Damsel

by PhoenixFire Lia

Wow! So much positive feedback and this story's been up for what, a day? Well, because I hate surprises as much as the rest of you, here's the other half to the story!

1. Friendship

Damsel

Medieval fics. Somehow we're drawn to them like mosquitoes to a Bug Zapper. Have fun reading this, because it's got everything a good medieval fic should have: romance, magic, humor, Sorato, me.

You?

Yep, I'm making a cameo appearance. Find me and win absolutely nothing!

            Not every prince wears shining armor and rides a snow-white steed. Not every hero carries a sword that can pierce the hide of the fiercest dragon. Not every princess is under a spell that can be broken with love's first kiss. Not every damsel you meet is in distress, and sometimes it's you who needs the rescuing more.

Embers glowed a shimmering red in the great maw of the smithy's furnace, tongs heating in that fiery beast to white-hot. Buckets of stagnant water were strewn about the workshop, which forever smelt of smoke and brimstone. As far back as he could remember, the blacksmith's forge had always provoked visions of a dragon's lair. Yamato laughed inwardly, remembering his foolish days as a youth as he plunged a smoking horseshoe into a bucket of water, smoke spewing towards the ceiling with an angered hiss. His father was the local blacksmith, one of a kind, and he had the fortune, or sometimes misfortune, of being his apprentice.

            "Hurry up, Yamato. Desdemona isn't going to shoe herself," his father chided, picking up his sledge again. The slender boy nodded, pushing chin-length blonde hair out of sapphire eyes with sooty fingers. He picked the shoe out of the water bucket and grabbed a small hammer and a few tacks. The horse, a mare whom many in the village claimed was possessed by the devil, did not enjoy having her leg hoisted into the air and taken between the knees by a creature much smaller than herself. She whickered in distain and gave the boy a sharp kick to the gut, sending him clear across the room.

"That horse," he wheezed, "puts the 'demon' in Desdemona."

Master Masaharu chuckled, leaning his hammer against the anvil. "Are you all right, boy?"

"I'll survive. But I think I'll hobble across the street and see if Jyou can make the ringing in my ears stop."

            Venturing across a crowded village street was a challenge of itself, and when one has just been kicked by a hell-horse, things can get quite unbearable. Townsfolk ambling through the market clogged the road, already crowded by the merchants and their carts and stalls. Fortunately for young Yamato the apothecary and village healer, one of his best friends, left his door wide open for days when the young smith had to bolt across the street. Jyou was waiting for him just inside the door, a vial of some horrid-looking potion clasped in his hands.

"Another mishap, Yamato?"

The teenager grinned and collapsed into the cushioned chair positioned by the hearth, his arms folded across his stomach. "Aye, why else would I visit you?"

"What did you do to yourself today?" the older boy sighed, going to his shelves of medicines. "Burn your hand with another poker?"

"Nah, kicked by Desdemona, the devil's steed. I've a bruise the size of a dinner plate to prove it, too."

Jyou shook his head in disgust, pulling out a paper packet from among a box of them.

"That horse is nothing but trouble. Let me just see if this is the right stuff. How many fingers am I holding up?"

Yamato squinted. "Six?"

"Two. This is the stuff, all right. I'll brew it up right away. Glory, she must have sent you clear into the next kingdom!"

"Just about," Yamato mumbled ruefully.

            As the young apothecary turned to pour the packet of herbs into a mug, Yamato untied his apron strings and made himself a bit more comfortable in the chair, wincing with every movement.

"Ah, did you hear the news from the capital?"

"What news, Jyou?"

The healer handed off a steaming mug, which Yamato drained in a single gulp, grimacing at the bitter aftertaste.

"The princess is returning from her studies abroad in a fortnight. Her parents are having a royal cotillion for her, all the prominent figures of state will be there."

The blonde smith sighed, running a finger along the rim of the mug. "Don't you wish we could go? Meet a princess, or at least her fair courtiers? Instead we're here, a lowly blacksmith's apprentice and the village apothecary. At least you had full training at University."

            Jyou laughed at his younger friend, tossing him another package of herbs.

"Take another mug of this before you bed tonight. As for your cotillion, I believe there's a way I can get you there. Meet me here on the morrow, not that I need to tell you that anyways considering how often you get yourself injured."

"Aye, I'll see you on the morrow then, Jyou. Thank you for all your aid."

"Of course, Yamato. You're more of a brother than my own flesh-and-blood brothers."

~*~

            In the capital city of the kingdom, in the royal palace, two of the princess's best friends and courtiers took their afternoon walk in the sun garden, parasols poised over their bare shoulders.

"I can't believe the princess will be coming home so soon! It seems like she's been away forever!"

The other girl nodded. "Aye, she'll come back and the squires will be all over her. She's of their age, you know."

Mimi, daughter of the Duke of Nerima, smiled as she replied, "I heard the squires are having a tourney in University, winner gets to dance with her at the cotillion."

Sora, daughter of the Baron of Nagasaki, nodded. "The winner will be so banged up after that they'll have to dance in the healers' wing at University."

Mimi giggled and motioned to a nearby page. "Be a lamb and bring us two mugs of chilled cider, if you please."

The page, a slender boy of twelve with hair the color of corn silk and icy blue eyes, nodded and scampered off towards the kitchen.

            "Now, that one looked familiar. Which page is he?" Sora asked.

"Oh, he's Takeru, from the house of Takaishi. Sweet kid, he is."

"Is he the one who launched Daisuke from the Motomiya line into the duck pond during a joust practice this morning?"

"Aye, that is the one. The Motomiya boy's sister Jun claims her brother was making an advance on him."

"Oh?!"

Mimi giggled again, sitting on a small granite bench nearby. Her best friend sat beside her, staring at the perfectly blue sky overhead.

            "Page Takeru comes from an odd sort of family, I'm told. His mother is the heiress to a large county to the south, and his father's a blacksmith in the village outside the capital."

"Does the Countess actually live with the blacksmith?" Sora gasped.

"Nay, she and he had a secret divorce when the lad was young. She lives on her estate."

"But then if the boy is here at University going through knights' training, then when the father dies, who will inherit the smithy?"

Mimi grinned brazenly. "An older brother. One that apparently teaches the stars to shine in the heavens."

"That beautiful?"

"Aye, and sings like a lark too."

The boy returned with the drinks promptly, issuing a small bow to the courtiers.

"Page Takeru?" Mimi questioned as he made his leave.

"Milady?"

"Nice work on dumping that boy into the duck pond. His sister said that hot head of his needed a cooling."

The boy blushed and nodded, this time leaving indefinitely.

            Sora took a sip of the spiced beverage, glancing at the clock tower on the north end of the castle.

"It'll be quite a cotillion when the princess returns. Do you think any of the squires will dance with us?"

"It's certain they'll try. One of the girls, Hikari of the house of Yagami says her brother Squire Taichi has been eyeing you for months now."

Sora rolled her eyes. "I'd be better off with the blacksmith's boy."

"What do you think a boy like him would be doing this moment?"

"Probably standing before a hot fire, face glowing with perspiration as he hammers red-hot iron with a two-ton sledge, biceps rippling."

"Oh! Oh, scandalous! You'll be carted off to mass for thoughts like that, Sora!" Mimi giggled, nearly falling off the bench.

~*~

            Yamato lit the furnace fires and broke his fast quickly, eager to get to the apothecary's and hear Jyou's plan. When his father finally woke, there was nothing left of his son except for a few discarded dishes leftover from his meal. Jyou was finishing his own breakfast when a sharp rap sounded on his sturdy front door.

"It's open!" he called, gulping the last quarter of a glass of cider.

"Good morrow to you, Jyou."

"Same to you, Yamato. I'm sure you've been up long before that cock started his crowing, eager to hear of my conniving plot."

Yamato shook his head with amusement. "You know me all too well, Jyou. So, is this a plan proportionate to the great Brothers Grimm?"

Jyou laughed, getting up from his table and heading over to a great sea chest by the wall.

"Not nearly as magical. You know my two older brothers, Shim and Shuu?"

"How can I forget them? Two of the king's youngest and greatest of knights!"

"That's them, not to mention two of the cruelest older brothers to walk the streets of this town; they took great delight in playing pranks on me as a youngster. I believe their best venture was taking the glass from the inside of my specs so I walked around University for a day blind as a bat."

Jyou tapped the side of his glasses, winking at his younger friend. "Anyway, they gave me all their hand-me-down livery, in hopes that I'd become a knight one day too. Imagine their chagrin when I was seen in healer's livery. I was thinking that you could fit into their squire livery and impersonate a University student. You'll blend in with the other squires, and leave after the cotillion is through. No one will ever catch you!"

"Jyou, it's a perfect plan!" Yamato cried. "But I fear I will get caught. My younger brother Takeru is a page in University, and if he sees me…"

"He won't! Cotillions are so crowded with courtiers and nobility that one could never see over all those powdered wigs and frilly dresses. You'll be perfectly fine. And I believe I'll slip into one of my own sets of healer's attire and join you. One must seize the day, isn't that so?" The older young man held up a tunic of cobalt blues, silvers, and blacks.

"I believe this one is in the best condition. Fortunately for us the royal family has had the same sets of uniform for seven generations."

"Aye, it is. This shall be our greatest adventure, Jyou. We'll go down in history as the commoners who won the hearts of the fairest of ladies, and maybe even the Crown Princess herself!"

~*~

            The next few days flew by as though borne on a summer breeze. The servants in the palace were bustling to prepare everything for the cotillion, which was drawing closer with every slow tick of the clock in the great clock tower. The kitchen staff slaved over hot stoves preparing exotic dishes that would be presented with great gusto before the royal family. Flowers were carted in from halfway around the globe and strewn about the great ballroom. And among all the hustle and bustle, there was still the dresses that had to be sewn and embroidered and altered at least ten times.

"I swear, those girls must have punctured me with their pins," Mimi groaned, examining her porcelain-white skin for any contusion.

"And if I have to stand on another stool, I swear by bell, book, and candle I'll take a lance to someone!" Sora exclaimed.

~*~

            Before anyone knew it, the morning of the cotillion, and the day of the princess's return, had arrived. Yamato was sick with anticipation; barely able to concentrate on the porridge he was stirring. Hours flew by, and he hardly noticed when he dropped a pot of molten iron onto the workroom floor. The blaring fanfare of a chorus of trumpets stopped all work in the village dead cold as the entire township lined the main street to wait for the princess's carriage to pass. And pass it did, with a parade of magnanimous proportions. Yamato stood near Jyou, watching in awe as the procession rode by, never once seeing a glimpse of the princess.

"She's my age, you know," Yamato said smugly.

"Like she would fall for a common 'prentice. Hey, look, there are my brothers!"

Shim and Shuu, full-fledged knights under the king's service home from patrol on the borders, waved to their youngest brother from atop their mounts, a pair of bays with steely glares.

"Perfect matches for old Desdemona, eh?"

Yamato laughed and nodded. "Her little souvenir hasn't faded quite yet either."

"Well, come on then. We have a cotillion to dress for."

"Indeed we do. Let me see if I can make up some harebrained excuse to my father and I'll be over in a few."

"Right."

~*~

            Sora and Mimi were standing in the same bedchamber; both with servants bustling to slide thirty lace petticoats apiece up the slender waists of the Duchess-heir and Baroness-heir. Each girl shivered, gooseflesh prickling their bare arms as they waited for the next piece of clothing to be fastened into place.

"Please don't pull out a corset!" Mimi whispered under her breath.

Just as the servants were scrambling to fix a loose hem at the sleeve of one of the bodices, the doors slammed open in the boudoir. A travel-weary girl stormed into the room, her hair frizzy from a long, humid ride. The staff fell upon the ground in prostration, and the girls could do no more than bow their heads in reverence as they were so weighted down by their underclothes.

"Your Highness," they murmured as one.

"What's this I hear that the squires are challenging each other to a tourney, with me as the prize?" she demanded with mock fury.

"Aye, Milady, last I heard Taichi Yagami had won the joust," Sora stated.

"By the Heavens, I'd sooner dance with a devil than with him! Last I danced with Taichi of Yagami my poor feet were bruised for many a month!" the princess groaned.

"Highness, we must prepare you for the cotillion. Come along," one of the ladies-in-waiting chided.

"I'll see you two later!"

"Aye, Milady!"

            Mimi lifted her arms as her team of ladies slipped a dress of fuchsia satin over her head, the voluminous skirt billowing around her ankles.

"So…how many squires do you think will attempt to dance with us tonight?"

"None whatsoever if I can help it. The Princess is right, not one of them can dance to save their lives. Besides, the lot of them are about as charming as a toadstool."

"Well, that Taichi fellow seems to be quite the lady-killer. Making advances on you as well as trying to court the princess. I'd watch that one if I were you."

Sora rolled her eyes as her servants finished adjusting her sleeve and trimmed a loose end on the gold embroidery at the cuff.

Please let me find my knight in shining armor. Please hear my wishes.

~*~

            Yamato and Jyou had no trouble blending into the crowds of healers and squires milling about in the Great Hall. In fact, no one seemed to notice them all that much. It was probably because there were at least fifty young men dressed in the cobalt, silver, and black tunics of squires, along with silver hose and black shoes.

A/N: Yes, hose are tights. But think more like leggings, okay?

The healers wore tunics of similar cut, silver with muted blue at the cuffs, hems, and collar, with hose of a matching color and black shoes as well. Yamato stood idly, fiddling with a few locks of his slightly damp golden hair and waiting for the squires to process in.

            "Hey!"

The blonde apprentice turned as a young man his age with a wild shock of chestnut hair dressed in squire's livery approached him. The boy grinned foolishly, resting a hand on the back of his neck.

"I haven't seen you here before. What, were you out campaigning with the knights or something?"

"Aye, I was. I'm Yamato…line of Ishida."

"Taichi, house of Yagami. My sister Hikari knows the princess."

"The Crown Princess?"

"Nah, her younger sister. The wiry one who always has the scowl on her face."

Yamato nodded, chuckling. "Ah, her. You're right, she does seem to scowl a lot."

Taichi started a barrage of questions on Yamato, who did his best to lie through his teeth about all of them. Finally another squire with short red hair joined them and interrupted the interrogation.

"Hey Taichi, what's going…oh, is this one of the returning squires?"

"Mm-hmm. Yamato, this is my partner-in-crime Koushiro of Izumi. Kou, I'd like you to meet Yamato of Ishida."

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Same here."

            The three boys chatted for a while, Yamato muddling through the conversations as best as he could. Finally, after an eternity of uncomfortable discussion, a fanfare resounded through the halls and the squires and healers were led into the ballroom, where the orchestra had already started a light spirited waltz. The lords and ladies of their respective lands were already dancing in a whirl of color, their daughters standing by the walls looking foolish. Jyou had disappeared into the crowd a long time ago, and Yamato thought he had seen his neighbor speaking with a young Duchess dressed in pink satin.

~*~

            Sora stood still, holding her breath. The squires had just entered the room, as well as the healers. A healer by the name of Jyou Kido had already whisked Mimi off to join the dancers, leaving her in timid isolation. Miyako, Countess-heir from Inoue's line, nodded in greeting, as did her best friend Hikari. A flash of gold caught her amber eyes among a sea of color. A blonde young man about her age was milling about the crowds, looking lost and a little unnerved. She stayed rooted to her spot by the pillar, fiddling with the gold locket around her neck.

I hate this dress so intensely, she thought, glancing downwards towards where her shoes were hidden by her gown. A bodice and full skirt of sea green satin, embroidered at the square collar and hem with gold ivy, and billowing silk sleeves of the same color, also embroidered with ivy. It was beautiful, but so very hard to move in. Sora would have much preferred a tunic and breeches like the squires.

             She caught Taichi staring at her a few times, but did her best to ignore him. It wasn't that she despised him; it was more that she wasn't entirely interested in him. The waltz had ended, and the musicians were beginning to play a lively tune. The blonde squire glanced in her direction, her heartbeat quickening. He walked over carefully, sapphire eyes sparkling in the candlelight.

"Milady, I would be honored if I may have this dance," he murmured in the most gentle tone she had ever heard. Dumbstruck, Sora nodded, and gave him her hand.

"I must admit, I dance as well as an ogre," he mentioned, bowing over her hand.

"Then why are you dancing with me?" she asked.

"Because you were standing all alone there, looking quite left out."

            To Sora's surprise, the squire never once stepped on her foot, and had a rather good sense of rhythm. If he stumbled, it was over his own feet, and no one around him caught the mistakes except she, and she made almost as many.

"I should be better at this, I've had enough practice," she muttered.

"At least you had practice. Dancing is not one of the things I was taught."

Sora's eyes widened. "Really? I thought all squires were given dancing lessons for cotillions and balls and such!"

Yamato blushed. "Well, I believe I was away for those lessons, out on patrol with the knights."

"I don't think we introduced ourselves. I'm Sora, daughter of Baron and Baroness Takenouchi of Nagasaki."

"I'm Yamato, from the Ishida line."

            They danced to the next three songs, a slower waltz, another gavotte, and something somewhere in between. Suddenly the room exploded with fanfare as a gaily-dressed herald appeared.

"My lords and my ladies, Their Royal Majesties present their daughters, Princesses of Tokyo Kingdom. Home from her studies, Crown Princess Aurelia and her sisters the Princesses Nicole and Christine."

Three dark-haired girls of varying ages processed in, the court bowing and curtsying before them. The eldest, Crown Princess Aurelia, winked saucily at Yamato and made him blush a deeper scarlet.

A/N: All right, all right, so I made myself princess. I can do that, right?

M/N: Why do I not like the prospects of this?

~*~

            Yamato had caught the princess winking at him, and he was certain she was staring at him most of the evening from her throne beside her parents, the King and Queen of Tokyo Kingdom. But as beautiful as the princess was, he found himself falling for the young baroness he danced with. She smiled at him warmly, brushing a lock of fiery red hair out of her eyes.

"Will I see you around court more often?" she asked, pulling him aside, out of the way of the dancers.

"I'm afraid not, Milady. I'm not…" Yamato was cut off as someone called out his name.

"There you are! I've been trying to find you!" Jyou cried, clapping him on the shoulder. Mimi had her arm laced in his elbow. "Have you met Duchess-heir Mimi of Nerima?"

"I can't say that I have. It's a pleasure to meet you, Milady. Jyou, this is my dancing partner Baroness-heir Sora of Nagasaki."

"What I wanted to tell you is that you better make your presence known before the Majesties because Princess Aurelia's been asking about you to everyone who passes her."

Sora looked dismayed. Her best friend was smitten with the same squire she was falling for. How can you do this to me, Lia? How?

"You should go to her. I wouldn't want to be responsible for getting you sent to the executioner's block," Sora mumbled, casting her gaze towards the floor. Yamato tilted her head upwards with his fingers, her eyes meeting his sapphire glare.

"Don't look so sad, Milady, it's only a dance or two. And to be honest, I'd much rather stay and get to know you better." He kissed her hand with the air of a gentleman and made his way towards the princess.

~*~

            By the end of the evening, Yamato had gotten himself thoroughly confused. Princess Aurelia had danced with him the rest of the time, her amber-brown eyes transfixed on him. It seemed that she too had been placed under his spell. Yamato admitted to himself that he thought the princess was indeed pretty, and actually quite charming under that royal façade, but he felt as though he had already given his heart up to the forlorn-looking redhead in the corner. He and Jyou managed to slip away with the rest of the guests undetected, and headed for home in the dark of night.

            "Ah Mimi, thou dost make my heart sing!" Jyou cried as he and his younger accomplice sat astride the horses they had borrowed. Yamato shook his head in amusement.

"Your Mimi pales in comparison to the fair lady I danced with," he said wryly.

"Yes, Princess Aurelia is as fair as ladies come, but I believe she is too far above your station."

"I was talking about the baroness."

Jyou let out a little "oh" of surprise. "The baroness? That redheaded girl you were with earlier?"

"Sora," Yamato corrected. "Aye, I wish I had gotten a chance to talk with her more. The princess was cordial enough, but she seemed so…"

"Uptight? Snooty?" Jyou suggested.

"Proper."

The cobalt-haired young man nodded, shifting his weight in the saddle. "You'll have to tell your lady you aren't who you pretended to be. She has the right to know."

"I know, I know. I'm just afraid I'll lose her. I mean, what hope does a blacksmith have with a baroness?"

"The same an apothecary has with a duchess."

~*~

            Sora and Mimi were sitting in Sora's chambers, free from the restraints of the thirty petticoats and various other garments. Sora snuggled deep into the warm robe she had thrown over her nightclothes and glanced out the window. Mimi, dressed similarly, was leaning on the sill.

"It was such a lovely party, wasn't it?" Mimi sighed, watching the road as courtiers filed out in their carriages.

"Mm-hmm."

"The cake was a little overdone."

"A trifle."

"You're absolutely smitten with that squire, aren't you?" the young duchess asked, her brown eyes narrowed in amusement.

Sora blushed, getting up from the velvet-cushioned divan and closed a set of heavy brocade curtains.

"He was very handsome, and quite the gentlemen, wasn't he?" she murmured.

"If only more squires were like that," Mimi agreed. "I, however, prefer Jyou. He told me that he had already finished University training and was working as a village apothecary and healer. He said he only came because the stars told him an enchanting duchess would steal his heart."

"How romantic. If Lia hadn't taken Yamato so early on in the evening, I might have gotten a chance to talk with him more. If she weren't the princess I'd give her such a clouting for that! She knew I liked him, she could see the look plain on my face!"

Mimi shook her head in distaste. "Well, you'll just have to make it clearer to her, and him too, the next time around."

"Aye, if there is a next time."

~*~

            A few days had passed, not more than a week, and the cotillion was still fresh on everyone's minds. Master Masaharu had come down with the summer chills, curable only with rest in bed and hot tea. Thus, he left Yamato in charge of the forge while he was incapacitated.

"You've had plenty of training, you'll be fine," the man whispered, his tired-looking dark eyes staring up into his son's deep sapphire ones. Yamato took the job because he had to, not because he wanted to. The village girls all stopped by just to gawk at him as he stood in front of the fire, sweat beading on his forehead, sledge in hand. But not one of the little shepherdesses, milkmaids, or milliners could deter the teenager's thoughts from Sora. She became almost an obsession to him, and he would sit up at night longing for her.

            One afternoon Yamato stopped by Jyou's little house, a roll of parchment in his soot-stained hands. The young apothecary was nowhere in sight, yet his coat hung readily by the door and his hearth snapped with a cheery little fire.

"Jyou? Jyou, where are you?"

The cobalt-haired young man emerged, his eyes reddened behind his glasses.

"Good day to you, Jyou. I was wondering if you knew when the next post rider would be here, I have a letter I'm sending for Sora, I'm going to tell her the truth and…Jyou, what's wrong?"

"You haven't heard the news yet?" he asked in a hoarse whisper.

Yamato shook his head, the color already draining from his fair face. "What news?"

"The castle was broken into by a sorcerer just this morning. He's kidnapped your baroness Takenouchi. I pray Mimi is safe."

Yamato's eyes widened in panic, his breath coming in short gasps. "This…it can't be. No, no it's not possible. I've got to find her, I've got to get answers!"

            The boy ran from the apothecary's as though he wore the winged sandals of Mercury, flying down the street to the stables.

"Iori! Iori, boy, get out here!"

A short boy of eight emerged, holding a bridle in his small hands.

"Master Yamato, good day. Can I help you?"

"I need a horse, the fastest one you have," the blonde boy said tersely, his eyes wild with panic.

"B-but all the horses are gone, all of them lent out! The only one left is one you'll not want," the dark-haired child stammered.

Yamato tossed his apron on the ground and dug a silver coin out of his pocket. "I'll buy it off of you, Iori. I'm in a dreadful hurry, boy!"

Iori nodded. "I'll tack her up this instant."

The child was gone and back in mere moments, leading a dark mare out. She glared at Yamato venomously.

"I just bought Desdemona?!" he moaned. "Ah, well, in an emergency I suppose beggars can't be choosers."

            The young man turned to the horse and looked her into the eyes. "Listen to me, you. I am your master now, and you will obey me. Life and love is at stake, and I will not be stopped by some nag who is just as stubborn as I. Understood?"

The horse whickered in reply, and Yamato didn't care to think about what that meant. He vaulted into the saddle and dug his heels into her flanks, sending the horse bolting down the streets towards the capital.

~*~

            The garrison of knights, in full armor, weapons gleaming in the light of midday, was a cold and unwelcoming sight for Yamato as he approached the castle. The drawbridge had been lowered, but security was so tight a slip of parchment could not slide between guards. Desdemona was foaming around her bit now, snorting in lack of the breath needed to fill her enormous lungs.

"Rest here, Desdemona. You cannot come inside anyways," the boy murmured, patting her side, soaked with perspiration.

The sentinel standing before the bridge was a portly man, well fed on mutton and potatoes. Visor raised, pike in gloved and gauntleted hand, he scowled at Yamato as he tried to cross.

"State thy business here, commoner!"

Yamato bowed his head in acknowledgment to the man. "I come only seeking answers, and offer my services to the crown in hopes to save Milady Takenouchi."

"Oi, 'e looks t' be a bloody 'ero, 'e does!" a younger soldier laughed in poor Cockney.

"A hero? In such common cloth? Thou surely jests!" the stout man chortled.

Yamato glowered at the men, fury smoldering in his eyes, the heart of a flame.

            "Where are your manners, gentlemen?" A clear, female voice rang out. A willowy figure shrouded by a light cloak stood behind the two sentries, her hands on her curved hips.

"Oi, 'oo be that?" the Cockney soldier asked.

"A lady 'tis she, and one who knows not how to hold her tongue," the generously proportioned one replied.

"You should be ashamed of yourselves, you're the King's Garrison and yet you are as crude as the pimps and prostitutes hiding in rat holes in the city," the woman taunted. Yamato cringed. This was a direct blow to the prides of the two men.

"Marry, 'tis thou who needs a lesson in manners. Dost thou know not to speak in the presence of a man?"

The girl drew back her hood, revealing a dark-haired teenager, a slim gold coronet adorning her brow. Her eyes narrowed as she issued a wry little comeback.

"Dost thou know to bow in the presence of royalty?"

The two men and Yamato gasped, falling to their knees right away.

"Princess Aurelia! We didst not know 'twas thee!"

            The crown princess smirked, blinking at the young smith prostrate on the wooden drawbridge.

"Rise, Squire Yamato. I wish to speak with you in private, if you may."

"Aye, Milady Princess."

The heat of a blush washing over his cheeks, the young man followed her into a well-groomed garden, dripping with flowers of all hues and in full bloom. The gentle gurgle of a nearby fountain spilling into a pond where colorful goldfish darted among lily roots and irises added to the solemnity. The princess's eyes were serious as she faced Yamato, her expression grim.

"Tell me everything that's happened, Aurelia. From start to finish."

~*~

            The princess sat on a low stone bench, maroon satin pooling on the verdant grass like a puddle of blood. Her amber-brown eyes were bright with tears as she stared at the young man looming over her.

"Well, we were here in the garden, alone, and ironically we were discussing you."

"Me?"

"Aye. Sora takes quite a fancy to you; she's talked of nothing but you since the cotillion and she gave me a right piece of her mind for stealing you away. To be honest, I have absolutely no interest in you. I only needed a dance partner and I had absolutely no intention on dancing with the Rajah of Katmandu or some farfetched place like that. I told her if she wanted you so badly I'd help her to get you if at all possible…oh, take no offense, Squire Yamato."

"None taken, Princess."

"Anyway, by the by, and completely out of the blue, came this sorcerer. Like in the blink of an eye. One moment he wasn't there and the next he was two inches from us! He only came this high on me…" Aurelia gestured with a hand on her breastbone, where her heart beat wildly in her chest. "And he had these green eyes, wild, almost catlike. And his face was hidden with his cloak, and the rest of it was shadowed with his hat."

A/N: All right, so Wizardmon is an evil sorcerer. I'm out of options in the magic department and he's the best we've got around here.

"But how did he end up with Sora?" Yamato inquired.

"See, he was demanding for the princess, and before I could even open my mouth and say anything, Sora told the bloke she was the princess! And I was some lady-in-waiting! Imagine! And then they were both gone in a cloud of smoke that smelled of dragons and darkness. That is all I know. You'll send for your lord knight and go after her, won't you, Squire Yamato?"

            Yamato took a deep breath, casting his eyes towards his rough leather boots.

"Princess, I have a confession to make. I lied to you, and I lied to her."

"Begging your pardon?"

"I'm not a squire, nor have I ever had training in University. I'm a blacksmith…worse; the son of a blacksmith, newly finished his apprenticeship. I've of no noble blood; I'm as common as the dirt we stand on. I only said and did what I had to escape the mediocrity of my life, in hopes that I should meet a damsel who could accept me as I am, an ordinary bumpkin who won't aspire to much more than a blacksmith. I was going to tell her, but as you can see fate was against me. I beg your forgiveness, Princess, for my deception."

Aurelia smiled at him, the light of the midday sun glinting highlights in her dark hair.

"You're either the bravest or the craziest young man I have ever met. However, were it I in your stead, I would've done the same. I have been waiting some time now for a person such as yourself to appear, and now you have. Please kneel, Yamato."

            Confused beyond all hope, the young man did as the princess told. She lifted the skirt of her dress just enough to pull a dagger out of its sheath, strapped securely to her thigh. The pommel and hilt glistened in the light as she tapped the blade on her palm.

"Do you swear to serve me and my court for the rest of your days, to fight for honor and justice, willing to die for your cause? To be noble and true and uphold the rights of chivalry and gallantry as sanctioned by King Arthur himself? And above all, will you vow to aid anyone in need, no matter their race, gender, age, religion, or economic class?" she questioned solemnly, resting the flat of the blade on his shoulders.

"By the tombs of my ancestors, I swear to it."

"Henceforth you shall be stripped of your past identity and all past errors. You knelt before me as Yamato Ishida, apprentice smith. Now may you rise Sir Yamato Ishida, Champion of the Princess."

            Yamato stood slowly, assessing his situation with the thoughts of the greatest scholars. He, a common apprentice, who had just admitted to lying to the Crown Princess, was just knighted by that very woman. Bemused, he waited for her next command. Instead, Aurelia sheathed her dagger and motioned to a passing page.

"Page?"

"Your Highness, how might I be of service?"

"I must send you on several important tasks. First, run down to the storeroom and empty out my chamber down to the last link of mail. Then to the kitchen with ye and bring a month's provisions. And see that my Champion's horse is properly seen to as well, he has just rode in from the country and I'll be sending him out again within the hour."

"Aye Majesty," the boy said with a curt bow. Yamato held up a hand, stopping the page.

"Milord Sir Knight? Is there something you require?" he queried.

"Pray, what is your name, page?"

            The boy grinned, his pale blue eyes lighting up. "Verily, I'm Takeru Takaishi."

"And what of your parents? Who are they?"

"My mother's Natsuke Takaishi, to be sure, but I've not seen my father since I was a right lad of four. I do know he's called Masaharu Ishida, and my brother's name is Yamato."

The knight blinked for a moment, his pulse quickening. "Takeru? By Heaven, is that really you?"

"Yamato!" The blonde page flung his arms around his elder brother, a tear escaping his eye and sliding down onto his tunic.

"Look at you, Takeru! What a fine young man you've become. Father would be proud."

"Ah, 'tis nothing compared to you, Princess's Champion."

"But it's a right shame that Her Majesty's greatest knight has to be of such common blood," Yamato sighed. Takeru gave him an odd look.

"Common? Yamato, Mother's the Countess of Shinjuku. If Father hadn't kept you for himself you'd be the right heir. Brother, you've a county in your blood. Common, indeed! Now, promise me you won't go getting yourself killed before we've had a proper chance to sit down and talk. The instant you get back I want to hear everything, from the day we said goodbye to the day you set foot back here in Odaiba. Understand?"

"Anything you want, Takeru. Anything you want."

Takeru laughed and darted off into the castle and its labyrinthine hallways, ready for a quest of his own.

~*~

            Aurelia waited for the boy to be out of earshot before taking a deep breath.

"Yamato, I wish to give you a few small gifts, but…"

"Princess, you have given me so much already, how can I accept much more?"

The girl laughed, shaking her head ever so slightly. "The livery and armory are gifts of the crown, they have nothing to do with me. The gifts I present you with are from my own hands and heart."

She dipped a hand into a concealed pocket in her skirt, pulling up two pendants hanging on chains of silver strands woven together. One a sapphire, the other a ruby, both the size of a copper piece and cut to be smooth, almost flat, like the stones one finds tumbled by a river or the sea. Both had runes etched into their surfaces, symbols of power and strength. Aurelia clasped the sapphire talisman around her knight's neck, the stone cool to the skin on his breastbone.

"I give each of my courtiers a set of these talismans, one for herself and the other for her one true love. As you can guess, I never had the chance to give Sora hers. As my champion, I give you the responsibility of presenting this charm to her…and make certain you give it as a declaration of your love. These are fairy-craft, and will protect you from almost anything if given as a sign of undying faith. The talisman you bear is marked with the rune of Friendship, hers marked with Love. One cannot exist without the other…ironic, is it not?"

            Yamato pocketed the other amulet, silently vowing to do whatever he must to prove his love for Sora. The princess looked uneasy after giving the young man the charms, as though unsure of how to word the next thing she would say.

"My other gift is rather…eccentric. You see, the blood of my family is steeped in magic older than time. Verily, I am the last Far-Seer of the Agianna line."

Yamato's eyes widened as he stared at the dark-haired girl staring smugly back at him.

"You can predict the future?"

"See the future, not predict. Predicting the future is for charlatans from street fairs. I can see the future, yes, but only in hazy amounts. Fate has a way of making sure my subjects know little of what I speak. I shall do as I can, but understand the divine powers of Heaven do not care for mere mortals tampering with destiny."

"I understand well, Princess, and will take whatever you offer."

She closed her eyes and took a deep, cleansing breath, the scent of honeysuckle and jasmine leaving a saccharine taste in the back of her mouth.

"Thy journey takes thee to the west,

Where endless night doth reign.

Thou must be true to thine own heart

For lady fair to live again.

A form by day, a form by night,

Is true for she and thou.

Friendship and Love must unite

In passion's one true vow."

The glazed look left her eyes as she blinked several times. "That is all I see."

Yamato bowed, rising only as Takeru reemerged with several other pages, all carrying the treasures of the princess's storeroom. A stable boy also accompanied them, Desdemona burdened with provisions and a new set of tack sanctioned by the crown.

"I thank you from the depths of my soul, Princess Aurelia. I shall take your words to my heart, and I dare not return until my quest be fulfilled and the kingdom safe from the oppresses of a sorcerer most foul."

            In a matter of moments, the boy had stripped out of the plain, homespun tunic and breeches and was hastily replacing them with the clean livery the pages presented him. He was grateful to see that the princess was wise in choosing armor, for none of it would hamper his travels. A light breastplate of the strongest steel forged to be worn under his tunic, colored in the sapphires and emeralds of the princess's signet. Riding breeches of the softest buckskin, a warm caramel hue. Sturdy gloves of dragon hide that would not buckle, and boots of the same. He fastened belt and sheath around his slender waist, testing the sword. It sang true as he lacerated the air, finally sheathing it with a bit of reluctance. Slipping a dagger into the top of his boot, Yamato bowed once more to the princess, took up the cloak Takeru held out for him, and slid his foot into Desdemona's waiting stirrup.

"Fair thee well, Sir Knight!" the pages chorused.

"Pray that Heaven keeps your soul safe, my Champion," Princess Aurelia whispered.

For you are going to face an enemy no mortal has ever dared challenge, she thought ruefully as he galloped off towards the horizon.

~*~

            This is all you get for now! But don't think I'm going to neglect it like the other chaptered stories I try and write. I wrote this one all the way out and put it into chapters afterwards.

Like Charles Dickens!

Right. So…how'd you like it? Huh? I need to know these things!