5: Journeys

I wasn't quite sure what to think when I woke up. Not only have I never woken up and had Louise in my little haystack, I can't recall her falling asleep in my arms like this. It's happened before, I think, but never at the academy. Honestly, it feels kind of nice. I guess dreams can tell the future, My inner monologue says, reminding me of the time I fell asleep in class and had that dream.

"Hey, Louise," I whisper to her. "Time to wake up and start talking."

Her eyes flutter open and look around in a daze before settling on me. "Hi, Saito," she says drowsily. Then she realizes where she is and her eyes open wide, she blushes, gives me a quick kick to the crotch, and gets out of the haystack.

"W-what do you think your doing!" she asks angrily. "Dragging your master into you own bed!"

"A-actually," I say, talking through the immense pain I was going through, "I didn't. I went to sleep, and woke up with you like that."

Louise nails me in the crotch again. I forgot how much pain her kicks can bring. Even dying at the battle against the 70,000 didn't hurt as much as this.

"Y-yeah right! Like I would ever-" then she stops and blushes for one reason or another.

"Oh. Oh founder did I..." She begins then starts blushing harder.

I shake off the pain and stand up. "While you piece out your memory and possible motives," I begin which cause her to blush a little more, "I think I'll head out for a bit."

I walk out of the room and leave Louise standing there blushing, look like she's trying to solve a paradox. Then again, I guess I'm not too far off.

*Scene Break*

So the walk was uneventful. I saw Guiche who has finally managed to get past wetting himself when he sees me, and he's gotten a bit friendlier. He's still trying to get Montmorency to like him again. Something about that strikes me with terror, but I'm not entirely sure what.

I also see Siesta, doing her maidly things. The whole kitchen has taken to calling me "Our Sword," after I beat Guiche in battle using such means. I don't like it much, but it sticks. Siesta isn't that different. She still reads those accursed "romance" novels. Her head is full of I do not know what. She's been "subtly" dropping hints that she would like to try some of them on me. I make excuses and run away as fast as possible.

Okay, I lied, something interesting did happen. I ran into Slyphid, Tabitha wasn't present.

"Hey, Slyphid? Where's Tabitha?"

She looks at me and gives her best dragon expression of what I assume to be, sleeping in, reading a book.

"Oh okay then. I just wanted to ask her a few questions. You can probably answer them, right?"

Slyphid tilts her head a little, confused, but nods.

"Thank you. First off, how's life as a rhyme dragon?" Going straight for the low blow. Classy Saito, very classy. Hey! Don't do my job for me! Only I get to mock you for stupid decisions! 'Then why didn't you?' My inner monologue shuts up after that.

Slyphid jumps back a bit, surprised, then she starts shaking her as if to say, "Nonono, I'm just a dragon! I don't rhyme!"

"Ah, Tabtiha probably told you to keep it a secret, didn't she?"

Slyphid is abut to shake her head no, but she realizes that I've already caught on. She nods.

"Oh, well, sorry for making you break your promise, or whatever." I say a little sheepishly. "Anyway, what can you do? What are your rhyme dragon power?"

Slyphid looks down a little embarrasses. "Irukukuu can talk," I hear her say.

I was a little surprised. So her real name was Irukukuu. I always figured that was a fake name she had made up. "Really? That's amazing!" I say, I might have laid it on a bit too thick, but it seems to really cheer her up.

"Really? Irukukuu is not scary for talking?"

"Or course not! If my sword can talk, I don't see why a dragon can't. Also, don't worry, I won't tell Tabitha that you told me you can talk. We can keep it our little secret." I tell her.

"Really? Thank you big brother!" Exclaims Slyphid/Irukukuu.

"Big brother?" I asked surprised.

"Yeah! Tabitha is big sister, and you are big brother! Because big brother was nice to me!"

"Well thank you, I'm honored to be the big brother of such an amazing dragon." Again, maybe I was laying the flattery on a bit too thick, but it's always nice to have a dragon as an ally, right?

"Thank you big brother!"

*Scene Break*

After talking with Slyphid, I went and did a quick sweep. Everyone seemed excited for some reason. I think it might be the princess arriving but I wasn't sure. Noticing that it was getting dark out, I went back to Louise's room. She was sitting on her bed, almost unresponsive.

"Louise?"

"The princess."

"Ah, I take it the princess arrived at the academy?"

She nodded. In that case, it should be only a few minutes until...

Then I heard someone knocking on the door.

Right on cue.

Louise jumped up and ran to the door. She threw it open and a hooded figure came in and shut the door behind herself. She looked at Louise and took off her hood.

"P-princess!" Louise cried while dropping herself to the floor. She noticed that I wasn't following her example, she grabbed my head and forced it onto the floor at speeds that would have cracked open most large boulders.

"Please Louise, no formalities, we are friends are we not?" said the Princess.

I had my fair share of experiences with Princess Henrietta. She was nice and loyal to her country, but she very much worried about Louise, who was her childhood friend. Henrietta was also not above using some dirty tactics if the need arose, but she preferred to keep it clean and civil. She was also the cause of many misunderstandings that severely hurt my relationship with Louise. Of all the women who created problems between me and Louise, I think Henrietta caused the worst.

"O-okay. Princess." said Louise, rising to her feet. "But what brings your majesty here to this humble room?"

"Well, I-" Henrietta began, before noticing me for the first time. I smile and give a small wave of greetings.

"Oh I'm terribly sorry Louise!"

"Sorry? Whatever for?" Asked Louise.

"I didn't mean to interrupt you while you were with your lover!"

I nearly choke on those words, and Louise blushes furiously.

"H-he's not my L-l-lover! He's j-just my familiar!" Louise said. She never was good at talking when embarrassed.

Henrietta looked at me curiously. "Familiar? But, he looks human."

"Indeed I am. However," I say while holding up my left hand to show her my runes, "I am still very much a familiar."

Henrietta ponders this for a minute before deciding to continue where she left off. "Odd, but not important at the moment. Louise, I have a favor I must ask of you."

Louise stood as tall as she could and tried to make herself sound as brave as possible. "Anything princess! I will do anything to help not only my friend, but the royal family!"

Henrietta smiles, "Ah, you called me friend, this makes me happy. I am getting married to the royal family of Germania to help solidly the alliance. But what I need from you is to go get something for me."

"Anything! Me and my familiar will gladly go get it!" I remember that Louise always was quick to offer her life for the princess. She was so caught up in helping the princess she didn't seem to notice the part about marrying into Germania.

"It's, a letter that I wrote to the royal family of Albion long ago. If it were to come to light, the wedding should be called off, and Germania would no longer ally themselves with us."

"Let me make a few guesses," I begin, surprising the two of them, "You can't tell us the content of the letter, no doubt it hold some very personal information. Also, the people trying to get the letter are the rebels trying to conquer Albion. Am I right so far?"

They're surprised by my grasp of the situation, but Henrietta nods. "That is correct."

"Also," my voice takes on a bit graver a tone, "the letter's in Albion already. Isn't it?"

Louise gasps, "What? Then the rebels already have it?"

Henrietta looks at me stupefied. "How did you know?"

I shrug, "You said that you sent the letter to the Albion royal family. Barring the possibility that they intercepted it when you sent it all those years ago, then the letter is already in possession of the royal family."

Henrietta nods again. "Yes. Louise, I need you and your familiar to go to Albion and talk to Prince Wales. Give him this letter, and he should give you what we need." Henrietta hands Louise a letter, which she outs in her shirt pocket.

Louise looks at me, and we both nod. "We'll do it, your majesty." We say at the same time.

Henrietta sighs in relief. "Thank you Louise. As a token of my gratitude, take this ring." she slips the ring off of her finger and hands it to Louise. "This is the royal family's water ruby. If you are ever in monetary trouble during the journey, do no hesitate to sell the ring to pay for the trouble." Louise nods, and Henrietta turns to me.

"Brave familiar, what is your name?"

"I'm Saito Hiraga."

Her face gives away the fact that my name sounds stupid by this world's standards, but she moves on.

"Since you have agreed to help me in this situation, a reward for your loyalty is necessary." Said Henrietta, holding out her hand.

"P-princess! You can't offer your hand to a commoner!" cried Louise, "It's not descent!"

"Now Louise, a reward for loyalty is necessary, it it not?" Said Henrietta, smiling at Louise.

Louise blushed and looked down.

I'm determined not to make the same mistake as last time, when I went for a lip kiss. I take the princess' hand and put it to my lips. Henrietta smiles, and Guiche breaks down the door.

"Princess! You cannot offer your hand and such an important assignment to a commoner!" Let me, Guiche de Gramont help her majesty!"

Before the princess can respond, I punch Guiche in the face and put him in a neck lock.

"Considering he spied on the whole conversation, should you take him out or should I?" I ask.

The princess shakes her head. "No, the Gramont family has proven to be useful in the past, I see no reason he shouldn't come along with you. I will also arrange for a bodyguard to escort you along your way to Albion."

I release Guiche, who falls over and faints from an opportunity to help her majesty.

"Okay, that wasn't my fault, everyone saw that right?" I ask.

*Scene Break*

"Before we leave I have a request to make." Says Guiche as we stand at the Academy gates waiting for out bodyguard.

"No Guiche, I will not convince Montmorency to go on a date with you." I reply.

"You could do that? Never mind, I wanted to bring my familiar along with us."

"Well, bring him out and let's see." Says Louise.

Then the ground rumbles and a small mound of dirt rises up, than out pops Guiche's mole, Verdandi.

"Oh Verdandi, you are adorable no matter how many times I look upon you!" Guiche says while rubbing his cheek on the mole.

"Um, Guiche, I don't think it will be easy to bring a mole, an underground denizen, to a floating continent." I tell him.

He hangs his head in dejection, then the mole perks up and rushes Louise.

"H-hey! Stupid mole! Get off me!"

"Guiche, Want to see Louise get molested by your familiar?" I tell him. Nice pun 'It was unintentional!' Suuuure

He looks over and cheers up at seeing the humorous scene in front of him. Than things get worse. Verdandi sticks its head in the air, sniffs it, then looks at me, and pounces.

"Oh God! This was so much funnier when it was happening to Louise!" I cry.

Then Verdandi is blown away by a gust of wind. I ignore the wind and turn to Guiche.

"What the hell was that?" I ask him.

He holds his chin and ponders. "Do you have any jewelry in your pockets? She loves gems."

I shake my head, but check my pockets anyway. My left hand closes around my list, My right closes around something cold. I pull it out and see that it's a ring with a purple gemstone in the middle. No way, my inner monologue says. Why is that in your pocket?

"Ah, that's it. Anyway," He turns to where the wind came from, "What were you thinking? You could have hurt my familiar!"

"Ah, sorry. I saw a young man in danger and I thought to help him out." Says a voice a loathe so very much.

I turn towards the source and come face to face with an old "Friend."

"Viscount Wardes." The name leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. Not only is the man Louise's fiancé (It was arranged) But he also betrayed us and is really working with the Reconquista, the rebel force trying to take control of Albion. I did not want to travel with this man again, But I had no choice.

"Ah, so you've heard of me," he says to me before dismissing my existence and turning towards Louise. "And how is my young fiancé doing today? It's been so long since I last saw you!" He says picking her up.

"V-viscount! Please stop, there are people present, and the wedding was arranged." Louise says while blushing. I honestly don't remember Louise blushing this much. Last time I could count the amount of times she did by this point on one hand, with fingers to spare.

"Ah, my apologies." After more formalities, he turns to me and Guiche.

"Shall we be off?"

When he stops looking at me, I give him my best death glare, but no one seems to notice.

*Scene Break*

"Gah, remind me to never ride on horseback again." I complain to Guiche. We had been riding for maybe five or six hours and had just now reached that canyon that leads to the port where we take the ship to Albion.

"I agree to that statement." I have to admit since during this ride we had no choice to talk to each other, since Louise was up on Wardes' griffon, I found out that Guiche is a really nice guy. It's just that, like Louise before and just about everyone else, he has a high level of noble pride. Once he got past that, he was easily someone I could see hanging around with other people after school or something.

I look up to the griffon where Wardes and Louise are riding. Every time he touches her, I feel like jumping up and their and cutting his head off. 'Hey inner monologue,' Yes? 'Any idea what they're talking about up there? Nope. 'Thanks for the help.' What do you expect? I know what you know, nothing more.

*Louise POV*

"Wardes, shouldn't we slow down a little? Guiche and Saito look like they're close to collapsing." I look back and see that they're barely holding on. At this rate, they'd collapse from exhaustion before the horses do.

"Hm... well I planned on riding to the port without stopping." says Wardes.

"But that takes two days by horse! We can't just leave them!"

"You seem very eager to keep them close by. Which one's your lover?"

I blush furiously. "W-what? H-how could I love either of them!" Without even realizing it, I started thinking about Saito, and those times he saved me from Fouquet's golem. Do I really not love him? No, of course I don't love him... do I?

*Saito POV*

We kept riding along until we hit a canyon. Then a thought hits me, and my inner monologue speaks up. Isn't this where...

Then the flaming arrow lands in front of my horse.

The ambush happens. I complete the thought to myself.

After the arrow landed, a large group of bandits jumped out from behind the rocks and started to rush us. I jump off my horse and draw Derflinger and assume battle stance...

Then before I can even move a step, fire and ice rains down from the sky and the bandits are knocked out, ending the battle that never began. I look up and see Slyphid, with Tabitha, in her pajamas for some reason, and Kirche on her back.

I sigh and sheathe Derf. Right, they saved us last time too. Could this trip get worse? I already know that answer. It can, and will, get much, much worse.

*Scene Break*

Kirche saw that we had all left and decided to follow us. She brought Tabitha along since she need Slyphid to catch up. After introductions, Kirche's face when she found out about Wardes being Louise's fiancé was priceless, Kirche was busy trying to forcibly cause her bust and my arm to merge into one single being. I did my best to get her off before we got to the hotel.

When we got to the hotel, nothing is really different. Kirche and Tabitha got a room, Guiche and I got a room, and Louise and Wardes got a room (How I hate that man). I had decided not to spy on them this time, I didn't want a repeat. But my distrust and unease got the better of me. I hang out on the third floor outside the window that looks in on Louise's room. I forgot that I can't hear a word they say, but I feel safer knowing if anything goes wrong, I at least know.

"Hey partner, Why are we spying on them? Are you jealous of the Wardes fella getting her before you do?" Derflinger asks me laughing.

"Yes and no. I don't trust Wardes. I know he's going to betray us."

"How so? Oh right. Future," then Derf realizes what I just said and almost gasps. "You mean he-"

"Yep, evil. Reconquista, the whole deal." I leave out the part about murdering Prince Wales.

"Shouldn't we kill him them? It would save us a whole lot of trouble."

I shake my head "We have no reason too yet. If I kill him before he reveals his intentions, then I would be seen as the traitor. That and if I alter the timeline too much, something even worse might happen."

Before Derf can say anything, Kirche falls on top of me, knocks me off the ledge, and nearly breaks my neck, spine, and almost fractures my skull in one swoop.

"Thank you Kirche, I wanted to almost die." I notice that I've been deadpanning a lot. I should probably fix that.

Then she starts hugging me, which I try to shake off. She starts muttering about missing me and wanting to be mine. I try to get her off before she tries to rape me, when I'm saved by the peach-haired bell once again.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUTSIDE MY WINDOW!" Louise asks us. I almost point out that we are actually on the floor, three stories down from her window, but I figure that would make her even more mad.

"I would love to explain but-" That Kirche covers my hand and turns to Louise.

"Isn't it obvious? We're on a date!" Kirche says.

I get her hand off of my mouth and scream to Louise,

"Get her off me and I'll do anything you want! Please!"

Louise sighs, leans out her window a little more, and aims her wand to at Kirche. The explosion from her wand knocks Kirche off me and only mildly injures my spine. I crawl up to her window, jump into her room, and shut the window, lock it, and do the same to the door. Close call. I couldn't agree more.

"Thank god. I don't know what she would have done it you hadn't stopped her. I was that close to..." a chill runs down my spine, "I don't want to think about it."

Louise sits on her bed, glares at me angrily, and I can tell she wants an explanation.

"Okay, I was outside the window because I wanted to make sure you were safe, I don't trust W-" I refrain from saying Wardes, because I don't want her to distrust him and cause him to be suspicious then resort to something stupid like mind control to carry out his plan, "W-w-where this hotel is located!" Great idea to settle on, very clever. "I don't like this part of the world, it's always crawling with bandits and things like that."

Louise looks at me and her face makes it clear she doesn't believe me. I'm amazed at how good she is at communicating just by emoting. She usually prefers words and actions to emoting.

"And Kirche was?" Louise asks angrily.

"I honestly don't know how she got there, but she jumped down from somewhere above me, then landed on me, knocking me down three stories to the ground. I'm lucky I'm so resilient or I might have broken something."

Louise still looks like she doesn't buy it, but resigns herself to the fact that even if it was a lie, which it isn't, that's probably the best explanation she was going to get.

"My turn, What were you and Wardes talking about?" I ask her.

"You know-"

"No I don't." I cut her off before she can give a stupid excuse to dodge the conversation. "Last time I never got this far."

She winces when she realizes that I'm not leaving until I get an explanation.

"Well, Wardes knows that you captured Fouquet." She begins.

"Really now?" I say, trying my best to sound calm and not suspicious.

"Yes, He also knows that you're my familiar, and that you are Gandalfar."

"Interesting." I say to myself. It takes all of my will to not break down and tell her about Wardes being the one who toys with her and betrays us.

"I think he suspects me of being a void mage."

This shocks me. "He knows your a void mage? Something no one at this point should know?"

"Well, he didn't say that, but he said I have a great power locked in me. That I would be a great mage."

I nod. That is something he would say. "Anything else?" I ask her.

"N-no. T-that's it." She replies, her voice shaking.

I sigh, "Louise, you are a really bad liar. Your voice always shakes when you lie about something emotional."

She eeps at my astounding ability to see through her lies. If its so astounding, then why did it take you a year to even begin to think that she loved you? I don't even dignify that with a response. Louise blushes and hangs her head. "H-he asked me to marry him after this mission."

If I had been drinking something, I would have done a spit take right then. It takes the rest of my will power that I have accumulated to not punch a hole in the wall right then.

Instead I tell her, in as calm a voice as possible. "Okay then. You think about that, I'm going to go to my room and try to suppress my urge to kill him." Oops, shouldn't have let that last part slip.

Before I can see her reaction, I unlock her door, step out and close it behind me. I sigh in anger and head back to my room to sleep. I cannot wait for the moment I get free reign on Wardes.

*Louise POV*

I was asleep in the room by myself that night. After I rejected Wardes advances, he went and got his own room. I think about the conversation I had with Saito. "Why would he want to kill Wardes? I guess if someone I loved was getting married to someone other than me I wouldn't like them very much either." I can't shake the feeling that he knows more than he's letting on. "He's a terrible actor. He tried to act surprised, but I can tell he already knew everything I told him about the conversation, except that part about Wardes knowing about my supposed "great power." I still didn't believe either of them. I just don't see how I could be such a great mage. I think about the very last part of my conversation with Wardes. "Do I want to marry him?" I shake my head. "No, I don't, do I? Why don't I? It's because of him isn't it?" I hug my pillow close to me, and I find myself wishing it was Saito.