Complete summary: Princess Naoko knows her father is a horrible ruler, but no one suspected his selfish ways would end in her being kidnapped. Now traveling through her Kingdom Aralon, across wilderness into the enemy country Honrako, Naoko and her servant friend Suki soon learn that their kidnappers, the four bandits of Quentia, might not be so bad after all.
A/N:...easily the shortest chapter in this fic, Naoko contemplates over the Prince, his complete opposite, and her friend Suki, while the bandits run into another Prince in the woods.
-
Arigatou
Chapter thirteen
-
"Princess please, come away from the window."
But Naoko didn't answer to the Prince's request. Moments after the bandits left, she ran out of the thrown room and up the hall's grand stairway, to the second level of the palace. Making her way through passageways she found the northern walls where the giant glistening windows stood. She opened one of them and looked out at the bandits as they made their way to the entrance gates. Suki soon followed and chose another window to look out of. They both watched as the bandits all got to the entrance on horseback, and the guards took a quick look at them and then opened the gates. Mikitao exited first, then Shinji. Yukio looked as if he was frozen on the spot but when his horse made a neighing sound, he came to and slowly exited. With one look back to the castle, Ryo caught Naoko's glimpse. Her eyes pleaded for him to come and take her back, but Ryo's own thoughts lead him to believe the look on her face was that of relief. It didn't matter though; he was prepared to leave whether she wanted him to or not. He looked away and exited the gates. The four bandits where now gone.
This was when Naoko heard an eloquently deep voice behind her say, "Princess please, come away from the window."
She remained silent and peered out the window at the now vacant gates. Suki stepped back from her window and turned to her mistress.
"Naoko, please let's stop looking now." But her words fell on deaf ears.
Prince Takuya was a little surprised at Suki's forwardness. "Servant," He called to her, "come here."
Suki took one last look at her mistress, who was too deep in thought to observe them, and then walked to the Prince's side.
"I am not aware of what indulgences your lady has given you, but you will remember that you are her servant, and you must act accordingly. However you choose to act in Aralon, you are now in Honrako, and I will not allow you to address your Princess by anything then that. Show respect to her or I will have to take action." His voice was quite low, as if he was threatening her and not wanting Naoko to hear. There was no need for secrecy however; Naoko was still in her own little world of thoughts.
"Ye—yes sir." Suki stuttered with fear. Her usual cheerful face now turned horrified.
"Princess Naoko, they are long gone. I can only assume you are interested in the outdoors, and so I declare that we go for a garden walk as to appease you. Shall we?" He walked over to Naoko, and she was forced to step back as he reached out and closed to window she looked out of.
"Yes, that sounds good." She nodded, though the only words she heard him say were 'shall we'.
"Delightful. Servant, I am sure you can go to the kitchens and find work for yourself." He turned his head to Suki,
"Oh no Prince Takuya, you mustn't put Suki to work. She is a dear girl, and you must allow her to be free as I am here."
Takuya opened his mouth and was about to object, but then checked himself. "Very well then."
The Prince and Princess then went downstairs and out to the courtyard for a summer walk, though autumn breeze filled the air.
"Horrible man! I hope Naoko knows what she's doing." Suki thought to herself.
- - -
After a passage of two or three days, Suki came to worry further more. Takuya was most attentive to the Princess, though even she had to admit he lacked something. He tried to be as pleasing and charming as possible to her, which though was something Naoko had hoped to have in a lover all her life, she now found tiresome and almost fake. She could not help comparing such a personality, to someone with the complete reverse, and the only man she knew the have a complete opposite personality was Ryo himself.
Was it not Ryo who refused to be nice to her at first, and was always getting into rows with her? Of course near the end of the journey, he began to become more obliging, but in moderation, and not to the point where it was annoying, as Takuya was. She knew she should be grateful that the man responsible for her kidnapping was a handsome, courteous Prince. It was his father that started the war and not him so that had some merit.
Only, Naoko knew that if her brother had taken succession of her father, Hiromi would have ended the war, not continued it as Takuya was doing. All in all she found the Prince quite pleasing but missing a sort of wild passion to him, something she admired greatly in a man. Only there weren't many men she knew with it, five or so she could think of at present. And four of them were now off into a new adventure without her.
She wondered at the disappearance of Suki as well. Her friend was scarcely seen lately, but she supposed that was mostly because the Honrakonese Prince was so devoted to being by her own side at every hour, that Suki could never come and have any private time alone with her. The Prince didn't seem too fond of Suki either. Naoko was glad she was only seventeen and in no real rush to be married.
If she was asked, instead of her father picking for her, to pick a nobleman so she could marry as soon as possible, she first thought of the Prince, but had an irksome feeling in the back of her mind about that. She had no idea of who would make a good royal husband. If she were instead asked to pick any man in general, noblemen or commoner to marry, and not as a princess but as a woman looking for a companion, well, that was an entirely different story to which Naoko kept secret to herself.
- - -
"You there." Prince Hiromi called to the four passing men he saw in the forest.
All four men looked up. They pulled their horses to a halt and the Prince and his men trotted through the forest, over to the path they were on.
"Who are you?" Hiromi addressed them.
"Excuse me sir, but it is none of your business." The man who was in front of the others said hotly.
"You are quite correct, but I am only asking your assistance. We seemed to have gotten lost. We've been looking for the way to Honrako Palace."
The stranger on the first horse took a look at the Prince and his face softened. "Oh, alright, then I suppose we can help you there. We have ourselves just come from the village near the palace. You see we are merchants and looking for business. You wouldn't by any chance—"
"I'm sorry sir but we have brought little money with us and we have no time to buy your merchandise." Hiromi sighed in irritation. "If you could just—"
"Oh, but of course. The Palace is much more due east, you've come too far southwest. Travel to the east for two days and then a little up north and you'll find the palace. You must be strangers to these parts then."
"I'm afraid we are." Hiromi answered, not wanting to tell the full truth.
"Well good day sirs." The four men nodded to Hiromi and the soldiers, and traveled past them.
And they had almost gotten completely out of distance, almost free from the Prince's eyes, when Ryo once more pulled his horse to a halt. The bandits behind him all stopped in wonder.
"Prince Hiromi." Ryo called loudly through the wilderness.
The Prince, who was traveling down the path almost out of site, stopped when he heard this. He and all his men turned their horses to look at the four strangers who had just passed them.
"Ryo, what are you doing?" Mikitao hissed.
"He's gone mad!" Yukio exclaimed.
"Be silent for a second." Ryo called. "Prince Hiromi, I request a word with you."
"Merchant, you know who I am?" The Prince called nervously, trotting back towards the four men.
"I am no merchant, and yes, I know you."
- - -
End of ch.13.
A/N: five chapters to go! I was looking over the sequel to this yesterday (it takes place three years later), and I think I like it better then this story, haha. It's half as long too, or roughly 10 chapters, anyway.
-
Whatever, I'm glad you find it interesting, and yes you are quite right, there are excessive amounts of dialogue and practically no description. That's just the way I decided to write it two years ago though, that was my writing style, so all I can do is apologize, but it'd be too much work for me to go over the whole story and change that.
Narnialover, you're too smart for your own good, yes, but I'll say nothing more. Naoko is a tough one, don't worry, it's just, the prince has a hypnotic charm about him, that any woman would find hard to resist, or at least, at first. She'll just have to grow immune to it as time goes on, I guess. And yes, both Naoko and Ryo are in total denial here.
Gina, Yukio and Suki, sigh (I think you'd like the sequel, in that case). Anyway, the prince isn't as nice as he seems, you're right, but will Naoko be able to see that? Hmm…
like i'd tell you, hey thanks for the suggestion, but the only problem is this story is already written! Anyway, I won't say you're wrong in your suggestion, but you aren't right…let's just say you are close-ish. Did you say F.a.v.o.u.r.i.t.e? Did I mention I love you?
Traceykiwilee, Ryo and Yukio would be fools not to go back, but then, the Princess would be a fool to say no to him, should the Prince propose (or so she thinks). Does that make you want to throw your computer at me? Hehehe, hold on, sit tight, you'll see what happens soon enough.
Tami, I had to use the Internet to look it up, because they only have up to volume 14 of Fruits Basket Manga in English out, where as they have 21 in Japanese. I'll tell you…but I feel bad about ruining the surprise. Okay, here's your last chance to look away ………………...……so later on Tohru admits that she cares for Kyo (yay!) but when she tells him, he tells her she's "delusional", he actually loves her back, but he's feeling guilty because the day Tohru's mother died in the car crash, he could have saved her, he was there, but then he was afraid he would transform so he did nothing. So anyway, Tohru avoids him after that because you know, he didn't return her feelings, and then she's talking to Akito (remember that evil head of the Sohma man who abuses everybody?) Well "he" is actually a "she", and "she" and Tohru are talking somewhere (can't remember where) but Tohru asks to be her friend and outstretches her hand to her, and Akito is about to take her hand when the floor caves in and Tohru falls…so Tohru is in the hospital recovering and Kyo visits her, and actually kisses her, but she's only half-conscious…anyway, she gets better, and Kyo wants to see her, but her friends Hana and Yankee girl (can't remember how to spell her name) tell him he can't see her, etc, but eventually he gets to see her, on the day she's finally going to leave the hospital, but when he comes she runs away from him…but then he chases her, he admits he loves her back, they kiss again, and then hug…and he doesn't turn into a cat. The curse is lifted. There's some more chapters after that but yeah…that's it. Whoa, long reply!
-rayko.