/PWR/#ZZ The Princess Who Ended War, With War
Executive Summary: Villetia wakes up after falling through the sky. She gives up her title as princess of Vespana and leaves her cloak and blade at the foot of a tree before disappearing.
For the first time in a long time, the princess did not dream.
Instead, she slept a sound sleep, her first in seven long years.
...
... ...
... ... ...
"Princess, tis' time to wake up."
Slowly, Valerie opened her eyes to a curtain of stars. Her blonde head resting on the thighs of her full-cloaked knight, she scans the sky for proof, any proof at all, that her efforts were not in vain.
She would not settle for any half-victories.
Everyone, all ten of them, had fought so long and hard for this.
Her knight must have felt her anxiety, for the full-helmed knight raises a gauntleted hand, pointing to a spot in the sky.
"Look, you won. Lord-Commander Grinne has led the non-humans [1] into the sky."
Far above the dark blue curtain, a massive landmass hovers in the night sky. The newly birthed city-to-be a tiny speck of glowing orange-white light, almost as if signaling to the rest of the New Continent of Vespana [2]:
"We are here."
"Hoo."
It was settled. The non-humans' fate was now their own to master. Kess would treat them right, and nobody on the continent would be able to interfere.
The wounds ran deep on both sides, and if the New Continent was to thrive, this was a necessary final step.
Whether they thrived or not, was none of Valerie Villetia's concern.
In all ways, she had fulfilled her promise of 'saving everyone'.
"'Help only those, who help themselves.' Isn't that right, Morganna?"
The princess of Vespana recalls one of the first things her Lord Protector tried to teach her. Morganna was gone now, a distant memory she alone remembers. Wobbling a little, as she grasps onto the thin trunk of a newly planted apple tree. This sapling was one of many in the emerging garden, a circle of gold-leaf where there had been none before. Her knight knew better than to try assist her, despite her shaky stance.
It took considerable effort, duel wounds and all, but in the end she stood up. With her own two feet, she stood up by herself, gazing into a future where this thin circle of trees could grow without worry.
Just like her, they had come from nothing.
And now, it was time for her to depart this stage.
The 'princess' is the magickal [3] 'power' of Vespana.
If she falls, perhaps it was time for a new princess.
A new princess for a new era, unburdened by the scars of war. Unclasping the front of her white cloak, the torn and tattered Valoriist [4] cloak drops to the grass.
"Did anyone else figure out what I was thinking?"
"... ..." Valerie's knight does not reply for a while. Princess Vilettia's plan had been perfect. Perhaps the only other person who knew was Kess Grinne; looking back on everything which happened, the Mother-Of-Machines had to have been in the know. All those who watched their magickal duel in the sky and saw the falling star of white and sky-blue should have come to the same conclusion.
The knight ponders, and makes a measured reply,
"Everyone should believe you have died by now, my princess."
"Good."
Valerie mennifests [5] her blade of light for the very last time, she sheathes it in a thin scabbard, laying it at the root of the apple tree sapling. Unbeknownst to her, her knight had made a small lie.
As the first princess of Vespana fell through the sky and was received by her knight in mid-air, her unconscious eyes did not see far above her head:
The heads of the eight 'traitor' families, all clasping their hands,
for the princess who works in the darkness.
The heart of Vespana's Princess, is clear as day!
"Why are you laughing, my knight?"
"... ... who knows?"
Perhaps that was part of The First's charm.
She was an idiot, and only an idiot would follow her!
Perhaps that was exactly why, her knight stuck with her all the way!
"You should disrobe too."
"Here? But I..."
"Ohohoho? What are you thinking???" The blonde-haired princess leans forward in fresh clothes to tap at her knight's full-face helm. "Do you know how fast I'll be exposed if I walk around with someone in full Valoriist outfit?? Besides, you healed up a long time ago, haven't you?"
The smug rapidity of the finger taps told of a princess who had seen through everything, and no longer had to pretend. Under the expressionless helm, her knight exhales a small breath of air, then she unclasps her full-helm, dropping that burden to the ground as well.
"Then, what do you want to do, First? No, I should just call you Valerie now?"
"A lot! I want to visit the plateau region to help with the refugees! We will also need a new family name! Think of one! Maybe something Frxnch! Then maybe we can go up into the sky and meet Kess in secret, and then..."
The no-longer-little princess rattles off a long wishlist of things she wanted to do, and would do to her knight, one hand leaning against the apple tree. As she beamed with kindness and genuine radiance for the first time in many years...
... she laughed.
Through the darkness and the long night,
she laughed and laughed, until the skies opened for her.
"Look, it's finally dawn!"
《Princess Wars, Fin.》
GLOSSARY
non-humans [1] - A term referring to magickally created beings or humans with non-human features, usually animal-heads. Would later also refer to daemons which roam the land's dark areas.
New Continent of Vespana [2] - The wonderous and magickal land founded by The First Princess Of Vespana. A martial and magickal society which fought against an Olden Era which wanted to see humans with magickal powers enslaved and downtrodden.
magickal [3] - Rooted in an unbound and unpredictable nature, magick is the ability to 'pull from beyond this world'.
Valoriist [4] - The term given to those who wear the tattered white robes of the princess' personal faction.
mennifest [5] - The 'action' of using magick to 'pull from another world'. Most magick users only have one unique mennifest.
Dated 250119
