Chapter 7: Engaged

Leon was being healed by Akatsuki's stable violet magic and his own yellow ones while Fujio was teaching Hazuki simple rules of fencing. Doremi was in front of her, holding a sabre. The two females had discarded the epee; it wasn't exactly a ladies sword. The two females also changed into a fencing uniform.

Leon was half-way healed when Aiko stomped inside, clearly annoyed. She threw a paper aside and grabbed the two ornamental swords on the wall, she got both of it and went straight towards Leon "Get up" she said fuming and threw one sword at him.

If it wasn't him and his brother, he knew the sword would have hit then them. But this was Leon, and if there's anything he's confident with, it's with swords. Leon smirked and stood up, holding the sword "Anything goes" he said, his yellow magic circle was floating around his wounds faintly.

"What are you saying Aiko?" Doremi said. The lady knight ignored her and started attacking forward; she was fast, faster than he. No surprise to him.

"Aiko, stop, he's not completely healed yet" Doremi said as Leon started to move backwards while avoiding every attack "This is an order, Azure Senoo. Stop!"

Aiko stopped, she was glaring at Leon. Leon was curious, what did his mother tell this girl? Whatever, he wanted to fight this girl with swords, it was what he wanted. He and the blasted epee were never meant to be, it didn't cause any lethal damage "No, this is an order as the second crowned prince of this kingdom, continue"

Aiko didn't ask him to repeat what he said; she continued pressing forward and attacked him. She slashed her sword forward and Leon countered it with his, and then he kicked the girl on her shin. The girl stepped back and this time, Leon attacked. He slashed forward and he noticed that the blue knight had completely allowed him to do that, before he could stop his blade, it sliced her cheeks lightly.

Leon's eyes went wide and he realized the girl wasn't going to go on defense, he cursed, and causing collateral damage on the girl wasn't his purpose. Plus she was letting him win. He let his foot meet the girl's shin and the girl fell down, the girl rolled over, completely abandoning her sword.

Leon glanced at the bleeding wound on her cheeks "I won"

Aiko ignored him and started attacking once again. Leon had to duck every kick she sent him "What are you doing? I won already. The match ends when you knock the sword away"

He looked at the princess for help, but they were all busy reading the crumpled paper Aiko was holding earlier "A little help here?"

Doremi gasped and glanced at Aiko worriedly "Aiko…"

Aiko ignored her and kicked Leon, he fell on the floor with a thud. Aiko bent down and picked his sword up and then tossed it away "It's not over until I say so," she said, huffing and extended a hand to help him up.

Leon didn't know what came up to him when, instead of taking his hand to get up, she pulled her down. She landed ungracefully on, bumping her forehead on to his chin "Ow, what's wrong with you!"

Leon placed his palm atop the bleeding wound on her cheeks and his palm glowed yellow, after a while, he took his hand back and shrugged "I'm not a master in magic, but a simple healing spell, I can manage"

"Aiko, you know you can-"

"You know I can't" Aiko snapped

"She can't" Fujio said "Your kingdom just recently made truce with theirs, and refusing could cause the truce to end. They are quite a prideful country"

"What are you talking about?" Leon helped the knight up while looking at his companies serious faces

"See for your-" Akatsuki said

"I got asked for my hand" Aiko cut him off

Leon's jaws unhinged open "What?"

"Someone sent a letter to the queen, apparently the prince of the kingdom of mill found her quite…" Doremi trailed of because Aiko was glaring at her, daring her to continue.

"…enchanting" Doremi said.

"Enchanting? In breeches?" Leon almost laughed at the idea.

"Hey, I actually agree with him here. Seriously, is that prince blind or something?" Aiko scrunched up her nose "If I was a boy, I would actually not give myself a second glance"

"Right, tell him you're a breeches type of person"

Aiko shook her head "You don't understand, even after I had told him I was the captain AZURE of the sun, he said he didn't mind"

"Wow, that's a first" Doremi said "At least now I know you can get married!"

Everyone glared at the princess, Leon the most, but no one noticed.

"So tell him you're engaged" Akatsuki suggested

"I can't, he's going to ask me to show him the guy" Aiko sighed "Kotake is the only guy I know but I can't actually ask him to… wait! I can actually ask him to! I'll tell him to come here tomorrow!"

"Wait- you can't... It says here he's visiting today" Doremi said reading it of the paper.

"WHAT?!"Aiko said "WHEN?!"

"Right-"

A knock came and a butler came inside "Excuse me your highness, Prince Ren of Mill is here to meet Lady Senoo"

"It's not 'lady', it's 'captain' and it's Aiko not Senoo" Aiko snapped

"Of course" the butler bowed "Lady Senoo"

The three royals laughed silently and Akatsuki nodded "Show him in"

Leon immediately stopped laughing and looked at his brother with an are-you-crazy look. Akatsuki shrugged "Duties come first you know"

A man in clean red uniform entered. His black hair was held back, half messy and his eyes locked on to Aiko's the moment he entered.

He went straight to the said girl and took her hand to kiss the top of her hand "Lady Senoo, you haven't replied to my letter, I got worried"

Akatsuki cleared his throat due to two reasons; first was because he was completely ignored and the other was because his brother looked ready to pounce. The prince turned around and saw the four royals "Akatsuki, Leon, Fujio… Princess Melody"

"I had just received the letter" Aiko said, unconsciously rubbing the part the prince kissed on

"I couldn't wait, the queen told me you were here at kingdom moon so I went as soon as I can" Ren said "So?"

"I-"

"She's already engaged" Doremi's big mouth said. Everyone looked at her

"She is?"/"I am?" Ren and Aiko said together.

"Yes," Doremi calmly said after glaring at Aiko and Leon.

"To whom, if I may ask of course" Ren said "Lady Senoo had told me she wasn't engaged to anyone yester night"

"To…" Doremi grabbed Leon "To Prince Leon! She's engaged to Prince Leon"

"What? She is?" Leon asked Doremi and pointed to himself "I am?" he turned to Aiko "To you?" and then he turned to Ren "We are."

Doremi looked at Hazuki for help "Of course, we all know Prince Leon had been gone for quite some time. Aiko simply had just thought that he wouldn't come back. He came back home yesterday and explained. They are resuming their engagement"

Ren looked simply sad "Oh, if that is so…"

Aiko stepped forward "I'm terribly sorry, your highness" she said

Ren looked up at her and smiled "I quite understand"

Aiko gave him a worried look, she opened her mouth to speak but someone cut her off, that someone was the Queen "Oh father- did you hear? Not only our dear Aka is engaged, Leon is too!"

The king petted his thin mustache "I feel a change in the air, when is the wedding?"

"He didn't even propose yet" Akatsuki said, he feared for his younger brother if he did end up with her, Fujio nudged him on his side and he corrected himself "I mean, re-propose"

"That's true!" the queen said "Don't we still have that ring father?"

"You mean that one, mother?" the king asked.

"Which one?" Leon asked, his face draining from color.

"The ring from father's mother!" the queen said.

That was what they princes feared; they were hoping it wouldn't come to the point where they needed a ring.

The Queen's mother and father were the previous royals on the throne. When she was young, whilst still a princess without any duty, she had met the king.

The king came from a well-fed family and the rings of his mother and father became another heirloom to the throne, second to the previous Queen's ring.

"Right, A ring" Aiko said flatly, crossing her arms on her chest an gave Doremi a pointed look. Doremi hid behind Akatsuki and Aiko sighed, she turned to the prince Ren and gave him a look of apology "I'm sorry prince, I am apparently really engaged to Prince Leon"

Ren gave her a smile "I suppose it's impolite of me to ask for your hand in the presence of your to-be. I fear I must go home now"

"I'll…" Aiko said as Ren turned to leave. Ren turned to face her expectantly, hope etched on his face "I'll write to you,"

Just as she had expected, the prince's face glowed and he smiled, bowing at her and taking her hand to kiss it "I will be waiting for the letter then, my fair lady Senoo"

Ren left and Doremi and Hazuki giggled "My fair lady Senoo— he said" Doremi mimed.

"Oh hush" Aiko said, her ears turning red.

"So! About this engagement!" the queen clapped her hand "I want a double wedding~!"

"WHAT?!" Aiko said in surprise. She almost fell on her feet too, she cleared her throat and grabbed Leon on his shirt collar, she smiled at the Royals and said a polite excuse me, before tugging Leon's shirt down "Tell your parents that was an act… it was an act, right?"

"Of course it's an act! I only just met you!" Leon said, though he was quite a bit attracted to her and wouldn't mind at all if it was all real. Leon sighed "I'll talk them about it, really"

Aiko let go of his shirt collar and Leon stood straight to fix it "Actually, I'll be excusing myself now to talk about that"

Aiko frowned and waved her hand at him as if to gesture whatever "Please do so"


Cookie: You guys don't have to worry about this story getting too fast-paced, it's all part of the plan. I'm sorry I have to make Aiko really strong, its bec I need her to be stronger than Leon, whose actually stronger than his brother, and stronger than any other man there is. There's an explanation for that, Anshinshite~ kinishinai~ kinishinai~