Okay so this is one of those crazy ideas that popped into my head out of nowhere and just kind of came out of me and could go really far or could cut off right here right now. So, I'm posting this first chapter, but I'm only planning on leaving it up a day or two unless a lot of people ask me to keep going with it. If you missed it, this is set in a futuristic roman society, so could be really cool if allowed to continue or it could not, I don't have really anything planned for this.
Review if you want it to continue otherwise it'll be going down!
"The clans are wild, half feral groups of humans, no, less then that even. They're humanlike creatures that run around like animals, killing and destroying everything they get their hands on. They're true monsters, unworthy to even breathe the same air as-"
"Akiyama-san I know, you've told me this story a thousand times already."
"And I'll tell it to you a thousand more! This is a serious matter your majesty, and you need to treat it as such. Frankly I don't think you're ready for this, but who am I to disobey the king?"
The young woman rolled her eyes lightly at the raving middle-aged woman leading her down the long hallway. Their sandals clicked quietly against the stone, and the sound echoed off the identical brown stonewalls. Torches lit their way, making their shadows dance on the ceiling, alluring and frightening at the same time.
"Kin-himi-sama, are you even listening?"
"Of course," the girl muttered off handedly, still looking at the dancers above them.
"I swear, I worry about the future of our people sometimes. Your head is just too far up in the clouds."
"I thank you for your kind vote of confidence Akiyama-san."
The addressed woman huffed, stomping further ahead of the thoroughly amused princess. Said royal took her time strolling to meet her advisor in front of the towering double doors, eyes not betraying the slight nervousness she was plagued with at the moment. For princesses did not show nervousness, just serene assurance. This is what had been taught to her since the day she was born, and would continue to be installed in her till the day she died.
Today was only her premier though, and her death was far off. Today, the kingdom would see their princess's face for the first time, on the day of her 18th birthday. It was to be the grandest day of the century, and the greatest opening to the yearly Games imaginable.
She'd only ever seen the colosseum from her far away bedroom window, heard stories of the mighty battles between the captured clan members from whispers of passing maids. But to Kin, they were something of a fairy tail, an admittedly gruesome one, but a dream none-the-less for they would one day mark the dawn of her time in the world, free from the suffocating stone walls of the castle she'd never left.
"Are you ready, Kin-himi-sama?" Akiyama asked, her ever present anxiety especially apparent in her voice as she watched the princess she'd raised her whole life square her shoulders and breath deeply, an expression of firm determination on her face.
"I am."
The two exchanged one last look before the young woman said, in a voice that strongly suggested that yes, someday she would in fact be the queen,
"Open the doors."
The nervous brunette gripped the handles and pulled open the doors, allowing the young princess to pass her and enter into the world of the masses.
The sun blinded her the moment she set foot outside, and Kin had to squint until her eyes adjusted to the unfamiliar light. She stayed just in front of the door though, just as her father had instructed her to do the night before, standing with her back straight and chin held high, just like a princess should.
The terrace she was on was wider than it was long, stretching far to her left and right but only a meter or two in front of her. A heavy red embroidered carpet, thick enough to block out the heat entirely, covered it, bathing the space in dark, obscured shadows. The area itself was decorated in layers of embroidered rugs, strewn haphazardly around the area in a sophisticated manner that suggested the arrangement was far from casual. Soft, overstuffed armchairs and couches, long enough for a grown man to lay out on, filled the space nicely, the occasional low set mahogany table placed in front of them, each heavily covered by plates of delicacies and glasses of the finest wine money could buy. Incenses burning from a beautiful pot in the corner, and the entire area was bathed in a pleasant aroma of jasmine and wild sage.
"Kin."
The girl turned at the sound of her name, and found her father sitting alone on one of the couches, surrounded by his advisors and servants. He was a great king, her father, well respected and loved by all his subjects and feared by all enemies, or those foolish enough to challenge him.
"Come," he beckoned, lifting one arm and signaling for her to move to his side, the thick layer of jewelry on his hand and wrist glinting in the thin line of incoming light.
She moved with a highly trained grace, and for even the king's closest advisors, this was their first time seeing the princess. She was the image of grace and royalty. Her skin was tan, shining an alluring bronze color, further emphasizing the shade of her golden tresses, which hung down to her mid back in loose natural waves. Her eyes were a startling shade of gold that shone as brightly as her hair, her lips two full lines of pale pink against her tan skin. Beautiful did not seen to be a strong enough word to describe this woman, and they all starred awe struck as she approached. The gold halter strap shirt she had on was loose, pulling taut across her generous chest before fluttering down in delicate ripples to stop a few inches above her navel, exposing her flat stomach and the glittering gold piercing on her bellybutton. A matching skirt, cut on a steep angle across the bottom, rippled teasingly around her legs, the short side hitting at mid thigh while the other brushed her knee, highlighting her long, toned legs beautifully. The bronzed limbs were further emphasized by the brown sandals on her feet and the straps that crossed up her calves to just below her knee.
Beautiful. Goddess like. Royal.
Truly their future queen was a marvelous sight.
"What do you wish of me, my lord?" she curtsied, face angled down as she waited for her next instructions. The gold bangles on her arms clicked as her arms moved out, the heavy matching earrings she was wearing hanging forward, emphasizing the other numerous studs that lined the delicate cartilage like small, glittering suns.
Yes, this woman was like the sun, all glittering gold and bright light.
"Sit with me," he ordered, and without hesitation she did so.
'Such a good, obedient child,' he thought as her starred approvingly at her.
"Continue what you were saying," he ordered the man standing to his left, and the enthralled man jumped back to attention, running through the schedule for the upcoming games.
"In an hour your majesty, you will make a speech to the people, following which her majesty the princess will say a few words of her own. After, the captured king will be brought into the arena-"
"Captured king?" she interrupted, immediately realizing her mistake as her father leveled her with a disapproving stare.
"Yes," the king started, surprised his daughter by not reprimanding her sharply for interrupting, "it is my gift to you, my daughter. Our soldiers have managed to capture one of the clan kings, and as a dedication to you he will be offered as tribute first."
Kin looked at her lap ashamedly, clasping her hands together tightly as she berated herself for her earlier lack of manners when here was her father, giving her a gift, "Your charity humbles me my lord."
That answer seemed to satisfy him, and with a wave of his hand he order the advisor to continue, Kin sitting and listening attentively the entire time. As each second ticked by, she could feel the anticipation building in her to the point she had to remind herself constantly that no, she was not allowed to tap her foot, even if her legs felt like they were about to send her catapulting over to the railing so she could catch the first glimpse of her future kingdom. She could already hear people below, the multitude of loud conversations running over each other to form a single loud din that further provoked her already dwindling patience.
"Are you excited?"
Her eyes flickered to the young man standing to her right, the assistant head guard she believed (and so incredibly young to be appointed to such a position she mused), and looked back to make sure her father was not looking before letting her lips move in reply,
"Yes, I'm quite thrilled to finally be meeting my future people."
"I could only imagine," he smiled slightly, but never moved his eyes from her father sitting beside her, voice dropping even further as he continued, "What it must have been like for you to live so disconnected for so many years knowing something like this was awaiting you."
It was a profound statement, almost bordering on condescending given the context, a worker (though admittedly high ranking) speaking to his ruler as if he himself knew more about something than she did.
Awfully risky, awfully brave.
But Kin found herself intrigued by this confident stranger, and she leaned closer just ever so slightly, "And you would know how, exactly?"
"Just an assumption," his gentle smiled stayed, and he finally let his eyes flicker to hers momentarily. They were an enthralling dark brown, so dark they could have passed as black in low light such as this, surrounded by lashes so thick it almost looked like he was wearing the same black eye pencil that lined her own.
"My name is Minami Hiroshi, and your majesties' name is Yoshida Kin. It is an honor to meet you for the first time, your majesty."
'Charming,' she couldn't help but think as she tilted her head slightly at him, fighting against the urge to smile bemusedly at him. Charming indeed.
Her father clearing his throat loudly, drawing all eyes to him like a magnet cut off any response she would have made. His eyes slid to his only child, taking her well-concealed (to anyone but him, he was after all well versed in the ways and knacks of his daughter) excitement and decided it was time to give her what she so desired.
"Is it not time to begin?" he asked in a way that clearly stated they would start now, early or not.
"Yes my lord," the room bowed, then scattered, people going to their assigned posts quickly.
Hiroshi gave her a quick wink before moving to his spot behind her father's throne, a grand, heavily jeweled seat, crafted from pure gold. A second throne sat next to it, small, with no jewels, but even more intricately detailed then the king's.
Her throne.
She swallowed thickly as a blast of trumpets came from below them, and her father took his cue to step to the half wall that lined the terrace, exposing himself to the masses.
The cheers were deafening, and Kin's ears rang at the high volume. Just how many people were out there? Surely more than she'd ever seen before, but that wasn't any kind of impressive number considering her sheltered upbringing.
Her nerves tingled slightly, but she forced her face to remain calm as her father, no, now he was her king, began his speech.
"My dear subjects, people of Gregoria, we are amassed here today to mark the start of the yearly Games, a great festival in our grand city. This year though is special, for today you will meet your future queen, on the day of her 18th birthday. One day, she will rule you, and the respect you have for me, as your ruler will one day be hers. This kingdom will be hers. But she is wise, charming, and has the mind of a great leader. My people, your princess, Kin."
Kin stepped forward, blinking a few times to adjust to the blinding sun, and feeling all the breath leave her as her eyes swept over the area, taking in the tens of thousands of people looking back at her, filling the colosseum to its brim, some even have taken to standing along the back wall when the seats ran out. So many people, more than Kin had ever imagined, let alone seen in her short lifetime.
'Speak!' her mind cried, and she forced her dry mouth to work, regurgitating the speech that had been drilled into her for the past month.
"My people-"
Her voice held authority, power, and it made every citizen's back snap straight.
"-I have spent my entire life shadowing my father, our lord King Tsuyoshi, I have learned all one can of the way one rules, and now I am ready to learn all there is to know about my people, you. Citizens of Gregoria, I am Kin, your princess. Please, come to love me as the queen who will rule over you in the future."
For a second it was silent, not a sound could be heard in the massive stadium. Then there was a clap, then two, then thousands.
Cheers and whistles echoed off the stone walls, resonating and amplifying to the point Kin felt her one ear pop, and she was left in breathless wonder as she watched these people, her people, chant her name and cheer.
A hand fell on her shoulder, and she looked to see her father smiling down at her approvingly. And this made her very happy, happy enough for a smile of her own to start to form. But she held it back, because she wasn't supposed to smile right now, he hadn't said she could, so she bowed her head low and stepped back, letting her father finish.
"So now my people…let us start the Games!"
The crowd started to cheer again, but her father raised a hand in a sign of silence, and a hush instantly fell over them again.
"In honor of my daughter's birthday, our first match has a special tribute. We've managed to capture a clan king, and he will be this year's first sacrifice."
Excited murmurs erupted in the crowds, but never got any louder as the king spread his arms out wide and declared,
"Let the Games begin!"
He stepped back and took a seat in his throne, as people burst out in wild applause. Kin took a seat in her place, running a light hand against the smooth gold for a moment before focusing all her attention on the arena below them.
One of the large iron gates rose up, and a figure stepped out into the light. His hair was the color of flames, spiked and wild. The skin on his bare torso was tan and pulled taught over a muscular physique, long strong legs covered by black pants that hung low enough to highlight the deep v of his lower abdomen. Most striking though, what took Kin's breath away, were the pair of golden amber eyes that glinted dangerously in the light, peering around the colosseum slowly before they came to rest on the royal terrace.
Kin gripped the arms of her throne tightly as his heavy eyes starred up at her, making her feel like her skin was on fire.
"He can not reach us, right my lord?" she asked slightly unsteadily, and her father sparred her a fleeting glance before refocusing on the released captive.
"Of course not."
His eyes finally left her when another door was opened across the arena. A hulk of a man stepped out, muscles bulging and grin feral as he starred down his enemy. Kin's eyes flickered between the monster man and the significantly smaller 'king'.
Neither moved for a second, and then the monster man roared and swiped his arm viciously, releasing an arc of blue energy that flew across the arena in what felt like less then a second. But the king never even blinked, and just before the blue reached him a red sphere appeared around him, dispersing the energy harmlessly.
The surprise on the monster man's face was apparent, his feet stumbling back slightly. The king's face stayed emotionless.
Kin's mind struggled to comprehend the inhuman abilities these two creatures seemed to possess, how effortlessly they could summon and use this ungodly power.
"They're not human," Kin whispered, eyes blown wide and mouth slightly open.
"No, they're not. They're monsters," her father's voice was quiet, but firmly set and powerful. Kin took comfort in his words, his strength assuring her that she was not crazy.
The giant charged forward, howling, launching himself at his smaller enemy. But the king was quick and light on his feet, dodging to the side easily as the giant's fist crashed into the ground, leaving a small crater in its wake.
Kin was so transfixed on the terrifying blue man she almost missed as the king opened his palm, and suddenly a small flame was burning on his skin, first engulfing his hand, then up his arm to just below his elbow.
Kin gasped as he shot forward, delivering a heavy punch to his enemy's face, sending him flying across the arena and half burying his body in the wall.
Kin's lip trembled as the giant got up, pieces of the wall crumbling down around him as he pulled himself up and started running back towards the red one.
A small scowl emerged on the king's face, and before the blue could get too close he surrounded his form in a red sphere that quickly grew in size and color, till it was a crackling black sphere, like a tremendous storm had been compacted into this one small shape, but still trying desperately to break free.
Suddenly the unstable orb which had been growing slowly before jumped out in size, and the blue let out a single, blood-chilling cry before it overtook him. Then just as suddenly, it was gone. The sphere had disappeared, and the king was standing relaxed in the middle of the area, hands in the pockets of his pants, eyes closed with his head tips towards the sky. A heavy sigh escaped past his lips, and slowly his eyes opened, once more sliding lazily to the royal terrace, pinning Kin to the back of her seat with- was it fear? Anticipation? Excitement?- and making her feel like her lungs had collapsed into her stomach.
It took he a full minute to register the cheers being screamed out from the stands, the people jumping and chanting for this new warrior, this 'king'. The blue giant was gone, just a thin pile of ash left where he had been standing.
"A good show, no?"
Kin forced her eyes to tear away from the red one's and looked at Hiroshi. His eyes were straight ahead looking into the colosseum, but the smirk on his lips was entirely for her.
"I-"
She couldn't even finish her sentence; her voice was shaking so much. But Hiroshi seemed to get it, the smirk falling into a small smile.
"It can be quite frightening at first," he assented, eyes following the king as he was ushered back through the gate he'd emerged from earlier. But Kin would not forget this man, this 'king'. He'd left far too distinct of an impression on her.
Kin forced herself to sit up straight and not give in to the urge to slump forward and close her eyes in sheer boredom. All her life she had dreamed of a banquet such as this, with diplomats loudly arguing over political policies while their lovely wives and mistresses leaned in close and whispered the latest gossip behind pale, cupped hands. It should have been grand; it should have been overwhelmingly, amazingly, beautiful.
This though was very different.
Yes, there were diplomats arguing over politics, but instead of it being passionate discussion, it was just unintelligent screaming across the long, narrow banquet table. And the women, oh lord the women, they just sat there, not saying anything as their spouse or lover continued to roar stupidly. Maybe the occasional pair would lean over and whisper to each other, but instead of it being the sharing of friendly gossip it was composed almost entirely of heated glares at other women around the table while the accused would pretend not to notice, only to lean over and whisper to her neighbor twice as fiercely, eyes positively burning into their original attacker. At times, she would even see them turn their accusing eyes on her; what in gods name had she done? She didn't even know most of these peoples' names!
It was, well, adolescent at best, rudimentary at worst.
Kin forced her shoulders back again, fighting off the urge to just bang her head against the table in exasperation. Suddenly the last eighteen years of pining seemed quite silly to her.
"You don't look particularly thrilled."
Hiroshi appeared by her side seemingly out of thin air, and Kin had to stop herself from jumping at his sudden arrival.
"Good evening Minami-san," she greeted politely. She turned to face him fully, no longer having to pretend to be paying attention with her father so engrossed in a argument (discussion her mind bit in, because kings simply did not argue) with one of his advisors and had seemingly forgotten she was there, sitting just to his right.
"So formal your majesty, please do not feel such formalities are necessary with a lowly guard such as myself," he grinned, the humor in his words making a small smile spread across her own lips. He seemed to have the oddest ability to make her do that, smile that is, when as before she often had to force her lips upwards in polite recognition of a joke or comment, when really she just wanted to roll her eyes in exasperation at the sheer simplicity of most of her diner mates.
"What would you like me to call you then?" she asked, humoring his words even though they both knew it would be highly inappropriate for them to regard each other with anything less then the highest formalities. She was after all the princess, and he was after all a guard.
"What if," his eyes twinkled as they scanned the bustling room quickly before shining down at her, "you just call me Hiroshi, when it's just the two of us?"
"You're quite bold you know, requesting such a thing of me," she kept her voice steady even though her breathing was speeding up rapidly.
A friend, a real friend, not just a handmaid who she found to be somewhat more pleasant then the other maids but a friend; this is what this was she was sure, because why else would he want her to start refereeing to him informally, like friends do?
"Does this mean you will start calling me Kin?" she asked, regulating her breathing quickly and raising an eyebrow coolly, the teasingly sarcastic lilt in her words making them both smile just a little larger.
"Maybe not quite yet," he chuckled, "I have after all been conditioned to refer to you only as her majesty the princess. It might take me a bit longer to get used to."
"If that is what you must do," the formality in her voice returning slightly when she saw her father cast a quick glance at her out the corner of her eye. Hiroshi seemed to notice it too, shuffling almost imperceptibly back from her now rigid figure. But the king's eyes glanced away just as soon as they landed, and the two relaxed slightly.
"Maybe it would be better if we continued this discussion later, when I am walking you back to your room after the banquet is over," he whispered, and Kin was amazed she could hear him over the din, because she could barely hear herself think in this mad house.
"Yes," she replied, eyes returning back to their previous activity of peering around the room, over the faces of the obnoxious men and vicious women, "lets."
Fortunately for Kin's sanity, the banquet did not last much longer, the men finally reaching the point of such drunkenness they couldn't even form coherent sentences, therefore ending the endless tirades they'd all been previously spewing. The women took the elbow of their designated male, smiling false, ferociously beautiful smiles at each other before parting ways.
Kin felt herself release a heavy breath as the last couple stumbling and tripped their way out of the hall, and suddenly the room that had seemed so small before become almost cavernous in the newly born silence.
"Oh thank god," she heard a waiter mutter as the wait staff began the long job of clearing the cluttering table, and Kin felt sympathy for the already clearly exhausted workers, knowing it would be many more hours for them before their job would be done.
"Kin."
She immediately turned at her father's call, waiting attentively as his mind took a moment to wade through the alcohol muddling it to finish his order.
"Go back to your room now, have a guard escort you," he managed to say coherently, much to his daughter's amazement considering the ungodly amount of alcohol she had watched him consume in the last few hours.
"Yes your majesty," she stood, curtsied low, then turned swiftly and began the walk back to her room. Hiroshi was waiting by the door, peeling himself off the stone and falling in step with her as soon as they were out of sight of the other members of the room.
"Do you like being a guard?" she suddenly blurted halfway down the second corridor, feeling heat blossom on her cheeks at the random, very uncharacteristic (unprincess-ish), question, berating herself internally for not keeping her mouth shut.
But her companion seemed to find her question amusing, for he chuckled slightly as they rounded a bend, taking a minute to think about his answer before finally saying,
"It was a bit daunting at first, especially considering how suddenly I came to be in the position I am in now."
Ah, that's right. If she remembered correctly, Hiroshi had been hand selected by the old assistant head guard when he had been struck by a sudden, terrible disease that had ended his life quite suddenly. Upon his deathbed though, he said he wanted this particular young man, one of the youngest in the entire castle, to take his place for reasons unknown to all but himself it seemed. Yes, she could see how this could be daunting for a man who wasn't even two years older than her.
"But at the same time," he continued, "I enjoy it greatly. My position opened many doors for me, ones that I would not have been able to reach previously. The perks certainly make up for the difficulties in my opinion."
"Perks?" Kin asked interestedly.
"Of course. Better food, better housing, the universal key-"
"Universal key?"
She really did have to work on this habit of cutting people off, it was terribly rude of her.
"Yes. It can unlock any lock in a royal building, like the armory or colosseum, as well as all the doors in the castle."
"You can get into the colosseum?" she asked, and Kin was painfully aware of the clear excitement in her words, but was too intrigued to berate herself about it this time.
"Yes. Why?"
"No particular reason," she said just a bit too quickly, and she flinched at her own lack of grace. Akiyama-san would be crying by now.
"They interest you, don't they?"
"Who?" Kin said in a forcefully nonchalant voice, even though they both knew whom they were talking about.
"The clans people. They interest you, no?"
She couldn't really deny it, because the truth was the truth no matter how someone looked at it, and she just sighed, embracing her own curiosity.
"Yes, they intrigue me greatly."
Hiroshi smiled, and it was so casual and unforceful Kin just looked at his face for a few moments in something she refused to believe was envy at just how easy it seemed to be for him to feel, when she herself struggled daily, hourly secondly, to suppress her own emotions for the sake of a title she would not obtain for many years now anyway.
"Would you like to see one?"
"What?"
She stopped walking, and so he stopped walking too, the lazy grin never leaving his face.
"Would you like to see a clans man up close?"
And shouldn't have been excited, she knew she shouldn't have been, because it was unbecoming of royalty, but for the life of her she couldn't stopped her mouth from falling open ever so slightly as her golden eyes widened.
"What?"
"I know you heard me," he laughed, "Would you like to or not?"
"When?"
"Well I suppose I could sneak you down to the dungeons some day soon-"
"What about tonight?"
"What?"
It was the young guard's turn to pause in surprise as the princess took a step closer, her hands closing into excited fists as she stood on her toes to get closer to his face.
"Lets go tonight. I want to meet one tonight."
He blinked down at her blankly a few times before he shook his head lightly, a smaller, but still just as genuine, smile taking up residence on his lips.
"Is that really what you wish?"
"Yes!"
And then he laughed, laughed so loudly it bounced and echoed off the ancient stonewalls as he threw his head back and just laughed.
"Alright," he conceded, and Kin's breath hitched excitedly, "we can go tonight."
"Oh thank you so mu-"
"But," he cut in, "there will be rules."
"Of course," she nodded so seriously it made him grin again, and Hiroshi had to fight down his mirth.
"You will be going in disguise," he listed, and it seemed to strike them at the same moment that this would have been much easier just twenty-four hours earlier, back before her face had been revealed to the entire kingdom. And while this should have intimidated them, maybe even make them cancel their plans all together, it just made the two smile, a small snort (no not a snort that was far too unladylike) of amusement leaving Kin as Hiroshi pressed his lips together forcefully to keep from grinning like a complete fool again.
"We can not stay for a long time, an hour at most."
"Agreed."
"And quite possibly the most important thing that you must do is do exactly what I say, when I say it, no questions. I know the city better, I know the people better, and I can get us out of danger should it find us much quicker if I know you'll be ready to respond at a moment's notice."
A tinge of pain tweaked through the young woman at his words but she covered it well as she just nodded her agreement. Hiroshi turned and continued to lead her down the hall, but instead of making a left at the end towards her room they went right, in a direction Kin was not all that familiar with.
As they walked, she mulled over his words. Yes, of course he knew the city better than she did, he was born in it; of course he knew the people better, he grew up with them. None of this took away from the slight pang she felt in her chest though, a stab of guilt for not knowing really much of anything about the kingdom she was supposedly going to rule in just a few years. It pained her, but then again was all the more motivation to take her new responsibilities seriously and become a knowledgeable ruler and not just an airheaded queen.
They wound through halls, slipped down steep flights of steps, and dashed through long corridors, avoiding all other life. He brought her to a wide wood door, pausing with his hand on the knob to turn back and smile at her, "This is the guards' headquarters."
Her eyes widened just the slightest bit before she nodded slightly and followed him in. It was dark and she couldn't see anything around her, so Kin elected to stay by the door while Hiroshi navigated around the familiar room on his own.
She stopped herself from jumping, but not the slight hiccup in her breath, as a hand was placed on her shoulder, and she relaxed when she heard Hiroshi's chuckle.
"Don't be so jumpy now, your majesty. If this is making you nervous you might not make it to the colosseum."
"I'm not jumpy," she answered indignantly, sniffing with her noise in the air.
He laughed again, opening the door and ushering her back out into the hall. Kin blinked owlishly at him when he held a black mass out to her, blond hair sliding over her shoulder as she leaned towards it slightly.
"Um, what is-"
"It's a cloak, your majesty. Have you really never seen one before?"
She balked at the disbelief in his tone, jumping to defend herself, "Well, I've just never had use for one, so it's perfectly logical I've never seen one."
"I meant no harm, my lady," he chuckled, stepping up and wrapping the heavy fabric around her narrow shoulders. She shifted under the new weight; playing with the clasp in the front as the young guard fastened one around himself.
"This way now," he whispered, and soon they were off again, only going down one extraordinarily long hall before taking a short flight of steps that led to a door. This one was different from all the other doors in the castle, devoid of any intricate details or carefully crafted ironwork. It was just simply a door.
'Very strange,' she thought as she watched Hiroshi take out a key and unlock it. All the breath left her though as a wall of fresh air wafted in past her, making her stumble back.
"Oh," she breathed, stepping around her companion to take her first steps outside the castle. Yes, she had been to the colosseum but she had been ushered there through a system of underground passages, so she had never actually seen the city, or stepped foot in it.
"That last passage led about a hundred feet outside of the castle wall," Hiroshi explained as he stepped out with her and relocked the door behind them. Kin looked back at it and realized the door was a part of the of a grand statue, just a few dozen meters in front of the towering stone wall.
"No one knows about this door, do they?"
"Well the other guards know about it of course," he started walking down the road straight in front of them, and Kin picked up her pace to keep up with his longer legs.
"Also your father knows, and now you do as well."
"I had always thought the only way in and out was the front gate," she mumbled, eyes sucking in the sights around her. If she'd been paying more attention she would have been horrified at how wide her eyes were, or how her mouth was just the slightest bit open, but she hardly noticed any of it as she got her first look at her city.
Even in the dark, she thought it was all incredibly beautiful. The architecture was nothing compared to the splendor of the castle, and the streets were slightly eerie devoid of all their people, but still, it was all amazing in her eyes.
Each closed vendor booth held secrets; every corner was hiding an adventure.
"It's so lovely," she whispered, and even though the comment was obviously to herself Hiroshi still smiled.
"Yes, it's a great city."
She blinked back at him, and as she returned to her senses her face closed off again, mouth shutting and glowing eyes drooping to normal.
"Is it a long walk to the colosseum?" she asked, moving till she was instep with him.
"About two more streets and we'll be there," he replied, taking them around a left turn.
"It seemed much longer in the tunnels," she mentioned off handedly, looking in a storefront for a moment before refocusing her eyes straight ahead.
"Yes, time seems to pass much slower underground."
"You've been in the tunnel systems?"
His eyes flickered to her for a split second, and they seemed strange for just that moment but then he was laughing and she was already forgetting about it, "Well yeah, I'm the assistant head guard I know those tunnels by heart."
"Oh, yes of course."
Over the top of a building she finally saw the looming colosseum rise above the skyline, and she stood a little straighter.
"Just a few more minutes now," he said.
Suddenly he froze, and Kin stopped behind him.
"Hiroshi-sa-"
He shoved her into the alley next to them, slapping a hand over her mouth before she could say a word. Her screams were muffled as he stood over her, looking back into the street.
"Hush," he hissed, pressing his hand more firmly over her mouth as Kin finally picked up on the sound of voices.
Her eyes widened, instantly cutting off her complaints as the voices got closer.
She hunching into Hiroshi's form as three guards passed by, armor glinting in the low light.
They chatted amiably as they walked, but when the one closest to them stopped, the other two stopped and looked back as well.
"What is it?"
"I think I saw something move."
"It's probably just a vacant, don't be so paranoid."
The one starring directly at them squinted one last time, even taking a step towards them before he was cut off by another cry to 'let it go and come on', stepping back with a huff.
"Just a vacant, sure," he mumbled as he hurried to catch up with his companions.
Hiroshi waited till they couldn't here the soldiers anymore, then waited a few minutes more before letting his hand slide down from the princess's mouth.
Kin released a shaky sigh, leaning back into the wall as her knees wobbled dangerously underneath her.
"We should go back, I didn't think this through enough," Hiroshi began to ramble as he stuck his head into the street, peering left and right suspiciously, looking for more soldiers.
"No."
Kin was even surprised by her words as her mouth continued to move on it's own, "We're already this close, it would be a waste to turn back now."
"Are you sure your majesty?"
"Yes."
They stuck to the allies the rest of the way, ducking from shadow to shadow, the looming outline of the colosseum growing bigger and bigger in front of them.
"What's a vacant?" she asked a few minutes later, and Hiroshi didn't look back at her as he cut right into a side ally,
"Someone who's homeless."
"There are people here without homes?" she asked maybe a bit too loudly, because he shot a look back at her. He softened though when he saw the raw shock and hurt on her face.
"I didn't know that," she whispered, stopping and looking at her feet.
The young guard stopped and looked back at her, smiling softly.
"Not everyone is lucky, your majesty. There are some who have a rather rough go at it."
She looked up at him, and he could see how much this upset her clear as day, her luminous gold eyes swimming with unhappiness.
"I guess so," she whispered, pursing her lips together and hardening her features again.
"We should keep going," she said, and he could hear the authority in her voice.
Ah, so there was the future queen in her.
They walked in silence for a while before Hiroshi finally spoke up.
"There's a door that goes directly to the dungeons, and the guards don't usually go back that far. They're overconfident of the strength of each cell, so they just spend their time sleeping in the guard room."
She could tell he was unhappy with this fact, and when she mentioned this he just sighed with clear frustration,
"The soldiers in the colosseum don't fall under my jurisdiction, they answer only to the head guard."
"Then why don't you tell the head guard?"
"Because," a bitter smile stretched his lips, "my boss doesn't like to listen to things like that. He's narrow minded, only listens to the positives."
She didn't know how to respond to that, so just walked silently along with him till they reached the back of the colosseum. A small set of double iron doors stood in front of them, and Hiroshi produced that same key from inside his cloak, sticking it in and swinging the well-oiled door open with easy.
"After you, your majesty."
She stepped up, poking her head in cautiously and looking both ways. It was dark, iron bar cells lining the left wall while the right was lined with burning torches, one across from each cell. It was frighteningly quiet, and Kin swallowed thickly as she stepped in. Just like the castle, and the rest of the city she was noticing, the entire structure was made of light brown stone, and her shadow bounced on the floor and on the ceiling as she took her first step forward.
"Which way?" she asked, looking back to Hiroshi for direction. He'd pulled down his hood, and she mimicked him.
He shrugged, "It doesn't really matter, there are clans people in both directions."
"Oh."
"Lets just head right then."
She nodded, walking slowly forward, taking comfort in the body behind her.
In almost every cell she could see a form on top of the cot in the back right corner, pushed up parallel to the back wall, body rising and deflating slowly with each breath.
She couldn't see much detail though, and with each cell she'd pause for a half of a step to see if anything was visible, but each one was the same.
This particular cell held a long body, on top of the blanket this time instead of huddled under it, the body laying on its right side with its face towards the wall. She couldn't make out any details in the minimum light, and she sighed, already starting to move again when a voice cut through the silence.
"What's a royal doing in here?"
She froze, body locking as she looked back into the cell. The body shifted, turned, and suddenly she was pinned by a pair of scorching golden amber eyes.
"You're the king," left her lips before she could stop herself, and she berated herself for her loose tongue as the tall red head sat up on the cot.
"And you're the princess, no?" he leaned his forearms on his thighs, looking at her with frighteningly blank eyes as she nodded.
"I am."
He just hummed noncommittally, eyes sliding to peer at the guard behind her for a second before coming back to rest on her. Her face was blank, bright eyes devoid of emotion, like a golden statue. But when he looked closely he couldn't help but think it look like it was forced, as if maintaining such an expression was hard for her.
Kin bristled at the smirk slowly growing across his face, letting a fierce glare rise up on her own. How dare he mock her!
"Did you forget who I am? Don't you dare look at me that way you monster."
In a blink he was directly in front of her, the only thing separating his towering body from hers being the thick iron bars that kept him in his cell.
His reached through the bars, and Kin was too paralyzed in fear to move as his hand picked up a piece of her hair and began to rub it between his fingers.
"A monster, huh?" his hand dropped the strands, and Kin relaxed for a second. She stiffened just as quickly though when fingers began to traces the back of her neck slowly, his thumb running over the ridges of her jugular, chuckling when he felt her nervous swallow.
"Yes," he mumbled, pushing his thumb down just slightly, "I suppose that is what they would teach you."
And then he was gone, and Kin shuddered at the sudden wall of cold air that hit her as he returned to his cot in two long strides.
"Go home princess," he called as he settled back down facing the wall again, "This is no place for someone like you."
Kin didn't move for a moment, couldn't move, when a hand settled on her shoulder.
"Your majesty-"
Just this was enough to shake her out of her stupor, and she turned on her heel, no not running, but moving quickly back down the hallway.
She couldn't breath, the walls were closing in on her, and her legs were weak. That thing, it had been so rude to her, the future queen! He was a prisoner, sentenced to die in the arena. Did he not realize she had the power to have him executed even sooner, the next day even, if she so pleased?
The door finally came into view, and she threw image out the door for a minute to run to the heavy doors, throwing them open violently and collapsing to her knees a few steps later.
Her hands clenched tightly in the dirt, the dirt, as she struggled to collect her breathing.
"Your majesty? Your majesty!"
Hiroshi dropped to his knees next to her, putting a hand on her back, "Are you alright?"
Kin breathed in deeply through her nose, collecting herself, "Yes."
The guard put his other hand on her elbow as he helped her back to her feet slowly.
"Come," he said quietly, "lets get you home."
He draped an arm over her shoulders, and Kin leaned into his side gratefully. Despite herself, she looked one last time back at the colosseum and the once more locked doors.
These clans people were obviously just as barbaric as everyone had told her, maybe even worse. That so called 'king' was rude, unrefined, not even human.
And yet his hand had been made of flesh and skin; she could still feel the calloused tips of his fingers on the back of her neck. His body emitted heat like any human's would, maybe even a bit more. And his eyes…for all their blankness they held more soul then she'd ever witnessed before.
She had no reason to go back. She had met a clans man face-to-face, had seen one up close. She had witnessed their sub-human qualities with her own eyes. She shouldn't go back, she wouldn't; and yet…
She would.