AZARADAN
THE FEAST NIGHT
Soothing music from drums and harps filled the ceremonial hall, but the soldiers' laughter and stories were louder. Each table had a barbequed goat and all the wine they could ever ask for. It was something the fighters looked forward to after every victory. It was one among the motivation they needed.
General Qin and King Bukka sat on a higher stage, having a more explicit view of the room. It was undeniable to them that they really had the greatest army in history.
"You know Qin, when you told me about captain Kro I never believed you. I thought you were crazy. That made me curious to know what the witch really said to you 2 decades ago.", said the king, seated on his throne.
Qin was standing beside him.
"I already told you, she just said Kro will always be the key to our victory. I also never believed her, but when we won against the Thunder tribe, everything became clear.", said Qin, lying to the king.
"I know I'm not supposed to say something like this, but I couldn't help noticing that you've been training her harder than all the other soldiers. I know she's the captain, but I see it exceeded to some point. Despite her strength and company, she's still a woman.",
"I know what I'm doing, Bukka. You just have to trust me like how you did 2 decades ago.",
"I trust you, Qin, more than anyone in this kingdom, so when I feel like you're not telling me something, I feel hurt. Is there a special mission you're preparing Kro to take?",
Qin's heart skipped a beat. His gaze flickered. He looked clearly nervous. Fortunately for him, the king's messenger came to his rescue unexpectedly.
The messenger rushed to the king's throne and knelt before him. Now the attention of the general and the king was on him.
"Forgive me, my king. But I received news a bit late that the crown prince will arrive at the harbor any moment from now. All the soldiers are here, and no guard outside is supposed to leave his post, what should we do?", asked the messenger over his trembling, apologetic voice.
"How irresponsible of you!", growled the king, "My son can't be alone on his way to the palace. He needs escort. Let's conclude this feast_",
"There's no need for all that.", interfered Qin, "We have a one man's army who can do that task effortlessly.",
As he said that, his gaze was now locked at one person, and when the king followed the direction of his stare, he knew who Qin was looking at. They were all now staring at Kro, who was laughing at the men's joke at their table.
…..
The crown prince got off the boat, disguised in commoner's clothing. He was a very tall, manly man, half of his face hidden in a black mask. His brown, eagle-like eyes were the only visible part. A huge load was on his back. He didn't want anyone to know who he really was.
He'd been away from Azaradan for almost 10 years, and it was time for him to go back home. From the way he left the kingdom, he had no idea of all the changes that had happened in the streets. He thought it was the crime-free place he left behind, but that was really an imagination.
Walking freely along an empty road that night felt relaxing. The moonlight glowed. The air was fine. He thought everything was perfect, unaware that a group of 5 men in black were tailing him.
He took a forest path, a short-cut to the palace, but suddenly he found himself surrounded. The men were holding swords and all dangerous weapons in their hands. That was a shocking first day for him. He was perplexed.
"DROP THE BAG!", ordered a man who seemed to be their leader.
"You don't _ you don't know what I'm carrying in this bag.", trembled the crown prince with his hands stretched upwards.
"GET ON YOUR KNEES!", one man commanded again, and the prince did it on the spot, without hesitating, his hands still up.
The leader signaled two of his men to go get the bag from him. The men nodded and started walking towards him.
Suddenly, two arrows flew from the trees, piercing through one man's shoulder and the other man's leg. The men groaned painfully as they fell on the ground.
The night suddenly turned into horror. The 3 men plus the prince looked around to see where the arrows came swooshing from, but no one was seen. Panic invaded everyone standing and kneeling on that cold ground.
"WHO ARE YOU? REVEAL YOURSELF!", yelled the leader, getting no reply.
He looked at the prince and seeing that his face was less shocked than theirs, he drew out his sword and put it on the prince's neck. The prince could feel his soul leaving his body, thinking it was time for his death already. Being a scaredy-cat he was, tears started running down his cheeks.
"IF YOU WON'T SHOW UP, I'M GOING TO KILL HIM! I'LL SEPARATE HIS HEAD FROM HIS BODY THIS INSTANT IF YOU WON'T SHOW YOURSELF!", the leader yelled, fearfully as his gaze flickered.
"PLEASE! SHOW YOURSELF, THEY'LL KILL ME!", cried the crown prince.
Approaching footsteps were heard coming from the trees behind them. They all quickly faced the direction. Kro finally came into light. Her bow and arrows now resting on her back. When the 3 men saw a woman, it cracked them into laughter.
"It was you? A woman? I think there's someone else with you, where is he?", asked the leader after laughing his lungs off.
"I was having a blast, and I want to go back and enjoy some more, so let's do this; let the man go and be on your way.", said Kro calmly with her hands resting behind her back.
"Says who?", asked another man.
"Says me.",
"We refuse!",
"Suit yourself!",
She fearlessly walked towards them. The men couldn't understand how a woman had some guts to talk to them that way. They quickly stood guard in front of the prince and pointed their weapons at her.
"If you take another step, both of you die!", said the leader as he also walked towards her, making everything simple for Kro.
Kro curled her hand into a fist and as soon as the leader stood at the perfect distance from her, she aimed for his nose. His nose bridge broke from the impact. Blood splattered on the ground. Now feeling threatened and attacked, the two remaining men rushed to defend their leader.
Kro pulled out her dagger from the back of the armor and jumped on top of one man, stabbing him hard on the shoulder bone that a loud scream escaped his lips. The other man almost hit her with his bat before she ducked and slammed her hand on his right rib, painfully enough that the man winced. The pain rippled across his chest as he dropped down.
Kro took a deep breath and looked around. All 5 men were groaning on the ground like slaughtered animals. To her, it was one satisfying view. She put her dagger back and blew a strand of hair hanging in front of her eye.
She walked to the prince and stretched out her hand, but the prince kept staring at her instead. The fight was out of his expectations. He was just waiting for his death, but instead he got saved by a mesmerizing female warrior.
"Who are you?", he asked as he looked at her like she was something extraordinary.
"My name is Kro. The king sent me to escort you.", she answered, her hand still stretched out.
"No one has ever seen me before. How did you know it's me?",
"I've been at the harbor a short moment before you arrived, and there's no way a man in those clothes could afford to board that ship. So, I knew you were disguising yourself.",
"Wow!", the prince exclaimed, "Even your instincts seem mysterious.",
"I apologize for saying this, but if you're not going to take my hand then get up by yourself and follow me. We were supposed to be at the palace by now. I don't want the king to be worried.", she bowed.
Right after, she turned around and started walking away. The prince shook his senses back to his head and got up. He quickly followed her, standing a few inches behind her. She had instantly become his safe place.
....
Present time
MONDAY MORNING
Ukraine's first day.
He'd been praying from the moment he got off his bed to the moment he stood outside the CC president's office door for that day not to be a disaster.
He knocked once and Kro responded. He entered, finding her ready to go.
"Right on time. Let's go.", said Kro, impatiently.
"Where are we going?", he asked.
"To CC's main branch. I figured it's a place you need to know well because you'll be handling many tasks from there.",
He nodded.
Kro led the way out of her office. They walked together to the elevator and straight outside to the car. Kro sat at the back while Ukraine sat next to the driver.
The drive was smooth and uninterrupted. When they arrived, it was surprising to find it still closed and customers waiting outside. Kro looked at her watch. She clicked her tongue disappointedly after seeing the time.
"The store was supposed to be opened 15 minutes ago.", she said.
"Do you want to move on with the next appointment first?", asked Ukraine, scrolling down the tablet.
"Why should I do that? Everything will go as the schedule says. Let's go.",
She unbuckled the seatbelt and got off the car, followed by Uk. At the entrance, Kro took out her card and swiped the doors open for everyone who was waiting outside to enter.
"Sorry for waiting that long. You'll get a 5 percent discount from every purchase you'll do here today.", Kro promised.
It sounded like a nice deal, and all the customers walked inside the store happy and excited.
Kro put the card back in the purse and entered, heading straight to the manager's office. On her way, all employees who saw her got consumed by fear. They all rushed to their posts to avoid further repercussions.
The manager was surprised to see his door being opened, and the cup he was holding fell to the floor when he saw Kro walking inside. He almost jumped out of the window. Ukraine walked in after her. Seeing how the manager looked anxious when he saw Kro, he knew he wasn't the only person spooked by her presence.
Kro pulled a chair and sat, her hands clasped on her lap.
"Tell me, manager. Did something happen to your wife or your child?", she questioned.
"No!", the manager shook his head,
"You had a problem with your car?",
"No, Miss Kro.",
"You don't feel well?",
"I _ I do.", he stuttered,
"Now, give me a perfect explanation on why the store was still closed. It was supposed to be opened 17 minutes ago, but it wasn't. I found customers waiting outside, and it's clear that some even decided to leave, why?",
"I _ I don't have an excuse.", said the manager, still standing behind his desk, trembling.
"It looks like this is something you always do. When did this branch start to slack off? Is opening the store on time a problem? You have to understand that it's our customers who made CC be where we are now, so if we're going to keep them outside pointlessly, I'm going to be furious.",
"I understand Miss Kro. I'm extremely sorry.",
"Before 6 pm today, I expect to see a letter of apology from you, your assistant and all people responsible for this branch on my table. If the letters arrive even 1 minute late, you'll have to write another one, and this time it will be a resignation letter.",
The manager nodded anxiously without saying anything else.
Kro got up and left the office.
The manager heaved a sigh of relief. It was very lucky for him that he wasn't fired. He had to go spread the news to each employee.
…...
As Ukraine walked behind Kro, he kept biting his tongue. The driver saw them coming out, so he opened the backdoor for her already. Before she got inside, she looked back, finding Ukraine standing far from her, as usual. she was already in an awful mood, and that was a cherry on top.
"What's wrong with you?", she asked.
"Wh _ what do you mean?", he asked, baffled.
"I mean, this isn't the distance a boss and her assistant have between them. You keep standing very far away from me, why? Are you scared of me?",
"It's nothing like that, president. I'm just always like this.",
"Like what?",
"Like how you described it",
Kro kept staring at him; she could see that he had something to say but not having the courage to say it. She was fighting the urge to go on with the conversation or leave it as it was. But that was before a butterfly landed on her hair. She had no idea. Ukraine saw it first, and he unconsciously smiled.
"What's funny?", asked Kro.
"You have a butterfly on your head.", said Ukraine, pointing to her hair.
"Oh.".
Kro removed the butterfly from her hair and looked at it for a few seconds. It was almost a cute moment. Then in front of his eyes, she split the butterfly in half and threw it on the ground.
Ukraine was so startled that he almost puked.
"I forgot to tell you; I hate butterflies. Let me give you one advice; if you see something that I don't like approaching me, send it away before I see it, because if I do, you'll have the same look on your face, big time.",
With an unusual calm, she got in the car.
Ukraine patted his chest as he got inside the car too. He had to calm himself down and pretend he hadn't seen what he just saw. He was living his worst nightmare.
.....
CC HEADQUARTERS
Misaki walked behind Sue, heading to meet her new team. She looked very excited and felt like a new person while walking in the CC's hallways. It was what she always dreamt of.
"You'll be the busiest person. Your brain will need to work 24/7. The competition and demand are very high. CC managed to be at the top because of all the hard work, so as you're joining the team, know that CC is you and you are CC. If you go down, CC goes down with you.", said Sue as they kept walking.
"I won't let you down.", that was the only thing Misaki said, and she really meant it.
As they approached the marketing team office, they met someone on the way, a man with the blackest, shining hair Misaki had ever seen. He had thick eyebrows, and his eyes almost seemed anime-ish. He usually wore glasses, but that time he wasn't. He looked charming just by expression. His name was Leo.
"Leo! Long time no see.", said Sue, giving him a light hug.
"I've been busy.", he said and let her go.
Sue held Misaki's hand and pulled her closer,
"This is Misaki, a new member of my team. I was just giving her a tour. Misaki, this is Leo, Kro's friend, actually he's everybody's friend. He's a lecturer at the National's University.",
"Nice to meet you.", said Misaki, smiling.
Leo kept looking at her, trying to remember where he saw that face before. She looked familiar, very familiar.
"Do we perhaps know each other, Misaki? I feel like I've seen you somewhere.", he said, sounding very certain.
"I don't mean to brag, but I'm minister Akeshi's daughter. So maybe you've seen me on TV.",
"Oh! Okay, nice to meet you!", he looked at Sue, "I went to Kro's office, but she wasn't there. When she comes back tell her I came by, and I might visit her house later.",
"You got it. We have to go now, it's nice seeing you.",
"Same here",
Sue and Misaki walked past him, but he kept staring at Misaki until the 2 were out of sight. He didn't want to accept that he saw her on Tv. He had a mutual feeling, like she was someone close to him, but where? And how?
...…
EVENING
It was time to go home. Everyone was leaving. Ukraine was done preparing Kro's schedule for the next day and transferring it to the tablet. He was just waiting for her to let him go for the day. Kro stretched herself and got up. She was done reading the apology letters from the main branch.
Since she and Ukraine shared the same office, he first stop was his desk.
"Are you ready to go?", she asked.
"Yes boss, I'm ready", he answered, softly.
"Let's go",
Ukraine got up and headed for the door. He held it open for her. As they walked, he tried to walk closer this time, not wanting to annoy her again.
The driver was already outside. Kro got to the car but halted before she walked in. She remembered something. She turned to look at Ukraine, finding him standing attentively like a soldier, and closer too. She wistfully smiled.
"I was wondering if you wanted to have dinner with me. I feel like you have a lot to say. How about we do that over a plate of cutlets?", she asked him, having a good intention of making him comfortable around her because he looked suffocated for whatever reason.
"Next time, president. Not today.", he said without stammering or hesitating. He just wanted to get away from her.
"Do you have plans, or you've had enough of me for the day?",
"Uh_",
He looked around, searching for an escape and that was when he saw someone familiar walking outside the main door. She was the girl he met at the interview. Lucky for him, he still remembered her name.
"MISAKI!", he called her out loud.
Misaki, who was busy heading to her car, had to stop and look at the man who called her name, and that was when she noticed Kro standing in front of him too. She had to go greet both of them instead of just waving. Ukraine had his fingers crossed, praying for Misaki to get the idea.
Misaki arrived and nodded as respect to Kro. Kro nodded back then looked at Ukraine again. Misaki looked at him too. All the attention was now on him.
"Are you ready for our dinner plans?", Ukraine asked Misaki, having a very awkward smile on his face. His eyes kept blinking and blinking, wishing she could read his mind instead.
Misaki took one look at him and realized what he really wanted. It was pretty obvious.
"I was going to get my car and meet you here. You think I forgot?", she said and smiled back at him.
A tense feeling escaped Ukraine's body. He could feel refreshing air calming his nerves down. He looked at Kro again.
"We have to go now. See you tomorrow.", relieved, he spoke.
"Goodnight, Miss Kro.", added Misaki.
Kro just nodded and watched them as they walked away. She then got inside her car. She shook her head as she buckled the seatbelt.
"Humans.", she huffed.
*****