A/N- I apologise for the wait for the chapter. I've been unwell recently, and am still under the weather. Anyway, this chapter is longer than usual. The next two chapters are going to be pretty angsty and intense. However, once the worst is over we'll start returning to a lighter tone.
Warning- character death.
"It feels weird, being back here," Matsuda said, taking a deep gulp of ale.
He and Mido were in a pub located in the small town just outside of the castle. Together, they sat in a shadowy corner booth, out of everyone's way, with a glass of ale and a small steak pie each. Prince Light had given them the money, as extra wages for the additional work they had been doing over the last few weeks.
"I mean, being around so many people," continued Matsuda, "and it being so noisy. And warm. And us being without Rester and..."
He let the sentence trail off, and Mido cast him a look.
"I know you miss Aiber," he replied after a moments silence, "you two were together a lot. I know you nearly always shared the same tent, even though you both had your own individual ones."
Matsuda nodded, "he was like my mentor. I just...liked being around him." He looked at Mido, who was drinking deeply and watching him over his glass. "I've never really been liked, not the way you guys like me. I suppose you were all my first friends. I never realised before how alone I was...or that the villagers I grew up with never really liked being around me too much."
Mido put down his glass heavily and licked the froth off his lips. "It's because you're an idiot and as excitable as a puppy," he responded good naturedly. "I bet you were an awful farmhand. Lucky for you, you don't have to be too smart in this job, you just have to follow orders and be a good boy. Well, follow the orders of the right person, of course. And on that note, a toast to Prince Light?"
Matsuda nodded and they raised their glasses to the Prince's health, a sharp clink as the glasses were tapped together.
"Do you think they'll be alright?" whispered Matsuda, "Aiber and Rester, I mean."
Mido nodded and whispered even more quietly than Matsuda, "I don't think the...alfar...have much to gain from not being allied with friendly humans. But we need to keep quiet, Matsuda, no shouting your mouth off. I don't like the mood since we've returned."
Matsuda nodded, understanding what Mido meant. They had heard of the execution of Halle on arrival thanks to the loud conversation between two gossips in the town square. It had been then that they decided to go to the pub, whilst Light had gone straight to his father. Light had wanted to know immediately what was going on, whereas they wanted to avoid the situation for as long as possible.
"I hope no one else gets hurt," muttered Matsuda, looking at his pie but no longer feeling hungry. "I couldn't bear it if this situation keeps going. What if innocents are harmed?"
Mido looked up at him, chewing carefully, but didn't bother responding. Mido was fairly certain things would get worse rather than better, unless Light managed to persuade his father that blonds weren't evil or a menace.
'Still,' he thought to himself, 'I would rather be on Light's side than anyone else. If things do go bad or the blonds, they will, in time, go bad for the king as well. There's no way you can ethnically cleanse a nation without some sort of payback from the injured parties. And if he attacks the real elves and fairies we will be doomed. I want to be on the winner's side.'
He smiled unconvincingly at Matsuda, who looked highly anxious with his puppy eyes looking much sadder and much wider than usual, and leaned forward to ruffle the dark eyed man's hair, earning himself a sweet smile.
'At least I still have Matsuda with me,' he thought, 'as long as he keeps his stupid mouth shut!'
xxXXxx
"I will not let you do this! It's ridiculous, how many are going to be killed before you are satisfied?"
"It is too late Light."
"Shut up Takada, I think we've had enough of your input, don't you?"
Takada had the decency to blush as she stepped back, standing next to an anxious looking Mogi. Ukita and Higuchi watched the argument from their positions at the door.
Soichiro was not so demure, as what he saw was his son simply having a tantrum.
"Do not speak to my Advisor in that manner," he admonished, "she has been more useful than you in trying to find Sayu. You and your friends were running around the country, talking to elves, when really we needed you here, dealing with the traitors within our walls!"
"The traitor is you father," Light bit back quickly, "the people we are hurting will be our own. How many blondes and fair skinned people were born here, or have dark haired parents? And now this man, you will kill him for the sake of him having red hair?"
"He is a stranger, sent by the elves..."
"No he isn't, he's just from another country!"
"He will get us all killed, just like poor Sayu!
"She isn't dead, the elf told me so, and he is an innocent in all of this. You can't kill him!"
There was a terrible pause as Soichiro, looking increasingly deranged, looked at his son, "the elf told you so," he repeated slowly, "so you really have been fooling around with elves. You believe the elf, over your own family?"
"What choice do I have?" asked Light, "as irritating as he is, and as contrary to my own behaviour and despite his lack of manners or etiquette, he still makes more sense than you do. Do you know that the elf I talked to has got hair and eyes darker than my own? That's how flawed your thinking is, how prejudiced you have become! You are blinded by hate father, and it will kill us all."
"No," said Soichiro slowly, as if under a great strain, "you are under a spell, that is clear to me now. Higuchi! Ukita!" The two guards came forward, "take Light and lock him in one of the prison cells."
"What?" Light felt the blood drain from his face.
Soichiro looked resigned. "It will only be for a short time." He said, "you are too clever and will escape if I lock you in your room, we know that after you ran off to join Mogi and his men. You will stay in the cell for now, at least until the fairy is annihilated and the land is purified. I am sorry Light."
He motioned to his men, and Higuchi and Ukita took Light away, the Prince shouting, "purified the land? What does that mean? Are you really going to kill every-?"
His last part of the word was blocked out as the doors slammed shut.
Soichiro turned to Mogi. "We have to round up all the fair headed people of the land. I want them killed. Do it humanely, but make sure all of them are gone. We cannot rest until the land is clean of the fairy and elf threat."
Mogi's jaw tightened, but he nodded to his Liege and made his way down to where his men trained and lived to tell them of their new task.
xxXXxx
Mogi entered into the wooden barracks were his men were assembled. They knew he had been ordered to the castle, and had waited in the building ready for orders. Matsuda and Mido were unpacked.
Mogi looked at them.
Both of them looked much older. Their hair had grown into shaggy locks just brushing their shoulders; their eyes were clearer and sharper, constantly on the look-out for danger; their skin was rough and blemished. They now looked more like seasoned soldiers instead of two young boys. Matsuda had changed the most, becoming quieter and more careful, though no less eager and excitable.
'In a few years time, they may be fine soldiers,' he decided, 'much better than some of the lazy men I have under my control right now.'
He felt sorry over the loss of Rester and Aiber too. They had been good soldiers and extremely loyal, no matter how they looked. 'Then again,' he thought, 'no one would have guessed that Halle was an informant.' He had been saddened when only two of his boys returned from the wilderness, but unsurprised. It made sense that Rester and Aiber would have gone into hiding, feelings towards blonds were taking a very nasty turn in the Kingdom, and despite the Kings recent orders, he had heard through rumour and gossip that several paranoid villages had started dishing out 'justice' to any potential witch, elf or fairy in their locality. People had been disappearing or killed for weeks now, just after the Princess's disappearance.
"Alright men," he called out, "line up. We have some instructions from the King himself. We are to round up all the people in the kingdom who have fair hair and pale skin. We are to execute anyone who has enough evidence against them that they are associated with the fairies and elves."
"Is that why Rester and Aiber are gone?" sneered one guard, a friend of Higuchi's. "They were always going on about their magical ancestors. We all knew they were witches really."
He looked around a few men nodded and grunted in agreement. Mido and Matsuda stood closer together, brows furrowed and bodies tense.
"Don't say anything," whispered Mido, leaning close to Matsuda. "It's what they want."
"With respect Captain," Aizawa stood forward, a concerned look on his face, "I came into this job to protect the Royal family. I never signed up for murdering my own people."
"But they're not our own people," cried Ide, his eyes wide, "that's the point! They never were our own people!"
Aizawa folded his arms stubbornly, "I do not believe that either Rester or Aiber, who have worked side by side with for the last decade, are traitors."
Matsuda allowed himself a small smile, respecting the older man a lot for being brave enough to speak out. He wanted to say something himself, but Mido was gripping his shirt, wordlessly warning him to stay silent. Mido was smarter than Matsuda, so the latter did as he was told.
"No one thought Halle would betray us," said Mogi, repeating his earlier thoughts. "This is to protect the royal family. Evidence has been bought forward that the fairies do have her and are keeping her captive in the wilderness somewhere. Therefore they started the attack. We know that fairies are fair headed, that has been fact for years. Fair headed people themselves have never denied it. Plus, we will only execute those who we are certain are witches."
"This seems like a load of paranoid nonsense based off sweeping generalisations," muttered Aizawa rebelliously.
"I would stop all that talk," said Higuchi, arriving in the barracks with Ukita at his side. "It sounds like treachery." He turned and looked up to Mogi, "we have the Prince safely locked up Sir."
"'Prince'?" cried Matsuda, suddenly forgetting his silence, "you locked him up? Which one and why?"
Higuchi gave a nasty smirk, "Prince Light, of course. Prince Mikami is a good man. Prince Light decided to mouth off against the King, his own father, and has betrayed us all by cavorting with elves, whilst apparently out with you men."
The others began to shift nervously, looking and Mido and Matsuda suspiciously.
"So the King ordered him to be locked away," finished Higuchi, "along with the Elf we'll be burning later."
Matsuda clenched his teeth and fists, trying to keep calm. He could hear Mido telling him to stay quiet, the grip on his short much tighter now, and he could feel his body beginning to shake with adrenaline.
"That's enough Higuchi," said Mogi, "we all follow the rules set out by the monarchy. Anything against it will be considered treachery. This is the way it is men. Now pack up your things. We move out tonight, after the execution of the red-head elf."
xxXXxx
Light had dragged below and thrown into a cell, Higuchi giving him a satisfied smirk before slamming the door and locking it. Ukita had had enough grace to not look at the fallen prince at all.
Light sniffed slightly and curled up, resting his head on his knees and hugging his arms around his legs. He couldn't believe this was actually happening! His own father had turned against him and his mother had done nothing. It wasn't too much of a stretch to imagine that is brother was probably gallivanting off somewhere with Misa, the one blonde that everyone had quietly decided to let live because they knew her personally and thought she was cute.
It was disgusting, the whole situation was disgusting.
He kicked out and hit the bars of his jail viciously, causing a voice of another man he didn't recognise to call out in the darkness.
"Hey, am I not down here alone?"
Light crawled to the front of his cage and peered out. A little to his left, in one of the cells opposite, a young man with red hair could just about be seen, he too was looking out.
Light let out a breath, "are the one who came here? The one they think is a fairy?"
"Yes," matt let out a small laugh, though it really wasn't funny. "They kept calling me 'elf' and 'trickster' and 'fairy-spawn' as they dragged me down into this place. I never thought this would be the way I would die, mistaken for a fairy, my goddess. Though I am sure Near will not be surprised." He sighed and Light could just make out a 'poor Near' from the boy.
"Who is Near?"
"Oh, the younger brother of the Alfar, a member of the Aesir. I don't know how to say it in your tongue."
"You mean, the Alfar is a King right?"
"Hm, yes, he rules the land and has titles such as King and Liege, though Alfar is his official title."
Light let out a sardonic laugh. "My people are ignorant. Over here Alfar and Aesir means fairy. And anything to do with fairies or elves or anything non human and supernatural, generally means trouble."
"We have heard of your troubles in my land. We were worried that you might attack. That's why I was sent down, I was meant to make some sort of headway with your people, get us to become allies, maybe even friends."
"I'm sorry that it has turned out this way."
"I am partially to blame. I was warned not to go down. My Alfar was willing to make war should your people invade our land. We knew that there were rumours of us being a nation of fairies, and we knew that there were growing tensions down here. I shouldn't have tried to reason with people that I knew were unreasonable."
"You knew because of the spy Halle, correct?"
There was a pause.
"Yes," answered Matt reluctantly, "but it was never to tell us how to attack you, that was furthest from our mind. We just needed to know what others were planning and saying, it was a safety precaution."
"She was caught and killed yesterday, I am so sorry." Light leant his head against the bars as Matt sighed.
"I thought that had happened...oh goddess poor Halle...she loved you nation and your Princess. It was genuine."
"I believe you." Light thought of Halle. She had been around from the day Sayu was born. He had seen her every day of his childhood. She was always there, sneaking him and his brother and sister sweeties, bathing them, wiping their brows when they were ill, making them soup, tucking them in at night. She had only been a girl herself when she started out as Sayu's nursemaid, no older than thirteen he was certain. But she had a wisdom about her that exceeded her age, and being young meant that she was vibrant and fun and active.
Light was surprised when a tear trailed down his cheek. He missed her. He had never really appreciated her when she was there, and as he grew older she became just one of the servants, just another person who he liked well enough, but privately thought was something of an idiot and not worthy of his time.
But then he had come home to find her blood being cleaned off the streets. She'd be murdered, horribly, by the people she loved. And before then he had essentially ignored her, she and Sayu being trapped and isolated together. Would it have been so much for him to have paid them both some more attention? To listen to them one in a while? Did L know of his unwitting cruelty, was that why L was so unimpressed by him?
"Are you alright, sir?" the voice of Matt floated through the darkness.
"Yes," Light coughed, embarrassed by how tight and high his voice had just sounded. "Yes, thank you I'm fine. Ahem. I just...I miss Halle...I'm sorry it happened. I don't care that she was a spy. She loved me and my brother and my sister very much. I know she did."
"There was a conflict of interest but...wait...your sister! Are you-?"
"Yes, I am a Prince...a member of this land's 'Aesir'. I am Light."
"Why are you down here?"
"I disagree with what is happening. The elves and fairies are not to blame, and your people have been unfairly dragged into this nonsense. Everything is a mess but no one is seeing reason."
"It must be very hard. I am sorry for you. They...they will not execute you as well, will they?"
Light blinked and thought for a moment, "I don't think so," he answered honestly, "but I cannot say anything for certain anymore." He suddenly felt his misery welling up once more as he thought about the fate of the young man he was speaking to. "I am the one who should be saying sorry, Matt. I cannot believe the actions of my own people. Please Matt, if there is anything I can do for you!"
"There is," was a quiet reply, "if you survive could you...could you please tell Mello, my King, how much I loved him? That I loved him more than anything or anyone else in the entire world? My only wish is for him to be kinder to his brother Near. Could you tell him...that I will be waiting for him, in the Afterlife? Please?"
"Of course," said Light, feeling ashamed and heart-broken, "I shall relay how much you love him, somehow I will let him know. I swear it. I shall also tell him that you are one of the purest, loyalist and bravest souls I have ever had the pleasure to meet sir."
Light could sense Matt's self deprecating smile, "thank you," he whispered.
xxXXxx
Mido and Matsuda stood on the outer walls surrounding the Castle grounds, keeping an eye on all the people who were pouring in from nearest villages and local town, to watch the execution of the young stranger.
"We can't keep silent about this," whispered Matsuda to Mido, watching the finishing touches being added to the pyre in the corner of his eye. "My goddess, we're going to kill a man!"
"I don't know what to do," Mido whispered back, biting his thumb nail anxiously, "I just don't know. I don't want to be part of this any more than you do. I don't want to be party to murder and I definitely don't want to go against the elves and fairies!"
"Maybe we can call the elf, get him to save the stranger?"
"How? Only the Prince has ever seen it. Plus, if we're caught then we'd be killed as well. They already suspect us." He smiled briefly at one of the guards, who walked past eyeing them cautiously.
Matsuda didn't bother smiling at the man. He didn't care, he was too worried about the foreigner they were going to kill.
"I will go and try to call him alone," Matsuda decided.
"No Matsu! Don't do anything!"
"But I can't just let this happen!"
"You'll be caught and killed."
"At least I can die knowing I tried..."
Mido sighed and turned to Matsuda, tears in his eyes. Matsuda blinked in shock, Mido was never really the emotional type.
"Look," said Mido, dropping the whisper but talking in a low voice, "Aiber was always your favourite person, but you're my favourite person! I don't want you hurt. Please, we can't help this man... we can't keep him alive. I'm sorry, but we'll have to simply pay penance in the future. I won't let you get hurt Matsu." He gripped Matsuda forearm tightly before letting go and turning away, feeling embarrassed.
There was a brief silence.
"Alright," said Matsuda at last, "I won't do anything dangerous. But what can we do?"
Mido gulped, "we can make his death less...painful."
xxXXxx
Matt was dragged out of his cell and marched through the dark cellar, he offered the Prince a brief smile as he passed. Light offered a small one in return, though Matt could see pain and regret in the young man's eyes.
'Don't worry,' he thought, 'I don't blame you Light. I hope Mello doesn't either.'
He looked at his captors. "You guys are going to regret killing me," he said confidently. "My Alfar," he purposely used the word they misunderstood and grinned at their unified wince on hearing it, "he's going to destroy this land for what you are about to do."
They led him into a public square. Many people, most poor villages, and a few gentleman, stood as an audience to a pyre.
'I'm to be burned to death,' he thought, his heart sinking, 'do they have to kill me in such a painful manner?'
However, he refused to let his sadness show, and so put on a blank facial expression as he was tied to the pole. Then men moved away, one of them spitting at him before leaving him in peace. Matt did not react.
Then two young men, little more than boy's really, came to him.
One of them, a handsome one with light brown hair, began to read off his 'crimes.' The darker one with large eyes appeared to be checking that he was tied tight enough.
"This being is charged with being an evil elf, a fairy and a witch. He shall be burned alive."
The audience cheered and clapped, and few people nodding righteously.
Matt noticed then that the dark haired boy was slyly adding small bags to his ropes and to the wooden planks below.
"It's gun powder," the boy whispered, his mouth barely moving. The boy looked at Matt. "I'm so sorry this is happening sir, I wish I could save you," he said.
Matt smiled softly.
"It's alright," he said to the stranger, "you're king has gone mad. Thank you for this."
The boy shrugged as if to say, 'it's nothing much'.
Then the two boys both lifted a flaming torch each and set the pyre Matt was on alight.
The audience watched in shock as, instead of taking hours to slowly burn away, the pyre burst into flames, immediately killing the man on top of the pyre. Some of them felt a bit put out, they had hoped for screams and begging for mercy.
Mido and Matsuda walked away quickly.
"We did our best for him," whispered Mido, though Matsuda looked traumatised.
Feeling eyes burning into his back, Mido turned to see Higuchi and Mogi, standing on a platform with the King between them, all staring down at him and Matsuda.
He gulped, praying they wouldn't guess he and Matsuda had rigged the pyre out of mercy.
King Soichiro stood with Higuchi, Mogi, Ukita, Takada, his son Mikami and Princess Misa watching the pyre burning furiously.
"It should not have gone up that fast," Higuchi whispered to Mogi. "We put green wood on the pyre to purposely slow things down."
Mogi told him to shut up, causing Higuchi to frown but shut his mouth.
Mogi let out a quiet sigh. He had never been fond of Higuchi, but recent events were making him hate he man. He had never known Higuchi, or many of his other men, could be so vicious. He looked at his King, only to see Soichiro staring off into the crowds. Mogi followed his gaze and settled on Mido and Matsuda, Mido casting them a frightened and knowing glance.
Mogi gulped, the two boys were closely aligned to Light, considering the amount of time the disgraced prince had spent with them. If the king suspected them of treachery, they would not be so lucky to spend time in a dungeon, they'd be tortured and killed in the same way the red-headed fairy was.
"Majesty," he whispered to Soichiro, out of ear shot from the others, "maybe the elves had sped up the young man's death. Maybe they are more powerful than we think." He hoped to make his Liege have second thoughts on starting a war against the magical creatures; Mogi himself was certain that they would lose against magical witches and elves of whom they knew nothing about, and was even more concerned that they were attacking the wrong people entirely.
"I want those two boys," answered the king, his voice sounding reflective, "put on the front lines when we go to attack the Aesir of the north. That is an order."
Mogi gulped, "yes sir."
He guessed he wouldn't get to see either Matsuda or Mido grow up now.
xxXXxx
"Prince Light," a little voice squeaked in a sing-song, "are you do-own here?"
Light rolled his eyes. Great, Princess Misa, that's all he needed.
"Yes, I'm here," he answered, adding an 'obviously' in his head.
Misa appeared at his cell, beaming like the idiot she was.
"Oh Light, I'm so glad to see you!"
"As you Princess," he purposely added the title to prove a point, what right did she have to call him solely by is first names, as if they were friends?
"It's terrible," she continued obliviously, tears suddenly welling in her eyes, "the poor boy they killed out there. Are you sure he's a fairy or an elf?"
"Well clearly not, that's why I'm down here." Light let out a frustrated sigh. "Please, Princess Misa, go away, go back to Mikami, I don't want anyone with me right now."
"I agree with you Light, it is lunacy to say all fair headed people are magical, I mean," Light looked at her in surprise and noticed she was brushing her own blonde locks, "look at me. I'm blonde. And I wish to marry a Prince of this land. The people will never accept me and Princess or Queen if they believe all blondes are evil."
Light was appalled at her lack of empathy or morals, but was jubilant that he had at least one other ally.
"What are they doing now?" he asked.
"The guards are all getting ready to leave. They have to get new soldiers to join, and are going to, erm...cleanse the land?" she said the statement as if it were a question, giving him a quizzical look.
'She cannot be serious,' Light mused, 'this has to be an act, no-one is this dumb. Still...'
"Alright Misa," he smiled as she grinned at his using her first name without the title, "I need you to convince my brother to come down here. I want to let my family know that I've changed my mind and agree with them completely. Do you understand?"
"Ye-es," she said slowly, "but I thought you didn't think fair headed people were evil?"
"I don't." He winked at her, "it's a trick. I'm going to try and save who I can whilst pretending to be on my father's side. It'll be our secret, alright Misa, would you like that?"
"Yes, Light, I would!"
"Good, quickly go now!"
Misa skipped away and Light sat down, pondering the situation. His only two allies, Mido and Matsuda, were both young and silly, and no doubt would be shifted off to this ridiculous mass murder. There was little he could do to protect them, but if he could get out of the cell, he would be able to use his position to make things easier for them, or to at least make sure they hadn't done or would do anything, to cast doubt on their loyalty to his father the king.
He would not be able to stop a war, not now that they had killed a peaceful ambassador. No doubt the King of the North would view Matt's death as an attack. Even worse was that this war would be personal; his father believing the Alfar has kidnapped Sayu, and the Alfar having been, evidently, close friends with Matt; now neither side would now listen to reason and neither side would put down arms
There was only one thing that could be done, and it would require a great level of treachery. Light would have to kill Soichiro and become King himself. It was the only way to stop the war; he had to kill its instigator.
Light put his head into his hands and tried not to cry.
'I have to do this,' he thought, 'in the name of justice. It's for the greater good. I cannot allow hundreds, maybe even thousands to die all because I love my father too much.'
Mido and Matsuda, providing they didn't get themselves killed, would be his eyes and ears on the war front, Aiber and Rester would be his emissaries to the fairies and elves (the real ones) and he himself would have to make sure that all evil in the top ranks was killed off, even if that meant bowing and scraping for a short while to two women whom he despised. Misa was a good ally because she was blonde and foreign, but well-liked by his people. When his time came to take over the kingship, she would be a good advertisement against the 'anti-elf' feelings his people now had. Likewise, he would have to marry Takada. She was politically savvy and very powerful. By marrying his status and rightful king would be set. Mikami could marry Misa if he wanted, Light would give her up to him whether she liked it or not, as soon as her purpose was served.
That way everyone would be happy.
Mikami would have his silly bint of a wife, Takada would have him, the people would have a sensible king who will not turn on them for something as stupid as hair colour and the reputation of the elves and fairies would be cleared.
So why didn't he feel happy?
A/N. So what did you all think? Any predictions for the next chapter? Any characters you want to see more of? Any issues with the way the characters have been portrayed (I have hammed up Misa's stupidity, but for a reason, which will come to light later)? What do you all think of Light's plan? Happy, sad?