Load Akira was pacing his study, staring at the maps laid out on his table.
Doeksu still hasn't come back.
When he had first appeared, he had outsmarted and outfought his entire guard unit. He was a capable man. It was beginning to worry him more and more. As soon as the thought ran through his mind he knew, he wasn't alone.
He couldn't say how he knew, perhaps some vestigial part of the sence everyone possessed. As far as Akira was concerned, Doeksu was the only person who could reach his private quarters without alerting someone. Though the spark of hope was extinguished in an instant. Doeksu would announce himself. He turned and drew his own sword at lightning speed in fear of his own life.
A young adult, a girl, was leaning against a corner, studying the map Akira had just been looking at. Her robes were as dark as night, blending into the shadows.
The girl looked up at him. "Bad time?"
Akira held his sword steady and level. The girl looked unarmed and unaware of the weapon pointed at her head. He moved to attack while the girl just watched. Akira didn't know how to describe what happened next.
As he went to strike, it seemed like the girl blurred out of his sight.
The next thing he knew, the sword was out of his hand, and the backside of the blade pushed against his throat.
The blade was removed from his neck hand handed back to him. The girl wasn't here to kill him. If she was, she had just missed out on the best opportunity she could have got.
"I have some things to say."
The girl turned her gaze back to the map.
Akira struggled down his warring emotions. A small part of him felt like he should be angry. His palace infiltrated, his life threatened, spoken to like a peer of the young girl. Yet the greater part of him couldn't resist the sheer audacity of the girl and her complete lack of regard for court etiquette. It was a refreshing change from the sycophants and plotters he spent most of his days with. "Go ahead,"
"Doeksu has passed." She left no time for him to be shocked about this.
"He taught me for a bit. I'm a nightblade like he was."
She pulled out a leather-bound book from nowhere and pushed it along the table. It was the one Doeksu carried his reports and findings in.
A wave of understanding washed over the Lord.
Lord Akria had lost more than an ally. From the first day he had met Doeksu, he had made his position very clear with him. He was to use Akira just as Akira wanted to use him. There was no pretence, no hidden agenda. The man was not power-hungry.
As one of the three Lords, it had been a blessing. Akira had fathered no sons and plots against his reign arranged from subtle to silly. But almost everyone with ambition was trying to play some angle. Not Doeksu. He had come as straightforward as they do.
It caused him to back through the entire chain of events leading up to his right-hand man's death, to find mistakes, to find where he should've acted differently. But what frustrated him was that he wasn't convinced he should have acted differently. He went all the way back to when Doeksu had first come through his doors. Maybe he should have turned the man down in the first place. But a bigger part of him knew that wouldn't have made a difference.
"Are you seeking employment to replace the skills Doeksu brought to this kingdom?"
" No, I don't think so. "
"You sound uncertain."
"I suppose it depends on the outcome of this conversation." The girl walked towards the map, her fingers traced along the coastlines. Akira raised an eyebrow. "You want to take over all three kingdoms." She said.
It was more a statement than a question.
Akira was startled. How could she have known? But he stopped his denial. It was self-evident. Akira knew the other two Lords also had dreams of unifying the three kingdoms. He also knew the Second Kingdom was ready to make it a reality.
"Yes, but so does every Lord. I just believe I have a better chance of success."
" Why? "
Akira stepped back. Such blunt questions were so different from what he was used to. He had never spoken so openly about his plans before. But he felt the girl needed to know if he could convince a nightblade he could convince anyone. "Order, strength, discipline. My citizens are usually happy, though my people may complain about the rules put in place, there is few crimes committed and not much fear in my Kingdom. We have a strong military's. I also had the service of the best assassins in the three kingdoms."
She nodded with a vacant look behind her eyes like all her emotions had been used up. "But... the Second kingdom are going to beat you to it."
"Yes," She must have read Doeksus book.
Suddenly she straightens her back, her chin in parallel to the ground. Her youthful face hardened to one of the warriors. Akira could tell she had seen far too much of the world for her age. "I need to get somewhere, but It would mean crossing the second Kingdom. Which is why I came to you. Even as a nightblade, I don't think I can get through the Kingdom. I need you to get me across. Documents, horses, soldiers. I don't care how as long as I get across."
"And what will I get from this?"
"You don't want to lose your Kingdom. So, I'll help you win the upcoming war."
"You'll work for me then?"
"No, I'll do what I see is best. Growing up, I have seen many people fall because they were tied up by their honour and loyalty. I want to make my own choices and face my own consequences." Akira nodded. He understood the girl. There was a wise sense of maturity and responsibility to her words. But it begged the question of where she grew up. He decided to no press that question.
"How do I know you'll keep your end of the bargain? "
The nameless girl grinned and suddenly went from a warrior to a carefree adolescent in an instant. Yet her smile didn't reach her eyes. "You'll just have to take my word for it. I want everything ready by tomorrow morning, Akira."
With that, the stranger was out the door. He began to track her until he found that she had disappeared into the emptiness. It was an impressive skill.
Lord Akira felt his lip twitch upwards into a smile. He and Doeksu had always understood and respected each other. Though he had just lost a great friend. He had made a strange new ally who didn't even know the name.
~~~
(y/n) was waiting outside the palace gates in the early morning when Akira came to greet her. Akira had gotten his clerk to write two passes allowing her to travel under his protection. She was thankful. She had never left the Third Kingdom before and didn't know what type of land or trouble she would find. Akira had fixed his seal to both letters in the bottom right corner. They would mark the document official if she were required to use them.
"Do you know how long you'll be?" Akira asked as he passed over the papers which she secured safely in her bag.
"No," She gave a blunt answer. There was no point in estimating how long she would spend at an island that may or may not exist.
"Very well," Akira nodded. "Before you leave, can I have a name to call you in case anything happens,"
"(y/n),"
Akira's eyebrows rose and creased all at once. "Just (y/n)?"
She nodded, and with that transaction, she was on her way.
~~
Slowly time went on, the more diverse territory of the Third Kingdom rolled into the softer plains and fields of the Second Kingdom. On the eighth day of constant riding (y/n) found the river that separated the two Kingdoms apart.
The river wasn't too wide, but it was rapid. It crashed straight down a steep valley - crossing the river was near impossible with the horse. It took another whole day to follow along with the water until she found the bridge to allow her to cross the heavy current.
(y/n) passed through the checkpoints on either side of the bridge without trouble. She hid her sword on her back to avoid getting any un-needed attention. The Thirds Kingdom accepted the pass without question. Passing through the Second Kingdoms checkpoint took longer but, she raised no suspicion. Much to her luck, she was waved through with minimal conversation.
Each day (y/n) felt like she was covering less and less ground. She considered pushing the horse faster. But already signs of weariness were creeping in on the steeds demeanour. So she kept their pace while trying to hold onto her patients.
(y/n) had been curious what the Second Kingdom would be like. If she had to describe it in one word, it would be flat. Masses of fields of long grass stretched as far as the eye could see, with hardly any inclines or declines. It was so different from the mountains she had been living in. She had also noticed even the people were slightly different. For one, there were fewer of them, or at least that was what she thought was the case. She was on one of the well-used trade roads, but she didn't encounter many people, neither travellers nor locals. (y/n) had passed through or around several villages, her sense told them there were not overcrowded.
She didn't encounter any clans that matched the size and energy of the Third Kingdom. Despite the slow pace, (y/n) was fascinated to be in another Kingdom. It was so similar, yet it was so different from her own. It also served as something to keep her mind away from the people she had left behind.
The people (y/n) did encounter throughout the Kingdom were soldiers. She knew they were preparing for war, but still, the quantity surprised her. Soldiers were posted all over the roads and around the villages, and (y/n) spent a significant amount of time using her sense to find detours to avoid them. She often found them wandering around in groups of five, each affiliated with a local command. (y/n) was able to avoid any bump-ins until she was about a hundred leagues from her destination.
She was riding along a typical stretch of road when she sensed them. There were hidden amongst the greenery, and she mistook them for wildlife.
She caught the motion in the corner of her eye. Five riders came hurtling down an invisible path towards her. (y/n) calmed her rection. Her instincts were to kick the horse into high speed, but she saw the immediate futility of the idea. The men approaching her were much better riders. Although she wanted to avoid confutation, it would be safer standing her own ground than trying to run. Curiosity also played a part. (y/n) hadn't done anything out of the ordinary to attract their attention. She wondered what had got the guards in such a frenzy.
Searching the surrounding ground, she brought her horse to a small rise in the road, giving her a slight height benefit. It didn't really matter, but there was no point in giving it up any advantages, no matter how small. Then she sat and waited while her pursuers came thundering on the path. She couldn't tell their skills as a warrior, but she could testify for their skill in horse riding. She wondered if all riders in this Kingdom had this skill.
As the soldiers rode up to her, the lead rider called out, "Halt!"
(y/n) looked around. She hadn't moved an inch since taking up the high ground. The rider seemed to notice his mistake, a hint of embracement creeping into his face. He tried again. "Who goes there?"
(y/n) cringed inwardly at his voice. She wasn't sure how much was safe to share. "A traveller."
"Where are you from, and where is your destination?"
"I'm from the Third Kingdom, and I'm heading to the cost."
"And what is your business?"
(y/n) didn't want to lie, but she could hardly state she was travelling to find a hidden island where nightblades supposedly lived. "My business is my own."
She had said it without a tint of malis, but it still rubbed the soldier the wrong way. She groaned as he sat up straight in his saddle and puffed out his chest. "Everyone's business is business of the soldier. Anwer now or face the consequences."
(y/n) controlled her irritation. All she wanted was to was finish her journey she had sacrificed so much for. She pulled out the documents Akira had given her and displayed them for the guards. "I haven't done anything wrong these roads are open to all travellers."
The other four soldiers circled their horses around (y/n), blocking her exits. "These are trying times, traveller. No one matching your description has checked in at any guardhouses. It would seem you're trying to avoid attention. You have brought this on yourself."
As irritated as she was, (y/n) didn't want to cause any conflict. "I'm sorry, I didn't know you had to check in at guardhouses. It's my first time here. I didn't mean to cause any problems."
The lead soldier relaxed just a little bit. "Ah, I see. The people at the border must not have informed you of our customs. No matter, we can take you to the latest guardhouse and get you sorted out."
(y/n) thought back.
The last guardhouse she passed was over a day ago. The idea of backtracking and losing a full days worth of progress was unbearable. "I'm sorry, but that's not an option," She pushed the letter closer to the leading male. "I need to get to where I'm going as fast as possible for Lord Akira."
The soldier ripped the paper from her clutches and shredded it to pieces. "All travellers must check-in. I won't fall for your tricks. Prepare to be searched."
The soldiers all drew their swords and (y/n) took a quick assessment of their skills. From their balance and how they held their blades, she knew they had received a lot of training. They were good, but not good enough. She didn't want to have to fight them. She lowered her eye line to
meet the leader's gaze. "I have to go now. Please let me pass."
The men hesitated. (y/n) couldn't tell what was going through their heads, but she could sense they weren't ready to fight.
They hadn't expected it to escalate this fast, and they were nervous about a girl who didn't show fear in the face of five blades. The silence stretched moment after moment, (y/n) was calm. She could take them if it came to a battle. The question was if they realised it.
She wasn't sure what convinced them. Maybe it was her lack of fear, or the captain was thinking twice about tearing up the letter with Akira's seal on it. No matter what it was, it worked. She felt the leader stance drop. He tried to retain some dignity as he signalled his men to lower their weapons. "Know I will have to make a full report. I believe you might be telling the truth, but if your not. You will have not one but two kingdoms on your back. They won't be any place to hide."
(Y/n) hid her grin as she bowed in a gesture of respect. If they knew she was nightblade, she would have all three kingdoms hunting her down.
"Thank you for your understanding. I'll tell Lord Akira I was treated well."The soldier scoffed. "That's if there even is a Lord Akira for you to go back to." He turned back to his men, "Let's go. We have more important things to deal with than a traveller."(y/n) watched them depart. It seemed that they thought their own Kingdom had the upper hand.
Ultimately it didn't matter to her right now. All she needed to do was get to the island before the Three kingdoms spiralled out of control. She could worry about helping Akira when the time came to it.
~~~
(y/n) was beside herself. For the past day, she had smelt the sea air. She had spurred her horse for the last few leagues to the coastline. The poor animal was completely exhausted, and so she was she. Her thighs were killing from sitting in a moving saddle for such a long time.
(y/n) stood at the crest of a cliff watching over the small harbour town called Gall bluff. It was nothing in comparison to Doveport, but it was still a hive of energy. Even at her distance, she could hear the mass of humanity below. It was shocking after travelling on such quiet roads.
The sea wind blew straight into her face. It was refreshing. She looked out over the sea of blue, sparkling in the late afternoon sunlight - it was beautiful. Memorised of her little trip to Doveport surfaced in her mind. She forced herself to push down thoughts of the boys. She promised herself not to go down that root. She would only get upset.
She couldn't be doing with any emotions at this point in time. She had made a decision not to just yet, and she was to stick to it.
She listened to the sound of the waves breaking on the shore. The boat for the island only left in the morning according to Shiro's letter. She had plenty of time to explore the little town till then.
Her first thought was food. (y/n) went down into the town and followed her nose, which led her to a small selling cooked fish from the sea. (y/n) asked the cook to prepare whatever was available. She watched the cook pull down a fish that was hanging above a smoky fire. The smoked cod was delicious. It would have tasted nice at any time, but after being on the trail for a full moon, the fresh food had brought tears to her eyes.
After paying for her meal, she went to find a new home for the horse. She had sold it to a farmer needing an animal to pull his cart to market. It would get a better life on a farm there than any.
She used the money to buy a room in a small lodging for the night. As soon as the back of her head hit the pillow, she felt her muscles unwind. All the tension from riding slipped away. She opened up her sense. She could feel the fish on the shore, the small animals creeping along the beach. She could feel the presence of the town. The rhythm of life lulled her to sleep.
(Thank you for reading xxxxxx)