Hello again!
Happy holidays and Happy New Year! I hope 2021 is better ;_;
Enjoy~!
-Chapter 35-
Two days.
That was all Ritsu had left.
Masamune did not have the strength to stand anymore; he teetered back on stumbling feet until he hit the wall. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the article, only comprehending half the content as his heartbeat pounded in his head.
Still searching for the conspirators…Captured a dozen already, to be executed as well…Traitorous Prince Ritsu to be executed publicly by hanging to all in the Matsumura Kingdom…Sickening detail, sickening detail, sickening detail.
A shaking, woeful breath left Masamune that matched his trembling hands. He had never felt such grief as this; Ritsu had just returned to him, yet he was going to be taken away again – this time for good. Masamune truly could not do anything this time. He was as trapped as Ritsu.
He flung the papers away, scattering them at Yokozawa's feet. He refused to look up to avoid the look of pity or sadness or shame surely to be on the advisor's face. Tears clouded Masamune's eyes, but he couldn't cry yet, just yet.
Yokozawa's voice was gracelessly gentle as he uttered, "Masamune-sama."
It caught the prince's attention: Yokozawa never spoke his name like that. The older man was obviously in discomfort, whether with Masamune's current fragility or his recent revelation about him – Masamune couldn't tell.
"Don't do that," Masamune muttered, working around the painful ache in his throat. He had never seen the advisor look so befuddled and lost.
"Do not use my first name like that suddenly as if you are close to me, as if to show your allegiance when you are truly the furthest you have ever been," A sudden boiling rage consumed Masamune and his heart. Yokozawa seemed conflicted – or possibly afraid – and he stared silently, enraging Masamune further.
"Get out."
This seemed to shock the proud advisor most; he was always a part of everything and never was dismissed without a purpose. He stumbled for a poised response, but only replied with, "W-Wait, Your Highness—"
"I said get out!" Masamune screamed, his authoritative voice booming. If an object was near, he would have thrown it with as much force.
Yokozawa did not scramble out or run away like Masamune hoped for. He simply exhaled, respectfully bowed, and then slowly walked out of the room.
.
.
.
It was all a haze when Ritsu woke up. He still ached and throbbed with every pulse of his heart. He burned all over, except for a small, cold circle above his heart. Achingly slow, his hand felt around his chest to find Masamune's ring. As if some life returned to him, Ritsu breathed more steadily at the familiar feel of the ring.
'How could I forget?' Ritsu's thin hands lifted the chain so the ring dangled above his eyes, 'I can't believe they didn't take this.'
He pressed the ring to his lips, hoping somehow Masamune felt it and knew he was alive. He wondered what time of day it was. Closing his eyes with the ring still to his lips, he silently drew strength from deep inside.
'I must survive, I must,' Ritsu put into thoughts.
"Ritsu?"
Ritsu lifted his head to see Aimi gripping the bars of her cell as she looked at him. Her shoulders visibly slumped in relief and she released a massive sigh. She leaned her head against the bars and chuckled tensely.
"I was so worried. Just watching you collapse onto the floor like that last night…" Aimi shook her head slowly, "It's morning now, in case you wanted to know."
He coughed roughly and felt a rattling in his chest. His broken fingers were curled under his hand in a ragged position, but they were already numb. He took a few breaths to ready himself, then sat up to the protest of every cell in his body. Voices flooded up the hall from the other prisoners, but they were echoed and undistinguishable. He saw the tray at the gate of his cell for breakfast, or what they tried to call food – hard crusts and barely any water. Just the prospect of it turned his stomach.
"Aimi-san," Ritsu managed to croak through a parched throat, rethinking his revulsion to the water. Aimi looked at him almost eagerly, ready to answer any question. Ritsu stumbled over to the bars and bent down to drink the water. He dropped the cup once he finished and refocused on her.
"What happened…after I was taken?"
Her doll-like face grew forlorn and she leaned again against the bars. She gave a steady, slow sigh before answering.
"Naturally, the city was chaos – still is. They began to raid almost every home and store, and hunted down the loyalists that my husband named; that bastard named me too. They do not have authorization to go search in the Takano Kingdom yet, but that won't stop Matsumura for long. Some loyalists have escaped in both kingdoms, but I don't have details. I could not tell you anyways in here."
"My family?" Ritsu gripped the bars as he keenly listened. His heart throbbed for the pandemonium his kingdom was plunged into and those being taken. He wondered how many bodies bled into the streets; how many children lost parents; how many citizens quaked in fear.
Aimi dropped to a whisper, "I know Kiyoko is in a safe haven and Hitoshi was not captured, at least up until I was."
Her rich voice and words brought relief to him, but he remained troubled. He feared nothing could stop Matsumura now, even in the Takano Kingdom. War must be approaching, coming closer with every raid and every death.
"Are many down here in the cells?" Ritsu feared the answer, his knees beginning to shake.
She hesitated, looking sideways down the hall at the long row of cells. Her gaze moved down to the ground as she murmured back, "Some were arrested for questioning, but many were murdered right in the street after being dragged from their own home. When I was captured, I watched a guard behead a man in front of his wife and children."
Ritsu's throat tightened and burned, but not from dehydration this time. He forced the bile back down, starting a new coughing fit. He wondered where King Takeshi was in all this and whether he was preparing for potential war. He closed his stinging eyes and asked, "What about the Takano Kingdom? King Takeshi?"
"The afternoon before I was arrested, he officially acknowledged you and the return of your family. But he cannot help you since his son was directly involved in the assassination attempt, unless he wishes to kickstart a war. No one has seen the prince since then, at least before I was taken. Many believe they have locked him away until everything quietens down. Prince Masamune is your friend, correct?"
Ritsu could not envision a pleased Masamune caged up in the castle, knowing nothing of what was happening outside. Masamune was also a prisoner then, both of them condemned by Matsumura. The raven-haired was surely going insane.
Ritsu sighed, "Yes. A friend."
But a new thought emerged in Ritsu's mind: how long he had before Matsumura killed him.
Oh no Ritsu, run! Or somebody save him quickly! ;_;
I know the last couple of chapters have been relatively short, but trust me, some very crazy(?) stuff is coming!
Maybe I'll update before the new year, but no guarantee :P
See you next chapter~! :)
