『once upon a time...』

     SHE WAS JUST THIRTEEN when she had met them. well, more like found them stranded with a sketchy man on the side of the muddy road.

it was supposed to be just another outside excursion of japana yuriko's, the first daughter of the king (chimon) and queen (danuja).

however, whilst sitting comfortably in her custom made carriage, the young princess had glanced outside the window, witnessing the gray clouds that brooded over the region.

"oh dear, look at the skies! we must get back to the palace quickly", the maid that was accompanying yuriko stressed.

the dark-haired princess mindlessly hummed, as she had then demanded to halt the carriage.

"your highness, what are you—"

opening the door herself and jumping out with a cloak shielding her, yuriko trudged through the soggy ground and towards the homeless man on the side of the road.

     "well hello there, young lady! interested in these fellas?", the scabby old man greeted.

     "good afternoon sir", yuriko replied out of politeness, examining the two scrawny boys who wore tattered clothing and had long grown accustomed the to chilling breeze.

     one had long hair that had knotted due to the wind, and the other possessed an outstanding pair of eyes that shined like crystals — like diamonds in the rough.

     "this one's got some pretty eyes, aye? and the other's quite the stubborn one when it comes to putting up a fight", he informed.

     yuriko kneeled down a little, careful not to ruin the dress her father had gifted her. she stared at their lifeless faces, as they gave her no reaction at all.

     "what are they?", the first princess mumbled out.

     "fairies! ya know, the good kind".

     in every world, there is the good and the bad. and this world isn't an exception.

     most cannot tell, however upon meeting a fairy, you'd immediately sense the playful and kind aura surrounding them. with faeries, one would be able to feel the horrid, mischievous attitude emitting from them.

"how much for them?", yuriko questioned.

glancing up and down at the royal, the old man bargained for five gold coins each.

upon dropping the pouch of gold into the beggar's hands, the thirteen year-old extended her hand out, to which the senile man had handed over a wing of theirs.

fairies and faeries both had two sets of wings. one was usually torn off so that their master (or captor) would have control over them. upon twisting the wing of the creature, it sends an electrifying jolt throughout their entire body, rendering them shaken and immobile.

"have a nice day", the old man bid, as he grinned at his bag of coins.

yuriko had then stared at the two fairies sitting on the ground.

"come with me. you both won't have to worry about food, shelter, nor clothing anymore. I won't hurt you two. I promise", the girl softly stated.

     standing up, the two followed the princess mindlessly, leisurely boarding the carriage and causing the maid to gasp.

     "your highne—"

     "take great care of these two wings for me. make sure not to fold or twist them in any way. they're coming home with us today", yuriko interrupted.

     the maid could only obey, as the rest of the ride back to the palace was silent.

     upon arriving at said destination, gossips had already spread like wildfire amongst the servants.

     yuriko paid no mind to them, as she extended her hands out for the two distraught fairies.

     when the two had done nothing but stare, the first princess had taken initiative to connect her hands with theirs.

     it was such a warm gesture. her hands were so soft and gentle. it was such a contrasting feeling compared to the usual harsh pullings.

     "this is my room. I will have the maids set one up for you two in a moment. for now, you can use my bathroom. do you two know how to bathe yourselves?", yuriko questioned.

     the two silently shook their heads, as they dared not to look up at the princess.

     "here, let me show you", yuriko offered, turning on the faucet, as warm water started filling the spacious tub.

     "you two can get in now", the dark-haired girl said, handing them towels to cover their private parts, as the two leisurely stripped.

     grabbing a wooden ladle nearby, yuriko scooped up some water and commanded the white-haired boy to close his eyes and lean his head back.

     there was a soothing aura about her. the young boy could feel a tingly sensation as her hands massaged through his scalp, removing any dirt or parasites that may have nestled itself in there.

"may I touch your wings?", yuriko politely asked the dark-haired boy.

a hesitant nod was given, as yuriko made sure to pick up each wing with as much care as possible.

the fairies' wings were as thin as paper, and each set was unique to the individual.

"this is the first time that I've seen a fairy's wing up close. they look even more magical than from afar", yuriko commented with awe.

     the dark-haired boy flinched, as he's never been complimented for his wings before, much less received any good remarks.

     "by the way, my name's yuriko. what are yours?"

     the two glanced up at each other, as if debating whether they should tell the princess their names or not.

     "gojō...satoru", the white-haired boy answered first.

     "and...getō...suguru..."

     "well, nice to meet you both. I think we'll be great friends from here on out".

     "friends...?", getō confusingly questioned.

     "friends are like, mm...people who you can rely on for anything. they're always there for you, and will play with you", yuriko briefly explained.

     "people who you can rely on...", gojō quietly repeated.

     "and play with you...", getō mimicked.

     the two then looked up at the princess in sync.

     "you wish to be...friends with us?"

     affirmatively nodding, the dark-haired girl was then met with two pairs of eyes that held some life to it.

     "friends...", the two muttered beneath their breaths, repeating the word in their head as if it were a mantra.

     "yes, friends. we'll be together all the time! and then you can meet my two younger sisters and my parents", yuriko excitedly explained.

     "sisters?", getō asked.

     "I have a sister that's four years younger than me. her name's atsuko, and she's quite the timid one. and then there's aratani, who's the literal opposite, and is seven years younger than me".

     getō and gojō just listened, as the princess proceeded to inform them of the rest of her family, and the social hierarchy of the royal family.

     "of course, you'll be able to learn all this if you decide to stay. I won't hold you two hostage and will even give you back your wings", yuriko stated, causing the two to raise their brows in suspicion.

     "really?", gojō questioned with great disbelief.

     after all, the humans that they've encountered were evil and liars.

     "I mean it", yuriko smiled, grabbing a set of clothes that she had her maid prepare, as she also unfolded the towel that's been keeping their torn off wings safe.

     gojō's eyes slightly widened, as he was handed his iridescent wing — willingly.

     his wing reattached itself, as did getō's. it was like being able to breathe fresh air again.

     "we'll stay", getō decided.

     "to repay you...", gojō continued.

     "and to be...friends".

♚

     the two ten year-old fairies stayed as they had said, for they were treated way better at the palace than out on the streets.

     and like ducklings following the mother duck, they stuck by yuriko's side every moment of the day.

     upon waking up for breakfast, they were there waiting patiently by her bedside. and of course the princess would ask them to join her for breakfast whenever she wasn't required to dine with her family.

     then after breakfast, yuriko would spend her entire morning and afternoon in lessons (with the occasional tea break). now even though gojō and getō weren't particularly interested in them, they had actually learned quite a lot about human mannerisms and etiquette.

     finally, there would be a brief opening of time for the three to either read, go horseback riding, go for a brisk walk, or nap.

     alas, they would attend dinner with the rest of the royal family, wash themselves up, and plead to spend the night with the first princess.

the king and queen saw this as an adorable gesture, for they were just kids. it was like sleeping with your older sister, so they allowed it.

and just as the entire palace — minus the guards on night duty — falls asleep, the three would sit up on yuriko's bed and decide how they should spend their time of the night.

"let's sneak into the royal library", getō would suggest, for he had grown to love books in the past eight months that he's been here.

"that's boring, suguru! we should instead sneak out the window and run around the field. what do you think, princess?", gojō asked, his eyes shining with great expectation for praise.

     "oh yeah? and how're we going to get out? by jumping off and slamming our heads against the ground?", getō snorted.

     "we literally have wings, suguru! use your brain for once, would ya?"

     "ah yes, because the princess will just magically grow a pair as well and fly alongside us", getō sarcastically retorted.

     gojō glared at his best friend, who just returned the same look.

     yuriko lightly chuckled at the two's antics, as she was glad that they've opened up around her.

     "you two are too much. let's just stay in for tonight. I'm exhausted from all that testing that I had to complete today", the girl sighed.

     "fine", the two pouted, laying on their sides, as they watched the first princess swiftly fall asleep.

     inclined to do the same, the two held onto each of her arms, snuggling close.

     "goodnight, princess".

     AUTHOR'S NOTE: I apologize for starting so many stories, but this has been on my mind for a while now,,

and I apologize if this first chapter is slow. it'll pick up <33