Disclaimer: I do not own anything
A/N: Following the advice from the kind reviewers thus far, i will try to break down large chunks of paragraphs into readable sizes :P Enjoy!
Natsuki felt something wet touch her cheek. It was a rough, tickling sensation as she felt her whole face slowly enveloping in wetness. Slowly prying one heavy eyelid open to peek, she was met with a white furry object eagerly lapping at her face. Events of the episode before she blacked out slowly flooded her as she faintly recognized that the white furry object was the animal that she had rescued previously from the clutches of cruelty. Taking a good look at the white furry object, she saw that it was a white wolf pup she had saved and it had been properly cleaned and healed. Not a single trace of injuries could be found on the animal, suggesting that a healer had probably treated it. The wolf pup, seeing that Natsuki had awakened, bounded happily on her soft pillow and continued to lick her face gently. Natsuki couldn't help but smile at the wolf pup's affection as she slowly sat up on her bed. Carrying the wolf pup off her pillow and onto her lap, she started stroking it gently, as the wolf pup curled up into a ball and tried to settle itself comfortably.
Now that she has awakened, Natsuki carefully surveyed the damage done onto her body. All her cuts had been healed without a trace of any scars but her body was still covered up in colourful bruises. Natsuki poked on one of her bruises. She was amazed that she hardly felt any pain from it. Bless the healers! She had heard of these wonderful people who used magic to aid in the rapid recovery of wounds and illnesses. Natsuki, being a strong and over protected child, never had to engage the services of healers and their presence was almost like a myth to her. Who would have thought that the first time she needed one, she ended up looking so colourful? She couldn't help but chuckle aloud at the thought. Although she knew that she had been healed, she felt strangely lethargic and famished, and her tummy gave a loud rumble of hunger in agreement.
Just then, the door to her room opened. Natsuki was surprised to see that it was not Otoha who entered. Instead, it was her mother and she was carrying a large tray filled with plates of food. "I see that you have finally awakened." A look of relief flashed past her face as she carried the tray towards Natsuki. Settling the tray in front of Natsuki, she proceeded to fuss over her daughter, checking her body for any signs of wound that had gone untreated. Satisfied that her daughter had been thoroughly healed, she pointed to the food on the tray with her finger and ordered, "Now, start eating and rest after that. A healing session will drain your energy and make you hungry, and you had had more than one session." Natsuki could see the reproach and worry in her mother's eyes. She could only smile guiltily and started stuffing her mouth with the delicious feast in front her, thankful that her mother at least did not ask her to eat more gracefully.
Once her hunger had been satiated, she picked up a few left over bacon strips and fed them to the wolf pup. An awkward silence hung in the room as mother stared at her daughter intently.
"I think I deserve to know what happened to you, after what you have put me through," Saeko said. Reproach mixed with worry freshly evident on her face now.
"I just had a fight with some village boys. They were torturing this poor pup here so there was no way I would stand by and do nothing," Natsuki said, steeling her voice so that it would not come across as too guilty for making her parents worry about her. Looking away from her mother, she continued petting the wolf pup.
"Don't you ever do such a foolish thing again. We almost thought that we lost you too!" this time, tears had leaked down her eyes and coated her cheeks, as she pulled her daughter in for a fierce hug. "I'm sorry for making you worry." Guilt weighed heavily on Natsuki's chest as she felt her mother's tears land on her shoulders. But she never regretted her decision to save this wolf pup. If she had not stood up for it, this wolf pup would not have stayed alive. The thought that her brother would no doubt stand in defence for the wolf pup made her glad that she did what she had to. If only I had the proper training, then I wouldn't have been so badly injured and worry my parents…
Moments passed and Saeko finally managed to gather herself. Wiping her tears off her face with her hands, she smiled and said, "It seems like this little puppy has taken a liking to you. Each time we tried getting it away from you while you were asleep, it would keep whimpering non-stop, so we decided to leave it beside you. Do you want to keep it?"
Natsuki could not believe her ears. Her mother is allowing her to keep a WOLF pup as pet? Has the sky fallen? Of course she wants to keep it as a pet! Having a wolf as a pet will be so cool! It seemed that Saeko had not realized yet that the pup was of wolf breed and not dog breed. Wolf and dog pups look quite similar with only subtle differences when young, just that wolf pups do not bark. As Saeko generally did not like animals, she did not know the difference between wolf and dog pups. She only thought that the pup looked a bit different from the usual puppy type and found it strange that it only yipped and not bark, but dismissed her suspicions when she saw the pup's affection towards her daughter. Seeing that her mother did not realize her mistake, Natsuki quickly got her tongue in check before she could say anything to betray the real species of the pup. Giving her mother a wide grin and the most angelic face she could muster, she happily thanked her mother and gave her a big hug. "It shall be called Duran then!" And she happily scooped the wolf pup into her embrace.
"Oh, and before I forget, once you get better, we will be sending you to the Ladies' School for a proper training in becoming a lady. We will not allow you to continue any of those silly acts of heroics anymore. You will become a proper lady and be safe there." Saeko beamed.
Natsuki felt like a bombshell had been dropped on her head. A Ladies' school? She must be joking!
"No! I don't want to go to a Ladies' School! Haven't all my disastrous classes in etiquettes and dance told you that I can't be a lady? I'm not made to be one!" Natsuki vehemently protested.
"Nonsense! Anyone can be a lady if she tries hard enough." Saeko said flatly.
"But I want to be a Knight!"
"A girl can never be a Knight. Now stop this nonsense and get resting."
"But I promised Natsume-Onichan I will become a Knight!"
There, she had said it. She had said the taboo N-word before she could take it back. Pain flashed across Saeko's eyes. Natsuki knew that there was no turning back now. It was now or never.
"I want to be Knight," Natsuki re-emphasized. "I want to avenge Natsume-Onichan. I may be young but I know that the Scanvians have not stopped invading our northern borders. The kingdom is in need of soldiers to fight them so even if you refuse to send me for Knight training, I will volunteer myself to be a soldier." Her voice had turned steely with resolve and determination.
"Please, mother. I want to fulfill my promise to Onichan and carry out his wishes to protect this kingdom. This is my dream too." Natsuki looked into Saeko's eyes, hoping her determination and sincerity would move her, but the look was returned with anger and sadness.
"I will not lose another child to war. I will escort you personally to the Ladies' School if necessary." Saeko's voice was full of hurt as she said her final piece and turned to leave the room. Natsuki could only vent all her anger and frustration on her pillows.
Dinner was eaten in silence at the Kruger dining table. Saeko did not bother to correct her daughter's ungraceful eating habit nor did Natsuki bother to eat more gracefully. To show her unhappiness, she even purposely ate as ungracefully as possible, abandoning her fork and knife to use her hands to eat her steak, and making as much noise as possible while eating. After finishing her dinner and licking her fingers clean, Natsuki was about to leave for the comfort of her room with Duran at her heels when she was stopped short by her father.
"Natsuki, come to the study with me." Her father ordered, his voice unusually filled with authority that Natsuki did not dare to disobey.
"Saeko has told me that you wanted to be a Knight."
Natsuki nodded.
"Why is that so?"
"To fulfill my promise to Onichan."
"A promise is not good enough. Try again."
"For revenge?"
Natsuki asked tentatively, not sure where this conversation was going.
"That will be the last reason that I will send you to a battlefield."
Natsuki's face fell. Her two most important reasons to become a Knight were still not enough to convince her father. Trying hard to come up with a better reason, she suddenly felt Duran nudging her leg, seeming to encourage her, and a very compelling reason lit up in her mind. She gave herself a mental slap for forgetting that very important reason, and silently thanked Duran for his help.
"For honor and justice. To uphold the kingdom's honor, for the family's honor and for my honor. I want to be a Knight to protect these lands, my family and friends and to protect the weak against the strong."
There was a moment of silence.
"Very good. You have finally seen the light." Kei Kruger beamed at his daughter. He then handed Natsuki two envelopes.
"One is for the headmaster of the Knight School, Sir Walde, to inform him of my wish to send you for Knight training and payments for the training. The training for new pages has already started two weeks ago, but it is not uncommon for new students to join the school late. However, you will have a lot of catching up to do compared to the other pages since you started late."
Natsuki nodded to show her understanding.
"The other envelope is for Master Youko, she is a close friend of mine and is the healer in charge of the infirmary in the training school. This is to inform her of your 'special' constitution in case you require any healing. I have only one thing that I ask of you. Do not disclose your gender or in any way let anyone find out that you are a girl. You know as well as I do that girls cannot be knights. We will all be in trouble if your gender is disclosed. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, father. But why did you suddenly allow me to go for Knight training?" Natsuki could not contain her surprise at the change in her father's over-protective attitude towards her.
"Like I don't know your stubborn nature. You will sneak out of Ladies' School when you get the chance and join the army even without our consent. I would rather send you for proper Knight training than let you join the army untrained and unprepared for battle," replied Kei, as he snorted in amusement and waved his daughter out of the study.
Natsuki couldn't help but smile at her father's understanding of her.
"But what about mother?"
"Don't worry. I will convince her eventually." And he gave Natsuki a wink.
"Rest well tonight so that you can be prepared for the journey tomorrow to get to the Knight training school which is part of the castle in Windbloom city. You won't want to be later than you already are. But you have to leave Duran at home because pages are not allowed pets in their quarters."
"Eh?!" Natsuki was shocked at the fast turn of events. Scooping Duran in her arms, she ran back to her room in excitement and snuggled up beside the wolf pup for the last time before she went on her journey. She was so excited she almost could not sleep that night as her mind kept screaming, "I'm going to be a knight for real!"
The next day, the Kruger household was abuzz with activities like it used to be seven years ago. Maids were scurrying back and forth, making sure that their young mistress's things were all packed and ready to go. Back in Natsuki's room, Saeko Kruger was giving the young Kruger a haircut to make her look more like a boy. Although it saddened her to part with her long luxuriant navy blue hair that she had grown for years, Natsuki felt that it was a small price to pay for pursuing her dreams. Once she was done, twelve-year-old Natsuki Kruger looked so strikingly similar to twelve-year-old Natsume Kruger that Saeko could not help but suppress a sob. With her sharp nose, bright green determined eyes, short navy blue hair and flawless porcelain fair skin, Natsuki looked the perfect, dashing gentleman that any girl would fall for under her charms.
Nonetheless, Natsuki was still a girl and a lot of preparations were needed to disguise her as a boy for four years of knighthood training. She was given a breast band to hide any chest developments. Even though she was still underdeveloped in the chest department currently, she still had to wear it at all times just in case.
"Wear this around your neck at all times," said Saeko as she handed an amulet necklace to Natsuki.
"What's that?"
"I got it from the local apothecary. It's a special amulet that contains magic to ward off your monthlies."
This elicited a furious blush on Natsuki's face.
"And pregnancies."
Her face grew an even darker shade of red.
"I'm not going to get pregnant!"
"Better be safe than sorry, silly girl. Then wear it to ward off your monthlies, I don't think you will want to be losing blood and still do strenuous training at the same time." Saeko said as she chuckled at her daughter's obvious embarrassment.
"Fine!" Natsuki managed to fight off her blush and hung the amulet around her neck, tucking it out of sight beneath her dark green tunic.
Once everything was ready, her family stood outside the front gates to see her off.
"I never thought I will say this a second time, but Natsuki, I hope you will do the Kruger name proud." Kei Kruger said, as he gave Natsuki his usual bear hug.
"And come home safe!" Saeko added, before receiving a crushing hug from her daughter.
"I will," Natsuki reassured her parents. She then knelt down to hug Duran one last time before entering the waiting horse carriage packed full with luggage; ready to embark on her journey to become a Knight.
Windbloom city was not too far away from the Kruger fiefdom. It only took a day for Natsuki to reach it on horse carriage. Peering out of the window of the carriage, Natsuki realized that the capital of the kingdom, Windbloom city, was vastly different from her hometown.
In Kruger fiefdom, most of the common folks were peasants or hunters. Large tracts of central land were dedicated to farming while the western part of Kruger fiefdom was occupied by hundreds of acres of forested land. Kruger fiefdom was famed for its agricultural industry with its fertile soil and conducive climate for plants, so much so that its other name was called the food plateau of the kingdom. As the Kruger fiefdom always had bountiful harvests, the peasants often had excess food products to sell to other fiefdoms, hence earning the name. The people there lived simply; waking at dawn to tend the farms and sleeping when dusk fell. Candles were hardly lit at night, as there was no need for work to be done at night. Although life there was boring to a large extent, the people were happy and contented, enjoying fully the simple pleasures of life and nature.
Here in Windbloom city, it was a totally different story. Natsuki came to fully understand why it was called the city of lights. Even though it was nighttime when they had arrived into the city, the streets were bright as day and fully packed with commoners going about their businesses as though it was the early morning. The streetlights were not lit by kerosene but were instead powered by magical flaming cores. The magical flaming cores illuminated the streets like the gentle shine of moonlight, just brighter and covered vast areas of the street, much better than kerosene streetlamps. Natsuki assumed it was an invention by the Royal Magical Research Facility located in the city.
Like the Knight School, many famous places of education, religion, training and research were located in Windbloom city. This included the aforementioned prestigious Royal Magical Research Facility, which was a center for magical research and development, constantly improving and innovating on uses of magic and coming out with magical devices and gadgets for various purposes. There was also the Royal Mage Academy, where countless young mages attend to refine their art of magic in various fields such as healing and other support type magic. Last but not all, there was also the Royal University where bright students all over the kingdom gather to hone their minds on non-magical aspects of the kingdom such as technology, business of trade, law and conventional medicine.
Windbloom was the melting pot of the kingdom where people of all walks of life and talents gather and thrive. There were the merchants who set up countless stores on the streets of Windbloom, selling their wares to the busy crowd; there were the mages who had come from various parts of the kingdom to attend the Mage Academy or to work at the Magical Research Facility; there were the priests residing in the Holy Worship Altar who practiced their own form of ritual magic; there were the soldiers who attend the Royal Military Academy; not to mention peasants selling their crops, artisans performing their arts, selling their paints or crafting their sculptures; and lastly the nobles who attended the King's Court in Windbloom Castle.
Natsuki was overthrown by the multitude of interesting yet strange sights and sounds of the capital city. The ever busy and rowdy crowd on the streets gave her a headache. It never ceased to amaze her that the people of Windbloom did not seem to need to sleep as it was night and yet, none of them appeared to be ending their busy activities anytime soon. The air of the city assaulted her nose constantly as unlike the crisp fresh air of countryside in Kruger Fiefdom, the air in the city carried various aromas of freshly cooked food mixed with body odours of the packed crowd and the strong stench of horse dung from the large numbers of horse carriages owned by the wealthy nobles living in the city. It was almost putrid and Natsuki thought that she might puke from the horrible stench if she was to stay on the streets any longer.
Luckily for her, the huge castle gates of Windbloom Castle were soon in sight. Natsuki winced as her butt suffered yet another bump from the uneven roads on the horse carriage as it slowly drew to a halt. This was it, she thought, as she looked out of the window of the carriage. They were in front of a huge towering metallic gate, which blocked the long pathway towards Windbloom Castle. From afar, Natsuki could make out the impressive size of the castle, with its many wings and turrets. Guards in metallic armour stood neatly in line along the gate. One of the guards, presumably their Captain, approached the carriage and inquired the nature of their business. Natsuki quickly got out of the carriage and spoke loudly and confidently.
"I'm Natsuki Kruger and I'm here to attend Knight School. This horse carriage carries my luggage."
Natsuki then showed the guard a badge with the Kruger's Crest bearing the symbol of a Wolf's head baring its fangs, as instructed by her father before she left for her trip. The Captain of the guard then nodded and signaled for the rest of the guards to draw the gates open. Seeing that she was given permission to enter castle grounds, she quickly got back into her carriage and proceeded to enter the gates. There was only one thought in Natsuki's head and it was that she had just taken the first step towards the adventure of her lifetime.
End of Chapter Two
Thank you for reading yet another chapter of K.S. Hope that you guys enjoyed it and not find it too slow paced. Hopefully, Shizuru will make an entrance next chapter. Stay tuned!