A Royal Surprise

She hadn’t had a moment’s rest since cutting the ropes.

Kari had trudged through the wood since an hour before the sun rose, barely managing to sneak her staff and belongings away from the rest of the bandits’ ill-gotten gains. She was not so petty to think she was above wandering through nature.

It was merely that she had enough of a survival instinct to know that the pack of wolves she’d stumbled upon would be very hungry.

The magic she’d saved up to help her run faster was fading fast and half a dozen of the beasts were still in pursuit. Oh, she’d been a fool to think those bandits had seen a peasant with a ring of power.

Her legs finally gave out and she tripped. This was the end!

And as she fell forward, she saw a bolt of electricity soar past and strike the lead wolf. Then the lightning bounced to two others.

Rushing towards her was what looked like a peasant and what must have been a witch. At first she thought the witch had thrown the lightning bolt, only to see the peasant raise his right hand. There she could see a familiar glint of gold before a sheet of earth erupted from the earth and went flying at the animals behind her.

In fact, there was now a transparent pink bubble surrounding her – and from the way the witch was pointing her wand, Kari assumed she’d cast a protective spell.

The last remaining wolf lunged into the bubble and tried to claw its way through. But as the peasant and the witch grew closer, it decided that Kari wasn’t worth the trouble and fled back into the woods.

Kari’s body gave out, exhausted from running and from the constant use of magic to keep herself going. Before she lost consciousness, she could see the peasant reaching down to her with his hand.

----

The strange woman who ran out of the forest had been laid carefully on the bed in Kyle’s house. Blooby was gently rolling across her forehead, leaving a trail of cold water. Kyle and Abagail stared at their new arrival, surprised.

“Never seen an elf in person before,” said Kyle.

Abagail admitted, “I don’t see them every day. You’ll see them in towns across the land but most of them come here in boats from across the sea.”

Kyle leaned over, taking another look at their new guest. “Never seen a gal with blue hair, either.”

“Colored hair’s a sign you’ve got some different species in your family history. I had a friend with red hair back when I was learning magic and people kept asking what her dad was. Turns out some pure-blooded humans just have red hair.”

The blue-haired elf on the bed groaned. Blobby jumped off of her head and floated back to Abagail’s shoulder. A pair of green eyes fluttered open, the elf slowly pulling herself up. “Where am I?”

“In my home,” said Kyle. “You’re about half a day’s walk from Trunsit.”

“Trunsit?” asked the elf. “How far is that from Castle Zoroman?”

Abagail thought about it for a moment. “Three, four days by horse.”

“I apologize for the inconvenience of your having to save me.” The elf rose unsteadily from the bed and gently bowed to Kyle and Abagail. “I am Princess Kari Iwakura. I was travelling to see my betrothed when I was captured by a group of unruly bandits.”

Kyle held out his hand. “Kyle Wheatsman. I’m uh… I don’t have a title.”

Office Kyle peeked out from behind Real Kyle. “Did we just give a princess a handshake?”

Peasant Kyle peeked out in turn, from behind Office Kyle. “We don’t think that’s how we’re supposed to treat royalty.”

Kari looked up from her bow, confused. She stood back up and tentatively grabbed his hand, unsure of what to do with it. It was a surprise to her when Kyle shook it, introducing her to a ‘handshake’.

But her eyes landed on the ring on his hand. “The bandits were telling the truth. There is a lowborn with a ring of power.”

Abagail chuckled. “I guess they survived your little display.”

Kari continued, “I would ask for your services to escort me safely to Castle Zoroman. I will pay you handsomely for your services when I arrive.”

Abagail nearly salivated at the mention of ‘pay’. “How many gold pieces we talking? How many digits of pieces?”

Kyle pulled Abagail aside. “What if this is the way I’m looking for?”

“But the payday,” Abagail groaned. “I could buy a new house with that reward. A bigger one!”

“Or,” said Kyle, “we could get a favor from the Prince. Convince him not to kick our village off of his land. Solve both our problems.”

“As long as I get paid.”

Kyle went back to Kari. “We’ll take you there. But it’s not safe to go through the forest if the bandits are looking for you and our village doesn’t have horses to spare on short notice. Is it alright if you stay here for a few days?”

Kari looked around, appraising Kyle’s home. “That should be satisfactory. I thank you for your hospitality.”

All three turned to the door, which had Mayor Francis Ryeburn holding a large flank of wolf. “I have to give you credit, Kyle. It’s rare we get any meat to eat. Thought I’d make sure you got your fair share since you did the honors.”

“Thank you, Francis.” Kyle took the flank from him.

Francis didn’t notice that the inside of the cottage was larger than the outside, or that the furniture now far exceeded anything anyone in town owned. Instead, he noticed that the woman the wolves had been chasing had ended up inside. “My dear, I would share my humble abode if you prefer.”

The leering look he gave Kari did not go unnoticed by anyone present, least of all Kari herself. “No,” she diplomatically declined. “I think it best I stay here for now.” She pulled a small book from one of her bags.

Francis looked disappointed but not defeated. “Kyle. We’ve got work to do. Get your tools and get to the field.”

The door closed the moment he turned his back, with Abagail making it so with a wave of her hand.

“He’s right,” Kyle sighed. “I had yesterday off for my birthday. Would either of you mind cooking some of that flank? Don't cook the whole thing, we’ll salt cure the rest for later.” He rushed outside without another word.

Abagail slapped her hand on Kari’s shoulder. “Sounds like a great way for you to spend your time. Unless you rely on hiring a professional.”

Kari harrumphed, brushing off Abagail’s hand and glaring at her. “How dare you accuse me of not knowing how to properly make a meal! Unlike many of my peers, I could easily create a delicious meal with what we have here!”

“‘Easily’? Oh, this I’ve got to see,” guffawed Abagail. She threw herself back onto the bed and pulled out a small book. “Go on. Show me. I’ll be right here.”

With Abagail not willing to offer any help, Kari appraised what options she had for a kitchen. And after a moment, she started to rummage through her bag…

----

The sun was out and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Which meant everyone in the fields was covered in sweat. Everyone was wearing a wide-brimmed straw hat to beat the heat, with some fanning themselves with it as they caught their breath.

Kyle was doing so at that moment. His tunic was almost soaked and someone had just him a small beer to drink. Memories of doing this for years were flashing before him and he wasn’t sure how he’d dealt with it.

“We didn’t know any better,” said Office Kyle. His suit jacket was off, making a show of trying to fan Real Kyle. “We never did jobs like this growing up. It was mostly making people sandwiches and selling them overpriced sweaters.”

Peasant Kyle stood resolute. “It’s an honest living. Our fathers worked these fields, and so did their fathers.”

Kyle took off his tunic and wrung out the excess sweat, letting the lapis lazuli amulet hang from his neck to air off his chest. Working the fields with limited options for food had made him lean; he had a healthy amount of muscle but nothing close to what he’d seen in comic books or manga. Peasant Kyle had a point: this was an honest living. But this wasn’t something he wanted to do the rest of his life.

“Excuse me, I was wondering it – oh!”

Kyle, still shirtless, turned to see Kari. She was holding a plate of three meat strips, some bread, and something Kyle had never seen before – a mix of rice, carrots, mushrooms, and what looked like radishes. There was also a metal fork.

Kari was standing there motionless, her face as red as a tomato.

“Is that food?” Kyle gently took the dish from her. “What did you make?”

“I – I – well, I cut the wolf meat into strips and pan-fried them. You had some leftover bread which was quite delicious, and I had enough rice and daikon radish left to make katemeshi. It is a dish peasants eat in my homeland.”

Kyle had a taste of both the pan-fried wolf’s meat and katemeshi, and nearly cried. “Oh my gosh, it’s amazing! You have no idea how much I missed eating meat or pan-fried, well, anything! And this new dish, perfect!”

Kari took a deep breath, trying not to stare. “Y-You did not have any pans, so I had to provide my own.”

Peasant Kyle nodded, watching Office Kyle now fanning himself with his own jacket. “We know. Peasants don’t have a lot of options for cookware. It’s clay pots or roasting things over an open fire.”

“You… you live a very hard life,” said Kari while Kyle scarfed down the rest of his meal. “I’m sorry for that.”

“So am I,” Kyle admitted. “It would be easier if we used livestock to plow the fields, but we don't have any to spare - or anything for them to use. We’d need something that could operate on its own, like a machine.”

Kari would have chuckled at the suggestion, but her eyes were drawn to the amulet around Kyle’s neck. It was glowing blue.