***

It was great to be back home in Clarines. The sunny weather was always where I thrived the most. We've been back for a day or two now and I was already back at work. I was in the main herbalist's office, sitting at a long table with Ryu sitting across from me. He had multiple books laying on the table around him. I almost never saw him without a book. Chief Garak and I were sipping some tea that she had made.

Chief Garak was leaning against the front of her desk, "That must've been difficult for you."

"Not really," I shrugged. It wasn't a complete lie. At first, it was a bit difficult because I had to skip out on sleep to work, but it eventually got easier. I had Zen and the others to thank for that, "Zen and the soldiers at Fort Laxdo were actually really helpful."

"Well, you should be proud of your work." Chief Garak told me.

Ryu nodded, "Yeah, really good job there." I nodded to him with a smile and took a sip of my tea.

What the chief said next surprised me, "You can take the rest of the day off."

I shook my head, "Oh, no, it's fine! If everyone else is going to work then I should too." It wouldn't seem fair if I was the only one who got to get out of work. It didn't matter to me that I had a good reason too. I honestly didn't mind staying and work today.

"Getting rest is important, too," Ryu stated.

I was silent for a moment as I thought. It doesn't seem like I'm going to be able to convince them. I let out a breathy chuckle and set my cup down, "I guess, you're right,' And so I gathered up all of my stuff and started heading to the door, "I'm gonna go now, guys. I'll see you later!"

"See you later!" Chief Garak called out to me.

I gave them one last wave before leaving, closing the door behind me. I walked on the castle grounds, ready to head home. Another new meeting on this road that I'm currently on. I looked up to one of the towers that stood tall and beautiful. This is the destiny that I've chosen for myself. This is where my dreams begin to become a reality. I smiled.

***

The next day I woke up completely refreshed and ready to face the day. I got ready for my day at work and went on my way to the castle. I was currently walking through one of the castle hallways with books in my arms. I was taking one of the scenic routes so I could admire the outside world. The sun was shining in the hallway and warmed up my body. It felt really nice. Oh, yeah. That gets me thinking...

"What do I have to do today?" I found myself asking out loud, "From what I can remember, I have to accompany Ryu and then organize the medical records after I've done that," I stopped in my tracks when I saw a flash of white and blue in the corner of my eye. I turned and saw Zen sitting on one of the ledges, polishing his sword. "Hey, Zen. I didn't see you there."

"Hi, Emiko. How are you-" Zen cut himself off. He started blushing furiously, "Uh, something is different," A big smile appeared on my face. I grabbed the ID necklace, taking it off, and handing it to him so he could see. He read the text on the ID out loud, "'Clarines Kingdom, Wistal Castle, Apprentice Court Herbalist,'" He held it up with a smile, "You got your official ID!"

"Yep!" I exclaimed, "They finally got done making it while we were at the fort. They also got done with my uniform too." I took my ID back from him and put it back on.

"So I assume that you have new accommodations in the castle." Zen looked up at me.

I nodded, humming in confirmation, "I have a lot more studying and work to do now. It'll make it so much easier now that I can do it from here."

"That's fair," Zen closed his eyes with a soft smile, "I'll be swamped too, dealing with the aftermath of the incident at the fort. It may be quite a while before we're able to see each other again."

"Oh, I see." That sucks. That means I won't be able to hang out with him for a while.

"Emiko?" Zen called out.

I turned away quickly and started my way back down the hall, "I got to go now, Zen. Bye!"

"Just a minute!" I heard Zen yell, "Doesn't that bother you even a little bit?"

"Does it bother you?" I looked back at him, "Should I be bothered, too?"

Zen seemed to gape at me for a moment until he looked away with a blush on his cheeks, "Uh! Oh, fine, nevermind," Zen stood up and jumped down to land on the grass, "All right, then. Have fun, I'll see you!"

I smiled widely at him, "I'll see you later!" Zen took off. Time to get back to work.

***

Work was going pretty well. Ryu and I were currently working with the herbs in the greenhouse. I was patting the dirt of an herb that I had just planted. I finally got a good look at my hands, they were dirty from all the gardening that I've been doing. I leaned back a little and wiped the sweat off my brow. I almost jumped in surprise at the sudden sound of someone new speaking. I didn't even notice the person come in.

"Excuse me," A man, most likely a servant, was standing in the doorway. He was standing like his back was tied to a straight stick. It was easy to tell that he was a servant, "Emiko, the prince has requested your presence."

"Uh, okay. I'm coming." A feeling of confusion washed over me.

"Please go to the Room of Chanting Flowers." The servant informed me.

This really puzzled me, "Um... The Room of what?" What kind of name is that? Why is it named that? From the name, I'm guessing that there are flowers in the room. I've never even heard of that room before. This was the first time I'm hearing anything about it.

Seeing as I didn't know where it was, the servant had to show me. It was part of a more remote part of the castle. Barely anyone was walking around in these hallways. The servant led me into a room and toward a curtain. He pulled the curtain back and I got a good look inside. There were two sofas and it was shut off from the rest of the room with more curtains. What the hell is going on and why did Zen call me here?

"Please wait in here. And refrain from making any noise." The servant ordered. His voice was quiet. It was like we weren't supposed to be caught or something.

I narrowed my eyes at him in confusion, "Okay? Sure?" I walked into the small space and took a moment to observe my surroundings. The curtain that was previously being held by the servant dropped which completely closed me off from the outside. What's all this about? What the hell is going on?

Suddenly, I heard a male voice speaking, "I heard you traveled all the way to Laxdo, Zen." Another voice, Zen, replied with a yes. So Zen was here. Was he the one that summoned me here? The man from before spoke again, "I saw the report, too. It said every soldier at the fort fell ill because of some bandits. They couldn't even move. It must've been extremely traumatic," I don't like the way this guy is speaking to Zen. His voice sounds so... Cold. It must be someone with a higher social status. They always seem to speak with that same coldness this man has. My eyes widened as I realized. This has to be the First Prince of Clarines! "If what I've been told is accurate, you were only there with a court herbalist and another attendant. Why didn't you bring this new servant here?"

"Because he is new and I did not need him," Zen responded. It was so weird to hear him sound so formal. He almost sounded like a robot, devoid of any emotion.

"He's the one with the wee scratch on his cheek," The man started, "I thought he was an outlaw, but it seems he's in your employ. Now, I didn't see a record of any guards at the fort receiving due punishment." They didn't deserve punishment. They didn't know about what the firewood would do. Getting really sick was punishment enough.

"I did not punish them," Zen informed the man.

"Why not?" The man inquired.

"They patrol and protect the surrounding lands. It's an important duty. The siege required their assistance and pulled them away from this service for too long. I felt it was time to return them to their assigned post." Was Zen's answer. That sounded like a good enough answer to me.

"Then why don't we remove Laxdo from your weak jurisdiction for, let's say, six months?" The man said. He can't do that- Well, if he is who I think he is, then he technically can, but still. I heard Zen gasp. "Even if it was the bandits' doing, there were flaws in the fort's system. If you do not see fit to rebuke the soldiers, then you will receive their punishment. Someone with such a soft underbelly would naturally refuse to be hard on anyone else. That wouldn't be fair."

"I understand." Zen sounded like he was gritting his teeth.

"Good. Next on the docket..," I heard footsteps coming over to where I was. I jumped slightly when the curtains beside me opened. A man with slightly long white-ish blonde hair and blue eyes was the one who opened the curtain, "I've kept you waiting."

I heard Kiki gasp and Zen say, "Emiko?"

"Zen, you and your two toadies are dismissed, now," The man told the second prince, "Don't you have work to do?"

I could see Zen narrow his eyes at him and glare, "What are you up to?"

"Zen..." I started. There was only silence. I didn't know what to say.

"Fine, we're leaving," Zen turned away, "See you later, Emiko," Him, Kiki, and Mitsuhide started heading out when Zen stopped. Zen turned back to me and was suddenly heading straight for me. He grabbed the curtain and flipped it upwards so the man couldn't see the two of us. Zen embraced me and held the back of my head with his right hand, "Don't worry. I'll come find you."

"Zen?" I inquired.

Zen let go of me and gave me one last smile. He turned to the man, "We'll talk soon, Lord Brother. Mitsuhide, Kiki. Let's go."

The three of them left which just leaves me and Zen's brother alone in the room together. I couldn't find the right words to say so I just asked, "You're Prince Zen's brother then?" Why would I ask that? It was obvious that he was. They looked really similar and Zen addressed him as "Lord Brother."

"What an adorable way to address me." The amusement in his voice was clear.

"Did you call me up here to talk about the incident at Laxdo that you were talking about earlier?" I asked.

The blonde man handed me a white flower, "Hardly."

"Um..," I trailed off, "Thanks. Well then please forgive me because I don't really know why you called me here."

Zen's brother leaned down and got close to my face, "You and Zen have a rather special relationship. I clearly see it. It's odd for a royal to have a commoner for a friend," He started walking away from me, "This would be interesting to anyone who might hear about it. I certainly thought it was," He sat in a chair near the corner of the room and crossed his legs, "There must be something Zen finds alluring and indispensable about you, am I right?"

I finally walked out of the curtain room and faced him, "I don't know. There's no way for me to really know how people see me unless they tell me. The only thing that I do know is that I just have to continue being myself." No one can truly know what someone else thinks of them. You could try, but you're most likely going to be wrong.

"Fair enough," Was his only response, "Sorry to keep you, dear. You're free to go."

I nodded, "Yes, sir."

I gave him a bow. I started to leave but stopped when he says something else, "Now, if you're not feigning all that humility. One must then assume Zen negligently invited a foreign girl with rather strange hair into our castle... Which would make him an awfully incompetent prince." I could feel myself starting to get annoyed. I don't say anything to him. I just walk to the door and leave.