[The Prince] In which the Prince saves the world one person at a time (the Otaku Princess strikes!)

    (previous entry here)

    Leaves rustle, branches creak as a lithe figure stealthily moved from one tree to another. An owl hooted with indignation, spooked at the sudden passage of something, then fell dead from the branch when it saw what passed by. Well, not really dead as in biologically dead - more like dazed, blinded and KO’ed by the sheer amount of awesomeness it witnessed. In a few hours the owl will get up and will just half-remember what it saw, just like what happens to humans when they dream a particularly good dream and not-quite-forget about it in the morning.

    More trees, more branches to swing on and jump from. More night critters gasp and fall dead on their tracks when the see what the owl saw. There, just beyond the forest is the palace where the ball is being held. Then there are no more trees - just a stretch of manicured grass then this absurdly wide road for the attendees’ absurdly big cars and carriages that loops around the palace where the ball is being held.

    The figure stops, looks around and follows the road, searching for the side entrance that will allow the figure to enter the palace silently and unnoticed. There it is; just across where the figure stood is a rectangle of light on an otherwise dark wall where sound stream out. Slowly the figure walks toward the entrance; step step step -  grass, grass, some more grass then finally asphalt. The figure was about halfway across the road when an engine was heard. The figure paused and looked at the sound. Bright lights pierced the darkness, two pairs of halogen-sourced light beams flaring out and the figure froze on the spot. A silhouette holding a glass appeared in the middle of the rectangle of light where the figure was headed.

    An odd number of eyes grew wide.

    The bright lights became brighter.

    The same odd number of eyes grew wider still.

   Dear reader, take a moment and compare this scene vis-a-vis the moments before one of Bambi’s kin meets its sad and untimely end in some remote mountain road. If we are to add to the image of the frozen figure a tail, another slender pair of legs and feet, make sure the feet end in hooves and wrap it in deer livery, we now end up with the same scene - a deer caught in the headlights, except that this one happened on an absurdly wide road beside a palace. It’s not that hard to imagine; the figure even have the prerequisite slender figure and big brown eyes that break hearts when you look into them.

    “Aw shit.” The silhouette said in a gruff voice. The silhouette moved fast, throwing aside the glass he was holding and rushing forward, his firm hand grabbing the figure’s elbow leading its owner out of harm’s way, through the rectangle of light and into the palace. An irate blast from the car’s horns shattered the silence and punctuated another episode of the Prince saving the world, one person at a time. Then the car swerved and T-boned a distant light post, the driver’s mind trying valiantly to absorb all the awesomeness that was all-too-briefly illuminated by the headlights and tragically failing at it. The Prince didn’t mind that; airbags do work, don’t they? And the Prince doubts if there is anyone or anything that is not insured in this time and age. All his attention was focused on this mysterious figure quite shaken by the close encounter. 

    “Gomen~!” The figure said over and over. Stress was visibly bleeding off; the figure was breathing hard, bending down with hands on the knees, not quite leaning on the wall. People didn’t take note of the new arrival, despite of the decidedly ball-unfriendly all-black body-hugging-figure-revealing camouflage body suit and blacava the figure was wearing.

   The Prince just grabbed a fresh glass of water from a passing waiter and waited for the figure to catch her breath before handing it over.

    “Thank you for saving my skin back there…” the figure not-quite-gasped out and accepted the proffered glass.

    “Well, it’d be nice if next time you went in the palace the way others do - through the front door.” The Prince tartly replied.

    “Gomen~!” The figure took off the worn blacava, revealing a full head of flowing ebony hair in a medium blunt choppy bob cut and those beautiful brown eyes set in skin so fair you’d think you were staring at  a doll. The figure slowly drank the water and then bowed over and over in appreciation.

    It was as if a switch was flipped. Eyes grew wide in recognition of the face hidden by the blavaca. Conversation suddenly hushed down. Somebody started to crack a corny joke based  on a lousy pun on the name of the new arrival. Everybody in earshot of the joker groaned. A few heckled the joker. 

    “Oh boy.” The Prince muttered as he looked at the Otaku Princess’ smiling face. The Otaku Princess felt the Prince’s gaze on her and gave him a warm smile of appreciation. A wineglass shattered on the floor behind the Prince, dropped by a handsome-by-society’s-standards Prince that suddenly flopped on the floor, dead to the world and with a goofy smile on his face. Some princesses looked towards the Otaku Princess and hissed like the cats that they are.

    “Oh boy. This is going to be a loooonnnggggg night.” The Prince just shook his head at the absurdity of it all while still looking at the Otaku Princess. And yes, despite him being such a cold fish, even the Prince is feeling this twinge in his chest and the overwhelming urge to say ‘awwwww’. Nice.