Author's Notes: Okay, uh, this is chapter VI. Akiyoshi Hongo and Toei animation and them own Digimon and its characters, not me. No, wait. I DO own Digimon. I am a very rich Japanese teenager who DOESN'T have to walk home from school everyday because I can take a limo instead. I don't have to beg money off my friends to buy chocolate milk, because I can give the cafeteria ladies 20$ bills and tell them to keep the change and I don't care that I just gave away $19.65. That's because I actually OWN Digimon! No, really, you'd have to be retarded to take anything I say seriously because I am insane. And that means that Digimon isn't mine and that I really am poor. *AHEM* Anyways, ON WITH THE STORY!
The ARROW, the STAFF &the SHIELD
Part 6
By Android Eleven
"Oh, come on, Daisuke! I don't think that the carriage can carry another trunk. We are only going to be there for two weeks!" Takeru shouted, exasperated, across the yard. Daisuke was getting two servants to drag his seventh trunk to one of the carriages. He seemed to think they may need ten outfits a day and had not been hesitant in packing such an amount.
At the Prince's yell, the two servants dragging the trunk stopped and looked nervously between he and Baron Daisuke, unsure whose orders to follow. Daisuke, angered that they should doubt him, shouted, "Well! What do you think you are doing? Put that trunk in the carriage NOW!"
The servants looked at the Prince, slowly picking the trunk up again. Takeru glared at Daisuke. "It appears that my orders were unclear. I may have SAID 'We are only going to be there for two weeks,' but what I MEANT was, 'Daisuke, you are being ordered to leave that trunk, and any others after, here at the castle!' Is that understood?"
Daisuke looked at his feet grudgingly, muttering. "Yes, your Highness."
Takeru simply shook his head as he stepped up into his own carriage, where Count Hida, his friend Iori, was already seated. "How does he always manage to make 'your Highness' sound so much like 'you peasant bastard'?" the Prince asked.
Iori merely shrugged, trying not to laugh. Takeru chanced a glimpse out the carriage door before one of the royal guards shut it. There was Daisuke, looking quite irritated and waving his hand at the two servants, who turned around and headed back into the castle, still carrying his trunk. Takeru leaned back in his seat. 'It's good to be Prince!'
Jyuu checked the mirror one last time before he left his chamber, on his way to the carriages waiting outside. He wanted to be sure his spectacles were on straight and that he didn't have dirt on his face, or something equally unpleasant. The King had told him that, by this point in time, Princess Mimi would have been told of their possible upcoming marriage, so he'd know today whether it would happen or not. Jyuu felt a desperate need to impress her today and he was dressed in some of his finest. His best dark purple tunic, purplish/black pants, black boots and a dark purple cloak, lined with black, which had the royal crest of Tachikawa sewn onto it.
"Talk about being patriotic," he mumbled under his breath, though he knew quite well that all the Tachikawas who were leaving for Kamiya that morning were dressed in much the same manner. Even the Princess, though the shade of her dress had a suspicious hint of fuchsia in it.
As he continued, Jyuu saw the signs of all the stress that had been circulating through the castle since the day the invitation from Kamiya had arrived. The windows were sparkling clean and the corridor furniture was devoid of any visible dust, as the handmaidens had been worried of having the Queen become angry, because her nerves had become greatly frayed as of late. As he passed a table on the second floor, he was aware of the absence of a crystal vase that had been sitting there until one of the King's generals had taken out some of his frustration by banging on the table so hard that the aforesaid vase had crashed to the floor. Also, when he passed the kitchens just before coming out to the yards, Jyuu noticed the decrease in the pile of breakfast dishes waiting to be washed. Being worried about the stressed King's over-reaction to the meals he would be served, the scullery maids often became so flustered they'd drop the dishes they were supposed to be bringing to the dining room.
Then Jyuu exited the castle, heading across the yard towards the group of carriages gathered there. As he walked closer, he noticed the King speaking to his angry-looking wife hurriedly. But once the King had spotted Jyuu he kissed the Queen on the cheek and came over to the younger man.
"Good morning, Sir Jyuu! I trust you slept well?"
"Yes, sire," Jyuu replied looking down at his feet, "very well."
"That's wonderful, my boy, wonderful. I wonder, may I have a word with you... privately?" he said quietly, gesturing towards a nearby carriage.
"Certainly, Highness."
The King and Jyuu made their way behind the carriage and the King spoke, quieter still. "I, uh... I haven't told her yet."
"Well, why aren't they here yet?" Princess Hikari snapped at her brother. The two were standing, surrounded by Kamiya nobles, near the palace gates, awaiting the other royals' arrivals. She had been told of the Ishida and Tachikawa visits only two weeks before, the day that their responses had arrived. She had been hurt that Taichi had kept such an important secret from her and had yet to recover completely from the betrayal.
Lady Sora placed her hand on the Princess's arm. "Calm down, your Majesty. It may be anything. I probably would have been surprised if they had arrived by now. It is still early," she replied soothingly. The Princess tried to relax at these words.
Sora looked up at the Prince and winked. Crown Prince Taichi smiled down at her and mouthed 'thank you'. She mouthed back, 'No problem'.
But, despite what many of the assorted guards and nobles may have thought, Taichi's closest friends could tell that he was extremely nervous. The way he twitched and fidgeted stiffly, the slightly elevated pitch of his voice, the pale color of skin. Actually, Taichi wasn't just nervous, he was utterly terrified.
And the trumpet that suddenly sounded did not help in the slightest. Taichi jumped and Hikari twitched so violently that Lady Sora reached over to grab her arm to keep her from tripping on the hem of her dress. A horseman rode through the gates, announcing the arrival of the Ishida royals. "Well, this is it," Taichi said quietly, standing straighter and trying to adjust the crown that sat on his head. Hikari looked at him and gave a small chuckle. 'With hair like that!' she thought to herself. 'Taichi, give it up!'
Then she pushed her own tiara up higher on her head. Though there was no denying the aforesaid item, covered in diamonds and sapphires, was beautiful, it really could be a bother.
After the horseman there came only two carriages. A couple of the guards sat in front of the carriages, dressed in elegant green tunics. As purple was Tachikawa's official royal color, green was Ishida's and blue was Kamiya's. So all of the nobles gathered at the Princess's back made up a sea of blue, while the carriages being driven in were trimmed in green.
As the carriages came to a stop, Taichi took several steps forward and turned back, indicating his sister to follow him. Hikari shook her head slightly, already resisting the urge to go running back to the castle. But Taichi insisted and she felt Grand Duke Koushiro gently push her forward. Hikari took a deep breath and slowly walked after her brother to greet them.
*
"Prince Takeru, I think it's time for us to get out of the carriage," Count Iori said timidly a moment after they had pulled to a stop and noticing that the Prince had not moved from his spot.
Takeru nodded. "I know." And he remained rooted to his seat.
Iori stared at him for a moment. "So... shouldn't we get out?"
Takeru turned to face him and Iori was surprised by the fear he saw there.
"I'll get out after you do."
Iori nodded in sudden understanding and stood, carefully walking out. Once the Count had gone, Takeru took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. 'You are NOT about to be executed or anything, Takeru! You surely would have heard Daisuke scream be now!' he scolded to himself. 'Don't be so stupid.'
So he pushed his crown over more to the left, held his head up straighter, tugged the fastening of his cloak back to his front and emerged from the carriage.
*
Princess Hikari tried to hide her fear of the Ishidas behind a mask of smiles. She smiled as a young boy of about 14 with dark green eyes exited the first carriage and she even smiled at the boy who came out of the other carriage who, though wearing green, did not look as though it was his color and had tried to cover it up by wearing very dark shades and a black cloak. She didn't notice the look of sudden admiration that came across his face when he saw her and caused him to trip on the last step of the carriage.
But she couldn't help but notice the young man who emerged next from the same carriage as the green-eyed youth. He was about her age, if not a bit older, but he was quite tall for 16 years. He had the clearest dark blue eyes the Princess had ever seen and messy golden hair. And upon that hair sat a golden crown embedded with diamonds and emeralds. He was dressed in an exquisite green tunic and a green cloak embroidered in gold with the Ishida royal crest. He stepped down from the carriage with a grace and pride that reminded Hikari of Taichi when he was trying to intimidate people.
As she was busy staring at this boy, Hikari completely missed the King of Ishida's exit from his carriage. Yamato stepped out and one of Kamiya's pages announced his name. As he looked around he noticed that there were a great number of people- commoners, even- who were gathered around to castle to greet them. Then he noticed the crowned, spiky brown-haired young man in blue walking towards him. Yamato walked towards him, hand extended. He glanced over his shoulder at Takeru, who seemed to be staring at the girl who was following behind the brown-haired man, Iori and Daisuke and they all came to stand beside him.
"Crown Prince Taichi, I presume?" Yamato said, grasping the other man's hand. Taichi nodded at him, smiling.
"You are correct. And I'd wager a guess that you are the ruler of Ishida, King Yamato."
Yamato nodded and gestured the other three Ishida men to step forward. "I suppose I should introduce you to my guests. This," he said, indicating the green-eyed boy, "is Count Iori Hida." Iori bowed to Taichi and Hikari. "This is the Baron Daisuke of the Province of Motomiya." Daisuke bowed also and took the Princess's hand, lightly kissing it. "And this," he said, smiling slightly, "is my younger brother, Prince Takeru." Takeru shook Taichi's hand and bent down to kiss the Princess's hand also.
Hikari tried not to blush when he did this, but it was difficult. Then her brother introduced her, "This is my younger sister, Princess Hikari."
She bowed her head, curtsying slightly. "Charmed, I'm sure."
Taichi clapped his hands together, trying to calm his nerves. "Well, King Yamato, Prince Takeru, I have been informed that the royals from Tachikawa will not be arriving until later this evening. So, if you wish, we could go and eat dinner now?"
Though Takeru shot a nervous look at Count Iori when Prince Taichi said this, an action that went unnoticed by all except Princess Hikari, Yamato did not hesitate in accepting the offer of a meal. And so, the Count Hida, the Baron of Motomiya, Princess Hikari, Princes Taichi and Takeru and King Yamato of Ishida proceeded into the Kamiya castle to enjoy the first joint-kingdom meal to have been served in ages.
Author's notes: Well, I finally managed to get Kari and TK together in the same scene. There will be more of these sorts of scenes, as this story is PARTIALLY a Takari. If you don't like Takari stories, I don't know why you are here. I am a huge fan of Takaris. ANYWAY! I'm getting to the more exciting parts of the story now, so STAY TUNED! Part VII will be out REAL soon! Toodles!
