The next morning. The knight’s and I are eating breakfast together before we depart.

“Did you sleep well last night, Milady Sophie?” Lute asked.

“Yes, I must have been really tired because I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow,” I answered.

“Oh, stop trying to act all cutesy,” Kenny commented. “You can sleep like a log anywhere, anytime!”

“Kenny!”

“Do you have to be so loud in the morning? Shut up and eat!” Shion shouted.

“If you can’t sleep, you should call me, Sophie. I’ll cuddle you in bed.” Haku grins, resting his cheek on his hand.

Shion seizes this opportunity to snatch one of Haku’s croquettes from his plate.

“Shion! No stealing other people’s food!” Lute exclaimed.

“Oops, he caught me…” Shion said sadly.

“…You’ve got a lot of nerve trying to pick a fight with me, Shi,” Haku said.

“I thought you were done eating…” Shion implied.

“You guys aren’t kids,” Kenny commented. “Knock it off.”

“Haku, you can have my croquette,” I offered.

“You’re so kind, Sophie,” Haku smiled. “But I’d rather you gave me a kiss.”

“I’ll take it, then!” Shion exclaimed.

Shion reaches out his hand to take my croquette, but Lute stops him.

“Don’t pay any attention to them, Princess Sophie,” Lute commented. “They’re always like this.”

“My croquette!” Shion said sadly.

Shion’s shoulders slump with disappointment as Lute takes the plate away from him.

“Sophie, make sure you fill up,” Kenny said. “If something happens to the carriage and we have to walk, you’ll pass out without food!”

“Pass out? W-Why?”

Gaia quietly looks up from his plate. “Today we’re traveling up Mt. Otaka,” Gaia informed.

“Mt. Okaka?”

“Yes. It’s a treacherous place with many narrow cliff side roads,” Lute implied.

“Every year several people die from falling off those cliffs,” Kenny added.

“What?!”

“It’s a miracle anyone can even pass through there,” Haku commented. “To be honest, I think we’re pushing it taking a carriage there.”

Shion sighed. “…This is such a pain. Isn’t there an easier way, Commander?”

“No,” Gaia replied.

“We’ll just have to be extra careful on this journey,” Lute stated.

“Is the mountain really that dangerous?” I asked. “I’ve never traveled through the mountains before…”

“You really are a country bumpkin, aren’t you?” Shion said.

Lute pokes Shion’s head. Lute smiles at me and takes a whistle from his breast pocket.

“Please take this,” he said. “Princess Sophie. It will protect you. If you need anything, just blow it. I shall rush over to you right away.”

“Thank you.”

I take the whistle and put it in my pocket.

“You’re knights from the castle, right?”

Some mean looking men approach our table. The knights pretend to continue eating, but signal each other so the men can’t see.

“This girl a noble?” a man asked. “If she’s with knights, she must be someone important.”

“She’s just a servant,” Gaia implied as he purposefully looks down at me with cold eyes.

“A servant?” the man wondered. “I’ve never heard of a servant so important she gets to share a meal with knight.”

The men erupt into high-pitched laughter and leave with sneers on their faces.

“Commander, I think it’s time for us to depart,” Lute stated.

“You’re right,” Gaia agreed. “Everyone ready?”

Everyone nods, looking slightly nervous. An uneasy feeling is starting to build up in my chest.

We climb into the carriage and immediately depart from the village.

“How many days is it until the capital?” I asked.

“Two or three days, if everything goes smoothly,” Lute answered.

We travel up the mountain road for a while, and things brighten a little as we come across a valley below.

“I’m so scared…”

The valley is at the bottom of a ravine really far down. Even looking at it makes me tremble.

“This cliffside route is dangerous, but if we get through it we’ll arrive safely at the capital.”           “I see…”

I have to be careful not to get in the way!

“Wow, look Sophie! All the rocks are falling down to the valley below!” Haku commented.

“Ahh! I’m scared!!”

“If we fall, we’re dead,” Shion informed.

“Not me,” Kenny said.

“Wanna bet?” Haku asked.

Lute keeps his mouth shut as the rest of the knights chat loudly. It seems like he’s concerned about something outside the carriage.

“Who are you gonna bet on, Lute?” Shion or Ken?” Haku asked.

“Silence!” Lute yelled.

The next moment, Lute turns to me as if he has sensed something.

“Princess, when we get out of the carriage, do NOT leave my side,” he stated.

“What…?”

Lute looks at me with serious eyes. Everyone’s face tightens at the sudden tense atmosphere.

“We’ll go check it out first,” Kenny implied. “Haku, Shion, let’s go.”

“Okay,” Haku said.

Shion sighs. “This is so irritating.”

Gaia checks his sword and then follows the rest of the men out of the carriage.

“Now let’s go, Princess,” Lute said.

“Y-Yes…”

What in the world is going on?

We get out of the carriage, and the tension in the air rises. Everyone has their swords at the ready and are in fighting stances.

“Lute! Take the Princess somewhere safe!” Gaia yells.

But we’re already surrounded by mountain bandits.

“These are the knaves we ran into at breakfast!” Lute pointed out.

“They were waiting for us?!”

“This way, Princess!”

“That woman is their weakness!” shouted the bandit. “Get her!”

Hearing the man’s order, the bandits all rush towards Lute and I at once!

What should I do? They’re going to get me! Lute!

Without thinking, I grab Lute’s hand and he squeezes it tightly.

“Don’t worry,” Lute said. “Trust me.”

“Hurry up, Lute!” Gaia shouted.

“Leave this to us!” Haku implied.

“Bring it on!” Kenny shouted.

“Which one of you should we take care of first?” Shion wondered.

Ching, ching!

With the sound of swords clashing behind us, Lute and I run towards the mountain path. But more bandits appear from the mountain, and within moments our path is blocked once again.

“Lute…”

The next moment, my view is obstructed.

“Oh…”

Lute’s broad back is right before my eyes... He stands in front of me, shielding me from the bandits. He draws his sword and brandishes it in front of the bandits. The several meters between him and the bandits grew smaller as he squares off against them.

“Princess.” Lute says to me over his shoulder. “I’m going to protect you. So please stay by my side. I’ll protect you, no matter what.”

“Okay…”

Just then, the bandits all rush to Lute at once and attack him.

CLANG, CLANG!

The sound of swords clashing rings out.

“Hand over the woman, now!” the bandit demanded.

“Never!” Lute replied.

Lute protects me behind him as he faces off against the enemies. He has to pay attention to what’s going on in front of him and behind him, so I’m totally getting in the way…

I’m putting Lute in danger if I stay here. If there was just a way I could divert the bandits… That’s right! The whistle…

I know he told me not to leave his side, but I want to help him. I let go of Lute’s hand and start running.

TWEET, TWEET!

I blow the whistle to draw in the bandits.

“The girl is running! After her!” the bandit shouted.

“Princess!” Lute shouted.

TWEET, TWEET!

“Over there! Find her and get her!” the bandit commanded.

I leave the path and run deeper into the mountains. My clothes catch on branches and I stumble on rocks. I hop over a fallen tree and slip through tangled vines to lure the enemy out farther.

“We won’t let you get away!” the bandit shouted.

I hear footsteps approach. I’ve run so far I don’t know where I am and I’m running out of breath.

That’s it… I can’t run anymore!

I hide myself in the shadow of a large tree.

*rustle, rustle*

The enemies’ footsteps gradually become louder.

“She must be hiding around here somewhere! Find her!” the bandit demanded.

It’s only a matter of time before they find me. My pulse pounds with nervousness and I’m breathing heavily. Just then… Someone roughly grabs my arm.

It’s all over….

I’m too frightened to run away. My legs won’t move. I squeeze my eyes shut and prepare myself for the worst.

“Princess.”

What?...

I timidly open my eyes. Lute is the one holding onto my arm.

“Lute!”

“Thanks to Your Royal Highness, I defeated them on by one,” Lute commented. “But please refrain from doing anything else dangerous like this.”

“I’m sor…”

“Here she is!” the bandit shouted.

CLANG!

Lute pushes me behind him again and attacks the bandit with his sword.

“Princess, this way!” he said.

“Okay!”

CLANG, CLANG!

He takes my hand and we begin to run away, but more and more enemies appear.

*rustle, rustle*

Hearing footsteps behind us, we turn to see another bandit behind us!

“The girl is mine!” he shouted.

“Aaahhh!”

I scream and Lute quickly turns around.

“I won’t let you have her!” he shouted.

Lute attacks the enemy. The bandits come at us from all directions, but Lute defeats them one by one with amazing swordsmanship.

CHING, CHING!

The endless stream of bandits have pushed us into a corner near the edge of a cliff. A river flows in the valley below, and if we fall we’ll be done for.

What are we going to do?

“If you hand over the girl, I’ll spare your life,” the bandit commented.

“No,” Lute replied.

“Then you don’t care what happens next?” the bandit wondered.

Every step the bandits take towards us, Lute and I step backwards.

*klop, klop, klop*

Rocks at our feet tumble down to the valley below, disappearing without a sound.

“So what’ll it be?” the bandit asked.

They’re going to kill us both… If I give myself up, at least Lute can be spared.

“Lute, please let me go to them.”

He silently shakes his head.  Then, with his sword still drawn on the bandits, he pulled my body tightly against his.

“Will you trust me, Princess?” Lute asked.

He gazes at me steadily, and I know I can. I look back at him and give a small nod.

“Then close your eyes.”

 He whispers in my ear, and I do as I am told and close my eyes. I feel both his arms tightening around me.

What’s he going to do?

The next moment, Lute jumps off the cliff, still holding me tightly in his arms.

“Aaahhh!”

I can feel us falling at an incredible speed towards the valley below. I’m in total shock and I felt myself losing consciousness in Lute’s arms…

“Princess! Princess Sophie!”

I hear a voice in the distance…

And something soft on my lips…

Mm…? What…… is this……? A dream? Or……

There’s something warm and gentle. But in an instant, it disappears from my lips.