Chapter One:

Once upon a time, there lived a princess named Lieselotte. She lived in the kingdom of Kiyalde. She was a very beautiful princess. Her heart was kind. The kingdom's people loved her dearly. However, there was a pair of people that hated her very being.

King Philippe of Kiyalde had two wives. The first wife became his wife through an arranged marriage. The second wife was the one that the king loved. so it was always the second wife that was always by the king's side. The first wife bore the king's first child. It was a girl. The first queen named her Rose, so that she would grow up to become as beautiful as a rose. Five years after Rose was born, the second queen gave birth to a lovely daughter. The second queen named her Lieselotte because she thought that name was pretty despite the fact that it sounded like a witch's name.

The king feared that Lieselotte would grow up to be a witch, so he did not make her crown princess. He had Rose become the crown princess. As the princesses grew, Rose became as beautiful as a rose. The kingdom's people believed her to be kind, but they failed to notice Rose's thorns. Rose, deep inside, was evil and selfish. However, Lieselotte grew to be even more beautiful than Rose. Her smile was brighter than hers and she gave more than Rose did. So the kingdom's people ended up liking Lieselotte more than Rose. The king, realizing that Lieselotte would never become a witch, renounced Rose's title and made Lieselotte the crown princess.

Rose and the first queen were deeply offended by the action. The first queen tolerated the king's indifference to her all because he was making Rose the next queen. Rose grew up thinking she would soon inherit her father's power and soon all of that was stripped away easily. The pair that hated Lieselotte's very being were obviously Rose and the first queen.

"Lieselotte!" the second queen, Queen Jillian cried out as she burst into the library.

Lieselotte looked up from her book.

"What is it, Mother?" she asked.

"I have prepared for you a wonderful surprise!" Queen Victoria said with a pleased smile.

Before anything else could be said, a maid came in and whispered in the ear of the queen. The queen's smile faded with a slightly sad look on her face.

"Never mind!" Queen Victoria said, "You will forget this conversation, Lieselotte!"

She swept elegantly out of the library.

"It'll be difficult to forget. I'm curious now." Lieselotte sighed.

"That is not very princess-like. You must follow your mother's orders regardless of what they may be." a voice said.

Princess Rose emerged from behind a bookshelf.

"Oh! Princess Rose! How did you get in here?" Lieselotte asked.

She and Princess Rose knew as well as the whole entire kingdom that the two were not allowed to be alone together because the king suspected that Princess Rose hated Lieselotte and would plot her death.

"I went through the window. No one saw me come in." Princess Rose sneered.

"Princess Rose, this is so cliché. Can't we just be friends?" Lieselotte sighed.

"No! Even if we are friends, I will not be queen!" Princess Rose snapped, "Never mind how cliché the jealous stepsister is! At least I won't get caught!"

"And how can you pull off killing me? You will be the prime suspect." Lieselotte pointed out.

The library doors closed and locked mysteriously.

"I have studied witchcraft ever since you took my title." Princess Rose began.

"Then you must not be very good at it because that was not very long ago." Lieselotte interrupted.

Princess Rose glared at Lieselotte.

"So what?" she snapped, "I know just about enough. I managed to create a temporary body double of me that is outside acting exactly like me and mingling with others as we speak."

She pointed at Lieselotte.

"Now I shall place a curse on you!" she cried out.

There was a bright flash. Lieselotte gasped as she felt a sharp pain that spread all around her body. Her bones felt like they were crunching together. Her body felt like it was burning. Lieselotte wanted to cry out in pain, but the pain was too much for her that she found that she couldn't even cry out.

Eventually, the pain stopped. Lieselotte realized that her clothes felt loose. She couldn't figure out where here sleeves were anymore. It was as if her clothes had gotten bigger. Lieselotte noticed that the world around her had gotten bigger too. The bookshelves loomed over her more than they should.

"Hmm… I think I placed the wrong curse on you." Princess Rose said with a frown.

Lieselotte stood up and she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the window.

"Ehhh! I'm a kid! I look like I'm about four to six years old!" she exclaimed as she stumbled in her mess of clothes to the window.

"The curse was supposed to make you do the opposite of everything you wanted to do. So if you wanted to do a kind action, you'll do the opposite." Princess Rose sighed, "Then the king will realize you are evil and then he'll give the title back to me."

"That's terrible!" Lieselotte gasped, "Wouldn't that kind of curse make me not go to the bathroom when I want to go to the bathroom!"

"What the hell! Why do you always ruin the atmosphere with some comedic line!" Princess Rose cried out, "Never mind. I can still put an end to you!"

Lieselotte felt her body float in the air.

"When you are concentrating, you have a very funny face." Lieselotte remarked.

She suddenly fell from the air.

"Be quiet! I can't concentrate!" Princess Rose complained.

Lieselotte opened her mouth to say something, but the large windows of the library flew open and Lieselotte was flying right out of the window before a word could come out of her mouth. Lieselotte felt the cold air rushing into her clothes that were way to big for her. she ended up falling into the lake outside the castle.

The splash hurt. Lieselotte struggled to keep herself afloat despite the pain. She found that she couldn't swim in her heavy garments. She struggled to get out of them. The taste of the water was disgusting. Lieselotte started to panic. She didn't want to die in such foul tasting waters! She was tangled in her clothes. She felt so weak. Lieselotte could no longer feel the surface of the lake with her outstretched hand. The cold waters were dragging her down. Lieselotte felt heavy. The sun started to disappear. She needed to breathe, but she couldn't. She didn't want such foul waters in her system.

As Lieselotte felt herself losing consciousness, she felt hands grab her body and she was being dragged through the water. Lieselotte felt her head surface and she gulped in the sweet air. Then she started to throw up the foul water. She felt herself being carried through the lake. Once she reached land, Lieselotte was lifted onto the land. She tried to focus her eyes on her savior. The blurred image began to clear, and Lieselotte saw a pretty girl with green hair and greenish skin. There were scales on her neck and some on her face.

"I…I thought mermaids only lived in the ocean." Lieselotte choked, her voice hoarse.

"I am a mermaid, byt I am the type that dwells in lakes." Lieselotte's savior said, "The ocean mermaids are very snobby and only care about human men. We are the opposite. We are kind and love to help others. However, humans are scary and we try not to show up before them."

"So you have a family in this lake?" Lieselotte asked.

The mermaid nodded.

"I saved you because I thought that it was such a waste that such a young human such as yourself should die." she said, "Please do not tell anyone of our being here. That is the only favor I ask for saving your lie."

"I promise." Lieselotte said, "I won't say a word."

The mermaid looked pleased.

"I must go." she said, "I will be missed and I will get into a lot of trouble if it is known that I revealed myself to a human."

Lieselotte gave a nod.

"Thank you very much." she said.

The mermaid disappeared into the waters. Lieselotte stood up and threw off most of her clothes. She only kept one layer to wear as a cloak. she had to find more decent clothes.

Lieselotte was far away from the castle now. She was in the forest. She walked for a long time, not knowing where she was going. She felt cold and uncomfortable because she was barefoot since her shoes fell off in the beginning because they were too big for her current body. She was soaking wet from the adventure in the lake. She didn't know how long she had been walking when she came upon a cottage.

Feeling hopeful, Lieselotte went to the cottage and knocked on the door. She decided to leave her life to the hands of fate. The people who lived in the cottage could be terrible people, but there's a possibility they would help her. If Lieselotte didn't get help soon, she'd die in the forest.

"Coming!" a man's voice called out from inside the cottage.

The door opened. The man was beautiful with long, silvery hair. He looked confused. he couldn't see Lieselotte because she was so tiny.

"I'm here, sir." Lieselotte answered with a small voice.

The man looked down in surprise.

"Oh! What is a cute little girl like you doing out here? You're soaking wet! Come in, let me get you something warm to wear!" he cried out as he immediately ushered Lieselotte into the cottage before she could say a word.

"Who was at the door, Shiro?" someone asked.

Another man appeared. He had dark hair and a dark complexion with a serious face. He looked nothing like his carefree companion.

"It's a little girl, Kuro." the man, Shiro, said, "We must help her."

The dark-haired man looked at Lieselotte skeptically but he gave a nod.

"Alright." he agreed.

Shiro had Lieselotte wait in a room. He left to get her some dry clothes. When he returned, he gave her the dry clothes to wear.

"Here you are." he said.

"Thank you very much for your hospitality." Lieselotte said as she took the clothes.

"You're welcome." Shiro answered with a smile.

When he left, Lieselotte put on the clothes. They fit perfectly. Lieselotte was surprised with how cute the dress was. What were two men living in the middle of the forest doing with a dress fit for a noble's child? It was adorable!

Shiro returned. When he saw her, he smiled.

"You're so cute!" he squealed as he hugged her briefly, "Now, let's get you something to eat. We'll hear your story after you've eaten."

So they ate. Kuro ate with them. When they were done eating, they settled down in comfortable seats so that Lieselotte could tell her story.

"What is your name?" Kuro asked.

"Lieselotte wanted to give a fake name since they would be suspicious if she used her real name, but Lieselotte found that she couldn't lie. When she tried to say a fake name, she said her real name.

"Lieselotte." she answered.

Then she realized that they must have put a truth potion in the food that she ate. If she didn't want them to know something, all she had to do was stay silent. She couldn't try to lie or she'd just tell the truth. These men weren't ordinary carpenters or woodsmen.

"Lieselotte? Isn't that the name of the princess?" Shiro remarked.

"Yes." Lieselotte answered.

"But you are too young to be the princess." Kuro replied, "She is sixteen right now. You look no older than five."

"But I am the princess." Lieselotte answered.

"That's impossible!" Kuro cried out.

"I cannot lie." Lieselotte pointed out.

"Ah, that is because of the truth potion that Kuro slipped into your food. We wanted to make sure you told the truth." Shiro said apologetically, "You seemed a little suspicious."

"I did appear with clothing way too big for me." Lieselotte said, "I was cursed by Princess Rose. Apparently she is studying witchcraft. She did the wrong curse on me so I am stuck like this and I can't go back like this because no one will believe it is me."

"Princess Rose is studying witchcraft?" Kuro repeated.

Lieselotte nodded.

"Well, we won't be able to do much to help you. We are wizards. We only use elemental magic that is created by our wands. Witches rely on curses and potions." Shiro sighed, "The truth potion we used on you was actually from Kuro's sister."

"What a shame." Lieselotte said.

"But we know of a powerful witch that might be able to help you." Kuro added, "Her name is Ismaritote."

"Why are witches' names always so long?" Shiro remarked, "I have to wonder."

"You always ask that every time I mention a witch's name." Kuro sighed and then he turned back to Lieselotte, "Anyways, she lives in the Sezariel Kingdom. She lives in the woods right beside the castle of the king of Sezariel."

"Oh! The Sezariel Kingdom is right next to the Kiyalde Kingdom! I have nothing to lose, so I should just travel there!" Lieselotte remarked.

"Well, it's not very wise considering your appearance." Kuro said.

"I can manage." Lieselotte said with a confident smile, "I've got to undo this curse. I can't let Princess Rose win."

"Well if you are insistent, then let me give you a gift." Shiro said, "My mother was a witch. She always wanted a daughter, but she never lived to see her."

Shiro disappeared and then came back with a cute bunny doll.

"This doll has a zipper on its back." he explained as he turned it to show Lieselotte, "When you open it, you can pull out dresses. It holds an infinite amount of dresses. Just be sure to drop beautiful items in here to fuel it. Jewels make the jinx last for years. Basically flowers will do. Water is good too, just not murky or dirty water. Leaves are beautiful objects as well. The doll will accept it when you drop it in and the flash will be blue. If it is red, then it will spit back what you dropped in."

"Wow! That's amazing! Are you sure you can give me such a gift?" Lieselotte asked.

"Yes. It only makes girl clothes. Kuro and I do not have such a hobby as wearing girls' clothes.' Shiro laughed as he gave Lieselotte the bunny.

She hugged it.

"She's adorable! I'll name her Lotte." Lieselotte said.

"What a cute name." Shiro remarked.

"Shiro… I sense the presence of two people. They are approaching the cottage." Kuro replied.

Just as he said that there was a knock.

"Coming!" Shiro cried out and then he grinned at Kuro, "My, my, we are having quite a lot of visitors today. How rare.'

Lieselotte followed him to the door. Shiro opened the door. Two handsome men stood outside. One was more handsome than the other though. The taller one had beautiful golden hair and striking green eyes. The other man had black hair that was tied back. he wore glasses and had a serious face.

"I apologize for the intrusion." the serious-looking man said, "It has become dark in the forest and my companion and I have lost our way. May we stay for the night? We will leave first light."

"Where might you be headed? I may be able to give directions when you leave." Shiro answered.

"The Kiyalde Palace." the handsome man answered, "That is where we are heading."

"I'm going there too! I have to leave a note for my parents or they'll think I'm dead." Lieselotte put in.

"Hmm… then in return for your stay here, you both will have to escort this young lady to the palace." Shiro said.

"Very well." the serious man said.

"Gilbert, I really don't want to babysit a brat." the handsome man sighed.

"Worry not, your Highness, I will be responsible for her well-being." the serious man promised.

"Well, we seem to have a deal." Shiro said as he let the men in, "Allow me to tell you both now that I live here with a companion and that we are both wizards. There are jinxes everywhere so avoid touching things."

"I have no interest in poor men's belongings." the handsome man said as he walked ahead of them and disappeared into the living room where Kuro waited.

"I apologize for Prince Vivael." the serious man said, "I will have a word with him later about his attitude."

"I bet this isn't the first time." Lieselotte giggled.

The serious man's eyes flashed at Lieselotte, but he did not say anything.

"Ah. I've heard of that narcissistic prince." Shiro said, "You must be Gilbert. His faithful servant and the only man that can scold that prince and get away with it."

"What business do you men have in the palace?" Lieselotte asked.

"Prince Vivael had agreed to be engaged to Princess Lieselotte." Gilbert said, "But unfortunately we got lost in the forest and we are a day behind."

Lieselotte suddenly remembered when her mother had rushed into the library. She realized what her surprise was. It was a marriage to a handsome man. Lieselotte was not pleased. She didn't care for such a terrible attitude. She would strongly disagree with a marriage between her and Prince Vivael.

"I see." was all she sai0 though.

They entered the living room. They arranged who would sleep where. Lieselotte got to sleep in the spare bed in the living room. Prince Vivael got to sleep on the couch. his servant had to sleep on the floor. Shiro and Kuro slept in their room that they shared together.

When it was time for bed, everyone settled down in their places. The night would have been peaceful, but it was difficult to ignore the noises coming out of Shiro's and Kuro's room.

"I will never understand what will make a man thrust their cock into another man's ass." Prince Vivael remarked.

"Prince, such talk is not good before a child. At least wait until she's asleep." Gilbert hissed.

"Someone like you who loves women will never understand gay men even if your life depended on it." Lieselotte answered.

"Eh? So you understand that kind of talk?" Gilbert asked Lieselotte with a bewildered tone of voice.

"I may look like a kid, but I'm not stupid." Lieselotte answered, "Besides, I probably won't be able to sleep until they quiet down in that room anyways."

"You don't' sound like a bratty kid at all." Prince Vivael remarked, "You're just bratty."

"That's enough, Prince. No point in arguing with her. she is right. A man such as yourself will never be able to understand gay men." Gilbert said.

"I think they are kind people." Lieselotte answered, "What their sexual preferences are doesn't matter at all."

"they've quieted down now. Let's all get some sleep." Gilbert said quickly.

No one said anything after that.