Author Note: I've got good news to report. I hit 50,000 words today for this fic. The portion that I wrote for NaNo is complete and I still have about 10k left to do. My goal is to have the entire project completed by December 7th. Thank you everyone who has read this fic so far and those who will read it moving forward.
Sayo returned the next morning wearing her entire suit of leather armor. She brought both her bow and sword as well, prepared to fight if things got messy.
Her first stop, as was becoming routine, was Ran's office. She knew she'd be positioned as a guard for the party, but wasn't sure where they wanted her. When Sayo arrived, Ran was the only person in her office.
Ran provided the requested information. "You'll be standing guard in the courtyard today. Pick a doorway and stand near it. If you're not sure, ask Kasumi where to go. The event is starting in a couple hours, so you should head to your post." She dismissed Sayo, sending her off to the courtyard.
Sayo walked to the now familiar space, which was even more bustling than it had been the day before. Various people moved around the open area, setting up tables and decorations.
Before looking for a place to stand guard, Sayo went over to the flower bed she dug up the day before. In place of the sparse flowers that lived there before, it was now full of bright and varied chrysanthemums. The most prominent color was a dark red, one that matched the banners adorning the castle walls. Even though she was grumpy that gardener did a good job, Sayo thought as she admired the flowers.
With that done, she looked around for a good place to stand guard. There were multiple entrances to the courtyard, some already with guards near them. There wasn't anyone by the east entrance, so Sayo decided to take up that post. It was a decent place to keep watch from, since she could see most of the courtyard from there.
Thus started the guarding process. It mostly consisted of watching and waiting for something to happen, with the high chance of nothing occurring. Sayo didn't mind the job, it was certainly better than digging ditches had been the day before. For this task she stood in her one spot, watching people as they prepared for the event.
One person passed through the door Sayo guarded multiple times, a young woman she'd met previously named Saya. It made sense that she'd come through this particular door, since the kitchen was located in that direction. She said hello to Sayo on her first trip through, but was thankfully too busy to make small talk.
After about an hour another group that Sayo knew crossed the courtyard. Yukina and Lisa were dressed differently than before, wearing formal clothes instead of armor. They still wore pants instead of skirts. Ako was with them, along with a woman with long black hair that Sayo hadn't met before. They seemed to be merely crossing through, but stopped when Lisa spotted Sayo.
"Hey Sayo!" Lisa waved as she approached, bringing the others with her. "How is your wound healing?" She leaned in to examine the bandages.
"It's healing well, thank you for asking." Sayo politely offered a half smile.
"That's great!" Lisa returned it with a full grin. "Yukina's is healing too, though she's been a bit stubborn about letting me treat it."
"It's fine." Yukina muttered under her breath, drawing Lisa's exasperated gaze. Lisa merely shook her head before returning to Sayo.
"This is Ako." She gestured to the shorter one who Sayo had seen at the stables. "She's serving as Yukina's squire." The teen made a strange hand sign over her face, which Sayo ignored. "And this is Rinko, she's a healer who works in the castle." Lisa gestured to the black haired woman, who shrunk back when Sayo looked at her.
"N-nice… to meet you." Rinko said in a quiet voice, drawing her hands together in front of her body and looking down at them.
Sayo's half smile softened into a more genuine one; she wasn't quite sure why. "Likewise." She said, still looking at Rinko even though the other girl wouldn't maintain eye contact.
"I see you're armed today." Yukina cut in with one raised eyebrow.
Sayo nodded, turning to the golden eyed knight. "I've been hired to guard during the event today." She noticed that none of the people in front of her were armed, so they must've been planning to attend.
"Kasumi was complaining about changing the shifts for this." Lisa mused in reply, one hand on her chin. "So I suppose it makes sense they'd hire someone." She looked to Yukina, probably for affirmation, and received a small nod. "Did they tell you what the party's for?" Lisa's voice rose as she leaned towards Sayo.
"No, they didn't." Sayo said with a frown. She wanted to add, does it really matter, but refrained.
Lisa leaned even closer. "Well, I heard that the king wants Princess Himari to find a husband and get married, but she keeps ignoring her suitors. He keeps having events like these to give her more chances." Sayo felt a twinge of annoyance at the gossip, but continued listening anyway. "They're saying she has to choose a husband today, at this party." Wherever Sayo went there was gossip; this place was no different.
"Those are just rumors, and unflattering ones at that." Yukina looked as annoyed as Sayo felt.
Lisa stood up straight and had the dignity to look embarrassed. "Yes, they are only rumors." She chuckled lightly.
"We shouldn't… gossip too much." Rinko added quietly, siding clearly with Yukina.
"You're right, you're right. Forget you heard anything." Lisa said to Sayo, which would be an almost impossible request to grant. "We should get going. Good luck with guarding today!"
The four each said their farewells, Ako's including a grand flourish, before continuing their journey through the courtyard. Sayo watched them go, turning over the rumors they shared in her mind. She wasn't quite sure if she'd ever seen the princess, but today would be a good day to do so.
Sayo remained at her post as the event drew nearer, watching as a few other people she had met trickled by. Moca was one of them, hauling a huge rolled up scroll of some kind. Arisa passed through as well, working on the final gardening touches. Saya walked by Sayo multiple times, running to and from the kitchen.
Surprisingly, Sayo didn't see Tsugumi. She wondered if the other woman was going to be attending the party or if she would be tied to the kitchen, but didn't let the question bother her.
Another hour passed in this manner, until Ran appeared in the courtyard. She walked towards Sayo, checking the other guards as she came.
"You picked a good spot." Ran commented, looking around at the courtyard. "It's starting in half an hour. Make sure to keep an eye out for anything suspicious."
Sayo gave an affirmative and Ran walked away. It was nice; she just gave the instructions and then left. No small talk, no time wasted.
After Ran was gone, guests started to trickle in. They came from the north entrance, since that was the direction that the main gate was in. Most were men and woman that Sayo didn't know. They wore extravagant dresses and bright colors, showing off status and wealth.
At first glance, none of the attendees seemed to be carrying a weapon. That was until the group of knights returned. They had added some color to their outfits, but Yukina had also gained a dagger. Sayo wasn't that worried about Yukina causing trouble in her own kingdom, so she didn't say anything. She still kept an eye on the knight, just as a precaution.
Soon the party officially started, with the entrance of a pink haired woman signaling the beginning. Saya ran past Sayo multiple times, bringing food out of the kitchen to serve the guests. They ate, mingled, and talked. Sayo watched, unable to make out their conversations through the noise. She saw Moca and Ran, together in the crowd. Ako trailed after Yukina while Lisa flitted from person to person.
"Enjoying the party?" A voice came from Sayo's side, from the door she was guarding. It was a gentle voice and a familiar one.
"I suppose so." Sayo relaxed her shoulders slightly as she turned towards Tsugumi. "Nothing bad has happened."
"Not on the surface." Tsugumi looked out over the crowd as she spoke, eyes missing their light from the day before. "Who knows what words have been said."
Sayo frowned at this. "I'm not sure." She admitted with a shrug. "I only know a few people."
"Well, the woman with the bright pink hair and stunning red dress is Princess Himari." Tsugumi stepped closer to Sayo and pointed towards the person in question. "And the red haired person next to her is Tomoe, her personal knight." These two people were the ones Sayo saw sparring in the courtyard the previous day. That explained how they gained permission to do so. A third woman stood with them, one with long purple hair in a high ponytail. She wore a strange mask and was leaning down towards the Princess, whose face had turned an interesting shade of pink.
"Who is the third person?" Sayo asked, wondering if the mask should be cause for alarm.
"I'm not sure." Tsugumi narrowed her eyes as if to squint and see them better. "Probably one of her suitors." So the rumors about suitors were true. There was a group of young men standing nearby the princess as well, though Tomoe seemed to be giving them a hard glare.
"Honestly, I feel a little out of place here." Even the nicest clothes Sayo had wouldn't be good enough for this occasion. "Even though I'm just guarding."
Tsugumi finally looked away from the crowd and directly at Sayo. "I feel the same way." She said quietly, running her hands over her clothes. "But it's nice to see people eating my food. I love when others enjoy my cooking." She recovered a smile at the last part, one that reached her eyes.
Sayo wasn't sure what to say, not having ever quite reached that feeling of satisfaction with her work. "That's nice." Was all she managed, two words with almost no meaning to them.
Tsugumi broke eye contact, turning back towards the event. "It was good to see you Sayo, hopefully I'll see you around."
"Goodbye." Sayo bid her farewell as she walked away, looking back once to give a small wave. Tsugumi stopped next to Tomoe, who looked happy to see her.
The rest of the event went quickly, with Sayo continuing to stand guard. She knew it was over when guests started to leave, bidding farewell to the princess before heading to the exit.
Once most of the guests were gone, Ran stopped by to speak with Sayo. Moca followed closely behind her with flushed cheeks and an unsteady gait.
"Here." Ran handed Sayo the sack of coins for the two days of work.
"Wowwwww Ran." Moca slurred, leaning on Ran heavily. "You should really… really pay Moca that well."
"Shut up." Ran grumbled, but didn't shove her off. She turned her attention back to Sayo. "You're all set for today, will you be back tomorrow?"
It was a question Sayo had asked herself many times that week, but hadn't been asked by any others.
"I'll be back." She replied with a firm nod, setting the decision in stone.