Once upon a time

Prologue

This is a story of two sisters who were separated at birth. It is is also the story of a prince who had never used his sword. It's also the tale of a thief who cannot steal. Let's not forget the witch who is afraid of height. And lastly, this is a tale of a criminal whose story might be a little distorted. It is a story made up of different stories.

So, let's read it, shall we?

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The kingdom of Fiore was rejoicing. They hung up lanterns in the streets, lighting them up in bright colours at sunset. The people made stalls in front of their houses, selling fruits, vegetables, snacks, sweets, etc. Everyone was happy -- kids playing, men talking and drinking beer, women gossiping -- whether they were peasants or nobility. Why? Well, because Fiore had two new heirs after so many long years.

You see, the rulers of Fiore, King Gajeel and Queen Levy had no children. Even though it has been four years since their marriage, Levy hasn't conceived once. The couple consulted many doctors, but they got no answers. Until a young female doctor named Kinana came by.

She was not only a doctor but a mage too. A witch, to be precise. Witches were common in Fiore -- any good witches, that is. Evil witched were banished from the kingdom. Kinana realized that Levy needed a slight boost from magical herbs.

So, Levy ate them. For an entire year.

Then, she became pregnant.

When she gave birth, the kingdom was pleased to know that it wasn't one but two children. Fraternal twin girls. The first born princess was named Juvia and she had sapphire blue eyes and azure blue hair. The other had doe brown eyes and hair brighter than the sun. She was called Lucy.

It was decided a long time ago that the princess of Fiore would marry the Prince of Ishgar to strengthen their ties. Therefore, princess Lucy was engaged to the two year old prince Natsu when she was just a few days old!

The three most powerful and good mages of Fiore were invited to the castle to bless the children. The first was Makarov, an old man who has practiced magic for more than fifty years, The second was Layla, a beautiful witch with the kindest heart and the power of stars.  The third was Irene, a red-haired witch with a two-month old daughter. She was one of the most powerful witches alive.

Makarov was first to bless the twins. "May you have to gift of song and dance," he said with a smile. His hands glowed, then dimmed. The blessing was done.

Layla blessed the twins next. "May you both have unimaginable beauty," she said and clapped her hands. Rainbows and stars appeared, glowing next to the babies. When it disappeared, the blessing was done.

Before Irene could bless the twins, a certain uninvited visitor arrived. The sky darkened, clouds rolled in, lightning struck and wolves howled. Soft footsteps were heard in the courtroom as a lady dressed in fluffy white clothing walked towards the twins.

Her name is Selene. And she is an evil witch.

"Selene!" King Gajeel exclaimed, fear creeping into his soul.

"King Gajeel," Selene greeted in her icy voice. "A party," she observed. "Why was I not invited?"

"The answer is quite simple," Makarov answered. "You are evil."

Selene glared at the old mage but did not initiate a fight. He was much, much more powerful than her and she knew she couldn't win the fight. Leaving the short man alone, she turned to the babies.

"I too shall bless these children," She declared. 

King Gajeel knew that Selene was up to no good. He ordered his guards to fight her. But, it was all futile as Selene is a powerful witch. She picked up the two babies, her face undeniably angry. "Your father had mistreated me," she said to the small girls. "I deserve more respect. Therefore, I shall show them how powerful I am. I curse you, twins. May you both die on your eighteenth birthday, the moment you touch each other!"

The babies cried out once, before falling into a deep sleep. They would not wake for hours, not until the curse has been removed. Selene laughed and disappeared in thin air, leaving the others open-mouthed. There was silence. No one spoke. No one blinked. They were all hoping it was a dream.

"Can you--" Queen Levy's voice cracked. "Please, Lady Irene, I beg you, take the curse off these children as your blessing.

"Yes, please," the king pleaded, kneeling. "Anything you want shall be yours, just please, remove the curse."

Irene was silent for a long time. The King and Queen looked at her, hope in their eyes. Makarov was silent too, thinking about a solution. Layla looked pleadingly at Irene, silently telling her to remove the curse.

"I,"Irene finally spoke, "have an abundance of magic. But, it is not infinite. I can remove the curse, but only off one child."

The King and Queen were silent, letting the new sink in. Queen Levy cried out, burying her shoulder in her husband's shoulder. He held her tenderly, his face trying very hard to remain unemotional. 

"Are you telling us... to choose...?"King Gajeel seemed to have lost all of his energy.

"That is the only way," Irene confirmed.

"But," Layla jumped in, "we can try and let the girl not touch each other on their eighteenth birthday."

"How?" Gajeel asked.

"I have the power to erase the memory of the entire kingdom. I can erase the existence of one princess from the world until their eighteenth birthday. That way, one princess can stay with one of the witches and the other, with you." Makarov offered.

"I can look after one," Layla said softly.

Levy's lower lip wobbled. "Alright, Juvia is older... remove the curse from her... she will stay with us and Lucy... erase her existence from... from... the world."

Layla touched the Queen's shoulder compassionately. Makarov raised his hands in the air, chanting an ancient spell. A ball of light appeared in the sky and enveloped the entire kingdom of Fiore. In one second, people had gone from celebrating the birth of two princesses to one. Irene, on the other hand, touched the forehead of the blue haired princess and removed Selene's curse from her. Juvia woke up and started crying.

It was decided that Layla would look after princess Lucy until the age of eighteen. Irene would also help. Makarov can't help raise the princess as he is going to Ishgar to help the prince with his studies. But, he promised to come by whenever the King or Queen needed his help.

And so, Lucy was raised as a peasant girl living in the forest while Juvia was raised as a princess in the castle. 

Would they ever meet?

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