the princess & the beasts

a fairytale ending.

A beat of silence followed.

Then chaos. Absolute chaos. Civilians were freaking out, panicking, questioning if it was true - oh, but this was the Queen's right hand man, what motive would he have to lie? And so on, so forth.

Tennu exited the man's body, whisking himself back to Vie, who brushed off her blouse after catching up. The fox spirit, now the size of a large cat, rested peacefully on the woman's shoulders. The lost princess made a small, triumphant humph of victory, before turning to look at the drakes and spirits and Dryads that had gathered, scattered, across the area.

"Good work, guys~" she chirped, patting Tennu on the head, "that was surprisingly easy - but we did awesome! You guys are awesome!!"

Various sounds of happy chirping, snarling, and churring filled the area for a moment - a pleasant contrast to the chaos of the confused peasants. And of course, the cavalry captain desperately trying to calm everybody down in the far back.

It did not take long for the neighboring kingdom to catch wind of the homeless civilians, and selflessly take them in with open arms; the rulers were building expansions on their city anyways, what perfect timing!

As for the Queen?

"...Ms. Elivia Quyll the II, the court has found you guilty of murder of the 3rd degree, and as such, you are sentenced to life in prison. Guards, kindly, take her away."

I am sure the tyrant will have a wonderful time, as the first ever prisoner in this growing kingdom.

Oh, and what came of the princess who befriended the beasts - and her companion, the all-seeing fox - or the dryads and the nymphs and the drakes?

Well, they rebuilt that old city - they gave it a new name and purpose, and merged it with the old forest, creating a gorgeous, free kingdom of their own. Some say the ancient kingdom stands to this day, shrouded in flora and fauna and life of all sorts.

But what came of the cavalry captain, who worked so hard, and did his oh-so-very best?

He kept his rank as cavalry captain in the blessed kingdom - but for his efforts and his experience, his salary was risen, and he and his siblings received a large, private plot of land, and his young sister was finally cured. As it turns out, her sickness was not from plague - but from poor healthcare in less-than-ideal conditions.

I like to think that Faris and Vie visit each other often, reminiscent of when they were young and they would play and be kids and get into trouble together.

I like to think that they are still the closest of friends, even centuries later, in another life.