Kidnapped Princess

Trying to Heal

The next day, they had the mass burial for all the fallen. The knights were buried together in a mass grave. Sarah, Ayumu, and Rika were all buried separately. They were buried in the royal graveyard.

It was a hard day for everyone. Dia was still blank and lifeless. Leah kept blaming herself. Rina couldn’t stop crying. But, they weren’t the only ones who were affected. Everyone else shared in their sorrow.

The burial lasted a long time. But, even after the ceremony, most didn’t leave the site. Mari stayed by Dia’s side, trying her best to comfort her. Ruby was hugging Leah tightly, trying to convince her it wasn’t her fault. Karin was letting Rina cry on her shoulder.

Emma was also sad. Ayumu had been the only one to help her out. It hurt to lose her. Kasumi and Shizuku were trying to cheer her up, but it wasn’t working. It was no use for any of them. Today was going to be a sad day no matter what anyone did.

Little did they know that two of the dead were watching them. Ayumu hadn’t left Rina’s side despite not having any way to communicate with her. Sarah finally had found Leah last night. She too hadn’t left her side.

Her and Ayumu were standing off to the side. They both shared sorrowful looks. It was hard for them both. Chika was standing with them as well. She hadn’t told anyone they were there. She also wasn’t able to help Ayumu show herself. No matter what they tried, it just wouldn’t work. Sarah, on the other hand, could show herself, but she refused to. She knew if she showed herself, it would make it harder for Leah to move on. She had to stay hidden from her, as much as it pained her to do so.

Kanan had gone inside with Riko. It was a little cold outside and rain was imminent. Nozomi had followed her in. Everyone else remained outside. Setsuna and Ai were talking to each other in hushed whispers. They seemed very adamant that no one hear what they were saying. Hanamaru kept glancing at them, but said nothing about their sudden need to be secretive.

When the rain started, everyone went inside. The maids had done their best to clean up the place, with the help from some others. But, they couldn’t erase the smell of blood that well. Or the memories that everyone had. The castle felt dark and gloomy.

Everyone was taken to get something to eat. There, they started discussing things.

“So, what’s gonna happen with us?” Karin posed the question.

“You may either join the civilians or you can stay as workers in the castle.” Mari decided.

“What kind of jobs would we have?” Kasumi asked.

“Depends. We’d have to test your abilities before deciding that.” Mari replied.

“We’ll think about it.”

…

As night fell, the former rebels decided what they would do. All of them decided they would stay at the castle and work for them. As for Ai and Setsuna, they weren’t too sure. What would they be useful for? The kingdom already had a witch. It didn’t need two more.

“So, have you decided what you two will be doing?” Hanamaru asked them.

“I don’t think we’re needed here.” Setsuna said.

“You’re more than welcome to leave. If you’d instead like to stay, I’m sure we can find things for you guys to do.” Hanamaru replied.

“They don’t really need more witches here.” Setsuna stated.

“You sure about that? Having just me isn’t ideal. I’m always so busy.” Hanamaru responded.

“I see. We’ll think about it.”