Midori sat amongst the group of royal guests, her father at the head of the long, fancy dinner table and the guests sitting down patiently. If the meeting would have been about politics and such, Midori would have never set foot inside of that room, but it was about war. Her father knew she would never leave until she had heard the news, and though he had tried to ask her to leave calmly, Midori's refusal would look embarrassing to the guests. She looked beautiful amid the other princesses, but her beauty was more captivating than that of all the two other princesses. Her raven-colored curly hair was set loosely down her back, and large but gorgeous emerald eyes' watching her father's every move. Little did she know that there was someone watching her back with passion. "The problem with these people is the fact that they're savages! Roaming round wherever they want, and never giving a damn about whose cattle they slaughter, or who's daughter they take for ransom, or even worse, as a wife!"
"Who are they Father?" Midori's voice spoke out as an appealing blessing to those who could listen, and even the deaf seemed to have this stroke of luck. "Are they really savages? I thought they were only the natives that were living far off in the Azure Fields." "Those fields are not theirs! We have every right to claim them for our own!" One of the other princesses exclaimed from another seat. Midori looked at the face of the stranger, not as tall as she was, and not as charming either. Her eyes were small and dark, like the sky with few stars shining. And her hair came in a black, shiny downpour to her shoulders. "No, and now I'm supposing that you're part of that rich family. The one who's planning to build an empire in the Azure fields?"
"Yes I am, and that empire will be one of the greatest after we have cleared away all of those savages!" The girl answered, glaring at Midori with stern eyes. Then she turned to her own father, King Goro. "Haven't we come here to plead for help? To rid our future empire from that curse of those roaming, foul smelling savage's father?" She asked with tenderness. King Goro smiled, "Yes Kurai," then he turned back to Midori's father and the rest of the people. "Haven't we all had enough of them? They are the primary source of our failure in building this and many other empires. I believe that nothing good could ever come from a clan like that, and that's why, with your help Isamu, I know we'll be rid of all of them before summer begins." "What?! This is ludicrous! How can you ever think of prying people out of their native lands?" Midori cried out. "We would be disgracing ourselves as human beings! And more over as the chosen ones of the Gods! King Goro, I beg of you to change your opinion." A sudden stir of commotion broke out between the conversations of the guests, and everyone turned from Midori to King Isamu, realizing that even though they were father and daughter, their differences were very much conspicuous. "Enough! A Princess is to be silent with no actions in government! Those are the Kings grounds, and nothing else!" King Isamu thundered, and his voice quickly hushed the whispering guests. He had suddenly sprang up from the head of the table, and he pulled his seat back and sat, watching Midori give a strong but quick glare as she pushed back her seat and left without a word.
"Midori!" The third princess called out, and she too sprang up from her seat and dashed after her with everyone calling her back, " Miyako!" The girl wasn't in any shape to represent an athlete, but she ran as fast as she could, until she came out of breath and stopped, clutching her chest and resting against a wall running through into the entrance room. Midori heard gasps, and she looked back to find Miyako looking back at her with a painful expression. "Miyako! I'm so sorry!" Midori exclaimed, halting and turning back to her. "I didn't mean to run away so fast," Miyako looked back at her smiling, "I shouldn't have run so quickly myself, it's ok. I'm alright now." Miyako helped herself up and walked along side of Midori. The castle seemed empty as they walked up the large staircase that led to Midori's room. Inside, Midori helped Miyako take a seat on her bed. "Thanks," Miyako answered. "You sure look upset about that Azure Fields thing. Why do you care about them anyway?" Midori took a seat on a chair that had been discarded across the room and dragged it to a fitting distance between Miyako.
"Who wouldn't?" Midori answered.
"I wouldn't, but it's not what you think. I really don't like them at all, no, oh I don't know." Miyako sighed, pushing back strands of her blonde hair and laying back on Midori's bed. "What I'm trying to get out is that I really do agree with you. When you talk about it, it really seems like King Goro is making a big mistake and really is misunderstanding the Azurians. But when your father says it, sometimes I feel like he's also right, that we need to expand our empire now that the population is growing even if it means throwing them out," "No!" Midori exclaimed. "Nothing that my father says is right! It might sound like something disrespectful, but I can't always agree with my father. Let them come here if they wish! I wouldn't mind seeing him, I mean, them," Midori suddenly grew wide-eyed, Miyako's presence filling the atmosphere with tension. "Wait Midori," Miyako said seriously, rising from the bed and trying to catch Midori's moving eyes. "Midori look at me! You said 'him', you saw one of them didn't you? Didn't you!" "Shush! Please, don't say a word! Promise?" Midori began to plead desperately in a whisper. "Which one did you see?" Miyako asked with curious excitement springing through her voice. "Promise!" Midori cried. "Alright! Cross my heart and hope to die." Miyako sighed, leaning closer to hear her response. Midori gave an uneasy sigh before she herself leaned in. "Ok, I don't know his name, and I had no social contact with him." Midori began. "Where did you see him?" Miyako asked with a wide smile on her face. "Was he cute? 'Cause most of the Azurians are made up of males, that's what I've heard," Midori smiled back and held Miyako's excited, trembling hands, "Wait! Yes, he was absolutely a dream! I saw him, for only a short while, when I left for Sayuri's house. There was about three other guys with him, I think he was the youngest, and of course the cutest!" Midori squeaked. "Really? There were three along with him?" Miyako squeaked back. "Yeah, they were alright looking I guess, but he caught my attention the most because he looked straight at me." Miyako clasped her small, smooth hands onto her mouth, "Just how close were you to them?" "Pretty close, actually, I was kind of trying to get even closer." Miyako's eyes lit up with worry, "They could have attacked you! Or killed you, or made you into one of their wives!"
Midori burst out in laughter. "I wish he had!" "Midori, that's not funny." Miyako said, sighing again and clearing her throat, "They were Azurians, get it?" Midori frowned, "No. I don't." She scratched the top of her head with an uncomforting feeling inside of her. "You still agree with my father, just admit it Miyako," She said, turning back to her. "Midori, no." Miyako answered gloomily. "Sometimes," "Sometimes best friends can disagree with each other." Midori finished for her, not exactly the same thought, but close enough. They sat, looking at each other through silence, but no words to comfort it all. Midori finally stood up and left the room, "Midori, I'm sorry! Midori!" Miyako called, but with little triumph.
"I'll never get this through their heads!" Midori thought as she scampered outside the castle, past the gates and out into the green fields that grew on the outskirts of her father's castle. "Azurians are nothing to fear," she said, finally daring to recite her thoughts aloud. "They're all just misunderstood. God! We look at them as animals, even talk about them as animals!" She finally stopped and stared out into the open, lush fields. The soil bursting with richness, the mountains to the west a pale green, and watching it all was a clear, setting sun that painted the color one more shade of red every minute as it sank into the horizon. "He might even be like me." She said softly, crossing her arms and remembering his face. "Who might be like you? I don't see anyone around here but us," Midori turned to see Kurai's sharp, serious face again. "No one." Midori answered, her face turning serious and cold too. "You know your hiding something from me, maybe your father as well. Midori, don't even try to hide anything from me," Kurai stated with her tone of voice rising even more harshly with every syllable. Grabbing Midori's folded hand, she pulled her back close to her face, "because I will find out." Then, she thrust her back and let her fall onto the darkening grasses. Midori's anger conducted her hand to fly behind her back, withdrawing a silver scalpel, a bit longer than the normal size. "Good move Midori," Kurai answered with a chuckle, and she too withdrew a weapon. But as soon as Kurai's weapon was revealed, Midori was forced to stop, and her enrage was calmed. Kurai swayed the even longer sharp, metal sword close to Midori's face, and even once striking gently her shoulder.
"I hope you know that I'm sweetly savoring this moment Midori." Kurai taunted, still swaying the sword in circles. "At this very moment, you are one, no, a million steps below me! Compare yourself to me, because you are nothing. Though I do wish I could have the sweet pleasure of ramming this into your heart right about now," "Go right ahead you bich." Midori answered suavely, and she thrust down her dagger so it pierced the soil once it struck the ground. "Right through the heart, it's an open shot." Kurai swung the sword upwards in a silvery flash, but as she began to create the death match for her opponent, Midori kicked up her right leg and jammed it into Kurai's stomach, the sword falling through the empty space between them. Grabbing the falling arm, she captured it in her secure grip and slashed it down, down where Kurai had fallen. "Ah!" Kurai gasped, and she rolled herself over before her once reliable weapon turned against her by force and stabbed the soil she had lay upon. As soon as Kurai had gotten a safe distance, she flew up and saw that Midori had already reacted and was beginning to jab with the most amazing fury she had ever seen.
At once, all Kurai could do besides pray for herself, was smile. With a tense decrease in her movements, Midori was confused with her smiling face. "Why are you smiling?" Midori questioned. "You can't kill me, you're too afraid to do so," Kurai answered. "At least that's what I see, since you haven't really even harmed me." "Is that so!" Midori cried. "Once ticket to hell is what you want and what you'll get!" And suddenly, Kurai was paralyzed, not knowing why; she looked down and saw a silver blade had penetrated through a small portion on her shoulder. She looked up weakly as she grasped the sword and painfully drove it out, her body falling to the floor. She threw it at Midori's feet, and kept pressing her hands onto the wound. "Guess hell is the only remaining heaven for you Kurai," Midori said, and up over her shoulder the sword flew, ready to strike.
"Aaaaeeeiiii!!!"
All at once, the most frightening scream ever heard shot out through the bare fields, and Midori looked up in horror to find four horses and their riders storming towards them, mainly her since Kurai wasn't too visible. She gasped, and lowered her sword just in time to escape injury, but not in time to escape capture. The rider's hand scooped her up and she suddenly found her senses bouncing along with the wild ride she had been put upon. "Hey! Damn you, let go!" She screamed, and took the risk of looking at the stranger. But it had been a mistake, the eyes she looked upon froze her mind and her eyes almost stretched twice their size. The rider was just as surprised as she was. His face was masked over, and his eyes were slightly visible, but Midori wouldn't be taken prisoner. She lifted the sword and slashed some part of the rider that suddenly without warning, her stomach sank in as she fell dangerously to the ground. Midori got onto her knees and looked up.
"Oh my god," She gasped; her sight was almost unbelievable as she watched the three other riders galloping straight towards the open gates of her castle. Luckily, the two guards that watched over the entrance had run up to fight. But the horsemen rode past them, slicing them with their own weapons and galloping even closer to the castle. "Stop!" Midori screamed. Eleven more guards trooped into the entrance, and Midori felt relief when she saw all the horsemen turn over their horses and begin to gallop in a different direction, the way they had first come. A sweeping shiver made her look over her shoulder, and she watched as the fourth rider disappeared along with them. "Midori, Midori! MIDORI!" Kurai screamed her name almost hysterically. Midori paid no attention, but a thought suddenly past her mind. Grabbing the sword, she ran back to where Kurai was now sitting up and threw her the sword, then bent down and smacked the side of her head with a powerful clap. Kurai fell unconscious at once.
"That should take care of her," She said, sprinting back to the castle and gliding past the guards. "Father!" She exclaimed as she ran through the entrance room and into the dining room. "Midori? Is Kurai with you?" King Isamu said. He turned from King Goro and grew rather pale as she explained him the terrible accident. "Oh my sweet Kurai!" King Goro cried when he heard the news. "See why we need your protection!" He exclaimed. King Isamu glared at him, "We need our own protection for ourselves! Besides, I won't risk any of my soldiers for your kingdom! The deal is off." King Goro was stunned by his answer, "To hell with you all!" He said, stomping furiously out of the room.