It was early in the morning and sun hasn't peeked its head up over the horizon yet. I was still asleep until I felt two firm yet gentle hands on both of my shoulders shaking my sleeping body. I started groaning in my sleep waking up slowly.
"What?" I yawned.
"Come on sleepy head, its time to get up. We're about to head out." Hajime spoke softly. Letting me go so I can sit up stiffly, groggy and clearly did not have the best of night sleep, damn you nightmares. I yawned while stretching and bones in my back, both shoulders and my neck cracked and popped god that hurts but damn it feels good.
"How you feeling?" The Dragoon asked because of the thoughts from last night clearly still fresh in his mind.
"I am fine, I'll live. I'm used to nightmares like that I get them every so often." After blinking a couple of times I noticed the Prince wasn't in the room which was disconcerting. "Where's Leon?"
"O he is downstairs talking to Juniper I suspect."
"Oh okay. Well give me a little time to myself so I can get dressed and I'll meet you downstairs."
He nodded his head grabbing his sword and armoured cape. I just watched him get ready and smiled weakly while blushing. Its like he had eyes on the back of his head because Hajime turned around lightly touching my burning cheeks. With my surprise the man kissed my forehead and then rested his forehead mine which in instinct I closed my eyes.
"Take your time alright Ares?"
I silently nodded my head.
A few moments has passed with us just being in this position and then Hajime smiled sweetly and head downstairs.
I sighed heavy sliding my fingers through my messy red hair. I stood up to look at myself through the mirror and smiled the medicine actually worked the bruising is almost completely gone and so was the soreness. When we get back to the Castle eventually I'm gonna have to say thank you to the doctor.
I pulled the night gown up and over my head until I am in nothing but my undergarments. Black panties with the straps resting on my slightly thick hips and a strapless bra. thick hips, lean and tiht belly with big boobs Gods I look like a freak but I wonder what Hajime would say if he saw me like this...what? My whole face went blood red covering my face with my hand and bend down. I really have gone nuts, why...why am I having such thoughts of that man a Dragoon of all creatures.
I picked myself up from the crouching position I'm in, sighed once more then went grab my armour out of the dresser.
Thirty minutes of putting my armour on, my boots on my feet, my thick belt around my hips then last my cape around my shoulders which flowed all the way down to the floor.
While walking down the wooden steps I was putting my long wavy hair into a sideswept braid. I turned the corner with the sight of my best friend Jun have a nice conversation with Leon and Hajime so I just cleared my throat to get their attention which I got.
Jun smiled. "Hey sleepy head, took you a long time." She playfully complained and laughed.
I scoffed folded my arms around my chest. "I didn't take that long Jun." I smiled. We both started laughing in unison. My laughing stopped when Hajime walked up to me checking my neck out smiling and nodded his head.
"Good looks like your doing much better."
"Well thank you very much for the professional analysis of my neck Doc." I folded my arms and shook my head and smiled. My eyes went over to Jun who was smiling and mouthed 'he likes you.' My cheeks burned red then I cleared my throat backed away some. "Come on before someone figures out who I am."
We all gave our farewells. All the of us went over to untie the reigns and started to lead our horses to the entrance of the village until June called out.
"Hajime! May I talk to you for a moment?" Jun asked.
"Jun...sure." He stopped giving me the reigns. "I will meet you two at the entrance."
Leon nodded his head. "Alright don't be long." With that we went off to the entrance of the village leaving Hajime and Jun alone.
"What's Jun?" He asked.
"Here's the thing, I know you care for Ares believe me I saw the look on your face when you are around her at my house. How much you care for her is yet to be seen." Jun sighed softly. "Just to let you know everything that woman went through as a child nearly broke her to the point of insanity, remarkably it did not."
"She is a strong woman."
Jun smiled after seeing a light blush come to this man's cheeks. "Yes she is but that strength can go so far Hajime. I have a favor to ask of you."
"What is it?"
"Well unfortunately she was alone for most of her life after he death of her parents and I left her right after because of my parents pulled me her which I completely regret leaving her." She stopped forcing tears back which was burning her throat. "So promise me that you will never do the same thing I did, promise you will stay by her side."
He nodded his head. "I swear, and I will keep her safe as well. Leon will hold the safe promise as well because he..." The moment both me and Leon had kept playing through his mind which made him feel slightly jealous.
"And here."
Jun's voice pulled Hajime out of his thoughts. When he looked at the woman he saw that she was holding two vials on blue and the other a dark purple, it looks like it was made out of dust.
"Ares told you about the Fairy dust right? How it can be used to help heal someone or even turn into a poison to potentially hurt or even kill someone?"
"Yes she did why?"
"Well I was keeping these safe just in case I ever do see her again. Take them don't use them unless if its absolutely necessary. The blue one is the healing dust and the purple one is the poisoned dust. Ares will know what to do with them, her mother showed me how to make these. All it takes is one pinch and you can heal any illness and or kill a big buffalo."
Hajime nodded his head, took the vials, said his goodbyes and made his way back to us.
When I heard him walking to us my left ear twitched some telling me he was near. I smiled then walked up to him. "I thought you would never show up." I smiled with one of my eyes hidden by the brim of my hood.
Hajime smiled calmly down at me slipping his large hand under my hood onto my head softly sliding his hand down my hair to the back of my head leaving it there. He looked up to see the Prince pulling his hand back and looked away somewhat.
"I'll always come back to you Ares."
I stared at Hajime and blinked once all the while my cheeks burned bright red. I slightly looked down at the ground for a moment feeling how warm and comforting his hand was when it was touching the skin behind my hair. My hood fell back a little. I smiled and closed my eyes, resting my forehead against Hajime's firm chest.
Grabbing ahold of my hand with his free hand putting it on his chest next my face. "Come we need to get going." He spoke softly.
I sighed nodding my head forcing it off of his chest. Not wanting to let go just yet for some reason or other I held onto this man's hand in mine while leading him to the horses.
"Are you two ready? Because we really need to get going so we can make it to Jackles Cave before nightfall." Leon finally spoke up obviously on edge which was kind of weird even for the Prince.
"Yes let's go." I answered. I pulled myself up then I felt hands on my right hip and lower back steadying me. I moved my leg around the horse and sat down on the leather saddle. I glanced over to see a smiling Hajime standing next to me still with his large hand rest on the small of my back. "Thank you."
All he did was nod his head and walked over to his own horse and pulled himself on. Then we were off.
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A couple of hours has passed with nothing but peace and quiet. The peace I can handle but the quiet I couldn't stand because it felt like something was...off...maybe/hopefully it was just me being paranoid I was just hung only three days ago. To be honest I am actually grateful for my paranoia right now because thanks to my exceptional hearing I heard the whizzing of an arrow from a mile away. The arrow head was an inch away from going right through the neck of my horse when I quickly caught it in my hand. Leon and Hajime stared at me for a second then looked around where the arrow came from.
In that moment anger fumed my features and words when I spoke. "I know that you are there show yourself!" I broke the arrow into splinters in my hand then threw it down to the ground.
"So you are the one, the one who my master is searching for." The voice...a female voice echoed and bounced off the trees that she was hiding behind.
Master? Who in the fuck?
"Who is your master? And who are you?" I called out.
The voice laughed. "My master is of no consequence. Just know this you always known him since you were a child, but now he's looking for you again."
I jumped down off the back of my horse. "I won't tell you again come out and show yourself or I will go in there and force you out."
A female Elf with short black hair and olive skin came out of the tree line with a hoard of creatures that looked like they were made out of materials from the Earth.
"An Elf with the power over the Earth...how ironic."
Hajime and Leon jumped off of the back of their horses standing next to me.
"What do you mean Ares?" Leon asked.
"My mother was an Elf who had the power over the Earth as well." I pulled my daggers out from the sheaths on my back spinning them once in my hands until the blades are parallel with my arms.
The Female Elf laughed. "Very good." When raising her left hand the creatures raised their heads like the puppets as they are, then after extending the pointer finger on her left hand in our direction with one single word slipping out her mouth, "Kill" the creatures raced towards us with their hands out and with an unnatural erie sound coming from them.
Both the men pulled their swords out of the sheaths on their sides and grabbed their shields off their backs. They raced towards the creatures cutting them down.
I ran then started to cut myself a path through the creatures all the way to the Elf who was controlling them. I wasn't paying attention and one of the thorns of the closest creature rammed right into my cheek sending poison right into the cut forcing a hiss out of me but I ignored the pain.
Both the female Elf and I ran towards each other daggers out and ready but little does she knows I sprinkled a pinch of poison on the blade. We both start to to go at with our blades until I kicked her straight into the stomach hard enough to make her fly back screaming and then grunt after hitting the hard trunk of the tree behind her. Slamming the Elf down to the ground underneath her with a thick root which was sticking out of the earth pounding right into the middle of her back forcing a gut wrenching scream out of her throat.
After hearing the scream Hajime ran towards where me and the Elf was fighting and when he saw me holding my poisoned blade to her throat a soft sigh escaped his lips and went back to the fight.
"Get the hell off of me you fucking bitch!" The female growled.
"Not happening." Pressing the point of my dagger to the Elf's throat, when I did so a gasp was pulled out of her mouth. "If you value your life you will do something for me."
"And what if I don't?" Pain filled venom flooded every word that came out of her mouth.
I dug the blade deeper into the Elf's throat until she screamed. "Than the poison flowing through the groves of my blade will run through your veins and you will be dead in a matter of minutes."
"Alright, alright." The female gasped. "What would you want me to do?"
"Good. I want you to give your Master a message. Tell him Ares is coming for him and I'll be bringing a few friends with me. He's going to pay for what he's done me and my family." I stood up letting the Elf bitch run off.
I sighed and turned on my heels to walk back to the two Warriors. I stood in front of the men letting out a long well deservered sigh.
"That was a pain in the ass, Jax had to have someone from Moonlight Forest to come find me huh?" Shaking my head.
"Are you alright Ares?" Hajime stood towards me examining the deep cut on my cheek.
I lightly touched the cut which pulled a hiss out of me. "I'll be fine, the poison was only miner, though when it does heal it is going to leave a light scar."
He let out a soft sigh.
"Come on you two we're loosing daylight."
We both looked up at Leon when I noticed the look on his face...is he jealous?
Well we're heading in the right direction of Jackles Cave, I wonder what we're going to find there? Soon.