Red River Fan Fiction ❯ The Happening of After the End ❯ First Meeting ( Chapter 7 )

Hee, hee! I love this chapter! It's lots of fun! So yeah, I'm going to do a disclaimer that's nice and formal.

 

Disclaimer: I, (insert my name), do not physically, mentally, or emotionally; own Red River, also known as Anatolia Story. That privilege belongs solely to the lovely Chie Shinohara who is a…*I'm trying to be serious but that is not in my vocabulary* …genius. So anything I write that isn't about one of my characters I don't own!

 

Notes: There is none so Bravo! Brava! And last but not least…Brave! Can you tell I just went to an opera recently…

 

“Egyptians, retreat, retreat!” the Hittite army heard an Egyptian general order his troops over the roar of men and chariots. The winning army sang its victory, raising their weapons to the sky in recognition of the war goddess Ishtar, a custom adopted when she died. Lathered in sweet victory, also known as lathered in sweat, the soldiers watched as their foes fled the dirtied field. Sayuri gleamed as she congratulated her fellow comrades with hearty slaps on the back that often hurt she noticed when done to her. They had all grown to become good friends and the rude man she'd met when she'd first arrived apologized and told her about how grumpy he always was just before going to sleep. She'd also found that that was the complete truth; everyone had experienced his grumpy mood at one point in time. The prairie was covered in bodies, mainly Egyptians, and stained red from blood but at the moment she wasn't bothered by it, she was too happy.

 

“We won! That was wonderful, Nairek!” she shouted gleefully and ran up to her friend who was looking at a sword of a fallen foe. Together as everything quieted down they started off the battlefield with the rest of the infantry and the charioteers.

 

“Yes, the prince and general's plan worked perfectly, we had them running for the hills in no time!” he cheered and grinned at her. He got as much of a kick out of this as she did but the last statement caught her off guard.

 

“There is another general besides the prince?” she asked.

 

Due to her remoteness she had never been trained in military procedure and toward the beginning of her employment she always seemed rather lost. She knew that the crown prince was leading the army as a final test of competence before he was crowned king. In the time she'd been there Sayuri had learned many things about the country's royal family that she'd never heard from her father. For one, the sole prince had insisted that his uncle rule until he himself felt he was able to rule the way his father had done. Juda had mainly been a stature that had many advises who helped him make the decisions for the country, the main adviser being Ilbani. The heir didn't want to have so many people around him that he didn't trust and said that his only adviser would be his fathers half brother and his aide, who just happens to be Tito. Tito she found out would be joining him later and she would have to be careful not to be seen since he probably knew she was somewhere in the infantry.

 

“Of course there is! There is a mysterious general who is never at court. He only works in the field and doesn't come to the capital. He calls himself Iskas, General Iskas.” He explained, not really astonished to see that she didn't know, and continued his lecture when she frowned. “He wears a black cloak that lets no one see his face and when the fighting ends immediately disappears. He's still the most influential person in the whole army, even superior to Prince Mali, who is nineteen. The prince seems to have respect for him but has often spoken out against him because he doesn't like that he's such a shady man. He's even argued with his uncle about it.” Shaking her black head in surprise she spoke,

 

“I had no idea, I knew there were other generals but I didn't know he was so… competent.” Walking into Ugarit they smiled from the cheers ringing throughout the city as the citizens lined the streets to congratulate them. Some soldiers even had family in town and ran to embrace them. It made her smile sadly. She had no one to go to when she was done fighting. If her father found her here he would send her back to Kikkuri right away and they wouldn't trust her on her own again. They already wouldn't be letting her out of their sight when she got back.

 

When they reached the tent that they'd shared since they'd gotten there the two cleaned their swords, reflecting on the day in silence. Most of the soldiers slept in inns or in the houses of those that would take them in but as Nairek and Sayuri were among those who were poorer, they slept in a designated area for those in tents. Nairek was the first to break their comfortable silence when he turned to her.

 

“I hear there is a hot springs just outside the walls. Do you want to go get clean, Kuron? Then maybe we can go to a brothel.” He suggested when they finished, causing Sayuri to pause momentarily to think up an excuse for no participating in his…ideas.

 

“Ah, I don't so this time Nairek. I feel kind of sick from all the blood so I'm just going to take a quick bath and go to bed early.” She retaliated.

 

“Oh, well would you mind if I go? I feel like celebrating tonight.” He asked.

 

“Of course not! By all means go! Have fun.” She assured him, almost pushing him out of the tent and sighing as she slid to the ground again. This had turned out to be much harder than she thought. All the men bathed together and chances for a single bath were always slim on the road if they got to take one at all. Of course it wasn't as if they had bathes for male and female soldiers when they were supposedly all male. Maybe at last she could get clean.

 

Grabbing a change of clothes from the pile the army had giving her, she sneaked out the back of the tent and went down a back street of Ugarit. The army was stationed on the outer rim of the city, along the back row of adobe houses. The street was deserted and she quickly made her way through the bazaar with no difficulties and didn't see any other soldiers in the area. There was a large building in front of her which she could see the walls of over the tops of the houses. Sayuri ran and saw the gate of the outside wall before her along two night guards who were standing lazily against the wall.

 

Suddenly there were sounds of shouting and swords clashing systematically down the lane away from her. The two guards glanced at each other and then they both jogged with their own blades unsheathed toward the disruption. Sayuri took the chance and thought that there was sure to be a private bath in such a large building and scuttled through the gates, making them open not a foot wide before she slid through. She slinked behind a large bush as she saw shadows coming in her direction and heard voices of two maids who looked like they'd just finished for the night. They were talking in quiet whispers but Sayuri could still hear there ever word from her close vantage point.

 

“I hear his highness still refuses all the maids besides the Hatti women.”

 

“But when he has so many in his service why doesn't he use them? They're there for whatever he needs and he doesn't exactly act like he doesn't like us.” The other wondered aloud as she pondered the royal family's constant denial for other handmaids.

 

“He is actually very kind but he never allows anyone else to see to him besides them. He has complete trust in them.” She answered as they walked off toward the gates Sayuri had just snuck through.

 

“Well I just wish…” was all she could hear before they'd left. She waited for another minute and then surreptitiously went into the closest building, which happened to be the biggest building she seen since they'd left the capital, and poked around corners. She soon heard the sound of water and ran silently down a long hallway lighted by lanterns nailed to the wall with iron.

 

Her feet made no noise as she turned a corner to come right into an annex that held a bath surrounded by fine soaps and oils. It was already filled to the brim with warm water that instantly soothed her fingertips as it glistened in the last of the evening light. Sayuri, with a quick glance in the hallway, quietly took of her garments and set them near a long couch, all the while listening intently for any sound the might signal a person approaching. The water felt wonderful on her grimy skin and she loved to see the dirt wash off her skin and reveal her real tone underneath. It made her feel whole, like washing off her male mask and getting t be who she wanted to be.

 

Relaxing against a side, she sighed in contentment and sunk in all the way to her nose letting just enough air to breath go through. Her risky plan had so far been going well. As to say that as of yet she was sure no one had found out her secret. Her name and gender were still completely safe. She wondered who really lived ion this fine estate and just how long she could continue doing this. Sayuri was so captivated in her thoughts that when someone opened the door and walked in unannounced she didn't notice.

 

“Who are you?” a bewildered voice asked and in total shock Sayuri jumped out of her skin and shrieked. She quickly turned to see who the intruder was, a fine gesture seeing as how their positions were really switched. All Sayuri cold do was stare at the half naked man in front of her. He was tall and had blond hair, like straw. He face was sharp and h expression was one that changed from utter bewilderment to another expression that she couldn't quite name but made her exceedingly nervous. He was very handsome. He looked similar to her father save for his eyes, they were a deep ebony color.

 

Sayuri was admiring his bare torso when it suddenly dawned upon her that she wasn't wearing anything and her arms were limp at her sides. Never had been doing anything and had been opening staring for the past minute or so in absolute silence. The water had stopped splashing now that she had stopped jumping about and now all they could hear was the soft neighing of the horses now in their stalls for the night. When she realized this she turned on her heels and swam the farthest edge of the bath and enclosed herself in her own arms.

 

The man had been musing about how she looked so much like his mother but when she gasped in embarrassment he, without thinking, tore off the towel around his waist and jumped in the shallow pool as well. Reaching her quickly he grabbed her wrists above her head so she couldn't do anything to get away.

 

“No! Don't, let me go!” she protested and wriggled in his grip, trying to get out of his grasp. It was to no avail though; he was too strong for her.

 

“Do you want me to call the guards? You are the one trespassing on my property and are now in my bath. I have a right to know who you are.” He asked again leaning in so close that she could feel his breath on her face. Blushing profusely Sayuri through her bright red face away from his without saying a word in answer. How dare this man touch her and ask her questions, it was none of his business!

 

“You're not going to tell me?” he stated, surprised at the thought that she wouldn't tell him anything. He wasn't used to people not knowing who he was and the position he carried. He expected a prisoner of war to ignore his questions, not a girl who didn't seem to listen to hierarchy. “I just asked you question and you're not going to answer?”

 

“No! It's none of your business or concern. Now let me go!” she ordered, squirming in a halfhearted attempt to still be freed. She only felt contempt to this man.

 

“Then how about this, I make love to you right now and then we'll see how much you want to talk afterward?”” he suggested wryly.

 

“N-no! Why?!”

 

“Because you won't tell your prince who you are.” He said plainly.

 

“You're the prince!” she gasped, startled for the moment and stopped struggling. This was the prince that Nairek had talked about, the one that was going to inherit the thrown when they finished this war and could finally be at peace? It was hard to believe that this man could possibly be the one to rule the nation, though she couldn't say she would know how he was, seeing as how she hadn't even hear of him before she entered the army.

 

“You barge in here and get into someone's bath… and you don't even know whose it is. This is only the largest palace in the whole city.” He asked sarcastically and she shook her head blankly and he stared at her in surprise. He couldn't understand any of this. An innocent girl had snuck into his palace, the most heavily guarded thing in the whole city and had even gotten into his bath without anyone even noticing. Something like that never happened; people just didn't not know where the prince was staying, not when he was the only royal member in the city.

 

“If I let you get dressed would you talk with me?” he asked her, turning kind so he would hopefully get a positive answer. Not that she had much choice. If she didn't feel like talking he could always call the guards or carry out his previous invitation. There was also the possibility that she was a spy or assassin so he would have to be careful and always keep a close eye on her, however she really didn't seem to have any ill wish. Her white face just seemed frightened and uncertain of whether to believe him. At last she nodded nervously and he gradually let her go.

 

Trying to not scare the maiden anymore than he already had, he backed up cautiously, watching his fingerprint marks slowly fade on her skin. The prince felt bad about that, he hadn't meant to hurt her but she was squirming and hard to keep still.

 

Now that Mali had released her she quickly knelt down in the water to shield herself with her hands.

 

“Alright, I'll turn around so you can get your clothes on. Then we can talk peacefully.” He said reassuringly putting stress on the “peacefully” to further calm her. It didn't seem to be working though since when he looked to see if his condition was going to be met she hadn't yet done anything.

 

“Are you going to turn me in?” she asked quietly in a scared voice and at first that had been his full intention but seeing the petite maiden's frightened face as he pursued her changed his mind. He seriously doubted that she was an assassin now. Seeing as how she wasn't going to be moving if he didn't answer he told her that he wouldn't be he turned around to face the door. Mali finally hear the soft splashing of the water as she got out of her safe haven toward her clothes that he knew were right behind him. She would be completely defenseless if he turned on her now, but he wasn't one to do that, usually.

 

This girl, who clearly had no idea what she was doing, had managed to sneak past some of the best guards in the empire and his servants to enter his personal quarters. Who was this girl that looked so much like his deceased mother? What was she doing in his residence, besides taking a bath?

 

“I'm dressed…” she mumbled at last and Prince Mali eagerly turned around.

 

“That's what you're wearing. Those are men's clothes!” he protested. He had thought that she was going to come out in a beautiful dress that would award his restraint but he should have known that someone who broke into a palace wouldn't be wearing fine garments.

 

“Yes, they are and I am.” She confirmed, blushing brightly at his assessment.

 

“Well, so be it then. Let's go talk somewhere else.” He settled. He waited for her to leave through the door first and he watched her shiver as they walked down the hall. Every couple of steps she would look back at him, silently asking him where they were headed in this big building. “Turn left into this room.” He instructed and the moment she walked in she stopped in a dead halt that made him run into her before he could stop.

 

“We're talking… here?” she questioned nervously. It was obviously the prince's bedchambers which had been set up his the night. The double bed's sheets were pulled down and a robe was set over a chair.

 

“Is that alright? We won't have to worry about being disturbed.” He said casually and gave her a little push so he could enter and then closed the door behind them. Mali went over to the chair and threw off his towel and put on the robe, making Sayuri blush fiercely at the backside of his naked physique. He then sat down on a large couch and turned to her stiff form. “I won't touch you.” He assured her and gestured to another chair across from his.

 

At last she scuffed over and got into the chair like his. It was leather and very comfortable, the most comfortable she'd ever sat in as a matter of fact. She started to relax until he said that they should begin and then started to shift around nervously in her seat. To Mali the young women reminded him of a tip mouse who was skittishly poking her head out of a hole. Was she seriously that scared of him? He didn't think he was that frightening; it could be his royalty. He hoped that by the time they were done she would warm up to him. Though he didn't know why, whenever he looked at this girl he felt a strange sense of similarity, one that he couldn't seem to relate to or understand at all. Maybe he would keep her with him.

 

Sayuri was more confused than she'd ever felt I her life. Her whole subconscious was spinning haywire and she could seem to control it and gain some coherent thoughts. She knew she should be afraid, in his palace this prince could do whatever he wanted and pretty much get away with it; there would be nothing she could do to stop it. She hoped he would be of the decent sort so she could stop feeling the pressure of fear.

 

Yet the feeling soon started to dissipate. That as how she should have felt but miraculously that wasn't the case. She felt… safe around this stranger. Like what she felt in the presence of her father no matter how angry with her he was. How could anyone possibly know what she was going through? It was incomprehensible and illogical.

 

“What is your name?” he started in a calm voice when he saw that she was alert.

 

“Sayuri.” She answered honestly. While she had been getting dressed she had contemplated whether or not to use her real name and she decided that since they were far from their small town and since she had a different name in the infantry that he wouldn't be able to track down a boy by that name.

 

“Sayuri,” the prince sighed to himself and continued, “Well then Sayuri, what could you possibly be doing in my palace. I asked my uncle if I could live here since it is my birth home and he agreed.” He explained to her unnecessarily and then silently reprimanded himself for letting so much information out though most people in the country already knew. The innocent aura the small intruder gave off made it very easy to talk to her since it seemed she had a very closed mouth.

 

“I was taking a bath.” She answered swiftly.

 

“I know that!” he growled, exasperated but immediately knew his tone was the wrong choice. At his outburst she had shifted as far from him as the chair would allow her, which made him rethink his approach.

 

“I'm sorry for yelling. Let me rephrase that question. Did you know that this was my residence?” he asked, placing his hands behind his head in a picture of ease. Sayuri shook her head and surprised, Mali stared at her.

 

“Where are you from?” he asked. He was greeted with a cold silence that stated in itself that she wasn't going to answer and that miffed him a little. Frustrated, he asked another question.

 

“Are you I Ugarit with your family.” He questioned, already knowing it was a stupid thing to ask. If she were here with others then she would have at least someone who would provide a bath.

 

“No, it's just my father and I but I ran away.” She said almost to herself.

 

“Oh, and how does a poor girl who has to steal into someone's house in order to take a bath support herself during a war. There is no way you're a prostitute, you're too uptight.” He figured aloud. Blushing she found herself explaining.

 

“I'm no prostitute, but I'm not going to tell you either.”

 

“Alright then fine, how about this, I'll help you.” He began smiling and at her shocked face. She'd begun to think he wasn't such of a bad person she'd thought he was. “I'll send a message to your father to at least know that you're alright. I won't even tell him where you are…” he stopped talking when he saw her face droop and she looked down at the floor.

 

“Don't bother, you can't help me.” She said while slowly turning her head away from Prince Mali.

 

“Why?! Your father is no doubt worried about you…” he trailed off again as her face suddenly lit up, he really couldn't deal with her mood swings.

 

“Do you know Kikkuri and Ryui?” she exclaimed when she remembered what Tito had said about knowing the royal family. She jumped out of her seat in glee to pounce lightly on his couch. She quickly got up right in his face and looked at him with curiously eyes filled with suspense.

 

“Ah…yes- why?”

 

“Do you know where they go during a war?” she fired off again.

 

“N-no! I think they go do something for Uncle Juda, I'm not sure!” he tried again. The quiet girls drastic change in attitude was leaving him a little speechless, never had he imagined that the timid girl would climb on top of him, almost knocking him off the couch.

 

“They all come to my village! Whenever he comes my father Kail, I know, strange name but he was named after Mursili II,” she explained when he looked like he wanted to interrupt, “and he goes off on a trading mission. Kikkuri, Ryui, Tito, and Salma all stay at my house. It's always during a war though, he says it's a good time to sell.”

 

“So I am to assume that is where he is right now?” he concluded, managing to slide out from under her without dislodging her and likely making her fall off the side.

 

“Yes, who knows where he might be.”

 

“So what are you planning on doing now that you have endless free time?” he asked, leaning towards her and putting his hands on his face.

 

“That's none of your business.” She retorted stubbornly and stuck her nose in the air like a child being denied their favorite treat. Mali frowned in unhappiness at her refusal and they both sat there staring at each other in silence. Outside they heard crickets chirping and the scuttling of some animal. Everyone had gone to sleep by now so they were the only ones awake in the building besides the guards at the gates. At last Mali got annoyed and started to speak again in the hope that some agreement could be reached.

 

“Fine well wherever you're going I certain they'll be missing you.” He said, resigning to the fact that nothing was going to come of them just sitting there. He got up and she followed suit as he led her back out the door and into the courtyard where a guard ran up to them in confusion.

 

“Sir, is there something wrong?” he asked, bowing respectfully to his monarch before fixing Sayuri with a cruel glare.

 

“Nothing, Sayuri would uyou like an escort back home?” he asked her in front of the still livid guard. Since Sayuri had come to the palace the sky had darkened and with her black hair it was hard to see her face and that unnerved the poor man.

 

“No!” she shouted rashly and immediately a blush crept across her face. She looked away quickly so he wouldn't see her face but she thought he'd probably already seen it. She might feel oddly safe next to the prince but she wasn't about to give him any clues to her secret. She shouldn't have even told him her name but it was too late now. The important thing right now was to get away from there and get back to her tent.

 

“Ah, thank you.” She stuttered.

 

“it was nice speaking to you.” He said sincerely but with a cold glint in his eye that sent shivers down her spine and made her wonder if he wasn't as nice as he seemed.

 

“Good bye Prince Mali. “ she mumbled looking at the same shade black eyes as hers. It was the first time she'd actually said his name and it rolled easily off her tongue. The prince didn't want her to go alone but after taking one last glance at him she took off down the street. He watched her until she turned a bend and then turned quickly to the guard who was still watching the odd encounter.

 

“Follow her, tell me where she goes, ask about her, and make sure she doesn't know you are there.” He ordered, his handsome face deadly serious as he said that. He didn't want to betray the little girl's trust but for some unknown reason he absolutely had to know more about this girl.

 

I'm done! Yes oh yes oh yes! Happy dance happy dance! Ok I'm done. So I am super sorry I haven't updated in more than a month but I suddenly got overloaded with sports academics and I am a terrible time manager. But school is easy from here on out and summer is coming. Dang all of you who are out next week, I still have to wait till June 4! Anyway I don't know when the next chapter is gonna get out since I want to add a couple more things while she's still in the capital and I not sure what yet. So bear with me and review!