TTHHRREEEE MMOONNTTHHSS I'M SO SORRY. On the bright side, my assignments are finished, my exams are done, and I've officially and finally graduated from high school. So now, I have a lack of excuses to procrastinate from writing this story. I know all of my readers are enjoying the story so far, and nearly every reviewer has wanted the next chapter already. So, I sit down today, with 1,600 words written already (the equivalent of most previous chapters), and I intend to write another thousand words or so, due to the request of an lovely reviewer, who wanted longer chapters. I wish more reviewers were like that.
Onto more important business: I do believe it's a good idea to tell you all how old everyone actually is, as I've been very inconspicuous about everything. Helps to have some background info, yes?
Ichigo is nearing her 20th birthday, Kisshu is between the ages of 23 and 24, Zakuro is 25, Mint and Lettuce are 20, and Pudding is 15. Taruto is nearing the age of 16, and Masaya is 21.
I've noticed I haven't exactly been sticking to set ages in past chapters, and this could be a bit confusing. I apologise. I've also noticed I've given two causes of death for King Pai. The first was in Chapter 1, when I said that Kisshu's mother killed him, and another in a recent chapter. I've rectified Chapter 1, so you might want to just nip back and reread it, or something. :/ Other chapters have had minor changes as well.
So enough with my simply enormous author's not, and on you move to the story. I hope I never have to write another one of these again. ._.
I hope at least someone (however unlikely) has read this.
Faithfully yours (although under doubt), Carly.
Chapter 10 - Resurgence of War
"What is the meaning of this?" Ichigo demanded, slamming the book down on the table with such a force that her mother's teacup was knocked over, spilling earl grey tea over the dark mahogany wood. "Ichigo, whatever is the matter?" King Shintaro demanded, gesturing for a servant to come and clean up the mess. "You destroyed an entire province! And for what, a theory?" Ichigo was furious, and she didn't know why. She had only been very young at the time, not even two years old. It shouldn't matter to her what her father did to the Demorous. But it did matter.
Ichigo was a sweet, kind-hearted woman with good wishes for everyone she met. The thought of her father and the King of Angilorous slaughtering hundreds of people, burning towns to the ground, ransacking the Demorous capital horrified her. The little book had given perfect detail as to what had happened seventeen years ago.
"Ichigo, where did you find this?" Shintaro asked in frustration. "It was in the library," she answered, looking away from her father. "Of all the books to pick up and read…" he muttered, fingering the light, leather-bound history. "Since when have you found an interest in Demorous history, Ichigo?" Queen Sakura asked as she was handed another cup of tea. Politely declining a cup from a servant, Ichigo shook her head. "I don't." Shintaro looked like he wanted to rip the book to shreds. "Then why THIS book? THIS book, of all the thousands available in the land!" he shouted, throwing the book down in anger. He stormed out of the room.
Ichigo looked after him, betrayal and sadness evident on her face. "Ichigo, sweetheart, sit down," Sakura asked, patting the seat beside her. Ichigo sat, and fiddled with the creases in her lavender day dress. "The Demorous War affected Earthian greatly, affected your father greatly. It was a necessary action." "But Mother, I don't understand. There wasn't any evidence against King Pai, it was all just speculation."
Sakura closed her eyes, sighing. "It was a difficult time, my child. In those days, speculation was all it took. The kingdoms were fighting - they were petty fights. Earthian and Angilorous were working together, and when Pai came forward with an offer of peace for Earthian, they came toward Angilorous in war. The Demorous are dangerous folk, Ichigo. The sacrifices needed for peace with them far outweighed the benefits. So, in order to protect Angilorous, their King and your father ambushed the Demorous capital, and killed King Pai. Of course, I do not agree with many of the things they did that day, but what could I have done?"
Ichigo was in tears. "But look what they've become!" she cried. "Their land is in ruin, still!" Sakura was taken aback. "What do you mean, Ichigo? How could you know that?" Ichigo wiped away her tears, afraid she had said too much. "When is Prince Masaya next to visit?" she asked. Sakura pursed her lips, knowing now that her daughter was not telling her something. "Not for a while. Instead, you are going to meet with him in Angilorous in a week's time." Ichigo wasn't really listening. She nodded dully and walked away, taking the small book with her. She went back to the library; intent on discovering all there was to the Demorous.
X
Prince Masaya writhed in his sleep. There was anger; there was agony. He awoke, but was it really waking? He still felt the same. He lunged out of bed, and slammed his fist into the wall. He could feel the skin break on his knuckles. This made him even angrier. He wanted to shout, to scream, to roar like a ferocious beast. He paced around the spacious room, furious. What was the meaning of this? Why was he angry, anyway? A feral growl escaped his throat. What was happening? His head felt like it was pulsing, ready to implode. He clutched at his hair, pulling, tugging. He fell to his knees, his forehead resting on the ground. "Go away… Go awaaaaay…!" he forced out between clenched teeth.
The pain suddenly subsided, and all the frustration and anger ebbed away. He collapsed onto his back, panting. "What is happening to me?" Masaya moaned, rubbing his temples. He had been suffering from these episodes most nights now. He remembered a number of nights around the age of ten. He had been angry and in constant pain. His nurse blamed it on boredom and the disappearance of Princess Ichigo from her carriage on the way to Angilorous. But it had been much worse than that, and Prince Masaya had a feeling that this would be very similar, but also much worse.
He struggled back into bed, pulling the silky covers up to his chin, his knees curled up towards his chest. "Ichigo will be here in a week. I must make sure I have this under control…"
The next morning, Masaya was as sweet and charming as always. Nobody could tell the Prince was tormented by nights of restless, painful sleep, though it took a lot of his effort to stop the anger overcoming him during waking hours.
"My son!" came the booming voice of King Aoyama. "Are you looking forward to the company of the lovely Ichigo this coming week?" The young Prince expressed his enthusiasm to his father. "Wonderful!" he boomed again. He seemed more interested in the arrival of the young Princess than Masaya. "The two of you will make the perfect royal couple! The union of two races, for the first time in centuries! Your marriage will strengthen our ties with the Province of Earthian tenfold!" the King chuckled along, patting his son on the back in a gesture that he should walk with him.
They walked along the sakura trees for some time, neither saying anything. "My son, I sense a dark trepidation within you. Is all well? Is this arranged marriage a burden to you?" Masaya looked up, shocked. "Why ever should you think that, Father? I would like nothing more than to take the maiden's hand in holy matrimony. Her beauty exceeds that of any other women in Mundi, and her personality is as rare. She is like no other woman I have ever met." King Aoyama nodded in agreeance. Their walk continued for a few minutes more, before Aoyama nodded his head toward the younger man, and sauntered off to recline with his wife in the garden.
Masaya wandered alone for a while longer. He pondered over what his father said. Was it really a good idea? He discarded the thought, persuading himself that nothing would be better for him.
X
Kisshu lurked along the borderline of Demorous, Earthian, and Angilorous. He yearned for a view of the maiden who haunted his dreams. Since the first time when he was fifteen, he had learned who the woman of his dreams was. It was Ichigo. He needed to protect her from the casualties that his dreams foretold. He needed to make sure she was always safe.
This obsessive hobby of his kept him from his people for many days and weeks. He hadn't seen Moana in eight days - his mother and brother in twenty-three. He couldn't bear being as close as he could to Ichigo.
The sound of hooves clicking on the cobblestone path, and the trundle of a carriage nearby, alerted Kisshu to the approach of a procession. He glanced out of the cover of foliage, and stared at the Earthian carriage trundling along, and saw a flash of red from inside the carriage windows. Four horses surrounded the carriage (disregarding the two pulling the carriage): two in front, two from behind. The woman leading the procession looked fierce, her hand resting on the hilt of a sinister looking whip. The same expression adorned the face of a young woman guarding the rear – her eyes scanned the area ruthlessly, and Kisshu, noting the curved wooden bow on her back, was making sure not to move a muscle as the procession carried along beside him. The blue-haired woman carrying the bow seemed to sense something, something in his direction.
"Stop!" she announced hastily, whipping the bow off her back with an arrow already in her hand. The weapon hovered in Kisshu's general area. She had seen him, perhaps? He tried to sneak away. Maybe this idea wasn't that great, after all. She seemed to be well protected without him…
His slight movements alerted Mint closer to his place of hiding, and the bow steadied in his direction. "There's something in the forest, there. Men, ride fast with the Royal carriage to Angilorous and ensure the Princess' safety. Zakuro and I will take care of this."
The carriage lurched off, the Royal Chauffer pale-faced and anxious, the two guards riding at a brisk canter equal to the speed of the carriage. Zakuro dismounted her horse and drew her whip, edging slowly towards a silent Kisshu. He cursed mentally for his foolishness. There was very little chance of escape. If he stood still, they would no doubt find him. If he ran, well, they had horses and he didn't. Even if the horses could not navigate through the thick forest, a whip or arrow could quite effectively stop him in his tracks if he wasn't careful. He deliberated his options. Surrender was never an option for a Demorous. The borders between the Provinces were blurred, and if caught, they would certainly arrest him for trespassing. What's worse, he was royalty. He would have to use their little knowledge of Demorous to his advantage. If he was caught.
The two women edged forward carefully. He heard the older woman's whip slither along the ground as they stealthily approached his not-so-well-concealed spot. "We know you're there, Demorous. There's no use hiding. Surrender, and we won't have to hunt you down gut you like a pig," Mint spat, venom seething in her voice. Zakuro's face was impassive; void of emotion. Kisshu struggled silently with himself. What was he to do? There was no way he could escape, it seemed. He should have known she would have had the finest guards available on her trip to Angilorous - after all, he was the very reason why, although they did not know it.
His heart thumped in his chest; his palms were sweaty. His very brain seemed to be spitting out steam at how fast he was thinking of escape routes. Suddenly, everything became clear. He smirked. A Chimera Animal, of course!
He looked around for a likely target. The forest was still, and the air quite. Not a leaf moved in the tension. There was no target. The only living things present were the two women about to find and kill him. He made his choice. He leant to his left, towards the approaching Zakuro, and rustled some leaves. Mint's glare snapped from his exact position, to a little to her right. She edged closer to that spot. Soon, she was exactly in front of him. He stretched his arm out, his palm facing the girl, where a little light began to grow. The brighter is shone, to weaker Mint seemed to appear.
"Mint, what is it?" Zakuro asked, sensing something wrong. "I… I… feel… weaker…" she managed to mumble, before collapsing. "Mint!" Zakuro called, but she dared not approach the fallen girl. There was a criminal nearby. "Whatever is the meaning of this!" she demanded, of nobody in particular.
In Kisshu's hand lay suspended a crystal. One could almost say it looked like a pair of crystalline wings, almost similar to a lorikeet's. The crystal glinted blue as the light reflected across it.
Kisshu started to laugh: a sinister giggle. Zakuro's brows furrowed. "I can hear you, Demorous! Show yourself!" Kisshu giggled evilly again. "FUSION!" he cried, producing a Chimera Jelly, allowing it to consume Mint's spirit crystal. There was a flash of blinding light, and Zakuro was forced to stumble back and cover her eyes. When the spots had finally faded for her vision, she found herself face to face with…. A monster.
The beast was skinny and elongated; it's skin pale, but tinged with purple and blue - almost like a bruise. A pair of wings spread from between its hunched shoulder blades, in shades of ultramarine blue. Feathers spread from its wings and down over its body, covering what womanly features it still displayed. Hair sprung from its skull in the form of white, downy feathers, and gripped in its menacing talons was a sinister crossbow, constructed of odd materials a bird might make its nest with. A crowing laugh gurgled song-like from the beast's beak, as it plucked a feather from its body and loaded it into the crossbow.
Zakuro stood rooted to the spot, barely able to believe her eyes. It was only when the first, teasing feather broke through the skin of her arm was she brought back to reality. She looked down, and wretched the feather from her arm. It stung with brutal agony, and her hands began to bleed from the needle sharp spores of the feather - its tip had been dug deep into her flesh.
She brought her whip up and curled across the distance with a crack, breaking through the skin on the creature's face. Purple blood dribbled slowly down its face as it cawed angrily and loaded a few feathers, firing them off simultaneously. Battle ensued.
X
The carriage ground to a halt at the gates of Angilorous Manor, and several stewards and stable hands rushed forward with anxious faces. "Is everything all right?" one of the stewards asked, helping the trembling chauffer off this seat as the stable hands tried to calm the panicked horses. Servants and nobles from the manor had heard the commotion, and some were wandering outside to try and see what was happening. Prince Masaya was jogging across the well kept lawn a minute or so after, arriving in time to help the three ladies from the carriage before the horses were led away for some much needed water and a brush down. The two Earthian guards looked strained and alert, looking around fervently for any sign of the trouble that had caused the Princess's personal guards to usher the carriage to make haste from the border. Lettuce and Ichigo were shaken up from the hurried and bumpy ride, and Pudding was doing her best to entertain them, all the while being a bit jumbled herself. The three of them were ushered inside the manor as Prince Masaya and General Ryou questioned the nervous guards.
"What's happened? What has caused you such haste with only half your guard?" Masaya asked seriously. "We're not sure. Lady Mint sensed a danger just off the path, and prayed us make haste to protect the Princess," one guard said, clutching at the standard he held in his hands. The other piped up. "A few minutes after we left, a bright light exploded from where we'd just come from, and we could hear laughter. It sounded wrong, though. Evil. And the birds! It seemed like every bird in the forest was angry and afraid, at the same time. There was such a racket, and they were all flying everywhere!"
Ryou's eyebrows furrowed. "The birds, you say. Why, I remember a day a giant monstrosity attacked the castle, a few minutes after we had found Princess Ichigo nearly ten years ago. It was shaped like a bird, with feathers and talons and cruel beak. Back then, the birds did the same thing." Masaya gasped, shocked. "Could this be the same monster that kidnapped Ichigo ten years ago?" Ryou shook his head. "No. We killed that monster. Severed its head from its twisted body. Of course, the remains evaporated into smoke soon after, and what superstitious folk consider it's spirit drifted away with that smoke. We can't be certain." There was an unrivalled tension in the air as Ryou summoned the castle's defences to come to battle. "We must destroy whatever threat this may be," Masaya announced, drawing his sword from his sheath. He raised in the air. "For the fair maiden, Ichigo, we must vanquish this evil that threatens our peace!" The growing crowd cheered with gusto, as men dressed in armour and equip with swords and bows mounted their horses.
As Ichigo watched from a tower window, she saw Prince Masaya and his best General lead the way to battle.
