"Hey, Zen, you doing alright?"
The seventeen-year old glanced up in some surprise at Mitsuhide's concerned expression. "Hm? Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"
"You've been staring at that document for the past half hour," Kiki commented dryly, placing a book back on its shelf.
"Has it really been that long?" Zen frowned, lowering the page.
"Well," Mitsuhide sighed, a little reluctantly, and Zen groaned, slumping back in his chair.
"Sorry. I know I've been kind of distracted lately," he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger.
"Does it have anything to do with the letter you got from your pen pal a couple of days ago?" Kiki smiled knowingly.
"Yeah," Zen muttered, glancing towards his half-open desk drawer, and the letter impatiently awaiting a reply.
"Did… something happen?" Mitsuhide asked uncertainly.
"No. Yes? I don't know," the young man groaned, his head dropping into his hands. "Shirayuki's grandparents are sick. She's doing what she can, but the local herbalist passed away a few months ago, so even though she didn't get to finish her apprenticeship with him, she's the only person with any kind of medical training for miles. Things took a downhill turn in their conditions recently and she's getting worried."
"And so by extension, you're getting worried," Mitsuhide added quietly.
"Of course I'm worried," Zen sighed. "Shirayuki's family has done a lot for me. I need to write a reply, but I haven't had a chance with all of the new responsibilities Izana's been giving me."
"If you're this distracted, maybe you should just take a break?" Kiki suggested, quirking an eyebrow at him. "You're technically ahead of your work anyway. Just write the letter, would you?"
Zen hesitated, glancing between his two aides - his two friends - and sighed as they continued to smile pointedly at him. "Fine. Twist my arm, would you?" he smiled faintly, pulling Shirayuki's latest letter from his desk and grabbing a clean sheet of paper.
"You're welcome," Mitsuhide chuckled, then joined Kiki in organizing the completed forms and taking a pile to deliver to their appropriate locations.
Zen had nearly finished his letter to Shirayuki when Mitsuhide returned, his brow furrowed and a deep frown turning down the corners of his mouth. "Zen, you received another letter," he announced, placing an envelope on his desk.
Zen blinked in surprise, recognizing the handwriting on the front and his own family crest pressed into the wax. Shirayuki had never sent two letters in a row like this before, even after three years of regularly exchanged letters. He quickly pulled out his paper knife, slipping it under the lip of the envelope and slicing it nearly open. There was only a small piece of paper inside, and a short, smudged note written with a shaky hand. Zen's eyes widened as he read it, then read it again, his heart pounding as though to deny what his brain insisted was before him.
"Kiki."
"Yes, Zen?"
"You said I was ahead on my work, right?"
"Right."
"How long do you think I could afford to leave the castle before I'm missed?"
Kiki and Mitsuhide stared at him, taking in his serious expression. "Should we even bother asking where you're going, or should we just guess?"
"Shirayuki's grandparents have passed away," Zen explained flatly, tucking the letter back into its envelope and rising to his feet. "I don't think it's wrong of me to want to pay my respects."
"And possibly visit their red-headed granddaughter along the way?"
Zen leveled a cold stare towards his friends, causing them to stiffen, their eyes widening in surprise. "She saved my life when she didn't even know who or what I am. She's the reason I was able to pick myself up after Atri's betrayal; the reason why I decided to be a better prince. I can't turn my back on her now," he said quietly, his hands clenching into fists as he spoke. "You don't have to come with me, but I'm going, one way or another."
Kiki and Mitsuhide exchanged glances, then smiled. "Well, there's no way to stop you," the latter sighed, "so I guess I might as well come along and keep you out of trouble."
"I'll cover for you as long as I can," Kiki added, "but you probably won't be able to spend more than a couple of days in Tanbarun, and you know you'll be on house arrest when you get back."
"I'll take the risk," Zen smiled, relaxing as his friends voiced their support. "Would the two of you prepare for the journey? I'm going to get as far ahead as I can on my work in the meantime. That way I'll hopefully be in less trouble when we get back."
.oOo.
"Do you have any idea where we're going?" Mitsuhide called as he and Zen carefully threaded their way through the crowded market near Shenazard Castle, guiding their horses behind them in a sincere effort to avoid anyone's toes.
"Not exactly," Zen admitted. He kept one hand in his jacket pocket as he walked, keeping careful track of both his money pouch and the important piece of paper tucked inside. "Uh, excuse me!" he called to a plump, middle-aged woman hurrying by, clutching the hands of two young children.
"Hm?" the woman blinked back at them, looking startled.
"Sorry, but we're visiting town and we were wondering if you could give us directions to the Rose and Crown Tavern?"
"Oh. Oh dearie, I'm so sorry; you must not have heard. The tavern's owners -"
"We're… actually already aware, ma'am," Mitsuhide interrupted quietly, while Zen shifted awkwardly from foot to foot. The woman glanced between them, surprise lining her expression. Then understanding registered in her eyes, accompanied by a deep sadness.
"I see," she murmured. "The Rose and Crown is just two streets that way, then take a left for two more. You'll see the sign. But you should know, the young lass hasn't taken any visitors since the funeral."
"Thank you, ma'am," Zen bowed slightly, then continued onward, following the woman's instructions. Just as she'd said, they quickly found the sign: a faded red rose in the center of a golden crown.
"I'll take care of the horses," Mitsuhide prompted, taking Zen's reins. "You go on ahead." Nodding his thanks, Zen took a last, calming breath and approached the front door.
It took three rounds of knocking before he heard even the slightest stirring inside the building. It wasn't much, just a low shuffling, but it gave him some sense of comfort, knowing that she was in there. He knocked again, and this time he heard footsteps approaching. "Who is it?" mumbled a voice, barely audible and barely recognizable.
"It's the mail," he called back. "I have a message for you from Clarines."
Silence. Then fumbling and the clinking of metal and the clicking of a lock. Then the door creaked open, revealing a disheveled young woman with brilliant red hair hanging past her shoulders in a rumpled black dress - one that she'd clearly been wearing for several days - and downcast eyes. Zen waited patiently as her gaze traveled upwards, a frown tugging at her mouth as she didn't recognize the uniform of the local post. Then her eyes found his and she froze, each breath growing faster and shallower as those emerald orbs blew wide, one hand groping towards a chain hanging around her neck. He smiled slightly, pulling the letter he'd written for her before getting the news about her grandparents out of his pocket. "For you, Shirayuki."
Shirayuki hardly cast the piece of paper a glance, her breath hitching sharply, tears gathering in her eyes. "Z…Zen?"
The boy's smile grew even as it turned sad and he opened his arms to her. Shirayuki immediately threw herself into them, wrapping her own arms tightly around his waist and burying her face into his chest. Zen grunted as the force of her embrace struck him, but it didn't take long to regain his balance and cradle her close. He didn't try to hush her tears, and he most certainly didn't try to tell her that it would be alright. He just held her and cried with her, ignoring the bemused stares of curious passers-by.
"You're here. You're here," the girl whispered over and over, a weak, watery smile coloring her voice as she curled her fingers into the back of his shirt.
"I'm here," Zen confirmed softly, shifting to lay his cheek against the top of her head. "I wish I could have come sooner. I'm so sorry, Shirayuki."
"No, it's okay. I'm just glad you're here at all," she mumbled as she shook her head, rubbing her wet nose against his shirt. A wry smile tugged the corners of his mouth at that, but he didn't comment on it. "I… If I'm honest, I kept daydreaming you'd come. But I didn't think it was a reasonable wish, with your new responsibilities and the distance, and… and everything."
"Shirayuki, you're my best friend. I'd drop anything to be here," Zen replied fiercely, shifting slightly to cradle the back of her head and completely enfold her in his grasp. The girl actually giggled at that, although to be fair it sounded less like amusement and more like an attempt to release some of the emotional strain of the last couple of weeks.
"Thank you," she choked past her tears. "Thank you so much."