Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter One: The Reincarnation.

A gentle tune was heard from a distance, the wind carrying its sound, drifting it away for everyone to hear Ellie's soft, delicate humming.

The thick plastic, disposable bags in her hands were rustling with every step she made, "It's so beautiful out..." She stopped humming to exhale a drag of the oxygen around her, a gentle smile on her face as she continued to walk to her home.

Crossing a pedestrian overcrossing, Ellie stumbled forward, almost dropping all items in her hands as she felt a heavyweight crash into her abdomen.

A small grunt of discomfort left her lips as the impact of whatever crashed into her left her slightly winded.

"I'm so sorry!" A little boy who looked to be no older than eight ran passed behind her, chasing after some more children who were in the distance, she caught a glimpse of his childish, innocent smile, "Hey! Wait up!" He shouted, sprinting toward the kids in front of him.

"It's quite alright," her eyes watched the boy's retreating figure, "don't worry about it." A soft smile on her face, taking joy out of the situation despite almost falling on her face.

Oh, how she loved children, and how she'd do anything to be a child once more.

Little did she know that very day, her wish would become a reality.

Ellie continued to stroll around town, swaying the grocery filled bags in the air, humming yet another tune before she turned left, walking up a driveway she walked toward a rather small yet cozy looking house.

The key she wore around her neck fit into the lock hole and granted her access into the house.

"Home sweet home!" She placed the plastic bags on the kitchen bench and began backing all her items away. 

Until she came to a stop.

"Oh, no..."

Her eyebrows furrowed at her carelessness, somehow she had managed to forget the core purpose of her mini shopping spree.

Milk.

"How could I be so careless!" She didn't bother to unpack the rest of her items. Instead, she began patting her back pockets, checking for her phone and wallet, feeling they were there she put the key which she had attached to a lanyard around her neck. Ellie didn't waste any time and left her home as quick as she went in.

Her pacing was fast and quick as she speed-walked; she had no choice but to hurry as it was currently half past four in the afternoon, and the shopping centre closed at five.

Entering the shop in a hurry, grabbing the milk and paying for the lonesome item in an equal, fast pace, she exited the store, holding the milk in her bare, left hand without a plastic bag to break the feeling of cold liquid on her skin.

Ellie let out a sigh of relief, taking notice of the store closing as soon as she left, the sky was darkening, but she didn't dare hurry, she wanted to take her time, to walk home at her own pace so she could witness the breathtaking sunset.

Crossing the same overcrossing where a little boy had bumped into her, she couldn't help but smile.

Walking off the overcrossing, she turned another corner, unable to suppress a flinch when the street light, which was lighting up the partial alleyway blew, leaving her in the dark Ellie couldn't contain her slight fear.

Despite her slow-growing fear, her smile didn't fade, 'You got this, it's just a little darkness, pull it together Ellie.' she let out a shaky breath, shaking her head at herself, it was so unlike her to be afraid, especially of the dark.

Ellie placed her best foot forward, only for it to land on something squishy.

The change of flooring caused the balance to be broken, resulting in Ellie losing her balance, falling forward.

It wasn't just Ellie that was affected by her clumsiness, the milk also took quite the fall, falling from her left hand and crashing onto the pavement, splattering onto the ground.

"Ow..." She grit her teeth, feeling wetness on her knee, Ellie looked in front of her, catching a glimpse of the splattered milk, "Oh man..." She stared at the mess she had made for a solid minute before turning around to investigate what it was she had tripped on.

Her squinted eyes widened as she caught a glimpse of what it was she had fallen over.

A human.

More specifically, a little boy looking to be no older than eight.

Ellie's eyes widened further as they adjusted to the dull, minimal lighting of where she currently stood, crawling slowly toward the fallen boy.

He was covered in blood, laying in what also looked to be a puddle of the crimson liquid.

A scream left her lips; the pitch of the noise was enough to cause birds to explode.

Ellie's pupils dilated, heart, pounding against her ribcage as she scrambled toward the child, shakily yet firmly placing both hands on his chest, her ear on the left side, checking for a pulse.

"Oh God, please be okay...!" She whisper-yelled, feeling nothing but a strained voice come out as the fear swirled and danced within her body. Upon hearing no beat she pulled out her phone from her back pocket, knowing she wasn't educated enough to perform CPR she contacted the ambulance.

"Hello, this is Manchester Ambulance service, what is the state of your emergency?"

Ellie didn't hesitate to open her mouth and ramble away, "Y-Yes hello! I-I need your help, there's a child!" She looked down at the unresponsive, limp, kid, "A little boy who is--"

She would have loved to finish her cry for help, but it appeared, fate had other options as her mobile device was plucked from her grasp, she flinched upon hearing it shatter as it made contact with the concrete beside her.

"My, my, my..." A deep, masculine voice boomed from behind her, "look what the cat dragged in." His vocal tone was deep yet hoarse; it was enough to set shivers down one's spine and not in the 'good' way.

Ellie shrunk back, not feeling at all safe she turned around, facing her prosecutor, his looks were hidden by a black baseball cap which covered his eyes, a dark surgical mask covered the lower half of his face. 

It was as if he were prepared for a funeral, dressing in all black as he also wore an oversized black jacket and leggings.

Swallowing her fears, the lump in her throat preventing her ability to breathe correctly, Ellie crawled backward, away from the man in an attempt to get away and create distance between them, "W-Who are you...?"

"I'm just a guy," The man stepped toward Ellie, closing off any distance she had formed between the two before reaching into his jacket pocket, pulling out something lengthy yet shiny, "with no tolerance for witnesses."

Ellie let out yet another scream as the unidentified male lunged at her, holding her in his grasp he held the shiny object in his right hand before swinging it forward, lodging it into Ellie's skull at a force which seemed humanly impossible.

A crack was heard.

That crack was the last thing Ellie ever heard.

The excruciating, agonizing pain, the feeling of something sharp yet firm being forcibly shoved into the front of her skull was the last thing she had ever felt before her world turned dark.

♡ ♡ ♡

"Oh my God, my head is KILLING me..." Ellie's feet above the ground; however, looking again, there was no ground. She seemed to be hovering in what looked like a pastel blue sky surrounded, no, filled with clouds.

"Ah, yes, you're here earlier than expected..." A petite yet feminine boy with thin, round-framed glasses held a handful of paperwork, his eyes fixated on the papers, reading the context aloud.

"Ellie Stryder...Cause of death, knife to the skull," the feminine boy adjusted his glasses, looking up from the paperwork, his soft, baby blue eyes boring into Ellie's, "murder."

The female squirmed in place, her left hand rubbing her right arm up and down sheepishly, she had no clue what was going on, and her everlasting patience was threatening to wear thin.

"You're pretty spick and span when it comes to your life choices it seems..."

Ellie looked around, taking a step forward in an attempt to walk on air only to awkwardly spin in the air, coming to a stop once she had gotten used to the habit of floating, "Who..." She slowly hovered toward the boy, "Who are you..?," she placed her hand on his shoulder, "And where am I?"

"Ah!" The boy let out a shriek, jumping back in fright, "No physical contact!" Two beautiful, fluffy white wings emerged from his back, flapping in the air ever so elegantly, "Especially from humans."

Ellie's eyes went wide once more, 'Is he an angel...?' If he were indeed an angel, she didn't want to get on his bad side, so the awkwardly floated back, creating distance between the two, "Alright..."

"Right, thank you, now, who I am isn't your priority. Therefore it is not important." The angel's wings flapped twice every minute his wingspan was so large if she were to be any closer she could get whacked in the face, "However, as for where you are, you're in the afterlife, more specifically, you're in the judgment room."

"Judgement room?"

Ellie's question seemed to bring forth the passion in the Angel's eyes as he folded the paperwork under his arm, "Yep! The afterlife, not to be confused with heaven, has five different parts!"

The holy being adjusted his glasses, "We have an administration office, the judgment room of course," he rolled his eyes playfully, stating the obvious, "we have a lounge where those with missing files or uncalculatable deaths can freeload, dormitories and of course, the sauna!"

Ellie rose her eyebrows, was he serious? She didn't know if she should question that, but her curiosity knew no bounds. Hence, her mouth spoke for her.

"The...Sauna...?"

"Yes! Anyways, not important," he shut her curiosity down, locking it away in a chamber and throwing the key into an imaginary ocean, "now, I was told specifically that when you die you're our top priority for our reincarnation project."

Ellie was once again dumbfounded, "Say what now?"

"A project we've created for those beautiful souls who lost their lives too soon, tragically and unexpectedly, those beautiful souls who were tampered with on the cruel, wild world they lived in, it's a way for them to have a second chance."

'Second chance? I thought there was no such thing as second chances...' Ellie was at war with herself, mentally debating whether or not it was legit, despite the words coming from an Angel nonetheless.

"Will you like to try it?"

She was snapped out of her thoughts, although she was slightly wary, it would be a lie if she said she didn't like the idea of reincarnation, "Sure, I'd love to, but I have a question if you don't mind."

"Great!" The Angel grabbed a fluffy, white cloud, giving it a firm squeeze and on cue of his touch to the cloud, a machine slowly began to emerge from above, stopping directly beside Ellie, "Step into the machine here; it'll read every inch of your soul and put you in a place best fitting to you!"

Ellie did as she was told hovering into the machine before landing on her feet, now that there was ground, she was able to stand on two feet.

"And as for your question, what might it be?"

"Will I," Ellie flinched as the see-through doors belonging to the machine closed, locking her in "remember anything from my past life?"

The Angel looked down; he seemed to be in thought, "I...I don't know, there's a chance you will and a chance you will not, it's not under my control to give you access to your memories once you've been reincarnated or not."

With that, the boy flew toward the machine, pressing a button.

On cue, a sound was heard, a machine-like, monotone voice spoke.

'The reincarnation project begins in 5...'

"Wait!" Ellie placed her hand on her side of the door.

The Angel had his face in his paperwork again, removing his eyes from the dozens of letters to look into Ellie's eyes, "Hm?" 

'4...'

"Before I go, what's your name? I'd like to remember you if possible."

'3...'

Ellie could've sworn she saw noticed a slight pink hue on his cheeks, "W-What, no human's ever asked me for my name before..."

'2...'

"It's...It's Artemis..."

'1...'

"Thank you, Artemis." Ellie let her lips curve upward, flashing one last smile before the machinery spoke the last digit.

'0...'

'Transferring you to your new life...'

♡ ♡ ♡

The high toned sound of a baby crying, releasing its first breaths, was all that filled the air alongside a feminine voice shouting in glee.

"It's a girl!"

"Welcome to the world, Seladon Abel."

Chapter Text

S E L A D O N

A G E   F O U R

"Your Highness please get back here this instant!" A middle-aged elven female holding nothing but a fluffy, white towel in her hands, her face flushed in annoyance, redness covering up her natural, pale complexion as she chased the young princess around the castle.

"NO!" The young member of the elven royal society shouted as she runs amuck, her small, pastel yellow button-up dress covered in dirt and mud as if the young Nobel was playing in the earth.

Something a little lady of such status should not be doing.

"I don't want a bath! You'll never catch me!"

Seladon, formally known as Ellie in her past life used to be such a kind and courteous young woman, after her reincarnation, her love and passion still lingered, however, her manners, especially at her current age dove off into a deep ocean, trapping themself there.

"Your Highness!" The servant shouted once more, her voice husky and hoarse from all the shouting she had done in an attempt to catch the young princess, it wasn't long until she couldn't bear anymore, stopping dead in her tracks, hands on her knees as she panted. She was watching Seladon run away from her. From bathtime.

'Good, I think I lost her...' Seladon turned a corner, looking behind her to see if she had truly lost her prosecutor, a broad grin on her face once her very eyes had confirmed what she was hoping.

"Now, I hear the outside world calling for me!" She exclaimed in triumph, feeling trapped in the castle she called home, "If I have to stay in this castle any longer I will--" She stopped dead in her tracks, letting out an 'oomph' sound as she had walked into something, her forehead hit against something firm.

"You will what dear Seladon?" A deep voice boomed from in front of the small child; she hesitantly looked up. Her forehead still pressed against the knee of whoever it was she had run into.

Her Father.

"Uh, Oh..."

"Yes, Uh Oh indeed," The king looked down at his daughter with his hazel brown eyes, his pointed ears hidden inside his crown, "what have I told you about running in the castle," he leant down, picking up his dirt-covered child, resting her on his hip, "you're filthy, don't tell me you were running away from Alena who were to give you a bath."

Seladon's face paled as her father had hit the nail on the head, her lips puckered, eyes drifting off to the side as her young mind did anything to scramble up an excuse, "But bathtime is supposed to be before bed! It's lunchtime now, why do I need a bath now?"

A sigh slipped from her father's lips, "Because your mother and I have a very important meeting we, must attend to and you, my darling daughter," he adjusted her position, removing her from his hip and placing his hands under her arms, swinging her around in a small circle, "must be there too."

Seladon giggled as she was spun around, after all, she was a child, of course, she would find something so small as being spun around humorous and fun. However, her happiness didn't last long, as soon as the King had stopped spinning her around, she let out a small sigh, engaging back into reality, "But meetings are boring! I don't want to sit around and watch adults talk!"

The elven King couldn't help but loud aloud at his daughter's remark, she wasn't entirely incorrect, meetings were dull, and they mostly consisted on adults speaking with one another, "But my little princess, this one is different." He set her down on two feet, letting her go when her feet were securely flat on the flooring beneath them.

"Different?" Seladon had her index finger on her bottom lip as she cocked her head to the side slowly in curiosity.

"Yes, this was supposed to be a secret, but I'm sure I can tell you now," Seladon watched as her father looked around the corner which she had previously turned to escape Alena who was assigned to bathe her, she noticed him wave his left hand toward the direction she had come from, "the people we're meeting with, another Nobel family from out neighbouring hamlet are to meet with us, and they're also bringing their child whom you'd need to meet, the best part is that he's about your age."

This piqued her interest, questioning it further Seladon spat out another question, "So we will get to play? But why do we need to meet?" 
While waiting for her questions to be answered, she looked over toward where her Father was looking only to have a mini heart attack.

Alena was back, holding the same fluffy white towel and a change of clothes for the little princess, it was a beautiful, pastel blue dress with ruffles underneath.

"I'll tell you after your bath now," He pushed Seladon gently over toward the middle-aged elf who gently grabbed the young princess's wrist, "go with Alena and get ready."

Before leaving her Father, the elf assigned to take care of Seladon turned around to bow at the King, giving him a quiet, "Thank you, your majesty."

-Time skip-

"WHAT?!" Seladon gripped the bottom of her elegant dress, her sky blue wedged flats landing on the ground as she stomped her feet, childishly, "What do you mean engagement?!"

The young girl, despite her age, sure she was stupid, but, she wasn't dumb enough to let those words slip her mind.

After her reincarnation, she had been slowly regaining some memories, learning new phrases every day. Currently, she had recovered one percent of her memories back, she knew what the concept of engagement was, and Seladon was not fond of it one bit.

"Listen, Sweetie," A sweet, feminine voice rang in the young princess's ears, she looked up with tears in her eyes at her mother, listening to her speak, "we know it's a lot to take in, but this has been finalised ever since you were two, it's the way things work, but I promise you," The Elven Queen picked up her daughter, resting her on her hip, "we're not leaving you if that's what you're afraid of." 

"But--If I get engaged, doesn't that mean I have to live with somebody I don't even know?" She hiccupped, her small arms wrapping themselves around her mother as she buried her little face in her gown. 

"Oh, heavens, no!" Angelita rests her hand atop of Seladon's head, patting her gently, careful not to mess up her hair, "We would never do that! You're stuck with us until you're an adult capable of making her own decisions."

Seladon looked up into her mothers baby blue eyes, letting a stray tear fall before letting a smile take over her slim lips, "So I get to stay here? So I don't have to get engaged."

"Yes my little girl, you get to stay here, but I'm afraid you will still have to go through with the engagement with the young prince of Lotia, but I assure you, you'll grow to love him, just how I grew to love your Father."

The young Princess tilted her head to the side, sneaking a glance over toward her Father who was sitting at the duchess, looking in the mirror, adjusting his crown, "You didn't choose to marry daddy?" She looked back at her mother with curious eyes.

"No, I didn't," The queen admitted, "my parents chose him out for me before I was born, but I grew to love him, despite our ten year age gap."

Seladon was gawking at her mother in astonishment; she was learning things she had never known before, "What if I don't grow to love the Prince of Lotia? Can I break off our engagement?"

Angelita covered her mouth with her free hand to stifle a laugh, loving how free-minded and determined her daughter was, part of her wishes she was like that at her age, "It is possible, but you would have to get both kingdoms to agree with your decision."

'And that's exactly what I'll do.' Seladon nodded to herself before asking her mother to be set back down onto the ground, once she was back on land, she popped another question, "What time is the meeting?"

Angelita looked over toward her husband, shaking her head at his vanity while he fiddled with the crown on his head, "We leave in one hour."

"Oh okay," Seladon backtracked, walking backwards out of the room she was currently in, "I'm just going to the bathroom. I'll be right back."

Angelita stepped toward her daughter before she could exit the room, "Do you need help?"

"Nope!" Was all the young elf said before running as fast as she could, sliding through the halls in her best dress, sneaking past the guards and servants before she dashed out of the front door, not looking back to see if anyone had spotted and was chasing her, 'How to break off an engagement, make them think you're not interested and to do that, run away!'

Seladon ran through bushes, trees, the shoes she wore digging into her heels, she could feel the blisters forming, but she didn't stop running, not until she caught a glimpse of something shiny, it was like a giant, transparent dome.

"Was this the protection Mama and Papa were talking about?" She cautiously stepped toward the magical barrier, sticking one arm out, "Mama told me never to leave the protection of the barrier..."

She went to step back, to turn on her heel and return home until her curiosity made her give in, "But I'll be right back, what's the worst that could happen?" Seladon stepped out of the protective barrier; she was now on the other side of the forest, the side she had never been in before.

"Wow!" She gasped in astonishment; there were types of bird she had never seen before sitting in trees, the grass was greener on the side she currently walked on, everything seemed more beautiful, more peaceful.

The young elven Princess stepped over a tree root, only to misplace her footing and end up tripping on it instead, she fell to the ground with a thud, without a doubt, dirtying her best dress.

"Ouch..." She placed the palms of her hands atop of her head, feeling around for the hairclip her mother had previously put in her hair.
Her eyes widened, and panic began to grow within her small body once she couldn't feel its presence, "Oh, no, no, no, where is it?!"

Not only did she lose her accessory, but her sense of direction had also vanished, she couldn't find the barrier surrounding her kingdom. She had concluded that she was also lost.

The four-year-old stood up, only to stumble and fall right back down upon feeling a stinging sensation on her right knee.
Her eyes drifted over to said body part, and she flinched upon noticing it was bleeding.

Of course, she had to graze her knee.

The feeling of hurting herself and losing her beloved hairclip, a gift from her mother on her first birthday had taken a toll on Seladon's little mind so she did the only thing she could think of at the time.

Cry.

Her sobs were loud and frequent as she limped around the unknown forest, searching for her hai piece she stumbled across a small pond.
Sniffling a few times, Seladon wiped her eyes with her forearm to clear the tears from her vision.

Once her vision was clear, her mood instantly shifted as she had found her cherished accessory, she reached out for it only to let out a gasp and return to her misery.

She had accidentally knocked it into the pond.

"W-Why do I have to be so clumsy?" The young girl sobbed, sitting down on the wet mud beside the pond, she lifted her knees p to her chest and buried her head between them, sobbing semi-loudly.

Seladon remained a sobbing mess until her attention was brought to the water in front of her as she heard gushing and movement. This frightened her as she let out a small squeak, sliding backward, away from the water.

Her fear was replaced with confusion once she saw a head pop out of the water, there was now a young boy with pale blue eyes, strawberry blonde hair and cute, chubby cheeks looking at her blankly.

"...Hi..." She slowly inched toward the water again, in an attempt to get a better look of the boy only for him to narrow his eyes at her and dive back underwater.

"Hey, wait!" Seladon inched closer toward the pond, wincing once her grazed knee made contact with the rough, muddied ground beneath her, her hand was hovering over the water, "Please don't leave me..."

Her face fell upon noticing the boy didn't resurface, she was saddened without a doubt but decided to wait for him. Picking up a small stick, she used it to draw patterns on the mud beside her for a good few minutes.

A few minutes later, the girl was once again startled, almost jumping out of her skin once she heard the familiar sound of movement in the water, she looked eagerly at the young boy who had resurfaced.

"Er det din?" The little merman's tail moved throughout the transparent water, Seladon had to take her attention off his fascinating tail to look at him, more importantly, what he was holding.
(Translation: Is this yours?)

It was her hairpiece.

"Oh!" She dropped the stick she was holding and reached forward, toward the merman, "You found it!" She allowed the boy to place what was hers into the palm of her hand, "Thank you so much!" She thanked the merman and waited for a response.

"Jeg kan ikke for sta dig..."
(Translation: I can't understand you...)

"What was..." Seladon placed her accessory back in her hair, "I can't understand you..."

She was told that every species had their own language; she just never believed it. Her species themself has their own language, Elvish, however, English is still used between all races; it was the universal language of this world. 
However, only those of high class can get the opportunity to speak English, either that or you would need to be extremely wealthy to afford the tuition.

Seladon could speak both English and Elvish, thanks to some of her memories returning to her ever so often she was able to master English once more, it was Elvish which was the tricky one.

However, she tended to use English more often, speaking it to anyone and anywhere unless they could not understand her, it was then her race's native language was to be used which was of course, not supposed to be allowed but, her parents tend to baby her, therefore, allowing her to speak how she pleases.

"I heard that other species communicate in English all the time..." Seladon mumbled as she looked back at the boy, "Can you speak English?" The young girl was yet to understand that learning the universal language of this world was only a luxury for those with money or of high status.

She spoke slowly and carefully, beams of hope in her eyes as she once again, waited for a response.

"E... English..." The young boy muttered in the universal language, his accent heavy, thick and hard to understand; it had taken Seladon a little while to process what it was he was saying, "...Learn English... at school..."

She let out a gasp once she had registered what is, that as he had said, "You learn at school? That's so cool! I wish I had school, I learn from my tutors!" The young girl blurted out her response at rapid speed, making it hard for the poor young boy to understand her words.

Of course, she didn't tell him she already knew the language and just pretends to learn for her tutors, so they're not fired, if she did, how else would she explain how she knew how to speak it?

"...Tutor..." The boy managed to mimic one of the words which Seladon had confidently spoken, once he recognised the word, his eyes narrowed slightly before he picked up the stick Seladon was previously using to draw in the mud, pulling a royal crown in the earth, "Are you..." He pointed to the drawing.

"Am I crown?" Seladon cocked her head to the side, studying the drawing and patting her head with her left hand before it clicked, "Oh! Princess, am I a princess?"

The boy nodded.

"Yes!" She nodded her head, verifying the boy's question, "I am a princess!"

Hearing the word 'yes,' and seeing her head move up and down in a nodding motion was enough to help the merman understand, and once he did, his eyes narrowed at her even further, soon diving back into the water, not uttering another word.

"Wait!" Seladon was confused by his actions, inching dangerously close to the water, "Don't go, was it something I said?" She tapped the edge of the water, "If so I'm sorry!" She leaned forward to get a better glimpse inside the body of water only to fall in.

Sure, if she were still in her past life, she would swim up and get out of the water, but in this case, it wasn't so easy.

The four-year-old elf had one problem.

She couldn't swim.

Flailing her arms around, trying to keep her head above the water the girl felt her life flash before her eyes, memories filling her mind, at the scare of losing her life, memories shot forth, embedding themselves into her mind, so many of them that it caused Seladon to feel a little queasy, remembering many things, including things she didn't want to.

'How unfortunate... Imagine being reincarnated just to die a second time early on...'

'It's painful...' Seladon felt herself sinking, unable to move from the shock of regaining most of her memories of her past life and from the ongoing death experience, she was about to give in, hoping Artemis would give her a third chance.

Until she had felt something sturdy wrap around her waist, tugging her upward.

This confused her so with much difficulty, she opened her eyes, catching a glimpse of the young merman, he was holding her in his arms, swimming what appeared to be up.

In what felt like hours, Seladon was placed back onto solid ground, almost coughing her guts up along with the water she had swallowed, "T-Thank you." She spoke in between wheezes.

She looked off to the side, spotting her savour about to leave once more, "N-No, wait!" She reached out, grabbing his hand, almost falling back into the water while doing so, "Don't leave."

A sigh left the boy's lips, he removed Seladon's hand from his and stared into her eyes, as if he was telling her, 'What do you want?'

"What's your name?" She asked, speaking very slowly, aware of the small language barrier between the two.

"...Alton..."

"Nice to meet you, Alton!" She was ecstatic upon hearing his name, it was beautiful, "I'm," pointing to herself the young elf introduced herself, "Seladon."

A bright smile on her face as she looked at the merman who was close in age to her, only to jump in fright upon hearing a loud voice shouting her name, "SELADON!"

With wide eyes, she quickly stood up, wincing at her injured knee, "I-I have to go!" Upon hearing footsteps approaching, she ran away from the pond; she wasn't stupid; she knew that voice belonged to her father.

Watching the young girl run away, Alton remained with his head out of the water, once she was out of sight he opened his mouth, muttering to himself, "Seladon..."

Chapter Text

C hapter Three: Doubts and Worries

S E L A D O N  A G E  E L E V E N

"I promise I won't run away again..." Seladon bowed her head in shame, avoiding looking into the gaze of her father, running away from any social gatherings and royal events became a rather nasty habit for dear Seladon. A habit she had to seize.

"That's good to hear, and I hope you follow through with that promise." Her father let out a breathless sigh, standing tall with perfect posture, it was as if he were trying to seem all high and mighty for his daughter, in an attempt to put himself in the limelight, make himself look like a key father figure in her eyes. After all, for a King and a father, it was important to look strong in your daughter's perspective, right?

"You're growing up Seladon," her father placed his index finger under her chin, lifting her head up slightly so their eyes could meet, "you can't be a kid forever, growing up is something we all have to go through, no matter how boring it is." he rolled his eyes slightly, Seladon laughed silently about her father's straight forward perspective of being an adult.

Nodding her head slowly in acknowledgment Seladon let out a small sigh, "I know," she moved her head backward, her father's index finger slipping off her chin, allowing the young princess to advert her eyes to something else.

But she didn't, her eyes remained boring into the Kings, "I will try my best to not disappoint you, mother and the kingdom," Seladon gave a meek smile before wrapping her arms around her father's torso, "thank you, papa."

Pulling away from the embrace in what seemed to be a mere minute, the young girl spun on her heel, "We have an audience with the royal family of Lotia today, don't we?" She spoke, back facing her father, her facial expression fell, she didn't look happy, and she knew it, which is why she didn't dare show her face to her father, she didn't want him to know how unhappy the plans of her engagement made her.

"Yes, I'm surprised you remembered, her father remained in position, he couldn't help but wonder why his daughter's tone of voice wasn't as happy as it usually was and it bothered him, he wanted to find out the triggers to her sadness and hack it apart with a machete, "we're set to leave in three hours."

"Of course, I remembered! How could I forget something so important?" She shut her eyes slowly as reality dawned upon her, she was to get married at age eighteen unless she could convince the two kingdoms to cancel the engagement, a hard thing to do but Seladon hoped that her kingdom was on her side, after all, her parents were the ones in charge, right...?

"I'll get ready right away! Thank you again, Papa!" With that she left, leaving her father standing in the corridor, his index fingers massaging his temples gently as his eyes met with the clean flooring, "Is it because...?" He wondered and pondered to himself, questioning what may be the cause to his daughters appearing sadness.

The King was a little dense, unlike his wife who had already pinpointed the cause of their daughter's sadness, Rayner didn't have the logical brain cell; therefore he came to every other conclusion except the true one.

He left the corridor, still in thought, as he walked toward the throne room to meet up with his wife, maybe he'd share his theories with her.

-Time skip-

Seladon let out a sigh as she crept out of the bath, placing both feet on the soft, bathroom mat which collected the drops of water falling from her body, she just stood still, her consciences were at war with each other, part of her wanted to run away again, and the other part was responsible, spouting reasonable and convincing words as to why she shouldn't run away.

Shaking her head to rid her thoughts, Seladon reached for the towel which was hanging up on the racks embedded into the wall, "Papa is right... I am growing up, I'm eleven now, I can't keep acting like a three-year-old." Wrapping the towel around herself Seladon eyed the pastel yellow gown which was hanging on the doorknob, another sigh slipped her lips as she removed the gown from the coat hanger, putting on her undergarments and the gown, although there was only one problem.

She couldn't zip up the back.

"Cursed dress!" She flailed her arms about, the dress was rather long, reaching her ankles if she were any shorter than she was she would be stepping on her million-dollar clothing, "I just need to--" In an attempt to zip her dress up herself, too ashamed about asking for help as she had shooed her 'servants' away earlier, stating she was a big girl and could bathe and dress herself.

Seladon cringed and let out a small squeak as her arm had stretched to its full capacities and gave a loud and semi-painful crack.

"OW! Son of a--" She had to stop herself, eyes widening as she covered her mouth, she was about to mimic the words she had heard her father say when he had accidentally set his beard aflame.

"I didn't swear much then so let's not make it a habit now, especially at this age..." Seladon had vague memories of her past life, she didn't remember everything, just sprinkles here and there which came back ever so slowly.

Giving up on independence and royal life, the young girl stomped her way out of the bathroom, startling a servant who lingered outside the door, waiting for her.

'How long was she there for and how much did she hear?' Seladon's eyes were wide as were the servants. "I can explain."

"You can't zip up your dress?" her ears flickered in semi annoyance as a light pink hue dusted the princess's cheeks, but she didn't speak, not wanting to admit that she still needed someone to help and assist her and she also didn't want to lie as her position was rather prominent.

The older elf, had large brown eyes, short curly hair and wore a dusty yet elegant dress, it had always amazed Seladon how her mother and Father cared about their workers, giving them quality clothing, food and bedrooms, "Here, turn around, let me help you, dear."

Nodding slowly Seladon did as she was told, turning around and allowing the middle-aged female to zip up her dress, "There! All done, now your mother had requested me to inform you after your bath that she is awaiting your presence in her bedroom."

'Mother wants to see me? Hopefully, its to inform me that the meeting is cancelled-- no Seladon don't think like that! You've postponed and ran away from meeting him for years, It's time to stop.' She shook her head to rid her thoughts, once she was back, in reality, she gave the older elf a small smile and a nod, thanking her for her help and information. With that, she tiptoed barefoot to find her mother.

"You called for me?" Entering her parent's bedroom, shutting the door slowly and quietly behind her Seladon lifted up her gown slightly, so she didn't step on it and trip over as she walked toward the elven Queen who sat at her duchess, looking at herself in the mirror, "Yes, come here my dear." She patted her lap, indicating Seladon to take a seat.

And that the young elf did, she climbed up on her mother's lap, taking a seat. Hence, her back was against her mother's not so flat chest, Seladon's eyes glued to the mirror which had captured their frames, she peeled her eyes away from herself and looked at her mother's reflection, showing common courtesy to look at the person who was talking to you.

"Your father had mentioned you seemed a little troubled, may we share a little chat?"

'Of course, this was the reason mother wanted to speak with me,' Seladon sighed lightly, 'what did father say to her? I mean, he may be a little thick-headed, but he's not entirely dense if he said the right thing I'm sure to get in trouble, aren't I?' She shook her head once more, 'No, stop it, this is mother we're talking about, no matter what father said to her, she'll never get me in trouble, yes she may feel disappointed in me, but I'm sure that's about it.'

"It's the engagement, isn't it?" Her mother's silky, smooth voice questioned, her tone wasn't overly high or low, meaning she was neutral about the topic, much to Seladon's satisfaction the young princess had come to a conclusion that she wasn't getting into trouble.

"...Yes." Seladon answered truthfully, closing her eyes loosely and letting a small sigh slip form her small lips, lying wasn't something the young princess was fond of, especially to her mother as she were the one who she felt cared for her most in this fantasy world, her father being a close second but nothing could break the bond which Seladon had shared with her mother. The bond the two shared was stronger than steel to the point where the Queen could read her offspring like an open book.

Seladon knew it was best to never lie to her mother because chances are, the truth was already known to her.

The said princess opened her eyes slowly upon feeling slight tension atop of her head, she looked at both herself and her mother who was gently massaging her hair with a comb, "If it is looks you're worried about, trust me," The Queen gently patted her daughter's hair, combing the damp strands neatly in place, "in this mirror, I see a beautiful young lady and the young earl of Lotia would have to agree."

'But we've never seen each other before so that obviously can't be true...' Seladon shook her head and looked at herself in the mirror, her face pale but clean, her blonde hair no longer a damp birds nest but neatly brushed and hanging over her left shoulder, her small, baby blue eyes wandered from herself and landed on her mother's reflection, looking deeply into her emerald green eyes, a trait she had wished to inherit from her mother; instead she were blessed with her father's blue orbs.

"It's not looks that I'm worried about."

It was Angelita's turn to sigh, she picked up a hair tie and began to gently weave Seladon's hair together in a loose braid, "I know my sweet," she looked down at her daughter who remained seated on her lap, "If you're still thinking about breaking the engagement," she spoke slowly and softly, assuring Seladon, what she was saying was indeed an option she could take, "hold onto that thought, and I will try my best to help you when you're of age."

tying up the last of Seladon's now braided hair Angelita puckered her lips and leant down to rest them atop of the princess's head, "If by then it's still what you really want I'll do it for you just promise me something," removing her lips from Seladon's head she looked back into the mirror to look into her daughters reflecting eyes, "promise me you won't do anything reckless."

"I promise mama!" Seladon smiled widely, she was over the moon that someone had her back and that someone was the most important person to have her back, after all, nobody could beat a mother's love and support for her child, "Thank you for always having my back." Seladon shifted position, turning herself around, so her front was against her mother's, taking her new position to her advantage Seladon wrapped her arms around Angelita's torso, embracing her into a hug.

It had always surprised Angelita, that despite her young age and fits of immaturity, her daughter had held a maturity to her. To the Queen, it was unique, something only her little Seladon could have.

"Now, let's go get your father, we're to be escorted to the kingdom of Lotia by one." Checking the clock with her baby blue eyes Seladon made a mental note that it was currently twelve-thirty in the early afternoon, she had half an hour left, the time she had left would wisely be used to hype herself up or practice speaking and acting approvingly to royal needs. Instead, she spent that time pacing around the garden, worrying about her meeting with the young prince of Lotia.

"Seladon, the carriage is here, let's go." Holding the hand of her mother as she was escorted into a beautiful, golden and crème coloured carriage, pulled by two beautiful white stallions Seladon took in a deep breath of air, 'Let's do this.'

Chapter Text

The Royal family gasped, a sound of shock leaving their lips as their carriage had stopped at their destination. 
The Kingdom of Lotia.

There were only two Elven kingdoms, Lotia and Osa, Princess Seladon's being Osa.

"Woah..." The young princess' eyes widened in awe as she stuck her head out the window, only to be immediately pulled into her mother's lap, "Seladon, this is where you have to act like a lady, respectable and elegant."

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes at the impossible request the young girl flicked her hair over her shoulder in slight sass before nodding her head in understanding, "Of course mother."

She was the first to step out of the carriage, getting a little too carried away with her independence, her parents following their daughter, keeping a close eye on her, fearing that if they looked away for two seconds she would run away.

"Welcome, King Rayner and Queen Angelita, welcome to Lotia," A plump, man of average height bowed his head in respect, his hair a musky grey and his eyes closed in respect, "follow me, the royal highness' are waiting for you in the garden." He was not at all phased by the three guards surrounding Seladon and her parents, instead, leading the family to the garden.

Seladon's blue eyes wandered, taking grasp of every nook and cranny the castle had to offer, she gave her head a slight nod, approving with the choice of decor displayed on the walls, "Very pretty..." her mouth slightly opened and she voiced her opinion quietly to herself.

The man who guided them to the garden gave one last bow and bid his dues before he left to partake in his duties. Seladon watched as her parents greeted the King and Queen of Lotia with respect and she followed suit, bowing her head down and performing a curtsey.

"Welcome, we are pleased to finally be acquainted with you." The Queen spoke, her hair purple, looking to be dyed shone in the sun as she spoke to Seladon's parents before looking down at the said child.

A smile on her lips as she crouched down to the eleven-year-old's level and opened her mouth, "You must be Seladon, very pretty," Her eyes closed and her lips curved up in a polite smile, "my son, Markus, he's hiding behind the daisy bush," her tone became more hushed as if she was whispering a secret to Seladon, "he's very shy but he'd love the company."

Seladon nodded in acknowledgement, her eyes wandering and wavering around, looking for the said daisy bush before the Queen of Lotia pointed at a particular location with a wink.

The young princess stepped away from her parents, giving them a look as if to ask, 'is it really okay if I leave?' 

Upon receiving a nod from her father Seladon was on her way, her feet colliding with the stone pathway, her shoes clicking, alerting anyone nearby of her presence.
"Hello?" She spoke, now in front of the said bush, the beautiful white flowers glistened, having been freshly watered.

Seladon let out a small huff, her eyes locking on a figure hiding inside of the flowers, sitting on her knees the young elf began parting the flowers, in an attempt to uncover the hiding silhouette.

"EEK!"

Seladon jumped back in surprise, it wasn't her that had screamed but whoever it was had given her quite a fright, her knees scraped against the pavement and she fell forward, landing inside the flower bush. "O-Ouch..."

"A-Ah I'm s-so sorry!" A young boy, looking to be her age stood as still and stiff as a deer stuck in headlights, his hair a shiny silver and his eyes a brisk blue, "Let me help you!" He had flushed cheeks as he held his hand out for Seladon to grab.

"It's okay..." The young princess intertwined her hand with his, causing the poor boy's face to redden at the contact before recollecting himself and pulling her up to her feet.
"I'm Seladon, what's your name?" She broke the silence, gently shaking her hand out of his grasp.

The young boy twiddled his thumbs, looking anywhere but Seladon, it was as if he was scared of her, "I'm Markus..."

"Well Markus," Seladon stepped closer to him, placing her hands on his shoulders, the height difference between the two was almost nonexistent, "You don't have to be so worried, I won't hurt you." She offered a kind smile, stepping back and removing her hands from his shoulders. allowing him to have his personal space back.

His blue eyes slowly locked onto Seladon as he took in her appearance, "You're pretty..." Mumbling under his breath his face exploded in a crimson hue upon realising what he had just said, "W-Wait I mean you're... you're!" his eyes darted around in sheer panic before landing on her left knee, "hurt..."

"Huh?" Seladon looked down at her knee, "Oh, it appears I am..." 

"I'm, so sorry!" Markus dropped his head in a bow, his eyes burning, a few tears prickling the corners of his eyes, "If I wasn't so shy I wouldn't have overreacted, you wouldn't have gotten hurt and I-"

"Woah, Woah, stop!" Seladon placed her index finger over the boy's lips to silence him, "Raise your head please." The boy slowly raised his head, unable to look into her eyes, small sniffles came from his nose.

Seladon reached her arms out, leaning forward and embracing the boy in her arms, "It's okay, I don't mind, it was an accident!" she rubbed circles in his back for a good ten seconds before going to pull away.

But before she could she felt two arms wrap around her torso. Markus hugged her back as he sniffled into her chest, "I'm sorry, this is why I don't have friends..." he muttered under his breath, "If not because of my title but because I'm not strong and confident like all the other boys, I'll get made fun of."

Shaking her head Seladon let out a small sigh, she knew about toxic gender norms back in her previous life. How men weren't allowed to cry or show any kind of emotion without being labelled weak, was really unfair and it irked her how it also took place in this world.

"Everyone is allowed to feel things, everyone's allowed to be sad, emotional, weak regardless of gender. Your gender doesn't define you."

Markus let out a sniff before removing his arms from Seladon's torso, resulting in the two breaking the hug, "Thank you," he wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt, "Can I at least clean your wound as an apology?" He asked meekly as Seladon wouldn't let him apologise for accidentally hurting her.

"Of course!"

"And one last thing, princess Seladon."

"You can just call me Seladon."

"Right... Seladon, will you be my friend?"

Seladon's lips curved upward in a smile as she nodded her head in eagerness, "Of course, I will!"

All her thoughts about the marriage set in stone for the two of them completely slipped their mind, they didn't even think of it once during the whole encounter. All they thought of was their new friendship and how happy it made the two of them.

♡ ♡ ♡

"That wasn't so bad now was it my dearest?" Queen Angelita flashed her daughter a smile, however, the young girl winced when rubbing alcohol had made contact with the open graze on her knee.

"No, it wasn't." She spoke with clenched teeth, being a complete crybaby with pain.
Seladon was grateful for the young prince attending her injuries but he lacked knowledge, applying some antibiotic cream to the wound and a bandaid. 

Angelita apologised to her daughter about the pain she had put her through by wrapping her wound as she placed the bandage around her knee firmly, "You're so strong, my Seladon Abel." 

"Thank you..." The young elf muttered with pink cheeks before deflecting her embarrassment, "Can I go play now? Outside that is?"

"That depends, will you run away?"

Seladon shook her head, "No," and placed her left arm behind her back, mocking a stretching movement but what her mother didn't see was her index and middle finger crossed together.

Catching her mother's trust Seladon ran out the door, venturing into the withers. She snuck past countless guards as she was on a stealth mission not to be caught.
Her eyes widened once she had come into contact with the transparent dome, keeping everyone inside safe from the outside world.

Seladon went through the barrier, once again leaving her kingdom, having a fascination with exploring.

"Should I visit Alton again?" She recalled her merman friend, her lips puckering into a pout when she thought about how lonely he would be by himself.

She roamed the forest, searching for the lake she had found Alton the first time, only to stumble into something sturdy, "Ah!" Startled, Seladon let out a noise, clenching her eyes shut as she lost her balance, not wanting to see herself fall.

Only her fall didn't come.

She slowly opened her eyes only for them to widen, a blush on her face when she had come to the realisation she was in someone's arms.

"O-Oh I'm sorry! I didn't mean to run into you!" She removed herself from the strangers grasp and bowed her head down. Her eyes however weren't looking at the ground but were staring at the boy in front of her, his dusk red eyes caused a chill to slither down her spine, his silky, wavy black hair looked perfect and soft but there was one thing which stood out to her the most.

He had wings.

Two, small black, fluffy wings.

"Tch," The young boy spoke, "You should be sorry! Do you even know where you are?" He crossed his arms over his chest and have a small huff.
Seladon lifted her head and stared at the boy with a raised eyebrow, "Excuse me?"

An irk mark appeared on the boy's forehead, his wings frilled up, similar to a feline's fur when they are aggravated, "Hah? Excuse YOU? You're the one who needs to be excused, you're in my parts! Everything here is MINE!"

Seladon was blatantly shocked with his attitude, "I'm sorry, how old are you?" Her question seemed rhetorical and laced with confusion. Just who did this boy think he was?

"You don't know who I am?" He scoffed, muttering a few curses under his breath in a language Seladon wasn't at all familiar with. She was tempted to tell him, 'Excuse me, let's keep it in English yeah?' but she was afraid he would explode in anger so she kept her mouth shut.

Her silence was enough to answer the young boy's question, he opened his mouth to speak, arms still over his chest and left eye twitching, "Tenebris but that's Prince Tenebris to you peasant." 

"Prince?" She questioned curiously, "What kingdom are you a prince of?"

"Your ignorance is disgusting!" He pointed at the young elf, "Just where do you belong, clearly they don't teach you shit where you're from!"

'Woah...Language...'

Seladon slowly nodded with wide eyes, confused yet curious, "Uh, huh that didn't answer my question."

"Tch." He tsked, "Literally useless," he rolled his red eyes before looking Seladon up and down, blatantly judging her, "Prince of the Demons because you obviously can't tell!"

The young elf's eyes widened and she took a small step back, she had heard stories of demons and how they loved to cause chaos and destruction, especially to her race. You see, Demons weren't fond of elves at all, as they were the type to promote life, nature, kindness, they were polar opposites.

Seladon gulped her fear away, determined to not let this demon get his way, "How old are you?"

"I'm thirteen."

"Oh cool! I'm eleven!" She replied to his dry response with enthusiasm, "Um, anyway, I'm sorry I got in your way, I'll just be going now." She stepped away from the young boy only being stopped in her tracks by a hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah, that's a no. You see, this is my turf, everything here belongs to me and I don't need you fucking anything of mine up. So I'm coming with you to make sure you don't try anything funny."

A sigh slipped Seladon's lips however she gave a small nod, "Uh-huh, yeah sure whatever floats your boat, your highness." She spoke with hidden sarcasm and was relieved the demon didn't pick up on it.

Seladon sat down at a lake, finding the home of her merman friend and her tag along followed her actions, "Why are we here?"

"I'm visiting my friend." Was her response, as dry as his question.

The water in front of the two began to whirl as if there were a whirlpool underneath, however, Seladon wasn't worried. Her smile just grew bigger.

"Hey, Alton!" As soon as the words left her lips a figure jumped from the water, mimicking a dolphin's actions before plopping back in with a splash. Seladon giggled and shielded her face from the droplets of water and Tenebris scoffed.

The merman boy tread water, his upper body surfaced as he swam to the edge of the lake, resting his arms against the dirt, "Hi Seladon!" Alton's accent was still heavy but his English skills had improved drastically, even Seladon was impressed.

"How have you been?" The young elf smiled at her friend, genuinely curious about him as it has been a few weeks since they had last spoken.

"I missed you...who is this?" Alton's smile faltered as his eyes landed on Tenebris, his eyes narrowing slightly, waiting for Seladon's response.

"Oh um..." She hesitated, the hesitation made Alton nervous, he already didn't like the fact that Seladon had someone else with her, for all he knew Seladon was his friend and his alone, nobody else could have her.
"This is my friend Tenebris..." The way she spoke made it clear she was unsure of what she was saying as she tucked her hair behind her ear to calm her nerves.

Unknowingly to her, she had just exposed herself to Tenebris in the process.

As she had moved her hair behind her ear, this resulted in her pointy ears which was the trademark of her race being put on display to the demon beside her.

Tenebris' red eyes widened as they locked onto her ears, curious as to why an elf was out this deep into the forest, being one of the most vulnerable and important races it was stupid for them to leave their protective barrier.

His lips curled into a small smirk, "Yeah, we're friends, why, you jealous? because you're going to see a lot more of me from now on."

Tenebris had a plan.

A plan to use Seladon to get into the barrier and cause destruction over her race.

A plan to make his ancestors proud when he does the one thing they could not.

And nothing was going to stop him from achieving his goal because he always, gets what he wants.

Chapter Text

S E L A D O N   A G E   F O U R T E E N

"Angelita wait-"

"Don't you Angelita me you bloody baboon!" The elf Queen of Osa threw her arms back in a fit of rage, glaring at her husband with utter rage in her eyes, "Do you have any fucking idea what you have done?!"

Rayner's complexion paled, the man swallowed a lump in his throat as it clenched and tightened with nerves, "Look, my sweet calm down, let me explain-"

"No!" She flipped her silky brunette hair behind her shoulder, finding it rather irritating in this given situation, "Calm down? Let you explain? How the fuck am I supposed to do either of those things when you called a bloody war!"

"I understand your frustration but you're missing the point Angelita it's not what you think I-"

The Queen's fists clenched, her knuckles turning white and her teeth grinding against each other, causing a small headache. She could not believe the actions of her husband, she trusted him and for what? Him to call upon a war against the kingdom their daughter was supposed to marry into?

She couldn't believe him. The audacity he had, was his brain made to use the morning dog food? had he completely lost his head?

"Please!" The king swooped Angelita up from under her feet, holding her romantically in his arms causing her to gasp, her mouth immediately closed in response, "Please let me explain my love, it was an agreed declaration, we did it to protect our honour."

"Our honour?" Angelita's left eye twitched, she elbowed her betrothed in the chest, telling him to put her down as she wiggled out of his grasp.

She was astonished, dumbfounded and in awe at how stupid one man could be, "You said, if our daughter breaks off her engagement with their son we will go to war, are you trying to make me out to be a liar?"

Her voice pitch heightened, she forced her eyes to shut as she gripped the top of her head, ripping out strands of hair in displeasure, "I told her she can break off the engagement when she is old enough to make her own decision, have you realised what you have just done?!"
"If Seladon knew about this-"

"She will marry the prince of Lotia, she doesn't have a choice Angelita, just like we didn't have a choice in our marriage either, I want what's best for our kingdom, for our kind, why is she any special?"

Angelita's mouth hang agape, to say she was shocked would be an understatement. Her husband had blatantly told her he doesn't give a rats ass about his own flesh and blood, he doesn't care about her happiness just to fulfil his wants.

And he was willing to start a war to get what he wanted.

"I don't care if you tell Seladon about this, honestly I feel it's better if she knows. It'll encourage her to go through with the marriage."

What the King and Queen didn't realise during their argument was the figure outside their bedroom door.

Blue, tear-stained eyes were widened, a hand covering her mouth as she took deep, heavy breaths. Seladon had heard everything.

And she was pissed.

♡ ♡ ♡

"No, you have no idea how upset I am right now!" Seladon paced back and forth, hands behind her back as she grumbled curses under her breath, "I don't even want to marry the man! I haven't seen or heard from him since I was 11 for goodness sake!"

"H-Hey, it's okay..." The sound of water silently swishing and splashing echoed throughout the ears of the three people in the area, "I wish I wasn't stuck in this lake... I wish I could hug you." Alton sighed silently, the light in his eyes extinguished as he felt genuinely bad for the girl.

Seladon tensed when she felt arms around her, her eyes widened before they closed in an attempt to hide any tears from slipping out of her eyes, she wrapped her arms around the demon who was hugging her.

"Thank you, Tenebris and Alton, I really appreciate you guys..." She buried her face into Tenebris' chest for comfort, "Just thank you."

"That's what friends are for." Tenebris looked over toward Alton's direction and smirked, purposely aggravating the merman as he was doing the one thing Alton wanted to right now.
Hug Seladon.

"Yeah..." Alton replied with grit teeth, "What he said the tæve" He muttered the last word under his breath as he silently vented his frustration.

(Translation: Bitch)

Seladon eventually broke the hug and wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt, "I'm sorry you guys had to see me like this," She let out a sigh, shuffling backward and leaning her back against a tree.

The Princess had been meeting up with her two friends at least twice a week for three years, they had become rather close but none of them had ever seen Seladon so upset, so, vulnerable.

They would be lying if they said they didn't like the way it made them feel.

"Anyways, I came up with a new song, would you like to hear?" Changing the subject smoothly, Seladon removed an instrument she had strapped to her waist, it was a kalimba, an instrument she had begged her mother to get for her despite the struggle of travelling for several weeks in order to acquire it.

"I learnt this myself, listen well." She let out a small breath and got to work, steadily playing her kalimba, providing a soothing, beautiful melody.
(Song above)

A smile graced the female's lips as she played, despite the small blisters forming on her fingertips. She loved to play music, not only did it sound beautiful but it made her and those around her happy.

Her smile resided on her face even when she had finished playing, "So, what do you guys think?"

"I loved it!" Alton clapped his hands, unintentionally splashing droplets of water everywhere with every clap, "It was beautiful my songbird."

Songbird, a nickname the merman had given the princess the day he first heard her play, Seladon didn't mind it one bit, after all, friends give each other nicknames all the time.

"It was pretty I guess," Tenebris rolled his eyes at the merman's nickname for Seladon, his response caused the elf to puff her cheeks out in semi annoyance, the demon made a noise of displeasure as she elbowed him in the arm, "You guess?"

"I said it was pretty, what else do you want from me?" His red eyes narrowed at the girl, Tenebris took this time to really study her facial features. Yes he knew in great detail what she looked like but he couldn't help himself, any opportunity he could come by he would always find a reason to stare at her.

He snapped his eyes away from Seladon and crossed his arms over his chest, small pink hue dusted his nose and he shook his head, 'no fucking way I'm catching feelings for an elf of all things, disgusting creatures they are.'

Tenebris clenched his teeth in an attempt to distract himself as Seladon and Alton spoke ever so casually as if they had known each other all their life.

The way Alton spoke to her made his blood boil and it irked him, he didn't want to see red, for his mind and thoughts to be corrupted with visions of the merman being killed by his own hand, he liked to tell himself he didn't know what was wrong with him but deep down. He knew.

And he had a plan to make her his.

A smirk itched its way onto his face as he thought of his plan. His plan to massacre her kingdom, her race entirely because where would she go without her beloved home and loved ones?

Crawling right to him.

He had followed her enough times to memorise where the magical barrier which protects the elves from the outside world was. That was the only problem as no other creature can see it. But now that he knows he can order the war at any given opportunity.

♡ ♡ ♡

Seladon tiptoed around the castle, entering a room where the knights of the kingdom train, with every tick of the grandfather clock her nerves began to rise, her heartbeat thumping against her ribcage as she picked up a bow, quiver and some arrows to fill the said quiver.

Once she had acquired the items she wanted the princess snuck into her bedroom and out of her window. If she was caught wielding a weapon as a princess she would be in big trouble as 'princess' aren't allowed to fight and hold weapons, it is not propper.'

She rolled her eyes at her mother's past words and ran off into the trees, smiling to herself Seladon threw the quiver on her back, the strap firmly around her shoulder. She plucked an arrow from the holder and aligned it into the bow, closing one eye she aimed at an apple in a tree.

Letting out a small, shaky breath Seladon released the arrow.
Only to miss the apple and hit nothing.

Rolling her blue eyes she ran off to retrieve the arrow, "Practise makes perfect I guess." 

She was determined to improve. 

She wouldn't usually be the type to fight or learn how to use weapons but the constant reminder of the war which would partake if she cancelled the engagement with Markus, the prince of Lotia.

Yes, she could go through with it and everyone will live happily ever after but would she live happily? Seladon let out a sigh, she was fighting for her future, her happiness and she was not going to let all her hard work be thrown away.

Crunch

The arrow had landed perfectly inside the apple, knocking it out of the tree and into the floor.
In her eyes, Seladon had mastered the way of the bow, her accuracy had improved drastically and she couldn't help but smile at herself.

Not only had she focused on improving her accuracy and the time it took to draw another arrow but she had been learning, reading and researching as to where to shoot someone to temporarily or permanently immobilise someone. 
As a shot to kill was much easier.

Seladon had been learning the ways of the bow for several months now, still keeping up with her daily responsibilities and catching up with Alton and Tenebris when she had free time.

Instead of staying within her side of the protective barrier to practise she wandered outside, her mind curious as she constantly wondered if it would be harder to perform in a different setting as she was so used to the apple trees she practised on. 

Seladon stopped in her tracks, plucking an arrow from her quiver and lining up a shot at the sky, she wasn't aiming at anything until she kicked her left foot up, kicking an apple which was balancing on her foot in the air. She aimed and shot.

Hitting the apple from the sky.

"Impressive," Slow clapping came from behind the teenage girl, startling her, "But I have no idea how you managed to hit that, you see, your posture was way off."

Seladon jumped back in fright, looking around for a person as she had literally heard somebody speaking to her. However, her eyebrows furrowed when she hadn't seen a single person in sight.

'Am I imagining things...' She slowly stepped backward and picked up the apple, picking the arrow out of the fruit while still looking around cautiously.

"You look so lost, like a doe in headlights, how adorable."

Okay, what the actual hell is going on, a bead of sweat fell from her forehead, the hairs on her arms and the back of her neck standing up as she was on edge, "Where...Where are you?"

"Right in front of you."

No, because the only thing in front of her which was full of life was... Seladon flinched in slight fright upon noticing the large, black feline in front of her. A panther...

"Bwahaha! You should see your face!" The panther laughed before its skin morphed, decaying and transforming into something new. A teenage boy, "Yo, I'm Kenichi!" He greets, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

Slowly dropping the apple to the ground Seladon nodded slowly, her brain trying to comprehend and process what the hell just happened, "You're a..."

"A shapeshifter, yes amazing I know I am." Kenichi grinned, his golden eyes boring into the female's blue ones, "Go on, tell me how amazing I am. I'm waiting."

Seladon blinked a few hundred times before she felt she was ready to communicate with the unknown, "I don't think it would be good to let anything else get to your head... It's already big enough."

The boy scoffed, his mouth agape in disbelief, "Nobodys ever spoken to me like that," he huffed but didn't complain, "It wasn't unpleasant but rather amusing, you amuse me, I like you."

"Thanks? I like me too... By the way, I'm Seladon," The female introduced herself upon realising she hadn't yet.

"Salad?"

"No, Seladon, repeat after me," The girl puffed out her cheeks in mild annoyance, "Sela-Don"

Kenichi smirked, a toothy grin exposing his sharp teeth, "I'll just call you Kiska." He had a smug look on his face but he didn't elaborate on the meaning of the nickname or why he chose it.

Chapter Text

S E L A D O N A G E 
T W E N T Y

Piercing blue eyes scanned the darkness, Seladon smirked as she counted the stars which filled up the night sky which was slowly lightening in colour, she slowly and quietly slid out of bed and threw her arms above her head, stretching meekly.

The old, outdated alarm clock which sat at her bedside table read '03:00 am' 9 years ago she was engaged to Markus the prince of Lotia, the second Elven kingdom. 

"Let's do this," Seladon peeled her clothing off of her body and replaced them with black leggings, a beige top, and a black hooded coat, "Even if I'm caught sneaking out surely I won't be recognized in this."

Squatting down and reaching under her bed Seladon pulled out her bow and quiver of arrows, holding onto them as if they were her pride and joy.

Quite frankly, archery was the only thing that sparked joy in her recently.

Seladon tied the laces of her black combat boots, they were perfect for fighting in and perfect for running in.

The princess flipped her hood, covering her head and face before she quietly snuck out of the castle, carefully and quietly avoiding getting caught by patrolling guards or worse, her father.
Her breath hitched, and she could see her breath in small white particles as she breathed due to the cold weather, her eyes widened and she slapped her hand over her mouth in an attempt to hide her visible breath as she approached a guard.

The guards of Osa weren't normal elves, they were elves who had been selected to guard the barrier and royal family with their life, they had been training since they were able to walk and if they were ever to fail their duties as a guard they would be shunned by the royal family and Elven community.

What happens after that?

Death. By their own hand or by the royal family's hand.

Seladon moved carefully and tactically, wanting nothing more than to escape without being caught.
The princess smirked as she successfully bypassed the guard and slipped through the barrier, laughing quietly as she ran away from the castle.

Escaping was easy for her, after all, she had been sneaking through the barrier for 16 years, ever since she was four years old.

"Heyo!" Seladon called out, her voice followed by a splashing sound, her eyes lit up with glee once the appearance of a familiar blonde merman filled her sight, "Long time no see huh Alton?" She gave her friend a cheeky smile.

"I saw you yesterday..." The merman submerged half of his body out of the water and leaned his arms against the dirt and muddy earth which surrounded his pond, he returned the cheeky smile Seladon had given him, "You keep sneaking out to see me, what's the occasion this time? You miss me?"

Seladon rolled her eyes and sat down on a dry patch of grass, "Not just you, I miss the others too as a matter of fact they will be joining us in a few minutes."

"Wait you didn't forget what today was didn't you?" Seladon gasped and crossed her arms lightly over her chest.

Alton's eyes widened, his hands twitching, feeling a pang of jealousy upon hearing the princess didn't want to just see him but Kenichi and Tenebris too.

He never liked those two, Kenichi was too up in his own ego, his head so big you could use it as a boat and he could feel that Tenebris was always up to something, he didn't trust them around Seladon at all.

Alton dived into the water, confusing Seladon but her confusion didn't last too long as the merman had surfaced from the water, using his tail to flick a large amount of water toward her direction, "No, I didn't forget, Happy Birthday Princess."

The girl's shriek hit the eardrums of two passersby who made their appearance known, "That's a present she'll remember forever alright, too bad mine is even better." Seladon and Alton's attention was diverted to two men, one had black fluffy wings and the other had golden, entrancing eyes one eye covered by an eyepatch.

"Hey Kenichi and Tenebris!" Seladon smiled at the two before throwing a pebble in their direction, "You're late...!"

Alton's eyes bore into the two males, his gaze was full of malice, he was envious at the very thought of them talking to Seladon.
His malice wasn't dismissed, The shapeshifter and Demon were all too familiar with the merman's hatred for them.

But it amused them.

After all, what was he going to do to them? He's stuck in a lake.

"Here," Kenichi strode toward Seladon, removing his fancy black jacket from his shoulders and placing it on hers, "you look cold, Happy Birthday Kiska."

The princess smiled, her cheeks gaining a small amount of colour at the gesture, "Thanks, but you were just wearing this jacket, it's probably old and worn out." She raised her eyebrows and taunted the shapeshifter.

An irk mark appeared on Kenichi's forehead, "Are you saying that my jacket is too good for you? It's not old! and you should be thankful I'm giving it to someone like you." He huffed and Seladon laughed, she really liked getting under his skin, she found it amusing how one man's pride can be tarnished so quickly.

"It's a great gift, thank you, Kenichi."

"Damn right it's great, and I know I'm irresistible so I gave you something that smells like me so you won't have to bore yourself with missing me every day." 

Seladon rolled her eyes and gave a breathless laugh before turning her attention to her other friend who was watching the whole situation with his arms crossed against his chest and his teeth clenched.

"And how have you been Tenebris?" 

The demon pushed his way passed Kenichi with a scoff and sat himself beside Seladon, "I got you this." He gently opened up her hand and placed a gorgeous obsidian bracelet in her hand, it was warm to the touch and glistened in the moonlight.

"Woah... are you sure? This is.."

"Are you calling me poor?!"

Seladon's eyes widened and she shook her head rapidly, "No no! It's lovely thank you Tenebris but are you sure?"

"Of course, I'm fucking sure," The demon rolled his eyes, "I've told you everything here is mine, it's my turf remember? So I can have whatever I want and give whatever the fuck I want away."

Seladon slowly put her index finger against Tenebris's mouth, shushing him, "You'd think after nine years your profanity would die down..." She rolled her eyes with a small smile, there was a time she was terrified of the demon because of his species.

Demons and elves were naturally born enemies, polar opposites so of course they'd be bound to dislike each other but the two put their differences aside and became friends instead.

Alton and Kenichi stared at the elf and the demon, both had malice in their eyes, the three men knew that they were all after one objective and they weren't going to let anyone get in the way of it.

They all wanted Seladon.

And Seladon was oblivious to it all.