9. Hanako Has A Problem.

Hanako wasn't sure what to make of it. A giant Bumblebee looked to be sleeping inside the Warehouse. Checking back, she hurried to blockade the door with a shelf and got to work.

Slowly approaching the insect, she noticed it was weighed down with an iron collar attached to chains padlocked to four giant rocks.

As much as she tried to lift the rocks or remove the chains, she found they could not budge. There had to be a set of keys somewhere. 

Looking around, she first inspected the desk in the corner. On a hook was a key with the label '0' above it. Noticing there was a '0' on one of the locked drawers, she tried the key and he drawer opened. Inside were four keys with colour-coded fobs.

Easy enough. Hanako thought. She took all the keys and tried all of them on the first lock. No luck. Strange. Why have keys that don't fit any locks?

She sat on the ground, hugging her legs.

I'm missing something... missing... missing. The desk!

Hanako returned to the drawer and took out two flat wooden squares painted purple. Flipping them over, she noticed a small well in the centre of both.  In the middle of the well was the number '1'

Looking around, Hanako saw that the notice board in front had two pegs sticking out. 

Carefully placing the squares on the board, she was relieved to see them fit perfectly. Noticing how the keys matched the colour of the squares.

The keys match the squares, so there must be other pieces, like a jigsaw!

After an extensive search of the warehouse, Hanako managed to find the three remaining pieces, all with different numbers. After placing them on the desk, she saw that they were not a perfect fit, but rather jigsaw-like..

It wasn't easy at first, but eventually she arranged the piece on the board until it fit, creating a sort of spiral shape.

One, Two, Three and Five.  She thought. There's no four. Did they make a mistake?

Shrugging, she used the keys in order of the numbers. Nothing happened.

Frustrated, Hanako returned to the board and examined it. Trying to visualise an answer.

Why is the '1' split in two parts and a whole?  

She froze as a slow realisation came over her. 

Going over to the first lock, she tried it...twice. 

The padlock opened, and the chain fell away. She tried the other locks again, but with one turn, they all fell away, leaving the iron collar to fall to the ground.

Hanako threw her arms up with joy as the Bee rose from its sleep. She took out the Haulier bell and gave it a little ring. The Bumblebee turned and brushed itself against her, signifying acceptance and gratitude.

After pulling down a rope to open the wooden doors, like curtains. Hanako climbed up the stairs and jumped on the Bee's back

Grabbing a handful of hair, the girl braced herself as Bee launched itself up and away from the town. Hanako had time to wave to Miko as they flew past the Rock Pillar housing the Shrine, as it followed the coastline, while bringing up a dragon-tail of seawater. 

Hanako felt the ice wind blast over her, and her body tingled with excitement. She buried herself into the Bee's fur, watching it descend at speed toward the forest, following the river like a bobsleigh, twisting around narrow bends.

Eventually, they made it to the dead volcano to the cheers of everyone. (Hanako could only imagine what that would have sounded like.)

The Bumblebee landed softly on the thick grass, and Hanako slid off its back to a crowd of hugs and back pats. 

"Isaac, " Ryu said, as the Sister's continued their celebration. "You're gonna miss that one." The Old Knight nodded ruefully. "Remember, the right ideas are not always the smartest ones."

***

The three rode back to Craven Keep, before stopping at the small Iron door.

“You got lucky,” Puffles said, throwing a sack of provisions. “Things could have gotten heated back there, in more ways than one.”

Hanako nodded and signed off.

“Thanks for everything.” Isaac translated. “I couldn’t have survived without you.”

“Damn right. Don’t slack off.” Puffles gestured to the Blackbirds in the trees. “Remember, I see everything.”

With a cluck of the tongue, he turned around and trotted back up the castle road. Isaac helped Hanako off the horse.

“I take it you’re not going to run off again?” He asked. The girl shook her head. “Good. I have a surprise for you.”

***

After lunch, they took a staircase to the lower levels, where the sound of iron being struck could be heard. Heading down, Hanako could see an orange light fill the basement.

The glow was so intense; she had to shield her eyes until they had adjusted to the gloom. When her vision returned, she was shocked to see a Sheepdog standing on its hind legs while hammering something on an anvil.

The girl slowed her advance and kept close to the stairs.

“This is Reinhardt,” Isaac said. “He’s a friend. Well, insofar that’s he’s not an enemy. I think ‘friend’ is pushing it.”

~A Werewolf! ~  Hanako signed. ~Why do you have a Werewolf in your castle?~

“He’s more Border-Collie than Wolf.”

“Chance’ll be a fine thing.” The Dog-man grumbled. His voice was low and distinctly Germanic.

“He married a witch,” Isaac continued. “She tried a spell, but something went wrong, and there’s no way to turn him back. So now he spends his days being sad and well…sadder.”

“The only way to live.” The girl studied him with a curious fascination. The way his large eyes reflected the fires, the way his tail would wag. “She’ll be throwing sticks next.”

Hanako caught sight of something on the shelf. It appeared to be a knitted cabbage with coal black dots for eyes and no mouth. She gestured at Isaac, who shook his head.

It’s a long story. He signed. Not a good ending.

Reinhardt let out a sigh. “If you’re going to waste my time, you can at least do so from the kitchen.”

“Klaus, I need a favour.”

“Stop sleeping in your armour, and it won’t bend out of shape.” The Blacksmith said, not bothering to look up.

“No, it’s not for me, it’s for the girl.”

“Does it have a name?

“Hanako.”

A beat.

“I’m sorry I asked,” Reinhardt said. He sighed again and gave Isaac his full attention. “How can I be of service?”

“I am training this girl to defend herself. She will need armour.”

“Or you can train her to be a servant and put her to work in the village.”

“A servant girl?” Isaac said. Hanako tugged at his arm and signed angrily. “Calm down, no one said anything about being a slave.” He turned back to Reinhardt. “Klaus, come on. She’s trying to meet the Empress.”

“What makes you think the Empress would want to meet her?”

“Isn’t that the point of it all? To get back what was lost?”

Reinhardt stopped what he was doing. “Sometimes you need to let go of what has been lost. You more than any should know.”

“This is not about me.”

“Only when you convince yourself will you be finally free of it.” Reinhardt said bluntly. An uncomfortable silence followed. “Fine.” The Blacksmith lifted a thumb at the girl and waggled it left to right. Satisfied, he threw the Knight a set of keys. “Take your friend to the ‘Happy Place’. Try not to knock anything over.”

“Good man.”

“Maybe. Once upon a time...”

~What does he mean by ‘Happy Place '? ~

“You’ll see. C’mon.”

The room in question was located through a door in the darkest corner of the Forge. After descending a flight of stairs, they came to an enormous hall with rows upon rows of gleaming armour hanging from an army of wooden mannequins. All sizes and shapes were catered for, in a variety of metals. Reinhardt had been busy.

The girl looked slightly unnerved. The display gave her the creeps, as if these suits of armour could come to life at any moment. It reminded her of a school trip she had taken to a War museum.

~There are so many.~

“Yeah, I often come down here and try on a new one,” Isaac said. He offered one of the helmets to the girl. It was square-shaped with a gold cross placed in the middle. “Try this one. See what you think.” She slipped it on and immediately panicked, starting to bang the sides in desperation. He quickly lifted it back up. “Problem?”

~It is too dark. I can barely see out of it.~

“That’s the point of protection,” Isaac said. The girl crossed her arms, unimpressed. “Let’s keep looking.”

As they strolled past the endless cabinets filled with daggers, Hanako tugged at Isaac’s shirt.

Why are you helping me?

“I’m supposed to say it is my duty, but it’s really out of selfishness,” Isaac said, opening one of the cabinets. “A long time ago, I failed someone; someone I was close to.”

He carefully examined the length of the blade. “I was too pleased with myself, thinking I had done the right thing, when I should have been teaching them how to fight. I cannot make that mistake again” Replacing the dagger, he puffed out a breath. “Anyway, let’s not get distracted. We are losing light.”

Hanako’s gaze strayed toward a discarded helmet tucked away at the base of one of the suits. It was grubby, with a grill for eyes and dots on the lower half. Placing it on her head, she rolled her shoulders and looked left to right. Satisfied, she patted the top. Isaac knelt down and adjusted the straps on the back,

“Cydonian armour.” He said. “Are you sure?” The girl gave him the thumbs up. “Well, alright then. Let’s get the rest.”

They came to a selection of armour made for children. The girl frowned, how any child was supposed to manoeuvre in all this plate metal was beyond her. They were better off running for their lives. She thought how strange it felt, like shopping for clothes.

This sparked a memory, deep within the swirling mists that comprised her form. It brought her back to the days when she would take the old bus to the shopping centre with friends. Stopping off for lunchtime burgers and shakes. The joy, laughter, and goofing around.

The girl remembered when her parents took them on nature walks through the hills. The hail would pelt down sideways, as the two sisters stamped through puddles, despite being told not to. These puddles were different this time; the reflection bore no face, just an empty hood looking back.

Hanako shook her head and came back.

~I have to go home, I need to go.~

“Yes, that’s the point of this little excursion.”

She wasn’t paying attention. Her focus strayed toward something in the forest of mannequins. A set of armour stood out for being the most colourful and least cumbersome.

It was a mustard-coloured cloth tied over the breast plate, and came down just above the knees. The arms and hands were covered by chain mail, with worn leather gloves. The lower half was mostly comprised of light metal plates and leather boots.

Impressed, Hanako ran a hand down the arms and felt the darkened sleeves of linked metal. There was something about this set that seemed to speak to her; something that felt right. She turned to Isaac and nodded.

“It’s a good size.” He said. “Are you sure this is the one?”

The girl took a dagger from the cabinet and slid it straight into a tiny scabbard. Case closed.