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True to Elian's word no one bothered Rifana or the princess that night or the following morning. Rifana woke up unusually groggy and with a sticky face, but chalked it up to having been so tired yesterday. At least Malty (now Myne, and where did that name come from) didn't notice anything weird and claimed that she herself slept through the whole night like a log.
They had breakfast (cold leftovers from dinner) and soon were back on the road. The girl had no idea where they were going or how the demi-humans managed to find the right path through the grass, dense bushes and tall trees around them. Unfortunately, she didn't have much experience in the woods. Or anywhere really.
At least one good thing happened: after breakfast Pat silently handed Rifana a pair of shoes. Sandals, really, made from some kind of wood, covered in leather and with straps to tie them up to her feet. They weren't perfect, but much superior to going around barefoot. Princess Malty didn't seem happy with the gift for some reason and offered her boots back several times, but finally had to give up. The redhead did a lot of weird things lately, like insisting to wash their clothes yesterday. But then again, it wasn't fair to judge her by her station. After all, to a simple village girl cuddling under the same blanket and getting her back washed by a princess wasn't normal either.
Of course, the girl knew that as soon as Malty was back in her castle, this would all end. At this point, she believed in the woman's promises of keeping her safe and maybe even looking for Keel and Raphtalia. But then what would become of them? An orphanage? Not likely, with them being demi-humans. Trying to rebuild their village on their own? How would they even do that? Living in the streets of the capital city? No, definitely not. Maybe she should ask the princess for some kind of a servant position. Would she agree? Did Rifana even want to be a servant? What if she was treated especially badly for not being human? Would it be better to try her luck in Siltvelt? But how would she even get there? And it's not like every human was treated that great in Melromarc, so she doubted she'd be welcomed with open arms in the demi-human country either.
That's how she spent the first few hours of walking, deep in thought and barely paying attention to their surroundings. Until they stopped to rest in a small clearing.
"Hey, Rifana, let's go get branches for the fire. Maybe look for some berries while we're at it? I'll show you where to find the best ones."
That's what Elian the tanuki said to Rifana once they all rested for a couple of minutes. The girl shared a glance with Malty, who shrugged and got up, offering Rifana her hand.
Elian frowned, looking between them.
"You can stay here, Myne. You must be tired. We'll be fine. I'll take Pat with us just in case."
"No thanks. I find myself very excited. For the berries."
Rifana looked up at the princess, whose eyes seemed to be trying to tell her something. But it's not like she was dumb, she knew it wasn't a good idea for them to split.
"I'd rather Myne went with us, Miss Elian."
"Oh well. I tried. Listen, girl, you are going with me and she's staying here. That's how it is."
Rifana and the princess tried to argue, then resist, but it was pointless so they soon gave up. As Elian dragged her off by the hand, the girl turned her head to see Malty being held back by Megar and Ulroy. The woman appeared furious, but tried to give Rifana a smile, which looked more like a grimace.
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When she couldn't see Rifana behind the trees anymore, Malty suddenly went limp which made her captors let go of her. It was a useful trick she was taught in the so-called 'self-defense' lessons which otherwise were mostly useless until she actually leveled up.
However the two men quickly overcame their initial surprise and restrained the princess again, this time using a tree and a length of rope. A tried and true method, she figured.
"Well, Myne the adventurer. Now we can finally talk. Please, tell us your story." That was the bird-like Ulroy, who, despite not being as imposing as his comrade, somehow appeared the more dangerous of the two.
So this was cross-examination. They were going to question her and Rifana separately to find any gaps and inconsistencies in their stories. Now the princess regretted wasting time on talking about laundry instead of getting their story straight. Although she didn't know how good of a hearing some of the demis had. They could've been listening in.
Malty decided to keep her answers to the minimum and simply offer the bare bones: starting as adventurer, walking to the Guild, being assaulted on the way by a strange man and his guards, capture, imprisonment, meeting Rifana. To her ears it sounded plausible enough, especially since most of that was the truth.
Yet the men didn't let up with probing questions, especially the ones about her life before meeting Rabier. Eventually, they exchanged looks.
Suddenly, her left cheek exploded with pain. Blinking a few tears from her eyes, Malty turned her face back and glared at her attacker. It was Megar the white tiger. To him it probably felt like a light smack, but due to difference in levels the princess could taste blood in her mouth, some of which tricked down her chin. It felt worse than being hit by Rabier.
"Let's try again, but with the truth this time. What were you doing in that lord's dungeon? Who arranged that and what was their plan? What did it have to do with Shield Hero?"
In truth, Malty had very little idea of what exactly the demi brutes knew or suspected. That's why she wasn't about to tell them anything important, especially about the Church's plans. Yes, those bastards betrayed her and would pay, but giving crucial intelligence to Siltvelt spies? That would be criminally stupid of her. As for the Shield Hero, she really had nothing useful to say, as any plans involving her clearly had been scrapped.
She paid for her reluctance with more slaps to the face, punches to the stomach and other unpleasant things. Fortunately, Malty's pain tolerance had grown somewhat and so did her willpower. But she couldn't take this kind of interrogation forever, so after some time had passed (how long she didn't know), the princess started to make up a more or less convincing tale about working for Faubrey. That was the best she could do with her head all foggy and feeling like her scull was about to split up while she coughed out her guts.
Still, the questioning went on and pretty soon she could barely talk and then the daylight dimmed around her as Princess Malty fainted from her pain and injuries.
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Rifana trudged back to the clearing with her head and ears lowered in shame. Even though Elian was perfectly calm and didn't even threaten her once, she still couldn't manage to properly explain everything while keeping the princess' identity secret. Well, she didn't exactly tell the tanuki anything too revealing, but with all the different questions some important details must have slipped anyway. Maybe she should've kept silent, but then it'd be obvious they were hiding something.
As they neared the camp, she could hear loud voices and felt immediate alarm. She hadn't been very worried about Malty, since the woman was smarter and could probably talk circles around anyone.
Yet the picture that appeared before her eyes proved her very wrong. The princess was tied to a tree and unconscious, her head hanging lifelessly and there were traces of blood on her shirt. Megar and Ulroy had been talking to each other, but turned at Rifana's scream.
The girl then let out something like a growl and dashed to the tree. Only she barely made a step before strong arms caught her by the middle and spun around.
"Stay here with Pat, Rifana! You hear me? Stand back, I'll deal with it!" Elian urged her. Rifana wasn't about to listen, but she was quickly transferred to the lumo man who, despite his unassuming figure, proved to be much stronger than her.
"Megar! Ulroy! What the hell have you done?!"
"We questioned the prisoner. She kept lying to us." Ulroy seemed completely unaffected, although Megar appeared almost sheepish.
"That's not how you question a prisoner! Did you listen to anything I told you, you good for nothing amateurs?"
"Hey, maybe you should give more respect to your betters, woman! Or did you forget who my father is?" Ulroy again. Through the fog of rage and worry for Malty, Rifana wondered at how the group now didn't seem nearly as coordinated as before.
"Ulroy, be quiet. Elian's in charge here! Listen, chief, we messed up, I admit. But this human clearly knows something!"
"Shut up! Ugh, I can't believe this. Alright, first things first. Step back, the both of you and don't even think of laying another finger on the princess!"
"The princess?" "What? She can't be..."
"Did you hear my order or not?" Elian was absolutely furious.
Reluctantly, both men shuffled away and Rifana was released and sprinted to Malty's side. Pat followed her and started to untie the knots. After the redhead was freed, they lowered her to the ground and Rifana put her head on her lap. Absently she wondered how many more times would they be in this position and if it'd ever happen with Malty awake and unhurt.
Elian joined them and together with Pat they checked Malty's eyes, breathing and felt around her ribs. Rifana tried to observe and memorize their actions, but couldn't really concentrate. Finally, the tanuki woman used some kind of spell while the quiet man pulled out a bottle from his bag. It wasn't the same kind of potion the guards brought after the princess' whipping, but it was likely a healing or restorative draught as well.
"Alright, her life is in no danger, she should wake up in a few hours, or so I hope. Rifana, you can stay with her, I'll get you something to eat. Now you two, what am I going to do with you?"
Megar looked ashamed now, while Ulroy still appeared unapologetic.
"Eh, chief, did you really say 'princess'? But I thought we decided this wasn't her?" asked Megar.
"We didn't decide anything, we assumed, because it seemed unlikely. But now I'm absolutely certain it's her. Rifana as good as confirmed my suspicions."
"Why would Rabier do that to the princess? Isn't he loyal to the king? They fought together in the war and everything. No, I don't buy it," Ulroy argued stubbornly.
"I don't care what you buy, you moron! The point is, this is First Princess Malty and our orders were clear if we find her, weren't they? You two may have ruined everything with your heavy-handed approach."
Megar bowed his head.
"Very well, Elian. Let's finish our mission as best as we can, and I will take whatever punishment afterwards."
"What a weakling you are, man. We've done nothing wrong. Let's see what the command has to say about this. Maybe they'll punish you instead, Elian. Your orders were not clear enough."
"Right. We'll see. Are you going to make any more trouble before we're back home, Ulroy?" Elian's voice wasn't exactly aggressive or threatening, but both men still tensed as if they were afraid of her.
"No. I'll keep following your lead. For now."
"Fine. Then we're done here. Go hunt for some food, make yourselves useful for a change."
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Malty slowly came to her senses (the most prominent sense was pain) and opened her eyes. A tear-stained, upside-down face stared back at her. Was her head in the girl's lap? Oh. Um. Malty wasn't sure what to think of that. Absently she wondered how much longer Rifana's hair had gotten since they first met and that it desperately needed a brush.
"Myne! How do you feel? Can you speak? Where does it hurt?"
The princess groaned. She wasn't sure how to answer either of those questions. Could she speak?
"R-Rifana? I mean, I know it's you. What did they do to you?" The last she saw of the girl, she was being led away by the enemies.
Rifana half-chuckled half-sobbed in response.
"I'm fine! Nobody even touched me. How are you? They gave you a potion, but I'm not sure if it worked. You look awful."
Really? She looked awful? Even if she did, just blurting it to the princess' face was not in good taste. The girl urgently needed to learn some manners before entering the royal Court.
Their informative conversation was interrupted by an unwelcome face. Raccoon demi, the leader, looked down at Malty's prone form with a rather neutral face.
"You woke up? Good. Listen, first things first. We know you are Princess Malty, so there's no point in the charade anymore."
Malty turned her eyes back at Rifana who wouldn't meet her gaze.
"What have you done to Rifana?" she asked Elian with venom in her voice. The other woman's mask slipped for a moment to show her surprise.
"Rifana? Nothing. Is that what you think? I suppose that's fair. No, she's unharmed. And she didn't tell me anything concrete, if you're wondering."
"I don't care what she told you. You had no right to use her that way!"
Malty looked at Rifana again. The girl's eyes were big and still watery, but now she was smiling for some reason. One of her hands started scratching at the princess' hair absently. The redhead closed her eyes. Elian continued.
"Oh. I see. So that's how it is. In any case, I'd like to offer my apologies for your treatment. Be rest assured, that both of my men will be punished, and I will take personal responsibility as well. Regardless, we have our orders about you. I hope you'll cooperate."
Malty chuckled without opening her eyes and then groaned from the pain it caused. Rifana's other hand went to rub her shoulder. That was nice.
"You have some nerve, demanding cooperation. And what are your orders? Let me guess, bring me to your country as a prisoner of war?"
"So you figured out who we are. I expected as much. No, we are not bringing you to Siltvelt. There's no point. It would do more harm than good. We are to deliver you directly to your mother, Queen Mirellia. Our goal is to prevent the war, not start it."
The princess almost laughed, but stopped herself at the last moment in consideration to her bruised ribs. Her life just seemed to be getting better and better lately.
"Right. My mother. You might as well."
"It's a general knowledge that your relationship is... strained, however it's the best and only option. The Melromarc capital is dangerous for us and most likely for you as well."
"I doubt that's the reason, but very well. I'll go along with your scheme, as long as those two brutes never touch me or Rifana again."
"Done. I'm glad we understand each other."
Whatever could be said about Malty, after a few beatings she learned her lesson. Don't start fights that you can't finish and bide your time. She wasn't eager to see Mother, especially meet her as a weak, terrible looking captive dressed in rags, but if it was the only way to finally get her life back, well, she'll deal. Then she'll make sure that all the people who hurt her or Rifana got what they deserved tenfold.
It was pretty ironic that after being framed for abducting and torturing Malty, the Siltvelt scum sent in a team of spies which proceeded to do exactly that. She wasn't about to let it slide.
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A/N: Malty getting beaten up and then comforted by Rifana is becoming a theme. Sorry not sorry. Hurt/comfort is my favorite trope.
You may have noticed I changed the rating to T. I did it because after looking at the story, I couldn't see anything that required M rating.
