Chapter Text
Date a Live
Rapunzel
Prologue
For over two hundred years, the kingdom of Aureole had prospered in its' small corner of the warm sea. The mainland held rich, fertile farmland that made growing crops easy, although looming on the edge of the kingdom's borders was the price they paid for such land; a dormant volcano by name of Mount Raddon. Some thirty years ago, the volcano had had a minor eruption, but thankfully it had been slow, and the people in the area had been able to evacuate in time. The ash ejected by the volcano had benefitted the land greatly, but the fear of another eruption had hindered the recovery. However, the then prince of the time, a teenager by name of Procyon, had proposed building only small farming huts within the area the volcano had affected, suggesting larger homes should be limited in the area. The idea had been accepted, and now not even the workers lived in the dangerous area. The main town shared its' name with the kingdom, and much of it was situated on the coast, reaping the benefits of the rich waters and trade with other nations. Shortly after the town had been founded, the smaller of the two islands in the bay had had a squat, almost black square building erected upon it, eventually leading to the creation of an impressive lighthouse, known to many as the Sun Pillar. Coal and oil fueled its' fires at night, and polished brass mirrors reflected the light far out to sea. The town's marketplace was fairly small, but was almost entirely covered to protect it from poor weather. Warehouses stocked produce from the farms and goods traded from overseas. Crime was a factor in the kingdom, but the justice system was inclined to giving people second chances, which often led to criminals rethinking their ways. The second island just to the north of the vaguely crescent shaped bay held the royal palace, connected to the town by an elegant bridge, and was home to King Procyon and his wife Queen Vega. Four years ago, they had had their first child, a girl by name of Princess Asahi, and now, the queen was pregnant with their second. Anticipation was building in the small kingdom, with a carnival atmosphere growing by the day. The air of goodwill was becoming ever more prevalent, even leading to lower taxes for docking ships. Visitors from near and far were heading to Aureole for the upcoming event, bringing with them luxuries that the kingdom had seldom seen before. All throughout the first week of September, the gossip had not changed one jot. The queen looked about to deliver any day. Even the weather seemed to be celebrating the upcoming event, with the days blessed by hot temperatures.
Then, all at once, things changed.
As mid-afternoon began on the eleventh day, a huge storm began to develop out over the sea. The fishing boats that had set out that morning all seemed to turn back to land at the same instant. Storms in the bay were by no means unheard of, but the peak season for them was between April and June. Storms later in the year had a disturbing tendency to be more violent, and if the behaviour of the fisherman was anything to go by, this one looked threatening to say the least. The last few boats moored in the harbour with minutes to spare as the first rumbles of thunder sounded over the town. Before long, the rain began to lash down heavily, brilliant bolts of lightning flashing across the sky, accompanied by deafening cracks of thunder. As the storm raged and the day progressed, the queen began to go into labour. Many of the doctors and physicians were already on hand in the palace, and soon the queen was in the room. By the time it was midnight, the end of the birthing process was in sight. The storm had also begun to wind down as well, with the rain falling in a soothing patter rather than the ferocious squall that had beaten the town for hours without respite. The queen gave a final push, and suddenly, the wail of a newborn filled the air. Before long, the infant was wrapped in a blanket and given to her mother. Thanking the midwives and physicians, the queen dismissed them for the night, and looked down at the sleeping child held close to her. A final, distant rumble of thunder sounded as the door opened and the king entered, a barely awake princess tottering along in his wake, eager to see her new sibling but also very tired. Outside, the storm moved off to the south-west, clearing the sky to allow the stars to be seen. As the royal family looked out over their kingdom, a golden shooting star flared into life briefly. The queen looked down at her sleeping child with an expression of tenderness as she spoke her name for the first time ever.
"Mukuro..."