Thunder boomed as a set of young men rushed through the castle grounds. Both were hooded and had little to no way of telling where they were going through the thick sheets of rain.
One yelled back to the other, but it was whisked away in the wind. They stumbled into a stable, and the lead boy, a young man with turquoise eyes and snow white hair plastered to his face and a grim countenance, quickly grabbed the reins of a horse and shoved it into the hands of his companion "GO!"
A set of gentle blue eyes glimmered out of the hood, scrunched in protest "Ri-"
"I SAID GO, YOUR MAJESTY." He yelled again, looking more and more anxious as ferocious sounds reached their ears.
The boy lifted his hood slightly, a few brown spikes pouring out despite their waterlogged state, as he glanced backwards. His face was younger, more carefree, but held a regal glare that could stir the hearts of thousands "Aren't you coming with, Riku?" He said, looking back, eyes narrowed with annoyance.
But something shifted underneath them: fear, uncertainty, trauma.
"I'll lead 'em off." Riku said, quickly saddling up his own horse for a long ride.
"Not in this rain. They'll know-"
"I swore to protect you, and this is the way-"
"They outnumber us." The boy grabbed Riku's hand, hissing "We split up, we DIE."
Riku stared at him for several seconds, then chuckled sadly "I suppose..." He bowed lightly "I'm sorry, I'm just extremely worried for your safety, Hikarimira Sora."
Sora flinched at his full title being used, then merely got up on his horse and readjusted his hood. He worriedly patted the the key-shaped sword at his side, an heirloom of the Hikarimira family and the judge of the rightful ruler.
The Kingdom Key.
Despite its blunt appearance, it could cut through anything, unlock everything in the kingdom, but only if it was held by the true king. He knew he couldn't let it fall into his usurper's hands... He was lucky enough to pilfer it from his father's tomb before the chase began.
He suddenly shuddered, realizing his entire family was gone... His father had recently died of old age, causing the coup(he was still in the customary mourning black), mother was murdered in her sleep, his siblings, Xion and Ventus, screaming had been his alarm to wake.
Riku pulled up next to him, silently inquiring if everything was okay. Sora nodded, albeit shakily, and they rode off into the night.
Sora honestly didn't know what he would do without his friend, Riku Yoake. His loyal bodyguard had stayed by his side since he had come of age to inherit the throne at fourteen. It was two years later and they were as thick as thieves. He never swayed from Sora's side, and Sora never swayed from his. Here Riku was, risking his own life to get Sora out alive. Sora never thought Riku would do so, not that he distrusted him, but was eternally grateful for it.
It was hard to steer their horses in such conditions, and it didn't help that Sora was constantly adjusting his hood to ensure that no one saw his identity, and caught in his attempts to relay what had happened so fast.
He was a lost prince now. The only survivor of the Hikarimira family and their bloodline. The last prince of Hollow Bastion.
Or at least part of the bloodline... His cousin, Vanitas, was the one who had taken everything away. He had sided with the Kuraikagami family, the only other bloodline that could hold control over the lands of Radiant Garden, and he rather conveniently had both sides to claim. That made Sora's chances of becoming king even lower, even when the old king had placed him as his heir. He shuddered, knowing firsthand his cousin was ruthless and cruel. He hadn't been raised like Sora had.
It suddenly occurred to him all of his servants, subjects, supporters, and allies would have to succumb to a rule that couldn't be anything but tyrannous.
Sora suddenly reared his horse to a stop, turning back to get one last glimpse of home.
"WE NEED TO GET GOING!" Riku yelled over the pouring rain and thunder.
Sora softly raised his blade, and a light soared into the sky before fading as fast as lightning. He turned back to the road ahead, and broke into a full gallop without hesitation. Riku was now neck and neck with him, and he screamed "THAT WAS RECKLESS!"
"THAT WAS MY LAST GOODBYE!" Sora screamed back, tears mingling with the rain on his face.
Riku merely looked ahead, face mask-like and stoic. Sora saw his lips move, but the sound was lost to the raindrops pelting him and the wind howling in his ears.
Sora glanced back at Hollow Bastion, remembering so many events of his life: tutoring with Donald, training with Goofy, being taught the lessons of being a proper ruler by his father and his adviser, Mickey, playing in the courtyards with Xion and Ventus...
He turned forward, head bowed and thankful for the rain as he recalled his lessons with Donald and sobbed quietly "Sayōnara, watashinojinsei...Sayōnara, kōtaishi Sora"
I dunno, I've been listening to Radiant Garden's sound track way too much. So GRAND, so EPIC, so REGAL. A king could rally his forces with that music, and I guess stuff fell into place.
I know, you guys want me to continue with Broken Heroes or my BbS novelization, but I think Ventus has been messing around with my writing drive in revenge. That and I really wanted to see what you guys thought.
Yes, Sora is speaking Japanese there at the end, although spelled out phonetically. He is saying "Goodbye, my life... Goodbye, crown prince Sora..." I thank the amazing people who made google translate, the language is probably butchered, but at least some understanding can be made ;P
so review, tell me what you think, maybe I'll post more. Now back to writing about the tragedy that is Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep.