Chapter Text
The world is cruel and unforgiving. This is a fact Holly has been reminded of every single day for the past seventeen years of their life. Holly was born blind, but she is not some frail little girl, believe it or not. Holly Woodstone is a green haired royal and kitsune marked individual. This is the story on how her and a group of soon-to-be friends accidentally found out their history’s biggest hidden secret.
You’re probably as lost as was three months ago. Truth be told, none of us exactly knew what that meant at first either. Just warning you, this isn’t your classic happy-go-lucky fairytale book you read before bed.
That being said, I’ll start at the beginning.
The day had barely begun with the sun peeking over the tips of the trees lining the kingdom of Kinistdy. The town surrounding the palace was decorated with festive flowers, and colorful flags were posted on almost every street corner and wooden pole. Each flag was a sage green with two golden bordering lines stretching out to touch each colored star in the corners. The stars represent the four spirits of Kinistdiy. Leading from the top left to bottom left are the following: a dark green star standing for the earth spirit, a Kitsune; a blue star representing the water spirit, Cerberus; a golden star symbolizing the wind spirit, a Griffin; a red star standing for the dragon, spirit of fire; an embedded golden griffin lay at the center of the flag. It grants protection over the entire kingdom. A quote written in italics plastered the bottom of the flag: “Bound by spirit, untied by strength.”
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It is August 31, the last day of the month, so the monthly festival, also known as the Gift to the Spirits of Protection. (A stupid name if you ask me.) I never really enjoyed the festivals. Because I am blind, my other senses are enhanced, so you could imagine the headache of everything going on. I get easily overwhelmed by all the noises and smells, so I don’t often go out during the festivities. Today, however, was an exception of course. I still like to support the locals. I figured I would ask my brother, Alex, to go into town at breakfast.
“Town? Why? You know it’s dangerous, especially for you. Your mark is still the Kitsune spirit. You’re also part of the royal family. People are going to be after you.” Just as expected, I got lectured.
Alex is only four years older than me but acts like he is my father. He is a fairly well-built man with curly light brown hair and a streak of green leading down his right bangs. He has a respectable number of freckles covering his tan nose and cheeks.
Our family is what you would call old fashioned. Arranged marriage isn’t uncommon among the richer families, and, in our case the royal family. My mother was married to my father around Alex's age and Alex is expected to do the same. It had already been set up for years, but I don’t think Alex is exactly excited to be forced to marry my only friend, Snowflake. I can’t say I am ecstatic about it either. She is a good friend of mine.
With enough convincing, I finally get Alex to come with me into town. He was just as stubborn about it as before, but he lightened up over time.
Alex guided me into the marketplace of the town. Every stone paved on the path was freshly washed and some were painted with festive swirls and patterns. Large stands displaying many traditional foods and other trinkets. A salesperson gasped as the two walked past. Royals don’t often leave and interact with the town's residents. It is surely a sight to see if one comes into town. The salesperson bowed nervously who in return was waved off by Alex.
The light wind brushed through the stands carrying sents and smells of the various food displayed. The smell of funnel cake however lingered in my nose. “Can we get some?” I asked pointing in the direction of the smell. Despite being blind I had a promising idea of my surroundings after practice memorizing the streets of the kingdom.
“I suppose.” Alex wasn’t really the agreeable type, but he loved his sister.
There I was, stuffing funnel cake in my mouth and listening to Alex describe what each stand was selling. None of them really caught my attention but I listened carefully. I enjoyed hearing about the Shawls glittering with soft fabric and fringe in the colors of the spirits, red, green, blue, and a golden color that i was told glittered like the sun itself. The food that i could smell around me, some salty and savory like cheese and other carb rich food i was told but the other sweeter food was apparently more popular, with cakes and cookies with glittering colors and fun shapes. My favorite thing to hear about was the art. My brother described the woven baskets and carpets with swirling colors and the paintings that look as real as a photo or as ethereal as a dream.
Soon after I finished my food I went to throw away my trash momentarily leaving Alex alone. I walked into part of a chilly ally where we were told their was a trash can and was able to eventually find it and drop my trash in. I was taken aback as a hurried cloaked woman rushed passed me knocking into my shoulder. I gasp as I tripped over my kimono and fell to the hard granite floor. I couldnt tell what had happened but the person that just tripped me wasn’t giving off a good vibe. The woman’s presence felt dark and empty like she wasn’t even alive like empty snake skin. It sent shivers down my spine and made me feel as if bugs were crawling under my skin. The stranger shoved something that felt like a paper into my arms before running off somewhere into the crowd. I tried to call out, to find out who it was or what had happened but no response ever came.
