The Djinni & The Royal

❂ The Djinni & the Princess ❂

A young woman of seventeen sat on a crate in a dark alley. She was desperate; you'd have to be to do what she was thinking.

There was a legend, if you wished hard enough The Djinni would come and grant your wish. In exchange for your dreams you would pay in years. Your years.

The young woman sighed and looked down the alley, where a group of men were noisily drinking. It would be worth it, wouldn't it? To leave. She could wish for anything...

The girl squeezed her eyes closed and focused on the words she'd heard whispered among the drunks. "Vos obsecro Djinni." She breathed, her voice shaking. Her stomach knotted as she waited for a sign, a sound. After several moments of silence she opened one eye.

Nothing. Her heart slowed, she'd never be free. Life would never get any better. She'd be trapped in this poor pointless existence forever. Sudden rage caused her to stand and kick the crate, sending it toppling over and cracking against the stone walls.

"You rang?" Asked an amused voice. The girl whipped around and staggered back. The voice had come from a girl who didn't seem to be any older than herself. Lithe, and tall, with a red braid straight down her back.

"Djinni?" The summoner asked in confusion. The Djinni rolled her amber eyes.

"If you see any others answering to my summons, we're going to have a problem." She mocked, crossing her arms and leaning against the stone .

The summoner lowered her eyes in both fear and respect. "Sorry, great one."

The Djinni watched her and rolled her eyes with a look disgust and annoyance. "Anyway... What do you want?" She asked, bored. The girl nervously looked away.

"I-I-I.." She wrung her hands furiously. she'd heard stories about wording a wish perfectly and suddenly wished she'd practiced before hand. The most important moment of her life and she hadn't practiced, this was why she worked in the wash houses. She silently scolded.

The Djinni huffed with impatients. "My time is precious." She warned, picking her nails as if she didn't really have anywhere to be.

The girl stuttered and mumbled some more, her face turning a light pink. "What's your name? Let's start there, shall we?" Djinni snapped.

The girl nodded and licked her chapped lips. It was said giving your name to a witch was bad luck. They said it gave away a part of your soul, but the girl was beyond that now, she guessed. "Malinda." She whispered.

Djinni raised an eyebrow, appearing unimpressed with the name. "And.... You want what? Money, power, the disappearance of a rival... Revenge?" She urged, her voice growing more interested with each item she listed, whispering the last one like a delicious treat. Malinda's eyes widened.

"No! Of course not! I want-." She stopped suddenly blushing furiously. Djinni pushed away from the wall, suddenly bored again.

"What?! My patients are wearing thin girl. State your wish before i decide to take your years anyway!" She growled, taking a step closer.

"A princess." Malinda blurted, stumbling back. Djinni squinted, wating for the rest.

The Djinni waited a second, silently ragin that the girl was being so God damn slow. "What?" She snapped when the girl didn't volenteer more information.

Malinda took a deep breath. "I want to be a princess." She repeated, her shaky voice a bit louder.

Djinni scoffed, her annoyance turning to disgust. "Why would you want to do that?" Malinda frowned in confusion.

"What? Being a princess would solve everything. I'd be rich and pampered." Malinda said in a rush.

The Djinni just chuckled. "You really are just stupid, aren't you?" She asked but stepped forward and clapped her hands together before the girl could respond.