Part Three: Her Confusion
After two hours of nonstop reading, she wanted a break.
Cementing the decision in her mind, Anastasia exhaled a small sigh of relief and gratefully shut the book, but had to blink a couple of times to chase away the faint spots that began to dance in her view. After her vision had cleared up, she arose from the wooden chair and raised both arms over her head, thoroughly stretching out her muscles, as they were stiff from staying in the same position for such a long time. She emitted a soft, happy noise as she glanced through the window and caught sight of the sunlight splayed throughout the small village, feeling like its beauty was inviting her to go outside and enjoy the rest of the peaceful afternoon. Deciding in a split second to do just that, the vibrant teenager left the stack of textbooks behind on the desk and eagerly left the study room, which was usually inhabited by Kurando, but he was currently away, so she could use it.
Thoughts of refreshment lingering in her mind, Anastasia hurriedly bound down the stairs and headed into the kitchen, immediately making her way to the cabinets to locate and retrieve a sealed bottle of her favorite drink. She unscrewed the top off and raised the tip to her lips, eagerly welcoming the cool liquid that slid down her throat and energized her body; she definitely wouldn't be returning to her books anytime soon, or maybe even for the rest of the day. Before her family and friends had left Inugami Village to return to Russia, her parents had spoken to her and expressed their wishes, hoping that the young princess would continue her studies until she was old enough to attend a university. She had agreed to comply, not wanting her future occupation to be just a housewife, and it seemed as if she was currently on that unwanted path, considering the way things had been going since the wedding between her and the samurai.
A month had passed from that day, and during the time, the girl rarely saw her husband as he was frequently gone to visit foreign countries – he was even on one presently, with Saki accompanying him. The two rarely told the Russian native what had happened while they were away, and in fact, when she had caught a free moment with him, the princess asked her husband about his trips, but his answer was very vague. She wasn't naïve or stupid; Anastasia was fully aware of the volatile war raging throughout Europe, and even though her parents refused to give her details in their letters, she knew that they were deeply disturbed by the disarray. The brunette youth wondered if Kurando went to the other nations as a peacemaking dignitary, but if that was the case, then why would he be so furtive in divulging that kind of information to his own wife? It wasn't like she had anyone to tell.
But then again… she certainly had to admit that he'd been rather distant in the past few weeks, ever since the day he entered their bedroom and by accident, saw her practically naked when she was in the middle of changing. The encounter had been rather embarrassing on both parts, but her husband apologized more than once for his mistake, and had even gotten a lock installed on their door to prevent future mishaps from taking place. After that awkward incident, Kurando had begun to treat her with utmost politeness and gave her plenty of space, and also rarely touched her, as if she was a mere delicate doll that would break at the first sign of conflict. Anastasia didn't want that the least bit; she did feel shy around him the first couple days following her exposure to him, but figured that any avid attempt at modesty around her own spouse was futile, since he was sure to see her naked sooner or later.
Well, by his current behavior, it seemed that the consummation of their marriage was far away over the horizon, for if he didn't dare to invade her personal space, let alone touch her, he certainly wouldn't engage in intimacy with her. In spite of her initial reaction to the concept, it admittedly bothered Anastasia that she and her husband hadn't…officially…solidified their marriage yet – after he stopped their first attempt, neither one of them had initiated a second encounter. When she thought about it in present day, the chestnut-haired girl was uncertain of the reason behind his decision to back off, but of course, didn't dare to ask him, as that would surely increase the awkwardness between them. She knew that Kurando was a gentleman by nature, and maybe he'd sensed her hesitation that night and halted the martial act for her sake; still, that wouldn't explain why he had been avoiding all physical contact with her lately.
The young princess wondered why their relationship had already grown so platonic when the two had only been married for a month, and along that path of thinking came the insecure worries: was it something she'd done? Were his present actions her fault? Anastasia wanted his caring self to return; she missed being enveloped in his strong, warm grasp as the couple embraced each other, and listening to the rhythmic pulse of his steady heartbeat when her head was rested against his chest. Her brows furrowed in concentration when she tried to remember the last time they hugged, and her frown deepened a bit as she recalled that it was quite a while ago – perhaps she could approach him when he came back and initiate one. Would he accept the gesture, or turn her away? With few other concerns on her mind due to the amount of leisure time she'd been granted, her mind was often occupied by ponderings on the ambiguity of her relationship with Kurando.
On the bright side of current events, she was quickly adjusting to her life in Inugami Village, as her neighbors were warm and friendly, always promising Saki and Kurando to look after the Russian native while the former two were gone on trips. When the brunette princess wasn't studying, she would usually be out of the house, either crouched somewhere around the main garden to plant flowers there, or running off to explore the nearby forest with her new friends. But in spite of the hospitality, Anastasia found it almost amusing, that although she casually mingled with the other girls and felt just like one of them, the adults treated her with unique respect, and had even linked a title to her name. She wasn't sure if they did that due to her royal occupation – which had been revealed to everyone when her parents attended the wedding – or because she was married to the leader of the village, but the question felt too weird to ask.
A series of loud raps against the front door suddenly startled the girl out of her contemplation, and after taking a minute to collect herself, she rushed over to the entrance, inwardly wondering if a friend was visiting.
She pulled the door open and was quickly faced with one of the young women villagers, Sayori Heida, who immediately cried in a frantic tone, "Master Kurando, Master Kurando! I need your help right away, please-!"
Surprised by the boisterous greeting, Anastasia backed away a bit while habitually raising twin clenched fists to press them against her chest, and then exclaimed in reply, "S-Sayori! What's wrong? Are you in trouble??"
"Oh, L-Lady Anastasia!" she stammered, appearing very flustered as she tilted her head inwardly past the door frame and glanced around the small distance that was granted to her sight. "Where is Master Kurando?"
"Um… well, he and Saki-san aren't back from their trip yet," the princess answered helpfully, using the Japanese honorific in reference to the former Inugami leader as proof of her gained knowledge of the foreign culture. "Maybe I can help you with your problem?"
Apparently only hearing that Kurando and his mother were both absent and missing the offer of assistance, her guest began to turn and leave even as she continued babbling on, "No, that's not good… Shinta can't stay up in that tree forever!"
"Shinta?" Anastasia cocked her head slightly as she tried to mentally place a face with the name, and when she was successful, took a few steps forward, straying away from her new home. "That's your brother, right? Did something bad happen to him?"
Sayori pivoted back around and told the younger girl with fear-filled eyes, "My brother, he's in the Forest of Wind! A monster is attacking him! Oh please, Lady Anastasia, can you save him?! Do you know how to fight??"
The fifteen-year-old youth nodded in immediate agreement, and assured her with a small, albeit warm smile, "Yeah, I do! And I'll help him! Just let me get my stuff, and then we'll go to the forest!"
"O-okay," came the tentative reply, accompanied with an anxious nod.
"Wait here," she commanded gently before running back into the house and immediately dashed up the stairs, knowing full well where to retrieve her mystical weapon and Crests, and hastily headed toward the bedroom she shared with her husband. There was her favorite dark blue coat, lying right on the chair as expected, and Anastasia quickly grabbed that – while hoping that both pockets were still filled with her old supplies – along with her Golden Egg, swiped up from the top of a dresser. That in hand and after throwing her coat on, she sped out of the room and returned down to the first floor, her eyes alit with delighted anticipation, not even plagued with a sliver of fear of the unnamed foes at hand. It'd been a while since she was in a real battle, but the young mage had occasionally practiced casting magic spells in a private corner of the village, for she didn't want to forget her former skills in case she would need them someday. Coincidentally, like today.
"Let's go, Sayori!" The teenage fighter called out as she slammed the door shut behind her.
"Right…!" Sayori agreed, and then together, the two girls proceeded down the stone stairs and sped through the pathway that led to the entrance of the village, their rush stirring mild curiosity in a few bystanders.
As they approached the Forest of Wind, Anastasia turned to her acquaintance and asked in concern, "Do you know if your brother's okay right now? You said a monster was attacking him!"
The young Japanese woman shook her head and panted in full explanation, "N-no, I'm not sure how he's doing… He went into the forest about an hour ago, and I was just outside, looking at some flowers, when I suddenly heard him scream, so I went in to see what was wrong. As soon as I got to where he was, I saw a Tengu chasing him, and then Shinta ran up a tree! I came back to the village to get help, and a few of the men went there to try and fend the monster off, but I don't think they can fight it… My brother's probably still up in that tree…!"
"I think you're right…" she replied grimly, but her expression only showed optimism, and her eyes narrowed just slightly in determination when the duo had just entered the woodsy setting. "But don't worry; I'll chase that huge bird away from Shinta!"
"Th-thank you so much…" – one quick look at the current surroundings – "O-oh, we're almost there…! Please be careful, Lady Anastasia…"
"I'll be fine! But you should stay back and maybe hide somewhere, just in case the monster decides to attack the others," the cheerful girl instructed wisely, and with a nod of confirmation, Sayori was off to take shelter behind a large nearby trunk, while Anastasia continued forward to the battle scene.
She arrived at a small clearing, where a couple of young men were throwing rocks at the big bird monster, and one was even poking it with a stick, while in the tree above their heads, a thin boy, Shinta Heida, clung to a thick branch. He looked down just then and grinned when he caught sight of the princess, who was carefully edging toward the small group with her weapon tightly clutched in hand, her bright green eyes focused on the ferocious Tengu. The aforementioned foe had its attention distracted by the opposing villagers, but it flapped large twin wings and sailed towards one of the men, huge talons baring sharp claws that were ready to deal damage. The targeted man froze for a split second, but when he recomposed himself, he dropped flat on his stomach just before he would have been struck, and felt the wind of attack as the Tengu soared above him, shrieking shrilly.
"Hey! Watch out!" She warned her allies as she swiftly tossed her egg up into the air, and then sent it flying straight at the monster.
Heeding her wise advice, the young men scrambled aside for cover just as the mystical sphere reached its destination and smacked right into the beak of the aerial creature, provoking a high-pitched cry in response. The Tengu reared back a bit from the blow, but Anastasia wasn't finished; she directed her weapon on-course once again for a second hit, and then a third, pushing the adversary and corning it to the nearest tree behind. When the egg returned to her hands, the monster released a piercing holler and surged forward, heading for the girl, its dark-colored feathers bristling as both wings flapped in furious effort, despite riding the wind's smooth current. Her eyes widened a bit at the sudden burst of speed, but the young fighter quickly snapped to attention and dashed off to one side to barely avoid the intended attack, though all the while, her weapon had been hovering before her face in defense.
Don't these monsters have a lot of stamina? She struggled to remember the last time she'd fought a Tengu, which was against a pair of them, but then again, she had also been alongside a couple of her friends that she had traveled with in the previous year. Despite the foes' longstanding vitality, the heroes had emerged victorious from several encounters with the bird creatures, but then again, that was to be expected from a group of four experienced fighters against two mere monsters. Now in the present, the princess was battling the Tengu by herself – since the young villagers hadn't proved to be too helpful – so she had to be more careful, although she was confident in her equipment of Crests. When the dark-furred bird turned around to face her, Anastasia decided to use a strong magic spell in hopes of driving it off, and she tried to recall its innate element so she could cast the opposite for the most impacting effect.
Oh, I wish I had my pictures on me… she thought woefully, knowing full well that the monster's information lied in the shots that she'd previously taken, but alas, the girl picked one of her favorite magic spells and used it, "Try this! Hail Crest!"
Out of nowhere, a faint triangular barrier formed over the Tengu and stopped it on the spot; seconds later, a beam of light blue descended down from the sky and crashed right into the target, forcing the monster to fall flat on its back.
Okay! And now to push it away while it's still down; when she spied the aerial creature beginning to stir and arise from its current position, Anastasia carefully lined herself into position before calling forth, "Rock Strike!"
The earth shook slightly and a straight path rumbled through, heading right for the foe; upon reaching the target, an invisible force struck the Tengu fiercely and caused it to fly back, soaring deep into the forest until it was out of sight. When she felt sure that her opponent was gone and wouldn't be returning anytime soon, the chestnut-haired princess released a sigh of relief and averted her attention to Shinta, who was still up in his chosen tree. To let the rescued know that the coast was clear, she called out his name and waved to him, and the boy responded with a happy cry and grinned widely as he quickly climbed down from his spot, using the branches as a ladder. When his feet were steady on the earth again, Sayori left her hiding spot to run toward her younger brother and upon reaching him, she hugged him tightly while the others looked on, pleased expressions on their faces for the siblings' reunion.
Shinta broke away from his sister's embrace and turned his gaze to the Russian girl, appreciation evident on his expression; "Th-thanks, Anastasia! I thought I'd be stuck up there for hours!"
"Aw, nah, you wouldn't have!" she declared with a kind smile and shook her head for further emphasis; after the assurance, she averted her attention to the brave bystanders that had tried to help earlier, "That bird would've left sooner or later! You guys scared off the other one, didn't you?"
"The other one?" Sayori asked as she quirked an eyebrow in surprise, and then addressed her brother, "Were you attacked by two of those Tengu monsters, Shinta?!"
"No… only the one that Anastasia chased away, Sis! Really!" the young boy exclaimed earnestly.
"What other monster are you talking about, Lady Anastasia?" his older sibling inquired in curious confusion.
"Well, it's just that when my friends and I used to fight Tengus, they always showed up in groups of two," Anastasia explained to them, but she giggled softly and continued, "But that was last year! Maybe their habits changed or something…"
"Maybe… but I don't know much about them myself," Sayori admitted with a sheepish look on her face as she glanced over her shoulder at the other villagers; "I don't think any of them do, either. Miss Saki's always told everyone to run away if we ever encountered a monster, especially a Tengu. We don't usually have problems with them, but Shinta was just unlucky today, I guess."
"At least no one got hurt! That's what counts, right?" The princess pointed out optimistically, and then suggested to her fellow companions, "Come on! Let's go back to the village now before that Tengu's friends show up, hehe."
With nods of agreement, the young men started heading for the path that led to Inugami Village, while the siblings and Anastasia followed behind them, eager to return home and feel safe after such an exciting, albeit anxious event.
Just as they were about to leave the forest, the female fighter did a quick check of her equipment and piped up suddenly, "Oh, darn it… wait a second, you guys; I think I dropped one of my Crests behind. I had four in this pocket, but now there's only three…"
"Crests? Is that how you used those magic spells, Anastasia?" Shinta asked her.
"Uh huh!" She answered and beamed a proud grin, but then averted her attention to searching through both of her pockets, trying to find out which one was left back at the scene of the battle; she soon exclaimed, "Ah, my Stolas Crest is missing! That one's got really good curing spells on it… I'm going back to get it. You guys can go ahead to the village if you want."
"I'm not very comfortable with going back into the forest," Sayori confessed with a weak smile of apology at the younger girl, although she did protest, "Oh, but we can't leave you here by yourself, Lady Anastasia!"
"It's okay, I'll be fine!" The chestnut-haired teenager assured the two, her eyes shining mischievously as the tiny wings of her mystical egg hummed quietly in agreement, and then she turned around to reenter to the forest, calling back as she left, "I'll catch up in a little bit!"
"Sis! Let's stay here and wait for her!" She heard Shinta urge his sister.
Anastasia smiled widely at the kind gesture as she returned to the clearing, and once there, she focused on locating her fallen possession; after a few minutes of searching, a glint caught her eye and she quickly ran over to it. She bent down and identified the unknown object, relieved that it was indeed her Stolas Crest, and reclaimed the item, tucking it into her pocket and enclosed inside her fist to prevent another unfortunate incident of loss. She glanced around one last time to make sure nothing else of hers was on the ground, and with that inspection done, the princess began walking back toward the exit, where Sayori and Shinta were probably still standing. Halfway through the path, she slowed her step upon spying a figure nearing the siblings from the direction of Inugami Village; even with the distance between them, she could make out familiar features and guessed that it was her husband.
"Master Kurando! You've returned!" came the greeting just then.
Well, that certainly confirmed her assumption; Anastasia quickly ducked behind the nearest tree, blushing as she remembered the resolution that she made earlier, vowing to surprise Kurando with a hug the next time she saw him… but she certainly couldn't do that in front of the others! How embarrassed they'd both be if she did that… still, she had to welcome him back from his trip, so the girl heaved a sigh and bravely stepped out into view. She started to head toward the trio, although her pace was more gradual this time while her head was lowered slightly, and when she finally did lift her chin up to glance at the others, she caught the sight of fear in their eyes. Confused at their strange expressions, the young brunette stopped in her tracks, which caused her husband to begin sprinting forward as his hand went to his waist and grabbed the handle of his sword, drawing it forth in an instant.
"Anastasia! Watch out!!" The boy yelled aloud in warning.
"Oh, no, Lady Anastasia! Behind you!" His sister called out at the same time.
"Huh…?" She turned around to find out what the others were fretting over, and immediately felt pain as she was struck with bodily force and fell to the ground on her bottom, while her vision was obscured by a blur of dark feathers. Sharp points scratched about her petite form, but she was mostly protected by her thick coat, and the surprise attacker only succeeded in harming her when it raked around her bare legs, easily breaking the fragile skin. A small cry of pain burst free from her lips, and yet the girl stubbornly fought back, struggling against whatever creature was attacking her; she dimly guessed that it was a Tengu, either the same one from before or a 'friend'. Just then, the weight left her body and she quickly scrambled to her knees, desperate to stand up and prepare herself for this new battle, but she suddenly discovered Kurando standing in front of her, facing the creature with his stance steady and calm as usual.
"K-Kurando?" She mumbled quietly and took a small step toward him.
"Anastasia, stay behind me." The command had been spoken quietly, but she detected the steel in his voice, and she was torn between the desire to return the help that he'd given her, or obey his request and stay out of the fight to let him finish it. Also, Anastasia felt a tad surprised that he was unhesitant in coming to her aid so quickly when in the past month, he hadn't seemed to want to even go near her, and now the girl glanced at her husband with slight wonder. His obvious willingness to put her safety before his own… that reminded her of his old self, back in the days of their journey, when the princess wasn't surrounded by palace guards, and all she had was her friends for protection. Whenever she'd been in danger then, Kurando was always the first to assist her, fiercely fending off the attacking enemies until she was ready and in position to resume battling; yes, his attentiveness had certainly proved his concern for her.
Even though he hadn't shown affections toward her lately, maybe he didstill care about her… but now wasn't exactly the best time to ask, for the Tengu suddenly gusted forward to strike the first opponent in its path: Kurando.
To Be Continued…