Chapter 7

"Why the hell aren't any of my spells working on them?!" He bellowed, angrily sweeping everything that had been on his table onto the floor. No matter what he tried, he couldn't find out anything to confirm what Kimiko had told him and any little minions that he'd sent in reconnaissance had been immediately dispatched once they'd entered the gates that led to the palace in the LoveME Kingdom. Exactly how powerful could their mage be?

Honestly, Maria was his equal when it came to her control over magic, but her one advantage had been the little tidbit that Kyoko had given her. His name. Once she had his name, she was able to unravel anything that he had sent their way and even turn a few back to him. He was enraged, incensed, and frustrated beyond belief.

He looked up with an evil smirk. "Aki… Why don't you go play with your new toy?" He glanced over at the shivering grey rat. "Just don't kill her." He commanded.

"NO! No, not again! I promise I told you the truth!" Kimiko screamed out as the feline approached with a gleam in her eyes.

Ren groaned as he awakened to the sunlight sifting through the forest canopy above. As he groggily sat up from his make-shift bed. He'd noticed he'd been covered in practically every fur and blanket they'd brought along with them, and their campfire was still burning steadily and brightly. "Wh-Where am I?"

Yukihito was quickly at his side, handing him a skin filled with icy cold, fresh water. "You're finally awake. We were worried you wouldn't make it."

"How long was I out?" He asked in a gravelly voice, before taking another long drink.

"Four days, Ren." Answered a very irate, yet concerned female voice. "I don't care what you have to say about it, we'll go no further until you are completely in good health! I don't need you dying on me too." She whispered the last part, but he'd caught it, saying nothing to the contrary.

He nodded. "Sorry… I've honestly never been sick. I didn't mean to worry you." His apology was solely directed at her. He really had never been sick a day in his life, and definitely never out of it enough to have hallucinations about a beautiful angel taking care of him when Yukihito wasn't around, because that was the only explanation for the visions. There was no one else that was traveling with them and Kyoko certainly didn't have a humanoid form.

"Good, I found a cave just a short distance from here that we can use as shelter for a few days. I've already prepared everything. We just need to pack up what's left and head over there." Yukihito announced, packing up the miscellaneous camping items and putting out their fire.

"I'll just…Uh… I'll just head to the river and wash off." He announced a little embarrassed, due to the fact that Yukihito had most of everything already packed up and ready to go.

"Oh no you will not, Mr! That water is far too cold coming down off the mountain. Unless you plan on heating it up over a fire first, you will not even dip a toe in!" Kyoko reprimanded.

Yukihito kept silent on the matter, even though he did agree. It wasn't like Ren would listen to him anyway.

Ren glanced over at the busy elf for support in his decision and found that Yukihito was desperately keeping to his own, not wanting to get involved at all. Over the past few days, Yukihito had discovered exactly what the little queen was capable of during bouts of bandits, wildlife, and supernatural beings. There was no way in hell he was about to contradict her in any way.

He furrowed his brow in determination. "You may not need to bathe, but I do." Yet he was stopped instantly and felt as though he had hundreds of tiny hands holding him in place.

Yukihito shivered at the sensation and the sound of her voice when she spoke next.

"Oh? I really don't think so. I think you are going to turn your recently recovered sick ass around, and make your way to that cave… then you can wash clean with water that's been warmed over a fire, thoroughly dry, change into some clean clothes, eat a full meal, and then you will go back to bed and rest until I or Yuki say that it's okay for you to travel." She commanded very domineeringly.

He sighed in resignation. "Fine… I'll do as you say."

After cleaning up, eating a small meal that Yukihito had cooked, and just relaxing as Kyoko had instructed, he felt infinitely better than when he first awakened. The only thing that bothered him was the fact that he was being forced to go back to bed in that nice warm cave, and snuggle down into the too comfortable bed that had been made for him. He didn't want to get used to it, they still had a great distance to travel and he didn't want to get too cozy. He wasn't a pampered little princess that needed someone to care for him. Not that he minded, it was just they were supposed to be roughing it on the road, but to appease the elf and the fairy with him, he chose to feign sleep so they would stop nagging him to take care of himself.

"I heard there's a banished Ice Queen that lives in these mountains." Yuki whispered to her as she sat across from him, near the fire.

She glanced over at the 'sleeping' Ren, and Yuki shook his head. "Banished?"

Yuki nodded. "Legend has it that she was overthrown by a spoiled foreign princess' followers." He looked up in thought. "I think her name was Kanae? Or something like that. The queen that is."

Kyoko looked at him in shock. "Kanae? Are you sure?" She asked with furrowed brow. She hadn't heard that name in a very, very long time. She couldn't exactly say that they were close friends at the time, but they did know each other.

"I'm pretty sure. It's kind of disheartening. It is said that she was a very good leader and her people loved her. I have no idea how she could have been deposed, if that was truly the case, but it's just a story my mother told me when I was a child… The story about a tragic Ice Queen." He shook his head. It had been one of his favorite stories as a child. The story of a boy, barely out of his teens, that had fallen in love with a beautiful ice fairy, but chose never to tell her and ended up assisting her enemies. He thought it was somewhat sad.

"Tell me the story, Yukihito." She whispered, sounding a little distressed and saddened.

Then Kuon heard him tell the familiar children's tale of a tragic love and a cursed couple that had been separated when the boy's heart turned into a feelingless lump of ice, and how he'd turned against her. None listening to the story had known that the boy hadn't been cursed by Queen Kanae, but by the jealous young woman that had wanted everything the queen possessed and more.

Kuon casually rolled over, pretending to be asleep and peeked at his friend, only to be shocked to find the beautiful angel from his fevered dreams sitting there, listening intently. He had seen something that he was not meant to see. He quickly shut his eyes tight and covered his head with the blanket to think on what he'd seen. Why would she hide something like this from me and not Yukihito? He felt a little strange at that thought, like something had pierced his chest yet still made him a bit angry at being left out of that little secret. He sighed inwardly as he thought more on it. Maybe she has a good reason for not telling me. He did vaguely remember something about bandits at some point when he was drifting in and out of consciousness. Perhaps she had been forced to reveal herself due to that. He was satisfied with that assumption the more he thought on it. He decided to keep the knowledge of her secret, his secret until she decided to tell him. After all, it wasn't like he didn't have a few secrets of his own.