“The wind round here gets wicked cold.” for Rio
“You look like a rich young master, sir,” Jiro said, nervously as he drove the small cart. The man sitting on the back of his cart simply smiled at him. His pale hair was braided on one side and his mismatched eyes watched Jiro closely. “Did something happen to your party, sir?”
“I’m afraid I’m running away,” the man spoke up. Jiro looked away and back at the farm horses. His father would be furious at him for having taken a detour, but the man had offered to pay him good money, who was he to say no?
“I-is that so?” Jiro asked. He hoped he wouldn’t get into trouble for helping a young master run away from home. It would have been ruder not to listen to him, yes? Anyways, half of the money was already in his pocket, the other half would be paid to him once they reached their destination. It was enough money to buy meat for their family for a whole year. Jiro wasn’t going to complain.
“Perhaps marriage problems? Or inheritance struggles?” Jiro asked. He was still a little curious, despite his anxious apprehension.
The man chuckled a little, lifting his sleeve to his mouth.
It was then Jiro noticed that what he had originally thought was a staff was an outlandish weapon of some sort. He immediately whipped his gaze back to the horses, his heart dropping into his stomach. It was alright, lots of young masters carried their own weapons. This meant nothing.
“You could say I accidentally killed the one I was interested in,” the man said. “It was a pity, she was pretty. And she looked even prettier when she was scared.”
Jiro’s hands were shaking now. But what was he supposed to have done? If a young master approached you and asked you to do something while holding out money, you were supposed to do it or you would be beaten or worse, killed. But Jiro also knew stories of boys and girls who helped young masters and were killed in return. Young masters didn’t care for people poorer than them.
“S-sir, where did you say you were going? I have to be home soon,” Jiro’s teeth chattered in fear.
“Don’t worry, I only need to go a little further than this. But you should urge your horses to go faster. This place could be dangerous,” the man said.
“Dangerous?” Jiro asked, risking a look at the man. The man smiled with pearly white teeth. It was a sharp, cold and cruel smile.
“The wind round here gets wicked cold,” he said, sounding so terribly amused, Jiro’s limbs almost stopped working.
Wind? There was no wind. Jiro went down these roads several times a week and-
Jiro heard the shrill noise of air moving too quickly and then the cart overturned as a large gust of wind hit them. Jiro cried out in terror as he fell over and the cart toppled to the ground and splintered over his leg. Jiro wailed in pain. He heard the horses making wild noises. But all of that drowned out at-
“Prince Hayate! You’re a little late! I thought you would never find me! Have you grown tired? Or is the pain still too much?” the man was shouting loudly, arms outstretched, and his outlandish weapon hanging from one of his hands. He sounded delighted. He looked delighted.
Jiro tried to look over the cart and then saw him. The former prince, standing tall, looking so enraged, he almost didn’t look human. There were dark circles under his eyes and his eyes were bloodshot. Jiro knew the look of a mad man when he saw one. He cried in desperation, trying to pull his leg from under the cart and flee.
He had heard the rumors. He knew what happened to the Prince’s family. They fell because the Princess did not abide to the wishes of a God. And now the Prince was seeking to destroy that God. Which meant that man was-
“Help me!” Jiro cried out. “Please help me! God! Please help me!”
The man’s eyes flickered towards him for just a second and he smiled wider.
“Thank you for the ride, little boy. Here’s the rest of your money. Perhaps you can use it in the after life.” A bag was tossed at Jiro and it landed on his chest, jingling with money. Jiro didn’t want it. He didn’t want it.
“Don’t look away from me, Rio!” Prince Hayate roared.
Jiro watched with wide tear filled eyes as the ground suddenly tore as the man slammed his weapon into the ground. Jiro saw in horror, the ground suddenly sprouted spikes like the ones on their farm fences. The spikes were directed at Prince Hayate, but they were coming towards Jiro as well.
Jiro squeezed his eyes shut.