The Familiar of Zero – Trouble In Paradise
Chapter 8 – The Morning After the Night Before
After everyone had eaten the meal, cooked up by the crew of the Ostlant and Arie, who was still trying to cool his mouth down following his failed attempt at trying to get back at his wife Luciana, who had made him eat every bit of the over-spiced meal he had prepared for her, people had begun to get themselves settled down for the night in the shelters that had been created by the Elves. Saito and Louise had given their room to Saito's parents; two of the guest rooms had been given to Queens Henrietta and Tabitha, while the remaining guest and servants rooms had been given to the injured, elderly, or members of the Guards that had returned from fighting in the town. The Ostlant had also done what it could to provide beds for those who needed them, as it was decided that it would be best to survey the damage from the attack on the town in the morning, when it would be safest for the people to return to their homes.
Saito was lying on the grass, gazing up at the clear night sky. It was hard to believe, that two years ago, he was staring up at this sky in disbelief and shock, with the full realisation hitting him that he was no longer on Earth. When that happened, it felt like the ground had been torn from under his feet. Everything and everyone he knew, he wasn't able to see again, and had had to adjust himself to a life in a world of magic and dragons… a world in which he was the legendary Gandalfr, the familiar to Louise, one of four void mages. Yet, as he gazed up at this sky now, it felt right to him. Part of him wanted to return to Earth, to try and go back to the life he once had, but another part of him told him that this was where he needed to stay. Saito sat up slowly, having heard the sound of footsteps on the cool grass approaching him.
"Ecu for your thoughts master?" Siesta asked, having changed out of her maid uniform and into her night clothes. Saito hated to admit it, but they hugged her figure almost too well. He glanced away, mentally telling himself that not only was he now a married man, but also reminding himself that Louise would kill him if he did anything with any other woman. "I was just thinking about when I first saw this sky" he replied, which made Siesta chuckle as she sat next to him. "If I remember correctly, wasn't the first time you saw it while you were trying to escape from the Magic Academy?" Saito nodded. "Yeah, it was a real shock… finding myself in a world I never knew existed. A world with magic and dragons, and I was meant to be a familiar to someone who… well…" Saito paused; trying to find the right words, while also glancing around to make sure Louise wasn't in ear-shot. "Came across as a bit of a spoilt brat?" Siesta asked, filling in the blank. Saito nodded. "Sounds about right… just don't let Louise hear you say that about her." Saito winked. Siesta giggled softly. "Actually, I'd think she'd be the first to admit it. Since she met you… she's like a completely different person." Saito thought about what Siesta had just said for a second. "Almost… she still has that deadly temper of hers." He thought to himself. "Still" Siesta added "I think almost everyone who has met you has changed, and mostly for the better."
"Maybe…" he replied, noticing Louise coming towards him "Speak of the devil" he finished, tapping the ground next to him for Louise to sit beside him. "I wondered where you'd both gone." Louise said, sitting down. "Sorry, was just thinking about everything that's happened in the last two years…" Saito said, staring at the stars and twin moons. Louise closed her eyes. "It's been anything but simple… I got stuck with an idiot of a familiar, who has a bad habit of getting himself and me into trouble, we've been in more battles than I ever dreamed off… and to top it all off, I'm stuck with you as my husband." She said, poking Saito in the side playfully. Saito laughed. "Yeah… where I'm from things like that are usually called Karma... Payback for something you've done in your past" He replied. "Still… with all we've been through… I have to wonder just what the future holds for us." He wondered. Louise sighed "I just hope whatever it brings; it has less fighting in it. I've had enough of it to last a lifetime." Saito nodded in agreement with his wife. "And so have the people…" he thought, as he lay down and drifted off to sleep.
As the sun rose over the Mansion, Saito was one of the first to wake up. As his eyes adjusted to the bright light filtering its way through the leaves in the tree, he glanced over to his left. Louise was holding his arm tightly, deep in a heavy sleep. Saito couldn't help but smile as he gazed at her face. While Louise's temper nearly always drove him up the wall, seeing her when she was sleeping always made up for it in his mind. She looked so carefree, so peaceful… and very cute. As he slowly sat up, he carefully removed his arm from Louise's grasp. It wasn't easy, especially because, thanks to Louise holding him so tightly, his arm had gone numb. After a few minutes, he managed to get himself free, and she was still sleeping peacefully. As Saito turned his head to the left, he saw that Siesta was no longer lying next to him. Placing his hand on the ground where she had been laying, it was still fairly warm, meaning she too had not been up long. Saito sighed. "She's probably gone to start her work… I should've told her to take it easy last night" he thought to himself as he walked towards the mansion. As he approached the door, Agnes opened it, and almost walked right into him. "Ahh… sorry Saito… uhh, I mean My Lord" she apologised, and bowed her head.
Saito chuckled. "Agnes, don't worry about the formalities, we're all friends here, right? Still, I'm surprised to see you up this early; I figured you might have slept for another hour or so." Agnes shook her head. "As tempting as that would be, it's pretty much be drilled into me to get up at dawn… or when I sense danger approaching." She added after a pause for thought. Saito paled. "Please tell me this is a dawn case, and not more trouble? I don't think I can handle any more just yet" he replied, causing Agnes to laugh. "Nope, you're in luck on that one. I was actually going to do a little bit of training… but, seeing as you're awake, what do you say to a bit of sparing? It's been a while since we've fought." Saito nodded. "Sounds like a good idea to me, I could use the practise. I suggest we go around the back though… don't want to wake the people up." "Agreed, lead on" Agnes went to bow, but stopped herself, remembering what Saito had said, and followed behind Saito.
Inside, Siesta had gotten changed into her maid outfit, but wasn't really sure where to begin with her work. Normally, she'd have started the cleaning, then she'd go onto wake up Louise and Saito, before she would go and prepare breakfast for the three of them. However, the mansion was now filled with VIP's and injured people, and almost every room had been in use by someone for the night. Deciding that today was probably going to be a day where taking it easy would be best, or at least waiting until she knew what the situation with the town was, she opened the window in the kitchen a little, pulled up a chair, and relaxed as best she could while waiting for a pot of tea to finish preparing as the cool air passed through the kitchen, and down into the hallway.
The sound of the birds singing in the trees nearby, and the gentle rustling of the leaves as the breeze passed through them was very relaxing. Siesta often listened to them, and it always seemed to help her keep a smile on her face, no matter what was going on around her. As the pot of tea boiled, she heard the faint sound of footsteps heading down the old oak staircase; it creaked gently with each step. Glancing down the hallway, she saw Mr and Mrs Hiraga who headed into the kitchen. They looked like they'd just gotten straight out of bed. "Good Morning Siesta" Mr Hiraga yawned as he entered the kitchen. "Good Morning to you both" Siesta replied, "I was just making some tea. Would you like a cup?" she asked. "I'd love one." Mrs Hiraga replied, trying to tidy up her hair. "Please" Mr Hiraga answered, looking out of the window over the grounds. "I have to admit, I half expected to wake up and find everything that happened yesterday was nothing but a dream." He said, staring at the sky. "It's still taking a while to sink in… Our son returning to us after two years missing, and in that time, he's become a noble, a war hero, and a husband in a world of magic." Mrs Hiraga added as she sat down. Siesta finished pouring them their drinks and sat back down. "So much has happened in those two years here… Saito has changed everyone he's met for the better. Normally, Nobles and Royalty wouldn't even consider talking to a commoner like me as an equal, yet now many do." Mr Hiraga chuckled. "He always was the sort of kid who'd do what his heart told him, regardless of the risk and what anyone else thought." Mrs Hiraga nodded as she sipped her tea. "Yes… and that usually ended with him coming back black and blue… I guess that hasn't changed in the last few years at least." She giggled, thinking back to the state he'd come back in yesterday.
As Mr Hiraga pulled up his seat, he could hear the sounds of swords clashing outside. Saito and Agnes had started sparing. They had agreed on using wooden swords, mainly to try and keep the noise down as they fought. As the sun beat down on them, Saito darted forward, then to the left, hoping to catch Agnes off guard. However, Agnes was not the type to fall for such an obvious trick, and parried his blow, forcing Saito to jump back as she took a swing for his stomach. Saito landed and had to dive out of the way of a follow up attack. It had been a while since Saito had last spared with Agnes, but one thing was clear from the start, she'd definitely gotten better. As the two continued to clash, a crowd had started to form. It began with a few of the Royal Guards who had over-heard the two talking earlier. Some were even taking bets on who would win, and had begun cheering for their chosen fighter. On the grounds of the mansion, many of the people had been woken up by this, and were heading over to see what was going on.
On the top floor of the mansion, Queens Henrietta and Tabitha were watching with interest as well. Both had decided to share a room last night to help give enough space for the people who really needed the beds. "Impressive" Tabitha said, as she watched the two warriors fight. She'd only ever seen a handful of people fight on par with Saito and his Gandalfr powers, and almost none of them had used a sword, but Agnes was more than a match for him. It was clear to see just why she'd become the head of the Royal Guards.
Meanwhile, Louise was woken up with a start. A little girl, probably no more than four or five, had been running around and tripped over onto Louise, and had effectively head-butted her in the stomach as she landed. Louise shot bolt upright and coughed hard as she tried to get her bearings, and recover her breath. The little girl, who had fallen, was crying into her stomach with a small cut on her knee. "Samantha!" Came a call from a few feet away. Bleary eyed, Louise could just make out the image of a woman in her early thirties who was running over to them. As she picked up her daughter, and held her tightly, she bowed repeatedly to Louise. "My Lady, please forgive my daughter; I let her out of my sight for just a moment and…" Louise stood up and dusted herself off. "Don't worry about it; kids will be kids I guess." She said, as her eyes focused to the light. "Is she alright?" Louise asked. "A small graze, but that's it. I think you took the worst of it, if you don't mind my saying." The mother replied as Louise sighed. "Seems like it…" she thought to herself. As her eyes focused, she saw a large crowd had gathered, and could hear cheering. "What's going on over there?" she asked allowed. The mother was still trying to stop her daughter from crying. "Well, before my husband ran off to watch, he said something about Lord Saito sparing with the Royal Guard Captain…" Louise glanced down at the ground to where she had been sleeping, and only then did she realise that Saito and Siesta had both gone. She immediately felt her blood pressure begin to rise at the thought that both of them had forgotten about her. Quickly, however, she tried to calm herself down. She'd promised Saito she'd do everything she could to keep her temper in check. Slowly, she began to walk over to where the crowd had gathered, and through a force of habit, had already drawn her wand.
As Saito and Agnes continued to fight, the crowds cheering became louder and louder, filling with more energy as the two warriors crossed swords. "C'mon Captain!" Yelled one soldier. "You can do it M'Lord!" Came another yell from a townsperson. Saito's parents, as well as Siesta, had gone to the Kitchen window to watch. It was fair to say Saito's parents were shocked at just how well Saito could wield a sword in just two years of living in Halkgenia. Saito and Agnes both jumped back from each other after another flurry of strikes. Both were struggling to catch their breath as they tried to find an opening in each other's defences. "You've gotten better!" Saito called out to Agnes. Agnes chuckled. "Wish I could say the same for you" she replied, as a few laughs erupted from the crowd at her jibe. Saito mentally groaned at himself, having just walked right into that old joke, before charging forward. Agnes rushed forward herself, and both put everything they had into the next strike. A loud crack erupted, and silence fell on the crowd as Saito and Agnes again jumped back from each other again. A few seconds passed, that felt like an eternity, before two "clunks" were heard. Both Saito and Agnes looked down, and saw the same thing. They had broken each other's wooden blades right down to the hilts. Saito looked up at Agnes. "Uhh… I guess we call this a draw?" he asked, as he raised his free hand and offered it to Agnes while scratching the back of his neck, unsure how either of them were to continue the sparing match without blades. Agnes nodded. "A draw it is." She said simply, and shook Saito's hand tightly. A loud cheer and round of applause erupted from the crowd, and both Saito and Agnes turned to face them and bowed slightly. Almost everyone in the village and the guards had gathered to watch their fight.
"Very impressive both of you!" came a call from the mansion. Agnes and Saito both looked up to see Tabitha and Henrietta looking down at them from the open windows. Agnes and Saito bowed again. "Thank you, you're highness." Agnes called up. "Sorry if we disturbed you both, I think we got a little carried away." Saito chuckled. Tabitha shook her head. "You didn't. It was a good match." She said simply. "Though I would like to see a rematch some time, if only for a personal reason." She added. Saito and Agnes looked confused, as did the majority of the crowd. "What reason would that be, your majesty?" Saito asked, reminding himself to use their titles because there were other people around. Henrietta giggled. "Simple… we each placed a bet on who would win. We didn't plan for a draw!" At this, the crowd roared with laughter and chants for a rematch erupted. "Guess we'll have to fight again soon." Agnes said as she turned to face Saito. Saito nodded. "Guess so… I look forward to it." Saito replied, shaking her hand again, before turning his attention to the crowd gathered. "Right, who's for breakfast? All that sparing's given me quite the hunger!" he laughed, before feeling an all too familiar sense of danger. It was only then he noticed Louise walking slowly towards him through the crowd, her wand drawn, and the all too familiar expression on her face that told Saito he was going to get it, big time. Saito paled. "On second thought, I suddenly fancy a quick jog before breakfast!" he thought allowed and with that, he took off, with Louise in hot pursuit as everyone else roared with laughter again. As strong as Saito was, Louise was stronger because of her one track mind. Despite how tired he was, he always found himself able to run quickly when Louise was pissed off at him for one reason or another. He put it down to his survival instincts kicking in as he ran around the grounds, while Louise hurled Explosion spells at him.
Authors Note:
Apologies for the delay in getting this up guys. I've just started a new job, so getting the time to actually type up my chapters has been a bit of a pain. However, rest assured that I am still working on them, even if the updates have slowed down.