The sun shone over the gardens of Axoland Castle, lighting up the flowers that danced to the rhythm of the breeze. Mabel Abysscale, Princess of Axoland, stood before the mirror in her chambers, adjusting her formal dress. The fabric was a deep blue, embroidered with golden threads forming the emblem of the Abysscale dynasty. She looked radiant, but also a little nervous. After all, Ferme O'Malley, the aspiring knight she had a certain… fondness for, had been summoned to accompany her on an important mission. And she didn't want to seem like anything less than a perfect princess.
"Ready to impress, Mabel!" she told herself, giving one last spin in the mirror. "Now, I just need to find the exit of this gigantic castle. How do I get out of here again?"
That's where the trouble began.
Mabel left her chambers full of joy, but after a few minutes of walking, she realized she was completely lost. Axoland Castle was enormous, with hallways that stretched on for miles, staircases that led to nowhere, and doors that opened into rooms she had never seen before.
"Where is the main exit?" she muttered, staring at the two identical corridors ahead of her. "Left? Right? Ah, whatever, I'll go left! If it's wrong, I'll blame the architect."
She took the left corridor but, instead of finding the exit, stumbled into a room full of busy staff. One of them, a short, chubby man with a large book in his hands, looked up at her in surprise.
"Oh, Your Highness! What brings you here?" he asked, bowing awkwardly and nearly dropping the book.
"I, um, I'm just… inspecting the castle!" Mabel answered, trying to sound convincing. "Yes, inspecting. Is everything in order here?"
"Yes, Your Highness!" the man replied, clearly confused. "We're just cataloging the wine stocks. Any issue?"
"Wine? No, no problem at all!" Mabel said, laughing nervously. "Keep up the good work! And, um, don't drink it all, okay?"
She quickly left the room, feeling heat rise to her cheeks. "Why did I say I was inspecting the castle? What a ridiculous idea!" she thought, turning into another corridor.
This time, she walked into a room where several maids were folding sheets. When they saw her, they all stopped and curtsied.
"Oh, Your Highness!" one of the maids said with a gentle smile. "Do you need anything?"
"No, no, I'm just… exploring!" Mabel replied, trying to sound relaxed. "Do you know where the main exit is?"
The maids exchanged confused glances.
"The main exit, Your Highness?" one of them asked. "Isn't it in the east wing?"
"Ah, yes, of course! The east wing!" Mabel said, as if she knew exactly what they were talking about. "Thank you! I was just testing you all. Everything's under control!"
She left the room, but as soon as the door closed, she heard the maids begin to giggle softly. "Great, now they'll think I'm a clueless princess," Mabel thought, embarrassed. "But who needs directions when you have a royal title, right?"
Determined to find the exit, Mabel continued wandering the corridors, but every time she thought she was on the right path, she ended up somewhere completely different. At one point, she walked into a room full of armor and swords, where a group of knights were training.
"Your Highness!" one of the knights said, surprised. "What brings you here?"
"I, um, I'm just… evaluating the training!" Mabel replied, trying to sound authoritative. "Yes, evaluating. You're doing a great job!"
The knights exchanged confused looks, but quickly composed themselves.
"Thank you, Your Highness!" they said in unison.
Mabel left the room quickly, feeling more embarrassed by the minute. "Why can't I find the exit? It's a castle, not a maze!" she thought, frustrated. "Who built this? A lunatic?"
Finally, after countless twists and turns, Mabel found herself in a room that seemed familiar. It was the castle kitchen, where the chefs were busy preparing a meal.
"Your Highness!" one of the chefs said, surprised to see her. "What brings you here?"
"I, um, I'm just… checking the menu!" Mabel replied, trying to sound interested. "Yes, the menu. What are you preparing?"
"A banquet for His Majesty's return today, Your Highness," the chef replied proudly. "We have roasted pork, vegetable soup, fresh bread, and—"
"Great, great!" Mabel interrupted, having no patience for the full list. "Keep up the good work! And, um, save some for me, just in case I never find the way out of here."
She left the kitchen, feeling increasingly desperate. "Ferme must be waiting outside, and I'm here, lost in my own castle!" she thought, nearly in tears. "This is a nightmare. A royal nightmare."
Mabel was in the middle of yet another corridor that looked exactly like all the others she'd passed. She glanced at the wall, where a portrait of one of her ancestors stared at her with an expression that seemed to say: "Again, Mabel? Really?"
"Oh, shut up, great-great-great-great-great-grandfather Abysscale!" she grumbled at the painting, as if it could hear her. "You have no idea how hard it is to find the exit to this stone labyrinth you ordered built!"
That's when she heard footsteps behind her. Firm, slow, and… irritatingly familiar. She turned, and there he was: Ferme O'Malley, the noble from an almost extinct family and aspiring knight who, despite being assigned to protect her, seemed determined to make it clear that it was the last thing he wanted to do.
He stopped a few steps away from her, arms crossed and wearing a glare that could freeze the sun. His narrow eyes and rigid posture conveyed one clear message: "You again?"
"Your Highness," he said, his voice so cold it sucked all the excitement from Mabel's face. "What are you doing here?"
Mabel swallowed hard, trying to keep her composure. She couldn't let him know she was lost. Not in front of the guy she had a crush on.
"Me? Oh, nothing much," she replied, trying to sound casual. "Just… exploring. Yes, exploring! A castle this big deserves to be explored, don't you think?"
Ferme didn't change his expression. He simply raised an eyebrow, as if waiting for her to dig her own grave.
"Exploring," he repeated, in a tone that made it clear he didn't believe a word she was saying. "And this 'exploring' included getting lost on the way to the main exit?"
Mabel's face grew hot and deeply red. How did he know? Did he have some kind of humiliation radar?
"I'm not lost!" she protested, crossing her arms. "I just… haven't found the exit yet. It's a big castle, Ferme! It's not like I have a magical map in my head."
Ferme sighed, like someone dealing with a stubborn child. He looked at her with a mix of contempt and resignation, as if thinking: "Why am I stuck with this?"
"The main exit is less than five minutes from here," he said, his voice nearly insulting. "But of course, Your Highness must have her reasons for turning a simple route into a chivalric tale."
Mabel opened her mouth to reply, but Ferme had already turned and begun walking, clearly expecting her to follow. He didn't even look back to check. He just assumed she had no other choice.
"Hey, wait up!" Mabel called, running to catch up. "You can't just walk away like that! I'm the princess, remember?"
"I remember. The princess who's supposedly so powerful she'll one day change the world. The one that made kingdoms tremble when they heard of her magic or whatever," he replied, not stopping and lacing his voice with irony. "And as a princess, you should know punctuality is a virtue. But who am I to question royal habits?"
Mabel pressed her lips together, trying not to show how much that irritated her. Ferme always had a way of talking that made everything sound like a subtle insult. And the worst part was, he never raised his voice or lost his composure. He was cold.
"You could be a little nicer, you know?" she said, trying to sound firm, but failing miserably. "I didn't ask to be born a princess."
"And I didn't ask to be assigned as your bodyguard," he replied, not looking at her. "But here we are."
Mabel had no response for a moment. Deep down, she knew Ferme cared about her. Or at least, that's what she liked to believe. But he had a way of hiding it so well that sometimes she wondered if he didn't actually hate her.
They arrived at the main gate, where the horses were already prepared for the mission. Ferme finally stopped and turned to her, his expression a mix of disdain and… something else. Something Mabel couldn't quite read.
"Ready for the mission, Your Highness?" he asked, in a tone that suggested he already knew the answer.
"Ready," Mabel replied, trying to sound confident. "And this time, I promise not to get lost."
Ferme looked at her for a long moment, as if analyzing every word she said. Then he simply turned around and began preparing the horse.
"Typical of Your Highness…" he muttered under his breath — almost too low to hear, but Mabel caught it.
She stood still for a second, unsure if that was an insult or just his way of… being him. In the end, she decided to ignore it.
And so, they set off for the Umbralis Plateau — Mabel and Ferme, together.