#tatsuma

“n-no, i– how could i…?”

you were frozen in place. your widened eyes were fixated on her. she looked beautiful, blonde hair falling onto her shoulders. and as she opened her eyes, they were a piercing yellow. a color you had never seen reflected in someone's eyes before.

as she slowly opened her eyes, you fell to your knees beside her. carefully, you lifted up her head, your hands trembling.

“you… who sent you?”

there was no malice in the woman's voice.

“the king. he set a high reward for you. but if i knew that you weren't a monster, i would've never–”

slowly and quietly, she lifted her hand and you fell into silence.

“my stepfather… huh.”

her words meant nothing to you. you understood what she was saying, but you couldn't understand what she meant.

“who are you…?”

“if i tell you, can you keep a secret?”

you nodded silently. the girl sat up slowly, her wounds slowly closing with each passing moment. it was too fast. it wasn't normal. but you had seen stranger things today, like that dragon turning into a beautiful woman.

“the king you spoke of… he's my stepfather. after he married into the family, i was soon cursed and banished from the kingdom. that dragon form you saw before, that's thanks to him.”

slowly, things began to make sense. but it was all still hard to grasp. if the king was that girl's stepfather, then she must be the…

“princess?”

“it's been years since i've been called that”

so it was true. the princess that had vanished years ago was the woman laying in your arms right now. the same woman with a dragon's curse on her. and all of that thanks to the royal family…

“i need you to do me a favor”

the girl's voice snapped you out of your thoughts.

“you could call it repentance for trying to kill me…”

“of course, anything you need–!”

you felt horrible for hurting her. even more now that you knew more about who she truly was and what she had been through.

“if i return to the kingdom, i'll need someone to look after me. i can handle myself well, but someone who has my back would be appreciated”

“why would you want to return to the kingdom?”

her own family cursed her. she was banished and treated like a monster. no, she was turned into a monster. what good reason did she have for returning there? did she plan to make up with her family? or was it something more sinister, like…

“revenge.”

you didn't dare say a word. the mood became tense and it seemed like she had noticed it too.

“you're free to turn me down. but i can't let the king's sins remain unpunished…”

slowly, the woman rose to her feet. she seemed to do much better than a few minutes ago. as you remained frozen on your knees, she reached her hand out to you.

“are you with me?”