AN: Hello everyone! I am back. I am still coughing but I’m getting better. Sorry it took me so long to update. I am feeling a little angst today so why not a little drama? Confused? Read it to the end. Thank you for waiting for me to get back. Anyway, this is for you. Tell me what you think afterwards. Is the story getting better? Worse? 

*****

She opened her reddened eyes, looking tired as she had been after yet another sleepless night. Silently looking to her bedside table, a bright shining flower meets her gaze as it sat in an ice crystal. The ice was melting. The princess removed the covers and got up. She reached out a gloved hand to the flower, conflicted with longing to feel its softness yet knowing that doing so will kill it.

The sound of her windows slamming open snapped her out of her thoughts and she immediately grabbed her rapier from under her pillow, standing up. The sudden movement caused the flower to sway and the princess dropped her sword, catching the half-frozen flower. She sighed and looked at its droopy eyes and smiled as it gave a small hum. She gave it a kiss before setting it on her pillow.

On the corner of her eyes, she saw an arm grab her window sill. Taeyeon screamed.

She screamed overcame by the surprise of seeing such a pale arm grab her window. Then, she noticed. A familiar voice was immediately followed by a rather familiar-looking hair. Her breath stopped. Taeyeon crept over to her window, silently praying that her visitor is who she thinks it is. She looked down and saw.

“Sunny, is that really you? Why didn’t you say anything about dropping by?” Taeyeon pulled Sunny up, who quickly sat on the window sill. She moved her hands towards the older princess who looked from the green thing on her hands to her Sunny, and then back to the green thing.

“What is that?” She pointed at it.

“I brought you a boukale!” She smiled as she shoved the leaves to Taeyeon who still looked at it with… wonder?

“Get it? It’s a bouquet of kale. It’s a boukale.” Taeyeon took it from the younger’s hands before setting it on her pillow. The flower hopped toward it, still on the ice block, and reached towards the leaves before putting it on its mouth, munching quietly.

“Who are you?” Sunny frowned.

“What are you saying? I’m Sunny. Have you forgotten me already?” A thin blade was pointed on her neck.

“Taeyeon. What are you–?”

“You’re not the Sunny I know!” It was a firm statement and Taeyeon believed it.

“I am her! You’re not making any sense–”

“Then tell me. Tell me how I got that flower.” Sunny looked at the flower. She paled instantly.

“You’re not supposed to have that…”

“What?”

***Meanwhile***

“Hey guys! Let’s celebrate YoonYul’s 2^nd year anniversary and JeTi’s 1^st anniversary!” Hyoyeon cheered.

“Hold on. Let’s go get Taeyeon. She needs to get out more often. I’ll find the portal.”

******

“Give it back to me!” Sunny looked at Taeyeon, her voice meant business.

“No. It’s mine!”

“You’re wrong. Without it, Sunny will die.”

“What? Who are you?!”

“You are going to be the death of her and you’ll never meet again.” Taeyeon was furious.

“Answer me!”

“Let’s just say I’m the Bookkeeper.”

“Why have you come here?”

“You’re not exactly in the position to ask me that. Now tell me. Why do you, Princess Taeyeon, have another princess’s heart?!”

“What? This flower is Sunny’s heart?”

“You’ve read the books, right? I’m surprised you still haven’t figured it out.” The Bookkeeper sighed.

“Okay. Fine, I’ll tell you some things. Follow me to your mirror room.” Without hesitation, Taeyeon wore her light armor with her rapier on her waist. She marched on with the flower cooing with a small ice cube on its end.

Upon arriving outside the mirror room, she saw the Bookkeeper take out a staff. She tapped it seven times. In a few minutes, the others dropped in. A bunch of complaints were thrown at the Bookkeeper.

“What the– It’s you!” Yuri looked the Bookkeeper.

“Couldn’t you have just sent a message?” Sooyoung rubbed her back.

“Would you have preferred I sent a hurricane your way?” The princesses stopped talking.

“Now, Princess Taeyeon–”

“Sunny left me this flower. I didn’t take it from her.”

“I know.”

“Then, why did you ask?”

“I wanted to hear it directly from you.” The Bookkeeper turned to everyone before opening the door.

“Let’s go in. I’ll tell you all about it.”

******

In the planet of Phyllon, the sleeping princess has woken up. The waters in the river ran again. The greenery shined under a sun that was not there. The flowers bloomed and nature fairies flew towards the Great Tree. Inside they saw that the princess has opened her eyes.

The princess got out of her cocoon. She stood in the midst of nature and waved her hands. Immediately, flowers and leaves wrapped around her. It looked like a transformation. Petals flew everywhere. When the princess was clothed, the fairies fell to the ground.

The princess opened her eyes, revealing green irises before flashing back to brown.

******

Taeyeon looked from the Limitless Mirror to the Bookkeeper. It was strange. The heart of a princess is a flower. It had never occurred to Taeyeon to remove her heart. She wondered why. She was restless. Still, she calmed herself down with the flower’s sweet cooing. Taeyeon sighed.

“What are we waiting for?” The Bookkeeper smiled.

“Not what… but rather, who?” Taeyeon was cut off as the doors she was sure she closed burst open followed by auburn leaves of trees. Her voice was lost somewhere in . Her palms got sweaty even in her light gloves. She heard none of the cheers but her beating heart. Cheers made by the other princesses as they saw the visitor.

It was Sunny.

Taeyeon stood her ground. She held the flower in her hands with anxiousness as she stepped closer to her only love. The other princesses made way as the oldest princess made her way towards Sunny. At last, they faced each other. Sunny’s face was red but her eyes relayed the message and Taeyeon could only cry before reaching out and wrapping her arms around the smiling princess.

She had no idea. It really is her. She didn’t even care about anything else. Sunny, her world is back. Her tears continued falling like drops on a rainy day. Endless, it remained until Sunny moved and cupped her face, kissing her tears away. Her sobs turned into small laughter and after all the time that passed, those two years of feeling more empty than she ever felt, she let heart talk for me.

“I love you, Princess Sunny.” Sunny looked at her with slight surprise before smiling.

“I love you too. Princess Taeyeon.”

Secrets were no more. Each knew the feelings kept in all those years apart.

The flower gurgled, catching Sunny’s attention.

“I see you’ve been taking care of little sunshine here.” Sunny laughed as the flower sent sparkles out of its mouth.

“What? I didn’t know it could do that!” Tiffany cheered in joy before looking at her dragon on Jessica’s arms. She laughed as she saw it blow blue fire before smiling at the flower.

Taeyeon pulled away from the hug. She looked at the Bookkeeper before turning to Sunny.

“Here. I believe this belongs to you.” She held out the flower.

“Taeyeonnie, don’t you understand? I gave my heart to you. As long as you keep it, I’ll be here. I won’t die.”

“But what if–”

“No. It’s my decision. I love you and I trust you with all my heart. Pun is intended.”

“Sunny, I can’t touch this. Sometimes the temptation is great. I don’t know how long before I…”

“You can’t destroy the flower by touching it. It’s not just a flower.”

“How could that be?”

“You do not really destroy anything you touch. Sure, being the bearer of the mirror, you are not supposed to touch the living. It’s against your nature. However, when you met Sunny, you have lived. Together, you are a pair. A wonderful pair… Let’s say it like a curse was lifted.” The Bookkeeper said.

“Why do you keep narrating like a storyteller?”

“I’ve been around books, if you haven’t noticed.”

“And, here I thought you were a bad person…” Hyoyeon remarked.

“I’m not this story’s antagonist.” She said simply, stating it as-matter-of-factly.

“Okay…” Sooyoung said.

“Let’s go have a picnic.”

******

The princesses cheered as they played around Sunny’s garden. Sunny and Taeyeon were on a tree branch, catching up. Yoona ran around with Orion as Yuri chased them through the grass. Jessica was talking to Hyoyeon about birds when the dragon perched on her head. Jessica looked up as Tiffany ran over to them with Sooyoung eating with Seohyun on background.

Just then, they heard a noise. One that they haven’t heard in nearly three years since the portals broke. Each princess stopped what they were doing. Jessica hugged Tiffany and the dragon as they awaited the intercom message. Taeyeon jumped from the branch, catching Sunny before standing in front of her and reaching for her rapier. Yoona stood beside Yuri who stayed alert. Orion stood his ground. A message was relayed.

“Princesses,

You are all to report to your respective planets and prepare for the Grand Battle. Each of you must not meet each other during these next twenty light years and remain in your planets until the time has come. You will battle each other and only one must come out as the winner. The princess will be the Pillar of the World of Sonne. It is best that you heed this warning. No questions. Leave immediately. Just in case you do not leave yet. We will take care of it.”

Not a single sound was uttered after the message. Suddenly, Orion let out a roar.

Just then, dark holes opened up from underneath Taeyeon, Jessica, Tiffany, Sooyoung, Seohyun, Hyoyeon, Yuri and Yoona taking them. One by one, the princesses were transported away. Sunny, as Taeyeon was closest, grabbed the other’s hands and tried to prevent her from falling.

“Taeyeon, hold on!” Her hand slipped.

“Sunny!”

The ground closed up and Sunny could only look at the green grass of her planet before she let out a cry so horrifying the trees lost their leaves. The fairies left their homes in the flowers and flew immediately to their princess. All they saw was a girl filled with pain and anger, cursing the higher power with all she had. There, lay the flower on the grass, dead.

******

The Bookkeeper looked at the books around her. She turned her attention to a glass bowl showing all the princesses in their planets. Their reactions were all pained but none compared to the amount of negative energy the Phyllon Princess was releasing. Her planet would suffer greatly.

“Let’s hope my plan works.” The glass bowl showed three princesses touching their earrings. They looked straight as if they could see the Bookkeeper.

“We got the message. We’ll work on it right away.” Then, the water rippled and the images were gone.