Everyone thinks that I have it all
But it's so empty living behind these castle walls...
These castle walls...
If I should stumble, if I should fall
Would anyone hear me screaming behind these castle walls?
There's no one here at all...
Behind these castle walls...
"I'm stupid... 'Stupid little boy, stupid dreams, you never learn.'"
Everyone thinks that I have it all
But it's so empty living behind these castle walls...
These castle walls...
If I should stumble, if I should fall
Would anyone hear me screaming behind these castle walls?
There's no one here at all...
Behind these castle walls...
Nobody knows I'm all alone
Living in this castle made of stone
They say that money is freedom
But I feel trapped inside it all
And when I sit so high up on the throne
I wonder how I can feel this lone
On top of the world is beautiful
But there's no place to fall
Everyone says that I have it all
But it's so empty living behind these castle walls...
These castle walls...
If I should stumble, if I should fall
Would anyone hear me screaming behind these castle walls...
"Alright now, you're safe."
There's no one here at all...
Behind these castle walls...
The young Chinese prince wandered through the castle, repeating the words in his head over and over. He was only eight years old—taking such cruel insults from the citizens. He never told the Emperor because he was afraid. The boy lacked intelligence; his brother—who was the Emperor—never had time to teach him. He lacked self esteem and strength. He took the insults, but merely shut them away, as if they were just flies buzzing around a horse's eyes.
Only one thing kept the boy going. A dream. A dream that would set him free. He hated the life in the castle. He wasn't allowed outside, he wasn't allowed to speak to any outsiders, nothing. He felt trapped like a prisoner. A human trapped in their own home, it scared him.
He sometimes crept past the guards to the roof of the castle. He stood on the wall, staring out at the vast ocean. He occasionally saw merchant ships go by, supplying other countries with their goods, though he often thought that the place he lived was the place of all humanity. He loved the view. Poppies and chrysanthemums swayed lightly to the breeze. Cows, sheep, and pigs wandered the area, eating weeds, grass, and leaves that have already fallen from the acacia trees.
He stood on the roof on the day of the Emperor's 37th birthday. He spotted something most unusual. A ship, but not a merchant ship. It was very tall, white sails attached to the rails. Men in raggedy clothes wandered around, some carrying crates, some steering the ship. What interested the boy so much was one man. He stood out from the rest. He was dressed nicely, a long, red coat hanging from his shoulders. Black boots that reached his mid-shin. A red hat, but strands of shaggy, blonde hair flowed out.
The boy stumbled down from the roof and ran to the coast, ignoring the guards that chased him. He crashed into citizens, earning angry, annoyed remarks. He ran and ran and finally made it to the coast. As the ship grew closer, the boy became afraid. Was it going to slow down? Were they dangerous? He took no chances. He quickly dashed behind a large rock that had a crack he could peek through.
As the ship docked, the boy watched as a large board was laid down, connecting the ship to the ground. The nicely dressed man stepped off first, then ordered the others to come. The boy now had a better look at the newcomer. His eyes were a bright emerald green, which matched an earring and a pin on his coat. He had two pistols and an unsheathed sword attached to his belt. The man remove his hat; more shaggy, blonde hair was revealed. It seemed to be flowing, but there was no breeze.
The boy was suddenly startled by a loud bang. He turned to the direction where he came from. His stomach dropped. The guards had followed him all the way to the coast, as did the Emperor, whom was riding an armored, white horse.
"Where is my brother?" The Emperor stated, a mild amount of harshness in his voice.
"I'm sorry, but I am afraid I do not know what your brother looks like," the newcomer responded.
The boy blinked. The man had a heavy accent, it didn't sound like one he'd ever heard before.
"Do not play with me, Opium!" The Emperor snapped. "The guards told me he ran in this direction!"
So his name is Opium? the boy wondered.
The man snorted and burst into a dark laughter. He grabbed the sword from his belt and walked to the Emperor.
"Well, Yao the Great, I'm afraid your duty as Emperor has ended," he said.
With a laughter so evil, and such a dark threat, the boy ran out and stood in front of the Emperor.
"Please don't hurt my brother!" The boy pleaded.
His pleas were in vain. The man, so evil, had already made his move. It didn't take long; the emperor was dead within a few moments, the sword penetrated through the left part of his chest. The boy shrieked, the guards had ran off, the man and his crew laughing.
"Well, lad, looks like you're coming with me," he said.
The boy, frightened more than ever, merely fell on his knees and began screaming, tears running down his cheeks like a river. He screamed louder as the blonde lifted him and carried him to his ship, which the boy saw The Regend carved on the side.
"Let me go! Leave me alone!" The boy screamed, flailing his puny arms and legs.
"Belt up, wanker," the blonde said. "You are to call me Captain Kirkland, what is your name?"
"Why would I tell you?! You just killed my big brother!"
Kirkland rolled his eyes. "If you don't tell me, I'll get someone else," he spat, making the boy flinch,
The boy's screams died down and he fell limp. Kirkland sighed. As he boarded the ship, another little boy—Alfred—ran towards him.
"Big brother," Alfred squealed, hugging his legs.
When he looked up, the gleam in his eyes disappeared as he saw the boy Kirkland was holding.
"Relax, lad, he's just asleep," Kirkland assured him.
The gleam returned in Alfred's bright blue eyes.
"Captain Kirkland!" One of the crew members called. "We're ready to take off!"
"Alright, Davy, set sail," Kirkland responded, pushing Alfred away and walking to his cabin.
OoOoOoOoO
I, Honda Kiku, will get my revenge.
This is what I promised myself. And now, I'm in love with the damned pirate I was to get revenge on. What's wrong with me? Everything.
I've been with the pirate ever since he killed my brother, the Emperor of China, Wang Yao. Yet I can't even lay a finger on the man. Sometimes I just wish I could kill a human being. Though, I guess I should be grateful. He educated me, taught me how to fight, to protect myself, and he showed me so many things my brother wouldn't even discuss with me.
It's true that I hated the life living behind castle walls. I'm finally free, thanks to him. But I wasn't ready. I would have never been ready, not even with the training the pirate gave me.
Eight years after I was taken away, a terrible incident had happened. The Regend was unexpectedly attacked by an unknown enemy. A man, maybe about six feet tall, silver hair, and evil violet eyes was their captain. He said his name to be Ivan Braginsky. What was so bad about this attack? Kirkland was badly hurt, Alfred was killed, and many other crew members were either wounded or dead. What happened to me? I was injured, then taken hostage. I was taken on his ship, thrown in a cell, and left to rot.
I'm still in that cell; bruised and beaten. I have a large scar on my back in the shape of an 'X'. Ivan visits me every day. He whispers crap. He says he'll set me free, he says he loves me, he says I'm beautiful. It makes me uncomfortable to be around him.
OoOoOoOoO
Another day in this cell, Kiku thought.
Ivan hadn't made his daily stop yet, so Kiku began coming up with an escape plan. The only reason he hadn't tried to escape before was because he was afraid his plan wouldn't work. Now, he had a kick start. Ivan had captured a young girl. She was about five feet tall, long, braided, blonde hair, and a pink dress. Her eyes reminded Kiku of the pirate that had captured him many years ago, except they were dark with dismay and sadness. She had spoken to Kiku only once, and that was when he asked her for her name. She said, "Lili Zwingli."
To Kiku, the name 'Zwingli' sounded very familiar, but he couldn't remember exactly. He attempted to communicate with her numerous times, all failed.
One night, Kiku wasn't able to sleep, so he stared out into the cell of the poor girl. She was so quiet, she seemed very jumpy, as if a small breeze would make her scream as if she were being raped. Her face was twisted with distraught. Kiku had thought that maybe Ivan had killed someone she was close to.
"Did he hurt you?" The prince suddenly blurted out.
Lili's face rose, tears plucking at the bottom of her eyes. Kiku instantly regretted asking such a question, but he did receive a nod in response.
"How?" Kiku asked, eager to find out more.
Lili opened her mouth to explain, but all that left her lips was a small wheeze. She then crawled to the bars, moving as close as she could to the prince, though they were in different cells.
"He killed my brother," she whispered softly, as if not to catch a guard's attention.
"He killed my friend's brother," Kiku muttered, looking down, remembering Alfred's death.
OoOoOoOoO
Alfred lay on the floor, a sword in his chest. It wasn't in his heart, but infection would spread quickly. The crew had miraculously managed to drive the Russians back.
"You'll be okay, Alfred," Kirkland cried.
The pirate was afraid to remove the sword, for removing it could cause Alfred to die. But the boy lay smiling, tears falling from his eyes.
"I'll be...," he started.
That was it. The boy stopped breathing. Kirkland watched as the life of the hyper teen slipped away from his grasp, his blue eyes losing the shine they always had. Kirkland closed Alfred's eyes.
"Rest in peace, Alfred," Kirkland murmured softly, tears continuing to streak down his cheeks.
As he regained himself, his body flooded with rage. He had no control. It was a matter of seconds before he was on the Russian ship searching for the man who brutally murdered his brother.
Kiku was driven back onto The Regend. He stumbled backward and tripped over Alfred's lifeless body. That's when the horrible memories of his own brother's death flooded back into his mind. He payed no attention to the man who had a gun pointed to his head.
"Alfred," Kiku had cried, for he had become great friends with the hyper child.
OoOoOoOoO
Lili had to throw a small rock at the prince to get his attention. Kiku was suddenly transported back to real life. He looked up at the girl, who now looked even more terrified than when she first arrived.
A guard stood between them, facing Kiku. He gestured for him to stand up, and Kiku gloomily obliged. He rose to his feet, feeling the pain of sores (the floors were a mess) he had gained. The guard unlocked the gate.
This is my chance to escape, Kiku suddenly thought.
"Come with me," the guard said, his heavy accent sparking with amusement.
"You might want to turn around," Kiku said.
The guard did turn around, confused. Kiku took his chance. He locked his arms around the guards throat and strangled him, a small yelp coming from Lili as she covered her eyes.
As soon as the guard was down, Kiku grabbed the dagger from the corpse's belt and stabbed it in his throat. He then grabbed the four guns the guard was equipped with, the packs of ammo, and the cell keys. He waddled out of his cell and fumbled with the keys. When he found the right one, he poked it in the key hole of Lili's cell and unlocked it.
"A-are you sure you know what you're doing?" Lili asked, trembling as she crept out of her cage.
"Nope," Kiku responded, earning a terrified look in return.
"Do you trust me?" Kiku asked.
Lili hesitantly nodded. She made a small squeak when the prince's hand embraced hers.
"When I say, 'jump', you jump, okay?" Kiku said, more of a demanding tone.
Lili nodded. She blinked as a gun was suddenly in her hands.
"Just in case," Kiku murmured.
With that, the two dashed toward the wall. Kiku let go of Lili's hand and used his shoulder to break the thin, wooded wall that held the cells together.
The wall broke. Kiku braced himself for oncoming guards, but there were none. Kiku took the chance to grab Lili's hand and dash to the edge of the ship.
"Jump," Kiku shouted.
Lili jumped at the same time Kiku did. They hurled toward the ocean, both landing and a sudden silence taking over.
Lili resurfaced, breathing hard and gasping for air. She looked around, frantically searching for the prince. He hadn't resurfaced. She dove under the water and saw the prince. He was struggling, as if something had caught his foot. Lili swam down and hooked her arms under his and kicked her legs, pulling Kiku to the surface.
As they breached the surface, both gasping for air, shouts of Russian guards were heard. Ivan stood at the very edge. Kiku was relieved when the man turned away.
"We need to get moving," Kiku said, grabbing Lili's hand and swimming forward.
"There's no land for miles," Lili murmured.
Kiku felt pity for the girl. But he was brought outside while she was asleep. They were docked in a place Ivan had called 'Hell's Tavern'. One of the guards just said they docked in France to restock.
"Land is closer than you think," Kiku said.
He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her head, reassuring her as if she was a frightened child who thought a monster was in her closet. A light shade of pink filled the girl's cheeks.
Kiku once again grabbed Lili's hand and swam west. After about two hours of swimming, Lili and Kiku had finally spotted land. Kiku urged the young girl to swim faster, but he knew she was exhausted.
The sun was falling, maybe only an hour left of daylight. Kiku didn't think they would make it in time, but in about half an hour, they finally reached the land.
OoOoOoOoO
Kirkland stayed in his room for several days. Alfred's death and Kiku's captivity threw him over the edge. He was so filled with rage and grief that he just couldn't move. He had pushed aside all paperwork, importing and exporting, and leading the ship. The crew had to decide where to go, so they decided to return to Great Britain. They hoped Queen Elizabeth would cheer the pirate up.
They arrived in Great Britain in less than a month. Crew members had to drag the captain out of his quarters. They put him on a horse and headed toward the palace.
"Queen Elizabeth," a guard called from the entrance.
"Yes?" She responded.
"Captain Kirkland has returned."
The Queen smiled. She favored Kirkland. He stood by her side through her husband's death. She cared for him and treated him as if he were her son.
"Allow him in," said the Queen.
The guards brought in Kirkland. He was now standing upright and walking. He hid his sorrow and bowed before the Queen.
"Arthur," she murmured.
"Yes, my queen?" Kirkland replied.
"Come here, love."
Kirkland did as the woman requested. He now stood in front of her throne, merely inches from where her feet lay. She stood up and embraced the pirate. Suddenly, tears began to fall from Kirkland's eyes. He clung to the Queen like he would to his mother.
"What happened, Arthur?" The Queen asked.
"A-Alfred," he muttered. "H-he's gone."
"Everyone has their time," the Queen whispered.
"He was killed," Kirkland muttered, anger entering his voice. "Murdered by those damn Russians.
"Most of my crew is dead, including Davy. If they aren't dead, they're injured. One of my newest friends was taken hostage, I still have yet to find him—"
"Newest friend?" The Queen repeated.
Kirkland nodded.
"Tell me about this friend of yours."
Kirkland blinked. He didn't know how to explain Kiku. He had so many features that Kirkland liked, it would take forever for him to finally finish. But it was what the Queen requested, and no matter how sad or angry, he was loyal to the woman.
"He's the most beautiful man I've ever seen," Kirkland murmured. "I love him. He has a temper that would throw anyone on edge, but once you get to know him, he's caring, very caring indeed."
Kirkland and the Queen talked about the Prince all night, Kirkland's head resting on the Queen's lap as she played with his hair.
OoOoOoOoO
Lili seemed to no longer be exhausted. She ran around in the sand, laughing, picking up crabs or shells. Kiku smiled. He was surprised a beach would make her gleam in joy.
Kiku knew the Russians would be after them soon. He wished he'd knew France like the back of his hand, but he didn't.
"Lili," Kiku called to the girl.
She stopped and ran to him.
"Ja?"
"We need to keep going," he said. "They'll find us soon if we don't."
Lili nodded. The two began to walk. It wasn't much time before they came upon a city. At the brink of dusk, lights lit up the city. A water fountain burst to life as bells rang throughout the city. Music played on flutes, bagpipes, and other instruments Kiku hadn't recognized. Men, women, and children wandered around laughing, kissing, holding hands, and dancing. It seemed as if a festival was going on. Kids ran around wearing overalls and dresses. Stands of food lay everywhere containing cookies, cake, escargot, and what Kiku thought to be egg rolls.
Lili giggled as a small puppy ran toward her barking and wagging its stubby tail. Kiku flinched as a black and white kitten jumped on his head. After a small struggle of yelps and scratching, Kiku got the kitten off his head and held it before his face. The kitten flailed its hind legs. It licked the Prince's nose several times, the rough surface of the tongue making Kiku shudder.
The kitten mewled and Kiku let it down.
"We look like peasants," Kiku muttered, looking at their tattered clothes.
"Maybe someone will help us?" Lili suggested.
Kiku shook his head.
"You never know how rude people can be," Kiku said, remembering how the citizens of China treated him.
"But you never know how generous people can be either," Lili said. "I'm very good at convincing."
"Are you sure?" Kiku asked.
Lili smiled and nodded. Kiku sighed and allowed her to do as she wanted.
Lili grabbed Kiku's hand and led him into the crowd of dancing men and women. They pushed past the dancers and saw a woman standing on her own. Lili recognized the girl and wandered toward her.
"Excuse me," Lili said.
The woman turned. She had short blonde hair and bright green eyes.
"Oui?" She responded.
"May you help us, please?"
The woman nodded and introduced herself as Joan. Lili introduced herself and Kiku.
Joan led them to an old building with a sign over it that said, 'Saloon'. When they walked in, many women stared, mostly at Kiku since he was the only man in the building. Joan said something in French the took Lili and Kiku up the stairs.
"I am assuming you need clothes and food," Joan said.
"Yes ma'am," Lili replied. "We escaped a horrible ship and now we have nowhere to go," she explained.
"Well, if you want to be in a war, I would suggest here," Joan said. "But I'm sure you don't want to be near a war."
"War?" Kiku blurted.
"France and Great Britain have been at war," Joan explained. "It's been going on for a while now. The countries just don't know how to stop."
Joan sighed.
"Honestly," Lili started. "We just need directions."
"Like a map?"
Lili nodded. "A map to—" she stopped.
She was about to ask for a map to Great Britain, but she figured Joan wouldn't supply them one.
"—Calais," she finished.
"That's far from here," Joan replied, starting to get suspicious.
Kiku was dumbfounded. He didn't even know the country of France or Great Britain existed. He surely did wonder where this 'Calais' was.
Joan gave Lili a map and the girl opened it immediately. She pointed to the most northern city.
Unfortunately, Kiku couldn't read English, so he had no idea what they were pointing at.
"There is it," Joan said, still pointing at the map. "I'd say it would take you a day or two on foot. If you need a horse, I can provide one," she offered. Lili nodded and thanked Joan.
The French woman took Lili and Kiku outside. They dodged the dancers and walked along the street until they came across a stable. There were at least four or five horses. Joan pulled out a brown one and a white one and put saddles and reigns on them. Lili stared in awe while Kiku just muttered under his breath.
"Be careful," Joan said. "If you see men in red coats, run."
Kiku took the notice and thanked her. He hoisted Lili up on the brown horse and took the white horse as his own. Joan handed Lili the map and slapped the horse's bottom, making it neigh and jolt forward. Kiku got his horse moving and followed Lili.
OoOoOoOoO
Lili and Kiku halted their horses. Five redcoats stood guard across the border of Lyon. They stood straight up and held rifles to their sides. The soldiers had spotted them, but they made no move.
"They probably think we're outcasts," Kiku murmured.
Lili nodded in agreement. She urged her horse forward, as did Kiku. As they got closer, one of the redcoats shouted, "Halt!", and they stopped immediately.
"What is your purpose?" The middle soldier grunted.
Kiku recognized the accent. It was the same heavy accent Kirkland had. He remembered that Kirkland said he was from a country called "Great Britain".
"We need to get to Calais," Kiku said.
"What is your purpose?" The soldier repeated.
Kiku glanced at Lili.
"Our parents live there and they have gotten very sick. We had to come here to get some medicine, now we are on our way back," Lili said.
The soldiers grunted and moved out of their way. Kiku was surprised. Lili must have been really good at convincing. Wait, she already she was. Kiku mentally punched himself. He and Lili moved past the redcoats and into Lyon.
"How are you so good?" Kiku asked once they had gotten far enough from the redcoats.
"I learned from my big brother," Lili said, her face sparkling in victory.
Kiku couldn't believe it. Not even his brother was good at convincing.
"Are you a good negotiator?" Kiku asked.
"What's a negotiator?"
"Never mind."
The two continued forward, pushing past more redcoats along the way.
They moved into Dijon, then into Troyes, into Paris, Amiens, Arras, and finally into Calais. It took them a longer time then Joan had said.
'Two to three days on foot,' she had said. Well, it took that long on horseback.
"Why did we need to go to Calais?" Kiku finally asked. The question came to him when Lili first mentioned it, but he decided to go with the flow.
"It's the most northern city in France. It will take a small amount of times to reach Great Britain from there," Lili said.
"Why do we need to go to Great Britain? Do you have any other family there?"
"No," she murmured. "I wanted to see the Queen."
The Queen? Kiku thought.
"Things have been going on that I think she needs to know about," Lili said.
"What kind of things?" The Prince questioned.
"Riots. Many people have died in different countries including Spain, Prussia—"
"The Kingdom of Prussia?" Kiku asked. He'd heard many stories of the famous kingdom.
"Ja," she said. "Spain, Prussia, France, China, and Russia have all been affected by these riots. The Queen of England has the power to make them stop. Any riots caught under her rule will be punished. She has the power to take over. There are only few countries that haven't succumbed to the power to Great Britain."
"Those countries are?"
"Japan, China, and Russia," she said. "Those are the only ones I know."
"Japan?" Kiku asked, remembering the small island he traveled to many times.
Lili nodded.
"If we can get the Queen to listen, we might just stop these riots."
"Why exactly do you want them to stop?" Kiku asked.
Lili stayed silent for a few moments. Kiku figured that was how Ivan had killed her brother. Through a riot.
"Forget I asked that," Kiku said.
The two moved forward in silence, soon coming across a large building with a sign that read, 'Barre'.
Lili jumped of her horse. "This is a bar," she murmured.
"A bar?" Kiku asked. "'酒吧' is how you say it in China."
"That sounds weird," Lili giggled.
"I guess," Kiku said, smiling.
It was the first time he'd heard a happy noise from Lili. He was quite intrigued by the noise she made.
"Let's go inside," Lili said.
"How about no," Kiku said. "It's a bar, so there might be drunks inside."
"You can fight, can't you?"
"Yes, but I'd rather not."
"Please," Lili begged, tugging at his sleeve.
Kiku sighed. He really didn't have a choice. It was either they go in and take the chance, or they go on and run out of food.
"Fine," he muttered, suppressing a curse.
Their horses trotted forward. A man stumbled out of the bar, falling flat on his face. Lili gasped when he got up. His face was covered in blood, as was some of his hair.
"Sors d'ici!" He screamed, holding up his hand and crying in agony.
Kiku and Lili didn't understand what the man had said.
"Sors d'ici!" He cried again.
A few other men dashed out of Barre towards the one on the ground. They started beating, then Kiku realized what was going on. He covered Lili's eyes and got the horses to move forward.
"What's going on?" She asked, shaking in fear.
"Nothing, don't worry, it's just a fight," Kiku responded.
He lied. He knew it wasn't just some ordinary fight. It was going to be a murder. He wondered if it had happened often in this country. The reason he knew what was happening was because he'd seen it in Great Britain. He'd seen people—men and women— murdered brutally in front of bars or other shops. He didn't know if Lili had ever witnessed a murder, and he sure didn't want her to see one now.