[[ I do NOT own any art or music in this chapter. Please enjoy! - L RANDY]]
[[ Art by Taha Alkan]]
I need to separate from them soon and find that stupid prince before they do. Alana thought as she walked carefully down the gangplank that was already collecting ice.
Kazumi and Ivo walked ahead of her, and the brothers behind her.
"We welcome you to Kori!" The woman called out to the descending guests. "I am princess Koyuki Yukimura, you can call me Ko."
Though she was dressed in animal fur and Kori had a reputation of being savage wild people, Koyuki was elegant in a free sort of way.
Alana has never met the princess and was not so concerned with Koyuki pinning her as the princess of Taycia.
Ivo helped Alana find her footing on the icy dock as her boots slid on the ice. She felt like a newborn animal, trying to get their footing for the first time.
The tighter she held onto Ivo, the more his heart tightened in his chest; he had no qualms with taking his time to help her.
"We are here to have attendance with King Fuyuka," Kazumi stated standing tall and confident.
The snow village princess's proud smile wavered a bit.
"Sadly, my father passed away during your journey here."
Alana's heart dropped.
That means...
"My eldest brother is King now, and still willing to have an audience with you all. So please, follow me on the grand tour of Kori to your home for the next few days." Koyuki brushed off her sorrow and motioned for them to fall.
Kazumi turned towards the lower crew on deck and gestured for them to raise the gangplank.
"Do you think this young king will favor our goals?" Leopoldo muttered to Kazumi to which he received no reply.
Alana's eye flickered all around her searching everywhere for her potential fiancé.
I will explain myself to him and force him not to utter a word about me being a princess... but how will I force him?
Alana was ankle deep in thick snow, trudging behind the tall pirates, even as a tall woman herself she was falling behind.
Ivo still carried her bag for her, along with his own, which she was grateful for as moving through the snow with that unbalanced weight would've been much more difficult.
"This is the bathhouse, the water is always kept clean and more importantly hot." Koyuki droned on as she led them through her town.
"Come on," Leven called out to Alana waiting for her to catch up.
"I am trying," She grumbled back, for the first time not speaking in her kind manner.
Leven's heart twitched in his chest.
What happened to that idiot's smile and sweet tone? Why is she speaking to me like that?
"Do you want help?" Leven quickly asked.
He was panicking on the inside over her words, trying to regain the favor he thought he lost.
She sighed pulling her booted foot from the snow.
"No, go ahead of me." She waved her hand at him to follow the pirates disappearing in the distance.
"Yeah right," Leven scoffed. "I am not leaving you stumbling around in the snow like some newborn doe."
He began to make his way over to her, but she put her hand for him to stop.
"I. said. Go. I don't want your help." She spoke so harshly it made Leven flinch.
What...? What is that idiot saying? She does not want my help? WHY? What did I do to upset her so much? Just tell me if you are mad at me you idiot, so I can make it better! Is it because I compared you to captain and laughed?
Leven's mind was spiraling as Alana was thinking if she sounded too harsh.
Did that come out sounding mean? I am just so uncomfortable because of the weather and focusing on the prince... or King I should say.
"Whatever..." Leven darkly muttered before following after the footsteps left in the snow.
Oh, no. Did I just hurt his feelings?
Alana went to chase after Leven to explain that she did not mean to sound so harsh, but the Kori King was still on her mind.
This is the only chase I will get to find him before they do, I need to take it.
She hesitated, watching Leven's back in the distance but turned herself to go into the snowy gaps between buildings searching for the King.
"Where is the little dove?" Ivo quizzed Leven rejoined the group at the front of the royal 'palace'.
It was a larger house than the rest, but by no means looked like a traditional palace.
"She is stuck in the snow." He snapped in the worst mood of his life, and only his brother detected the difference between that and his normal snappy attitude.
"What did we say about keeping her close in strange places?" Ivo requested with a threatening smile.
"There are no demons in the middle of a damn snow village." Leven bit back.
He kept his voice low as to not embarrass them in front of the Kori royalty, and partially so Kazumi would not hear.
"But there are men, you sniveling brat." Ivo smiled brightly unlike his words.
"What did—" Leven began to grow angrier; his sclera began to dot with black.
Leopoldo put an authoritative hand on his younger brother's shoulder, and the whites of Leven's eyes quickly reverted to normal.
"Brother," Leopoldo spoke lowly. "Did the girl upset you that much?"
Ivo's ears perked up at the question, noticing that Leven's annoyance was unlike his usual grumpiness.
"She... that idiot..." Leven could not find the words to describe how he felt.
Leopoldo moved his hand to Leven's head.
"Calm yourself, and think rationally, dear brother." He spoke softly now. "Dear Alana is just a bit uncomfortable in the snow, she is not used to it like you are. I am sure that is why she is in such a rare unpleasant mood, do not take it so personally."
Ivo watched the two interact like they always have, impressed. Leopoldo was the calm and Leven was the chaos, and until Alana came, they could only cause those great reactions in each other.
"I will go and get our little dove," Ivo stepped in. "I am sure she would love another shoulder ride." He joked.
"I am sorry, brother," Leven whispered so only Leopoldo could hear him, again ashamed of his behavior.
This is the second time Leven had left Alana alone to fend for herself.
"It is—" Leopoldo began but a deep booming voice cut him off.
"Koyuki, you did not mention a dear friend was visiting me!"
The pirates all turned to have their stomachs do flips and anger boil at the sight.
A large, mountain-like man held Alana by her waist like a sack of potatoes in his arms.
"Oh, brother!" Koyuki faced her eldest brother. "You know that young woman, do you?"
It turns out, finding the King was a lot easier than Alana had anticipated.