あぶない

“It’s a long story and we don’t have much time.” Jax rubbed the back of his neck as a soul-deep sigh of frustration escaped him. “I’ll tell you what I can. You deserve to know, since you’re tangled up in this now. But first I want you to understand that I’m not the villain everyone thinks I am. And this was never supposed to reach Lucy. I stayed away all this time because I was trying to keep her safe.”

He nearly laughed at himself. All of this just sounded like excuses, and definitely something that an actual bad guy would say. Nash stayed on his heels as they followed Yoichi out into the hall and waited for him to lock the door. “I guess you’ll have formulated your own opinion of me by the time all of this is over. I go by Jax now, by the way. It just makes things easier.”

He waited for Yoichi to lead the way and followed beside him. “So, about Griffin. He was my partner at Interpol, and a seasoned agent. I guess by now he’s been serving for nearly forty years now. I don’t know exactly when he went corrupt, but from what I had been able to dig up, he’s been building up this criminal empire for at least the past decade. Through Interpol he’s been able to create a huge network of criminals and other crooked cops, and when I say huge what I mean is, he’s practically untouchable. Anyone who tries to cross him ends up six feet under. When I planned to expose all of this all I ended up accomplishing was getting my friend killed, being framed for his murder, and my name added to the top of Interpol’s blacklist.”

They had been walking for a short time, but Jax felt that they must have been getting close because Nash lowered his head to sniff at Lucy’s scent on the sidewalk with increasing frequency.

“I staged my death to throw them off my trail, but that only worked for a little while. Griffin’s been trying to track me down for years. He hasn’t been able to use my family to find me because they don’t even know I’m alive, and he’s not dumb enough to bring innocent people into this mess when it could easily backfire on him. Which is why I don’t really get why he would take Lucy now, after all this time. He could just be desperate to catch up to me, but this really isn’t his MO.”

He paused for a moment, his expression grim. “He’s going to kill Lucy if we don’t stop him, though. That is his MO. He’s using her as bait, but after that she’s just another lose end that needs to be tied up. Even if I agree to the exchange, she’s as good as dead if we don’t find her.”

Yoichi silently listened to Jax explain the situation.  He completely understood Jax’s reasoning for disappearing; although, he wasn’t sure how Lucy would react herself.  He had no siblings of his own, so he couldn’t really imagine what it would be like to find out your assumedly dead brother was actually alive -- especially considering the difference in how her parents treated her vs Jax.

“I can tell you this much: Lucy doesn’t know you’re alive.  She would’ve said something to me, or at minimum went off to find you herself.  So I’m going out on a limb here and saying that Griffin is just using this as a last ditch effort to get you out of hiding.”  Personally, he found it to be in bad taste.  What if Jax didn’t care enough to find Lucy?  That was just a lot of wasted effort.

His next sentence was quite cheery.  “Well if there’s one thing I know about Luce, that’s that she won’t die quite so easily.  Also, I’m sure she’s annoying the hell out of him right now.  We’ll make it in time.  Griffin might think he’s a badass, but Lucy and I have had plenty of people try to kill us.  It’s like a normal Friday afternoon for us at this point.”

Jax’s Houndoom suddenly took off; he must have picked up up a strong scent.  Yoichi was very glad Lucy was so competitive when it came to their morning runs or he wouldn’t have a chance at keeping up.  The building they were led to was much closer to the hill than he personally would take a kidnapping victim, but it was also very close to the business district in downtown Nimbasa.

Yoichi put his hands on his knees and huffed a few times to catch his breath.  “Arceus, that was the hardest I’ve run since my leg got busted.”  He straightened himself again and popped his back; he briefly examined the padlocked front door.  “Alright--” two PokéBalls were in his hand, “let’s take a look.”

His Carracosta and Mandibuzz appeared in a flash of white light.  Kei examined his surroundings before he turned his attention to the padlocked door.  Yoichi didn’t have a chance to even offer instructions before he used Shell Smash on the lock; it was a twisted hunk of metal as it clanged to the floor.

A wry smile tugged at the edges of Jax’s lips as he watched Yoichi’s reaction; it wasn’t amusing in the slightest, in fact the worry and confusion the other man felt must have been sickening, and Jax wished terribly that they could have met under different circumstances. In another world, perhaps their first meeting would have been at a holiday gathering where Lucy was introducing Yoichi to the family. Perhaps one day in the future Jax would have have been a brother-in-law or an uncle, but reality was cruel sometimes and those were just flights of fancy that could never come to be, nor would they help Lucy.

“I don’t know where she is, exactly. I do know who has her: my partner while i was with Interpol, Phil Griffin.” He pulled out his cell phone and unlocked it, tapping the screen a few times. Turning the screen to show Yoichi, it displayed a photo of Lucy tied to a chair in a room with concrete floors and walls, paired with the message, ‘Stand by for rendezvous instructions.’ There was a device strapped to the front of her torso that looked unsettlingly like a complex homemade bomb. The time stamp on the message was from a few hours ago. “I know that doesn’t really make anything any clearer for you, but trust me on this. Griffin is dangerous, and if we don’t get to her on time he will kill Lucy.”

Jax plucked a pokeball from his belt and released his Houndoom, who immediately sat down and looked rigidly up at Jax, awaiting command. Glancing around the room, his eyes settled on a shoe rack beside the door where two pairs of work shoes rested, one pair looking almost comically tiny next to the other much larger pair. Jax pointed at the small pair. “Scent, Nash.” The old Houndoom immediately began sniffing every inch of the pair of shoes, gathering the scent. Jax turned to face Yoichi again.

“Does she still take a jog every morning? Griffin would have taken note of her daily schedule and mapped her usual routes. If she goes early in the morning, before traffic starts to pick up, that would have been the best time for her to grab her. So if you know her jogging route we should start there; if we can find where she ran into him we might find some clue as to where he took her.”

It was a long shot, for sure, but it was also all that they had at the moment.

Levi was indeed correct, none of what he said about this Griffin guy meant anything to him.  It didn’t escape his notice that this guy was supposed to be Interpol, but he had dealt with more than one officer gone rogue at this point to even question it.  He had pulled the phone away before Yoichi got a good enough look at what he assumed to be a bomb that was strapped to her.

His head was swimming and he felt a bit sick; he was only able to half pay attention to the Houndoom who had appeared in his living room to get a tracking scent.  This Griffin guy worked with Levi -- who was supposed to be dead -- and had kidnapped Lucy to...what?  Did he know that Levi was alive?  Was this a way to pull him out of hiding?  There were too many questions with zero answers available to him; Yoich was slightly disoriented as Levi directed a question at him.

“Huh?  Oh, yeah.  She jogs most mornings.  I can’t say for sure if she did this morning...but it would make sense, I guess.  I don’t see any other way they’d be able to catch her off guard.”  He was contemplative for a moment before speaking again.  “I don’t know if we even need to worry about the whole route.  There’s this massive hill that’s nearby the theme park.  She runs up that thing every single day and I can hardly keep up with her because it’s so steep.  You can’t see anything on the other side of the hill until you’re basically at the very top so someone could sit just barely on the other side of the hill and grab her.”

The first thing Lucy heard was the quiet hum of fluorescents above her as she slowly regained consciousness. It hadn’t been easy to wake up, in fact she had to consciously focus on that low electronic buzzing and follow it. The second she was able to crack her eyelids open she knew she was in some kind of trouble. She sat in a chair in the middle of a mostly empty room with no windows, but from the architecture of the place she could tell the building she was in was old and likely abandoned for some time.

When she tried to move she realized that someone had tied her hands behind her back, anchoring her to the chair tightly enough to cause pain when she tried to pull her hands free. Panic began to pool in the pit of her stomach as she glanced around the room for some kind of clue as to where she was. Unfortunately nothing stuck out at her in the empty room that could help her out, although disturbing to her was a nearby table with various wires, screws and other electronic looking devices and tools strewn about the surface.

It wasn’t long before the single door to the room opened, and she immediately recognized the person man stepped through it, carrying a paper grocery bag in his arm.

_

Although he’d made the drive in record time despite the rush-hour traffic, to Jax it had felt like ages before he finally made it to the apartment where his sister lived. He hoped that Yoichi Oshiro would still be home even if he’d already caught on to the fact that Lucy had gone missing early this morning. He raised his hand to knock on the door and nearly hesitated; Jax had never intended to get this close to his sister’s life, but he was desperately aware that he wasn’t going to be able to handle this situation alone.

He knocked, firmly but not too hard, and waited for an answer. Outwardly he appeared perfectly composed, although his head was a whirlwind of thoughts that didn’t seem like it would slow down anytime soon. Lucy’s life hanging in the balance, and the decisions he made in the next few hours would very likely determine whether any of them would survive the night.

When the door opened Jax unceremoniously let himself in, pushing the door closed behind him before turning to face Yoichi.

“Sorry for the intrusion, but this is important. It’s about Lucy.” He paused for a moment to study the other’s expression, no one would appreciate a stranger simply barging into their apartment with no explanation. “Maybe you already know,” something in the man’s expression was a dead giveaway, “she’s in trouble. Probably not hurt yet, but we need to find her soon.” Realizing that he had skipped the pleasantries of introductions, Jax hesitated for a moment before continuing. “Do you recognize me?”

Yoichi was pacing back and forth as he tried to figure out his next move.  Lucy wasn’t answering calls or texts and absolutely no one had seen her.  He’d gone through nearly half the officer’s personal numbers before finally giving up.  He felt like he was going crazy; it didn’t seem that anyone else was even a quarter as panicked as he was.  Sure pretty much everyone found the pair of them to be insufferable, but considering he himself had been the victim of a kidnapping in the not so distant past, he had expected a certain level of concern for her wellbeing.

He was jolted out of his deep thoughts by a knock on the door; Yoichi rushed over in hopes that it was Lucy, only to come face to face with another man.  He pushed past Yoichi and whipped around to face him.  Yoichi was only half comprehending what was happening.  Confirmation that Lucy was in trouble was good -- well, bad, but good that he now knew for sure.  He tilted his head ever so slightly as the other man questioned him.  He was familiar...  Oh.

“You’re Levi.  Lucy’s brother.  Who is definitely supposed to be dead.”  Lucy had a picture of the two of them that she kept in her wallet, although it seemed like she always tried to hide it.  For a moment he felt a bit lightheaded; this was a lot to process at once.  Yoichi shut his eyes and rubbed his temples to keep himself grounded.  “Okay, Lucy’s missing and now her dead brother has returned from the grave to lend a helping hand.  Sure, why not.”

He opened his eyes again.  “We’re just going to move past all my questions about you not actually being dead and jump right into the matter at hand here.  Do you know where she is?  I don’t even know how long she’s been gone; I was asleep most of the day -- for all I know it’s been over twelve hours at this point.  She never texted me when she got to work and as far as I know no one has seen her.  Or at least no one wants to admit having seen her.”

In a selfish way Lucy was glad to hear that Yoichi’s day without her had been uneventful. She knew that they couldn’t realistically spend every hour of every day together, and that they would each benefit from spending time away from one another every once in a while. But lately it had been extreme; they barely saw each other anymore, and so when she thought about Yoichi actually enjoying the time he spent away from her she got a stupid jealous ache in her chest.

“Mm… That’s too bad.” She mumbled quietly and closed her eyes as Yoichi finally got into bed and pulled her close. In seconds it felt like her mind was already drifting to a more peaceful sleep that she had just awoken from, and she listened contentedly to the sound of Yoichi’s voice as he spoke.

“Ah, no. Kill Davis first. I still catch him looking at my ass sometimes.” Her eyes remained closed, but her nose wrinkled slightly at the thought. Luckily she was still too sleepy to get very upset about it. “Or Clark… he slurps his coffee so loud… drives me crazy…”

She tucked her head underneath his chin and placed a few soft kisses on his collarbone before pulling back and finally opening her eyes to search for his face in the dark. “I’ll stay for as long as I can, so go to sleep, okay?” She knew how bad his nightmares were, so she hated having to leave him.

The tug of affection he felt for her as she gave him a sleepy look was almost unbearable.  He closed his eyes and fell asleep quickly.  It was a dreamless sleep, until it suddenly turned into one of his infamous nightmares.  This one was a repeat of the first incident with Evans when he’d been kidnapped.  Actually, he was getting sick of this one, but the worst part was knowing that the only reason he was having it was because Lucy was gone.  Stupid third shift.

He awoke with a start -- as he normally did when he realized he was dreaming -- and looked at the clock.  It was 5PM; it looked like he managed to stave the nightmares off for awhile at least.  He yawned and stretched his arms, falling back into bed to close his eyes.  Or, maybe not.  He wasn’t excited thrilled at the thought of being dropped back into that nightmare, so he checked his phone for notifications.  He noticed he didn’t have any from Lucy, who normally texted him when she got to work.  She was probably just busy, but he had a sick feeling in his stomach.

He laid in bed for another hour before getting up to make something to eat; Lucy was supposed to be home soon and he wanted to spend as much time with her as possible.  6PM turned to 7PM, and now he was worried.  She always called him if she was going to be at the station late.  Something was up, but he didn’t know what it was yet.  He whipped out his phone and to call her, but it went straight to voicemail.  For a second he was starting to panic, and he called the chief to see if she was staying late.

“She never came in, called off sick.”  The chief seemed concerned as he noticed how flustered Yoichi’s voice sounded.  “You okay kid?  Maybe she went to visit her parents.”  Maybe, but why wouldn’t she tell him?  He wouldn’t care if she played hooky and spent the day with her family, so why would she keep it a secret?  He called her mom regardless, who was quite confused by the call.

Luci was having a hard time reading the Prince’s expression. Not only was the room quite dark but it didn’t seem as if there was any sort of emotion on his face for quite some time. It had only been a few seconds, but to Luci it felt much longer than that as she waited for Prince Yoichi to say something. Her initial terror and guilt were increasingly giving way to simple embarrassment as he finally responded, and moved to sit beside her, all the while keeping her hand in his.

She tilted her head forward just slightly, allowing her bangs to fall in front of her eyes like a veil in an attempt to hide her expression. When he finally did release her hand, Luci was surprised to feel a small twinge of disappointment. Watching the Prince silently as he spoke, there a tangible pain in her chest. His question resonated with her; what would her life be like now if that one incident hadn’t happened?

In her case it had been more of a short series of events that had led to one plain fact: that she had been left alone in the world, everyone she loved dead under mysterious circumstances. If this hadn’t be the case, she surely wouldn’t have had to become a knight. Where would she be now, and would she be happy?

“You owe me nothing, Your Highness.” Luci said quickly, the Prince’s expression of gratitude suddenly bringing the heat back onto her face. She glanced over at Mirabelle, who was still sleeping peacefully in her cot. “For better or worse, I’m glad that certain events in my life led me to where I am now. Everything I’ve been through has made me stronger. I know you’re strong, too, Prince Yoichi.” She glanced up at him briefly and looked down at her hands, which were now folded in her lap. “But the burden you carry is much, much bigger than anyone should have to carry alone. So I ask that you lean on me when it becomes to much, and I’ll support you. You can bombard me with as many sad stories as you like and I won’t complain.”

Prince Yoichi gave Luci a sad smile.  “Well you’ll soon find out I have one too many sad stories to share.  I deeply appreciate your company Lady Luci.”  He craned his neck to look at Mirabelle; moonlight washed over her and revealed a small smile on her face.  “I’m glad at least one of us is having pleasant dreams.”  A deep sigh escaped him.  “As much as I loathe to do it, maybe I should go back to sleep as well.  We have along journey back home.  I also need to formulate exactly how I plan on presenting Mirabelle to my Aunt and Uncle...”

The Prince turned his attention back to Luci and locked eyes.  “I know you detested me -- and I certainly deserve it -- but I appreciate that I’m able to speak so candidly with you.  It’s not something I’m able to do with many.  Appearances, and all.  That’s the thing about being royalty; everything is about appearances.  Even during private conversations you have to keep them in mind.  It’s exhausting.”

A few strands of hair were hanging loose in front of Luci’s face; he reached out to tuck it behind her ear before quickly withdrawing his hand.  “Ah, I apologize.  Forgive me.  I think I’ll retire again.  Hopefully this time I’m not thrust into another nightmare.  I’ll speak with you in the morning; I’m going to attempt to sneak out of here before Princess Mista is able to hold us hostage much longer.”  He offered her a half smile.

Exhausted from the events of the day, both Mirabelle and the Prince fell asleep quite quickly. Luci was rather grateful, and normally she would have had no trouble going to sleep herself, but she wanted to stay awake for a while to keep watch. She knew there was no danger here in the castle – at least, no physical danger. But something told her she needed to stay awake.

It turned out to be easy enough; she sat down at the writing desk and quietly polished her armor. The humidity had done quite a number on it, and she worked slowly and methodically, purposely dragging out the task. Before long she could hear Prince Yoichi stirring in his bed.

Luci glanced over at him. As expected, he was having a nightmare. During the past few days she had noticed that the Prince was plagued every night with dreams that made him toss and turn, sometimes muttering incoherently. Tonight it seemed much worse than the previous nights; before long the blanket had been kicked off of the bed.

Quietly, she picked it up from the floor and carefully draped it over him again. It had gotten quite dark, but by the pale silver light of the moon filtering through the window she could see a light glistening of sweat on the Prince’s face, his expression looked pained. Luci frowned; once again she felt that awful feeling of helplessness. Was there really nothing she could do for him, other than to stand aside and watch him suffer?

Without thinking, she sat on the edge of the bed and slipped her hand into the Prince’s. She was immediately aware of how small her hand appeared in his. Suddenly his fingers curled around her hand, locking her into the gentle but firm grip. Luci tugged lightly, but couldn’t seem to break away. Which wasn’t such a terrible thing, she thought suddenly, and she felt the heat of a blush creeping onto her face. Besides, the Prince had finally stopped his tossing about, and his face had even relaxed. She would stay like this for a few minutes longer, until she was sure Prince Yoichi had settled down.

Then, without warning, Prince Yoichi started to blink awake. Luci froze, her breath caught in her throat, her heart feeling like it was trying to burst out of her body. He spoke her name and she sighed.

“Yes, Your Highness, it’s only me.” She looked away, fixing her gaze on the window. Her hand was still enveloped in the Prince’s. “I’m sorry if I woke you. You were having a nightmare.” Pausing, Luci wondered how she was going to explain the situation. Her heart was still pounding so hard that she was starting to feel faint. “Please forgive me if I’ve overstepped my boundaries.”

The Prince was still half asleep as he listened to Luci; it took a moment for him to realize that she was holding his hand.  Somehow he knew that this was the reason he had been pulled out of his disturbing nightmare and a feeling of peace washed over him.  For a second he nearly fell back asleep without responding, but he managed to force himself to sit up in bed.  The thought of letting go of Luci’s hand pained him more than he could’ve imagined; he wasn’t ready just yet.

“You haven’t overstepped anything.”  He sighed and crawled out of his spot to sit next to her on the edge of the bed instead.  “I’m beset by nightmares very single time I close my eye.  This was the first moment of peaceful sleep I’ve experienced in years.  Forgive me, I’m the one overstepping boundaries.”  Prince Yoichi finally convinced himself to release her hand, although the sense of security it had brought him lingered.

“I don’t know that I’ll be able to lay down again.  I don’t want to slip back into that demented scenario again.  We’ll start our journey back home in the morning.”  He closed his eyes while he still sat up.  There was a very long pause before he again, as if he debated speaking at all.  “Have you ever wondered what life would be like had a single incident been avoided?”  The Prince opened his eyes again to look at Luci.

“If our carriage had never been attacked by bandits-- if they hadn’t killed my parents and my cousin...well I’d probably be sitting at home, reading a letter he’d sent me detailing his engagement to Princess Mista while begging I help disguise him as an old woman to smuggle him out of the country.”  He let out a half-hearted laugh; unfortunately he knew it to be true.  

Luci was truly at a loss for words. She would never try to claim that she and the Prince were close, but they had practically grown up together in the castle and she had never once seen him in such a state. It was quite worrisome to say the least, but she was beginning to see that it was a bit deeper than that.

In the past few days alone she had seen Prince Yoichi in a new light, and Luci had decided to herself that he was someone that she admired, and that she had never given him enough credit in the past. So seeing him in his current condition was actually quite upsetting, and she wished with all her heart that there was something she could do to ease some of what he was feeling. Yet there was nothing at all that she could do, other than watch helplessly.

“Prince Yoichi,” there was the smallest hint of a scolding in her voice, “I wish you would stop worrying about me. It’s a waste of your energy, and you could certainly use it worrying about your own situation.” Yes, Luci could still use a bit of work when it came to trying to comfort others. When the Prince continued she understood that his question was rhetorical, so she didn’t bother stating the obvious. “I can’t begin to understand how you feel, Your Highness. But perhaps you should retire early for the night? You might feel better after some rest.”

Luci knew that sleep probably wouldn’t solve anything. But it also wouldn’t hurt, so she bent over to take one of the Prince’s hands and began pulling him to his feet.

“Sleep.  You’re right, sleep would be beneficial.”  He allowed Luci to pull him up; all he could muster was the energy to kick off his shoes before collapsing face first into bed.  It was a terrible idea to wear these clothes to sleep, but he couldn’t bring himself to care enough to take them off.  Mirabelle gently pulled the covers out and laid them on top of him; she patted his back before retreating to the corner.  Some servants had laid out a cot with a blanket and pillow for her while they had been at the party.

In his absolutely exhausted state, he found himself asleep almost immediately.  It was a peaceful sleep at first -- which had surprised him -- but it quickly took a turn for the worse -- which wasn’t a surprise.  He was back at the castle, and apparently it was his wedding day.  It seemed like all the nobility within a thousand miles was in attendance; his Aunt and Uncle were beaming at him as they watched some tailors help him put on his clothes.

The Prince felt like a corpse as he walked through the castle.  It was less walking, and more like floating.  As if he were being pulled along by an unseen string.  His carefully practiced smile was the only thing keeping him afloat as he was congratulated by every person in the room.  Princess Mista attached herself to him like a leech; she tittered happily as people spoke to her, but the sound was grating, like metal scraping against one another.  Eventually she peeled herself off of him as the ceremony was about to begin.

He took his place at the front of the room with the clergy member who was to officiate their wedding.  In front of him was the King and Queen of Almidia, to their right was his Aunt and Uncle.  All four of them were beaming at him, but he had a sinking feeling in his gut that was worse than what he felt before.  Prince Yoichi wasn’t paying attention to the words that were being spoken as the officiant began the ceremony, and suddenly he was in their bed chambers after the wedding.

Princess Mista gave him a sultry look as she began to unbutton her nightgown, but with each button she simply revealed another section of the grotesque, massive mouth that ran vertically along her torso.  It was mashing its teeth, and saliva was dripping from its chapped lips as she approached him, her arms held open.  He knew that if he let her touch him he would be eaten, but he was frozen in place.

The Prince felt something warm touch his hand; he was pulled out of the dark nightmare and into a much more idyllic dream.  He and Mirabelle were sitting in a field making flower crowns together.  Luci was sitting near them looking at a map, her brow furrowed as she appeared to be plotting something on it.  Prince Yoichi stood up and dropped a flower crown onto her head; she looked up and shook her head as she laughed.  He was suddenly aware this was a dream; this was too pleasant to be real.  The realization caused him to wake up.  He groggily blinked, his eyes adjusting to the low light.

Luci was glad that the Princess decided not to respond to her apology, because she felt so would up that she was sure that the slightest provocation might set her off. And that was the absolute last thing they needed at the moment. As Princess Mista dragged the Prince onto the platform, Luci motioned for Mirabelle to hang back. The pair stood off to the side a bit, still close by but out of the way, watching as the King stood and clapped a hand on Prince Yoichi’s shoulder.

Here we go, Luci thought, and to her surprise she realized that she actually felt quite nervous. At least, she thought it was nerves; there was a heavy pit in her stomach, along with a very uncomfortable feeling in her chest. Before she had much of a chance to sort out her feelings however, the King promptly commanded the entire room’s attention before beginning the announcement.

No one else seemed to notice how forced Prince Yoichi’s smile looked, but Luci noticed. It made the uncomfortable feeling in her chest even worse, especially when she saw how excited the Princess was in comparison. Luci glanced over at Mirabelle, who didn’t appear to be very happy; she had noticed the false smile as well.

“Don’t worry, Lady Mirabelle.” Luci said to the girl, her voice nearly drowned in the cheers filling the room. Mirabelle looked up at her and nodded, although her expression still remained tense. Luci couldn’t exactly blame her. The announcement had been quite quick, but somehow it seemed as if a lot of time had passed before the Prince finally stepped back down from the platform.

“Right this way, Prince Yoichi.” Luci cleared a path through the room, nearly shoving one or two drunken nobles aside in the process. Mirabelle stayed close to Prince Yoichi’s side as they followed, and once they were out of the banquet hall Luci found it a bit easier to breathe. She didn’t say anything as they made their way back to the Prince’s chamber; she didn’t know she should say or how she should say it. Once they were all inside the mercifully quiet room she finally spoke. “Are you going to be alright, Your Highness?”

If she was being completely honest he didn’t exactly look like the Prince was going to be alright. He was a bit pale. “Should I get you a glass of water?” Just as Luci finished speaking Mirabelle moved to the pitcher on the dresser and began pouring a glass.

The nobles attending the party didn’t pay them any mind as Luci tore through the crowds to get the Prince out of the ballroom.  Mirabelle gently took his hand as they hurried back to the chamber they had been brought to when they arrived.  He slumped onto the downy bed and stared straight ahead; he was unable to even form a complete thought to answer Luci’s questions.

The image of him kissing Princess Mista on their wedding day -- a delighted but devious grin on her face, a look of horror on his own -- flashed across his mind and he rushed to stick his head out the window so that he wouldn’t get vomit on the ground.  He wretched several times before leaning back into the room and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.  His eyes were red from throwing up, but it didn’t help that he was also trying to hold back tears.

His legs felt weak; he slumped to the ground and wrapped his arms around his legs, pressing his head into his knees.  “I thought I could handle it.  I knew it was coming.”  Prince Yoichi paused as his voice began to crack.  “She’s vile.  The thought of her coming to Kareen-- the thought of her treating my people like that.  But I can’t do anything.  Kareen needs the alliance with Almidia.”  Mirabelle gently lifted the Prince’s head from his knees and place the cup to his lips.

He couldn’t help but crack a small smile at the gesture; he took the cup from her and downed the water.  “Thank you Lady Mirabelle.”  She sat on the floor next to him and patted his knee silently.  The Prince was wracked with images of Mista attempting to beat Mirabelle into submission as she had done with her own staff; he placed his hand on top of hers and let out a deep sigh.

The moment of tense silence seemed to last forever, although it must have only been a few seconds long. When Luci was suddenly smacked on the back by the much larger man it felt like the air had been knocked out of her lungs, and she nearly stumbled forward but managed to keep her footing. There was a rather unamused expression on her face as Beuga spoke in a drunkenly jovial tone. The very idea of working for a man like him was a very unpleasant one for Luci, but she kept that thought to herself, thinking that she had pushed her luck enough for one night.

The quiet sense of relief that she felt as Lord Beuga wandered away was fleeting. Princess Mista had immediately seized the opportunity to begin pulling the Prince away. Luci supposed that the Princess was eager for a certain announcement to be made. Her stomach suddenly felt like lead at the thought, and she imagined that Prince Yoichi felt many times worse.

Stifling the urge to snap back at the Princess with the same hardly-subdued bluntness that she had afforded Lord Beuga, Luci reminded herself once again not to continue to push her luck. Although she bristled at the mention of her commander, she took a breath to steady herself.

“If the commander had been a witness to the scene I would certainly be mucking the stables for the next week.” Luci swallowed a bitter lump in her throat. Her indignation was so pure and intense she felt like she might catch fire on the spot, but she forced herself to go on. “I apologize for any offense I may have caused, Princess.”

Princess Mista apparently didn’t feel the need to dignify Luci’s apology with a comment and instead sniffed as she picked up the pace.  There was a small platform where the King and Queen were sitting; they beamed as the Princess led him up the two steps and steered him so that he faced the ballroom.  It felt like a lead ball was sitting in his stomach as he kept a practiced smile on his face.  He would’ve liked to scream and run from the castle with reckless abandon, but now wasn’t the time for that.  The King stood up and slapped his hand on the Prince’s shoulder.

“Lord and Ladies, Counts, Viscounts, Earls and your wives, I’m pleased to finally have the opportunity to announce why you’ve all been called here today.  It is on this day that we are able to officially announce that Prince Yoichi of Kareen and my dear daughter Princess Mista of Almidia are now betrothed to marry.”  The Princess yanked on the Prince’s arm to force him to bend down so that she could excitedly plant a kiss on his cheek.  It was borderline revolting, but he managed to keep a grin on his face despite how pained it must have looked.

The crowds began to cheer and holler; there were crashing sounds as people slammed their goblets together in celebration.  Princess Mista clapped her hands together excitedly and waved at a gaggle of girls -- likely some Ladies that lived in her kingdom -- who were all giggling and waving back.  Prince Yoichi felt faint for a moment as he thought about what he was about to go through, but the King leaned into his ear just in time to bring him back to reality.

“There are still things your uncle and I must arrange, so we’ll send Mista to Kareen in two months time for the wedding.  I look forward to our new alliance.”  The Prince nodded as the King beamed at him.  “Go get some food!  You haven’t eaten and you spent all day riding.”

“Actually your Highness, I think I might go to bed.  I’m not feeling very hungry at the moment.”  The King titled his head but gestured for him to leave if he so pleased.  Prince Yoichi took the Princess’ hand and kissed it, an easy but false smile on her face.  She was too euphoric to really care; she didn’t bother to follow him this time as he rejoined Mirabelle and Luci.

Luci didn’t appreciate how close Prince Yoichi had gotten to being splashed with Lord Beuga’s wine as he laughed heartily at Mirabelle’s answer to his question. Her answer had been quite amusing, even Luci had thought so – a brief glance she shared with the Prince suggested that he had thought the same. Amusing as it was, Luci could feel a small tug of affinity toward Mirabelle, as the stables had often been where she had retreated to when she wanted to be alone, without the crushing feeling of loneliness.

Before long, the drunken lord’s attention had found itself, unfortunately, ince again on her. And once again Luci was terribly annoyed by his question, which was somehow even more insulting than the last.

She held the man’s gaze steadily, wondering if it was simply in a man’s nature to pick on a smaller target. Perhaps it was for fun, or to prove his dominance, she had no worldly idea of knowing. The other knights at the castle, most of whom she had grown up alongside, called her a runt and took every opportunity to drag her down. They loved to see her struggle, and hated to watch her succeed. Whatever their motives, she felt that Lord Beuga – with his title, wealth, and prestige – was no different.

“I have spent a lot of time tending the stables and caring for the horses, and I enjoy the labor.” Luci confirmed. “However, despite what may appear, I have never been a stable boy. Whatever I may look like, I am a knight. I’ve earned that title through years of hardship and struggle, as any other knight has done.” Normally she would have stopped there, but she could still feel a bit of heat rising beneath her collar, fueling her resolve. “With due respect, my lord, I think I can understand how a man of your position would come to such a conclusion; appearances must be very important to those of the noble class. But for a knight, and certainly for myself, the hidden qualities are what matter far more.”

Finally, a bit too late, Luci stopped herself. She felt that she had more to say to this pompous man, but also felt that she had probably already said too much. For a moment a cold fear gripped her as she realized that anything she said would reflect on the Prince, for better or worse – and she immediately wished she had shut her mouth sooner.

Prince Yoichi didn’t have the presence of mind to step in and stop Luci from giving Beuga a verbal lashing.  He deserved it, and frankly the Prince didn’t care to give the old man the benefit of the doubt.  It was obvious that he was picking on her on purpose.  Princess Mista was scowling at Luci; she clearly didn’t think this conversation was funny or appropriate.  It was well known that she was a massive proponent of proper decorum -- this was throwing her rulebook out the window.

Lord Beuga was staring at Luci with bulging eyes for a moment; he was clearly taken aback by the sudden attack -- although it was certainly deserved.  There was an uncomfortable silence between all of them; the Prince was about to open his mouth to break it when Lord Beuga spoke instead.

“I have never in my days been addressed by a knight like that.”  He let out a bellowing laugh and smacked Luci on the back hard.  “This is fantastic.  No one gives it straight to nobility, you know that?  They always speak in riddles and try to be as pleasant as possible.  I want the truth!  If you weren’t assisting the Prince, I would steal you away.  I’m sure you’d make sure I didn’t look ridiculous in my dress shirts.  We need less yes men in the castle!”  He began to wander off, waving his hand.

“I do hope to see you later Prince Yoichi and party.  Especially you Sir Lucien, you’re quite the character.”  Princess Mista saw the opportunity to move and began dragging the Prince towards the raised platform where her father and mother were sitting.  He managed to grab Mirabelle’s hand last second to keep them in tow behind him.

“Your knight is certainly crass.”  The Princess was speaking as if Luci wasn’t there, which definitely wasn’t unusual for her.  “That’s generally something they train out when they’re squires.  Hopefully we can change that.”  Prince Yoichi had several things to say that would’ve greatly offended Mista, but felt that starting a war between their two kingdoms when he wasn’t in the safety of his own castle was likely in bad taste.

Luci watched with silent admiration as the Prince entered the banquet hall, squaring his shoulders in spite of what she could only imagine was a very daunting situation for him. She realized then that Prince Yoichi had been faced with a very difficult decision, and he had chosen his duty to the kingdom and to his family over his own comfort and well-being. It was tragic, and her heart ached for a moment at the thought, but at the very same time she thought that it was quite brave, and honorable – even knightly. There were much worse people that she could swear her loyalty to, for certain.

Her thoughts were cut short when, almost as soon as they entered the large room, the Princess appeared and attached herself to Prince Yoichi. It was as if she had been hovering about the entrance, simply waiting for him. Luci held a steady gaze with Princess Mista as the woman’s beautiful, yet somehow venomous eyes narrowed toward her. In her heart there was a petty spark of satisfaction at the thought that she had annoyed the Princess, even slightly.

As the Prince began to move, Luci followed behind him and Mirabelle, stealing a quick glance at the young girl’s expression as she turned her head this way and that. Instead of looking nervous or afraid, the knight thought that Mirabelle appeared cautiously curious, which was a relief.

They had stopped, the Prince conversing with a noble. Drops of red wine occasionally dripped to the floor as he moved his arms a bit too enthusiastically, and suddenly he turned his attention to the odd pair accompanying the Prince.

Luci was affronted; of course she was short, but was it necessary to comment on it within seconds of meeting her? He was very clearly drunk, but that was no excuse. Weren’t nobles supposed to have some level of decorum? Luci was silently fuming, while struggling to keep the evidence out off her expression. There was a mild sense of annoyance in her face as she glanced up at the Prince – perhaps too minute for him to notice – when she noticed his subtle signal for her to respond.

“Sir Lucien, my lord. I am seeing to His Highness’ safety during his time away from our own Kingdom – certainly no one interesting enough for you to concern yourself with.” Luci’s short self-introduction was accompanied with a curt bow, bending at the waist with one arm folded in front of her torso while the other bent toward the small of her back. Her tone remained formal enough, although some of her indignation may have leaked through the cracks a bit. “May I introduce Lady Mirabelle,” she gestured toward the girl standing beside her, looking bravely into Lord Beuga’s red-hued face. “She will soon be a lady in waiting for our Queen. This is her first time attending a royal ball.”

The Prince pursed his lips as he tried to hold back at laugh.  Luci was barely keeping her irritation in check as she introduced herself and Mirabelle, although once the attention was shifted off of her she seemed more able to hold back.  He would have loved nothing more than to let her verbally attack him all night, but unfortunately for him, Lord Beuga was a very important vassal for his kingdom.  Keeping him happy was one of his Uncle’s top priorities, and that duty extended to the Prince as well.

“A new lady in waiting?  How delightful!  Truly, the good Queen has been without one for so long.  I thought she hated having someone tag behind her all day; she’s since changed her mind then?”  Beuga made eye contact with Prince Yoichi, and for a moment his heart skipped a beat.  He hadn’t realized that the Lord would remember how much his Aunt detested the very concept of ladies in waiting.  He didn’t let the sudden bout of anxiety show on his face as he shrugged.

“She heard that Queen Guinevere of Aierene was acquiring a new lady in waiting and felt it necessary to keep up with her.”  The lie came easily as it was only a half lie.  Queen Guinevere had indeed recently acquire a new lady in waiting, it just wasn’t something his Aunt would particularly care about.  Lord Beuga gave him a steady look for a moment; before offering Mirabelle a wide smile.

“I didn’t realize the Queen was so keen on keeping up with someone like Guinevere, but I suppose I don’t spend as much time with her as you.  So Lady Mirabelle, what’s your favorite part of living in the castle?”  The Prince felt panicked for a moment, but Mirabelle cut in before he could cover her with a lie.

“I like the stables.”  Prince Yoichi quirked an eyebrow at Luci, hoping felt just as befuddled.  Lord Beuga let out a loud laugh, nearly sloshing his wine all over the Prince as he placed his other hand on his stomach.  Princess Mista looked like she wanted nothing more than for this conversation to end, but the Prince was determined to keep them here as long as possible, no matter how boring this conversation was.

Luci simply nodded silently, averting her gaze so that the Prince couldn’t see the faint blush that had returned to her cheeks, did he really have to sound so sincere about it? The thought of leaving the sanctuary of the garden was unpleasant, but she dutifully followed Prince Yoichi out of the hedge maze as she listened to the advice directed at Mirabelle. 

The servant meeting them just as they exited the maze was a bit concerning. Luci frowned, wondering how one Princess could cause so much strife among the castle staff. She couldn’t imagine that Prince Yoichi could possibly be happy with such a dreadful person – not that it was her business to even devise such a thought. She mentally rebuked herself until the sound of the Prince’s voice brought her back to reality.

“Yes, all the servants at this castle do seem quite miserable.” Luci agreed quietly. While she did feel bad for them it was an unfortunate fact that there was nothing she could do to help them; her duty and focus was solely on the two in front of her, so she coaxed them on. “Lead the way, Your Highness.”

Approaching the banquet hall, music could be heard as well as the scent of much more decadent food than she was used to wafting from the large room. Peering through the wide open doors, Luci was a bit shocked for a moment to see just how many nobles were in attendance. It was much more of an event than she had imagined, but rather than becoming intimidated she simply became more determined to be a silent pillar of support for Mirabelle and especially for the Prince as he faced a very disagreeable situation. She looked up at him and waited for his move.

The sounds of the ball ramping up made his stomach turn as they approached the hall.  It was time to face the music, he supposed, as he straightened his back and entered the banquet hall.  Princess Mista immediately appeared at his side, latching onto his arm like a leech.

“Oh!  I was so worried you were lost, dear Prince.”  He offered her his practiced polite smile and nodded.

“Lady Mirabelle was simply enjoying the garden.”  The Princess eyed Mirabelle who was looking at some fancy dresses some nearby Ladies were wearing.  She sniffed before attempting to drag him away, but he dug in his heels.  “Lady Mirabelle is meant to stay with me tonight as I mentioned.  She’s to learn how to act during a royal ball.  Sir Lucien will stay as well.”  Princess Mista narrowed her eyes at him, but quickly plastered a wide smile on her face.

“Of course; today has been so busy that it just slipped my mind.”  He knew she was lying, but gave her an easy smile in return.

“Naturally.  I supposed my Uncle would like for me to speak with Lord Beuga, if he’s in attendance?”  He hopped this would bore her and she would leave him alone for a moment, but instead she eagerly dragged him off towards the last place she had seen him.  He was still there; standing next to a table sampling various wines.  It was clear that he was already quite drunk; his face was beet red as he turned around to face the Prince and party, his drink sloshing in the goblet in his hand.

As the Prince joined them, the three of them crouched around the butterfly must have appeared to be an odd sight but none of them seemed to care at the moment. They were alone in the garden anyway, sheltered from their immediate troubles, at least for the moment.

Luci blinked in surprise as Mirabelle managed to string together an entire sentence. The fact that it was a joke at the expense of Princess Mista made it that much more priceless, and she attempted to subdue a snicker behind a gloved hand as the Prince burst into a fit of laughter beside her. The butterfly, disturbed by the sudden commotion, fluttered off on the breeze.

“Of course she’ll survive. As tough as she is, I don’t have any doubts.” She feigned seriousness as she responded to the Prince, although she could just barely see Mirabelle’s grin in the corner of her vision. Finally smiling herself, Luci turned to face the girl. “Really, you’re doing so well already. Just keep it up and you’ll be just fine.”

Mirabelle nodded bashfully, taking a seat on the side of the water fountain as she peered into it’s rippling surface. Luci stood nearby, feeling a sense of relief at seeing a genuine smile on the Prince’s face. “You’ll survive too, Your Highness. I’ll be here to support you all the way.”

“That really does mean a lot, Lady Luci.”  He spoke under his breath so that Mirabelle wouldn’t hear.  The Prince nodded in determination, this time speaking to Mirabelle as well.  “Despite how much I loathe the idea, we should return to the castle and prepare for dinner with the King and Princess.”  Mirabelle nodded and stood up to return to their side.  She held out her hand and he took it with a small smile on his face.

“Dinner shouldn’t be too terrible.  Not that you’re the talkative type in the first place, but only speak when spoken to.  It’s considered impolite for non-nobles to speak out of turn and the last thing we need is Princess Mista getting up in arms about proper etiquette.  I’m sure she has a lot to say.”  Mirabelle smiled, but nodded solemnly at his advice.  They exited the hedge maze just as a frazzled servant prepared to enter.

“Oh thank the gods.”  She closed her eyes and placed a hand on her chest.  “Your presence is requested in the banquet hall.  Immediately.”  Prince Yoichi gave her a polite but forced smile.

The grin on the Prince’s face brought Luci an immediate sense of relief, so when he began leading the way she didn’t hesitate to indulge him. When Mirabelle grasped her hand in fear of the masterfully sculpted lions the knight squeezed her hand reassuringly, all while attempting to remember the path they were taking into the maze. It didn’t take long before they arrived at the end, where a very peaceful little scene awaited them. She just barely managed to hold in a snicker as Prince Yoichi recounted his childhood memories regarding the hedge maze.

The mental image of Princess Mista crying came with an almost sadistic sense of satisfaction. Luci almost felt bad, but apparently was holding a grudge over the Princess for some reason she couldn’t seem to put her finger on. Beside the fact that the Princess had a less than agreeable personality, Luci couldn’t figure out why she seemed to dislike her on a very personal level.

Mirabelle directing a smile at her pulled the knight out of her thoughts by the heartstrings, and Luci couldn’t help but offer a small smile in return. “You should walk around and stretch your legs a bit, my lady.” While the young girl seemed to be doing much better now, Luci still worried that Mirabelle needed time to build up her strength again. She sighed as she watched Mirabelle wander off toward the fountain. 

“If Your Highness wishes it, it shall be done.” It was easy enough for Luci to slip back into her role of dutiful knight – much easier to do that than have to think about how she really felt about the entire situation as a whole. Despite that, she was sure that it wasn’t quite as easy for the Prince to distract himself, so after a moment she did the first thing that she could think of. She plucked another lily from the bush and, standing on the very tips of her toes, was able to tuck it behind the Prince’s ear. “The flower suits you as well, Prince Yoichi.”

Luci had a small mischievous grin of her own before she left the Prince’s side to catch up with Mirabelle, who was kneeling over a butterfly that had landed on a bright green blade of grass to rest. As she turned her back on the Prince a faint blush dusted across her cheeks as she wondered if what she had done had crossed a line, although she had escaped the situation almost before Prince Yoichi even had time to react.

Oh he certainly wished, but in the end he knew it was futile.  It was his duty -- whether he liked it or not.  He tried to push away another wave of self pity just as Luci placed a lily behind his ear.  Before he had a chance to respond, she had strode across the clearing to check on Mirabelle.  He attempted to hold back a smile, chewing on the inside of his cheek to keep his expression neutral.  The Prince tilted his head as she looked back, but he held in his laugh at her slight blush.

Prince Yoichi joined them; he squatted with his hands on top of his knees as he investigated the butterfly.  “Strange that such a beautiful creature would choose to stay in this swampland.  I suppose there’s plenty of flowers around here but,” he shrugged, “it wouldn’t be my first choice.”  Mirabelle looked up at him with wide eyes before shrugging herself.

“Maybe the butterfly hasn’t met Princess Mista yet.”  That was the first full sentence the girl had spoken their entire time together; the Prince stared at her in shock for several seconds before falling into a fit of laughter.  He clutched his stomach and took some gasping breaths in a futile attempt to regain his composure.  It took a few minutes for him to calm down; he wiped tear from his eyes with the back of his hand and cleared his throat, although another giggle escaped him.

“Glad to see you have a sense of humor Lady Mirabelle.  But let’s keep that one between the three of us.”  She had stared at him cautiously during his laughing fit, but a wide smile spread across her face once he calmed down.  She nodded in agreement and placed a finger to her lips.  The Prince stood up -- his knees popping after squatting in the same position for so long -- and approached the water fountain.  “I don’t think I’ve laughed like that in a long time.  Thank you Lady Mirabelle.  This trip will be more tolerable after that.”

medieval au || yoichi && lucy

Seeing Mista flutter her eyelashes at the Prince was somehow so disgusting to Luci that she had to force herself to look away. Turning her head to the side to look at a rose bush nearby, the knight’s eyes had narrowed into a glower without her realizing it. She wasn’t quite sure how to describe how she felt about the situation, adding a layer of confusion on top of everything else. Despite how uncomfortable she was, she knew that it was nothing compared to what the Prince was feeling.

Luci found it easier to breathe once the Princess finally took her leave of the group, disappearing into the castle. A heavy sort of feeling had settled into the pit of her stomach as she had watched her interactions with Prince Yoichi, although she tried her best to ignore it. Mirabelle’s soft laugh seemed to help ease the tension that had been worked up, and Luci relaxed her shoulders somewhat.

“Shall we take a walk, Your Highness? I’m sure that Lady Mirabelle would like to stretch her legs after the ride.” She attempted to suggest something that might help the Prince take his mind off of the unfortunate matters at hand, if just for a few moments. Mirabelle nodded silently in agreement as she stood up, flattening out the wrinkles on the front of her dress with her small hands.

“Come on, Prince Yoichi. Moping around won’t solve anything.” The knight feigned impatience, sighing as the Prince dragged his feet. She was trying her best to lift his spirits, although her methods were a bit callous; Mirabelle was a bit more gentle in her own coaxing, pulling Prince Yoichi to his feet by the hand. “You said you played here when you were young, right? Do you still remember your way around?”

He was struggling to dispel his despair with his usual upbeat attitude but was clearly struggling.  Prince Yoichi let out a sigh as Mirabelle tugged at his hand to convince him to stand up.  He could mope around later -- and he definitely would.  At the mention of his previous stays here, a mischievous grin replaced his frown.  “Perhaps the place I used to hide to avoid the Princess is still around.  This might be useful information for you Lady Mirabelle.”  She nodded solemnly, looking up at the Prince with her big eyes.

Prince Yoichi gently took her hand and motioned for Luci to follow.  There was a path that led into a small hedge maze; when he was younger it had looked a lot more imposing, but now he could see over it if he stood on his toes.  “Don’t let the lions gets you.”  He mentioned in passing as they strode past two topiaries.  Mirabelle grabbed Luci with her free hand in fear; her head swiveled on her neck to keep an eye on the bushes lest they come to life with their backs turned.

The Prince only half paid attention to where he was walking; he gone through this maze dozens upon dozens of times.  His feet knew where they were going, even if he was only barely conscious of it.  For the most part he was distracted at the thought of the inevitable public proposal, but there wasn’t much he could do about it.  Grin and bear it, although he would rather stab himself in the foot.

“Ah, there we go.”  As they turned a corner, they found themselves in the very back section of the maze.  Here there was a small gazebo with a tiny bubbling fountain.  “I can’t guarantee this is still true, but Princess Mista hated this maze when we were children.  She would get lost and I would have to help her get out, and then she’d go running off to the king to cry in embarrassment.  Hopefully she’ll have had no reason to try to venture in since I’ve been gone; I’m not sure the rest of the staff would care enough to save her like I did.  And that was more out of princely duty than anything else.”