His Royal Highness

Forest of Nala

I couldn't believe my eyes as Nanami stood in front of me at my door, I dropped to the floor as he knelt and smiled. I never met this man before and yet it felt like I'd known him for years, was it because he knew my Father and Mother? He sat down in front of me and we just looked at each other in silence, was he testing me?
"How are you here?" I asked him.
"Your Mother came to see me yesterday and well... she wasn't happy I didn't respond to your letter." he said, my Mother truly is a different breed of woman.
"I apologize for my Mother." I said as I bowed my head.
"No need I am very used to her after all, we did grow up together." he said, my eyes widened.
"You did?" I asked, and he nodded.
"She was the only friend I had, I have always been isolated from the world with how powerful I am, people were afraid of me but not her." he said with a smile.

I felt his honesty in his words when speaking of my mother, I felt safe around him but something felt off. How did he get here? It takes a week to travel from that town to the capital and we are only a few hours out of the Capital.
"You wondering how I got here?" he asked my eyes widened, did he read my mind?
"Y-yes, I am."
"I'm not here, It's a spell to project yourself in front of whoever you want to speak with. I look real don't I?" he said with a chuckle.
"You do, I never knew you could do such things." I said.
"I can teach you when you arrive at my village." he said as he stood up.
"I'll be going now, I came to warn you as well... the journey to me will not be easy." he said.
"Why?" I asked
"You must always keep your guard up, this is your second test make sure you make it to me alive Aria." he said as he disappeared. What dangers await me on this journey?

Morning came and I didn't get a wink of sleep, I woke up Yuji so he could wash and eat breakfast. Satoru had already been up talking with Guin and Theo. I had sent Akuma back to the Capital to look into something, he would return when he got the information. I was still thinking about what Nanami said last night about the road ahead, if it's that dangerous maybe Yuji shouldn't go with us.
"Delta come." I said as she appeared in front of me.
"Master." she said.
"I need you to join me on this trip, I want you to protect that boy with your life." I told her as I pointed to Yuji.
"Who is that boy?" she asked me.
"I don't know him well but I can't leave him here with no parents, I can't send him back either with everyone away doing their jobs so I want you to protect him at all cost." I said.
"Yes, Master." she said, I called Yuji over and introduced him to Delta he was standoffish at first but once he saw her wolf ears and tail he got excited to see a real wolf girl.
"Aria, is she a wolf?" Yuji asked me, I nodded and he smiled.
"I will be protecting you on this journey Master Yuji." she said as she bowed before him, he got nervous.
"Am I her master?" he asked me.
"I adopted you which makes you my son and anything I have you have now including those that serve me." I told him and he nodded as he grabbed her hand and pulled her away.

I walked over to Satoru and told him to come with me, I needed to let him know what happened last night. We had walked down to the nearby river and that's when I saw the state of the water in this village, everything was polluted but not naturally.
"Before we talk, I need to fix this." I said as I put my hands out and cast a purifying spell on the water and land around it.
"Nice, now they can have fresh water." he said.
"Nanami was here last night." I said.
"I know, what did he want?" he said.
"If you knew then why didn't you come and talk as well?" I asked him.
"You know I don't like that man..." he said as he pouted like I did something wrong.
"Are you pouting right now? actually... I don't care, he told me that the road ahead will be dangerous but didn't tell me why." I said, he sighed.
"He is always so cryptic." he said.
"I summoned Delta to protect Yuji so we don't have to focus on him if anything happens." I said.
"You are taking this boy aren't you?" he asked me, I nodded.
"I may not have emotions right now but children will always mean something to me, i don't care if I have my emotions off or on I will protect children they are this country's future." I said
"Even with no emotions you have a heart." he said, I stared at him.
"I will kill you..." I said as I walked back to the house.
"What did I do?!" he yelled as he followed behind me