When others get transmigrated to other worlds they meet some kind old witch or some mystical being that assists them and tells them how to get back home. Me? I get dragged into a crazy plot by a cunning princess. And to think I thought she was cute! Plus there aren't any cute guys here! Well...so far I guess but still!
Despite the mild throbbing in my head I rejected the princess's offer to be her permanent slave. Clearly I'm currently unable to escape her but if I stick around I may find a way to. Worst case scenario I help her regain her throne (sounds so much easier than it is), then I'll have my freedom and hopefully along the way I'll meet a kind old witch who gives me a pair of scarlet slippers and tells me all I have to do is believe that there's no place like...yeah who am I kidding. This isn't happy go lucky Oz and it definitely isn't Kansas.
I'm interrupted from my internal bemoaning by Fi. I've taken to calling her that. She thinks it's a cute nickname, only I know it's actually short for fiend! Since open rebellion causes me pain I'll just do in from the darkness. Don't you dare retort to that, sarcastic audience who I can't actually hear.
Anyway, Fi comes towards me dragging a large brown sack. She holds it out to me, I give it a dirty look. I've understood enough of her character by now to know what she wants from me. I make no move to take it.
"Here." She says, impatient with my silence.
"You think I can carry that with all this?" I hold up my pad and stick.
By now you're probably wondering why I'm still in my pads. Well, here's the answer; I can't get them off. They're literally stuck to me. It's really not helping my sanity that my hands are permanently clutching my stick no matter how much I shake my arm. Forget my arms, every time I try to awkwardly shove my helmet off it's like there's an invisible force keeping it on.
Do you know how irritating it is to be in goalie pads? Eating, sleeping, EVERYTHING IS TEN TIMES HARDER. Not to mention how gross it is!
Although I'm pretty much used to the stench now.
Yeah, not helping.
"You're my knight!" The brat princess puffs up her cheeks in a pouting manner. Girl, who you trying to be cute for? I continue to ignore her.
She stands there for a moment, then starts to take action raising her arm about to turn on the pain."Fine, if you won't listen to me then I'll-"
I leap off the rock I'm on and crouch before her, our faces centimeters apart. Man, she is short. Her face freezes, panic apparent in her eyes and now bright red cheeks.
"I'm your knight right?"
"Y-yes."
"And a knight protects right?"
"Y-yes."
"So how am I supposed to protect your pretty little face if I'm CARRYING ALL THIS CRAP?"
She's silent. I get up and stalk off. What is she getting so nervous for? I mean I get I'm kind of scary in all these pads but it's nothing to get so flustered over. Plus I'm pretty much under her control. Not that I'm complaining, any little bit of power over her to keep me from being a complete slave I'll take.
According to the old lady-Oze I guess, she told me to call her Grandma Oze, Fi's uncle, considering he has the power of a king, has spies everywhere and will probably know soon where we are. She gave Fi some directions about where to go to gain the necessary allies and resources to regain her kingdom but I was too busy bemoaning my predicament to listen.
Although, I did gather that this is a different world with four kingdoms all connected at a point by a dense forest. Some parts of the forest, such as the Magician's Swamp where the Grand Witch Ozebela lives, are accessible, others have no living survivors. This world is rather like a mesh of Midevil Europe, Asia, and almost every fantasy story ever written. Humans don't typically have magic of their own but their are magical creatures such as Ozebela. Oh, and, knights are the most important human existences in this world apart from royalty.
Speaking of Oze, I see her a little ahead of me tending to some flowers. She notices me before I have a chance to slip by and beckons me over. With an internal sigh I make my way over to her.
"Come closer dear, I won't bite."
I unwillingly come closer.
"Oh, not that close dear, just because I don't bite doesn't mean the flowers don't."
I jump back just in time to avoid the jaws of what I mistook for a harmless sunflower.
"Wha-"
"Bone eating flowers dear, make for very good guards, not as good company."
I attempt to hold back an involuntary shudder. An awkward silence ensues which is interrupted by Oze.
"Well dear, how are things?"
I give a courtesy, "fine".
"Now young man, what did I tell you to call me?"
"I'm fine Grandma Oz-" Wait. Did I just hear her call me a young man?
"Did you just-"
BOOM!
And just like any cliche action movie Grandma Oze turna her head, eyes sharp.
"They're here."
I don't have to think hard to know who 'they' are.
"Here, take this." She shoves a small brown pouch to me. "Take the princess and get out of here, I'll hold them off."
Ahha, once again a cliche line. With that fleeting thought I awkwardly hook the bag onto my stick and sprint. Goalie pads are slow alright and with me normally being one of the fastest in the cross country team I am moderately fast with my pads on. Thank goodness I practiced with weights before.
I discover the princess elegantly sitting on the rock while daintily peeling off the petals of a flower (not bone eating). Huh, is she doing that "he loves me, loves me not" thing? Well, whatever, not my business. She looks up and her face goes bright red. Man, what is with that blushing thing, I can't look that intimidating. I'm a girl wearing brightly colored pads.
She opens her mouth about to say something but I cut her off.
"They're here, lets go."
Her expression immediately shifts. I try to push her away from the noise but she resists.
"But, all out stuff-"
"Oze is holding them of, she told me to get you to safety, we can't waste her sacrifice."
She looks as if she's about protest but then thinks better of it and gives a tight little nod.
Then we turn and do the one thing we can, we run.