AFP_Writer

This chapter is Elina's POV. Hope you'll enjoy this one.

My entire life I was not similar to my peers. While my friends were playing with dolls and having tea parties, I learned swordsmanship. While my friends became noble ladies and married into other houses, I became an adventurer. The Father refused to support me and unofficially made me abdicate from the family’s name.

I travelled the continent, I visited many nations, I met many new friends. One of which was as abnormal as was I.

When I first met a shivering ball of fur, the pesky but enigmatic Fuji, I thought that this will soon end and I will return to my poor but free life. Oh, how wrong I was. To think that I would end up a duchess one day… Moreover, as the head of my family.

I was happy to know that I have a friend who will support me, a friend who is willing to risk their everything for me, a friend who is ready to be closer to me than anyone. Fuji was weird but she always made me wonder if I am just sleeping and everything around me is just a wild hallucination. I can’t tell when she stopped being a headache and became an integral part of my life.

The adventures I had were nothing in comparison with what happened after I met Fuji. I ended up in the old Lagikera castle, an outpost on the western border of the kingdom. I was lead here by this cheeky brat who decided to run away from me and left me to govern in her stead. She even kissed me…

The first week as the new duchess was easy and nice, I talked to the people, I visited the lands around, I almost sworn allegiance to the king… This ‘almost’ became the downfall of my happy life.

“You sworn your loyalty to the foreign power? Do you think that being enthroned by Her makes you untouchable? You are still governing the lands which are part of our kingdom. You will either abdicate from the power, or be judged as a traitor.” I had to summon the allies Fuji found beforehand. I was put in charge of our noble faction and its armies.

From there on, the state became divided. The civil war began.

Fuji signed agreements with 47 nobles, only one of them refused to join our cause. The noble was judged and now his head rots on the pike, right outside the capital’s north gate. We were facing the enemy which wanted to eradicate everyone who sided with Fuji. After she sailed into unknown she was believed to be dead. The king rushed to proclaim her dead thinking that this will make the nobles, who sided with her, abandon her faction and return to being his loyal subjects.

The king had to decide whether to condone our faction or to risk everything in hope that Fuji will never return. After the actual hostilities began the peace was no longer an option. Our combined army was defeated many times and we were pushed back until we became trapped inside Lagikera. Fuji’s construction turned the previously useful castle into a half-collapsed stone barricade with an earth platform. With the supplies and materials gathered for the construction we managed to build a makeshift castle with barricades of stone and wood, build a few watchtowers and dig a moat. After a last battle we were under siege.

The troops’ morale was below the ground, there was no hope and they were only fighting for survival, because everyone who surrendered was killed by the loyalists. Even the nobles were becoming less and less convinced that the agreement they signed was working. Sometimes we could only look at the sea, guarded by the enemy fleet, and hope we will see the familiar smoke of a metal ship.

We fought off the assaults many times, our preparations proved to be fruitful but each time we were pushed closer and closer to the sea. After a month of a siege we are trapped on the highest level of Fuji’s planned castle, with no way to run. The night was approaching and we knew, the king’s forces will go on the final assault. Our faith was shaken, some even thought we were betrayed by her, from the very beginning.

I understood that it finally began when the enemy fleet moved away and the army lit up the torches.

We doused all fires and grabbed our weapons. Some prayed, some cried, some were standing and looking at the sea absent-mindedly, with their hollow eyes.

“Fuji, you bastard. Why did you leave us here? Did you not want to return here?” I wanted to scream from helplessness. I could only cry and regret not telling her what I think.

“Farewell, you cheeky brat~. I will always love you, even if you no longer want to see us...”

The assault soon began. I was watching how the enemy climbed the last barricades and swarmed our men. The fight began, and was about to be over.

Everything changed when I heard explosions in the distance. They were familiar.

‘VROOOM’

Low above the ground, unknown flying objects flashed above the castle. I might not know what they are but I perfectly know whose they are.

“Do they not see us? That might be the case…” I was staring in the air when another group of the objects buzzed above.

“LIGHT THE FIRES, MAKE THEM SEE US!” This is our only hope, if she returned we are saved.

When we lit some fires and people started jumping and waving their hands around the fires, I saw how the ‘planes’ lit their own little fires. They were waving their wooden wings to say hello.

“SHOOT FIRE ARROWS AT THE ENEMY! DO NOT SPARE EVEN A SINGLE ONE!” They don’t understand the severity of our situation…

When the next group of planes saw the battle they immediately dosed their fires and dispersed.

Ra-ta-ta-ta-ta

One of them dived like a hawk and shot its magic at the enemies.

A moment later

Boom Boom

A couple of explosions happened outside the castle’s borders. Right near the enemy camp.

Boom Boom

Every few seconds the explosions were happening.

And then the planes arrived, a large group of them. Some of them were diving from high altitude and later the explosions were happening. Some of them flew right above the battlefield and the explosions followed them. All of the planes continued circling around the battlefield like a flock of vultures.

“YES! SHOW THEM!” I was crying from happiness. We were all ready to face our death and now we can see that we are saved.

Ra-ta-ta-ta-ta

‘VROOOOM’

A plane strafed the climbing enemy troops and flashed so close to me, that I might’ve touched it if I stretched out my arm.

For a few moments I was just standing there remembering the memento of a powerful machine. I never saw anything like that. Its wide nose, its glittering skin and its loud roar were forever sealed in my memory.

Our troops shot several fire arrows into a group of enemies and a few moments later, one of the planes used magic at the enemy. All of our archers started using the same trick to show the vultures where the enemies are.

With Fuji’s help the assault ended with our first major victory.

Together with the new dawn, our hope and joy returned, the sovereign of our rebellion returned home.

‘AH-OO-GAH’