~2 years ago~

There was a thunderstorm, and lightning could be seen through the windows.

But even that couldn't destroy the wonderful ambiance that there was in the palace. 

"The prince is going to be king!" ... "I can't wait for the ball" ... "I heard the theme this year was white and golden yellow" ... "I've been in the kitchen and everything looks so tasty!"

The Kirishima truly had a gift for these sorts of things; ceremonies and balls was one thing they were utmost proud to be gifted with.

Prince Eijirou was getting ready for the ceremony. His tailor,—Momo Yaoyorozu—fixed his suit. 

"You look splendid, sir" Yaoyorozu said with a delighted smile. "You are sure to make everyone look at you."

Prince Eijirou blushed, laughing it off. "I already know that, you're the best tailor in the palace."

"And a good friend I hope?" Yaoyorozu said jokingly as she patted away the dust from the prince's raiment.

It was white with a subtle hint of peach. Gold patterns orned the edge and side of his sleeves and pants. Overall, the suit was very comfortable and simple, yet elegant.

"Thank you, Yaoyorozu. This might be my favorite one yet" prince Eijirou said as he stared at himself in the glass mirror.

Yaoyorozu smiled. "How many times have I told you to call me Momo?" She questioned with a smile as she turned around to grab a brush. "And we still need to fix your hair, prince Eijirou." 

Prince Eijirou chuckled at the black haired girl. Making her turn back around. "What is there?"

Eijirou shook his head. "Nothing. Just trying to remember how many times I told you to stop calling me Prince Eijirou."

Momo narrowed her eyes with a small smile on her face. "Ok then, Eijirou. I just hope I don't get too used to it, especially around your father" she brushed his hair quickly and perfectly as usual, making his black hair look ten times better. "Perfect. You look excellent."

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. "Who is it?" Eijirou called.

"Uhm... it-it's Izuku Midoriya, my prince" the boy stuttered. "The king has asked me to inform you of  the start of the ball. He specifically told me to tell you—with all due respect; 'Eijirou if you don't hurry I'm cancelling your ceremony'. So I think you should hurry sir."

With that Eijirou and Momo both heard footsteps quickly walking away from the door.

"The boy is right" Yaoyorozu sighed. "And we just finished up. You should go now, Prince. Everyone's waiting for you." She added a wink to her last sentence as she shooed him out of the room.

Prince Eijirou walked down the long corridor and two butlers— Denki Kaminari and Hanta Sero — opened the huge ball doors for him. 

"Have a nice night sir~" Kaminari said as the prince walked by. 

Eijirou kept a smile to himself and rolled his eyes at the comment. The yellow haired boy was always very lively and tended to be extroverted around everyone—apart form the king and queen.

But the prince, compared to his mother and father was not someone who kept to himself a lot, instead he liked talking with everyone else. It made him feel like he had another life apart from the one where he was always training to be ready to run the castle.

The second the prince was past the frame of the doors, the chatter stopped.

Eijirou looked up at the queen and king who were sitting in their thrones. His mother had a compassionate look on her face, her amber eyes glowing with the hundreds of candles that had been lit in the room. Her black hair had been tied neatly into a bun and her crown was resting on her head, as glamorous as ever.

Eijirou didn't dare meet his father's eyes, so instead he focused on the decor around him; white and gold candles were flickering, their flame's shadows reflecting on the walls that were decorated with gold crescents. The floors were very clean and the black mosaics on the floor stood out.

The three entrances were decorated with gold painted flowers and vines, making the oak of the doors stand out.

Prince Eijirou had never understood why his father had chosen three doors that led to the ballroom; one from the garden, one from the front entrance, and the other led to a corridor leading to the royal rooms.

Nevertheless, Eijirou continued to look around at the ladies fancily dressed in white gowns, and the men in white suits. They all wore golden masks as it was supposed to be a mascarade party. 

But, the prince who was supposed to be the center of attention, hadn't worn one.

Eijirou went in the center of the ballroom, and a noble lady —Toru Hagakure— came by his side, positioning herself to dance with him.

The music started as the king and queen finally pulled on their masks, the sign for the music to start. 

The pianist —Mina Ashido— began the song as the violinist —Kyoka Jiro— joined in.

The people danced, ladies twirled and were lifted into the air, as they landed gracefully on the ground.

At some point in the dance, they exchanged partners and Prince Eijirou was dancing with his mother. 

"Mother" he said respectfully as he bowed his head. 

"My son" she said with a smile. "I am so glad you are to be king."

Eijirou laughed softly. "Isn't it a bit early?" His mother's eyes softened at his words. "17 is the perfect age, you have matured enough."

"But what if I'm not ready to become king? And what will happen if I do not find someone who loves me?" Eijirou questioned. "What if I don't find a noble lady that pleases me?"

Eijirou's mother thought for a while before she gave him a small smile and said; "then find someone else, no matter who they are."

The prince hadn't had a second to react as the doors from the front entrance suddenly opened, a huge gush of wind blowing out half the candles out, and rain was slowly wetting the ball floor.

The person responsible for this was a young boy about the age of 5 or 6. He had black hair and red eyes, just like the prince and his father. The boy was also wearing an oversized cap that looked dirty, old and ragged, almost as if it was a very used mat.

"P-please help me" the young boy stammered. "I-I-got lost in the forest and couldn't see anything apart from this palace." 

The king approached the young boy. "How did you get in my castle?"

The child looked petrified under the hard gaze of Eijirou's father. "I-... I ran through the bushes, even though they had thorns. wolfs were chasing me."

The king huffed, obviously not believing him. "You're an intruder. Normally I would throw you in a dungeon but as a child I'll let you go away."

Eijirou couldn't believe his eyes. How could his father do this? He had never seen him act like this before. The prince clenched his fists, wanting to speak up for the boy.

"But please, let me stay until the storm is over my king" the child begged. "I don't need much."

"Father let him please." Eijirou couldn't take it anymore. How could one let another suffer like this? For the first time that night, he looked straight into his father's eyes, fighting the urge to look away. "He only needs food, water and shelter, we can provide that for him."

"But why waste it? There is a feast, Eijirou" he father said, raising his voice. "All the more reason to let him stay" the prince pointed out.

The king angrily stormed towards Eijirou, getting ready to grab him by the collar, but his mother stopped him, giving her husband a stern look.

The king looked back into his wife's eyes and instantly calmed down— well almost. "If you ever retort to me ever again..." he warned. "I shall disown you as my child."

With that he turned back towards the child on the floor, leaving the prince with an empty and unexplainable feeling.

"You" he said to the hapless child. "Get. Out."

Everyone was expecting the boy to cry, or beg... instead the child bowed his head, and began to glow.

Eijirou realised after a few seconds that it wasn't him, but his cap that was glowing. 

Suddenly the boy lifted his head and he a boy no more; he had baby blue hair, and his skin looked sandy and pale. His cap now fitted him perfectly, and it was as clean and silky as ever; the only way you could tell it was still the same person was because his eyes were the same red as they were before.

Everyone in the room gasped, surprised as none had expected this to happen. 

Some tried to flee in panic but the doors were shut closed, locking everyone inside. 

"No one shall leave this room" the fairy said. "Your servants shall become objects, like what they are."

Eijirou looked around as everyone in the room turned into objects; Kaminari turned into a candlestick, Ashido turned into a piano, Jirou a violin, Midoriya a feather duster and so on.

Horrified, Eijirou watch as the fairy turned towards the king, who was holding his wife 'safely' in his arms. "You two shall turn to stone" he said. "Just like your hearts feel no emotion for people, so shall your bodies."

And that was the last time Prince Eijirou saw his mother's sweet, amber eyes. And they were full of fear.

Their bodies slowly turned into stone, starting from their feet to up to their waists and finally the top of their head.

Before the queen was completely gone, she looked at her son. "Eijirou-" she started, but was cut off as she finally turned into unanimated stone.

The prince clutched his heart as he fell on his knees. "Mother..."

A tear fell from his eye as he looked up at the blue haired fairy that stood infront of him. "Please-"

"I shall spare you" the fairy said. "But shall still punish you."

"Why?" Eijirou questioned. "I tried to help you."

The fairy nodded. "You did, but you didn't face your fear; you were a coward. There is no need to be afraid to stand up for the weak."

Eijirou didn't answer, he stayed in the floor, tears falling from his eyes. The fairy's gaze softened as he looked at the prince. "I will take pity on you though. I can grant you one wish, but that will have consequences" he warned. 

The prince looked up at the blue haired boy. "Please, don't make me live alone like this."

The fairy observed the boy for a moment before looking up towards all the objects. "Your wish will be granted. Your servants that have been turned into objects will be able to speak and move freely, but remain as they are."

He advanced towards the center of the ballroom, and in the very middle of the mosaic that was there, hit that space several times with immense force before it broke.

He bent down and got a seed out of his pocket, planting it in the hole that had dirt. 

"This is a sakura tree seed. It will blossom once I leave this room. And as it blossoms, you will turn into a beast. Your servants, will be able to talk and move..." the fairy got back up. "Up until there are no more blossoms."

The blue haired boy slowly advanced towards the front entrance doors and opened them with ease.

Outside, it was still raining  and thunder was still striking. Before leaving, the fairy warned the prince;

"It is only when you shall find true love that the curse will break. If not, you too shall turn into a statue and all your servants shall stay as the unanimated objects that they were meant to be."