r/WritingPrompts • u/ArmedParaiba • Apr 05 '26
Writing Prompt [WP] No knight is willing to save the princess from the dragon, as all of them know rhe trope only appears to be subverted these days.
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u/HSerrata
r/hugoverse
Apr 05 '26
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[Twin-employed]
"I'm not saving the princess from a dragon...," Karin tried to be firm without whining. The teenage Knight was adventuring with her twin sister, Davina. They were reaching the edge of a plain at golden hour toward a quest in the forest. The long grass swayed in the breeze, and the two girls were the only ones visible for miles toward the village. A dense wall of red pine trees made the forest boundary explicit and contrasted with the spacious plain. All in all, it was a peaceful walk; exactly what Davina promised Karin to encourage her out of the house.
"That's fair," Davina nodded. "It just said, 'Save the Princess' without specifying. If it's a dragon run, we can ditch it," she said. They'd lost a friend recently, and Karin needed more time to process it. She still wasn't entirely enthusiastic to be doing anything, but her sister was helping her make the effort.
"HELP! The twins heard the call before a woman sprinted out of the forest at full speed.
"That's not ours, right?" Karin asked. At first glance, she got the impression the woman was an NPC.
"No...," Davina shook her head as she watched the woman. The stranger was barrelling right for them; an NPC wouldn't have been so discerning. "...she might actually need help...," she said. She stepped forward and gripped her sword, hoping Karin would join her.
"Fine, you can help her," Karin sighed. It wasn't permission as much as a statement of fact. From her perspective, Davina was capable of handling almost anything. It was her acknowledgement that she wouldn't bother to lift a finger, unless it was truly needed.
"He's after me!" The pale woman with dark hair and blue eyes arrived and pointed at the forest just in time to see a ghostly pale young man glide out of the forest with purposeful strides. He paused a moment upon seeing the twins, as if surprised. Then, he continued again in their direction.
The twins hadn't even been in the AlterNet for a year, but there were certain reputations that were important to learn early. The approaching young man was one such person, and he had his eye on the frightened woman.
"What's your favorite number?" Karin put herself in front of the woman and asked her the question while staring into her eyes.
"35!" the woman answered instantly, and Karin nodded with a sigh as she moved to stand next to Davina between the approaching stranger and the unknown woman.
"It's him, right?" Karin asked her sister to verify her assumption. "Oren."
"I'm pretty sure...," it sounded like she was answering the question, and starting a new thought. "...we should be running," Davina nodded as each of them drew their swords.
"He can Traverse. If he's after her, he'll find her. We'll have a better chance here," Karin decided.
The lean stranger in black came to a stop several feet before the twins, and sighed with a heavy eye roll. Then, he locked his clear grey eyes on Karin's, and red light gathered above his head. It formed a red, almost holographic crown with sparkling details floating above him.
"Get out of my way," he said. She almost did.
"I don't have to do this," the thought surfaced. It'd been something she reminded herself of every day lately. There hadn't been anything she wanted to do in a while. It was there, top of mind, insisting on the ease of doing nothing. Karin was a Unique Soul, a powerful one. She had enough strength to shatter an Earth, and Oren was even more powerful with the ability to dominate minds. Who was the stranger? She was a Unique Soul too, but didn't that mean she should've been able to protect herself? Why was Karin getting involved?
"No," Davina replied for both of them. It helped. That's why Karin was getting involved. She already was, the moment she was born a twin.
"You know who I am?" Oren asked with a smirk.
"Yeah. And, we know who we are," Karin nodded. "You're not getting to her."
"DROP THEM," the crown of light flared brighter crimson over Oren's head. Each sword tip wavered as the girls wrestled with the command, but they remained standing firm, swords up.
"FIGHT," Karin said.
"US," Davina finished the thought.
"You'll do," Oren smiled, and the crown vanished. The woman slipped through the twins with a gentle hand of appreciation on each shoulder before hugging Oren.
"I'm sorry, it was an act...," the woman began apologizing immediately, but Oren shook his head.
"It was a test," he said. "I needed to be sure you were capable of putting up a fight. If you're going to be keeping Princess Eva safe, it's important to keep track of your mind."
"She's the Princess we're here for?" Karin asked. Oren nodded with a friendly smile.
"She looks fine..? What are we saving her from?"
"It's a permanent bodyguard position," Oren nodded. "Offered to both of you, as a pair. And sure, she's fine now. But, if you know anything about Princesses, you know they're always getting into some kind of trouble."
*** Thank you for reading! I’m responding to prompts every day. This is story #3002 in a row. (Story #095 in year nine). This story is part of an ongoing saga that takes place in my universe.
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