Love Live Kingdom/Fantasy AU

Scrolls and the Bandit

"Your Highness a seagull has arrived with a scroll." the soldier said standing tall holding his spear in his hand. A tall skinny man, who was polishing his wonderful sword stopped his motion abruptly turning around, "Bring me to it.", the soldier bowed, turning around directing the King to its location from the King's quarters on the ship. Placing the sword in its sheath he followed the soldier moving swiftly across the ship. The ship rocked slightly due to the waves but the King had grown used to it. He had been sailing the seas for months now, his daughter sitting on the throne in his absence. Not only would he be able to look at his other colonies he would be able to give his daughter practice on running the kingdom.

As the King passed by the soldiers, ship mates and maids who were present on the way bowed; he was unlike his daughter who really didn't care about these formalities. On starboard, there was a place concentrated with soldiers. The soldier screamed an order to the others and they all stood in a two lines facing each other, creating a path for the King to access the bird, with a loud clank as they slammed the butts of the spears on to the deck. On the other end was the seagull carrying a scroll in its mouth. It seemed to be unfazed by the amount of people and noise. "Here your highness, is the bird."

As if the path was made for it, the bird him hopped down the path the soldiers had formed, dropped the scroll in front of the King and flew away. The scroll looked like it went through a lot, there was splotches of sea water on it making some parts soggy, some seaweed hanging around and torn in some places. It really didn't look like a scroll.

The soldier bent down to pick it up but was stopped by the King himself. He picked it up, cringing as he did so. It looked filthy but whatever the information was, it must have been for him, it had the royal symbol stamped on the outside, now smudged by the water. He opened it carefully, reading the slightly smudged handwriting line by line.

Never did he imagine that he would read such a news. Blood from his face rushed out, his eyes wide open with his mouth agape. He gulped, tears brimming in his eyes. "Captain," he hollered, storming up to the cockpit. "Yes sir."
"Turn back home immediately."
"But your highness we haven't reached-"
"This is a command captain." he snarled.

He needed to go back home, before it was to late.

***

The trees swayed to the gentle breeze of the nice hot day. The sky was blue as ever, little cotton like clouds dotting it, perfect to gaze at and guess what it looked like.

"Ah this feels so good." Chika stretched as she walked, enjoying the feel of the cold breeze hit her in her sweltering robes. Riko hummed in response. Though their robes weren't black, except for Yoshiko's because she insisted it to be that way, it had layers of lightweight yet durable armor to protect them. "I guess no matter how heavy armor is it is always hot inside." Riko said.

"How long do we have to go?" Chika whined trying to fan herself with her robes. "Chika chan we haven't even travelled for an hour and you're saying this. Don't you want to find You chan?"
"Of course I do but... its so hot." she groaned. "Why does the sun have to be so cruel?"
"C'mon Chika chan if we don't go faster we won't find their lair."

The quest required them to search for the lair of the bandits so that they could preform a strategical attack on it. Most of the land had been scored by them and Ruby's bird friend from the Forest of Birds- Pinkie, a robin whom Ruby could only understand due some reason(Riko hadn't paid much attention when the younger girl was explaining). There was suspicious activities going on in that forest like there were no attacks on any village by the bandits ever since You had been kidnapped. Maybe Mari thought it was connected (which was obvious) but something just didn't add up. Riko had no clue what but something felt off. It was not only because of Mari's odd behavior but also the soulmate mark on her back. It was fading. It freaked her out. How could it fade so quickly? It wasn't that long ago that You was captured and it had already begun fading.