My Extraordinary Childhood Friend (#Wattys2016)

33 - Audience

Lily/Azusa's POV:

"Princess Lily! Princeeess Lilyyy!!! The King wants to see you now!"

A cry was heard from up above the castle...notifying me of the King's request to have an audience with me...but meeting somebody...who has higher authority than me...makes me...a little bit uneasy...

"Princess Lily, the king is meeting you now." Napoleon invited me to go. "Come, let us guide you to the throne...room...huh?"

Napoleon noticed...that my face is a little bit sweating...well...this is the first time I met any monarch in my entire life...aside that my parents myself are monarchs...

"Umm...Princess Lily, is there something wrong?" Danica asked me.

"No...it's nothing...hehehe...it's just...I'm not used to talking with kings and stuff..."

"Princess Lily! How could you not talk with a king in this moment?!" Danica inquired me further. "You talked to so many random persons. And you've just made two different races up easily! And why should you be afraid of talking with the kings?"

"Umm...because I might make him angry?"

"...pffft...HEHEHEHE!!! Where in the world do you get that?" Darwin and Napoleon laughed together on my reason. "Don't worry, Princess. The king is not a monster or sort. In fact, he is actually excited to see you. He already knows about campaigns to liberate your country. He might have better plans to help you with it!"

"Come on, Azusa-chan! It's just a little talk!" The voice from the castle earlier...definitely from Regine...has overheard our conversation and adds to the pleas of the cousins.

"...sigh...Okay! Fine, Regine!" I shouted back at my friend from the castle, then turns to my friends beside me. "Alright then, shall we go now, guys?"

"Sure, milady..." Darwin pushes the my wheelchair for me so that we can now proceed to the throne room of the king. He even carries me up in the stairs!

The guards opened the door of the throne room...and there we see my friends..Regine, Danielle, and Akihiko...waiting for me...as the King of Alaniab sitting in the throne in the center...

"Come, Princess..." I followed the simple command of the king...and upon stopping in front of him, I bowed my head to him...

"Thank you for accommodating me, You Majesty..."

"Hehehe...you shouldn't bow at me, milady. We are both royalties." The King told me. "I'm Joshua, the King of Alaniab, nice to meet you too, Princess Lily of Nova Ascia."

Joshua continued on: "I am amazed by the courage that you had to the efforts to liberate your home..."

"Well...thank you for that.." I thanked his complimented. "It's only to fulfill my father's will to entrust Nova Ascia to me. I was able to do this because my friends turned out to help me..."

"Yes...indeed. That's why I called you to inform our support for your cause." Joshua told me. "Alaniab has waited for your arrival, we pretended to be an ally to Empress Angelica Diana so we can avoid war with them...since we don't have a strategic plan to do such. But now, since you have a team of experts that knows how to get pass through their defenses...we are now ready..."

As the King referred "experts" to them, Danica, Danielle, Regine and Regine smiled on the accolade the king have given them...

"Your Majesty, thank you for trusting us." Akihiko speak out in behalf of my friends. "We assure you of our cooperation to help your troops."

"I'm glad that we agreed in the same terms." King Joshua replied to Akihiko. "Emperor Emmanuel is been my closest friend since childhood, he's very smart that he always advises me about so many things...on how to be a king...he even helped me find a girlfriend! Hehehe! I'm so furious when I heard that he is killed on that coup years ago... And now, since his daughter is here...I'm ready to avenge his death..."

Suddenly, I feel saddened...the longing to my father...and my mother...sniff...my last memories with them...sniff...before we parted for the last time...sniff...before they're killed.

"Princess Lily!" Quickly, my boyfriend Akihiko noticed my tear-eyed face and consoled me. "Don't cry, Princess Lily. Remember, I'm here to help you, okay? We will take back Nova Ascia for you."

"Yes, he's right!" Danielle added. "In fact, you should be a cry-baby anymore because you're supposed to act like an empress! We are just behind you, okay?"

"...sigh...I suppose I should. Thanks, Regine, Akihiko-kun!" I smiled and giggled on their motivation to me. "Alright then, let's do it!"

"Hehehe! I'm glad that you're relieved." Joshua told me. "Come, I'll show you our troops that you need for the liberation..."

King Joshua accompanied me and my friends towards the back of the castle...and into its balcony...and I saw...thousands of the king's troops...

"Your Highness, Princess Lily of Nova Ascia! By the orders of our King Joshua, we will dedicate ourselves to you...to fight, protect and die for you... and to liberate and free your empire. Long Live Princess Lily! Long live Nova Ascia!!!"

"Huh?!" I don't understand...these are from King Joshua's troops...why they are switching allegiance to me?

"You might wonder why they are supporting you, right?" Joshua grins and explained to me. "That's because they are soldiers came from your country who ran away after the coup and volunteered to join our troops. And now you are here, Princess, they now have a reason to return back and fight for you!"

When we are just establishing our government in exile in Niño, we are numbered to just hundreds, we only managed to occupy the southeast portion of my empire because of Danica, Danielle and Akihiko's leadership...and my spell to control my troops But now, with thousands of my people helping me out for my cause, I guess I could pull a better offensive...and retake Morato City. It's just a matter of time...

Darwin's POV:

Azusa is visibly happy on the surprise that King Joshua has given to her.

"Napoleon, I will just take a nap for a while, OK?"

My cousin nodded as I go out from the balcony and out from the castle to take some nap. Then, I saw a lady...a blind lady...with two sticks to guide her in walking...but she noticed me...and smile...

"I have found you...my familiar..."