Eighteen years ago, Princess Elysia was born with immaculate beauty. People said she had one eye made of sapphire and the other of emerald. Her eyes were so precious that nobles traveled for days just to catch a glimpse of her, and mages claimed they could feel literal magic radiating from them.
The rumors spread so far that even a dragon caught wind of her. Wanting to add the ultimate prize to its hoard, the beast flew to the castle, tore through the roof, and snatched the baby straight from the queen's hands.
The king sent armies to rescue the princess, but the dragon burned them all to ash. It was a simple recruit named Ursula who finally managed to sneak into the cave. Jumping from a mountain of gold, she stabbed the dragon in the chest, killing it. During the fierce struggle, the dragon's fire caught half of Ursula's face, completely disfiguring her. After rescuing the baby, Ursula was named captain of the royal guard and Elysia's personal bodyguard.
As time passed, Elysia grew into a cheerful, mischievous young woman. Her magical eyes allowed her to perform minor miracles, like healing a hurt bird or making a flower bloom. Ursula, meanwhile, became a feared and respected captain, known for her intimidating appearance and stoic attitude. Yet, despite her terrifying exterior, she was incredibly soft and caring with Elysia in private. Deep down, she was just a shy woman, deeply self-conscious of her scars.
Elysia knew how Ursula truly felt and carried a heavy guilt, believing it was her fault the knight had been disfigured. She tried using her magical eyes to heal Ursula's burns, but it never worked. Ursula softly told her it was fine, but Elysia could hear the lingering sadness in her voice. She noticed how lonely the captain truly was. During royal balls, Ursula would stand guard and secretly mimic the ballroom steps, imagining someone was dancing with her. On her birthday, another guard had given her a simple flower. Ursula kept a stoic face when receiving it, but later, when she thought no one was looking, she tightly hugged the flower. Elysia wept, realizing Ursula desperately wanted to be loved and to feel pretty, but isolated herself out of fear and self-hatred.
So, one day, Elysia called Ursula to her private chambers. She asked the mature knight to look directly into her eyes. Ursula asked if she was trying to heal the burns again, but the princess replied she was trying something different this time. Ursula stared into the beautiful sapphire and emerald eyes for a few seconds. Then, she blinked.
Suddenly, she was looking right at her own half-burned face. Confused, she realized she was much shorter and wearing the princess’s royal gown. She gasped in absolute shock, while Elysia—now inhabiting Ursula's tall, scarred body—smiled warmly.
Elysia: "Suprise! I tought since i cant heal your burns, then i could just give you a face without them....mine!"
Ursula: "Princess this is madness! Swap us back!"
Elysia: "Aww...come on, this is fun!....i just want you to feel pretty for once...and i can feel strong being you!"
Elysia turned to the mirror, making funny expressions with her newly burned face before picking up Ursula's heavy sword and striking a heroic pose. Ursula stepped forward to stop her, but then her eyes caught her own reflection. Elysia's gorgeous, flawless face stared back at her. Tears welled in her eyes; it had been so long since she had seen a normal face looking back at her.
Elysia smiled softly, telling her that wasn't all she had planned. The princess marched to the chamber doors and called for the specific guard who had given Ursula the flower. Pretending to be the stoic captain, Elysia ordered the confused guard to look after the "princess" for the entire day, demanding he treat her with the utmost care and make her feel as loved and pretty as a true lady should.
The guard, though bewildered, nodded and politely offered his arm to Ursula. Ursula blushed furiously, looking up at her own beautiful face, while Elysia simply winked.