Enchanted | KYS

No One's Princess

Mingi woke up to the sound of birds chirping outside as they got started with their daily work. He yawned, sitting up straight and stretching his limbs. His eyes met his reflection in the mirror of the cottage, the chain marks from yesterday still lingering on his arms. The guard had hoped that the last day's events were a dream. He would wake up in the castle, readying himself to escort Sky to Twilight City, but unfortunately, the scars on his arms mocked his childishness, telling him that what he saw was really the truth. That the sole parental figure in his life had killed his family and stolen him from living the life he deserved.

He looked to the side, observing the princess sleeping peacefully next to him. His eyes welled up as he lightly petted her hair. She had it much worse than him. Finding out her father saw her as nothing but a tool for him to use. All these years, he pretended to cherish his precious eldest daughter only so he could keep her close. No wonder he observed her so closely and put so many eyes on her. He was trying to keep her powers a secret, not only from the world but even from herself. He busied her with heaps of unending books, learning skills that even he didn't have, never letting her breathe even for a second, just so she could never fully explore the extent of her abilities. He wants her to be a hollow machine with no will of her own who only knows how to obey his commands. It was so lonely for her. Watching other kids go about their day, smiling and engaging in their usual shenanigans, playing together all the time while she was buried in books, music lessons, dance lessons, and whatnot. He had spotted her looking out the window longingly at those kids more times than he could count. He couldn't even imagine the pain.

Mingi wondered if he would've had the same fate as his friend had he not accidentally discovered his powers as a kid. It was a pleasant spring day; he remembered, when Sky and he went out to the city in disguise without her father knowing and got lost. They were around fifteen or sixteen at that time, naive and defenceless. They ended up in the streets of the lower city, where they bumped into a gang of robbers. They were cornered into a dead end as the robbers closed in with their knives drawn out. That was the first time Mingi had felt so helpless. He covered his face with one of his arms, extending the other one to lessen the impact of the upcoming hit. To his surprise, the hit never came. Instead, a stream of fire danced around his hand, burning the robber to a crisp. He and Sky promised never to speak of this incident at the palace. For one, they had sneaked out of the palace to reach here, and second, if the people of the palace came to know about this power, he might be separated from the princess for the sake of her safety, leaving her alone once again. Mingi felt proud of their decision now.

He got out of bed, putting on his jacket to protect himself from the chilly morning air in the forest. Stepping out of the cosy hut, he was met with the sight of the villagers already up and running. It was mainly the children running around and playing together as they made their way towards what seemed like the village school. The crescent village seemed like a comfortable place, with a river nearby, a pleasant climate, and all the facilities required for a person to live peacefully. Mingi walked around a bit, marvelling at what the children could do with their still-growing magical powers. He laughed as he saw one of the kids procure a big blob of water and drop it on his friend. He liked it here. He could live here all day with no problem, except for one. He could feel eyes on him.

'Don't mind them. They're just curious.' A boy around his age spoke. He wore shining white and light blue flowy clothes with golden accessories. Mingi observed the boy from head to toe; his clothing seemed to be quite similar to the guy from the last day. The only difference was the colour of his clothes and the feather. While the last guy's feather was a striking purple, this guy had a shining yellow feather attached to his necklace of golden beads. The boy pointed at two little girls peeping from behind a wall. Their eyes widened as they noticed that Mingi was now looking directly at them, and they scrambled off to join the rest of their friends on their way to school.

'I'm Yunho.' The man extended his hand for Mingi to shake. 'Granny told me to escort you to the fire mage families.'

'Mingi.' Yunho nodded, signalling for the flame-haired man to follow him.
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Sky got out of the house clueless and dishevelled; her hair stuck up at weird angles, and her eyes were puffy. She had the best sleep of her life. Somehow, she felt at ease in the village despite being brought here against her will. Maybe it was just her instinct, but there was something soothing about the place.

'Oh, you're finally up!' Granny chirped from where she sat, knitting light blue wool. 'Hurry and freshen up! I've kept a change of clothes for you on the bed.' She pointed one of her needles at a light green and white set with gold and dusty accessories. The bright blue feather was secured prettily in her own set of beaded necklaces. Sky picked it up, observing the string with curious eyes. She had spotted something similar on the boy she met yesterday too. What exactly was this?

'It's a symbol.' Granny smiled down from her seat. 'It's how we recognise you as our own; the feather is how nature recognises you as hers.' She signalled for her to come closer, taking the necklace from her hand. 'These feathers are symbols of freedom. We mages are free from all the restraints of society. We're here to simply exist within these jungles with these trees, animals, and rivers. We live along with whatever she gives us and submit to no one other than her.' Sky stared at the feather, recalling the bird that left it in her hand as a sign of gratitude. She remembered telling the little guy how she wished to be free, just like him. Did it understand what she was saying? Did the bluebird know what was to come and decide to give her a little hint? Either way, he gave her the gift of freedom, and she'll forever be grateful for it.

'Now quit staring at it and go shower!' Granny broke her out of her trance, pushing her towards the bath with a towel and some soap. 'We have a lot to do today!'
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It seems like you've gotten used to life here already.' Sky watched as her friend gobbled down bowl after bowl of dishes Granny set out for them. He looked nothing like the tense and alert Mingi she knew. His hair was let out of his usual ponytail, reaching down to frame his face. He had put on clothes similar to what the other boys wore around the village. He wore a black vest paired with black pants and a red sleeveless jacket with black embroidery. He was given a set of accessories too: a black finger ring bracelet in one hand and a black glove on the other, a silver earring, and a set of necklaces with red beads.

'Where's your feather?' Sky pointed at the necklace.

'Haven't got it yet. Apparently, I'll get it when the time's right.' Mingi rolled his eyes, looking at the weird guy who sat next to them, staring at Sky. 'This is Yunho, by the way.' The said man nodded at the princess, averting his gaze upon detecting both their eyes on him. 'Cute," Sky thought as she took her seat right in front of him.

'I've heard a lot about you, princess.' He spoke shyly before his eyes widened comically. 'Only good things, though! My uncle is one of the undercover guards at your palace. He told me a lot about you!' He tried to explain. Sky sent him an understanding smile, putting out her hand for a handshake.

'Nice to meet you, Yunho! take good care of us.' She beamed at the blushing boy.

'Of course, I will!' He huffed out a small breath, finally getting himself to look at her in the eyes.

'Also, please call me by my name.' Sky spoke as she picked up a bowl for herself. 'I'm no one's princess here.'

'You could be mine if you want.' Mingi's remark was met with a spoon to his face.

'I meant I'd prefer if I was addressed normally, just like everyone else.' Sky explained, her cheeks steadily blooming a deep pink the more she spoke. She decided to bury her face in the food to avoid the gazes of the other two at the table and dug into the meat.

'Where are we going next?' Mingi finally broke the silence after a while, scooping the last of his rice from his bowl.

I feel like whenever I say I'll update regularly, I jinx myself to do the exact opposite.

Anyway, how did you like the new chapterr?!!