Chapter Text
The mages were speechless. Surely, they could not have heard the Princess right? Surely, she did not just make such an offer as big as that one? The head of the Magic Council, Circe, leaned forward in his seat, daring to hold the stare of the Royal.
“Princess,” he cautioned, hesitant to correct the young woman who could sentence him to death, “did you just offer our freedom?”
“Indeed, I have,” she snipped, smirking at the wizard’s widening eyes.
“B-but why?!,” Circe asked. He, along with the other mages, were shocked. The Council has been wishing to be free from The Royals for generations, and here they are, finally getting their wish granted.
The Princess looked at him, which made the mage still, before she gave him a cold smile. A chill ran up his spine, before she answered him-and the rest of The Council-with an item seemingly appearing out of thin air. They all gasped as they caught sight of what she was holding. In her hand was Baba’s Key, the key that cursed them to forever reside within the palace walls.
“Wha-b-but, how did you-?!,” composing himself, the head warlock tried again, “but how, Princess Aome, did you possibly retrieve the key to our freedom?”
The Princess paused for a moment before bursting out into a manic fit of laughter.
“Why, I stole it, of course.”
A collective gasp sounded from the group before they spoke to each other in hushed whispers. Circe gaped at the Princess, shocked beyond belief. He watched her twirl the magical pendant around her finger, acting as if it wasn’t one of the most precious objects in the universe.
“Princess Aome, with all due respect, I believe it would be a good choice to keep the pendant safe,” a young warlock from the Council, Dirk, tried to reason with her.
He tried.
Princess Aome stared into the warlock’s eyes. She blinked. Then, with the wave of her hand, he blew up.
The warlocks jumped out of their chairs, rushing as far away as possible from the incident. But the Princess wouldn’t have it.
“BE SEATED AT ONCE!,” she screamed. If they did not obey her command, surely they would meet the fate of their friend. Their dead friend. So the warlocks rushed back to their seats in one sweeping motion, collectively feeling something they have not felt in eons.
Fear.
No one spoke or even dared to look at the Princess. They had not thought Aome could ever be a murderer. But alas, they were wrong.
Hesitant, Circe raised his eyes to meet the piercing blue ones of the princess. She didn’t meet his gaze. She was sending pure terror towards their way, looking at the warlocks with a whole new side of her the old magic man had never seen before. He looked at them with something dark, very dark, in her eyes. His own pair trailed along the Princess’ ebony arm, and he carefully studied the hand she waved to off his friend. ‘Ah,’ he thought, his eyes resting on her ring finger. On it was another powerful(but not nearly as rare or important), talisman. It was the Ruby Ring, a ring that could instantly kill anyone who decided to stand in the wearer’s way. It was when his eyes reached her face again did they lock eyes. She smiled, showing off her white teeth, and began to speak once more.
“I will free you all...for a price. You, The Magic Council, must retrieve something to me at once. Only when you retrieve the item shall you all gain your freedom from the Kingdom.”
The Council ran this over in their minds, unsure of the possible risks at stake. Although they were powerful wizards, they were anything but cocky. They knew that when it came to situations like this, ESPECIALLY involving the Royal Family, there was always a catch involved.
“And what is this item, Princess?,” Circe asked, more curious than scared. After all, he knew the Princess better than anyone. He practically raised her, save for the nannies who did any of the real work. He had been her teacher for years, but their relationship was more than that. Their relationship was that of an uncle and a nephew. Or a \father and a daughter. It’s not like her real father had much to do with her upbringing. He only taught her what a Royal was supposed to be like-the hard way.
Smiling, she made her request with ease.
“I want a crystal heart.”