The days went by with Ursula Callistis training with Akko and she was progressing very well, understanding more of the mysterious astrologer that she was strangely familiarising herself with as if she was someone very close, Atsuko was perfecting herself little by little as a great warrior, which had already passed a month since she had taken the second pendant, already being willing to start taking the third, being even called by the queen for this mission, in case she would do it more alone, in case she would even be given a cart where she could take to the Dublin ranch before going to the dungeon in the northwest of Hyrule.
Kagari was making the last preparations for the mission by closing the wagon and putting her things to leave, like resources for camping and also some things that Queen Laura wanted to send her sister to help at the ranch.
Closing the cloth over the wagon she ties it and walks to the throne room afterwards, meeting the queens already announcing the departure early that morning, both were in the throne room just waiting for the warrior's presence.
"I want to announce that right now I'm leaving your majesties" said the one with crimson eyes.
"You can leave Akko, remember to return well, I will warn you that you will leave and return alone without a royal entourage, so know how to get around on the way, even if it is very close the distance from the Dublin ranch to here and also from the ranch to the dungeon, well I hope you can and have remembered a lot of the training you did" Said Queen Laura.
"You bet I haven't forgotten, I even took a lot of coats to face the cold of the coldest dungeon, well now I'm going, I'm just going to say goodbye to the princesses, goodbye majesties" Said the brownish one bowing to the two queens.
"Take care Akko, we will be cheering for your victory here in Wedinburgh, we trust that you will be able to get the third pendant, after that there will only be one more and soon you will be able to have the master sword in hand, become a great heroine" Said Queen Bernadette.
Akko leaves the throne room, going to the garden, she notices that Hellene was there playing with her friend Marianne, who can even spend a night in the castle, the two were just sitting on the floor playing drawing, until the arrival of the warrior where they wave at Atsuko's presence.
"HeyAkko, are you leaving already?" Princess McLaren asks.
"Of course, from here I'll go to the next dungeon and pay your aunt a little visit, now that I know she has a real position, I'll even have a good laugh, anyway, I'm leaving soon and Diana? Have you seen her around?" Hyllian from Luna Nova said and both just shook their heads in denial.
"I didn't even see her leaving her room and since there was no training today she just went to sleep, but it's strange, my sister is not like that, she always wakes up early, sometimes she runs to the library, but I don't know, she must be out there" Said the youngest princess.
"I can't take too long, but tell her I'm coming now, I just really wanted to hug her to tell her I'll be fine, she was really worried about the last dungeon, it's really weird" said the confused Kagari.
"I think so too, if you meet my sister on the way, tell her to come here, we'll see you coming out of one of the towers" Hellene said and the warrior nods.
Quickly the crimson-eyed one, is doing a search for the eldest princess, but she could not find anywhere in a quick search, she was not in her chambers, so little was in the royal library and not anywhere which was already very suspicious, but as the brownish one could not delay she went straight to her wagon a little sad not to see Princess Diana there, after all she really wanted to say goodbye to her.
Akko is leaving Wedinburgh Castle where he already sees Marianne and Hellene in the towers as well as the queens watching the departure of the girl's wagon through the castle and then going into the city, where some people were already looking in awe at the sight of the warrior of Luna Nova
"Look it's the great Akko of Luna Nova!" Said one of the traders.
"She is leaving on yet another royal mission!" Said a woman who was holding her son.
"I heard that she was able to defeat a statue that moves at a very high speed with only her weapons, that she could lift mountains, she will be our hope against the evils of Lord Hanbridge of Appleton" Said the pot merchant.
(I didn't imagine that the city was already filling up with rumours about me, I wasn't liked like that in Luna Nova, but here I'm always liked, that's too funny, good time to leave here, now I'm going to go to the Dublin ranch, maybe I can stretch the trip to do it in one day, I can risk facing the creatures and get there in time, they shouldn't be that dangerous at night...) Diana... Why didn't you turn up for me this time, I wish I could say goodbye to you, but you're not even in your bed)
The Hyllian of Luna Nova left the city of Wedinburgh with her wagon she was taking a very long journey from the royal city to the Dublin ranch, already thinking about what will come ahead, since it may be the first time witnessing such an icy dungeon, since in her village, there were rare moments that had snow there, even though it was cold in winter, it did not reach the point of causing snow.
[...]
The path was very quiet until then, but night was falling and there was still some time to reach the Dublin ranch, very little to the point that Atsuko was already taking a deep breath, taking the staff in the bag preparing to shoot with the arrow if any of the various monsters and night creatures appear, the crimson eyes were attentive to any danger.
(You can see that it will only be an arrow, I'm already arriving at the Dublin ranch, the sun is already setting, I think I'll get there in another half hour on horseback, but by then the sky is already dark, what a drug, well I hope these monsters appear, they must not be that deadly).
She was already very close to the Dublin ranch, but it started to get dark and in that some monsters similar to skeletons but of a bizarre bipedal creature were coming out of the land and with that the Hyllian of Luna Nova was firing arrows at those who came ahead, but did not touch what came behind yet.
"Damn it! It's only ten minutes to get there, I can see the ranch tower from afar, damn creatures that have appeared at this hour" Said the furious brownish woman.
She was looking back and seeing some monsters coming near the wagon, also by what looked like thieves, but they were falling in a mysterious way, what looked like even arrows were thrown, which she had no idea.
(Maybe it's Croix's or Constanze's engineering, I don't remember her putting an automatic arrow launcher that shoots with tremendous accuracy right at the monsters' heads, well I better pay attention to what's in front).
And so in a very suspicious and strange way, Akko could take care of what came ahead since arrows were launched from the rear and still with tremendous precision, this from time to time what Atsuko could hear the sound of what seemed to be a beast in the wagon, but until then she did not suspect anything since the path was getting free and the wagon was able to move on.
Until she got close to the gates of the ranch where the creatures appeared little by little, they were hindering Kagari who was arriving to open the place, but she was being surrounded what she was even defending herself with a sword and saw the horse in the cart going crazy jumping from one side to the other, in this he is getting loose from the cart.
"Damn it! Dumb horse don't do that" said the frustrated crimson-eyed girl.
The horse was riding away and the wagon remained in place and out of nowhere the cloth of it breaks and a woman comes out who with a rapier goes attacking the monsters that were coming up on the brownish, they were creatures similar to half zombified dead soldiers, who were killed quickly with quick strokes of the woman with very familiar platinum blond hair.
"Diana?" Said the confused Akko.
"Open this gate soon I take care of these monsters" Said Cavendish half without question because of the situation Atsuko goes doing.
Kagari manages to open the gate and the way becomes very clear since Diana has enormous agility with the rapier when it is against those several zombified soldiers who came out of the earth attacking the girls.
The gates open and in this the crimson-eyed one pushes the cart, then having a help from Diana as the monsters approached, but inside as soon as they approached the zombies were all killed due to the light of the lamps nearby and also the circle of fire that was nearby protecting from any creature.
"Phew, we made it, we didn't lose the cargo" said a relieved Hyllian from Luna Nova as she watched the zombies simply fall dead to the ground and then closed the gates.
"It seems I saved you from this Akko, your stubbornness to continue travelling at night made me come out of my hiding place and reveal my disguise" Said the princess shrugging, which she could then notice a furious expression from the warrior.
The furious Akko catches Diana by the collar of her clothes, taking her against the wall of one of the warehouses and then takes the sword, giving a blow right in the clothes where it tears and stares furiously at Cavendish who even blushes a little with that sudden reaction of Kagari who was furious and very angry with all that.
"What are you doing here?" Shouts the crimson-eyed one angrily.
"Akko... Calm down, that way you will wake my aunt, then my disguise will fall apart, I just wanted to have some fun and my mother told me that the dungeon of the icy hills of Cork was one of the most dangerous, I wanted to help ... I can't let the warrior die, I can help too, I'm not just a helpless little princess" Said the princess trying to ease the warrior's fury.
"Oh, I'm going to shout, I want the whole ranch to hear that you're going to get me in trouble, little Princess Cavendish" Shouts the brownish woman, who then pulls her sword out of the blonde's platinum hair.
"Akko! My auntie is going..." She soon notices that Chelsea was standing there holding a lamp in her hand and watching all the commotion.
"Mrs McLaren! I say Countess McLaren, look who's turned up to disrupt my journey" said the still stressed Atsuko.
"Come indoors, it's cold out here, we'll solve this in conversation, you two must be hungry, dinner has just been ready" Chelsea said to the two, which the princess shrugged, even though she saw that the warrior was sketching an angry countenance.
With that the two girls who came from Wedinburgh guard the wagon in a safer place and then go walking next to inside Luna Nova, what they see opr there Holly who waves all happy to both and also the Gerudo Amanda who were both dining a soup that the owner of the ranch had prepared and soon both are also taking some too.
What was becoming evident is that unlike the usual where Akko was noisy eating, she was just being silent and not failing to stare with her crimson eyes in front of the blue eyes of Diana who was a little scared and even afraid of the way her friend was acting.
"What happened to Akko and her cousin?" Holly asks, a little curious.
"Unresolved sexual tension" Amanda said laughing.
"It's not so much that, but I liked the comment, I think they had a fight when they got here, their wagon was pretty empty and it also looks like they were attacked by the night monsters, they came here at once from Wedinburgh, I think they should have left earlier" Chelsea said.
And the two just kept quiet without answering just eating, which they were even eating a lot because of hunger, especially Cavendish who had not eaten since morning, which soon they were filling up and were still having faces, where it was evident how it was very one-sided between anger and fear.
"Now that you've eaten, can you explain to me what happened?" Mrs McLaren said.
"I want a good explanation for all this, little Princess Cavendish" Akko said with her arms crossed.
"What? Didn't you two come together? Why are you so angry with her?" asks the confused younger McLaren.
"Let the little princess explain everything, she's the one who came up with the stupid idea around here" said Atsuko, still very angry.
"Well where can I start... I was hidden, yes, I'm sorry for that, but I had a motivation for that, my mother told me a lot about the dangers of the Cork dungeon, she is icy and almost died of cold being there, not to mention the dangerous creatures, so I decided to go with you in this Akko, I don't want you to risk dying, especially since you know that my mother is a very complete warrior and almost died, who will say you that two months ago you are training with us, I don't want you to die ... The future of Hyrule depends on you,
that's why I went with you and I intend to face all the consequences and punishments that are necessary if so requested by my actions" Said Princess Diana to all.
"You what? I thought I could respect you for what you said, I even thought you were genuinely concerned about me as a person, but I see that I was wrong, you only think I'm incapable and weak, it's always this little speech of diminishing me because I'm a stupid girl, because I'm not as capable as a warrior like your mother or one day Chariot Du Nord was, honestly I thought you were friendly, but you only belittle me ... I'm sorry if I've never had any real training since I was a child, the lady of Rapier" said Akko as she angrily got up from the table and left the kitchen.
"Akko..." Said Cavendish who even saw a few tears coming from the face of Hyllian of Luna Nova.
The warrior went to her room where she was crying with sadness, being a little consoled by Gerudo while the princess was starting to cry for the reaction she saw from the girl that was a little unexpected, being a little consoled by the family, just thinking about what had happened, a little sorry for everything, but frustrated too.
"I didn't mean to belittle her, I just feel a real concern auntie, my mum you know she's an extremely thorough and skilled warrior, she suffered in that dungeon, who's to say about Akko, you know about her too... You trained her for a while... I just wanted to help, but from the looks of it I think I screwed up... I think I'll leave tomorrow then back to Wedinburgh, my mum will be furious with me by then anyway... "I didn't mean to cause Akko that" said the princess, who was about to get up, but had the sleeve of her clothes held by her aunt, who pulled her back to the chair.
"You can sit there girl, don't think you're going to get out of this... All right, you think that's it? Are you really going to chicken out? If you go back home like this just leaving Akko hurt without giving an excuse and still cowering from trying to go to the dungeon then your mother will think you made the wrong choice, I will not let you leave here until you apologise to Akko and are getting along again and I'm serious I'll send a letter to your mother saying that and she will agree with it so try to make peace with your friend, besides, don't think about chickening out of going to the dungeon, you didn't do all this to just turn your back and not give a damn" Said Diana's aunt who is even in shock at her reaction.
"So you're not mad because I escaped from the castle?" Cavendish asks.
"I'm angry with you cowering after going so far, you escape from the castle, take it up with your mothers, I don't care about that, your mothers raised a woman and not a coward, they never gave up, Bernadette fled the castle to go to the first dungeon with her mother, she only didn't run away to the second because of my sister's stubbornness and she almost died, I know you two will work well together in this dungeon, now go on girl, think about what you did" Chelsea said giving the platinum blonde hair a real one.
Diana even takes a deep breath, she listened to her aunt's advice and leaves the kitchen, where she walks around the house, even Holly was a little scared by the reaction that her mother had made to her cousin, soon Cavendish finds the room where Akko was, she looks through the door seeing that Amanda was advising her and comforting her, the gerudo soon notices the presence of the princess and leaves that room, which Atsuko finds strange and then looks at her friend with great contempt.
"So you liked what you did? Who would have thought that a strong warrior like me would be in tears? "So was I" said Kagari.
"No, I don't feel good about it, I didn't mean to call you incapable, I just wanted to adventure with you, really... I was getting bored of staying in the castle in the greatest boredom, I wanted some action and I also worry about you, but I don't doubt your ability, you defeated AnsolewAiro with great precision, who knows, maybe you'll also defeat the monster of the next dungeon too, look I just want..." Said the blue-eyed one who can't finish the sentence when she sees the crimson-eyed one staring at her, which makes her blush a little.
"You don't have to appear to be the sophisticated princess, you know? Hellene is much looser with her emotions than you, but I'm still mad at you, I'm not incapable, Ansolew Airo was very complicated for me, the monsters that came are not easy either, you saw that I evolved a lot" Said the brownish one.
"I recognise your evolution Akko, I just want to ask for forgiveness, look, if you want I'll just stay here at the ranch, waiting for you, you go to the dungeon, there's no problem, since you think it's better" Said Diana and she sees Akko denying with her head.
"If you insist so much on adventuring with me, then let's go together, you come with me in this dungeon, you will see up close that I am not incapable, that I can also be a good warrior, but you can help me if I need it, little princess" said Atsuko.
"Really? You're not going to get upset about anything and I'm not a helpless little princess, I can go for action too" Cavendish said.
"Yes, I want to show that I'm not a fake, it always happens to me that you think that about me, now is the opportunity to do so, in fact it seems that the princess did not want to play superior now, surprising to see that you have a more human side" Said Kagari.
"I'm not the monster you think I am Akko, I genuinely see you as a person like any other, you're not disposable or inferior to me, I don't know where you get that from, but anyway, are we okay then?" Asks the platinum blonde haired one.
"Only if you hug me" said the crimson-eyed one, rising for a hug.
"Akko I haven't even bathed yet are you sure?" The blue-eyed one gets a little wary and then gets hugged anyway.
"I'm a bit dirty too, we're both dirty without bathing, but that doesn't matter to me, now if you mess up again I'll never talk to you again, even though you're a pain in the ass you're my favourite princess" said the brownish one making the platinum blonde one blush.
"What do you mean favourite princess? Akko!" Said the blushing Diana.
"Now let's bathe, I'm smelling a bit bad, I don't want to sleep smelling even more for the dungeon ahead" Akko said scratching the back of his neck very calmly.
"Just one question before I go and have a bath, if you were to choose to marry one of the princesses which of the two would you choose between me or Hellene?" Asks the embarrassed Cavendish.
"I would choose to be single" Atsuko replies, which makes her friend blush.
"Oh come on Akko, it's either one or the other" said the embarrassed princess.
"I don't want to think about marriage, I'm only 14, I'd rather not answer a question like that, now if you allow me I'm going to bathe, I need a little privacy here, unless you want to join me, which I don't see a problem" Said the warrior to the blue-eyed one who frustratedly leaves and even gets a little blushed.
(She did invite me to bathe with her... Ah for the triforce, I think I'd better not fill my head with such things, but she did call me, she has the comfort to say such a thing, but I wouldn't take off my clothes for such intimacy, Akko is just a friend of mine... What the hell she really won't ever answer who of us she would choose to marry... She says I'm her favourite princess, but it's obvious how she gets on with Hellene, hmpf, why am I thinking about this too much, for Hyrule's sake, I think I'd better go and bathe and... Damn my aunt heard everything, she heard our conversation).
"Amanda was right about what she said about you" said Chelsea, who was standing by the door.
"Auntie! Ahhhhh, did you hear all the way to the last part?" Said the blushing Diana.
"Oh and as I heard very well, apparently the thing here is more than just a friendship, isn't it Diana, well I'm not going to get in the way, but I see a climate there between you two, it seems that the future queen has a lot to think about in that little head, I even thought you were intending to protect Akko for a logic that you did, but it's something else, it's something else, now everything makes a huge sense, I think I'm going to have to payAmanda something after that, that Gerudo really knows when it's something like that incredible" Said Mrs McLaren.
"Aunty! Ahhh, after that I'll go and have a bath" Cavendish said, and her aunt still makes a point of tapping on Akko's bedroom door.
"Just go through that door, I think the water is still heating up, maybe you can get there in time, I can even bring a bathtub for two" Said the older woman teasing what even notices her niece biting her lips a little but she shakes her head and turns to her room.
"Auntie! I'm going to my room," said the embarrassed girl, trying at all costs to hide her face in shame.
And with that Diana went alone to bathe in her room what Chelsea could notice that both had something between them that was already quite intense, it was not just a mere friendship, it was something bigger than
that. After the baths with the sleeping clothes the girls went to the living room, since they were not sleepy yet and there they played a little checkers to pass the time.
Until bedtime, where they each said goodbye to each other and went to the other's room, until it was time for the two girls from Wedinburgh to say goodbye.
"Good evening Diana, I guess it wasn't so bad that you came, you're not so annoying when you don't want to be annoying" Said the smiling Akko who then receives a punch on Diana's arm.
"I can also be a more lively person, tomorrow we go to the dungeon, we unload the things and get the cold clothes for the journey" Cavendish said.
"Tomorrow? But already? Can't we just enjoy the time here and rest?" Said the tired Atsuko.
"No more laziness, after we finish the dungeon we'll come back here and enjoy the time, what do you think? I want to stay here for a few days as much as you do, it's been months since I've been to the Dublin ranch, it's my favourite place" said the princess.
"Oh really? I really like it here too, I really wish when I was older I had a ranch like this to go and have some peace and quiet and look after my animals and have fun with my friends...". I miss them, Lotte, Sucy, you have no idea how much I still want to go back to the new Luna one day, it's been almost three months since I left there" said the warrior.
"One day we'll go back there, we can travel more often together Akko" Said the platinum-haired one who was holding her soft hands in the brownish one's hands who was blushing a little.
"If you don't irritate me with your pompous and annoying way of acting I might think about taking you on more adventures" said the crimson-eyed one feeling lighter.
"Oh what an exaggeration Akko, I'm not the pompous princess you think I am, I've proven it many times, know that I even worked on this ranch here when I came on summer holidays, even took frogs in hand, I am not what you read in fairy tales that princesses are, I am a warrior as much as you, I just had the chance to be born the daughter of queens and consequently making me the princess of Wedinburgh" Said the one with blue eyes that then saw a good laugh between the two talking to each other.
"I still want to see a lot of this truer side of you Diana, look at how your eyes change, a sparkle appears, what was once so opaque, now you seem to feel more comfortable, what holds you back so much back in Wedinburgh that you are not like that here" Akko asks.
"My position as heir to the throne... UnfortunatelyAnna raised me from a very young age preparing me for this, even in the way I should behave, always exalting the importance of presenting a behaviour worthy of a future queen, just as she did with my mother Bernadette, she exalts the importance of class and appearance, all for the good of the kingdom, I was raised like that ... When I'm out of Wedinburgh, all that weight comes off me, I feel safe, I don't feel like I'm carrying the responsibility of the kingdom on my back, I just feel like Diana Cavendish" Diana said and she sees a smile on Atsuko's face.
"You know, be more like that person, you don't have to act like you're carrying the kingdom of Wedinburgh and all of Hyrule, be more loose, more cheerful, open that smile, look how you become one of the most interesting people in the world like that, I really want to see how the sophisticated little princess is a different woman" said Kagari.
"Do you find me interesting?" Said the blushing Cavendish.
"And how can you not? You are amazing Diana, you are very complete, you are intriguing, you are mysterious, you are a beautiful princess who is also not like the stories I always read about, a helpless maiden who is in danger and the warrior comes to rescue her, no, you are the opposite of that, you even rescue the warrior if you need to, that's what I think is cool, your style of rapier, gives you all that light and sophisticated aura, it matches your position as a princess, your delicacy, you look like a porcelain vase made with the greatest care and with the softest ornaments designed around it, but you are deadly like a blade, you are complete, I think you are the most beautiful of princesses... I mean... You know what I mean Diana, you're very nice, be yourself, people like it, if they don't, you can be sure I'll make them like it" Said the Hyllian of Luna Nova making the princess of Wedinburgh blush more.
"I think my time has come, thanks for the compliments Akko, I also have a huge admiration for you, you are not as clumsy a warrior as you say you are, you are fun" Said Diana walking towards her room.
And so the two finalised their days, full of surprises, each going to sleep in the room where they were assigned, but with their heads full of thoughts about what happened, as well as thinking about each other.
And so it was the day of the unexpected trip with Diana going hidden by the wagon where Akko was going to the Dublin ranch with some surprises that were not at all pleasant causing many confusions and discussions between them, mainly about what was happening, but they also resolved themselves with a good conversation and there Atsuko can meet the real Princess Cavendish.
See you, princess witches...