~𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐆𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐬~

~(𝐘/𝐍)~

~

Once upon a time, in a kingdom far, far away lived a king and his queen.

They were very happy together.

However, they had always felt as if something was missing from their lives - a child.

They tried and tried, but could not conceive.

Forlorn, the royal couple set out on a journey to find a mage who could grant their wish.

Eventually, they met a kindhearted, old witch who (without much persuasion) promised them a child.

She prophesied that they would give birth to a healthy, beautiful daughter.

A princess.

The king and queen were overcome with joy, and began to celebrate.

The witch put an end to their rejoicing with much haste, however, for she was not done telling her prophecy.

This child's birth came with quite costly a price.

The young princess would indeed be kind of heart and beautiful of face.

She would be so enchanting, in fact, that many would come from afar - ladies and lords alike - to court her.

One of these suitors would be a king who ruled over a kingdom not too far off from their own.

His proposal (like many others before his) would be rejected.

But this king would not take 'no' for an answer.

So overwhelmed with rage, the king would soon thereafter carry out a nefarious plan.

A plan to steal away the poor princess.

And he would succeed.

Now stricken with fear and grief, the king and queen fell to their knees.

'Is there a way we can possibly protect her?' they asked, desperate to defend what they had worked so hard for.

The witch shook her head sorrowfully, her heart overflowing with pity for the royal couple.

'I'm afraid her kidnapping is inevitable.'

...

'Even so, there will be a way to save her from the wicked king's clutches.'

They lifted their heads with hope, tears still rolling down their cheeks.

'Two twin brothers living amongst the commoners shall be her saviors, if they dare to take on the challenge of vanquishing the king.

One brother, the younger of the two, shall be weakened by his gentle and kind heart, unnerved by the notion of harming any of their enemies.

The other, eldest brother, shall be the braver, yet more reckless of the two.

Let the younger go alone, and he will be immediately slaughtered by his own unwillingness to stand up against the threat of danger.

Let the eldest go alone, and he will surely be drowned in his own arrogance.

Together, these two will be stronger than any army you could possibly send.'

The king and queen thanked the witch, then made their way back to the land in which they ruled.

Just as the witch had predicted, a young daughter was born to them months upon months later.

Though it might have been regarded as a time of mirth and merrymaking in the beginning, this was not without misfortune.

The queen had died tragically in childbirth.

All in the kingdom was deathly silent.

The king, hearing this news, fell ill from heartbreak and was confined to his room.

He, too, would never get to look upon the face of his sweet baby girl.

The servants and staff of the castle, still disheartened by the death of their gracious rulers, feared for the fate of the kingdom.

'Surely the infant princess won't be our new queen.'

'What are we to do?'

'Who will lead us?'

The castle was panicked, unsure of how to go about raising the newborn heir.

Suddenly, a hand was raised, calming the storm of worry and distress.

The hand belonged to that of Sci, the king's right hand man.

The last to have spoken with him before his demise.

'Everyone, please, remain calm.

The late king has appointed me as head of the castle until our princess comes of age and is eligible to assume the throne.

Until then, we are to work together to raise the child and teach her how to be a just and admirable ruler, just as her parents were.'

This appeased the crowd of maids, butlers and other servants alike.

Only one question still lingered in their minds.

'What is the child to be called?'

Sci put his head in hands, pondering on the question.

'A name is an important factor in one's identity.'

He looked down at the baby cradled in his arms, swaddled in the most expensive silk and dreaming peacefully amongst all that was going on around her.

He thought and thought, then smiled tenderly as an idea crossed his mind.

'I say we name her in honor of the queen.'

With no objection or sign of disapproval in sight, Sci smiled even wider and looked back at the child in awe and wonder once more.

'Then it is settled.

Welcome to the world, Princess (Y/N).

You have quite the future ahead of you.'

~