#we were just people attending a wedding not exotic creatures to treat like that

[theghostofashton]

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[dianapana]

Fantasy-Day 12

Queen of the Forest-Part I

She was barely 3 months and a few hours when she was offered as a gift to the Desert Princess. Since that day all she had ever done was stick by the pink-haired girl’s side, day and night. She was 4 years old when her father put a sword in her hands and told her to kill her baby dragon pet. It was her birthday gift a few months before that. The princess didn’t like the dragon so it had to be eliminated, Hinata didn’t blink before putting the blade through the small creature’s skull. She didn’t mourn it despite the fact that since she received it she slept next to it every single night.

When she was 7 years old her baby sister was brought to the world and Sakura told her never to love Hanabi as much as she did her. When she was 9 she killed the first man. An old seller that didn’t give Sakura what she wanted when they sneaked out of the castle. Since that day she has a knife taped to her thigh at all times.

If Sakura asked for something Hinata did it, gave it to her without any question asked. The Desert flower may ask her for her head on a silver plate and she’d cut it off herself and apologize before for not being able to serve it herself. But Sakura never asked for that, as time passed the spoiled brat turned to a proper lady. When she was 12 Sakura asked for something Hinata could not offer. She desired to be the Queen of the Forest. Hinata doubted it was because of the great Kingdome and the unusual creature that it hid but because of the future King.

At 14 they attended his coronation as the King after his late father was brought down by an illness as a result of an Aethusa Roebuck. The Princess tried desperately to get close to the King yet her parents wouldn’t allow it. That day was the first one the Princess asked for space. Hinata had never felt so lost before, she walked around the halls of the palace with her father listening to all his talk about knights. That day her father put once again a sword in her hand and told her to fight.

The knight she fought was her age, a boy with bright blonde hair and blue eyes like the sky. He was to be the King’s Guard when he got older. That day her father praised her for winning against the boy despite not having trained at all.

Now years later, Hinata stands 2 steps away from the Flower of the Dessert smiling at the Forest King, her future husband. Hinata’s wearing a dress like always, the Princess never allowed her to wear armor, her knife was ever so present against her thigh, that was the reason why she loved dressed cut all the way to her pelvis, it made extracting it so much easier. The back was also open and a sword was attached to her lover back under the dress as well. Hinata developed a habit of placing her left hand on her back always ready to take the sword and fight. Her right hand was always free to use the knife.

Sakura bowed down and with small flutters of eyelashes talked to the King. Hinata looked around the room, only one guard was present and that was her. The King was all alone. She narrowed her eyes. Sakura asked her to stay with the King and she left with her father. Telling her to stay with the King was her way of telling her she needed alone time.

“I do not think I had the pleasure of meeting you yet, my lady”

Hinata looked at him. All her life she heard about him the second son of the Uchiha family. After Itachi, his older brother was lost in war a year before Sasuke was born everyone thought the Kingdome would remain without an heir. He was a miracle. The child loved by the Gods, by the Devils and all in between.

“It is true, we did not have the chance to speak until now”

From spending years with the Princess she learned the proper way of acting with royals but Sasuke did nothing to win her trust and respect yet, why must she treat him any different. She didn’t bow to him, she didn’t use any Royal names, she didn’t avert her eyes. She wanted to see him with all his titles stripped, all the rumors forgotten.

“You did not bow to me.” His surprise could be read in both his voice and on his face.

“I’m sorry…Your Grace. You are not my King, at least not yet. So who are you? That I must bow? What have you done for me that gains my respect to you?”

It was obvious he was not used to be talked to like that. All his life people treated him like he was a ray of sun. If he showed any sign of being angry she’d apologize, she would not throw aways Sakura’s chance to be what she’s been dreaming of.

He didn’t seem to be getting angry, actually, he smiled at her. And she smiled back and tilted her head. The next moment in walked a knight. Seeing him Hinata smiled. She could remember that blonde hair anywhere. Seeing her the blue eyed boy gave her a cheeky grin.

“Well well, I heard that the Desert Princess was beautiful but damn”  

Hinata’s face fall. He didn’t remember her, or rather didn’t recognize her. The King told his knight that he was wrong and that this was the Princess’  ‘hand maiden’ hearing the term Hinata wanted to throw up. Were they mocking her or was that how people saw her? Her father walked in shortly after. Hinata bowed to him and he placed his hand on her head keeping her like that while he talked. That was a rather strange custom he developed.

“My daughter. The Princess has asked you spend the day shadowing the King. She wishes to be alone.”

In the past hearing that would break her, but she got used to wandering the hallways of strange places in an attempt to waste her time. After the information was delivered her father bowed to the King and walked away leaving her with the King and his knight.  

“My lady. What would you like to do today? Shall we walk around The Gardens?”

The Gardens were rumored to be the most beautiful place on earth and the heart of the Forest Kingdome. They were rumored to be the home of Fairies and Dwarfs, some of the most exotic plants but also some of the most poisonous.

“Do you have dragons here?”

Over the years the loss of her baby dragon grew in size, especially after the species grew slim in numbers. The Dessert had no more dragons at all. She didn’t know about the Forest. The only place she knew for sure that dragons lived was the Savagery, a place where no man walked in and survived to tell the tale.

“Dragons? There are a few small statues of dragons but no such creature lives in this places”

She wanted to see the statues, which were of course in The Gardens, the mythical place was much more than she imagined, she would have loved it here as a child. Finally seeing the first dragon statue she sat next to it and petted the cold stone. The King was watching her as was the blonde knight. Her insides itched to tell the guard who she was but maybe ignorance was bliss.

“Where does this passion for dragons comes from?”

“For my fourth birthday I got a baby dragon as a present. And 3 months after, for the princess’ birthday it was killed.”

She meant to say she killed it but couldn’t bring herself to accept that. After walking around The Gardens more she noticed that the Fairies and Dwarfs were all statues, it made her sad that the magic wasn’t all there. After returning she crossed ways with the Princess, she seemed upset and once her eyes met Hinata’s she turned around.

The small gesture turned Hinata’s blood to ice and crushed her heart. Sakura found distress in her presence rather than easiness. The King walked beside her rather than in front of her and he’d go out of his way to touch her forearm and smile at her.

Entering the throne room she noticed her father talking to an older woman, her hair was grayish. She remembered her from the coronation, the Queen. She had Sasuke at a rather older age and the boy was already 19. Once she laid eyes on Hinata she made her way to them.

“Mother”

“My son”

The King and Queen exchanged greetings. Something didn’t feel right. Hinata knew this feeling. The feeling before a storm. That is how she felt before her knife pierced the old man’s stomach almost 10 years ago, that is how she felt when Sakura told her she couldn’t wear her armor.

“Father. What is happening?”

Hinata turned to her dad, he smiled at her and touched her cheek, something he’s never done before.

“My daughter always seeing right through everything. You will make a fine Queen”

Queen. The order to spend time with the King, his subtle touches and smiles, Sakura’s sadness, they all made sense now. They were indeed here for a wedding, just not Sakura’s but hers.