Chapter Text
When Inko was a young peasant girl she discovered a witch hidden in the forbidden forest between her village and the capital where royalty lived. She visited the witch often over the years, making friends until she felt like the time was right. When she turned fifteen she decided to ask the witch for a favor.
The witch, Freya having lived for many lifetimes knew exactly what the girl who discovered her was after and let her have her fun, she wanted to see if the girl would surprise her and turn into a true friend like a few had before her, or if she would be remain predictable and befriend her only until she got her desire.
Inko knew exactly what she wanted from her witch friend. She wanted to be queen of course. She wanted to be lifted out of poverty and into the limelight. She wanted to have every dirty task done for her so she could live her life in luxury and relaxation. She wanted to be doted on and have her every whim fulfilled.
“Freya dear, do you think you can help me with something?” Inko asked, coyly. “Just a small favor.”
Freya knew it was finally time for Inko to show her true colors and turned from the fire she was poking at, giving Inko her full attention. “What kind of favor, Inko?” she asked, feigning confusion.
“Can you help me to become queen? I know with your power it should be any easy feat. You would make my every wish come true with this.”
“You want to be queen? Why? That sounds so boring.” Freya mused, knowing Inko wouldn’t be able to resist telling her everything.
“Boring?! Never! If you're queen then everyone has to listen to you and follow your every whim. That sounds amazing, plus no one would be able to mock me anymore.” Inko had always been mocked for her short height and her inability to complete any task set to her.
“I see. Is the prince even looking for someone to marry?” Freya asked, already knowing the answer.
Inko spun to her in shock, having been slowly spinning as she danced with herself. “You mean you haven’t heard?!” She nearly shrieked. “The King is in ill health and it's said he wants to see his son married before he passes. To know that he will have an heir. I want that to be me. Can you help me achieve that?” Inko knew Freya had the power to help her and that no one else visited her, so no one else would be asking for her help.
Freya looked at Inko and smirked; she knew exactly how this was going to go but tried anyway to give Inko a better option. “Are you sure this is what you truly want? Don’t you want to find real love, because this won't be real love?”
“I will be queen, the people will love me, my children will love me. That is all I need.” Inko replied quickly. She had thought about this for so long.
“Very well. My power will not allow me to just hand out favors and you know this. But what I can do is make you a deal. I will cast a spell that will allow you to become queen as long as you follow the rules of the deal. If you break the rules, you will suffer the curse. Do you understand?”
“Yes, yes. Follow the rules of your spell and queen, break the rules and be cursed. I will follow the rules.” Inko surmised quickly. “Now cast the spell so I can start the walk to the capital, it's far and I want to make sure I make it before the prince finds another.”
Freya laughed heartily. “Inko dear, you know it takes me time to cast a spell. Go home and pack, I will be ready in two days time. It will not matter if the prince finds another, the moment you are within a mile of him he will be searching for you until he finds you. Now go, I must prepare.”
With a squeal Inko jumped forward and gathered Freya into a hug before releasing her and running off to go pack and gather everything she would need for her travels to the capital. Freya just shook her head. “Foolish girl, like so many before her. She will never be able to follow the rules of the spell and she will blame me for the spell.” With a huff Freya looked around with a frown. “I really like this spot too. Oh well, better safe than sorry.”
Freya then spent the rest of the day collecting everything she needed for the spell and writing down all the rules and the conditions of the curse if she were to activate it. She knew Inko would lose or forget the rules and the potential curse, but she wanted no responsibility when it came to Inko trying to blame her.
On the second day Freya spent it gathering all of the forest items she would lose easy access to when she moved, because she was leaving this forest and moving to another the moment Inko left her home the next day. All she would need to do is recite her gathering spell and her entire house would fold up nice and small for her to be able to easily move it to a new location.
It was barely the crack of dawn when Inko was knocking at Freya’s door, ready to start her new life. Freya, who really didn’t sleep anymore, opened the door unsurprised to find Inko standing on her doorstep in the dark. “Come on in Inko.”
“Is it ready? Can we do it now?” Inko asked the moment she was in the home, not even a word of greeting or respect. Freya shook her head at her foolhardiness, she already felt bad for any children this girl brought into the world, knowing they would be cursed.
“Yes Inko, it is ready and yes we can do it now. Are you sure you don’t want any tea first?” She asked just to see if she would follow her own set politeness rules.
“No, no. Not this time, I would like to get this started please. I’ve waited my whole life for this, I don’t want to wait any longer.” Inko said as she turned to look at Freya.
“As you wish. Would you like to know the rules of this deal before we start?” She asked, she wasn’t just going to give them out if they were just going to be ignored. She wasn’t in the market of wasting her breath.
“Sure, I would rather not mess this up by accident and end up cursed.” Inko replied offhandly, almost as if it was a waste of her time and a true afterthought.
Freya sighed quietly. “You must be faithful to your chosen, love them with all that you are. Your love will conquer any challenges you come across. If you fail this you will enact the curse upon your child, and a cruel fate that would be.” She almost wished she could take those last few words back when she saw the gleam in Inko’s eyes.
“So what you're saying is be faithful to my husband and love only him and I won’t curse my child? That should be easy enough.” Inko remarked quickly, thinking this would be a breeze. Unaware of just how much temptation and manipulation surrounds royalty, especially those not born into it, but raised up to it.
“Alright. I will say the spell now, don’t interrupt, no matter what. You will change the meaning of the spell and could end up married to an undertaker if you say a word while I give the spell life. Understand?” Freya asked seriously.
“Yes I understand. Lets do it.” Inko said excitedly.
Freya nodded and grabbed the sheet of paper she had written the spell on and gathers a few herbs to burn while she spoke.
“Remeber not a word until I tell you otherwise going forward.” Freya reminded pulling the burning candle closer to herself. Throwing the small handle of herbs onto the candle, she waited until the flame grew to twice its normal size and began to speak.
To Bind these Fates Across the Land
A storm shall break the final strand
Where one becomes more, the other finds peace
Until the one covets another the spell shall cease
The fates be freed the torment ends
True love survives, all else fends
Freed by greed the other thrives
The one still fights to survive
A monster curse upon the heir
To purge the one, to make it fair
Broken by the selfless deed
The power has been freed.
Freya then took the sheet of paper and dipped it into the flame, watching as it burned the paper to ash, letting it go just before it reached her fingers to ensure the entire paper burned away.
“You may speak now Inko, the spell is complete.” Freya said as the last ember extinguished.
“So if I were to leave right now and go to the capital, the prince will find me and we will get married and I will become queen?” Inko asked quietly but with excitement.
“Yes dear. If you were to leave right now and head for the capital you will eventually run into the prince and your dream will start.” Freya replied, knowing that Inko was already halfway down the road in her own mind.
“Thank you Freya! I’ll never forget what you have done for me. If you ever need anything, come find me and I will help you.” Inko said with a quick hug before she ran out the door, picking up her pack and rushing down the road that lead to the capital.
Freya shook her head. “Foolish girl. You think so highly of yourself but I see your true self. You will love the prince for what he can give you and then covet any beautiful face that gives you attention. The moment you break your bond with another you are setting the prince free to be with his true love, who he will forsake for you due to this spell.” She shook her head again. “I pray for your child and I hope they find someone who will love them enough to love the monster they will look like selflessly.” With that Freya turned back into her home and closed the door, she was determined to have one last cup of tea and her breakfast before shrinking her home and moving on.
One Week Later
Inko was angry. She wanted to meet the prince looking her best, but right now she looked like a drowned rat. The storm she was currently traveling in had been raging for two days. Everything she owned was wet and she was nearly out of money. As she stood under the eave of a store front, she counted her last coins and wanted to cry. She only had enough for a room or for a meal, but not for both. Clutching the coins in her hand she made up her mind, she would order a meal and stay in the tavern as long as possible to try and dry out and only leave when the owner made her.
Inko stepped out onto the road and back in the rain and managed to take a few steps before someone rammed into her hard, sending her sprawling to the ground in a heap, her coins going everywhere. She scrambled as fast as she could to pick them up before they sank into the mud, ignoring the blood that was dripping down her hands and knees.
“Are you alright, miss? Can I help you at all, you look hurt?” A male voice from behind her called.
“I’m fine.” Inko dismissed as she stood only to trip and be caught suddenly. Looking up she was caught in the most beautiful hazel eyes she had ever seen. “Oh, thank you sir.”
“I couldn’t let you fall again and get more hurt. Lets get you inside and cleaned up and dried off. We can’t have you getting sick either.” he said, slowly leading her into the tavern she was heading for before she had been knocked over. “I’m Hisashi.”
“Hello Hisashi, I’m Inko. It's very nice to meet you.” She smiled, she knew that name, she knew exactly who this courteous man was. He was the prince she had been looking for and now he was saving her from falling and offering to help her. It was the perfect start to their love story.
~~~~
Three years later Inko was married to Hisashi Midoriya, King of the Thunderbird Kingdom and they were expecting their first child, a little boy if the older women of the court were to be believed. She was beyond happy as queen, directing all the servants as she wished and starting rumors to watch the drama unfold.
She didn’t love her husband as he loved her, but she did care about him because without him she wouldn’t be queen. If he were to die before she gave birth, she would be removed and replaced by his younger brother and his wife. The spell and Freya never crossed her mind anymore, not since she was married and her dreams came true not long after with the death of the former king.
She was happy as queen and ecstatic that it meant she got her own personal guards, she had been slowly switching them out until she had the best eye candy to stare at whenever she wanted. Her newest one, Sir Yagi, had been staring back just as intently, making her feel as if her pregnancy was only enhancing her beauty instead of wrecking it.
Her husband, Hisashi, was so busy these days due to some mercenaries attacking the capital, that he hadn’t been spending any time with her. He was ‘too busy ensuring the safety of their people’ as he constantly told her when she requested some of his time. Was it too much to ask for his attention while she carried his heir?
Towards the end of her pregnancy Inko couldn’t stop fantasizing about what it would be like for Sir Yagi to hold her or love her. Hisashi had been gone for the last two months on an expedition to find the mercenaries and put a stop to them once and for all. He was also planning on stopping on his way back to help rebuild any homes or structures that were destroyed by the mercenaries. That's when an idea struck her, if her husband wasn’t here to give her the attention she so desperately craved, she would just need to find it elsewhere.
“Sir Elwin, would you mind going to the kitchen and having them brew me a fresh pot of ginger tea? I am in need of something to sooth the restlessness of the little heir.” Inko inquired pleasantly.
“Of course, your majesty. I will be back shortly.” Sir Elwin saluted her before leaving her sitting room, leaving just her and Sir Yagi alone.
“Sir Yagi, would you be so kind as to help me stand? I would like to move to the window seat.” Inko held up her hand to him, already knowing he would not refuse.
“Of course your majesty, it would be my pleasure.” Sir Yagi exclaimed, moving forward quickly. He stooped down and picked the queen up into his arms and walked her over to the window. Before he could set her down she leaned into him.
“Oh my, I always forget just how strong you really are. You picked me up like I weight nothing when I am heavy with child.” Inko pressed a quick kiss to Sir Yagi’s cheek, blushing as she did.
“Your majesty is too kind, your weight is so slight I barely know I’m holding you.” Sir Yagi admitted with his own blush at her words and her kiss. What he wouldn’t do to be able to love this woman properly. It was sad seeing her want her husband and yet not being able to have him because he was saving the kingdom.
Inko went to give him another kiss on the cheek as a giddiness over took her but missed as Sir Yagi moved her and turned to face her at the same time. They kissed for real this time, lips on lips, and while Yagi froze for a moment Inko did not and took it as a sign to continue kissing the man.
Sir Yagi didn’t know what to do, he had never kissed anyone before and he knew this was beyond wrong. This was his queen, married to his king, but the thought of releasing her and letting those lips leave his felt like a harsh blow. He tried to follow her movements until she pulled back with a gasp.
“Set me down Sir Yagi, I am no longer comfortable.” Inko requested with a slight quiver in her voice. He was quick to set her on her feet in front of the chair, in case the sitting position was the problem.
“Your Majesty, apologies, I don’t know…” he was cut off by his queen's sudden gasp as she clutched at her stomach. “Your Majesty? Are you alright? Do I need to call for the physician?”
Inko gasped again as pain rippled through her abdomen. “Yes, call the physician!” Inko wailed, the pain making her cross and scared, this was not the pain that had been described to her.
Sir Yagi nearly yelped at her wail but ran to the door and threw it open. “Somebody call the physician! Her Majesty needs the physician!” He yelled, getting everyone’s attention that was in the hallway. People instantly started to rush about, a couple of servants running down the hall and a few others gathering together as they heard their queen scream out again.
A few minutes later the physician could be seen running with a couple assistants running behind him with a few bags held by each. As they got close the physician pointed at one of the footmen standing idly by and called out to him as he passed. “Find the King and alert him to this!”
Over the next several hours Inko screamed in pain as if her child was trying to claw its way from her body instead of exit it like normal. The king showed up after a couple hours, having finally been located out on the field helping his citizens rebuild their homes. At the news that his heir was being born the citizens rejoiced and cheered as he rode back to the castle.
Many hours later the king left the queen's rooms and informed the waiting crowd that the heir had been born. However instead of the expected exuberance that the king had been showing all throughout the queen's pregnancy, he seems to be in shock. It was to everyone’s shock that he walked away instead of rejoining the queen and the heir. The silence that filled the hall was suffocating, no one really understanding what it meant.
It was two days later that an announcement went out to the kingdom, Crown Prince Izuku Midoriya had been born and mother and child were doing well. The kingdom rejoiced, celebrating for many days, however back in the castle, things were far from celebratory.
“How could this have happened?! Where did this little monster come from?!” Inko screamed for the hundredth time, hurling the closest thing at hand against the wall. Her precious baby was a monster. He had looked so normal all bundled up in his blanket when presented to her, but when she had unwrapped him, that was when she saw the monster she had birthed.
She had been frantic and thought he was dead when he had finally made it into the world. It wasn’t until thephysician had slapped his little butt that Izuku had made a sound and she had been able to relax. Her precious baby was an abomination. He had black clawed fingers and toes and they were even stained black at the tips. He was small and had her hair color and her husband’s freckles and he didn’t cry. He had just stared at her with these big green eyes.
When Inko looked at her husband she was shocked by the look on his face. He was staring at her in horror, like it was her fault. “Inko, what? How? Why does our baby look like that?” He had asked her and she had burst into tears.
The physician assured the king that it was the new mother's weeps that caused her to cry like she was. That it happened to all women and he had even encouraged the king to hold his child but he had backed away as if he was being offered a pile of dung and turned from them, walking to the doors. They listened as he announced the birth of his son, and then walked off. It was eery how quiet the room became after that. The physician and his assistants were all unnerved by the quiet, they had never been in a room where both mother and child were silent after birth. The rooms were usually bustling with life and joy or sorrow if the child didn’t make it. This silence was wrong.
A few hours later Sir Yagi entered the Queen’s room to check on her and let her know that he was back on duty. “Congradulations Your Majesty, on Little Izuku. You and the King must be so happy.” He was trying to ignore the tension in the room.
“Sir Yagi, wonderful timing. Please find the Steward and instruct them to find a wet nurse and a nanny and have them here by tomorrow morning. I find that I can’t devote as much time caring for the heir as I thought I would.” Inko stated as she stared out the window of her room.
“Yes, Your Majesty. I will do that right away.” Sir Yagi replied in shock. The Queen had been talking for months about caring for and feeding the baby once it was born. He was shocked to find she no longer wanted to care for her child.
Yagi was quick to find the steward and make the request from the queen to them. The steward looked shocked and then they ran off to find someone for the queen with the limited time frame given. Yagi shook his head and returned to his Queen’s side.
The next day, a wet nurse and a nanny were shown into the queen’s chamber. “Greetings Your Majesty, we have come to help with the little heir.” They greeted quickly.
“Perfect, you will find him in the next room over, please take care of him.” She said dismissively, waving a hand at Sir yagi again. “Sir Yagi will take you to him. His name is Izuku.”
Sir Yagi stepped forward and motioned for the two women to follow him. Once they had exited the room Yagi spoke. “The Queen is not herself at the moment, I have heard it happens to some mothers. Understand that Prince Izuku is the heir to the throne so you have a heavy responsibility to keep him safe and cared for. If any harm comes to the young Prince it will be on your heads, understand?” Yagi had stopped outside of a door and turned to face the two women who looked scared but determined.
“We will take great care of the little prince, Sir Yagi. He will be safe with us.” One of the women said.
“Good. I will be checking in randomly to ensure that is true.” Sir Yagi stated with certainty. “I will not have something happen to my Queen’s child.” Even if he is a monster, he thought to himself.
He led the women into the room and stayed for a few minutes while the got settled and learned where everything was that they would need. “Please call for me if there is anything you need that is not here, there will be someone stationed outside this room at all times that can find me. The Prince is not to leave this room unless called for, for safety reasons. He will be moved to his own rooms in a few months, where you will also have your own connecting rooms. For now please stay with him at all times.”
“Wait! We have families we must return to!” One of the women called back. “We were not informed of this when we accepted the role of wet nurse and nanny. Why are others not being rotated in to help?”
“The one who is the wet nurse will be able to return to her family as soon as the Prince no longer needs you. A few months at most, that is not so long. The nanny should have been told this. As for why there are no others, well, you will find out eventually and as a word of warning if word of anything that happens in the castle leaves with you, your families will be the ones to face the consequences, before you, yourself will face them.”
Sir Yagi didn’t wait for another word before closing and locking the door behind him. They had cots to sleep on and a bathing room attached to this room, he would unlock the door when it was time to deliver food for the women, but otherwise he would follow his Queen’s instructions, and keep the Prince’s door locked.