The Princess and the Paige

By: The Dreaming Fangirl

Chapter 4: On the Way Down

By the time that the princess and the messenger had concluded their business regarding the letter atop the mountain, the sun had just begun to set, turning the skies around them into hues of tangerine oranges, deep magentas, and light indigo colors. The trees managed to bask in the light of the last remaining sunlight with their backs providing but a glimpse of what was to be expected come nightfall.

Not wanting to risk making her grandfather or the guards worry, the princess spoke to the messenger, "It seems as though the night draws near. Let us head back to the castle."

The messenger nodded and replied, "Your majesty, it hardly seems proper that a lady such as yourself to walk through the woods alone at this hour. Would you allow this one the honor of escorting your grace to the castle?"

The princess simply smiled and nodded nervously as she walked down the mountain. The princess already knew this mountain like the back of her own hand; however, that didn't change the fact that, at night, the woods took on new life which still manages to frighten her. She was grateful for the help, even if it was only to calm her nerves.

As the princess and the messenger walked down the mountain to the castle gates, the princess turned her head towards the young man and began to speak," Forgive me for my rudeness, but I have to yet to ask you what your name is. Would you mind sharing it with me?"

"This one's name is insignificant when compared to your highness; however, since it is your desire to know it, my name is Aki" the young man answered.

"Aki, huh? So, what is your last name?" the princess further inquired.

"Your highness, this one was born of a low station. It was only thanks to the kindness of our current emperor, glory be upon his name, that I was given this position as messenger. At this moment, I currently have no last name of which to speak of" he continued.

"I see. Very well. Then, if you ever manage to find out what last name you would like to give yourself, I would like it very much if you were to tell me what it is the next time that we meet" the princess answered with a soft smile.

"I will make sure to let you know, your grace" the young man responded.

The princess and the messenger managed to continue walking down the mountain avoiding any roots or debris that would cause any uncertain foot to fall to its muddy doom until, at long last, they reached a set of stairs leading them down to the castle gates.

"Here we are, your highness." Aki said, now having completed his task.

"Thank you very much, Aki. The servant quarters are located on the left. If you find yourself needing anything, feel free to ask Haruna or myself and we shall see what we can do to help" Izumiko replied.

"Of course, your majesty" the messenger responded.

The princess and the messenger were just about to part ways when a voice that Izumiko recognized spoke out, a voice that she had not heard for some time.

Chapter 5: A Coy Smile

"It seems as though you have finally returned to the castle, your majesty. A good thing too. Your grandfather was just about to call for the guards to search for you."

Izumiko turned her head to see Yukimasa Sagara waiting at the castle entrance. He was dressed in a green kimono with a white pattern that looked similar to some of the ferns that could be found near the swamps located further downhill. His katana and wakizashi were ever at his right side, brandished at his waist. His smile was coy, but there was enough honesty in it that Izumiko could tell that he was glad to see her. She still held the letter in her hands and she gripped at it with a slight tension.

"Then, you shall be glad to know that there will be no need for that, Mister Sagara. I feel that I must apologize. I had neither the sufficient time to properly prepare for your arrival nor was I there to sufficiently greet you when you arrived at the castle" the princess replied.

"Princess, you may simply address me as Sagara. I assure you, your majesty, no offense was received on my end. As for the welcome, your grandfather was kind enough to see to my arrival, though he was a tad concerned when I seemingly arrived here unannounced. Pray tell, how long have you had that letter?" he said as he gestured to the article in Izumiko's hands.

"I received it just this afternoon" the princess answered, unsure as to where these questions were headed.

"I see. So, the fault lies with the messenger…" Yukimasa muttered under his breath before asking, "And who might this young man be next to you?"

The messenger, finally snapped out of his shock, bowed deeply before the knight and spoke before the princess got the chance, "Milord, this one's name is Aki. I serve the emperor, long may he reign, as one of his majesty's humble messengers."

"I see. Unfortunately, boy, I was not asking you as to your identity. I was asking the princess, but since I have you here for the moment, I find your tardiness to be rather inexcusable" the knight spoke, his eyes becoming colder the longer that he stared at Aki.

Before the knight could do or say anything more, the princess interjected, "Sagara, I'm sure that Aki has done nothing wrong. There is also the possibility that you simply arrived here early."

She motioned the messenger up to his feet and pointed him to the servant's quarters. Taking his cue, the messenger quickly moved his way there before he managed to get into any further trouble. Turning his head away from the messenger, Yukimasa smiled and said, "It is true that he may not have done anything wrong now, Princess, but, if this were wartime, his slow speed could have easily led to the destruction of important strategic locations. Regardless of that, since you have received the letter, then you know as to why I have arrived"

The princess nodded her head. She took in a small puff of air and straightened her spine as she spoke, "I'm sorry to say this after you came all this way, but I have no intention of returning to the main palace. I'm sorry, but that is what I have decided."

Yukimasa didn't seem to be fazed at all and simply said, "We don't have to discuss leaving for the main palace just yet. There is still the matter of dinner that is waiting for us back in the castle."

He smiled as he tuned his body to walk back towards the castle. Relieved to have the conversation set aside, at least temporarily, Izumiko walked slowly behind him before Yukimasa added, "Oh. I forgot to mention that I brought someone else along with me. You should be familiar with him though, so you don't need to worry; however, I don't know if he is going to be all that helpful during this trip."

Chapter 6: The Dinner

The princess walked back inside of the castle walls where her grandfather was waiting.

"Young lady, where have you been? I've been worried sick. You aren't injured anywhere?" Her grandfather looked around to see if there were any injuries; however, content when he saw none, his face went back to a small smile, "It is good to see you back home, Izumiko."

The princess only smiled and said, "I was just on top of the mountain again. Nothing to worry about."

"Why didn't you tell me that we had guests coming, Izumiko? If I had known, I would've been far better prepared to see to them."

"I know, grandfather. I only just received the letter myself recently."

"Well, the fact remains that we have company here now," the former emperor turned his head to Yukimasa, "I trust you and your son have made yourselves comfortable?"

Yukimasa bowed his head before speaking, "Yes, we have, Lord Takaeyomi. Thank you."

"That is good to hear. Now then, I think that it is high time that we seated ourselves to dinner, now shall we?"

With those words, the former emperor, the princess and the knight headed down the castle walls until, at long last, they made it towards the dining hall. Over the generations, the royal family maintained a firm relationship with their servants, often making a point of having several conversations with members of the staff throughout the day, but the most beloved out of these traditions came at dinner, when members of the royal dined with the servants and their families.

The tables were arranged closely together to allow for ease of communication between tables, but not so close as to invite impropriety. Wamiya was seated at one of the tables far to the back of where Izumiko was supposed to sit, but since that seat was also the one closest to the door, he was the first person she got to see. He was not looking at the food in front of him at all, instead turning his attention to her as he greeted her.

"Hello, princess."

"Oh, hello, Wamiya. How are you doing?"

"I'm well, princess. I was actually getting to know this Aki over here."

Sure enough, Aki was sitting right next to him, his smile awkward as Yukimasa passed by him giving him one last icy glare. Honestly, she was surprised she missed him. Normally, Wamiya was the first one in the castle to go unnoticed. She turned towards the messenger and said, "Hello, Aki. I take it you are settling into the castle well enough?"

"Yes, princess. I'm settling in quite well. Lady Haruna has been most kind in showing me around the castle."

"Well, that is good to hear. I'm glad you will be joining us tonight."

"The opportunity to be dining with you, your highness, is an honor in of itself."

It was at this point that Haruna yelled out, "You know, your highness, as much as I love the fact that you are making new friends, would you please get to your seat? I'm dying of starvation here!"

This burst the whole court into laughing, and a blush quickly took to Izumiko's face. She walked back towards her table, nervously laughing along the way. She eyed Haruna, who smiled at her with her ever-widening grin. Finally, releasing a sigh, she managed to get back to her table where her first course of rice and miso soup waited for her. Her grandfather, sat at his seat and seeing that everyone was ready, clapped his hands together twice. The rest of the members of the room followed suit, and closed their eyes as he began to speak.

"Oh, great gods of land, sea and sky, we thank you for this meal and wish for further prosperity to come. We are receiving."

The rest of the room followed in unison, "We are receiving."

It was at this point that everyone then dug into their food, making idle chit chat as they discussed what had happened that day. Unfortunately, this also served as the primary time when gossip liked to spread among the servants. The worst of these offenders were the two chambermaids, Misa and Rena, who ate their meals towards the center of the room. Since they seemed to always be working, Izumiko never got to see them all that often, and she mused to herself, perhaps that was for the better.

"So, I've heard Ser Sagara is here to take her ladyship to the main palace."

"Well, it is about time. She is of marrying age after all. When is she leaving?"

"That's the thing; She has refused to go."

"You're kidding! I would've loved for the chance to go to the capital. All of the shops and street vendors, and with the Floral Festival coming up, it would be beautiful this time of year."

"No kidding, and what's even worse is the fact that Ser Sagara was sent by the emperor himself to fetch her."

"The emperor?! Well then, she is going to have to go. No one can refuse an order from the emperor after all."

By this point, all ears had turned towards the two girls as they continued about their conversation. Noticing they were being observed, the chambermaids silenced themselves, and began to turn their attention back to their food. The rest of the servants followed suit, and none dared to speak for fear of angering Lord Takaeyomi.

As for the former emperor, his face was blanched, whether with surprise or anger Izumiko did not know, as he turned his attention towards Izumiko, Yukimasa and his son. He pointed his finger at the three of them and bade them come closer to them, and, at long last, he whispered, "Is this true?"

It was Yukimasa that spoke first, "Yes, your majesty, that is true."

The emperor then took in a small breath before saying, "As soon as dinner is over, I will need to have a conversation with the three of you, alone."

Yukimasa was the only one of the three of them to speak, "Of course, your majesty."

The three then returned to their seats. As Izumiko continued to eat her food, every minute that passed was filling her with a sense of dread. She was not going to look forward to this conversation.