A King's Present

It was not long before dawn. We were driving fast. Once again a horse-drawn carriage. And we were driving towards the port. It was quite dark and we had a hard time seeing around us. After all, our battles created some type of chaos and made us waste a lot of time and energy. We had to travel at night to catch up to her faster.

But was she fine? Was she alright even she was captured by very dangerous enemies?

Maybe we were annoyed and nervous about our current situation. But just like us, she was in great danger too. She had to be saved and her only hope was us.

It was a situation that I was thinking both ways. Even it was hard to understand.

We were a little bit fuzzy and tired after all we went through. Hiroshi was lying on the ground and Babu was trying to keep his eye open. It was natural for all of us. But we still didn't know exactly what the enemy was doing. It was a disadvantage.

And while we were trying to get some rest, The king was talking to the driver at that time. He was talking nervously and hastily.

"How much longer do we have to go?"

"We'll be there shortly, sir. We just have to be patient a little longer."

Meanwhile, everyone else was silent. It was as if they had taken on a pre-war mode of preparation. They were immersed in deep thoughts, calm and speechless. However, this also did not last long. Babu was the one who broke the silence. He turned his head to me and said,

"I've been thinking about Lezlie. I don't think what I've done is enough, Ryuu. I feel like I could have helped her more."

The feeling of guilt. It was a cruel feeling that devoured a person. I used to feel a lot of regrets when I spent time with my uncle. When I couldn't help him or when I said something wrong to him. In fact, I felt it in everyone who came across me. Ronk, Lezlie, Hiroshi, Babu. I think we were all feeling it in different ways. But none of us could escape.

"It wasn't your fault. You didn't know what was going to happen. You never would have known either. Anyone would have gone through what you went through. That's why it's not nice of you to blame yourself, Babu."

"Even so, it's better for me when my friends are laughing. After all, you guys are the only friends that I have. And the most precious ones indeed!" He replied with a smile this time.

"I know that. You're already showing it quite sincerely."

Babu was happy with what he heard. With a small smile on his face, he returned to sitting quietly. And I was looking at the view, thinking about what Lezlie told me. I wondered why she asked me to do all this? She said he knew something. But she did not mention whether she had seen anything. I had tons of questions wondering what she had experienced at that moment.

I kept thinking, until the driver shouted loudly.

"Sir! We have arrived!"

I've put my thoughts aside for that moment. And as soon as the carriage stopped, we got out of it. When we arrived at the port, dozens of ships were waiting for us at the ready. They were all at the disposal of the king, and the ships were quite numerous. And they were pretty big. Of course, all but one of them had the same size. The king's ship. It was different from the others, being bigger and more flashy. It was pretty amazing to see something like that.

As the king was advancing with his troops towards the ship, a voice rose from behind us.

"Stop!"

The soldiers held out their weapons in the direction where the sound came from. At first, they thought it was an attack and were afraid. But it wasn't a trap. The one who came was the knight I fought earlier. He had wounds on his face that I hadn't seen before, and he was acting like his bones were broken. But more than anything, he was very angry. He was breathing heavily and he was staring at us without blinking an eye. It was like something pissed him off to death.

As we saw him, the king signaled his soldiers to stop and started talking.

"What are you doing here, Honorary Knight?"

The Knight took one last deep breath and said,

"I can not let you go to war."

"What do you mean?" The King responded with a suspicious look on his face.

"They have killed my friends. Taken their lives without mercy. And now they are leaving without paying a price. I just can't let you all go without doing something. It is my goal and duty to act right now, and help as much as I can."

"A knight can't do anything without permission from his king. Besides, an injured knight would just be a waste of time. We have no risks to take at this moment."

"Don't worry, your majesty. I've already reported the situation. And taken the permission that I needed."

Then many footsteps had risen from behind the knight.

But that was no ordinary sound.

It was a sound that covered the entire region. As if thousands of people were walking and approaching here. And just then, they appeared from among the trees. It was the army that served the king of the second kingdom. They were quite crowded and had prepared the necessary equipment for war.

I had no clue how a king felt and thought at that moment, but they were sure liked to show off with their power. Like they were in a competition.

And as the king got on board, he turned his head slightly and shouted strongly,

"What more are you waiting for, an invitation? Get on these ships! We have a war to be at!