Bound by Crown: We Wander [王冠に縛られて：私たちはさまよう]

Chapter 1 - Evasion

Chromatic clouds were mere brush strokes in the sky overhead as Persephone's boots pounded the earth beneath her with all her might. The lush forest she ran through grew more somber with each step and with the setting sky. But there was still too much green. Dry oak leaves crunched beneath her feet. She knew these forests. Her tongue clicked in annoyance, quickly followed by a sigh. 

Still too close to home.

Her legs kept moving at full speed. Metal clinked together as her fists tightened around her breastplate, clutching her two shortswords for dear life. With no exact direction in mind, she glanced down at the pommels of her swords—brilliant sapphire gemstones carefully set within gleaming silver. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, threatening to fall, but she shook them off with a furrow of her brow and a boost to her morale.

I have to keep running. I'll just keep going until my legs give out.

It was moments like these when she was thankful for her half-armored attire, which left her legs free to move with more agility. Her leather boots had held up incredibly well through the miles of dirt and gore she had trudged through, and this escape was no exception.

A clearing in the forest opened to a brighter patch of trees, their colors more vivid and sprightly. Persephone's eyes caught the shift, and she quickly turned on her heel to change direction. But before she could take another step, a powerful force collided with her abdomen, completely knocking the breath from her.

"Gaaah!!" she wailed as she tumbled across the forest floor. As she reluctantly opened her eyes, she saw what appeared to be a fluffy pink ball tumbling with her. Her body slammed against the trunk of a tree, and from within the mess of her golden hair and dress, unfurled not a fluffy pink ball, but a fluffy pink person.

"What the... hell..." Persephone groaned, rubbing her back.

What sprang forward was something that convinced Persephone she must have hit her head during the fall. A girl, completely pink from head to toe. Long, curly pink hair adorned with a floral headdress. Pink skin and long pointed ears. A short pink kimono, wrapped with cherry blossom branches and flowers. She might as well have been some kind of flower fairy, but there were no wings to match the assumption.

The pink girl stood before her with her hands on her hips, apparently unscathed.

"Are you the reason all these guards are running around all over the place?!" Her voice was bright and cheerful, not an ideal match for Persephone's current discomposure.

"Ughh..." Persephone groaned, still shaken by the collision. This pink girl was so petite that it was no surprise she used Persephone's body as a human shield for the impact.

The pink girl knelt before her, cocking her head to the side as she examined the pitiful girl before her. "Well then, what's the deal? You don't look like such a bad guy."

"They're knights from my kingdom. I'm being forced to marry some weird prince from another country and... I don't want to," Persephone said, dusting off her dress and picking up her shortswords from the ground.

"Oh, gross!" the pink girl said. "Wanna go fight 'em?" She began bouncing on the balls of her feet, fists raised in a playful stance.

Just then, the sound of metal clashing and men shouting search commands echoed from afar, still too close for comfort. A pang of guilt filled Persephone's gut as she recognized the familiar voices of the men who had spent her entire life protecting her. The pink girl grinned at the sounds, obviously eager for a fight, but Persephone shook her head solemnly.

"I can't raise my sword against my own men. That's why my plan was to outrun them."

The girl's violet eyes scanned the woods around them, her small body never leaving its ready stance. "Then do ya mind if I... rough 'em up a little bit?" Persephone's eyes widened. "Don't worry. I won't kill 'em. Just enough to get 'em off your tail. 'Kay?"