Dear reader

Here is the second instalment in my story A Step Into Pretence. I hope you all like it. Please let me know what you think?

~Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.

Well you can fight it but you know that you won't get your way in the end
Too many people, the King and all of his men
And if you're dealing a line of cards
Won't you take me to the queen of hearts?

And if you're trying to tear down what you see

Pack up the stars before you come for me
And if you're dealing a line of fate
Who's going to tell her the reason I'm late?

You took her soul, so incomplete
Why don't you stop fighting me?
You're in control so why should you be

Fighting me? Fighting me? Fighting me?

How to be sure that what you say is the truth
When I see flaws in everything that you do?
And if I'm passing a sentence on you

I would give you the crown for a fool
And now you've lost, there's nothing left to defend
You came so close to the King and all of his men
And if you're dealing in a trick of the light
I need to see her face for one last time

~The King and All of His Men, by Wolf Gang


Chapter 2 – The King and All of His Men

Rukia woke up to the sound of a trumpet blaring. She groaned and slammed her feather pillow over her ear, trying to block out the piercing noise. Her attempt to block out the sound failed though, and she sat up in a huff. She was having such a lovely dream about rabbits. She sighed and threw her legs off the bed. She knew what that specific order of notes meant; prepare the city for a royal visitor… She could practically hear her brother's calm voice breathe the command.

There was a stream of sunshine peaking through the heavy drapes in front of her window and she got to move them out of the way. Light flooded Rukia's massive bedroom and she blinked, trying to attune her eyes. There was a soft knock on the door.

"Yes?" She asked informally and walked over to her dresser. She suppressed the urge to giggle when she saw her hair, and instead turned her face towards the door. She expected to see Hinamori with tea, but disappointment clouded her thoughts when her eyes found Sui-Feng standing on the threshold. Rukia cleared her throat and folded her hands in front of her.

"Your brother requires a word," she said. Her sentence was short and clipped. Rukia and Sui-Feng didn't always see eye to eye, but they held no grudges against one another. They saw no reason to speak to each other unless it was needed. Rukia nodded courtly and watched the other woman leave. She sighed again and looked back at her reflection in the mirror. Her black hair stood up in all the wrong places and she had a dent in the left side of her hair where she had slept on it. Hinamori was the next person to knock on the door, informing Rukia that her bath was ready.


"Where is Zangetsu?" Ichigo said with his hands on his hips. He was scanning the crowd, looking for Hanataro. The boy had run off, promising him he would go and fetch his horse. That had been quite long ago. The orange haired man huffed and slouched in exasperation. People around him were yelling, packing things into carts and attending horses. A group of Kaien's knights stood around a small makeshift table. On the table stood a wooden pitcher with either water or wine in it, Ichigo wasn't sure which it was.

They were laughing and enjoying a moment of rest. It was hot and humid and sweat had already popped out on Ichigo's brow. It was still early in the morning, but he knew it would get worse.

"Excuse me… Sorry, excuse me! Move!" A voice came from Ichigo's left. A small boy with black hair pushed through the people. In his hands were reigns, and Ichigo brightened up considerably when he saw Zangetsu being led towards him.

"Finally." He breathed and plucked the horse's reigns out of Hanatoro's hand. The boy breathed heavily and smiled up at Ichigo. The knight flashed him a small smile and nodded in gratitude.

"Hello there…" Ichigo said, facing his horse. He stroked the side of the black stallion's neck and smiled a little bit wider.

Someone next to Ichigo cleared his throat. When he turned, he faced the king. They were dressed in a very similar manner; leather breeches and a cotton shirt, an under jacket and leather boots. They stood for a moment, regarding each other. The king was the first to smile. He shook Ichigo's hand and watched as the younger man hooked his foot into the stirrup and hopped onto his horse. When Ichigo nodded to him, Kaien placed his fingers between his lips and let out a very loud whistle. It looked liked the entire Kingdom came to a standstill as everyone stopped to look at their king. He motioned towards the group of knights who were still standing around the table.

"Hitsugaya, Ishida, Abarai, Nishio… Are your rides ready?" Kaien asked and raised his eyebrows. The four whose names he had called, seemed to mumble a joint apology and ran off in the general direction of the stables. Now Ichigo was almost sure that it had been wine in that pitcher, as nothing else would keep Abarai and Nishio from forgetting that they had a job to do.

Ichigo huffed in irritation at the four knights who were to accompany him to Lancaster. Kaien just chuckled and shook his head.

"So how do you feel Kurosaki?" He asked, his eyes bright with amusement. Ichigo shrugged, but gripped Zangetsu's reign's tighter. His knuckles were white and his teeth were clenched. Ichigo made sure that the king wouldn't notice. He didn't want Kaien to know that he didn't want to do what was expected of him. He didn't want to meet the Count or his sister. He didn't want to pretend to be Kaien. He didn't want to pretend to care about someone whom he will never feel anything for.

What if something really bad happens… This could go horribly wrong, Ichigo thought. He shook his head and kept his brow furrowed. No conscious effort needed to be made to keep his eyebrows together. They contracted automatically.

A little while later, four horses came galloping towards Ichigo. The horse that became visible first was snow white, carrying Toshiro on its back. He second horse was charcoal grey and had Uryuu sitting at the reigns. A sandy blond mare had Yukata on her back. Renji sat on the fourth horse and Ichigo couldn't help but notice that the stallion's colour, matched the colour of Renji's hair. It wasn't the first time Ichigo had seen Renji with his horse, and he had teased the knight about their matching manes on many occasions. Today, Ichigo just rolled his eyes.

He clicked his tongue and his horse started moving forward. He nodded in Kaien's direction one more time, and turned Zangetsu towards the road. He knew that he would be followed by four horses and two carts. The knights Kaien had assigned to him were for protection and company, and the carts bore their belongings and clothes. His sister, Yuzu, had made sure that he had enough clothes for two and a half weeks. She had said that she packed extra clothes, just in case they had to stay for longer than they had planned.

He sighed when he thought of his sisters. They would be alone with his weirdo of a father for these two weeks, and he could only hope that they would still be sane by the end of it.

"Hey Ichigo," he heard someone call. Ichigo sighed and turned around to see who had spoken. Uryuu pushed his spectacles back and blinked. "You don't have to ride so far away from us you know?" He said and lifted his one eyebrow.

Ichigo tugged on Zangetsu's reigns and the horse slowed down. The others caught up to him easily and trotted along next to him. They made small talk for an hour and a half until the first silence fell.

After a brief silent interval laughter erupted from Toshiro, Yutaka and Uryuu when Renji claimed that he had to 'drain the main vain.'

He studied the four men with him. He had known Toshiro, Uryuu and Renji since he was much younger, but the dark haired Yutaka had only recently acquired his knighthood. Ichigo had spoken to him a few times, before, though. He looked young and fragile and it didn't even look like he could hold a sword, never mind use one.

Ichigo shook his head at Renji and had to suppress a small laugh. The red head had no idea why they were laughing, and walked off into the dense forest scratching his head. This lead to another burst of laughter from the others.

When Renji returned, the five men and those driving the carts had a drink of water before heading off again. They had four more hours to go and Ichigo didn't know if he would make it without an anxiety attack.


"Rukia?" Byakuya asked when there was a soft knock on the library door. He was sitting at the desk; his head bent low over some paperwork that needed finishing.

"Brother?" A small voice said from the door. Rukia entered the room and closed the door behind her. Her hair was still wet and she was wearing a clean royal purple gown that made her eyes stand out. Byakuya cleared his throat and stood. She walked to the desk and bowed, her one hand holding her dress. He nodded and they both sat down. Rukia had no idea why it always had to be so formal with her brother, but she respected it.

"There are a few things I need to tell you before you meet King Shiba," Byakuya said and looked at Rukia pointedly. Her mouth was dry and she tried not to hyperventilate at the mention of her future husband's name. Again, fear welled up in her throat.

"You will not be rude to him or any of the knights who are accompanying him," he said. Rukia bit down on her tongue.

"You are to treat him with respect and admiration," Byakuya said emotionlessly. Rukia nodded promptly after each sentence.

She was scared out of her wits. She knew that she was entering an entirely new stage of her life and she wasn't so sure if it was a good one.

When she left the library, her hair was dry and her thoughts were scattered. She had been given so many orders and suggestions on how to behave around the King of Camelot, that her ears felt as if they were about to burst. When she turned the corner to go outside and get some fresh air, she slammed into a big, broad chest. She stepped away immediately and rubbed her nose. It had squished a bit when she ran into the almost-wall.

"You okay m'lady?" a deep voice asked. Rukia blushed and closed her eyes. She smiled.

"Ruki!" A young child-like voice erupted out of nowhere. Rukia opened her eyes and looked up into Kenpachi's face. A head of pink hair peeked over his shoulder. Yachiru smiled broadly at Rukia and the black haired girl smiled back. She apologized for running into them, and they waved her off, saying that it was no problem and that she should stop worrying so much.

She bowed and left them in the hallway. The small girl walked around in the garden trying to gather her thoughts. After a while, she went and sat under the Sakura tree. She hadn't realised she was asleep until a loud gong vibrated through the air. She rubbed her eyes and sat up from the grass. It took her a moment to look at the sky and register what time it was, but when it hit her, she stood up so fast that her head started spinning and her vision blurred. Her stomach turned as she slowly walked back through the castle to the front entrance. When she passed a mirror, she glanced at herself. She quickly smoothed down her dress and glanced at her hair. She was surprised. For the first time in months, her hair looked almost perfect. She smiled weakly at her reflection, then took a deep breath and spoke to it.

"You can do this Rukia," she whispered, and she could've sworn the light in her eyes twinkled at the reassurance. She put on a courteous smile and walked to the door. Finally, the full impact of the gong sounded in her ears. He's here.


The castle was massive. Unlike Camelot where the citadel stood in the middle of the city, Lancaster castle stood in front of the city, seemingly guarding as well as looking down on the city. Renji gaped at it, not bothering to hide his surprise. Ichigo shoved his shoulder and Renji's jaw snapped shut. Ichigo couldn't help but wonder how they had built such a large structure… Even Camelot's castle wasn't that big. In comparison to Lancaster, Camelot was a town and the king's castle was an average sized home.

Before they arrived, Ichigo had to remind the four knights and the servants driving the carts, that it could be fatal if they accidently referred to him as Ichigo, and not Kaien. To his relief, they understood the consequences. He did not want his king's plan to fall to pieces.

He exhaled through his mouth and shut his eyes. This was it.

He dismounted Zangetsu and motioned for his accomplices to do the same. They did so, and without another word, they fell in next to the orange haired man as they would have done with the King. The big oak doors opened and on the steps, stood a man with long black hair. He wasn't skinny or built specifically big, but Ichigo could see that he was a fighter.

A thousand thoughts were running through his head, but a single question surfaced; what would Kaien do? Ichigo scratched the back of his head and tried his best to smile. It came out a bit crooked, but no one could tell that it wasn't real. The man descended the steps and every move he made was graceful. Ichigo wasn't sure what to do, so he too stepped forward. They met each other half way and both Ichigo and Byakuya bowed.

"Your Highness," Byakuya acknowledged Ichigo. It felt strange to hear someone address him as 'your highness'.

"My lord," Ichigo replied. He searched the dark haired man's face for any sign of emotion. He came up blank. A lady stood a little behind the count and he turned to her.

"This is Sui-Feng, my advisor," Byakuya elaborated. Ichigo nodded and turned to his company.

"This is Toshiro Hitsugaya, Uryuu Ishida, Renji Abarai and Yukata Nishio," Ichigo pointed to each in turn and when their name was called, they bowed. He could feel the tension in the air and he was sure that he was the main source of it. He could feel stress and anxiety rolling off of him in waves, and he wasn't sure if it was the man standing before him, or the anticipation of meeting his King's future wife. Byakuya pointed to someone behind him and three men walked up to the five horses. Ichigo took one last look at Zangetsu before his horse disappeared behind the left wall of the castle. Byakuya nodded slightly in Sui-Feng's direction and the woman walked back into the castle. Ichigo could see the staff gathered on the inside of the door, watching him in anticipation. He cleared his throat and Toshiro appeared at his side. The silver haired man stood on his toes and whispered into Ichigo's ear, "Keep it together."

The three words sounded like a meaningless encouragement, but Ichigo knew what he was trying to say. Toshiro was right, of course, and as soon as he stepped away, Ichigo bit the inside of his cheek and stood up straight.

"Your majesty, King Kaien Shiba, I present to you, my sister; Lady Rukia Kuchiki," Byakuya said formally. Ichigo rolled his eyes internally and kept looking at the door.

She stepped out of the shadow with the same amount of grace that her brother had walked with. Ichigo held his breath.

She looked at her feet for a second, gathering herself, then looked up into his face. There was only so much she could do not to laugh. The man standing before her had the brightest hair that she had ever seen. She assumed that he was trying to look serious, but with those furrowed brows and turned down mouth, he did look quite funny. She smiled lightly and picked up her gown on the one side so it would not drag on the floor.

She walked right up to him and looked up into his face. She could see that his eyes were a warm honey brown.

The girl was extremely short. She was a midget compared to him, and he would bet three pints on being able to easily snap her like a twig. She was wearing a dark purple dress, which she clutched so tightly he was afraid the fabric might rip. Her hair was as black as the night and was cut in layers that fell softly next to her face. There was a piece of hair that hung between her eyes seemingly out of place, but it framed her small face perfectly. Her big eyes were pure violet and her skin was pale and delicate as porcelain. Ichigo blinked and looked down at her. He cursed internally and once again asked himself what Kaien would do. It was impulse, and he didn't know why, but he picked up her hand, brought it to his lips, and kissed it. It was such an un-Ichigo move that it baffled the four men behind him. Rukia blinked up at him, unsure about what to do. She settled for a curtsy and nodded to the tall man with the orange hair. Ichigo let go of her small hand and pressed his lips together into a thin line. Byakuya's voice cut through the silence, and Rukia and Ichigo both breathed a sigh of relief.

"Lunch will be served in the great hall in fifteen minutes. You are welcome to make yourselves at home first. Sui-Feng will show you to your rooms," he said and clasped his hands together behind his back. Ichigo was glad to follow Soi Fon into the castle, away from all the tension.

Fifteen minutes later, he sat on the bed in the middle of the big room and sighed. He wasn't sure if he acted accordingly and correctly. He had no time to worry about it. He took a deep breath and stood up to go to lunch. He swallowed once and thought: Let the courting begin.


I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

About the songs I quote: I feel that each chapter needs a sort of 'soundtrack'. I take my time and make sure I pick the song that suites the story and my feeling of the chapter. Feel free to go and listen to the song I picked.

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