If Things Were Different

Chapter 5

Morning came, and Risette and Suki climbed into the carriage. Henry helped them load the crates of fabric into the back, and very gently assisted Suki in entering the carriage."Your assistant certainly knows how to carry herself," Henry commented to Risette. "If I didn't know better, I'd say she was a noble."

"If you knew better," Risette thought, "You would know that this was Princess Suki." Risette chuckled. "I don't know much about her. She only started the other day."

"Let me guess, she's the product of some nobleman's illicit affair, being pampered all their life to keep them quiet," Henry said. "Never worked a day in her life, and suddenly the nobleman dies, and his family doesn't pay her off anymore?"

"Well, I-" Risette said. "Why would you guess that?"

Henry laughed. "It happens a lot more than you would think. Being a servant, you learn a lot just by listening and staying silent. Don't worry. I'll keep her secret safe." He helped Risette into the carriage. "The journey might take a bit longer than previously estimated. The roads aren't as safe, so we have to travel more carefully to avoid bandits and kidnappers. But don't worry, ladies. I've driven this carriage for nearly ten years, and I am particularly skilled at fisticuffs when it comes to it." He got into a fighting stance and began to box the air. "I was once training to be a knight, but I got an arrow to the knee and relegated myself to the servant life."

"With you here, we'll feel a lot safer," Risette smiled. "Bandits? Kidnappers on the roads? How common is this stuff?" She looked over at Suki. A panicked squirrel would rival her to be calm.

"It's ok, Su," Risette said, "Henry will keep us safe."

"If you're sure," Suki replied nervously. Inside, Suki's heart was racing. "What if we get kidnapped? What if Henry isn't enough?"


As the morning turned into afternoon, the carriage rolled to a stop. "There's a tree blocking the road," Henry called back.

The sounds of a scuffle could be heard from outside. Henry shouted out, "You ruffians are no match for my fisticuffs!" These words were followed by a loud thud. Footsteps came from the outside of the wagon.

Suki began to shake. "N-not this again!" she said.

"Calm down," Risette whispered. "We're gonna have to fight them together."

The door to the wagon opened. A man chewing a piece of grass. "Looks like we get a bonus," he grinned. "We get the princess and a friend."

"L-leroy?!" Suki exclaimed, backing up.

"The Guildmaster will be excited to see you again," Leroy said. "He might even make you a centerpiece for the Guildhall."

"N-no! Please!" Suki said as her eyes bulged out. "Anything but that."

"Who cares what he does with her?" another voice said. "All that matters is I get paid. They'll both be worth it to the Guild." Peeking her head in was a purple-haired girl with a black cloak and brown eyes.

"You wouldn't be having this problem if you had taken up the Guildmaster's deal," Leroy said, "but he offered that to someone else." He tilted his head towards the purple-haired girl.

"Wait, you're the scum who kidnapped my cousin!" Risette shouted. "What did you do with her?"

"I'll need more specifics," Leroy replied. "I kidnap a lot of girls."

"She was a guard in Huston Village!" Risette hissed.

"Oh, I think she was talking about that goody-two-shoes guard," the purple-haired girl replied. "Didn't we -"

"I'll offer you a deal, miss," Leroy interrupted. "You let me tie you up and we'll tell you what happened to your blonde friend."

"I will take you in just like I took your friends Luciana and Virginia," Risette replied.

Leroy laughed. "Oh those two brats. You did us a favor to be honest. Nobody really liked them, unless they were locked in the Private Cells after getting into fights." He smiled, then readied his fists.


The purple-haired girl swung at Suki, and knocked her to the floor. Leroy jabbed at Risette with his dagger, slicing across her arm. Risette stumbled backwards and tripped over Suki, sending her sprawling to the floor. Suki attempted to fight back against the purple-haired girl's strike, but the woman dodged them effortlessly.

The purple-haired girl attempted to pursue the fallen Suki, but slipped and fell against the seat. Leroy was thrown off balance by the purple-haired girl, and lost his footing. Risette jumped to her feet to tackle the purple-haired girl, but missed. Suki hesitated for a moment, and missed her opportunity to get Leroy.

The purple-haired girl attempted to attack Suki, but Suki moved at just the right time. Leroy managed to recover and slice his knife down Risette's side. Risette stumbled again and fell. Even though Suki dodged the purple-haired girl's attacks, she lost her footing again and landed on her back.

The purple-haired girl took advantage of Suki's vulnerable state and pinned her to the floor of the carriage. Despite Risette's struggling, Leroy spun her around and had her bound with a cloth stuffed in her mouth. Suki struggled free of the pin, kicked the purple-haired girl to the side.

The purple-haired girl dove back in, and within moments, Suki was in a similar state to Risette. Leroy grinned. "Well, that was a complete waste of your energy. Oh, and Princess," he said, leaning towards Suki. "She's a professional. You'll be wearing those knots as long as you're our guest."

"MMMPH!" Suki whined.

The purple-haired girl shrugged. "Can we get these girls back to the guildhall so we can get paid now?"

"MMMPH!" Risette replied.

"Take 'em back to the hideout. We'll lay low with them for a day before taking them back to the hall," Leroy said. "Fisticuffs here will go crazy after he wakes up." He picked Risette up and threw her over his shoulder. Violet grabbed Suki and did the same.

"MMMPH! MMMPH! MMMPH!" Suki moaned. "Please not again!"

"MMMPH! MMMPH! MMMPH!" Risette shouted. "What about Esther?"