Chapter Text
Prologue to a Fairy Tale
Once upon a time, in the little village of Springvale, lived a girl, her father and their little farm.
Stretching her arms above her head, seventeen-year-old Lumine Tigel yawned. Even though getting up at the crack dawn was her morning routine, it didn’t make it any less exhausting. Hearing the chickens clucking away and the horses stomping around however, always seemed to wake her up.
She was definitely an animal person, just like her mother use to be.
“Good morning, Philip, Eric, Flynn,” reaching out for her apron, Lumine began to greet all the chickens that now began to hustle around the coop, their wings flapping excitedly, as they knew what was coming next. “, Naveen, John, Aurora, Jasmine,” with a giggle, she hauled up a bag of feed. “, where’s Ali and Shang?”
Lumine looked around the chicken coop, until she spotted the two birds sauntering out of the small huts as if they owned the place.
“Acting like a couple of princes, huh?” laughing to herself, Lumine began to cut open the bag, beginning to pour the food into the feeder. To her right, she could hear the cows and sheep beginning to wake up. “I hear you~!” she called out cheerfully.
Though she complained at times, Lumine didn’t mind at all taking care of the small farm they owned. Her father was the worst when it came to the animals and how he managed to get by when she was younger, was beyond her.
She was sure that her mother was the one responsible for the idea of owning such a place and after she sadly passed away, her father had lost all motivation to maintain it. That wasn’t to say he didn’t try, he did on occasion, especially when Lumine insisted on help. But her father’s true passion laid on his tinkering and inventions, which were a hit and miss, often more miss then hit.
“Good morning, Maximus, Khan, Angus and Achilles!” with a skip in her step, Lumine moved inside the stables, where all four of their horses were up and about, shaking their manes out, as they moved their heads over the fences of their pens. “Heh,” giving them all pats and scritches, Lumine began to haul out their food, sweat beginning to bead down her face.
She had given up a long time ago on thinking her day would end up with her looking and even smelling like a fresh flower. Since their farm was located on the outskirts of the village, it wasn’t so bad. A quick rinse and she was fresh enough to travel to get supplies, trade their wares or anything else they needed.
Since her farm was the only one in the village, everyone knew her as ‘Farm girl’, a title that was often said out of spite from the other village girls. ‘Look, it’s farm girl!’ or ‘Are you going to marry a sheep, farm girl?’ and of course her favorite to hear, ‘Maybe if you kiss one of your cows, it will turn into a prince!’
First, it’s a frog you’re supposed to kiss. Lumine shook her head softly, her smile never wavering from her face, as she continued her task. Patting Khan, who tried to give her a small love nip. And one day I’ll marry someone, and it won’t be a sheep! She never spoke back to the girls in the village, no, she let them talk, always keeping her head held high.
Before her mother had passed away, Lumine was taught one thing repeatedly from the woman, who always practiced what she preached. It’s what the girl took to heart and made sure to never forget.
“Remember sweetheart, have courage and be kind.”*
Wiping her brow, Lumine sighed softly, looking towards the outside of the barn. Perhaps today after all her chores, she’d go and pick some herbs. It was a going to be nice day, she could tell it was to be another sunny, breezy afternoon. Days like these, she would either picks herbs, read or even go horse riding.
Patting down her apron, she got a good look at her dark brown dress, noting the few holes that were scattered around at the ends. “… Maybe I should sew instead…”
Though they weren’t necessarily hurting for money, Lumine was the epitome of a penny pincher, especially when it came to things like new clothes and items that weren’t needed. If she could sew, then there was no need to get a new dress. If she could go horse riding, why buy a toy? She had always been like this, despite her father trying to spoil her. Did it stop him from trying? No, because her father adored her. Just as she loved him.
“LUMINE!!”
Jumping in surprise, Lumine hurriedly rushed out of the barn, following her father’s cry. She quickly entered their small cottage, pausing in the doorway.
“Father!?”
“Lumine!” with a hearty laugh, Isaac Tigel, walked into the living room from one of his workshops located in the back of the cottage. He was covered from head to toe in soot, with splashes of oil all of his leather apron. A common, everyday visage for the man.
“Oh, father!” grabbing up a near by wash cloth, Lumine moved to meet up with the man, who chortled merrily, bending slightly so she could reach his face.
He was a large-set man, towering over her petite frame, since she got her height from her mother. His hair was platinum blonde with a tinge of silver and his long, fluffy beard was all silver. He had a slight belly, but that was because Lumine always fed him properly, otherwise he would mostly likely forget.
Though he looked intimidating, Isaac Tigel was the definition of a ‘big teddy bear’, at least to his daughter.
“I did it, my girl!” Isaac exclaimed, closing one eye, so that Lumine could wipe around it.
“Did what?” she was always supportive of her father’s endeavors, regardless of his many failed attempts. If its what made him happy, then so be it. Though cleaning him up afterwards was a bit of hassle. “Close the other now.”
“I made an animated doll!”
Pausing, Lumine arched an eyebrow curiously, “A what?”
“HAH!” her father, with childlike joy, took hold of her hand, tugging Lumine towards his workshop. “I shall show you!”
“F-Father I haven’t finished with my chores!” Lumine knew she was just going to be ignored, but she had to at least try. She was dragged right into the workshop, which was filled with all sorts of contraptions and thingamabobs, big and small. It smelled of oil and pencil shavings, a scent Lumine had grown accustomed too.
“You have got to clean in here…” she watched her father move towards the very back of the room, taking her time in joining him, despite his constant urges for her to hurry. She fiddled around with a couple of gadgets, enjoying the toys he tinkered with, toys he would eventually gift to her, no matter how old she got.
Eventually she came towards a slightly open area, where only one object sat in the center, her father circling it with a look of excitement on his face. The object was covered by a dusty, brown tarp. He had mentioned a ‘doll’, so Lumine could clearly see the human shape to the object. Just what exactly had her father created?
“Ready?” Isaac gripped a side of the tarp, ready to whip it off in a most dramatic fashion
“... Yes?” ” she didn’t know what to expect under that tarp and it was making her a bit anxious.
Isaac wasted no time, as he ripped off the piece of cloth, the sound of it fluttering as he let the tarp land on the floor beside his feet. Extending his hands out, Isaac presented to his daughter, his newest creation.
“I give to you, the first ever, mechanical animated doll!” he brought his knuckles to tap upon the head of the doll, which laid lifeless on the wooden chair.
Lumine was unsure on how to respond to such a presentation. For one, the doll itself looked nothing like a doll. She was expecting something along the lines of those pretty, dress up dolls in the storefronts, or even a plush doll. But what sat in the chair, was all nuts and bolts, completely made of metal and she was sure wiring within. “It’s all metal…”
Isaac chuckled, “You’re hurting his feelings! Just because he does not have skin like yours or hair like yours, doesn’t mean he isn’t a person!” he brought his hands to move the dolls machine like head to stare at her, for its eyes, were two, bright blue glass cutouts, which Lumine was sure belonged to one of her father’s wine bottles. He was a master at recycling parts, never letting anything go to waste.
“N-Now wait a minute! I wasn’t trying to be mean,” Lumine crossed her arm sin front of her chest defensively. “, I am just not use to seeing such a… Doll, before. It is a he?”
“I have yet to give him a name, but wouldn’t it be nice to have a strong lad helping out around the farm? Watching over you while you go horse back riding and such?”
“It would be nice in general for someone to help me,” she eyeballed her father accusingly, who gave her a toothy smile in return. “, but can he really do all of that?” Lumine looked skeptically at the machine-like doll, trying to picture it up and moving. If it did manage to work, she just hoped it didn’t scare the animals. Perhaps they could cloth it, make him look more human like, then the metal skeleton it was.
“I only got him to work once,” Isaac scratched the top of his head. “, for about five minutes, BUT, I did some tweaking and some more calibrations and I think I got it all down!”
“What’s this?” Lumine had spotted a square like panel on the doll’s chest where normally a person’s heart laid. By now, she had come closer to the doll, poking at the panel, curiously. Lumine had checked, there was no other such panel on the dolls body, this was only thing that seemed out of place.
“Oh! Good eye, sweetheart!” Isaac reached forward and pushed in the panel, the lid popping open. Inside, there was all sorts of wiring and what looked like a greenish fluid like substance swirling around in a container. “Now don’t go touching it, but that substance you see floating around in that tube is acid.”
“What!?” Lumine reeled back, gasping.
“It’s the running heart of the doll,” he explained, expecting such a reaction. It was hard enough getting acid; it was also illegal to have. “, I couldn’t very well get the poor thing started without it.”
“Father!” Lumine admonished, shaking her head softly.
“Now, now, it will be fine.” Isaac reassured, closing the panel, tapping on it for good measure. “It’s a solid panel you see, made of special titanium. I paid a little extra! No acid coming out of there, promise!”
“Not what I was worried about!” Lumine couldn’t help but give another tired sigh, use to the man skirting around serious topics, such as breaking the law!
“Now I know you’re excited to see this fella up and running, eh?” he most assuredly wanted to change the subject.
“... Yes.” She really couldn’t stay upset at him, not when he gave her such a jovial smile filled with glee.
“Once I press this button, we’ll have a new member to our family!” he held up the switch, ready to do the honors.
“We have over a dozen already,” Lumine said matter of fact, reminding her father of the lovable animals right outside. “, I am excited to add a mechanical doll to the list.” she finished.
Isaac laughed, “Here we go!”
He pressed the button.
= + + =
They were after him.
The sound of the thundering hoofbeats on his tail, made him crack the reigns of his own horse, pushing the stead to go faster, as fast as it possibly could.
He didn’t know where he was going. He just had to get away, to lose those that pursued him. How many were behind him? Three, four? Over a dozen? Beads of sweat trickled down his face, as his eyes narrowed in concentration, focusing on his route. The forest was tricky to ride through, even if it were in the daylight.
Regardless of how many chased him, he refused to give up what he held dearly in his breast pocket.
“Can I trust you, Diluc?”
He would die, before that happened.
An arrow whizzed by his face and Diluc Ragnvindr cursed, swerving his horse around trees in the forest, grateful he had learned so long ago how to ride from the King. He was grateful for a lot of things that his King had done for him. Like taking him in off the streets, giving him food and drink, a place to sleep and clothes to wear. The King had given him his trust and eventually made him into he general he was today.
“I need you, to keep this a secret. Just between you and me.”
However, the King was dead now, murdered in cold blood, by none other this own brother, Roderick Percivel.
Roderick had been planning this for years, scheming behind his own brothers back to take his crown, his wife and sit pretty on the throne. Today had been the day he had enacted his plans and Roderick wasn’t just satisfied with the King’s blood, no, the bastard had taken the life of his brother’s only son, Prince Albedo Giodano*.
“This is a special stone, given to me by a witch.”
Somehow the King had known that this was going to happen and had prepared. Before leaving the castle, Diluc had stood over the prince’s dying body and did exactly what his King had ordered him to do.
“Your highness… Why not resurrect you!?” Diluc held the crimson red stone in the palm of his hand, starring at his King, who looked at him with a somber expression.
“I am quite old, my boy,” the King placed a hand upon Diluc’s shoulder. “, and my son has his whole life ahead of him. He may not be the stoic knight that you are, but he is intelligent, opportunistic, and artistic. His research and excavations have continued to keep this kingdom thriving.” He chuckled softly, proud of his son. “If one day, something were to happen to us, then please, take his soul into this stone and bring it to the witch. She will know what to do.”
“Nothing will happen to you or the prince, your highness,” Diluc tried to reassure, uneasy with the whole conversation. “, please do not say such things. Do you not trust me to keep you safe?”
A soft smile now graced the old man’s face, as he stared into Diluc’s ruby red eyes, “It is because I trust you, that I am giving you this task, my boy. One day, this Kingdom will know of tyranny and one day, the young must overthrow the old.” His words were ominous, spoken as if it were a prophecy. “Can I trust you to do this, Diluc Ragnvindr?”
“... Yes, your highness.”
Another volley of arrows, and Diluc hissed as one struck past his arm, nicking him. Come on, come on! He pitied his horse, but he prayed for her to go faster, as he cracked the reigns again. Please girl, I need you do this for me.
Unbeknownst to him, Diluc had just passed a small little signboard that read ‘Springvale’.
= + =
“?” Lumine tilted her head, wondering if she was supposed to be seeing anything happening. “Does it usually take a while?”
“...” Isaac pressed the button again.
Silence.
“Maybe the wrong button?” she had tried her best not to smile or tease her father, but it was hard not to, especially considering this usually happened with all his inventions. She watched as her father moved around the doll, poking, and prodding it, before standing straight to scratch his head.
“I don’t know why its not working! What went wrong?” he sighed in frustration, continuously pressing the button over and over now, but to no avail. Eventually his shoulders slumped, and he looked at his daughter with a distress. “What do I do, Lumine?”
“… Oh father,” reaching out for him, Lumine hugged the man, the height difference was comical to look upon. But even though she was considered tiny to him, Lumine still managed to make the hug work. “, just keep at it! You’ll eventually get it to work.” She meant those words, considering her father was tremendously stubborn. “You’re a genius after all! In the meantime, I’ll finish my chores.”
Isaac smiled wearily, “Thank you, sweetheart.”
“Mhm!” it would have been impressive to see an animated doll, but Lumine felt it would be quite some time, mayhap years, until this particular doll ever so the light of day. Before she left her father to go about his work, she took one last look at the doll, who remained in the same lifeless position.
One day. With a smile, Lumine left the room.
= + =
As always, the sheep and even the one llama in the barn, were rounding up around her to get their food. The llama, she had dubbed Kuzco, because he was a pompous creature, who reminded her a lot of a story she had read about an emperor.
“Wait your turn, Kuzco,” Lumine shoved at his head, laughing as the Llama eyeballed her with a ‘you had the audacity to touch me’ look. “, I said wait.” She stuck out her tongue, the Llama, continuing to give her a lazy, uninterested stare.
Finishing up with feeding all the animals, Lumine wiped her hands on her apron before looking around, making sure she hadn’t forgotten anything. It was nearing early afternoon now and she was feeling a little peckish. She wasn’t one to eat a lot of food, unlike her father who enjoyed a hearty meal, so she was just considering making herself a tiny snack.
About to turn on her heel and head back into the house, Lumine paused, gaze lifting above the forest tree line above, seeing trails of black smoke rising from where the village of Springvale was. Campfires were a normal almost everyday occurrence, a lot of the men in the village loved to camp out and drink. They didn’t go too far because their wives would get mad at them. The baker on special days would constantly stoke his oven and make sure all could smell his creations. So Lumine was used to seeing smoke.
But this felt different. Much different.
Like a bad sign.
Jogging up to one of the fences, Lumine squinted her eyes, golden orbs starring at what looked like a lone rider, galloping down the trail to their farm. The rider continued getting closer and closer, until Lumine could see the outline of the man clear as day. He was a handsome gentleman, clad in what looked like castle armor, red hair pinned up in a ponytail. He looked a mess if she were being honest, as he was out of breath, drenched in sweat, blood seeping from his face and his arms, where it looked as if he had been wounded several times.
She gasped, taking a step back as the man rode up to fence line rearing his horse to come to a halt. Lumine starred at the animal in horror, the poor thing looked just as awful as the man. The hooves were worn down and torn at the sides, blood was seeping from the creatures’ mouth, from where the reigns had dug into its mouth. It looked as if the man had run the poor thing for miles on end.
“Please,” the red-haired man pleaded, climbing down from his stallion, walking towards the fence. “, please, do you have another horse you can spare? I do not have much time.” He pressed his hand to his heart now. “I cannot pay you in money, but I will endeavor to do so one day. Please.”
“…” Lumine could not only see but hear the desperation in the man’s voice, as he locked his gaze with hers. He was sincere and even though he was desperate, he was still asking for permission. “C-Come with me.” She pointed to the stables, watching as the man’s face practically lite up with relief. “I have many you can use.”
“Thank you, thank you!” Diluc took hold of his stallions’ reigns, leading the poor thing towards where the girl had pointed. He had managed to lose his assailants in the village, unfortunately he was sure they were wreaking havoc for the villagers. His plan was to grab another horse and divert their attention away from the poor people.
“Maximus, Khan, Angus and Achilles,” Lumine pointed to all four of her horses, her dear friends. “, they are the best horses you will ever ride, sir.”
Diluc patted the girl upon the top of her head, as he passed her up, aiming for the one of the horses, “I have no doubt, little miss.” He came upon Khan’s stable, the majestic animal whinnying at his presence, long mane whisking around its face.
“All their equipment is above each of their pens.” she pointed to the four ladders you could easily pull down to reach said stuff. She watched the man choose Khan, beginning to bring down the horses’ equipment in a rush. As he did that, she jogged over to one of the side benches, taking out a medical supply box her father had made sure was always stocked. “Let me mend you!”
“There is no time, little miss,” Diluc insisted, beginning to put on Khan’s harness and saddle. “, but thank you for your consideration. If I do not hurry, this farm and your family may very well be in danger.”
“… B-But your bleeding…” she could see that as his muscles tightened when securing the harness, blood would seep from his wounds along his biceps. Disregarding his warning, she rushed to pour water on his arm, before beginning to bandage his arm, while he worked on securing the saddle. Diluc found her obstinance and good nature refreshing. By the time he was done with his task, his entire left bicep was bandage and feeling a bit better.
He watched as she hurried towards the end of the stables, taking a satchel off the hook and running up to him. “Here,” the girl spoke, opening the satchel. “, a little bit of canned food and a blanket. I don’t know what is going on, but I am sure you can use this.”
“…” Diluc’s heart was touched by this girl’s generosity and he watched her close the satchel back up, placing it on Khans saddle. “What is your name?”
“Lumine, sir.”
“My name is Diluc Ragnvindr, young Lumine.” he placed his hand over his heart, where the soul of his highness, the Prince, laid entombed in his pocket.
“-the young will overthrow the old.”
His king’s words came to mind, as he starred into the girls beautiful, golden irises, that would gladly offer him anything he asked for. Such kindness to most would be considered a gift and a curse. And he was going to take that risk.
“Do you think you could grant me a favor?”
= + =
“Have you found him?” the group of six, black cloaked assassins eyed one another heatedly, as they gathered around one another. Their faces were covered with dark green masks, each of which had their own designs and etchings.
These assassins had been hand picked by Roderick himself, his own little ‘death squad’ as he liked to put it. They were considered by Roderick to be the best of the best, a merciless team, that spared nothing to get what they wanted. The village of Springvale was proof of that, as many of the houses had been set on fire, villagers running for their very lives, screaming, and carrying their young to safety.
The six never would have expected to be outran and outsmarted by the Flame General. They had of course heard of his commendable exploits in battle, but their egos had led them to believe he would be no match.
How wrong they had been.
And now, they were all very much upset.
“We razz the entire village,” infuriated, one of the assassins pointed to nearby buildings. “I still see houses and shops left untouched! He has to be her-“
A high pitch whistle made the man’s sentence cut off, as all six assassins turned their heads to see the Flame General himself, starring at them from across the tiny bridge that led through yet another path into the forest.
“You bastards aren’t going to give up on me now, are you?” I can lose you once, and I can do it again. He’d be damned if another village burned because of him. Gripping Khan’s reigns, the horse suddenly reared up on its own, kicking its legs, as if taunting the men.
Diluc was stunned to find the horse had a mind of its own, stunned, but not surprised. The yellowed haired girl, known as Lumine, had talked to the animal before they had left. She had petted him and whispering gently in his ear, as if he were an actual person and she was wishing him a safe journey.
He had no doubt this horse would be a great asset in his escape. Because this time, he would be using his Vision and these men would feel his retribution.
“…” there was only one member of the assassin squad that didn’t buy into the whole ‘catch me if you can’ scenario. No, he was just a little bit smarter than his other comrades, who began to storm after the General, who barreled back into the forest.
Instead, he decided to go in the opposite direction. After all, it was suspicious to find the red-haired man had changed horses, that his arm had been all bandaged up and he looked well stocked up for the ‘journey’ ahead.
Suspicious indeed.
= + + =
“Do you think you could grant me a favor?”
Entering her home, Lumine was transfixed by the crimson rock she had been given, by the man known as Diluc. He had placed it in her palm, encasing the hand which held it with both of his own. He had begged of her to keep the stone safe, that he would return as soon as possible to reclaim it.
“I promise.”
Lumine had of course promised.
She was unsure of what kingdom he hailed from, always out of the loop when it came to politics and such. She only hoped that whatever he was running from, he would remain healthy and safe. Was there anything else I could have done to help him?
Walking into the kitchen, Lumine wondered where she should keep the stone. It was a beautiful rock, that fitted perfectly in the palm of her hand and it felt so warm, as if it were alive. For a brief second, she had even thought it had started to glow, but Lumine was almost certain the light was playing tricks on her.
Taking a small tin can from one of the cupboards, Lumine figured she could hide away the stone inside of it. She wondered if wrapping it up first would be better and was about to do just that, when the sound of all her animals outside wailing and howling, made her whip her head around in fright.
It was as if something had alerted them and now, they were warning her. Never had she heard any of them make so much noise before. The obtuse pounding was most likely coming from her horses, who were kicking around in their pens and she could even hear Kuzco joining along with the sheep, as they baa’d and wailed, the llama the loudest out of all them.
“What on earth is happening!?” Isaac came out from his workshop, frowning as he looked upon Lumine, who came out from the kitchen, still clutching the stone in her hand. “Lumine?”
“Fath-“she gasped, as an obvious kick to their door made them both jump. “It’s someone bad!” she whispered in fright, starring at her father who looked at her in disbelief.
“Go sweetheart! Hide in my workshop!” Isaac walked towards the fireplace as soon as his little girl followed his commands. His hazel eyes narrowed, as he pulled from the wall a giant, great axe, that had served him well in his younger years. He had kept it as a memento and was thankful now, he hadn’t burnt it. It was not a memento that brought him happy memories, but one that made him humble to be the man he was today
For sure he had thought his days of using the wretched weapon was long behind him, but no one threatened his family and he’d gladly go back to being killer he once was, if it were for his baby girl.
Gripping it tightly in both his hands, the big, bear of a man, stood menacingly in the middle of the living room now.
Waiting for their front door to be kicked in.
= + =
Lumine shut the door to the workshop, confident in her father abilities. When she was younger her mother had told her many dashing tales of his strength and amazing feats, often in bedtime stories, or when they were snuggled up by the fire.
Though he had not a Vision, he was still a man of many talents and skills
The stone… Moving around the workshop in a panic, Lumine held the stone with both hands, unsure of what to do next. More then likely, whoever was on the other side of that door was after the stone. That could be the only reason! Diluc had pleaded with her to keep it safe and so it meant a great deal to him. Had they captured him? Killed him!? Tortured him for information?
“No!” she whispered harshly, shaking her head fiercely. Have faith Lumine. He is alive and will return! I must keep the stone safe! Her feet had taken her to the very back of the room, where the mechanical doll still sat. “Hello,” she whispered, patting the doll upon the shoulder, comforted by the cool metal. “, you wouldn’t happen to wanna work now, would you? I could really use a friend to talk to.”
The sound of her father’s battle cries echoed far into the workshop and Lumine could hear all their furniture and belongings being turned upside down. Whoever her father fought, was skilled. Everything they owned could be made or bought again, what mattered was their lives.
“Hide you, hide you!” look as she might, Lumine could not see anywhere she could place the crimson rock. If for some reason they needed to run away, she wanted to leave the stone here, so that if they were captured, the object entrusted to her would remain hidden. She wouldn’t have broken her promise, even in death.
So busy pacing, Lumine stubbed her toe on the chair and the doll’s upper half, fell to the right, making soft whirring noises now.
“?” Hide away… Somewhere safe… She opened her hands now, to stare down at the crimson stone. Was it pulsating? Or was it her own heartbeat that made it feel that way? Why did it feel as if it really were alive?
Either way, it did resemble a heart and that thought had made Lumine’s gaze travel towards the doll’s chest, specifically the panel over his heart.
Pressing against the panel, which was harder than it looked, Lumine eventually got the metal piece to pop open. I’m sorry… She took the acid tube from the doll’s chest, careful not to drop it, as she set it aside. “This is the safest spot.” She whispered, staring at the dolls glass like eyes. “Thank you for helping me, fella.”
Without hesitation, Lumine placed the stone inside, before closing the panel door. With both hands now, she pressed against the small door, eyes closing. You’re safe now. I’ll protect you. I promise.
Who was she talking to? The rock? The mechanical doll?
“!” she yelped, literally jumping back as she starred in shock at the doll. Blinking a couple of times, Lumine looked down at her hands, which now shook slightly. She wasn’t crazy, she had definitely felt the pulsing vibrations within the doll’s chest. It was as if a huge gush of energy had abruptly pushed against her hands
Whispers.
Lumine whirled around, looking everywhere around the room. Someone was whispering. A woman? A woman voice was whispering. Whatever they were whispering it was growing louder and louder by the second. Lumine pivoted back around towards the doll, eyes widening as she watched as swirls of colored dust began to encircle the doll starting from the bottom and rising to the top. The dolls chest was now glowing intensely.
The woman was chanting one sentence over and over in a language she had never heard before and her voice was becoming deafening, the light from the doll’s chest becoming too bright! Covering her ears, Lumine squeezed her eyes shut, just as the sparkling dust enshrouded the entirety of the mechanical doll, like a colorful funnel of magic.
“Ah!” an expansive gust of wind blew right past her, just as the woman fell silent. Lumine had almost been blown off her feet, thankful she had pushed back into a table, that had kept her standing. Lowering her hands, she slowly opened her eyes, only to freeze in place. “!” she was literally stunned into silence.
No longer was the doll sitting in the chair, no, in its place, was a beautiful boy, with wheat colored hair and ocean blue eyes. He looked to be around her age, maybe a little older. The boy moved a bit stiffly at first, as he brought up his hands to stare at them in awe, before bringing them to pat at his chest and abdomen, as if in shock at what he found.
“?” Lumine wondered why he did that. Was he hurt? Just who was he? Where had the mechanical doll gone? So many questions raced in her head, that when the boy finally stared over at her, she was unaware of it.
Only when he spoke out loud, had Lumine raised her eyes to meet his.
“Hello,” the boy spoke pleasantly to her. “, my name is Albedo Giodano,” he moved to stand, his movements a bit janky. It looked as if he willed himself to do it, like he was unused to the body he had. “, it is a pleasure to meet you.” But he had still managed to stand, quickly getting the hang of it out of sheer will.
The boy bowed deeply, a sign to Lumine that he was of noble blood, because no commoner would bother to do something so graceful. The next words out of his mouth, lead Lumine to wonder where to even begin.
“Could you explain to me where I am, fair maiden?”
✦ʚ♡ɞ✦ The Mechanical Prince ✦ʚ♡ɞ✦
Written By @hanabobanagames (BishieFanatic/HanaBoBanana)
Chapter One
✦ʚ♡ɞ✦
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