Friends Who Became Villainesses

By Henry Cobb

Chapter Six: Yinshou

Fewer nobles than I had expected arrived at the Feuchemie estate the day before the birthday of Princess Amesombra, but her two other friends made it, and she rode through the gate at noon on her black stallion Etanuit flanked by Synthia, followed by a carriage, and surrounded by a half dozen of the Royal Cavalry. The Royal Rangers (including the cadets I had been training with) stood on foot to flank Her Highness' procession.

When she reached the mansion, Amesombra dismounted, handed the reins of Etanuit to Synthia, and gathered with the waiting ladies Depecia, Yeuxpera, and Malheurfla in a tight circle where they clapped their raised hands together as they shouted out "Yinshou!"

Amesombra then turned to me. "Well hello, Kitten!"

As we hugged, I asked her, "What is a Yinshou?"

She pulled back to hold my hands in her own. "You'll see him soon. For the first time in my life, I'm burning with envy at you. But he never did like Princess Amesombra very much. We'll skip all the plot points where he and I would come into conflict, but watch out that I don't accidentally walk ahead or behind him, please."

She then released my left hand and turned while still holding my right in her left. "Lady Malheurfla, can we sit down for tea and a chat, please?" And to Synthia (who had been watching all of this with a carefully studied innocence) "Stable the horses then bring my things to my room."

"Yes, Your Highness."

We gathered around the table in the room reserved for Amesombra that I had been sleeping in, and they began a spirited discussion in that strange language of theirs. I noted that they would occasionally use their names from the other world and that the word "Yinshou" was mentioned several times. From what I could gather this word was being used as a noun.

As Synthia entered carrying two bags, Lady Malheurfla placed a dagger in its sheath on the table.

Amesombra picked the sheath up in her left hand and pulled out the dagger in her right. Then she spoke in our common tongue. "Misaki, it's a perfect match for the Jade Blade, other than material, enchantments, and color of course. But my birthday isn't until tomorrow."

"Wait until you see what I have for you then, Amy."

I took the switch in language as an invitation to join in. "Amy, did you used to have the same birthday there as Princess Amesombra does here?"

Synthia stopped and carefully listened to Amesombra's response.

"Kitten, while we are well aware of how our old lives map onto your calendar, other than the year offset, as we have no idea how long we were dead or even if those old lives are in the future with respect to this now. We are careful to not add the previous and current ages together as that would make us feel old and ghoulish. Now stand up, and turn around." She attached the sheath with the new dagger in it to the right side of my belt, to balance out Lady Yeuxpera's dagger on my left side. "Now turn around and slowly and carefully draw both at once."

I saw Synthia step a little closer and carefully did not point the daggers at Amesombra, "Am I to copy Yuki's two-dagger style of fighting?"

"We don't expect that, but this way you can throw one dagger and still have one in hand. This faux Jade Blade isn't shaped for throwing and we certainly don't expect you to throw the real one away either."

"Isn't this a present for Your Highness, not myself?" I sheaved the daggers.

"Kitten, since you are mine, anything used to decorate yourself is a credit to myself. It would be like somebody giving me a saddle for my new pony."

"Amy! You were supposed to be surprised."

"Sorry, Daiya. Kitten, forget I said that and act properly surprised tomorrow." Amesombra then leaned over to whisper in my ear. "It's very fancy. I hope you'll like it." Then she turned to the bags that Synthia had brought, "As long as I'm spoiling things I might as well show you the gift I brought, even though you'll only wear it once."

At that point, the twins burst into the room and announced their targets right before latching onto us. "Amy!" "Angel!"

"Hello, Lord Braisen." Amesombra patted his head. "Have you been well?"

"Amy, how come you can always tell us apart?"

"It's secret princess powers." She put her hands on his shoulders and pushed him to arm's length as she knelt down to look him in the eyes. "The secret is that I can see your soul."

After a bath and dinner, Synthia returned to our room and laid out a mattress for herself. As I settled into Amesombra's bed with her I said, "Amy, why did you sit uncomfortably at dinner?"

"You noticed that? Yeah, I need to get out riding more often. My heart hasn't been in it since you've been gone and father is almost giddy at the amount of diplomatic nonsense he's been able to offload on his suddenly so mature and reliable daughter. In the game, Amesombra was sent out here on her birthday as a punishment for her wickedness, but for me, it's a vacation from work."

"Roll over on your tummy and I'll heal your soreness."

"Thanks. You'll need the practice healing others for tomorrow." Amesombra then looked over to Synthia. "Don't worry, I won't be the one who gets bitten."

I knew I wasn't going to get any "plot" answers out of the four for whatever they had planned, so I decided to ask about another matter. "Amy, is it true that you can see souls?"

"Yes, both of us can, and we can manipulate souls also, in opposite directions. At the moment when all hope is lost you give your In Blackest Night speech backed up by your magic to inspire and rally the troops. That we are allowed to prove the existence of souls and unnatural powers indicates that we must be living in a simulation rather than under the will of an infinite infallible god, but what do you expect from a game isekai? Ow!" She tensed up and was silent for a moment as she gripped her pillow then continued, "That is very nice. I'll surely regret it when I have you married off. Unless it's to my brother. Then I can just hang around you two for the rest of my life as no man is desperate enough to marry a cursed Black Magic woman, even if she's a princess. And I'm sensible enough to not use my powers to force them to do so." She rolled back over and was soon asleep.

I tucked us both in and lay there watching her until I joined her in slumber myself.

Synthia woke us the next morning with, "Happy Eleventh Birthday, Your Highness."

Amesombra pulled her arms away from me and stretched them above her head. "And good morning to you two. Let's see if we can beat the game and give Princess Amesombra at least sixty more birthdays."

Her three friends from another world gathered in her room again as Synthia brought us breakfast.

"Happy Eleventh Birthday, Your Highness!" Lady Malheurfla handed Amesombra a quiver with a dozen arrows.

"Oh, are these the improved arrowheads?" Amesombra examined one then put the arrow in back in the quiver, and adjusted this on me.

"And since you won't be hunting rabbits tonight..." Lady Depecia handed Amesombra a bow.

Amesombra compared the new bow and saw that it was slightly longer than my old bow but of the same general design. "How much have you increased the draw?"

"About twenty-five percent."

"Here, Kitten, try a draw and see what you think."

"This is stronger, but I think I can handle it."

"You won't need the saddle tonight, so I'll surprise you with it tomorrow morning."

"I look forward to seeing Angelica riding on it." Amesombra turned to Lady Yeuxpera. "Now I bet that Yuki has a big surprise for us all."

Lady Yeuxpera asked me, "Angelica, have you read all of The Diary of the Saint?"

"Yes, but I still use it to reference the spells she wrote about."

"Happy Birthday, Your Highness!" Lady Yeuxpera handed her a book.

"The Companions of The Saint. And it's that new edition with sidenotes." Amesombra handed this to me.

"Does this mean that on my birthday in six months, everybody will give me gifts for me to hand to the princess?"

"Oh, we'll think of something. Kitten, why don't you go practice with your new bow and dagger while I deal with the two dozen nobles who have shown up to use the excuse of my birthday to ask me to arrange things for them. I'll wrap you in my gift after dinner."

I trained with the rangers that morning and as we were taking a break for lunch a trio wearing barbaric clothing rode in.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Wild tribe." One of the rangers spat on the ground. "We'd never let them in here without the orders of the princess."

I was still training in the late afternoon when Synthia approached. "Miss Pureheart, Her Highness would like to see you now."

I bathed with Amesombra and then we put on fancier dresses than I'd seen before.

"Amy, is this the present you spoke of?"

She looked at my dress. "That old thing? No, the real fun is later. Amy's going to hide for a bit as I play Amesombra straight and I finally get to say that line I've been waiting all year for. Whatever happens, just play along tonight. We have this one chance to get it right then we can goof off for a few years until the mid-game starts."

"As Your Highness commands."

We went to the great hall and waited for several other nobles to be announced and take their seats before Princess Amesombra Pludom of Plaverni was announced. I followed her in and as she took her seat at the head of the table I saw that there was no seat remaining for myself so I stood behind her chair.

Seated to her left side was Prince Manti of Ebstron and to her right Prince Fuarco of the Cepaltas tribe, whose barbaric attire seemed partically out of place. Amy's three friends were mixed in with other nobility, but as they outranked most of these they were seated nearby.

After the third dish was served Prince Manti looked around, saw that I was the only one just standing at the table, and asked, "Princess Amesombra, who is this young lady with you?"

She looked over her shoulder and pretended to notice me for the first time. "This? It's my glow-in-the-dark commoner I use for a reading lamp. Prince Manti, you of all people should know the high price you charge us for the lamp oil that you will not let us trade directly for, while this kitten just costs table scraps to run." She motioned for me to lean towards her and she fed me with her fork.

"Surely Black Magic allows Your Highness to see in the dark?"

"What, these party tricks?" She held out her free palm and summoned a shaddow that took the form of a flame of total darkness. Then she closed her hand into a fist, 'extinguishing' the 'flame'. "Why extend my own feeble strength when Miss Pureheart can light up a room all night long?" Then she turned to the other side. "Prince Fuarco, why do you look so startled? Surely my magical aspect is no great secret."

Fuarco's gaze had jumped to my face at the mention of my name, but he now turned to the princess. "My apologies, Your Highness. I had not seen Black Magic before."

"Why might that be? It is simply yet another naturally occurring color of magic, the same as the others. If it is true that you burn every shadow aspected child then I had best never visit your so-called kingdom myself. What makes it a kingdom is beyond me. Surely the Cepaltas number no more than one of our own smaller cities. Are you even the most numerous of the so-called 'wild' tribes?"

"We Cepaltas are a proud people and our many warriors control an area larger than any one of your six duchies."

"My appoligies, Prince Fuarco, if I have inadvertently cast shade on the pride of your people. Here, let me make that up to you. Instead of another one of our boring dances, we shall follow the customs of your tribe. Is it not true that your prospective grooms prove their ability to provide for their brides with a moonlight hunt, and is not the moon full tonight? What say you, shall we start that hunt in an hour and for whomever brings the most impressive prize I shall speak on his behalf and ask that their pick of any unmarried woman in my nation (even myself) be their fiancee."

Fuarco studied my face for several seconds, then turned back to the princess and nodded. "That would be most acceptable, Your Highness."

"And what say you, Prince Manti? Have you had enough practice in horseback riding lately, what with the unfortunate groundings of so many of your ships?"

"Yes, Your Highness." He looked down the table to Lady Yeuxpera, then back towards Amesombra. "I know just the princess to reverse our misfortunes."

"Excellent. I will give leave to all who wish to participate and we will gather in the estate square in an hour."

I followed Amesombra back to her room and said, "Surely Prince Fuarco is the best hunter. Do you intend to give me to him?"

"Miss Pureheart, think carefully about the wording of my wager." She bent down to pull something out of her bag. "You will win this contest handly, especially when wearing this." She held up the Penelope outfit, only in white with sky blue trim.

I silently noted that the costume had about a dozen layers of fabric sewn together, with adjustments at the joints for free movement of the limbs. I wouldn't want to run very far in hot weather while wearing this, but if I fell over in the recent snow on this mountainside during this autumn night I'd hardly feel anything.

"Why is your riding outfit so much less padded?"

"Because I won't be the one petting the wolves." She did one final check of the fit of my daggers on my belt and my bow and arrows in my quiver, then motioned for me to follow her.

When I went to fetch the horse I had been riding at the Feuchemie estate, Amesombra reached down for me from Etanuit. "Miss Pureheart, I'd feel so much better if you'd ride with me tonight."

We two and Lady Depecia (on Jumentbru) and Synthia on her horse were the only four girls out for the hunt and we were joined by both princes and four other noble boys, along with two each of the calvary and rangers, both of Prince Fuarco's companions, and two of Prince Manti's guards.

The wind started to pick up as Amesombra turned back to me. "Miss Pureheart, we have been traveling steadily up the slope, so what is the direction back to the estate?"

"Down the slope, Your Highness." I looked around and saw that the two princes and their men had gone their own ways, leaving us with the nobles of Plaverni.

"Excellent." Then she turned to Depecia and said, "And now the fun begins!"

The drizzle of snow turned into a gale. I huddled up against Amesombra and could just barely make out Depecia's horse a few feet away as we galloped upslope.

A few minutes later the wind died down, but the snow continued to fall heavily around us.

Amesombra turned around and said, "Synthia, I thought you were from the slums of the city. How did you follow us through that?"

"It takes a while for snow to cover the tracks of horses, Your Highness."

I looked back and saw it was just us four girls on our three horses within sight.

Amesombra was searching ahead of us. "Lady Depecia, I believe that the fun is a bit south of this point?"

Depecia nodded and led the way. A few minutes later we heard the snarl of wolves ahead of us.

Amesombra smiled and said, "That's it." Then she turned and asked, "Synthia, theoretically speaking, should we four be separated, which of us three would you follow?"

"I would follow Your Highness."

"Excellent."

Depecia motioned for us to dismount and with Amesombra handed the reins of their horses to Synthia.

Depecia had us kneel behind a fallen tree trunk and beyond that, I could see the prey a half dozen wolves had cornered. "A unicorn!"

His silver fur was streaked with his blood and he limped along, placing as little weight on his left rear leg as he could, even though the rest were also injured.

"Quietly," Amesombra whispered to me. "We wouldn't want the wolves to be on us, now would we?"

"We must save him," I responded.

"Oh, must we? I must be getting back to the others before they worry too much about their princess."

"Amy. This is too cruel, even for you."

"No Amy here. At this moment I must be strictly Amesombra. Now, Miss Pureheart. What makes it right to intervene to protect the unicorn and not the grass it eats? Surely we must respect the cycle of life, and what of the cubs the wolves need to feed during the coming harsh winter?"

"I want to save the unicorn."

"As good an answer as any. Now will you take responsibility for this new pet that you have decided to lift out of the natural order?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Excellent. Now ready your bow, and let's even the odds."

Depecia's arrow went through the eye of one wolf and a second was also killed instantly but with a bolt of black energy. My arrow, fired from my much less powerful bow, bounced off the fur of a third wolf. The surviving four wolves scattered as the unicorn teetered on unsteady hooves.

I tried to track the wolves as they vanished into the pine trees, then turned back to the princess, who wasn't there. The only figures I could see were myself and the unicorn.

"Princess Amesombra!" I cried out, then realized my mistake as I could just barely hear the wolves circling toward the sound of my voice.

I nocked a second arrow and didn't have to wait long as one of the wolves lept towards me. My arrow found her throat and she fell a few feet ahead of me. Something fell behind me and I turned to see another wolf killed instantly by an arrow through his eye.

"Thank you!" I shouted out then turned as another wolf charged me. With no time to draw another arrow, I pointed my bow at it and this snapped in two as the tip drew blood from the wolf's cheek. He yelped and withdrew.

I looked down at the wolf I had shot, who was making hideous choking noises around my arrow. I drew my new dagger and slit her throat.

I turned to the sound of another body falling and saw that the unicorn had collapsed from his injuries. Not seeing the remaining two wolves and with a silent prayer to the gods that they would now leave us alone I wiped the dagger clean on the wolf's fur then sheaved it and walked up to the unicorn with open hands. "Are you Yinshou? I can help if you will let me touch you."

The unicorn nodded at this and lay there as I knelt to put my hands on its injuries. I repeated the healing chant over and over as I focused on each wound. My sight became blurry as I fumbled with my gloved hands to find and close each bite mark. Then everything faded to black and I collapsed in the snow.

I awoke hours later as the morning twilight was just starting and saw the bodies of the two remaining wolves near me. One had been dispatched with an arrow through its eye (Did Depecia ever miss her mark?) and the one I had broken my bow on had been speared through with a unicorn's horn.

Not seeing anybody else around me I shouted out. "Hello! Is it over?"

When nobody answered, I decided to follow the hint Amesombra had given me. I stood up and walked downhill through the snow for about an hour.

When I reached the edge of the forest I saw Prince Fuarco standing over a deer and smiling broadly. Next to him stood a far less proud Prince Manti standing over a rabbit and one of the other noble boys had caught a bird.

I sighed and contemplated a lifetime of drinking fermented horse milk as I walked towards them.

Prince Fuarco turned to Princess Amesombra but she pointed behind me.

Puzzled he turned around and his jaw dropped, along with those of all the other noble boys. While the smile flew to the face of the princess.

I stopped as I heard something heavy crunch through the snow behind me. Then turned as the unicorn nuzzled against me. "Good morning, Yinshou. I'll get you some treats." I thought for a moment then rephrased my own recruitment question. "Yinshou, I will feed you, and groom you, and stable you. You will want for nothing. And all I shall ask in return is that you train every day to the limits of your strength to face unspeakable horrors that will claw at your body, mind, and soul should you fall the least bit short of all that you can be. Are my terms acceptable?"

Yinshou nodded.

Lady Depecia rode down from the woods, stopped beside us, yawned then said, "Good morning, Angelica."

"Good morning, Lady Depecia. Thanks for watching over me."

"Oh, I would have done that even if Her Highness hadn't ordered me."

Princess Amesombra walked up to me but stopped ten yards away as Yinshou started to back away.

The princess shouted over the distance. "Miss Pureheart. You are the clear winner of this contest. Whom do you wish to be your bride?"

"I would rather stay with Your Highness."

"I'm afraid my hand is quite a ways above what a commoner can reach for. But I shall retain you in my service until you make your choice."

Prince Fuarco and his companions returned to his tribe and the other nobles dispersed. Depecia's gift turned out to be a white leather saddle that well matched Yinshou's fur. I looked around and then asked her, "Where are the reins?"

"You don't get any. Yinshou is smarter than the average bear." She patted him. "Just tell him where you want to go or nudge him with your knees. In the game, he’s always available somewhere to be summoned by your power and you ride bareback, but we decided it would be more comfortable for you both to have a saddle. Just take this off him every night and brush him down when you've finished riding."

We spent another night at the estate to rest up from our adventure and I awoke snuggled next to Amesombra.

Yinshou continued to put a firm limit of staying ten yards away from my princess, so our marching order back to the capital was myself in the lead with Depecia next to me until we reached the road to her estate, followed by the carriages, with Amesombra and Synthia riding in the van.

Two days later I released Yinshou on the palace grounds with instructions to graze as he liked and Amesombra ordered the guards to report any who disturbed the royal unicorn to herself.