Tales of Grandier

Act One Part One

  Once upon a time, there lived a princess and her doll. Or rather, there lived a girl who was as dainty and as spoiled as one. This "princess" known as Povi lived in a large plot of land housed in the middle of a village just outside of Grandier. The village itself was home to farmers who tended to both sheep and the golden wheat that surrounded the hilly terrain. However, Povi took little to no interest in the farmers that her family was surrounded by. Instead, the young teen's attention was on magic. Namely, the healing magic that her family was known for.

If there was one reason for the prosperity of the simple farming village, it was the power that the Shearhart family had. Blessed by the golden sheep god Zuivere, Povi's family had healing abilities that were unrivaled by any other family in Itasca. Because of the family of healers, the village had never dealt with a single bad harvest. Because of the village's small size, their golden wheat was considered a luxury and their bread a delicacy. Noblemen throughout the world knew of the delicious bread that could only come from the small village just north of Grandier. Despite Povi sharing her family's golden locs, she found herself unable to perform the same miracles that her family could.

Although magic itself was beyond Povi's capabilities, she wasn't able to do anything particularly impressive. This was a part of Povi's "princess-ification." Out of fear of their poor girl getting hurt, Povi's family made sure to shelter Povi as much as possible. However, Povi was still a teenager and, naturally, she wasn't happy with being babied for the rest of her life. So, even though she very much enjoyed the cushy life she lived in the village, Povi wanted to be someone the village and her family could be proud of.

Mr. and Mrs. Shearhart knew that this day would come, and they had already prepared for it. Povi's doting parents had been mentally counting down the days until Povi's 16th birthday, the day they would finally let their daughter go. They had already prepared her application for one of the most prestigious magic schools money could buy an application for. All they asked in return was that Povi played her life safely and brought her younger sister.

This "sister" was actually the doll that was mentioned previously. Povi was an only child by blood. However, her doll acted just like any younger sister. Magic wasn't limited to growing wheat fields, after all. It could also be used to give dolls the size of your average toddler the ability to think and speak. This doll in particular, known as Lolly, was created with a clown theme. She had big brown shoes and a large neck ruffle that accentuated her chubby cheeks. Her big eyes and adorable hair were mismatched as well as two colors. One side was blue with the other being pink.

Having lived with Povi for about 10 years, Lolly was a lot younger mentally and physically than Povi. However, out of the two of them, Lolly was a lot better at using magic. Povi knew this much, but she didn't knew exactly what that meant. All she knew was that this was the reason her parents insisted that she kept Lolly around. Not that Povi had any plans of leaving her little sister behind. She would need the familiar company.

Povi became particularly sure of this upon seeing the large metal box that was intended to pick her up. Although buses were nothing short of common in Itasca, that didn't mean that Povi had ever seen or heard of one before. Her small village used magic far more than they used modern technology. Povi had also never left the village until now. At the very least, she'd have a guide when she made it to her new school. One of her more worldly cousins would be there to help her better understand the big city. All she had to do was step inside the jaws of the massive beast before her.

The bus ride was long and exhausting, despite the trip not requiring any effort from the princess herself. However, watching everything and everyone she knew fly away behind her was draining. After a few slow blinks, the hills of the only world she had ever known had changed into a gray terrain unlike anything she had seen before.

The map she had brought in her satchel was ultimately useless, as she couldn't tell where she was on it. All the large, gray buildings looked the same. She was also still moving so fast that she couldn't track herself, even if she wanted to. The only saving grace that the bus stopped in front of what looked like a landmark of some sort. This building that the bus was parked in front of was substantially that all the others nearby. It was also surrounded by multiple "sleeping" buses. It could only be assumed that this was their rest stop. Povi and Lolly, as well as the others on the bus, were ushered out into a crowd with many other people. Perhaps these other people were students too? Povi wasn't sure and she also didn't care. As she weaved herself and Lolly in and out of the crowd, all she wanted was to find whoever was going to be their new caretaker for the foreseeable future.

Fortunately, Povi wouldn't have to look around for long. She saw her name on a fairly big sign. It was being held up by a fairly tall man with long, blonde hair. However, what really made her trust this stranger was his sheep-like features. Even from the small distance between them. Povi could see the man's pupils were in the shape of a sheep's. Only a true saint's form would resemble a goddess's so closely.

Upon getting closer, Povi realized that the man looked a bit familiar. "You're cousin Liam, aren't you?"

The man glanced down at the girl before flashing a smile," That would be me, yeah. Are you ready for your first year in New Grandier?"