Maple's dreams every night seemed to get only stranger and stranger, she would admit. As of right now she was looking over the side of a volcano, the floor underneath it looked to be of solid rock. Somehow she knew that it was in fact so solid one could walk across it and not be burnt by the lava below.
And somehow she knew that was a problem.
So with a small step she threw herself off the edge, flying at top speeds towards the ground. She was sure that her falling speed would be fast enough to shatter the ground below.
However before she could make contact the little girl slowly drifted away from the false reality and into the real one.
"Finally, she's waking up!"
Slowly her eyes opened, Maple's sleepy mind searching everything about the room for what was happening. It did not take the little girl long to realize she was in the throne room once more, an entire audience of people watching her every move. Of course that made her a little worried, but the girl simply shook her head as she looked forward.
Standing on the throne room was the same set up as before, except for two seperate things. The first thing she noticed was that her party member was standing up there with the spear fellow placing a cloak over her. Next to them was the King with a face full of fury.
"You have finally awakened, Shield Hero!" The man barked with a face full of red, "How could you sleep so soundly after what you have done to my daughter?"
"Hmm?" Maple simply tilted her head as she looked upon the assembled court, "You had a daughter?"
"Guh!" The man's went more red, "Of course I would have a daughter! My two very lovely daughters, one of which you have tormented!"
"I did?"
"Of course you did! Matly, tell this fiend and all the court what happened!"
"It was most dreadful Father!" The redheaded princess cried out while gripping her own arm, "She had done so many wrongs to me! I can still feel the defilement I experienced with her hands! The pain and tourture I have experienced was immense!"
A long pause swept through the throne room at the exclamation. Maple was starting to think she did not wake up, but just went into another absurd dream.
"So I demand of you, oh Shield Hero, do you have any defence against my own daughter! You commited Battery, Assault, and Molestation upon her."
"... uh, what?" Was all anyone could hear from the little girl. The crowd then erupted in anger as if spurred on by a religious fervor.
While the crowd seemed to have began to be railed up in both hatred and doguma, the two other heroes who had assembled watched with confusion. To them it was an obviously stacked court against the little girl, their supposed comrade at arms.
For Ren of the Sword his heart was burning, "What the hell is this!?"
"She's a Devil in Sheep's clothing, Ren!" Motoyasu called out as the Princess collapsed into his arms, "She freaking eats monsters alive!"
"Why the hell does-!"
"Hero of the Sword, while I must respect you this is an issue between my people and the Shield Hero before us!" The King made a motion with his hands to people all about the room, "Unless you wish to suffer the penalties of obstructing Justice, you are to stay down."
"What the… tsk." The boy could only click his tongue at that. Whatever these penalties truly be, he does not really know. However, from what he is seeing before himself he will need some serious firepower in the coming months.
For Itsuki this situation was interesting in how these people seemed to follow the orders of the King. Even when it was obviously wrong they listened to the man who declared himself to be justice across the land. In his impressionable mind, it was a show on what it could mean to symbolize justice.
"I ask you one last time, Shield, do you have a defense for these crimes?" The King once more demanded.
"..." She did not have much of an answer now, as the people around her were getting more and more rough. Boos came from the crowd, the roars of the crowd's motions, and the remaining cries for her death were all on display. She never experienced something like this before, and the reality of the situation finally striking her like a prey who's life the predator snatched.
It started with a few steps backwards, eyes widening at everyone. Soon though it developed into knots in her heart as she realized this was not safe. Her breath started to draw shorter, her heartbeat matched the beat of a hummingbird's wings.
While her feet were shaky, there was one thing she instinctively trusted.
She raised the Shield.
"Then I proclaim guilty." The King declared as he made a motion with his hands. He turned his attention to the wailing crowd, "I cannot in good faith kill the Shield Hero, however, I shall remove all your wealth and possessions you obtained at the crown's expense."
The proclamation has been made, the Majesty's word made known to all within the room. Those of the guards who were waiting for their chance left their position, slowly making their way towards the Shield Devil.
Yes, they would finally be able to torment the thing who caused everyone so much sorrow. Some of them had even a few ideas, and were licking their chops in anticipation.
However as they drew closer to the Shield hero, the jeers and cheers slowly died down, so much to the point that even the guards stopped in the silence.
The crowd was something special, all of them either fierce devotees of the Three Heroes Church or Nobles who agreed with the doctrine. Before the arrival of the Shield hero, the Pope himself of the Three Heroes Church said a few words to rile up the crowd. Such words took hold through the beliefs of the crowd making their energy equal that of a Christian Crusader on route to Jerusalem. The feeling in the crowd however changed as they witnessed a little girl try to defend herself with her small shield as the larger, adult soldiers surrounded her.
They did not see the Devil, no they saw the truth. And they couldn't handle the truth.
"Release her!" Ren quickly yelled at the top of his lungs, the man quickly taking a step forward.
Aultcray was about to say something but within moments the crowd shifted. Their ire was now changing direction from the Shield towards the King. The spell once casted upon them had broken, and old instincts from years ago started to build up in Aultcray's veins.
Things were getting dangerous, and the crowd was considering his death for this event.
However at this moment the Priest behind him simply shook his head and whispered in the King's ear. No one knew what he was saying, and from what many knew was completely uncalled for in this scenario. It was not the right of the Court Ecclesiarch to advise the King in this scenario.
And to the people of Melromarc, they were Melrans before they were members of the Three Heroes Church.
The King simply shook his head towards the priest, the room obviously becoming cold as he stood up, "Hero of the Shield, I ask you to stand."
"Huh?" She slowly looked up from what was now the Rabbit Queen Shield at the King, "Y-you are not going to hurt me, right?"
"I will not, but you have still committed a sin against the crown." He announced with a stern voice that settled everyone, "Because of the deeds you have commited you must repent. Thus I have come up with a compromise."
Cold eyes looked upon the little girl, for they had no remorse, "I will give you three tasks, each harder than the previous. To finish them is to achieve forgiveness, while failure will result in the damnation of your name."
"C-can I ask what they will be?"
The Old Man seemed to think to himself for the moments, his eyes slowly moving towards his right hand, "Decades ago I launched an attack upon Siltvelt with nothing but my family's sword. It is the only relic I had to remember them by. However, I was forced to fight in the swamps and lost it to the toxic sludge. Retrieve it for me, and I will give you the second task."
"I-is that all?" Maple timidly asked, her heart still pounding like a hammer from what happened earlier.
"Yes, now leave my Court." He ruled with a wave of his hand, "The sooner you retrieve my weapon the faster you shall receive my forgiveness."
"A-alright!" And with that the little Shield Hero fled from the room, her little form easily going through the large doors that dwarfed her size.
The people that remained in the Castle felt a sour feeling in their hearts. Some even spoke in whispers if a little girl of fifteen years would have been able to commit such an supposed attorcity. Yes, the belief in the Crown was wavering somewhat.
For Pope Biscas Y. Balmus, heretical Anti-Pope of the Three Heroes Church, well he simply shook his head. His greatest foe may have escaped his grasp, but was now forced on a death mission. True, her death was not today, however, her doom was to come!
The Swamp of Oragauhst where the Battle of the Turning took place was surely lethal enough. So much he was sure the Gods would be smiling upon his work done.
There were not many people running around the streets this time of day, which was quite unusual. Normally people would be going about trying to get themselves lunch and enjoying a small pint of drink. Today however was different, the city was gripped by a scandal.
"Just as our Gods have declared, the Shield has committed a grand sin that only the most debatorous would commit! She had not only defiled the Princess and heir to the Crown but caused such a wicked wound that she might never be the same!"
These were the words of one of many preachers in the streets, his voice carrying across the crowds of people.
"Those of the Court seemed to have grown soft, influenced by her devilish ways! People of Melromarc do not be swayed by her inhuman charms! Such must be expected when talking of the embodiment of Sin!"
The words of another, who unlike the others kept the broadcast going for some time. Yes, this man decided to instead of cutting the broadcast decided to preach of the sinful court and their malruling. Those who couldn't stand it had already left.
As for the Shield, she shakily walked away from the preacher's crowd. The Court was of course a place that now terrified her, but to hear the same geers and cries on the streets before her!
I-I wish Sally was here!
It was now she realised how far away from home she was. Her friend was not here, and her Mother would never be there to welcome her home. Actually, she didn't even have a home now!
She moved away from the main road, taking the allies and back water districts, but she could not flee the city. At every gate a preacher stood with a crowd of entranced merchants listening to their message. Some of the merchants were listening since the guards were not allowing people to leave, but others began to think the priests were making sense.
As it was a trial by fire, Maple's instincts were making her think to stay as far away from those people as she possibly could.
From the fear and paranoia she ultimately crashed in one of the alley next to a wall. Tears that could not be held back any longer were flowing freely onto the ground below. Everyone here wanted her dead, and it was all upon the words of Myne.
Why did you do that Myne!? I thought we were friends!
The sounds of clanking metal rang in her ear, causing the girl to rapidly look up.
"Hey, I've got a question for you? Did you actually do those things them priest said earlier?"
Standing there was the stocky look of a powerfully built man, soot covering his face in a kind of funny manner.
"Did I do something wrong?" Maple simply asked the man.
"No," He simply shook his head, "Some people are just rotten to the core I guess. You wanna sit somewhere?"
"I… I don't really know." Maple answered the man simply.
"Ah damn it, I guess this fucking looks bad." The man simply face palmed which caused Maple to tilt her head a little. For the next moment though he smiled, "Don't you remember you bought some armor off of me? It's not done yet, but I'm pretty sure it's the right of the customer to see it built to your exact liking."
"B-but I only paid you 500 silver!"
"So what, you're a mother fucking hero. I should be doing this for free ya know." The man gave a golly laugh while rubbing the girl's head, "It's fine to be cautious of strangers, but if you shut everyone out you won't make any friends right?"
Said words rang in her ears for the moment, reverberating for the moment.
I… would never make friends. B-but I want friends. Friends just like Sally who will stand up for me!
A small smile crept on her face, one that never once had the same appeared on the face of a man that was in a similar place at a different time. Maybe it was their ages, maybe it was gender, or maybe the boy never actually heard the same words spoken to him once before.
Actually, they were the same words. He just wasn't the kind of person to listen at the time.
"I think I, uh, understand. L-let's go!"
But Maple did.
"Alright, now remember how the armor had a lot of cover on the arms, I was thinking since you had a Shield maybe as should instead buffer your helmet and chest."
"B-but I need to have an open helmet!"
"You were so adamant about that though, is it that wanting to bite them things again?"
"It is, have you never tasted them. Monsters are so tasty!"
"I just prefered rations."
And with that they headed off to his shop.
I am both sorry and not.
