[I would like to apologize for the lack of chapters these past few days. I just went through my midterm examinations and a huge college project that has been pressuring me since I need to finish it for my finals. I was only able to pass an announcement on my patreon and completely forgot to make one here on my public platforms.
I just don't want you guys to think that I dropped the story or anything.
Anyways, I was able to squeeze some of my free time to write. Hope y'all enjoy.]
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Henry emerged from the study room with a satisfied smile. Even though there's no need for him to inform them that their daughter is still alive, he did it out of his own accord, and besides, he can't afford to see them despondent over something that can be cleared up with assurance.
'Her rescue won't take long. Maybe only a day or two. I'll go back to Lioncrest first, settle some things there before I handle her case. As long as she's not exposed to the tiara yet, she wouldn't have frustrating thoughts about the outside world.'
Knowing that she'll do just fine in the wizard tower, Henry decided to handle his family matters first. Not to mention, he would also need a deep conversation with his father about his supposed arranged marriage with Rapunzel.
It's not like Henry is against it. Who wouldn't be? His problem is about Elsa. He's not sure about what marriage and love are all about during this time and era but he doesn't want to risk hurting Elsa if he's going to push through his arranged marriage with Rapunzel.
If possible, it'll be better if he could put a stop to it with Rapunzel. Then again, it's not like he's powerless to forcefully erase the arranged marriage but that might put a strain on the relationship between Lioncrest and Corona Kingdom, especially their Kings who turned out to be long-time friends.
'Or I can ask for it in return for rescuing her but that leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I like doing these kinds of things without asking anything in return.' Henry's consideration didn't last long before he threw it out of the window.
When Henry reached the garden and saw Arianna tending to Ariel, who was crouched and trying to resist plucking a rose, while Dr. Dolittle and his partner were just wandering around with tranquil looks on their faces, and lastly, Ser Liam was standing near the fence door, his stance guarded and his hand resting on his sword's hilt.
When he saw Henry, the knight captain's expression relaxed.
"Prince Henry." He gave him a knight's salute. A fist thumped to the chest and a slight bow of his upper body.
Henry reciprocated with a nod of his head, "Anything happened while I was gone?"
"Aside from Miss Ariel and Queen Arianna getting along just fine, nothing happened that is worth mentioning." Ser Liam replied.
"Good. Round everyone up, we're leaving." After saying those words, Henry left and approached Ariel who was now helping Queen Arianna to tend to some flowers.
On the way there, he overheard their conversation, "So, is there something going on between you two?" Arianna asked.
At first, Ariel was confused and even asked, "With who?"
"Oh come on, you know who I'm talking about. It's Henry. I noticed his name coming out of your mouth more than the word 'I'. So, are you two lovers?"
"L-Lovers?!" Ariel's face turned as red as her hair. Clearly, she was not expecting that to be the topic that Arianna was referring to.
"Ah, youth. You know I used to be like that too. When I first met my husband, I used to be a pampered little girl who got her status as the Duke's daughter over her head. I hate him at first but grew to secretly fall for him to the point that I got scared to admit my feelings." Arianna ignored the dirt on her hand and caressed her own cheek, closing her eyes as she reminisced about her past.
That is until she came to a point in memory that she stopped smiling and went back to tending the garden, "Right, I'm sorry for bringing it up all of a sudden. Just curious about him, that's all."
Ariel went silent for a brief moment before revealing, "We're not lovers. At least I hope not yet. I think he already has one, the Elsa that he once mentioned to me."
"Elsa?" Arianna found the name oddly familiar.
Ariel nodded her head and continued, "I do like him, not just any like but I love him. So much so that I would sometimes imagine what it's like to be in Elsa's place. I said to myself sometimes that she's really lucky to have Henry's undivided attention all to herself." Ariel sat on the grassy ground, hugging her knees close to her as a melancholic look appeared on her face.
On the other hand, Arianna stayed silent. How could she say something when it was she who initiated this kind of topic?
As for Henry, who has been eavesdropping on their conversation since earlier, couldn't help but blink his eyes in surprise. He already had suspicions about Ariel's feelings toward him, and this just confirms it.
'Lesson learned, never talk to a woman while the topic is about another woman, especially if the woman in the topic is something infatuated with.' Henry rubbed his forehead, deeply contemplating whether he should keep eavesdropping or let his presence be known right now.
"W-Well, I may not be an expert in this kind of thing, but I heard Lioncrest Kingdom follows a tradition of concubines, so you may still have a chance."
Seeing her down still, Arianna mentally sighed, "Well, how about you tell me more about yourself? To be able to stand on Henry's side, surely you must be a very fascinating woman!"
This time, the compliment made Ariel beam in happiness as she played with her hair and responded in a sugary manner, "Well, first things first, I'm actually a Princess too!" She leaned forward and whispered, "Don't tell anybody! It's our little secret"
Henry took this cue to finally reveal his presence. Thank goodness Ariel didn't tell Arianna that she's a mermaid, although mermaids are depicted in some books and whispered by the sailors, Arianna might still think that there's something wrong with Ariel's head.
"Queen Arianna, Ariel." Henry gave them a polite nod as he touched Ariel's shoulder, "My apologies in advance Queen Arianna, but we must depart now, Lioncrest awaits us."
"We're going already?" While Ariel was pouting, Queen Arianna nodded her head in understanding.
"I'll see to it that your journey will be filled with ample supplies."
"There's no need for that, Queen Arian—" Henry's words were interrupted by the woman in topic.
"Don't call me Queen. Just call me Arianna, it's fine." Arianna waved her hand nonchalantly.
"—Well, Arianna. We have already bought enough supplies for the trip. But still, thank you for your generosity."
With that being said, they were escorted out of the castle where they reunited with the rest of the entourage.
Later, they passed through the inn and fetched Polynesia and the gang, and the large barrel containing Aqua along with Flynn who seemed traumatized by whatever he witnessed inside the room before heading out of the walls of Corona Kingdom.
And now they're back on the journey to the Lioncrest Kingdom. Hopefully, this time there won't be anymore hurdles on the way.
———
Except it didn't. Just a day after their departure, they immediately encountered a gang of bandits, their number almost reaching 50.
Ser Liam, along with his retinue unsheathed their long swords as they prepared to engage with the bandits.
"They must be part of the Bandit King's brigand to be this many and…" His eyes darted towards the attire of the bandits and their well-polished weapons and leather outfits, "surprisingly well supplied…" A suspicious tone rang in his voice.
Henry, who was on a horseback looking at the group lazily, couldn't help but curiously ask out loud, "So which among my long line of enemies hired you?"
The group of bandits looked at one another with unease. While one of them had his expression frozen, which Henry quickly noticed.
He pointed at that certain man, "You there. Yes you. Tell me…" Henry forced himself not to grin and continued, "Did one of my brothers hire you to ambush us?"
To Henry's surprise, the man carelessly turned stiff as his eyes looked away. This finally made Henry unable to hold back his grin, "How unprofessional. Let me guess, the letter must be in your pocket somewhere, right?"
The man's eyes widened and he shakily pointed his sword forward, "K-Kill them all!"
The loud roar of the bandits made Ser Liam and the retinue of knights tighten their grip on their swords, ready to clash against the bandits at any moment.
Henry suddenly noticed Ariel's grip on his shoulders tightening. When he looked back at her in worry, it turned out to be the opposite.
Ariel was looking at the bandits in excitement. The same look he had when he first encountered one a few years ago.
'Right, she must be itching to test her powers on a real enemy. I felt the same when I first learned swordsmanship.' Reminiscing about the old days, Henry shook his head and mentally sighed.
'Well, I guess I should let her try. Better for Ser Liam and the others to know that she's a magician rather than a mermaid.'
"You want to fight them?" Henry's question made Ariel snap out of her thoughts and look at him in shock before turning into eagerness.
"You mean. You'll let me fight them?"
"Depends if you can handle yourself." When Henry said those words, Ariel took offense at it and pouted.
"Of course I can handle myself! I'm no longer the Ariel that you first met and left you on that island! Just watch me!" With a condescending tone in her voice, she slipped out of the saddle and confidently strode forward, putting a stop to the bandits' charge.
"A woman?" One of the bandits murmured in surprise before turning into a full-blown laughter.
"What a bunch of cowards! They actually sent a mere woman to fight us? They're madder than us!"
"Hahahaha!"
Their laughter resounded across the forest. And while the knights were furious about being mocked as cowards, they were also curious about the magical girl who emerged in the middle of the ocean out of nowhere and had been with Henry these past few days.
For Henry to let her approach like this, they can only assume that there's a reason behind it.
Meanwhile, Ser Liam remained silent, observing the red-haired woman's figure. To him, she seemed calm despite facing an entire battalion of bandits, he's not sure if his eyes are tricking him but he noticed a hint of excitement coursing through Ariel's posture.
The way she's approaching them is like a child excitedly reaching for a sweet chocolate.
He already had suspicions about this woman especially since she seems to be capable of magic too like their prince. He's just not sure how capable she is in battle compared to Henry. But now, that curiosity will have its answer.
One of the bandits stepped forward, a wide grin forming on his face. Once she's within arm's reach, the bandit tried to speak, "Hey lady, how about you come with us inst—" Only to get interrupted when the grass around him suddenly shriveled out and what came out from them were small droplets of water.
Considering there are thousands or hundreds of thousands of grasses around them, these small droplets of water soon turned into an enormous ball of water that is as large as a boulder.
If this were dropped on them, they wouldn't even have the time to drown as the sheer weight of the water would simply crush them into a mushy mess.
The confident bandit from earlier suddenly found his legs turn sluggish until he fell on his butt, his eyes widened, his mouth gaping, and his finger pointing at the red-haired beauty who suddenly looked evil at this moment.
Ariel tilted her head and asked, "Sorry, what were you saying? I didn't hear you from this huge water I'm holding." Her lips curved into a smile, which one might see as something sweet but the other side of the battlefield sees the opposite.
The bandit immediately turned around and tried to crawl back to his gang. His previous arm that wanted to reach and touch Ariel was now attempting to reach back to his own brigand.
"H-Help me!" He cried.