Title: "Lessons"

Author: Wish Wielder

Fandom: Puchi Puri Yucie

Pairing / Character Focus: Yucie (Arc x Yucie implications)

Challenge: 15 Minute Fic

Theme / Prompt: Word #20

Word Count: 460

Rating: K / G

Summary: She had been born into the world, taken into nobility, and raised common. And now she was being turned into brilliance.

Notes: Post-series drabble, and pretty dang close to shameless fluff.

Disclaimer: "Puchi Puri Yucie" and all respective properties are © Takami Akai. Meg D. (Wish Wielder) does not, has never, nor will ever own "Puchi Puri Yucie".

"Lessons"

She didn't know what world she was born into, but she had been taken into the world of nobility. Partial nobility, that is. Her father – adopted father, but her father nonetheless – was a noble, a great hero of a time she knew nothing about. A time that he had readily abandoned after some occurrence, choosing instead to live the life of a peasant. A peasant with a nobleman's title. So she had been born into the world, taken into nobility, and raised common.

And now, at this crucial juncture of her life, she was being refined to brilliance.

She had already completed her training at the Princess Academy, and she had already been crowned the Platina Princess. Now she was on her second stint at the Academy, but being the Princess – and not just the Princess, but the woman could claim the crown prince of Erlsel as her suitor – seemed to require extra classes. She would occasionally have a part-time job, as was the Academy's requirement, but now her free time seemed to be filled with classes teaching her the delicacies of royalty.

'At a state dinner, do not place your fork here, and never leave it on your plate.' 'Do not slouch when you sit, and never walk like that. A leader must glide – glide, not tromp!' 'One must never run. You're waiting on them, not the other way around.' 'Such outlandish behavior is hardly befitting one of your status, Princess. You mustn't laugh at his…crude humorisms.'

So it was that the humanity was slowly beat out of her, being replaced instead by the Platina Princess, future queen of Erlsel. It was like a piece of coal forced through years of heat and pressure, transforming into a shining diamond through trials. All in the name of propriety.

But there were days she would get a break, and those were her favorite. She would leave the Academy gates to find him waiting outside on his horse, and with a knowing smile he'd offer his hand, and off they'd go. Living out their mini-adventures in the spirit of reckless abandonment, and once again she'd shrug off her title and simply become Yucie, a common farmgirl from the mountain region. Those were the days she felt most alive, when she was free to be whoever she wanted to be – decorum be damned.

They never lasted long enough, though, and soon enough she was back in some obscure part of the palace, being trained on proper dinner etiquette and the most respectful way to tell a neighboring country to sod off. She'd be trapped in her endless cycle of lessons, waiting for the next time her prince would sweep in for her rescue – for the next time she could just be Yucie again.

A.n.: Cut it a little under fifteen minutes (maybe twelve, thirteen minutes, give or take?), but I just couldn't bring myself to add more. It seemed perfect ending it like that. And I swear, I wasn't going to do any PPY with these 15MFs, since I have so many PPY claims in other thememunities, but when I saw the word (refine) it just screamed Yucie. Post-PPY Yucie that just seemed too perfect.