thump*

Our mission was making finally making progress.

"Weiss-augh!"

"Quiet, you!"

"Rinkah!" I shouted. "That's enough! Now, let her go."

"You Fool. And stir the fire of her beloved sister's capture? I say we kill her."

"No! Please don't!"

"I understand being a fool, but if we kill her, we compromise the mission, and the state of Lady Weiss." I grabbed the kunai from the floor.

"Then what are we supposed to do, now?"

"Let her go. She knows the way back. And we better head out."

She was disgusted at the decision, but she let Weiss' sister go. She also grabbed her staff and broke it in two.

"Don't even think about trying to follow us, you hear!?"

"No-!"

"Rinkah! Let's go!"

"Alright! I'm going already!"

Honorable Flame Tribal Chieftain-your daughter is a handful.

I tied up Lady Weiss' arms and legs, and carried her.

…

It took a while, but we managed to make it back to where we had started our journey from, a secluded camp not far from where we had captured Lady Weiss.

Rinkah ended up carrying her since I was the only one with the weapon to fend off any beasts, or those monsters we had encountered. Admittingly, it was an excuse to distance from her complaints about the mission, and allow me a better awareness of our surroundings-a rabbit or two was never amiss for a meal, and a trained eye could forage much.

At the camp, it looked like some of the party that was with me were already there.

"Look, everyone, it's The Fool! He has returned!"

Fool. That title has been uttered to me at least twenty times during this mission, and certainly more behind my back. I showed Rinkah, carrying Lady Weiss. "We have captured Lady Weiss."

"Well done, Kaze. You've only proven yourself to be half a fool, at best."

"If I'm not mistaken, you were all here before I arrived, and none of you had managed to capture Lady Weiss."

"It would've been better to cut our losses, than to risk the lives of our finest for a simple noble."

"A simple noble whose absence has pained the Mother-our Queen-for over a decade."

"Don't you pit my words against me, Fool! Unless you've forgotten the lives that we lost? How will you bring that up?"

"Just as was done before-the men that survived are what is important." I looked past him. "Why hasn't a fire been set up in the pavilion?"

"…We just got here."

snap*

fwoosh*

Rinkah got a fire going in the firepit. "There."

"Thank you, Rinkah. Please have Lady Weiss set down next to the fire."

"Got it."

We would be keeping warm here before we would continue to Castle Shirasagi. Before I had Rinkah set Lady Weiss down, I briefly removed the bindings to have her arms in front of her, so she could lay down on her back. The others started huddling amongst themselves.

"Thinks he's on fire all because he finished the mission. He must have gotten lucky."

"Lucky or not, everything that's happened to him has been a wasted opportunity."

"He's still a fool for being chosen to lead the mission in the first place. Why of all the ninja, was he chosen to lead."

"It was an order from the Royal Advisor himself."

"That's only a title-in-waiting, since the last one croaked. Everything that's happened is just wrong."

Of course they'd be passive about their insults. It's become a game, all these insults-Lucky, Opportunity, Fool-the riches of a daimyo for the amount of insults like these. I've just learned to accept them, and allow my merits to speak for myself, with whatever little I can get.

I brought out the rabbits I had hunted. Two of them. These would make a great stew with the other items I had foraged on the way here. All I needed was water. There was a pot I could use for the stew, and also for the well.

Once that was done-it looks like my rabbit has been apprehended by them.

"Put my hunt down."

"These aren't your rabbits."

"They're in the clothe I tied them with; I hunted them, and now I'm going to cook them-put them down."

"Two Hoshidan hares could feed all of us here."

"Those are Nohrian-not as bountiful as ours."

Another voice chimes in, another ninja. "You're a fool in thinking that you wouldn't prepare food for everyone else? A leader should be serving his own before he serves himself."

"I am serving my own-the Chieftain's Daughter, our Queen's long lost daughter, and myself."

"That leaves one person-"

"-and one of us will likely be eating the worth of two people-once she wakes up." Added that bit at the end quickly.

"So, what does that leave the rest?"

"Whatever you picked up before you got here. And you didn't pick that up before you got here-give them back."

"Or what? You'll report us of misconduct?"

"…So annoying."

Rinkah. The ninja looked over to her. "What was that?"

"You are so annoying. Give them back."

"Or what? You'll burn me to death with whatever flames you can muster up? You're just a Fire Starter, and whatever got you roped with The Fool here must equally make you a Fool!"

FWOOOSH*

The flames from the fire started rising. It spooked the others to the point the rabbit was dropped. In the excitement, Rinkah stood up and grabbed the ninja that started the whole ranting at his arms.

"Ow! Ow! Hot!"

pshhh*

The fire was put out on accident by my bucket.

Some of the men were about to intervene-

"Ah-ah! You get closer-I'll make sure it's hot!"

They stood down. It was just the foolhardy ninja and her.

"Listen. Very. Carefully. You've every right to call him a Fool, but any more of that at me, all because I was with him, I'll have your wrists and ankles burned to where you'll live without them! Got it!?"

"Okay! Okay!"

"Say it! Say that you'll stop poking fun at me!"

"Ow! Stop! Please!"

She went to his ear. " !"

"Okay! Okay! I-I-I'll stop poking fun at you!"

"Good." She let go-*PUNCH*

"OOMPF!"

Right in the jawline. He'll be out. She then turned to the others. "Pick him up. Get out of here and make your own damned fire."

They did exactly that, and made-tried to-a fire away from us.

Rinkah tossed me back the rabbits. They would be fine, but it was the cloth it was wrapped in that I was worried about. "Thank you. I am sorry about the demeanor of them."

Rinkah shrugged. "Eh, it's on them, not you." *snap*

fwoosh*

And the fire was roaring back to life.

Since the water bucket was emptied, I went back to get another pail before carving up the rabbits. Admittingly, I actually hunted four Nohrian hares, and was ready to impart the stew to the rest of the party, but Rinkah would definitely enjoy a second portion, knowing her physique.

"Kaze. We've known each other for only a few missions, and you deal with this on a daily basis?"

Rinkah. She was seeing to the fire. I nodded as I skinned the first rabbit.

"Why are you called a 'Fool'?"

I finished skinning the rabbit, and was just left with cutting the feet and gutting it. "My family, is the direct descendant of Saizo, and as such, my twin brother and I were tested to see if we could both become Saizo. My twin brother passed, and I failed; he gets taken in as retainer to the 'High Prince of Hoshido', while I end up furthering my training to the crown far away from the crown-the story gets messed up somewhere in all of that."

"Why don't you fight it back?"

"Do you think I'm not, Chieftain's Daughter? Every opportunity I get, I try to fight it with the talent I have, and yet they shrug it off as being 'Lucky', 'Opportunity', and deride me with 'Fool'. I will offend you with this next remark-aren't you doing the same?"

She made a face, but then shrugged. "I guess we both have something to live up to, huh?"

I nodded, after finishing the last rabbit. I cleaned them both up.

"Now, I don't think you're a Fool, with that actions that you were forced to carry out."

Her way of apologizing. "That's really kind of you to say that about me, Rinkah. I believe that you being here has improved yourself, even if you are limited in your Way of The Flame."

Rinkah smiled pensively while tending the fire.

Now, the first thing to this stew was to cook the beef.

…

pop* *pop* *crackle*

My eyes were still closed, but I woke to the sound of popping, the warmth of a fire, and the smell of smoke. I felt my arms in front of me. Trying to move them, I felt bindings on my wrists, and then felt the bindings on my ankles.

"Ah, you're finally awake, Lady Weiss."

Lady Weiss? A woman's voice, coming from a woman tending the flames and a pot over the fire-it was the Flame Tribeswoman…"You…Where am I? Where's Elise?"

"She's safe. Back with the other Nohrian royalty at that Fortress."

That's good. But I was clearly bound with no means of breaking the cords. "So, what will you do to me now? Am I to be a prisoner of war?"

"Hehe. Not quite. We're doing what I and Kaze were sent to the Northern Fortress for-bringing you back to your family."

I laid there looking at the ceiling of the pavilion. "My family? My family is from Nohr."

"Eh. I just follow orders."

knock* *knock*

Our eyes turned to the sliding door as it opened. It was the ninja, Kaze.

"Rinkah, the stew should be ready. Feel free to partake."

He then noticed I was awake.

"Good morning, Lady Weiss. Are you…hungry?"

I nodded. There was no way of escaping from wherever I was. I might as well partake. The ninja helped me to sit while loosening the bindings just enough to allow me to hold a bowl close to my face and partake of the stew.

"I am sorry for the bindings, Lady Weiss. I assure that they are necessary."

"Why be 'sorry'? I'd rather you take me back to the Northern Fortress. That's how I can forgive you for all of this."

"I cannot do that, Lady Weiss. I'd rather carve my stomach than lose you again."

I don't think I was going to get anything from either of them. So, let it happen.