Guards were clustered around the pavilion, watching over the exam with curiosity, most of them pretending to be on guard duty, some more so than others.
"Today we will be testing your physical abilities against each other. During this exercise, I will be gauging your physical strength, not your magic prowess. You will be disqualified if elemental magic is used or if you interfere with the matches in any way. Each match will be ended by myself, after I have judged each person's skills, but please try not to kill anyone. It would be such a pain to clean up."
Lia stood in the makeshift arena with the rest of the applicants, sweatdropping at the magician's remarks yet listening intently to him.
"You may choose any opponent, as long as they are a magic user. A person can only fight twice, once when they choose someone, and once when they are chosen. You may use weapons you have on yourself, or you may borrow any that we have on the table." Lia glanced over to where the court magician was pointing.
Does that mean we can use non elemental magic? Alchemy? Although I doubt most people will be carrying around vials of potions. Dark or speaking magic? That's relatively useless without the elements… She sweatdropped. Whatever… Choose any opponent as long as they are a magic user…? That means that most of the guards are off limits… Would've been fun to train with them... Lia glanced around, finding her desired opponent and smirking once she found her choice.
"Alright, everybody find someone they want to fight? Great. Let's start." The magician looked over to the left end of the lineup. "You first." He said, to a man in his thirties, who immediately pointed at a scrawny boy, to be his opponent. "Everyone else, please stand behind the railing."
Lia turned, finding Kihal already standing in the stands of the makeshift arena. She ran over, squirming her way to the front, landing a spot in between her friend and a black haired man, who stared intently at the two men in the arena.
"Poor guy." Lia sighed, having quickly assessed the situation. "He doesn't stand a chance."
"Which one?" Kihal asked curiously, looking up at the girl, who was leaning her head on her hands, already bored.
"The gorilla of course." Obviously… Who else… Lia said, noticing the black haired man's surprisingly cat-like eyes dart toward her, a slight smile spreading on his face before turning his eyes back to the front.
"Eh?! But he looks stronger than the other one!" Kihal exclaimed wide-eyed, believing him to be stronger than his opponent.
"Yeah, he's strong, but he's not agile, or fast for that matter." She yawned. "He's holding his sword like an axe- which would have probably suited him better. He seems like he's not used to handling a sword, because his stance and balance are both off. I'm surprised he hasn't fallen yet." As if right on cue, he turned around, trying to catch up to the quick scrawny boy, tripping in his own feet ending up face flat on the ground.
"Hehehe! My EVIL curse worked!" Lia jumped up, rubbing her hands together, cackling like a witch, as if she had planned the entire thing. Kihal shook her head in disbelief and giggled at the overreacting girl.
"THE WINNER IS IWAO!" The magician announced, raising the boy's arm up. The crowd roared. The man on the ground growled, fists punching the ground, veins bulging on his forehead. Lia sighed, putting her head in her hands once again. How unattractive. Such a sore loser… Honestly…
Lia almost started falling asleep, watching the boring fights, with the outcomes painfully predictable to her. Kihal shook her out of her drowsy state every few minutes, quietly scolding her. A few fights passed by as Lia waited for her turn, jumping over the railing and grabbing a sword, just one out of dozens of identical ones, as soon as the magician started to call her name.
"And who will your opponent be?" He asked, as Lia grinned mischievously under her hood, glad that it was there to hide her face.
"If I may, then you, sir." She stated cheerfully, the courtyard going silent. Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see Kihal's furiously shocked expression, with the black haired man next to her holding in a snicker as best he could, before letting out a laugh, Kihal whipping around to slap his shoulder. He immediately quieted, but still had the remnants of a grin on his face.
"May I ask why?" Fumio asked in return, eyes filled with a pleased curiosity.
Lia thought for a minute, lifting her head, hood rolling back enough for her eyes to meet his. "Might as well spar with a certified court magician than picking a person out at random and hoping they're stronger than me so that I can learn to fight better from them."
He smiled, nodding his head in understandment. "Alright, let's start then as soon as you're ready." He said, taking a few steps back, positioning himself into a fighting stance and drawing out a sword of his own from under his cloak.
Lia backed up as well, trying to assess the figure standing before her, all disturbances fading away, disappearing from her focus. Everything stilled as she shot forward, racing towards the head magician, pinpointing an open spot on his neck. She struck hand out, wanting to knock him off balance quickly, but he gracefully moved his hand up to hers without so much as a batt of the eye, grabbing her wrist and twisting it. She wrenched her hand from his grasp, launching herself back, processing the information he gave her. He's fast, agile. Predicts my movements. Uses my strength against me.
She held the sword up, the heavy, wide, straight blade feeling awkward in her hand. She frowned slightly, swinging it swiftly towards Fumio. It rebounded as it was hit to the side, bouncing back towards her, the momentum uncontrollable. Her eyes widened in fear before her reflexes took over, letting go of the sword and somersaulting back. The sword landed in front of her, wedged in the ground. She pulled it out, standing up to face the magician once again.
He's not attacking. He's had many opportunities, so why doesn't he do it? Is he staying on defense purposefully? Or is it that he can't go on offense? I won't be able to beat him this way. Let's see if I can at least make him move from his spot. She walked over to him slowly, conserving her energy until she got close enough to attack. In a split second, her sword was up against his, clashing mercilessly, endlessly.
"You don't give up, do you? He asked quietly, blocking yet another one of her quick cuts.
"If Clarines was up against a stronger opponent, I wouldn't back down and surrender, now would I?" She muttered back, out of breath.
The magician smiled back, twisting her sword out of her grasp.
She jumped back, out of Fumio's reach, crouching, marks appearing in the ground as she skidded back, the sword too far away from her, and too close to him. I won't be able to reach for it. Not when he's that good at defense. I can't knock him down either. He hasn't even moved his feet. Lia smiled. Might as well try harder.
Her muscles tensed, getting ready to spring up. She carefully unbuttoned her cloak, holding it together, hoping he wouldn't notice or predict her actions. Lia jumped, twisting in the air, letting her cloak fall, the few seconds of cover letting her move to his side, spinning to gather enough momentum to kick him in the back of the knees, causing him to momentarily double over and take a step forward to balance himself.
Just as she got ahold of her sword, Fumio hit her firmly on the back of her neck, the pain making her collapse. It's over.
Lia smiled at the magician. I did it. I was able to make him move from his spot. She relaxed, taking in a deep breath before standing up, pain still causing her muscles to spasm, and curtsying to him.
"Thank you." She said quietly. Thank you for fighting with me. Thank you for teaching me.
Fumio chuckled. "You're welcome, child." He picked up her cloak from the ground, handing it to her. "I would really like to see how you would fight with a different sword. That one didn't seem to suit you."
She grinned in response, turning away to put her cloak back on and head out of the arena. Seeing the crowd, she suddenly became self conscious, and slightly embarrassed at her spectacle of a fight. Lia caught eye contact with Kihal, a shiver sending through her spine at the furious girl's expression. She casually walked over, gulping as she stood next to her.
"Hey Kihal, how are you doing?" She asked, as casual as possible, waiting for her impending doom.
"HOW AM I DOING? QUESTION IS, WHAT WERE YOU DOING?!" Lia grimaced as Kihal scolded her. "You could have died! You could have gotten hurt!"
"I seriously doubt the chances of Fumio killing or hurting me are higher than the others applicants doing it." Lia responded, shrugging.
Kihal sighed, giving in. "Be careful, okay? By the way, your hair is really pretty." Lia's eyes widened, realizing everyone had seen it. "How did it become silver on the ends?"
"U-um haha. I guess I was just born with it." She tapped her fingers on the railing nervously. "And it grew out to a brown…?" She said, voice cracking in the middle of a sentence like a goat's. She cringed at herself, turning away from Kihal before she was going to ask any more questions. She leaned at the railing watching the next applicant pick out his opponent.
"That was a good fight." She turned to look at the person next to her who had spoken. Golden cat-like eyes, one with a bruise over it, stared back to her cloak covered ones.
"Thanks." She replied, a smile gracing her lips. Their attention was brought back to the arena as a shout rang out and swords collided.
The fights were mostly boring to Lia, since she wasn't fighting them herself. Taro had gone, beaten his opponent, and left. Some came out of their matches with not even a scratch, while others had bruises, cuts, sprains, one even had a bone broken.
The head magician called out another name, a man stepping out of the crowd. Lia had almost started falling asleep again when the man had announced his opponent, outstretching a finger to point. Realization dawned upon Lia. Oh dear… I still have one more match to go through.. Don't I… She sighed, jumping over the railing, heading over to her opponent.
"Lia!" She turned back as Kihal shouted her name out. "Don't do anything stupid."
She grinned at the black haired girl as she held her arms crossed. "I'll try."
The light brown haired man had a cocky smirk plastered on his face, already annoying Lia. She picked up a sword, the uncomfortableness presenting itself to her, as she gripped it tightly. She moved her feet into a defensive position, waiting for her opponent to attack.
Seconds later, she was blocking slashes from the man, barely withstanding his unyielding hits. When she couldn't keep up, she dodged, backing up away from him, inching closer and closer to the railing. She was becoming trapped, in between the man and the edge of the makeshift arena. Her sword protected her from his, but it was heavy, slowing down her movements. Lia was growing tired, still not recovered from the exertion of the previous match.
Another step back had her almost lose her balance, hood falling down, her sword being knocked out from her hands. She dove out of the way, rolling on the ground a few feet before she came to a stop, crouching on the ground to steady herself. She watched helplessly as the man turned towards her, holding both his and her weapons.
He launched himself at her, she dodged, leaped, somersaulted, anything to keep herself from being stabbed by the blades. She managed to duck under the swords, kicking him in the stomach, sending him to land on his butt as she moved as far away as possible trying to catch her breath. She crouched on the other side of the arena, waiting for the man, who had already stood up, to come after her again.
She felt a sudden tug on her head from behind, distracting her and making her lose her balance, falling back.
Something's wrong… Why was my hair pulled…? Why does it feel light…? She sat back up, hair falling to her face, soft strands curling and tickling her neck. Time slowed as she stared at the uneven brown ends.
My hair… It's short… Why is it short…? When… oh. Her expression darkened, realizing the person behind her had cut it. She glanced behind, finding the smug face holding her cut off braid in the air like a prized trophy, as if it were his biggest accomplishment. She could hear the echoes of the murmurs and snickers of people around her, some pitying, and some laughing at her.
Her heartbeat crashed through her, reminiscent of stormy waves against jagged rocks below a cliff. Her blood boiled with anger. Her mind instantly cleared and focused at the sight of her opponent charging towards her with the swords outstretched, ready to pierce through her mercilessly.
Let's end this so I can deal with the other one. How about it?
She sidestepped, one of the swords cutting her thigh, the gash making blood drip down, covering all the way down to her boots. She moved away from the man, trying to buy time for herself. She could hear the crowd still talking about her, some voices filled with pity, some with spite. She caught sight of Kihal, standing at the edge of the pavilion, her hands clutching her chest, a look of fear and worry written on her face. Lia turned her attention back to the man, who's rage filled eyes were looming only a few feet in front of her, about to bring the two swords down onto her. Her instincts took over.
She didn't care if she was taken out of the exam. She didn't care if she was humiliated and sent home. She was fed up with the arrogant idiots who played dirty and seemed to want to end her life.
She closed her eyes, her hands moving in front of her horizontally, crossing over ever so slightly, grasping the air. She pulled them apart swiftly, drawing two swords out of the air, appearing and clanging against her opponent's, just in time. His eyes widened in surprise at seeing her swords, dashing back to the other side of the pavilion, tense and on guard. The audience had silenced, staring at her.
Lia glanced down at the swords she was holding with indifference. They were long, the handle fitting perfectly in her hands, and each lighter than expected. The blade was ever so slightly curved, but was incredibly more comfortable to use than a straight sword from before. They were translucent, the blade itself glowing a silvery purple, and swirling around it were wispy ribbons of blue, white, red and green.
Focus on your opponent, Lia. Don't let yourself become distracted. Take him out.
Her eyes met with his deathly gaze. They came at each other, deflecting each other's hits, speed rising with each blow. The light, curved swords allowed her agility and movement that the previous sword couldn't. Using two swords at the same time let her be on both offense and defense, without having to choose between either option.
Lia broke through, her blade sending one of the swords flying away. The once cocky man desperately tried to defend himself with his remaining sword, but was overwhelmed by the girl in front of him.
The sword shattered. His face contorted in pain as he fell forward onto his knees after receiving a quick kick in his groin. Lia darted to the side of him, extending her swords around his neck.
"As of this moment, the match has concluded!" The head magician's voice boomed throughout the pavilion, bringing her out of her focus before she had the chance to slice. "The winner is Lia!" The crowd erupted in cheers at the announcement. She withdrew her swords, noticing a thin line of blood appearing at the man's throat.
She turned on her heels, walking toward the man who had cut her hair, her anger at him returning like a blazing fire. His once triumphant look had been replaced by one of terror as the girl approached. She pointed a sword at him, the onlookers quieting, then murmuring at her action.
"W-why a-are you p-pointing that at me?" he stuttered, pretending to be oblivious of the braid he was holding in his hand.
"I love what you've done with your hair." Lia seethed. "How did you get it to come out of your nostrils like that? I'm guessing that's why you wanted my hair, to make some BEAUTIFUL extensions for yourself, right?" The man stood shocked, insulted, yet fear stricken from the untameable fire in her eyes. Lia waited for a response, but after getting none, continued. "I was hoping for a battle of wits, but you've appeared to have come unarmed. It's such a pity. I would have loved to insult you more, but it appears to be beyond the level of your intelligence."
The pavilion was silent. No one had any way to respond to the furious girl. Exasperated, she huffed, pulling her hood over her head and turning away from the idiot who looked like he was about to pee himself. The audience started whispering, talking, then laughing at the events that had just transpired. She let go of her transparent swords, walking away as they vanished into the air as soon as her grasp on them relinquished.
Even through her high pain tolerance, every step brought a sharp ache to her thigh as dark blood gushed out the cut, soaking into the fabric, hidden underneath her cloak. The adrenaline Lia had had before, which had relieved her of pain, was now gone, filling her with exhaustion. She tried to walk as smoothly as possible, to avoid others noticing her injury.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw three figures that had appear next to the relieved, yet shocked Kihal. Honestly, she doesn't contain any of her emotions, does she? Lia immediately recognized one of newcomers as Zen. He was grinning stupidly, holding back giggles, probably having seen the fights, both physical and verbal. A pair of guards, similar to those in the picture from the bakery, a rather tall man, and a blonde haired woman, were both smiling on one side of the prince. The cat eyed man she had been standing next to before, hadn't even tried to contain his laughter, and she could almost hear him over the rest of the crowd.
Realization hit her; she had seen that smile before. Somewhere. She couldn't remember where or even when. She had seen that smile. Countless times. She was sure of it.
She continued trying to remember as she made her way to the pharmacy, needing her injured leg to be treated.
Lia stood the pharmacy door, finding a few people inside, working diligently.
"Excuse me.." she timidly stated, gaining the attention of a red haired girl, who smiled up at her. She's the same one from when I met Kihal... "I have a few cuts and i was wondering if someone could patch me up…?" She grinned nervously, rubbing the back of her head.
"Yeah, sure! I'll be right there! Take a seat in the room next door." The girl replied, looking at the cuts then proceeding to get up, grabbing some herbs. Lia did as she was told, and sat down on the bed, sinking into the cushion, her eyes widening. Its so fluffy…
The red headed girl walked into the room, kneeling down to help Lia take off her boots and leggings, which were both soaked in blood.
"How did you get this?" The redhead asked, a frown on her face.
"Oh, I'm an applicant for the magician's apprenticeship. We uh… had to fight and I had a misstep." Lia smiled bitterly, wincing as the girl applied medicine on her cut and pulled a bandage out of her pocket.
"Eh? Fumio is asking people to fight? Was anyone else hurt?" The redhead girl seemed worried, panicked even, as she quickly finished wrapping Lia's thigh.
"I think there were a few scratches, bruises and one broken arm, along with some sprains, but that's it." Lia answered, watching the redhead's face turn into horror.
"I'll be right back." The girl ran out of the room. Lia could faintly hear her voice talking to someone, a boy sounding younger.
"Ryuu, Fumio held matches for the magicians. Some are hurt." The worried girl explained.
"I'll go and check. Stay with your patient, and treat anyone who comes by." The boy calmly answered, his light footsteps fading away as he left.
"SHIRAYUKI!" Lia flinched at the familiar shrill voice of Kihal. "Have you seen Lia?!"
"Who?"
"The girl with a dark blue cloak that had her leg almost cut off!"
The redhead laughed, entering the room where Lia sat, head down, waiting for her doom.
"LIAAA!" Oh no. Here she comes… "YOU PROMISED YOU WOULDN'T DO ANYTHING STUPID!"
She averted her eyes out of shame as Kihal chopped her on the head. "S-sorry Kihal…"
"Honestly! What were you thinking?" The black haired girl sighed, sitting down next to the brunette.
"I didn't really have any choice when it came to fighting… He would have probably killed me if I didn't fight back. As to the other guy…" Lia started simmering, just thinking about him. "Cutting off a person's hair is EXTREMELY rude! Took me eight years to grow it out! And do you know how much of a pain in the butt curls are?!" Lia inhaled deeply, having ranted in one breath. "Really…"
"Someone cut your hair off during a fight?" The redhead asked, surprised, continuing to apply ointment on Lia's cuts and bruises.
She nodded her head. "Speaking of which, could one of you even it out a little for me? I'm afraid I'll mess it up more if I try to do it myself." Kihal sighed, going into the other room to find scissors, seeing as the redhead was busy treating the scabbed scratches she had found on Lia's hands. "I forgot to ask, what's your name by the way? I'm Lia, as you've probably heard from Kihal earlier…"
The redhead sweat dropped. "Yeah, I heard loud and clear." Lia giggled. "I'm Shirayuki. It's nice to meet you."
"And you as well!" Lia beamed a smile, as Kihal walked into the room, pulling the hood down, and snipping away at the long ends.
"Hey, Lia, why did you decide to apply for the magician's apprenticeship? Isn't it dangerous?" Kihal asked.
She's right. Why did I? It's not like I stand a chance against some of the other candidates. They're smarter, stronger, more experienced.
"At first my parents wanted me to try for it, and I didn't want to fight with them or disappoint them by not even trying." I still miss Kazuo and Hiriko… But the longer I'm here, and the more people I meet, the more I want to get to know them. I want to see more of the world. I want to see the life around me. I want to see everything that I've missed out on in my life. She twiddled with the edges of her cloak while the other two girls finished up their work. "I guess now that I'm here, I want to stay, and discover new things, new people, new places." But why magic? Aren't I decent at other things? Ones where I won't be at risk, and won't put others at risk either? "A magician's foremost duty is to guard Clarines. Yeah, it can be dangerous, but that's why I want to do it. I want to learn how to protect the people I care for..." Since I wasn't able to before. "I want to do my best!" She beamed, her eyes lighting up with determination.
Shirayuki smiled back. "I want to protect the people around me too! I'm not very good at fighting, and don't have much magic, so I use medicine to help others. I understand your feelings, and I won't lose to you!"
Lia's smile grew wider.
"I want to protect the people and animals on my island- that's why I'm even here. I can't bear for them to be hurt. So I won't lose to you either!" Kihal exclaimed.
Lia's smile couldn't grow any bigger as she heard Kihal's statement. Something bubbled inside her. Something full of happiness, excitement. Something that looked forward to the future. We've just met, but I already want to talk with them more, stay with them longer. I want to be by their side.
It was already the afternoon when Lia finally left the pharmacy, walking on the second floor of the castle, looking out to the pavilion where the test would take place. She had had lunch with Kihal and Shirayuki, discussing various topics and somehow ending up discussing If-cats-and-dogs-had-evolved-and-developed-human-characteristics-which-one-would-have-had-a-better-government-system-and-why.
Popo's trial was going to be in half an hour. She had promised Kihal she would attend. She had been surrounded by people ever since the morning, but now finally being alone again brought her mind back the the events of that day. Shock suddenly hit her.
I DREW SWORDS OUT OF AIR?! WHat?! HOw? I don't even know what kind of magic that is, much less how to do it…! Please tell me it's not elemental magic… That would mean that I'm disqualified… But if it's dark magic, then that's not any better. She groaned internally, hitting her head against the pillar behind her. Those swords were weird as well. Long, yet curved…? Haven't seen anything like that in years. I'll have to look it up when I get the chance.
She sighed, turning toward the pavilion, feet swinging in the air, tapping her heels against the edge of the wall as she waited; a crowd gathering below her. A few people she recognized easily, like the duo of red and black. Shirayuki and Kihal… They were conversing- more like Shirayuki reassuring a nervous Kihal.
"Hey, have you heard?!" "About the bird, right?" "What?" "What bird?" "Prince Zen is doing something, and it sounds like fun!" A tick mark appeared on Lia's forehead. Do the guards even work here or do they just slack off…
Her attention was reverted back to the duo when a black haired man strode up to them, the same one from before, the one with catlike eyes and a bruise, the one whose smile could light up a room.
Soon after, Zen and his two aides joined, speaking a few words, then they all dispersed, walking over to their positions. Shirayuki and Kihal with Popo on one side of Zen, with the three attendants on the other side, leaning against the wall where Lia sat- a man with a scar on his nose joining them.
Lia quickly pushed herself off the railing, jumping into a tree and settling there, careful not to strain her leg. She was just a few meters away from the attendants, wondering if they had heard her jump down. Apparently not…
Zen cleared his throat loudly, gaining the attention of everyone gathered. "Thus, the content of the exam is as follows. The destination is in the western direction of the castle, about 10km away in a straight line. That distance would take horses forty minutes for a round trip. We'll let the bird carry a letter to the lookout fortress at Kokoku, and the person at the fortress would take that letter, sign it, and then tie the bell on the bird and let it fly back to the castle. Everything has to be over within twenty-five minutes. If all the conditions are met, I will acknowledge the use of the birds. But if not, we will take it that this never happened."
The guards murmured to each other. "It turned out simpler than I thought…" "Don't be stupid! A bird is going to do this, not a human!" "Going to Kokoku and coming back in twenty-five minutes…?"
"If that bird can really do such a trick, it'd be groundbreaking." Lia overheard the man with the scar on his nose state.
"Well, let's watch, Lord Zakura." Answered the blue haired attendant next to him.
Zen continued with his speech. "Lady Kihal will be the one to dispatch the bird, and her assistant will be Lady Shirayuki." He gestured to the duo. "I will have three guards traveling with her to observe the happenings at the lookout fortress. That's all."
The guards turned excited as soon as Shirayuki was mentioned. Now that she thought about it, she remembered the redhead mentioning Zen and his attendants a few times when they talked that day. Are they friends?
"Oh. Now there's one more thing to look at, huh?" The scar nosed man said to himself, getting confused looks from the other three.
"Eh?" The blue haired man asked, curious as to what the other meant.
The man smiled. "Nothing."
Sudden loud laughter caught the crowd's attention. "Pfft-hahahahaha! Hahahaha! I see! And I was wondering why his highness suddenly thought of something so crazy!" He turned to Kihal. "So you thought of getting his highness's friend on your side, Toghrul."
Is he insane or something? Oh. Wait. Is that the Lord guy from Kihal's island? Lia suddenly had a severe distaste for the man, not only for insulting Kihal, but Zen as well; she really felt like wrapping him up in vines and hanging him upside down from the highest tower for a day.
"Kihal's expression turned into a surprised anxiety. "His highness's friend!" So she hadn't figured it out yet… Lia sighed, mentally facepalming.
"Hmph. How shrewd." The lord stated, making Lia's distaste rise even higher.
Shirayuki tried to defend Kihal, when she was interrupted by Zen. "Viscount Blaker. Right now, I'm trying to see if this proposal will be of benefit to our country or not. As you are also a person of high rank in the country, I would like you to see this through as well." The viscount visibly flinched.
Need some ice for that burn? Too bad that I can't make you any. Lia grinned mischievously.
"Well, then, your highness, I would also like to go to the lookout fortress at Kokoku. It's not that I doubt you, but if these girls were to play unfair, it would hurt your reputation, your highness." The viscount said, seeming to have recovered himself.
Lia grimaced, wanting to punch the guy, tapping her fingers against her crossed over arms. None of this is going to lead to any good if he goes. They don't really have a choice though since they could be accused of being biased...Corrupt leaders should never be trusted, or given power for that matter. Just look at what happened to Sai and the dark lands. Corrupt rulers took over the throne and everything ended up badly for the people.
Zen seemed dubious of the viscount's intentions as well, glancing at Shirayuki, for her to make the decision. She smiled in agreement, although it seemed a bit forced to Lia. Zen nodded his head, turning back to the viscount. Lia's bad feeling only increased as she watched the viscounts grinning face. I really don't like the look in his eyes...
"Then, Lord Blaker, Lady Shirayuki and the three guards, please go to Kokoku! At four o'clock, we will start to dispatch the bird from here." He announced loud enough for everyone to hear.
The scar nosed man cursed the viscount under his breath. "Is that viscount stupid, or what? You guys should just say it out right that every single thing that guy utters is an insult to his highness!"
"No." The blue haired man answered him. "We want to keep everything civilized until the test ends without any trouble." He stated, but held his arms crossed. Lia could almost see the tick marks going off from all of the attendants. The former, seeing the latter's reasoning settled down, but not before crossing his arms as well.
A few minutes later, and Shirayuki was off to the fortress. Zen's not sending any extra guards along? That's idiotic. I can't really go up to him while he's on the stage. I'd look too suspicious.
"Jeez... The people in this country sure have it tough… they have to watch their every move…" The cat eyed man muttered to himself, just barely audible to Lia as she jumped out of the tree above him, landing next to him smoothly, with only a sharp tug in her thigh. She could sense him tense up, watching her movements closely.
"I'm pretty sure every country is like that, not only Clarines." She replied, seeing his eyebrows raise up from under the shadow of her hood. "You're close with Prince Zen, right? I've seen you with him before." She asked, leaning her back against the wall, looking forward to watch the prince talk with Kihal.
"Why do you ask?" He answered, his voice filled with wariness, yet curiosity.
"I have a feeling that there's something fishy about the viscount. It's just a thought, but maybe you would want to warn Zen to send someone he trusts to go after the group to make sure that nothing goes wrong?" She looked over at him, his molten golden eyes widening faintly. "Anyway, that's all I wanted to say." She turned away heading down to the kitchens to find a snack, feeling a pair of eyes watching her until she disappeared from view.
When Lia returned fifteen minutes later, biting into her apple, the cat eyed man was gone, and Kihal was getting ready to release Popo.
Did that guy actually listen to me? That's cool. It would have been sad if he hadn't. He gives off a different vibe than the others though. Now that I think about it, he wasn't wearing any type of uniform either. Kinda weird...
With a whistle and a squawk, Popo was off to the fortress. Kihal had seemed even more worried ever since the lord had decided to accompany Shirayuki.
"What do you think of the test so far?" asked a voice behind her, startling her to the point of almost dropping the apple.
"Its a good idea, I just hope that nothing goes wrong, Zen. Or do you prefer 'your highness'?" Lia smiled.
"Zen is fine." He answered curtly. "That viscount gets on my nerves though." He sighed.
"As long as you sent people you trust to watch over him, it'll be fine." I hope. Shirayuki won't give in to the viscount at least. "By the way, aren't you supposed to be up there?" Lia asked, pointing to the stage.
He grumbled. "What, i can't even take a few minutes to speak with an old friend?"
She cocked her head to the side and innocently asked, "You have friends? That's surprising."
"Oi." his annoyance soon was replaced with a smile. "Anyway, see you around, Lia."
She smiled back, unseen by her hood, as he turned away, heading up onto the platform to get ready for the arrival of the bird.
The crowd's murmuring grew louder as time passed by. Lia could practically feel Zen's annoyance radiating from the platform, although no one else seemed to notice.
"SHUT UP!" the prince yelled, quieting the crowd for a bit. Well, that grabbed their attention for five seconds. The guards were already slowly getting louder
Lia was already back in the tree, staying comfortably out of view.
"Two more minutes and the time will be over!" the scar nosed man commented, making Lias anxiety skyrocket. If I'm this nervous, Kihal must be freaking out. The black haired girl stood calmly, but Lia could still see the worry in her eyes and in the way she held herself.
"That viscount probably played some dirty trick." the blonde woman stated, startling Lia. Yeah. That's probably what happened…
"Hey! Well, at least Obi followed them a bit after that, but…" The blue haired man's voice faded out with a sigh. Is Obi that cat eyed man? I hope that at least he's someone who won't conform to any of the viscounts plans...
"Hey… its going to be twenty five minutes soon…" "I guess its not that easy after all, to control birds with sound alone." Two guards close by said to each other, making a tick mark appear on Lias forehead. Just have some FAITH in them! SERIOUSLY!
Lia's eyes widened as Zen drew his sword out of its sheath and clanged it on the ground. "Be quiet! I can't hear the sound of the birds wings!" he yelled, eyebrows furrowed in concentration.
"Yes sir!" the guards straightened up, silencing themselves.
That worked… She sweatdropped. What did i expect though? He is a prince… They didn't listen to him the first time around though...
"Piiiiiiiiiii!" Lia's head shot up to the sky, along with the rest of the onlookers.
"Your highness!" Kihal's face was filled with joy as Popo landed on her arm. The scar nosed man stepped up, and Kihal handed him the letter and bell.
The man inspected the letter. "Indeed. It has the signatures of everyone there. There shouldn't be any problems."
Zens face lit up ashe turned toward the crowd. "Well, then, I hereby declare that we are going to use birds for communication from now on." The crowed cheered. "That's all. Everyone, go back to your posts!"
Lia jumped out of the tree, heading to congratulate Kihal when the scar nosed man started speaking with Zen quietly. "Your highness, there's a report together with the letter. Apparently one guard is heading back to the castle right now."
Zens face turned dark as he read the letter. Did something bad happen? "Mitsuhide, Kiki, prepare my horse!"
The blue haired man and blonde haired woman immediately bowed their heads. "Yes, sir!"
"Please come with us, too, Lady Kihal." Zen strode off after his attendants.
"Kihal!" Lia called out to the black haired girl, who promptly turned around. "I'm glad everything worked out with Popo."
"Yeah, me too!" Popo squeaked in agreement with Kihal.
"Do you know what happened at the fortress? Zen looked pretty upset." Lia glanced at his back as he turned the corner.
"No. I didn't get the chance to read the letter. Something must have happened if Prince Zen's going there himself…"
"That viscount… I hope Shirayuki is alright…" Lia sighed. "Anyway, i should get going. I don't particularly want to walk home in the dark." Kihal nodded. "Could you let Shirayuki know she did a good job and I hope she is alright, for me?"
"I will." Kihal grinned. "Get home safe, okay?"
Lia smiled. "Absolutely. I'll see you tomorrow!"
I'm late!
Please forgive me!
I will be uploading a second time this month to make up for the missed one!
I'm so excited for next week because I'll have spring break and can write and watch anime and eat food :p
What did you guys think of this chapter? I hope both the fight scenes and the budding friendship between Lia, Kihal and Shirayuki were alright.
Anyway, I'll see you all soon, and thank you so much for reading and supporting this story!
May your days be full of happiness and positivity!
SakuraFestival out-