TW: Implied SA

  It was a quiet summer evening, hot and humid, but enjoyable with the windows open as a slight breeze wafted through Babcia's house, her thin curtains swaying with it. Babcia was busy quilting to keep herself occupied, and Ci was busy weaving some threads for a bracelet. Ci hummed with delight as she examined her work, kicking up to her feet and skipping over to Babcia who was kneeling on the floor, sorting out her squares.

  "It's looking good, Babcia!" She swayed, hovering over her work. Babcia smiled and turned to her, adjusting her gsses.

  "Thank you, what do you have to show me, dear?" She knowingly extended her hand. Ci eagerly pced her work into her palm.

  Babcia held up the half-finished bracelet between her fingertips, turning it to view it from all angles. She chuckled.

  "This is fine work, Ci. You've gotten much better." She pced it back in Ci's hand. Ci's smile grew three times its size and she felt like a light was radiating from her as she clutched it proudly to her chest. "Who's that going to be for?" Babcia inquired.

  "Oh um..." Ci shyly shifted her weight. "I was thinking of giving it to Mora..." She fidgeted with it in her hand. "She's done a lot for me these past few days, taking me out swimming, exploring, and all that... I figured I'd repay her somehow." She affectionately ran her thumb along the threaded item.

  "I'm sure she'll adore it, Ci." Babcia patted her hand warmly, before returning to her own work. "Oh biscuits... where'd I leave my thread?" The old woman fixed her gsses once more, scanning the floor. "Heavens sake, must've left it in my closet..." She grumbled, attempting to stand to her feet. Ci smiled pleasantly.

  "I can fetch it for you. Be right back." Ci twirled around, waltzing towards Babcia's room. Babcia blinked in her direction and nodded, letting herself back down to the floor.

  Ci let herself in and went for the closet. She noticed Babcia's sewing kit on one of the top shelves. She gazed around for a stool, but ultimately decided to climb on the spare miniature bedstand to grab it. She reached and nabbed it, stumbling back slightly. Her foot caught the drawer, causing her to slip forward, and forcing her weight to accomodate for her. She held herself in the awkward position before slowly tilting herself upright. She let out a "phew" before leaping down off the bedstand.

  She mindlessly hummed as she turned to fix the drawer, before noticing something inside the one that fell open.

  It was a newspaper, but more importantly, the header on it was what caught her attention.

  "Furlinver Decres War on Alverot."

  Ci's hands shook as she pinched the paper between her fingers, causing it to crumple slightly. This was the first she had heard of this. It had to be some kind of hoax... some kind of trick before her eyes, right? She scanned the article, seeking answers hurriedly. But of course, she knew it couldn't have been false when she found his name again. The very name that brought a bitter swell to her chest.

  "Prince Sean Camaro."

  Phrases and lines spat out at her such as "trivial pursuit", "foreign armies occupying the North bank", "end of peace agreement", and "inability to fulfill the promise of a bride and inheritance". Her vision fuzzied as water pricked at her eyes. She scanned for anything else, when she finally found the date of the article.

  August 13th.

  That was two weeks ago.

  She looked back at the drawer, seeing a stash of other news articles and headlines in accordance with the mention of wartime.

  "Ci? Do you need help finding it?" Babcia turned the corner, her pleasant expression going white at seeing the paper in her hands. "Oh... Ci..." Babcia's voice grew quiet as she froze in her steps.

  "Babcia... What... What is this...???" Her grip tightened around the newspaper as she trembled. She turned her face hot and wet from tears. "Were you... hiding this from me???"

  Babcia covered her mouth, feeling her heart sink from guilt. She cleared her throat, tucking her hands in front of her.

  "Ci... I know what this looks like, but you need to listen to me. We just... didn't want you to feel guilty for what's going on." She took a small step closer. Ci's face contorted.

  "...We...? Are you telling me Remora has known this whole time too?" The paper crumpled in on itself as her hand curled into a fist. Babcia winced and bit her tongue, before taking another step, attempting to reach her to comfort her.

  "Ci, you must listen... This is not your burden to bear." The old woman's voice wavered. Ci scoffed.

  "Not. My. Burden!? Babcia, my entire kingdom has been threatened with violence and misery. My home. Your home. OUR home! Because of ME. Because I was a coward. Because I ran away!" The tears streamed down her face. Babcia's aging hands began to tremble too.

  "Darling, this is not your fault. It's Camaro's fault. He is the one inflicting violence. Not you. You were only a girl... a child for the Gods' sakes... trying to get away!" She approached closer once more. Ci growled and threw the newspaper on the ground.

  "But I'm not a child anymore! I thought you saw that in me!" Her face burned hot and she could barely see past the water in her eyes, but she barreled forward, past Babcia and headed for the door.

  "Ci!" Babcia pleaded after her.

  Like clockwork, the front door opened and Remora stepped inside.

  "Hey guys, I'm home...! Hey, I was thinking maybe we do some potato soup tonight-" But Remora's words were shortly cut off as Ci stormed past her without a word, jogging down the sunset streets. "Woah, what's...?" Remora's eyes followed after her, but Ci was already many paces down the road. Remora turned to her grandmother with wide eyes.

  "Babcia... What's going on...?" She clutched her satchel. Babcia only stood there with her palm over her mouth, and Remora felt her heart plummet as she saw the article on the ground next to her feet.

  ...

  Ci moved her feet forward in a blind fit of emotion, following the path down into town. She didn't care where she went, she just had to get away.

  "Look at you. Running away again." That little voice returned to her mind. She tripped and staggered, still pressing forth until her chest felt too heavy from crying. She smmed her side against the outer wall of some town building, sliding down to the ground, and curling into herself.

  How could they have lied to her? How could they have treated her like she was back to being that meek and helpless, childish princess they met on day one? What else were they hiding from her?

  Why did it hurt so terribly bad...?!

  She caught her reflection in the window of the building.

  She didn't see herself.

  She didn't see her short, curly hair, her boy clothes, her radiant, angur face, or the power behind her eyes. She didn't see the very person she's been building and becoming for the entirety of the st year. She didn't see Ci Wivret.

  No. She saw smeared mascara, puffy red eyes, red lips, tangled long hair and a wedding veil.

  Perhaps she's always been a coward...

  Then she heard a yelp echo off the street walls and buildings. A woman's voice. She furrowed her brow before slowly rising to her feet, feeling that same sense of dread set in. Someone was in danger...

  She peered around the corner, hearing a weepy, feminine begging.

  "Please, I don't have anything for you... Please leave me alone." The woman wept. Ci's eyes widened with shock as she saw the woman's arm locked in the grip of a royal guard.

  "Heyyy... It's rude to not accept our cordiality little dy... Your husband not around to take you home, sweetheart?" The man chuckled with slurred words. Ci felt bile rise in her throat and her heart thrum against her chest, each beat sending a wave of darkness through her.

  "Please sir, I just want to go home alone, I am not interested. Let my arm go." The woman tugged, trying to make herself seem more confident. The guard sneered at her.

  "Haven't you heard? Camaro's troops are sniffing around these parts recently... And trust me, they're much worse than we are. Why don't you show me where your little humble abode is? I can see to it that you get home very comfortably..." He grinned with sickly sweet venom in his voice. The woman looked aghast, and started banging on his chest with her fist, thrashing wildly. His smile dropped and he finally struck her across the face, sending her to the hard ground.

  Ci saw red. She tucked back into her hiding pce, feeling her entire body tremble with rage. Not only was the enemy on her kingdom's shores, but her own guards, her once sworn protectors to the throne were becoming out of control, out of line, and blind with power, inflicting pain on innocents. Perhaps they've always been this way, but she never knew it. Perhaps Remora and Babcia hid that from her too.

  She looked down at her feet to try and control herself, before she noticed a branch that had broken off under the tree that hovered over the buildings. She bent town, clutching an end.

  "You oughta mind your manners, sweetheart. Perhaps your husband never taught you properly. I'll have to take you in for assaulting an officer." His hands wrapped around the woman's waist to hoist her up, to which she began to scream viciously in protest as she struggled to cw herself away.

  Ci crept behind him, adjusting her grip on the branch. She heard the sound of his cruel and sickening ughter fill her ears. She remembered a ugh once so vile, a type of ugh that haunted her to her core, and the only thing she wanted was for it to stop at once. She rose the branch, squeezing her eyes shut and swung, only for a healthy "THWACK!" to sound, followed by a thud.

  She opened her eyes to find the guard unconscious against the ground. The woman looked up at her with dreary, sapphire eyes that once reflected her own. Ci bent down, offering a hand.

  "Hey, it's okay... You're safe now..." She whispered. The woman moved to accept it before gasping, seeing another guard.

  "Holy Hell dude, hurry up and get her off the street already before we're-" He turned the corner, spotting the scene. "Hey! You there!" He stomped towards her, drawing his sword. Ci felt her jaw clench and a fire burn in her throat. She felt her muscles jolt, sending her hand to the hilt of the unconscious guard.

  "Get back." She barked, both at the woman to remove herself from danger, and at the man appraoching her as she drew the unconscious guard's sword. It was heavier than her usual practice stick she used with Remora, feeling how the metal of the bde sliced through the air.

  "You little shit... Who do you think you are, boy?" The guard snarled at her. She bore her teeth back at him, taking a violent swing. The guard reacted, cshing against her bde with his, deflecting her strike. "Oh so it's gonna be like that, huh, pretty boy? Fine by me!" The guard came down with a deadly ssh.

  Ci blocked it, feeling the power behind his strike send a shock through her muscles. It was much like Remora's strikes, who had more strength than her physically. But Ci was quick on her feet, using her momentum to whirl his sword around, coming back in for a counter-strike.

  The woman watched in horror with her hands over her mouth as the two took swift strikes at each other, trading in the offensive and defensive sides. This wasn't just a sparring session. It was real, and someone was to likely die. But Ci couldn't see that. She could only feel the rage that coursed through her body, causing her to swing, counter, and thrust her weapon with all her might. The light of the streetmps reflected off the metal of their swords and their eyes, both determined to terminate the other.

  She took a ssh that nicked his clothes, causing a tear in his uniform. He gazed down at it with wide eyes, and his expression contorted to anger.

  "Enough of you." He spat. He thrusted his sword foward, cleanly slotting his bde into the guard of her sword's hilt. With a flick of his wrist, his bde drew upward, stealing Ci's weapon along with it as he disarmed her. She yelped as the handle escaped her grip, before feeling a powerful kick to the stomach as the guard toppled her backwards. Her back hit the ground and she felt the air knock out of her. She gasped, trying to crawl away towards her weapon. She reached for it, before feeling the weight of the guard's boot come down on her wrist and she wailed in agony. She tried to pry herself from underneath him, but she was stuck.

  "You should know not to go minding other people's business, you little street rat. I'll make an example out of you." He lifted his sword, readying to come down with a finishing blow.

  Ci cmped her eyes shut and lifted her arm. If she couldn't fix this as Ci Wivret, then there was only one option left. She cried out the first thing that came to mind.

  "STOP!!! I'M THE MISSING PRINCESS!!!"

  Authors Note:

  Hey All~!

  Hope you all enjoyed the peaceful episodes and I'm sorry about this one.

  It does not get better from here :)