Rin's POV

"I win!" I smirked, holding my sword against Kaito's neck. If I made a wrong step, I could accidently cut him. He dropped his sword and threw his hands up into the air. I drew back my sword and pushed a piece of stray hair out of my eyes. "Wanna try again?" I asked, with a mischievous grin. "No thanks," Kaito sighed, picking his sword off the ground. "You beat almost every time."

"But no one else will spar with me," I whined. "That's because you beat them all too," Kaito smiled. He wasn't wrong. I considered myself to be the best swordfighter in the village. Not even Gakupo was good enough to beat me. How did I get so good? Kaito taught me the basics, and let's just say I had a natural talent for sword fighting. With some practice, I got pretty good.

"I'm going to see Miku," Kaito announced, starting to walk away. He had a dreamy look in his eyes. I giggled to myself, and decided to let him leave without a word. He's had a crush on Miku since the day they met. I can understand why Kaito loves her so much. She's pretty and perfect. She can cook, sew, and do all those other "girly" things. She and Kaito are also the same age. They were a perfect couple.

I decided to go find something else to do, since practice was over. During my walk back home, I noticed that the village was awfully busy. Luka was outside her small home, picking the herbs she grew to make medicine. Gakupo was right beside her, forging a new sword. The hot blade was a glowing orange. In the distance, I could see Gumi picking something from the fields. Meiko was running around chasing a chicken. She was probably drunk again. Kiyoteru was chasing after her. The little ones of the village, Oliver and Yuki, were sitting by the well, laughing.

This probably looks like a sweet, little village, but it wasn't always like that. When Kaito and I stumbled upon it a few years ago, it was pretty much abandoned. It used to be a farming village, but when the crops failed one season, no one could afford to pay their taxes. Not to mention, a terrible disease swept through the country at the same time. The survivors were probably arrested and sent to the dungeons. Gumi was the only one left in the village when we found it.

The small duo of Kaito and I grew. Gumi allowed us to stay in the abandoned homes, so Kaito and I decided to make this town our home base. We couldn't wander the country forever. We needed someplace to stay. If we needed supplies, we had to travel to other towns and villages and we always seemed to pick up people along the way. With each trip, our little village grew.

I remember we met Miku and her older brother, Mikuo, in a small town a few miles from here. They lived alone, just like Rinto and me. While Kaito and I were shopping for some seeds that Gumi needed, we came across Mikuo screaming in a panic. "What did they do with her?" he yelled angrily. The townspeople gave him strange stares, but ignored him. Since he was in such distress, I approached him and asked what the matter was. He said that his sister had been kidnapped by the prince. I felt a pain in my chest. It was just like Rinto. After seeing the look on Mikuo's face, I had to help him. I couldn't let what happened to me happen to others.

"Do you know where she might be?" I asked, trying to remain calm. Mikuo pointed in a vague direction to the north. "I heard her yell for help, but I didn't know where she went. I know the prince took her though. His goons were roaming around," Mikuo growled. "That bastard kidnaps women for his own pleasures. I heard the rumors, but I never thought they were actually true." I took off running to find his sister. I wanted to help her as much as I could. She must be terrified.

I ran towards a nearby forest that had a fading dirt path winding through it. If anyone planned to travel through here, they would need to use this path. And if someone was coming from the village, they would arrive in a few minutes. Suddenly, I heard a shout and I hid behind a tree. I poked my head out, and saw a wagon being pulled by horses. The man sitting next to the wagon's driver had silver hair and the red eyes of a devil. His clothes were fancy and expensive, a sign of a prince's head henchman. The wagon looked like a jail cell on wheels. As it drove by, I noticed a small door in the back with a tiny window. There were a few girls sitting in the wagon. I prayed that the boy's sister was in there. With a closer look, I noticed a set of keys jangling on a hook by the door. Perfect.

I ran towards the back of the wagon, trying not to be spotted. There was a tiny piece of wood sticking out of the back of the wagon that I jumped onto. I grabbed onto the bars of the window to maintain balance. Grabbing the keys, I unlocked the door and it swung open. There were 4 girls inside and they were only a bit older than me. They looked at me in surprise. Their faces were red. It was obvious that they had all been crying. "Be quiet," I whispered. "I'm getting you out of here." The girls nodded. I jumped out of the wagon and they followed. I told them to quickly run into the forest. The 5 of us ran into the greenery, and hid for a few minutes, until the wagon was completely out of sight.

"Thank you," the teal-haired girl cried, giving me a big hug. "I thought we were done for."

"You have to come back with me to your village," I explained. "Your brother is looking for you." I could tell she was the boy's brother. They looked identical. Their teal hair was a sure sign of that. The 5 of us returned to the village. Kaito was talking to the boy, probably trying to figure out where I had disappeared to. He was surprised to see me return with 4 beautiful girls. The boy looked at me in joy and ran to his sister in an embrace. Both of them began to cry.

"Thank you," the boy said to me with a smile. "I don't know how I can ever thank you for what you've done."

"Come with us," I suggested. "We know a place where your sister will be safe. Nothing will happen to her anymore." The boy gave me an intrigued look. He stuck out his hand for me to shake. "I'm Mikuo and that's Miku," he said, introducing himself and his sister. "I'm Rin," I replied, shaking his hand. "And that's my friend, Kaito." I noticed Kaito was staring at Miku with eyes. What an idiot!

"Do you all want to come back to our village with us?" I told the other girls, who were still with us. "There's lots of space and we live in a place that the prince doesn't know about." It was true that our prince didn't know our little village existed anymore. He probably believed it was abandoned since everyone who lived there was in jail or dead. And that was only if he even knew the village existed in the first place. More people back home would make life run smoother. I'm sure Gumi would like the company too. The three other girls thought about my offer silently. Finally, one of them spoke up. "I guess it couldn't hurt to check the place out," the girl with long, blonde hair said. "It's the least we could do."

And that's how it all started. Miku, Mikuo, and the three girls came back with us to the village. The girls were named Haku, Neru, and Teto. They weren't related, but they had been close friends all their lives. They were among the first to join our village. As Kaito and I traveled further out, we discovered more and more people who wanted to come live in the village. We met Luka after her medicine stall had been burned down by the prince's guards. Gakupo had his most expensive swords stolen by the prince for his personal use. He was left penniless and with little to his name. Kiyoteru was the prince's old tutor, who had been fired after the prince turned 15. Oliver and Yuki were children separated from their parents because of the prince, just like Rinto and me.

The one common theme of our village was our hatred for the prince. The bastard had wronged all of us in some way, and we all wanted revenge. We wanted him to be punished for his crimes against his people. Not just us, but the entire country. As our village started to grow, we became more like a normal town. We had a doctor, blacksmith, teacher, farmer, and more. I helped out by baking things based off the recipes I remember from Rinto.

Once we started to function as normal, Kaito and I brought fewer people back home. We rarely traveled outside now that we had everything we needed right here. Though we had a peaceful exterior, we were secretly creating a small rebel force. Since we're so small, the prince will be caught off guard by our attack, whenever that'll be.

I trained with my sword everyday with the goal of defeating the prince. Gakupo helped me often. He wasn't only good at making swords, but also at fighting with them. The other boys of the village trained to, and soon we had a finalized plan to attack the prince. However, it would take a long time before we could enact it. We simply weren't strong enough to defeat the prince's forces yet.

"Rin!" a voice called over to me. It was Teto. Her pink drills bounced as she ran over excitingly. "Did you bake anymore bread yet?" she wondered. "Not yet," I laughed. "But I can start making some know if you'd like."

"That would be great, please!" Teto smiled. She ran off to talk with Neru, who was busy tending to her small garden growing outside her house. Sighing, I walked back to my house and set my sword down outside. My house used to belong to the baker in the old village and it had a huge oven. Since Rinto was a baker, I decided it couldn't hurt to try and be one too. Of course, I'll never be as good as Rinto was. I searched through the kitchen for the ingredients to make Teto's bread. Maybe while I was at it, I'd make a cake for Oliver and Yuki. They looked like they might need something sweet. I started to bake, humming to myself without a care in the world. Everything was perfect.

Len's POV

I sat at the dining table, eating the dinner that the cook had prepared for me. It tasted bland and boring as usual. Disgusting. I stood up and left the table, deciding to head to my bedroom. There was no point in even trying to finish that food. As I walked up the long stairs toward my room, I heard shouts and cries from outside. Once I entered my room, I walked over to the small window and peered out. People crowded the side of the castle, yelling foul words and holding blazing torches. The sky was dark and clouded. It looked like in might storm. The people continued to shout. They looked pathetic.

Did they think their screams would help anything? Wasn't it their own fault that their lives were worthless? They should be thankful that I don't have them all arrested, maybe even killed. They could be rotting in the dungeons. The news ones aren't nearly as nice as the ones attached to the castle. They're made of cheap wood and are near the animal stables on the edge of the castle grounds.

I sat down on my bed and stared at the ceiling. This was boring. Everything was boring. It's quite a pain when you can't feel any emotions. Life becomes significantly less interesting. I couldn't enjoy the satisfaction of sending someone to the dungeons or get angry at the peasants who tried to ruin my day. Feelings like boredom must not be emotions though because I feel them all too often. But I suppose my "condition" makes me a better prince, don't you think? Nothing gets in the way of my decision, making my reign much more efficient. It's rather nice in a way. That foolish witch thought she had cursed me, but instead it was a blessing.

The shouts and clamors outside the window grew louder. What was wrong with these people? Why can't they go home? Suddenly, my bedroom door burst open and Dell came running in. He looked nervous and it was obvious that he had been sweating. "My prince!" he shouted nervously. "These rebels are trying to attack the castle. It's too dangerous for you to stay here!"

"They are no threat to me," I scoffed. "They're pathetic weaklings compared to me. Just send some guards to get rid of them." I waved my hand to send Dell away. "But your highness," Dell continued. "Some of the guards are on your side. It's a full on revolt." His words concerned me. "What do you propose I do then?" I asked, a hint of fear in my voice. Dell handed me a set of brown and dirty clothes. "Put on these peasant clothes and run," he said. "They shouldn't recognize you. Run as far away as you can. I'll distract the mob."

"Is this necessary?" I asked, unfolding the clothes. "I enjoy the comforts of my castle and would rather not be on the run."

"I just want you to be safe," Dell sighed. "I'll find you when all is well." Reluctantly, I slipped on the clothes. I looked revolting. Dell couldn't be serious about all this though, could he? He can't expect me to escape the castle. The chances of me surviving that would be slim. "Now hurry!" Dell shouted, grabbing my hand. He dragged me out of my room and through the castle. We stopped at a small door near the castle's rear. Dell told me to run and not to stop until I found myself in a safe place. He opened the door and pushed me outside. It was already raining. Then, he slammed the door shut. That's when I had a frightening realization.

I was alone. I'd have to survive on my own. My own fear rose only slightly, and I heard the people's cries become louder. Were they coming closer? I looked towards the forest in the distance. It seemed close enough to escape to. If I was lucky, no one would see me run over, especially in this rain. As much as I wanted to stay, my own safety was first priority. What would happen to this country if I died? I ran to the stables where the horses were kept. Grabbing the closest horse's reins, I jumped on. Riding a horse would be quicker than running and it would be harder for others to attack me. I kicked the horse and it bolted out of the stables.

None of those foolish peasants noticed as I fled. I never should have left. How could those fools have captured me? I could have stopped them on my own. However, my horse continued to run into the night, and then I realized that I had no idea where it was going. The horse ran and ran, and I was unsure of how to stop it. No one had ever taught me how to ride a horse. We had exited the forest almost two hours ago, and the horse was still moving.

Finally, it stopped in a clearing near the edge of a strange forest. Everything looked foreign. I wondered how Dell would ever find me in a place like this. Even I didn't know where I was. I jumped off the horse, exhausted. The rain had finally stopped and the moon had come out from behind the clouds. The ground looked soft, though it was wet. I sat down, a bit disgusted to be sitting on the dirt, but I was tired. As my eyes started to close, I noticed the horse trotting away. I don't care where that filthy animal goes anyway. Staring at the night sky, I felt myself fall asleep.

Dell's POV

I pushed the prince out the door and slammed it in his face. I bolted the lock, so he wouldn't be able to get back in. I'm finally free of that brat, at least for a while. I doubted that he would survive the outdoors for even a week. If by some miracle he did survive, I planned to keep my promise. In perhaps a month of two, once the rebellion quieted down, I would search for him. When I find him, he'll be so thankful, he'll grovel at my feed. If he returns to the castle, his death will be almost certain. I touched my pant pocket, where I kept a small dagger in case of emergencies.

Won't it be sad when the "rebels" finally kill him? The idea of the look on his face when he realizes my treason will make his death all the more sweet. Years of hard work will finally bear their fruit. I fixed my suit and walked towards the castle's main doors, where hundreds of people were still rioting. Now, what should I tell these rebels?