Angel of Light: Okay!
Cody: Okay…
Angel of Light: Yes…anyways…I'll be gone for…I don't know how long, maybe a week and a half, maybe two weeks.
Cody: And they care because…
Angel of Light: Because they are my adoring fans, and I'm just letting them know that I haven't abandoned them.
Cody: I wouldn't exactly call them 'adoring fans…'
The morning came too fast for Hikari. All she wanted to do was sleep, sleep, and sleep some more. A servant girl came in and woke her up, and informed her that breakfast would be in an hour. Hikari couldn't have cared less.
The servant girl left, and Hikari lay in bed for a few more minutes. She finally rolled out of bed. She went to change, and noticed that she still had her clothes in from yesterday. She had fallen asleep without realizing that she hadn't changed.
Making her way to the closet, she picked out a different dress. Both the Prince and Princess had been given new clothes by the King.
Forty-five minutes later, she was ready.
~*~
Takeru, however, slept in. It took a few of the servants to wake him up. When they did, he was embarrassed at the whole situation. He only had half and hour to get ready.
~*~
Kari decided not to leave right away. She didn't feel like being early. Instead, she went out onto the balcony.
It was amazing how much different a city could be at two different times of day. She watched as the vendors quickly set up their stalls, restocking them and making them look perfect before the city awoke. The early buyers were out, buzzing around the market form vendor to vendor, much like a bee to a field of flowers. To her left, she watched as the children came out to play. Some travellers were arriving on horseback, which made her think of Erowin. She would have to visit the unicorn today, and maybe go for a ride to rid her mind of the worries of everyday life.
Hikari realized what time it was, and decided it best to head down.
Just as she exited her room, Takeru came out of his.
"Morning", he greeted.
Hikari nodded a greeting, and gave a small smile. The two then headed down to breakfast.
The King greeted them as they came down. He was cheerful, maybe a little too cheerful, but they didn't say anything. He was already doing a lot for them, so they didn't complain.
"I sent out a messenger this morning to the Kingdom of Tohuw. If all goes well, he should be back tomorrow. If the king agrees, his army should be here in just less than a week. I hope that that isn't too long."
"No Sir, that's just fine." Takeru answered.
"Feel free to do whatever you want to. The guards will inform you of any restrictions and policies. Other than that, they should listen to what you say, under restrictions of course." The king informed them.
They just nodded, and kept eating.
When they were finished, a servant came and took their dishes.
"So, uh, what have you got planned for today?" Takeru asked her. He was a little sheepish in asking, and was expecting a rude or snide answer.
"I was thinking of taking Erowin out. I'm sure she needs a run, and I need a break. Then maybe I'll go to the market and check that out or something."
"Oh, that sounds nice." He was surprised that the answer was just plain and simple. There wasn't even that usual hint of disgust in her voice. Then he thought back to the night before. Was that why she was acting so different? He didn't know.
"What about you?"
This also surprised him. Never once on their journeys had she ever been interested in what he was doing.
"Well, I don't really have anything planned, so I guess I'll play things by ear." the Prince answered.
"Then, why don't you come with me?" she backed off a little, "I mean, only if you want to, that is. You don't have to."
This really surprised him. Now she actually wanted him around. This really was a change.
He raised an eyebrow at her, "So now you actually want me around. This is a change. At first you wanted nothing to do with me, and now you want me around. Am I missing something here?"
She opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again. She glared at him.
"I was just being nice. I thought that maybe I'd give you something to do. Like I said, you don't have to. It's just because I felt sorry for you. I'd rather be by myself anyways."
He smirked. "In that case, I think I will come with you."
She glared at him, and went out to the stables. Takeru followed with a mischievous grin on his face.
~*~
A stable hand got out the pair's horses. They didn't need any tack, which confused the servants.
As soon as they mounted, the two unicorns burst off through the town. They raced through the village, and headed out to the forest. They stopped at a clearing that looked over a cliff.
"I beat you." Takeru told her.
"I wasn't racing. Besides, if I was, I'd win."
"Wanna bet?"
"Sure."
The two prepared to race, but their mounts refused. Neither of the unicorns would move.
"I guess we're not racing then, are we." Kari stated.
"Guess not."
There was an awkward silence between the two, with the exception of the occasional snort from either of the unicorns.
"So, do you think that this King will send an army to help?" the Prince asked Kari.
"I sure hope so. I wouldn't know what to do if they don't."
"Yeah."
"How come you're not married, or at least thinking of it?"
The question caught Takeru off guard. It seemed that she had been doing a lot of that lately.
"Uh, well...I don't know. Just hasn't crossed my mind."
"You're lying."
He looked at her, confused. "Why do you say that?"
"Because, it's even crossed my mind. And what person our age hasn't dreamed at least once of falling in love and getting married."
"I'm not sure if love is even a matter any more."
It was Kari's turn to be confused. "Why?"
"I don't know…it's just, my father doesn't consider my feeling in the matter. He and my mother were betrothed, so he had no choice. I'm not, but he just tells me that it doesn't matter what I feel, as long as she had money and her father is somewhat known around here. Bonus if he knows her family."
"Do you agree with that?" she asked.
"I…don't know. I haven't seen anyone-" he paused for a moment, knowing that she could tell if he was lying. He decided to re-phrase that so that he wasn't completely lying. "I mean, I don't know what falling in love is, and I don't really like the girls that my father has brought up. They're all the same, stubborn, stupid, and ditsy. Not one that I'd like to spend the rest of my miserable life with.
"What about you?"
"I guess I'm pretty much the same. I don't want to get married if I don't fall in love, and I'm beginning to wonder if that'll even happen. Personally, I've stopped caring."
The Prince nodded.
"This would be a nice place to watch the sunset." Hikari commented, changing subjects.
"Yeah it would, wouldn't it."
After a while, the two turned their mounts and went back to the village. They went at a relaxed canter, neither of them feeling the need to go too fast. The forest was much like the one by Kari's kingdom, and it made her homesick. She longed to be back home, where she knew everyone and was familiar with everything. She wanted to visit her friends in the village. Now, she didn't even know what had become of them.
A half hour later, the two reached the town once more. They slowed to a walk, as to not run anyone over. There were a lot more people here now than there were before they left.
The atmosphere seemed to lighten Kari's mood, and cure her homesickness. She loved the buzz of the town, watching the villagers scurrying about. Prince Takeru couldn't have cared less, but followed anyways.
They made their way through the market. Kari steered Erowin off to the right, where she saw the children playing earlier that morning. She loved children, and wanted to see if these ones were anything like the ones that she knew.
"Where are we going?" Takeru asked with a slight edge of annoyance in his voice.
"I want to see some of the villagers."
"Why?"
"Because, a good ruler makes relationships with their people. Besides, they're really nice once you get to know them. You should try it."
Takeru snorted at this idea. His father had always told him that he was above the villagers, and was not to mingle with them. They were there for the purpose of ruling, and for bragging rights. There is no kingdom if there are no people. He couldn't understand why the Princess would spend time with them. The Prince followed anyways.
The houses were simple, and very small. Hikari noticed that they were slightly smaller than the ones in her village, but there were a lot more. There was a small fountain in a little square in the centre of this part of the town; witch seemed to be the place where most of the people were. She guessed that this was the poorer part of the community.
The children stopped playing as the two royals approached. Everyone stopped, and stared at them. They had never seen any royal up close, as they usually stayed away.
A little child ran up and stared up at Erowin. His mother ran over, embarrassed that her son would do such a thing.
Hikari dismounted, and picked the boy up. He stared at her with confusion evident in his bright green eyes. She smiled at him, then at the boy's mother.
"What's his name?" she asked.
The woman was astounded, and paused a moment before replying. "He…His name is Kaleb."
"Kaleb. That's a nice name." She placed Kaleb on the ground. He looked up at her, and smiled, before scurrying back behind his mother.
Several of the other children at this point had come over too. After a few minutes, Kari was covered with children. She lifted a few of them onto Erowin's back, and the unicorn just stood rock still.
Takeru still hadn't moved from Tallow.
"Come on, Takeru. Lighten up a little!" she said with a smile.
He just glared at her, with no intentions of moving. Hikari turned away. The Prince's gaze softened as he watched her. This was a side of her that he'd never seen before. She was very gentle with the children, and he could see that she was very fond of them.
'She'd make a good mother someday…' Takeru caught himself thinking this, and smacked himself on the head.
While he was busy scolding himself, one of the older kids had managed to crawl up behind him.
"Hi!" He said.
This startled the Prince so much that he fell off the unicorn.
Hikari had watched the whole thing, from the time when he smacked himself, to the kid climbing up, to when he fell off. She couldn't help but laugh.
The Prince just glared at her once more.
The two stayed among the townspeople for a little while longer, until they realized that they probably missed lunch. It didn't matter, because neither of them was hungry at the moment.
"I think it's time we left now." Takeru said flatly.
"Aw, a few more minutes?" she mock-pouted.
Takeru sighed.
"I'm joking. I think so too." Hikari turned and smiled at the children, and said good bye. She then hopped up onto Erowin, and they went back to the castle.
"See? That wasn't so bad." Kari said.
"If a bunch of kids climbing all over you is 'not that bad.'"
"You just need to live a little."
"I have all the life I need, thank you very much."
Kari giggled.
"What?"
"You should see the look on your face. You look so cute when you're annoyed." after she said this, she urged Erowin to a gallop, leaving a dumbfounded Takeru all by himself.
~*~
What she said bothered him for the rest of the night. What was worse was that she didn't talk to him about it. He only saw her at dinner, and even then, they didn't talk. She went quickly up to her room without saying a word.
~*~
Once again, Kari was on the balcony watching the people. Somehow she knew that if she said that, it would leave him speechless. She wasn't lying when she said it, though.
A knock at the door caught her attention. She went over, and opened it.
"A thousand pardons m'lady, but you and the Prince are needed in the throne room at once." the servant informed her.
"Alright, I'll be there in a minute. Have you told the Prince yet?"
"No, he won't answer, and I won't just barge in."
"Okay, I'll tell him. We'll be down in a minute."
The servant bowed, and left. Hikari exited the room, and went across the hall. She pounded on the door as hard as she could.
"Takeru! You in there?" she yelled.
She could hear the shuffling footsteps of the Prince. He opened the door.
"What is it?" he asked, annoyed.
"We are needed in the throne room, right now. It's urgent."
She reached in and grabbed his arm, pulling him out of the room.
Kari dragged the Prince down the hall, and to the King's throne room. When they reached it, she let go of his arm. There waiting for them, was the King, some guards, and another man whom they had never seen before.
"You wanted to see us, your majesty?" Kari asked.
"Yes, I did. I told you about the messenger that I sent to Tohuw, did I not?"
They both nodded.
"Well, he has returned sooner than I respected." The king motioned to the man standing to his right.
Takeru and Hikari weren't sure as to whether or not this was a good thing. The two exchanged a quick, worried glance, and hoped for the best. They waited tensely for what the King would say next.
"As I predicted, King Samuel, ruler of Tohuw, has accepted the plea and will join us." King Philip informed them.
The two couldn't help but smile. Relief overcame their bodies. Everything was going as planned, and it seemed that there was hope in the situation after all.
"He is coming a lot sooner than I had expected, though. His army is on its way even as we speak. This does not give me a lot of time to prepare my own army, but that's not a big deal. King Samuel and I will of course be joining you. We will lead the army. Neither of us is really sure of the way, so I was thinking that you two would ride up ahead of the army with us. Also, it will save us time when we get there. When your father's see you, there will be no need for explanations."
"Just curious, how many men will we be bringing?" Takeru asked.
"I can't say exactly, but definitively over 10 000 men."
The Prince nodded.
"Now, I'm sorry if I interrupted your sleep, but I thank you for your time. Tomorrow we will begin rounding up the army. We'll need to choose the horses for the cavalry, and the ones on foot as well. That can be done tomorrow. I'll see you then."
The Prince and Princess nodded and bowed, then went back upstairs to their rooms. This time, it was Kari who couldn't find sleep, as she was so excited about the whole thing. Eventually though, she did get to sleep.
~*~
The next few days were those of preparation. King Samuel's army would be arriving soon, and they had to be ready to set off as soon as they got there. The plan was that the cavalry would go on ahead, as they would be much faster. The others would arrive about a day, two at the most, later.
~*~
The final day came, and Hikari could hardly contain herself. Atop Erowin, she overlooked the army from the top of the hill. It was an endless sea of men. She found it amazing that such a large group of soldiers could stand so neatly in order.
The Prince came up behind her. "It's amazing, isn't it."
"Yeah."
The sound of a trumpet disrupted the conversation. A messenger came to King Philip, who was beside them.
"Sire! King Samuel and his troops are arriving from the north."
The King smiled, "Good! Tell him that his men can fall in line with mine. Then send him up here."
"Yes sir!" The messenger ran off to report to the arriving army.
If Kari thought there were a lot of men before, she was in shock at how many more there were. As the King had predicted, there were well over 10 000 men. Of that 10 000, about 3 000 were on horseback.
The three of them turned to see a man riding up on a giant, palomino stallion. Its coat shone in the sunlight. He halted right beside them. This, was King Samuel.
King Samuel wasn't at all like they had expected. He was a young King, maybe a year or two older than Taichi, Kari's older brother. Though he looked more like an aging man. Years of strain and stress had done thins to him. His hair was jet black, and his contrasting green eyes were piercing, yet at the same time they had a gentle look to them.
"Greetings, Philip. And I'm assuming that you are the Prince Takeru and Princess Hikari." he said.
The two nodded.
"I am King Samuel. It's a pleasure to meet you. You both have done a very brave thing, coming all the way out here. I know the path is long and treacherous. I commend you for that."
"Thank you, Sir." Kari replied.
"Well, there's no time for chit chat. There's been a slight change in plans, as the two of you know. The three of you will lead the cavalry, and I will follow behind and lead the men on foot. We'll make a fast pace, and we'll be able to follow your path. Three thousand horses aren't that hard to follow. EW should arrive but a day after you do." Philip explained.
"Well then, we should be off." Samuel said.
The two Kings nodded to each other, and King Philip went to look after his troops.
"We'll start off fast, and when we get within two days travel from the fight, we'll slow to a walk. We don't want the men to tire. When we get there, they will rush into battle. I'll go with you to find your fathers, and explain what is going on from there. Sound good?"
"Sounds great." Takeru answered.
"Good." Samuel turned to the men, and shouted, "Alright men, let's go!"
There was a mighty roar from the crowd, and the King turned his mount, as did Takeru and Hikari. They charged off towards the Kingdoms. King Philip and his men weren't too far behind.
~*~
For days they travelled. It wasn't the same route, but it was similar to the one they had taken to get there. One of the reasons was that they had a few more men. They were making good time, too. This was good, as they had wasted a lot of time on the way there, but that wasn't entirely their fault.
They were now near the spot where the two of them had fallen off the cliff. Hikari smiled as she saw the remnants of when they had first been there.
They moved on a little further, and stopped in a huge field. The army needed a break.
~*~
That night, the horses were tied, and the men were chatting around numerous campfires. Everything was going perfectly, nothing could go wrong.
The three royals were busy talking about various things, from horses to kingdoms to the weird creatures that they have encountered. A panicking man broke this up.
"Sire, Sire!" he yelled.
King Samuel looked up. "Yes? Is something wrong?"
"There's something in the trees, I saw it with my own eyes! I also though I saw some people with it, but I can't be too sure."
"Well, they're thieves, and we're an army. I don't think they have much chance."
"Yes but, the creature, it's…it's huge!"
"What is it?"
"It's a dragon!"
Angel of Light: MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HA! I leave you at a cliffhanger! Teehee! TtFn!
