Princess Ceci always had a very strong effect on people when she first met them. It couldn't be helped, after all, she was the most beautiful and most powerful Sorceress in all the lands and her citizens were carefully wrapped under her spell. When class was over the loud bell echoed through the halls a swarm of people gathered around her, eager to talk to her and make her acquaintance. There was Un, Deux, Trois and even Quatre-Vingts-Dis.
She enjoyed their flattery and their attention but she was more interested in the boy with the book that sat next to her. There was something familiar about him and she couldn't quite put her finger on what. He had already run away at the stroke of the bell but Ceci's mind was still stuck on him. How strange!
"Tell me, Princess Ceci, what's the secret with your hair? It's so beautiful and smooth!" Un chirped at her.
Princess Ceci smiled and winked, "I use magic, of course!"
"Princess, what class do you have next? I have Philosophy."
"Princess, do you have any advice with casting magic? My Focus is 'Wood' and I'm really struggling with summoning… I heard you're an All-Encompassing Elemental Summoner right?"
"Wow is that true? That's so amazing! No wonder you're the most powerful Sorceress in all the lands."
Their bombardment was a little overwhelming, even for the Princess. She smiled at them politely and rose from her seat, "Thank you, everyone, for welcoming me."
"No problem!"
"Don't worry about it!"
"If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask!"
She giggled and waved and then bid her goodbyes. Who knew school could be so tiring! She'd been home-schooled up till now, watched over and pampered by her dearest mother, Queen May.
Her favorite subject, History, was next but her mind was still rife with the thought of book boy. Ah, what was it about him that struck her so? She thought and she thought as she strode through the halls. Until finally an epiphany dawned on her! Oh, she knew why she was so enchanted by him! The answer was simple. He looked like a piano-playing boy!
She chuckled at this inside joke and was about to turn the hall and enter her next class but the lily brooch on her chest flashed at her. Ceci gasped and then frowned. What could March want of her this time? This is her all-important first day of school! How dare he disturb her?
Feeling a bit childish and a bit annoyed, she begrudgingly put her finger on her brooch and answered his call. "What is it, March?"
"Got a bit of a situation," he rasped over the little magical device.
Curious glances veered her way, making Ceci gasp and cusp her brooch for more privacy. She shuffled and dashed into a quieter hall and hid in the crevice between a pillar and row of lockers. There, in the safety of solitude, she responded with a hiss, "What's going on?"
"Nightmare appeared in Upper Zion, I'm taking care of it now."
She blinked at her brooch and scowled, "If you're taking care of it, why are you calling me then? Please don't tell me it's because you want to run off to catch 'The Prince and Maiden Witch'!"
"The showing is already over!" She could hear crashing and rumbling coming from the other side and the cries of her poor citizens. March cleared his throat with a cough, "Anyways just come over! I'm taking care of the big one right now but I swear I saw someone suspicions running off towards the lower parts of the city. Probably Kaleidoscope. I got them marked."
Princess Ceci grumbled and huffed but she had no choice in the matter. Fighting against evil Kaleidoscope members was her task and her task alone. As the princess of Arcadia, she had to protect her citizens from those terrorists!
Her brooch beeped then projected a hologram of the city streets. A pulsing yellow dot was traveling down the map. "I got it." She told March.
"You're the best, Princess!" March singsonged before his voice was followed by a big boom. The line went dead.
Princess Ceci sighed and resigned to her fate. She should have known something like this was going to happen on her first day of school! Those Kaleidoscope bastards were probably waiting just for this moment to rile her up.
She rushed out of the university building and summoned a cloud that carried her above rooftops. Over the rows of orange and red tiling, she caught sight of the black head of a giant beast in the distance. It screeched with its lizard-like muzzle as blue flashes sparked and flew. It was larger than she imagined and Ceci felt a tug of worry in her chest.
She pressed her brooch and opened her communication line with March again as her cloud whizzed in the direction of the fleeing yellow dot. "March!"
Panting breaths greeted her from the other side, "What is it, Princess? Sorry but I'm a little busy here!"
"I just saw the Nightmare you're fighting! Are you sure you can handle that alone!?"
There were more rumbling noises and what sounded like metal creaking, "Princess…" March's laugh came with a hiss, "Can't you have a little more faith in me?"
She bit her lip but he was right! She had to focus on her current task, "Okay! Just sit tight and wait for me, I'll come to you soon!"
"Argh!" March cried over her brooch, "I'm supposed to be the one rescuing the princess, not the other way around!" But his complaints when unheard as she cut the line once more and focused on her task with renewed determination.
Her little cloud flew over buildings and soon she could spot the culprit dashing through the labyrinths of the back alleys in Lower Zion. They were likely headed towards the Patch, an area of the city that even the Princess had little authority over.
Princess Ceci hopped off her cloud and landed in front of the escaping person. They were clad in black, panting from running all the way from Upper Zion. With a black hat over their head that obscured their eyes and face, Princess Ceci held no doubt in her heart that this was a bad guy!
"Stop right there!"
The woman was actually rather young and trembled at her appearance. "Stay back!" She shouted as she pulled out a small Insomnium ore. It was black and corrupted and emitted a foul scent, like corroded iron and rotten eggs. She caught sight of Kaleidoscope's brand on the woman's wrist. Oh did she despise the image of a serpent devouring a crescent moon. It was a cursed thing and it had magic. A magic that was not Ceci's own.
"You fool," She said and cast a spell with a flick of her wrist and the criminal's name was revealed to her, "Cent-Trente-Trois, you have committed a very, very grave crime." Her voice was low and did not sound girlish anymore.
The Kaleidoscope member trembled and stumbled back, her breathing came out in panicked rasps. She cried, "My name is Morina Eriant!" She bit into the corrupt ore and cried. A black mass reached out from her open mouth, a dozen slithering appendages that ended outstretched fangs that lunged at the Princess.
But she was Princess Ceci and did not fear some measly Nightmares. She twirled and a rain of sparkles surrounded her as the air became thick with magic. A sphere of light began to pulse in front of the princess until it grew in size. There was a howl that pierced the air and the Kaleidoscope girl squeaked and fell backward.
A large white wolf stood between them. Princess Ceci pointed forth, "Go, Kiera! Bite them all to death!"
Kiera opened her giant muzzle to reveal two rows of sharpened fangs. She growled and snipped, crushing the dark, black snakes in her jaws. They dissipated into a cloud of ashen dust one by one.
Cent-Trente-Trois was scrambling backward, her black hat having fallen to reveal a terrified young face drenched in tears and snot, distorted by the ugly act of crying.
Princess Ceci despised Kaleidoscope. She despised them so. She walked up to the girl with an arctic chill in her ruby eyes. Where her beloved citizens understood her power and her beauty, these fools looked at her as though she was a monster. An ugly, terrifying, monster.
"Cent-Trente-Trois," the Princess addressed the fallen girl, her tongue curled over each letter as slow as she could, "You have committed an act of treason and thus, the appropriate punishment shall be carried out." She marched up to the criminal with Kiera towering and growling at her side.
"M-my name is…" The girl stuttered. Her pants became soaked with her fear. Disgusting. "M-Morina-"
A cry so sharp and terrible filled the air and some who recalled the tale said that it didn't sound human at all.