A knock sounded from my door, rousing me from my dreams. I rolled over and toppled to the floor, a loud thud echoing throughout the half empty room. The room consisted of a circular bed in the center of the room, a small square chest beside it. Against one wall was a large circular mirror attached to a vanity covered with makeup and brushes, half of which I did not use. On the other side of the room was a wardrobe filled with both my old clothes and some others that Rini had bought me.
I rose from the floor grumbling to myself. When I inched open the door, the Princess walked in wearing a traveling dress and a cloak. “I want to leave,” she said.
I rubbed my eye with my fist. “Uh . . . leave where and why?”
“The next village over, I want to leave this place. I know he’s not my father, and I’m sick of being polite!” She replied, her voice rising near the end.
“How long?”
“Forever, I want to leave.”
“Alright, I’m pretty sick of this place too, just let me change first,” I said a little more clearly, beginning to wake up. At the moment, I wore only an oversized t-shirt. She nodded and I shut the door.
The t-shirt lay discarded on the floor beside the now open wardrobe. I pulled out a pair of tight black jeans, a ripped black tube top and a pair of riding boots that came up to my knees, along with a bra. After I pulled those on, I tied back my hair, which had grown past my shoulders now. My bangs hung around my face perfectly, my hair sticking out in all directions in the back. After throwing on a black cloak with a hood, I applied black eyeliner then threw the pencils into my deep pockets. I grabbed a small comb, throwing it into my pocket and opened the door to greet the princess. We nodded to each other and headed down the stairs.
With the horses now saddled, we mounted them. She sat turned to the side, while I sat regularly, gripping the reigns tightly. We took off into a gallop throwing up a dust cloud. I let my mind drift through the last couple of months.
I tied off the last braid in Rini’s hair just as a man’s voice drifted through the open French doors.
“Rini, my love, thou art the fairest maiden in all the lands,” he called.
“Oh good lord,” she muttered.
“You don’t like him much do you? I hate him already,” I said.
“I wish he would just go away, just get the hint that I don’t like him.”
I thought for a moment. “Do you care if he dies? ‘Cause if not, I can show you something funny.”
She perked up. “Do it.”
“You have to promise me that you won’t freak out on me.”
“I promise.”
I grinned at her and nudged her towards the door. She leaned up against the railing and looked down at the blonde man. I crouched behind her puffy dress and pressed my fingers to my temple, my other hand extended in the direction of the man. His sentence was cut off with a blood curdling scream. His entire body burst into flames, and the smell of burning flesh filled the air. He ran in circles, the dropped to the ground and rolled. Rini and I laughed harder than we ever had before.
I chuckled as I looked up at the sky. The stars shimmered overhead, completely clear of clouds. Another memory flashed into my mind.
I sat on a cushion on the floor next to the princess’s throne in the throne room. People lined up bearing gifts, more than one could imagine. One by one the gifts were given, mostly by the mothers of men our age. I sighed softly. Earlier that day Rini had told me she had a gift for me, but I would get it later. My gift to her was a Celtic, handmade gold charm that gave the wearer protection. I made it one night after sneaking back to Raidon-sensei’s shop where he let me create it.
After an hour or two had passed, the presents had all been given, my feet were officially asleep. We both stood up and fixed our dresses.
She turned to me. “Ready for your gift yet?” She had asked.
“Alright, let’s just hope I can walk . . .” I replied letting my voice trail off. She grabbed my hand and pulled me through the doorway and into the courtyard.
We entered into a small shop where a woman sat on a stool. When we entered, she smiled. Her hands pressed onto my shoulders pushing me onto the stool in front of a mirror.
“I know how you wanted your ears pierced, so I arranged it for you,” Rini told me happily. I smiled widely.
The next thing I knew, the needle was forced through the lobe, curses flying out of my mouth before I had time to think. It was replaced by a small blue hoop. The needle went into my ear again, halfway up, and death threats flew this time. Rini was killing herself laughing, and the woman was chuckling softly. Another blue hoop was inserted into the hole. The needle went through once more then was replaced by yet another blue hoop. By this time, my ear was numb.
I admired my ear for a moment before Rini pulled me to my feet. “Thanks so much, bye!” She called as she pulled me through the door.
Cool air whipped across my face keeping me alert and awake at the early hour. Without realizing, I had begun to twirl the earrings with my left hand. Recently the Princess and I have been on better terms with each other, calling each other by name. If one didn’t know better, they could think we were sisters.
I moved my horse up close to Rini’s and turned to face her. “You know, this morning I had a dream where you and I were riding on horses. As I galloped away, you sat on your fat white horse prancing down the path, bouncing along with it. I rode back to you and said ‘What the Hell are you doing?’ but you just laughed.” I said, laughing afterwards. Soon enough, we were laughing together.
The sky changed to a pale gray colour, then changed to a soft pink. I pulled a pocket watch out from my pocket and checked it. “Five o’clock already? We’d better kick it up into a gallop.”
“Alright then, let’s go,” she said with a grin, then threw her leg over the horse and rode away. After a second of recovering, I kicked into a gallop as well.
Close to ten minutes later the village of Kaji came into view, hidden in the crater in the middle of two volcanoes. Mining and fishing were the most popular form of agriculture, and due to the acidity and dryness of the soil, farming was out of the question. At this hour, men were heading out to earn their money for the day. We slowed to a trot and then to a walk as we entered the village, men staring at us as we rode past.
Rini nudged my arm and gestured towards a small building near an inn. Dismounting our horses, we tied them up and walked to the door. A small plump woman opened the door slightly and pulled us through.
She stared at us for a moment, then smiled from ear to ear, wrinkles accentuating her age even more. “Rini-chan, I haven’t seen you in forever! What brings you here? And who’s your friend?”
“It’s great to see you again, Jolie-sempai. This is Amaya; we came for some clothes, and some jewellery.”
She studied my face again. “Amaya . . . the name is oddly familiar. Wait; are you . . . able to move things, with your mind I mean?”
“Wha- how did you know that?” By the time I asked, she was shuffling around the shop, touching fabrics and grabbing items.
“Excuse me, dearie, would you mind getting me those scissors?” She asked with a smile. I rolled my eyes and concentrated on the top shelf. The scissors gently floated off the shelf and into her hands. “Ha, just as I thought. I know someone who can help you with your powers, train them to become stronger, and she is in this village. Both her and her sister can help the two of you, but first, let’s get you some clothes.”
And so she began to cut fabrics for our clothing, taking measurements over and over then pulling out a roll of cloth. One hour later, after a lot of discussion about the style, Rini’s dress was finished. The sleeves were long, ending just after her fingers and flaring out after the elbow. They had a black trim around the wrists. Black flames lined the bottom half of the dress, the base colour purple. She moved over to me next. After judging my appearance, she grabbed a roll of black silk and another of purple lace. She took my measurements and started to sketch out a design. When she finished, I put it on. The outfit was a long-sleeved black shirt, a V-neck of course. A purple shirt was underneath, showing in the V that was the neck. The wrists hung until my knuckles, purple frills attached to them. The skirt was also black, but flared out in a wide circle, pushed out because of the purple lace that was layered underneath. An orange belt was wrapped around the waist, daggers attached and hanging in the folds. Another belt was across my chest, a dagger attached on my shoulder for easy access.
“In total there are five daggers, one attached to the shoulder, four hidden in the skirt. There are also throwing daggers hidden in the sleeves. These are the boots.” She said, handing me a pair of black leather boots around the screen. Chains jingled as I slipped them onto my feet. I already had a pair of black socks on that rose to my thighs. They had a heel that was an inch high.
I grinned as I examined my outfit. Rini clapped to herself, obviously pleased. “You look awesome!” She exclaimed.
Jolie-sempai shuffled around me, examining the fit. “Yes. Yes indeed. You really do have the same size as Rini-chan. Now then, as for your trainers. Follow the path behind my house and keep going until you find a small hut. Tell the women that I sent you, they’ll understand.”
“Thanks so much, Jolie-sempai. How much do we owe you?” Rini asked.
She held up her hand. “Nothing except another visit from you two.”
We nodded with a smile, and then left out the front door gathering our things and mounting our horses. We stuffed our things into our saddlebags and rode down the path.
I rose from the floor grumbling to myself. When I inched open the door, the Princess walked in wearing a traveling dress and a cloak. “I want to leave,” she said.
I rubbed my eye with my fist. “Uh . . . leave where and why?”
“The next village over, I want to leave this place. I know he’s not my father, and I’m sick of being polite!” She replied, her voice rising near the end.
“How long?”
“Forever, I want to leave.”
“Alright, I’m pretty sick of this place too, just let me change first,” I said a little more clearly, beginning to wake up. At the moment, I wore only an oversized t-shirt. She nodded and I shut the door.
The t-shirt lay discarded on the floor beside the now open wardrobe. I pulled out a pair of tight black jeans, a ripped black tube top and a pair of riding boots that came up to my knees, along with a bra. After I pulled those on, I tied back my hair, which had grown past my shoulders now. My bangs hung around my face perfectly, my hair sticking out in all directions in the back. After throwing on a black cloak with a hood, I applied black eyeliner then threw the pencils into my deep pockets. I grabbed a small comb, throwing it into my pocket and opened the door to greet the princess. We nodded to each other and headed down the stairs.
With the horses now saddled, we mounted them. She sat turned to the side, while I sat regularly, gripping the reigns tightly. We took off into a gallop throwing up a dust cloud. I let my mind drift through the last couple of months.
I tied off the last braid in Rini’s hair just as a man’s voice drifted through the open French doors.
“Rini, my love, thou art the fairest maiden in all the lands,” he called.
“Oh good lord,” she muttered.
“You don’t like him much do you? I hate him already,” I said.
“I wish he would just go away, just get the hint that I don’t like him.”
I thought for a moment. “Do you care if he dies? ‘Cause if not, I can show you something funny.”
She perked up. “Do it.”
“You have to promise me that you won’t freak out on me.”
“I promise.”
I grinned at her and nudged her towards the door. She leaned up against the railing and looked down at the blonde man. I crouched behind her puffy dress and pressed my fingers to my temple, my other hand extended in the direction of the man. His sentence was cut off with a blood curdling scream. His entire body burst into flames, and the smell of burning flesh filled the air. He ran in circles, the dropped to the ground and rolled. Rini and I laughed harder than we ever had before.
I chuckled as I looked up at the sky. The stars shimmered overhead, completely clear of clouds. Another memory flashed into my mind.
I sat on a cushion on the floor next to the princess’s throne in the throne room. People lined up bearing gifts, more than one could imagine. One by one the gifts were given, mostly by the mothers of men our age. I sighed softly. Earlier that day Rini had told me she had a gift for me, but I would get it later. My gift to her was a Celtic, handmade gold charm that gave the wearer protection. I made it one night after sneaking back to Raidon-sensei’s shop where he let me create it.
After an hour or two had passed, the presents had all been given, my feet were officially asleep. We both stood up and fixed our dresses.
She turned to me. “Ready for your gift yet?” She had asked.
“Alright, let’s just hope I can walk . . .” I replied letting my voice trail off. She grabbed my hand and pulled me through the doorway and into the courtyard.
We entered into a small shop where a woman sat on a stool. When we entered, she smiled. Her hands pressed onto my shoulders pushing me onto the stool in front of a mirror.
“I know how you wanted your ears pierced, so I arranged it for you,” Rini told me happily. I smiled widely.
The next thing I knew, the needle was forced through the lobe, curses flying out of my mouth before I had time to think. It was replaced by a small blue hoop. The needle went into my ear again, halfway up, and death threats flew this time. Rini was killing herself laughing, and the woman was chuckling softly. Another blue hoop was inserted into the hole. The needle went through once more then was replaced by yet another blue hoop. By this time, my ear was numb.
I admired my ear for a moment before Rini pulled me to my feet. “Thanks so much, bye!” She called as she pulled me through the door.
Cool air whipped across my face keeping me alert and awake at the early hour. Without realizing, I had begun to twirl the earrings with my left hand. Recently the Princess and I have been on better terms with each other, calling each other by name. If one didn’t know better, they could think we were sisters.
I moved my horse up close to Rini’s and turned to face her. “You know, this morning I had a dream where you and I were riding on horses. As I galloped away, you sat on your fat white horse prancing down the path, bouncing along with it. I rode back to you and said ‘What the Hell are you doing?’ but you just laughed.” I said, laughing afterwards. Soon enough, we were laughing together.
The sky changed to a pale gray colour, then changed to a soft pink. I pulled a pocket watch out from my pocket and checked it. “Five o’clock already? We’d better kick it up into a gallop.”
“Alright then, let’s go,” she said with a grin, then threw her leg over the horse and rode away. After a second of recovering, I kicked into a gallop as well.
Close to ten minutes later the village of Kaji came into view, hidden in the crater in the middle of two volcanoes. Mining and fishing were the most popular form of agriculture, and due to the acidity and dryness of the soil, farming was out of the question. At this hour, men were heading out to earn their money for the day. We slowed to a trot and then to a walk as we entered the village, men staring at us as we rode past.
Rini nudged my arm and gestured towards a small building near an inn. Dismounting our horses, we tied them up and walked to the door. A small plump woman opened the door slightly and pulled us through.
She stared at us for a moment, then smiled from ear to ear, wrinkles accentuating her age even more. “Rini-chan, I haven’t seen you in forever! What brings you here? And who’s your friend?”
“It’s great to see you again, Jolie-sempai. This is Amaya; we came for some clothes, and some jewellery.”
She studied my face again. “Amaya . . . the name is oddly familiar. Wait; are you . . . able to move things, with your mind I mean?”
“Wha- how did you know that?” By the time I asked, she was shuffling around the shop, touching fabrics and grabbing items.
“Excuse me, dearie, would you mind getting me those scissors?” She asked with a smile. I rolled my eyes and concentrated on the top shelf. The scissors gently floated off the shelf and into her hands. “Ha, just as I thought. I know someone who can help you with your powers, train them to become stronger, and she is in this village. Both her and her sister can help the two of you, but first, let’s get you some clothes.”
And so she began to cut fabrics for our clothing, taking measurements over and over then pulling out a roll of cloth. One hour later, after a lot of discussion about the style, Rini’s dress was finished. The sleeves were long, ending just after her fingers and flaring out after the elbow. They had a black trim around the wrists. Black flames lined the bottom half of the dress, the base colour purple. She moved over to me next. After judging my appearance, she grabbed a roll of black silk and another of purple lace. She took my measurements and started to sketch out a design. When she finished, I put it on. The outfit was a long-sleeved black shirt, a V-neck of course. A purple shirt was underneath, showing in the V that was the neck. The wrists hung until my knuckles, purple frills attached to them. The skirt was also black, but flared out in a wide circle, pushed out because of the purple lace that was layered underneath. An orange belt was wrapped around the waist, daggers attached and hanging in the folds. Another belt was across my chest, a dagger attached on my shoulder for easy access.
“In total there are five daggers, one attached to the shoulder, four hidden in the skirt. There are also throwing daggers hidden in the sleeves. These are the boots.” She said, handing me a pair of black leather boots around the screen. Chains jingled as I slipped them onto my feet. I already had a pair of black socks on that rose to my thighs. They had a heel that was an inch high.
I grinned as I examined my outfit. Rini clapped to herself, obviously pleased. “You look awesome!” She exclaimed.
Jolie-sempai shuffled around me, examining the fit. “Yes. Yes indeed. You really do have the same size as Rini-chan. Now then, as for your trainers. Follow the path behind my house and keep going until you find a small hut. Tell the women that I sent you, they’ll understand.”
“Thanks so much, Jolie-sempai. How much do we owe you?” Rini asked.
She held up her hand. “Nothing except another visit from you two.”
We nodded with a smile, and then left out the front door gathering our things and mounting our horses. We stuffed our things into our saddlebags and rode down the path.
