34 Ch. 15 - I'm not your daughter

[The Prince's View]

It felt like we were in the Palace for days. We've managed to kill all of the generals' men who tried to subdue us. Everyone was tired especially mother. Father was clearly protecting her and stopping her from doing too much. I wondered why that was but it seems that I didn't have the time to speculate about that.

"All of your men are useless!" General Takashi shouted at his brother. No matter how many he tried to let in, all of them were killed. General Makoto was still holding his hand. It was just bandaged haphazardly and one wrong move could make the wound reopen and he'll bleed out.

"You should have planned this better. How could you not know that the Prince and Princess knew how to fight?" General Makoto spouted at his brother. Their impatience was getting the better of them. They were fighting against each other. I looked over to my left and I noticed that Eiji was being oddly quiet.

"What are you looking at?" He asked angrily. It was clear to me that he had gone completely insane. His desire for the throne took over his state of being and now, that's all he wants to get. No matter how hard or how irrational the method of acquiring it, he's willing to do so.

"Little Prince Yukio is sad now that his precious Princess is dead." He said. I tried to mute him out but his words left a deep mark on me. I haven't completely forgiven myself for what happened to Sayori. The generals saw my expression and they seemed to have an idea.

"I see…" General Makoto said. His lips curled into a smirk as he looked at me.

"Your weakness is that girl." General Takashi said. He came up to me but before he could come really close, I drew out my sword. He took a step back.

"I should've kept that girl alive if I knew that she'd cause such a mess to the Imperial Family." He said. I looked over at Sumire and she was fighting back tears. We were trained to maintain calm whenever we were faced with a situation like this but this is the first time I've seen Sumire falter. I felt a pang in my chest because I feel like part of her pain was because of me.

"Sayori wouldn't let this happen if she was alive." I blurted out. All of them looked at me. Eiji stood up from where he was sitting and he walked right up to me.

"But she's not here right now, isn't she? And who's fault was that?" He said, trying to taunt me. I wanted to punch him but I knew that's what he was going for. He wanted me to become angry and lose control. I looked over at my mother and I could see in her eyes that she wanted me to stay calm. I took a deep breath and I sighed heavily.

Eiji noticed that I didn't take his bait. He muttered something under his breath and he went back to where he was sitting. I put my sword back in its sheath. The generals took a step back and tried to assess the situation.

I could still hear the clashing of swords outside. The night is long and the battle hasn't been decided yet. I just hope that our soldiers can win this once and for all. We're terribly outnumbered but what the generals brought are bandits who can't even fight properly. I'm hoping that our trained soldiers can hold them off just until the sun rises.

Just then, there were shouts that could be heard from outside. It didn't sound like our men. Even the generals were curious on what was happening outside. The clashing of swords became louder and louder until all of a sudden it was quiet outside.

"What's happening?!" General Takashi shouted. No one answered him. Just then, the door flew open and a knight from Hokkyokusei entered. He was covered from head to toe in armor.

"What are you doing here?" General Takashi shouted. He looked at us with a worried expression. He must've thought that we asked for help from Hokkyokusei. I looked at my mother and father and they were just as surprised as I was.

Without saying a word, the knight threw his spear at General Makoto. It hit him directly on the chest. General Makoto wasn't able to say anything. He just dropped down on the floor, a pool of blood surrounding him. General Takashi took a step back. He looked at his dead brother and then back at the knight.

"Who the hell are you?" He asked once more. The knight was still silent. Every step the knight took, the general took a step back. The knight picked up his spear that was still stuck to the General's chest.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Eiji moving and within a second, he charged at me. I was quick enough to draw my sword and block his attack. Sumire ran to mother and father's side as the knight and I fought with the enemy.

General Takashi tried to fight back to the knight but it was clear that his sword was no match for the knight's spear.

I couldn't even get a good glimpse of that knight when Eiji pushed me.

"Am I boring you, Prince?" He asked mockingly.

"Clearly." I said. He looked mad after what I said. He tried to disarm me but I had a good grip of my sword and I was blocking all of his attacks. His impatience was clearly making his swordsmanship worse.

"Just die already! So you can be with your beloved Sayori!" He said angrily. As he swung his sword at me, I took it as a chance to disarm him. I hit his elbow which made him drop his sword. I pointed it at his chest, ready to pierce him if he tried to do anything.

"If you died, you would have been with Sayori. But now, I'll be taking your place. I'll learn to love her." He said. I planned to spare him but I didn't expect that he would push himself onto my sword. I felt it as the sword ran through him. He looked at me and smiled before blood started to trickle down his lips. I pulled my sword out and he fell to the ground.

Eiji's search for power consumed him and there was nothing any of us could do to save him from that hell. I felt bad about killing him but it was either me or him. I looked on as the battle between the general and the knight was at its climax.

The knight clearly knew how to handle his weapon. He kept pushing the general back with his swings until he tripped and landed on his back. He dropped his sword and it was no longer in reach of him. He was cornered and he knew that.

"Why are you here? Why would Hokkyokusei come and help this falling Empire?" The general asked. The general was at the knight's mercy. He stood on top of him, spear in hand, ready to kill him.

Suddenly, the knight stopped. Before he could deal the finishing blow, he took off his helmet and everyone in the room became silent.

"Sayori?" The General said. She looked at him and there was no mercy in her eyes. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

"Yes, it's me. Are you surprised?" She asked. The general trembled under her gaze. He tried to plead for his life but Sayori was not having it.

"Please, I'm your father. Please don't kill me." He said. Sayori smirked as he placed the spear just on top of the general's chest.

"After what you did to my mother, after what you did to me, you ask me to spare you?" Sayori said. Her father looked at her with pleading eyes. He was begging not to be killed.

"Please, my daughter." He said. His words must've struck a nerve. Sayori's lips curled into a sinister smile without missing a beat, she said:

"I am not your daughter." As she struck the general's chest using her spear. The general looked at her as he choked on his own blood. He stopped moving, his motionless body was cast aside as Sayori pulled out the spear from his chest. She dropped the spear on the ground and she turned to me.

My eyes were not deceiving me. Sayori was right in front of me. We ran to each other's embrace and I held her in my arms as tight as I could. We were silent. I could feel her tears staining my robe but it didn't matter. What mattered more to me was that she was alive and safe.

"I can't believe it. Please tell me I'm not dreaming." I said. Sayori released me and she cupped my face. She pulled me closer until I felt her lips on mine. She quickly pulled back and looked at me.

"You're not dreaming, Yukio. I'm really here with you." She said. There was relief in my chest and I felt like a boulder was finally lifted from my body and I could finally breathe again. After our short reunion together, mother, father and Sumire ran towards us. They gave Sayori a hug and my mother was on the verge of tears.

"Sayori, I knew you were alive. I'm happy to see you again." She said as she hugged Sayori. Sayori was in tears when she was being hugged by mother. Sumire was also in tears when she saw Sayori. After mother had her turn with Sayori, Sumire immediately ran towards her and hugged her.

"Sayori!" She said while crying. Sayori hugged her and comforted her. Everyone was relieved to see her alive and well.

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After our big reunion, one of the men from Hokkyokusei came up to us and knelt in front of Sayori.

"Your majesty, the revolt has been stopped. There are no more men associated with the general. What are your orders now?" He asked. We all looked at Sayori as she handed out orders.

"Take all of our men and return to Hokkyokusei. I will stay here for a while and settle any matters that need to be addressed. Tell my father that I will be back in a week's time." She said. The man bowed his head and stood up without looking back. He quickly gathered the troops and marched off. I looked at Sayori and I couldn't help but hug her.

"I miss you…" I whispered. She wrapped her arms around my neck as I hugged her.

"I miss you too." She whispered.

"Ahem…" My father cleared his throat which made Sayori and I jump. We let go of each other and faced my parents.

"I'm happy to see you, Sayori. You have no idea how much sadness your absence caused in this family." Father said. Sayori looked at him and smiled. Father looked at mother and he pulled her close to him. He's been awfully protective of mother and it made all of us curious.

"Let's have this place cleaned up before we do anything else." Mother suggested. We all agreed and we went upstairs as mother and father ordered for the disposal of the bodies and the cleaning of the Imperial Hall.

Sayori and I were in my room. We cuddled on the bed, trying to replace the time we spent apart. I just wanted her to stay in my arms all day. I don't want her to leave me again.

"Sayori, how did all of this happen?" I asked. Questions were flying in my head and I wanted some answers.

"When I fell in that ravine, I was washed up in a river up north. The people of Hokkyokusei managed to find me and nurse me back to health. There, I found out that my mother was the Empress before she left and never came back. It turns out, the person pretending to be my father threatened my mother which made her stay until she died off her disease. My rea father was still back at Hokkyokusei." She explained. It was too much to handle even for me, I wonder how she handled this when she found out about it.

"It has been super overwhelming but the thing I'm most happy about is to see you here with me. Sayori, since there are no more obstacles in our relationship, would you marry me?" I asked. There was no time for me to stop and think. I don't want something to disturb us again.

Sayori looked at me with loving eyes.

"Of course I will. But if you marry me, are you ready to become the Emperor of Hokkyokusei?" She asked. The question shocked me.

"I have to go back to Hokkyokusei, Yukio. Are you willing to come to Hokkyokusei with me?" She asked again. I've made up my mind. I don't want to be apart from Sayori anymore. I held her hands in mine as I looked deep into her eyes.

"Yes, I'm ready to become anything as long as I'm with you." I answered. The look in her eyes said it all. I cupped her face and pulled her closer to me until I felt her lips on mine.

Let's not be apart anymore, Sayori.