My Extraordinary Childhood Friend (#Wattys2016)

17 - Freedom

Akihito's POV:

I never saw Azusa...I only saw her cast magic to defeat monsters and heal me, Regine's and herself. But I never saw her took out the "evil spirits" out of her friends...

Regardless, somebody is now in our side...

"We are Danica and Danielle Milliore, at your service, Empress Lily!!!" The sisters have greeted Lily. "Thank you for setting us free..."

"You're welcome!" Lily then hold their hands. "Come! Have some rest inside."

After Lily offers them some snacks to compliment their rest, Danielle began talking about their past...

"Sorry for all that we said earlier. We really don't intend to told you that...nor to kill you. It's just someone is controlling us."

"Can you tell me then who is?" I then asked them who is responsible.

"It's General Ronald Castillo." Danica replied.

"I should have know!" Regine erupted in anger. "That rotten guy! He should must die now!!!

"He should be! I never forget what he had did to us!" And so does Danica, showing us some lashes on her back.

"He just tricked us." Danielle started telling their past. "The General promised us to rebuild our house in exchange for out voluntary application to the Imperial Army. But when we learned that he don't fulfill his promise to us and he are just using us to capture you, he cast a spell to control us. That's the reason, Regine, why you known us as one of the finest knights in the empire: because we are assigned to the most difficult missions: which is...to dismantle all resistance operations, though we actually don't have excelled sword skills."

"On second thought...I wondering...if General Castillo is our real opponent."

"Whaaat?!?!" Everyone of us was startled by Danica's statement. "What do you mean him! The enemy is the Empress!"

"That's the point! General Castillo is using her as a decoy! That's the reason why the Empress once removed from the succession of the throne. The Empress didn't know why she was removed because she was under the General's spell. So she put her blame on your father, Lily, and decided to collaborate with the General to plot a rebellion against you and your family."

"Wow...if we were able to know this earlier, we might able to put up a plan earlier to reclaim the throne, if Lily was not yet found." Regine concluded. "But Danica, how do you know all of this?"

"Well...I remember...that I was the escort of the General once...and he's telling me all about it." Danielle was shocked by what he had heard from her sister. "But...I really don't know why I was there. I told you, I'm under his spell!"

"Maybe...that will be enough information that will have. We should find evidences that will proves Danica's statement. But right now, we should establish strongholds through the border." Regine instructed. "But right now, we should appoint somebody to lead the resistance..."

"Regine, how about we assign Danica and Danielle as our own knights?" Lily finally entered the conversation and suggest.

Lily/Azusa's POV:

Night falls in Niño, and I sat down in the green fields of the bungalow, watching the night sky as usual. After a few moments, Danielle and Danica arrived and quietly sat down beside me...

"Lily, we don't know when was the last time we saw this night sky together." Danica started the conversation.

"That's because we never did it, remember? Our parents is instructed us to go home before dark, right? Hehehe!!!" We all laughed at my argument.

"But you know, Lily, whether you like it or not, we envy you." Danielle added. "It's just your royalty and you're already lucky: you have your parents as Emperor and Empress and you are next in line, you have lots of money, you have all the wants to choose from. As compared with us, if it is not because of our skills, we reached the top...in a dreadful way..."

Hearing all of that, I stopped looking at the sky...and turned my eyes over my friends...

"Guys, I hear you...but you know...that I envy you more than you do. Umm...I'm not boasting you but...I already experience playing with you when we're just kids that I always wonder if my life could be better if my powers are just as simple as yours, that my family was not in the throne and I don't experience this trouble. If I was a simple commoner child...that I can play with you for the rest of my life's instead of finding hard decisions that could save me or could kill me. It's my fault that I left you there in that earthquake years ago...as a friend it's difficult to do so but...I don't have a choice..."

"No, Princess. You don't need to say sorry." Danica tapped my shoulder and explain. "You did all of this to guide us...and save us...and Nova Ascia. We are very honored to have a friend like you. Thank you, Princess Lily!"

"You're welcome!" I hugged Danica and Danielle tightly. "How about I teach you about some sword skills that I have, you have great potential."

"Re-really?!?! Thank you so much, Princess!!!" The sister gleed in joy. "We're so excited to train with you!"

July 9, A.N.A. 1315
Seat of the Government in Exile of Nova Ascia,
Village of Niño, Kingdom of Alaniab

Danielle's POV:

This is the day when my sister Danica and I will be rightfully knighted by Princess...I mean Empress Lily. She is the true Empress of Nova Ascia!

Anyway, she demonstrated all the sword skills that she has for the past week. I'm amazed that she was able to fight us hard despite her lifeless legs. Her partner Akihiko said that she is using spell so she can float herself up in the midair and train him too with her skills. Regardless, it is all worth it for we had learned so much from Lily.

And today, we are about to be knighted rightfully...from the knights of Empress Angelica Diana's autocratic rule...into liberators of Empress Lily's Rightful Empire...

The ceremony happened in the front of the bungalow in front of hundreds of villagers. Danica and I kneel down in a carpet as Lily pats a sword in our shoulders...

"By the power of the Imperial Seal...I induct thee...Danica Milliore...and Danielle Milliore...as the knights of this Rightful Empire...

"Please arise..." As we stood up and faced the crowd, cheers and jeers filled the atmosphere. At long last, we are now free...and ready to join Lily once again...this time to liberate the empire she cherished.

But amidst the jubilation, a voice of a soldier cried out from the crowd.

"We're under attack! Our camp is under attack!!!"