Len smiled as he watched the now cheery Miku skip along the street a head of him, humming an upbeat tune with her flawlessly harmonic voice. Onlookers, who were doing last minute shopping before dusk, either stared in confusement, or smiled at the girl's childish performance.
The two were nearly back to the castle when she stopped abruptly, the song she hummed suddenly over. Len stumbled a bit as he stopped along with her.
"Is something wr-?" Len began to ask but Miku cut him off with a quick "sh!"
She turned, a hand cupped to her ear. "Do you hear that?" She asked.
Len listened closely a bit bemused.
He heard several sounds actually, the chatter of gossiping woman, the loud noise of shop owners yelling angrily at beggars, the angelic tune of a violin somewhere farther off, the rumbling laughter spilling from an inn. But nothing out of the ordinary.
"What noise?" He asked.
Miku's face flipped from a smile to a surprising look of disgust."That...terrible sound."
Len listened closely again, this time he heard it.
It was such a horrifying sound he was surprised he hadn't noticed it sooner. The sickening outcry of someone in pain was followed by several jeering voices. Wicked laughter could be heard up a head towards where the square was.
Len cringed as he heard a loud, "A-ahAHHHHHH!" cry out from ahead. Whoever it was was clearly in horrible pain.
He looked at Miku.
"M'lady, don't," He said, "You could get hurt."
But she had already begun to run.
"M'lady!" The servant called after his mistress. When she didn't stop he cursed and then raced after her.
He heard the noise getting closer, it seemed like it was only a block or two from the castle. He cursed the problem for being so close to their destination, otherwise the princess may not have heard the noise. Len noticed a seemingly small crowd up ahead.
He ran faster and caught Miku's arm right before she rushed into the crowd.
"M'lady!" He yelled pulling her away from the sight.
She yelled at him over the loud crowd, "Len let go! He's hurt!"
She tried to pry her wrist free from Len's grip.
"Mik-" He stopped himself before he blurted the princesses first name, "M'lady it's dangerous! What if you get caught up in the mess?!" The blonde boy said not daring to allow the princess to get hurt.
But the girl wouldn't listen.
"Please! Len, he's hurt! I can't just stand here knowing someone's in pain!" She shouted her nails digging into his hand.
"No!" He said firmly wincing under the pain of her sharp nails.
"Len, PLEASE!" She begged, she stopped struggling and suddenly tears began to spill from her eyes. After she hearing of what happened to Meiko, she wasn't going to allow anyone get hurt on her watch, even if it was a total stranger.
Len froze when he saw the tears. He was silent a moment and searched the girl's eyes as if silently saying one last time to stay. But her reply was clear once he saw her tearful eyes look back pleadingly.
The servant sighed. He handed her his coat and let go of his arm
"Stay here, I will help him M'lady," he said and then disappeared into the crowd before Miku could say anything.
Len pushed his way through the crowd, which was a lot larger than it looked. People shoved and pushed as he tried to make his way to the middle of it all.
Finally he had made it to the front of the crowd so that he was directly in front of the spectacle. What he saw was this:
A man, around the age of twenty was laying on the ground his arms covering his head as several roguish men menacingly circled around him kicking his sides and throwing disgusting insults to him. The man had a noticeable shade of blue hair and the clothes of a regular traveler. Len noticed the man held something wooden against his chest tightly.
"Get up you theif! Be a man!" One man jeered.
"I didn't steal anything! I'm not a theif!" The blue haired man tried to explain his voice cracking.
He cried out as a man kicked him in the stomach.
The men laughed.
"Liar!" Another man shouted, "Explain how you got that trinket in your pocket then?" He waved a gold pocket watch in front of the man.
"I already told you! I didn't steal anything! Please jus-"
He was unable to finish his sentence as one of the rogues kicked his shoulder.
"Hah! You want me to believe you actually paid for this? Please, this is worth more than your home! If you even have a home you pathetic poor!"
Len was unable to watch the horrid sight any longer.
"Hey! You! Leave the man alone!" The brave servant called out.
The men turned, took one look at the young boy and laughed.
"Haha! Looky here! We got a brave little one here don't we?" A man with a thick accent laughed.
"Sorry sonny, leave the real fighting to the men. We don't want to hurt ya now," Another man said in a mocking tone.
Len clenched his fists, "If you do not let this man go, I…I will have you thrown into the dungeon!" He tried to sound as threatening as possible, knowing he could not possibly fight all these men.
Unfortunately, he probably came out sounding like a child with an empty threat because the men just continued to laugh and tease.
"Hohoh! And how're you gonna do that, eh sonny?" The man with the thick accent said, "Tattle on us to one of the guards? Those guards don't do nothing but sit around all day, they could care less. Besides, if anyone should go to jail it should be this man here!" The man kicked the blue haired man's back who whimpered in pain.
Len clenched his teeth and said with confidence and a bit of pride, "If you must know, I happen to be a servant of the royal Hatsune family. If you do not let him free, I will have you properly punished."
The people in the surrounding crowd's voices rose in surprise, some of the rougues looked at each other uneasily. Len saw the injured man raise his head, his vibrant eyes of blue a little hopeful.
But the thick accented man, who must've been the instigator of the whole situation, just laughed, "Hah! You're bluffing!"
"He is not," Len heard Miku's voice say.
The servant turned to see her emerge from the crowd standing. Only she could stand with such confidence and poise and still look elegant and carry an air of importance. The crowd whispered and gasped.
"If you do not let him free, I, Miku Hatsune, shall have all five of you rot away in the dungeon's cells," She said her head held high.
The men looked at each other uneasily.
"B-but, M'lady, he-" The rouge tried.
"Whatever crime he commited will be properly dealt with, and from what I've heard this crime is hardly an excuse for the treatment you have given this man. You could have killed him! I shall take responsibility over whatever his act was and pay you for it accordingly."
The man bit his lip. "As you wish, princess." He bowed. Then, after shooting a menacing glare towards the man on the ground turned and took his gang back into, Len assumed, his pawn shop.
Since the entertainment had left the crowd slowly began to head back to their previous doings, some stayed and watched the princess at a distance.
Miku rushed over to the blue haired man who was still crumpled on the ground.
"Sir, how do you feel? Can you sit up?" Len noticed a slightly frantic tone to her voice.
The man coughed and blood splattered the ground. He tried to move but could only groan.
"You poor man! Let me help you, here, Len help me carry him."
Len kneeled down and slung the mans arm over his shoulder while Miku slung the other over hers, the man still held the wooden object in his hand, and Len was able to see it was a crutch. It was a little hard to carry him since he was so much taller than the two.
"T-t-thank you so much, princess," The man said his voice weak and shaky.
"No need to thank me, Len was the one who stepped in," Miku said smiling.
"And for that I owe my life to you two. I might've been beat to death if it weren't for you two." His sentence was followed by several coughs.
"Don't speak until we get you a doctor," Miku told him.
He nodded and smiled weakly.
"He is terribly hurt, but nothing that can't be fixed with a little rest. He's lucky he only suffered several bruises and scratches, if they had aimed any kicks towards his broken ankle he might've lost complete use of it," The doctor said.
"Thanks," Miku replied a wave of relief washed over her.
"Your welcome, M'lady. Now, I must go out for some quick herbs to quicken the patient's healing, I'll be back shortly," The woman bowed and left.
"Thank you so much princess, it is truly an honor to have you help me so much. You really are as gentle as they say," The blue haired man said as he lay in the hospital bed.
Miku smiled. "You're very kind, thank you. I am just happy you are okay." She thought a moment then said, "What is your name sir?"
"Kaito Shion, please just call me Kaito, princess" He answered.
"If I call you Kaito, will you do me a favor by calling me Miku? I'd much prefer it that way."
"But, it's-"
"I know it is impolite and wrong to call me as such, but please, I do wish you would."
Kaito smiled, "You really are too kind...Miku."
"Thank you. Now get some sleep and heal up." With that Miku turned to leave.
"As you wish, Miku," Kaito continued to smile, "Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
Kaito watched the princess leave, then just as he was about to fall asleep he heard the door open and felt forceful hand grip his shirt and pull him forward.
