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The Empress of Gristol (Act 1)
Chapter 8: Born of Hoshido?
Princess Emily realised that she hadn't been fair in her initial assessment of Hoshido. Though she still despised the sun's near constant exposure, she realised that most of her negative feelings steamed from the trauma she had suffered after…Gunter's death. She didn't care nor want to appreciate any beauty during her journey to the capital of this foreign land. But now that the sun was hidden behind grey clouds and said royal was now perched in a withered, Nohrian like tree… it didn't look that bland.
She sighed as her eyes surveyed the surrounding lands, wondering why that word was what popped into her mind. Hoshido had much more colour than Nohr; including a healthier shade of green, a crisper white and even pink. The latter appeared in the form of petal blossoms on trees, like the two that were adjacent to her shrivelled oak. This foreign tree stuck out like a thumb amongst the lively foliage, the plant life that looked hand crafted into a beautiful sculpture. And further off into the distance she could see a snowy mountain line and, her personal favourite, the fringe of the coast that lined the village outside Castle Shirasagi.
As she continued to ponder, the Princess felt a drop of water land on her hair. Looking up, Emily realised that the grey clouds have grown darker as she sat in the tree. Knowing what that meant, she felt a surge of joy that overpowered the usual dismay people had when a cloud was about to burst overhead. Still in the mist of her quandary, she hoped that the rain would raise her opinion of Hoshido; that the watery shower would add a natural beauty to nature.
Unfortunately, as the water continued to drip, Emily realised that she hadn't been caught in a shower. She was being bothered by a drizzle, the type of spray that happens so early in the morning that it leaves no evidence or impact. And that would be fine, if the sun hadn't decided to jump from behind the clouds. Its rays battered the royal's eyes as they passed through the little specs of water. The sky became the perfect shade of bright blue as the light formed a rainbow that arched over the colourful landscape.
This did change her opinion of Hoshido. What she first considered bland was now sickly saccharin. Technically beautiful, but hollow as a commercial holiday card.
The Princess turned her vision to her marked and gloved hand. Having solved the answer to her feelings of the 'wildlife', she tried to achieve that same result with her feelings on the Hoshidan family. But that was dented by memories of her siblings in Nohr…
"Is everything all right?"
Emily didn't jump or fall of her branch when Kaze spoke those words. Even though she hadn't seen him appear on the branch below, she had felt his presence thanks to constant practice. Despite her attempts of escaping his surveillance, the ninja had caught her on the roof of the kitchen. She had to assure him that it was only a joke, and she wouldn't have tried to run from Kohōto after she had eaten breakfast. She didn't think he believed her because he asked the royal to not climb on the roof; saying that she might be considered a spy and be attacked by other ninjas.
So she stuck to the ground and explored the Castle with her limited access. The dark-haired royal wasn't a fan of the supervision, for the ninja constantly appeared in front of her to say that she wasn't allowed access. She did see the main hall and entrance, the stables and armour along with the barracks and gardens that were in the inner walls of the building. But she couldn't inspect them like she could at the Northern Fortress, for nooks and passageways were constantly being blocked by Kaze. She had wanted to venture further into the grounds, but she got fed up of being constantly blocked so she climbed up the withered tree that was near the entrance to the grounds.
With that in mind, she was sure that he had popped up to tell her to get down from her comfortable perch. So her curt reply of, "What do you want?" had a harsher edge than normal.
The green-ninja seemed to take the less than warm words well, for he responded with his usual calm and dignified tone. "I wanted to make sure you are comfortable. You've been in this tree for almost two hours now and, if I may be so bold, you don't look happy."
"I'm not, to be honest. But it has nothing to do with the tree. I'm quite comfortable here." In contrast with how she had talked to Kohōto at breakfast, her voice was flatter and was less cheery. "Is it the rain, then?"
She laughed. "This isn't rain. It's barely a drizzle, or anything really. I just have nothing to do but consolidate my thoughts." She raised a lazy finger in the direction of the expanding grounds. "Last night, I wondered to a lake near the woods. Can I go there again, or is it out of bounds?"
Kaze folded his arms and leaned against the blackened bark of the oak tree, his eyes closed and his mouth forming a sombre smile. "My brother would say so, since its near one of our biggest Forts. But Lady Azura visits there frequently, so I consider that the boundary marker of the grounds you can traverse."
"Might move over there, then." Muttered the princess, as she slowly begun to sit up.
"I wouldn't recommend that," replied the ninja as he gently shook his head. "Lady Azura is most likely there right now and she prefers to be left alone". You could hear the branches shake slightly as Emily sank back into her previous position; unleashing a loud groan. "Though I might be wrong…"
His optimism was dashed in the nicest way possible. For at that moment, a pure sound wafted over the tree tops.
You are the ocean's grey waves, destined to seek
Life beyond the shore just out of reach (*1)
The two tree dwellers were taken aback by the angelic tones that carried the song's lyrics through the air. Both recognised the voice of the blue-haired royal, but only now could Emily appreciate how good Azura was at singing. It was like Hoshido in that it was technically brilliant, but had a strong character like Nohr.
Yet the waters ever change, flowing like time
The path is yours to climb
"Quite something, isn't she?" Asked Kaze as he listened to the exquisite sound.
"Yeah…" Said the dark-haired princess in a diplomatic tone. For after realising just how good Azura was, the jealousy that had sparked last night grew into a small flame. She knew it was childish—and that she could probably outperform Azura on the piano, without a shadow of a doubt—but Emily stopped listening to sooth the dwindling pride she had in her own voice.
To assist in this endeavour, she continued to talk in a slightly raised voice. "So, Kaze," she began, loudly. "There was something I've been meaning to ask you!"
The royal couldn't tell if the ninja had caught onto her true reason for conversation, just that he sighed due to being pulled away from the wonderful song. "And that is, Lady Emily?"
"In the garden area, what's that thing that makes the 'clunk' sound over and over again?"
Before the green-haired man could answer, another voice appeared out of nowhere.
"It's called a Sōzu, Emily."
It was a good thing she was well positioned, for that did surprise Emily greatly. In her attempts of blocking out Azura's song, she had missed the sound of Hinoka's approach; who was astride her Pegasus that hovered next to Emily's branch. The dark-haired royal sat up straight against the bark whilst the red-haired princess smiled at her.
"The Sōzu is a bamboo tube that is set up to tilt and hit a stone bowl when it fills up with water," continued the princess in a normal tone. "It's used to scare away herbivores from gardens. So no, you can't smash it, Emily."
"But it's so annoying!" Grumbled the dark-haired royal. "I'm just sitting there, thinking about things, and then 'clunk'! Then a few minutes later, another 'clunk' and then another 'clunk'…Gah!" She punched her branch with a gloved fist, as she tried to forget about the second most annoying sound she had discovered that day.
"Ryoma finds it relaxing," stated Hinoka, matter-of-factually.
"Well he's bloody wrong," retorted Emily. The red-haired princess let out a small laugh. "What's so funny?"
"Nothing," replied the rider; who's smile had sunk as the laughter left her lips.
"Alright then…" said the foreign royal, dismissively. "…If that's the case, get that horse of yours closer, please. I want to pet him."
Hinoka raised a bemused eye brow. "My horse? Really?" Her voice sounded incredulous, but she complied all the same; nudging her steed closer to the withered oak tree.
"Well…" replied the dark-haired princess as she reached out to stroke the equine's white mane. "…a Pegasus is just a horse with wings? I meant no offense by it."
"You hear that, girl," Hinoka whispered to her steed; joining her fellow royal in the pampering of the flying equine. "Are you offended, Jessa? Are you?" Her tone was not at all serious and was clearly jokey.
"Nah, she ain't offended," remarked Emily as she began to stroke around the ears; which
Jessa the Pegasus particularly enjoyed. "You're not bothered by pedantics, are you girl?" Jessa gave a contented whiny in response, meaning she had absolved the princess of her sins…well, as long as she continued to pamper her.
The two continued to pet the equine for a good amount of time before Kaze found it in his heart to interrupt. Clearing his throat, the ninja spoke calmly to the two princesses. "Since it's almost noon, I shall go and fetch Lady Sakura. It's time for her shift and I have a mission briefing to attend."
"You do that," replied Emily casually; for her only concern was the animal hovering next to her branch. She didn't see it, but there was a wide smile on Kaze's face before he disappeared into thin air.
A minute later, Hinoka looked up at the dark-haired royal with a plea in her eye. "Emily, do you mind if we move to ground? Jessa and I just finished training and I think she needs a rest." Without another word, Emily blinked out of existence. This startled the Pegasus, who was wondering why her affection had stopped, and the rider.
"Hey! Down here!"
The redhead didn't waste time looking down. Instead, she pressed her heals against a certain part of Jessa's flank. The steed instantly became focused and slowed the tempo her wings flapped. The two of them landed gracefully on the ground, where Emily was lazily sitting against the tree trunk. Hinoka dismounted gracefully and began to remove the harness of her Pegasus, including the naginata that was sheaved in a holder. After being freed from her burden, Jessa began to lay down on the ground, tucking her white wings by her side.
The redhead, who was still standing, continued to stroke the equine. Since it wasn't in distance, Emily rose to her feet—without resentment—and joined the Hoshidan; stroking the parts she couldn't have reached from the branch.
"So, Emily," began Hinoka; who suddenly began to stroke hesitantly. "I take it that you're a Dark Mage? Or at least trained to be one, am I right?"
"Nah," replied the dark-haired royal; who was having too much fun pampering the Pegasus to care about the redhead's hesitance. "I wasn't trained to be a certain role, but Xander always said that I was a Cavalier at heart…when I wasn't sneaking around like an Outlaw." She waited for a response, but it didn't come. Puzzled, Emily looked around to see that Hinoka was biting her lip. "When I say Outlaw, I don't mean an actual criminal." Explained the royal; hoping that it was that topic that was bothering her. "We just call our archers that because, historically, they were mostly hired criminals. We kept the nickname, even though most Outlaws are trained officers of the army."
The redhead nodded, though she continued to bit her lip. She stopped petting her steed as she turned to face the foreign princess. "So why do you use magic?"
Kohōto's words from earlier that morning sprung to mind and helped Emily to skip the stage of surprise. She continued to pet Jessa, but her movement was more controlled than before. "All of the Nohrian royals were tutored in all fields before we specialised. That includes magic and I just learnt a few spells that fitted my fighting style." Her tone was as controlled as her movement, deliberately measured in a neutral fashion.
Hinoka looked like she was struggling to keep back an assault of questions. She brought her hands together and formed a dignified pose; bracing herself for an argument. "Emily —"
"Listen, Hinoka," cut in Emily; who stopped stroking Jessa and was now staring down at the smaller princess. "You and I are not going to agree about anything from Nohr. I understand that I was…kidnapped…" She had refrained from saying 'apparently', which was noticed by the redhead; who continued to bit her lip harder. "…but, frankly, I don't remember that happening. Nor do I remember time spent here. So as far as I'm concerned, I'm a political hostage until King Garon dies and a peace treaty can be brokered."
Now the Hoshidan's teeth was bared as she gritted them together. "Wait, you're planning on going back?!"
"Yes," replied Emily, firmly. "And even if I do regain my memories of my childhood and decide to stay here, I'm not cutting ties with my friends and family in Nohr."
Hinoka cracked her knuckles as her long-lost sibling stressed on the word that she was using to describe her kidnappers. Despite the indignation that was burning inside of her, her words weren't fired from her mouth like a volcano; as she fervently grunted: "But what if peace is never found, even after Garon dies?"
"I severely doubt that," scoffed the dark-haired royal. "I know the High Prince. He's reasonable and doesn't want to keep up this pointless fighting. When he is on the throne, then there will be peace."
The redhead seemed to deflate as she gazed at her sibling. She then looked at the withered oak tree that they stood in the shadow of. "Do you really think it will be that easy?" She wasn't accusing her sister, but her tone didn't sound remotely optimistic. And despite everything that she had been through, Emily nodded. Hinoka let out a soft laugh, just as Jesse raised her nuzzle and brushed her rider's hand. She laughed even harder as she resumed her fussing of the needy horse. "I guess I should stop calling Nohrians scum."
"I would really appreciate that," replied the dark-haired royal in relief. "But if you really can't help yourself, just do it into your pillow or something." The joke fell flatter than the grass they were standing on, but the two princesses gave a slight chuckle as they united in the task of pampering the Pegasus.
After a short while, Hinoka stopped stroking her steed so she could get a brush from the discarded satchel; though she started to converse as she fiddled with satchel. "So this Xander said something about being a Cavalier? Isn't that the name of Nohrian horse riders?"
"Yup," confirmed Emily as she moved out of the redhead's way. "I used to spend lots of time at the stables of the fortress I was kept at. I wasn't allowed to ride them outside the walls, but there was a training circuit and they could go inside the fortress so I got lots of practice. Xander and…Gunter taught me how to fight on horseback."
"So you could ride a horse into battle?" Asked the Hoshidan as she began to groom her Pegasus.
The dark-haired royal shook her head. "I can swing a sword at a passible level, but give me a spear if you want to see a comedy routine."
"That bad? Did you accidently drop it and trip the horse over? Rookie Pegasus riders sometimes have that problem." Jesse then chose to make a disgruntled noise, one which earned her a glare from her rider.
Not wanting to enquire how you could trip up a flying equine, Emily elaborated on her own failures. "No, but there were these two exercises with a quintain that I always messed up. You know what a quintain is, right? And a weapon seal?"
Hinoka finished brushing Jesse's mane before she answered. "No, I've never heard of a quintain. But a weapon seal is just like the staff seal shrine maidens have, except they can be used to swap out weapons."
"Good, that saves me from explaining that." Replied the foreign princess as she began to lean against the tree. "A quintain is a device used to train horse units to joust or to charge. The idea is to charge at a mounted shield, that's set at head height, at the right speed. You have to both strike the shield and keep a fast pace, or you're in for a world of hurt."
"Why?"
"Because when you hit the shield, it swings around. And on the other end of the beam that holds up the shield is a sandbag."
Hinoka winced and almost pulled out hair by accident, which upset Jesse greatly. "Sorry, sorry." Apologised the redhead as the Pegasus complained, loudly. After she was calmed down, the princess looked up at her sister with sympathy in her eyes. "So you get hit in the back of the head by the sandbag if you don't keep up your horse's momentum?"
"Exactly," grimaced the dark-haired royal. "And the second exercise is worse. You have to hit the shield with your lance, and then you have to switch out to your sword and backslash the sandbag before it hits you." The memory of the pain caused the back of her head to throb. "Because I couldn't get the hang of it, I focused my training on grounded swordplay and hand to hand. I can wield a lance if I have to, but I can't do it in Knight armour."
"I've seen those Nohrian Knights once," remarked the redhead as she began to comb the area behind Jesse's wings. "They're like tin statues. They move slower than syrup and swing their weapons like cripples. The complete opposite to our Spearmen, who dart and leap around like crickets." She paused as she moved to the other side of her steed and took that opportunity to change the subject. "You know, when we were children, we used to visit the stables and give all of the mounts names; even if they already had names."
"Really?" Inquired Emily in a cautious manner; mentally defending herself from whatever nostalgic angle the Hoshidan would try to spin.
"Yes," she said whilst smiling, fondly. "I used to be upset very easily when I was a child. Visiting the stables was one of the ways you used to cheer me up." Her grooming slowed down as her mind ventured back to those times. "You would always use the same names every time, before you tried to think up new ones. Like Jesse…" She stroked her steed gently. "…Grisly, Christly and Sammy."
Emily couldn't help but smile as she heard those names. "My horse's name is Samuel. And I'm pretty sure there was a Gristle and Crystal in our fold as well. Did I ever use names like Callista, Havelock or Lydia?" No words were needed, just the widening of the redhead's smile. Emily gently and subtly nodded as she tried to think of something to say. "…Oh, actually, I have a question? Did King Sumeragi actually name me Jun when he officially adopted me?"
"That he did," replied the princess; sombreness underlying her nostalgic recollections.
"I'm sorry, but that just sounds awful." Stated Emily, bluntly. She then added, without really thinking, "It sounds like gin."
"What's gin?"
The princess opened her mouth to answer the question, but nothing came to mind. In fact, she didn't know where that word even came from. Hinoka could see the cluelessness in her sister's face and laughed, softly. "Don't worry, I know what that word is."
"You do?"
"It was what you kept saying after father announced your name. You just kept pronouncing it gin instead of Jun. I think that's why he didn't bother calling you by that name, you kept getting it wrong." Still smiling, Hinoka finished off her grooming session by straitening Jesse's tail. After the brush was put away, the Pegasus rose to its feet and stretched out its wings.
The dark-haired royal stopped leaning against the withered tree and went back to stroke the now silky smooth coat of the equine. As the Pegasus received even more affection, the princess caught a familiar sound in the background. It was Azura, who was now just singing the melody of her song, which raised a sudden question. "Hey, Hinoka? So, Azura's been in Hoshido for a long time. What's she like?"
"Huh?" It took her a second to realise who Emily was talking about. "Oh! Azura! Crap!" Without another word, the redhead suddenly began to bolt in the direction of the lake; leaving the dark-haired royal alone with the white Pegasus. While the princess was stunned still by the odd display, Jesse just shook her head like this was normal behaviour for the Hoshidan.
In the time of her absence, the thought of escaping into the grounds never crossed Emily's mind. For she enjoyed the company of the princess' steed, who was definitely smarter than the average animal. When she wasn't stroking her, Emily performed various activities. Like a health check that, in theory, should be the same you do for a horse.
When she didn't find anything irregular, she picked up Hinoka's naginata and examined the differences between it and a lance. Besides a guard that lined its side, the main difference was that this Hoshidan weapon was built to last. She applied pressure on the wooden handle area that took up most of the weapon and it resisted it well. The foreign princess then examined the blade that was set at the top, which was also the complete opposite of a lance. Lances were originally designed as one use weapons, used to puncture heavy armour or kill a beast. It had a counter weight on the handle area and it had a single sharp tip, perfect for skewering the enemy. After its initial creation, they were then magically reinforced to not break so you could keep using the raw power. This naginata was designed to be more defensive and, instead of stabbing, it was a slashing weapon. As much of a novice as she was, Emily wagered that naginatas were very difficult to master compared to a Nohrian lance; which were apparently very easy to use.
Feeling slightly ashamed, she put the weapon back down as Hinoka panted into view. The foreign royal waved at her and Jesse reared on its hind legs, whinnying happily. Reaching them, she calmed down her steed before addressing her sibling. "Sorry…" she panted. "… but I realised that, for all these years, I hadn't paid attention to Azura. I was so focused on training, so I could get you back from those—I mean, Nohrians." "How did she take the apology?" Asked Emily, casually.
"She told me not to worry," explained the redhead; who didn't look very happy with that answer. "She said she likes to spend time on her own, which is true, but I still feel terrible about it. She also gave me this." The Hoshidan raised her left hand and showed off a small, Pegasus statue.
"Aww, that's really cute." Cooed Emily as she examined the petit figurine. "Did Azura buy this for your birthday?"
"Yes, but for an earlier one," replied Hinoka; whilst she moved to her saddle to store her belated present. "She thought I'd find it silly while I was so obsessed with training…"
"You wanted me back that much?" To this, the Hoshidan princess' face went a deep red. This, combined with her natural hair, gave Emily the impression that the warrior before her had turned into a tomato. Without thinking, smiling softly, Emily teased; "Well, little Cherry, that's flattering and all. But now that I'm here, you should take it easy."
The colour drained from the Hoshidan's face, but not in a horror stuck fashion. It was a
shock of some kind, a shock that most people get when they are triggered by their nostalgia. She stared at the dark-haired princess with a bitter sweet smile; one formed after seeing Emily's confused reaction to what she herself had said. No conversation was born from this moment, as the redhead's eyes noted something very important.
"Sakura! There you are!"
Emily turned around just as the Shrine Maiden princess let out a small squeak, like she was a mouse that had been discovered sitting on the tablecloth. Sakura was wearing the same clothes as well as wielding the same Festal she had used to heal Emily the day before. She also looked just as nervous as before, despite the fact there was no danger here.
The dark-haired princess waved at the newcomer, which caused her to squeak again and tremble back a few steps. Emily slowly lowered her hand, realising only now how timid Princess Sakura was as she averted her frightened eyes away from the foreigner. "It's alright, Sakura," said Hinoka, comfortingly. "Emily isn't going to hurt you."
"I-I know that…" Mumbled the Shrine Maiden royal, as she continued to not give eye contact to anything but the floor.
"What, are you ill or something?"
Sakura shook her head jerkily as a little awkward sweat began to tickle from her brow; whilst continuing to mutter, "No, I'm in perfect health…"
"Is it just awkward talking to me, since I act like a Nohrian instead of how you remember me?"
"What?" She replied, her voice cracking slightly. "No! I-it's not that. I j-just…"
Before Sakura could become more upset, the warrior princess stepped in. "Sakura just gets flustered easily. She's always found it hard to talk to others because of her shyness." Said shy Shrine Maiden nodded gently; blushing as she approved of her character description.
Emily had to hide her true reaction to that news. While on the outside she just nodded passively, she was groaning on the inside. From the experience of the early years of knowing her Maids and Butler, the dark-haired princess had a great dislike for shyness. Not the one-off display or two of those emotions, but the attitude of shy and timid people. Jakob was very different from what he was like all those years ago, but Felicia still had the negatives of those kinds of people. Mainly the self-loathing that stops them accepting the good things about them and makes them very hard to talk to. Granted, Felicia has a habit for talking a mile a minute at times, but Sakura was displaying the wimpy sort of attitude that had made past Felicia so frustrating to talk to.
Despite that, Emily committed herself to being civil and decided to keep her feelings to herself. The dark-haired princess still needed to communicate with her supposed younger sister, so she threw out a simple question. "So you're going to be guarding me until dinner time, right?"
The Shrine Maiden's voice wavered as she replied, "Y-yes! Yes, I am…" From needlessly loud too deathly quiet, Sakura still kept her eyes away from Emily. This was starting to bother the marked royal and made her pine for either of her past caretakers; including the green ninja that stalked her from the shadows. Hell, screw these Hoshidans. Where was her actual little sister, Elise? Where was the ball of energy who would chatter, and play endlessly, the bright optimist who saw the best side of any twisted or dark affair?
Asking these questions ironically brought despair to the dark-haired princess. A despair that both red-heads could sense, despite great attempts to hide it from them. Hinoka put a hand on Emily's shoulder, a question ready to pop out, as a strange sound suddenly drifted in from afar. Emily didn't recognise or care about the sound, unlike the warrior princess. Due to her melancholy, she didn't pay rapt attention to the warrior's explanation to why she had mounted her Pegasus and had left. She did catch a mention of the words 'Selena', 'trap' and 'again' but that was all. Now she was alone with her watcher; a shyer, duller, and lamer little sister.
Yes, she was completely aware of her childishness. But the more she thought about her Nohrian siblings, the more she missed being with them and the more the ugly idea that, like the pretences of the mission that Garon had given her, it had all been a lie. Every precious moment, either happy or sad, might have meant nothing to the ones she considered her family. She didn't want to believe it, but thanks to all of the abrupt changes her life had gone though she couldn't help but consider that possibility. And she hated the fact that that was the case.
Her dip into brooding was interrupted by a small cough. Though the force behind the noise was very weak, it still drew Emily's attention enough to turn her head in the shy princess' direction. She was kindly surprised by a pair of hazel eyes that were aimed straight for her. Sure, it was accompanied by tons of blushing and the eyes tried to shift away, but Emily appreciated the attempt.
"I-I brought l-lunch…" she said quietly; as she held out a wooden box with a steadier hand than you'd except from her.
"Thanks!" Replied the dark-haired royal, gratefully, as she snatched the wooden box from the Shrine Maiden's hand. It was by the time she had lifted the box's lid, literally seconds later, did she realise how rude she had been. "Sorry, I shouldn't have just grabbed this food from you," said the apologetic princess.
The Shrine Maiden giggled very softly at the flustered royal. "N-no, its fine. I imagine you're very hungry, so I made these for you. I already ate, so don't feel like you need to share."
With that permission, the dark-haired royal threw off the lid without any grace. Inside where a bunch of balls that were composed of rice and were kept together by a sheet of seaweed that lined the bottom sides. The sight of food made Emily realise how hungry she was, so she grabbed the first rice ball and took a massive bite. Her taste buds were hit with the flavours of salmon and rice, a combo that delighted her no end.
Sakura kept very quiet as the dark-haired royal demolished the salmon rice balls, including the seaweed used to keep it together. She smiled and gently blushed, silently chuffed to see her cooking so appreciated. However, her eyes darted away when the final rice ball was swallowed; her shyness returning to full form.
"Thank you, Sakura," said Emily as she closed the lid of the empty lunch box; satisfaction glowing from her lips. With her returned energy, she causally offered the lunch box back to the Shrine Maiden. The red head squeaked and shuffled away, as if the dark-haired royal had brandished a hammer. It took an awkward silence for the Hoshidan to realise that her sister was simply returning a lunch box, and was in fact still holding the box outstretched with a punctured smile of annoyance.
"I-I'm sorry!" Sakura bowed, frantically, as her desperate apology blurted out.
The foreign royal tried her best to hide her exasperation. But her mood had return to its low streak she had felt almost all morning. It had taken new but familiar foods and engaging personalities to keep her manners—however small—to stay strong. Right now, no matter how nice she may be, Sakura was not the kind of person Emily wanted to be around right now.
Lowering the lunch box, the dark-haired royal walked past the anxious princess. "I'm dumping this in the kitchen," stated Emily as she walked away from Sakura and the withered Oak tree. Suddenly, a few petals from the cherry trees were blown from their branches. They tried to land on Emily's monochrome armoured shoulders, but they missed ever so slightly. The Hoshidan gazed at those petals for a moment before braving a glance at the retreating back of her sister; small tears dripping from her eyes.
"Lost in Thought, All Alone" watch?v=ENwFAmeWEYk