The Princess and the Mercenaries
Sanaki tried her best to hide her curiosity while she eyed the small group standing in front of her throne. That afternoon, she had received news that the ship bearing Princess Crimea was approaching the capital. Impatiently, Sanaki had ordered her own ship to set sail to meet the princess halfway, while sending Tanith to greet them. She had, however, not informed the Holy Guards of her plan and her ship had been attacked by pirates.
If Maian ever finds out, I will be in some trouble. Those pirates are nothing in comparison.
In the end, Sanaki's ship had been saved by the mercenaries serving the princess.
Princess Elincia had taken some of them with her when she had been summoned to the throne room: A female knight with long red hair and green eyes, a young man with blue hair and eyes, a boy with very dark green hair which seemed black at the first glance and cold dark eyes, and a little girl with brown hair and blue eyes.
Princess Elincia herself had long green hair and brown eyes – eyes full of sadness.
"So, you claim to be Elincia Ridell Crimea, King Ramon's orphan?", Sanaki asked.
"I am."
"Do you have any means to prove that?"
"No, nothing. My only aim was to escape the Daein Army, I had no time to take anything with me."
"Hm. And since Prince Renning has left this world as well, there is no-one here who would know your face."
"I will vouch for her", the blue-haired swordsman said.
"Oh? And who are you?"
"I'm Ike, Commander of the Greil Mercenaries."
"And what have you to say?"
"I believe Elincia is an honest woman. Besides, ever since we found her, we've been hunted by daein soldiers who demanded that we hand over Princess Elincia every time we met."
"Hm. If some noble had said that, I would take it as proof, but you – you are just a commoner. I know you people – for enough money you support every lie, no matter how far-fetched."
"What?!"
"But wait, maybe you will tell me now that you are the son of a noble? Or that you had known the princess, who has never in her life left the house in which she was born and whose existence is a secret even to her own people?"
"I say neither. But even though we are commoners, we're still decent and honest people. We would never sell our swords to liars and by hinting we would you don't only insult me, but also the memory of my deceased father."
Sanaki's words had angered him, that was obvious.
Time to end this farce...
"Sephiran was right, you are truly amusing."
"Sephiran? That monk we rescued from the prison along with the crimean soldiers?"
"So it was a monk this time? His disguises always surprise me. Hear me, the man you met is Sephiran, Duke of Persis, and Prime Minister of the Begnion Empire. He has already vouched for the identity of Princess Crimea. There is no need for you to worry."
"Ah, I'm glad to hear that - ", Elincia began, but Ike interrupted her.
"You knew we were coming and that Elincia really was the princess?! Then why did you do that just now?"
"Life here is very boring – I rarely have anything to divert myself. That was a funny distraction."
"For you and your entourage, maybe, but not for Elincia! Think about the situation she's in! She had to watch her parents being murdered by that monster Ashnard, barely escaped with her life to Gallia. She found no support there, so she risked a long and dangerous journey to come and see you – and all you do is mock her?! I don't care if you're the empress or apostle or whatever, a behaviour like that makes me sick!"
Surprised, Sanaki watched this outburst. If he had been angry before, it was nothing compared to this.
"How dare you insult the apostle!", Vize-Minister Lekain shouted. "Guards, seize him! An offence like that can only be punished by death!"
"Hold!", Sanaki ordered.
"But - "
"I am speaking, so be quiet!"
Lekain didn't look too happy.
"Ike, you devotion for your employer is something wonderful – I wish my flattering retainers would show me that. However, do not try my patience too much. If you challenge me again, your princess will find herself in an even more dangerous position that she is right now."
"What do you mean?"
"Even you must have realized that all Princess Elincia has left is her title. And without Begnion's help and support, there is no chance for her to restore Crimea and reclaim her throne. So all she can do is beg for our help, stand tall and smile, even if we hurt her feelings. Or am I wrong?"
"I still think that you are - "
"Calm down, Ike", the boy said, putting a hand on Ike's shoulder. His voice was just as cold as his eyes. "This is not the time to get emotional."
"Soren is right, commander", the knight added. "Sometimes the head must rule the heart."
"Well, I never was trained to follow etiquette like you, a former Royal Knight, Titania."
"But your father tried really hard."
"I would say he failed", Soren stated.
"You talk about manners, Soren!", Ike exclaimed.
Sanaki cleared her throat. "I will discuss this matter with the senators, as soon as Senator Maian returns from her summer estate. Be assured that Crimea's fate will not be uncertain for long. You are dismissed."
Elincia curtseyed and Titania bowed. Ike simply turned and strode out of the room, the girl following at his heel.
"One last thing", Soren said. "Those men who attacked your ship today – we don't think they were pirates."
"Oh? Then what do you suspect who they were?"
"I have already fought many battles, and some of them against pirates. I'm pretty sure those were soldiers dressed up as pirates and if you want me to guess where they came from, I would say Daein."
"That would make sense."
"So I would recommend to tighten your borders, or you might get some more unwanted visitors."
"Are you always that rude?", Lekain asked, outraged.
"Yes, I am. I give everyone an equal share of my coldness – I think this is fair. Don't you agree?"
He turned his head sharply in Lekain's direction and they could see a strangely shaped mark on his forehead.
"Are you – a spirit charmer?", Lekain asked.
"Yes."
"How strong are you?"
"I have been trained ever since I was very young – five or so. And my powers have grown a lot since then... The Daein soldiers we met where no problem for me. Now please excuse me."
"Sanaki, is there something you would like to tell me?", Maian asked softly.
Suddenly nervous, Sanaki shifted her weight.
She most likely knows already.
"Are you referring to my little cruise, or to how I treated Princess Elincia yesterday?"
"Both. But the latter bothers me more."
"I know I should not have treated her like that..."
Sanaki hung her head.
"If you feel so sorry about it, then why do you not apologize to her? If you do not want to lose your face in front of the senators, you can do it privately."
Elincia was very surprised when Sanaki appeared out of nowhere and asked to speak to her. Puzzled, she followed the empress to her rooms.
"Please, take a seat..."
Sanaki remained standing, looking unhappy about something.
"I want to apologize to you for the way I treated you yesterday. I knew it was wrong, but I still did it... Can you forgive me?"
Elincia was stunned. She had not expected the empress to apologize to her...
"Of course! Actually, I was just relieved to hear that you believed me, it was mylord Ike who got so excited... I am no resentful person, so this is no problem for me."
"I am so glad to hear that!" Sanaki took the seat opposite Elincia. "My guardian, Senator Maian, returned yesterday evening, and she gave me quite a scolding... About Ike, could you tell him that I am sorry? He must think that I am a mean little brat now."
"He does, but – he still agreed to take the job you offered him, because he wants to help me. I think you will be able to convince him that you are not a bad person, apostle."
"You are very fortunate to have someone like Ike."
"Yes, I have been blessed indeed. If he hadn't found me, I surely would be dead by now..."
"What was that about Ike's father?"
"Commander Greil was the leader of the Greil Mercenaries when Ike found me. He agreed to help me escape to Gallia. He was a bit rough, but had a kind heart. While I was escorted to Castle Gallia by the king's men, the mercenaries stayed at an old castle. And the following night the commander was murdered by a Daein soldier... Mylord Ike was the only one who saw it happen, but naturally, he refused to talk about it."
"I see... it seems all of you have had a hard time."
The door was opened and a woman stepped in.
"My apologies, I did not know you had a visitor."
She closed the door and moved forward. Elincia stared at her. The woman had to be about her age, but she was stunningly beautiful. Even her foster sister, Lady Lucia of Delbray, who was a renowned beauty, seemed plain in comparison.
"Princess, allow me to introduce myself. I am Senator Maian, Second Duchess of Idras. I am honored to meet you."
Maian curtseyed.
"Ah – the pleasure is mine."
Elincia was surprised. She had expected all senators to be the same – arrogant, conceited and self-centered. But this one was different.
"You have my word that Empress Sanaki and I will do all in our power to help you as quickly as possible, but convincing the other senators might take some time... But rest assured, Your Highness, that you are safe while you stay here."
"Thank you for your kind words, senator."
Maian smiled gently.
