She didn't like this, nor did she want this.

Her life was hers, but in a few seconds, that would no longer hold true. She'll belong to some crude prince who didn't even respect her, and probably never be heard from ever again.

But... there was nothing she could do.

Maki resigned herself to her fate, for the sake of her father, as she opened her mouth.

"...I-"

-crash-

Something happened. Voice caught in her throat, she turned to a window high above, stepping back to avoid the falling pieces of glasses. Everyone was speechless when a figure landed directly between the duo and the priest, then stood straight up and laughed haughtily.

"Alright, whoever's getting married, she's mine now!" the unknown intruder said.

Maki blinked, a wave of familiarity assaulting her from inside. This intruding dragoness... her auburn hair... her amethyst eyes... she recognized her.

She recognized this dragoness.

Maki smiled. She recognized her friend from years ago. "Anju!"

The dragoness blinked, then narrowed her eyes. "How'd you... wait... you're familiar," she muttered. The girl rubbed her chin, ignoring the guards and prince who drew their weapons. "Hey... hey! Princess Maki!?"

"That's right!" Maki said. "Gods! I've missed you so much, where did you go!?" She then finally took in the view of Anju's closed right eye. "...o-oh, and... is your eye..."

"...it's fine," Anju replied and covered it with her scaled hands. "Sometimes it hurts a bit, but really..."

"Stop... stop talking!" the prince yelled. "Why are you conversing with the monster!? Get back!"

Before Maki could explain, she was roughly grabbed by a guard. "H-hey!"

Two people growled at the prince then. "Do not treat her like that!" both Maki's father and Anju yelled. At this, the king blinked and stared at the dragoness, but she didn't take notice.

"Or what? You can't order me around!" The prince smiled and pointed his sword at her. "This woman is to become my bride. I own her now- I can do what I want!"

Anju narrowed her eyes. "...bastard."

"Call me what you want, you're not invited nor welcomed here, monster." He motioned to the shattered window. "I think it's time you leave, so we can continue."

Instead of heeding his advice, however, Anju walked past him, towards Maki. Slightly intimidated, he stepped back from her, while his guards exchanged glances and released the princess, stepping away. "Maki, is this true?"

She wanted to deny it, but... Maki nodded sadly. "Yes, I must. It's... it's for the sake of the Nishikino kingdom."

"Maki..." The dragoness could tell. She knew the dragoness could tell- she didn't want this.

Anju turned to the audience, and spotted a familiar face, the face of the king she saw when she first kidnapped the crimson haired princess. "..."

"What, you've got nothing to say?" Anju asked.

"...I'm afraid not," the king replied solemnly. "We both didn't want this, but... I'm afraid I cannot go against His Highness," he said.

The auburnette scowled. Her hands, which held Maki's, tightened slightly, but that wasn't really minded. "Whatever problem it is, you think it's more important than your daughter?" she barked. "If I were you, I'd prioritize her happiness first!"

"Anju..." Maki whispered. She looked down and saw the girl's hands wrapped around her own, and smiled. Unlike with the prince, she felt so safe being held by her friend, by her black scaled dragon hands...? Maki blinked. The scales were dark black, a rather odd difference from the auburn scales the dragoness used to have. "..." She pushed that matter away for now. This was more important.

"Now hold on here," her mother said and stood up. "I don't know what's going on, but please leave. It is extremely disrespectful- and unsightly, to add- how you're disturbing the romantic wedding of our daughter's!"

"Forget the wedding, look at your own daughter first!" Anju hissed.

"Why, that is just-"

"Honey, enough..." the king rasped.

The mother narrowed her eyes. "What are you...?"

The prince, meanwhile, who had been watching silently, slammed his sword on the ground. "Enough! You lot shall not ignore me!"

Anju and Maki turned to him. "What, you were still here?" Anju asked, to his dismay.

"Why, you...!" Enraged, the prince raised his sword once more. "Return the princess to my side this instant! Or I will be forced to-"

"Do it," Anju said. "Whatever it is, do it."

"A-Anju?" Maki looked at her friend. "I don't think..."

"You be quiet," Anju said. "I've still got things to... discuss, with you later."

The princess blinked. "...o-okay..." she replied meekly. The tone in Anju's voice wasn't one of a friend happy to meet her again. She mentally sighed- she knew what this was about.

She definitely hadn't been forgiven for that incident.

And that was understandable to her, she supposed.

"You utter bitch," the prince growled, "you lot are just trying my patience today, aren't you...? Guards! Magic!" he called. The guards nodded and pooled around him, making contact with the prince and transferring their magic energy to him. He grinned at the dragoness. "You can start crying now that you're about to face my magic spell."

Anju stared at him, unamused. "Right."

"Don't think you can keep that facade up forever," he muttered. Aiming his palm at her, he shot out a huge fiery blast. "Take that!"

The dragoness wasn't even slightly scared by it, staring the ball down as it headed for her. Before she could even swat it away, however, Maki raised her hand at the ball and shot water out. The water magic shot was powerful and completely drenched the prince, in addition to the total disappearance of the fireball. Anju blinked. "Whoa, you can use magic now too?"

"Y-yeah," Maki said, "I... I learned it from my teacher..."

"Maki, you bitch!" the prince interrupted. "Why are you protecting her!?"

"You would've hit me too, idiot!" Maki hissed back, earning the gasps of many. No one ever talked back to their kingdom's prince.

He gritted his teeth. "It looks like I'm going to have to discipline you in my chambers tonight..." the prince said.

"I don't think so," Maki muttered and turned to the cowering priest. "I'm sorry, let's resume. To answer your question, I don't."

More gasps. Many's jaws dropped in shock at the princess' rejection, the prince especially devastated by the humiliation he felt.

"You don't? You don't what?" Anju asked. "Were you supposed to have done something for human marriage rituals?"

"...stupid," the princess said and chuckled. "I'm so glad to see you again, Anju."

Caught off-guard by this, the auburnette blushed slightly. "W-what're you saying? Jeez."

"Princess!" a guard yelled. "Please take back your foolish decision right now! Otherwise, your country will-"

"No!" the prince yelled. His frown turned to a forced grin, mad with rage. "No... I've had enough of this! She has made her decision." He pointed his sword again, this time at the princess. "If she wants to sit in her room, so be it. Tonight, we'll wage war with her kingdom!"

"I'm going with Anju," Maki said.

"Good ri... what?"

Everyone froze. Even Anju was surprised.

"Um, what? No you're not," the dragoness said.

"Yes I am," Maki replied and turned to her. "I'm going with you. I'm going to get out of here, and see other places in the world, and you're going to be with me."

Anju shook her head, confused. "What're you talking about? I can't do that!" She looked at the girl's father, who was staring wordlessly at them. "You need to go back to stay with your father! Heck, you can protect them now too, with your magic."

"...b-but..."

"Princess, I only came here to kidnap some random girl," Anju said. "And knowing that it's you, I don't feel like that now. I'm just here to help you get away from that ugly ass."

"What did you just say!?" the prince roared, but was hit with a piece of rock thrown by the dragoness. "My face!"

"I am not going to take you with me," Anju said. She leaned even closer, with narrowed eyes. "And I am not going to stay with you."

Frowning, Maki looked at her father. He looked back, an equally sad expression on his face. The girl trembled- she hadn't thought about what to do yet, about how to protect her family from the war that was to come. She then looked at the prince, who by now had recovered, and was grinning smugly. Her fists shook with frustration. "Anju..."

"Maki," her father suddenly spoke. "Maki... what do you want to do?"

The girl clutched her head. "I... I don't know, Papa... I want to be friends with Anju again..."

Anju shifted a bit.

"...but I... I can't leave you..."

Then, her father smiled. "Maki... darling, everything will be alright." Turning to Anju, he closed his eyes and sighed. "...Anju, is your name, is it?"

"...yeah. What about it?" the auburnette asked.

He shook his head. "I... would like to give you two something." Digging around his robe, he pulled out two popsicle sticks and put one in each girl's hands. "I've requested a certain mage to imbue some magic into these... so please, don't return here."

"...Papa?" Maki voiced. "What are you...?"

"What're those going to do?" the prince asked mockingly. "How laughable. The Nishikino kingdom's ruler really has gone senile."

Ignoring his remarks, the king smiled and gently closed the girls' hands. "Dragoness Anju, please... keep my daughter safe."

The two, still confused, exchanged glances.

"Honey?" the king turned slightly to his wife.

Maki's mother sighed. "...well, whatever. As long as you stay safe and happy, Maki, I guess... whatever he's going to do, I'll be fine with it?"

"B-but... what're you going to do?" Maki asked. "Papa, you're talking as if..."

"Squeeze them tight," the king instructed and flashed a final smile. "Squeeze them and break them."

Exchanging another glance, Anju and Maki did as were instructed. The two popsicle sticks broke, and a white light enveloped them.

Maki shut her eyes from the brightness, and when she opened her eyes again, she stood in the familiar ruins of an abandoned tower.

"...Papa?"