The next morning, the group met at the front desk to start looking around for information on the other two missing princes. “I want to check the bakery.” Miyuki said nonchalantly, “Of course you do.” Albie said scoffing at the princess. “I guess, there's no fighting her.” Riki laughed as he put his arm out for her. “You four split into twos and cover more ground one group try the not so busy shops. The owners sometimes know things. The other try the borderline area of the woods.” Albie slightly raises his hand to get her attention, “What do we ask and what exactly are we looking for?” Miyuki thought for a moment then said, “For the group going into the stores, ask the clerks or owners if they know anyone that could teach you Haluin” A dead language used as a universal language for all the countries so they could communicate, but now that the countries are all one kingdom, it developed its own language. “For the people checking the forest, check for any place that looks lived in comfortably.” “Yes, your Highness.” Miyuki froze, no one here can know she's royal. Albie whispered, “I’m sorry princess I forgot where we were.” From behind the counter the owner beamed, “Do we have royalty visiting us?” “No,” Miyuki quickly responded, “That’s just a joke they like to make because I'm very bossy.” hoping the lady would believe her. “Oh, pity, I thought we’d be able to say we had royals stay.” the lady turned back around to head into her office. Miyuki and the others released a sigh of relief that their cover wasn’t blown. “I suggest we get a move one, before anything else is blurted out.” Riki said, eyeing the three foot-soldiers. With that, two by two they went their separate ways for the day. Two of the soldiers headed towards the forest with armor and weapons in case of an animal attack. Albie and the other soldier were headed towards one of the more vacant lots. Finally, Miyuki and Riki headed to the bakery. “Why do I have a feeling we’re not going to the bakery for sweets.” Riki commented as they walked with Miyuki’s hand on his inner arm. “Bakers know everything there is to know about the town they serve in. Even, the places to get the information they aren’t allowed or don’t feel they should tell. If there’s anywhere to go to find our brothers, this baker will know it.” From behind them they could feel people staring at them. “She’s beautiful.” “Isn’t that the lady Miranda was speaking of?” “Are those the royals?” Miyuki and Riki looked at each other, they thought they had fooled the owner of the Inn. They had to think of something fast, something to make them look less proper. Miyuki had an idea, so she whispered to Riki, “Follow my lead.” Right away, Miyuki starts up a fight with her brother about some nonsense, Riki, being confused, argues back accidentally. The people around them start to whisper, “I think Miranda's starting to lose her hearing there's no way they could be royals.” “Aye, and they’re so loud.” Miyuki sighed and started walking away. Riki, on the other hand, was still fuming from the fake fight that he didn’t know was happening. Miyuki turned to open the door of the bakery, laughing at the fact that Riki was actually mad. They walk in to see two customers already talking with the Baker, so they decide to look around while waiting for her to be able to talk. Miyuki found a sweet bread that she knows Albie loves, some cookies that the soldiers seem to get each time they visit a village, and some cheesecake for herself. “If you find anything you want, Riki, just let me know.” He ignored her, I guess He’s still mad about that screaming contest, she thought. “All that screaming before,” she said, getting him to look up at her, “I did that so that everyone wouldn’t think we’re royals.” Riki’s eyes widened in understanding, he unfolded his arms and started to laugh. “So, you started a fake argument that I actually got mad at?” Miyuki giggled, “Yes, you bird brain. Now, are there any sweets you would like?” “No ma’am, I need to watch my figure if I'm supposed to have absolute strength.” He said smirking back at her. “Those are some big dreams, young man.” the baker, finally done with her other customers said. Miyuki leaned over to see passed her brother, who spun around to see who was talking to them. “Apologies for eaves dropping, it’s a very small shop.” she smiled, seeing the nervousness on the siblings' faces. “We were just waiting for you to finish with your other customers.” Miyuki said, putting one hand on her brother's tense shoulder. “If you don’t mind, we have some questions we’d like to ask.” The lady put her hands together, “Of course, ask away.” Miyuki looked at her brother with a look that told him ‘Don’t say anything stupid’. “You see, ma’am, we’re hunters for the capital. A few weeks ago, there was an attack on the capital by a wild animal, orange fur golden trail left behind him. We’ve recently chased the beast here, and we were wondering if you had any information on where it might be.” The lady’s demeanor changed for a second and went back to the bright aura before. It was too quick that Miyuki barely noticed it. “I know there's been some sightings outside the town. Passed the thinner trees of the forest.”
They waited at the Inn for a while and started to worry. “They should have been back by now.” Miyuki said, frantically passing in the lobby. “I’m sure they’re just running behind and have some good information. Besides, not much time has passed since the meeting time.” Miyuki kept passing until she met eyes with her brother, and she sat down. Just then, the door chimes opened and Miyuki and Riki turn their heads around to see who it is. It was Albie and one of the soldiers he left with. “Oh, thank heavens.” Miyuki said jumping up from her seat. “I was really starting to worry.” Albie didn’t respond, only looked around the room. “Where's the other two?” he asked seriously. Riki walked up and put his hand on Miyuki’s shoulder, “They haven’t made it back yet, but I'm sure they won’t be long.” Albie shook his head and his eyebrows furrowed. “I told them to get back earlier than us. That way we wouldn’t have to worry about whether they were in trouble in the woods or not.” Miyuki and Riki looked at each other, “You mean to tell me they should already be here, and the sign that they are not means they are in trouble?” Miyuki asked looking at Albie with a seriousness that slightly scared him. “Yes, Miyuki. However, we can turn back and go search for them.” “I’ll go too.” She said and before Albie could tell her it’s ‘Too dangerous’, she held one finger up. “I fear for their safety too,” she said, “I want to do my part to make sure they make it back safely as well.” There was no look of falter on the young princess’s face. She was determined to go with them, she wasn’t going to find her brothers. She genuinely wanted to make sure her friends were safe. She went to go change into clothes that would make travelling in the forest easier. She put on leather pants an archery vest. She walked out and met the boys by the forest line, right outside the Inn. Riki stayed by Miyuki’s side as they walked and hummed low, trying to calm his and her nerves. “Do we know where they were originally headed?” he asked as they were following the trail of soldier boot prints. “We only know they headed for the heart of the forest. They said they wanted to make their way back and search at the same time.” “Idiots” The princess snarled, but she had to remember they could be in danger. So, she decided to get mad at them later. “The trail split, and it looked like the soldiers took different paths. “Why would they separate from one another in unknown territory?” Riki asked confused. “Maybe,” said Albie, “They didn’t have a choice.” That thought made a shock run up Miyuki’s spine. “We have numbers.” she said. “We could split into two and easily trace both of them without being alone.” “Great strategy, your Highness.” the soldier said. Albie seemed to glare at the soldier, “If we are to separate, I say we stay in our former groups.” he said grabbing the shoulder of his partner and slightly pushing him on to the path they were facing. “If you’re not at the Inn by morning, I’ll think you dead.” Miyuki yelled as they walked. “You as well, Princess.” Albie waved as they shrank in the distance. Now it was just Miyuki and Riki again, but this time they weren’t looking for their brothers. This felt different to Miyuki, she’d never seen Riki upset before, but he gave off an aura that scared her. “If anything hurt them in any way, I’ll kill them with my bare hands.” he said with his hands in fists. He only looked straight ahead and didn’t pay any mind to Miyuki. So, to try and help him feel better she says, “At least let me help you.” Which made Riki turn to her with a look of surprise. “I’m kidding but it got that unsettling look off your face.” She said with a smile as he kept tracking the marks. “Look, we don’t even know if they’re hurt yet or not.” she spoke. Riki stopped and leaned down looking at the ground and he traced marks with his hands. “He was drug from this point on.” he said as he looked up at Miyuki with burning eyes. He stood back up and stretched his arms, getting ready to ruin someone's day. In that moment, there was a rustle in the bushes beside them, Riki motioned for Miyuki to get behind him as he faced the noise. Miyuki felt a hand go over her mouth and she tried to scream but it came out in a mumble. Riki spun around ready to fight whoever was behind him, but he was struck in the head from behind, knocking him unconscious. Miyuki tried her best to kick and scream, anything that would get her free of whoever was towing her deeper into the woods. Behind whoever was dragging Miyuki was another dark figure that had Riki leaned over their shoulder. She couldn't think straight, she had to think of a way to escape. She kicked the inside of her kidnappers' knees and broke free of their hold. She tried to run but the other figure behind her seemed to swing, and, for Miyuki, everything went dark.
When Miyuki woke up, she couldn’t see much. It was either night or she was in a dark room. She couldn’t hear any wildlife around and she didn’t smell any plants or the breeze. She couldn’t look up to see if there were stars, because her body was to its side, and she couldn't move her body. She tried to wiggle her body awake so she could move and get her hands free from the rope that bound them. Just then, a voice from the blackness that surrounded her spoke up. “That’s useless, little girl.” the voice said humorously. Miyuki froze, she didn’t recognize the voice or the footsteps that were walking towards her. Someone from behind her picked her up from her tied hands and sat her on her knees. She could only see a figure sitting in a chair in the middle of the area she was in. She guessed it was a room because she could slightly see the grey wall on the other side. She looked to her left and saw Riki sitting like she was and being held down by three men. She went to get up to go to him but the person behind her pushed her back down by her shoulders. The voice spoke again, “You don’t seem to understand your situation. You are being held captive. That means you can’t just roam around to your heart’s content.” Miyuki was scared and didn’t speak, it would make it worse if I spoke, she thought. It would be best to stay quiet, confrontation would just make me more nervous. As she thought this a shark ringing pinged in her head making her squint. “Are you in pain? Good. You hunters are nothing but dirt anyways.” Hunters? She thought. The only person that would have thought they were hunters was the baker. The baker?! She immediately recognized the scent of the person behind her. It was the baker holding her down and the baker who got her and her brother caught. Her entire body tensed up as she realized the extent of the situation. I must find a way to break free and get Riki, we’ve got to get out of here. A soft ‘no’ came from the inside of Miyuki’s head, though she couldn’t tell. She looked at her brother, who was looking at the ground, seemingly taking deep breaths like he was trying to calm himself down. “Why are you hunting such precious creatures?” the voice asked, grabbing Miyuki’s attention to the middle of the room again. “We didn’t actually want to hunt any animals.” she said, “merely research, but no one gives information to researcher. Not in the popular sorts yet.” The figure seemed to shift in their seat, before standing up and walking to where Miyuki could see. It was a tall man with dark clothing and a sunken face. Black hair and dull eyes that she couldn’t see all that well. He walks up to her and grabs her by the chin, “You think you can get away with lying to me, the forest very own king?” “The forest is ruled by no one.” Riki finally chimed in barely being contained by the men after seeing him get closer to his sister. Miyuki made direct eye contact with Riki, and she knew he knows more than I do. She closed her eyes ignoring the man in front of her, please, help me. Show me how to fix this problem. I’ve already told you everything you need to know to get out of this situation, Yuki. She heard the words as clearly as day, even when no one said them. So, she thought, what all has the lady told me? Her brother started to fight against the men holding him down. “Oh, I’m sorry, are you not comfortable, good sir?” Riki smiled as he saw the look of realization on his sister's face. One must step out of their comfort zone. Miyuki remembered from the first dream she had of that woman at that tree. She looked up with a smile, “I’m sorry but who did you say you were again?” Good, she heard in her head. The man spun around in confusion and anger, “I’m the king of this forest.” “See, I don’t think you are.” She fired back, “Because when I think of a king of the forest, I think of someone who wouldn’t hurt a fly let alone, humans. The king would want peace and violence just doesn’t do that.” The man started walking towards her, but she started talking again. “You know, having three brothers that go missing, you pride yourself on getting to know them even when you’ve never met them. It’s how I found that one.” she gestures her head towards Riki. “So, knowing all my brothers the only true king of the forest would have to be one of the other two, Vanir would be my guess. It makes little sense to have a brainless muck on the throne here, don’t you think? So, unless you turn into my brother, I don’t want to hear your ugly words.” the man pauses before walking towards a door in the room. “You faulted us for lying, but it seems, you’re the one pretending.” Riki said easily getting out of the hold the three men had on him. The man got to the door before Riki could catch up to him, and when the door shut all the other men had left the room. Riki untied Miyuki and they shared a sigh of relief. Until the door opened back up again.
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