Hidden Prince in a New Land. ( Xuxa_Rene)

Lizabeth heard him brag about killing them and she heard the cheers break out and wondered why the people were so happy that they were dead , she had never taken anything from them, had always paid double sometimes triple what everyone else paid for food. She had worked in their feilds doing jumps that was too disgraceful for their donkeys to do. She whiped a tear from her eyes and burried her face in to her sisters robe.

When she felt the cart stopped she lifted her head. And as Takeda let them out she carried Martha out and placed her on her lap as she rode next to Takeda and the other girls rode beside her wideeyed looking at their surrondings.

Takeda looked at Lizabeth her eyes looked a little puffy and red. "Have you been crying?" He took his hand and moved it from her cheek down to her chin and across to her other cheek. "You shouldn't let what you hear get to you. People are dumb and stupid and will cheer for anything." Then he looked at the other two girls. "So are you two hungry or do you wanna keep going?"

Lizabeth stared ahead. "Tis angering and upseting" She still looked forward as if in a trance, "I worked so hard, I never took anything from them, never had any loans, I worked in their feilds for long hours for table scraps and they still want us dead?" She paused and chewed her bottom lip. "Why?" As he carrased her face she instictivly turned into it as a kitten moves into a pet. Her eyes were closed, for somereason she felt so safe in his presence.

The two girls shook their heads and stared at awe at their sister, they had seen her beat down the toughest men, to go 3 days without eating but still have the energy to go out working 13 hours in the fields and here she was complelty mush by the hands of this man, they didnt like it one bit. "Lizzy when are we going to uncles?" Lizabeth lifted her head. "You two still want to go?" They both nodded. "Well we will send word then when we find a messege" Lizabeth looked up at Takeda. "They have thier pledged husbands near there"

((OOC I want to get rid of the two sisters keep it easier just her and Martha))

Takeda looked Lizabeth. "Well if you tell me where this Uncle is I can take them their with no problem. I can drop you all off their if that is what you belive to be a safe place." He looked at the girls and then at Lizabeth. To see what they would say to that. He stopped the carraige and waited to see what their awnser was. His hood was over his head and he had yet too pull off his hood in front of Lizabeth.

Lizabeth shook her head. "Me and Martha are not welcomed there, my sisters have husbands that they have been pledged to" She paused "Martha is too young and I must care for her, there is nothing at my uncles for me" She shrugged as if it didnt matter to her but it was clear that it did bother her, that she wanted to be married but this was her life now and she had to accept that.

Meanwhile her two sisters directed Takeda the way, it was a mere hour carriage ride away. When they got there her uncle ran out with a shotgun and pointed it at Lizabeth. Lizabeth showed no reaction to the gun. "Herbert I be here only to drop off Mary and Sara" Her sister leaped off the carriage grabbed thier small bag said thank yu and good bye to Takeda then they were gone. Herbert looked at Lizabeth then at Takeda "Good man your not keeping the sickie and her are you? I say sell them at the first port to be a ship girl and slave" Then he was gone Lizabeth stiffened her back and stared forward "I do not except you to stay with us, purhapes a ride to a new town"

Takeda grabed his sword when the shotgun was pointed at Lizabeth and when he made that comment he gripped his sword even tighter. Takeda frowned and looked at the man. "I think I will hold onto these lovely young ladies as long as they want." He pulled the reains and they left the Uncles property. "As for you two you are welcome to stay with as long as you like. And plus I wasn't going to let you two go anywhere until she heals up all the way."

Lizabeth looked up at Takeda. And the sword she looked at her uncle but showed no emotion whatso ever she simply cradled little Martha in her arms. She heard Takeda talking to her uncle but again showed no sign of actually hearing his speach but deep down she was encouraged by it.

As they rode off she looked up at Takeda "I thank thee, as you can tell I am not welcomed anyway, I have to assume I am to outspoken, no man wanted me for I speak my mind and wont roll over for anyone."

Takeda smiled. "I noticed that when I meet you did it stop me form being nice to you. Now did it?" Takeda looked at her his hood over his head still. "To be honest I am fasinated with you." He then pulled back his hood revealing his royal eyes. They were gold wit a silver ring around the puipl. He looked Lizabeth eye to eye for the first time.

Lizabeth nodded. "Yes that is true" She smiled and looked up at him. Fasinted? With her?? She must have heard wrong. But then mabey she didnt she did manage to keep her family together, till now, she had kept Martha alive... her thoughts were cut short when he pulled off the hood. It was then that she realized that she hadnt seen his face until now. She stared up at him and smiled. "Your....eyes...they are....wow" She blushed slightly and nodded.

Takeda smiled at her. "They are eyes of an royal prince. Every year the silver ring gets thiner and thiner until it is just a straghit line. Then they will be one tiny circle around my eyes and at that time I am to be married." He was no moving in the direction of a huge valley near by. "Correct me in case I read that sign wrong. That direction it to the valley right." He pointed to a sign nearby. He stopped at the forked road before he went any futher. He turned and looked at her and waited for his anwser.

Lizabeth jaw dropped as he spoke. "You are a prince?" She suddenly felt foolish, "How I spoke to you when we first met, you could have my head" She bowed her head "Your sevent begs your magistyies forgiveness" She then looked up. He was different then most of the royality members that came through the town. His story intrequied her. So that is why he had kept his face covered.

"Aye that is the sign" She lifted an eyebrow. "What is in the valley?"

Takeda took two fingers and touched the bottom of her chin and lifted her head up. "If wanted your head I would just ask for your hand." He took her hand and kissed as he looked up. "The valley leads to the south side which leads back to the beach where we can stay with no intruptions." He pionted at the forked road. "So lead the way Lizabeth. Oh... and in the valley there are pleanty of furits which your sister will need." He touched her head and then pulled out a jug with more more fruit juices in it and bottle feed little Martha.

Lizabeth blushed as he touched her chin. She smiled looking into his eyes. "Well I thank thee" She allowed him to hold her hand and giggled as he kissed it. She felt Martha stir and looked down at her. "I honestly didnt know the food I was giving her was making her illler. I mean she has to eat right?"

She nodded "That sounds lovely Slith" She pointed the way. And smiled as he fed Martha. "You have a way with Children Takeda" Martha opened her litle eyes and blinked at the bright sun but eagerly drank up the bottle making soft whimpering sounds.

Takeda just went silent and countinued to feed her. When she finished the fruit juices. "Her body is excepting the fruit eventually she will be able to feed herself." He took the reains from Lizabeth and looked at her. "Don't worry I know you would never try to harm your sister you were just doing what you thought was best." He guided them threw the valley and picked somemore fruit. But this fruit was for everybody because he could hear his and Lizabeth's stomach growl.

Lizabeth nodded "Yes little martha has always been a fighter. " She lead the horses in the way tht they were to go she was very confident with the horse. She nodded. "I know, I just wanted to explain myself is all" She watched the landscape and inhaled the smells of the fruit she couldnt remember the last time she had fresh fruit. She held a hand over her stomach as it growled. "I think I be a bit hungry" She winked up at him as the continued.

Takeda pulled out a knife and he chopped down a bunch of fruit. He bagged up most of them and kept the rest of them up front with them. He peeled the fruit for him and Lizabeth then he mushed up ther rest for Martha. After he gave Martha some more mushed fruit he chopped up and apple and feed it to Lizabeth as she was once again in control of the reains. He would cut some fruit and place it in her mouth.

Martha slowly took the fruit then turned and cruled into Lizabeth lap and fell back asleep. Colour was already returning to her face. Lizabeth smiled down at her. "Its okay Martha get some sleep. Your tummy is going to need to get used to the fruit sweetie." She then looked up at where they were going then to Takeda as he fed her. "Mmmm Thank you that tastes lovely"

Takeda looked at her. "I bet it does. I can tell from those little noises you are making. So tell me is it sweet or sour." He slips another peice of fruit in her mouth. As he cut a few more peices of fruit and looks her in the eyes as he gets another peice to put in her mouth.

Lizabeth blushed. "I be only making those noises for I was very hungry" She continued to eat and drive the carriage. "They tasted a bit of both" She ate what he gave her with a smile on her face. "Thank you Takeda" She looked him in the eyes back and batted them. "Where would you like stop?"

Takeda looked around. "Here is good their are a good assortment of fruits here meaning that some animal should be here and I can't them and make something eles for you to eat. He takes Lizabeth's hands and the reains and then he stopped the carriage and helped Lizabeth and Marth off the carriage and set up a camp. He then went out hunting and returned with some birds and he cooked them up for him and Lizabeth.

Lizabeth nodded "Alright" As he helped down she thanked him thentook Martha into her arms and set her gently down on the ground and helped him set up camp then as he went off she sat down and martha woke up and smiled. "Sissy I be feeling a bit better" Lizabeth smiled and kissed her forhead "We are safe now Martha"

As Takeda came back she stood and welcomed him back and watched him cook "Mmm that smells really good"

Takeda turned and laughed. "Thats good I was worried you wouldn't like what I was making." He turns and looks at Lizabeth. "Lizabeth tell me something." He grabed her hand and pulled him towards him. "How is it you your sisters are engaged and you aren't and why did your uncle so such harsh things about you. You have done nothing wrong. Have you?" He looked her in the eyes.

Lizabeth smiled. "Well it is really good." She grew a little nervous as Takeda grabbed her hands and pulled her to him. She knew this question was coming and she had been dreading it, she didnt know how he would take her news. She looked to the side and sighed. "I was set to be married and a heafty dowery was going to be paid to my uncle after my father was killed and my mother left' She paused "The man that was set to marry me was a brute of a man, he pillaged the villages and raped the women infront of their children. He wanted to bed me before our weding night...see he was going to war and he was super situious that he had to sleep with a vergin to win a battle, I refused, well he lost the battle and then refused to marry me" She looked back at him. "My uncle lost his payment for me." She looked over at Martha. "A family wanted to buy Martha, to replace their child that had died from a fever. but then Martha fell ill, he blamed me for that too" She shrugged "My uncle is a greedy man, but the men picked out for my sisters were picked out by my dad they will be fine" She waited for his reply.

Takeda pulled Lizabeth on top of him. "Look I understand what you did. You did the right thing and if your Uncle wasn't such and idot he would have understood." He looks her eye to eye with his gold and silver eyes. "I respect what you did and wish that it could have went better than that." He kisses her forehead.

Lizabeth smiled at Takeda "You are less money hungry then my uncle I see. He really just saw my family as a meal ticket, four girls, that is a lot of money. Normally it is the wives family that suppiles the drowery...but not here, here the woman must be bought, we seem to be a comandy, just a thing that is bought and sold" Her voice was filled with anger.

She stared into his eyes. "Well I thank you Takeda, I wouldnt want to be married to him anyways he was a vicous man, like I said his ritual was to have sex with a virgin before a battle, he wouldnt stay faithful to me" As he kissed her she backed away slightly and blinked then smiled. "Thank you"