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"L-Lord Mafuyu! You must slow down!!"
All Mafuyu heard was the cries of void's retainer, Ena, paired with distressed voices belonging to it guards, Tsukasa and Shizuku, as void ran after the beast. It couldn't let it's mother down. Not after the agreement they made.
"Mother..?
"I'm sending you out to kill a beast that has been terrorizing and plaguing the village, Mafuyu. A princess needs to be able to protect her people."
". . . I wanted to ask you something. . ."
"Can it wait?"
Mafuyu glanced over to the side room, where Ena was violently shaking her head no. Mafuyu looked back to it's mother. "No. I wish to tell you I. .. I am not a female. I am non-bina-"
"Complete this mission perfectly and I will address you however you like. Your guards and retainer are not to end the beast's life. And I want proof."
Mafuyu's eyes lit up just a little, and with a bow, it left with Ena out of the side door. "I must complete the mission perfectly."
The beast had lost them all day. It only had a few days left to complete the mission. The dark night sky, paired with thick canopy filtering the dim moonlight, would not stop this royal.
Finally, the beast stopped. Possibly to eat. Drawing its bow, eyes narrowing sharply, Mafuyu aimed at its torso. A place that would cause too much pain to move.
The clouds covered the remaining moonlight as it released the arrow, and only a pained shriek told it that void it had hit it target. The moonlight returned, and Mafuyu approached the clearing the beast had been in.
... but there was no beast. The closest thing was a slightly larger than normal rose rabbit, with an arrow in its torso.
Ena, Tsukasa and Shizuku caught up, only Tsukasa not being at a loss of breath. "MY GODS, Mafuyu, you can't just run off like that! This beast is-"
"...A rabbit?" Shizuku finished, confused. "Your mother wanted us to kill a rabbit?" The archer approached Mafuyu and tilted her head. Ena moved to the beast and frowned.
"Not a normal rabbit. It's a Märchenkaninchen, a fey that hides as a rabbit in our realm. It must be young, though... My dad said they normally aren't huge unless they're young and learning their powers still." Ena got up, turning to Mafuyu. "Your mom must be mistaken. They're harmless fey."
As if on cue, the rose rabbit turned into a girl with a pink bob. The light blue sweater was stained a dark pink with the blood of the fey. Shaking, scared pink eyes looked up at the four humans, as if surprised she wasn't dead.
"... We'll take her back to the castle.
Explain to mother what she thought the beast was. Tsukasa, please carry her back to camp. We'll tend to the arrow wound there." The male nodded, carefully scooping the fey up (and recoiling from the loud terrified squeak released right in his ear), before they all went back to camp.
At the camp, Mafuyu stayed awake with Ena to tend to the fey. "The arrow is deep enough that pushing it through is way safer." Ena said. "I'll get the pocket knife I have so we can cut the feathering off the arrow." She went to her tent.
Looking down at the fey, who was trembling in void's arms as if she would be eaten, Mafuyu tilted it's head a little. "Why are you so scared? We're trying to help you."
The fey squeaked. "Y-You shot me! I-I have a right to be terrified!" The tone startled Mafuyu. Void didn't expect the fey to speak its language. "I was just trying to make a few flower garlands... Saki and Honami said the flowers they like are way deep in fey territory, so I was gonna help them..."
"Saki..? As in the Saki from the village outside my castle? My guard's little sister?" More importantly, wasn't it dangerous to give a fey your name...?
"Saki did say her big brother was a guard... so maybe? She— Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow—" The fey whined in pain, shaking more. "... I thought humans used iron arrows...?"
Mafuyu shook its head. "We use iron arrow heads. But I stick with non-metal. It doesn't rust." It looked up at the tent Ena went into. "Besides. My retainer is a fey. I wouldn't want Ena getting hurt."
"I was wondering about her horns...! It's impressive to see a dark fey work under humans, since a lot of them hate humanity." Mafuyu tilted it's head again. "Ngh... Ow ow ow ow..."
Ena returned and quickly cut off the feathered part of the arrow. "I'm only half fey! Whatever, just— Take a deep breath in and breathe out when I push the arrow through. Lord Mafuyu, if she needs to, ca—"
"She can squeeze my arm or hand if needed, yes." Mafuyu remembered back to the one time Shizuku had been stuck in the situation the fey was in. And the pain the archer vividly described in excruciating detail (poor Tsukasa).
The fey timidly took Mafuyu's arm and inhaled deeply. Then let out a very pained yelp with an exhale as the arrow was pushed through and pulled out the other side. The fey squeezed void's arm tightly, as evident by her whitening knuckles, but void felt hardly anything... Which caused a little worry. As soon as the arrow was through, Ena used what little magic she possessed to keep the wound from bleeding more so they could fix the other fey up. “I'm going to remove your sweater and lift your shirt enough so I can stitch you up, okay?” The pink fey nodded and closed her eyes. Brown eyes looked up at duo-chromatic ones. “She's really weak... Mafuyu, are you sure bringing her to the castle will be a good idea...? I know you don't want to kill an innocent, but there has to be a way to tri—”
“I can't fail mother...” Mafuyu took a deep breath. “I'll stitch up their left wound, you stitch up the right.” The retainer nodded, and they hurried to keep the fey from worse pain.
Once they were done, Ena sighed a little. “I've set up a small protective barrier around us, if you want to sleep. I'm wiped out from everything.” Getting up again, she turned to the royal. “If you haven't slept by morning., I'm not letting you hit the road. So don't forget to.” And with that, she went to her tent.
Mafuyu looked at the fey, who seemed to be asleep. Brushing some hair from her eyes, Mafuyu tensed when void saw an eye open weakly. “I didn't mean to wake you.”
“It's okay...” She groaned. “I wasn't asleep yet...” Mafuyu held the fey closer. “. . . I'm Emu.”
Mafuyu blinked. “Ma— My name is Y—”
“You don't have to tell me your name... I know that humans get taught all fey can steal names, and I wouldn't wanna accidentally take yours... Good night, your highness...” The fey, Emu, closed her eyes again and fell asleep. Confused, but not sure it wanted to complain, Mafuyu curled up around Emu and fell asleep as well.