May 5, 1735

Airdrethian Forest

            “OH MY GOD, SHE’S DEAD” was the first sound 17 year-old Princess Yuna heard after she came to.  Her eyes opened slowly, finding her four best friends all bent over her with worried looks upon their faces.

            Yuna had fainted at the news that Lorraine and Joonmyun had met and had potential to get married.  This itself did not scare her, rather the prospect of her friends discovering who she actually was, did.

            “Pixie, are you okay?” Hyoyeon asked slowly, while Kai and Chanyeol supported the girl in sitting up.

            “Y-yeah, I’m fine,” she breathily whispered.  Baekhyun let out a good-natured laugh and grin.

            “You had us worried there, Pix,”

            Pix

            Pixie

            These were the names Yuna answered to in front of this group of people.  And she wanted to keep it that way.

            If Kai and Hyoyeon (and Baekhyun by default because, let’s face it, Hyoyeon will eventually give in) were really becoming royals, there was potential that they could move into the castle and find out the truth.  That she was Princess Yuna.  Then, everything would change.

            There was a reason Yuna had never given her true identity to her friends.  She did not want to face any pre-made judgements.  Most importantly, she wanted to be liked for herself.

            After a few more moments of doting over their Airdrethian friend, the Exotopian immigrant teenagers settled into a comfortable group, preparing for the whole story of how Princess Lorraine and fuddy-duddy Joonmyun met.

            Chanyeol made sure to sit himself in a position, so that he could comfortably catch his Pixie if she fainted again.

            “Well, I’m more than ready to hear what happened,” Baekhyun declared, expectedly glancing at Kai and Hyoyeon.

            “Well, we were out at the fishing docks, picking up dinner materials for Mother.  Joonmyun even came – I know he actually got out of his office for once, a miracle!” Kai exclaimed, a resonating laugh resulting from his listeners.

            “The old woman who we were buying from slipped on a fish, and Joonmyun, without thinking, pulled up water from the sea to save her.  However, he wasn’t the only one!  Princess Lorraine had done the exact same thing,” Hyoyeon continued.

            “They both kind of looked at each other with this stare.  It was really intense, and everybody there just kind of knew that something deeper happened between them.”

            Yuna found herself smiling at the story.  Even though neither was ever really there for her, the princess always wished for good fortune to fall upon her sisters.  They had never done anything wrong to her.

            Yuna’s smile fell fast when one detail finally sunk in from the story.

            “Excuse me, did you say that Joonmyun pulled water from the sea?”

            The four Exotopians looked at each other in shock, awkwardly coughing and mumbling.  Nobody was willing to give a definite answer.  Yuna had her secrets, but her friends kept their own pieces of their lives locked away.

            “Pixie,” Chanyeol began, taking a deep breath.  “There are some things we haven’t told you…about ourselves…”

            “Have you ever heard of the Society of the Gifted?” Baekhyun interrupted, his eyes held no hint of amusement.

            The thing everyone in my family belongs to…

            “Yes,” she mumbled.

            “Wait, really?” Hyoyeon questioned.  She stared at the younger girl with flowers in her hair.  The Society of the Gifted was entirely secret, unless you were a part of it, or close family or friends were, it was practically impossible to know about the world of magic.

            How did little Pixie, who practically lived in the forest, know about such an elite group of people?

            Yuna nodded,

            “Well, we kind of…belong to it,” Chanyeol awkwardly stated.   

            “Oh,” she whispered, taking in the unexpected information, “but aren’t most members of the Society of the Gifted royalty or nobility born?”

            Hyoyeon again looked at the girl in surprise. 

            How did she know that?

            “Well, Pixie, that is right, and we kind of are born nobility,” Baekhyun explained.  “We’ve told you that we are from Exotopia, but we never really talked about our lives there.”

            “The Exotopian nobility system is different from the nobility systems in Airdrethia and the other northern countries.  Only the eldest child of a family maintains prestige and titles.  If you aren’t the oldest child, and once your generation comes to power, you maintain your privileges, but lose your title.

            “Our fathers were the youngest brothers of their families.  They wanted to see the world, and as they were much younger than all of their older brothers, there would be not penalty if they left Exotopia.  They came to Airdrethia, and fell in love with the life that encompassed itself everywhere.  They were more than happy to live lesser lives here because this country is a beautiful place.” he finished with a grin.

            “All of our cousins and family in Exotopia are nobility, since their generation has risen to power.  Most of them are a lot older than we are.  If we were to ever return, we’d enjoy a lot of privilege and prestige.” Kai stated, “Sehun’s position as a member of the nobility is what got him into University in Exodus, the capital.”

            “I hope this doesn’t change your opinion of us…” Chanyeol mumbled from next to her.

            The princess shook her head.

            The news did not change her opinion in the slightest.

            They were still her group of wonderful friends, her closest thing to family, and she felt even better knowing they loved the land her family and ancestors worked so hard to maintain as a beautiful, open place.

            However, one detail still remained dominant in her mind.

            “And the Society of the Gifted?” she asked.

            “Well, as stated, we’re all members of it.  Our families have powers.” Hyoyeon stated, the serious look on her face had not left.

            Yuna acknowledged the girl’s comment with a nod.

            She shrieked when Hyoyeon disappeared right in front of her eyes with a loud CRACK.  Another CRACK resounded from the forest and she reappeared several feet away.

            “I can teleport, and” she disappeared again, however this time, there was no sound, “can turn invisible.”  She reappeared, a grin now spreading across her teeth.

            “And I control light,” Baekhyun chirped, a luminescent orb lifting itself from his hands.

            Chanyeol’s palm suddenly appeared in the girl’s lap, a small flame waving at her from it.  She looked at him with an intrigued smile.  “Fire,” he simply said as the flame extinguished in a blink.

            Yuna turned her face in excitement over to Kai, who gave her a very familiar grimace.

            He let out a sigh.

            “I’m what is called Void.  This means, I don’t have powers, but I’m born to parents who do.”

            Yuna had to stop herself from jumping up to hug him.  She practically squealed at his announcement.

            Finally, somebody is like me.  I’m not alone.

            “I’m Void too.”

            Kai’s eyes widened – he didn’t stop the urge to hug, like Yuna had, and tackled her to the ground.

            Chanyeol and Baekhyun smiled at the two as they blissfully laughed to each other.  A magical feeling of being understood fell over the two – it was like nothing either had felt before.

            Who could her parents be, if she’s Void?

            Hyoyeon’s skeptical thoughts didn’t match the light mood, but she hid her suspicions under a genuine smile.  Kai had always felt incredibly lonely being who he was; it was good he had found someone to connect to.

            “Hey guys – guys!  I think we should do something altogether now!” Chanyeol advised, trying to pry the maknae of the five off of his Pixie.  Baekhyun held in a few snickers as his red-faced friend struggled to rid the puppy-like Kai.

            The group spent the afternoon as they normally did, however a major weight had been lifted off of the Exotopians as they freely used their gifts in front of Yuna.  They laughed, and ran, and enjoyed their freedom.

            Should I tell them? Yuna thought to herself.  I think I can…

            They will understand me…they won’t judge me.

            Before Yuna could act, Baekhyun paused in the midst of the frolic amongst the trees.

            “Wait, so why was Princess Lorraine in Midas in the first place?” he asked with a of his head.

            Yuna felt herself stiffen.

            “The royal family was out for their usual stroll of the capital.  You know, to connect with the common man and such,” Kai stated with a grin.

            “I think it’s a good thing they do that,” Chanyeol said, “it’s not normal for royals of a country to genuinely care about their subjects.  When you see King Ephraim, you just know that he does.”

            “Yeah,” Hyoyeon agreed, “And though Queen Amethyst sometimes looks like she’s not the most pleasant person, she is out and about, supporting our country’s small businesses.  She always buys a cake from Kyungsoo’s family’s bakery every time they leave the castle.”

            I can tell them – they like us, I can do this! Yuna excitedly thought, a smile capturing .

            “The two princess, and the new prince are always out helping local seamstresses too,” Baekhyun said.

            “No, Baek, there are three royal princesses, not two.” Kai cut in.

            “What?  I thought it was only Princess Galleria and Princess Lorraine?”

            “No, there’s another princess, the youngest.  Princess Yuna.”

            The said princess clutched onto her sleeves at the sound of her name.

            “But she never leaves the castle,” Hyoyeon stated with a bitter laugh.  “Nobody’s seen her outside of it since she was a little kid.  The sailors say she’s never been on any of the royal excursions out of the country either.  She didn’t even go to her own sister’s wedding.”

            Yuna bit her tongue.  Her fingers shook.

            Any hope of revealing herself was gone.

            “I wonder why she never leaves,” Kai pondered aloud.

            “Maybe, she likes luxury a lot.  Or is afraid of interacting with the dirty common people,” Baekhyun ridiculed with a laugh.

            I interact with the “dirty common people” every day.  And as far as luxury goes, look in my mother’s heart and you will find who is actually in love with it.

            “Maybe she doesn’t have a choice,” Hyoyeon pointed out.  “Say she’s ugly, the whole of the Airdrethian crown are impossibly beautiful.  Queen Amethyst or King Ephraim might be ashamed.”

            “Yeah,” Chanyeol agreed.  “It doesn’t even have to be that she’s ugly, maybe it’s just that she’s different.  What do you think, Pixie?”

            Her friends all turned to look at her.  Yuna continued to hide her feelings with an indifferent look.

            “I agree with Chanyeol,” she whispered.  “Queen Amethyst, or, or, somebody else may be ashamed because she doesn’t live up to this perfect mold that was expected from her.  And, maybe she can’t do a goddamn thing about it, and despite that, Qu-whoever may still refuse to show any kind of compassion or allow her to leave the castle openly, or do anything with the rest of the royal family for that matter!  Maybe they have turned her into an outsider!”

            No one made a sound.

            They had never heard Pixie shout, much less a shout of anger.

            Yuna realized her mistake and stared at the ground, refusing to look anyone in the eye.

            “I’m sorry,” she quietly apologized.  “I’m not feeling well.  I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

            Yuna bounded off in the direction of her prison.

            The others remained in silence.

            “She’s hiding something,” Hyoyeon stated, “I just know it.”

June 8, 1735

Airdrethian Palace Bed Chamber

            Yuna entered her chamber with a big smile.  She had had a wonderful day out with her friends again.  She reminisced over the events of the day as she changed into her night gown and hid her sword under her bed.  All movement and thought paused when she saw a small note lying on her bed.

Your Highness,

You were not present for dinner, so I thought it would be good to pass on the message that King Ephraim announced:

Princess Lorraine is officially engaged to Kim Joonmyun.

The Kim family will be attending dinner tomorrow night!

-Eunji

            Kai and Hyoyeon would be coming to the castle.

June 8, 1735

Exodus University

            “Sehun, you can’t continue to fall asleep in the Chemistry study!  Professor Kim is so old that he always mistakes me for you, and I am reprimanded.”

            16 year-old Oh Sehun grinned at his friend as he was hit in the head with a rolled piece of parchment.

            “And could it kill you to at least not drool on your work.  Professor Kim said this is yours and it’s wet.”

            “Sorry, Luhan,” Sehun laughed, “It’s not my fault you stay so long after class, organizing your tools.”

            Prince Luhan scoffed at his friend as the two left the University and headed towards the post office.  It was a routine for them, University, then to the post.

            Sehun had been living in Exodus, Exotopia for nearly a year, and he quite enjoyed it.  He held plenty of privilege and had lots of fun with the other students at his University.  Prince Luhan and himself had become fast friends after he had accidentally spilt ink on the prince’s pants in their advanced English study.

            “I wonder if your friends from Airdrethia sent you any packages today!  That cake Kyungsoo sent you was indescribably good,” the prince moaned.

            “Maybe,” Sehun said, “but I’m hoping for some letters.  I’m curious about some exciting news that’s been occurring there.”

            The five friends, Pixie included, wrote to Sehun often.  He was well-informed of what was happening at home.  Today, he was especially excited to see if there were any developments in Joonmyun and Princess Lorraine’s relationship.

            Luhan looked up at his friend with a grin.  Though Sehun was a generally happy person, whenever they visited the post, a contagiously joyful demeanor spread over the boy.

            They entered the post office, laughing, when Luhan stopped cold at a voice.

            “Please hurry with the Exotopian post,” Kris’ order fell like a heavy rain cloud across the small building.

            “Sehun, maybe we should go-”

            “Luhan!” Kris’ call, interrupted his attempted escape.  “Come here!”

            Luhan sighed and grabbed his best friend’s wrist, before walking over to his older brother, who had been obsessively awaiting the Airdrethian royal portrait for weeks.

            “Hi, ge,” he mumbled.

            “Hey, Luhan.  Who’s your friend?”

            “I’m Oh Sehun, a transfer student from-”

            “We’re in a few of the same classes!” Luhan shouted, cutting a detail that would save Sehun from days of questioning about his homeland, and more specifically about a princess whom he probably had never met before.

            “Hello, Sehun.  I’m Prince Kris,” he greeted with a polite bow that the stranger replicated.  “What are you two at the post office for?”

            “Sehun’s just waiting for some mail from home,” Luhan quickly said.

            “Ah,” Kris hummed with furrowed eyebrows at his younger brother’s strange behavior.  “Well, I’m here because hopefully, the Exotopian royal portrait has finally come.”

            Sehun’s eyes lit up.

            Home.

            Sehun did not have enough time to mumble a word, because what Kris had been waiting for had arrived: the portrait.

            Kris proudly pulled his brother and Sehun with him to unwrap the package.

            He delicately ripped off the paper, and stared at his beloved’s face.  Serenity and joy coated him.

            Sehun choked on his breath at the image.

            “P-pixie?”

Hey guys!

I just got a new laptop, so I CAN UPDATE AGAIN!

My  one as held together with duct tape :) how wonderful

Many apologies for the long break in between updates - so, this update is extraaaaa long for you!

Things are heating up!

Thank you or the support and patience!

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Winnie