Runaway Angel

6. Royals ALWAYS get it tough

YUKITARO



I galloped through the fields, still enraged. I couldn't shake the thought of war but I wanted this journey so badly. I waited all my life for this.

 I reached the Northern forest. I looked back from where I rode from: In the distance, a tall crystal blue palace glittered on the horizon. I dont want to turn back. I willed my kori to race at full speed. 

After riding through the forests for a while, I stopped at an open space, comfortable for rest. Even though Kori is made from water, they still eat. They neigh according to your feelings.

 All of a sudden, I heard a rustle of leaves. Wild animals? Hunters? I needed to know. I hopped on my Kori and trodded towards the noise. It grew faint and finally stopped. 

My Kori wanted to know what was after this bush, and so did my heart. Curiosity built up until my impatient horse reared and let out a deafening neigh. All sorts of animals deserted the area. 

Before me was a child around the age of 13 on the ground leaning on a huge oak tree. She had white blonde hair covering her face. She was bruised and bleeding from her forearms. 

I quickly got down. "Go away" she muttered. But she seriously needed help. "Are you alright? How did you get here?" I asked. I suddenly felt responsible. She squinted at me, fell sideways,  and passed out. 

As she did, I saw a pair of wings. Black wings. She had been hunted down and got lost here. Black wings. I thought. Was that never heard of? 

I rushed to my Kori. From the saddle bag, I took two pieces of cloth. I cleaned her bruised face, arms, and legs. Then applied medicinal liquid and wrapped her arms in the soft cloth. I  laid her down.

Black wings. It came to my mind again. Forget about it. What's important is that she gets home safely.

I couldn't help but check her wings out. I unfolded them. Massive wings, but they were lighter than I thought. There were twigs and leaves stuck on them. I untangled her messed-up feathers.

 I heard a faint yell. A man's voice. "Your majesty!" the man's voice grew louder. It could be hunters, looking for the young girl. It could also be a caretaker. I readied my green acid. 

"Over here!" I yelled back. I heard fast-paced footsteps. A young man in his early 20s covered in mud carrying a leather bag ran towards me. 

He had kind and melting brown eyes and messy brown hair. He was strongly built and had scars etched into his arm. He knelt down beside the child. He checked her temperature, pulse, and all the wrapped wounds. 

The dude caught my gaze. "What brings you here, young lad?" he asked quietly. Clearly, he is her caretaker and did not want to wake her up from her slumber. "An adventurer" I whispered. 

I still had my acid readied. "How did you find her?" He asked politely. "She is where she was, except she has scars of poisonous plants." The guy stared the life out of me with a why-cant-you-say-that-earlier kind of face.

"Dont worry. I'm done healing those already." I pointed out. He relaxed his broad shoulders. The sun had completely set but the moon was nowhere to be seen. My Kori was the only source of light. 

"Im Ishimi Taiko. And this one," he pointed to the curled-up girl "is Inoya Tomioka." Tomioka? Then it hit me. One of the skies' royal family names. It was my turn for an introduction. "Im Yukitaro Keiko" I stated "I see you are also from the royal family." He noticed. I forced a smile. "Well, thank you Yukitaro for caring for this child. I'll take it from here." 

He picked the princess gingerly. As he was leaving, I had to make a decision. Trust this guy or don't trust this guy.

"Excuse me, sir? Do you mind if I accompany you?" I was embarrassed to ask but if he would offer help I could use it for my journey. He nodded.

 "Was there some quarrel between you and your family?" He guessed. I was surprised. "Please tell me" He requested. I narrated today's incidents as we walked. 

Ishimi let out a sigh. "Royal families are being torn apart, just like hers." "What do you mean? What kind of 'trouble' is she facing?" Something looked off in his eyes. All those moments ago his eyes seemed to be glinting, but now, they stopped. It looked dull and lifeless. 

"I'm not allowed to speak of it." He simply added. He steered through the forest like he had lived here his whole life. We got out of the forest and camped in a cave. He exclaimed that he made it himself, and seemed to be very proud of it. 

He placed the princess on a pile of leaves. He had caught a huge fish and started to cook it. Once he was done, he kindly offered me some. We ate in silence. 

He made two beds out of mud and laid on one. "You may accompany us after you prove your worth tomorrow." Those were his last words that day.

 I fell asleep and just immediately woke up with the princess crying. "Make it stop, please Ishimi." she sobbed. I felt pity for her. Ishimi was by her side, stroking her head. She calmed right down. 

Ishimi whispered into her ear. She nodded and came to me."You- saved me, right?" She whacked her head to remember. She looked at my Kori. "That was you? It scared me" She backed up. "Thank you," she murmured. "I have a bad memory." She said pointing to herself. "It's cool." I verified.

Her eyes. I couldn't get the image off my mind. Intense icy blue eyes on the right and ever-color-changing hazel eyes on the left. Both eyes seemed to show different emotions. 

She had a playful smile when she ate breakfast and it warmed me. 

"Where are you taking her?" I asked Ishimi. It took a while for him to clear his mouth to speak. "I can only state that once you prove yourself worthy." He replied. 

He didn't seem to NOT want me, but he also need to be able to trust me. The life of this princess is a really big deal for him. 

The princess sat in a corner and stared into the muddy walls of the cave. She then looked, straight into my eyes. I was startled and almost deformed my Kori.

 She smiled. "Ishimi, we can trust him." She said in her soft voice. "Alright then. We are headed to-" Ishimi started. But he was dragged away by an enormous Irish Wolfhound.