By Perfect Image [Blue]
Editing by P.I. [Desen]
Of Evil and Regrets
Act One
In olden days, a sickness traveled across the continent of Europe, ravaging the land's many kingdoms and destroying far too many lives. At that time, the Seelie Court (often referred to as the Yellow Court because of the rulers' shining, golden hair) sent away their pregnant queen, to live with her family that heralded from the sheltered lands of what is now known as Switzerland.
It was there, hidden by the Alps, where the Yellow Court's queen gave birth to twins: a girl and a boy. The older of the two, the girl, she decided to call Rin and the younger went by the name of Len. The queen's family believed twins to be good luck, and while they lived in a village beside the Lac des Dix, a lake so wide that sailboats and other vessels could often be seen skirting across its surface, all was good.
Despite the fact that the area they were located in was often considered a cold place by outsiders, during the summers winds were brisk and the sun shone down on them just like at any other place. The villagers watched over the twins, and no harm came to the two. In fact, when they reached the age of six, they often slipped out of the village to run across the many fields, delighting in each new discovery that they made.
It was a happy time for the two, and it seemed like the tragedy that befell the countries north of them would never affect the twins. And yet –
At the tender age of seven, Len was considered a natural leader. He was as wise as his father and as kind as his mother. Among the younger children of the village, he passed judgment fairly and all followed his example. All, that is, except for sweet Rin, spoiled by her brother and constantly watched by him. She received his attention first no matter what, and when she was upset he would do everything in his power to help her attain her lost happiness.
"I want Rin to be happy," Len would say, smiling at her. Then, the spoiled princess would look up into his face, into his eyes, and he would add one other thing. "I'll do anything to make Rin happy."
Often, at such an age, this meant sneaked desserts or a new toy that should have gone to Len. And yet, despite Rin's selfishness, no one could consider her a bad child. She was shaped by her brother's overprotective nature and came to expect her way in all matters, but because of this, she was also much more outgoing. Originally, she might have actually been less of an attention-grabber and more of a wallflower. Instead, she was the exact opposite of her brother's calm nature.
In fact, if one didn't get on the child's bad side, she was a pleasure to be around, all smiles. She loved to sing, and often dragged her less-willing brother into singing ridiculous songs while the villagers went about their daily business. Her mother found her charming, especially when the child chose to wear a matching outfit with her brother, the only difference being that she wore a skirt befitting of her social status.
And her social status: what of that?
Aye, the twins' mother never forgot of her husband and his predicament, often receiving word from passing merchants of what the status was in the upper kingdoms. As time passed, the travelers that visited became fewer and fewer. Rin and Len never knew of the people who came to deliver letters to their mother, each one becoming increasingly frantic in content as time wore on. Their mothers often made sure to visit her messengers in secret in the local pub, away from her innocent children's gazes.
And, one might wonder now, had she told them what they were and what was happening to their true home, would the events following one particular note have come to pass?
In the end, we will never know, because one day five months before the twins were to reach the halfway point to their eighth birthday (and they were children, they still counted these things out) their mother received a letter pronouncing the King was dead. He and half the court's populace had held onto their health until the sickness had left all the countries, and then expired, leaving their loved ones with more death.
Among those that had died was the king's concubine, a mistress who had been there only to replace his beloved queen, to replace her twin sister – for such things were looked down upon in the Yellow Court. Twins were considered to be one good child and a demon that had slipped into a pregnant woman's body with a destructive wish. Because of this, though the king had fallen in love with the queen, he had been forced to punish her and her sister (since one could not tell the demon from the innocent) by keeping one as his known, but never seen, mistress.
So, when their mother left the twins, she went with a wretched look on her face, borne away in a carriage similar to the one they had arrived in – dressed in the color of night with tears marring her beautiful features.
"Goodbye, my darlings." She had whispered, deep blue eyes staring into the children's souls. "Godspeed, and pray I return someone to fetch you quickly."
Then, she had kissed them both on the head, told Len to take care of his sister, and left the two. The two stood there, weeping silently as their mother climbed into the carriage and let herself leave to a land that had been burned by black flames. Flames that would continue to eat at the skin and lay nestled beneath the flesh, never healing and consuming gluttony itself.
Neither saw her again. She never saw her husband's corpse or her sister's body. Twice cursed by destiny divided twins, she was attacked by bandits on her way through neutral land. The horses were stolen and the people's throats were cut. What money the queen had on her was little, and they only attacked to take away such high-priced thoroughbreds.
When it reached the council that currently reigned over the Yellow Court in the queen's absence that she was dead and had left two children behind in her former home, they came to a unanimous decision. Both children would be brought back and one would become the new ruler of the Court. Already, the Kingdom of Blue and the Land of Green were beginning to pick up their own pieces and the Red District's loss of their unruly princess seemed to have worked in the land's favor.
The child would be groomed into a proper heir by the deceased king's advisor and that child would have the best education the council could provide with their country still in partial ruin. Yes, they decided, this would be best. They sent two servants that had come into the country right after the plague to the mountainous country the children were protected in, with strict instructions to not let anything happen to the court's new potential heirs.
Those two servants reached the children well enough. However, they were not so new to the Yellow Court that they knew nothing of the country's superstitions. Indeed, a set of twins would provide a problem indeed. Especially if one truly was a demon – something the peasants did not need so soon after the sickness that had decimated the land's previous life. Plans were made to kill one of the two twins.
Yet, by some ironic twist of fate, no blood was shed. A caravan of gypsies crossed paths with that of the servants and their precious burdens. And, after some bargaining, it was decided that the male twin would go with them. Indeed, Rin's future was already being decided, and in the neighboring country of Blue a young prince was readying to ascend the throne. In a few years, Rin would be of marrying age, and the unification of two powerful countries would provide the singular one with enough power to ensure peace would rule for a substantial period of time.
In the middle of the night, with both twins trapped in a deep slumber inspired by a sleeping draught provided by one of the servants (who had once been a medicine witch in her home town), the gypsies headed west with Len, toward the land of many waters while the servants continued north.
When the servants reached the Yellow Court with young Rin in tow, she was immediately set on a strict schedule. The morn would hold etiquette classes with the noon holding the studying of Latin, English, her country's history as well as politics and ways to keep her people happy. And, during the night, the servant who had once been a witch would slip incense into Rin's room, set it aflame, and let the fumes slowly cloud Rin's memory of her brother until she could barely remember if she had even had a twin.
All she remembered was the fact that she was a princess and that everyone bowed to her.
And her advisor encouraged that, pig that he was, coated in layers of fat from fine dining his entire life. It was a wonder that he hadn't died in the plague, but then, he was so like a disgusting cockroach that it didn't come as that large a surprise. But, then again, it seemed that those that survived the longest were often the most terrible people.
Nevertheless, Rin's lessons continued, and soon she could sing like a bird, play violin like a professional, and what art she did work on was exquisite. The council saw this and was pleased.
They were even more pleased when Rin demanded more cake, sending their slyest member to grovel before her and explain (or lie) that they had not enough money to answer her every whim. But, the peasants had money to spare, with their crops doing so well. Rin ordered higher taxes immediately and left it to her representatives (for she was not yet old enough to appear before the public) to come up with a reason for this increase in money. They did so, and the reign of the demon lady began in earnest – and yet, she was only eight.
And, how was Len doing during this time?
To go forward, one must sometimes go back, and the day after Len was separated from his sister he threw a fit.
One of the older men held him down with one forearm placed carefully across his chest. The young boy squalled and shouted for Rin until his voice was hoarse and only when he could croak and struggle feebly did the man let him up, smiling slightly in a way that was neither malicious nor condescending.
"Aa, child, ye muss look toward the future. That devil child is long gone. In the end, we got the good soul." An old woman who had been seated in the opposite corner of the wagon Len had been kept in now looked up and smiled, revealing many gaps as well as blackened gums. The boy drew back, trying not to seem too repulsed and the woman chuckled again, all of her body aside from her nose, smile, and chin obscured by the heavy cloak she had wrapped about herself..
Gathering up his nerve, Len spat out, "Rin is not a devil child!" He shuddered when she laughed again, her chuckle reminding him of the bark of a crow.
"Silly, silly boy. Ye sisser be a curse upon any who touch her. That how it be 'till the end o her life. Though I rather tell ye this when ye a man, bess I reckon' it, ye sisser be long gone by then. And ye be a good boy, who don' wan' see her under the guillotin'. Not less ye can do somethin', I don't reckon'. Tha right?"
Mention of the guillotine made Len's blood run cold, and the child shivered, tears beginning to well up in his eyes because that couldn't happen to Rin, not his sister. He'd rather die in her place than see her like that. The man who had kept Len down during his tantrum had long since left the wagon to go about business outside and Len missed the body heat that came from another person near him.
And when the elderly woman began again, he felt his mouth dry because here came more words that would cause pain. "O' course, ye be one o those fighter types. Ye want ta take care o her, like a proper gentleman. Ye have to wait a year and pay off ye debt t' me, but if ye do so, I promise that 'fore you reach ten ye be back by her side 'gain. Deal?"
To be with Rin once more, after so long a time, seemed like agony. He wanted her then and there, the impatience of a child upon him. However, he was wise beyond his years. And he took the old woman's wrinkled hand in his smooth, un-calloused one and kissed the papery skin.
"Oo, ye," she giggled, "a gentleman thru' and thru'. Boy, there be the death of ye right there, plain as day."
Seelie Court: The Court of the benevolent Fey Folk, its mistress is considered a needed evil to balance out the land's heaven-like charm. While in some folk tales the queen is portrayed as an elf, the queen of the Unseelie Court is often seen as a spider queen.
European Nations: Though most fairytales are set in faraway lands, many can find different countries as the backdrop for their story. Often, the lands in the stories are never named, and all actual history of the places is erased in an attempt to create a realistic, yet completely different land. Oftentimes, the best fairytales were told by traveling merchants, who would weave tall tales of the places they had been to.
Twins: In some forms of civilization, twins were considered to either be good luck or bad luck. Often times, those that were considered a curse were drowned as infants. Indeed, in some nations, twins were forced to marry one another because it was believed they'd had sex in the uterus (whut? Weird, freaky, and true) while others were considered to have been married while in heaven. Though the first myth was primarily started in Asia, some tales leaked through to Europe, leading some to call one child the "Devil's son/daughter". The latter myth began in North America.
-----
Blue: Sorry for the added stuff. That's mainly to give you an idea of what I'm drawing from. While this story is based off the two "Evil" PVs and the "Regret Message" one as well, it may deviate slightly from the original story. I can't promise how often I'll update, but we'll leave the longest I'll take to update at around one month. Sorry for that. I'm busy finishing up my other story right now though. xD Once I'm done with that, I promise I'll focus completely on this one.
Blanket Disclaimer: In no way, shape, or form do I hold any ownership to the Vocaloid characters or the European nations shown above. Original characters not previously shown I do hold claim to, as well as certain forms of fairytales that I have twisted and warped. I, however, do not own the fairytales themselves.