A Fairytale In The Making

40. RAVEN TALES

"I....no," the lie slips off my tongue after a moment of hesitation.

"Just spill it, midget. I don't have all day," Akira refutes with a sigh.

Why does he sigh so much?

"It's nothing, Akira," I insist, not used to sharing my nightmares.

"You listened to my whining yesterday. So, today is my turn," Akira said while massaging some kind of aromatic oil on his hair.

So that's why he smells so nice.

The only smell one gets from the boys of my village is the fresh musk of horse crap.

Oh, how I wished they would one day take a shower so I could force myself to fall in love with one of them.

The things you compromise with when you have limited options.

"I said I don't have all day, midget," he says with an exasperated sigh.

"Where are you even going?" I ask, trying to steer the conversation away from me.

"To the court. I will be representing House of Ryuuzaki," he says, suddenly sounding very tired.

It worked.

"So everything is finalized for Lord Leonidas's ascending?" I ask in a quiet tone.

From what Akira has told me yesterday night, Lord Leonidas was not the strongest nor the most influential person in the court. The elder court only supports him for his pro-war agenda.

"Yeah, the elder court probably bought off most of the court. And the civilians want war. They are protesting outside the fort. So he has a justification too," Akira says while angrily putting on his outer robes.

"But why would the civilians want war in the first place?" I ask in confusion.

The last thing we, commoners, would ever want is war. I mean, war affects business which is one of the main sources of income for the commoners. Commoners rarely go into other professions. They rarely ever get the chance to.

"Heck if I know. They don't have to fight the war. Bunch of cowards. They probably think we are expendable to their whims," Akira brushes of the question with a wave of his hand.

"That's it? You're just assuming? You don't even know the exact reason behind their demand and yet you dare to give out a verdict" I hiss at him.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Akira asked, frowning again.

"Well, like you said the civilians don't fight. They have nothing to do with the ongoing conflict with Lilura. Then why would they care enough to demand a war in the first place?" I ask him with force.

"Well, how would I know that? I have never talked to them!" he waves his hands around in frustration.

"You have...... never talked to the commoners of Azura?" I ask in surprise.

"Well, I have never felt the.....necessity?" he tries to explain while scratching his head.

"Unbelievable! These are the people who adore you people," I say, remembering the children running behind Inayat's carriage.

"That's not stopping them from asking us to die on the battlefield" he screams suddenly.

I flinch at his voice and move back a few steps. Why does he have to shout? I don't like it.

"I am sorry," Akira says, coming closer to me. He looks down apologetically.

"You're doing it again," I say with a sigh. "You're jumping onto a conclusion without hearing both sides."