Chapter Text
Bronya looked out at the snow dusted kingdom below her. Down there, she watched as people laughed and shopped. Oh, how she longed to join them. If only her mother would let her. Her mother was the queen, and even if it was nice to live in a lavish palace, she had never been allowed to ever really act like everyone else. The only time she was allowed in the city was if there was a festival, or a ceremony that she would have to attend. Or if she was on patrol. But even then she would be watched like a hawk, she wasn't even allowed to talk to people without her mother's permission. It was suffocating really.
Bronya lived in a young girl's dream room. It was round, large and elegant, with matching windows that overlooked the city. Dark wooden floors, pristine white walls with sculpted details of stars and swirls. A grayish blue circle rug took up most of the floor, with a queen sized bed with a canopy on top of it. Across from it was a dark wood desk that had maps and battle plans littered atop it. An ink bottle was tipped over, spilling its contents across the papers. The only thing that Bronya truly liked about her room was the wall of books and a seat to read from. The small coffee table in front of the said chair was stacked with piles of books, half of them with book marks poking out of the pages.
Bronya sighed and flopped onto her bed, sinking into the soft silks and cotton of her sheets and blankets. She gazed up at her ceiling, hating the familiar sight of it. The soft blues and purples of the crystal ceiling was nauseating, and the carving of the Architect's signature 8 pointed star reminded her how trapped she really was. Bronya wondered for the hundredth time if she would ever get out of this hell. She lay there in silence, her thoughts racing as she dreamed of a life outside of her mother's cage.
What was it like to live normally, without rules and regulations? Broyna grabbed a pillow and hugged it close to her chest, tucking her head into it before letting out a frustrated scream. Bronya had to do something to get out of this hell, before she lost her mind.
A knock on her door snapped her out of her trance. Bronya scrambled quickly to get up, tussling embarrassingly with sheets that had tangled around her legs.
“Coming!”
When she opened the door she was greeted with the worried eyes of Captain Gepard of the kingdom's army. Bronya adjusted her posture quickly, tossing her hair back before giving him a messy salute.
“Lady Bronya,” he bowed, his shoulders stiff. “I'm sorry for intruding unannounced, but you're needed down in the city. Chaos broke out after someone stole two pieces of jewelry that your mother commissioned.” His voice was serious, and she knew it was an important matter, but Bronya didn't really care. Her mother had tons of jewelry, did it really matter that someone stole two? She sighed, fixing her outfit before she set off down the hall, making the captain rush to catch up to her. She might as well look put together.
“What's the current status of the situation?” She asked, her heels clicking against the marble floors in the quiet halls of the palace. Gepard straightened, folding his arms behind his back. He cleared his throat before speaking.
“The jewels are still missing, and 7 bystanders injured in the chaos, including the jewel smith.” Bronya frowned. 7 people injured just from a theft? Something felt off. How clumsy could this thief be? Bronya stopped in front of two large wooden doors, her back turned to the captain.
“I want two parties sent after the thief, and get someone to look at the injuries. I'll gather a personal party to search the back allies with me. If you catch the culprit, bring them to me. I want to have a word with the person behind this.” She muttered as she pushed open the doors in front of her. The captain nodded and turned to leave, disappearing as the doors shut behind her.
Bronya stood still in the silent room for a moment before she walked forward towards a wall that was mounted with weapons. Bronya brushed her fingers across spears, swords, and shields. She stopped at a dull looking spear, its metal plated in dust showing how little it was used. The pole of the spear twisted around a familiar 8 pointed star stone at the end. And the head was sharp despite having been collecting dust for years. Bronya sighed, she hated this thing with her whole heart. Without a second thought, she grabbed the spear off the wall and slung it across her back, then strode out of the room without a word.
~
The cold air was sharp when Bronya stepped outside, two soldiers stood behind her, swords ready at their sides. She could hear the distant cries of chaos and the yells of soldiers trying to get everyone together.
“Stick close, I have a feeling the thief isn't against using violence.” Bronya spoke. The guards behind her nodded.
They walked through back alleys and empty streets, only spotting people when they moved closer to the center of the city. Even if the silence helped to hear people coming and going, the streets were such a mess, Bronya was finding it difficult to move around. Perfect for a thief to avoid patrols. She noted.
They stopped in a large abandoned market clearing. Old booths and stalls were tipped over and broken to bits, and there were empty crates and boxes thrown around the place.
“Split up, each take a different path. We will meet back here in 15 minutes.” Bronya muttered, drawing her spear from her back. The head scraped against the ground, and Bronya winced at the sound.
“Understood, Lady Bronya.” The guards behind her both rushed off in different directions. Leaving her behind before she could warn them to be quiet.
Bronya sighed before starting off towards the pathway in front of her.
Her heels clicked on the stone path, echoing through the quiet streets. The lack of people here always had unnerved her, old reports say that these streets had been evacuated due to unusual activity of raging monsters from outside the kingdom's walls. But she hadn't heard or seen one monster while walking around.
Out of the corner of her eye, Bronya spotted a foot print. And when she got a closer look, it looked recent. The snow around it only freshly turned. Bronya frowned, had the thief really been jumping around here and she hadn't noticed? Before she could investigate more, a loud clatter of boxes falling and a person swearing interrupted her. Bronya spun around quickly and dashed towards the sound. Had it been a false alarm? Maybe it had been the city's cleaning crew? Though, she doubted a cleaner would be trying desperately to stay silent as more boxes fell.
Bronya pressed herself against a wall, the person was still shouting curses, and what sounded like banging their feet into a metal fence out of anger.
“Oh, when I get my hands on him! That little fucker!” The person, a woman, shouted. Which was followed by more banging. She sounded like she was too mad to notice Bronya, so she decided to try and get a peek at her.
She was right. A woman, around the age of Bronya, was kicking her feet into a metal gate and swearing so much a sailor would be proud. Bronya couldn't really get a good look at her, since she seemed to be wearing a ragged looking hood.
Bronya shamefully admitted she was entranced by the woman. If she swore like her, either the Architect's or her mother would have her head on a spike. As she watched, she forgot she was supposed to be silent, and accidentally let her spear scrape against the stone walls. This made the woman snap silent, spinning
around towards the sound.
Bronya ducked back quickly behind the wall, her heart pounding. She wasn't sure why she was so nervous, if it came to a duel, Bronya was likely to beat the woman easily. But something in her gut told her to be wary. Bronya stood frozen against the wall as she tried to calm her breathing. The woman had gone silent now, making Bronya worried. Why hasn't she come to find her yet?
Bronya risked a glance around the corner, only to find the woman had disappeared. She snapped back to the wall. Clinging onto it desperately. When no one came to jump out at her, Bronya calmed her breathing. Placing a hand on her chest and letting out a sigh of relief. Maybe she had spooked the woman.
“Boo!” Nope.
Bronya would have liked to say she had been calm. But the scream she had let out was so unladylike and loud, she was sure the Architects could hear her. The woman who had scared her burst out laughing, clutching her stomach.
“It has been so long since I've scared someone like that!” She cried, pulling her hood off her head, and allowing her hair to fall around her shoulders.
She had long dark purple hair, with a peekaboo of lighter purple, and she had dark violet eyes that seemed to be staring deep into Bronya's soul. She wore a dark purple bandana with red accents around her neck. And her outfit was a jumble of fabrics that Bronya couldn't even begin to describe, yet it looked so nice. The woman managed to calm herself, standing up before brushing snow off of her clothes. Bronya followed suit, leaving them standing in an awkward silence.
“Well if you don't mind, I've got something that I have to do. Nice meeting you.” The woman grinned. Bronya grabbed her wrist before she could leave.
“Oh no you don't!” She cried, pulling her back in front of her. Bronya swallowed back a sigh before standing up straight and gripping her spear. “I, Bronya, heir of her Madam, arrest you for thievery of her Madam's jewels and the injuries of the innocent from your escape. Anything you say will be recorded and put on trial before the Architect's.”
The lines felt rehearsed at this point, Bronya didn't even think she could count how many times she had said lines like that. All this for two jewels even? She doubted that her mother wouldn't even notice they were missing. The woman frowned, then placed her hands on her hips and gave Bronya a tight smile.
“Well princess, I hate to burst your bubble, but I don't have your jewels. I don't even have a bag to carry them in.” She corrected. She was right, she had no way to carry any jewels. And knowing her mother, they would be quite extravagant. Bronya ducked her head away from her, trying to hide the rising heat of embarrassment on her face.
“My apologies, you were just in the area where the thief went and you were shouting swears at a gate.” Bronya said flatly, bowing slightly.
The woman scoffed, crossing her arms across her chest and glared at her. So much for an apology.
“So you just thought you should arrest the first person you see?” She shot. Bronya sighed then bowed again, giving the woman the nicest smile she could muster. She was starting to get on her nerves.
“You are trespassing you know? No one is allowed to be here. Hence why I thought you were the thief.”
The woman eyes her before relaxing, but she still held her glare at Bronya.
“It's fine, I just might happen to know who stole your jewels. And if I'm correct, I would be more than grateful to hand him over. Maybe it'll teach him a lesson.” She muttered that last part, giving her glare to the empty streets.
“Lead the way then.” Bronya stepped away from the wall, and strode down the street from where she came from. The woman scrambled, boots snapping on the ground as she ran to catch up.
Bronya wasn't sure why she trusted the woman so much, but if it came to it she had her spear at the ready.
~
When they arrived in the center of the city, Bronya almost got her head taken off from flying objects. She saw Gepard at the Everfrost monument, yelling useless orders down at soldiers. She muttered a prayer to the Architect's before turning to her companion.
“Well, where's your friend that caused this mess?” She asked her, placing her hands on her hips. The other pointed to the large fountain in the middle of the promenade. Atop the statue of the first architect, stood a man wearing a red dress coat and dull purple pants with indigo hair. And the more Bronya looked at him, the more he seemed to resemble the woman standing next to her. Before she could think any farther on the matter, she notices a shimmer of very expensive diamonds peeking out of his bag. The man was helplessly clinging onto the statue as soldiers yelled at him to get down.
“I swear to the Architect's, that idiot.” The woman muttered under her breath before running towards the man. Bronya frowned, and followed suit. When they reached the fountain, the woman picked up what looked like a tangerine, and threw it at the man full force. It smacked him in the head, and he looked down at the guards angrily.
“Now that was a little harsh, throwing fruit at a innoce–” he paused his rant when he noticed Bronya's companion, his eyes lighting up. “Seele! Oh thank goodness, I thought you left without me!” He cried, waving down at her. The woman, or Seele, threw another tangerine at him.
“Sampo you big idiot! Stealing jewels for the queen? How fucking dumb are you!” Seele barked, making the guards around them pause what they were doing. Sampo slid off the statue carefully, and walked over to Seele warily, hands raised in defense.
“Little sis! Listen I didn't steal ‘em. I'm just, er, borrowing them!” He cautioned. Bronya rubbed her temples, borrowing jewelry was a new one.
“You see, nothing big! Just–” Seele held up her hand, then pointed at Bronya.
“I happen to have met the princess. Care to explain why you're stealing her mother's jewels right in front of her?” Sampo looked at Bronya, pausing to process the new information. When it finally dawned on him, his only response was an awkward laugh.
“Well, this is a conundrum, wouldn’t you say? Hehe~ very sorry m’lady, this wont happen again."
“better not. If you want to steal something, don't go after jewels.” She hissed. Bronya pulled out her spear, and motioned for Gepard.
“I want you to take that man to a holding cell, keep watch on him till I get back. Then you're free to let him go.” Gepard grumbled about not wanting to babysit a full grown man, but he nodded anyway. Bronya finally turned Seele, she thought for a moment before she relaxed her grip on her spear. “Do you mind if we have a quick chat?” Bronya asked.
~
Their chat truly didn't last long. All Bronya had asked was for her to keep a closer eye on her brother Sampo if they ever came back around the main city. Seele nodded and apologized for his behavior. Now Bronya was standing in front of her angry mother, who was demanding why Bronya hadn't told her she was going out and why she thought it was necessary to talk to, (and she quotes) “that girl”.
“I have told you countless times, Bronya! You are prohibited from talking to anyone without my knowledge! Do I have to make myself clear on that?!” Her mother cried, waving arms around dramatically.
“Yes mother.” Bronya sighed, bowing slightly. Her mother stepped down from her throne and started to pace the floor. She wasn't listening, she was off in her own world again. Bronya stifled a groan. Maybe she could sneak out while her mother worries about nothing. Silently, Bronya slipped out of the room, and once she was far enough from the door she sped down the hall to her room.
Bronya shut the door behind her, then walked over to her windows. She was so tired of her mother and her useless worries. A light snow fall had started, blanketing the city in a fresh white cover. It looked like a painting from up here. Bronya was about to turn away when a quiet humming caught her attention. Down in a small square a small group of people stood in dark red velvet coats. It sounded like they were singing, and Bronya thought she was able to pick out words from a famous Belobog folk song. If she remembered correctly, the song they were singing was called Frozen Hearts and Snowstorms.
Curiosity got the better of her, so Bronya opened her window, just a smidge. Just enough to let the music into her room. When it drifted up through the window, she didn't think she'd ever be able to hear anything as beautiful ever again. The song graced her ears, it lifted a weight off of her chest she didn't even know was there.
“Let the frozen hearts melt the storms~” They sang. “See the end of this storm together, that we will do.” Bronya rested her elbows on the windowsill. She knows she's a little old to be acting like this, but for once she wanted to indulge in the child-like joy she never felt when she was younger.