Nightingale's Song Chapter Seven: A Danger Returns

The cursed man was overjoyed to learn he would shortly be a father. Since his wife had learned to love him as she said she probably would, he figured the spell would soon be broken, and he gloried in the thought of telling her everything she deserved to know. Unfortunately, the magician learned of the king's happiness, and set out to destroy the chances of his spell breaking, by any means necessary.

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The stable master had spent the past five years training a perfect white mount in preparation for the princess, and Haru took great delight in her mare. 'Lady' lived up to the name beautifully, putting up with her mistress's ineptitude while Baron taught her how to properly ride, his own mount being a light gold color imitating his fur. Ironically enough, his name was 'Lord', and Baron enjoyed riding him almost as much as riding Toto.

With two of the faster guards on horseback, the couple tore up the countryside with long gallops. It wasn't the same as riding Toto, but it was a close second. Haru managed to get a few feet ahead of Baron, who quickly equaled her enough to speak face to face.

"When did you learn to sing like that?"

Haru laughed cheerfully.

"I just did. Kalmians prefer instruments to vocals, and if I had ever sung within ear shot of them and made them cry like my parents did, you would have had a much harder time freeing me."

His expression clouded over with displeasure.

"They weren't as bad as you think."

"It's a little hard to be convinced of that. The marks on your neck will be there the rest of your life."

She put one hand to her throat, the satin choker covering the scars left from the slave ring. She remembered the first time her maids helped her dress, and how they gasped at seeing the marks on her back that her fiancé still didn't know about. They refused to be consoled, even when she informed them she had only been whipped once several years ago, since the Kalmian princess was so fond of her. They were as difficult to convince as he was.

"Highness!"

Haru broke from her thoughts, and turned to see a young woman in a brown dress running toward them, a bundle in her arms. The princess reigned in her horse as her companions did the same, warily watching the approaching peasant. She stopped a few feet away from Lady, and bent over to catch her breath.

"Thank… goodness. I was hoping to ask a favor of you, Your Highness."

Baron leapt off his mount to help Haru off hers.

"How can I help you?"

The woman blushed a bit, and unwrapped the bundle to reveal a sweet face.

"Ohhh." Being a female, Haru was never good at resisting babies. "Boy or girl?"

"Girl, and a healthy one too. She was born a week ago, but I still think of a name that hasn't been taken by five others in the area. Could you…?"

Haru blinked twice, stunned.

"You are aware that I was raised in Kalmia, and will probably pick something from there if I name your child?"

"Whatever you choose, it would be an honor if you would. I'm certain she would agree too."

The baby had gotten a look at the princess, and started cooing adorably. Haru's heart melted, and she held out her arms for the girl-child. Rocking her gently, the heir looked the baby straight in the eye, and the infant returned the favor. Slowly, a veil seemed to lift from her mind. She smiled and kissed the girl on the forehead while the infant gurgled and grabbed at the lengthening hair falling over Haru's shoulder.

"Evangeline Sakura."

Baron looked over her shoulder and grinned, seeing the baby.

"Very fitting."

"Sakura?" The mother looked a bit confused.

"It means cherry blossom. I did warn you about asking me to name her."

The new mother smiled happily while retrieving her baby from the princess.

"It's beautiful, Highness. No one will be confusing her with half the maidens in the area now. Thank you."

The woman curtsied deeply with the babe in one arm. Haru nodded and smiled warmly at her, to some extent used to the frequent gestures of respect. Baron wrapped his arms around her as they watched the woman return to her village, a small group gathering to hear what was said.

"They already love you, you know."

She wrapped her arms around his and craned her head around to look at him.

"They hardly know me."

"They know you care about them enough to help when asked, and that's reason enough."

He squeezed her again, and she leaned against his chest happily. She would have purred, if she was part cat already.

One of the guards suddenly leapt off his horse and tackled the two, his shield covering the three of them. Baron didn't have enough time to demand to know what he was doing when a clang resounded off the shield. Underneath the two men, Haru could see an arrow fall on the grass beside them, the tip dented.

"Stop! In the name of the King!" The other guard galloped off, apparently chasing the archer. Baron helped his fiancé to her feet while the tackling bodyguard searched the trees for other archers.

"Thanks, Thomas. That was very quick-thinking on your part."

The middle-aged man waved away the praise.

"There could be more of them, Highness. Be best to get you back to the castle."

Baron had already swept her onto his horse and grabbed Lady's reins with his own. Luckily, she was as familiar with his touch as Haru's. He rode both horses harder toward the castle, the lone guard tailing behind them to keep watch. Haru was so stunned by the attempt on her life that she forgot to think about how close Baron was to her.

'It makes sense that they would try again, now that I've returned. But why are they so scared of me?' It wasn't like she could sing the world into submission.

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Her father looked a little puzzled at their swift return, since they often rode for hours.

"Back so soon, Elizabeth? What happened?"

The royal fiancé answered for her.

"An archer tried his luck with her life."

The king paled and ran to his daughter as Baron helped her off, trying to see if she had so much as a scratch.

"I'm fine, Father. Thomas was too quick for the archer."

Holding her close, he addressed the guard.

"Where's the other one?"

"Hunting the assassin. I ask for permission to join him."

"Granted, take ten men with you. My gratitude for my daughter."

Thomas bowed deeply, and twenty guards offered to join him. None were turned away. The king squeezed his daughter, scared at almost losing her again.

"Until he's caught, it would be best if you stayed inside the castle for a while, Sweetheart."

"Yes, Father." Like she would sign up to be target practice. Baron looked just as scared as her father. Father… She squeezed him back, a new wheel spinning in her mind. Someone was missing.

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Baron later found her in her study, concentrating on an ink-spotted sheet of paper.

"Doing something important, Haru?"

He was the only one that called her that anymore, though he alternated with her given name.

"Yes. I think you've already figured this out, but I wanted to work my way through it."

Baron walked over and looked over her shoulder at the paperwork.

"Through what?"

She tickled her chin with the quill, lost in thought.

"You remember what Natori said about history repeating itself?"

"Of course. That's why you and I are here."

"But what about the others? If a story is to be repeated, don't you need all the characters?"

She showed him what she had been working on. On one side of the paper was a list of all the people in the story of their ancestors, and on the other side was names of people alive. Baron could see the similarities that had captured Haru. She had listed the couple in the obvious roles. Her aunt Sarah had been listed as the noblewoman the blind maiden lived with, and Yuki was her companion that had married the cat prince, listed as Yuki's husband, Lune.

"Look at the last line."

He did, finding 'magician', but no modern equivalent.

"I'd put my money on the emperor."

"Except he didn't feel personal malice to you or me. I think he may be the archer or whoever he's working for."

"But wouldn't he have used magic to try to kill you?"

"Unless he didn't have it anymore. I don't have the blind maiden's power, so maybe he has a different one too."

He reached around the chair to embrace her.

"It's still a bit soon to determine whether or not you have her power. Your birthday's still a long way off."

Haru stood up and walked around the chair to hug him back properly.

"But what about my voice? Am I supposed to sing nations into submission?"

"Who knows? It worked with the castle."