Magi: Judar's Princess

40. ZigZag

A day or so had passed and I felt more than embarrassed about how I'd reacted to Judar before dinner. I spent most of the afternoon cursing myself for being so emotionally weak around him, when Kougyoku and Hakuei skipped merrily towards me, both of them linking their arms with mine.

"Mei, you'll never guess where we've been invited to visit!" Kougyoku hummed excitedly, waving a little envelope around my field of vision.

"Is it to Sindria?" I guessed, judging by how giddy she seemed.

Her expression became flat as Hakuei laughed lightly. "Yes! You'll be coming too, won't you?" Hakuei finally asked, her silvery blue eyes gleaming in the sunlight.

"Of course," I beamed back at her happily.

The two of them bustled excitedly until Hakuei grew rigid as if realizing something slightly bothersome.

"What is it?" I asked, noticing her change of mood right away.

"Well," she started quietly as if choosing her words wisely. "If I'm not mistaken, Judar will be going as well," she said.

Kougyoku exchanged a worried glance with her before her fuchsia eyes met mine. "You don't have to come," she said quietly. "We can even stay behind with you if you like," she continued, plastering a tiny smile on over her apparent distaste for the latter option.

I hesitated for a moment, allowing my mind to clear. I then met both of their gazes, noticing how both of them seemed genuinely concerned for me. My insides fluttered at how considerate they were being towards me.

I then smiled brightly. "No, we'll all go,"I insisted in a cheery voice, reining both of them closer. "Really though, when did both of you become such good sisters to me?" I asked, pitting back the tears that started to well up at the sudden warmth I felt with them by my side.

Kougyoku and Hakuei laughed, continuing to folly around as we bustled on through the corridor.

---

The air was warm and the sun was bright overhead as we loaded up into one of the ships at the dock. For the first half of the voyage, Kouha spent a great deal of his time braiding my hair while I braided Kougyoku's. Hakuei spent her time reading and chatting quietly with Kouen, while Judar kept entirely to himself. Hakuryuu had set sail a few days ahead of us, hoping to meet up with his friends a bit early.

"He probably only went ahead to see that Fanalis girl," Kougyoku chuckled and I couldn't help but smile at the thought of him leaving us behind just to see Morgiana a few days early.

---

After a long voyage overseas, we were escorted all the way to King Sinbad's palace.

It was refreshing to see Sindria and the Kou Empire on friendly terms, and I wondered briefly what it would have been like if the nations didn't get along.

"Ah, I see that almost the entire crew has come," Sinbad's voice boomed as he greeted us eagerly. "Welcome to Sindria! Or, welcome back, rather," he chuckled.

We were promptly shown to our quarters and unpacked our things. I felt a small wave of nostalgia wash over me as I settled into the familiar bedroom. I flopped down on the bed, staring blankly up at the ceiling as I pondered over the events that had taken place in Sindria the last time I was here. My cheeks grew warm as I recalled the festival and...

I shook my head to clear my thoughts.

(There's no need to brew over any of that...)

Shaking me from my thoughts, Kougyoku was suddenly present in my room, flopping down on the bed next to me.