Chapter Two: Kidnapping the Princess
Heads turned as the young couple made their way along the cobbled road toward Castle Wyndia. While it wasn't unusual for people to visit the king and his family, it was surprising to find the redheaded engineer outside the confines of the previously-abandoned tower she had occupied two years prior. Not only that, she had doffed her trademarked mortarboard and changed out her usual puffy outfit for a slimmer version, one that accentuated her slim yet curvy body without flaunting it. It was enough to draw longing glances from many of the young men along the way, though.
What was even more surprising, however, was the sight of the handsome young man holding her hand. Tall and muscular yet lean, his mere presence exuded confidence, and the sword strapped to his back told all who saw him that he could handle himself in a fight. The smile on his face whenever he'd glance over at the girl on his hand communicated that he would also use that sword to protect her with it and his life.
"B-Beautiful day, isn't it?' Momo asked while blushing at the approving smiles of a gray-haired couple.
"Yeah, it is," Ryu agreed, then glanced over at her. "Are you okay, Momo? Your face is really red."
Her grip on his hand tightened briefly as she fidgeted, though she didn't let go. "I'm…not used to being looked at this much," she replied while giving their admirers a sideways glance.
"Maybe it's your outfit?" he suggested. "It looks really good on you. Thanks for changing for me."
She blushed ever more fiercely but managed to squeak in gratitude as they approached the lift to Castle Wyndia.
Of course, the guard on duty recognized them both, though for different reasons: "Ryu-sama!" he boomed. "And Lady Momo! Welcome back…!" He trailed off as he noticed their clasped hands. "Ah, so you two are acquainted." He gestured to the lift. "By all means, please pass."
As they ascended the lift, Ryu looked over at his wife. "'Lady Momo'?"
She cast her gaze to the floor. "Ever since Princess Nina took me on as a teacher, I've developed a reputation in the castle. It probably didn't hurt that I've been fixing and upgrading many of their machines while I've lived here."
"That sounds like you," he chuckled. "Are they going to be okay after you leave?"
"I hope so," she replied, looking up again to meet his eyes. "I've tutored their engineers and refined their knowledge of their machines, so they should be fine."
"I'm sure they will," he said confidently. "After all, you're the best when it comes to machines."
She wanted to reply but awkwardness at the praise held her tongue, so she could only blush once again as the lift continued to ascend.
Not unexpectedly, they were quickly ushered into the throne room, where both King Wyndia and Princess Nina waited for them. "Ryu!" Nina exclaimed at the sight of her friend. "And Sensei!" She quickly hopped up from her throne at her father's side and hurried down the stairs with hands outstretched. "I'm sorry that I haven't visited you in so long, Momo-sensei!"
"It's okay," the engineer replied meekly as she repeatedly eyed the king, unsure of how casually she would be allowed to speak to her former pupil. "I know you're busy. It's good to see you again."
"And I love your outfit!" the princess gushed as she reached out to take her master's hand, only to find with firmly clasped within Ryu's. "Oh. Do…you two know each other?"
"W-…We do," Momo managed before succumbing to anxiety; talking with royalty was very different than instructing other engineers.
Ryu noticed her distress and took over. "Princess, is there any way we could talk?" he asked, then glanced cautiously over at the king. "I mean, privately?"
Nina noticed his expression and smiled. "Of course. And please, call me 'Nina', like before. We're…friends after all, right?"
"Right," Ryu replied with a glance at his wife. "We're friends."
After a nod from His Highness, Nina led her guests to her room. "Please, sit wherever you like." She couldn't help but notice that the dragon and the engineer claimed the loveseat, still holding hands. She also noticed that her former traveling companion had changed his outfit as well as his hairstyle. "So, how have you both been?" she asked excitedly while trying to ignore a twinge in her chest. "It's been a while since our last battle."
"We've been fine," Ryu replied. "To be honest, we just…"
"Are you in love with Ryu?" Momo blurted out before she could stop herself; curiosity was her weakness, after all, but this curiosity was buttressed by a mild anxiety, making it harder for her to resist.
"A-Am I…?" Nina stammered, her wings fluttering just slightly as she glanced repeatedly at Ryu, who had turned nearly white at the unexpected question. "Well, I mean… We traveled together, of course, but…" She sighed and tossed her hands into the air, letting them drop into her lap. "I guess I wasn't as subtle as I thought, huh?"
"For…what it's worth, I couldn't tell," Ryu admitted hesitantly, reluctant to put himself in the middle of a women's conversation. "I was pretty naïve, after all, and only half there… If you get what I mean."
"I do," Nina giggled, then gasped at her choice of words. "So… Since you're together and holding hands, are you…?" She gestured toward them as she pressed her fist against her mouth in an effort to hold back the tears that threatened to leak out.
Ryu and Momo exchanged another glance before he spoke: "Nina, there's…more to the story than what you know, but…yeah, we're basically married."
The princess of Wyndia squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath to calm herself. "Well…good for you both," she trembled as she forced a smile. "I'm happy for the both of you."
"Please don't lie to us, Nina," Momo gently admonished. "Even I can tell that you're hurting."
The engineer's expression of sympathy, even as unpolished as it was, was enough for the tears to flow, and Nina quickly covered her face. "I'm so sorry!" she wailed through her hands, her grief punctuated by the occasional hiccup. "I didn't know!"
The young couple bolted from their seats to kneel next to the princess' chair and each take hold of a hand. "I-It's okay, Nina," Momo said as comfortingly as she could while aware of her deficiencies when it came to interpersonal interactions.
"We only found each other again this morning," Ryu added in an effort to soften the blow.
"Huh?" Nina lifted reddened and puffy eyes to give her friend a puzzled look. "This morning? What do you mean?"
"That's the…'more to the story' that I was talking about before," he reminded her as gently as he could. "I want to tell you, but it could take a while."
Nina sniffled as she blotted her tears with a handkerchief. "I'll ask one of the staff to bring us some tea."
"The first thing you need to know is that Momo and I aren't from this time," Ryu explained after the maid had served the tea and left the room.
"Not from this time?" Nina echoed, her former distress mitigated somewhat by the revelation. "What do you mean? Are you from the future? Is that why Momo-sensei is so good with machines?"
"No, no," he replied. "We're from…" He looked over at Momo, then shrugged with a helpless expression. "I don't know if this'll make any sense, but we're from…another universe."
"Another…universe?"
"You remember that Ryu was summoned to this world, right?" Momo prompted.
"Of course," Nina replied. "But there was a mistake in the summoning, and part of him-" She cut herself off, and her eyes widened as she remembered… "Wait a minute! 'Summoning' means that we call a being from another dimension!"
"Exactly," Ryu confirmed with a nod, grateful that he wouldn't need to explain further.
"And when Ryu was summoned to your world, he and I were having a picnic together," Momo added, then quickly averted her gaze. "When he suddenly disappeared, it was…difficult."
It was hard to miss the emotion in the engineer's voice, and in spite of her own distress Nina's heart went out to the older woman. "I'm so sorry, Sensei; it must have been hard for you."
"I spent weeks trying to figure out how to track him," Momo continued in a strained voice while taking Ryu's hand in both of hers. "And just when I had developed a transporter that would enable me to follow him, the accident happened."
"The explosion that you mentioned when we first met…" Nina realized.
"Y-Yeah."
"At least we found each other again," Ryu noted as he squeezed her hand.
Nina sighed as she mused over her friends' stories before a question came to mind. "I don't mean to be rude, but why are you telling me all of this? Do you need my help or something?"
"No, but thanks," Ryu replied, looking over at his wife as he gave her hand another squeeze "I wanted you to know because…well, because we'll be going home after I fix a few things."
Nina's breath caught in her throat. "Going…home…?"
"Don't get me wrong," Ryu quickly added while waving the hand not holding Momo's. "I like this world, and I feel very protective toward everyone here. But it's not my home, if you get what I mean."
"No, I understand," the princess replied while holding up a hand as the tears started to flow again. "It's just that we'll miss you here."
"We should be able to visit every once in a while," he told her, hoping that the revelation would bring her comfort. "After all, I know where this place is, so I should be able to come back and visit all of you."
"That's good to know," Nina replied, feeling a sense of relief. Wanting to change the subject she asked, "You said you wanted to fix a few things? What does that mean?" Knowing her friend as she did, whatever Ryu intended to do had to be for the betterment of others.
Ryu said nothing but rose to his feet and held out his hand, and anticipation welled up in the princess' heart as she looked up into his smiling face, and she reached out to take his hand.
"This world is under my protection," Ryu announced to all present in the Wyndian throne room. "That being said, I would be very displeased were someone to abuse my good intentions by summoning me away from another picnic with my wife," he finished while giving Momo's hand a squeeze.
The king of Wyndia looked at Ryu, then at the crystal in his hand that he had been given, then back to Ryu. "Well, you've made yourself very clear, Ryu-sama; you have my word that we will not use this to contact you unless desperation compels us. Is that acceptable?"
Ryu looked to Momo, who nodded. "That is acceptable, King of Wyndia. A pleasant day to you." He turned to leave but stopped to look back. "One last thing: I will be taking Princess Nina with me for a short time; I trust that there are no objections?"
"None at all," the king replied while nodding emphatically as he noted his daughter next to the young dragon. "I know that she'll be in good hands."
"You have my word that she will be returned shortly and unharmed." With that, Ryu nodded once before departing with his wife, while Nina brought up the rear. Upon exiting the castle he immediately pressed his fingertips against his temples. "Man, talking like that is exhausting!"
"Are you all right?" Momo asked worriedly as she hovered by his side.
He gave her a weak smile as he cupped her cheek with his hand, which she promptly nuzzled. "I'll be fine, love; like I said, I'm just exhausted."
"I don't remember you ever talking like that during our travels," Nina noted. "Did someone teach you court etiquette?"
"No," Ryu grunted as he withdrew his hand from the face of his dearest. "Fou-Lu talked like that, and since I have his memories I used them to help me talk more…properly?" He wrinkled his nose. "I'm just glad that I didn't end up saying 'wert' or something embarrassing like that."
Momo snorted into laughter, and Nina couldn't help but giggle along. "That sounds awkward," she noted through her giggles.
"It…certainly could have been," he agreed with a chuckle of his own.
They boarded the lift, and as it descended Momo asked, "So, where are we going next, my prince?" It felt good for her to be able to call him by his 'pet name' once again.
Ryu looked down at her, and her skin tingled as – for the first time in what seemed like forever – she saw the raw power of the Brood in his eyes. "We're going to create a couple more happy reunions."