Odin pointed down at the now still arrow, grinning, "Tis my duty as a slave, no a mere worm in your service to make sure you are always gifted with the very best that lady destiny may offer with her outstretched palms."
"I-I could've made it…"
He had to ignore the doubtful glance Niles sent his way, before it was replaced with the charming, cat like grin that the dark skinned man always wore, "Oh sure, of course my lord. Now back to the talk of true love, the fool's right. That's not how it works. If you save her, she'll just be glad it was you, since destiny set it up and all."
Leo felt like dropping his bow and abandoning it right then and there, yet his grip only tightened in irritation, "That's stupid, though, who says a princess even needs or wants saving? Perhaps she can save herself, but chooses not to? Or perhaps I save one, and we just remain good friends, and she marries someone else? Things are not so black and white as this world may make it."
It was in this moment that he was instantaneously bombarded with a calloused hand upon his cheek, resting there gently and squeezing ever tighter as Niles pursed his lips and cooed at him, "How cute. So cute, isn't our Leo cute?"
Odin was moving closer now, his hand on Leo's other cheek as he squinted, "He possess all the cuteness the universe has to offer!"
"Such naivety!"
"Such hope! How sweet tasting upon the tongue of it's hearer that this hope has not been crushed terribly yet! We should pray for better appreciation of this wonderful trait in our young lord."
He could've had them both beheaded right then and there.
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It was 4pm, when Garon would usually take his mid day nap and rest his weary bones. Xander would usually be the one on the throne, overlooking the citizens and their complaints in Father's absence, but as he was currently off climbing a beanstalk or slaying a dragon, the duty had fallen to Leo.
It always seemed like this was the busiest time of day, and he could only briefly wonder if that was why Father took his nap around this time of day. For whatever reason it was, Leo was left alone in the throneroom as he took on the crowds of citizens with their complaints. Each one seemed to grow more and more outrageous as the hours blurred together.
"Someone tried to make my cow jump over the moon," One farmer complained darkly, "That's the 3rd time this week, mi'lord."
Leo was confused, but only raised a cool eyebrow and shrugged, "I'll uh… get a guard sent out to your farm to try and catch the culprit."
The farmer thanked him and bowed in appreciation, and a middle aged woman took his place right after, "Mi'lord, my daughters out there kissing frogs, hoping one of them is a prince, but she's getting warts all around her mouth."
"I… I'm not quite sure what to do about that…"
"Mi'lord, nobody wants to kiss a warty girl! She will never marry anybody at this rate. U-Unless… His Highness enjoys warts…"
Well, he surely wasn't the exception there. He, too, had no desire to kiss a worty girl. Sending a questioning side glance to Niles, he saw the older man shrug carelessly as if he was considering kissing said girl. On his other side, Odin was trying hard to cover up his curious gaze. The prince merely sighed as he turned his attention to the woman, "Leave your address with a guard, and I'll get a healer sent to your home to take care of her warts."
The woman bowed heartily, though her expression spoke of disappointment, "Thank you, mi'lord!"
Softly, he waved a black gloved in goodbye. More citizens milled out at the large doorways of the throne room, just waiting for their chance to enter inside and complain at the youngest prince. Most were expecting the King, and left the minute Leo had taken the throne, but he didn't mind that, it simply meant less work for him. Yet, it was the next citizen that caused him to break out of the duldrum of this event.
It was a woman, covered by a tattered tan hood and cloak, walking softly up to the throne. She could barely be heard, and was followed by a hush from both the guards and other villagers nearby. Whispers of 'it's her' reached Leo's ears, making him sit up straighter and take his hand off his cheek.
She raised two delicate hands, and pushed the hood off her head, revealing violet hair and a pretty face. A woman, seeming to be of 25 to 30 years, with deep set, piercing eyes. A wry smile began to play at her rosy lips as she leaned over and bent her head down in reverence, "My prince."
Niles shifted in suspicion at his side, while Odin's eyes widened. Leo merely kept his own gaze upon her, "I know you."
She raised a groomed brow, "Oh?"
"You're that fortune teller from Hoshido, the one that only tells bad fortunes."
"Well," She pulled at her cloak a little as if trying to straighten it out, frowning now, "I don't tell only bad fortunes, but I do tell them in the first place, yes. People don't really like it when their fortune teller only says the truth, you see."
He nodded understandingly, though he had never gotten his fortune told, or ever truly been interested in it, "I see. What is it you need?"
"You."
Niles scoffed, "This woman thinks she can be so bold? My lord doesn't work that way, lady, he prefers soft romance and candlelight and-"
"Niles, be quiet now."
"Whatever you say, my Lord."
The fortune teller merely smiled again, this time her lips upturning into a cat-like smirk as she did so, "Not in that way, trust me. No… I merely need to speak with you," She took a step forward now as her shoulders tensed up visibly, and she lowered her voice to a hiss, "I received a terrible fortune."
He would not give in to the drama of her demeanor, "I thought you did that frequently."
"No!" She shook her head, "This one was about you. You specifically, and some… princess. And a tower. And…"
She was hesitating to finish the sentence, making only the anticipation rise like hot water. Leo was tense at her earlier words - a princess, a tower. That sounded exactly like the type of thing he was avoiding at all costs. He didn't want princesses, he certainly didn’t want towers, and he certainly did not want these all to be part of a fortune involving him. This brewed trouble, and he could feel it in every bone.
Niles could too, apparently, with how he hissed, "Finish!"
"Your…. Your death, my lord."
A death. His death.
The world seemed to stop spinning in that moment, and his chest grew heavy along with the silence that followed.
"Go on." It was a command that rippled through the heavily hushed room. It felt a sin to speak right now, with the prophetess' words hanging in the air in the way they did. This woman with her visions of the future, she had never been wrong. It was why she was so hated.
"You won't be yourself," her voice lowered to a hush, "You'll be something twisted, something grotesque. I apologize… There's not much I saw, besides that and… well, a tower. A pink haired girl."
A pink haired girl. Whether she would be the undoing, or his savior, nothing seemed to discern. The prince kept a cool, calm demeanor on him, all while Odin looked panicked, and Niles merely looked angry. He was just as panicked and angry, maybe even moreso, but the feelings were not visible upon his face. It was as if he painted over his emotions. The fortune teller only looked more concerned upon seeing this, "That's all I know, my lord."
The cool façade was instantly ruined with a flicker of irritation, "Then how am I supposed to prevent my death, then?"
Niles, losing his composure out of concern, raised his hand and scowled as he acknowledged the guards, "She's lying, obviously, take her away!"
This time, Leo would not stop him. He let the guards come upon her, ignoring her panicked looks as the soldiers grabbed under her arms and began to forcefully drag her out. She kicked at them, even tried to bite them a few times, but Leo only sighed, "Treat her gently. She's just lying, not killing anybody."
"I'm not lying!" She screeched as she was dragged, her voice breathless with how much she struggled against their holds, "You're going to die! Your hands will turn into claws! Your eyes will grow dark, and soon the sun will be your enemy! Horns, thorns-" she gasped as an irritated guard grabbed her hair, now pulling it out of it's intricate updo. Lavender locks fell around her shoulders in messy, undone waves. She looked like a mad-woman, "Listen to me! It will start soon! Listen!"
He did not listen. He watched her kick and scream as she was dragged out, face impassive and cold.
"She's known for pranks, my lord," Odin reassured hesitantly, with an unnaturally nervous smile on his lips, "Maybe it was that."
"A poor one, at that," Leo's tongue felt bitter as he pushed himself off the throne and stood up, now walking down the short steps to take his leave, "No more guests today, tell everybody to come back tomorrow." If he listened, he could still hear the prophetess crying in the distance. She would be kicked out, simply, and hopefully not seen again with her grim fortunes and desperate eyes.
"She was lying," Niles assured as he followed, "There's no reason to believe her. Don't be nervous, my Lord."
There was no way for Leo to not be nervous. He had his death predicted by a woman who was always right. She had never failed before, if the rumors were to be correct, and Leo would die if he didn't find this tower and princess. It was so vague, he wouldn't even know where to begin with it. Denial and a closed mind set in, and Leo forced himself to stay busy for the rest of the day, keeping the event off his mind.
It was that night that he had nightmares of claws, dark eyes, horns, and thorns.
He awoke scratching his own skin so hard that his fingernails bled and his heart threatened to jump right out of his chest. No amount of scrubbing seemed to wash away the flecks of drying blood. He stood over a dirtied wash bin, observing his hands, and cursing under his breath with rising panic. He swore, that just for half a second, one of his fingers had turned into a sharp, animalistic claw, only to return to normal half a second later.
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With Ryoma, Takumi, and Hinoka all gone, Sakura found herself jumping at every shadow. As she should be, with the demons of the night stalking her.
It was the scariest shadow of them all lurking right outside her window, in the corners of the hallways, unseen by both retainers and the priestess herself. The villain of this 'once upon a time' wore the devil's grin tonight, watching the little priestess roam her castle halls warily. She had reason to fear the shadows, even with Hana at her side. Both were tired, rubbing their eyes and speaking in soft tones so as to not awaken the maids and servants that slept in the rooms they passed.
The swordswoman followed her lady, keeping her eyes ahead of her before flickering them down to the little princess, "Are you sure you want me to stop calling you a princess? You are one…" No matter how much she insisted that title was not hers, it was hard to let the habit go. Technically, she still was a princess, she just wouldn't be obliged to marry royalty, or deal with politics, or inherit the throne. It was less pressure on Sakura, something Hana was ever grateful for, yet Sakura tended to put pressure on herself anyway. Nothing would change that fact, "But I'm sorry in advance for all my future screw ups on it."
"It's okay," Sakura sent her a delicate smile, "I feel much better being a priestess. Soon I'll take my vows and it'll be official…"
"Are you sure you want to do this, though?" Hana was hesitant, "Not everybody gets to be a princess." It was such a highly valued titled. Princesses got the exciting tales, the ones who always were sung about and told stories about in the taverns and inns. She knew for a fact that many a village girl would kill for Sakura's position, and here she was just tossing it aside.
She had her reasons, though, "I don't feel like one," she shook her head sadly, "I'm not beautiful, I don't leave the castle enough to really be in d-distress, and no Prince would really like me…"
"B-But you are beautiful! You're very beautiful!" The samurai stopped in her tracks, looking at her lady with desperate, pleading eyes. Sakura stopped as well, but her head hung low as she glued her own eyes to the floor, "Please believe me, my lady, you don't need to be in distress to be loved."
She just seemed to tense up more, "I know, but that's how people meet…"
"Well, not always. Uh, normal commoners meet through friends, or in the market. Or on the job. Not everything is a fairy tale."
"I feel like for princesses it is," she shrugged her delicate shoulders, then looked away, "I-It doesn't matter anyway, I truly just want to help people. Finding someone to love isn't top priority. Being a priestess is the best position for me because I'll be closer to the sick and hurt, and t-that'll make me really happy…"
Sakura looked hopeful, and her shadowy stalker cocked his head curiously at her. What an odd little pet. A fun little toy.
As the youngest, most timid, and least talented in fighting of them all, Sakura was entirely too down on herself. She wanted to be as useful as the others, as strong and powerful. Yet, here she was, safe at home in her big castle. Ryoma was off helping a village that had been under attack. Hinoka had gone along, while Takumi was off trying to 'prove himself', as he had put it. They would be gone for 3 weeks at the most, and little Sakura was left alone in her big castle, with only her retainers and her servants for comfort. They provided some, to an extent, yet it was the reassuring smiles of her siblings that she missed the most. Even the queen, Mikoto, was at a peace conference in another city. And Sakura was down on herself for having nothing courageous to fill her days with.
"You're a good person, Sakura," Hana reassured, "You're very caring, Hoshido is lucky to have you."
"Y-You think so?"
"I know so."
Such a fortunate country, Hoshido, with it's prosperous land and flowing rivers. Not too much rain, never too little. It's fae were kind, it's legends and stories all beautiful with morals and happy endings. Nohr had the short end of the stick, and it wasn't the mad-king with his evil eyes that caused it. That was just Nohr, as it truly was, and Iago wanted more for his beloved home country. So he stalked, until he saw the glimmer of hope in Sakura's eyes, and grinned as he realized he would diminish it.
He left her there, in the hallway, now moving himself from shadow to shadow until he was in front of the castle doors. No guards detected him, nobody awoke by his presence. Muttering a spidery word of magic, he felt his skin clasp and morph together again as the spell turned him back into a human. Breath entered his lungs, his fingers formed into a bony fist, and he raised it against the large golden doors of the castle.
And he knocked.
Sakura's blood ran cold as both she and her retainer froze. Hana's hand immediately went to her sword hilt, and her shoulders hunched with tensity, The sound was unnatural, echoing all around the castle. It drummed in her ears, and seemed to be spreading through every wall. Hana was ready to fight, "There's no way we could hear a knock from here… A demon, or witch…"
"M-Maybe it's…" What could the priestess play this off as? There was no way something that echoed in that manner could be normal. Yet, she would try her best, "A-A nice w-witch?"
Hana blinked and furrowed her brows, "A nice witch?"
"Yes… A n-nice witch."
"A nice… witch? I'm sorry, my lady, but I don't think that exists."
Another knock. 3 bangs on the castle doors, coming from everywhere around them.
Lights were flaring up inside bedrooms, and footsteps began to creak on the floors. The entire castle was waking up at the noises. Sakura grew more nervous and began to twiddle with her fingers, as her breath hitched, "Here's to h-hoping…" speaking up, she spoke out louder to address every room around her, "Don't worry! I have Hana with me, w-we'll take care of whoever's here!"
A few muffled agreements, a few servants acknowledging her command as they hushed their candles. She could hear 'as you say, my lady', and the creaking of floors as they seemed to return to bed. Yet the sliding, paper door a bit down the hallway pushed open, revealing a messy haired Tsubaki in his sleeping kimono.
He had a grim, serious expression, "My lady, apologies, but I don't think you should be going alone."
"I have Hana with me…"
"Exactly."
Hana scowled, "You wanna fight, Tsubaki? Because I will, right here and right now."
"No, not really," he held up a hand coolly, "I just think I should accompany the princess as well."
Another echoing knock, and Sakura jumped and whimpered this time. Protectively, Hana wrapped her arm around the younger girl, but looked at Tsubaki judgingly, "Nice jammies and bed-head."
"P-Please stop arguing," Sakura seemed to crumple up like parchment as she spoke, but she knew she needed to answer the door, no matter the spears of fright striking her, "We need to a-answer the door, I don't want to disturb any of the maids or guards while we're already awake."
"That’s their job," Tsubaki reminded her as he grabbed his weapon laying against the wall, stepping out into the hallway now and sliding the door shut behind him, "Besides, this is unnatural, lady Sakura. Nobody could've gotten through the gates without alerting the guards, who would alert us."
A thought passed through the three of them, unspoken by words, only by minds. The guards could've stayed silent because they silenced forever in death. They could be slain silently by an assassin, a ninja, or a vengeful spirit. There were too many explanations, and it rattled Sakura to the core.
Nonetheless, she was in charge of this castle, and she would defend it with her life.
She pushed herself to continue her walk, straightening her shoulders and back and clutching her hands together in front of her. She had to look strong, refined in the face of possible death. She wouldn't be shaken, at least outwardly. Hana smiled, pleased at her Lady's courage. She and Tsubaki followed the priestess loyally.
The three began to dismiss maids that had been rattled awake by the knocks. A few were hesitantly lingering near the golden castle doors, wide eyed and unsure of what to do. No guards had been awoken, no shouts or alarms were raised up, and Sakura felt entirely alone in this. The throne room was big, open wide, and covered in the banners decorated with the colors of her nation. She could only hope she wouldn't die in this room, and her assumptions of a 'nice witch' were correct.
Hana walked up to the large door, putting her hand on the big, golden handle that would open it. The short woman looked dwarfed beside it, but with Tsubaki taking the other door beside it, the entrance was opened with a great heave and moan of protest from it's hinges.
There Sakura stood, in the middle of the aisle, hands clutched together and shoulders shaking. Standing across from her was a tall, lanky man, who's skin looked grey in the Hoshidan moonlight.
He was a walking corpse in front of her, knocking on her door. His teeth seemed to gleam in the moonlight as his thin lips twisted up into an evil, ugly grin. She could not see his eyes, but she could see a black frame of greasy hair over his face. His voice was one that would haunt her for weeks.
"Hello, Princess Sakura. I am Iago. Would you allow me to rest here tonight?"