InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Princess Recalls Her One Adventure ❯ Seven Silver!!! ( Chapter 4 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

By: Gyousei

Phew, mocks are just over, thankfully I'll never have to experience them again….. Chemistry was the biggest load of crap I've ever handed up…. I'm sure no-one cares about me, here's chapter four of Princess Adventures:

When my eyes cracked open, it was still completely dark in my room, the maid shaking me was different from last night, and I couldn't make out anything but her voice and her cold hands that had me by the shoulder.

When she opened the curtains to reveal the grey sky I hissed and dug further under the covers.

A few minutes later she was back and threatening me with a bucket of water over the bed, I peeped out from my comfy den and saw her holding a dull grey bucket with her other hand on her hip.

When she left with a promise of being back in 5 minutes, I rolled over and sat up on the edge of my bed.

My body was completely stiff, stretching it was such bliss, when my feet finally found the floor amid all my yawning, I winced slightly and groaned but kept moving, it was best not to think about it.

The warm water in the wash basin was welcome on my grimy face and hands, although the herbal soap smelled nice, the taste wasn't as delicious…

Getting dressed was a chore and not for the first time I wished I had been born a boy, they never had to suffer stockings and hip braces, shifts and back tie dresses…. Sigh.

I was wearing the same peach colour dress as yesterday, I felt my other CLEAN prettier purple dress would be better appreciated at where-ever I was heading to.

Leather boots tied and money counted, I headed downstairs hopeful of breakfast.

The girl from last night was there on a side bench sorting through a bundle of clothes as I entered to large kitchen. What seemed to be all the staff, were busy scrubbing dishes, floors, tabletops. Broths were being made and meats on spits in several of the giant hearths. The smells would be mouth watering in a few hours when actually cooked.

The mistress of the tavern came over to me, her clothes and hair as impeccable as last night. She sat me down at the table closest and poured me a cup of milk. It was still warm.

“Have a good sleep?” she asked a kind smile appearing on her face, her voice not grating on me so much now.

I smiled and nodded whilst gulping down my milk.

Some bread and cheese was also placed in front of me and the jug was left there.

“Help yourself, child.” She then walked off to start giving orders for the day.

I refilled my wooden cup and started on my warm doughy bread, and looked around; I'd never been allowed in a kitchen before. The girl beside me was counting money now, a tied bundle beside her.

“What's your name?” I asked.

She looked up surprised, then smiled as I assumed she recognised me, “Chiwa, may I ask yours?”

“… Kagamiko.”

“How old are you?”

“I'm 16.”

I waited.

“Are you not going to ask mine?” I enquired after a few more minutes.

“No.”

“Why not?” I felt insulted for some reason.

“Don't you know it's rude to ask a Lady's age….?”

She walked off, her long dark brown braid swinging behind her, leaving me sitting there like a fool with my mouth open.

She came back holding a coat and cloak, and began to put the coat on, covering her plain cream uniform waitress dress that proved her service here.

“Where are you going?”

She giggled, “You're full of questions!”

I rolled my eyes, “You've no idea how many times I've been told that…, so where you going?” I'd be damned if she'd get away from this conversation!

She smiled, showing off her lovely white teeth, very rare among common folk.

“I'm heading home, I work here for the money, I'm bringing them clothes and extra money to support the farm, is that alright?” she raised an eyebrow.

She was mocking me!!

“Where do you live?” I asked before I could stop myself.

She laughed and shook her head, “About thirty miles south of here”

“Are you walking?” maybe I would have a walking partner... that is, if she didn't kill me for all the questions I'd ask…

“No, I can afford the carriage now.”

A carriage? Why didn't I think of that?

“How much?”

She looked quite puzzled, with a bit of annoyance mixed throughout…

“Seven silver pieces...”

I choked on my milk, “What???”

Complete Rip-off!!

“Why would you like to catch it too?” she was gathering her stuff up.

“Oh, yes please!!” I had seven silver pieces; I'd probably regret giving them away so stupidly later…

“Well its here in a few minutes, so you'd better hurry up!!” she was ready to leave right then.

I left very few crumbs on the table as I stuffed the remaining food in my mouth and ran upstairs to grab my things, ignoring the pain in my feet and legs. Quick as a flash I was downstairs again struggling to hold all my worldly possessions together.

Frantically scanning the kitchen and not seeing Chiwa; I dashed out what I hoped was the back door.

Two closets later I found the right door and Chiwa climbing into the carriage. I ran over huffing in exertion. The carriage was a boring black box, nothing like the pretty gold ones we have in the castle, which I was expecting for seven silver pieces…

She helped me by grabbing my stuff so I could climb in more easily

“Did you pay Mistress Yuno?”

Oh crap!!

I begged the carriage driver to wait, but I doubted he understood between the gasps and all the wild pointing I was doing.

Back in the Inn I found Lady Yuno talking with a cook and I poured out money into my hand from my belt pouch.

She just stared at me as if I were crazy; though at that moment I probably was. I tried to give her the same speech I gave the carriage driver and she actually understood. She probably had seen similar things to that more often than she wished.

“Three silver” was all she said

I stood there. Just stood there. I could not believe how expensive that bloody coach was.

Anyway, I paid her, and gave her and the cook a hug, heaven only knows what possessed me to do that…and ran back out to my awaiting carriage.

Thankfully it was still there.

I plopped on the cloth seat puffing up dust and tried to catch my breath. Chiwa was on the opposite side of the cab laughing at me. I looked to my side and found my belongings wrapped neatly in… Chiwa's black cloak.

I looked back over at her. Regaining the method of speech;

“You can't mother me, I'm older than you!!”

She laughed again.

“Well you sure don't act like it, you need me to mother you!!”

I glared. It was all I could do.

“And besides, the cloak will keep you warm when walking. I'm sorry but, you look like you need it more than me…”

I grumbled which caused her to laugh more. I was nothing more than a clown to amuse her!

The carriage went over a particularly bumpy patch of road a few minutes later, making its only two occupants giggle whilst being thrown around like a sack of potatoes.

After another little while of silence, and some more time contemplating the countryside rolling past, I finally said, “Thank you”

She looked over from the other window and gave me the warmest smile I had seen from her all morning.

We sat in companionable quiet and when other passengers where picked up, I moved over to her side.

We'd whisper something silly every now and again trying to annoy the others in our carriage.

Some time around noon, I guessed from the sun, I heard a lot of neighing and hooves stamping and froze. My heart was pumping a mile a second and my insides were churning.

They couldn't have found me… NO!!! Not now!!!

There was a small chance it wasn't them, wait there was a bigger than small chance, I began to relax more, but promised I wouldn't completely until the riders passed.

The windows were covered by grey cloth curtains because Lady “Stick-up-the-butt” across from us, didn't want the sun tanning her skin; she was busy conversing about something or other with moustache man, our fellow travellers.

Through the small gap I saw Green and White on a rider passing by, the exact colours of our guards. I tensed and Chiwa squeezed my hand whispering “What's the matter?”

The carriage stopped.

The adrenaline gushing throughout me. I gave Chiwa a hug, told her I was never here and grabbed my stuff.

I creeped out the other side that lead off into the forest, there was only one soldier on my side, and he had his back toward me looking at the driver.

I crawled underneath the carriage itself, my bladder threatening to spill. I could hear my heart thumping in my ears, I felt it pounding in my throat.

I didn't want to go back.

I couldn't cry, lest they hear my sobs.

One of them got off his horse and walked to the carriage door and opened it. I held my breath.

The silence stretched for what seemed forever, he then excused his intrusion and went back to his horse.

They rode off and so did the carriage. I stayed there in a huddled ball in the middle off the road, stunned.

I looked around, shakily got up and walked over to the forest on the other side of the road and sank down behind a large oak tree.

I let out a long sigh of relief as reality caught up on me. I escaped.

I sat there for a while, composing myself, allowing some tears to travel my face.

I was numb, but free.

Eventually I got back on the road again, they had already passed so what danger was I in?

As I walked, I thought about what was ahead of me, maybe I could be a waitress or something. I'm educated so maybe a teacher… that would be nice.

There was an awful clacking and squeaking of wood behind me, followed by squawks and clucks. I turned only to see a very unsteady looking chicken cart heading towards me.

I moved aside to let him pass, but he stopped. Oh no…

“Woud ya lik a rid' ther littl' missay?”

I wasn't too enthusiastic about it….

“Umm… sure”

What am I doing?

I made to go around and climb on the front seat beside the not so pleasant smelling man only to see a pig in my coveted place.

“Oh, yeah hope ya do'n mind ridin' in't back, just littl' Kagome `ere lik's to sit up fron'”

Little Kagome had a pretty red bow and was acting every bit the little princess she was…

“Oh, “Kagome”, how charming…” I gritted out through clenched teeth.

“Yup, born, `ere the same day as our lovelay princayss.”

Little Kagome snorted in approval…

“I see…”

With that I went around the back and climbed on, moving around some cages so I'd have a place to sit and not fall off.

When the cart moved off again, every re-arrangement I made fell back on top of me.

Ewww

And Ewww!!!!!

I went outside just after dawn, I had told the men to be ready before then, but with the arrival of fifty men and horses my men were needed to assist the others…. Sigh.

None of them had any decent armour either, why did they even bother with soldiers in a Neutral country, and not give them armour??

It was beyond me.

My men wore light metal brest plates underneath their coats on the continent, and metal thigh and shin guards, as well as arm guards.

I was taking half of our original group, leaving ten with Sesshomaru.

When we were finally underway, I stopped them all in the town centre, creating many traffic delays, but who was I to care?

There were four roads each heading north, east, west, south, how original….

I did a few quick sums in my head and divided everyone up into three groups of fifteen and one of seventeen; the seventeen included me and Miroku. Miroku wasn't even a real solider so it was fair; he only dressed like one so people wouldn't single him out as an easy target. Despite that he was still an excellent fighter and more than a match for any of the idiots in this stupid country.

Five experienced men of mine were sacrificed to lead the idiots in their respective directions, but it was the only hope they had of not dying. I kept most my men with me.

My group took the road south; I was going to try Father's theory on people always heading south when running away. No matter who caught the wench, I was going to take the credit.

Everyone had orders to only travel for ten days then head back and split up as required. Ten days was more than enough time to figure out they were on the wrong road.

Around an hour before noon on the South road, our group meet a fork in the road; I split us up into a group of ten Greenies, my name for the other soldiers, and the remaining seven of us.

The ten Greenies where complaining about how they had none of my men on their team and I snorted and showed them the cow-hide map I was using.

“See here…” I pointed at the junction we were at, “I'm sending you on the longer road because, unless you think your Princess is stupid, she'll go the shorter one we're going on”

Some grumbled, but I told them to check every carriage and cart along the way, and if we found her, I'd send a rider ahead to tell them, otherwise we would meet in the town of Morioka later.

I knew from my travels on the way up here, that there was an excellent Inn on the shorter road, and I would very much like to re-acquaint myself with it…

The cart was, smelly, icky, noisy, yucky, itchy, scratchy, sticky, and just plain disgusting. I vowed never to ride one again, no matter the circumstances, as I waved off the farmer and Little Kagome.

“The cheek to name that spoiled, smelly pig after me…” I moaned. Such disrespect!!

I tried in vain to rub off all the feather and chicken excrement from my dress. There was no helping the smell. It seemed also that my hair was growing hay by the amount I picked from it.

I'd never wanted a bath more in my life!!

I was in a town called Morioka, and was now in search of somewhere cheap to spend the night.

I'd wasted too much money on that damn coach.

It was quite dark and I had taken to walking down the alleyways because they seemed safest…

I was down one such, when I came upon a crowd of men, I tried to hide in the shadows but abandoned that idea to hide behind a wooden garden fence instead as they moved further down the alley.

I was stuck to the wood, rigid with fear for the second time that day, I had seen the same solider uniforms from the castle on some of the men, others had red, I didn't know why.

I prayed none of them had seen me.

They stopped somewhere close to me on the other side of the fence; I tried to listen in on their conversation, all the while hoping I wouldn't make a sound to give me away.

“Where's the Lord?” one said.

“He is out scouting the city with some of his men, they will meet us back at the Inn later, and I presume you were not successful?” another said, but this one had a slightly slurred, more flowing accent, it sounded familiar too… but from where?

My eyes flew to the back door of the house, where a woman, whom I can only guess, was the owner, came out and began to scream and shout at me for trespassing.

I couldn't do a thing as she came towards me and yanked me roughly by my arm and pushed me out into the alley where I fell on my hands and knees. I heard my pack landing somewhere near me, and a few object hit off my hand as they rolled by.

The tears had blurred everything for me and I gave up and sobbed.

It was only when I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder did I remember that others where in the alleyway with me.

Yay!! An update!!! I was going to do this yesterday but my friend came over and we had a *very* lengthy discussion about “if the InuYasha characters where yu-gi-oh cards…” very interesting.

NeverEndingHeartbreak: wow, thank you, although I think I'm unworthy of a rating 1000000/1000000, sorry I couldn't update faster. I had exams. Blame them. I do.

W_j: thank you for reading and reviewing!!!

Please Update: yeah sorry about putting it up without an update, its just there's so much to edit and re-edit, even today I had to change a load of stuff in previous chapters, but thanks for the review!!!

Saru: thanks for reviewing ^_^

My Name Is Yet To Be Found: thanks for reviewing all three chapters!!! Your reviews made me want to read my story all over again, and thus letting me find more mistakes… I have a solution to the whole Naraku lover thing, anytime the word Naraku comes up you can replace it with the name, “Bob”, he can be the bad guy instead ^_^ so that way the things Naraku does won't be bad because "Bob" is doing it...

Please review!!! all feedback is very welcome!!!

-Gyousei

Edited: 5/3/05