Peasants and Royals

XXII. Once Upon A Time

Sara ran.... Far. She ran far, she ran as far as her legs could carry her. She eventually got tired. 

"Where am I?" She looked below and realized she was on a bridge, she saw her reflection looking back at her. Sara sat on the bridge and broke down into a crying mess. This nation that she once had control over was falling apart. "Why, why is this happening to me?" She looked over and saw the palace she once called home. "What is even wrong with me? I'm selfish and disgusting. I'm a brat. A selfish and disgusting brat." She covered her face with her hands and sobbed. She sobbed for a while. "I just want someone to tell me a story..." 

Sara walked down from the bridge and sat by the water, letting it trickle through her fingers. "World, will you tell me a story?" She looked down at the water, her tears falling into the river. "And if you do tell me a story, let it be one with a happy ending." Sara looked up at sky, the moon shimmered along with the stars.

She got into the river and sat down. "I wonder how Itto and Shinobu are doing right now..." 

There was an empty room, it had desks and chairs. An open window, a chalkboard and a bigger desk where an adult sat. Sara knew where she was. She was in a classroom. Alone. That was until she heard footsteps and a girl scolding someone. 

"Itto! Stop it! Sara's probably still sleeping!" 

"In a classroom? Pfft, yeah right!" 

"Heizou! You too!" 

"What did Heizou do? Expect be amazing!" 

Sara looked up and saw Heizou, Shinobu, and Itto at the door frame. She looked at them in disbelief and in awe. "Shinobu? Itto? I thought you guys were in Liyue.... What are you doing in Inazuma?" 

Shinobu raiased an eyebrow, "Liyue? Sara, are you having nightmares again?" She walked over and sat by Sara at an empty desk, "I knew we shouldn't have given you that history book.... Blame Heizou for it though." 

"Hey! Sara said she wanted to read about Inazuma's history!" Heizou walked over, pulled a chair over, and sat across Shinobu at the empty desk. "Right, Sara?" 

Sara snapped back to reality, this reality, she didn't know she was zoning out. "Oh, yeah, right." She chuckled a bit and blushed out of embarrassment. "Sorry, just zoning out." 

Itto chuckled as he copied Heizou's movements and sat across Sara at her desk, "Tired?" He patted Sara's hand and smiled, "You keep falling asleep during cleaning time.... I'm worried, we're all worried." 

"Yeah, if something's wrong you can tell us." Shinobu looked at Sara with a caring look. "We're here for you." 

At that moment Itto's eyes were darting between Sara, Shinobu, and Heizou. Tears were filling up his eyes, at that very moment Sara fell back asleep and her view went pitch black.

"You're lying...." Itto looked at Heizou with tears in his eyes, "And Sara ran to safety?" He looked at Kokomi who was standing next to the shorter man. 

"Yes, she did. I told her too, I told her to find a way to Liyue. So she could be here but..." Heizou's voice broke, "But I couldn't find her at the wall..." Tears fell from his eyes as Kokomi hugged him. 

"It's okay.... Surely she'll be here. Soon." Kokomi let go of Heizou and smiled softly, "We just have to have hope." 

"Yes, thank you!" Shinobu walked out of a store, "Itto, what are you doing-" She stopped in her tracks as she saw Heizou. "Oh my God.... Get over here." She ran over to Heizou and jumped in his arms. 

"I'm so happy that you're here. That we're both here." Heizou held Shinobu in his arms as they tightly hugged each other, "I love you, Shinobu." 

"I love you, too..." The words left Shinobu's mouth as she saw Itto crying and Kokomi comforting him. "Who's that?" 

"I'm Kokomi, from the Sangonomiya Kingdom." Kokomi looked at Shinobu and smiled, "I got caught in the Inazuman mess. Not really a fun thing to be in." She laughed a bit to herself and smiled again. 

"Oh, I'm Shinobu." Shinobu introduced herself, she laughed a bit and looked at Itto, "Remember when you said you were gonna break the border between Peasants and Royals?" 

Itto looked at Shinobu, shocked to say the very least, "Yeah, why?" He raised an eyebrow and smiled a bit. 

"I think you did just that." Heizou looked at Itto and smiled, "Oh, how Sara would love to be here. Seeing us, all of us, smile and laugh. And just being.... Happy." 

"Wait." Kokomi spoke up, "Let me tell you all a story that you'll love." 

Everyone sat down and was attentive to Kokomi, who also sat down.

"Okay, so once upon a time, there were two friends and they just got thrown out of their territory." Kokomi laughed a bit, followed by the laughs of Heizou, Itto, and Shinobu. "And well, this is their story. A story that has happiness, laughter, hope, joy, love.... But it also has sadness, fear, loneliness." They group of friends looked to see the sun rising above Liyue, "And it also has someone..... Someone who never gave up for what they thought was right."