Princess Yuri and the Other World

I stared into the man’s eyes. “Yes,” I said, handing over my crown. It is possibly the most valuable thing in the whole kingdom. But in my eyes, it's priceless. Or was. I took a deep breath. "Are you sure you want this, Princess Moon ?" the man asked. I took in his dull brown clothes and poor health, realizing for the first time, that this might be a fraud.

But I trusted him. Even though the man was a prisoner, an old

one, he seemed like someone I could trust. Even though people called him crazy - the guards, the prisoners... Could I trust him ? Such were the difficult decisions of a princess.

And so, I didn't blink as I said, "It's Princess Yue, not 'Moon', Princess Yuri to you. And yes, I do want this." The man

shrugged. I gathered my dress, a yellow and pink mix with small flowers and three thin layers underneath. My anklet boots are a simple yet elegant gray -bright, but toned down. I nodded at the man, prepared for anything. Or so I thought.

The man removed a sparkling blue gem from the middle of the

crown and placed it into a gauntlet. I remember bringing it for him only a few days ago - when we first met. I watched as he poured water into it from the bottle I had brought. And then he drank it. I stared at him, unsure what to do. That was my late mother's crown's jewel's water that he was drinking!

But then, no amount of princess training could prepare me for

what he did next. He spat it out (I had a feeling it didn't taste good - the crown hadn't been touched in years) and the wall he sprayed turned blue. I gasped. He pushed me towards the whirlpool of sparkly blue amongst the darkness of the cell. I glanced back one last time, and then stepped in.

___________________________________________

I tumbled out into a crowd. Where was I ? I had learnt to

be patient and controlled, and my training took over. I looked around for something, anything, to point out where I was. I could see signs and many people, moving around and taking things in - taking things in. I could see from the familiar look of wonder on the people's face, that this place was a market.

I thanked my father for sending me off under disguise at the

local market to see how our people were doing. Father. I thought again, if this was a good idea. Was trusting a prisoner to travel into another - unknown - dimension a good idea ? I was about to find out.

I saw a door and slipped inside. I turned around to find chaos

at its best. It was beautiful. I could see food carried on trays, people in uniforms, people sitting down and chatting - even children running around! What kind of place is this ? Don't they have someone telling them what to do ? I stepped forward, eager to explore more, but I tripped. "Ouch!" I cried. I had crashed into someone! "Oops! Sorry!" The boy replied. He was staring at my dress, now covered in a pink cream with cherries and rainbow sprinkles.

"I'm so sorry! Come, I'll get you a seat and some fresh

clothes." the boy dragged me by my arm to an empty table and ran off.

I was surprised, to say the least. He must have behavioral issues, I decided. As I waited, I looked around. People were wearing all sorts of odd clothes. I saw over-dressed pirates and small children with horns on their heads that kept falling off. I watched one of the Unicorn Children approach me cautiously.

Her face burst into a smile and she stuck out her hand. "Hi! I'm a unicorn! My name's Una, what's yours ?" she seemed so harmless that I didn't know how to reply. "You do have a name right?" I was so surprised that I jumped to my feet. The boy had come back. I

was about to demand an answer as to what was going on when a man appeared behind him. "You will have to excuse my children. I am Jo, father of Una here and Harry. I am told you need some . help." the man - Jo - petted his children's heads. I stared at him for what seemed a long time before nodding.

He sat down at the chair in front of me, motioning for me to do

the same. I slipped into the chair gracefully and waited for him to speak. I took in his apron and his son's uniform - a white blouse and black pants. Una sported a pink tutu with wings and a white horn. What odd clothing.

Jo spoke up, "Where are your parents ?" he asked. He

did not know. Perhaps I really was in another dimension. One where no-one knew. "My mother . . . passed away. And my father . . " My voice broke. I could only imagine the distress he was facing. I could feel tears forming and blinked them back. Taking a deep breath, I continued, "He . . . He's at home." I whispered the last word. Home.

This was a bad idea. I should go back. But I couldn't! The man

said I couldn't. That there was no way. What had I gotten myself into ?

I felt sick. Homesick. I wanted to run away. The bright room

suddenly felt claustrophobic and the smiling people reminded me of what I had lost by leaving. Was this how my life was going to be ? No, I decided. I was going to find a way back. But how ?

The first thing I’ll do is research. After all, there has to be some sort of theory out there that I can follow. I already had my proof – me. But, in the meantime, I had to get out of here. I couldn’t face these people anymore.

“What’s your name ?” the man – Jo – asked. I couldn’t believe I had forgotten! My governess would kill me for forgetting my manners. “I’m Pri- I mean Yuri. Yuri Kana.” I’m not a princess here.

“Well, Yuri, it’s lovely meeting you. Would you like me to get you some dry clothes ?” At that, I glanced down at my ruined dress. There was no way I could go around wearing this. “Yes please.” Jo went in search for clothes while I remained seated. Harry took his dad’s place and began talking.

“Are you from around here ? I haven’t seen you before. I know everyone who lives here. Where were you born ? I’m born here in Ferritin.” Ferritin. Kingdom Ferritin. If this place was anything like my home, then getting back was perhaps, easier than I’d first imagined.

“What is this place ?” I asked. I wasn’t exactly sure where I was talking about. Just that I needed to know where I was. “This is the castle. It’s was once a castle but now it’s a shopping mall. Biggest tourist attraction ever. It’s in pretty good shape too. I thought you knew that. Isn’t that why you came here ?” Tourist attraction ? Castle ?  “Uh…yeah. I meant ‘what is this place ?’ “ I waved my arms around to indicate I was talking about the shop.

“Oh. Well, this is an ice-cream shop. Best ice-cream shop there-“ He was interrupted by another voice. “Oh, really ? And I’m the king of the world! My ice-cream stand is the best there is. Come on, miss. I’m sure you don’t want to spend any more time here.” The boy had slick black hair and a fancy jacket. Bully, I thought. I’ll show you.

I stood up. “I don’t understand. Harry’s shop is a shop. Didn’t you just say you own a stand ? So, technically, Harry’s shop is the best shop. And your cart- I mean stand,  is the best stand. And why would you be the king of the world just because Harry said his shop is the better than yours ? And who gave you the permission to just assume where I would be more comfortable ? If you don’t mind, I’m perfectly comfortable staying here.” I took a deep breath. Partly because I was worried about what would happen next, but also because I just said a lot of words and I needed more air. I tried not to fidget since I had never really stood up to a bully, much less a boy. I didn’t want to seem weak.

The boy wasn’t angry – just annoyed. He grunted and walked off. “Suit yourself, nerd.” He called over his shoulder. I turned to Harry. “What’s a nerd ?” I asked.