Chapter IX:
"You understand that if you do not meet my terms you will fade in my dungeon?" the king gritted his teeth against the girl's decision.
"I do," Haru nodded, "Though I will not stay there long as Baron will come for me."
"Take her to the dungeon!" the king waved his hand toward her and the guards began to drag both her and Hiromi to the darker rooms of the dungeon.
Hiromi struggled against the shadows around her and Haru as they were pushed toward the doors. Haru tried to struggle, but started herself into a coughing fit. Hiromi held on to her as she fell a little toward the ground.
"Come on, Haru," Hiromi pleaded with her, "You're going to make it."
"Get moving," a guard pushed at Hiromi.
"Give us a break," she frowned back at the guard and hung one of Haru's arms over her shoulder.
"I said get moving," the guard reached out toward the two girls. Suddenly his arms disappeared in a swirl of ash as a wooden cane slashed downward. He stepped back a little in confusion and looked back where a man with a feline's head and tail blocked his way to the two girls.
"I believe the lady made a request to keep your hands off," Baron said and tapped his cane against his shoulder lightly. He looked at the other guard on the other side of the girls and he stepped back without another word.
"Baron," Haru smiled and slipped from Hiromi's arms toward Baron. Baron caught her on the way down and her arms wound around his neck. She looked up at him and gave him her best smile which he returned fully.
"Hello Haru," he chuckled slightly and pecked the top of her head as he hugged her closer.
"I knew it," she snuggled against his coat and red vest.
Baron held her from him hesitantly and looked her in the eyes. She was weak and she needed to get out of there now. He wouldn't forgive himself if she perished under his watch, "You need to get out of here."
"Then let's go," she said as if it was the only natural choice.
"I have sense to talk into the king here," Baron shifted his eyes to motion toward the monarch behind them, "You need to get home. I will meet you at the bureau."
"I will not leave without you, Baron," Haru shook her head.
"I am not giving you a choice," he looked over Haru's head at Hiromi. He gently placed Haru next to Hiromi again, "Take Haru out the front. Toto will help from there."
"What about you?" Hiromi asked as she felt Haru try to struggle.
"I know how to handle myself," he nodded and looked at Haru once again, "Now get Toto."
"No one is leaving!" the king bellowed from his throne, "Seize them!"
The two guards that had begun to take the girls to the dungeon joined the ranks of the other guards around the group of three. They looked around them as the door locked closed and the windows were all covered with a thick looking mist.
Baron stood in front of the girls and watched the guard's movements toward them and around the room. He held his cane in front of him much like what he had in the labyrinth during the cat kingdom adventure. Haru grinned slightly from the memory and suddenly gained strength to stand on her own. She stepped away slightly from Hiromi and stood next to Baron who looked at her with some surprise. Hiromi pulled at her sleeves slightly if nothing else to keep a hold on her friend.
"You must be that nosey cat figurine I've been hearing about," the king said slowly as his guards stayed in position around the room.
"That I am," Baron stood straight noticing the guards were not going to move. Baron removed his hat and bowed to the monarch with a wave of his hat, "Baron Humbert von Gikkingen."
"Where is my princess?" the king asked as the cat stood straight again and placed his hat back on his head securely.
"Safe," Baron answered shortly, "That's all you need to know."
"I wanted you to bring her back, otherwise Miss Haru is staying in my care."
Haru narrowed her eyes along with Baron who had to stop himself from growling at the monarch.
"I believe that you are mistaken," Baron said carefully and put a reassuring hand on Haru's shoulder, "You haven't given her care at all. You are killing her and I will not allow that to happen. Especially not to Haru."
Haru smiled appreciatively at Baron for his comment.
The king smirked to himself and waved his hand at the small group. Suddenly Haru broke apart from her two friends and right out from under Baron's gentle hand.
"Haru!" Baron lunged out for her, but missed her as she flew by.
"No, Haru," Hiromi tried to move forward, but was stopped by two guards who held her. Two others stepped forward and brought Baron to his feet and held him in place.
Haru stopped to the side of the king in midair and struggled to breath against his harsh grip on her. The king chuckled in his small victory and turned his hand which made poor Haru turn in the air. He released his grip on her just enough to where she could breathe somewhat easily.
He looked over at Baron with a smug smirk, "She's been in my world long enough where I can hold her completely under my power. I can even make her stop breathing if I so choose. Observe."
Haru's eyes widened as her lungs stopped brining in the oxygen she needed. Her face began to take on a tinge of blue as well as her lips.
"Haru!" Hiromi screamed from Baron the two guards who held her. She tried to fight against him, but found herself fighting against smoke.
"What do you ask of me?" Baron asked with his eyes on Haru as the king let her breathe again. Haru gasped for breath and began to fall into a normal breathing pattern again.
"My princess, creation," the king said simply.
"She isn't mine to give."
Haru screamed out as the king clutched his hand and electricity flowed through her body. She convulsed in the air and more color drained from her face.
"Stop!" Hiromi screamed out as the king did stop the flow of electricity and Haru groaned in the pain she was still in. Hiromi turned from her friend to Baron next to her who she was expecting to do something more. Then she noticed something along the side of his muzzle. There was a darker streak of fur which she noticed was wet. He was crying… She looked down to his cane which was shaking in one of his hands in fury and frustration.
"My princess, doll," the king snarled.
"If I can't convince her to return?" Baron growled.
Light flashed from within Haru and she screamed again.
"Stop!" Baron tried to step forward with a hand reaching out toward Haru despite the guard's hold on him, "Please, your majesty!"
The light stopped and Haru strained to open her eyes. She looked at her best friend and Baron, "Don't do it, Baron… I'm not worth it."
"Don't you ever say that, Haru," he said in a strong voice despite the growing streaks of tears that were visible only to Hiromi from under his top hat, "You are and were always worth it. Don't stop believing in yourself."
Haru smiled despite her weakness and the remaining pain from the shocks, "I never have… not in me… or you."
"This is unbelievingly touching," the monarch yawned and grabbed Haru's face in between two of his fingers as she still hung in the air, "Look at her, doll."
Baron did so and looked directly into her eyes.
"She has less than a day, maybe even less now because of you hesitation," the king chided and threw her face from him. Her head snapped to the side from the force and then rolled forward again. She looked up at Baron and connected with his green eyes.
The king rolled his eyes and clenched his fist to crush the air from her. Baron shut his eyes tight to fight the duty of the bureau against the duty that screamed from his heart.
"You do love her," Hiromi said softly from behind him.
Baron looked back at the girl from over his shoulder, "Yes… I do."
"Then it should be an easy decision."
"Not when the life they are asking for isn't yours," he shook his head, "I would gladly lay my life down for her. In a heartbeat. But I can't give someone's life that isn't mine."
King raised his hand as if to inflict more pain on Haru. Baron caught the movement and in concentration of strength and movement he broke free of one of the guards and threw his cane through the air. The cane embedded itself in the throne just to the side of the king's head. The king slowly shifted his head toward the creation that now shrugged off the other guard that held him.
Baron stepped forward, "I challenge you to a duel."
"You cannot be serious," the king sighed and took the cane from the throne back as if it was a stick from a tree. He threw it back at the feet of Baron.
Baron quickly took off his jacket and hat and tossed them back toward Hiromi. Her guards had seemed it fit to release her after Baron had broken through the hold his hand on him. She held the articles of clothing and looked from Haru to Baron.
"I win, you release both girls," Baron said as he buttoned up his sleeves.
"And if I win?" the king said in a bored tone.
"You get what no one else has ever claimed…" Baron paused and then looked quickly to Haru and then to the king again, "… my soul."
"Baron, no," Haru whispered.
"As king and monarch of this kingdom, you have to honor the challenge," Baron pointed at the king.
"I accept," he nodded and dropped Haru to the floor and from his power.
Hiromi ran to her fallen friend and put Baron's hat and jacket to the side as she held her friend against her. She dragged Haru against her and held her up in a sitting position against her chest.
"What is he doing?" Haru whispered through her labored breathing.
"Trying to save us both," Hiromi reminded her.
Haru slowly crawled her hand out to the Baron's jacket nearby. She clutched it as tight as she could and drug it back to her chest. Hiromi sighed at the movement and looked at the windows that surrounded the large throne room. She saw the shift of something large and black by one of the windows and thought that it was another shadow when it stopped in the next window over and saw that it was Toto. He pecked at the window and then circled to the next one trying to find an entrance into the throne room where they all were.
The king swirled his hand in the air and made a long blade appear from the ash. Baron turned to his side where a shadow figure that had looked like it was some kind of animal at one point carried a long sword in his mouth. It dropped the blade near Baron and then scurried off.
"Thank you," Baron said and leaned down to grip the blade.
"These are special swords, creation," the king announced, "They will even bite through my skin. If you fall here, you will be mine."
"It was the agreement," Baron nodded and positioned himself to start the duel with the blade raised above his head.
"Are you prepared?" the king held his blade much in the same fashion.
Baron only nodded and the duel began.
The king lunged forward first and took a swipe at Baron who leaned to the side and jumped out of the way of the blade. Baron slashed his blade back at the king who dodged it in relative ease. It seemed that through the duel the king stayed solid had both given and received hits from and to Baron. Swords clashed and bit into skin and fur a few times over, but it looked like very little blood was drawn. Although, many wouldn't think to find blood in a duel between a living wooden doll and a king made of ash and shadows.
During a flip over the monarch, Baron's leg was caught by the king and Baron was thrown to the other side of the dueling area. Baron landed not too far from Haru and Hiromi who were watching the duel closely. Hiromi squinted when he landed, but Haru only gripped his jacket tighter and silently begged him to look at her. As if he heard her command he looked up at her face.
"Get up, Baron," she whispered so low it was as if her voice didn't even reach her words, "Don't give up."
Her eyes suddenly shifted to a figure above him and he rolled out of the way before the large sword of the king landed on him. Baron grabbed his sword again and turned back to the king. He kicked the king swiftly to the ground and held the sword to the king's throat. His foot securely over the king's chest and the point of the sword at the throat his eyes bored deep into that of the shadow king.
"I win. Release her."
The king's hand dropped the sword and the metal meeting stone echoed through the throne room. The doors unlocked and the windows lost the dark shadows that once covered them, "She's yours."
Baron tossed his sword to the side and ran directly over to Haru. Hiromi carefully and almost dutifully handed her friend over to Baron. He cradled Haru's top half in his arms, swiped a piece of hair from her face and he looked down into her eyes, "How do you feel?"
"Drained," she said truthfully and then hit him in the shoulder as hard as she could. Truth told it wasn't hard at all and Baron even chuckled a little at the attempt, "And mad at you. Don't ever do that on my behalf again."
"I can't make that promise," he shook his head and hugged her tightly to himself to make sure she was real, "Because I will do it every time to save you."
Haru looked confused and leaned into him as he arranged her in his arms and stood up. He held her bridal style much like he had while climbing the cat kingdom tower.
"You don't have to," she said with a slight blush at his actions with her, "I don't understand why you would want to."
"It's because I love you, you silly woman," he chuckled good naturedly and looked down at her in his arms to make sure she heard him. He quickly placed a small kiss to her forehead and looked at Hiromi who had gathered his jacket and hat in her arms again.
"Baron…" Haru smiled with a bit of wonder and made him look back down at her. She almost couldn't contain her joy when she looked behind them, "Baron! Look out!"
The king charged at them both with a sword in hand knowing very well that baron could not protect himself with Haru in his arms. As Hiromi screamed, Baron turned from the king with his body over Haru's in a vain attempt to keep her from any more harm. Both Haru and Baron squeezed their eyes shut to shut out the impending slice of the sword, but after a moment and the sword didn't come down they opened their eyes again. They looked back at the king who was struggling to release the sword from its position in the air.
"What trickery is this?" he growled and pulled at the stationary sword.
"No trickery here," a voice called from the now opened doors to the throne room.
"It's Kimiko," Hiromi said with a bit of surprise. In the doorway Kimiko held her hand toward the sword that was stuck in the air. Her hand shimmered with a dark silver mist as her magic focused on the object.
From behind her Toto swooped into the throne room and straight over to his friends. He landed next to Hiromi and looked her over quickly before looking at Baron and Haru.
"How did the princess get here?" Baron asked Toto who shrugged his wings. Baron looked at the princess, "I thought that Muta was watching her."
"He was when I left," Hiromi offered and watched as another form came through the doorway and set themselves next to the princess.
Muta huffed and bent forward a little to catch his breath. He looked at the princess and put a heavy paw on her shoulder which she didn't really seem to notice, "This little Chicky has got some speed…"
"I think all of this has gone on long enough," the king slashed his hand in the air and the princess stepped back into Muta's gut and dropped her control over the sword. The king grabbed the sword from the floor and rushed at the group of four.
"Enough!" Kimiko pushed off of Muta and pushed both of her hands toward the ruler and picked him up into the air, much like what he had done with Haru and made him drop the sword.
"Wh-what are you doing?" the king stammered as he floated above the group he wanted to dismantle not but a moment before. He flashed a bit of his magic against hers, but he seemed to lose a bit of spark each time he tried as if she was draining his power, "How is this possible?"
"Just as the Cat Kingdom, I believe that we have a king who has over stayed his kingship," Kimiko said as she approached the floating monarch and stopped just below him, "As the crowned princess, I now take command over this kingdom."