Unending - a Sword Art Online Fanfic (being rewritten)

Chapter 30: Captive Bride

And the hits just keep on coming. Enjoy guys.

Akari's POV:

Akari slowly opened her eyes, then closed them again against the bright light shining in her eyes. She groaned as the headache she hadn't been conscious to feel earlier when she was knocked out came crawling back, bringing all the pain with it.

"OK, at least pain means I'm alive." She thought to herself as she sat up.

"Akari, are you ok?" Said Utsumi's voice from next to her. Akari turned and immediately smiled and wrapped her friend in a hug. "Thank Aincrad you're ok." Akari said as she pulled back. "I thought I might lose you. Where are the others?"

Utsumi grimaced. "Well... that's the thing. They are ok... all of them."

"All of them?" Akari asked in confusion. She went over to the entrance to the tent and peeked out. Immediately she reeled back as the face of the guy who defeated her earlier.

"You!" Akari cried out. She swung her fist at his head, clocking him square in the chin as he followed her into the tent, sending him flying back out again to land with a thud on the ground.

She heard several voices start laughing and mocking him as she sat back down with Utsumi.

"Well, it seems that this pretty little face that his highness has taken to has a little more fire in her than he's use to." Said one voice. Laughter followed.

"Your majesty, may I enquire as to the condition of your honored guest? Is she awake enough to kick your ass into next week?" Even more laughter could be heard, as well as someone grunting.

"Sire, do you require one of us to secure your prize for you so it doesn't hurt your royal pride too much?" Akari heard even more laughter this time. She went over to the tent entrance and looked out again. There was her opponent, lying in the dirt where her punch had left him, with a crowd of laughing soldiers pointed and geering at him. Akari looked at him again. Were those tears in his eyes? Akari shook her head and looked again. Yes, there were tears streaming down his face. His very... young... looking... face. Akari looked at his features and realized that he couldn't have been much older than she was, if he was older than her period. He got up and ran off, giving the soldiers dark looks as he fled. Akari shrugged and went back into the tent again. She lay back down beside Utsumi, falling asleep in moments.

<Timeskip>

Prince's POV:

"Why did she have to humiliate me like that father?" The prince whined to his father.

The king looked down at his son, with a rare flash of affection appearing on his face before his normal stone-faced expression returned. "Silly son of mine. What would you do if you were taken captive and woke up to a hostile face?"

"I guess hurt that person, but I'm not hostile."

"Are you so dense that you don't see that since you are the one who defeated her that she thinks of you as hostile? Frankly I find her reaction quite logical."

Just then, a soldier walked into the king's tent, where the prince and king were talking. "Highnesses, the prisoner is demanding that she speak to the man in charge immediately."

The king smirked. "Well, then show her to us this minute. We mustn't upset her now should we, otherwise we will end up like the prince here, with a uppercut to the chin."

The soldier laughed and saluted before turning and exiting the room.

"Was that necessary father?" The prince said.