Chapter 11: The Little Mermaid Part 3

Alibaba had stayed with the Kou soldiers for almost a week now. Even though it had been confirmed that Hakuryuu didn't view him as a romantic prospect, Hakuei had been insistent that Alibaba maintained his masquerade. She had said something about keeping Hakuryuu under the impression that he had saved his first fair lady or whatever.

Alibaba was frankly beyond the point of caring anymore.

Regardless, Hakuei had kept her word in training him. She had him undergo an exercise regimen in the first three days—sit-ups, push-ups, pull-ups, crunches, and so forth. His limbs had been weeping and he had never slept so soundly before in his life. Still, he knew that it would be all worth it in the long run. No longer would he have these sticklike arms and flat tummy. He would be bulging in muscles and exude manliness.

Heck, for a woman, even Hakuei was beefy.

After those three days of conditioning, Hakuei had reluctantly decided to teach him how to fight. Alibaba hadn't reached her preferred standards, but she had known that his time with her was limited.

"You're not going to give me a weapon?"

"There are times where you'll fall into a situation where your weapon will be taken away from you," Hakuei had said. "Then where will you be?"

Learning hand-to-hand combat had been a whole different level in Alibaba's experience. When his swordsman instructor, Barkak, had taught him the Royal Swordplay, Alibaba had to learn how to react intuitively, to let his sword become an extension of him. This meant that he had begun his lessons with his sword.

In this case, he had to establish a foundation before he could touch a weapon.

Alibaba hadn't been sure if this was representative of how Kou soldiers started out in their training, but he had been able to see that it made sense for someone like him. In Hakuei's perspective, Alibaba was a weakling with no fighting experience, which had been reinforced after the rigorous workout that she had put him through.

Him flopping onto the ground looking like a sweaty mess every time they finished their jogs? That surely had not been indicative of a seasoned fighter.

The following days had pretty much been a torrent of bruises. Hakuei had deigned it essential to not only use her fists on him, but also a sheathed sword. She had wanted to mimic a potential attacker, and, according to her, the best way to learn to defend oneself was to be placed into the situation. He hadn't been inclined to agree initially, but he later had noticed his movements becoming faster to respond to Hakuei's hits.

Hakuryuu inevitably had learned about the training.

"I would offer assistance, but it seems that my sister is better suited to your needs," the prince had told him.

Alibaba supposed that Hakuryuu had been right about that. In the prince's viewpoint, Hakuei wouldn't hold back on him while Hakuryuu, ever the gentleman, definitely would. But the blond wouldn't mind taking it easy once in a while. Sometimes, he thought of the princess to be a bit too much for him to handle.

Today, however, was the day when they were going to take a break in their training. Today was when Hakuei would formally approach the Kouga Clan.

"But didn't you already meet them?" Alibaba asked, confused. Two days ago, Hakuei had left during the time when he had been helping Hakuryuu cook, so he had figured that negotiations had been dealt with. "Why do you need to meet them again?"

"Well, my first visit was...without preamble," Hakuei admitted bashfully. "But this time will be different."

Did she overwhelm them with her forceful nature? Alibaba wondered dryly.

"Since you guys have been sticking around here for quite some time, this must be important to you," he commented offhandedly.

She nodded. "It is. The integration of the Kouga Clan into the Kou Empire will be an imperative step towards unification."

Alibaba gave her a sideways glance before returning his attention to the task at hand. "I know that the Kou Empire wants to unify the world—" more like attempting world domination "—but why settle for a mere clan? Why not go for another country?" Like how they did with Balbadd.

"The Kouga Clan isn't just a clan. They're more than that."

"What do you mean?"

"There are legends about them back home," she said. "The Kouga Clan—once the world's most prosperous troopers. Their first king, Chagan Han, possessed a power comparable to that of a demon and established an incredible empire. They were the strongest nation that became close to unifying the world. However, as time passed on, they became weaker. Their reign ended due to that, and they were reduced to being a small group."

And then they had been usurped by the Kou Empire. "Is that the only reason why? Because of their ancestors' similar goal?"

"In a way, yes. I hoped to rekindle former ambitions after informing them what our purpose of being here was, but they hadn't taken my proposal very well," she sighed.

Alibaba still didn't understand how getting the clan to come to Kou's side was important. They were comparably a minor presence; as a result, he didn't see what benefit they could bring. He wasn't convinced that the clan's past accomplishments were good enough of a reason either. Just because their ancestors had reached impressive feats didn't mean that they could do the same as well.

"Did the clan not care for unification anymore?" Alibaba asked.

"That, I'm not sure. It has more to do with Ryosai." With that said, he heard a thump behind him. He twisted his torso to see Hakuei lying on her back, brows furrowed and lips downturned. What an unladylike behavior coming from a princess. She must be quite frustrated if she was letting loose like this.

But it made sense if the problem really came from Ryosai.

Ryosai was a middle-aged colonel. Alibaba seldom interacted with him, but, whenever he did, the man would openly express his repugnance for the blond. Apparently, the man didn't approve of the dirty non-Kou wench being in close company of the princess.

All the other soldiers didn't appear to mind Alibaba regardless of what reasons there might be. Some had even expressed their fondness for him, but that had been a given after Alibaba had prepared them dinner for nearly a week. "A woman's handwork makes meals even better," they had (obliviously) claimed.

Ryosai was the anomaly who usually gave disparaging remarks whenever they crossed paths regardless of Hakuei's admonishments.

If Hakuei was bemoaning about that man, then it must be because Ryosai had been an ass to the Kouga Clan. No surprise there.

"What did he do?"

"The head of the clan requested that we give them some time to ruminate, yet Ryosai outright said that they were too—too primitive to even comprehend what I told them for them to make a decision right then and there," Hakuei said, her face pinched in irritation. "And then there was this nice girl who was offering me milk, but Ryosai slapped the cup out of her hand! He then said that I shouldn't accept drinks that have been contaminated by mongrels."

Hakuei had a penchant to exaggerate, but she wouldn't make this stuff up. Alibaba had at most expected for Ryosai to make snide comments, not be this blatantly crass.

What on earth was Ryosai trying to pull? He should at least know that one had to play as the respectable guest when entering another's territory. He was a colonel, for goodness sake, so he should already have had that kind of education. Unless he really had a stick far up his ass to bother exercising diplomacy for a diplomatic mission

Then again, the Kou Empire hadn't exactly been diplomatic when they had come for Balbadd either.

Alibaba realized that perhaps he was becoming too comfortable with Hakuei and Hakuryuu. For a second, he had forgotten that Hakuei and Hakuryuu's gentleness was contrastive to Kou's forcefulness. If anything, Kouen embodied his country very well. It also probably meant that Ryosai had been more accustomed to doing things with brute force rather than impart tactful words.

Huh. Maybe that explained why the geezer hardly took Hakuei seriously. She hadn't been doing much of conquering and demanding than he had hoped.

"That sounds tough. I hope you figure out a way in dealing with him." Alibaba secured the piece by tying a knot, and then cut off the thread. "I finished, by the way."

"Oh, did you?" Hakuei sat up and took the robe from him. "Thank you, Ariel. I hardly even see the stiches!" she said, holding it in front of her. "You're quite excellent at these sorts of things."

"You mean doing chores? It's a requisite for being a servant, after all."

"Well, yes, but I mean the cooking and cleaning and sewing aspect. You are rather feminine."

"Please don't call me that."

Hakuei giggled and slipped on the robe. "Perhaps, one of these days, I will make you see that you have nothing to be ashamed of."

"Who said anything about being ashamed?" Alibaba huffed. "The things that I do don't have to be exclusively for women, you know."

"Ah, true, true." Hakuei stood up and gestured towards the tent's opening. "Then will this manly sir please escort me out to the fields?"

"This manly sir right here doesn't appreciate the joke made at his expense," he grumbled, but nonetheless got up onto his feet to head out.

Several yards ahead were soldiers marching in perfect rows. Each man had his armor proudly on display and his sword fastened to his side. There were some among the masses who had red flags erected over their heads, the symbol of Kou emblazoned proudly on it. There was Hakuryuu riding on his white steed; he was directing the handsome beast to slowly trot in a circle before the soldiers. It seemed like the prince would be participating in this trip.

With the sun starting to rise above the mountains from the east and the crisp morning air bringing everyone to alertness, the activity before them appeared as if it was the start of an invasion. Alibaba, however, knew that these proceedings were merely a formality. For instance, troops wouldn't bother with the ornate display if they were going out to fight. Plus, their numbers were small, but that probably didn't matter if they really did intend on subjugating a puny clan.

Amongst the bustle, there was Seisyun who gracefully maneuvered his way around to stand by his mistress's side. "My lady," he greeted, bowing.

Hakuei gave a nod in acknowledgment. "Do we have the gifts prepared?"

"Yes, your highness."

"And Ryosai? Where is he?"

"The colonel instructed one of his subordinates to pass on a message. Apparently, he will be delayed in joining you for the beginning of the trip and shall follow you once he has finished his task."

"Delayed? For what reason does that man have to be delayed?" Hakuei said, annoyance clear in her tone.

"I'm afraid that not even the messenger was made privy to that knowledge."

"Oh bother." She shook her head. "Never mind that. Let us be on our way."

"I have your horse ready, your highness."

"Excellent." Hakuei paused for a second before looking at Alibaba. "Would you like to join, Ariel?"

Alibaba blinked at the offer. "Me? Wouldn't it be…inappropriate for an outsider to get involved?"

"Nonsense! You're my friend. Besides, a change of scenery might do you some good."

"Is that why you rushed your first meeting with the Kouga Clan?"

"And it'd be nice to have them see that we're friendly to outsiders," the princess carried on as though Alibaba hadn't said anything. "So? How about it?"

Well, she wasn't wrong about venturing out. Despite being made to run around fields as part of his exercise, Alibaba was more or less restricted to the general area of the campsite. He could admit about wanting to go beyond the perimeter and see what was more to offer in these grassy lands.

"Sure," he said, smiling. "I'd be happy to accompany you."

"Shall I go prepare another horse, your highness?" Seisyun inquired.

"Hmm. Do you know how to ride a horse, Ariel?"

Alibaba did take riding lessons during his time as a prince, but such a skill wouldn't make sense for a servant to have. Not that he thought that Hakuei would know any better, her being royalty and all. For instance, his brothers had actually thought that Alibaba had feasted on rats and drank from the sewers during his days at the slums, yet they additionally had the impression that he could speak to wildlife and danced with moths under the full moon.

The weird perceptions that the upper class had of the lower class could be something that Alibaba could exploit, but something that could most assuredly backfire on him. After all, there were others who were of lower class, Seisyun probably being one of them, and Alibaba knew that the kid didn't take lightly to his lady being duped.

(The kid could hide behind his smiles all he wanted. It wasn't hard to notice the dangerous aura he emitted whenever Hakuei was being insulted.)

If he wanted to keep his story—the one that he had told Hakuei—then he should really play it off as a peasant.

Thus, he said, "No."

"Then I guess you'll have to ride with me," Hakuei said amiably.

That was how Alibaba found himself sitting behind Hakuei, his arms wrapped around her waist. A princess certainly wouldn't allow a common man to touch her so easily, but that would be the case if she didn't forget to regard him as one. Again. It made matters worse considering how she had seen his body unclothed.

So while Alibaba was collecting the remains of his self-esteem, too busy being depressed to enjoy the feel of womanly curves, Hakuryuu caught up to them. His horse gave a light snort and shook its head as the prince pulled on its reins. "I see that you're joining us, Lady Ariel."

Alibaba forced himself to sit upright and smile at the prince. "Oh, hello, Prince Hakuryuu. Yes, I am. I hope you don't mind,"

"Not at all. Hopefully, your presence would ground Sister."

"Hakuryuu," Hakuei said sharply, although her cheeks were flushed from embarrassment. "Why would you say that?"

"Don't think I haven't heard about what happened when you visited the Kouga Clan the first time, Sister" he replied dryly.

"A mistake on my part, I admit, but don't make it seem as though I'm prone to making them!"

"I suppose you wouldn't appreciate the recount of your past kitchen failures, then?" Seisyun spoke up cheerfully from behind.

Hakuryuu made a show of shuddering. "I still get nightmares."

Hakuei threw a glare over her shoulder. "Traitor," she hissed at her servant.

"But, really, Sister, you must take control over your own impulsivity. Sometimes I'm stuck wondering whether it has gotten better or worse over the years."

"I bet on the latter," Seisyun quipped.

"Now that you mention it, I suppose that it isn't always true that you grow wiser with age."

"To be cornered like this by my own darling brother and my trusted righthand man," Hakuei cried out in despair. "I only have you by my side, Ariel!"

"Whatever Sister makes, don't eat it," Hakuryuu advised Alibaba.

"Hakuryuu!"

Ah, here was why Alibaba stopped seeing them as Kou royalty and more as merely Hakuei and Hakuryuu, why he had grown comfortable being around them after a week. The lightheartedness in their words and actions had thrown him off at first, but he had quickly accommodated. It hardly took any effort to become the princess's confidant. Even the somber Hakuryuu was someone who Alibaba had developed a friendly acquaintanceship with, especially when they cooked meals together.

They were good people. Their status and origin didn't affect just how genuinely good they were. He was going to miss being with them, Alibaba thought sadly. If only the circumstances had been better—they might have been actual friends, then. Instead, the blond had to maintain this fake persona.

Perhaps once this magical destiny adventure was over, he could tell them who he really was. Would they forgive him? Would they accept him? Would they understand? Alibaba didn't know and was a bit afraid of the idea of them knowing, but they at least deserved to learn the truth after all that they had done for him.

The princess held her nose up high, the action looking like a parody of snobbery, causing Alibaba to stifle a chuckle that was about to bubble out of him. "Then I'll have Ariel teach me how to cook," Hakuei huffed. "At least she won't make fun of me."

"You don't even need to learn, Hakuei," Alibaba pointed out, unable to keep the humor out of his voice.

"I know, but I don't like the feeling of not being good at it!"

"There are plenty of things that you're good at that I'm incapable of doing," Hakuryuu said, "like shooting a bow."

"Or throwing a hatchet," Seisyun added.

"Or using twin blades."

"Or wrestling a bear."

"Wrestling a bear?" Alibaba reiterated, eyes wide. "I didn't think a princess was allowed to do such a thing."

"Most aren't. My lady is an exception," Seisyun chirped.

"Well, goodness," he said, a bit stunned. "Hakuei is more...aggressive than I thought."

"That's one way of putting it."

"I knew I should have cut off Seisyun the moment he uttered a word," Hakuei groaned. "Nothing good comes out of his mouth whenever he's like this."

"I don't know what you mean, your highness. I'm simply listing your accomplishments."

"Yes, and, in the process, tarnishing my reputation. I'm supposed to be a refine and elegant princess, remember?"

"You know, as a princess, you do have the power to exact a punishment," Hakuryuu nonchalantly mentioned.

"Oho… I do believe that you're right, Brother."

"Your highness, you're as radiant and pale as the moon during the darkest of nights. A beauty such as yourself wouldn't have her reputation ruined just by knowledge of you saving Princess Koufuku from being mauled," Seisyun quickly said.

"Don't try to butter me up, Seisyun. Once we return to the palace, you'll be my taste tester for a week. I really do intend on learning how to cook," Hakuei said smugly.

"Oh dear," Alibaba heard Seisyun mutter.

"But did you really meant by having Lady Ariel teach you, Sister?" Hakuryuu asked. "I thought that we would be going on our separate ways."

"Oh, that's right." Hakuei twisted her torso to offer Alibaba an apologetic smile. "I'm afraid I won't be getting that lesson from you, then, Ariel. Apologies."

"That's quite all right. I didn't even agree to do it," Alibaba said, shrugging.

"You make it sound as though you would refuse."

"Well, your brother did tell me about your grievous attempts even under his close watch. I don't think I'd be able to prevent another disaster occurring."

She gasped. "So you did know about my kitchen failures!"

Behind them, someone snorted.

"Should I make that two weeks, Seisyun?"

"Shutting up now."

"That's what I thought."

"Oh no," Hakuryuu said.

Hakuei glanced over at her brother. "I hardly think that two weeks is that bad of a punishment."

"That's not what I'm referring to, although I'm inclined to disagree to that claim." He lifted his arm to point what was ahead of them. "Do you see that?"

Alibaba peered over Hakuei's shoulder, but he saw nothing. Hakuei's eyesight was apparently keener than his because he felt her stiffen in his hold. "Hakuei?"

"That's the Kouga Clan…"

"Judging by their angry faces and weapons, I don't think they're here to make a warm reception," Hakuryuu said, turning to his sister. "What should we do?"

Although her back was turned to him, Alibaba could tell that she was grimacing by the tone of her voice. "Seisyun, has Ryosai caught up to us yet?"

"If he has, he hasn't made his report," the boy said, the teasing in his voice now replaced by seriousness. "I'm otherwise led to believe that he hasn't even showed up."

"Sister, you don't think that…?"

"I made an oversight. Once again, I've created a blunder for myself," Hakuei sighed.

"The fact that you had your suspicions shows that you haven't, your highness," Seisyun insisted. "You couldn't have known that the colonel would do something."

Alibaba's eyes darted between the princess and her servant, confused as to what was going on.

"But I could have made preventative measures." Hakuei raised her hand to stop anyone from saying anything. "Hakuryuu, you're on our fastest horse. I need you to take Ariel to the campsite. Afterwards, gather the remaining men and set off on a chase for Ryosai."

Hakuryuu looked like he wanted to argue, but he swallowed his words and nodded in compliance. He drew his horse closer to Hakuei's and held out a hand to Alibaba.

"Wait, what? What is going on?" Alibaba asked, bemused.

"No time." Hakuei pried off his arms and pushed him into Hakuryuu's waiting arms. Upon being caught, Alibaba squawked when Hakuryuu swung him around to place him behind him. The blond ungainly grasped for support all the while staring at the princess's sad smile.

"I'm sorry that you didn't get that change of scenery, Ariel. Next time, I promise."

Hakuryuu then took off. Alibaba gasped by the abruptness and grabbed onto the prince in desperation of not slipping off. He felt his braid whipping in the air and his weight lifting off the horse's back. This sensation of flying was not unlike that time when Kassim had made their carpet ride into a freefall into a dungeon. Alibaba tightened his hold on Hakuryuu and pressed himself firmly against his back as the prince continued to direct his horse back to the camp.

What was going on? Why was the Kouga Clan coming at the Kou appearing angry? What was this business about Ryosai? Did Ryosai had anything to do with it? Was that why he was absent?

Alibaba's head was filled to the brim with questions, but he knew that, once they arrived at their destination, Hakuryuu wouldn't have the time to answer him. The prince had his orders from his sister and, knowing him, he was going to fulfill them without sparing a second.

When the horse was slowing down, he heard Hakuryuu say, "My apologies, Lady Ariel, but I ask that you go find the servants and stay with them. They're trained in basic self-defense and there's no telling what would happen."

"I understand," he breathed out.

At the campsite's entrance, Hakuryuu helped Alibaba get down before pulling himself back onto the horse. "I will see you at the end of the day," he vowed, and then rode further into the campsite to call out the other soldiers.

"Be safe," Alibaba murmured.

"Ariel! Goodness, what is going on, girl?" Cook Jin exclaimed.

"I'm not sure, but I'm led to believe that Colonel Ryosai has betrayed the princess," Alibaba said, frowning.

The man's eyes bulged out of their sockets while the surrounding servants nervously whispered amongst themselves. "Heavens! Whatever makes you say that?"

"The princess had her suspicions when the colonel didn't join the group and the Kouga Clan… They were coming at us with weapons."

"Then what of Prince Hakuryuu? Why did he come here storming and requesting for the soldiers to follow him?"

"Isn't it obvious? He's going to chase after the colonel!" a servant said.

Alibaba nodded. "I don't know what the colonel has done, but it seems that he wronged the Kouga Clan in some way."

"For Colonel Ryosai to turn traitor…" Jin ran his fingers through his hair. "It was common knowledge that the man didn't respect the princess's authority, but to think he would do something like this..."

"He's going to sabotage the princess's efforts!" another servant growled. "This is supposed to be for strengthening the Kou Empire, and that man had the audacity to mess it up!"

"Has no one witnessed him leave?" Alibaba asked.

"I have," said Doctor Fung. "Like what I told the prince, I saw him and his men leaving in a carriage in the direction that the princess's group was heading, although he could have gone off in another path once they were out of sight."

"Say, isn't it strange how Ryosai and his men left after the princess did and yet managed to piss off the Kouga Clan before she could have reached them?" someone said.

"But didn't you see that not all of his men showed up for breakfast?" another pointed out. "Some of them could have snuck out last night."

"But why…?"

"Why would he do this?"

"What's going on? What's going to happen?"

"Is this going to be it? Was this trip pointless?"

"Is the princess going to be okay?"

"Alright, alright," Doctor Fung said loudly, silencing the clamor. "I know that things are looking bad, but we must have faith in our princess and prince. As of right now, Princess Hakuei is dealing with the Kouga Clan. Isn't that right, Ariel?"

"Yes, that's true," Alibaba said.

"And Prince Hakuryuu and his men are currently chasing down Ryosai before he could make a getaway. We all know that those two are capable of anything; everything will be fine. There's no use fretting, anyhow. The best we can do is prepare for their return."

"After today, they might come back ravenous," Jin said thoughtfully.

"And if they get involved in any skirmishes, I'll have to make preparations," Fung sighed, stroking his beard. "Just when I thought I'd be getting a break from work."

"We should see if we have extra shirts and pants for them to change into," a servant said.

As the gathering broke up, Alibaba awkwardly hung out in the back. While it was good to see the panic dying down and the servants focused on attending to their duties, Alibaba wasn't sure what to do now. What he did want to do was to be busy himself. Upon seeing Jin giving orders to his helpers, he figured that he could pester the man into doing the same to him.

He waited for Jin to finish before approaching him. "Is there something that I can do?"

Jin looked at him in surprise as though not expecting him to stick around. "Oh no, dear, that's not necessary. You should retire into your tent; you had a stressful day, after all."

He shook his head. "I'm fine. I don't want to be idle; I want to help." Not wanting the man to argue with him, he clasped his hands together and made a pleading expression, trying to utilize his girlish charms (which he inwardly swore that he would never do again). "Please, sir?"

Jin looked reluctant, but he then said, "Well, if you insist... I could have you collect winter cress."

Alibaba perked up. "Winter cress? They're those small yellow flowers, right?"

"Yes, but there are other yellow flowers around here," Jin told him with a considering look. He rubbed his chin. "Just so you don't get them mixed up, I think 'll send Bojing with you."

Bojing was Jin's apprentice. Like Jin, he was a lithe figure with a long face and dark hair. However, unlike his master, Bojing had a decisive nature even outside of cooking. He wasn't flighty or impetuous by any means, but his inclination of staying rooted to his choices until he was proven wrong made him a subject of stupidity. Alibaba had personally seen the boy stand before two spices, mull over twenty minutes as to which one to pick, and insist that his choice had been the correct one.

Where Hakuryuu and Jin and the others had been indulgent of the kid, Alibaba had tried to stay away. Personally, he found Bojing to be a bit of an annoyance despite being more or less accustomed to those with strong personalities. Perhaps it was the case where he saw a bit of Ahbmad in him, but to make such a comparison would be too cruel for Bojing.

(It might have had something to do with Bojing rejecting Alibaba's idea of incorporating beef into porridge, commenting on how no one wanted to eat boiled meat. Oh, and him indicating that Alibaba had no sense of taste with him being from Qishan. While, yeah, beef was tastier cooked over the fire than boiled, it didn't hurt to help make the porridge tastier!)

Alibaba masked his disgruntlement and slapped on a smile. He had been faking cheerfulness quite a bit today. "I'd appreciate that." Not really, but heaven knew that he would have difficulty differentiating the plants. He just had to remind himself that this was for the soldiers who would come back from a possible battle, not for him to idle away.

"I'll go call for Bojing, then." After Bojing appeared and was informed of his new task, he nodded seriously and promised to collect basketfuls of water cress. At least the kid was the dutiful kind.

Hiking the foraging packs on their back, Alibaba and Bojing bid Jin a farewell before departing the camp. Bojing led the way, trekking past the same location where Hakuryuu and Alibaba had their "date" and somewhere closer to the woods. It was around this area where Bojing had last gathered the water cresses, or so he claimed.

Alibaba looked around, indeed spotting yellow flowers blooming among the tall stalks of grass. Hakuryuu had told him to stay within the campsite, but Alibaba figured that this distance from here to there wasn't going to cause any alarm. Besides, if danger did arise, Alibaba could make a break for it. Hopefully, danger didn't come in the form of sword-wielding men riding on horses. Hakuei most certainly did not prepare him for that.

"You just pluck them like this," Bojing said, demonstrating. "But you gotta be dumb not to really know how to pick 'em. It's that easy."

Alibaba rolled his eyes. "Sure, sure."

The two bended low to a squat and proceeded collecting. After a moment of silence, Bojing broke it by asking, "Why do you always carry around that satchel with you?"

Having answered this question many times before, Alibaba said monotonously, "I once got it stolen. It's the only thing I got to remember my uncle by."

Bojing lifted his head and squinted at his satchel. "You don't take good care of it, do you?"

"I've been through a lot, okay?"

"I even see you wear it whenever you're training with the princess."

"Like I said, I got it stolen once. I rather keep it on my person where I can keep an eye on it."

"But no one here would steal it from you," he said. "You're just paranoid."

"That may be, but you probably never expected Colonel Ryosai to turn traitor, now did you?" Alibaba countered.

"He's not of Kou, then," Bojing declared. If he wasn't sitting on his haunches, then he surely would have struck a pose out of patriotism. "I'm sure of it. Real Kou men wouldn't do such a thing. And real Kou men wouldn't think of stealing from another person!"

Then why did the Kou Empire steal Balbadd from the Balbaddians? Alibaba thought churlishly. It was funny how he hadn't been so bitter of Balbadd's takeover until he was out of Balbadd. Was this somehow the influence of Yunan's magic? Maybe he should ask for magical immunity if he ever came across another magician.

"I don't think it's healthy of you to be so—so—so..." Bojing struggled for a second, looking as though he was racking through his brain to find the right word. "So guarded! Especially over a raggedy satchel of all things. Mother used to tell me that it has something to do with girls not getting when they're past their marriageable age. Say, Ariel, how old are you?"

"Seventeen," Alibaba grunted.

"Seventeen!" Bojing burst out in shock. "Mother said that girls should get married once they turn sixteen! Are you even engaged yet?"

"Bojing, is this even a subject appropriate to discuss about?"

"I'm just saying—if you aren't engaged and you don't wanna be a spinster, then you should consider marrying a Kou man. That way, you wouldn't go crazy like how Mother's sister did." He shrugged. "He might even help you better your cooking."

An image of Kouen popped in his head. Alibaba immediately dismissed the thought. Why—oh why—did he have to think about that cursed man every time the subject of marriage was brought up? That apathetic stare and stupid goatee were going to haunt him forever and it was seriously stressing him out. Alibaba would have torn his hair out if it didn't garner suspicion from the brat.

Quelling the urge, Alibaba quietly exhaled and closed his eyes. After counting to three, he opened them and told Bojing, "It might be customary to marry at that age in Kou, but it differs where I'm from. I knew some women who got married at twenty."

"Is that so? How peculiar."

"For you, maybe," Alibaba muttered under his breath. In his honest opinion, twenty wasn't such a bad age to get married.

"But are you engaged, Miss Ariel? If you are, then your fiancé must be mighty worried about your whereabouts."

"I'm not. You're awfully curious about the details of my love life. What about you? Got a girl back home?"

"What are you saying? I'm twelve! I'm not even of age yet," Bojing exclaimed. Alibaba looked over to see the kid donning a scowl. "Besides, I'd be fine if I never get married. Master Jin never got married either, so I might get to grow up to be just like him! All I need is a kitchen and hungry customers and I'll be happy."

Bojing was clearly as dense as Alibaba had thought of him to be. Cook Jin was a sad and lonely man as anyone could tell. But, well, if that was what Bojing wanted for himself, then so be it. Knowing him and his infamous stubbornness, the kid might actually accomplish that. By the time he would grow to be a wrinkly hermit, he might even convince himself that he was glad to be without any children to nurse him during his old age. Might put a damper on his independence or whatever.

Had he ever been that naïve and juvenile when he was twelve? Alibaba couldn't recall, but at least he knew better now. What any self-respecting man needed was a beautiful wife to come home to and love. Alibaba smiled wistfully to himself. Having a wife and two kids—a boy and a girl—would be the best family combination. Another thing to add to his list after completing his magical destiny adventure: find himself a girlfriend.

Alibaba paused his flower picking to flex his arm. Hm. Maybe he should continue the work out that Hakuei had shown him before finding someone.

When they had gathered all the water cress that they could find, Alibaba was a bit relieved. His back ached and his legs were falling asleep. Bojing, however, was ever effusive with his emotions in that he loudly proclaimed his disappointment at filling his basket only halfway. Halfway or not, it was nevertheless impressive as to what they could get out of this place.

Bojing had a contemplating look on his face, which Alibaba could guess that the kid was considering wandering off further to find more water cress. Knowing fully well that they were already exposed to the enemy as was, he said, "We should return. Afternoon has already passed and Cook Jin must be worried about our delay."

To his relief, Bojing relented. "I suppose you're right..."

"Besides, he'll understand why we couldn't manage to get more."

"Hmph," Bojing grunted.

Alibaba rolled his eyes. Before slinging the pack back on, he stretched out his body and twisted his torso. Bojing was staring at him with his arms crossed against his chest and impatience in his gaze, but Alibaba ignored him. He knew that he was the one who suggested that they make their way back now, but couldn't he get one measly minute to work off the kinks in his joints?

"Okay, I get it," Alibaba sighed. "Let's go."

"Were you lying to me when you said that you were seventeen?" Bojing asked, narrowing his eyes.

"I know that you think you'll still be spry after five years, but you'll know better after five years," he deadpanned.

As the two returned to the edge of the campsite, Alibaba felt a prickle of wariness. His steps slowed to a halt. He surveyed the area. He didn't expect any of the servants to come along here, but there was a foreboding sense of stillness in the air. There was something wrong…

Bojing, noticing that Alibaba was no longer walking alongside him, stopped and looked at him confusedly. "Miss Ariel? What's the matter?"

"Do you hear that?"

"What? I don't hear anything."

"Exactly."

It took a few seconds for the horrified realization to show in his eyes. Bojing dropped his foraging pack and dashed into the camp. Alibaba jolted at the suddenness and did the same thing, swearing inwardly about stupid reckless brats wanting to run head first into danger.

He didn't hope that he could catch up to the boy in time since the distance between him and Bojing were growing more and more, but the enemy could be around even now and would definitely notice a very alive person running around. So he tried to call after him in hushed shouts, only to be either ignored or unheard.

Predictably, Bojing went straight to the tent where the cooks normally busied themselves in. Alibaba burst through the entrance flaps after him. His hands fell on his knees as he tried to catch his breath, and he looked up to see Bojing holding still as though petrified. His eyes followed what Bojing was seeing and couldn't hold back a gasp.

Lying on the ground were the slain bodies of the cooks, including Cook Jin.

The smell of blood hit him, and Alibaba quickly turned away and heavily swallowed the rising bile. As he fought to keep his nausea at bay, he watched Bojing from the corner of his eye. Bojing snapped out of his dazed state, keeled over, and emptied the contents of his stomach. The boy then collapsed onto his knees with a gurgled cry coming out of him.

Alibaba was also torn over what happened, but he knew that he felt only a fraction of Bojing's anguish. These people hadn't been just lost innocents, but they had been those who Bojing had worked with, ate with, laughed with... While they hadn't been of his blood, they had been effectively his family all the same.

Alibaba's heard went out to him. He couldn't bear the thought of any of the servants and maids who he had known back in Balbadd to undergo the same fate, much less being witness to something so gruesome at the age of twelve.

He forced himself to look at the corpses. He grimaced. He hadn't seen a dead person before, but he at least knew what a sword injury looked like. Some of the bodies bore the same slash marks while others appeared to be stabbed right through.

It must have had taken considerable effort to take down the servants. As Hakuryuu had said, they had been taught basic self-defense, so, while they hadn't been at the same level as the soldiers, they must have had put up quite a fight against the perpetrator. This couldn't be the work of a band of bandits. A large number of bandits could possibly overwhelm the servants, but then the noise would have alerted Alibaba and Bojing even where they were foraging.

This was the work of a group of skilled fighters. No, perhaps someone with incredible stealth and speed?

Furthermore, the timing was impeccable. Whoever had done this must have had known that all the soldiers would be absent from the premise, leaving the camp without its top defenders. But how would the perpetrator know about this?

Could it be Ryosai? Did the colonel plan all of this? That his deliberate disappearance would cause Hakuei to send her brother after him, thereby leaving the campsite unattended?

But for what purpose? And why have all these people be killed?

"Why?" Bojing's sob echoed his thoughts. "Why?"

Alibaba swallowed again. "Bojing," he croaked. "Bojing, we need to leave. Now."

Bojing shook his head as he heaved out another cry.

Alibaba leaned behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know that it's hard, but the killer might still be out there. We have to go before it's too late."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that."

He whirled around, face pale.

Standing before him was Maimoonah.

"I've been looking for you," Maimoonah cackled.