The Princess and The Paige

By: The Dreaming Fangirl

Chapter Fourteen: The Drop of a Pin

Miyuki stared as the fireworks swiveled and burst into flames. The squire smiled. This was definitely one of the city's better years. He turned his head to the princess to gauge her reaction.

The princess had managed to cover her ears, but anyone could tell that her eyes were wide with wonder. His face softened as he wondered whether the princess had gotten this close to fireworks before. He moved his body closer towards her, and he let out a sigh. This may not have been how he had wanted to spend the day, but overall, he realized, this experience was rather pleasant.

The fireworks continued to burst, and with resounding boom, the crowds continued to cheer, clapping their hands and releasing the occasional holler.

BOOM!

The next firework erupted into the sky, and had the squire not known any better, he would've sworn a white flower burst out of the flames.

BOOM!

The crowd burst into cheers again as the fireworks seemed to be growing larger and larger. The squire turned to face the princess, but before the squire could speak, he noticed the princess had gone pale and her body began to shake. Her eyes were wide open, and he swore that if a leaf managed to pass by, she would jump on the spot.

His eyes went to the crowd. Everyone he could see was focused on the fireworks, though there was the occasional vendor still trying to sell his goods. Was it the fireworks? No, couldn't have been. She was looking at them with wonder a mere moments ago.

He scanned the area again. If what the princess was saying was accurate, there should be a bodyguard around here somewhere, but that said, he would've noticed if someone had been following them up until this point. So, what was making the princess so uneasy? He moved to touch her shoulder before a voice called out.

"Excuse me! You there, young miss!"

Miyuki looked at the source to reveal a middle-aged man. He kept his hair in a bun, but his face was scruffy with a large beard. His light brown hakama bulged slightly around his stomach. The squire snorted. Clearly, the man enjoyed a one too many sweet buns in his youth.

When the princess did not respond, the man got closer. Miyuki stepped forward.

"I don't think she can hear you. What do you want with her?"

"I found something on the ground. I believe it belongs to her. Would you please turn her around so that I might speak to her?"

"What is this something?"

"Oh, it is just a wonderful little hair-pin. Quite the decorating on it too. Lovely silver."

"Can I see it?"

"But of course."

He rifled through his pockets to reveal a hair pin about the size of Izumiko's thumb. Towards the top of the pin was a silver crane. The crane's neck was painted an exquisite shade of red and, in the center of its eye, rested a small green jewel.

Miyuki eyed the piece slowly. Surely, he would've remembered if the princess was wearing this throughout their little excursion. That said, he thought to himself, it is possible she was wearing this before he arrived. He paused for a moment before speaking.

"I doubt this belongs to her, but it can't hurt to ask."

He turned his body towards the princess again, and within moments of reaching his hand out to her, he stopped as he heard the words.

"For Adjacentia."

He turned around to see the man rushing towards the princess with a dagger, his eyes seemingly possessed by a feral animal. Without even thinking, Miyuki ran towards the princess's side as he yelled.

"Princess, look out!"

Miyuki pushed the princess to the side, and she raised her arms as she fell towards the ground. He felt his sides and he cursed himself for not carrying any weapons on him. He turned to face the attacker; however, within a matter of moments, he felt a gash brush against his side. He let out a gasp of pain.

The next thing he heard was a scream.

Chapter Fifteen: To the Safe-House

"Miyuki?! Miyuki!"

The princess looked up to the squire as he staggered to keep himself on his feet. The dark figure backed away slightly before his face twisted into a crazed smile.

"Well, well, well. I was hoping to dispose of you after I dealt with the princess, but it appears that I get the pleasure of killing you first. You have my thanks, boy. If it weren't for your little outburst yesterday afternoon, I wouldn't have recognized her."

Miyuki kept his hands on his wound as he yelled out, "Princess, you need to get out of here. I'll hold him off; You just focus on running."

"But, Miyuki, you're bleeding."

"Don't worry about me! Just go!"

"And what makes you think that I'll give you the chance?!"

The bearded man rushed towards the princess again, his smile giving way towards a cruel laughter.

"Miyuki!"

"I won't let you touch her!"

Within a matter of seconds, Miyuki seized the man's knife arm.

"Let go of me, you little shit!"

The man tried to swing his other arm into Miyuki's side; however, he fell to his knees as the squire managed to land a blow to the man's groin. All air rushed out of the man's lungs and he clutched at his stomach. The knife fell to the ground in front of him. Miyuki wasted no time and threw the knife into the river, and as the would-be assassin's head moved towards the ground, he landed a punch right into the man's Adam's apple.

The assassin's head flew backwards and hit the floor with a thud. His eyes were rolled over, revealing only the whites of his eyes. His mouth was ajar, and his breathing muffled. The squire staggered again.

"Miyuki!"

The princess rushed to the squire's side. His face was pale, and she could tell that his breathing was labored. He stared at her a moment before he spoke again.

"You need to get out of here. There's a safehouse just a little while farther up from here. Wait there. Someone should come for you soon."

"I'm not going to leave you here."

"Princess, I'll be fine…"

"No, you're coming with me! You know where the safehouse is; I do not. Now tell me, how can I help?"

The squire let out a small chuckle before he answered, "Just keep adding pressure onto my side. Knowing my old man, he made sure the safehouses had some form of medical supplies before he arrived."

"All right. That is something I can do." She draped one of Miyuki's arms over her shoulder.

"Princess, what are you doing?" The princess moved closer, and as the princess touched the wound, she could feel the blood rush to the palms of her hands.

"I can apply more pressure if I'm closer to you."

"I can walk just fine on my own."

"You look like you're about to fall flat on your face right now." Her eyes grew softer as she said, "Please, just let me help."

He let out a breath before he answered, "Fine."

"Let's get going then."

Chapter Sixteen: At the Hut of the Sleeping Fox

"How are you doing, Miyuki?"

"I'm hanging in there. Take a right on this corner."

The two continued to walk until they managed to reach a small hut. The bamboo walls were dark brown with age; however, the front of the house was clean and free of any debris, save for a single statue of a sleeping fox. Even though the windows were screened, a small amount of light streamed through, and the princess got the distinct impression that this small hut held within it the warmth of a home.

"We're here."

"I think someone lives here."

"The guards just make it look like someone lives here. We're in luck. If the candles are on, then that means a guard is probably going to be coming by soon. Let's get inside."

The princess opened the sliding door of the hut before calling out, "Hello? Is there anyone here?"

The door opened to reveal a singular room. The princess gave a small smile as she examined the space. Even though the hut was small and had no walls, save for those with which the house stood, the hut offered an air of openness and welcomed the two inside. The hearth mostly consisted of ash, but, resting on the andirons, sat two unburnt logs and some kindling waiting for the chance to ignite. Towards the front window of the hut there hung a paper lantern painted with the image of a willow tree. In front of one of the side windows, another paper lantern was hung, this one showing the picture of several koi swimming in a pond.

The princess held back a chuckle. Wasn't that one supposed to be hung in the summer?

The light of the candles gave a warm orange glow, and as the night began to settle, the princess was grateful that they had at least that much illumination. Towards the back of the hut rested objects that she could not distinguish, but she was willing to bet that that was where a good chunk of the supplies was kept.

"Princess, I already told you. Nobody lives here."

Miyuki removed his arm from the princess's shoulder. She backed away from the squire slightly, and as she removed pressure from Miyuki's wound, he let out a wince of pain as he quickly moved his hands back to his wound again.

The princess's eyes widened as she realized what she had done. She looked down at her hands made slick with the squire's blood. She wanted to scream, but she took in a deep breath as she yelled out, "I'm going to try and get a fire going!"

She ran through the house until she arrived at what she assumed was the kitchen area. What pots and pans that were there were slim, and what consisted of food was slimmer; however, she smiled as she found a ceramic jar of rice wine. This will come in handy, she thought to herself, and as she placed the rice wine in her arms, she grabbed a cup and a basin. She scanned the room and she smiled as she found a steel and flint on one of the tables. She lifted the items, and just as quickly as she had entered the area, she left.

The princess went to the fireplace and struck the flint onto the steel. After a few failed attempts, she cursed her weak arms as she tried again. Sparks flew, and the kindling showed a small flame. She blew onto the flames, and within a matter of moments, the small light grew into a bigger flame. She looked along the fireplace. Surely, they must have a grill around here somewhere, she thought to herself. Her eyes rested on the elevated piece of metal. She smiled. Jackpot.

She placed the grill on top of the flame. Shortly afterwards, the logs started to catch fire. The princess poured some of the alcohol into the basin.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to be heating up some of the alcohol. Sawa told me that alcohol is good for cleaning wounds; however, it needs to be warmed up before it can be all that effective."

She placed the basin on top of the grill, and then the princess poured some of the alcohol into the cup and handed it to the squire.

"Drink this. It'll help to numb the pain."

The squire nodded, and the alcohol burned as it ran down his throat. Oh well, he thought to himself, at least it tastes sweet. His vision went a little blurry, but within a moment, the princess had managed to get much closer to him.

"You should probably lie down."

She directed him to the ground and, within a matter of moments, he leaned himself against the wall. She blushed slightly, and she spoke again, "Um…"

"What is it?"

"I'm going to need you to take off the top-half of your kimono."

"What?!"

"I need to be able to see your injury! Please, I…," her gaze went downwards as she continued to speak, "I know I'm no doctor, but I want to be able to help if I can."

The squire's blush ran all the way to his ears, and he blamed the alcohol for letting himself fall for her sad-eye routine before he answered, "Okay."

The princess smiled, but as the young man began to move his arms out of his kimono, she quickly turned herself around. She moved towards the back of the house again and found a clean towel before she returned to the squire's side.

Miyuki's chest was smaller than she had expected, and his arms were toned and lined with little bumps; however, her primary concern drifted towards the wound. The wound had managed to gash him just below his left armpit, and she shuddered to think what would've happened if Miyuki had not rushed in when he did.

She felt the basin. That'll do it, and she gently brought the basin to the squire. She soaked the towel in the alcohol, and within a matter or moments, she wrung the towel until only a small amount of liquid remained.

She moved Miyuki's hands towards his sides. He didn't protest, but she could still feel his hesitation as she moved the towel closer.

"This will probably sting a little."

She placed the towel onto the wound, and the squire whimpered as the princess kept moving the towel across the exposed flesh. She lifted the towel and placed into the alcohol again. The wound had begun to form bubbles, and as she blew on it, the squire released another wince of pain.

"Oh! I'm sorry! Did that hurt?!"

"No, no, it's fine! Do what you have to do, princess."

She reapplied the towel to the wound and exhaled as she moved the towel again. She smiled as she began to speak, "You got lucky. This could have been much deeper. That said, I still think you're going to need some stitches. How are you feeling?"

"Cold and sore, but, other than that, fine."

"I can always try and get you closer to the fire."

"No, it's fine. I just need some rest, that's all. You know, you're doing a good job with this."

"Thank you. Over the years, I've helped Ayumi with her fair share of scrapes and bruises. That said, the most I've ever had to do was rub some salve onto wounds. I'm no doctor."

"You're doing what you can. That's enough."

"Miyuki…"

"If you have something you need to say, just say it. I freakin' hate it when you girls beat around the bush."

She inhaled, and she stared towards the floor as she said, "Thank you."

"What?"

"You saved my life," the towel lingered on the wound and Miyuki could feel the princess's fingers as she repeated, "Thank you."

The squire lifted his head up, and cursed himself as the color rose up into his cheeks. "No problem."

The princess lowered the towel and placed it back into the alcohol again. She raised her head to the squire, and she looked towards the wound. She wasn't the best seamstress by any means, she thought to herself, but maybe she could help sew the wound shut. No, no, no. That wouldn't work, but then again, she thought, surely sewing a wound can't be that much different from sewing a torn obi, right?

She snapped her head back and forth. No, she didn't want to risk screwing this up. For all she knew, she could make the injury worse. She felt a hand to her shoulder.

"Princess? Are you, all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Why don't I get you some salve for that wound?"

She headed towards the kitchen area again. She smiled; the lantern remaining in the place she had left it. She lifted it and searched the area, but there was no medicine to be found.

She walked until she hit what she assumed was supposed to be a bathroom area. That said, she was surprised to find that the latrine was empty. She scanned the area a little while longer and she smiled when she found a set of clean bandages and at least three different salves, each in their own differently shaped jars.

The first jar was ovular shaped, and when the princess opened the jar, she could smell a whiff of mint, ginger and was that sugar? She closed the jar. This would be good for inflammation, she discerned, but not for closing wounds.

The second jar was placed in a small box. She felt some paper along the edges of this one, but as she looked at the characters on the paper, they were completely illegible. She opened the box, and upon smelling the rotten remains of whatever was left in there, she quickly closed the box again.

The third jar was in the shape of a sealed flask. She opened it, and right away, she smelled the sweet smell of honey accompanied by the smell of garlic and some sort of green leaf drifting throughout the mixture. She looked for an indicator as to what the leaf could be, and as she placed her hands around the jar, she felt a small strip of paper on the side. She placed the lantern closer to the strip, and as she glanced at the piece of paper, she smiled. This is the same salve that she uses at Tamakura Castle! This was sure to do the trick!

After grabbing her prizes, she returned to the squire. The bleeding had stopped, but the young man shivered as he said, "What took you so long?"

"It took me a little longer to find the right salve." The princess smiled as she continued, "You'll feel better in no time."

She opened the flask and put the salve onto the tips of her fingers, "Stay still." She moved closer towards the squire; however, Miyuki lifted his right arm, effectively stopping her.

The squire glanced sideways as he said, "I can put the salve on by myself. Pass me the flask."

"But, you can barely lift your arm without feeling pain! What if you open your wounds again?"

"Please, just let me do this."

"Okay. Will you need any help with the bandaging?"

"A little."

She passed him the salve, and as he smelt the contents, he asked, "What's in here?"

"Oh, that? To my knowledge, there's honey, garlic and worm-wood. That said, the physicians never like to fully reveal what's in their products. Are you sure you won't need any help?"

"Yes, I'll be fine."

The squire dipped his fingers into the salve, liberally spreading it over the wound. The princess was tempted to turn herself around again; however, upon seeing the bumps again, she paused. She moved closer to the squire again, and she pointed as she asked, "What are those?"

"Oh, these? Just scabs."

"Do you get scabs often?"

"No, most of the times, I just get bruises. These were a special case."

She stared at the scabs again. Based on their size, they couldn't have been recent. No, it couldn't be…

"Did you get these when you fell down the mountain?"

"When I fell down the mountain?" The squire let out a small chuckle as he answered, "More like when I was pushed."

"Who pushed you?" Her eyes widened. Could it have been someone from the castle?

"Isn't that obvious?"

The princess shook her head back and forth.

"Yukimasa did it."

"And you didn't tell somebody?!"

"Parental Right, remember? Besides, anyone I told would just laugh at me."

"You don't know that."

"I don't have to. Besides, there isn't much that can be done anyway." He took some more of the salve, but as he lifted his arm to dress the wound, he let out a wince of pain.

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing."

"If you're in pain, then it's clearly not nothing. Let me help."

The squire paused for a moment and took in a breath before saying, "There's this spot that I just can't reach."

"Let me see it."

She took the bottle of salve from him, and once again, she dipped her fingers into the mixture. She moved closer to the squire, and she rubbed the ointment along the injury. She took special care in not moving the arm, and within a matter of moments, the wound was completely covered.

She smiled. If she did not know any better, she would have sworn that the wound was already growing smaller. She was quick to place on the bandages, and within a matter of moments, she tied the two pieces of cloth together.

The squire placed the top-half of his kimono back on him, and he sat his body in front of the fire. His teeth chattered a little before he felt something warm envelope him from all sides. He felt the object, and upon glancing down at the brown fabric, he smiled as he pulled the blanket around himself.

"Feel better?"

He turned to see the princess sitting next to him. She had a blanket on her lap, and as he looked at her, she smiled at him.

"Yes, I feel much better. Thank you."

"I'm glad."

Time passed, and as the warmth enveloped the squire's body, he felt his eyes become heavy. He laid himself down on the ground and, as the young man's thoughts began to drift, his eyes began to close, and he fell asleep.

Chapter Seventeen: Anticipation

The squire awoke to the sound of horses trotting. He stared around the hut, and to his frustration, he found that neither the fireplace nor the lanterns were on, leaving the hut in perpetual darkness. To his side, he could hear the sound of steady breathing. Was the princess asleep?

He inched himself towards the front window, and as he peeked over to the outside, the candles in the street revealed nothing save for the ground and the silhouettes of three men and a horse.

"We found them, sir."

"Excellent. I can take this from here."

The words came to him as hushed whispers, and his face blanched as the sound of footsteps grew closer towards the hut. The squire hurried back to the princess, and within a matter of moments, he was shaking her.

"Princess, princess, wake up!"

The princess yawned before she spoke, "Hmm...".

"We need to leave. Someone's coming!"

"Are you sure it's not a guard?"

"I'm not sure, but it's better to be safe than sorry."

He scanned the room for a weapon. He felt the fireplace, and he quickly found a large stick. He sighed. That's close enough.

The princess stood up, and the squire led her towards the side window. She shook like a leaf, and as the squire began to lift the stick, she asked, "What do we do?"

"As soon as I say go, I want you to run out of that window." He opened the window screen, and moved towards the front door.

He took a deep breath. This stick was no spear, but he can at least hold off the person long enough for the princess to escape. He adjusted his hands. The footsteps were getting closer.

Pit-Pat.

Pit-Pat.

The squire exhaled. He glanced across the door. Apparently, the assailant had brought a light with him. The steps grew closer.

Pit-Pat.

Pit-Pat.

The footsteps grew closer. Miyuki heard the door open, and as the squire rushed towards the would-be assailant, he heard the princess yell out.

"Miyuki, wait!"

The squire paused. He stared at the man in front of him, and he did not know which he was to feel more: anger or relief. In one hand, his father held a torch, and straddling in his other arm, he held a bag. His face was calm, but his eyes were as cold as that of any reptile.

"And what did you think you were doing?"

"Giving the princess time to escape. You want to tell me what took you guys so long to find us?"

"A lot has happened. Princess, are you hurt?"

"No, I'm fine. Miyuki got injured though. What about Mother? Is she okay?"

"Empress Yukariko is safe. When she couldn't find you at the festival, she feared for the worst. You did the right thing by coming here."

"Actually, it was Miyuki's idea. Without him, I wouldn't have made it here."

"I see. Shall we get going then? After all, we don't want to keep the empress waiting."

"Of course." The princess moved towards the center of the hut, but as she passed the area where the blankets used to be, she stopped and asked, "What about this?"

Yukimasa turned around and said, "Don't worry. The guards will come and clean this up."

The knight opened the door for the two of them, and as they left the hut, the two other men stood at attention, obediently waiting for their next command. Each man held a horse on one of his arms, and as the knight saluted the two gentlemen, the horses remained perfectly still.

"Good work, gentlemen. See to it that the princess is loaded up onto my horse."

"And what of the boy, sir?"

"He can ride with whoever. He's injured though, so do try to be careful."

"Of course, sir."

Yukimasa brought his horse closer, and with a simple click from his mouth, the horse lowered its head towards the princess.

"Ladies first."

The princess placed her feet into the stirrup and cursed her pitiable abdominal strength as she jumped onto the saddle with little success. After five minutes of trying to pull herself up, she finally found herself at the top of the horse, but not before almost losing her balance.

The horse let out a snort. She let out a huff. It was almost like the horse was laughing at her.

Yukimasa quickly jumped onto the horse shortly afterwards. He held onto the reins for a moment before moving his horse forward. He stopped the horse, as he said, "Oh, there's something I forgot. Hey, Miyuki."

"What is it?"

The knight tossed Miyuki the bag he had been holding. The squire looked down at his hands, and his face paled as realization set in on him. That was the same bag he was carrying around this afternoon. He started to rifle through its contents when the knight spoke again.

"You really shouldn't leave your things unattended. Luckily, no one managed to break into your coin purse. Even so, you should be careful."

The squire remained silent as he mounted himself onto the horse. One of the two men was quick to get behind him. The man grabbed the reins before saying, "We're ready to leave, Ser Sagara."

"Then let's be off."

The princess turned her head back towards the hut again, and she rubbed her eyes as she squinted once more. Huh. She stared at the entrance, and then again, for the briefest moment, she could've sworn that she saw the fox statue move.