Curvy Ever After: Forbidden Curvy Girl Fairy Tales (17 page)

He had no idea when or how he’d see the princess again, but Cade vowed to make it happen as he strode back towards the tent.

~~~

Later that night Yuki dreamed of Cade. In her dream, he touched and kissed her everywhere. He brought her to the brink of something unknown to her and she awoke abruptly. Her skin was covered in a light sheen of perspiration. Her heart rate accelerated and her pulse pounded, but she didn’t feel it in her veins. She felt it at her now soaked, forbidden garden.

Yuki didn’t dare touch herself there, so she squeezed her legs together tightly, hoping to stop the aching throb. The pressure only made it worse and she quickly jumped out of bed in frustration. Yuki felt a restlessness that she had never experienced before. She paced around her bedroom for a while and when that didn’t help, she decided that a walk down to the gardens would soothe her ache, like it always did when she was in turmoil.

As she padded barefoot through the palace, Yuki heard something peculiar. She followed the noise. She realized it was a conversation, but one side of it sounded garbled, like it was coming from underwater. She also recognized Empress Kasumi’s voice. The conversation was coming from her stepmother’s private garden.

Yuki snuck in through Kasumi’s bedroom to the doorway into the garden. She peeked her head around and had to clasp her hand over her mouth to cover the gasp that came from her lips. The princess blinked several times in the hopes that she was just imagining things. But every time she opened her eyes, she saw the same image.

Kasumi was standing in front of her own private pond and before her rising out of the water was a figure. The figure was made of glowing blue, rippling water that was formed into Kasumi’s doppelgänger. Yuki stood rooted to the spot in shock. Then finally, the conversation between the Empress and the watery apparition sunk into Yuki’s consciousness.

“Yurei, today I heard the Americans praise the beauty of the princess. Am I not still the most beautiful woman of this land?” Kasumi asked the apparition.

“No Empress, you are not. Princess Yuki embodies beauty from within that radiates throughout. The people of this land revere and respect her. They fear and loathe you because they believe you have kept their beloved Emperor sick. The princess suspects you as well.” The garbled voice of the watery ghost warned Kasumi.

“I must get rid of that simpering brat, before she ruins everything! Yurei, please tell me how I can destroy her for good?” The Empress pleaded.

“You must take her heart. If you do the people of this land will only see her beautiful spirit when they see you. Then they will revere you as you wish. Power will be yours.” The spirit advised her.

Yuki’s heart nearly pounded out of her chest in fear at hearing the plans for her demise. Before she could be caught, she quietly slipped back out into the hallway. She then ran full speed to her rooms. Yuki quickly dressed in one of her plainer kimonos and grabbed a small pouch filled with money. She slipped out of her room and heard footsteps making their way towards her from down the hall. Her heart nearly exploded as she ran on bare feet towards her maid’s room. She tiptoed into the sparse room and shook her trusted maid awake.

“Mai, please wake up.” Yuki begged quietly.

“What is it, Princess?” Mai asked groggily.

“I can’t explain right now, but I need your help to escape the palace!” Yuki said as she pulled a sleepy Mai out of bed.

Yuki threw articles of clothing to Mai and in a complete role reversal, she helped her maid into her clothes.

“Princess, this is highly inappropriate.” Mai said as Yuki tied her obi around her kimono.

“It’s okay, Mai. There’s no time to waste.” Yuki hushed the self-conscious servant.

Once Mai was fully dressed they ran to the palace stables.

“Alright, Mai. I just overheard the Empress plotting to kill me. To take my heart! And with a spirit! I must go into hiding and figure out a way to expose her for what she really is.” Yuki explained in a frightened whisper.

Mai’s mouth flapped opened and closed in response.

“I remember that you told me once, many of your family still live in the mountains. Living the way of the Samurai. Do you think they could protect me?” Yuki asked desperately.

“Yes, I think so.” Mai finally found her tongue.

“Do you think you could take me there? Do you remember where to go?” Yuki asked anxiously.

“Yes, Princess. I remember.” Mai nodded.

“Perfect. Okay, we must go now.” Yuki said stepping into the stall of one of the horses.

The women quickly prepared two horses for their long journey. Yuki tried to keep the fear of being killed, in the forefront of her mind to combat her fear of leaving the palace and surrounding village. She had never venture far from the familiar surroundings of the Imperial Palace and village, and never without an entourage of guards or escorts. But she didn’t find the idea of getting her heart ripped out, appealing in the least. So she set aside her trepidation and mounted her horse and kicked at his sides, starting him out at a soft canter as to not alert the entire palace of her escape. Mai followed closely behind.

As they approached the high gate and guards keeping sentry, Yuki raised the hood to her dark cloak over her head, slumped forward, and started moaning as if in pain. Mai took the lead so that she could speak to the guards.

“Why are you about so late, Mai?” One of the guards spoke.

“One of the servant girls has become ill. We think it may be cholera.” Mai said to the man she knew had a fondness for her.

Both guards took a step back in fear and one quickly opened the gate for the women to slip through.

“Be well, Mai.” He said fearful for himself and Mai, hoping an outbreak didn’t spread throughout the palace.

Yuki breathed a sigh of relief as she and Mai made their way into the night, disappearing in the forebodingly thick fog.

~~~

“Empress?” A servant said timidly, afraid of the woman’s wrath.

“What?!” Kasumi bellowed. She had been furious when she’d found Yuki’s room empty, as if the girl had disappeared into thin air. Her mood had not improved each passing minute the princess was not found.

The Empress had had the servants check the palace from top to bottom. When the princess had not materialized, she then told them to discreetly search the village. She didn’t want the villagers or anyone else for that matter to know that the princess had disappeared. If all else failed, she could send someone out to find and kill her, bringing back her heart and no one would be the wiser.

“The huntsman is here to see you.” The servant bowed low averting his eyes.

“Well what are you waiting for?! Send him in!” Kasumi screeched.

“Yes, your Highness.” The man bowed repetitiously as he back out of the room.

Kasumi watched as the tall, broad, dark-haired American walked into the room. She noted that he looked confident, lethal. Just what she needed. She also needed an outsider, none of the inhabitants of Japan would do what she requested because of their loyalty to the princess.

“Huntsman, I need to request your services.” Kasumi sat up straighter on her throne.

“What do you ask of me, Empress? I would be honored to assist you in whatever you need.” The huntsman offered gallantly.

“This job requires discretion. I want no one to know of what I ask. Do you swear to hold your tongue, else I remove it?” Kasumi asked firmly, looking the man straight in the eye, unblinking.

“Yes, your Highness,” he said inclining his head.

“Good. The princess has disappeared. I need you to find her.” Kasumi informed him.

“Of course, Empress. That’s simple enough.”

“When you find her, kill her. And bring back her heart.” The Empress’s cold voice rang out, surprising the man. “Is this something you can do, huntsman? Or do I need to find someone else?”
And then execute you before you speak a word of this?
She thought in her head.

“No, Empress. It is no problem. I will leave as soon as I can ready my horse.” The huntsman assured her.

“Perfect.” Kasumi grabbed a medium sized box to hand to the huntsman. “Place her heart in this box and bring it back to me. Now go and don’t return until the deed has been completed.” She finished, dismissing him.

~~~

Cade loaded his horse with some supplies for his journey. He looked down at the elaborate box in his hand. It was stained in a shiny black lacquer with a beautiful golden tree painted on it and red Japanese characters. The box would’ve been stunning to him, if it wasn’t for its sinister purpose.

He breathed a silent sigh of relief that he was the man the Empress had requested to find Yuki. Had it been anyone else, Yuki would surely be heading to her death. Cade had no intentions of killing the princess, only protecting her.

Cade placed the box in his saddlebag. He planned to smash the offensive box and toss it into a passing river the moment he was a safe distance away. He had been filled with anxious excitement when he’d been summoned to the palace, in the hopes of seeing Yuki again. Never could he have imagined the evil plan being weaved at the hands of the Empress.

Though, Cade was pleased that he was off to a good start in finding the princess. One of the guards at the Imperial Palace told him that the princess’s favorite maid had left with another woman on horseback two nights prior. Cade had thanked God that it hadn’t rained when he found the faint hoof prints of two horses heading in the direction of the mountains.

Soon, Princess.

~~~

They slowly made their way up another steep incline that Mai claimed would be the last before they reached the village, though Yuki wasn’t so sure. Her maid had said that about the last three inclines.

Just then, the foliage on either side of the road rustled slightly and two rather serious looking men jumped out onto the path in front of them. Their thin, sharp samurai swords drawn.

“Who goes there?” One shouted out.

“It’s Mai, cousin to Masaru. We’re here to speak to your leader, Takashi.” Mai called out to the men. Surprise written on their faces at hearing their leader’s name.

“Little Mai?” One man asked in shock, a happy grin spread across his face. Apparently, he remembered Mai as a little girl.

“Yes.”

“Who’s with you?” The other man asked still wary, a grumpy scowl marring his face.

Mai sat up a little straighter in her saddle. “Princess Yuki.”

The men immediately burst out into skeptical laughter.

“Sure, Mai. And I’m the Emperor!” The silly looking man joked.

Yuki clasped the hood of her cape, pushed it back and let it drop to her shoulders. The laughter died in the men’s throats. Images of the princess in embroidery and paintings had been spread across the country. So the men knew what she looked like.

“Oh, Princess! Please forgive us!” The serious one apologized as they both bowed repeatedly.

“It’s alright. What are your names?” Yuki said graciously.

“I’m Kenji.” The silly one spoke first.

“And I’m Ren,” said the serious one.

“Hello, gentlemen. I’m pleased to meet you.” Yuki inclined her head politely.

“Please Princess, let us escort you the rest of the way to the village.” Ren stepped forward and took the reins of Yuki’s horse.

“Yes, we’ll take you to Takashi.” Kenji happily took Mai’s reins from her to lead her horse as well.

Half an hour later, they rounded a corner on the mountain, and an adorably quaint village came into view. Several men and women were working outside. Some were working in the fields tending their crops, some men were chopping wood or fixing roofs.

Many of the men were sparring out in the grass. One set were working on their wrestling skills. Another group were shooting arrows into far off targets. And the last cluster were lunging at each other with wooden swords.

As the four made their way into the middle of the village, all the activity died down as the villagers looked up curiously. Once they noticed the regal posture of the princess and looked up to see her face, their mouths fell open in shock as recognition hit. They all bowed in deference.

Ren and Kenji helped Yuki and Mai down from their horses. Meanwhile, their village leader, Takashi and four other men that had been working on their swordplay, walked forward to greet their new guests. Yuki noticed that the leader’s eyes continually landed on her maid. They were filled with attraction and affection, before they finally landed on her, ready for introductions.

“Princess. I am Takashi. Leader of this village.” Takashi bowed deeply. “I am honored to welcome you to our village.”

“Thank you, Takashi.” Yuki bowed in return. “I must admit that I am here because I need your help,” she confessed.