Akko and Hellene with the help of the elder Alan and Frank manage to escape the hands of Andrew Hanbridge the lord of Appleton managing to reach the city of Kakariko safely by gliding from the mountain to there which has already covered a good distance along the way, there they took a rest until they left again the next day, where the princess even had the help of some soldiers who offered the horses to her and Akko to return to Wedinburgh and thus have a safe return.
After three days of travel the pair finally arrived at the entrance to the city of Wedinburgh, already being well received and even recognised by the appearances they were, soon having the passage being granted inside the castle.
Arriving at the throne room where there were the queens, the astrologer Ursula, his wife Croix, Diana and also Marianne waiting for them, the two youngest were simply running to those who ventured into the dungeon of rastavan and already give a very tight hug missing both girls.
"You arrived so fast, we've been waiting for you" said Queen Laura.
"We are relieved that you are well, it was really a dangerous journey, but we can really say that you are our trust Akko, you returned not only with Hellene here, but also unharmed, apparently they got the last pendant of courage" Said Queen Bernadette and soon Atsuko shows the missing pendant.
"We were almost captured, we found safety in the cave where a certain Alan managed to receive us, he told me that he knew both Chariot and also the majesty, it seems that you are well known even in this place" said Kagari.
"Oh Alan, he's still alive, he was a little gentleman when I was young, I'm glad to hear he took them in and helped them out, so it was a very smooth journey" said Mrs McLaren.
"There's another important thing we should tell you, it seems they know who Akko is back in Appleton, not only that, but there's a fat bounty on her head and they have very detailed portraits of her appearance, we could tell that the soldiers have been a big hindrance since we pulled into those lands" Said the younger McLaren.
"Not only that, but there was a spy here in the kingdom, he collected information about us, how we acted, how we were, that's how the portrait was made, a boy who pretended to want to draw a picture for me, I remember him well, blond hair a little long, nose very protruding, blue eyes, but anyway, now it seems that I am not safe to enter Appleton's dominions, but luckily we escaped through a wing that was built, we flew to the city of Kakariko and we were well received and completely unharmed to our relief" Said the brownish woman explaining more of their situation.
"This is really strange, when I was in Appleton the king at the time wanted to capture Bernadette and so we had to flee flying from there with Alan's glider to Kakariko, but with me it was not a problem, I only started to be wanted when I was responsible for the defeat of his troops in the wars, but never before that, I could easily pass for a normal commoner like any other, for him to know whose heroine she is and also to have an interest in the capture already shows that the situation is very dangerous" Said the majesty.
"I think he must think I'm important for something, I can only see as a reason for his interest when I defeated those slave traders, but it would be impossible for him to create an interest because of that, it would even be an exaggeration" Said the crimson-eyed one.
"In any case we have to prepare, it is quite possible that a war is imminent, now please rest and soon you will return to Luna Nova Akko, the master sword is only a matter of time, who would have thought that you will be the one who can carry the legendary master sword" Said Queen Laura.
"There are still more things that have happened, which Woodward herself told me, the master sword is not even the most powerful, we are facing an enemy that is more powerful than we can imagine, in fact I will need to find the seven words of Claiomh Solais and also look for the seals of each of the nine witches, only then can we defeat the lord of Appleton once and for all, he has the spirit of Ganondorf, this makes him very powerful and even a little invincible" Said Akko.
"Well, we'll find out more about that, for now the best thing to do is to make sure you're safe Ursula will talk to you, now rest, feel back at home" said Mrs McLaren.
And with that the girls are leaving, going to the castle garden since they arrived somewhat early, the four stayed, Marianne, Akko, Diana and Hellene looking at the sky after a long and exhausting journey, even for the two who were not, due to the worries they were,
Even hit a relief whenwerefinally in the castle, feeling the breeze of the light wind, feeling the air, the birds flying around, it was really a happiness to be well and even a little unharmed in that castle
"So how was the dungeon? You didn't even tell me" Cavendish said curiously.
"Sis, the dungeon was really cool, we basically did all the previous dungeons until we got to the real one, each floor of the tower was something like the dungeons we went through, in fact the ice one was the one Akko remembers most fondly" said McLaren.
"Oh really? Good to know, did you have a good time?" the eldest princess is still very curious.
"We did have fun, it was wonderful, but it still wasn't perfect, perfect would be if you went with us, many situations there we could imagine if you were there, even more being the most intelligent of us, you would certainly think of more intelligent ways to defeat the monsters, wow it was a lot of part that we missed you there" Said Atsuko.
At that even the platinum blonde haired one glances to the side seeing her friend's smile as she looks up at the sky and talked about how she wanted to see the blue eyed one there being part of the adventure, getting a little flushed seeing the crimson eyes emanating a glow.
Which ends up making her sit down on the grass and keep her hand on her face feeling pretty special, she didn't expect all that attention being given.
"Am I so desired and special to you?" asked the surprised Diana.
"You are" said the brownish girl, sitting down.
"I really didn't expect a reaction like that from you Akko, you just had fun that time in Cork with me to the point that I thought I don't know... I'd forget about it because you had so much fun with my sister, but you didn't forget, you actually enjoyed it, I feel really special... I don't know what to say" Cavendish said as she felt her hand being held by Akko.
"Look, I would give anything to see the real Diana Cavendish and not the princess who plays it cool, it was a fun time that I'm sure will be fun with you, when we go to the master sword I'm sure you'll enjoy meeting my friends and Luna Nova" Said the smiling Atsuko..
And there went the girls talking more and more about the adventures in the dungeon, having some moments in which the feelings of the eldest princess was being demonstrated without her having any idea that it was happening, when she had the notion she was very blushing, which was leaving the moment all relaxed with the princesses and the girls, feeling more special.
Meanwhile, in the throne room, the queens' expression was not even a smile, it was actually a concern mixed with seriousness, they knew that a war was very imminent and it would only be a matter of time before it happened in Hyrule between the two kingdoms.
"So what are we going to do?" Ursula asks.
"Akko should get the master sword as soon as possible, tomorrow she leaves for Luna nova, this time she will go with Diana, as I promised to let them go, but around here we will prepare the troops for a defence, reinforce more towards the border, if he knows Akko is the heroine, he will not hesitate until he has her in hand, which can be a very unwanted situation" Said Queen Laura.
"Don't you think we should take the princesses to Dublin Ranch for the protection of your sister?" Queen Bernadette asks.
"I have a better idea, when Akko returns with the master sword, I know it will be painful, but run away, take our daughters to the distant island of Triskellion, we will prepare everything for this escape, at least we will not give the lord of Appleton chances to capture the girls and force a marriage, he cannot become a king without marrying, also to ensure the protection of the royal lineage, we will stay here, after taking Diana and Hellene, look for Akko, train her there and ... Don't hide who you really are Ursula, your revealed identity will be essential for you to survive, we will have to hold the line here" said Mrs McLaren.
"Are we going to be that defensive already? Do you really think a war can start?" The blue-haired one asks and both queens nod.
"We never doubt our enemies, Andrew will probably want my daughters to marry and be king, but now that he knows who Akko is, he can come here without hesitation, he has a reason to want her, she is the chosen
warrior, the legendary warrior, he will want to defeat her to stop the legend from happening, I don't doubt it, but we won't warn the girls yet, I don't want to cause panic, they seem quite happy now" Said Mrs Cavendish.
"Unfortunately I will have to fight one last time, thinking I wanted to retire my sword forever, but I will have no choice" said the redhead.
"Love... Know that you are not alone in this, we will fight together if anything happens..." Said the platinum blonde haired one holding her wife's hand.
"What about your sister?" Croix asks.
"Warn her, you warn her Croix, tell her to leave there at least with her daughter, because the situation may not be the best of all" Majesty said.
"Unfortunately, a war can happen, a war that we should have put an end to, was it our weakness that goodness struck us to leave Daryl's son alive? We should at least leave him here in the kingdom and destroy Appleton completely, it was our biggest mistake, it seems that we deserve it" Said Queen Bernadette.
"Don't think so love, we don't deserve this attack, the spirit of Ganondorf doesn't care, he was already in the boy since forever, we just can't control his desires to conquer, what we will have to show we are much better than everything... It's the third war, this will be the last... Unfortunately, I didn't want my girls to get involved in this one" said Queen Laura.
"We will leave them safe, this trip will be worth it, they will not get involved in this war," said Ursula.
"Do whatever it takes... Chariot," said Mrs McLaren, putting her hand on the astrologer's shoulder and looking deeply into her eyes, who was surprised to be called by her old name.
And indeed they were already beginning to discuss an escape plan, without the youngest knowing so much that they were in the most distracted, in the garden playing with each other, taking the opportunity to play again a board game very similar to Ludo, while they were relaxing and talking to each other about the dungeon and also the way, which was even the subject of the moment.
The hours went by, the day was getting dark in Wedinburgh, the night was falling, Marianne would have to say goodbye, she went to the exit, but soon saw her parents delivering a bag with some clothes for her to stay more in the castle for a night, at the request of the queens themselves to enjoy more of the time. Diana on the other hand was going inside watching the stars and was soon surprised byAkko's presence arriving.
"Hi..." Atsuko said.
"Akko... It was fun to see you back, but I don't know I have a strange feeling, I feel happy whenever you are here, when I am alone I end up missing your presence, your way of being, it always enchants me, I don't know... I just wanted to... 'Leave it alone, I think my head is full of things" said the blushing Cavendish.
"You're very strange Diana, I'll take you to Luna nova that's a promise, I want you to know the place where I came from" said Kagari smiling.
"That's right, let's go to Luna Nova, I want to know where you took a lot of falls, I want to know if your friends are really good, I want to have fun with you, help you get the master sword, that's it" Said the embarrassed blue-eyed girl.
"You're very cute like that, you know that? I'm going to bathe, if you want to come with me... I'm kidding hahahaha, you're not like Hellene" said the crimson-eyed one laughing and teasing her friend.
"Like Hellene what do you mean Akko? Did you bathe with my sister?" The princess simply holds the warrior's shoulder with a firmness that even squeezes.
"It was just a bath, we didn't want to use up Mrs Dorlin's water, she offered us both a bath and we enjoyed it, but it was no big deal" said the brown-haired woman who was being pulled by the wrist by the platinum blonde-haired woman to her room.
(Now this, even my sister bathes with Akko and I don't, she's not going to fool me, it's no use Marianne liking her and all or my sis having any feelings from her, this bathing thing I'm not going to accept, I'm not dumb Hellene McLaren, I know how to do it too).
(Diana is all weird, she's really jealous to the point of wanting to shower with me, just because I showered with her sister, it wasn't even a situation in my control, apart from that I didn't care that much, now this).
The two entered the room and there was Diana starting to heat the water, she was even tapping her feet a little irritated, while Akko had a confused expression, even holding back her laughter a little, until the water got hot and in that she was filling the bathtub more and more, which even gets to be spacious, she was facing the warrior right in front with her arms crossed.
"What is it Diana? Did something happen? Are you really sorry because I showered with your sister? It was just a bath, everyone bathes, I've bathed with your cousin too, with Amanda, with Sucy, with Lotte, with Marianne, usually in some stream or bathtub we enjoy it, it's a..." said Kagari with her finger over her mouth.
"Get undressed soon, you're dirty, I don't care if you've bathed or with whom, now it's my turn Atsuko Kagari" said the all serious Cavendish.
"All right then Diana, since this will make you less angry, this bathtub is really quite spacious in your room" Atsuko said shrugging and getting up.
As the crimson-eyed one undressed and was not joking, the princess with her blue eyes was watching and starting to be ashamed of what she was looking at, she even tried to cover her eyes with her hands, but she kept looking at it over and over again, but when it came time for the warrior to turn to face the platinum blonde hair, it seemed that she simply stopped.
"I've undressed, now we can bathe... Diana you haven't even undressed yet, do you want to bathe me? All right then... Diana? Diana? Diana!" Said the brownish girl trying to wake up her friend who was in a deep trance.
(Akko... Akko, this vision I will not stop thinking, she is beautiful, she is beautiful, women, I like women, I like women very much... Strong women, beautiful women... Akko...)
"Diana!" Akko pats her friend on the cheek.
"Akko! That hurt, you didn't have to do it..." Said the girl who came back to her senses but then panicked.
"I think she really freaked out, she said so much that she wanted to bathe with me that she doesn't move a muscle, and I'm the only one here who is naked, what a strange girl she is, well I think she wants some help" Atsuko said shrugging and finally saw a reaction from Cavendish.
"I can undress myself" said the embarrassed Diana taking off her clothes.
And she even turned her back in shame, thinking of a thousand things while simply Kagari showed a completely neutral expression seeing that scene she didn't care or give a damn, when the princess was completely undressed she simply turned to her friend without having any moment freezing trying to hold on as long as possible.
"Let's get started with this" said the embarrassed blue-eyed girl, as she put her feet into the tub, and then the crimson-eyed girl got in.
"Wow, the water is really nice, it's been three days since I had a great bath like this, thank you Diana, you are really sweet" Said the brownish woman smiling.
"So be it" said the platinum blonde, who was embarrassedly dipping her face into the water.
"Oh you want to play longer underwater, I can hold my breath enough" Said Akko who was just entering the water.
(How can she be so silly and be so like that, yet I still like her more, ahhhhhhh, I need to control myself, my thoughts can't take over, I'm thinking too much with my heart and not with my reason, calm down Diana... This is being such a moment... I don't know).
"Look at this one, I'm a glub glub fish" said Atsuko, waving her arms and wading into the water while plugging her nose, earning a few laughs.
"Akko, please give me a back massage" said Diana as she turned to her friend.
"Sure, you'll relax a lot, if you want I'll wash your back too...Wow, why do you get goose bumps when I run my finger down the middle of your back and why do you make those little noises, you're really weird" said Kagari.
(Shit, for the triforce because I had to end up giving in this way, now she's attacking on the sensitivity of my back, even more so with these hands, these hands of hers that despite being strong are very light and delicate, they are like leaves passing over my back, they really give me a much more comfortable feeling... Diana... What kind of strange sensation is this, it's like I feel a shiver in my body, as if all my body hair is raised, I can only really relax).
(Diana's really weird good at least she's enjoying her bath).
And she was enjoying it a lot, although it often panicked her mind, but it was being a quiet bath, meanwhile elsewhere in the house, simply in Hellene's quarters there was the princess with her best friend setting up a pillow fort, simply because of the news that Leclerc would be staying an extra day at the castle spending the night with her friend.
"We could call Akko and Diana" said Marianne, putting another pillow on the bed.
"Let's go to Akko's room and get some more pillows, I'm sure she'll be there and then she'll call my sis" said the smiling McLaren.
"Good idea" said the dark-haired one with red streaks.
"My sister is going to be a bit of a pain in the arse to convince, she'll probably say it's a pain in the arse" said the redhead laughing.
"Worse than not, these days Diana was very reflective and told me about being more loose about herself, she really wants to appear to be more herself, it's quite strange, but I'm happy with that" Said the brown-eyed one.
And there went the duo to the warrior's quarters when they enter they are surprised by her absence there, but even so they do not care, they are picking up cushions there anyway, they already suspected that she is probably still outside, maybe talking to Diana or something else.
"Let's get everything, since Akko's not here we can make a huge pillow fort" said the purple-eyed one.
"We're going to make a huge castle, it's going to be really nice when we all arrive and stay overnight in the pillow fort, we're going to tell bizarre legends" said Marianne.
"Oh I want to do that, let's put a lamp near the face to make it even more intense if it's a scary legend" Hellene said.
They agree with their heads, walking through the corridors of the castle with the pile of blankets and pillows that were being taken to McLaren's room and were making this way back and forth several times, even taking some things for support, thus managing to keep the fort firm, in the end even the bed pillow they managed to take together.
After a good few minutes emptying the warrior's quarters as they could, the next shift was to go to Princess Diana's room, but they ended up having a not very pleasant surprise, entering there just when both girls had left the bath and being undressed.
"Oh you were bathing! "Hey girls, I was behind you," said Hellene as calmly as ever and Akko even waved back to McLaren, while Cavendish ended up hiding among the towels and Marianne displayed a bit of a blushing expression, turning her face away.
"But why do you want to call us? You've already had a bath today Hellene, I think you're a bit late, we've just got out of the bath?" said Atsuko who then only saw her being wrapped in a towel by her friend covering her.
"Have the decency to hide your shame Akko, for the Triforce... And Hellene, what's this about entering my chambers without knocking on the door first? I told you I can be naked" said the blue-eyed one, and her sister just shrugged.
"Normal, I just wanted to call you for a pillow fort, we were going to your room to get things to make the fort" said the purple-eyed one.
"Hmmmmmm, it looks like they want to make a love pillow fort," said Marianne laughing and then seeing a brush flying towards her that was caught by the redhead.
"My reflexes are up to date sis, don't do something like that, Mari just teased a little, you don't want to go with us, let's spend the night telling bizarre legends, let's read books, stay in a well-made fort, then we sleep inside it, we have a pillow war" Said the excited younger princess and saw the older one running her hand over her face and taking a deep breath.
"Pillow fort! Pillow fort! Pillow fort!" Akko was beginning to shout.
"Pillow fort! Pillow fort! Pillow fort..." The three excited girls shouted more and more until Diana interrupted them.
"OK! Pillow fort, I'll do it, but please can you leave my room until I get dressed" Cavendish said.
"Yayyyyy!" They all said they were leaving, including Akko, but she was soon held by her friend.
"You're not Akko, you're going to go naked through the castle corridors, let's get dressed and hide these shames properly, at least have that minimum decency" Said the princess that earned a few laughs from the warrior.
"You're so cute like that, you're all embarrassed, you know that? It seems that the way of the princess all formal is part of you too hahahaha" Atsuko said scratching the back of her head.
The two girls went to the door of the quarters and called the girls of the fort and there they took the rest of the pillows, going to McLaren's room, where there are already many blankets and pillows, thus leaving the place even more with resources to build a fort.
Soon they took everything they needed to build such a thing, taking from one side to the other the blankets that were many from Cavendish's room, despite being the same as Princess McLaren, in this they could already begin the construction of the fort
"Is that all you've managed to do so far? How are you going to accommodate everyone, we better dismantle this small fort and make a huge one from scratch, we all build a huge fort" Said the one with platinum blonde hair.
"Oh that's good little sister" said the red-haired one.
The four of them were rebuilding the pillow fort together showing that they were very excited until, even the blue-eyed one who was irritated by the moment they entered her room was excited, over time they were making that place gain more and more shape, it was getting very grand and full, having some well-defined walls, even the bed was pushed to be a part of the fort more in the corner and the place where they went to sleep was defined, the whole floor of the room was with carpet and also blankets, many of them, to the point that they were practically walking barefoot.
The queens knocked on the door of the room and made an entrance even strangely aware of having to take off their shoes to enter.
"What is it?" Queen Laura asks.
"'That's the pillow fort we built, or rather the pillow land" said Princess Diana and the two older girls looked at each other until they stepped through it and stood looking round.
"We did it together, to have fun that night, it's not every night that Marianne stays here so she has to have a night to have fun" said Princess Hellene.
"How cute, how adorable, we'll get you some more blankets in our room so you can increase the amount of comfort on the floor" said Mrs McLaren.
"Love, this is going to be a lot of work to tidy up afterwards" Queen Bernadette said.
"Let them have fun, it's moments like this that we have to enjoy, it's not every day that they can have so much fun, so we'll bring more pillows and blankets, your room tonight will be the land of pillows" Said the red-haired lady and the four girls go celebrating, which the platinum blonde hair can understand what the wife meant.
'You're right my love, we'll let you have lots of fun, enjoy the weekend with Marianne here, but after she comes home you'll have to tidy up, you'll take the blankets to the laundry, you'll wash them and leave everything in order..." Mrs Cavendish said until her wife closed her mouth.
"You can leave it to the servants to take care of it, take the time you can to have fun, next week Akko will leave for her great mission of the master sword, you deserve so much fun, you were brave for the search of the four pendants of courage, you went through so much, I can already imagine, just don't get sick, this is just for now, then everything will return to normal, Bern and I will go to the kitchen to prepare even some biscuits after we bring things to the pillow fort" Again the wife of Queen Laura can understand the message that wanted to be left.
"We're going, so have a great time" Queen Bernadette said, leaving the room with her wife.
Obviously the four girls were very excited, they were even strange because of the way the elders were very affectionate, treating them with so much affection and letting them have too much fun as if they had no rules, but even so they continued to set up the fort, filling the rooms with pillows and blankets, leaving a practically fluffy and soft place wherever they stepped.
In the corridors near the royal quarters, the two queens stared at each other and put their hands on each other's shoulders.
"You're doing all this so they don't find out about the seriousness of the situation yet, aren't you?" Cavendish said.
"Unfortunately, I want them to have as much fun as possible, have these last days as much fun as possible, I don't know if we're really going to make it out of this alive... Or if we get out alive if they will understand when we return, unfortunately Hyrule depends on us, we have to keep the heroine and our children safe, it is not yet time for the moment to save Hyrule, you know Akko is still a child" McLaren said.
"You at fifteen had to go on the battlefield too love, you were just as brave, you trained like a great warrior all for our kingdom, I understand what you want to do with the girls, you don't want them to go through that too do you? Even if we have trained them the best thing to do is that they never put that training into practice" Said the green-eyed one.
"Exactly Bernadette... Exactly that, that they enjoy and have a lot of fun these days, I'm sure this war will not be as brief as the first ones were, this will be a lasting war, Appleton's forces have had 20 years to get their act together, you'll know what military strategies they have in hand" Said the blue-eyed one, kind of huffing in frustration.
After this brief conversation the two go to the rooms, taking several blankets in their hands until they had to take them in a wheelbarrow going to the princesses' room to help them have fun in the middle of the pillow fort, with that extra layer of blankets the floor around and also even part of the walls was getting softer, even some pillows were serving to make a wall, the whole place looked more like a land full of cloth, like a real dream, always looking with the queens' sly smile.
Akko and Hellene returned to Wedinburgh, a very long trip with news that will shake normality around the place, which may be the preface of a great war, already leaving the alert lit by the queens, while the girls are not having the slightest notion of the probable seriousness of the moment, having fun during the rest until the next adventure that will be the determining point of this journey. With the four pendants of courage the great warrior Akko will reach the master sword.
See you, home witches...