Gears of Harmony

Episode 1 - Princess Wilhelmina

"My beloved seer, you will fall in love in all the beauty in this world and keep that love lives on forever."

With those words escaping my mouth, a story was set in stone. Well not quite. A context was set in stone, more accurately. The story will go wherever she wished to take it. By she, let me introduce you to the sixteen year old girl in the distance, whom you can see entering a car. Her dull coral eyes looked at the velvet seat. A sigh escaped her mouth as she sat down.

"How was the in-situ visit, Your Grace?" asked the man sitting in the front.

"It was fine, thanks," answered the girl.

"You enjoyed the Western Island so far?" He asked.

"Enjoyed"? A set-up visit to a complete nowhere like this? She thought.

"...it was nice, the people are nice," she answered.

Well, they had to be... she thought, even though, I'll probably never see then ever again.

The man put his hands on the wheel and drove the car away. The girl slumped in her seat as she opened her phone. She scrolled down past the memes lazily and her eyes caught something.

"Fifth Princess Wilhemina Regalia visited the Western Island"

Beneath it was a photograph of a young woman with her flaxen hair in a bun. A huge smile was plastered across her face as she waved to the crowd from a car with an open roof. While trying to scroll down, the young woman accidentally tapped the post and opened the comment section.

"We don't need you here! Sign the f*cking amendment and let us off this stupid regime!"

"What does she even have to do with the Western Region? Where is Princess Charlie?"

"Who?"

"Who even attends these things nowadays? Cheering a conventionally pretty sixteen year old smiling and waving to a spectacle? Really?"

"Those attendees are probably p*do"

Her coral eyes narrowed and she quickly scrolled down, only to find a news she's more or less expected at that point. The eastern region's push towards independence as a territory with its own sovereignty. The country of Valhalla is made of five different islands, the southern region, the eastern region, the northern region, the western region, and the capital island. However the eastern region - an island of its own - has always been the odd one out among the other territories. As the region continued to develop itself through technology and economic growth, the other regions have always stressed the importance of keeping their tradition alive - in magic and spiritual practices. Unlike the other islands with residents gifted with magical prowess, the residents of eastern island are mainly non-mages trying to survive and grow despite the handicap they've been given. However, the economic growth too stirred jealousy in the hearts of many and caused many, many conflicts across its history. Before long, the island had to surrender itself to the monarchs to keep themselves safe. However, the heart of the residents always believed that they can do so much better without the monarchs.

Honestly, they actually gain nothing from us in the first place. If you want them to stay, then maybe give them a reason to, she thought and rolled her eyes.

Seeing nothing else was interesting enough for her, she put her phone down and turned to the green blur of trees flashing by as they drive. The skies had turned orange and the sun started to set. Crows flew by through the skies in a flock. The girl looked at an identical-looking girl staring back at her in the window. Her bun was a mess and her bangs fell to her face and her coral eyes looked dull.

Why am I even here? I thought, I want to go home. This whole scenery creeps me out...

Like something gonna jump out at any second.

"Princess, are you alright?" asked the man in the front.

"I'm great," she replied.

"Well, I'm just gonna let you know that we're about to run out of gas, so we have to take a detour to the gas station at the border," he said, "or I might have to push the car halfway to the city's gas station,"

"Okay, Philip," said the girl.

The car took a turn and drove through a larger road. The girl looked out of the window again. It was all plains in sight. That is, until her coral eyes caught sight of something black moving very fast.

What is that? She thought.

Then suddenly, she was thrown to the front as the car halted to a stop. Her ears heard a scream escaped her driver's mouth. She quickly looked to the front and saw a man in black jumping in front of their car. The man grabbed a gun as he glared at the two. Then a bunch of people in black bodysuit jumped in and took out various weapons. Suddenly, the car was thrown onto the air and was forced to open its doors. A woman jumped ahead and lashed her whip. In the instant, after a cracking sound was heard, the car was dented and the front window broke into pieces. Suddenly, another woman threw a grenade to the broken window.

The quick-thinking Philip quickly took the girl out of the car before the grenade explode. Just as the car exploded behind them, the girl and her driver tumbled to the grass. Smoke billowed from the car, obscuring the group's sight.

"Princess, run now!" said Philip, "before they see you! They didn't see you in the back, did you? Then you still have a chance to get away!"

"Run? Philip, but-" asked the girl.

"There's not time to waste!" said Philip, "please, princess, safe yourself! Just run, don't look back and don't go back whatever happen,"

Then they heard another explosion behind them. Philip pushed the girl and she rolled on the grass and landed on the mud. The girl looked up and rubbed her eyes.

Just as the girl looked up, she saw her driver being taken away. The group tied him and went off in the speed of light. The girl sat on the mud, petrified to her place. Smoke was still billowing from their car corpse. There was no one in sight and there was no sound around. The wind blew the bangs of the stunned girl, caressing her cheeks.

...what? She thought.

Princess Wilhelmina, whom I shall refer to as 'Wina' from now on, sat quietly in the mud as she gazed to the plains expanding onto the setting sun. To the stretch of road sticking out amidst the natural scenery - underlining the fact that she just got stranded in the middle of nowhere. Refusing to stay longer in her spot, she stood up hugging her arms, as she wondered how she could find the city she just visited. And so, with small strides, the young woman dragged her feet as she made her way to the city.

After one and a half long, gruelling hour of walking, the young woman saw houses and shops in the distance, belonging to a big city called "Aurrum". The mud in her skin and clothes had dried up, leaving her feeling itchy and unclean. Knowing that she is in no position to present herself, she hid herself in the bushes as her gaze flickered to an electronic shop with TVs on display.

"Royal car attacked by a separatist group. Driver and princess missing."

Passersby pointed at the news and began laughing among themselves. A chill went down her spine as the life the sixteen year old as it is time for her to cast her old life aside.