The sun slowly emerges from the east horizon, shining its light to the Earth. In the sky painted with blue hue, swarm of birds chirping in unison, as if singing happily among themselves.
On this day, we finally return to the capital city after a long time. I was sent by the Emperor to the country across the sea to expand my knowledge on the world.
There, I have met so many people and learned many things about life. Alongside me is my handmaiden, Yoko, who is a long time friend of mine.
Along the journey, we have passed through various beautiful places, yet my heart still belonged to the dynasty itself.
And today, me and Yoko are on our way to return to the capital city, sitting for hours on the royal carriage before reaching the city.
"Princess, we are almost reaching the East Gate. I believe the folks are waiting for your arrival." The handmaiden Yoko says with excitement.
"Yes, Yoko. It has been a long time since we left the capital city. We surely missed a lot of things here." I say.
"I have been wanting to have a taste of the kitchen's colorful pastries. It has been a long time since I had one." Yoko says while brushing her hair.
"Maybe we can try that as soon as we arrive." I say.
Then, a question pops up on my mind.
"Yoko, what kind of man would you like to make as your partner?" I ask.
Yoko is startled while our eyes meet. "What kind of man?" She tilts her head.
I nod.
"Well, I would say that if he is kind, handsome and understanding, then he meets my criteria, but if he belongs from a noble family, then that is a plus point for him. How about you, princess?" Yoko says without hesitation.
"I will say that..... "
*SKREEETCHHH
Then the carriage stops midway.
"Why is the carriage stopping?" I ask.
"Why don't we check it out, princess?" Yoko suggests.
As we look at the outside of the carriage, a group of masked people are standing on our way armed with weapons. Judging from their clothes, most likely they are bandits.
"Heh, what a lucky day! Inside the carriage is Princess Amane, the angel of the dynasty! Shall we carry her along with us, master?" says one of the bandits to the one who stands in the middle, who is presumably their boss.
"Shut up!.... Well, you can have the princess. We just want some precious stuffs you have in your envoy. That is it, nothing more or less." The leader negotiates with us.
However, "There is nothing here for you, bandits. Now get lost!" says Yoko fiercely.
Yet, they doesn't flinch. "It seems like we have to do this the hard way." the leader utters before signaling his men to arm themselves.
But before they could do that, a large smoke appears before them, catching them by surprise.
"What is happening?" one of the bandits is caught off guard.
All of a sudden, the answer emerges in the form one could only expect.
A hooded figure stands up before the envoy, armed with a sword pointed at the bandits.
"Who are you?!" asks the bandit leader.
The figure doesn't speak.
"You know, it will be wise if you get off our way. But if you insist on fighting us, then we have no choice." The leader boasts before the figure.
Then, "ATTACK!" the leader yells and his henchmen leap towards the figure.
And so, the figure responds.
In an instant, the battle between the hooded figure and the bandits unfolds.
Two of the henchmen charge towards the figure with their axes, intending to strike him to pieces. However, they didn't expect something.
The figure deflects the axes easily with one swing, and proceeds to glide on the air before slashing their limbs.
"ARGHHHHHHH!!!!!" the bandits groan in pain.
The figure doesn't stop there. He immediately engages the other two henchmen, breaking into their defense effortlesy before delivering swift slashes that instantly defeat them.
Seeing his henchmen being cut into pieces, the bandit leader becomes enraged and leaps towards the figure, dueling him one on one. Thus, the two are locked in a swordclash.
*CLING! CLING!
Their swords clash. It seems that the leader is gaining the upper hand while the figure is seemingly losing.
"Look, princess. The hooded warrior is losing." Yoko says anxiously.
"Too early to assume that." I say. I don't really know why, but I do get the feeling that the figure will not lose.
As the duel ensues, the bandit leader tries to exploit an opening left by the figure. However, thing takes an unexpected turn.
As the leader thrusts his sword towards the figure, the figure immediately deflects the thrust and delivers a swift strike on the torso.
Thus, falls the bandit leader to the ground. His black robes is soaked with spilled blood. Then, his body moves no more.
When I turn to Yoko, she is stunned to the point her jaw almost fall, yet she tries to keep her composure.
"What happened?" Yoko asks, still stunned.
However, my attention shifts to the hooded figure, who stands with his sword unsheated.
And so, I leave the carriage to approach him. However, the moment I almost reach him, he immediately disappears into thin air, as if he never being there.
"Where is he?" I mutter to myself.
Then comes Yoko from behind, panting as she chases after me. "Why are you going out of the carriage, princess? It is dangerous out here!" Yoko says.
"No, he is gone." I say.
"Who? The hooded warrior?" Yoko tilts her head.
"Hmmmmm, never mind. Let's return." I say to Yoko before we make our way back to the carriage.
All of a sudden.....
*KNAKKKKK!!!
***
"Ouchhhhh!!! What is that?" I mutter. It feels like I was slapped by someone.
"Nee-san, come on! We are late to school right now." Maira says, already dressed in her school uniform.
"Did you just slap me?" I ask Maira while my mind is still half-functioning.
"YES, and we are late right now! You don't want Father to scold you, do you?" Maira says in angry tone.
"Hmmmmm, five more minutes and I will be there." I say as I get up from my bed.
Then, I return back to my sense.
Is everything happened just now a dream? I thought I really encountered the hooded warrior.
Hmmmmmm, why do I feel that the hooded warrior is so close to me, like I have known him for a lifetime?
Or maybe, am I just dreaming an impossible thing?
I don't even know anymore.
***
The clock is ticking.
As I am bored sitting alone in the classroom, I decide to scribble on my notebook, until the idea to sketch something comes up on my mind.
And so, I sketch the scenarios from the dream, based on what I recalled, if my memory serves me right. It does not take me long to finish the sketching, though the details are yet to be add.
However, something unexpected happen.
"GAHHHHHH!!!!!" Yoko suddenly pops up from behind, causing me to be startled by her presence.
"Yoko! You startled me!" I say, while in fact she catches me off guard with the drawing.
"Oooohh, what is this, a hooded figure with a sword. Is this from your dream?" She asks, unaware that her guess is true.
"Not really, it is just a random sketch. I was bored just now, until you almost kill me with a heart attack." I say before closing my notebook.
"Alright, sorry about that, Amane. Since you have nothing to do, what about grabbing something to eat? I am hungry right now." Yoko says as she holds her stomach.
"*Sigh... Alright then, lets go." I say in defeat.
Then, we leave the classroom to the cafeteria, leaving the notebook on the table, where every secret of mine remains untouched.