A/N: Here's the next chapter... I (Pitye) don't have anything to say except that all disclaimers apply! Oh, and another thing... the music to this chapter is kind of funny because there's one part where there are upbeat-downbeat notes and it reminds me and Aeris of someone milking cows... Tasuki milking cows... hahaha... but sorry, no Tasuki milking cows in the actual story...
Aeris says...Sorry it took so long to get this one together. If anyone is still reading this story, I hope you enjoy it! We put a lot of work into it (yeah - like 2 years worth, hahaha.)
Carmina Burana
Chapter IX: In Taberna Quando Sumus
(When We Are In The Tavern)
by Elcyion Pitye and Aeris Tiniel Mirime
"Li, won't you please tell me what is going on?" Sakura persisted from behind the apprentice as they walked through the forests of Enigma to the tavern.
Li had not been answering the princess every time she asked that. Number one, he didn't know... and number two, he wanted to talk to Sakura as least as possible to avoid spoiling further any relationship either of them had with their respective lovers.
"I think I have a right as a noble..." she went on, her voice drifting off.
Li partially turned his head around as he continued walking. "To tell you the truth, Your Majesty, I don't really know... I was just told that I'm needed at the tavern."
"Oh." Sakura noted the annoyance in his voice and stopped talking altogether... Wait, she was higher in status than he was! She would never succumb to this peasant blacksmith. She was a princess, and she would marrying a prince and they--
But then it hit her. Only a couple hours ago, Meilin had caught her and Li red-handed, kissing. What will Julian do when he finds out? Surely he would know by the time Meilin stormed into the palace. "Julian..." she whispered, her pace slowing. I'm sorry... I'm sorry...
"Are you tired?" Li asked her from out of the blue. He stopped and looked at her. He avoided looking into her eyes, because it would only bring him guilt, yet at the same time bring him longing. Li didn't know why everything turned out the way it did. He thought of Meilin, the broken-hearted look on her face, and then the pain and betrayal in her crimson eyes. From seeing the melancholy look on Sakura's face, Li could tell that she was thinking the same thing... her situation with Julian, with himself...
And what Layla told me to do. He didn't understand what was going, and frankly, he didn't want to. He didn't want this mess, he didn't want to be attracted to Sakura, he didn't want to be in a bad situation with Meilin... he didn't even want to be walking right now... to a tavern with a noble, at that! But this was his fate; this was his unfortunate reality.
Suboshi growled under his breath, trudging through the busy streets of Massif, ignoring the gawking stares of the civilians. He didn't care about how embarrassing he looked. He was soaking wet, water dripping wherever he went, but no matter. He was on a rampage. His heart was hurting on the inside, but all one could see was the fiery rampage.
That little witch, Miaka, had the nerve to transport him under the surface of Halcyon River (fortunately very near to Summit). After she killed his twin brother, she tried to get rid of him, too. A very poor attempt, at that. Suboshi easily swam to the edge of the river and pulled himself out. Then started his trek to the castle of Summit. It took him a long while to get there, but pulling all his strength together, along with his anger, he made it up the steps of Pinnacle Palace. The guards out front saw his condition and immediately let him pass without question. He was greeted by a surprised-looking Hotohori, who was just about to walk out of the main doors. "Sir Suboshi," he said warily. Suboshi ignored him and continued his way to the throne room to speak with Emperor Hikitsu. "If you are looking for His Majesty, he is in the dining hall," Hotohori called to him from the end of the front hall. He watched in curiosity as Suboshi stopped and turned toward the direction of the place. And wondering what went on, he chose this time to follow him.
Instead of telling her uncle right away like Sakura would have expected, Meilin closed the door of a restroom behind her and sank down against it, her knees drawn up to her chest with her arms wrapping around them. She was in shock. How dare Li kiss another girl! How dare he betray her and how dare she betray her cousin! Meilin couldn't close her eyes, for she would be able to only see herself walking in on Li and Sakura's passionate kiss.
Unable to cry, Meilin just stared at the ground for awhile. After fifteen minutes or so, someone tried to open the door, but her weight against it prevented them from doing so.
"Excuse me? Is anybody in there?"
Julian, Meilin thought. She realized she didn't even light the room up. She sighed quietly, once again lost in her depressing thoughts.
"Hello?"
Go away... leave me be, Meilin wanted to say, but could not find the energy to do it. Instead she answered with a "Hn."
Amazingly, Julian recognized her voice. "Huh? Mei? Meilin, what are you doing in the dark?" No answer. "What's wrong?" Silence. "Open the door... we'll talk." It was still quiet. "Please? Cousin?" Fed up with her unresponsiveness, Julian said in a firmer voice, "I'm your elder and your future king and I demand you open this--"
The door opened slowly. Julian relaxed and walked in. He found his kin standing there, a blank expression on her face. Deciding to find a better place to talk to her, he pulled her out and led her to the throne room, which was empty and dimly lit by one torch. Julian sat Meilin down in the throne and put his hands on her shoulders, examining her face for answers.
"Mei? What happened?" he asked worriedly.
She just glanced up at him and then looked away. "Li..." she mumbled, barely audible.
He grew angry. "Li?" he repeated tightly. "What did he do? Did he hurt you-- oh." He realized what she meant. "You... saw them." That means they've gone behind our backs again, Julian added silently.
She stared up at her cousin through glassy eyes. "Oh, Julian, you know!" She stood up. "How... what... why...?" A tear ran down her cheek. "How could they!"
Julian turned away and gritted his teeth. "I do not know, but it must be ceased." He paced the room, thinking. How would he punish Li without hurting Meilin's feelings in the process?
"We need to confront them, first of all," Meilin spoke up. "And ask them why in the Hell they would do this!"
"Meilin, do not curse!" he scolded, shushing her. "I know you're angry. I am, too." He put his hand on her head affectionately, consoling his dear cousin. His head bowed in thought, he made a vow to put an end to this. You will pay dearly, Li, he voiced in his mind lividly.
Suboshi, with Hotohori following secretly behind, barged into the dining room without knocking, pushing both of the wooden doors aside and holding them open. He glared at his ruler. Startled and annoyed, the king looked up at him, dropping his fork and knife.
"Sire," the knight drawled menacingly. "... Sire, we need to talk. Now."
Hikitsu stood up quickly, setting down the cloth napkin that had been in his lap onto the table next to his plate. "Master Suboshi! What is the meaning of this! Can't you see that I am trying to eat in peace!"
"I have witnessed an abominable act by a citizen of our supposed allied kingdom!" Suboshi cried.
Hikitsu looked confused for a second. "... What?"
"Lady Miaka of the Court of Engima," the angry knight began, "It's her fault..." A look came over Suboshi's face. Hikitsu didn't understand what was going on, but in the young man's eyes, he could see pain.
"... Lady Miaka," Hikitsu repeated, his voice calmer than before.
"She killed my brother... Sir Amiboshi!" he said, gritting his teeth. "That damned Enigman killed him with magic!"
Hotohori stared at his fellow knight from the doorway, astounded. Hikitsu's eyes flashed in disbelief.
Suboshi leaned against the wall. "She slayed Amiboshi, a man of Summit, mercilessly... and she dared to deny ever doing it afterward. She must be punished."
Hotohori had a bad feeling about this as he watched this exchange. Suboshi was practically implying that it was Enigma itself's fault for the murder of the knight Amiboshi.
Hikitsu bowed his head slightly, thinking. "Then there's no question about it. I will send some people out and have her arrested. She will be jailed." He started for the door, his hands clasped behind his back. "The sentence shall be death. Details will be decided later." He paused. "Subaru should have passed the ban... Suboshi, go gather the knights and find her. Bring her to my castle and we will see what we can do."
Hotohori took this moment to speak up, crossing his emperor's path as the eye-patched man walked out into the hall. "Your Highness! I hope you aren't thinking of putting the blame on Enigma as well..."
Hikitsu stared at him for a long time. "Why would I think that?" he responded in a rather sarcastic manner. "Subaru may not be as good a ruler as I, but just because her subjects run rampant with dangerous arts--"
"Sire!" Hotohori exclaimed, cutting him off. "Shouldn't you rely on more than just Suboshi's word?"
Hikitsu sneered at him, unforgiving of the knight's rudeness. "From what I have heard from Julian when you all visited Masque, it seems as though as Enigma's true colors are coming out." Then he turned and headed down the hall without another word.
Hotohori's eyes widened at the mention of the trip to Masque. He remembered. The beast, that frenzied bespectacled girl, and the peasant girl's magic... even he had been wary of the Enigmans that had accompanied them, but was over it quickly. The long-haired knight stared after Hikitsu, a thought all of a sudden coming to him. Maybe Emperor Hikitsu bore a grudge against Enigma all along... and, although it was not very noticeable, it was revealed in this past conversation the king had with Suboshi, who probably didn't like the other kingdom, either, but why?
Without saying good-bye to the other knight (who was still in the dining room), Hotohori started to walk slowly down the hall in the same direction as Hikitsu. Suboshi is probably seeing why His Majesty disliked magic so much, and Enigma is still allowed to have magic within their borders, although they have suppressed it because His Majesty would become ruler over all when the kingdoms unite... Hotohori could not figure out why Hikitsu hated magic in the first place...
Suboshi was so busy being angry and yelling and shivering from being wet, that he didn't take the time to actually mourn. He sank against the wall, his mind reliving the moment his dear brother was slain.
Suboshi wept for the first time in years. Who knew? Who knew someone in the Court of Enigma would do such a thing?
He felt a hand on his arm. Startled, he looked up and found a familiar (although he didn't remember from where) woman with rusty, red hair in an odd ponytail bending over him in sympathy. She silently reached into her pocket and pulled out a handkerchief, handing it to him gently. Suboshi gratefully took it.
"I know," she spoke up softly. "I witnessed it all."
Suboshi stared up at her in disbelief. "Pardon!"
"I was taking a walk through the forests... when I saw what happened to your twin." She squatted down in front of him. "I'm dreadfully sorry. What a mistake Enigma made to let magic-users run free!" She had heard through the grapevine that Suboshi had great pride in his home kingdom, and was using it to her advantage...
Soi let a secret smile slip onto her face. This was going perfectly... "You wouldn't believe how many wrongdoings I've seen Enigmans commit against those of Summit," she continued, "I had always hoped they were just coincidences, since I'd hate to think that they scorned us... but, I believe a peasant knight-in-training is even trying to interfere with the Prince and Princess' relationship!"
Suboshi took in Soi's words, putting the two and two together.
"And you know... the Princess isn't very well fighting off a boy from her home kingdom. She's practically letting him woo her on purpose! I wonder what that implies..."
Suboshi finally spoke. "Miss...?"
"Soi."
He stood up, his expression more determined than ever. He let her follow suit before continuing with, "Please accompany me... I will catch every magic user in Enigma and make sure they die by Summit's hands, and since you seem to know a lot of the magic users around here, I will need your help..."
This boy obviously didn't remember that Soi was one of Nakago's most respectable henchmen. She pretended to be awed by his... energy. "Of course I will."
Hikitsu sat in his throne. Alone. He sighed quietly. He had just sent out a warrant for her arrest, and now knights and guards are out all over this kingdom and the other, searching for some maiden who killed another noble. He glanced at the empty throne next to him... it had been that way for years. His wife, the Empress Regina, had died long since. Julian was only a few years months old at the time - not old enough to remember the day that Hikitsu would never forget. The three of them were on an outing near the river. Regina was using minor magic tricks to entertain her small son, for at that time magic was still permissible in her husband's eyes.
"Look at me, Julian. Look what Mother can do," Regina called as she sent one glimmering shower after another into the air. First she used a fire spell to create red sparks, then an ice spell to create white ones. Water spells created blue ones, and lightning spells...
"Wait!" Hikitsu shouted. Had she forgotten that lightning and water spells were not supposed to be mixed? If they were, the result would be a disastrous electrocution.
She had forgotten. As the Emperor watched, Regina was engulfed in a yellow storm of bolts. Without a second thought, Hikitsu dove in front of Julian, taking the full heat of the blast, but not caring. All he cared about was the safety of his son.
When the melee of thunder finally died down, he saw that indeed his son was safe. His wife, however, was not. She lay motionless on the ground, killed by the force of the explosion she had accidentally unleashed...
Hikitsu closed his eyes and sighed again, wishing he didn't remember it... wishing magic never existed... call him an idiot for letting this one incident affect his entire kingdom, but in the end, he knew it was better this way.
Sakura slumped to the ground. "I'm so tired..." A few feet ahead, Li stopped and turned to look down at her. "Come on, it's only a little long. I see Primo Vere in sight--" he stopped, snapping his head to something behind her. In one swift motion, he dashed toward the princess and picked her up, jumping away just in time as a knight on a speeding horse passed by.
Li slammed his back against a nearby tree, hugging Sakura to his body. He panted, out of breath, and stared after the seemingly hurried noble. Sir Hotohori? He watched as the knight stopped in front of the tavern and hopped off of his horse urgently, rushing into the pub.
I have a feeling...
"Li... you can let go of me now," Sakura muttered meekly, avoiding looking at him.
"Ah." He did so and then started jogging, his mind starting to catch on to something. "Princess, let's go," he piped up, "I feel as thought Hotohori has something to do with this, too!"
Sakura frowned. "But Li, I can't even walk anymore...!" Nevertheless, she followed suit, at a much slower pace.
"Just a little longer!"
"Li...!"
"I know!"
"No--"
Crash.
Before Li knew it, he was lying face-up on the ground, his head aching tremendously. He heard a groan opposite of where he was... in a masculine voice he swore he knew. He felt someone sit him up slowly. He turned to his right and found Sakura supporting him, giving him a concerned look.
Li held his head in both of his hands, hissing at the pain in his head. He glanced ahead of him and found a boy a little bit younger than him with light-brown hair and sharp green eyes. He too, was rubbing his head carefully, with a bespectacled girl sitting him up.
Sakura blinked, staring at the dark-haired girl. "You..." She then set her eyes on the boy. Chelsea's brother. "Chi... Chiriko, right?" She was dumbfounded. Weren't those two on opposing sides?
"Your Majesty..." Chiriko murmured slowly, still recovering from the hard bump.
Li was the first of the injured to be able to stand up, Sakura coming up with him. He suddenly remembered Layla's words. "Chiriko!"
"... What?" Chiriko pulled himself to his feet, still supported by Nikki, who did the same.
"Layla... you don't know her... but she told me to come to you... and--" he turned to the girl next to him. "Nikki, right?"
She nodded. "You're... that Enigman squire from before."
"And you're that girl who did quite a melodramatic performance at the fortress," he replied bluntly. He was immediately elbowed by the princess.
Nikki looked embarrassed. Chiriko glared.
Li seemed unfazed. "Anyway, Layla's this woman Master Mitsukake supposedly knows... and she's a psychic... and she told me that we were all supposed to meet up... here, I guess."
Chiriko sighed. "We were just leaving. Until you ran right into me, that is."
"Well, all four of us are going to the tavern," Li announced determinedly. "I have a vague feeling that Hotohori's presence there is important."
"Why us?" Nikki asked.
"I don't know," he answered honestly. "But I know that Chiriko connected to Chelsea... and Chelsea's a mage. Can't she tell fortunes as well?"
Chiriko looked a bit pissed. "You came to me to use my sister as a crystal ball?"
"No!" Li held his hands up in defense. "I'm not going to I'm just saying that magic has barely any limits... and that the people who know it knows far more than others do..."
At this comment, Sakura averted her eyes to the ground. She had magic... but what good would it do? What's Li's objective for all of this? Perhaps he didn't know either... for all they knew, he was just following blindly to some fraud's broad words.
"Well, what do you want, Li?" Chiriko wondered impatiently. "This Layla must have given you some incentive to seek me out. Oh, wait..." he raised an eyebrow. "You don't know either, do you? Don't be gullible. You can't just take some woman's word on these kind of things."
This stupid snob who's no better off than me thinks he's the smartest guy alive! Li turned his head to the side, letting his pride get the best of him. He needed a good comeback... but something else came to mind. "Primo..." he set his eyes to the direction of the tavern. He almost forgot what he was originally going to do. "We need to see something... then I'll come back to your question," the apprentice replied, an unsure expression coming to his face.
"You mean... Sir Hotohori?" Sakura asked.
"Yeah!" Li broke into a sprint.
"Huh? LI! WAIT!" Sakura called out, surprised at his sudden movement. She picked up her skirt a bit and ran after him.
"Hmph," Chiriko mumbled, watching the peasant and the princess head off to Primo Vere. The young student turned to Nikki and shrugged. "Shall we?"
She nodded meekly. "I think it's best."
Not a second later, the two began running after their new comrades.
Li glanced behind him, making sure everyone was still on his tail. Layla... he said into his mind. You better have a good reason for making me do all this...
Meanwhile, in the midst of the four teens' meeting, Tasuki was starting to sober up from his numerous rounds of beer and ale. He rubbed his eyes and sighed. Miaka would have his head if she found him getting drunk again.
"EXCUSE ME!"
Everyone inside the tavern, Tasuki included, turned in the direction of the new voice. The orange-haired knight's eyes widened. "Hotohori...?"
There the named warrior stood, seemingly tired from his long ride.
"This is an announcement from the king!" The long-haired Summit announced.
"... I thought you were in Summit, 'Hori," Tetsuya spoke up from the corner of the tavern. "How'd you get here so fast?"
"The Underground..." Hotohori explained quickly. Among other things... he added silently, referring to the magic he himself had learned about: teleportation. Hikitsu wasn't expecting him in Enigma until two weeks' past, but he might as well get this over with.
Tasuki frowned, slightly, sensing something fishy. He brushed it off seconds later, still a tad bit too drunk to try and figure it out. He let out a "hmph" and continued his alcohol guzzling. "What'cha waitin' for, 'Hori? Get on with message of yours," he spoke up between chugging.
All those present in the tavern (estimated at around thirty people) quieted down for the Summit noble.
Hotohori opened the scroll that the king had written in, containing exactly what he wanted. He briefly looked at Tasuki out of the corner of his eye and gave him a sympathetic expression. He turned back to the scroll and recited loudly and clearly, "Attention to all citizens: there is a warrant for Lady Miaka of Enigma's arrest. She is the prime suspect of the brutal murder of Master Amiboshi of Summit. She is skilled in the forbidden arts of magic. Be cautioned."
He paused a little and glanced at Tasuki again, who seemed to have sobered up at the mention of his love's name. He was gripping his mug tightly, gritting his teeth in disbelief.
Tasuki caught Hotohori's eye and began to speak up in a serious manner, "Hoto--"
"It is necessary for all citizens to search for this missing noble," Hotohori continued, ignoring the Enigman knight, "for there is a high price for her head. I, King Hikitsu, want this woman alive and brought to Pinnacle Palace as soon as possible. Proper punishment and possibly execution will be sentenced there."
There was a rising symphony of whispers and mutters among those in the tavern. Who would have thought that innocent Miaka would be the murderer of a respected noble?
Tasuki stood up from his chair and glared at the Summit warrior. "My fianceé would never--"
"It is the king's wishes," Hotohori interrupted in a calm voice, not wanted to fight with his acquaintance. "If you have something to say, say it to him, not I." With that, he went on. "All Enigmans," he read, "are to be under martial law of their respected towns in Enigma, starting tomorrow." Like he expected, the tavern turned to chaos.
"What is the meaning of this!" one person asked.
"What kind of savages does the king take us for!" screamed another.
Hotohori looked uncomfortable. He rolled the scroll back up. "Talk to the king for your concerns," he spoke loudly over the angered voices.
In the midst of it all, four teenagers appeared at the entrance, out of breath from running. Hotohori acknowledged them discreetly, giving them a slight nod. Li, Sakura, Nikki, and Chiriko looked curious and confused, wanting to know the reason behind this mad uproar.
"No way, 'Hori," Tasuki snapped, making the dark-haired noble turn his attention back to the Enigman. "Does the queen know? Did he even consult her before passing this?"
Hotohori didn't know. "I cannot answer that, Tasuki... but I do know that even His Majesty has authority over Her Highness."
"For Fortuna's sake, Hotohori," Tasuki barked, "I will not go hunt for my future wife so that she can get killed by him!"
Even though the long-haired knight would agree that his King had many flaws and that he tended to make mountains out of molehills (his bickering with the king over Enigma, for example), he still got offensive, for it was the Summit nobility Tasuki was talking about after all. "Master Tasuki," Hotohori said firmly, emphasizing the knight's title, "I would appreciate if you do not use that tone of voice when talking about my king."
"Your king?" Tasuki repeated, sneering. "I knew you Summit people were self-righteous jerks who try to keep everything to themselves. You never wanted to unite with Enigma, anyway. It was the queen who suggested the idea first."
"I implied no such thing about being self-righteous." This man is getting on my nerves! Hotohori thought irritatedly. "If I recall correctly, you Enigmans are lawless savages who run rampant with your devil's magic."
By this time, the bar had piped down, the people inside focusing on the altercation between the two nobles. The four teenagers kept their places at the door, slightly stunned and the unfolding events. And it was about time that Tetsuya stood up and got in between the two warriors. "Hey..." he began slowly, putting each hand on either knight. The two ignored him, letting their argument get more and more personal.
"What do you mean by lawless?" Tasuki spat, getting in Hotohori's face.
"You have an old woman ruling Enigma," Hotohori replied icily. "Look at you all. You have high criminal rates. You're justice and law systems are poor, and Queen Subaru is too old and too tired to run your kingdom properly. That is most likely why she suggested the marriage between the prince and princess. So that they and the king can do all the ruling around here."
"At least we're not snobby money-hugging misers who oppress others," Tasuki raged. "Your king still has NO RIGHT to call laws on OUR country unless it is passed through OUR law system. We agreed to have ONE kingdom, but SEPARATE law."
"I do not remember that."
From the door, an offended Sakura let her mouth drop open. She stepped forward to have a word with the Summit noble herself, but Chiriko kept a firm grip on her shoulder to keep her from barging into the argument. However, no one stopped Li as he entered the bar silently, his brows furrowed.
"Well, you have a neurotic, anal son-of-a-bitch as your ruler!" cried the orange-haired man. "He lets some accident in his life screw the rest of the kingdom over! Do you want someone like that?"
"Hey!" Tetsuya cried louder, grabbing each knight by the shirt and shoving them away from each other. Hotohori stumbled back into crowd that had formed during their verbal fight. Tasuki fell back into an empty table. Tetsuya glared at each noble. "Stop all of this! We shouldn't be fighting, ESPECIALLY since we will be united after the royal marriage. We all need to learn to be civil--"
"I will NOT tolerate being talked down to by an Enigman," Hotohori scoffed defiantly.
Tetsuya snapped his head to him in annoyance. What was his problem? Wasn't Hotohori one of the more reserved knights? One of the more fair-minded ones? "Let me finish, Master Hotohori."
The long-haired knight put his fingers against the hilt of the sword at his hip, ignoring the warning tenor of the Enigman. "You will all follow the orders given to you by the king. You WILL search for Lady Miaka and bring her to him. Enigma WILL be put under martial law starting tomorrow at dawn." He gripped the hilt harder. "Or face the consequences."
Once again, the bar turned to ruckus as everyone started complaining. Hotohori could tell that none of the people present in there were from Summit.
"Oy! You got a problem there, Sir!" said a voice from behind the knight.
Hotohori turned slightly, glancing behind him. He could see a smirking brown-haired young man out of the corner of his eye. He instantly recognized him as the peasant-turned-squire. "Why would that be?"
"I thought we weren't officially united until the prince and princess were married." Hotohori opened his mouth to shoot something back, but the younger male beat him too it. "THEREFORE, King Hikitsu can't call martial law on a country he doesn't rule yet."
Hotohori clicked his tongue. "... Well, I assumed that we were united upon the end of the Day War." Li scowled irritatedly, unable to answer. The noble lifted the corner of his mouth snobbishly and simply walked toward the open door of the tavern. When he spotted an angry princess flanked by two peasants in his way, he calmly stopped before them. "My apologies, your Highness," he muttered smoothly, bowing to her slightly, "but you very well know that what I said is true. I'm just following the king's order."
Sakura scowled, silently fuming at Hotohori's annoyingly cool demeanor.
"Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be on my way."
Sakura, Chiriko, and Nikki reluctantly stepped aside for the knight, watching as he walked quietly to his horse outside, mounting it and then riding away.
"THAT HOPELESS -" Li raged after the knight left. "If only I could just... I don't know, strangle him--!"
"Li," Sakura spoke up impatiently, glaring at the brunette. She stepped into the still-silent tavern. "That's wasn't necessary. Any of it."
Before he could reply, the apprentice received a smack in the back of the head by an irritated Tasuki. "Squire boy! Don't barge into fights that aren't your business!"
Boy? We're practically the same age! Li growled at the warrior and rubbed his head tenderly. "Don't you have something you should be worried about?" he asked.
Known for his short-fused temper, Tasuki let his fiery anger get the best of him. "Don't bring Miaka into this, you brat! I know! I frickin' know that I have to go out and search for her before they do! So shut up before I choke ya!"
Seeing that this argument wasn't any of their business, things in the tavern went back to normal, each person bowing to the princess quickly to acknowledge her royal presence. Still, since Amour was big on gossip, they still kept their ears open. Sakura, Chiriko, and Nikki stood behind Li, waiting for the two to settle down.
Meanwhile, the apprentice boy just leered back at Tasuki, silently defying his authority.
Hey now! No apology?... Fine then, be that way. Hehe... "You know," Tasuki continued, suddenly smiling evilly and clamping a hand down on his shoulder. "You're sticking with me for awhile."
Li crossed his arms and shrugged the older boy's grip off. "Or maybe I won't."
"You're a knight-in-training, kid. You need field experience." Tasuki unstrapped his sword and his sheath from his hip. "I'm gonna make you come with me in search of my fianceé." Besides, it's punishment for being a punk, he added in his mind.
KID? Li raged inwardly. He was practically ready to lash out, but he knew punching royalty in the gut would bring many consequences.
"Sir, if I may interrupt," Chiriko spoke up in a business-like manner, "but Li, the princess, my friend Nikki, and I have some things to attend to on our own."
Tasuki looked curiously at the bright student. "Oh? Like...?"
"Uh..." Chiriko glanced at Nikki. How should they explain this? They barely knew what was even going on in the first place. Li and possibly Sakura were the only ones who knew the true motives of their newly founded group, but would Tasuki buy any of Li's explanations?
Sakura decided to break into the conversation. "Well, Li here has been ordered by this woman Layla who is psy-- ah... um... actually..." She wasn't any help, either. "Well... there's something going on... er..."
"There's something going on that no one knows about," Chiriko finished for her confidently. "And Li is possibly the only key. We are in search of answers. Any answers."
"And Li raced back here in time to hear Hotohori's words," Nikki meekly added. "To see if it is relevant in our cause."
Tasuki nodded slowly, looking from the squire to the three who accompanied him. "So a smith's apprentice, two peasants, and a princess are going to search for things they don't even know?"
Everyone nodded, including Li himself.
The knight smirked. "Hm. How about this? You all come with me. We'll search for Miaka, while at the same time we look for clues to your mystery. And then our ray of sunshine over here," the knight gestured with his head over to Li, "will gain some experience along the way... so that he can get this over with."
Chiriko nodded. "That sounds like a good idea." He looked at his comrades for approval.
"That's fine," Nikki replied.
Sakura nodded her head. "Good one, Master Tasuki."
"Hmph," went Li, averting his gaze to the floor, thinking. "Well, we better start now if we want any chance of seeing your girl again."
"You still have that attitude," Tasuki remarked snidely, dropping his sword lengthwise into the squire's hands. Li stumbled from the sudden weight put into his hands. Tasuki turned to the others. "We'll stop by some farmer's stables to see if they have extra horses for you guys, and then we'll be off." He faced Li again. "Well, brat, make sure you don't get a scratch on Ragnarok. I'm gonna get my horse from the rear of the pub and we'll be on our way."
"What?" Li cried. "Why am I holding your sword?"
"It's an annoying piece of weight put on me."
A pause... and then, "... So, why are you helping me become a knight?"
Tasuki cast his eyes on the door, where the sun was beginning to set. "... You have a potential I haven't seen in a long time." His voice was unusually serious. He remembered seeing Li on the battlefield. Although he had been a novice, he moved in a grace and skill that only an expert would have.
Li's face turned serious. I do? he thought to himself. How was that possible? Was this part of the puzzle he needed to solve?
Tasuki didn't finish. Instead, he grinned at his new team. "If you're ready, let's move out." He turned on his heel and sauntered out of Primo Vere, followed by Princess Sakura, Nikki, Chiriko, and Li. This group of adventurers had an important task to accomplish.
The group of five had stopped by an inn for the night, in one of the royal suites fit for all five of them comfortably. The sun was setting by the time they had left Primo Vere, and the comrades surely needed their rest before then next day.
Li smirked from one of the plush couches he was lying in. He and the others were lounging in the living room of the magnificent suite, eating tea sandwiches and sipping hot cocoa. He took this moment to observe his group. Chiriko was sitting in a similar couch a few feet away from him, engrossed in a book that had been on the bookshelf, not paying anyone else any heed. Nikki sat timidly at the dining table, eating and drinking with the two esteemed nobles, who were laughing merrily while the girl in glasses smiled embarrassedly.
Indeed this was nice. Li shut his eyes, sinking into the softness of the furniture. Very nice.
"You better not be falling asleep!" called a tough male voice from the table.
What a rude awakening. Li shot up from the couch. "What!"
Tasuki snickered. "I'll come by your room early tomorrow and kick you out of bed. Then we'll head out somewhere private and I'll give you an attitude adjustment. I'll make you a full-fledged knight quicker than you can say 'Enigma.'"
"Heh," Li replied stubbornly. "I don't need any of that."
"Li..." Sakura warned.
"Frankly, I think an attitude adjustment sounds perfect for him," Chiriko commented innocently.
"Why is everyone nagging on me!" Li inquired hotly.
"Chivalry'll be good for you," The orange-haired teen answered. He shrugged. "I had to learn it, so you do, too. You can't just be some rude rogue warrior. You need to be taught properly."
"As if you had any chivalry!" Li snapped, annoyed. Consequently, he received a painful smack on the head and some more yelling by Tasuki.
After a moment, the squire grumbled incoherently under his breath and stood up. "Well, I'll be in my room. I'm going to sleep." He gave Tasuki one last glare. "Since I have to wake up early." He left.
Sakura rolled her emerald irises and took another sip of hot chocolate. That boy could be so hotheaded and immature. Why she was so attracted to him in the first place, she didn't remember. She reached out to the plate to grab a cucumber sandwich, listening as Tasuki made conversation with a now alert Chiriko.
"Randir! Could you help me with dinner!"
Sakura gasped softly, her hand stopping just before the plate. Randir? Who was Randir? Why could she hear voices in her head?
Nikki looked at her, concerned. "Your Highness...?"
"Of course, Caranithil! Just a second! I need to check in on Miss Miaka. Ithilhir is not here to care for her at the moment."
"Miaka!" Sakura accidently cried out loud. There was only one Miaka in all of Amour. In fact, her name wasn't very popular at all.
That caught the attention of Tasuki and Chiriko. "What the...?" Tasuki wondered, staring at her with knitted eyebrows.
Shaking her head to bring herself back to reality, Sakura began to take deep breaths, calming herself down. She surely wasn't imagining things. This was definitely scaring her. How can random voices enter her head like that? Was it her magic?
"Your Majesty," Tasuki said uncertainly. "What's going on?"
An involuntary flash of white in her mind, and then the princess could see some sort of telepathic vision.
An unconscious Miaka was lying face-up in a twin-sized bed, bandages wrapped around her forearms. From the drops of blood on the front of her dress, she looked to have wounds on her torso as well.
This Randir boy, who an absolutely confused Sakura identified as the presumedly dead Sir Zachary, was standing over her, smiling and talking to her as if she were awake. Sakura didn't listen to what he was saying, but concentrated on what she was seeing. They were both wearing unfamiliar clothing. They must have changed her. If Sakura remembered her lore correctly, these look to be...
Clothes of the Elves. Suddenly, Sakura blinked, and it was all gone. She found Chiriko, Nikki, Tasuki, and even Li standing over her, all looking troubled.
Li lowered himself cautiously, watching her expression. When he was at eye level with her, he spoke quietly. "Your Majesty... what happened? You called out Lady Miaka's name for no apparent reason."
After a brief pause, she replied softly with, "I saw her."
Chiriko furrowed his brow. "Saw Miaka? How is that possible?"
"I have no idea!" she cried. "I am just as scared as you all are! I do not know how these visions came to me!"
Li grabbed her shoulders. "Calm down, Your Highness." He slid his hands to her arms, rubbing them soothingly. His softer side was beginning to emerge. "Calm down..."
Sakura took deep breaths, calming her pounding heart. And then, "Chiriko."
"Yes, Your Highness?"
"You seem well read. Can you tell me about the Elves?"
Everyone looked at Chiriko, who complied obediently.
Princess Sakura must be like my sister, Chiriko thought, feeling nostalgic. He now remembered that Chelsea had acted the same way years ago, telling him of her first visions and the both of them keeping this secret from their parents. Some people like Sakura and Chelsea were born with their powers. Others were able to be taught by them.
The pupil smiled at his comrades. The Elves of Artaurion, huh? A magicker's visions never lie. Finding a way into the hidden Elven village could take a while, but at least they were getting somewhere.
A week had already passed.
Miaka's injuries were grave, but under the care of the experienced Ithilhir, she healed of them faster than she should have. Certainly faster than Randir had healed of his. Perhaps this was because Ithilhir had not waited on Randir at all during his recovery, leaving him entirely to his sister, whom he knew held special affection for the young man. More likely, it was because Miaka had a reason to get better and return to her home. Since the day she first regained consciousness, she only ever thought about getting to Tasuki before Soi did.
Ithilhir was re-dressing one of her wounds on her arm when he noticed the troubled look on her face. "Something wrong, Miss Miaka?" He raised an eyebrow.
Before she could answer, Chelsea burst Miaka's room, a basketful of flowers. Both the maiden and the elf looked at her, startled. The peasant let her mouth go slack, embarrassed. "Um..." she finally spoke up, "Sorry about that... I should have knocked." She locked eyes with Miaka.
Miaka smiled slightly. Ever since she woke up a week previous, she and Chelsea had been sharing a special connection that did not require words. They were both born magickers, and although they practiced different fields of magic, the two girls had an unspoken understanding.
They both sensed something big coming soon.
Chelsea laid the basket of flowers on the nightstand table. She was suddenly reminded of something. "Um... Mr. Ithilhir...?" she piped up.
He turned to her. "Yes?" he asked quietly.
"I think... that it is time for Sir Tomite and me to leave... I do not want us to further burden you with our--"
"Nonsense," Ithilhir interrupted coolly. He stood from Miaka's bedside. "You two are guests, not burdens."
"But we must get back home. My family might be worried... we have been here a week already..."
During that chat, Miaka got lost in the whirlwind of the magic in her mind...
A brown-haired teenager was lying in a field of flowers, staring up at the sky. "Hey Chiriko," he called lazily. "Have you figured out how to get there yet? It's been like a week already."
A sandy-haired boy, Chiriko, walked up slowly, standing over his friend. "You have asked that many times, Li. Of course, I haven't. The only way I think of for us to get to Artaurion is if we find an actual Elf in the middle of Lea."
Did she know them? The people looked vaguely familiar. Had she seen them in Enigma? Why did they need to come to Artaurion?
"Hmph," grumbled Li.
Chiriko chuckled, amused. "If you're so bored, why don't you spar with Tasuki?"
Miaka let out a cry. Tasuki? He was looking for her? Her heart jumped. She needed to find him and bring him and his companions to Artaurion.
Ithilhir and Chelsea, meanwhile, were staring at her now.
"I must leave here," she said simply.
"Did you not hear what I just told Chelsea?" Ithilhir asked her.
"Yes, but Tasuki - that is to say, my betrothed - is out in the wilderness somewhere, looking for me. For all of us actually. They're trying to find a way to Artaurion."
"What? And who is "they?"" Chelsea asked.
"I don't know. I heard the name Li. And Chiriko."
"Chiriko? That's my brother! But how did he...well, knowing him, of course he would find out I was here somehow."
"Oh, I must go to him!" Miaka said.
"To Chiriko? Oh, you mean Sir Tasuki." Chelsea said.
At this point, Ithilhir spoke up for the first time since Miaka's revelation. "Your doing so would be of no use to anyone." he told her. "Though you have progressed, you are still weak and would not be able to make it to your home, or to your lord. You would perish in the wilderness and then you could never help him. I am sure your knight is capable of taking care of himself, at least until you are well."
Miaka reluctantly acknowldged the wisdom of his words, but there was to be no rest in the house of the ithilchin because of her impatience to heal.
Luckily for her, she would not have to wait long to be reunited with her beloved. The ever-hospitable Caranithil made it her mission to find Tasuki and the others. In days she had located them and in what was becoming her custom, led the whole troop to her and her brother's home.
When she came strolling in with her four new guests, Ithilhir took her aside. "Sister, you must stop doing this," he said. "There is a reason the elves have hidden themselves from the rest of the world."
"You don't think that these people would do anything to jeopardize us, do you?" Caranithil asked, for the first time seeing some of the naivete of her ways. "If they are friends of Chelsea and Miaka's surely they must be good people."
"I don't know anything about them. We barely even know Chelsea, Miaka, and Tomite."
"Oh.." Caranithil said softly. "Well, maybe they will leave soon, now that they have all been reunited." Truth be told, she was a little anxious for this to happen as well. She was afraid that the arrival of so many people that Randir once knew would help him regain his memory. She felt bad for feeling this way, because she had first brought Chelsea and Tomite here in hopes that they would bring his memory back, but now she was afraid that if it did return, he might go back on his promise to stay with her.
"Let us hope so," Ithilhir said.
The two elves did not have to wait long.
To Tasuki, the precious person who had been lost was finally found, and he was eager to take Miaka home so she could clear her name with Summit's court.
Chiriko was relieved to find his sister. They both needed to get home so that their parents would not begin to question her extended absence.
Li just wanted to get out of his torturous training with Tasuki. Luckily, the peasant's skills has greatly improved at a quick rate. Li is several steps closer to becoming, not a formal knight, but a just as esteemed equivalent.
Out of all the party which was preparing to leave, Chelsea was the only one who was reluctant about it, for the same reason that Caranithil was anxious for it. Already, he had realized that his old name was Zachary, due to the fact that the Enigmans all recognized him, and called him as such. But she was thankful that he still could not recall anything about them. Chelsea noted this, and sadly decided that if he had not recognized her by now, then she probably had never meant anything special to him in the first place. And if he did not care about her, then it didn't make a difference whether she were with him in Artaurion or without him in Enigma.
On the day which the the group finally took their leave of Artuarion, the two elves, tall and silent, led the Amourites - Miaka, Tasuki, Li, Sakura, Nikki, Chiriko, Tomite, and herself - through the cool, shadowy forest to the cave opening which would take them back home. In pairs, they bade the ithilchin farewell, thanking them for their hospitality, and then disappearing into the dark of the cave, with Miaka and Tasuki going first, followed by Li and Sakura, then the two students Nikki and Chiriko, and lastly Chelsea and Tomite.
With tears in her eyes, Chelsea said goodbye to elves, and approached the man she once knew as Zachary. "Goodbye...Randir," she called him by his elvish name. "I'm glad to have...met you, and I ..." She ached to say "I love you," but knew that she could never do it. "I wish you well for the future," she finished hurredly, and turned away into the tunnel before he could say anything in response.
Tomite was waiting for her, and put an arm around her shoulders in his usual comforting gesture. Chelsea had been ignoring him for most of their time in Artuarion, due to her fervor for Zachary. This had hurt him, because he had only ever tried to be there for her, but he did not mention any of that now. He knew that doing so would only make her feel worse, so instead he just tightened his hold on her, and drew her nearer to him. He knew that he was taking advantage of her time of distress, but it was the only way that he could get close to her. She never really got that close to him any other time, so he just wanted to enjoy it now. The two of them walked on like this in silence, following the bobbing torches of their countrymen ahead.
Ithilhir, Caranithil, and Randir stood, watching the torches disappear in the distance. Caranithil felt horrible after watching Chelsea's pain. But she would have cried just as much as Chelsea did if Randir had left. Either way, only one person would get to keep him, and why couldn't that person be her?
The three of them turned to go back home, but Randir, at the end of the line, looked over his shoulder at the passageway.
"Goodbye... Chelsea," he said.
The group had finally reached the borders of Enigma, and it was time for them to split up. It was Tasuki who had suggested it, since he had plenty to worry about concerning Miaka. He didn't want to be bothered with the unnecessary burdens, namely Li's and some Layla woman's fortunes.
Li rubbed his chin. "Splitting up? Is this really necessary? Maybe you can help--"
"No," Tasuki replied, shaking his head. "Miaka's on the run, remember? I have to hide her."
"You never explained what was going on," Tomite spoke up to Li. "During our journey to here, you have been claiming of a lady's words about that former Mistress Soi and plans to destroy her."
"Soi needs to be stopped," Li said succinctly.
"But why?" Chiriko asked. "You haven't been giving us any information other than what someone you don't even know told you! Why should we rally together for your cause? What's the point?"
"It... It'll come in time," Sakura answered before Li could speak up. Everyone stared at her. They didn't expect Sakura to defend Li. Ignoring their looks, she continued. "Right now, since some of us have mag--" she caught herself as she glanced at Tasuki and Tomite, realizing that they did not know about Miaka, Sakura, and Chelsea all having magic. "Uh.. are important to what Li wants," she corrected herself. "We should put our heads together to concoct a reasonable plan of action."
"Uh... yeah," Li added. "Thanks, Your Majesty."
Miaka seemed to understand what she was getting at. She had a feeling Sakura was born with magicker's blood like Chelsea and herself. Unfortunately, she is unable to help them due to the warrant out for her arrest. "Tasuki and I are sorry, Li, Your Highness," she said, "But you know my situation now."
"It's all right. We understand," Sakura said, nodding.
Chiriko sighed. "Some of us will have to split up then. I guess Fortuna will bring us back together if we need it. Let's go Chels." He looked at Li and Sakura. "If Her Majesty and Li still need our company, please come with us home to Timbergrove. We do not want our parents to worry." He looked at the reserved Nikki, who hadn't spoken at all during the trip to the border. "You come too, Nik. You have nowhere to go, right?"
She smiled gently. "Right... Thank you..."
Li agreed. "I'll come with."
Sakura knew she should be getting home, but she was too afraid to do so due to her and Li's now exposed affair. "I will, too."
"I guess you don't need me, then," Tomite commented to Chelsea, smiling at her sadly. "I'll be going back home to Summit, then."
She didn't say anything as she looked away from him. She realized... that Tomite's leaving will hurt a lot as well. They had hit it off early on, and she would feel empty without him around. What if she never sees him again?
The group grew silent. It was time to go. Tomite was the first to turn to leave. Chelsea felt her heart lurch as she rushed forward to grab his arm. He looked at her quietly. "What is it?" he asked.
Chelsea repeated his question in her head, not knowing either. "... Th... Thank you," she finally told him. "For everything."
He smiled warmly. "You're always welcome. Goodbye, Chelsea." After giving her one last affectionate look, he gently removed her hand from his arm and turned to leave.
"This is our cue," said Chiriko as soon as the Summit knight was out of sight. He tugged at her dress' sleeve. Chelsea hesitantly followed Chiriko and the rest as they left quietly to Timbergrove.
This left only Miaka and Tasuki, who wearily made their way towards Sanctuary Palace. Relief flooded them when they saw its cream colored spires rising above the trees. But their relief turned to terror when an icy voice floated out of the forest shadows.
"Ah, the wayward Lady Miaka has returned."
Miaka froze, wondering if it was Soi, until she realized it was a man's voice. She looked, and saw Suboshi step into the light.
"It was clever of you to go into hiding," he said coolly. "Too bad you weren't clever enough to stay there. Now you'll pay for attacking my brother unprovoked, and with magic, no less. "
"But I...didn't mean... " Miaka trailed off. How could she possibly explain the truth?
"Spare me the innocent act, Lady," Suboshi rolled his eyes. "I was right there. I saw it."
"Then you must have seen Soi!"
Beside her, Tasuki's mouth fell open as he remembered the words that that woman had spoken to him in battle.
"How's the little magicker doing these days?"
At the time, he hadn't known what she was talking about, but now he couldn't help but think that maybe Suboshi was right.
Suboshi raised an eyebrow in question. "What has she to do with your crime? She told me she was a only a witness."
"She made both you and and your brother appear to be monsters so that I would attack you."
"Her reason for that being...?"
"I don't know. Maybe she didn't really lose her memory, and is still out to get the enemies of her old home."
"So you're saying that my kingdom took in a known enemy, and that my prince is stupid enough to believe that she was otherwise?"
That was in fact, as far as Miaka knew, what had happened, (having not been there at the actual event, and therefore not knowing that it was Sakura rather than Julian who had believed Soi) but she didn't want to put it in such negative terms.
"I'm not saying the prince was not stupid, only misled. Soi must have been a convincing actress."
"And if she was, that doesn't account for your use of magic, " Suboshi said, grabbing Miaka's wrist.
"Just a minute there, Suboshi," Tasuki spoke up finally. "She said Soi tricked her - it wasn't her fault."
"Whether that is true or not, she is still a mage, and based on the skill and power she used, she must practice quite frequently. That is an outright violation of the law, and I intend to see her punished. She is a prime example of why magic was outlawed in the first place, because it causes only harm to others."
"But Enigma never actually banned--"
"This is under Summit's court!" Suboshi yelled, cutting him off. "And in our territory, this is very well banned!" He yanked at Miaka's wrist harder, making her cry out.
Tasuki growled under his breath. "Let her go, Suboshi. You're hurting her."
The other male laughed. "Hurting her? HURTING HER!"
All of a sudden, Tasuki rushed forward, his fist connecting with Suboshi's stomach. Automatically, the Summit knight let go of Miaka. The fiery-haired knight took her by the arm. "Miaka, we should run. I don't really feel like fighting this guy, and we don't want you arrested."
She nodded mutely.
After haphazardly navigating through a maze of darkened streets, they found themselves coming upon the town square. It was empty save for a few merchants readying their wares for the next day's market.
This isn't good, Tasuki thought, gripping Miaka's hand harder. "Miaka--" he began.
"I know," she replied.
With little time to consider the options, they both agreed that there was nothing for it but to risk running out in the open. They raced out across the wide square, each footstep seeming to echo a thousand times over, calling out to their pursuers, shouting "Here I am in the square! Come and arrest me!"
None too soon did a farmer leading his cattle appear in front of the pair. They thankfully plunged into the herd, hoping to hide amongst the beasts. But the slow moving creatures hindered their progress, and their massive widths soon separated the two fugitives. Even in the rare instance that they could actually see one another through the dozens of animals, there was no way that they could reach each other. Once, Miaka was pushed to the edge of the herd, and would have breathed a sigh of relief but for the fact that a rough hand with an iron grip clamped itself down on her arm as soon as she was free.
"I'll just add evading arrest to your list of crimes," Suboshi said simply, leering at her.
The herd of cattle had dissapated at this point, but Tasuki still could not reach Miaka, due to the dozen or more Summit knights who blocked his path. Being a fighter, he wanted to challenge them, but he knew that doing so would only send him to jail too, and he could never help Miaka that way. Instead, he could only watch helplessly as Suboshi hauled her away.