Disclaimer: Thank Craig Mccraken. I don't - nor will I ever - own the Powerpuff Girls.

~ Chapter 1 ~

Denials

"I'm going out!" A young woman called in a sing-song voice, slamming the door with all her might; the whole castle seemed to tremble from the force. The voices of a dozen maids screaming out in both fear and anger could be heard, but they were soon drowned out by a singular, extremely irritated growl.

Not even bothering to glance back at the wake she left behind, Buttercup strutted all the way to the stables, grabbing her bow and quiver that were hidden amongst a clump of trees.

To Buttercup there were two very different kinds of girls in the world. Her kind, and the other kind. The ones that wore pants and combat-ready shoes with their hair usually cut short or tied up were her people. The ones that enjoyed owning numerous dresses and wearing delicate looking heels or flats were the others.

She was a strong-willed person that didn't like rules or being contained. When she crossed roads with the opposing archetype, they'd often whisper of her medium length pitch as black hair in the high ponytail she preferred, her men styled clothing, and of course, her boots for battle.

Bubbles was one of these girls. Big blue eyes, long wavy blonde hair, and a slim figure made her fit in perfectly with the others. Of course, being Buttercup's sister automatically put her in a higher level than the others, but she was still one of them, nonetheless.

Her younger sibling enjoyed shopping and gossiping and makeup. The thought of such things, however, made the green-eyed girl quite uneasy. Most of the time she didn't converse much with Bubbles.

Blossom, on the other hand, was a whole different situation all together. She didn't fit into either type, and mostly drifted in between. Buttercup had considered creating a new, third category at times, but decided against it.

There were still two main types, Buttercup concluded, but there were still in between zones. Blossom liked gowns and gushed at pretty things. Point one for Team Two. She voiced every thought on her mind and was very, very stubborn. Point for Team One.

The list could go on forever, but in the end, the red-head was stuck in the In-Between Zone. Drifting in the abyss of identity. Conforming to society's standards of women, or becoming the dreaded rebel.

Obviously, Buttercup wasn't particularly fond of either of her siblings. She was tired of one always being mellow and at times even cowardly when around her, while the other constantly berated her for her reckless actions.

Today was no different.

She could feel her sister's presence by the fiery rage that could easily rival her own, yet made no attempt to quicken her leisurely pace. She took her time to bend down and tie her boots, and when she stood up again, she was met with a pair of blazing pink eyes.

"Hello, Blossom, lovely day, isn't it?" She greeted nonchalantly, stepping onto a bale of hay to mount her steed, Spitfire. Her sister was not amused.

"Do you realize how much trouble you have just caused for the maids?" Blossom reprimanded, her hands placed firmly on her hips in a way that usually intimidated others, but failed to work on Buttercup.

The raven haired girl merely shrugged and tugged on her horse's reins, leading him out of the stall. "All I did was slide down the banister. It was their fault they weren't paying attention to their own princess. Besides, I'm fairly certain that they will be able to clean up the mess I accidentally caused." Blossom narrowed her eyes at her. "After all, they are the best help around. Don't you agree?"

"Well, of course, but—"

Buttercup smirked and shook the reins, Spitfire speeding up to a canter before going into a full gallop. "But nothing. Tell the girls I'm sorry I'd created a massive jumble of tripping servants and shattering plates. I'm sure they'll understand." She waved back, laughing loudly.

Blossom, on the other hand, was obviously not as amused by the situation as her younger sibling, the the frown remained on her face.

"I promise to bring you back some rabbit!" Buttercup hollered before disappearing into the woods.

She patted Spitfire and chuckled to herself. It had been a week since she last left the castle, and it had been killing her. Confined to a small room with nothing to do except answer the letters from the neighboring kingdoms about the annual Christmas Festival, the only time of the year when a truce would be called and the war ceased.

Just the thought made her shudder. It was always a masquerade party held in the streets of the chosen kingdom. Last year was Cador, this year was her kingdom, Selodia.

She was jarred from her thoughts when her horse suddenly reared on his hind legs and neighed loudly. She had barely caught sight of the stag when it dashed off into the thick woods.

Wasting no time, Buttercup shook Spitfire's reins and reached behind to notch an arrow. The trees blurred, but she didn't lose sight of her target. The stag was quick, though, and she knew her horse wouldn't be able to keep up for long.

Luckily, there was a small trail snaking off of the main path, and Buttercup took it without hesitation. She would ride side by side with her prey, to get a better chance at a shot at its chest, rather than its back. Urging Spitfire to go even faster, she brought her bow up, an arrow already in place. Only one good shot before the path was cut off by the dense plant growth.

The world seemed to slow down as she took a deep breath and pulled the string to her cheek, her eyes focused on the creature across from her, speeding past various obstacles, occasionally leaping.

The arrow flew in a straight, clear line, cutting through the air with precision. And despite the accuracy of her shot, she still missed.

The stag had seemingly foreseen it, and at the last second, right before it went right through its heart, it had swerved. It was as if it's entire body was like... Water. Bending and stretching and not one bone snapping. A full ninety degrees, it turned, up the gentle slope leading to the darker forest where little ventured, and the "mystical beings" supposedly dwelled.

Buttercup yanked on Spitfire's reins, hard, stopping the horse in his tracks. She guided him back to the small clearing, studying the surrounding trees.

Her father used to read her stories about them, late at night, after he finished up all the castle work. Of course, he also read about the classic Cinderella and such, but she always thought of them as unrealistic and fake.

The stories about the trees that talked, giant fish that swam in the lakes and rivers, and creatures that went about at night, prowling for prey had seemed much more… possible. It wasn't hard to believe with all the rumors going on about strange disappearances at night and whatnot. She shot the small clearing one last look, then turned Spitfire around and started to go back.

It wasn't long before she realized she was dreadfully lost. She hadn't been paying attention to the turns she was making and ended up at an unfamiliar waterfall, one that was not yet marked on the map she and Mitchell had made many years ago.

After feeding Spitfire a shiny red apple, she chose a particularly tall tree to climb. Though the view was fantastic, she couldn't quite tell where she was.

The mountains were to her right, which meant she had to go the opposite way to get home. It would be a treacherous journey through the dense woods, but she was sure Spitfire could handle it. The rest was a sea of trees, which was quite strange, considering how usually she would be able to see the castle. Another one of the world's mysteries. She'd have to ask Blossom about this too, along with the water-deer.

Since Buttercup was fairly certain that she would be able to arrive home long before dinnertime, she decided to just relax for a while. She sat beneath the tree, feeling the cool breeze brushing across her cheek as she slowly drifted off.

Buttercup bolted upright, her knife brandished at the boy before her, who had a bewildered expression. He put his hands up and leaned back, away from the blade.

"Who are you?" She demanded, quickly standing up, making sure the knife was still pointed at his heart.

He blinked and rose slowly, obviously unaware of the terrible crime he had committed. "My name is Travis Storme. I'm from Gadrea." He flashed her a smile that probably melted the hearts of other girls. "And you?"

Buttercup looked him up and down quickly, taking in the messy dark hair, forest green gaze, and of course, the assortment of knives in his bandolier, reflecting off the sun.

She sneered at him. "Trying to be funny? Stop. You look like an idiot." She jabbed the knife upwards, slightly grazing the skin of his cheek. "Don't you know you're not supposed to spy on a woman when she sleeps? Especially someone of my importance?"

Travis frowned grabbed her hand. "Someone of your importance? Who are you, exactly?" She struggled against him, but his grip was like iron.

"You honestly don't know? You've never seen me before?" She asked, finally managing to yank her hand away. She raised her eyebrow and took a step forward.

He shrugged and grinned amicably. "Gadrea doesn't really feel the need to inform it's townsfolk of what's going on in other kingdoms. We don't exactly concern ourselves with your shenanigans."

She narrowed her eyes. This could be her chance. Buttercup slid her knife back in her belt and stretched out a hand. "In that case, Araceli Carleton of Selodia. Pleasure to meet you."

Travis's grin spread even wider, from ear to ear. He took her hand and shook it lightly. "Pleasure's mine." He took a step back and gave her a look-over. "So, you were saying something about how important you are? Who exactly are you?"

"Let's just say I'm a rather well-known person in my kingdom."

His dark green eyes glinted and she recognized something in them, yet couldn't put her finger on it. It made her a tad bit uncomfortable, but she brushed it off.

"Well, Araceli, what are you doing around here, anyway? I don't think I've ever seen anyone around these parts."

Buttercup's eyes flitted to the tree behind her, slight embarrassment welling up inside her, and laughed. "Actually, I'm kind of lost. Mind showing me the way back? I don't really feel like crawling through the thick mass of trees."

God is this embarrassing.

Travis shook his head and chuckled. "I can't show you the way back because I need to meet up with someone soon, but just go down this path," he pointed at the small trail she had come from. "turn left at the crossroads, then left again at the next, right, and go straight. You should arrive in about an hour or so."

"Thanks." She waved at him and hopped on her horse, shook the reins and was off. He waved at her too, before going the other way, towards his own kingdom.

He was okay, she decided, speeding past the trees. I mean, despite being a total pervert for creeping on a sleeping girl, he was pretty interesting.

Blossom sat in the bay window of the library, reading Man of Darkness, her all-time favorite book. She looked up through the window at her kingdom. Seeing the townsfolk roaming around, selling their goods and living their life made her smile.

She loved Selodia, and couldn't wait to come of age and become the queen, and she was sure the citizens would too. Not that her father was a bad ruler or anything, King Utonium was a great leader, but he had been king for many years already. Many long years, especially after her mother passed away. She shook her head, clearing her thoughts and focusing on her book once more, not wanting to remember those horrible times.

A few minutes later, something caught her eye. It was Buttercup, riding her horse back through the main gates. She sighed and closed the book, temporarily coming out of the world of magic and adventure, to face her disobedient sibling.

Taking a deep breath, she turned towards the library doors and exhaled, putting on a smile. She had to be a good example for Buttercup.

"Hey, Bossy-Blossy!" The dark haired girl exclaimed, raising a hand in greeting as she barged through the doors of the room she shared with her two siblings. Blossom frowned at the derogatory nickname her sister had given her. "By the way, I forgot that rabbit you wanted!"

"Well aren't you just a cheerful little bundle of joy. I hope you had fun doing whatever it is you usually do in the forests." She sighed, rolling her eyes a bit.

"Believe me, this was nothing like those other times, but yes, I had fun."

"Mm-hm. And what exactly was it that you did?"

Buttercup flopped onto her bed, with her boots still on, earning a stern glare from the redhead. She sighed and kicked them off.

"Eh. Just some stuff." She shrugged noncommittally. "Hey, do you know anything about water-creatures?"

Blossom raised an eyebrow and looked at her sister with an expression consisting of both confusion, curiosity, and a just a tiny tinge of disappointment.

"You mean… like fish?" She replied flatly, moving from the doorway to sit on her own rose-colored bedspread, across from her sister.

"No, no. Of course I know you know what fish are. God, I mean land animals that have the ability to bend like water. Creatures that have liquid-like properties." Buttercup explained to her as if she was trying to teach a toddler a very simple concept.

"Oh," Blossom breathed, as everything made a whole lot more sense. She blinked a couple times and then shook her head. "I'm afraid not. I can go check out some books in the Mythical Creatures and Magic section if you want, though?"

"Yeah. Thanks, sis."

Slowly, Blossom nodded and spoke up again, a bit tentatively, "Or… you can go read about them yourself?"

Her sister groaned and muttered what sounded like curse words under her breath. "Bloss. You know that's not my thing. I hate sitting in some tiny room, reading boring books. " She whined, slamming a fist against her mattress.

Blossom tried to keep calm, but she couldn't help the anger that crept into her voice. "You can't keep this up, Buttercup! You've got to do some actual work at some point in your life. Why not start now? You're sixteen, for heaven's sake. It's time you at least got a hobby like music, or art, or even writing poems! Just, something that shows you're an educated young woman."

Her sister's face hardened. She sat up abruptly, eyes focused on Blossom, ice cold. "What exactly do you mean by that? You know I never had a knack for any of those things! I've found something I'm good at that makes me feel free and alive, and you want to take it away from me?" She gestured wildly, her obsidian hair flying and lime green eyes tapered to mere slits.

"Of course not! I never said you should stop horseback riding or archery! Just that you should also find something you're good at that's more…appropriate for girls like us. I know how much you hate being restrained, and how much you want to spread your wings and just fly, but you can't. We can't. Not until our kingdom and everyone in it is safe and happy." Blossom sighed, leaning backward. "Now come on, you don't want to be late for dinner, do you?"

Buttercup slowly sat up and got off the bed. She raised her eyebrows at Blossom and slipped into a pair of canvas shoes, for she was too lazy to put on the boots she kicked to the corner a few minutes ago.

"Fine, but we better be having mince pies or I'm going back to the forest tomorrow." The door slammed shut after she walked out, causing one of Bubbles' paintings to fall off her shelf.

Sighing, the orange haired girl picked it up and put it where it belonged. Her sister could be such a drama queen. She opened the mahogany door, stepped into the hallway and closed it, taking one last look at the room she grew up in. They used to be so close, she and her sisters. Until their mother died. Buttercup spent most of her time in the woods and Bubbles at the hill overlooking the kingdom, leaving her to take charge and help her father with ruling. But she shouldn't be complaining. Selodia needed her.

Taking a deep breath, she put her smile on once more and walked down the stairs leading to the dining room.

"Father," Blossom nodded to him and sat down in her chair. Buttercup made a face and continued eating a mince pie. Bubbles kept her eyes down and put another spoonful of soup in her mouth.

King Utonium shook his head and sighed through his nose. This wasn't right."What happened to you girls?"

"I-" Bubbles whispered, but the King continued.

"I remember a time when our castle was filled with joy and laughter, but now it's dark and gloomy. I barely see you and Buttercup around anymore, Bubbles, and you're always in the library studying, Blossom." He put his fork down.

A small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he reminisced about the memories of his three daughters playing together, visiting other kingdoms, when his darling little Blossom still wore that ridiculously large hair bow of hers. Of course she still did have her signature red hair accessory, but she had toned it down to a regular ribbon that she fashioned into that demure bow every day, or on occasions where such a thing was considered childish and improper, weaved it into her hair.

Bubbles scrunched up her face, and Buttercup's grip on her fork tightened to the point that her knuckles turned white.

"Things change, Father," Blossom replied quietly.

"Hah! Things change?" The dark haired girl laughed, shaking her head and slamming her silverware down. "You want to know what changed me?" She spat. "Reality. That's what. Mother dying. The war between the kingdoms. My duties. Take your pick. Life isn't a fairy tale, Father. You of all people should know that!" The chair crashed onto the cold marble floor as she stood up. "Even if it was, it ended when Mother lay on her deathbed, gasping for breath, her life slowly draining away..."

Blossom nearly spit out the sliver of chicken she was chewing, "Buttercup that's no way to talk to your father! Apologize immediately!" She scolded. Even though she knew it was partially her fault for bringing up responsibilities and all that earlier, this was still unacceptable. Her sister turned around and sneered.

"And you. You think you're the perfect girl, great at everything, the best ruler this kingdom will ever have. Well, you're not. If you haven't been paying attention for the past two years, the kingdoms are at war. And you aren't helping! Not one bit, alright? Not one bit. Open your eyes for a change!" Buttercup yelled while pointing an accusing finger at Blossom.

"I'm leaving." She grabbed the platter of mince pies. "And I'm taking these."

Her heavy footsteps could be heard as she stormed away, muttering.

There was a tense moment of silence, and the idyllic grin that had broken over the King's features before was now gone. Blossom's throat burned, and she quickly took a gulp of water.

"She's lying, right? Fairy tales are real. There is such thing as happily ever after," Bubbles mumbled, looking up with big blue eyes.

Blossom smiled at her sister, knowing how upset she must be after all that, "Of course they are. Buttercup just has a short temper. I'm sure she didn't mean that." Bubbles nodded and breathed a sigh of relief, glad that the most reasonable one of the three agreed with her.

The truth was Blossom wasn't sure she believed in 'happily ever after' anymore, either. She desperately wanted to, but everything had gone downhill since her mother became ill seven years ago, when she and her sisters were nine. How had their life changed so much? How had it turned from a cheerful, beautiful story of joy and wonder into this harsh reality?

The first beta-ed chapter! I'm so glad I asked Timewriter and Antanomally for help! They made everything flow so much better, and spotted many errors in my writing! Thanks, guys!