Morg: Heyo! Been a while.

Ikuto: I thought maybe you forgot about us.

Amu: I was hoping you did.

Morg: No, no. I didn't forget. Just got a bit busy there for a while. But I figured my shit out and I'm back.

Ikuto: Oh, good.

Amu: You really don't have to come back.

Morg: Of course, I do! Who else would finish these stories?

Ikuto: No one.

Amu: No one should.

Morg: I'll never leave a story unfinished.

Ikuto: Good.

Amu: I really am glad you don't own us. That would be so much worse.

~Queen's Decree~

Amu held her sister throughout the night. She kept Ami tucked in close to her side. She wasn't sure if she slept at all. There was nothing for her to fear. She knew that Ikuto was somewhere close by protecting her, but her sister's life had been threatened and she couldn't seem to let that go. Amu had stood in that tub and had been useless. That man would have been able to kill Ami if Ikuto hadn't come.

For as much faith as she had in him, Amu knew that Ikuto wouldn't always be there to save her. Something would happen eventually and that would be it. She would lose her life or she would lose Ami. Amu was certain she couldn't go through another loss.

Security on the castle needed to be better. Ikuto did his best, Amu knew, to patrol and check on her and Ami. He was still only one man. He couldn't be diligent all the time. Even he had to sleep.

Sighing, Amu carefully removed her arms from around her sister. She didn't want Ami to wake. It had taken her a long time to fall asleep. She needed her rest after the scare they'd had.

Without a sound, Amu moved through her room and to her balcony. She wasn't expecting to find Ikuto there, but she also wasn't surprised that she did. "Why are you not sleeping?"

"I sleep most nights here."

Frowning at that, Amu looked at the way he sat on the floor of her balcony. No one could see him from outside the castle. Amu was the only person that knew he was there. "I don't suppose I should ask why."

Chuckling, Ikuto gave a shrug but didn't get up from his spot. "I like being close to you in case something happens. I can hear everything from here. If someone that is not supposed to be in your room gets in there then I can react quickly."

"I think we need to make sure that those people don't reach my room. I fear this happens far too frequently for the guards to be considered good at what they do."

Ikuto smirked at that. He shrugged a bit before leaning his head back against the wall and looking past her to the night sky. "I have made suggestions before on how to better patrol and guard the castle."

"Yes? And what do your superiors say?"

"That I'm young and ignorant. That I should stick to tailing you since that's all I'm good for."

Anger flooded her so quickly that Amu had to brace herself on the railing. Ikuto had saved her life more than any other. He'd saved her mother and sister many times, as well. For the men that were in charge to not listen to him due to his age made her furious. "Maybe it is time for a regime change."

"Don't be too hasty to throw away those who are loyal to you."

"Are they truly loyal to me when they don't seem to want to better protect me?"

Ikuto shrugged again before looking at her. "I am not someone that can tell you what to do."

Amu hummed in response. She kept her gaze away from Ikuto as she looked out into the night. As far as titles and nobility went, Ikuto had nothing. Amu knew that, but that didn't stop her from taking his counsel. It never would. "You are the person I trust most."

Ikuto said nothing. There was nothing he could say. Never had he thought he'd ever be in the position that he was in. The princess of his kingdom, the lady he would protect above all others, placed her trust in him. And not just placed her trust in him. She trusted him above all others. The lady of the house that had cast him out had told him he'd never be anything but bad luck. Ikuto wished he could show her what he'd become.

Amu cleared her throat before turning to rest her back against the railing. She still didn't look at Ikuto. She didn't want anyone to know that someone else was out there with her. There would be no point to him hiding if she gave him away. That and it was improper for the two of them to be alone as they were. "I was helpless today."

"You are never helpless."

Snorting at that, Amu shook her head. She was no longer embarrassed in front of Ikuto when she did things that were unladylike. "I was naked in the bath. That man could have done anything he liked and I would have only been able to hinder him for a short period of time. Honestly, I'm lucky that they always seem to want to talk to me before they kill me. It gives you enough time to get to me."

Ikuto knew she was trying to make a joke. He couldn't laugh. He couldn't smile and try to set her at ease. Not when she was right. "What would you have me do? I cannot follow you into the bathing chambers."

Amu felt a bit of heat rise to her cheeks. She pushed the thought of Ikuto watching her bathe from her mind. He'd already seen most of her naked form earlier. "You cannot constantly be by my side. I know that you have tried to get others to be as diligent as you, but they aren't you. I don't need more guards. I want to be able to protect myself."

"Amu?"

She bit back her smile. She had fought him for many months to get him to use her name without titles. He still didn't do it very often, but she was glad that he did now. "I don't want to become a knight. I don't have time for that type of training. However, I don't want to feel helpless like I did today ever again."

"The guards will not willingly train you."

Turning a bit, Amu made sure that Ikuto could see her face even though she still didn't look at him. "I don't want the guards to train me."

Ikuto ran a hand over his face. He was exhausted. His day had been long and his sleep disrupted by his princess. Not that he would ever tell her to leave him alone. "Then what would you like done?"

Amu turned once again to face out into the night. She tapped her fingers on the railing of her balcony for a few minutes before sighing. "I want you to train me."

"What?"

"You already knew more than the others when you started training with them. I remember that day, watching you for the first time with my father. You have always been more skilled. I want you to train me."

Ikuto wanted to push himself to his feet and pace. He wanted to object loudly. He couldn't do anything but sit there quietly and watch Amu as she bit at her lip and looked out into the night. She was serious. He knew because she never said anything that she wasn't serious about. "You want me to train you."

It wasn't a question, but Amu couldn't help but dip her head into a single nod. "Nothing extensive. I just want to know what to do if someone attempts to grab me or tries to kill me with a knife. I won't be able to do much besides that. I am away of my own limitations. I don't want to live my life in fear if I can alleviate some of it."

Ikuto sucked in a deep breath before pushing it out of his lungs once more. If anyone caught him giving her lessons he would be thrown out of the castle. He would be cast aside and branded as improper. She would be left defenseless.

On the other hand, she was right. He couldn't always be there. He'd been meticulous ever since her father had given him a chance to prove himself, but that didn't mean he wouldn't fail. "I can teach you a few moves for self-defense. They'll help you to stop anyone that tries to grab you or force you to go somewhere you don't want to go. I can also teach you how to disarm someone, but only if they wield a knife or small dagger."

Amu dipped her head again in acknowledgment. "I don't want to learn more than that. I just need to be able to protect myself until you can get there. They won't always want to speak to me before they strike."

Ikuto grimaced but didn't say anything in reply. He looked away from her as he thought back to the attack that day. She'd been standing naked in the bath, facing a man armed and prepared to kill her and her sister. She had looked fearless as she stood defiantly before him. Ikuto had heard what the man had said. He had heard her stand and the surprise the man felt at her boldness. Amu had given him the opportunity to approach unknown. She had stalled for enough time.

And then, after the assassin was killed, Amu had stood before him still bare. She had looked him in the eye and told him to fetch the guards. She had not cared one bit about her modesty. Not when her sister had been terrified. He had known then, in that moment, that he loved her far more than a guard loved his princess. He would do anything for her.

"If we are caught, I will not be allowed to explain myself. I will be cast out or killed."

"Such a thing will not happen. The only person with the power to do that is my mother and she would not."

Ikuto sighed again, but let his eyes fall closed. His princess was far more stubborn than any princess had the right to be. "If the guards see me attacking you or touching you in a way that would be deemed improper, there isn't much your mother or you can do."

Amu turned to him. She studied his face for a moment. With his eyes closed, he was unaware of her scrutiny. She liked that he was able to relax around her. Not many could. "There is no one, Ikuto, who knows this castle and the grounds better than you. No one that knows the schedule of the other guards and where their weaknesses lie. I have no doubt that you'll be able to find the time and place for such lessons to take place without anyone else being the wiser."

She had too much faith in him. But she wasn't wrong. Ikuto let out another small sigh. He didn't show his shock when he opened his eyes to find her already staring at him. He dipped his head in acceptance. "I will do my utmost best to make sure that I am able to teach you without anyone hindering us."

Smiling at that, Amu turned once more to look out into the night. She could feel him still looking at her, but Ikuto's gaze had never bothered her before. "I would say I would like to start tomorrow, but I fear I will be spending most of the day with Ami. Today really shook her."

"I am surprised that today didn't shake you more than it has."

Amu shook her head before turning back to her room. She paused at the doors and looked back at him once. "Just because I do not show my fear doesn't mean that I don't feel it. Why do you think I'm not yet asleep?"

Ikuto had known that about her already. She hadn't once ever broken down before when men had come with the purpose of taking her life. It was disgusting to him that it happened so often for her to be desensitized to it. "You can sleep now, Amu. I am here."

Smiling, Amu didn't say anything else as she reentered her rooms. For a moment, she stood beside her bed and watched Ami sleep. Knowing her sister was okay and that she was going to work to make sure that she never felt weak again helped. She had thought that sleep would elude her, but with Ikuto keeping watch not far away, she felt her eyelids begin to droop. She was safe and he would keep her so or make sure that she could keep herself so.

Just as slowly and silently as she had slipped out of bed, Amu slipped back into it. She did not wake her sister as she put her arm around her. With a soft smile on her lips, Amu let herself drift off to sleep.

.

Morg: So, some stuff is going to happen.

Ikuto: It's a story. Stuff always happens.

Amu: Not to mention it's one of your stories.

Morg: What's that supposed to mean?

Ikuto: Nothing is ever easy for us in your stories.

Amu: He's right.

Morg: But that's the best way to write!