Why?? Was it some sick cruel joke? Why did this character look like her father?? Maru took a deep breath in. The man looked upon her with gentle deep emerald green eyes.
"Kyomi..." he whispered. Maru could see him struggling to keep the tears from falling. Before she realized it, the gap between them was gone, and the man was embracing her. Stunned by the action, she did not know how to react. Maru lightly patted his back.
"Father..." she choked out. "We need to discuss some things before celebrating." she said as she gently pushed him back. Them green eyes landed on her again, this time filled with sadness.
"Ah...quite quite right. General Yu, you may return to your post with the vanguard. I will appoint my own men for Kyomi's personal..." began the King.
"No." Maru said quickly. General Yu had his head bowed this entire time. But she could see the astonished look on both his face and the king's. "General Yu will be my personal body guard along with another...a dark elf named Takeshi." At this, the king's eyes went wide.
"Kyomi!!! I will not allow it! General Yu, I can accept and give into. But a dark elf!? I will not stand for it! Do you hear me?!" yelled the King.
"Then I will leave." Maru said bluntly as she turned to head toward the door. General Yu moved in front of her. He stopped her by placing his hand on her shoulder.
"My lord, please forgive me. But if I could explain Lady Kyomi's feelings as to why she would..." General Yu began. Maru quickly turned back toward the king.
"I will not explain myself to a man who abandoned his daughter to the neglect and cruelties of the world just to pretend now that he gives a damn about her safety!" Maru shouted. The king's eyes dropped to the ground. She had no idea where the anger had come from. Quickly, she regained her composure. "Takeshi is a dark elf, yes. But he has helped us get this far. If he wanted me dead, he would have done it already. Takeshi is not one to waste time or effort." explained Maru. The king sat and debated. "Also, what would you prefer I call you? To be honest, Father feels awkward..."
"Well, I won't be having you refer to me like a servant would, but I understand that it has been some time... you can call me Akio, if it pleases you. As for this Takeshi, bring him before me, and I will make the final decision. I see you are still wearing travelers clothes. Go for now, and get ready for the banquet." said Akio as he turned to walk away, but then he stopped. "Bring this Takeshi tonight. It'll be best to deal with it in public. I will send over your maids."
"There is no need for maids. I don't want a bunch of people around me. Less chance for spies, assassins, and those whose hands would be forced." said Maru. Akio turned back to argue her on this, but she had already left. Yu still stood bowed towards King Akio.
"Stubborn and a mind of her own." Akio sighed, "Stay close to her side. I would keep her by mine every minute of the day, but I don't think she would allow that. If any harm were to come to her... I couldn't forgive myself. You may go." Akio said as he turned to stare out the window. Yu made his way out. "How do I make up for all of the lost time... Maru." whispered Akio.
Maru had made her way back to her room on her own. She leaned on the door after closing it behind her. A sigh escaped her lips. Instinctively, she found herself holding onto the jade bracelet. Suddenly, Takeshi's character appeared before her. Maru jumped a bit. "I...I didn't think you'd get here so fast." Maru said as she quickly wiped away a stray tear.
"I decided to stay online awhile longer to gain intel. I didn't expect him to allow me in so fast. This is good, though. It means we can formulate plans easier, and you'll be in a safer place." Takeshi said as he sat down.
"He hasn't completely approved. Just said you could come to dinner. I suggest your gear that you usually use for tournaments." Maru said as she headed into the bedroom where the clothes were. She left the door open so she could hear Takeshi. Looking down at the bed, she saw a beautiful white chiffon dress with streaks of emerald through it. "Tch. Of course. What was I expecting?" she mumbled as she stripped her clothes.
"Maru, have you been listening to me at all..." Takeshi said, dropping his sentence midway. Maru turned to see that he had come into the room. "I'm...I'm so sorry! I didn't realize..." he said as he moved his hand in front of his face. Maru laughed and moved closer to him.
"It's a game, Takeshi. You're telling me you've never seen other naked avatars?? They all look about the same. Hell, I think half the high-ranking guys use female avatars, and they're naked. It's not like you're seeing my actual body..." she was now right against his character. Takeshi kept turning his head until Maru made him stop by placing her hand on his cheek. He backed up into the wall. "This body is flawless...if it was my real body, you'd be running for the hills. Nice to see that Mr. Cold is a gentleman, naive but a gentleman none the less." she said as she pulled away. There was a knock at the door. Maru shoved Takeshi out of the bedroom and shut the door. General Yu was now directly in front of Takeshi.
"You wasted no time in getting here, Master Takeshi." said Yu. Takeshi cleared his throat.
"Yes, um Mar..Kyomi, let me know about the dinner invitation." Takeshi stammered. "She's getting ready now." he said as he pointed to the door behind him. Maru could hear the conversation from the other side of the door. She couldn't help but laugh. It was kind of nice to see a different side of Takeshi. The thought had never crossed her mind that he could be so shy and innocent. He always gave off the rich, bad boy vibe. She shook her head as she finished getting ready.
A bit of time had passed. Takeshi and Yu were dressed and ready for the banquet. Takeshi was wearing his layered armor that looked like a black tailed tuxedo. There was nothing but an awkward silence between the two men. Takeshi, who was becoming stir crazy, made his way to Maru's door. He raised his hand to knock on the door just to have it open on him. There she stood. Takeshi's breath caught in his throat. Maru looked like an elven goddess. Her dark hair had a beautiful diamond headpiece. The makeup she had on was very natural and brought out her light green eyes. The streaks of green in her dress also made her eyes pop and went well with her complexion.
"I'm sorry I took so long. We can go now." she said with a radiant smile. Takeshi could see that even Yu was taken aback by the beautiful woman that stood in front of them. Even though she was not really in front of Takeshi, it felt like she was. This..Maru, had she always been this beautiful? Or was it really just the game graphics? "Takeshi? Yu? Are you guys alright?" she asked. Takeshi cleared his throat.
"Yes, quite alright. We... we should get going. We're already late, according to General Yu." said Takeshi. Yu nodded in response.
"Good. We want to make an entrance anyway. Right, gentlemen? They want to come at me? They will know my name and know I run for no man." answered Maru. The three exchanged glances, and both men nodded at the same time. "Let's go then," she said as she linked arms with both of them. Neither one of them knew how to respond. Not that they had much of a choice.
The three arrived in the banquet room. There were tons of woodland elves in appearance. There were even players at the banquet! Maru could tell due to their appearance and gear. Music filled the air, and there were performers in the middle of the room. All different types of smells filled the room. There was the smell of alcohol, smoke, perfume, and the amazing smell of the food. The three made their way further into the room. The music and chatter stopped. Akio, who sat at the main table, stood up and stretched his arm out towards the three. Maru pulled Takeshi closer to her.
"Seems even here you attract a lot of attention." she whispered to him.
"Hate to break it to ya, but they're all staring at you. Lady Kyomi." answered Takeshi. Maru started fidgeting in her dress.
"I would like to introduce you all to my beautiful daughter, Princess Kyomi!" boomed Akio's voice throughout the room.