Hidden

The sun was already high up on the sky by the time Kagura reached some kind of place that could pass for a bandit camp. There were several tents, a fireplace in the middle and a tiger sleeping under a tree. Yes, that is the place, Kagura thought as she observed it carefully.

Now, she needed a plan. What does she do? She simply had to save her friend. If she has only stopped him before it was too late, if she had only done something different last night, she might be able to change the outcome but she was just frozen... She needed to make things right...

In the camp, there seemed to be some kind of a fight. An unknown male voice was saying: "How many times do I have to tell you not to leave anything behind that could reveal our identities or location!?"

"Oh, chill out. Nothing is going to happen, we've got the boy, money and everything you asked for." A female voice replied. It didn't take long for Kagura to realise the female voice was the same girl who attacked her last night.

"Chill out?! How can I chill out when you have left the girl alive and even led her right to our place! She could be here right now listening to this conversation!" He shouted.

"Classic Roger! Always exaggerating." Irithel said with a sigh. "Can't you just get over it and get to work. It is as it is and you can change nothing. Besides, do you see her anywhere around?" The girl asked. "No. And that is because she is not here."

Kagura just chuckled a little hearing that. She was right there, hidden, listening to their conversation, trying to think of a plan how to free her friend but even before that... She had to find him.

She sneaked around the camp trying to find any clues that could tell her where Hayabusa was but nothing. All she could see were the two talking who now moved outside. The girl was wearing leather shirt and shorts with wool on the inside and some parts outside. She really did look like somebody who lived out in the open.

The man in other hand looked much older than her. If Kagura remembered well, his name was Roger. He was wearing a yellow coat and black pants. Beneath the coat, he wore nothing and a scar could clearly be seen over his chest. He was smoking while chatting with Irithiel. That limited her movements even more but now she had a chance to take a look inside of the tent the two were in before. She highly doubted there was somebody else inside since it wasn't that big of a tent.

She sneaked in it and looked around. Empty. Except few boxes and a candle, there was nothing inside. But there was a rather familiar pouch in a half-opened case. "Well, well, well. What do we have here?" She mumbled for herself as she took the gold the bandits stole from them back.

She then wanted to sneak out of the tent but her attemot was interrupted by two men taking a seat next to the burnt out fireplace. She couldn't get out unnoticed. The thought fast... There had to be something she could do to get out of that situation...

***

By this time, Odette was in Lancelot's room, sitting on a chair next to the bed as they were talking, a little bit about what happened last night and more about what happened to Lancelot before Tigreal found him wounded on the shore. They were also eating the breakfast Rafaela has brought them.

"I have found Argus' hideout... I don't know have you heard of him but he is a very dangerous man. He is a fallen angel whose wings have been cut off by Valkyrie Freya herself, and his immortality, along with other powers sealed in Codex of Apocalypse."

Odette was nodding all the time just to show she was listening to him and after he mentioned the Codex she realised something: "Wait... That thing sounds familiar... I think I've heard of it before... I know! I think that book is in this castle. In our library."

"Really?? Well... I thought it was hidden somewhere..." Lancelot mumbled. "And where is that library. I'd love to take a look in it, maybe read something..."

Odette said: "Well, if you want to read I could always bring you a book or two but that isn't a normal library. There are some of the most powerful relics of the Land of Dawn. It is locked and I'm not allowed to let anybody in." She smiled apologising.

"Well, if that's so--" He mumbled but he was soon cut off by the Princess who was curious to hear the rest of his story. "Enough about libraries and books, we're not some kind of old grannies whose only occupation is reading. Continue please, you have found Argus' hideout and...?" She said impatiently.

"Oh yeah... Sorry." He said scratching the back of his neck. "So... I decided to take a look inside, you know, curiosity and everything. But just as I entered, the doors behind me closed. I was surrounded by them..."

Odette rose an eyebrow. "And who exactly are 'they'?" She asked.

"Um... He, his girlfriend, his few other minions..." He answered to her question. "I don't even know who they were. I just know there were many of them and they wanted to kill me." He said. "So I fought them the best I could, I killed most of them actually but then Argus came for me himself. Although his magic has been taken away, he is still a very strong fighter..."

"Aaaand?? What happened next??" Odette asked, really excited to hear the rest of the story.

Lancelot also noticed it. "Aaaand, find out the rest in next episode, until then, enjoy in countless adds we're gonna make you watch." He joked with a small chuckle..

"Oh come on, you can't be serious." She said with a chuckle. "Please tell me you're joking! I wanna hear the rest." She said, acting like a child.

"I dunno... Maybe we could skip the adds with a kiss?" He asked. At that point, he wasn't even sure what was he trying to do. Was it a joke or did he mean it for real? Did he want to simply make the Swan Princess like him so he could use her or did he like her and this was what was his heart asking for? He didn't know.

Odette's expression suddenly changed, it became more serious. "That is out of question! I have met you a day ago and it isn't appropriate for a princess to kiss every guy she sees." She said crossing her arms.

"But you wouldn't be kissing every man you see. You'd be kissing me." He said with a grin. "Come on. I'm not that disgusting."

The girl blushed as she shook her head. "Stop messing around and just continue the story!!" She said, not wanting to feel more embarrassed than she already is with that blush on her face.

"Okay, okay! Don't kill me! I was just joking..." He said rising his hands as a sign of surrender. "So... We fought but I couldn't keep up with his blade, especially not when the vampire queen Alice, his girlfriend I guess, joined. They have done what you have already seen to me and left me in the water to drown and get eaten by fish."

"Really? Woah... You were lucky." Odette said. "Besides, what were they even doing? If it was important enough to kill for keeping it in secret, it must be something we should be worried about. Maybe I should increase security around the library?" She thought out loud.

"No!!" He said before clearing his throat. "I don't think that will be necessary. They won't dare coming in against such a powerful guard as yours are. I would bet you could defeat them with ease." He said, trying to get on her good side flatting.

"Don't be a toady Lancelot. They don't last long in this castle." She said smirking a little as she got up from the chair. "Now... I'll order them bring you your clothes if it has been cleaned by now."

"Thank you, my Princess." He said as his gaze followed her walking towards the doors. She really was different than the girls he would usually hang out with. She had her own opinion and wasn't afraid to set her own rules. He admired that. If only he could have been more like her when it really mattered...

***

Some time later, Rafaela entered Lancelot's room. She was carrying the outfit they found him in but now it was clean and smelled rather nice. "How are you feeling, sir?" She asked as she put the pile of clothes on his bed.

Lancelot was sitting by the window, not even looking at her. He was deep in his thoughts and he replied with a simple sentence: "Better then before..."

Rafaela was now a little bit worried. "A-are you sure? You seem a little bit blue..." She said. She flew closer to him before stepping on the ground as she looked through the window wanting to see what was he staring at whole time.

The sky was blue and clear as always. The birds were flying around and the song of swans was echoing through the peaceful and green landscape filled with flowers but none of that was occupying the young knight's sight.

He was watching the Princess walking around the green gardens between the rows of white and yellow roses. The air around her was sparkling in magical sparkles following her. There were magical notes around her flying from one swan to another one.

She sat on bench in the Castle garden and watched the surface of the Swan lake that seemed as beautiful as always. It reminded of Odette's blue eyes. The scene looked magical, like the Swan Princess herself.

"You like her, don't you?" Rafaela started breaking the silence. "But there is something troubling you... Care to share?" She asked.

Lancelot sighed. "It's just that... Forget it! She is out of my league." He said as he moved his look away and looked at the ceiling.

Rafaela felt his pain. "Don't worry about that. Just give her time, I think you're definitely leaving a positive impression on her." She placed hand on his shoulder. "Come on, don't just wait here. Get dressed and go out there, you handsome swan." She said with a chuckle.