[Discontinued*] The Darling Princess [A Twisted Wonderland Fanfic]

Chapter 1

Her eyes blinked open slowly as if she was waking up for the first time in a hundred years. Her lips parted, taking a deep breath that expanded her lungs, and gingerly, she lifted her hand to try and figure out what was going on. Darkness encased her, trapping her within its cold embrace, save the velvet fabric that she could feel beneath her hand. She shut her eyes, deeming them useless in this... cage of sorts, and lifted one hand, pressing it against the board in front of her. Perhaps it was wood? The rough texture felt familiar beneath her fingertips, and the smell of dark oak made a small smile bloom on her lips. Yes, it was wood. The thing that she was familiar with. Thank goodness she could at least find comfort that the wood was something she recognized.

'Where am I,' she thought to herself. Moving her hands about the container, she was able to determine that she was in some sort of wooden box. But beyond that, she had little idea as to where she was. She wasn't aware of anything beyond what her name was.

"Y/N," she said quietly, her voice a whisper in the void. "Y/N Artem." How did she know that, but not where she came from. She lifted her hands in front of her and stared at them in the darkness, barely able to make out the faint outline of her fingers. A tingling sensation filled her hands, starting at the tips of her fingers, and slowly making its way down to her palms. She shut her eyes again and focused on the energy coursing through her skin, almost instinctively, and sighed. Her hands shut for a single moment before suddenly opening, both now glowing with a silver light. Her eyes opened and she laughed a little when she saw the light shining out of her palms.

'I still have my magic.' She frowned at the thought. Did she even have magic before this?

'Why can't I remember anything?'

Suddenly, a shaking sound filled the small space that Y/N was in, and though it didn't seem like it was coming from just outside of her little container ('Perhaps it's a coffin,' she thought.), it certainly was coming from close by.

"Crap! People are coming. Gotta get a uniform while..." The voice trailed off and Y/N shifted a little in her coffin to the side to try and hear what was going on. Pressing her ear against the side of the wood, wincing when she realised that there was a small cuff around the top of her ear which pinched horribly when she pressed up against the side, she was able to hear a little bit of what was going on next to her. It sounded like someone was trying to open something.

'Are there more coffins than just mine? Wait... am I supposed to be dead?!' Y/N started to panic and pressed her hands to her chest, feeling for her heartbeat. She could feel it pounding away like a drum beneath the smooth fabric covering her torso, which comforted her a little. She focused for a moment on trying to settle her heart, and once it was calm (or as calm as she could make it), she resumed her unladylike eavesdropping.

"The lid is too heavy," the voice said. From the higher pitch, Y/N assumed that it was a smaller person rather than a full-grown human. "Time for my secret move!"

Y/N jumped and let out a small scream as she heard a blast beside her, and though nothing hit her, she cowered against the other side of her coffin, suddenly thankful for the protection that the wooden box offered.

Someone yelled, and Y/N pressed her ear against the side of the coffin again.

"Okay, gotta get - Whaaa!" The first voice was back. "Why are you up?"

Y/N frowned and glanced down at herself. The light from her hands was still glowing, though much dimmer now that time had worn on, and she twitched her foot, trying to see if she was actually conscious. She was and she breathed a sigh of relief.

"A talking raccoon?!" This voice was noticeably deeper than the first voice.

"Just who are you calling a raccoon? I am the Great Grim!"