//Hi again! Thanks to those four people who reviewed, namely Raie, Valerie, Maikerin - OMG! You reviewed my two fics, thankies!! I really love your story Returning! I hope you'll finish that! Cowgirl Ed2002 - hey! Don't worry, I'll try my very best to watch my grammar and put some more detail! Soratolessons - I forgot your pen name. Anyway, thanks for reviewing!\\
BTW, I forgot a disclaimerDigimon is not mine! Okay, that's all!
---- wind-goddess
Part Three: Surprise Attack of the Zimu Bandits
For the past two days, Sora was even more bored. She was not allowed to go farther than the palace gates. Her mother was extremely angry because she walked from the palace to Lady Mimi's house.
"For God's sake Mother, I'm back here safe and sound and nothing ever happened!" Sora reasoned out angrily.
Her mother paced around the room with a worried look placed upon her face. "My dear! Did you even realize how much danger you've put upon yourself earlier?! Someone could have caught you and killed you!"
"Look at me, Mother! I'm here! Still alive and talking!" Sora retorted. Her mother wasn't listening to her.
Muriko snapped her eyes at her daughter and massaged her forehead with her fingers. "That's not it! You completely disobeyed my order!"
Sora stood up from her chair and stared at her mother in disbelief. "Oh Mother pleasebe reasonable!"
"I am being reasonable with you! You're the one who keeps being a child! How could you be the queen of this land?"
Sora glared at her mother and crossed her arms over her chest. "What if I do not want to be a queen?! I didn't even want to be in this outrageous royalty family!" Sora yelled and dashed out her mother's room, banging the door shut.
In her room, Sora sat down sullenly on her chair and stared down the palace grounds. She could clearly see the young men training hard under the radiance of the afternoon sun. Though she can't see her blonde friend, she squinted her eyes hoping to see the lad.
For two days, she just moped around the house. She would watch the cooks do their lunch/dinner and she would ask if she could do some of it. She would seldom ask the maids if she could do the laundry but the insisted that she should just watch them for the princess have done enough cooking. (though her mother didn't know.)
She let out a sigh when she realized that she wouldn't see her friend. She walked around her room and dropped down her bed. She doesn't want to see her mother right now. "I am being treated like a slave" she muttered.
The Queen motioned one of the princess maids to come to her room. "Yes my Lady?" Queen Muriko looked at her worriedly and asked if the princess has come out of her room. "No, my Lady. Since morning she has been inside her room."
The Queen walked around her room again and clasped her hands nervously. "Oh dearyou may go now"
The maid curtsied and exited; only having to see the King. She bowed down at him again and went off. King Leonard approached her queen and led her to a chair. "Muriko"
"Oh, am I not a good mother Leonard?"
The King grabbed a chair and placed it beside his wife, sitting on it. "Muriko, you are a good mother." The Queen looked at him, then looked away. "Leonard, our daughter's angry with me. I'm only worried that the neighboring kingdom might do a surprise attack or the bandits of Mt. Zimu might come here" Muriko places her face on her hands and lets out a deep sigh.
Leonard holds her hand and tips her chin up. "Muriko, do not blame yourself. I'm sure Sora was just thinking selfishly. She'll come around."
"I hope so"
Leonard than snaps his finger and looked at her wife. "Our spies came back. They say the Kingdom of Celetites might make an attack. You have to be careful."
"You must tell that to our daughter, not to me"
Sora had enough of sulking around. She walked to the door and opened it. She found two guards on either side, both holding a spear. "What are you doing here?" Sora asked.
"The King and Queen ordered us to guard you at all times, your highness."
Sora closed the door. Surely, they will follow her if she goes out the palace. "Well, no guards will stop me" she muttered stubbornly. She opened her closet door and grabbed her simplest dress. After that, she tears a piece of white cloth and tied her hair. She looked at the mirror and smiled. WellI'm sure they would not know that this is me!
She walked towards her window and opened it, letting the mighty wind enter. She chilled for a moment then looked down. It's quite high she thought as she placed a small chair by the window. She puts her left foot on it, then the other. Then she puts a foot outside the window and, holding on to the wall, she stepped out.
She was standing on a ledge of the palace wall.
She gulped. I've done this before"Or have I?" she asked herself nervously. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and took a step forward, still clinging to the wall. Step after step, she made her way towards the end and noticed a rope that is tied on the palace wall down to the stable. She lit up and slowly took off the piece of cloth that tied her hair. She placed the cloth on the rope and held both ends with her hand. She gulped and looked down.
"Here goes"
She jumped down the ledge and let out a scream. She tried to keep her mouth closed and she dashed down the rope. She passed by her mother's bedroom and down more until she jumped down on the stack of hays.
She stood up slowly and rubbed her head. "Ohfor the love of Christ" she mumbled as she picks off the hays that sticked to her blue dress. She ran towards her own stable and opened her horse's door.
"Come onlet's go" she whispered, pulling the reins. Before she climbed up, she tied her hair again with the piece of cloth.
She climbed up and tugged on the reins. "Ya!"
Yamato was just finished with his practice. Perspiration went down his face and he wiped it with the back of his hand. "At last"
He closed his eyes for a moment when his ears picked a sound of a faint scream. He looked around him, then towards the palace. That's when he saw somethingor someonesliding on a rope. "Oh God!" he whispered as he slowly stood up and watched the thing slide until it disappeared behind the stable.
"Ken, I'll be going for a while."
Before Ken could ask why, Yamato was on his feet, running towards the stables. When he finally reached it, he hid behind a stall and watched as a girl cleaned her dress and ran towards the princess' stable.
When she reached it, she turned her head. He realized who it was. "I should have known it was her" he murmured.
He was about to turn around when he saw her opened the stall door and let her white horse out. She tied her hair and climbed on it and it galloped away. "Does she even know that she's getting herself in trouble again?" he muttered. He looked around, hoping that some guards would follow her.
But there were none.
He sighed and opened the stall of his horse. "We'll find the princess" he said, brushing the horse's mane. He puts the saddle on his horse and climbed up. "Ya!"
Yamato's horse galloped faster, until he saw a white horse galloping slowly towards the villagers. "What is going on inside that lady's mind?" he asked himself, but continued to pursued. He saw her stop by a house then, went off again. He kicked on his horse and it galloped faster, hoping to catch up with the redhead.
But to no avail.
She was far away. Then he noticed that she slowed down for a moment. Yamato galloped even faster, and, when he's only a few meters away he called her. "Princess!"
Sora pulled the reins and turned her horse around. She saw Yamato on his brown horse, galloping towards them.
"Why are you here?" she asked, a little angry.
"I'm worried that you, highness might be in danger!" he replied, looking at her a bit harshly. "I'll lead you back to the palace, princess."
Sora's horse moved back. "NO! I will not go back to that place until I said so. You may go."
"What could have caused you to slide off your room and to be tempered and to be too stubborn for your own sake?!" Yamato asked irritatingly.
Sora sighed and looked away. "PleaseI need to be alone." She turned around but, even before her horse could move, she saw a group of horsemen coming towards them.
"Yamatowho are they?"
Yamato trotted his horse beside her, and seeing the group, his eyes shot open. "The bandits" he muttered as he grabbed Sora's hand. "Princess, I need to get you back to - "
Sora shrugged it off angrily. "They're bandits! I should protect the people, my people!" Sora then, galloped away from Yamato and knocked on every house.
"Close thy doors and let no one in! The bandits are here!" she yelled as Yamato accompanied her side, yelling also. She turned her head towards him and smiled. She mouthed the words "thank you" and went ahead to the other houses.
The group has now reached the first house they saw in the territory, their leader guiding them. "Ask them for food and medicine! If they won't givethen do whatever you wish to get what we needed." He yelled as his group galloped away from him.
He galloped away, his wild brown hair wrestled with the wind. He noticed two people on horse knocking on doors. He heard them warning the people. "Oh pleasenot another hero wanna-be..." he muttered.
"Ya!" The brunette man kicked on his horse and galloped towards the two. His horse ran by the first one, which seems to be a blonde. He knocked the blonde away from his brown horse and Yamato landed on the ground.
Taichi, the bandit leader, stepped down his black horse and looked at the blonde guy, kicking it on the side. "Leave my men be and I'll spare your life"
"Leave him be!" a woman's voice yelled. He turned his head around casually and saw a captivating sight. He smiled slyly and stepped closer and closer to the lady.
Sora stepped away from him until she was cornered. She never let him see how nervous and scared she was. Her eyes held the gaze firmly and angrily. The brunette boy rested his hands on the wall beside the lady's head.
"You're a very fascinating lady. You had the courage to even speak to the lord of the Zimu bandits" Taichi whispered against her ear.
She looked back angrily. "Move away! Leave my people alone!"
"Your people?! What are you saying, my beautiful lady? That you are the princess?" he asked, trying to stop the laughter inside of him.
"Step away from her highness! If you even touch her, I will slice your neck with my own hands"
Taichi turned his head and looked at the blonde, who was standing still. With a fast move, he circled his arm around Sora and got the small knife in his pocket. He placed it by Sora's neck and looked at Yamato.
"Soshe really is the princess, eh?" Taichi said. He turned his eyes to Sora, who was busy removing his arm off her neck. He moved the knife closer until it was pointing on Sora's neck. "You smell wonderful, do you know that?" he whispered again, making her shiver.
"Remove your filthy hands off of me and leave me be!"
Yamato took a step forward, but Taichi noticed him. Taichi shook his head. "Do not step any closer or this fair lady will be sliced to death"
Yamato looked at his horse, hoping that his sword was with him. Unfortunately, he left it at the palace with Ken. "Damn" he muttered and looked back at the bandit.
Another bandit trotted towards them and showed Taichi a sack full of supplies. Taichi nodded and his bandit went off.
"I guess my men have got all the things we need"
Sora glared at him and continued to wrestle out of his arms. "You will not get away with this! You have terrorized my people!" she yelled.
Taichi looked at the girl closely. She's quite a lovely lady Fair and scented skin, beautiful red eyes, wonderful face"Has anyone told you that you're very beautiful?"
"I do not care!...Ah! It hurts!" Sora exclaimed when Taichi pierced the knife deeper, letting a drop of blood trickle down her neck. Taichi glared at Yamato, who took a step back. "I told you not to take a step!"
"Leader, we must go! The cavalry of the King is approaching!" Someone said. He was also from the Zimu bandit with blue hair and dark eyes.
Taichi cursed under his breath and looked at the lady in his arms. "May I know what the fair lady's name is?" he asked gently.
"You may not" she whispered angrily. Taichi sighed then, without thinking, he placed a small kiss on her cheek. "Then may you accept that kiss" he whispered and he pushed her away from him and climbed on his horse. "Ya!"
Yamato ran to Sora and inspected her. "My deepest apology, your highness" he muttered as he inspected her neck. Sora pushed him away gently and stood up. "He's a pervert!" she exclaimed.
Just then, the cavalry has arrived and the real knights made their way to the houses. The King galloped his horse to where his daughter is. "Sora? Is that you?"
"Father!" Sora exclaimed. After his father climbed down his horse, she hugged him tight. "My Sora, what are you doing here? And why is your neck bleeding?!"
He noticed a young blonde lad by the corner. Yamato looked at the king and kneeled before him. "My KingMy apologies for not protecting the princess"
Leonard took a step forward towards Yamato. "Then may I ask why are you apologizing?"
"I'm training to be a knight, my King. And yet I failed to protect her highness"
"Father, he has done nothing wrong! Forgive him" Sora pleaded. The King nodded his head and climbed up his horse. "Go on to the palace. It's not your place to be here" he said to both Sora and Yamato.
"We cannot use my horse, my princess" Yamato explained, pointing to the bruised leg of his own horse.
"Then ride with me"
"Another plan executed perfectly!" Izzy exclaimed, looking at the valuable stuff on the table. Medicines, clothes and other more things were placed on their leader's table.
"Taichi! Look at thisTaichi?"
"Yes Izzy?"
"Are you all right?" the small man asked his companion. His brunette friend seemed to be in dazed ever since they left the kingdom. "Yesgo and share all that to the others. Yolei may use it to treat our people." Taichi said.
Before Izzy could come out, he looked back and said calmly. "You're a great leader"
Taichi heard it and smiled while Izzy went off. He loked out his open window and looked away as far as possible. From their territory, he could not see the kingdom of Tarben. The tall trees and jungle-like place surrounded them. "Maybe I could see it from the tower" he whispered.
He sighed then slumped down on his chair and closed his eyes. Something was not right. Something was disrupting his mind.
"Could it be my inner selfor that lovely lady of the Tarben kingdom"
Yamato jumped down from the pallid horse and held his hand to the princess. She casually holds it and jumps down from her horse literally.
"Do you need to jump?"
Sora laughed. "What's wrong with jumping from a horse?"
"I think it isah! Do not mind me! And uhprincess?"
Sora looked up at him and smiled. "Yes?"
"I am sorry for using you horse" he said. What are you saying?! Yamato's inner-self (conscience) asked. Yamato didn't mind it and looked at Sora. "Yamato! It is just my horse. Anyone who wants to ride it, may ride it!"
Yamato took a step closer. "And I am sorry for not having protected you from that bandit" he whispered. She blinked back and looked at his deep blue eyes. "Oh that" she whispered. She then smiled and looked at him cutely. "Tell me, Sir Yamato Ishida, are you jealous?"
Yamato chuckled and took her hands in his. "Who would not be, princess? Who would not be" he said so quietly and sweetly. She slowly closed and opened her eyes while both of them leaned together.
Their lips were getting closer and almost inches apart.
"Sora!"
They quickly let go of each other's hands. Yamato looked away guiltily and Sora turned around to see her mother running towards her.
Muriko hugged her daughter tightly and kissed both her cheeks. "Oh myyou are safethank GodYou're bleeding! C'mon, let us heal that"
Sora's mother pulled her towards the palace. Sora turned her head back to where Yamato was standing.
Unfortunately, he was not there anymore.
In another place, the territory of the Celetites
"King Leonard is busy helping his people at the surprise attack of the bandits"
The King of Celetites smiled slyly and sipped from his cup of wine. "Well thena little time from now our plan of taking the Tarben kingdom will finally be done"
Then, a couple of Celetites guards appeared with a bloody person. The King looked at them.
"Our King, this is one of the spies from the Tarben kingdom. They have seen wandering through our palace. The other one died instantly."
"Another inferior life form" he muttered as he stood up. "I will spare your life if you will serve my kingdom"he offered the bloddy spy.
"I will never!" the Tarben spy spat out angrily. The king threw down his cup on the spy. "Take him to the dungeon!"
"I will escape and tell my King of your evil plans!!" he yelled back as he was pulled out of the doors.
"Wait!" the King called out. He tapped his finger on his chin and smiled. "Indeed, Tarben spy! You have given me a great plan!"
"Guards! Take him to the dungeon and punish him. But do not kill him yet! Leave him on Tarben's ground and let the spy tell Leonard our plans"
The guards nodded and off they went. The king chuckled evilly. "Let's see how good your men is Leonard"
//Finally done!! This took me so many days to be finished!!! but then I enjoyed it anyway. hope you liked this chapter. I know...I know...not much sorato again! But I assure you that I will put more of sorato on the next chapters! I feel really guilty that Yamato didn't even do any good action! *mutters angrily*. if you liked it, please review! If you don't...then it's either you review or find another story that your heart will jump for. thanks for reading!!\\
----wind-goddess