Chapter Text
She takes her time getting ready in the morning, making sure to comb out her curly hair. She picks an appropriate yet comfortable outfit for her day at Forester High. She always wondered why it was called that, but as she is older, she realizes now: their school sits in the middle of a forest.
Well not completely, but next to it is close enough. Because of this factor, the exterior walls of the school are covered with beautiful leaves and trumpet vines. The principal was sent complaints from parents about this, saying it damaged the appearance of the school, but the principal denied their grievances, assuring them that it added to its wonderful beauty.
She agreed with the principal. The flowers were indeed pretty. They also added a natural elegance to their campus. This is what she always took pride in at her school. It was effortlessly enchanting, compared to other schools that tried to desperately dress up their halls with moneyed decorations. But what she enjoyed most were the hydrangeas. Their gorgeous violet glow sprinkled along the blades of green added a touch of verdurousness to their sidewalks. She appreciated this.
'Our school is blessed by Mother Nature.'
The principal likes to say. She agreed. And she cherishes this. Mostly because their school looks like it came straight out of a fantasy novel. Mirana absolutely adores the world of dragons and faeries, sometimes wishing magic were real. She has a collection of over a hundred fantasy books from various authors. One might say she has an addiction, and she would say you're right.
"You better come down for breakfast, Mirana. You're gonna be late!" her mom yelled.
She rushes down the stairs and grabs a vine of grapes, kissing her mother on the cheek.
"You don't want your breakfast?"
"These grapes will suffice, Ma! Thank you for the food!"
Her mom sighs, kissing her back on her cheek. She tells her that she must not skip breakfast tomorrow. Mirana said she wouldn't.
°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･
The halls of Forester High weren't really up to par with their outward beauty.
Unfortunately, they were drab with marble flooring that looked so basic, you'd think you walked into the wrong school. There have been many attempts to change the interior, but something unfortunate always happened when the principal decided to renovate. Last time, the men who were trying to replace the tiles in the cafeteria ended up losing all of their supplies, and one of the men who was on a ladder ended up falling and broke his ankle. This was the fourth attempt at renovating.
Everyone assumes the school is cursed, but really, it's just a coincidence. There is no haunting presence in this school. But teenage conspiracies run wild. Right?
Mirana met up with her friends at their usual rendezvous spot at the usual time. But she was late today, so she wasn't the first one there.
"Mirana isn't the first person here, guys. I think you all owe me 7 bucks." One of her friends said smugly.
"Aw goddammit Mirana, why'd you choose today of all days to show up late?" Another one of her friends whined.
She just laughed at the situation then questioned why they betted on her arrival today.
The friend who won the bet replied, "Oh I don't know, I just felt in the stars that today was my lucky day." The other friend hit her in the head lightly and complained.
"There's no way you could've known if Mirana showed up late today, Lucie. You guys must've set this up."
"We did nothing of the sort, , I can assure you that." Lucie swore.
"It was weird how you chose to bet that Mirana, the early bird, would show up late." Another friend said.
"Hey, guys, you can stop ganging up on Lucie because I had no idea that this bet was happening." Mirana laughed. Lucie thanked her for attempting to clear suspicion, even though the group still had their questions, especially Noelle.
"We should probably go up to first period," Noelle suggested. The others agreed, making their way upstairs. They chatted in the halls for a bit before departing and soon settled in their respective classes.
"I wonder what we're going to do today..." Fernanda wondered.
"It's right there on the board." answered Noelle. Fernanda looked and felt ashamed she didn't see it.
"Fernanda, are you sure that your glasses are fine? You've been having trouble seeing lately." Mirana said.
"Yes, these glasses are fine," Fernanda laughed. "It's just I didn't think to look on the board."
"Right." retorted Noelle. As Fernanda was talking, she pointed towards the back wall. "Oh, look! They put up our vocab posters!"
The four of them all looked at the wall and admired the artwork. "Wow, Mirana's is so cute!" Lucie mentioned. The others agreed.
"Lucie yours is pretty, too!" Mirana added. She thanked her.
"Man, you and Lucie have such great art skills...all I can do is shaky drawings..." Noelle sadly complained. Mirana glanced at Noelle, her shoulders falling. She assured her that it took time and practice to get better at something. This perked Noelle up a little bit.
"Yeah...I guess you're right...but I still have nothing going for me..."
"What do you mean, Noelle?" Mirana asked.
"You and Lucie draw really well, and Fernanda is practically valedictorian...! What do you mean what do I mean?"
"Noelle, you'll get nowhere with this pitiful attitude," their teacher said as she walked by. "In order to get better you must better yourself. And if you want to better yourself, that mindset of yours needs to go."
Noelle sighed in her seat, taking in what their teacher told her.
Class was beginning to start, and in came a tardy classmate. Someone whom Mirana had previously confessed to, actually. Luckily, her confession was a while ago, so things weren't as awkward as they used to be. However, he still never interacted with her since that day.
"Fancy showing up, Conner," their teacher quipped. He laughed at her remark and apologized for being late.
Mirana had confessed to him about five months ago and received no answer, so she just assumed it was a no. Even with this, though, she still had hopes he probably liked her back. But the constant days of avoidances and her attempts to talk to him were constant reminders that it wasn't going to happen. So, she decided to try to get over him. As if that were to be easy.
⊹ ࣪ ˖...⊹ ࣪ ˖.
Halfway through the lesson, there was a commotion downstairs. The students and the teacher stopped to listen in and see what was going on, but they couldn't make out what was being said.
"Maybe it's just a fight, miss...?" One of the students inferred.
"Perhaps you're right, let's carry on." The teacher said.
They began to pick up where they left off when suddenly, the door to their classroom was kicked open. Everyone in the classroom whipped their heads to the noise, only to see a man in fancy attire—attire that would make one think he was from the renaissance.
Obviously, in bewilderment, the teacher questioned who the man was. He gave no answer to the woman, however. Instead, he walked over to the pictures on the wall and studied each one very carefully as if he were an art critic. He certainly looked like one.
The whole class was silent except for the teacher, who kept questioning the man. Eventually, the little man got annoyed with her disturbances and spoke.
"Silence, wench."
The teacher looked offended. "E-excuse me??"
"You chatter way too much for my taste. Please, cease your mindless speech." He replied. And with that, he continued to study the drawings. Looking at each one carefully, his eyes finally stopped at one certain drawing in particular. He seemed pleased with it.
"Whose unique talents were able to produce this one?" He asked the teacher.
Instead of answering she laughed, establishing she would not answer. Out of patience, the little man called for someone to deal with the teacher, and out from behind him came a tall, well-built man with armor. He drew his sword and held it up to the teacher's neck.
"Wha-what is the meaning of this??" She exclaimed.
"Answer my questions, wench. Whose drawing is this?"
"I'll never tell you," she said. "I don't even know who you are!!"
The little man sighed and looked down. "Is that so...? Oh, well."
He ordered the armored man to execute the teacher, but as the man was readying to off her head, a brave student confessed.
"It was me!" Mirana proclaimed. "I...drew that one..."
He looked her up and down, comparing her to her picture. Mirana grew self-conscious as he scanned her.
"Hmph...that'll do. Okay, I'll need you to come with us." The little man said.
"Huh? Come with you guys?" She asked.
"Yes, are you hard of hearing, young girl?" He retorted. Mirana shook her head. As she started to walk over to the little man, she realized how many soldiers he had brought with him; they were all lined up outside the door. Her classmates and teacher all looked reluctant to let her leave, but they all knew that resistance was futile. These were unknown beings with unknown capabilities. They didn't even appear to be from this time, so docility would be the best option in this predicament.
"We also require the top student of this class." The little man added.
Everyone's head turned to look at Fernanda, and this obviously gave her cover away. She looked around shocked and pleaded not to go. But since she wasn't moving, the little man became annoyed.
"Mage, please bring her here," he demanded. After he said that, a man wearing a huge black cloak came out from amongst the crowd of soldiers. As he put his hands up, one could catch a glimpse of his bony, pale fingers. He contorted his fingers, soon lifting Fernanda into the air. The whole class was terrified, Fernanda, more in a state of shock. She was then set down near the door, next to Mirana. The little man came over and whispered to her. "If you aren't very bright after all, we will kill you right then and there, do you understand?" Fernanda nodded unwarily, still in denial of how she flew.
"Last but not least, we shall need a gallant, athletic, warrior worthy of wielding the Virtuous Sword," the little man said. "I shall need all the boys to line up in a single file line in order to complete this."
Expectedly, no one moved immediately, which angered him. "Please! Any day should be kind!" he exclaimed. After he yelled, all the boys got into one line. The little man pointed to both Mirana and Fernanda, saying that they should go wait outside.
"I'm so scared, Mirana." Fernanda whispered.
"I know..." Mirana replied. "Me, too."
One of the soldiers shushed them, making them stop talking.
Back inside the classroom, the little man had instructed the mage to materialize the Virtuous Sword. He did so, and from his glowing hands appeared an ornate mirror. Its framing was a shiny, yet mucked gold. Its design was that of twisted tendrils, fanciful bursts at the top and bottom, exuding a mysterious sense of enchantment.
The mage set the mirror down in front of the boys, allowing them to gaze inside it. Suddenly out of nowhere, a sword formed within the mirror. The boys were surprised, all telling each other to look. "One of you shall be the wielder of this sword. But only one of you," the little man instructed. "Each of you must reach into the mirror in order to grab the sword, if you fail, then you are not worthy."
The boys, still confused, stared at the little man, then back at the mirror. They were reluctant to reach into a dark mirror with a floating sword, but the buff man was still holding a weapon up to their teacher's throat. Thus, they abided.
Each boy tried and failed, attempting to grab the sword. Some were able to get their hands inside the mirror but could not grasp the sword. Some weren't even able to surpass the mirror's threshold. Utter failures, as thought the little man.
When it got down to the second to last boy, he attempted to reach through the mirror. His hand went through, but the little man had no hope that he would retrieve it. However, as the boy curled his fingers around the hilt, he was able to feel it. He noticed this, his eyes growing big with shock. The little man, too, was surprised, yet relieved as he finally found the warrior.
The boy fully took hold of the sword and began to pull it out. As he did this, the other boys stood in awe. A shining light poured out from the mirror whilst he retrieved his blade and once he fully got it out, the light burst into many rays. The mirror was no longer ornate, and one could now see their reflection inside. When the boy noticed this, he saw his reflection change to one of himself, but clad with armor, armor that was a pearly white with gold accents. He stared at the sight, captivated by its peculiarities.
The little man went over to the boy and tapped his shoulder.
"You are now the wielder of the Virtuous Sword. You shall use this sword to protect His Royal Highness. Should you lose this sword, you, and everyone you hold dear shall perish. Never, and I mean never, let this sword leave your side." He warned.
The boy nodded subconsciously, still stupefied by the events. The little man ordered the mage to retrieve the mirror and allowed the buff man to sheathe his sword. The teacher, finally free, fell to her knees in disbelief. She couldn't believe that all of this was happening right now. It felt as if she were in a movie of some sort. The little man wrapped up his test and headed towards the door with the boy trailing behind him. He did not want to leave, as he had no idea where he was to be going, but he did not want to risk death. So, he followed the little man reluctantly.
Mirana and Fernanda were still standing outside of the classroom, waiting for the little man to say they could leave. Finally, when the door opened, out came the little man and the boy selected as warrior. But when Mirana saw the boy, her skin tingled.
"Conner?" She inquired. The buff soldier warned her to shush, and she did so, remembering the big sword that he carried on his hip. The little man looked pleased with his candidates and studied each of them carefully.
"You shall each be wonderful subjects of His Royal Highness," he said. Mirana's eyes widened slightly at the word, wondering what he meant.
"His Royal Highness...? Are we going somewhere where there's a royal family?" She asked. The little man glared at her, irritated with her constant chitter chatter. Fernanda nudged Mirana into shutting up, worried she would be slain.
"Let's go, we shall head to the rendezvous spot." The little man said. They all followed behind him and exited through the main door. The three students saw how both the doors were blown off and the surrounding glass was shattered. They scurried across the broken shards and reached the outside. The little man kept walking towards the grove, which was just near the entrance of their school.
Their school was near a forest, but never did Mirana think a magical forest. Well, she had always hoped it would be magical, but not at this cost. The three kids never really set foot in the nearby forest, as everyone was too afraid to venture into the trees. Rumors of wild animals (which could be partially true), terrifying creatures, and even aliens, were spread all over the school. No one dared to enter. Until now.
⊹ ࣪ ˖...⊹ ࣪ ˖.
The grove was gorgeously green with hundreds of species of flowers. There was even a little creek that ran through that had different types of small fish and water insects. Along the creek were other worldly plants, some that glowed and others that moved as if they were animals. The kids walked on crunchy leaves that littered the forest floor, and one could hear the heavy noise from the soldiers' armor clanking with each step.
The little man stopped walking and turned towards the group. "Here we are," he said. "This is where we will enter into Eredia."
The mage stepped forward and put his hands outward, swerving them in a perpetual motion. As he did this, a burning light appeared in the air, like a circle of fire. When it fully opened, inside was a bright light, prohibiting anyone who looked inside to catch a glimpse of what awaited them. The kids looked, trying to make out the faint image in the ring. The little man grew impatient with their gawking and rushed them to head inside.
Conner and Fernanda each went in reluctantly, but when it was Mirana's turn, she turned to look back at the school. She felt like all her wishes had come true, but a part of her didn't want to leave. For her family, her other friends, her life was all still here. She wasn't ready to abandon this world, but unfortunately this predicament had other plans in mind. She then turned back to the portal, hesitantly stepping inside.
And how extraordinary the world was. The sky was a cerulean blue, with beautiful, white clouds spread across, painting a picture with their various shapes. Even though it appeared to be day, you were still able to see some stars above.
The bright light from the sun shone in the kids' faces, blinding them all for a split second. As they slowly recollected their surroundings, they stopped walking. The little man turned to face them, looking at them with shocked eyes.
"Oh, my goodness, Mirana? Is that you?" Fernanda exclaimed.
Mirana turned to look at her and suddenly felt a weight on her head. "Yeah, it's me. Why? Do you not see me??" She replied.
"No, I can see you but you...you..."
"You look different," Conner interjected. "Like way different."
Mirana was confused as to what they had meant, but then when she tried to turn her head towards Conner, she saw a wall of hair. Her hair.
"Ah! What the heck?!"
The little man came over to the bewildered teen, readying to say something. "Please calm down, I can assure you, nothing is wrong with your being, this is just your true form."
"What do you mean 'my true form'?" Mirana questioned.
The little man took a deep breath to prepare himself. "Our world is vastly different from yours. Here, this is how you look in this realm and the next. Well, except your realm."
The teenagers were still in disbelief. Mirana hyperventilated due to the drastic change of herself. Her chubby cherubic features remained the same, though her curly hair was floor length. She soon realized that her attire had changed as well. She now wore an era-appropriate dress that had frills at the bottom and long sleeves. Its color was a light purple. She nearly fell from shock.
Her friend, Fernanda, wore a deep red dress that went off her shoulders. The ends of her sleeves were loose, and the material of her dress were similar to blue velvet. Connor's new outfit consisted of a loose white shirt, with some tight leather pants. He had a sheath for his sword hanging on his right side.
"I know, this all seems very strange, but you must pull yourselves together. You are all now working for His Royal Highness, the crown prince. His subjects must be poised, proper, and most importantly..." he turned to look at Mirana. "Cautious."
She got a hold of herself a little bit and took in that last word carefully.
"Mage please fix up the girl," pleaded the little man. The mage waved his bony hands again and put Mirana's hair into a thick, long, braid with his magic.
They started to walk again, but Fernanda tripped over her dress. They all stopped to look at her and one of the soldiers helped her up.
"Oh, no!" she cried. "My glasses! They're broken!" She bent down to try and pick up her shattered spectacles, but when she grabbed one end of them, they fell in half. "Oh, no...how am I supposed to see now...?" She asked herself. But she began to fiddle around more. "Wait...see...now...I... I can see now...?" She looked up at a faraway item. She set her eyes on a deer that was ahead in the forest. "I can see that deer! A-and those rabbits! And those birds!" She exclaimed. "I can see!"
Mirana and Conner confused, hesitantly cheered for Fernanda's revelation.
"Yes, yes, amazing now, isn't it? Let's move along now," said the little man.
When they reached the front of the Eredian kingdom, its size amazed the teenagers. There stood grand walls made of fortified stone. Along each pillar hung royal purple flags that had the royal family crest in the center. Tinier flags waved above each watchtower, their color being the same hue of purple as the bigger ones. The grass in front of the castle was neatly pruned, many types of flowers planted—violets, asters, azaleas, and other purple and pink blossoms sprinkled across the green floor.
They stared in awe, their mouths wide open as they took in its extravagance. The little man rushed them along inside the gates.
They then arrived at a part of the castle that appeared to be an annex or quarters of some sort. The entrance had hanging flowers over the doorway, the wind scattering its petals. Fragments of baby blue, pastel purple, and cool yellow blew past their faces.
"These are the artist's quarters. Your supplies and everything you shall need to paint His Royal Highness's portraits will be in your room. You can also sharpen your skills in your free time." he said whilst looking at Mirana.
"Paint...?" She asked.
"Yes, that is correct." He replied.
Mirana thought to herself. I am painting...the prince?
"Your quarters," he motioned towards Fernanda. "...are in this same building. You will be His Royal Highness's tutor."
Fernanda pointed towards herself and asked him to repeat himself. The little man assured her that he made make no mistake. "You are indeed his tutor, and in your room are materials to help better your intellect and study our country's history, as you are not from this realm. Your quarters have blue and red banners hanging above the doorway, with clay vases sitting on the sides. Not sure why they put yours inside the artist's annex...
...And you," he pointed at Conner. "You are to be the crown prince's bodyguard. Your life is his, and you shall wield that sword to protect him until the day you die. Your quarters are elsewhere; I shall take you to them."
Conner's thoughts halted. He stared at the little man and questioned him. "My life is...his? You must be joking. What is this, slavery? Medieval times?" Mirana hurried over and pinched Conner on the arm. He winced in pain and glared at her.
"That's exactly what this is, Conner," she whispered. "Well, minus the slavery part...maybe...But it's best for you to be more obedient." He grabbed his arm in pain and heeded what Mirana said, turning to look back at the little man.
"It'd be wise to listen to your friend, here, boy," he advised. "She seems well-versed...even though she chatters quite too much for my liking." He eyed Mirana for a while, making her shrink into herself. He then focused on the next thing he was going to say. "Well since we are all acquainted with our living areas, you two can go off now," The little man said to the two girls. "You will meet with the king tomorrow." He waved them off to scurry along. The girls' faces dropped in surprise, but they soon bowed and started to walk away. "Oh, wait a second," he shouted. "My name is Lord Markus Vaseini, but never, refer to me by my first name."
The girls nodded and went inside. Lord Vaseini turned to face Conner.
"You will have to immediately report to training. Even though you are already fit, you won't stand a chance against our enemies in this realm. Your quarters will be amongst your peers."
Conner lifted an eyebrow. "My peers?" He repeated.
"Yes, your peers. Now follow me."
He followed Lord Vaseini quietly, looking back at the girls' quarters. With each step, he still could not grasp his situation now. He kept telling himself that this had to be a dream. But if it was a dream, it felt all too real to be just as such. He tried pinching himself again, but it didn't work. He just continued walking down this path, in this unknown world.
*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚
❀.ೃ･❀