Author's Notes:

Hello again, everyone! I wanted this chapter to come out earlier than this, but schoolwork became more troublesome than I had previously anticipated, so I do apologize for that. I've been getting good feedback about the story so far, so thank you guys! Enjoy chapter 25!

Chapter 25: The Hidden Kingdom

Saito and Louise slowly walked out of the valley and back towards the village. Night had fallen and the air was very cold. Saito wrapped his tail around Louise, protecting her from the brutal cold. As they walked, Louise decided to ask him about his world.

"Saito, what are your parents like?" She suddenly said.

"Worried about meeting them?" Saito replied.

"Well, yeah." She said. "How will they react to you suddenly coming home with a wife?"

"That's the least of my problems." Saito said. "I mean, I have a tail, fangs, and orange eyes."

"Yeah." Louise said. "Do you think they'll accept me? Accept us?"

"If we show how much we love each other, they'll support us. My father was always getting on my case about getting a girlfriend, so I know he'll be really happy once the shock goes away." He replied.

"I hope you're right." She said, hugging him.

"Don't worry. My sister will vouch for you as well if it comes to it." He said, kissing her forehead.

"You have a sister?" She asked.

"Yeah. She's older than me. I can't wait for you to meet her. You'd love her." He said. "Come to think about it, I still have to meet your family. I mean…I met them before when I came here for the first time."

"How did that go?" She asked.

His eyes narrowed as the thought of what happened in the boat on Louise's estate returned to him. She could tell from his expression that his first meeting with her family didn't go brilliantly.

"Cattleya is really nice. Eleonore though…" He finally said.

Louise started to laugh at him, which he found very adorable. He picked her up as if she was his bride. She blushed from the surprise of having her feet pulled from under her. He looked down at her and slowly gave her a kiss.

She readily accepted it. The warmth of his lips made her forget that they were standing in a cold forest. She felt like a part of her heart was broken off when he pulled away. Her lips remained puckered for several seconds after they broke apart.

"Hey Saito." She said. "When we get back…"

"Sure thing!" He said, giving her a hug. "You don't have to ask me for that."

They kissed each other once more and continued towards the village. On their way, the temperature dropped further and soon, snow began to fall. They hurried towards the village, excited at the night they would have.

When they were only about one kilometer away from the village gate, Saito stopped. Louise turned to look at him, knowing that something was off.

"What's wrong?" She asked him.

"I can hear clamoring in the village. People are talking about some kind of plan and…they have weapons." He said.

"You can hear them from this far away?" She asked.

"I can hear them clearly as if they're right next to me." He said.

He remained quiet for several minutes. He could hear them talking about how they were uncertain about throwing Obi and his family in jail. Feeling extremely worried now, he sent a large amount of magic into his left eye.

With his eye activated, he could clearly see into the village. He saw the men stationed on rooftops and hidden in dark shadows around the buildings. He noted all of their positions, especially Jean's, who sat on the roof of Obi's house. He made sure that none of them were capable of defeating him with magic, then looked for a group of magic orbs, which would be Obi and his family. After searching for a few minutes, he identified a group of people underground. Three of them were small, while two were of average size.

"Found them!" Saito said. "James! Can you here me?!"

There was a rustle in the trees and soon, James appeared before him along with a group of ten soldiers.

"How may I serve you?" He said.

"I am going into town to free Obi and his family. Remain here with Louise. I will bring them out shortly." Saito replied.

"I must object, my lord. You have no business in that town." James said.

"This is a direct order." Saito said as he walked away.

The guards bowed and surrounded Louise. She watched Saito walk away, feeling a great amount of admiration for him. It was the first time she had seen him use his authority, so she thought he looked very kingly as he walked away.

Soon, he vanished into thin air, as he used his speed to quickly get into the village. He landed on top of the statue of Sasha. In the darkness, the only parts of him that were visible were his glowing eyes and tail.

He looked around the village and soon identified the prison building. He quickly dispatched the eight men who were guarding the building, throwing them into the town's sewers. With the strength of his tail, he ripped the door off of the building and ran downstairs.

It was pitch black, but Saito was able to clearly see several cell doors. He could hear breathing in one of them, and when he arrived in front of it, he identified Obi, Azealia, and the kids. The kids were afraid of him at first, but soon realized who it was.

"Don't make a sound." Saito whispered.

He picked up the kids with his tail, while he picked up Obi and Azealia in his arms. He ran out of the building and arrived in front of Louise within a few seconds. He put everyone down. They couldn't stand, as they weren't used to moving at such high speeds.

Before anyone could say anything to him, he disappeared again. He made his way to Obi's house, where Jean was waiting to hear word from his men. Saito appeared behind him. He observed his surroundings before making himself known.

"Jean! What did you do?" He said.

Jean turned around and looked directly at Saito. He couldn't actually see him, as the moon was obscured by clouds. He could only see his tail and eyes, reassuring Jean that Saito must be some kind of evil being.

"Hello, Demon. How did you find me?" He said.

"I am not an ordinary human anymore." Saito said.

He noticed that Jean was holding a sword that he recognized. Upon further inspection, he recognized it as Derf. Saito held the space between his nose in frustration.

"Derf! Wake the hell up!" He said.

"Have you gone mad?" Jean said. "Who are you talking to."

"My sword." Saito said. "Put it down."

"Give me a reason to." Jean said, smiling at him.

Saito didn't say anything. He looked bored of the situation. At this time, the men that Jean had stationed in the house came to the roof after hearing the noise. They immediately surrounded Saito, brandishing swords. Saito, again, remained silent. After a few moments, the silence was broken by another voice that was unfamiliar to Jean.

"Eh? How long was I asleep, partner?" The voice said.

Saito, of course, recognized the voice as Derf, but Jean couldn't identify it.

"Who's there?!" Jean said.

"What? Who the hell are you?" Derf said, referring to Jean.

Saito began to walk towards Jean. Archers on the other buildings launched arrows at him, but a gust of hot air emanating from his body stopped them in their path, making them fall to the ground. He continued to walk towards Jean until he was within an arms reach.

Jean lifted the blade and brought it down onto Saito's head. He felt satisfaction at first, but noticed that Saito was unhurt. His tail had stopped the blade before it touched Saito's skull. Because of the nature of his tail, no sword was capable of cutting it unless used with magic.

The tail gripped the blade and pulled it out of Jean's hand.

"You slept for too long, Derf." Saito said.

"I need long periods of sleep every now and then. I must have been out for a long time. You look…different." Derf said.

"I'll explain that to you later. For now, we need to take these guys out." Saito said.

He swung Derf around, getting a feel for him. What followed was a complete humiliation of every man who aligned with Jean in the village. Without moving from where he stood, it took him less than a minute to bring everyone on the rooftop down in defeat. He made sure not to injure them badly, choosing to knock them out instead. One by one, men from elsewhere in the village tried to incapacitate Saito, and one by one they were all defeated, until only Jean was left standing. Saito grabbed Derf's scabbard from Jean's back and then looked down at him.

"I'm going to leave your village, but you must tell me one thing." Saito said. "Did you send word to Germania of my presence?"

Jean, who was battered from his short fight, shook his head. "We never had the chance."

"Good." Saito said. "I see now why she did not come this year."

With that, he disappeared, leaving Jean clueless as to what he meant. He reappeared in front of Louise, who was comforting the three children. He sat down next to her to rest for a short while. When he had more energy, he looked at Obi and Azealia.

"I don't think you should stay in the village for now. It isn't safe for you and the kids." He said.

"The village is all we have." Obi said.

"Me and Louise will provide a place for you to live. Don't worry, I'll make sure the village is safe." Saito said. "James, escort this family to Tristania. Tell Henrietta that Obi was a Captain in the military who completed heroic acts. Make sure they find a safe place to live."

"I understand." James said. "Shall I leave a squad here to continue to guard you?"

"No." Saito said. "Louise and I can take care of ourselves."

"Very well." James said.

His men surrounded Obi and the kids. They began to walk in the direction of the capital until eventually, they were out of sight of Louise and Saito. Saito picked Louise up.

"We should sleep in the woods. I can't risk you being in danger again." He said.

"Okay." She replied. "I trust you."

Saito smiled and looked around them until he eventually found a cave with a ground made of stone. He gathered several dry leaves and laid them on the ground. He laid Louise down on them then stood up.

"I'm going hunting. Go to sleep. It's already midnight." He said.

"Okay. I'll be waiting for you." She said.

"Sorry I couldn't keep my promise for tonight." He said, giving her a kiss.

He walked out of the cave and went in hunt of deer.

"What happened while I was asleep, Partner? You look different." Derf said.

"Absorbing Gandalfr changed me. There's not much else to say about that." Saito replied. "There's one more thing as well…"

"And what would that be?" Derf asked.

"Sasha could still be alive." He replied.

Derf was silent for a few seconds. "That's not hard to believe." He said.

"What?! You're not even a little surprised?" Saito asked.

"I am an old being, Saito. I know what the Elves are like. They do not die unless they are killed. Although that was a strength, it also turned out to be a weakness." Derf said.

"I was told about the wars and the genocides that Brimir carried out." Saito said.

"Ah, so that beast inside you finally spilled the beans, eh?" Derf replied.

"Yeah." Saito said. "I made a promise to release him and his brothers one day."

"I see. I guess a lot did happen in my absence. Speaking of which, why are you two in the middle of nowhere? Don't you have a country to rule?" Derf said.

"We are waiting for the Germanians to launch an invasion of Tristain and its allies. It'll happen very soon. Until then, we want to stay hidden, otherwise we won't be able to get rid of Albrecht." Saito said.

Saito hunted in silence for about an hour afterwards, in which time he caught two large boars. As he walked back towards the cave, he wondered exactly how much Derf knew about the past, but never told him.

"Hey Derf, in a dream, I saw a large land covered with lakes. All the lakes had towns on them and there was a mountain chain in the distance. Do you know a place like that?' He asked.

"I do. It's the new kingdom the surviving Elves established after Brimir's death and the end of the war." Derf replied.

"Can you tell me where it is?" Saito asked.

"Well, Sasha told me I was forbidden to tell any human where it is, but you are Gandalfr, so I'll make an exception." Derf said. "The Elves who founded it, Sasha included, used a kind of cloaking magic to hide the entire kingdom. Anyone who has not been there, or is not guided by someone who has been there in the past would know nothing of its existence. The entire area would simply look like wilderness."

"Where would it be on a modern map?" Saito asked.

"Somewhere in Gallia." Derf said

"I see. I guess I know where we're headed tomorrow." Saito replied, as they finally reached the cave where Louise was waiting.

He quickly skinned and gutted the boars. After starting a fire and starting to roast them, he sat down next to Louise. They were quiet for several moments, listening to the sound of the crackling fire, until Saito eventually spoke up.

"I want to head to Gallia tomorrow." He said.

"Why?" She asked.

"The Elves." Saito said. "Derf tells me that their home might be in Gallia."

"I suppose he would know since he's so old." She replied. "But won't we be seen if we go there?"

"Their kingdom is quite deep in Gallia, so you will have to either travel quickly, or where disguise." Derf said.

"Traveling quickly won't be a problem." Saito said. "But still, we should take precautions."

He grabbed some meat from the fire and handed it to Louise. They quietly ate for a few minutes until both boars had disappeared. Saito hugged Louise close to himself, laying his tail on her to keep her warm. He slowly stroked her head until she eventually fell asleep. Something he did as well moments later.

The next morning, Saito woke up before the sun rose. Louise was still asleep, but he was eager to make his way to the Elf kingdom. He gently picked her up, as he would his bride, and began running towards the Gallian border.

It only took about two hours to reach the border because Saito had to run more slowly to make sure he didn't wake Louise. When they arrived, the sun had just risen. He laid Louise on the ground and waited for her to wake up. About twenty minutes later, she finally woke up, wondering where she was.

"Where are we?" She asked.

"We just entered Gallia." He replied. "We should be able to get to our destination in by the end of the day if I run constantly, according to Derf."

"Oh." She said, still feeling tired. "Let's keep going then."

"Aren't you hungry or something?" He asked her.

"I'll eat after we find the Elves. I know how much it means to you." She said, smiling.

"I'll get there really fast for you." He said. "Hold on, okay?"

She nodded and let him pick her up. He slowly built up speed so that she wouldn't be too shocked. When he was running as fast as he could with her in his arms, she buried her face into his chest from fear.

Saito ran for the entire day, bypassing villages, towns, and even the capital city. Eventually, Derf told him to stop running. They stopped in a place that looked like any other forest.

"Are you sure this is the place, Derf?" Saito asked.

"Positive." He replied. "Just wait."

They sat hungry in the middle of the woods for hours. It soon turned dark, but it wasn't as cold because of Gallia's position further south. Soon, Louise fell asleep. Saito sat upright against a tree, keeping watch to make sure they weren't seen. After a while, Derf seemed to fidget a little.

"Your eyes. Turn them on." He said.

Saito didn't argue. He fed magic to his left eye. Through the dark, he could see two people watching him from afar. He pulled Derf from his scabbard slowly. Making sure Louise was hidden, he quickly moved to their position. They completely froze and put their hands in the air.

"Who are you?" He said.

They looked at him with confused expressions, but said nothing.

"They don't understand you, partner." Derf said. "Let me handle this."

He began to speak to them in language Saito hadn't heard before. They spoke back in the same language, and the two seemed to suddenly admire Saito. They beckoned for him to follow them, so he went and picked up the still sleeping Louise, after which he followed them to where they wanted to take him.

He followed them for a few yards. When they finally stopped, they began to chant in the same language, which Saito thought sounded like Latin. For several minutes they spoke. Finally, a large bright circle appeared in front of them.

They motioned for Saito to enter, but he was slightly hesitant. Eventually, who moved forward into the light. He was blinded for several minutes, but when he regained his vision, a familiar sight greeted him.

It was the same land that he saw in his dream. He was on the top of a hill overlooking several lakes that dotted the landscape, each of which had a town in their centre. The lakes themselves were frozen solid because of the time of year, and Saito could see several people skating on them.

He was led to a small building a few feet away. When the people inside saw him, the immediately pointed spears at him. The two people who were with him removed their hats, revealing that they were Elves, and spoke to those holding the spears. After a short conversation, they lowered their spears.

They opened a small trap door in the ground and motioned for Saito to go inside. Holding Louise close to him, he stepped inside. The door led to an underground tunnel, which was lit by several lamps hung on the walls.

"Derf, ask them where they're taking us." Saito said.

"We're taking you to the Palace." One of the guards replied.

"You speak Halkeginian?" Saito asked with surprise.

"Yes." The guard said. "Although, I never thought I'd need to use it."

They walked for several minutes until they reached the end of the tunnel. They climbed up a ladder that led to another trap door. The door was opened to reveal a large, fancy room. The roof was decorated with paintings that clearly depicted the wars between Brimir and his enemy races. The floor was made of white marble and the walls were painted dark purple. Gold accents highlighted the edges of the walls where they met the roof and the ground.

"You wait here." The guard said.

He left the room through a large golden door and closed it behind him. Because there was no furniture in the room, Saito sat on the ground, still holding Louise. After about an hour, Louise woke up. She was in a daze and hadn't quite processed what was happening.

"Where are we?" She asked.

"We found them." Saito said, smiling at her. "Sorry to keep you starving, but we'll eat soon. I promise."

Not wanting to fathom what was happening, she laid her head on Saito's lap and rested some more. After another hour, an Elfish woman walked into the room. She wore a long white dress and had black hair.

"Please come with me." She said.

Saito got up, helping Louise stand as well. They followed the woman down a variety of hallways that were decorated similarly to the room they were just in. Statues of people's heads were mounted on pedestals along the hallways.

Eventually, they reached a massive marble door. The woman opened it gently. Inside was a large room. It was almost the same as the one they had just been in, but in its centre was large, crescent shaped table. It had a solid wooden base and its counter was made of marble.

Behind the table sat four people, who's looks varied greatly. On the far left from Saito's perspective was a short man with a long, brown beard and yellow eyes. His hair was combed backwards with gel applied to it do that it would stay down. He'd be considered quite handsome, but his beard was so thick that one could not clearly see his facial features. He wore heavy, black robes adorned with golden highlights around its collar, wrists, and buttons.

On the short man's left was an equally short man, albeit with a less stalky build. He had long red hair tied by a single rubber band, as well as grey eyes. His skin was quite pale, but seemed extremely healthy. His most notable feature was that on his back were a pair of wings that resembled that of a butterfly. He wore a simple, long sleeved, grey shirt.

To the pale man's left was a very tall, extremely beautiful woman. He height exceeded that of which Saito thought was healthy for a human. She had long black hair that extended to her feet, and wore a silver dress. On her back were three pairs of wings like that of a dove's. Their feathers were black and had a glossy sheen. Her skin had the same pigmentation as Louise's, and was extremely smooth. Her bust would be considered massive for a human, but it was proportional to her body.

Finally, the last person sitting there was a very beautiful Elf. She had white, shoulder length hair and green eyes. Around her neck, she wore a silver collar with a green gem stone in its centre. She wore a pair of thin, dark green, silk arm warmers on each arm. On her body, she wore bandages that wrapped around her chest and abdomen. She also had bandages covering her left hand. Her face seemed to emit feelings of boredom, confusion, and interest at the same time.

The short, scruffy man spoke to Saito first.

"Hello, young boy. Allow us to introduce ourselves. I am Orlan. I represent the Dwarves of this country." He said.

"I am Eres." Said the man with butterfly wings. "I represent the Fairies of this country."

"I am Helen." Said the woman with feathered wings. "I represent the Anioły of this country."

"I represent the Elves of this country." The last one said in a voice almost as quiet as Tabitha's. "My name is-"

"Sasha…" Saito said instinctively.

Her eyes widened slightly. "You know of me?" She said.

He pulled Derf from his scabbard, giving him the chance to see her.

"Hey Sasha, it's you old friend." He said.

"I recognize your voice." She said.

"It's Derflinger, don't you remember?" He replied.

She gave the closest thing to a smile that her face seemed capable of making. "It's been so long. Why are you in the possession of this…what are you?" She asked.

"My name is Hiraga Saito." Saito said. "I am a human being, and the current Gandalfr."

Author's Notes:

Sorry for my tardiness again, guys. I keep trying to get these chapters out during the day, and it just never works out. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Depending on how things go, it may be up to two days before I post a new one. Thanks for reading guys! Take care!