Legainia

Chapter 8 - War?

A few months later, everything was normal again. Shinobu chose to live in the castle with us, and I was once again Taku's maid, as well as his secret lover. No one knew about our relationship, except for Shinobu. We were afraid his parents wouldn't approve..... They wanted him to be with a princess, but he wouldn't be forced into marriage until he was twenty-five. We just had to cherish the time we had together, no matter how short.

As we were having dinner, a messenger suddenly came in through one of the dining room doors. "I must speak to King Matsuo!!!!!" he yelled. I was so surprised the guards would allow a messenger to interrupt the king's dinner like that. It must have been something very important. I was not allowed to eat with the royal family, because I was just a maid, but I always had to stay with the prince, so I normally stood against the wall, and watched. I was the only maid allowed in the dining room when the royal family ate, and I would eat later. I would eat at the maids' tables, alone, with Taku sitting with me. It was a good time to talk to him, privately.

The messenger told the king that his old rival, Inihara, the King of Uslany, had declared war to take over Legainia. The king was outrageous. He had to prepare an army large enough to defeat the nearly unstoppable army of Uslany. He told Taku to go out, and find people that could help defeat Inihara. There was a large redelf village far south, past the Kingdom of Legainia. They had more magical abilities than the ordinary elf did. If they participated in the war, we would win in no time. The only problems were that their village was hidden, and they might not want to help us at all anyway. There was no way to contact them, other than going to their village yourself, and speaking to them. The king sent his son, so the redelves would know it was very urgent, and since all the guards and soldiers were busy training, he had no other choice. The king had known Taku was an experienced swordsman, and was perfectly fine on his own, so he knew Taku would be able to handle the possible threats along the way.

Shinobu decided to go with us, and we each rode horses. One for Shinobu, one for Taku, and the other was the Taku's horse, Seiichi, whom I rode. Taku wanted me to ride Seiichi for assured safety, because he had Seiichi his whole life, and knew Seiichi was a trustworthy horse. Taku loves me, and wants to protect me, and if I had never become Taku's maid, I would never have known how it's like when someone cares about you. If I didn't have to accompany Taku on this journey, I still would have anyway, no matter how dangerous. I love Taku, and I will go through, or do anything to keep him safe. Whether it be dying to save him, or simply tending to his wounds, I must remain faithful, as a maid, and as a woman.

We headed off, once again into a forest. Shinobu started complaining after the first three hours. After four hours, we stopped by a lake, and refilled our water bottles. The horses also drank some water, and we continued on our way. While we were in the middle of our journey, Shinobu spotted a wolf. "A-AAAAAH! A wolf!!!" Shinobu screamed. Taku and I saw the wolf too. "It should be harmless," Taku said. "As long as you don't disturb it." The wolf was laying on the ground, next to a tree. "I don't know what it's doing alone though." "Maybe it's lost...?" I said. "I don't think so," he responded. "Wolves have great senses if smell, and wouldn't get lost that easily....." We quietly moved away from the wolf, and kept heading south, toward the redelf village.

After the sun set, we started looking for a decent place to sleep. We found a quiet meadow, and set blankets on the soft grass. Taku said it would be safe, because he felt the atmosphere, and it was tranquil enough to sleep in. I guess it's just an elf thing..... I rested next to Taku. I then started thinking about the wolf. I hope it was okay.....