The Eastern Side of Bolganio (Project Sekai Fantasy AU)

Chapter One: Journey's Beginnings

Ichika hadn't been this nervous in years. Being called to the Duchess' quarters was nothing to take lightly. Only the Duchess' ladies-in-waiting, like her mom, went in there for any mundane reason. When any other staff was called in, it was only for the delivery of dreadful news. The Duchess was a kind woman. Whenever a knight died, she always insisted on delivering the news herself so she could help comfort those left behind. Ichika's father was away on a mission, helping protect a village from bandits. Unless that mission had gone horribly wrong...

No! Ichika shook her head. If that was the case, her mother would have been summoned alongside her, yet she was still back eating lunch. The herald had only requested her, it would be fine. Yet Ichika's heart was still in her throat, thinking about Saki. Saki was frail, but she was never at risk of death. Unless she had gotten sick. Whenever Saki got sick, she was at risk. Her immune system just wasn't as strong as it should be. Ichika hadn't seen her since she moved in with her uncle, the King, to receive better medical care four years ago. The Duchess hadn't been able to visit recently either. The only one who had been there in months was Tsukasa, and he had returned weeks ago. Perhaps she had caught something, or maybe her health took a turn for the worse. Ichika stopped walking. She closed her eyes and took a deep steadying breath. Spiraling wouldn't help anything. Maybe the news was good, there was always a chance. Maybe she was being reassigned to be Saki's lady-in-waiting (like they had always talked about as kids) and would move to the crown city as well. Calmed down slightly, Ichika resumed her walk.

The Duchess called for her to enter after only two knocks at the door. Lady Tenma was sitting in her reading chair, working on embroidery. Ichika's nerves came back in full force.

"Ichika, come sit with me." She said. Silently, Ichika sat in the chair across from her. "Now," The Duchess continued. "I hope the herald didn't scare you too much, I know the reputation this kind of summoning has."

Ichika slumped in relief, taking a shuddering breath. "Not too much, no."

The Duchess laughed. "I promise, this is good. Would you go behind the privacy screen for me? I have a present for you there." Ichika nodded, finding the request odd. Why would the present be hidden back there?

Regardless, Ichika went toward the privacy screen. It was a simple wooden screen with only a few engravings for decoration. She looked behind the screen and stopped dead in her tracks. There only a few feet away, was Saki. She was standing tall and had the biggest grin imaginable on her face, bouncing up and down in place.

"Saki?" Ichika gasped, tears gathering in her eyes.

"Ichi!" She cried before tackling Ichika into a hug. It took a moment for Ichika to reciprocate, too stunned to process properly. When she finally did finish processing, she hugged Saki as tight as she possibly could. Ichika pressed her head into Saki's shoulder, trying her best not to start sobbing.

"Ichi," Saki laughed. "You're squeezing all the air out of me!"

"Oh!" Ichika let go, taking a few steps back. "Sorry, sorry. I'm just so, so happy." A few tears fell down her cheeks which she quickly wiped away.

"Don't be sorry! I've been dying to see you for days, but we wanted to be completely sure I was better first."

"What?"

"I've been here for a while, but no one would let you visit or even tell you I was here, it sucked. But that's all behind us now! I'm better! Well," Saki paused. "Not like, completely cured, I still have to be careful, but I'm back to how strong I was before things got really bad. Stronger even!"

"That's incredible I— How?" Ichika could barely believe it. She had been praying for the day Saki was able to come home for years, it was surreal.

"Well—"