"That is quite a token, to be sure!"
Ryou knew the only other royal on the grounds would be well aware of the pendant's value, and he sought out the second prince as soon as they were both otherwise un-preoccupied. He ended up meeting Yugi and his intended in the main hall, with Jou and a few others eventually joining their discussion. The L'anneau Millénaire seemed to gleam particularly brilliantly when being observed near the flaming ends of Lady Mai's chandelier arms. "Do you truly think so, your highness?"
Prince Yami nodded as he looked over the glistening ring, his tone slightly hesitant as he addressed cousin's motives. "To bequeath such a prize for your indentured services, when you've only just arrived upon our threshold... truly, you have captured Bakura's attention in a way no other person possibly can."
Ryou felt a gleam of uncertainty crossing over from the royal's voice to his own. "Is... is that a good thing?"
Yugi was a little more succinct in his awe. "It's incredible!"
Yami nodded again. "My cousin has never been the sort to freely 'share' anything, so to gift a golden heirloom with a rich history to someone of a 'lesser status'... is most impressive."
Jou's tail was wagging back and forth like an unstoppable metronome. He was clearly pleased to hear positive news regarding Ryou's position within the castle. "Yeah, tha's a real beaut of a gift! I'd say it's a good sign!"
The gleaming chandelier looked thoughtfully intrigued. "For once, I agree with Jou ('Hey!')- our Master seems to have grown quite fond of you, Ryou."
The modest youth couldn't help but feel his chest flutter at Lady Mai's declaration. Was he truly so important to the lord of the manor? He felt a faint flush building along his cheekbones as the others continued to awe over the ornate medallion.
Meanwhile, the head of the castle was currently in his room, secretly watching his servants through a glowing, glass ball. His father had found the magical object ages ago in some foreign marketplace- the cost had been enormous, but the benefits far outweighed the price. 'I would have surely gone mad by now, were it not for this mystic orb...' the ensorcelled prince mused as the figures within the globe slowly dispersed and drifted from view. 'An eye to any place on Earth where the viewer has already been... if only its range were not so limited, I could easily spend my days searching for those damned sorcerers..."
The pale ruler continued watching his gathered subjects, when Sir Seto suddenly burst into the room.
"Your highness!"
The bewitched monarch reluctantly turned his attention from the gazing ball and towards the room's entrance. "What is it now?"
The stone-like beast hovered in place, clearly agitated. Which intrigued the prince- Sir Seto was not a man known for unnecessary dramatics.
"There's an intruder lurking near the front gates, calling out for someone. A young woman, likely from the village- she has brown hair and seems to be searching for our latest retainer."
"Tch-" The beastly nobleman gave a gruff noise before shaking his furred head from side to side. "Chase her away."
"As you wish." Sir Seto figured his appearance alone would be more than sufficient in scaring off the unwanted wanderer.
Yet the young lady was far more bold and determined than the cursed knight expected. Every time he attempted to dive at the villager, she quickly jumped behind one of the gate's massive, brick posts.
The dragon-beast could not reach her without losing the advantage of flight, nor could he stop her from yelling wildly towards the estate.
"Ryou! Ryou, please; if you can hear me, you're in danger!"
Growing annoyed with the loud-voiced intruder, the castle's lord began making his way down the front steps towards the little blighter. 'What a wretched creature, running around and calling out like a-'
But the prince's thoughts were fast interrupted when Ryou suddenly ran in front of him and threw out his arms. "Stop! Your majesty, please; she is my friend!"
The stunned nobleman snarled and pointed towards the girl. "She knowingly trespasses-"
"-with good reason, I'm sure!" Ryou hastily tried to reassure the agitated lord. "Anzu is not a thief or a liar- if she has traveled all this way by herself, then surely something must be amiss!"
"Tch..." The crimson eyes of the prince narrowed as he glanced back up at the girl. 'I'd rather be rid of that miss...'
"Look just down the road- see?" Ryou pointed towards a large, four-legged figure currently moving in an anxious manner. "That's 'Vasquille-' he's not a riding horse- he's the work horse from her family's flour mill. If she rode him here, something must be seriously wrong!"
Sensing some logic in his retainer's defenses, Prince Bakura finally gave in with an irritated snort. "Fine. We shall hear her tale."
Ryou quickly ran to the gate, unlocking the aged chains and pushing the hinged steel aside. Anzu slipped past the instant she could, and ran to hug her old friend.
"Ryou!" She glanced downwards, her normal warm eyes now betraying her fear. "You and your other companions may be in dire peril!"
Ryou felt her nerves quickly igniting his own- Anzu was no gossiping alarmist. He stepped out of her trembling grasp and paused. "Tell me everything."
Meanwhile, the prince stepped up to the pair at a more leisurely pace, not commenting on their brief embrace. 'This should be interesting, if nothing else.'
"Yesterday, Hidetoshi was ranting and raving in the Black Stag Tavern about seeing something 'fantastical' up in these woods!"
Ryou frowned, seeing reason for concern. But Hidetoshi was known as the town drunk, and his word was seldom considered to be the truth...
"Naturally, no-one took him seriously- at least at first. But he was so insistent, that finally half the tavern patrons loaded him onto a cart and told him to lead them to this 'fantastic castle'."
'Oh no...' Ryou had a feeling what had happened next. Even the ensorcelled prince was now following the brunette's every word, a grim look on his face.
"Yet when they all arrived (likely planning to dump the sloshed Hidetoshi on the road before driving away) they saw that he wasn't lying!" The baker's daughter paused for a moment before adding, "a great, stone dragon was chasing around some sort of weird, talking dog-creature!"
The white-haired ruler groaned. 'Of course.'
"So many men, all witnessing the same sight at once; convinced them that the castle was enveloped in a deep, wicked witchcraft! They returned home and made plans to 'destroy the evil' by convincing the rest of the village men!"
The cursed royal groaned yet again. 'Just perfect...'
"And now half of the townsfolk are headed this way, all carrying torches and knives and axes!"
Prince Bakura narrowed his eyes. "It will still take ages from such a mob to reach us here."
But Anzu shook her head firmly. "No, they took almost all the village's horses and carts, as well." She glanced back at the wide-eyed colt. "That's why I took Vasquille- he's not built for speed, but the others still had to gather their weapons. But they are surely well on their way by now!"
Ryou felt his concern growing- he knew Anzu was far from an experienced rider. She could not have reached the castle that far ahead of the other villagers. "Anzu... thank you for warning us."
"Huh? But- Ryou, aren't you coming back with me? If we hurry, we can reach the side-road before the others get there- then we can travel back along the secondary route, hopefully without being noticed."
But the pale boy smiled and shook his head. "This... this is my home now. And they are all my family. I could not leave them behind- as if I could ever desire to do so." He gave a wide smile as he gestured towards the still-frowning prince. "Besides, the curse doesn't seem to affect newcomers, so I am safe within these walls."
"Oh!" Anzu gasped as she realized what her childhood friend was saying. "S-so, that's not a mask, then?" She glanced at the beastly ruler's face with renewed interest.
"Nope- almost everyone in the castle is under a powerful curse. That's why so few people know of its continued existence- most people who are scared off don't bother drunkenly ranting about the inhabitants to half the town."
"Oh my..." She seemed a bit concerned, but then sighed. "Really, Ryou; could you not help but find trouble everywhere you go? All this time, I thought you were studying under a normal apprenticeship; and that I'd just interrupted a masquerade ball of some sort!"
"A life without any trouble at all sounds a little dull; but regardless of the oddities and quirks, I am quite happy here."
Bakura seemed to close his eyes for a moment at those words, and his harsh expression faded slightly. But then he was reminded of the seriousness of the situation, and he turned back towards the castle.
"I must go and make preparations. I suggest you both take shelter inside, immediately."
"Right." Ryou nodded, and glanced back at his friend, when he saw a strange glint coming from her left hand. "Anzu! Is that-?!"
"Oh, yes- Matsuda proposed. We're engaged to be wed, come next spring." Her face flushed slightly as she gave an excited grin. "You are more than welcome to join us on whatever date we choose, if you are able."
"That's wonderful!" Ryou quickly embraced her once more before they both made their way towards the castle's entrance. "I'll have to ask my master's permission first, but I would be most happy to witness the ceremony once it's set!"
Very little escaped the ears of the wolf-like prince, and soon he felt conflicted. Letting his favorite retainer leave for what would likely be several days of revelry was... off-putting. But the smaller servant had sounded so genuinely thrilled by the prospect...
The wild-haired monarch shook his head clear as they made their way inside the castle. 'Those are thoughts for another time. First, we must secure the grounds... or risk obliteration.'
