Chapter One Hundred and One
Anne Mallard was not Hiraga Saito. This became painfully clear not just by her sudden outbursts as the twin moons made themselves known in the sky, but also by how she outright throttled my robes in a state of disarray while screaming like an overexcited three year old on sugar rush. Well, I reckon that more than the sharp ear-deafening screams that she was emitting, the fact that she was pointing at the two moons in the sky were and flailing around wildly was to be expected.
"Two moons! Two moons! Twomoonsohshit!" she yelled, squawking about. "There's two fucking moons in the sky!" she grabbed hold of the scruff of my neckline and pulled back and forth to little avail, but still- "You're aliens! Aliens! Like humans? You're not putting any thing up my ass!"
I blinked, and then I recoiled in disgust, "Miss!" I snapped angrily, "Nobody would do something so obscene and disgusting around these parts!" I exhaled, "Would you please calm down? You are making a scene." And point of order, there were some of the gardeners and servants standing about that were looking on with surprise on their faces, and dread. They were probably thinking I was just about to discipline the impudent wench with magic, or something of the sorts.
"Calm down? Calm down?! You didn't just kidnap me! You abducted me to another world! Shit! Shit! Shiiiit!" she brought both hands to her hair, "What am I supposed to do now!? How do I get home now!? Where's the space ufo, you bastard?!"
"Ufo?" I blinked, raising an eyebrow. "You have been summoned here by his royal highness, King Joseph-"
"Then he can send me back! No, he should send me back!" Anne snarled, "Bring him to that jerk! He stole my first kiss, it's only fair he pays it back tenfold!"
I pinched the bridge of my nose. "His Royal Highness is busy with the affairs of the state-"
"He had time to put his grubby old hands on me, so he better find the time!" Anne literally roared, "Or I'm going to go around yelling how much of a frigging pervert he is! Hey you-" she turned to one of the commoners, and in a second my swordwand was out as a gust of flames burst a few inches away from her face, making her recoil and scream as she fell down on the ground, her eyes wide as I pointed my swordwand in her direction, the tip gleaming under the moonlight.
"You will refer to His Royal Highness with respect," I hissed, my eyes narrow, "Or his familiar or not, you will be severely punished."
"That-That-" she stared at the tip of my swordwand. "That fire-"
"That was magic," I replied dryly. "A simple dot spell, but rest assured-"
"M-Magic?" Anne mumbled, "That-you can do magic!?"
"It is the birthright of Nobility, bestowed upon the faithful of Brimir and their descendants," I answered as I sheathed my swordwand, and then extended her a hand. "Now, by all means stand up and-"
She didn't take my hand. Instead, she went for the hilt of my swordwand and hastily unsheathed it, pointing it at me the next second.
I stared in befuddlement as nearby, most of the commoners gasped. Taking the wand from a noble was an offense worthy of death, not simply a punishment. I stared at her even as she pointed the swordwand in my direction.
"You! Magical alien!" seriously? "Take me to your ruler!" she snapped angrily, "I want him to send me back home! Right now! Right this instant!"
"No," I said offhandedly, as from behind her something like five knights in armor had already proceeded to soar towards her at blinding speed. In the blink of an eye, she was pinned on the ground by four knights of the Western Parterre, while the fifth knelt in front of me to give me back my swordwand.
"Gah! Bastards! F-Fuckers! I want to go home! I want to go home! You! You bastards!" her incoherent screaming didn't cease for a few minutes, even as I nodded to the knight in front of me slightly as a show of thanks for having recovered my swordwand.
"You may release her," I said with a dreadful sigh. "She is a guest of his royal highness...if an uncouth, uncivilized barbarian at that."
The knights exchanged a glance, and then calmly let her go. Anne, rather than take it and learn humbleness, decided to punch the royal jewels of a nearby knight as she stood back up, eliciting only a yelp from her own knuckles.
"The knights of the Western Parterre are specialized in Earth magic," I remarked dryly, and suddenly quite amused rather than simply pissed off. "I am given to believe that the first spell they learn is hardening, and they use it to great effect to protect their...most precious parts."
A chorus of chuckles followed from the nearby knights, even as Anne clutched the wrist of her hurt hand and sourly looked at me.
"Now it is getting chilly out here," I pointed out, "And your clothes are...pretty much just two bits of cloth tied together with string. I'll have the royal tailor make you something more decorous and then, perhaps after dinner, you will be in a better state of mind to acknowledge your place."
"Acknowledge my place?" Anne mumbled, "Go fuck yourself on a stick."
"Such insolence! You are speaking to the prince-consort you wench!" one of the knights roared, taking a step forward.
"Halt," I said hastily, seconds before one of the knights managed to complete his backhand-attack on the girl herself. He stopped, even as Anne winced and recoiled from the blow that never came. "It is fine," I acknowledged. "She simply does not know our customs I'm afraid...and she is afraid too," I added offhandedly, shaking my head. "Warm food in one's stomach will do wonders to her character, I'm sure. Come on now," I said, gesturing at her with a hand extended, "Let us get back inside. I'll have the servants prepare you dinner."
As I said that and began to walk back towards the entrance of the palace, Anne followed, if with an angry scowl o her face.
"Is there any kind of food you prefer?" I asked turning my head to look at you.
"Can I even eat your magical alien shitty food?" she drawled.
"I suppose roast will be fine," I said. "Perhaps duck? Duck is-"
"Ah. Ah. Ah! We've got a comedian over here," she hissed. "Listen, pissypants-I've been called duck in all ways since I was ten. Go fuck yourself, your sense of humor, and whoever thought you were funny. You got that? Want me to write it down?
I hummed. "You truly are lucky," I remarked gently. "You would be a mass of welts, black and blue skin on the floor if it were anybody else. You should really be thankful I am renowned for my kindness," I acquiesced.
"If I really were lucky, I'd be dancing to a hard beat with a hard man behind and in front of me," Anne growled, and I widened my eyes. "Instead I'm stuck in this magical alien place of dimwits and shitty people."
"Scandalous," I said in the end. "Utterly scandalous. Is that how you normally talk? May the gods have mercy on your etiquette teacher."
In the end, I had to apologize to Isabella through servant, because I would not be able to attend dinner with her.
Ensuring this...this girl didn't get herself killed by insulting someone of important inside the palace took precedence, and I dreaded to think what she'd do if left to her own devises.
Joseph...why couldn't you summon...I don't know...someone with better manners?
Anyone but a teenager, Joseph.
Was it that difficult not to screw up this badly?