Chapter Text
It was going a simple raid. Not at all complicated. A group of bandits had been harassing the nearby villages and he was going to attack them with a small company of soldiers. It was nothing special. He could have just sent his forces out to deal with the bandits and stayed back in Windmire, but he wanted to deliver a message to his people. He would ensure their ability to live their lives in peace, even if he had to come out himself and stop those who would disturb their lives.
The only thing different about this event was that his eldest son insisted on coming. He had wanted to see how his father fought and led in a real battle. It took a lot of convincing – Xander was persistent if nothing else – but he agreed to let his son come. There was one condition, however; Xander would do nothing but observe and stay a safe distance away from the battle with a part of the royal bodyguard to protect him in case a few bandits got too close to him.
In the dead of night, the soldiers had surrounded the camp. They would not let anyone get away. If one was to surrender, they were under instruction to capture them, but otherwise, they would kill anyone who tried to escape. A third of the force would help attack the camp, seeing as there were so few bandits despite the trouble they caused, and the rest would support the raid. When Garon gave the signal, the attack was sprung. It was unexpected. Most of the bandits were asleep and unprepared, causing them to be captured before they could defend themselves. The ones who did fight were quickly cut down. It didn’t take long before the living bandits were taken away and the camp was secured.
“Father! That was amazing!” Xander exclaimed as he ran up to him. Gunter, a former general and current the captain of the bodyguard, was walking closely behind, keeping a diligent eye out for trouble that may have slipped by. Garon smiled at his son. He would have preferred that his son stay safe at home, but it was good that he saw how to lead. He decided to quiz him on the battle on the way home.
“Now Xander, stay close. We don’t know if any of the bandits are still around.” He placed his hand on his son’s shoulder as he took another look around the camp. Most of the tents were being searched by the soldiers. They seized the supplies that were found inside. Once they were given back to the people, they could return home. A moment later, he felt his son pull away from him, running over to the smallest tent. “That boy…” Garon muttered under his breath before striding after him. “Xander, what did I just tell you?”
Xander opened the flap to the tent, obviously curious as to what they would keep in there. Then he froze for a second before turning back to his father with shock on his face.
“Father! There’s a little girl in here! She’s tied up!” he shouted before running in to the tent. Garon looked in after his son. Holding the flap open to let the moonlight in, he could see what his son was talking about. A little girl was tied to a post with her arms tied behind her back and pressed between her and the wood, her legs and ankles bound tightly, and even blindfolded and gagged! Xander was already working on getting her loose, starting with the blindfold. “Don’t worry. Let’s get these off you.”
With the blindfold off, Garon could see just how scared she was. Her red eyes were wide, and it looked like she was on the verge of tears, even as the gag was removed. She was quietly whimpering, but she couldn’t exactly do much while bound like that. After tying the flap open so that he could see the interior, he walked over to the two children. By this point, Xander had managed to cut the rope that kept her back and arms pressed against the post and started to work on freeing her arms before untying her legs. Looking closely at her, Garon recognized her style of clothing. She wore a blue, flower-patterned kimono, a style of dress common in Hoshido, and sandals with stockings. He was confused. Why was a Hoshidan girl a prisoner of those bandits?
When all the rope was either cut or untied, the girl started to shrink away from them. She wasn’t screaming, so she probably understood that they were there to help her, but she was still scared. Garon decided to try and speak to her, keeping his voice soft as to not scare her more than she was already.
“What happened? How did those men get ahold of you?” She was still sitting on the ground and leaning away a bit, acting a bit guarded, but she had been in the hands of bandits for who knows how long. The girl looked down. Her platinum-blond hair started falling over her face, but the king noticed that her ears were pointed, like a dragon’s ears were in its humanoid form. That was unusual, but it didn’t explain why she was taken. After all, the dragons were long gone, and even those with dragon blood didn’t have a trait like that.
“I was going somewhere with my father. They attacked us and took me.” Her voice was small and trembling. She was just barely holding herself together. “They said they wished they had been allowed to kill my father, but they had been told not to. They needed to keep him alive and free in Hoshido for some plan.”
“Who’s your father?” Xander asked, a bit too loud for the moment in Garon’s opinion. The volume caused the girl to flinch, but she answered the question.
“He’s King Sumeragi. My mother’s name is Mikoto.”
Garon was shocked. This was one of the princesses of Hoshido? Granted, she wasn’t the daughter of the queen, rather it was Sumeragi’s concubine, but the abduction of a Hoshidan princess in the presence of the king would no doubt cause massive amounts of trouble between the countries. At least he had an answer to why they took her as well as someone to return her to. It was also someone that he would be able to reach out to with presumably little trouble. It had been quite a while since he had heard anything from his diplomat to Hoshido, but he was sure he was already working to keep them from blaming Nohr as a whole. Brushing a hand through his blond hair, he started planning the steps needed to send the little princess back to her family.
“What’s your name? How old are you?” his son whispered. The girl looked up at him, but then sat up in a kneeling position.
“My name is Kairi. I’m almost five years old.” she answered, a little softer that time.
‘So, she’s Azura’s age.’ Garon thought. Her head lowered again, not looking anyone in the eye. From the minor quivering of her voice, Garon understood why. He gently placed his hand under her chin and tilted her head up again. She was trying her hardest to stay composed. It was to be commended that she had kept relatively calm for her circumstances, but she was just a child, despite her position.
“You’re safe now, Princess Kairi. And now, I’m going to start the process to get you home.” He gave a kind smile to reassure her, then turned to his son. “Xander, it will likely take a bit to get her back to Hoshido, so I will expect you and Camilla to make her feel welcome.” Xander grinned at him at that.
“Of course, Father.”
With that settled, Xander took her hand and helped the princess up. Then he followed his father out of the tent. The soldiers had just finished cleaning up after the fight. All the weapons, tools, and food had been gathered and were ready to be distributed to the villages. They looked at King Garon, then over to his son holding the hand of a crying Hoshidan girl. Before anyone gathered the nerve to ask about it, Garon walked over to Gunter and the general.
“There’s been a change of plans. Gunter, I want you and the guard to escort me, my son, and the Hoshidan girl back to Windmire. General Adler, you will oversee the distribution of the spoils.” Murmurs of confusion seemed to echo through the camp, but Garon just called for the horses. Ignoring the stares, he looked down at Kairi before she was lifted onto Gunter’s horse. “I trust Gunter to take care of you while we ride. If there’s a problem, I will be close by.” After that, he mounted his own horse.
Turning back towards the capital, his thoughts drifted towards the girl. If those bandits intended for trouble between Nohr and Hoshido, they certainly had a good start. Depending on how long she had been with them, it could be tricky getting her back with no incident. He hoped that he could smooth things over with Sumeragi by returning his daughter. She could explain what happened and they could avoid a serious conflict.
“Father? Are you all right?” a voice asked from in front of him. He looked down at his nine-year-old and smiled.
“Yes, Xander.” Then another thought came to him. Smiling, he asked, “Now, did you learn anything today?” he asked good-naturedly. Xander looked down for a minute, brows furrowed in thought.
“You planned ahead with your men, you worked with them and gave clear expectations for what they were to do, and you attacked when they weren’t prepared. They didn’t expect anything.” Xander answered. It was simple and accurate, but Garon had a bit of a different lesson for him.
“You are focusing on the battle. What of the aftermath?” With that, Xander looked down in thought. When he didn’t answer, Garon pointed out what he wanted Xander to learn. “The most important part of a battle is the protection of our people. With the bandits gone, they can live safer lives. And since the Hoshidan princess has been rescued, we can work towards sending her home, so she can get her life back to normal. War and battle are horrible for those that get caught in the crossfire. That is why we try to avoid battles near our villages, towns, and cities, and if we must have a battle near them, we try to end it as quickly as possible. In war, the rules change a little, but the purpose is still to protect our people.” He gave his son a minute to think that over before continuing. “My main goal in battle is the protection of those who do not fight. That is why I sent a message to the villages to not go into the woods tonight. Then he teasingly scolded his son. “And that is also why I want you to obey me next time when I give you a direct order.”
“Father!” Xander exclaimed. Even in a lesson, Garon knew to have a little fun with his son. He said it as a joke, but he made a mental note to have a talk with him about following orders when they were home.