Wow, this my first fanfiction in a loooooong time. Hope you all enjoy the first chapter!
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN VOCALOIDS.
She knew it was dangerous. But despite her sister's stern warning to never leave the palace grounds, especially now, her desire to glimpse the outside world, beyond towering, intricate stone walls, was overwhelming. It had been so long since she'd seen the colorful hills of the Pink Kingdom, washed in brilliant sunlight. Felt the winds comb through her hair. Or heard the soothing song of a rushing river, its cool droplets sprinkling onto her skin as she wandered along the edge, as she was doing now.
"P-princess Rin," her servant stuttered nervously, wringing her hands. "Perhaps we should return to the palace now? Your parents and Princess Luka might be awfully worried..."
"Don't worry, Teto!" Rin said, sweeping her hand through the river's current. "I said we wouldn't be here too long." Rin looked up at her friend and smiled brightly. "And besides, you can't tell me you haven't been dying to get out of the palace. It's been months since we've had some fresh air!"
Teto smiled back, though uneasily. "I...I suppose. But Princess, what if-"
The two of them froze, startled by sudden sounds from nearby trees. It sounded like...laughter.
Teto gasped and ran into Rin's arms, frightened. Three men had slowly stalked out from amidst the forest, all wearing devious grins and equipped with weapons, swords swinging from their belts. They were clad in yellow suits, and around their arms were bands that bore a deeply dreaded symbol, and illustration that resembled three golden hooks in succession.
Rin gripped Teto's hands. Her eyes widened, heart began to pound, in realization and terror.
Yellow soldiers.
"S-stay back!" she said. But her mind could only scream, What have I done?
"Sorry, girl," one the soldiers snarled, drawing his sword. "We don't take orders from worthless pinks." With that, he nodded at his partners.
Teto screamed as the brutes descended upon them, ripping her away from Rin and binding her hands.
"N-no! Let me go!" she wailed.
"Teto!"
Rin moved swiftly, reaching for her friend, but was forcefully shoved to the ground. She moaned at the pain pulsing through her head. The soldier that pushed her grabbed her roughly, securing her wrists in shackles. She was then dragged to her feet next to Teto. She was sobbing. Rin's heart ached tremendously as they were both unceremoniously hauled around by the yellow soldiers, who were obnoxiously blabbering amongst themselves.
"The Prince'll get a kick out of this, won't he?"
"Ha! Maybe we'll get promoted!"
"Idiots...Who gets promoted for capturing slaves? Not only that, but pinks? As if it's sooo difficult."
Rin's stomach dropped, her fists clenching.
Slaves?
A ship came into view, an impressive structure with white and gold sails embroidered with the Yellow symbol. It was docked, swaying lightly in the river's current. More soldiers could be seen, many moving supplies aboard the deck and a few gathered around a single man holding a map.
"Prince!"
Rin and Teto were shoved forward, the group of soldiers parting as they stumbled in front of the man. Rin looked up and analyzed him with angry, cautious eyes. He was dressed in a black shirt and pants, brown boots, and a white and gold sash wrapped around his slim waist. His long, flaxen hair was styled back in a ponytail that slightly hung over his shoulder. His eyes were a cold blue. A handsome face, Rin couldn't deny. But the expression was smug. Annoyingly smug, seeping with arrogance.
This...is the Yellow Kingdom's prince? she thought, glaring up at him.
"What's this?" he said, addressing Rin and Teto as if they were nothing more than rocks.
"Stupid little pinks,Your Highness!" the soldier replied proudly. He scoffed in Rin's direction. "Found them along the river's edge."
"Really?" The Prince stepped closer, shaking his head in apparent disbelief. "Ha! Our kingdoms are at war! And you're foolish enough to go wandering aimlessly along the borders?" He laughed. "You must have wanted to be captured, right? Lock them in the cells."
Rin felt Teto trembling next to her. She grit her teeth. There had to be something she could do to get them out of this. Or...at least Teto. Her eyes wandered to the soldier beside her, down to the sword in his hand.
Yes...That could work. A deadly risk, but she had to try.
Remember your training... Rin thought, anxiously waiting for the ideal moment. The soldiers saluted to their prince, and apparent captain, and proceeded to drag them towards the ship. As the soldier moved to grab her, Rin ducked, throwing her weight against the soldier's chest and sending him staggering. His sword clattered to the ground. Rin stooped lower, sweeping the weapon into her shackled hands, then spun back up, quickly regaining her balance. After a stunned moment, chaos ensued.
Five yellow soldiers drew their swords and attacked. Despite her chained hands, Rin countered with extraordinary skill, dodging and clashing against the blades with her own. Rin dropped back down, making two soldiers collide into each other. She kicked out her leg and successfully tripped another soldier. As he tumbled down, Rin rushed behind him, grabbing him by the hair and holding her blade against his throat.
The battle ceased, the soldiers now hesitant. The Prince was noticeably astonished.
"Release her!" Rin demanded, giving the soldier's hair a harsh yank and her sword a push, eliciting pained groans. "I don't care what happens to me, but let her go!"
Teto's dampened eyes widened in terror, her expression begging, No, Princess! No!
The Prince, having recovered from his surprise, merely chuckled. With a commanding flick of his wrist, a soldier grabbed Teto, pulling her towards the river.
Rin immediately released the soldier, dropping the sword as well.
"Don't! Please!" she begged.
The soldier who'd been her captive angrily picked up the sword, its blade now turned on Rin.
"Let's toss them both into the river," he snarled.
"No!"
Everyone backed away from Rin as the Prince stepped towards her, grabbing her wrists. Their eyes met, Rin's hostile gaze holding his unwavering one for a moment.
"On the ship, all of you!" he said. "And bring the red-haired girl, too."
"What...about her?" a soldier asked.
The Prince never looked away from Rin. He smirked.
"I have something else planned for this one."
Rin grew uneasy as the Prince led her down a flight of stairs, darkness encasing them in a narrow passageway. When they reached the bottom, the Prince turned on a light, illuminating a rather spacious room with a single bed against the wall and a wooden desk. Towards the center of the room was a chair, a wash bin at its foot.
She'd been occupied with examining the space that she didn't notice the Prince turning around to face her. When she looked back at him, she was startled when he gripped her wrist and pulled.
"No...!" she began, struggling against him.
"I'm removing your shackles, girl," he said, manifesting a small key.
"O-oh..." Rin rubbed her now slightly red wrists as the chains clattered to the floor. "Um...Thank you."
"Yes..." He paused, observing her. "I must say, that was quite impressive. What you out there." His mouth curved into a lopsided smirk. "Perhaps I should enlist you into the Royal Yellow Army. I wouldn't mind someone with a face like yours as my second-in-command."
Rin narrowed her eyes. "Don't mock me."
"What, a pink can't take the rare compliment? You should be grateful." A dark look crossed his features. "Kept you and your little friend alive, didn't I?"
She said nothing, only continued to glower in his direction. He simply breathed a laugh through his nose and whirled around on his heel, waltzing towards the chair and wash bin.
"Do you know what's going to happen now?" the Prince asked. Rin gave him a questioning look. She flushed as he began to remove his shirt, exposing his entire bare torso. She averted her eyes for brief second, then composed herself with a small, embarrassed frown. Upon more scrutinizing, Rin could see a thin layer of grime and dirt over his tan skin.
He flopped down onto the chair, grinning from ear to ear. "You're going to scrub the filth of adventure and battle from my skin." With his haughty eyes, he gestured towards the wash bin, then back to Rin expectantly.
Heat rose to the top of Rin's head, mostly out of pure rage. But she swallowed her disgust. Slowly and reluctantly, she knelt down. There was sponge floating in the bin. Picking it up, she rose, and the Prince simultaneously stuck out his arm. Still grinning that infuriating grin.
A deep roll of the eyes, she grasped his arm and began to scrub. Nice. And. Hard.
The Prince sucked his teeth with a wince, clearly displeased with the rough treatment.
"You're much better with a sword than you are with a sponge," he groused.
"I wish I had a sword now," Rin retorted, scraping the sponge against his shoulder blade.
"Well that would be a problem, now wouldn't it?" He chuckled when she rolled her eyes. "Who taught you how to use a weapon so skillfully?"
"My parents."
"Ha! Your mother, too? I guess you pinks really do need all the help you can get."
And that was the last straw.
Rin ceased her scrubbing and backed away, fuming. The Prince raised an eyebrow, then rose. A shadow seemed to cast over his face.
"You're not finished," he said lowly.
"Yes, I am," Rin shot back.
The Prince took a single, swift stride towards her. In the blink of an eye, he had Rin pinned against the wall, bolting one of her wrists above her head. The tip of his nose was barely brushing against hers. All traces of his facetious attitude evaporated in that moment as he loomed over her, replaced with something darker. Something that most wouldn't dare to provoke.
Admittedly, she was taken aback, and very uncomfortable, by the sudden close proximity to his still naked chest, and slightly shaken by his aggressiveness, the way he squeezed her wrist. The ferocity in his crystal gaze. Her heart was frantic, and her palms were slightly moist. But Rin stood her ground, giving him an even glare. No, she wouldn't allow this...this tyrant to intimidate her.
"You must really enjoy living dangerously," he practically growled, further tightening his iron grip on her wrist.
Ignoring the pain, she countered, "About as much as I enjoy washing the filthy skin of an arrogant, heartless prince!" She sent the sponge, which had been in her free hand, flying across the room until is squished against the chair.
The Prince's expression, while still brooding, was visibly perplexed.
"You..."
"No, you listen, Your Highness," Rin said pointedly. "You know nothing about me, or my kingdom. All you and your cruel soldiers have done is plunder us. Oppress us. Threaten us. But know this." She raised her heels and brought her face closer to his. "No matter how much you abuse us physically, you will never take the spirit of the Pink Kingdom, of my people. Or me."
She felt his hold on her loosen a tad. They persisted to keep their eyes locked on one another, calculating and searching with several moments of absolute silence passing between them.
Rin hardly blinked, keeping a resolute stare. She breathed steadily. But the Prince, despite his set jaw, had a conflicted flash in his eyes. A combination of confusion and frustration.
And a hint of amazement.
"What's your name?" he asked, his voice a pinch softer.
Rin was a little surprised. Not a question she was expecting.
"Rin," she answered carefully.
A loud knock on the door upstairs.
"Prince Len!" a soldier's gruff voice shouted. "We're ready to dock!"
He tore his eyes away from hers and looked up, his whole face still contemplating. Rin watched him warily, but was slightly intrigued.
Len, huh?
Len looked back down at her, frowning before suddenly dragging her from the wall. Rin's heart sank when he gathered the shackles off the floor and sharply slapped them back onto her wrists.
"What? No!" she cried. "Please, leave them off!"
He pulled her close, once again ticked. "You're a slave now. If you want to survive, you better remember it."
With that, Len released her with a small shove. He clothed himself before curtly stalking past her and up the stairs. She heard the door swing open, then slam shut.
For a while, Rin just stood still, listening to the many noises outside. The voices of the yellow soldiers. The roaring rapids of the river, muffled by the ship's interior. The creaking of wood. So many unfamiliar sounds and smells.
Frighteningly unfamiliar.
Rin started crying, warm tears pouring down her rosy cheeks. She felt her knees buckle under the weight of her despair, and she crumbled to the floor, holding her wet face in her hands.
A slave. She was a slave now. Property. An object. And worst of all...
"I'm so sorry, Teto...," she wailed into her palms. "I'm sorry Father...Mother...Luka...Forgive me..."
They were no more. The days distant, childhood days of reading stories with her parents. Of playing every sort of game under the heavens with her older sister. Laughing with the servants and maids. Being loved and accepted, despite her foreign appearance, her true origins. The Pink Kingdom had always been her beloved home, her people.
And now she would never see the place she cherished ever again.
Poor Rin! Thank you all for reading! I'll try my best to update whenever I can. Love and God bless!
