Ningyō no Ohimesama (The Doll Princess)

Asahi's Village

{MIHO'S POV}
The mood of our army is dampened after burying of the people of the Lost Town, as we dubbed it since everything in it was destroyed and nobody was alive to tell us the real name.

We won't fair well in a battle with our morale so low. Something good needs to happen.

That something good arrives in the package of a young girl with a natural afro of flocculent black hair and eyes the color of almonds.

Her cocoa skin is lacerated with several cuts and bruises. Her sides heave as she gasps for breath.

"Help!" She pants, promptly fainting into my arms as I dive to catch her. I feel for a pulse. It's fluttering weakly, but it's there.

"Medic." I order. "I need a... battlefield medic."

My soft order is echoed down the line. The soldiers part for a few doctors, marked by their white clothes. The battlefield medics rush forward, each carrying his or her own box of equipment.

They take the girl from me and begin first aid, bandaging her many wounds. Eventually, the girl's breathing becomes less labored as her body relaxes. The doctors, satisfied, back off after giving me and Aoi-kun several warnings about not stressing her out too much when she first awakens.

Finally, the girl's eyes flutter open. She fixes her gaze on Aoi. "Red eyes? Prince?"

"That's me. Who are you?" Aoi-kun asks.

"Asahi." She says after a moment.

"Asahi," I draw her attention to me. "Where are... you from? What can we... do to help?"

Asahi sits up, swaying slightly before steadying herself. She points into the woods, in the direction she came from. "I'm from Tulip Village. We've been overrun by Kenji-heika's—"

"Just Kenji." Aoi-kun interupts.

Asahi and I both glance at him, then Asahi continues. "—by Kenji's soldiers. They know you're marching this way and were sent to 'protect' us. In actuality, General Daku just wants keep us from defecting and use us as meat shields in order to slow you down a bit and whittle away at your numbers."

General Daku.

I clenched my fists. I'll never forget the name of the murdering scumbag who beheaded an innocent toddler and lead the massacre against Lost Town.

And now he's shown up again, about to do to Asahi's village what he's done to at least one town and who knows how many others. This must be karma.

The amount of blood on General Daku's hands is unforgivable. Blood roars in my ears.

I don't even realize that I've stood up until Aoi-kun's arms are pulling me back from running in the direction that Asahi pointed.

"Wait!" He pleads, clasping my face in his hands and forcing me to look at him. "Miho! I want to kill the bastard as much as you do! But you'll get lost, or you'll be seen, and Asahi's family will die! We have to be smart about this, not rash! Miho! Stop!"

Finally, Aoi-kun manages to calm me down. I think he's the only one who would dare to grab me when I'm on a rampage like that.

I huff and go sit back down next to Asahi again. She's looking back and forth between Aoi-kun and me, her mouth a round O.

Then Asahi smirks. "I see how it is."

"Tell everything." I demand. Aoi-kun keeps a firm grasp on my wrist to contain my rage.

"My dad, he's the village leader. He was furious when Kenji's troops came. We had no warning and we don't much like Kenji anyway. There was no place for them to sleep so the soldiers commandeered our houses. They stole our beds and ate all our food stores. General Daku told us we should be grateful because he's protecting us from the dirty, stinking rebels. But he and his men treat us like slaves. They make us do their bidding, or else—" Asahi winces.

"Or else..." Aoi-kun prompts softly.

Asahi takes a deep breath. "Or else... well, we didn't want to listen to them at first so they forced us. It started as flogging. They tied the disobedient ones to posts and whipped until their backs were bloody and raw. When that became too boring, they changed tactics—" at this point, Asahi's voice is so soft that Aoi-kun and I have to lean in to hear, "—to rape."

"What?" I snarl inhumanly and Aoi has to hold me back yet again. He trembles with rage and I sense he wants nothing less than a bloodbath.

Asahi begins to cry. For such a young girl to witness such awful things... I know what it's like to grow up too fast, so I'm seeing red.

"When we refused to do something, General Daku and his soldiers would grab the nearest woman or, well, he preferred children too, and would—in broad daylight—even my mother!" It's clear that Asahi won't be able to continue. She doesn't need to.

This man, this "general" Daku, will die. Painfully.

Finally, Asahi manages to compose herself. "General Daku eventually got sick of us. We were too disobedient, too mutinous. He locked Dad and all the villagers in the meeting hall. I managed to wiggle my way out through a vent, but they won't give us food or water. Everybody's dying!"

"I'll free them so... lead the way." I growl, gripping the hilt of my rapier with white knuckles.

Usually, this is where Aoi-kun would remind me to offer surrender as an option, but neither of us wants to give any of these bastards a second chance.

"Takeshi, Torako, Hajime." Each of the generals straightens up as Aoi-kun calls their name. "We didn't travel as far as we wanted today, but we're setting up camp here for the night. You three are in charge while Miho and I are gone."

Asahi raises her hand. "Not that I'm questioning the imperial prince's judgement or the imperial princess's strength, but wouldn't it be better to bring, oh I dunno, an army's worth of firepower?"

"We'll travel faster... as three." I tell her. "And if Daku... hears the army... coming, he might... kill everyone. Stealth is... key here. Wait... what do you mean... imperial princess?!"

Asahi doesn't respond, instead leading Aoi-kun and me into the forest towards Tulip Village.