Chapter Text
Tall grass danced with the breeze as five noble children ran with each other giggling. Squiddo had a huge smile plastered on her round face, chunky pink and yellow glasses covered half of it; her short orange-ish hair bouncing as she ran. She slightly levitated off of the ground, her pale yellow wings fluttering quietly as she used them to boost her forward. Her multicolored-pastel dyed tunic slightly slowed her down as it was quote unquote “Trapping her legs!”
“ASH!! HURRY UP! WE HAVE TO GET TO THE FLOWER HILL BEFORE 4C AND ZAM AND PANGI!!”
The taller boy–Prince Ash–sprinted just ahead of her, laughing maniacally. He was the reason they were winning the race to the hill, afterall; by using his corrupted claw hand to rip away at the thick grass!
“SQUIDDO, THEY’LL NEVER CATCH US!!! JUST KEEP RUNNING!!!!”
“YES WE WILL YOU DALCOP!! SWINE!! NO ONE WILL BEAT THE GLORIOUS PRINCESS ZAM!!”
Just behind Squiddo and Ash were the three other children racing them– Princess Zam, her best friend Pangi, and Squiddo’s brother 4cvit. About ten minutes ago, the five of them decided that whoever reached the highest hill first got to ask one favor of any of them at any time, and they’d have to agree! Squiddo wouldn’t let that chance slip away from her, so as soon as it was decided, she yanked Prince Ash by the back of his bright purple tunic, and ran straight into the field around them. It wasn’t unusual for her to do this type of stuff either; being the prince’s best friend and of noble status, she got to basically do whatever she wanted with Ash, but she always made sure he’d agree! Ash secretly loved it.
Ash reached the top of the hill, Squiddo trailing right behind him. He turned around to face the other children, his smile growing wider and his eyes had a mischievous shine to them. Prince Ash stretched out his arms and declared:
“This hill is now property of Swagdonia!! YOU ALL OWE ME NOW!!”
Squiddo gasped dramatically; she looked genuinely shocked and betrayed!
“EVEN ME?? I HELPED YOU!”
Ash turned to face her, confused. He frowned then whispered to her, “No? Of course not! You got us here, you fool!”
Squiddo’s face flushed in embarrassment, even though she didn’t care if Ash thought she was a fool, and then she muttered something in agreement.
The rest of seven to nine year olds had now got to Prince Ash and Squiddo, laughing and screaming at them. Princess Zam stood angrily in her teal and purple summer dress, her tiny tiara glittering on the top of her head. Zam wasn’t human just like the rest of them; she had warm yellow skin, and turquoise fish-like ears and a kind of scaly dark turquoise tail. Her eyes were a kind of dark purple, shining just right in the light like gems! Squiddo thought that Zam was the prettiest out of all the group. Squiddo’s multicolored–pastel summer dress could never compare!
…
The five of them laid down in the warm rays of the setting sun on the hill, giggling and telling each other stories from the previous months before their annual summer meet-ups; during the months where all of them had royal or noble or even just commoner duties to attend to, even just as young kids. Princess Zam and Prince Ash talked about how they had so many harsh lessons on how to be the next queen or king, Pangi yapped about how he hated helping his parents on the streets as merchants and how he was sick of it, and 4cvit chatted with the others about Squiddo and his tutor favoring him during their lessons. The whole time, Squiddo never talked about herself; what would she say anyways? That she’d been secretly training with some other noble girls to hopefully become royal knights? Maybe.. Or maybe–
“Squiddo! You haven’t told your stories yet! Me, Ash, Pangi, and 4c did, so how about you?”
Everyone turned their heads towards the girl. She frowned for a moment, trying to think of what to say. Squiddo muttered to herself for a moment then said, “I uh– During the seasons before summer I just conversed with other children our age and we usually make merry by listening to a bard or maybe even buying from merchants! And I did tutoring with 4c! And… our father bought me and mum lots of Jewelry and dresses from when he traveled to another kingdom! And uhm.. That was kind of my entire story– nothing much happened, you see?”
Squiddo flushed a bright pink against her pale skin. She knew everyone could probably tell that she was lying about “nothing else happening” (Ash for sure did, he always knew when she lied) but they thankfully didn’t press further. Princess Zam was the first one to start talking again, changing the topic to what she hoped to be when she grew up. Squiddo took a sigh of relief and started to chat with the others again.
Squiddo took a glance around at her best friends; Princess Zam who glittered and shined as nearly the perfect princess, Prince Ash who everyone knew was going to grow to be a great leader, Pangi the merchant who–despite being the only commoner in the group– was happy in his old tunic and apron and was just glad he was there with them all. And then finally, 4cvit, Squiddo’s awesome brother. She knew he was going to great things with a smart mind like that; he always said he wanted to be an inventor.
Squiddo was happy she got to be a part of all of their lives.
Squiddo’s story in the seasons before summer…
Squiddo sat cross legged on her bed while she waited for her father. She’d gotten in trouble again for sneaking out during her tutoring lessons; so of course she’d need to be lectured for this behavior– again. The creak of her bedroom door brought her back to reality, and she watched as her father sat next to her on the bed.
“Father, I am truly sorry! Please don’t lecture me and–”
“Quiet, child. I am not going to lecture you like always, perhaps I am, but listen now. Do you understand why you were born?”
Squiddo sat there for a moment in her night gown. Did she know why? She’d always thought that her parents just wanted two children so they had her and her brother. What other reason could there be?
“I was born because you and Mother wanted a wonderful daughter, no?”
“No, no, child. You were born to serve one purpose. You were born to keep the legacy of our family alive. If otherwise– if your Mother and I didn’t need to fulfill that task..
You wouldn’t be here at all, child”
Oh.
That was the only reason she was on this Earth?
That’s kind of gross.
“I… understand. May I rest now?”
Her father sat for one more moment, then got up silently and into her parent’s bedroom.
That gave Squiddo time to ponder. Was that her only purpose in life, to leave a legacy? To let her parents write her story for her, to not be remembered for herself alone but as everyone who’d ever come before her.
That was the moment she decided that she would become a knight no matter the cost. A royal knight. That would be her new purpose; not to leave the legacy of her family but of herself.
~End of chapter 1~