Chapter Text
The sun rose from the horizon from the village outdoors, outside of the large pearly gates of the extravagant but luxurious palace of the royal family. As the gentle sunlight gleamed through the tall, opulent window curtains of the princess’ bedroom, it illuminated the precious, delicate furniture within the area, along with the princess that slept and dreamed peacefully in her bed.
The village was rising along with the morning sun. Shop owners were opening their small shops, farmers were checking on their animals and crops, gardeners were checking on their gardens and plants, messengers were preparing their wagons, adult citizens were opening their blinds in their homes or taking a morning stroll, and kids were peeking through the windows of their rooms. It was quite a lovely day today. The temperature was warm outside, and the town was calm.
The princess awakened from her slumber around 8:00 a.m. She sat up from her bed and stretched her arms before adjusting the slightly crooked flowers in her head. She glanced up at the clock on the wall.
“8:32 a.m. Hm… It’s time to get ready for the day…” Bassie thought.
Princess Bassie rubbed her eyes before slowly climbing out of bed and walking towards her curtains, letting the sunlight brighten her bedroom as she pulled the folds apart. She then walked over to her closet and looked through her large wardrobe.
She followed her daily routine, per usual:
* Find her outfit for the day, along with jewelry.
* Brush her teeth.
* Shower.
* Get ready.
It was a simple routine, and it didn’t take much time. It only took about an hour or less.
After Bassie was done getting dressed up, she looked at herself in the mirror, adjusting the flowers in her head once again along with her dress to make sure she looked proper. She then sprayed herself with some fragrance to finish her morning routine off.
Knight Soulvester stood unmoved from his post from the princess’ door. He took his role of Princess Bassie personal knight seriously; he would follow her to the end of the world, if he must. His love for the princess went further than is loyalty to the Royal family; in his terms, he has been 'smitten by the princess’ graceful beauty.' He acquired the crush on Princess Bassie after a particular day in the garden...
Princess Bassie cherished her garden and relished making flower crowns and on that day she decided to place one of her beautiful wreaths on his head; a simple gesture but one that struck his heart with Cupid's arrow: an arrow that can pierce the thickest plates of armor and make the strongest hero weak to any attack, which terrified him...
He was in denial that he had a crush on the heir of the kingdom; it was only heavy loyalty; after many years though he could not deny himself or his heart no more. He'd never felt this way before; the unknown being his only fear. He decided he would confess soon; he could not be coward at the unknown or rejection. He knew he had no chance with the princess of a kingdom, but dropping the boulder of guilt off his shoulders would make him stronger; no matter her answer he would stay loyal: to her and the Royal family.
As if on cue, Princess Bassie emerges from her bedroom, the oak wooden door creaking open under her touch as she turned the doorknob to reveal the halls of the lustrous palace. Her eyes landed on the pulchritudinous windows ahead of her that presented a clear view of the castle’s front garden and village below. Though her eyes eventually looked to her side to see her charming escort, Knight Soulvester.
“Good morning, Knight Soulvester.”
Bassie began with a warm smile, giving Soulvester a subtle bow as she lifted the sides of her dress before returning to proper posture; hands now clasped together. Soulvester shifts uncomfortably and slowly bows his head towards Princess Bassie - his breathing uneasy.
“Good morning, Princess Bassie, shall I escort you to the Dining Hall, your highness?”
Bassie nods her head at Soulvester’s request. “Yes, please!”
Bassie replied buoyantly as she followed Soulvester’s slow steps through the halls, towards the dining hall. Bassie was quite hungry, she could admit. Breakfast had to be one of her favorite meals of the day. Everything smelled so appealing… and not only that, but everything tasted delightful. The bakers here in the palace were marvelous at what they did; they were so kind and considerate as well.
Once arriving at the dining hall, Bassie took in the aromatic smell of the place... Before being interrupted by a recognizable voice speaking up to her.
“Good morning, Bassie.” Bassie’s eyes locked in the direction of the familiar voice, and it was who she had expected. Her stepfather, Dandicus Dancifer, was sitting at the end of the extravagant dining table.
“Good morning, stepfather…” Bassie mumbled, giving Dandy a slight nod as she made her way over to the dining table and settled into her seat.
Before the deafening silence could bathe over the dining hall any longer, Cosmo emerged from the kitchen, his bright smile lighting the room as he approached the table.
“What would you like for breakfast, your majesties?" He inquired, looking at both the royals.
“I think I'll have pancakes with syrup and a side of some fruits…?” Bassie asked as she uncomfortably fidgeted with the material of her opera gloves out of habit whenever she felt nervous or awkward.
Dandy immediately spoke after her; his voice was as bold as ever. “I shall have myself some pancakes as well. With a slice of toasted bread on the side.”
Cosmo jotted down their requests and made his way back towards the kitchen. The awkward, deafening silence filled the room again. The silence felt tight and tense; like someone was waiting for another to break that silence.
“That was really weird...” Cosmo muttered as he walked through the kitchen doorway.
“What do you mean Cosmo?” Ginger looked back at Cosmo after grabbing some ingredients from one of the kitchen shelves.
“Well... It felt awkward, like I had walked into something I wasn't supposed to...”
“Well... Not to be rude, but that’s honestly not surprising. Especially between them...” Ginger confessed.
An uncomfortable silence washed over the kitchen...
“... N-Never mind, let's get back to work!” She remarked as they both got back to cooking.
Dandy remained still, his eyes looking towards the kitchen before his gaze fell back onto Bassie.
“So… Bassie. How did you sleep, dear?” Dandy questioned with a forced grin.
Bassie couldn’t bring herself to look at him, but she tried not to let her anxiety show. She straightened her posture as she hesitantly spoke.
“I slept well, father.” Bassie replied quieter than usual before Dandy immediately avowed right after, raising his voice by a tad.
“Speak up, Bassie. I can’t hear you. What was that?” Dandy tilted his head, keeping that damn smile on his face. His tone firm, but almost mocking.
Bassie wasn’t a fan of being told to speak up, especially if she didn’t want to. Oh, but she knew better. Bassie was silent for a moment before taking a deep breath and repeating what she said.
“...I said I slept well.” Bassie replied, a bit louder. She had to admit; the atmosphere wasn’t exactly comforting. Which didn’t do anything but raise her discomfort.
“Looking away from someone when they’re trying to talk to you is disrespectful.” Dandy claimed.
Bassie sighed under her breath; of course he would point that out. She finally looked at him in the eyes… Yikes, she didn’t like the way he looked at people so intensely. It was weird.
“See, that’s better, darling! Now that wasn’t so hard, was it?”
Suddenly, Cosmo exited the kitchen; a sweet, sticky, aroma running from the kitchen with him, a smell that could break the tension in the room. He neatly and hastily arranged the buffet of pancakes, fruits, and toast on the great table. For Bassie, a stack of mouthwatering pancakes coated in syrup and a variety of fresh and ripe fruits adjacent to her stack of pancakes sat in front of her. Dandy was greeted with his mountain of pancakes too, drowned in syrup along with his toast. Just as he requested.
“Is there anything you require my royals?” Cosmo inquired.
Bassie felt consolation at Cosmos’ arrival with her and her stepfather’s breakfast; she watched as Cosmo set down a fresh plate of pancakes covered deliciously with syrup with a small side of various fruit just like she asked. Those bakers never failed to impress her.
“Thank you!”
Bassie said with a grateful smile when Cosmo set her food in front of her, her smile slowly faltering as she watched him make his way over to Dandy and settling down his food as well. The change in her expression faint, but noticeable.
“Thank you...” Dandy mumbled under his breath; his tone was not so appreciative.
“Hey, may I have a cup of water with ice, Sir…? I apologize for the last-minute request, I must have forgotten…” Bassie remarked, her tone coming off timid.
“Of course, Princess Bassie!” Cosmo went to fetch a glass of frosty water for Princess Bassie in a haste. He quickly returned with the results of chilled water; frozen crystals chilling the drink further.
“Here is your drink!” He returned to the kitchen with the same amount of haste as before.
“Thank you again, Sir…” Bassie replied, her tone full of gratitude and appreciation, watching Cosmo place her cup of iced water beside her fresh breakfast meal before watching Cosmo rush back towards the kitchen.
Bassie picked up her fork and knife placed precisely on the sides of her dish as she began to slowly slice her pancakes apart. She couldn’t help but feel… on edge. There was this unsettling feeling that was creeping up her skin. It wasn’t the feeling she got when the room was silent. It was the feeling you get when you feel you’re being watched…
Bassie glanced over at Dandy, who was eating his breakfast peacefully. Why was she feeling so paranoid? She hates this uncomfortable feeling whenever she is in the same room as her stepfather. She couldn’t bear it.
Bassie then quickly caught herself phasing out; her gaze immediately landing back onto Dandy.
...And there it was.
She caught the split second of Dandy watching her closely before he quickly looked back down at food. As if eating was what he’s been doing all along. She knew she wasn’t paranoid. Dandy was watching her. Like he always does. Always watching her every move when he gets the chance but not so much where he comes off as obviously invasive towards others.
She couldn’t stop the shaky, subtle breath that escaped her mouth as she quickly looked back down at her breakfast. She needed to stop overthinking and just eat her food.
TIMESKIP
Not long after, she managed to finish her breakfast. Eating her food definitely helped her feel better, but not completely. The food was delightful, as always. Not to mention the freezing, cold water happened to hit just right... but the jittery feeling never went away. She still feels the tension in her shoulders.
She set down her utensils beside her empty plate and sat up straight, grabbing a napkin that resided close by and wiping off the potential debris of food on the sides of her lips.
“Bassie.”
Bassie looked over at Dandy, “yes, father…?”
“Did you enjoy your breakfast?”
“Yes, father.”
“…Good. Do you have any letters to reply to today or has your advisor taken that off your shoulders, dear?”
Right… the letters. She forgot about that...
“I don’t know, I’ll ask her when I meet with her.”
“Well, since you have finished your breakfast… you are dismissed. Go check if Cocoa has responded to any of your letters. Please and thank you.”
“Yes, father...”
When Bassie was finished talking to Dandy, Soulvester was snapped from his soothing daydream by the quiet sounds of Bassie’s chair sliding over the floor to allow her to arise. When she rose from her seat, she looked over at Soulvester, giving him a subtle nod of approval to be escorted to her next destination. Soulvester guided her out of the Dining Hall and entered the long hall.
Soulvester followed every step before Bassie stopped her stride. Soulvester takes front to what might have paused the Princess in her tracks, only being greeted with the sight of Cocoa; Bassie’s Advisor, who must have spilled a few papers onto the ground. His tense stature softens at the familiar face within the castle.
Cocoa resolved the scatter of the important paper and polished her dark slacks. As she rose, she came face to face with the Princess of Life.
“OH...! Ahem... Hello my Princess, how are you this lovely morning?” A startled voice fading into one full of comfort and bliss.
As Cocoa spoke, Bassie’s expression darkened a tad. She hated this feeling whenever she was around Cocoa. She swore every syllable that came out of Cocoa’s mouth seemed like a threat. Her presence alone made her feel threatened…
“It was fine.” Bassie muttered, her tone flat and dull. Almost like she didn’t want to speak, or even afraid to speak.
“That's amazing, my Princess! Do you request anything from me? I've sorted through all the letters sent to you...-” Flipping through the papers.
“Just a reminder, you have meetings on Friday and Saturday so you’re free for majority of the week Princess!” Cocoa exclaimed, bouncing an inch from the ground with her joyous attitude.
“...Great, thank you. Uhm… about the letters. Anything that I need to personally look at…?” Bassie asked, her tone still lacking intonation as her gaze adverted from Cocoa’s for a moment.
“I've sorted all important letters and placed them safely in your study! I was about to take these stacks of papers right to your study as well!” Her face lit up and a bright smile seemed ceaseless.
“Do you need anything else, Princess Bassie?” Her head tilted curiously
Of course. Of course, she already sorted all her letters and put them into her study. Cocoa was just so reliable... Her performance as her advisor was phenomenal, admirable...
...Perfect even. No, not perfect. She didn’t deserve that title. No, she couldn’t have that title. She’s not supposed to be the ' perfect ' one, it wouldn’t be right. As selfish as that sounds, she couldn’t accept it.
“I suppose not. Thank you, Cocoa.”
“You're welcome my Princess! I'll be in my study if you require anything else!” Exclaimed Cocoa, before bowing and skipping towards Bassie's Study with a grin painted on her face.
Soulvester felt the tension in the air; his sword was able to cut through it, as if a thick gas fogged into the hallway as the conversation continued. As Cocoa disappeared down the hall, the mode shifted dramatically; Bassie appeared less... tense. A feeling of relief convened the knight as the fog dissipated.
Bassie was still for a split second as she collected her thoughts. She shook her head to ground herself, folding her arms before looking over at Soulvester, giving him a subtle nod to proceed walking with her. She quickly looked away and began to walk in the direction of her bedroom.
Not a word came from Bassie as they walked. Just the soft sound of her polished shoes and Soulvester’s sollerets against the wool carpet of the castle corridor. Silence enveloped the halls apart from the soft harmony of their footsteps...
As they arrived at Bassie's door, Soulvester posted confidently at her door, as the Royal entered inside her generously sized chamber... The door clicked shut. Bassie sighed as she made her way further into her room. She came to a halt, glancing out her windows that presented the view of the village outside the premises of the castle. She admired the gardens, the houses, the shops, the streets, and the people that happened to be strolling about from afar.
She walked over to the fringe of her bed, slowly sitting down on the soft blanket, hugging the mattress underneath. Her gaze never left the sight before her… The sun felt like a warm spotlight over her, being the only source of light in her room. The walls further out were obscured by soft shadows. She took a deep breath, slowly speaking to herself.
“...Everything’s fine… I’m fine… the villagers are fine… the village is fine… the kingdom is fine.” Bassie mumbled, attempting to reassure herself. She looked down on the floor. The silence in the room grew. The only faint sounds being the ticking of the grandfather clock and the occasional chirps of the birds outside...
“Are you sure? It looks ruined.” Whispered a tiny voice, almost inaudible.
Bassie froze, her eyes widening a fraction. She suddenly felt an immense sense of dread overcoming her. That voice… The flower...
“...W-What…?” Bassie whispered with a shudder, her eyes suddenly locked back onto the window.
The view was different… The village was in flames. The sky was engulfed with smoke; sparks of fire flew in every direction. Homes and shops fell to the ground under the influence of fire as she heard horrified screams and commotion through the castle walls. The wildfire spread until it caught on the gates that guarded the castle grounds. It was heading towards this way.
Bassie gasped in horror, throwing her hands over her mouth as she instantly stood up from her bed and backed up. She felt herself start to tremble, watching the fire spread at an alarming rate as her breath quickened into hyperventilation.
“Your kingdom is ruined, Bassie. What will you do?” The flower whispered.
Bassie covered her ears to block out the whispers. She hit the wall behind her as she whimpered in apprehension.
“... S-Stop-! Stop talking to me…!” Bassie cried, tears rolling down her face. It continued to whisper, its vile words muffled… but even hearing it trying to talk back to her made her want to scream, cry harder, holler, anything to block out all the noise.
She couldn’t break her eyes from the beaming sight of the wildfire through the window, despite her vision being blurred by tears. Her vision began to narrow. Her heart was pounding in her ears. Her chest felt tight. She felt nauseous. She found it hard to breathe. She couldn’t tell if it was tears or sweat falling down her face anymore.
Bassie was so overwhelmed by her emotions that she hadn’t noticed her knees giving out; she barely had time to react to what was happening before she collapsed to the floor.
Everything went dark.
A small thud was heard from the Royals' bedroom, making the knight jump off the ground. After taking a few deep breaths, Soulvester looked hesitantly at the door with paranoia, contemplating whether to check on the princess or not...
“What was that...? I should inspect the sound... Nay...! It's... she has dropped a certain object, or something has fallen, it's... but what if she's fallen unconscious... Nay...! I, myself shall stay calm... It happens all the time... Just... relax.” Soulvester thought.
He slowly eased his paranoia, taking deeper breaths. As he calmed his screaming nerves, he returned to being the cold living statue posted out the princess’ room again... Not before the bell... His nerves were awakened again by the ringing of the large bell across the entire palace, signaling staff brunch time. He quickly made haste to the servants' dining quarters.
When he arrived, he seemed to be the last one there... Soulvester could see some royal staff getting food from the buffet, some gathering toppings for their meals, some going to go sit down to eat, and some just simply chatting with each other. It seems to be a casual morning today! The servants' dining quarters smelled great; nothing was out of place, and everyone seemed to be at bay.
Though, Soulvester suddenly felt a cold, chilling gust of wind behind him. Like the temperature had suddenly dropped, different from the familiar warm aroma that the servants' dining quarters welcomed every morning. Before he could even turn around to check it out…
“BOO!” Exclaimed Connie, shouting directly into Soulvester’s ear! Well, well, well. Look who it is.
The sudden and familiar sound of a ‘BOO!’ evade Soulvester’s ears. He slowly drifts his head to the right, met with the face of his lovely sister, Connie.
“Hello, my dear sister, Boolynski. How has thine day been?” Smiling with his eyes – he didn't react at all...
Connie pouted at Soulvester’s nonchalance at her attempt to spook him, not only that, but that dumb name.
“Ugh, stop calling me that!” Connie barked, crossing her arms in annoyance. He knew damn well that she disliked when he called her first name.
“...But I’ve been alright, Soulvester. You know, I've just been doing my duties as usual.” Connie muttered, floating beside Soulvester.
“That is most excellent my sister!” He exclaimed. He started walking beside his sibling towards the variety of aromas coming from the grand buffet.
Soulvester carefully chooses an assortment of salty, savory, and sweet options from the selection of food; omelets, fruits, bacon, waffles, and chicken were illustrated on his plate, creating a mouthwatering aroma. Connie, on the other hand, had sluggish stacked pancakes, fruits, and syrup. Creating a sickening sweet tower of bread, fruits, and thick syrup to glue it all together.
“Heck yeah.” Connie said with whimsy as she watched the excessive amount of syrup run down her stacks on pancakes; the syrup already pooling around her fruits. The syrup may flood her plate at this point. The fruits were already getting soggy from the syrup.
“My dear sister, there is no need to water board the poor fruits on your plate with syrup.” He schooled as she rolled her eyes at the exaggeration...
As they dined on their morning meal, Soulvester was conflicted; he was worried about the princess... Not just the sound from earlier, but...
“Sister... I'm conflicted...” He stated with grief coating his words…
Connie raised an eyebrow at Soulvester’s sudden change of demeanor, a hint of concern shadowing her expression.
“Would you like to talk about it?” Connie asked while chewing on her pancakes. Soulvester exhaled a sigh that seemed to be trapped in his throat for too long...
“My feelings for the princess have blossomed to a point to where I can't keep them contain... I've decided to...”
He takes another long sigh as he continues to try and arrange his words into a proper order... he feels so sick; every time he closes his eyes all he can see her beauty, he feels weak...
Connie stared in anticipation.
“…You’ve decided to what? Are you finally going to confess?!” Connie quickly gets excited, giving Soulvester a teasing smile while resting her chin in her hands. Even after asking that question many times before, Connie stayed persistent and hopeful. He needed to confess!
“My sister, please keep your voice down...!” He schooled once more while starting to carefully eat at his plate. He sighs once more, continuing...
“I am my sister. I'm fearful though... and it's been gnawing at me since sunrise, and my plans of confessing seems like an impossible task...”
He looks down at his plate of food resembling him - chewed and ravaged by an unstoppable force...
Connie had to pause and think about this. She wasn’t good at this… romance thing.
"... It’s not impossible, Soulvester. You just need some… courage! Which… I don’t know how you have none. You have the courage to fight and protect, yet you have no courage to confess your feelings to a woman? Now that’s just hilarious.” Connie teased before sitting up straight and sighing, getting more sincere.
“Eh… but in all seriousness, I understand how you feel… in a way… Confessing to a royal? That’s on another level. Though, I believe you should let her know how you truly feel. You shouldn’t keep your emotions inside any longer if it’s stressing you out this much. And hey, Bassie is really sweet. She wouldn’t react… badly…? At least I don’t think so.” Connie tried to reassure him, but she sounded quite unsure of herself about this predicament.
He grievously stared at his sister before taking a deep sigh of confidence...
“Thank you, my sister, I'm forever indebted to you for allowing me to declare my affections about the princess to you...” He thanked his sister as he gained a new sense of confidence about his proposal for the princess...
“Yeah, yeah- you’re welcome.” Connie replied with a smile of satisfaction, picking up her fork and taking another bite out of her soggy pancakes. She thought that her encouragement was dull, but hey, it seemed to work.
TIMESKIP
The staff's morning meal had concluded, everyone seemed full, satisfied, and energized from their meals - big and small. They exited the dining quarters walking towards their respective rooms or walking around the castle halls...
The two ghostly twins walked together towards the heir's room. Soulvester returning back into a cold statue posted outside the Royals door.
Connie watched Soulvester take his place beside Princess Bassie’s door; she couldn’t help but let out a little mischievous giggle at Soulvester’s stance. She found it amusing that he just had to stand there while Bassie was in her room. As her giggles subsided, she knocked on Bassie’s door.
“Oh Princess, cleaning maintenance!” Connie called out.
...Silence?
Connie floated for a few seconds before knocking again.
“Hello? Princess Bassie?” Connie called out again; her voice now laced with confusion and slight concern.
Huh... That’s weird. It doesn’t sound like Bassie is in her room; she couldn’t hear any movement at all. Maybe Bassie wasn’t in her room? No, that wouldn’t be right. Bassie isn’t allowed to leave her room during staff brunch. Maybe she’s sleeping? But that doesn’t sound right. When does Bassie ever go back to sleep after breakfast? That has never happened before. As she floated there patiently, she couldn’t help but look over at Soulvester with unease.
“Hey, Soulvester, is the princess in her room…?” Connie asked.
Soulvester glanced over at his sister, and his heart almost leaped out his chest plate by the question...
The thud...
“No... Was the thud... the princess...? No... May the moon above let it not be the princess... That would mean... I left the princess lifeless on the floor... No... I would never forgive myself, please... No... No...” Soulvester thought.
He clenched his chest plate near his gem, calming his sense as a cold sweat ran down his face...
“I can assure you, I assorted the Princess to her room, and everything was fine...until-” He paused, taking a deep breath, “I heard a thud, but I believe something dropped...” He confessed...
Connie inhaled sharply when she heard Soulvester’s words. She felt her heart sink to her stomach. Connie took a deep breath before slowly opening Bassie’s door to her room, nervously peeking inside.
“Princess…?” Almost immediately, Connie’s gaze found Bassie’s form lying on the floor, unconscious. Connie gasped, pushing the door open hastily out of horror.
“Princess Bassie-?!” Connie exclaimed, immediately flying towards the princess side. She dropped her cleaning supplies as she began to shake Bassie’s form.
“Bassie-?! Bassie wake up!”
Soulvester appeared in the room immediately after Connie’s first yell, his heart racing as he stared down at the lifeless body of the heir... He started shaking, he was terrified... but he needed to put his focus on the princess. He needed to make sure she was okay. He quickly ran over and kneeled to check the princess’ pulse.
“She is alive still...”
He whispered as he began to carry her in his arms. Gently cradling her off the floor and out of the bedroom and into the hallways. The map of the places ingrained into his mind to locate the nurse's office…
“Hey! Wait for me!” Connie shouted, flying after him.