Chapter 9: Time To Go Home
Early in the morning,
Yuina opens her eyes slowly when she feels like someone rub her cheek. Scrunching her eyebrow, she tries to look at the person by slowly opening her eyes.
"Nghh...Hayden. What is it?" She turns her body to the other way.
"Princess, you need to wake up now. You should get dressed and we'll leave after having breakfast." He said and stand up from the edge of the bed. He went to get a folded clean clothes that Alya prepared for her and put it on the bed.
Yawn a bit, Yuina finally wakes up and went to wash up. She changes her nightgown to new clothes that Hayden has been prepared for her.
After she was done, she went downstairs with Hayden. He changes their bag to a bigger backpack. Hayden put on a black cloak to Yuina as he also wearing the same color cloak.
He put the gold coin that he earned from his job these past years into a small black sack bag before he hides it around his waist and covered with the cloak he was wearing.
"Ready, princess?" He asks with a low voice.
Yuina nods her head. Both of them walk to the castle gate and bid farewell to them before Hayden take one of his horse and put Yuina on the saddle before he cages her with both of his hand holding the horse rein.
"Hayden. This is the last location that my informant told me. Be careful on the road." Lord Mathias give him a piece of old paper out from his robe.
Took the paper, he nods his head. "Thanks, old man."
"The memorandum, do you need it with you?" He asks again.
"Not now. I want to see what's he's after first." Hayden reply.
Lord Mathias then turn to look at Yuina with a gentle gaze. He slowly caresses her cheek with his old and rough hand. "May all the beast from the Zirconia's tales protect you. And.." He took a quick glance to Hayden.
"May you meet with the one who can you trust and love forever." He then retracts his hand back. Not wanting to make a lot of skin contact with her. He can feel a burning aura coming from the one who sits behind that girl anyway.
Tilting her head a little, she was dumbfounded a bit. "Huh?" not knowing what Lord Mathias means by that.
"Ignore him, we should go now." Hayden tightens the grip on the horse rein. He saw that old man glancing at him before he says something stupid and make Yuina more confuse.
"Hm, Thank you, Lord Mathias. I will repay your kindness someday." She smiles at him and after that, Hayden starts to tap his feet on the horse's abdomen to the horse started running.
Riding a horse with Hayden reminds her when she was at the castle. Hayden will always bring her to ride the horse every Wednesday and went around the garden behind the right wing castle.
He would let her play at the garden, or pick some flower for His Majesty and sometimes they just resting there. Enjoying the beautiful scenery together. She clenches her finger on her chest. That memory is beautiful and it hurt her to remember the day when her father was killed. And now..she is somewhere that she didn't even know where.
"Are you okay, princess?" Hayden asks when he feels something was off. She was rather silent than before.
She secretly wipes her tears a bit. "Uhn." She nods her head telling him that she was okay.
...
After long hours of riding the horse, they arrive at the limestone rock mountain area. Hayden halts the horse and he gets down from the horse after that.
"Princess, we can't ride this horse anymore. Come on. We need to walk and climb to crossing this place." He put his hand on both of her side of the waist and pull her up before he put her feet down on the ground.
"Erm...Thank you." Yuina said once she was put down by Hayden.
Slap on the horseback, the horse runs back into the woods. He knew it will take some times for them to pass this area. Especially when he needs to take care of Yuina's safety. If only he had a pocket like a kangaroo mother, he'd be happy to put her inside the pocket to ensure her safety.
Hold her hand, he said while leading her. "Come on, we need to across this mountain rock before it's too dark."
Yuina just follows behind him like a child. After one-hour walking and climbing, her feet start to feel sore and her hand is covered with white dust from the limestone she had to grab to climbing.
This is very challenging. Hayden has been helping her so much until he also covered with the white dust and had a few scratches in his other area of the body. It just that he did not show it at all. His face keeps calm as before.
While they were walking in a narrow mountain path, Hayden's ear caught a sound of a foot stepping from distant.
"Yuina, stop." He said. Wanting Yuina to stop her pace but she turns around and stomps her feet with puffing her cheek. She was talking to him about how she regrets to be born as a woman and then suddenly he asks her to stop talking.
"What? Are you tired of listening to me? You're too quiet and it makes me feels sleepy, dummy. If I'm not talking now, I might fall asleep while you keep dragging me. My feet are sore and now my throat is starting to dry out because of you. Huh!"
Cover her small mouth with his palm, he then bends down and makes a gesture to her to silent. Yuina was shocked at first, but seeing his serious face, she knows it's better if she stops talking right now.
Once she is already silent, Hayden put his ear near the ground. "Ten..no..hundred of men." His eyes start to widen a bit.
"What?" Yuina asks in a low voice. She did not hear what Hayden just utter earlier.
Standing up again, he looks around him. There's no area for hiding right now.
He then saw a small bush not far from them. He looks at Yuina and estimating her height and her body figure. "Princess, follow me."
He leads her to the bush and makes her curled up on the ground, hiding from the sudden ambush.
"Hay...Hayden." She looks at him before he leaves her. She looks a bit terrified.
"Do not go out. No matter what. Do you understand?" He asks. He wants to make sure she is safe.
"Hayden..you, promise me you come back here instantly."
"Yes, princess." He pulls the hood to cover Yuina's hair before he went back to where they're standing earlier. He needs to divert their attention to him and stay as far from Yuina's hiding place.
Just as he predicted, there's a hundred soldier from Ivory tribe surrounding him. At the middle of them is Commander Zuko. One of the vicious man with high ambitions.
The ivory tribe is known as a rugged and savage tribe. They are more like rebellious and stubborn people. However, they very loyal to the kingdom or precisely whoever rules the kingdom. They do anything to finish the task and keep their soldier ranking in number one to get favorable from the King.indeed, their soldier is the toughest wall this kingdom have. They always sent to the battlefield before.
"Well well, General Hayden. We've met again." Commander Zuko crosses his arm around his chest. He wearing a full suit with the armor and his army also wear full cover with the iron armor and weapon.
"Did I know you? I guess you mistook me as someone else, I no longer a General." Hayden reply with steadily.
Commander Zuko twitches a bit, he was surprised that General Hayden did not know who is he. He used to fight him in a tournament each year. He often loses at the third place though. But for him to know who is he is a bit…disrespectful.
"Did your brain broken? I used to fight you in the yearly tournament."
"Huh?" He scratches his head a bit. "I usually don't remember my opponent's name."
Feeling so embarrassed right now, he instructed his men to attack him. Hundred soldiers with full armor against one man who is no longer a general and just wearing a thin fabric. Ha! He must be joking.
Hayden did not waste his time, he pulls out his sword and starts to strike them one by one. Before, he already takes an oath to not kill people if not unnecessary. And this soldier is basically a mere soldier who follow their leader's order. They still people from the same kingdom as him. He restrained his power and only knock them out or scratch them a bit so that they can't move.
Commander Zuko also knows about the oath every General took. He is quite impressive on how Hayden still obey the laws when he is no longer a general. He instructs half of his soldier to search for the Princess.
"You know General Hayden, if only you did not kill the king and abducting the princess, I think you would have an easy life like before." He plays with his sword while looking at Hayden strike his men like his men are his puppet.
"Huh..why would I want to kill the king? You believe to such a fool accusation?" He smirking a bit.
"Prince Hans never lied. Not to us, his people!" He deepens his voice showing how loyal he is as an Ivory tribe to the Zirconia Kingdom.
While he was fighting, Yuina suddenly twitching her body when she saw one of the soldiers shot an arrow to Hayden's shoulder. He's bleeding and still keep fighting whilst take out the arrow from his shoulder.
"Hay.." Her trembling voice caught one of the soldier attention. He grabs her collar and smiling looking at her.
"Princess. Time to go home."
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