Disclaimer: I own only the plot. The character of Ryo was created by Takeru-
san
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Lord Artur fell to his knees on the ground at TK's feet. The old man's disease ridden hands clenched themselves into violently trembling fists, and his weathered face beamed with childlike awe and amazement. Tears rolled down his cheeks to wet his snowy beard. "My King." He whispered, and then slowly bent his aged body to kiss TK's mud-caked boots.
The young man shifted his shoulders uncomfortably, and fought back the urge to pull the old man to his feet. A mark on his neck and a darkness in his heart branded him as the rightful King of Ishida, but at the moment, he felt more like a scared little boy than anything else. He watched as Artur moved to kiss Kari's feet as well. "My Queen." He addressed her reverently. TK felt his wife reach out to take his hand in her own, and he turned to gaze at her. There was a frightened but determined look on her face. You are not alone, her flowing brown eyes told him. I will help to bear every one of your crosses. We will face everything together. She gave his hand a firm squeeze.
Behind the couple stood Tai, Sora, Jyou, and Cody. As well as Lord Rordan and Lucas, who, along with Lord Artur, the royal family had decided to tell what they had discovered at Icijouji Monastery. The newest members of the royal entourage, the Abbot of the Monastery and his young pupil Ken, stood near the back of the crowded tent. Everyone's faces were solemn as they watched Artur slowly climb to his feet and embrace TK and Kari in one great hug.
"King Takeru and Queen Hikari of Ishida, Prince and Princess of Kamiya, Lord and Lady of Takaishi." Cody said slowly, rolling the words around on his tongue. "That's quite a mouthful." The young monk's face broke into a broad grin. And the other Kamiyians could not help following his example as they flashed relieved smiles.
"I won't lie to you." Tai said, stepping forward to hug them both. "It's a horrible job, and I think you would both be better off if you just ran away and never came back." He was not entirely joking, and his eyes winced a little with sadness as he looked at them.
"I've never seen you run away from anything." Kari responded with a small grin.
"Yes, but you're both so much smarter than he is." Sora came up behind her husband with a soft laugh. She reached over and hugged TK and Kari tightly. "Titles and kingdoms don't mean all that much." She whispered to them. "We're family first and foremost. Always."
Lucas came up to them next, his brow narrowed in determined thought. "I'm going with you." The boy said forcefully. "Let's not have any doubt about that."
"I believe I will as well." Cody added. "At least until my restless spirit overtakes me once more, and I feel the need to wander."
"That's good." TK answered with a smirk. "Because we were going to make you both come whether you liked it or not."
Cody shook his head and gave him a knowing grin. He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off before he could begin.
"I hate to play the eternal pessimist." Jyou spoke out, rubbing his forehead wearily. "But there are other matters we have to take care of before we can start planning a coronation ceremony."
"Aye." Lord Rordan responded with a quick nod. "We need to strike before Rolen and the Tachikawans can fully prepare their defenses."
"You're both right." Tai agreed grimly. "Get everyone ready to march. And I want a quick council in my tent. That includes the leading Ishidian lords, and everyone in this tent except the Lord Abbot and his pupil. Unless they wish to be present." He turned to the two figures at the back of the tent with a questioning look. He had a feeling that the Abbot had once been a warrior, maybe even a commander. And any input the man could offer would be valued. Ken, on the other hand, made Tai feel extremely uncomfortable. It was as if the young man already knew how everything was going to turn out, and was snickering at all of them rushing around in uncertainty.
"Thank you for the invitation." The Abbot answered him. "But no. I strongly doubt either of us could be of much use in a war council. We will have to content ourselves with merely helping to prepare for the march." The man gave a stately bow and then left the tent without waiting for a response. Ken started after him, but then stopped suddenly and just stood at the opening. His sad violet eyes traveled over the royal family.
"Okay then." Tai said with an accepting shrug. "Let's get to work"
With that, the last smiles faded from the faces of the royal family, and they once again assumed the roles of hardened soldiers that had been forced upon them. They filed out of the tent, TK and Tai bringing up the rear. But right before the two young men could leave, Ken stepped in front of them. His eyes were once again full of purple fire as he looked at them. Images were unfolding in his mind.
"Whichever of you crosses swords with the Green Knight will die." He told them in a defeated voice, the simplicity of the words as sharp as a knife. Then he turned and walked slowly away.
TK and Tai turned to each other wordlessly. And even though every bit of sense they had told them not to believe the young man's words, something in the depths of their hearts told them that it was true, just as real and definite as the black clouds hanging on the western horizon.
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Three days later
The storm clouds had moved in during the night, and Matt could tell by the murky smell to the air that they were likely to soon break open. He filed the knowledge with the rest of his growing number of worries and concerns, and tried to concentrate on the map in front of him. The Tachikawan forces had been encamped outside Rolen's castle for the better part of four days, and not one moment of it had been near enjoyable. Mimi had already made several requests for an audience with the so-called 'King Ryo', but so far Lord Rolen had denied every such request, giving the Princess nothing more than a number of dismissive excuses. Rolen's gathered forces also appeared much smaller than the Tachikawans had been led to believe, and the Ishidians soldiers were careful to keep themselves segregated from their supposed allies.
"This is all bad." Matt whispered to himself. It was the only thing he was really sure of. The young man's hunter-blue eyes looked up at the forest to the east. Jun and Izzy's scouting party had been scheduled to arrive two days before, and Matt could not keep himself from being afraid for his friends. He was not the only one, either. He had frequently spotted Mimi and Miyako staring off in the same direction. Miyako in particular looked as if she were seriously considering jumping on her horse and trying to go find them herself.
Matt sighed loudly to himself and turned away from the forest, looking instead towards the Craddle Mountains looming tall and proud in the North. They marked the border between Kamiya and Tachikawa, and Matt stared at them longingly, remembering how crisp and clean they looked in the summer. At least they will always be there, he thought to himself. And then immediately blinked his eyes, for he could have sworn that he suddenly saw the base of the mountains quiver and shift. But when he looked again they were as they always had been. The young warrior shook his head; he needed to get more sleep.
He turned back to the old, creased map, running his fingers over it as he pictured divisions of infantry and cavalry. He reached down into a pouch on his belt and pulled out a strip of dried meat. He was in the process of tearing a chunk from the strip when the shallow, tentative bray of a hunting horn floated out from the forest.
Matt immediately spit out the food and raced towards the sound. His spirit rising for the first time in days as first Jun, then Izzy, and then other soldiers emerged from the forest, leading their horses by the reigns. He saw Miyako come streaking along from the right, almost knocking Jun and Izzy off their feet in her rush to vigorously hug them both.
Matt would have liked to do the same, but he stopped short when he noticed how their shoulders were slumped in fatigue, their cloaks pulled tightly about them against the chill. It was this that first made Matt notice the steam that came from his mouth when he breathed; he had always been rather indifferent to cold.
"How did it go?" He asked softly, gently clasping them both on the shoulder.
Jun sighed heavily and shook her head. "Not good." She said. "Where's Mimi?" The question was already being answered as the words left her mouth. The female warrior could see the princess coming towards them, hitching up her long dress so she could walk faster. Jun immediately moved to meet her.
"Izzy!" Miyako exclaimed in a startled voice. "What happened to your hand?"
The young genius gave an ill-tempered smirk. "The Iron Prince hacked off a couple of my fingers." He embarrassedly displayed his bandaged hand.
"What?" Matt's eyes went wide. "You fought the Kamiyians?"
"They fought us." Izzy answered, clenching his eyes shut and rubbing his forehead. "We just tried to get away." He looked back at his friends with an anguished glaze over his eyes. "It was Takeru and his Takaishians, and they were just too much for us. We lost sixteen in the fight, two more on the way back."
"Is anyone else injured?" Miyako asked, gently prodding Izzy's hand in an effort to assess the wound.
"There are some pretty bad ones." The young man nodded wearily. "A lot worse than mine."
Miyako nodded as she caught the meaning of his words, and with a grim frown moved to help the other wounded soldiers.
Matt moved closer to Izzy, griping his friend by the shoulders. "Did the Kamiyians meet up with Artur and his allies? Where are they now?"
Izzy clenched his good hand into a fist. "That's the worst part." He said so low it was almost a whisper. "The two forces came in contact the same day we got caught in the skirmish. The whole way back we could only stay just ahead of their scouts. They can't be more than a couple hours behind us."
"Shit." Matt cursed. His blood began to hum with a low fear. "Where are Mimi and Jun?" He turned and looked to where the two women were buried in a hushed conversation. "Come on." He said, pulling Izzy after him as he strode towards them. War plans were already unveiling themselves in his mind, but he never had, and never would, act on any matter without Mimi's consent.
"I just know that it's all wrong." Matt heard Jun whisper to Mimi as he came up. The female warrior's face strained against barely controlled emotion, her dark brown eyes creased with frustration. She turned towards Matt and Izzy with an almost startled look as they approached.
"Did Jun tell you about the Kamiyians? How close they are?" Matt asked.
"She told me everything." The princess responded, reaching out to take Matt's hand for reassurance. She bit her lower lip as she tried to sort out the tangle of thoughts in her head. Her stomach felt sour.
"Mimi." Matt said tenderly, giving her small, graceful hand a loving squeeze. "We need to act incredibly fast."
"I know that." She responded tensely. "Send out scouts, and assemble the men into whatever formation you think is best."
"That will be with our backs to the castle, facing the south." Izzy broke in. "The Kamiyians can't force a whole column through the forest, they'll have to come through the southern opening of the clearing."
"Okay." Mimi nodded her assent. "Jun, you, Izzy, and Miayko get the men ready. And move all are non-military people up next to the castle behind our lines. And Matt." She said, turning towards to her lover, her eyes shining with stress and the beginnings of fear. "Assemble the special unit and put on the armor."
Matt nodded gravely. Mimi was telling him to assume the role of the Green Knight, something he loathed. "What about you?" He asked her.
Mimi sighed and looked at Jun out of the corners of her eyes. "I'm going to make a last attempt to talk with this King Ryo."
"I should go with you then." Matt said pointedly.
"No." She stated with a shake of her head. "I'm the only one that isn't necessary in battle."
"I'm not letting you go up there alone." He said forcefully.
"I'll take guards with me then." Mimi responded. "Now just everyone go do what needs to be done."
Jun and Izzy both nodded slightly and went away, fighting exhaustion as they moved to assemble the troops. Matt and Mimi watched them for a few moments before pulling each other into a close embrace. Her hair was tangled and greasy, her face and dress smudged with dirt and grime, but she was still so beautiful that it made his heart ache.
"Don't let anything happen to you, okay?" Mimi whispered.
"Only if you don't let anything happen to you." Matt whispered back.
"It's a deal then." She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him gently.
They held each other tightly for a little bit. Finally letting go as precious time drained away. He gave a loud call for guards, and four young soldiers hastily assembled around them. They kissed one final time, and then Matt slowly began to walk towards his tent. Mimi watched him go with a fearful heart; she had the most horrible feeling that she was never going to see him again.
She forced herself to think about what Jun had told her, about the Kamiyian royal family giving aid to the refugees sheltered at the Ichijouji Monastery. It had constantly been on Jun's mind during their trek back, and the female warrior had come to the heartfelt conclusion that the Kamiyians weren't really their enemies, that there was something larger at work. Mimi knew what Jun felt towards King Tai and his family, that she held them responsible for her brother's death. And if she of all people could look past her personal feelings and see that something was not right, then Mimi decided she needed to talk to the unseen King Ryo. She would not dare to risk such a horrible, costly mistake.
"We're going up to the castle." She told her guards, who gave her a sharp salute and fell in behind her as she started walking. She watched her forces preparing for battle as she went. The tents and wagons were being pulled towards the castle. The soldiers buckled on their swords and armor, the cavalrymen taking extra time to whisper soothing words to their horses. Everyone was restless and anxious. Mimi felt like her stomach had twisted into a tight little knot of nerves, a feeling that worsened greatly as she approached the gate of Rolen's castle.
The Ishidian fortress had been built by a family of bloodthirsty killers, so it was never intended to be anything besides threatening, And Lord Rolen's recent repairs had only served to increase the hostile, dangerous look of it. The walls were thick and jutting, riddled with narrow archer's windows that looked like so many soulless eyes. Rows of spiked turrets capped off the walls, with raised platforms to support the heaviest siege weaponry. Above the main gate was a great trough where boiling oil had once poured down in a scalding waterfall.
When Mimi reached the gate two of Rolen's men immediately blocked her way. She could feel her own guards tense behind her.
"I demand to see Lord Rolen." She stated, glaring at the two men in front of her.
"The Lord is very busy, your highness." One said with a sneer. "He cannot be bothered at this time."
Mimi's felt her ears burn crimson. "Tell him that if he doesn't appear before me immediately, I will take my forces and march back to Tachikawa before the hour is up."
The two men gave her angry frowns, but one turned and rushed into the main hallway. The second one watched until his partner was out of sight before giving a grunt of "Follow me" and turning to lead her and her guards inside.
Mimi took a deep breath before starting in, praying to whatever was up there that everything would work out all right. Even though deep down inside her, she knew that was impossible.
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The pale man with the yellow eyes was going almost mad with impatience. An affliction greatly aggravated by Lord Rolen's complete loss of any and all sense as he grew increasingly drunk on the exaggerated image of his own power. If things were not so close to the end, the pale man would have had great trouble restraining himself from dropping his awkward disguise and ripping the fool's throat out. But it was so close to the end, and everything was coming together exactly as the dark oracle had said. Only a few more little pieces remained. The pale man could not help feeling a bit anxious when he wondered which one of the wolves would die, and what would be left of the one who lived? Just thinking about the possibilities made him yearn for battle, but there were other things that presently demanded his attention.
Rolen was at his midday meal when the man approached him. The lord had a greasy mutton joint in one hand, a wine goblet that never seemed to be empty in the other. His eyes were red and inflamed by excess.
"I thought I told you never to bother me when I was eating." Rolen sneered at the man. "The sight of you makes it hard to digest my food properly."
An inaudible growl came from the pale man's throat. "The Tachikawans are mobilizing." He said.
"Splendid." Rolen responded with a laugh. "Their scouts must have finally crawled back." He took a great bite out of his mutton joint and then turned to an aide standing next to him. "Send word to those senile old lords and the rest of the rabble we have lined up outside to get themselves in order."
"Are your personal forces prepared?" The pale man asked him.
"Of course, of course." Rolen dismissed the question with a wave of his hand. "They're tucked away in the western woods, ready to come out once the slaughter begins. Unless of course your masters can't stick to the plan." He told the pale man jeeringly.
The pale man fought the urge to throttle Rolen with one of the greasy bones lying on the table. "My masters will follow the plan completely and successfully."
Rolen opened his mouth to say more, but before he could speak one of the guards from the main gate appeared in the doorway.
"My Lord" He began in an uneasy voice. "The Tachikawan Princess is at the gate, she says that if you don't speak to her immediately, she'll march her forces back to her own country right away."
The pale man smiled sharply, another one of the pieces was falling perfectly into place. But the smile quickly disappeared from his lips when Rolen voiced his response.
"The impetuous bitch!" He roared. "Who does think she is, to demand an audience with me, High Lord of all Ishida?" He shot up from his chair and furiously hurled his goblet at the guard. "Tell her to march her army wherever she pleases! I'll destroy it soon en- GAK!"
In a flash of fury, the pale man grabbed Rolen by the neck and lifted him off the floor. "You drunken fool!" He snarled.
Rolen's face went pale as he desperately clawed at the pale man's hands. Little whimpers of terror were all that escaped the crushing hold on his throat. His guards shrunk back in horror
The pale man held him there for a moment, letting him feel the unnatural strength coursing through his thin arms, showing him the rows of sharp little teeth poised near his throat, and the hungry, dangerous glow in his yellow cat-eyes.
"You will receive the Princess in all haste." He said in a feral growl. "She will want to see the boy, and you will let her. You will lead her up to his room, and then you will kill them both. You will do this or else I will tear you to pieces. Do you understand?" He squeezed Rolen's throat tighter.
"Y-yes." Rolen choked out. " Yes I-I understand."
"Very good." The pale man threw him to the floor. "There are other matters I must attend to, but I will return shortly. And if they are not dead by that time, you will be." He gave one final menacing growl and then quickly strode out a side door.
Rolen stayed on the ground for some moments, wheezing and carefully rubbing his throbbing throat. Those ravenous yellow eyes kept flashing through his mind. His hands started to tremble, and a cold sweat leaked down his forehead.
"Y-you four come with me." He finally motioned to his guards, who were still standing shocked next to the table. He stood up and shaking, pulled his cloak around his neck to hide the already blossoming bruises.
It is no matter, he told himself as he walked out the door, his guards falling in step behind him. He had always meant to kill the boy once his own power was firmly established, so he could not find any fault in doing it now. Nor could he find any harm in ridding himself of the spoiled little brat princess. He would kill them both a hundred times if it meant he would not have to look in those horrible yellow eyes again.
Up ahead in the hallway, Rolen could hear the Princess and her guards being lead towards him. He forced himself to stop trembling. And when Mimi came before him, he had a fake, charming smile already in place.
"My dear Princess." He said with an overly dramatic bow. "I heard that you wished an audience with me, and right away I rushed to be at your service."
Mimi did not return the smile, and made no effort to hide the intense hatred in her voice and expression. "Lord Rolen, I demand to speak with King Ryo at once. My forces will not take the field otherwise."
"Your Highness." Rolen whined. "There is no need for threats, of course you may meet with the King. I will accompany you to his room right this moment." He reached into a pocket and pulled out a small key.
Mimi's eyes narrowed as she looked at the key. "Do you find it necessary to keep your king locked away like a prisoner?"
An angry blush appeared in Rolen's cheeks. He began to enjoy the thought of killing her.
"Why of course not." He spat through an ever-shrinking smile. "But his majesty is still too young to properly defend himself, and there are many who would like to do him harm. It is for his own protection that I keep the only key to his quarters. But I'm sure the king would be glad to explain all of this to you himself." He stepped slightly to the side and beckoned for Mimi to walk next to him.
The Princess eyed him suspiciously, but began to follow. The two sets of guards uneasily fell in amongst each other and trailed behind. The guard from the main gate making it five of Rolen's against four of Mimi's.
Not a word was spoken as Rolen led the way up a flight of spiral stairs to one of the towers. His hand drifted towards the dagger hanging on his belt. He reached the top of the stairway and pointed to a heavy oaken door at the end of a short hallway.
"His majesty's quarters." He told Mimi. "I will see you to the door, and then you may talk in private." He flashed another mean smile and held out the small key to her.
Mimi hesitated a moment before taking it, then walked quickly to the door.
Rolen stepped behind her, gently easing the dagger out of its sheath, hiding it from her guards with his cloak. His men anxiously fingered their swords. He held the point just against her back, ready to kill her as soon as she turned the key in the lock.
Mimi reached down to unlock the door, but just before she slid the key into its hole, she strangely heard her father's voice in her head, sternly telling her to remember her manners. She smiled ruefully to herself, and gave the heavy oak a solid knock with her knuckle.
Rolen was so focused on waiting for the moment to strike that the unexpected noise startled him for the briefest of seconds, and he reflexively pulled the dagger back. So that when Mimi unlocked the door he did not strike immediately, and in that little gap of time the door was suddenly opened from the inside. A hand snaked out, and in one fluid motion grabbed Mimi by the wrist and yanked her towards the opening, the key still clutched in her hand.
In shock, Rolen lunged forward, and catching hold of the back of her dress, tried to pull her back. But the fabric was not up to such a contest, and with a buzzing rip Mimi was pulled through the door, which was then slammed shut and locked from the inside.
Rolen was left staring in utter disbelief at the six inches of starched pink fabric clutched in his hand.
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Mimi did not even have time to register her surprise before she found herself looking into the frantic face of a boy who must have been Ryo. His soft features marked his youth, but he was just barely shorter than she was. And she could not help thinking that his light blue eyes and pale blonde hair reminded her of Matt.
Then from outside the door she heard angry yells and the clamber of steel. Her men had automatically assumed treachery when she was snatched inside. Her eyes widened and she rushed to help them. But the boy wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back.
"You can't go back out!" He pleaded desperately. "Rolen will kill you!"
"No, my guards!" Mimi screeched, trying to struggle away from him.
But after a few more seconds the sounds of fighting ceased. And through the door they heard Rolen's furious order to "Break down the door!" followed by the hacking sound of his men attacking the oak with their swords.
Mimi squeezed her eyes shut against the angry tears. How could she have been so blind and stupid? How could she.
"You are Princess Mimi, right?" The boy's high voice cut through her thoughts.
She opened her eyes and looked at him closely, noticing now that his eyes were red and baggy from lack of sleep. His face looked sunken and pale.
"Yes." She answered him. "And you are King Ryo?"
The boy shook his head. "My name is Ryo. But I don't know how I could be the king, at least not the rightful one." He frowned and bit his lip. For a second Mimi thought he was going to cry.
"Rolen's kept me locked up ever since he found me back in Smithytown. He's been using some birthmark I have to get the Ishidian lords under his power. And now he's been plotting to turn your kingdom against Kamiya."
"I thought he was coming up here to kill me." Ryo continued. "I was waiting by the door to try and kill him, or get away, or something. But when I heard you knock, I decide to take a chance. Rolen and his men have never knocked." He looked at Mimi reverently, like she was some sort of guardian angel.
As Mimi absorbed the words a deep, horrible fear settled in the pit of her stomach. She had to struggle not to dissolve into panic. "We have to get out of here." She said, rubbing her face with her hands. She looked back at the door, it still seemed to be holding fast, but she knew it could not possibly last much longer. And even as she thought this she heard the wood began to crack and splinter.
"Do you have any weapons?" She asked Ryo.
The boy nodded and pulled up his shirt slightly. "These were hidden behind a loose stone, they must have been there since before Rolen repaired the castle." He nodded at four long, dagger-like weapons stuffed in his belt. Each was three-pronged, the two blades on the outside much shorter then the single blade in the middle. He pulled out two of them and gave them to Mimi.
She frowned deeply as she weighed them in her hands. The things were ancient; the metal was misshapen and completely rusted over, the blades so dull that they would serve more as clubs than knives.
Just then a loud crack sounded through the room as the tip of a sword pierced the oaken door.
"No, that's pointless" Mimi muttered to herself. "We can't fight them off even with real weapons." She looked about the room frantically. "Is there any way out of here?" She asked Ryo.
The boy flinched and gave an unsure nod "I've thought of one that might work."
He rushed to a small curtained nook in the farthest corner of the room, Mimi right behind him. He hurriedly pulled away the curtain, revealing a hollow stone bench, which was covered by a long piece of sanded wood with a large hole in the middle.
Mimi's stomach turned just at the thought of it. "A lavatory?" She almost screamed.
"There isn't any other way!" Ryo shouted back, already using one of his knives to pry away the wood.
"Oh my God." Mimi muttered to herself. She leaned over Ryo's shoulder and spit down the hole, waiting for a discouraging amount of seconds before she heard it splat against something. She thought she could detect traces of a disgusting stench wafting up from the bottom.
"It slopes downward after the initial drop." Ryo reassured her as he pulled away the last of the wood. "I checked it once with a lantern."
"A lavatory." Mimi cringed again, already mentally conditioning herself for what she knew she would have to do.
Behind them the door cracked and splintered even more. Ryo slung his feet over the hole and sat on the edge. Mimi griped her knives tightly. They both looked anxiously towards the door.
Rolen's guards stopped trying to cut through with their swords, and instead rammed against the door with their armored shoulders. It groaned and whined as is slowly broke in half, then one more great heave and the guards were through.
Mimi felt a tiny burst of wounded pride as she counted three guards plus Rolen following behind them. At least her own men had gotten two of the bastards. She gave Ryo a shove in the back as he dropped down the hole. Then she took an easy hold on one of her weapons, and trying to remember everything Matt and Jun had ever taught her, she hurled it at the chest of the nearest guard. She knew she had missed as soon as the blade left her hand, but to her great surprise, the weapon embedded itself in the guard's throat instead, sending him to the floor in a spurt of blood. As the other guards rushed towards her, Mimi took a deep breath, clamped her eyes shut, and pushed herself down the hole.
For five of the most horrifying seconds of her life Mimi fell into darkness. Then, just as she was beginning to fear that there really was not a bottom, she crashed into it. Immediately she began to slide down a nearly vertical slope of worn, wet stonework, quickly picking up so much speed that the musty air whipped past her face. She tried to push her hands and feet against the sides of the tunnel to slow her descent. But even as she started to do, she slammed hard into a wall where the tunnel changed direction. Excruciating flashes of light filled the darkness as her head cracked against the stone, and something hot and stinging ran down into her eyes as she started to slide down to the right.
Three more bone-crushing changes in direction awaited her. On the next one, she hit her shoulder so hard that she lost her grip on the lone remaining knife and it went clattering down ahead of her. By the third one the air had become so thickly putrid and stagnant that she started to choke on it. And the final bruising hit almost knocked her unconscious. But after the final one, she only slid for a few more seconds before she was falling again. Panic overtook her completely and she opened her mouth to scream. But before she had the chance, she splashed down in a deep pool of water.
At least, she imagined it to be water in the split second before it came rushing into her open mouth. Then she remembered what the tunnel really was. She screamed uncontrollably, letting more and more of the foul stuff seep into her mouth and down her throat. Her mind flashed white with terror and she started struggling to reach the surface. But her long, thick dress wrapped around her legs, dragging her deeper. She started to choke and gag. She was drowning.
Suddenly a strong hand grabbed her by the wrist. It started to pull her up and she kicked with all her might, up and up until she thought her lungs would burst. But then her head finally broke the surface. She coughed and sputtered, and then desperately sucked in lungful after lungful of the putrid air.
The hand started to tow her to the left, and before she could realize what was happening she had been pulled onto a narrow stone ledge. It then that what had just happened fully hit her. She was drenched in filth and waste. It burned her eyes and nose. She could taste it in her mouth and feel it sloshing around in her stomach.
Mimi started to scream hysterically, stunned beyond all sense. The agonizing sound reverberated through the narrow tunnel. The hand that had saved her clamped around her mouth, and she twisted and fought against it, thinking in her terror and shock that she was drowning again.
"Please, Princess." A voice pleaded close to her ear. "Please stop."
It was the sad, tender tone of the voice rather than the words themselves that somehow trickled through her panic. Her mind griped it like a life preserver, and slowly she came back in control of her senses. She stopped screaming and the hand gratefully released her mouth. She sat on the ledge shaking for a moment before leaning over and retching as she tried to clear her mouth and throat.
"Are you hurt? The voice asked. And Mimi remembered it now as Ryo's.
"I don't think so." She whispered back to the darkness next to her. "I think I'm all-" Before she finished the thought a horrible dread came over her in an icy chill. The fear was not for herself, but for the special concern she had tried desperately not to think about during the recent stressful months.
Mimi carefully felt along her abdomen with her hands. She did not remember being hit there, but she could not be sure. For a few gruesome seconds she did not even dare to breath. And only when she could not feel any sign of tenderness or pain did she release a long grateful sigh.
"Yes, I think I'm okay." She told Ryo.
The boy gave a relieved sigh in the darkness, and Mimi heard him slowly moving around on the ledge.
"The ledge ends a few feet behind us, if we're facing so that our right hands touch this wall next to us." He said.
Mimi tentatively stuck out her right hand. The wall was no more than a few inches away, wet and slimy.
"We have to follow the ledge then." She said softly, though her heart still pounded in her ears. "Even though we have no idea."
She stopped speaking as Ryo griped her by the shoulder. She could feel the tension and fear flowing from his hand, and immediately she went completely still, straining her ears for whatever had startled the boy. For a moment all she could make out was the light tapping of the stagnant water against the ledge, and an eerie chorus of drips somewhere down the tunnel. But then she became aware of a metallic shrieking sound, like a rake being scraped across a rock face. It was coming from somewhere in the roof of the tunnel.
The shrieking became louder, and Mimi desperately racked her mind for some explanation. The sound was horrible to listen to in the stinking darkness. And fresh dread began to seep through both of them. Every second brought it closer and made it louder, until finally it seemed like the tunnel was filled with it.
All at once Mimi gasped as the answer came to her. She turned to Ryo and began pushing him along the ledge. "It's Rolen's men!" She whispered frantically. "They followed us do-"
But her words were lost as something splashed down in the water almost directly beside them, showering them with the foul stuff. The sound of the splash roared through the cramped tunnel like thunder.
Mimi and Ryo scrambled farther along the ledge, cringing as a second, and then a third splash exploded through the tunnel. It was not until the first booming echoes began to die away that they stopped. And maybe fifteen feet behind them they could hear the sound of something slapping madly against the water, and two cracking voices calling for help.
Mimi was not ashamed to feel sad satisfaction as she realized what was going on. Rolen's guards wore heavy armor, and that armor was killing them now, dragging them to the bottom of the waste river just as Mimi's dress had. But there was no one to rescue them. And Mimi could not think of a more deserving way for men like them to die.
She and Ryo remained still as the tunnel regained its deathly silence. They had counted three splashes, but only two voices crying for help. They huddled close together on the ledge and barely even breathed as they waited for some sign of whoever had made the third splash. Ryo became aware of something hard poking him in the stomach, realizing after a witless second that it was the knives still tucked in his belt. He slowly eased them out, handing one of them back to Mimi. She took it gratefully, clutching it so tight that she felt her knuckles turn white. She suddenly wished Matt were there.
They hunched there in the silent darkness for what seemed like hours, but finally Mimi gave Ryo a gentle nudge to start moving. The boy hesitated for a moment, but then he began to crawl forward. He tried not to make any sound, but his hand brushed against a few loose pebbles and sent them skittering along the ledge.
"So there you are." Rolen's cruel, rasping voice answered from the darkness just beyond his face.
Before Ryo even had a chance to respond, he was struck savagely across his face. His hands slipped out from beneath him and he toppled sideways into the water
Mimi started to bring up her knife, but Rolen pounced on her like a cat, driving her to the ground and knocking the wind from her lungs. Her hand smashed against the wall, her knuckles cracking so painfully that the knife slipped from her grasp. She cried out reflexively and swung in front blindly with her other arm.
The blow glanced harmlessly off Rolen's shoulder. And with a feral scream he threw his weight on her, pinning her to the ground. Excited fury burned in his veins. His hands wrapped around her throat like a vice and slowly began to squeeze.
Mimi could not even gasp as she felt her throat being crushed. Hot, screaming fear burned in her chest. She desperately tried to pry away his hands, but she was already becoming so weak. Her body was crying out in pain and she wished that it would stop soon. The darkness seemed so thick all of a sudden, like she could reach up and touch it. She wanted Matt.
"The battle should start soon." Rolen rasped inches from her face. His drool dribbled down onto her cheek. "Your people and the Kamiyinas will destroy each other. And then I shall rule all."
Mimi heard the words from somewhere far away. Sadness pierced her heart like an arrow. She had failed them. She had failed everyone she loved. And now she was going to die.
Rolen gave a snarling laugh and squeezed tighter. He wanted to hear her neck snap like a dry twig.
Behind him Ryo weakly crawled halfway back onto the ledge, leaving his legs dangling in the water. His head throbbed and his face was swollen, but he could hear Rolen's ugly wheezing close beside him. He wrapped one of his arms around Rolen's leg and pulled himself closer. Then he brought up the knife still clutched in his other hand and stabbed down into the fleshy area behind the man's knee.
Rolen screamed in shock. Without thinking he let go of Mimi and whirled around, lashing out blindly in the darkness until he felt Ryo's weight on his leg and began to pound on the boy with his fists.
Mimi gasped and choked on the air rushing into her lungs. Her throat was so tender that it hurt to breathe, and she felt weak and dizzy. But her hands immediately began to search around her, and soon she felt the fallen knife come into her grasp. With the last of her strength she hurled herself at Rolen, putting the knife under her so that all her weight brought it down into his back. She wrenched and twisted the dull blade to bury it deeper.
Rolen howled in pain. He bucked and flailed about wildly, breaking Mimi's weak grasp and throwing her back against the wall. But in doing so he took his attention off Ryo, and with a weak grunt of exertion, the boy dove forward and tackled him to the ground.
Ryo immediately tensed his shoulders, expecting for Rolen to start beating him again. The boy only hoped Mimi was still strong enough to fight. But the blows did not come, and the boy became aware of a wet, gurgling sound, and he felt the man's legs begin to twitch and shake.
Rolen had fallen on his back, forcing the knife upwards until the blade pierced his chest. Blood bubbled from the wound like a hot spring. He moaned and whimpered, suddenly very afraid. And with a last pitiful sob his eyes glazed over and his body went limp.
For a moment Ryo just lay there and caught his breath. Then he got up on his knees and rolled the body off the ledge and into the filthy water. He heard a small splash and then a slow sucking sound as it sunk towards the bottom. He sat there for a few seconds, staring out into the darkness. He had somewhat expected to experience some emotion about the death of the man who, for good or ill, had changed his life and then tried to end it. But Ryo now found that he just did not care.
"Princess?" He whispered finally. "Are you alright?"
"Yes." Mimi softly answered from where she slumped against the wall. Her throat was raw, and her arms and legs felt cold and numb. But more than anything she was just tired. So tired that she almost let herself fall asleep as she rested her head against the cool, slick stone. But then Rolen's words came back to her, filling her muscles and veins with energizing fear.
"We have to stop the battle before its too late." She said as she quickly climbed to her feet, steadying herself against the wall. She reached out and found Ryo's hand in the darkness, pulling him after her as she started off.
For hours the pair slowly picked their way along the ledge. They did not know where the tunnel would end, if it ever would, but it was their only bleak hope. At some points the ledge had crumbled or fallen into the stagnant water. And at these points they were forced to wade or even swim through the waste. They had no concept of time in the darkness, but their hope dwindled with every footstep. After what could have been years they saw a gray little chink of daylight ahead, a spot where part of the tunnel roof had caved in. They clawed at the opening, trying to make it large enough to fit through until their hands bled. They finally crawled out to an evening so dark with clouds that it might have been midnight. They could barely make out the top of the castle far to the east, and with the last reserves of their will and strength, they started towards it. They did not stop even when it began to rain so hard that it was like heaven crying, and the ground beneath them turned to deep pools of mud. They did not stop even as the last of their hope faded. And finally they came into the shadow of the castle, already much too late.
//////////////////////////////////////////////////
Matt sat in the darkness of his tent, the green skull helmet in his hands. He wanted to wait as long as possible before putting it on.
Six years before, in the first war with Kamiya, Izzy and Miyako had created the identity of the Green Knight. Its idea was based on an old Tachikawan legend that Hadrian, the first Tachikawan king, would return to protect his people whenever they were threatened by evil and darkness. It was Izzy's grim joke about grave robbing that led to the design of the armor. A grinning skeleton freshly risen from the grave, colored green by rot and mold. They made it to look as terrifying and disgusting as they could. And with Matt wearing it on the battlefield, tearing through men like the reaper, it was a truly horrifying sight.
Matt hated the armor; it was like wearing a coffin. He felt trapped inside himself, locked away with the darkness that slept somewhere in the blackest depths of his soul.
"Oh Christ." He muttered to himself angrily. His hands had started to shake just thinking about it.
It was just a heap of forged metal and paint, he scolded himself. And as if to prove it, he put the skull helmet over his head, slowly fastening it to his shoulder plates.
There was a sudden rustle as his tent flap was pushed open. Jun rushed in, her face drawn up with worry. "Matt." She started, but then her voice caught in her throat as she saw him sitting there. Even after seeing him in the armor many times, it was still off-putting for her. It was hard now and then, to remember that her dear friend was in there. His wavy blonde hair covered by the fearsome helmet, his somber blue eyes buried deep within the mask's own black sockets. She blushed ashamedly and looked at her feet, she knew how much he hated the armor
"Matt." She continued tensely, her true fears pushing back into focus. "Mimi hasn't come back yet."
"What?" Matt shot up, his voice sounding distant and guttural from behind the mask.
"She hasn't come back from trying to meet with Rolen." Jun answered him. Waves of guilt washed over her. She had pressed Mimi into attempting another meeting with the bastard.
Matt did not answer, but only drew open the tent and stalked out. Jun followed him without question. She buckled on her own helmet, dark brown with a tall red plume, the same kind worn by the Knights of her home Motomiya.
Thirty soldiers ringed the tent, all of them dressed in green and black armor to match Matt's. They were the Squires of the Green Knight, exceptional warriors pulled from their normal units to fight beside him whenever he donned the armor. They stood at attention as he and Jun passed by, then fell into formation and followed. The other Tachikawan soldiers stopped what they were doing and watched with solemn faces as the group passed, the Green Knight appeared only under the gravest circumstances.
It was a long, fearful walk for Matt. His heart was close to breaking just thinking that something might have happened to Mimi. And the armor seemed to grow heavier, more oppressive with every step, even the purposely- tattered cloak around his shoulders felt like it was cast from lead. Unconsciously he began to step faster as the fear grew in his chest.
The group reached the gate of the castle, and two terrified looking guards hesitantly blocked the gate. "Y-you can't enter." One of them stuttered even as he took a step backwards at Matt's approach.
Matt shoved them both aside and continued on. Other guards stationed beyond the gate bared their weapons and moved to block him. Matt drew his sword, and surely would have killed them rather than have his search for Mimi delayed for one second. Jun and the Squires readily followed suit.
"My Lord, please stop." A high, sharp voice rang through the room. A thin, pale man with yellow eyes stepped in front of him, holding out his hands in supplication.
Matt stayed his hand, vaguely recognizing the man as one of Rolen's lieutenants. He brought his sword down to his side, and Jun and the others mirrored the action.
"Where is Princess Mimi?" Matt asked, his voice low and threatening.
The man did not answer immediately, but only stared at Matt with curiosity and expectation. Then his face abruptly became creased with pain, and he motioned towards the corner of the room.
Matt followed the man's gesture, and immediately his heart sank. Seven bodies lay on the floor, covered by old blankets. Four of them wore Tachikawan military boots, Mimi's guards. The other three were Rolen's.
"We found them in a hallway near the King's room." The pale man whispered as sadly as he could. "But we could find nothing of Lord Rolen, King Ryo, or Princess Mimi, except for this." He held out the piece of Mimi's dress that Rolen had torn off, only now it had been soaked in blood.
"We expect it was assassins sent by Kamiya."
Jun stared at the man in anger, but she could not find any words. Tears welled up in her eyes and she turned to Matt. The soldiers bowed their heads, or looked helplessly at their leader.
Without a word, Matt reached up and took the piece of fabric from the pale man's hand. He stared at it for a moment, as his heart and spirit softly broke apart. Mimi was dead. A yawning void opened up in the pit of his being, and he slowly sunk down into it. And as he did so, the darkness stirred in his soul, rising up in a wave and brushing away the crumbling husk that had been his iron will. Matt felt it happen, but he did not care. Why should he care, when Mimi had gone away, and taken everything that mattered with her? He closed his eyes, slipping back into the dark dream of shadow and nothingness that he vaguely remembered from years before.
Underneath the skull helmet, the Green Knight's features became pale and hard. The blue of his eyes twisted and swirled until they were the cruel, merciless color of a storm at sea. He grinned like a starving wolf.
"The Kamiyians." He said, his voice as sharp as cold steel. "I shall destroy them." He turned to his soldiers standing mournfully behind him. "Prepare for battle."
The pale man smiled to himself.
"Wait!" Jun shouted, catching the Green Knight by the arm. "He's lying! The Kamiyians wouldn't do it. Rolen must have killed."
Her voice died off as the Knight turned to her. The horrible, bottomless eye sockets boring into her like a cold hand on her heart. She was suddenly scared senseless, like a little girl coming face to face with a monster from her worst nightmares. In the depths of her terror, she could not imagine that it was her dear friend inside the armor.
Away in the distance, there came the braying of horns. The Kamiyian forces had arrived, arrayed and ready for battle.
The Knight released Jun from his stare as he turned towards the sound. "It is time." He said, a glint of satisfaction in his voice. He pulled his arm from Jun's grasp and walked out of the castle, the Squires falling in behind him as if under a spell.
Jun stared after him, her fear fading as he moved farther away. She reached up and wiped her eyes, realizing with a blush of embarrassment that she had started to cry. She felt defeated, hopeless. With the last of her courage, she started running to find Izzy and Miyako. If everything was going to end, then she wanted to stand by the friends she still had
///////////////////////////////////////////////
Tai and TK had barely spoken a word to each other during the three-day march. They did not need to; their thoughts were bonded to a single line. Ken's words repeated themselves over and over, wearing away any doubt of their truth. One of them would have to face the Green Knight, and one of them would die in doing so. For three days they had silently ridden side by side, fighting their fear of what lay ahead.
In the early afternoon of the third day, The Kamiyians and their allies made their final camp at the edge of the southern woods. Rolen's castle lay directly ahead.
By this time, TK felt like he was wandering in a numb daze. His heart throbbed with a dull ache, and his mind was a tangle of fear and hopeless thoughts. He had never felt so alone, not even Kari could help him through this. He would not even dare to tell her.
He turned to where his wife was carefully laying medical instruments on a strip of clean linen. She had put a chain mail vest over a long shirt and a pair of leather trousers. A slightly oversized helmet covered her soft brown hair. She was starting to show, TK realized, staring at the barely noticeable bulge in her stomach. A deep, quaking sorrow traveled through him at the thought. He did not want to leave her; he did not want to leave their baby. But how could he let Tai give himself up? How could he lose another brother? No matter what he did, everyone he loved would end up hurt.
Kari looked up and saw him, and even though her eyes were strained with fatigue and worry, her face immediately bloomed into a loving, tender smile. She left her task and came to wrap her arms around him.
TK urgently hugged her back, his senses drinking in all of her. God, he loved her so much.
"Stay back here with Sora and Jyou." He whispered to her, struggling to keep the fear and turmoil out of his voice. "And do whatever Jyou says."
She gave a small grin and kissed his cheek. "I'll be safe." She told him. "Just as long as you come back to me." She leaned back and cupped his eyes in her hands. "Promise?"
"Promise." He answered. The word almost caught in his throat, he felt like he was lying.
She smiled again and put her arms back around his neck. "I love you." She whispered. Her voice trembled, letting him know just how scared she really was.
They held each other close for much too short a time, before footsteps coming near made them look up.
Sora was dressed the same as Kari. Her cinnamon eyes were soft and caring, and she wore her shy, little half-smile that just brimmed over with quiet strength. Tai held her hand tightly. His face was drawn up and apprehensive, and his brown eyes looked so old, like hearths filled with ash and dying embers.
"It's time." He told them, his voice low but firm.
The words brought a sudden gust of cold dread to the pit of TK's stomach, but he ignored it and nodded his consent and agreement. Kari pulled him into one last hug, then a final long look, and a short, soft kiss. Beside them Tai and Sora did the same. Then both women gently slid from their husbands and walked over towards the medical tents. They were soldier's wives, used to quick, uncertain goodbyes.
"They'll be okay." Tai said as he and TK watched them leave. "They'll listen to Jyou, even if they don't listen to us." He said it as if trying to reassure himself.
They turned to each other for a moment, barely able to look each other in the eye, and then without speaking they turned and started walking. They both felt helpless and lost, torn in a hundred different directions, but they were too scared and ashamed to admit it to each other, even as precious time mercilessly drained away.
Attendants had set out their armor and horses at one of the command tents. And they silently pulled on their breastplates and gauntlets, making sure that the joints were oiled and loose.
Tai held his helmet in his hands, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. Then he opened his eyes and the uncertainty and doubt was gone from them, leaving only a cold determination.
"I'm leading the center group, you take the right, Rordan takes the left." He stated, his voice gaining a commanding edge.
A pang of dread shot through TK's chest; reports said the Green Knight always fought in the center. He blinked his eyes and tapped the gold shooting star painted on his armor above his heart. "I always take the center." He said softly, looking down at the ground
"Well I'm taking it today." Tai responded a little too curtly and uneasily. "I want you to flank them."
"I'm a better warrior than you." TK whispered, looking him straight in the eye.
Tai's face began to flush. "Which is exactly why I want you on the flank." His voice was rising with nerves and frustration. "You have to be able to cut them off."
"I won't let you do this, Tai."
"Do what?"
"I'm not going to let you die." TK nearly shouted, his face scrunching up with the sudden threat of tears.
Tai's face narrowed. "And you think I'm going to let you?" He gritted his teeth. "You aren't a king yet, Takeru. And I'm giving you an order."
"I don't care!" TK shot back. "I won't let you sacrifice yourself over me!"
Tai's eyes burned with sorrow and anger. Why couldn't TK just understand? "I swear to God, Takeru." He made his voice low and threatening. "If you say another word, I'll have you removed from the field. Now I'm ordering you to get to your post."
Part of TK wanted to cry, and part of him wanted to beat Tai senseless, or do anything to keep him from doing this. But he did nothing. He just stared hard into Tai's eyes, trying to plead with him.
Tai held his stare, knowing that he was doing the right thing. "Get to your post." He ordered. Then he pulled his battered gold helmet over his head, climbed on his horse and rode away.
To his everlasting shame, TK's first instinct was to feel relieved. The decision was out of his hands, the choice taken away from him. But immediately he hated himself for even thinking this. He should be the one to make the sacrifice; he was the only one who could. He envisioned himself jumping on his horse and riding after Tai, forcing him to somehow see the light, making him realize that this was the only way.
But even as he thought this, he knew that it would not happen. He was too tired and scared, too weak to do it.
TK pulled on his steel helmet and visor, hiding the tears trickling from the corners of his eyes. He climbed slowly up on his mount, and rode towards the right side of the camp. A few moments later Cody rode up next to him on the right, a steel breastplate strapped over his brown monk's robes, an old bronze helmet capped his head. His mace dangled from a leather strip around his wrist, and rosary beads were draped over his hands. His face was solemn and calm.
The pair rode past a grouping of green tents, where his green and silver arrayed Takaishian guards stood at attention. TK slowed down briefly and saluted, immediately the warriors mounted their horses and fell in formation behind him. Lucas rode at the front, just off TK's left shoulder.
The group rode a few moments more, and then they came to where the right division had already been massed. Two rows of cavalry stood at the front, six rows of infantry behind them. TK recognized the colors of some of the younger Kamiyian lords, as well as some of the Ishidians gathered by Lord Artur. They had no idea they were about to follow their rightful king into battle.
TK led his group to the front of the division, and as he passed the common soldiers turned and saluted him, their faces filling up with courage and strength just knowing that the Iron Prince was leading them. The nobles turned and acknowledged him as well, their eyes and minds growing wide with legends and rumors. Even the older lords, more experienced and practical, proudly showed him their respect. They knew the Iron Prince to be a warrior without equal, strong and courageous.
TK had to struggle to keep his head from dropping in shame, thankful that his helmet and visor hid the quiet tears that he could not get to stop. He felt like a coward.
The group stopped at the head of the division, and TK looked out across the Kamiyian lines. Lord Rordan's division was gathered at the other side of the clearing. TK could just make out the venerable old lord's scarred and rusty armor. Tai sat determinedly on his horse at the head of the center division, so calm and still that he looked like a statue. TK could not bring himself to look away from him.
Tai motioned to an aide at his side; the soldier brought a curved ivory horn to his lips and blew a loud, strong call. Horns from all over the Kamiyian lines answered immediately. Tai nodded to himself and kicked his horse into a trot. For two long steps he moved alone, but then all three divisions were marching with him down the field.
TK finally managed to turn his head forward, and for the first time he seemed to really notice the enemy lines in front of him. They looked small and harmless compared to the castle rising behind them, framed by the black, menacing clouds blotting out the sky. TK could make out stragglers rushing to fill their places in the enemy formation, but no sign of the green armor.
Without consciously thinking, TK drew his sword and laid it across his saddle, then reached over and tightened the straps of his shield around his arm. Behind him, he heard Cody start to quietly say the Lord's Prayer. Most of those near enough to hear, joined him, or mouthed the words to themselves. TK remained silent, God seemed helpless and far away from him.
The Tachikawans and their Ishidian allies began to march forward. And in response, the Kamiyian divisions increased their speed, the cavalry moving fast enough that the foot soldiers had to jog to keep up, their armor jangling in tune with their foot falls. The Tachikawans likewise increased their pace, and soon the Kamiyians answered with a faster one. And then all at once both sides broke into a full charge, the open ground between them evaporating like morning mist.
TK tightened his grip on his sword, ice-cold fear pumped from his gut up through his veins. He quickly turned his head one more time, catching a brief flash of Tai's golden helmet, and just as he turned back towards the front, the two sides exploded into each other.
For the first dizzying moments TK did not think at all. He merely fought, escaping into the unparalleled strength and skill that were his birthright. Blows came at him, and he fended them off. Men came close to fight him, and he killed them. When he finally had time to breathe and think clear thoughts, he looked around and saw that his division's initial surge had cut deep into the enemy ranks. He seemed surrounded by frantic, rider less horses.
TK turned his own mount and looked behind him. Cody was steadily working his way forward, his mace crashing down on men's skulls like a hammer. Lucas and the rest of the Takaishians were close on his heels.
A fresh shot of fear suddenly filled TK's chest. He turned and looked breathlessly for Tai, spotting him not too far away, still apparently unharmed, and hastily dispatching every opponent. There was no sign of the Green Knight.
TK felt his heart flood with relief, maybe Ken had been wrong, and maybe everything would be okay. But even as he thought this, he heard a low, dark call from a horn. The sound seemed to hum through his body, filling him with absolute terror. And then he saw it, rioting out of the castle gates at the head of a group of riders. A horrible vision of rotting death.
TK could feel his heart screaming at him to move, to do something. But he was terrified beyond reason, frozen in place like a hunted animal. He watched helplessly as the Green Knight roared through the battle, parting the sea of men with his bloodied sword. Tai waited for him, set and unwavering.
"Don't, Tai." TK whispered. "Please don't" He urged his horse slowly forward.
The Green Knight rode up on Tai, rearing up his horse so that his first sword blow came down in a crushing arc. Tai barely blocked the strike with his shield, the raw force of it almost knocking him from the saddle. Off balance, Tai tried to bring his sword around for a backhanded slash. But the blow only glanced harmlessly off the Green Knight's own shield, and he struck with the flat of his sword, catching Tai savagely in the face. The young man's head whipped back, his helmet flying to the ground. Immediately the Green Knight struck again, stabbing into his left side. Tai gasped in pain. His eyes clenched shut and he fell out of the saddle.
"No!" TK screamed, fear, sorrow, and anger all mixing together. He spurred his horse into a full charge, fighting his way through the tangled mass of warriors.
The Green Knight dismounted and stood beside Tai's unconscious form. Slowly, he lined his sword up with the young man's neck, and then raised it high in the air. Beneath the mask his face broke into a cruel smile, and he brought down the sword for the deathblow.
But he did not land it.
TK dove out of his saddle, tackling the Green Knight square in the chest and knocking him away from Tai. For a few seconds TK had the Knight pinned to the ground, but before he could bring his sword into play, the Knight got a hold around his neck and threw him off.
TK's breath was knocked from his lungs as he collided with the ground; his hand almost braking as it came down on his sword hilt at a painfully odd angle. He heard a feral growl behind him and instinctively rolled to his left, just as a sword cut into the ground a few inches from his head. He kicked out blindly, connecting with the Knight's abdomen and sending him stumbling a few steps backward.
TK pushed himself up on his feet and held his sword in front of his face, realizing in a flash of anger that he had lost his shield somewhere along the way. But the Green Knight had lost his as well, and now stood a few feet away, holding his sword with both hands, and staring into TK with his empty eyes.
The stare was like ice water poured over TK's heart. He tried to shut the feeling away and lunged forward, trying to go on the attack. But the Green Knight was too fast, too strong. He parried TK's blows with despicable ease, and then attacked with a screaming sideways cut. TK was just barely able to jump back as the strike ripped a gaping hole in his armor, and drew a thin line of blood across his stomach. Before he could even feel the pain, the Green Knight surged forward, raining down sword strokes.
It was all TK could do to keep his sword up in front of him. With every blow the pain vibrated down the blade and through his arms, until finally his hands were so numb he could not feel the sword handle. His arms and shoulders burned with white fire, his breath came in ragged gasps that filled his mouth with a cold, metallic taste.
He knew he was dying. He was a child fighting a demon with no chance of victory. His only hope was that he had truly taken Tai's place on the sacrificial alter, that his adopted brother could end it all. That he could protect everyone. Protect Kari and the baby.
You promised her.
The voice floated slowly up from his heart, born on an inner shadow. TK knew it at once, knew the part of him in it. He tried to push it back down, lock it back in the cage that he had worked so hard to strengthen. His lapse of concentration cost him, as the tip of the Green Knight's sword pierced his shoulder.
You promised never to leave her.
I don't want to leave her! TK screamed inside himself. Fury flooded his senses and he suddenly lashed out with such strength that the Green Knight had to jump back or loose his head.
You are abandoning her. She will not survive without you.
The Darkness moved in his heart like bubbling oil. It could not force its way past TK's strength, but it could tempt him, berate him, attack him where he was weakest.
The Green Knight redoubled his efforts, a few more moments and TK would no longer have the strength to defend himself.
You are killing her.
No! TK moaned. He could not let the darkness take him, not even if he had to die. Not even if. Kari.
The Green Knight's sword bored down on TK, forcing him almost to his knees
You promised.
TK's heart and soul cried out in anguish and pain. In all the world there was only one thing he was truly afraid of, afraid for. Kari. Their baby. He did not want to leave them. And in the moment before he would surely die, he let his control slip away. The darkness broke him with his own love, his own light. The blue of his eyes froze into ice, his mouth twisted up in a wolf's grin. And the Iron Prince crossed swords with the Green Knight.
Within seconds the combatants were back on equal ground, matching each other blow for blow. Their swords crashed together, showering them with orange sparks. A grinding screech filled the air as the metal cried out in protest. The earth seemed to tremble beneath their feet.
They fought for many minutes, but neither could gain the slightest advantage. They were too perfectly matched. So they fought on, never tiring, never weakening. And they would have fought until their swords broke in half, and they had only their bare hands. But something happened that can only be called random chance.
The Green Knight trod on a patch of loose earth, and his foot slipped slightly beneath him. He was off-balance and vulnerable for half a second, and that was all it took.
The Iron Prince struck him across the face, shattering the lower half of the skull mask. The Knight stumbled backwards, leaving himself open to a follow-up blow that crushed his fingers, and sent his sword flying from his grasp. One more strike with the flat of the Prince's sword blade, and the Knight was on his back, staring dizzily up at the man who was surely about to kill him. The Iron Prince stomped on the Knight's chest with his right foot, pinning him to the ground. Then he placed the point of his sword just above the Knight's throat, and started to stab downwards.
But suddenly the blade stopped, the deadly tip poised no more than an inch above the Green Knight's throat. The sword began to gently tremble as it hung in the air.
The Iron Prince's frozen eyes began to melt slightly as they stared down at the Knight. The horrible death grin of the skull helmet was gone, replaced by the lower part of a pale human face. A fresh gash on the right corner of the mouth was dribbling bold red blood. It was just a man, not a monster, not a demon, just a man.
The Green Knight was puzzled by the fact that he was not dead yet. He could see the sword point hovering just above his neck. And slowly, he slid his nearest hand underneath his body, clutching at the dagger hidden in the small of his back. It was a sword-breaker, the cutting edge carved into serrated shark's teeth.
Just a man, TK repeated it to himself as he woke from a horrible dream, fighting against the oppressive weight of the darkness on his being. Too many men had already died because he could not control the darkness. But he would not let it happen again. The darkness could do nothing but scream and wail as it was pushed back into its pit. It was powerless in the face of TK's renewed strength and spirit.
After a single moment of struggle, TK found himself back in control. And immediately he felt cold with exhaustion, so drained that it took an immense effort just to hold up his sword. But he kept himself steady as he looked down at the Green Knight.
"I'm not going to kill you." He said wearily.
The Green Knight did not respond. The words meant nothing to him. His grip on the dagger tightened, his muscles tensing in anticipation.
Slowly, carefully, TK used the point of his sword to push away the remains of the Knight's skull helmet. He wanted to see the man's face.
And when he did, his first thought was that he was so tired he was hallucinating. But the face did not blur or change, it stayed the same face that had occupied so many of his dreams, the face he knew instantly, but had given up hope of ever seeing again.
"Matt." He whispered reverently, so low that even he could barely hear it.
His heart began to race, feeling like it was flying through the air. His face broke into a broad, childish grin. He was so relieved, so happy and amazed that he did not notice the frozen look on the Knight's face.
He unthinkingly dropped his sword, so eager to pull off his helmet and show his beloved brother that it was him.
The Green Knight saw nothing but an opening. In a second he was on his feet. The dagger flashed through the air, burying itself in TK's stomach before he even saw it.
TK felt fire rip through his abdomen. It hurt so much. He tried to swallow, but for some reason found it impossible. So he tried to take a step away, but only collapsed limply against the Green Knight.
"Matt." He whispered again, his voice suddenly no stronger than a child's. His helmet felt like it was choking him, so he weakly lifted his arms and pushed it off his head. Then he just stared longingly into his brother's familiar blue eyes.
The darkness drained out of Matt in an instant, its work already done. The stormy haze left his eyes, and everything was horribly clear.
"Takeru.? Oh God no!"
TK's legs gave out beneath him and he started slipping. Matt frantically wrapped his arms around him and lowered him as gently as possible to the ground. He brushed the hair off TK's forehead and suddenly all he could see was his baby brother; his wide blue eyes creased with hurt and confusion, his dirty, smudged, angelic face twisted up in pain. A line of bright red blood trailed down the corner of his mouth.
"I'm so sorry, Matt." TK whispered. "I'm sorry I stopped looking for you." Tears glittered in his eyes like stars.
Matt's heart and soul screamed, blinding him with a torrent of pain and anguish. "Oh God. I.I."
"Get away from him you murdering bastard!" Tai's voice was a hurt, furious whine. He could barely stay conscious, and blood was flowing rapidly from the wound in his side. Tears were already washing through the dirt and blood on his cheeks. He grabbed Matt by the neck and pulled him off TK. Then he threw him to the ground and raised his fists to beat him to death. But as he looked down into the other's man stunned, shattered eyes, Tai suddenly did not have the strength for it.
Forgetting Matt, Tai crawled to TK's side, gently lifting the young man up and cradling him in his arms. He appeared so much younger, so much weaker. Tai looked down at the wound in TK's stomach and felt sick. It was a mangled hole of flesh and blood.
Matt sat up weakly and reached out to TK. But everything inside him seemed to come apart at once. His face exploded into racking sobs and he dropped his head into his hands.
"TK! TK it's me, its Tai, your brother!" Tai tried to make his voice strong and comforting. "TK you have to stay with me!"
TK slowly turned his attention to him. "Tai.?" He whispered. Then all at once his eyes opened wide with fear and he tried to sit up, desperately clutching Tai by the arm. "Tai." He said as loud as he could. "Oh God I promised! Tai, I promised Kari!"
He tried to say more, but he suddenly bent over into a hacking cough. Blood came pouring out of his mouth.
Tai cringed and held him tighter. "TK listen!" His voice cracked. "I'm going to get you to Jyou, okay! He's going to take care of you! Just please stay with me!" He pleaded, his vision blurred with tears.
TK tried to answer, but he could not get any words from his mouth. He gasped as a cold numbness pooled up in his gut. He wanted to get up, but he could not feel himself. He was just so tired. His eyes fluttered and closed, his head rolled to the side and fell against Tai's chest.
"No!" Tai screamed. He ran his hands over TK's chest and neck, desperately feeling for a heartbeat, trying to work past the way his own heart was pounding in his fingers. A few horrible seconds past when Tai thought it was hopeless. But then he found it. TK's heart was still beating, so faint and weak, like it was somewhere far away.
Raindrops began to pelt Tai's face. And he looked up out of the little world he felt like he had lived in all his life. The little world made up only of himself and TK bleeding in his arms. But the battle was still raging around them, and Tai briefly saw Cody trying to fight his way through to them.
Tai wrapped his arms underneath TK, ready to carry him back to Jyou if that was the only way. But suddenly a sound reached his ears, one beyond the splatter of rain and the low peals of thunder. It was a broad crashing sound, like the footsteps of a giant. His soul seemed to chill with cold, and he turned towards the mountains in the North. His heart nearly stopped.
A great army was gathered there, so many that the base of the mountains seemed alive with movement. The crashing was the sound of swords being struck in time against shields and armor. A threatening chant filled the air, traveling at notes that no man could master. A song that sapped away all light and hope. Tai saw flashes of fur and claws, and bright, deadly yellow eyes.
And Tai knew what it meant. He knew it as he laid eyes on something that had only been described to him in fearful whispers, and half- remembered nightmares.
The dark armies of the North had come again.
//////////////////////////////////
Lord Artur fell to his knees on the ground at TK's feet. The old man's disease ridden hands clenched themselves into violently trembling fists, and his weathered face beamed with childlike awe and amazement. Tears rolled down his cheeks to wet his snowy beard. "My King." He whispered, and then slowly bent his aged body to kiss TK's mud-caked boots.
The young man shifted his shoulders uncomfortably, and fought back the urge to pull the old man to his feet. A mark on his neck and a darkness in his heart branded him as the rightful King of Ishida, but at the moment, he felt more like a scared little boy than anything else. He watched as Artur moved to kiss Kari's feet as well. "My Queen." He addressed her reverently. TK felt his wife reach out to take his hand in her own, and he turned to gaze at her. There was a frightened but determined look on her face. You are not alone, her flowing brown eyes told him. I will help to bear every one of your crosses. We will face everything together. She gave his hand a firm squeeze.
Behind the couple stood Tai, Sora, Jyou, and Cody. As well as Lord Rordan and Lucas, who, along with Lord Artur, the royal family had decided to tell what they had discovered at Icijouji Monastery. The newest members of the royal entourage, the Abbot of the Monastery and his young pupil Ken, stood near the back of the crowded tent. Everyone's faces were solemn as they watched Artur slowly climb to his feet and embrace TK and Kari in one great hug.
"King Takeru and Queen Hikari of Ishida, Prince and Princess of Kamiya, Lord and Lady of Takaishi." Cody said slowly, rolling the words around on his tongue. "That's quite a mouthful." The young monk's face broke into a broad grin. And the other Kamiyians could not help following his example as they flashed relieved smiles.
"I won't lie to you." Tai said, stepping forward to hug them both. "It's a horrible job, and I think you would both be better off if you just ran away and never came back." He was not entirely joking, and his eyes winced a little with sadness as he looked at them.
"I've never seen you run away from anything." Kari responded with a small grin.
"Yes, but you're both so much smarter than he is." Sora came up behind her husband with a soft laugh. She reached over and hugged TK and Kari tightly. "Titles and kingdoms don't mean all that much." She whispered to them. "We're family first and foremost. Always."
Lucas came up to them next, his brow narrowed in determined thought. "I'm going with you." The boy said forcefully. "Let's not have any doubt about that."
"I believe I will as well." Cody added. "At least until my restless spirit overtakes me once more, and I feel the need to wander."
"That's good." TK answered with a smirk. "Because we were going to make you both come whether you liked it or not."
Cody shook his head and gave him a knowing grin. He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off before he could begin.
"I hate to play the eternal pessimist." Jyou spoke out, rubbing his forehead wearily. "But there are other matters we have to take care of before we can start planning a coronation ceremony."
"Aye." Lord Rordan responded with a quick nod. "We need to strike before Rolen and the Tachikawans can fully prepare their defenses."
"You're both right." Tai agreed grimly. "Get everyone ready to march. And I want a quick council in my tent. That includes the leading Ishidian lords, and everyone in this tent except the Lord Abbot and his pupil. Unless they wish to be present." He turned to the two figures at the back of the tent with a questioning look. He had a feeling that the Abbot had once been a warrior, maybe even a commander. And any input the man could offer would be valued. Ken, on the other hand, made Tai feel extremely uncomfortable. It was as if the young man already knew how everything was going to turn out, and was snickering at all of them rushing around in uncertainty.
"Thank you for the invitation." The Abbot answered him. "But no. I strongly doubt either of us could be of much use in a war council. We will have to content ourselves with merely helping to prepare for the march." The man gave a stately bow and then left the tent without waiting for a response. Ken started after him, but then stopped suddenly and just stood at the opening. His sad violet eyes traveled over the royal family.
"Okay then." Tai said with an accepting shrug. "Let's get to work"
With that, the last smiles faded from the faces of the royal family, and they once again assumed the roles of hardened soldiers that had been forced upon them. They filed out of the tent, TK and Tai bringing up the rear. But right before the two young men could leave, Ken stepped in front of them. His eyes were once again full of purple fire as he looked at them. Images were unfolding in his mind.
"Whichever of you crosses swords with the Green Knight will die." He told them in a defeated voice, the simplicity of the words as sharp as a knife. Then he turned and walked slowly away.
TK and Tai turned to each other wordlessly. And even though every bit of sense they had told them not to believe the young man's words, something in the depths of their hearts told them that it was true, just as real and definite as the black clouds hanging on the western horizon.
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Three days later
The storm clouds had moved in during the night, and Matt could tell by the murky smell to the air that they were likely to soon break open. He filed the knowledge with the rest of his growing number of worries and concerns, and tried to concentrate on the map in front of him. The Tachikawan forces had been encamped outside Rolen's castle for the better part of four days, and not one moment of it had been near enjoyable. Mimi had already made several requests for an audience with the so-called 'King Ryo', but so far Lord Rolen had denied every such request, giving the Princess nothing more than a number of dismissive excuses. Rolen's gathered forces also appeared much smaller than the Tachikawans had been led to believe, and the Ishidians soldiers were careful to keep themselves segregated from their supposed allies.
"This is all bad." Matt whispered to himself. It was the only thing he was really sure of. The young man's hunter-blue eyes looked up at the forest to the east. Jun and Izzy's scouting party had been scheduled to arrive two days before, and Matt could not keep himself from being afraid for his friends. He was not the only one, either. He had frequently spotted Mimi and Miyako staring off in the same direction. Miyako in particular looked as if she were seriously considering jumping on her horse and trying to go find them herself.
Matt sighed loudly to himself and turned away from the forest, looking instead towards the Craddle Mountains looming tall and proud in the North. They marked the border between Kamiya and Tachikawa, and Matt stared at them longingly, remembering how crisp and clean they looked in the summer. At least they will always be there, he thought to himself. And then immediately blinked his eyes, for he could have sworn that he suddenly saw the base of the mountains quiver and shift. But when he looked again they were as they always had been. The young warrior shook his head; he needed to get more sleep.
He turned back to the old, creased map, running his fingers over it as he pictured divisions of infantry and cavalry. He reached down into a pouch on his belt and pulled out a strip of dried meat. He was in the process of tearing a chunk from the strip when the shallow, tentative bray of a hunting horn floated out from the forest.
Matt immediately spit out the food and raced towards the sound. His spirit rising for the first time in days as first Jun, then Izzy, and then other soldiers emerged from the forest, leading their horses by the reigns. He saw Miyako come streaking along from the right, almost knocking Jun and Izzy off their feet in her rush to vigorously hug them both.
Matt would have liked to do the same, but he stopped short when he noticed how their shoulders were slumped in fatigue, their cloaks pulled tightly about them against the chill. It was this that first made Matt notice the steam that came from his mouth when he breathed; he had always been rather indifferent to cold.
"How did it go?" He asked softly, gently clasping them both on the shoulder.
Jun sighed heavily and shook her head. "Not good." She said. "Where's Mimi?" The question was already being answered as the words left her mouth. The female warrior could see the princess coming towards them, hitching up her long dress so she could walk faster. Jun immediately moved to meet her.
"Izzy!" Miyako exclaimed in a startled voice. "What happened to your hand?"
The young genius gave an ill-tempered smirk. "The Iron Prince hacked off a couple of my fingers." He embarrassedly displayed his bandaged hand.
"What?" Matt's eyes went wide. "You fought the Kamiyians?"
"They fought us." Izzy answered, clenching his eyes shut and rubbing his forehead. "We just tried to get away." He looked back at his friends with an anguished glaze over his eyes. "It was Takeru and his Takaishians, and they were just too much for us. We lost sixteen in the fight, two more on the way back."
"Is anyone else injured?" Miyako asked, gently prodding Izzy's hand in an effort to assess the wound.
"There are some pretty bad ones." The young man nodded wearily. "A lot worse than mine."
Miyako nodded as she caught the meaning of his words, and with a grim frown moved to help the other wounded soldiers.
Matt moved closer to Izzy, griping his friend by the shoulders. "Did the Kamiyians meet up with Artur and his allies? Where are they now?"
Izzy clenched his good hand into a fist. "That's the worst part." He said so low it was almost a whisper. "The two forces came in contact the same day we got caught in the skirmish. The whole way back we could only stay just ahead of their scouts. They can't be more than a couple hours behind us."
"Shit." Matt cursed. His blood began to hum with a low fear. "Where are Mimi and Jun?" He turned and looked to where the two women were buried in a hushed conversation. "Come on." He said, pulling Izzy after him as he strode towards them. War plans were already unveiling themselves in his mind, but he never had, and never would, act on any matter without Mimi's consent.
"I just know that it's all wrong." Matt heard Jun whisper to Mimi as he came up. The female warrior's face strained against barely controlled emotion, her dark brown eyes creased with frustration. She turned towards Matt and Izzy with an almost startled look as they approached.
"Did Jun tell you about the Kamiyians? How close they are?" Matt asked.
"She told me everything." The princess responded, reaching out to take Matt's hand for reassurance. She bit her lower lip as she tried to sort out the tangle of thoughts in her head. Her stomach felt sour.
"Mimi." Matt said tenderly, giving her small, graceful hand a loving squeeze. "We need to act incredibly fast."
"I know that." She responded tensely. "Send out scouts, and assemble the men into whatever formation you think is best."
"That will be with our backs to the castle, facing the south." Izzy broke in. "The Kamiyians can't force a whole column through the forest, they'll have to come through the southern opening of the clearing."
"Okay." Mimi nodded her assent. "Jun, you, Izzy, and Miayko get the men ready. And move all are non-military people up next to the castle behind our lines. And Matt." She said, turning towards to her lover, her eyes shining with stress and the beginnings of fear. "Assemble the special unit and put on the armor."
Matt nodded gravely. Mimi was telling him to assume the role of the Green Knight, something he loathed. "What about you?" He asked her.
Mimi sighed and looked at Jun out of the corners of her eyes. "I'm going to make a last attempt to talk with this King Ryo."
"I should go with you then." Matt said pointedly.
"No." She stated with a shake of her head. "I'm the only one that isn't necessary in battle."
"I'm not letting you go up there alone." He said forcefully.
"I'll take guards with me then." Mimi responded. "Now just everyone go do what needs to be done."
Jun and Izzy both nodded slightly and went away, fighting exhaustion as they moved to assemble the troops. Matt and Mimi watched them for a few moments before pulling each other into a close embrace. Her hair was tangled and greasy, her face and dress smudged with dirt and grime, but she was still so beautiful that it made his heart ache.
"Don't let anything happen to you, okay?" Mimi whispered.
"Only if you don't let anything happen to you." Matt whispered back.
"It's a deal then." She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him gently.
They held each other tightly for a little bit. Finally letting go as precious time drained away. He gave a loud call for guards, and four young soldiers hastily assembled around them. They kissed one final time, and then Matt slowly began to walk towards his tent. Mimi watched him go with a fearful heart; she had the most horrible feeling that she was never going to see him again.
She forced herself to think about what Jun had told her, about the Kamiyian royal family giving aid to the refugees sheltered at the Ichijouji Monastery. It had constantly been on Jun's mind during their trek back, and the female warrior had come to the heartfelt conclusion that the Kamiyians weren't really their enemies, that there was something larger at work. Mimi knew what Jun felt towards King Tai and his family, that she held them responsible for her brother's death. And if she of all people could look past her personal feelings and see that something was not right, then Mimi decided she needed to talk to the unseen King Ryo. She would not dare to risk such a horrible, costly mistake.
"We're going up to the castle." She told her guards, who gave her a sharp salute and fell in behind her as she started walking. She watched her forces preparing for battle as she went. The tents and wagons were being pulled towards the castle. The soldiers buckled on their swords and armor, the cavalrymen taking extra time to whisper soothing words to their horses. Everyone was restless and anxious. Mimi felt like her stomach had twisted into a tight little knot of nerves, a feeling that worsened greatly as she approached the gate of Rolen's castle.
The Ishidian fortress had been built by a family of bloodthirsty killers, so it was never intended to be anything besides threatening, And Lord Rolen's recent repairs had only served to increase the hostile, dangerous look of it. The walls were thick and jutting, riddled with narrow archer's windows that looked like so many soulless eyes. Rows of spiked turrets capped off the walls, with raised platforms to support the heaviest siege weaponry. Above the main gate was a great trough where boiling oil had once poured down in a scalding waterfall.
When Mimi reached the gate two of Rolen's men immediately blocked her way. She could feel her own guards tense behind her.
"I demand to see Lord Rolen." She stated, glaring at the two men in front of her.
"The Lord is very busy, your highness." One said with a sneer. "He cannot be bothered at this time."
Mimi's felt her ears burn crimson. "Tell him that if he doesn't appear before me immediately, I will take my forces and march back to Tachikawa before the hour is up."
The two men gave her angry frowns, but one turned and rushed into the main hallway. The second one watched until his partner was out of sight before giving a grunt of "Follow me" and turning to lead her and her guards inside.
Mimi took a deep breath before starting in, praying to whatever was up there that everything would work out all right. Even though deep down inside her, she knew that was impossible.
///////////////////////////////////////////
The pale man with the yellow eyes was going almost mad with impatience. An affliction greatly aggravated by Lord Rolen's complete loss of any and all sense as he grew increasingly drunk on the exaggerated image of his own power. If things were not so close to the end, the pale man would have had great trouble restraining himself from dropping his awkward disguise and ripping the fool's throat out. But it was so close to the end, and everything was coming together exactly as the dark oracle had said. Only a few more little pieces remained. The pale man could not help feeling a bit anxious when he wondered which one of the wolves would die, and what would be left of the one who lived? Just thinking about the possibilities made him yearn for battle, but there were other things that presently demanded his attention.
Rolen was at his midday meal when the man approached him. The lord had a greasy mutton joint in one hand, a wine goblet that never seemed to be empty in the other. His eyes were red and inflamed by excess.
"I thought I told you never to bother me when I was eating." Rolen sneered at the man. "The sight of you makes it hard to digest my food properly."
An inaudible growl came from the pale man's throat. "The Tachikawans are mobilizing." He said.
"Splendid." Rolen responded with a laugh. "Their scouts must have finally crawled back." He took a great bite out of his mutton joint and then turned to an aide standing next to him. "Send word to those senile old lords and the rest of the rabble we have lined up outside to get themselves in order."
"Are your personal forces prepared?" The pale man asked him.
"Of course, of course." Rolen dismissed the question with a wave of his hand. "They're tucked away in the western woods, ready to come out once the slaughter begins. Unless of course your masters can't stick to the plan." He told the pale man jeeringly.
The pale man fought the urge to throttle Rolen with one of the greasy bones lying on the table. "My masters will follow the plan completely and successfully."
Rolen opened his mouth to say more, but before he could speak one of the guards from the main gate appeared in the doorway.
"My Lord" He began in an uneasy voice. "The Tachikawan Princess is at the gate, she says that if you don't speak to her immediately, she'll march her forces back to her own country right away."
The pale man smiled sharply, another one of the pieces was falling perfectly into place. But the smile quickly disappeared from his lips when Rolen voiced his response.
"The impetuous bitch!" He roared. "Who does think she is, to demand an audience with me, High Lord of all Ishida?" He shot up from his chair and furiously hurled his goblet at the guard. "Tell her to march her army wherever she pleases! I'll destroy it soon en- GAK!"
In a flash of fury, the pale man grabbed Rolen by the neck and lifted him off the floor. "You drunken fool!" He snarled.
Rolen's face went pale as he desperately clawed at the pale man's hands. Little whimpers of terror were all that escaped the crushing hold on his throat. His guards shrunk back in horror
The pale man held him there for a moment, letting him feel the unnatural strength coursing through his thin arms, showing him the rows of sharp little teeth poised near his throat, and the hungry, dangerous glow in his yellow cat-eyes.
"You will receive the Princess in all haste." He said in a feral growl. "She will want to see the boy, and you will let her. You will lead her up to his room, and then you will kill them both. You will do this or else I will tear you to pieces. Do you understand?" He squeezed Rolen's throat tighter.
"Y-yes." Rolen choked out. " Yes I-I understand."
"Very good." The pale man threw him to the floor. "There are other matters I must attend to, but I will return shortly. And if they are not dead by that time, you will be." He gave one final menacing growl and then quickly strode out a side door.
Rolen stayed on the ground for some moments, wheezing and carefully rubbing his throbbing throat. Those ravenous yellow eyes kept flashing through his mind. His hands started to tremble, and a cold sweat leaked down his forehead.
"Y-you four come with me." He finally motioned to his guards, who were still standing shocked next to the table. He stood up and shaking, pulled his cloak around his neck to hide the already blossoming bruises.
It is no matter, he told himself as he walked out the door, his guards falling in step behind him. He had always meant to kill the boy once his own power was firmly established, so he could not find any fault in doing it now. Nor could he find any harm in ridding himself of the spoiled little brat princess. He would kill them both a hundred times if it meant he would not have to look in those horrible yellow eyes again.
Up ahead in the hallway, Rolen could hear the Princess and her guards being lead towards him. He forced himself to stop trembling. And when Mimi came before him, he had a fake, charming smile already in place.
"My dear Princess." He said with an overly dramatic bow. "I heard that you wished an audience with me, and right away I rushed to be at your service."
Mimi did not return the smile, and made no effort to hide the intense hatred in her voice and expression. "Lord Rolen, I demand to speak with King Ryo at once. My forces will not take the field otherwise."
"Your Highness." Rolen whined. "There is no need for threats, of course you may meet with the King. I will accompany you to his room right this moment." He reached into a pocket and pulled out a small key.
Mimi's eyes narrowed as she looked at the key. "Do you find it necessary to keep your king locked away like a prisoner?"
An angry blush appeared in Rolen's cheeks. He began to enjoy the thought of killing her.
"Why of course not." He spat through an ever-shrinking smile. "But his majesty is still too young to properly defend himself, and there are many who would like to do him harm. It is for his own protection that I keep the only key to his quarters. But I'm sure the king would be glad to explain all of this to you himself." He stepped slightly to the side and beckoned for Mimi to walk next to him.
The Princess eyed him suspiciously, but began to follow. The two sets of guards uneasily fell in amongst each other and trailed behind. The guard from the main gate making it five of Rolen's against four of Mimi's.
Not a word was spoken as Rolen led the way up a flight of spiral stairs to one of the towers. His hand drifted towards the dagger hanging on his belt. He reached the top of the stairway and pointed to a heavy oaken door at the end of a short hallway.
"His majesty's quarters." He told Mimi. "I will see you to the door, and then you may talk in private." He flashed another mean smile and held out the small key to her.
Mimi hesitated a moment before taking it, then walked quickly to the door.
Rolen stepped behind her, gently easing the dagger out of its sheath, hiding it from her guards with his cloak. His men anxiously fingered their swords. He held the point just against her back, ready to kill her as soon as she turned the key in the lock.
Mimi reached down to unlock the door, but just before she slid the key into its hole, she strangely heard her father's voice in her head, sternly telling her to remember her manners. She smiled ruefully to herself, and gave the heavy oak a solid knock with her knuckle.
Rolen was so focused on waiting for the moment to strike that the unexpected noise startled him for the briefest of seconds, and he reflexively pulled the dagger back. So that when Mimi unlocked the door he did not strike immediately, and in that little gap of time the door was suddenly opened from the inside. A hand snaked out, and in one fluid motion grabbed Mimi by the wrist and yanked her towards the opening, the key still clutched in her hand.
In shock, Rolen lunged forward, and catching hold of the back of her dress, tried to pull her back. But the fabric was not up to such a contest, and with a buzzing rip Mimi was pulled through the door, which was then slammed shut and locked from the inside.
Rolen was left staring in utter disbelief at the six inches of starched pink fabric clutched in his hand.
////////////////////////////////////////
Mimi did not even have time to register her surprise before she found herself looking into the frantic face of a boy who must have been Ryo. His soft features marked his youth, but he was just barely shorter than she was. And she could not help thinking that his light blue eyes and pale blonde hair reminded her of Matt.
Then from outside the door she heard angry yells and the clamber of steel. Her men had automatically assumed treachery when she was snatched inside. Her eyes widened and she rushed to help them. But the boy wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back.
"You can't go back out!" He pleaded desperately. "Rolen will kill you!"
"No, my guards!" Mimi screeched, trying to struggle away from him.
But after a few more seconds the sounds of fighting ceased. And through the door they heard Rolen's furious order to "Break down the door!" followed by the hacking sound of his men attacking the oak with their swords.
Mimi squeezed her eyes shut against the angry tears. How could she have been so blind and stupid? How could she.
"You are Princess Mimi, right?" The boy's high voice cut through her thoughts.
She opened her eyes and looked at him closely, noticing now that his eyes were red and baggy from lack of sleep. His face looked sunken and pale.
"Yes." She answered him. "And you are King Ryo?"
The boy shook his head. "My name is Ryo. But I don't know how I could be the king, at least not the rightful one." He frowned and bit his lip. For a second Mimi thought he was going to cry.
"Rolen's kept me locked up ever since he found me back in Smithytown. He's been using some birthmark I have to get the Ishidian lords under his power. And now he's been plotting to turn your kingdom against Kamiya."
"I thought he was coming up here to kill me." Ryo continued. "I was waiting by the door to try and kill him, or get away, or something. But when I heard you knock, I decide to take a chance. Rolen and his men have never knocked." He looked at Mimi reverently, like she was some sort of guardian angel.
As Mimi absorbed the words a deep, horrible fear settled in the pit of her stomach. She had to struggle not to dissolve into panic. "We have to get out of here." She said, rubbing her face with her hands. She looked back at the door, it still seemed to be holding fast, but she knew it could not possibly last much longer. And even as she thought this she heard the wood began to crack and splinter.
"Do you have any weapons?" She asked Ryo.
The boy nodded and pulled up his shirt slightly. "These were hidden behind a loose stone, they must have been there since before Rolen repaired the castle." He nodded at four long, dagger-like weapons stuffed in his belt. Each was three-pronged, the two blades on the outside much shorter then the single blade in the middle. He pulled out two of them and gave them to Mimi.
She frowned deeply as she weighed them in her hands. The things were ancient; the metal was misshapen and completely rusted over, the blades so dull that they would serve more as clubs than knives.
Just then a loud crack sounded through the room as the tip of a sword pierced the oaken door.
"No, that's pointless" Mimi muttered to herself. "We can't fight them off even with real weapons." She looked about the room frantically. "Is there any way out of here?" She asked Ryo.
The boy flinched and gave an unsure nod "I've thought of one that might work."
He rushed to a small curtained nook in the farthest corner of the room, Mimi right behind him. He hurriedly pulled away the curtain, revealing a hollow stone bench, which was covered by a long piece of sanded wood with a large hole in the middle.
Mimi's stomach turned just at the thought of it. "A lavatory?" She almost screamed.
"There isn't any other way!" Ryo shouted back, already using one of his knives to pry away the wood.
"Oh my God." Mimi muttered to herself. She leaned over Ryo's shoulder and spit down the hole, waiting for a discouraging amount of seconds before she heard it splat against something. She thought she could detect traces of a disgusting stench wafting up from the bottom.
"It slopes downward after the initial drop." Ryo reassured her as he pulled away the last of the wood. "I checked it once with a lantern."
"A lavatory." Mimi cringed again, already mentally conditioning herself for what she knew she would have to do.
Behind them the door cracked and splintered even more. Ryo slung his feet over the hole and sat on the edge. Mimi griped her knives tightly. They both looked anxiously towards the door.
Rolen's guards stopped trying to cut through with their swords, and instead rammed against the door with their armored shoulders. It groaned and whined as is slowly broke in half, then one more great heave and the guards were through.
Mimi felt a tiny burst of wounded pride as she counted three guards plus Rolen following behind them. At least her own men had gotten two of the bastards. She gave Ryo a shove in the back as he dropped down the hole. Then she took an easy hold on one of her weapons, and trying to remember everything Matt and Jun had ever taught her, she hurled it at the chest of the nearest guard. She knew she had missed as soon as the blade left her hand, but to her great surprise, the weapon embedded itself in the guard's throat instead, sending him to the floor in a spurt of blood. As the other guards rushed towards her, Mimi took a deep breath, clamped her eyes shut, and pushed herself down the hole.
For five of the most horrifying seconds of her life Mimi fell into darkness. Then, just as she was beginning to fear that there really was not a bottom, she crashed into it. Immediately she began to slide down a nearly vertical slope of worn, wet stonework, quickly picking up so much speed that the musty air whipped past her face. She tried to push her hands and feet against the sides of the tunnel to slow her descent. But even as she started to do, she slammed hard into a wall where the tunnel changed direction. Excruciating flashes of light filled the darkness as her head cracked against the stone, and something hot and stinging ran down into her eyes as she started to slide down to the right.
Three more bone-crushing changes in direction awaited her. On the next one, she hit her shoulder so hard that she lost her grip on the lone remaining knife and it went clattering down ahead of her. By the third one the air had become so thickly putrid and stagnant that she started to choke on it. And the final bruising hit almost knocked her unconscious. But after the final one, she only slid for a few more seconds before she was falling again. Panic overtook her completely and she opened her mouth to scream. But before she had the chance, she splashed down in a deep pool of water.
At least, she imagined it to be water in the split second before it came rushing into her open mouth. Then she remembered what the tunnel really was. She screamed uncontrollably, letting more and more of the foul stuff seep into her mouth and down her throat. Her mind flashed white with terror and she started struggling to reach the surface. But her long, thick dress wrapped around her legs, dragging her deeper. She started to choke and gag. She was drowning.
Suddenly a strong hand grabbed her by the wrist. It started to pull her up and she kicked with all her might, up and up until she thought her lungs would burst. But then her head finally broke the surface. She coughed and sputtered, and then desperately sucked in lungful after lungful of the putrid air.
The hand started to tow her to the left, and before she could realize what was happening she had been pulled onto a narrow stone ledge. It then that what had just happened fully hit her. She was drenched in filth and waste. It burned her eyes and nose. She could taste it in her mouth and feel it sloshing around in her stomach.
Mimi started to scream hysterically, stunned beyond all sense. The agonizing sound reverberated through the narrow tunnel. The hand that had saved her clamped around her mouth, and she twisted and fought against it, thinking in her terror and shock that she was drowning again.
"Please, Princess." A voice pleaded close to her ear. "Please stop."
It was the sad, tender tone of the voice rather than the words themselves that somehow trickled through her panic. Her mind griped it like a life preserver, and slowly she came back in control of her senses. She stopped screaming and the hand gratefully released her mouth. She sat on the ledge shaking for a moment before leaning over and retching as she tried to clear her mouth and throat.
"Are you hurt? The voice asked. And Mimi remembered it now as Ryo's.
"I don't think so." She whispered back to the darkness next to her. "I think I'm all-" Before she finished the thought a horrible dread came over her in an icy chill. The fear was not for herself, but for the special concern she had tried desperately not to think about during the recent stressful months.
Mimi carefully felt along her abdomen with her hands. She did not remember being hit there, but she could not be sure. For a few gruesome seconds she did not even dare to breath. And only when she could not feel any sign of tenderness or pain did she release a long grateful sigh.
"Yes, I think I'm okay." She told Ryo.
The boy gave a relieved sigh in the darkness, and Mimi heard him slowly moving around on the ledge.
"The ledge ends a few feet behind us, if we're facing so that our right hands touch this wall next to us." He said.
Mimi tentatively stuck out her right hand. The wall was no more than a few inches away, wet and slimy.
"We have to follow the ledge then." She said softly, though her heart still pounded in her ears. "Even though we have no idea."
She stopped speaking as Ryo griped her by the shoulder. She could feel the tension and fear flowing from his hand, and immediately she went completely still, straining her ears for whatever had startled the boy. For a moment all she could make out was the light tapping of the stagnant water against the ledge, and an eerie chorus of drips somewhere down the tunnel. But then she became aware of a metallic shrieking sound, like a rake being scraped across a rock face. It was coming from somewhere in the roof of the tunnel.
The shrieking became louder, and Mimi desperately racked her mind for some explanation. The sound was horrible to listen to in the stinking darkness. And fresh dread began to seep through both of them. Every second brought it closer and made it louder, until finally it seemed like the tunnel was filled with it.
All at once Mimi gasped as the answer came to her. She turned to Ryo and began pushing him along the ledge. "It's Rolen's men!" She whispered frantically. "They followed us do-"
But her words were lost as something splashed down in the water almost directly beside them, showering them with the foul stuff. The sound of the splash roared through the cramped tunnel like thunder.
Mimi and Ryo scrambled farther along the ledge, cringing as a second, and then a third splash exploded through the tunnel. It was not until the first booming echoes began to die away that they stopped. And maybe fifteen feet behind them they could hear the sound of something slapping madly against the water, and two cracking voices calling for help.
Mimi was not ashamed to feel sad satisfaction as she realized what was going on. Rolen's guards wore heavy armor, and that armor was killing them now, dragging them to the bottom of the waste river just as Mimi's dress had. But there was no one to rescue them. And Mimi could not think of a more deserving way for men like them to die.
She and Ryo remained still as the tunnel regained its deathly silence. They had counted three splashes, but only two voices crying for help. They huddled close together on the ledge and barely even breathed as they waited for some sign of whoever had made the third splash. Ryo became aware of something hard poking him in the stomach, realizing after a witless second that it was the knives still tucked in his belt. He slowly eased them out, handing one of them back to Mimi. She took it gratefully, clutching it so tight that she felt her knuckles turn white. She suddenly wished Matt were there.
They hunched there in the silent darkness for what seemed like hours, but finally Mimi gave Ryo a gentle nudge to start moving. The boy hesitated for a moment, but then he began to crawl forward. He tried not to make any sound, but his hand brushed against a few loose pebbles and sent them skittering along the ledge.
"So there you are." Rolen's cruel, rasping voice answered from the darkness just beyond his face.
Before Ryo even had a chance to respond, he was struck savagely across his face. His hands slipped out from beneath him and he toppled sideways into the water
Mimi started to bring up her knife, but Rolen pounced on her like a cat, driving her to the ground and knocking the wind from her lungs. Her hand smashed against the wall, her knuckles cracking so painfully that the knife slipped from her grasp. She cried out reflexively and swung in front blindly with her other arm.
The blow glanced harmlessly off Rolen's shoulder. And with a feral scream he threw his weight on her, pinning her to the ground. Excited fury burned in his veins. His hands wrapped around her throat like a vice and slowly began to squeeze.
Mimi could not even gasp as she felt her throat being crushed. Hot, screaming fear burned in her chest. She desperately tried to pry away his hands, but she was already becoming so weak. Her body was crying out in pain and she wished that it would stop soon. The darkness seemed so thick all of a sudden, like she could reach up and touch it. She wanted Matt.
"The battle should start soon." Rolen rasped inches from her face. His drool dribbled down onto her cheek. "Your people and the Kamiyinas will destroy each other. And then I shall rule all."
Mimi heard the words from somewhere far away. Sadness pierced her heart like an arrow. She had failed them. She had failed everyone she loved. And now she was going to die.
Rolen gave a snarling laugh and squeezed tighter. He wanted to hear her neck snap like a dry twig.
Behind him Ryo weakly crawled halfway back onto the ledge, leaving his legs dangling in the water. His head throbbed and his face was swollen, but he could hear Rolen's ugly wheezing close beside him. He wrapped one of his arms around Rolen's leg and pulled himself closer. Then he brought up the knife still clutched in his other hand and stabbed down into the fleshy area behind the man's knee.
Rolen screamed in shock. Without thinking he let go of Mimi and whirled around, lashing out blindly in the darkness until he felt Ryo's weight on his leg and began to pound on the boy with his fists.
Mimi gasped and choked on the air rushing into her lungs. Her throat was so tender that it hurt to breathe, and she felt weak and dizzy. But her hands immediately began to search around her, and soon she felt the fallen knife come into her grasp. With the last of her strength she hurled herself at Rolen, putting the knife under her so that all her weight brought it down into his back. She wrenched and twisted the dull blade to bury it deeper.
Rolen howled in pain. He bucked and flailed about wildly, breaking Mimi's weak grasp and throwing her back against the wall. But in doing so he took his attention off Ryo, and with a weak grunt of exertion, the boy dove forward and tackled him to the ground.
Ryo immediately tensed his shoulders, expecting for Rolen to start beating him again. The boy only hoped Mimi was still strong enough to fight. But the blows did not come, and the boy became aware of a wet, gurgling sound, and he felt the man's legs begin to twitch and shake.
Rolen had fallen on his back, forcing the knife upwards until the blade pierced his chest. Blood bubbled from the wound like a hot spring. He moaned and whimpered, suddenly very afraid. And with a last pitiful sob his eyes glazed over and his body went limp.
For a moment Ryo just lay there and caught his breath. Then he got up on his knees and rolled the body off the ledge and into the filthy water. He heard a small splash and then a slow sucking sound as it sunk towards the bottom. He sat there for a few seconds, staring out into the darkness. He had somewhat expected to experience some emotion about the death of the man who, for good or ill, had changed his life and then tried to end it. But Ryo now found that he just did not care.
"Princess?" He whispered finally. "Are you alright?"
"Yes." Mimi softly answered from where she slumped against the wall. Her throat was raw, and her arms and legs felt cold and numb. But more than anything she was just tired. So tired that she almost let herself fall asleep as she rested her head against the cool, slick stone. But then Rolen's words came back to her, filling her muscles and veins with energizing fear.
"We have to stop the battle before its too late." She said as she quickly climbed to her feet, steadying herself against the wall. She reached out and found Ryo's hand in the darkness, pulling him after her as she started off.
For hours the pair slowly picked their way along the ledge. They did not know where the tunnel would end, if it ever would, but it was their only bleak hope. At some points the ledge had crumbled or fallen into the stagnant water. And at these points they were forced to wade or even swim through the waste. They had no concept of time in the darkness, but their hope dwindled with every footstep. After what could have been years they saw a gray little chink of daylight ahead, a spot where part of the tunnel roof had caved in. They clawed at the opening, trying to make it large enough to fit through until their hands bled. They finally crawled out to an evening so dark with clouds that it might have been midnight. They could barely make out the top of the castle far to the east, and with the last reserves of their will and strength, they started towards it. They did not stop even when it began to rain so hard that it was like heaven crying, and the ground beneath them turned to deep pools of mud. They did not stop even as the last of their hope faded. And finally they came into the shadow of the castle, already much too late.
//////////////////////////////////////////////////
Matt sat in the darkness of his tent, the green skull helmet in his hands. He wanted to wait as long as possible before putting it on.
Six years before, in the first war with Kamiya, Izzy and Miyako had created the identity of the Green Knight. Its idea was based on an old Tachikawan legend that Hadrian, the first Tachikawan king, would return to protect his people whenever they were threatened by evil and darkness. It was Izzy's grim joke about grave robbing that led to the design of the armor. A grinning skeleton freshly risen from the grave, colored green by rot and mold. They made it to look as terrifying and disgusting as they could. And with Matt wearing it on the battlefield, tearing through men like the reaper, it was a truly horrifying sight.
Matt hated the armor; it was like wearing a coffin. He felt trapped inside himself, locked away with the darkness that slept somewhere in the blackest depths of his soul.
"Oh Christ." He muttered to himself angrily. His hands had started to shake just thinking about it.
It was just a heap of forged metal and paint, he scolded himself. And as if to prove it, he put the skull helmet over his head, slowly fastening it to his shoulder plates.
There was a sudden rustle as his tent flap was pushed open. Jun rushed in, her face drawn up with worry. "Matt." She started, but then her voice caught in her throat as she saw him sitting there. Even after seeing him in the armor many times, it was still off-putting for her. It was hard now and then, to remember that her dear friend was in there. His wavy blonde hair covered by the fearsome helmet, his somber blue eyes buried deep within the mask's own black sockets. She blushed ashamedly and looked at her feet, she knew how much he hated the armor
"Matt." She continued tensely, her true fears pushing back into focus. "Mimi hasn't come back yet."
"What?" Matt shot up, his voice sounding distant and guttural from behind the mask.
"She hasn't come back from trying to meet with Rolen." Jun answered him. Waves of guilt washed over her. She had pressed Mimi into attempting another meeting with the bastard.
Matt did not answer, but only drew open the tent and stalked out. Jun followed him without question. She buckled on her own helmet, dark brown with a tall red plume, the same kind worn by the Knights of her home Motomiya.
Thirty soldiers ringed the tent, all of them dressed in green and black armor to match Matt's. They were the Squires of the Green Knight, exceptional warriors pulled from their normal units to fight beside him whenever he donned the armor. They stood at attention as he and Jun passed by, then fell into formation and followed. The other Tachikawan soldiers stopped what they were doing and watched with solemn faces as the group passed, the Green Knight appeared only under the gravest circumstances.
It was a long, fearful walk for Matt. His heart was close to breaking just thinking that something might have happened to Mimi. And the armor seemed to grow heavier, more oppressive with every step, even the purposely- tattered cloak around his shoulders felt like it was cast from lead. Unconsciously he began to step faster as the fear grew in his chest.
The group reached the gate of the castle, and two terrified looking guards hesitantly blocked the gate. "Y-you can't enter." One of them stuttered even as he took a step backwards at Matt's approach.
Matt shoved them both aside and continued on. Other guards stationed beyond the gate bared their weapons and moved to block him. Matt drew his sword, and surely would have killed them rather than have his search for Mimi delayed for one second. Jun and the Squires readily followed suit.
"My Lord, please stop." A high, sharp voice rang through the room. A thin, pale man with yellow eyes stepped in front of him, holding out his hands in supplication.
Matt stayed his hand, vaguely recognizing the man as one of Rolen's lieutenants. He brought his sword down to his side, and Jun and the others mirrored the action.
"Where is Princess Mimi?" Matt asked, his voice low and threatening.
The man did not answer immediately, but only stared at Matt with curiosity and expectation. Then his face abruptly became creased with pain, and he motioned towards the corner of the room.
Matt followed the man's gesture, and immediately his heart sank. Seven bodies lay on the floor, covered by old blankets. Four of them wore Tachikawan military boots, Mimi's guards. The other three were Rolen's.
"We found them in a hallway near the King's room." The pale man whispered as sadly as he could. "But we could find nothing of Lord Rolen, King Ryo, or Princess Mimi, except for this." He held out the piece of Mimi's dress that Rolen had torn off, only now it had been soaked in blood.
"We expect it was assassins sent by Kamiya."
Jun stared at the man in anger, but she could not find any words. Tears welled up in her eyes and she turned to Matt. The soldiers bowed their heads, or looked helplessly at their leader.
Without a word, Matt reached up and took the piece of fabric from the pale man's hand. He stared at it for a moment, as his heart and spirit softly broke apart. Mimi was dead. A yawning void opened up in the pit of his being, and he slowly sunk down into it. And as he did so, the darkness stirred in his soul, rising up in a wave and brushing away the crumbling husk that had been his iron will. Matt felt it happen, but he did not care. Why should he care, when Mimi had gone away, and taken everything that mattered with her? He closed his eyes, slipping back into the dark dream of shadow and nothingness that he vaguely remembered from years before.
Underneath the skull helmet, the Green Knight's features became pale and hard. The blue of his eyes twisted and swirled until they were the cruel, merciless color of a storm at sea. He grinned like a starving wolf.
"The Kamiyians." He said, his voice as sharp as cold steel. "I shall destroy them." He turned to his soldiers standing mournfully behind him. "Prepare for battle."
The pale man smiled to himself.
"Wait!" Jun shouted, catching the Green Knight by the arm. "He's lying! The Kamiyians wouldn't do it. Rolen must have killed."
Her voice died off as the Knight turned to her. The horrible, bottomless eye sockets boring into her like a cold hand on her heart. She was suddenly scared senseless, like a little girl coming face to face with a monster from her worst nightmares. In the depths of her terror, she could not imagine that it was her dear friend inside the armor.
Away in the distance, there came the braying of horns. The Kamiyian forces had arrived, arrayed and ready for battle.
The Knight released Jun from his stare as he turned towards the sound. "It is time." He said, a glint of satisfaction in his voice. He pulled his arm from Jun's grasp and walked out of the castle, the Squires falling in behind him as if under a spell.
Jun stared after him, her fear fading as he moved farther away. She reached up and wiped her eyes, realizing with a blush of embarrassment that she had started to cry. She felt defeated, hopeless. With the last of her courage, she started running to find Izzy and Miyako. If everything was going to end, then she wanted to stand by the friends she still had
///////////////////////////////////////////////
Tai and TK had barely spoken a word to each other during the three-day march. They did not need to; their thoughts were bonded to a single line. Ken's words repeated themselves over and over, wearing away any doubt of their truth. One of them would have to face the Green Knight, and one of them would die in doing so. For three days they had silently ridden side by side, fighting their fear of what lay ahead.
In the early afternoon of the third day, The Kamiyians and their allies made their final camp at the edge of the southern woods. Rolen's castle lay directly ahead.
By this time, TK felt like he was wandering in a numb daze. His heart throbbed with a dull ache, and his mind was a tangle of fear and hopeless thoughts. He had never felt so alone, not even Kari could help him through this. He would not even dare to tell her.
He turned to where his wife was carefully laying medical instruments on a strip of clean linen. She had put a chain mail vest over a long shirt and a pair of leather trousers. A slightly oversized helmet covered her soft brown hair. She was starting to show, TK realized, staring at the barely noticeable bulge in her stomach. A deep, quaking sorrow traveled through him at the thought. He did not want to leave her; he did not want to leave their baby. But how could he let Tai give himself up? How could he lose another brother? No matter what he did, everyone he loved would end up hurt.
Kari looked up and saw him, and even though her eyes were strained with fatigue and worry, her face immediately bloomed into a loving, tender smile. She left her task and came to wrap her arms around him.
TK urgently hugged her back, his senses drinking in all of her. God, he loved her so much.
"Stay back here with Sora and Jyou." He whispered to her, struggling to keep the fear and turmoil out of his voice. "And do whatever Jyou says."
She gave a small grin and kissed his cheek. "I'll be safe." She told him. "Just as long as you come back to me." She leaned back and cupped his eyes in her hands. "Promise?"
"Promise." He answered. The word almost caught in his throat, he felt like he was lying.
She smiled again and put her arms back around his neck. "I love you." She whispered. Her voice trembled, letting him know just how scared she really was.
They held each other close for much too short a time, before footsteps coming near made them look up.
Sora was dressed the same as Kari. Her cinnamon eyes were soft and caring, and she wore her shy, little half-smile that just brimmed over with quiet strength. Tai held her hand tightly. His face was drawn up and apprehensive, and his brown eyes looked so old, like hearths filled with ash and dying embers.
"It's time." He told them, his voice low but firm.
The words brought a sudden gust of cold dread to the pit of TK's stomach, but he ignored it and nodded his consent and agreement. Kari pulled him into one last hug, then a final long look, and a short, soft kiss. Beside them Tai and Sora did the same. Then both women gently slid from their husbands and walked over towards the medical tents. They were soldier's wives, used to quick, uncertain goodbyes.
"They'll be okay." Tai said as he and TK watched them leave. "They'll listen to Jyou, even if they don't listen to us." He said it as if trying to reassure himself.
They turned to each other for a moment, barely able to look each other in the eye, and then without speaking they turned and started walking. They both felt helpless and lost, torn in a hundred different directions, but they were too scared and ashamed to admit it to each other, even as precious time mercilessly drained away.
Attendants had set out their armor and horses at one of the command tents. And they silently pulled on their breastplates and gauntlets, making sure that the joints were oiled and loose.
Tai held his helmet in his hands, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. Then he opened his eyes and the uncertainty and doubt was gone from them, leaving only a cold determination.
"I'm leading the center group, you take the right, Rordan takes the left." He stated, his voice gaining a commanding edge.
A pang of dread shot through TK's chest; reports said the Green Knight always fought in the center. He blinked his eyes and tapped the gold shooting star painted on his armor above his heart. "I always take the center." He said softly, looking down at the ground
"Well I'm taking it today." Tai responded a little too curtly and uneasily. "I want you to flank them."
"I'm a better warrior than you." TK whispered, looking him straight in the eye.
Tai's face began to flush. "Which is exactly why I want you on the flank." His voice was rising with nerves and frustration. "You have to be able to cut them off."
"I won't let you do this, Tai."
"Do what?"
"I'm not going to let you die." TK nearly shouted, his face scrunching up with the sudden threat of tears.
Tai's face narrowed. "And you think I'm going to let you?" He gritted his teeth. "You aren't a king yet, Takeru. And I'm giving you an order."
"I don't care!" TK shot back. "I won't let you sacrifice yourself over me!"
Tai's eyes burned with sorrow and anger. Why couldn't TK just understand? "I swear to God, Takeru." He made his voice low and threatening. "If you say another word, I'll have you removed from the field. Now I'm ordering you to get to your post."
Part of TK wanted to cry, and part of him wanted to beat Tai senseless, or do anything to keep him from doing this. But he did nothing. He just stared hard into Tai's eyes, trying to plead with him.
Tai held his stare, knowing that he was doing the right thing. "Get to your post." He ordered. Then he pulled his battered gold helmet over his head, climbed on his horse and rode away.
To his everlasting shame, TK's first instinct was to feel relieved. The decision was out of his hands, the choice taken away from him. But immediately he hated himself for even thinking this. He should be the one to make the sacrifice; he was the only one who could. He envisioned himself jumping on his horse and riding after Tai, forcing him to somehow see the light, making him realize that this was the only way.
But even as he thought this, he knew that it would not happen. He was too tired and scared, too weak to do it.
TK pulled on his steel helmet and visor, hiding the tears trickling from the corners of his eyes. He climbed slowly up on his mount, and rode towards the right side of the camp. A few moments later Cody rode up next to him on the right, a steel breastplate strapped over his brown monk's robes, an old bronze helmet capped his head. His mace dangled from a leather strip around his wrist, and rosary beads were draped over his hands. His face was solemn and calm.
The pair rode past a grouping of green tents, where his green and silver arrayed Takaishian guards stood at attention. TK slowed down briefly and saluted, immediately the warriors mounted their horses and fell in formation behind him. Lucas rode at the front, just off TK's left shoulder.
The group rode a few moments more, and then they came to where the right division had already been massed. Two rows of cavalry stood at the front, six rows of infantry behind them. TK recognized the colors of some of the younger Kamiyian lords, as well as some of the Ishidians gathered by Lord Artur. They had no idea they were about to follow their rightful king into battle.
TK led his group to the front of the division, and as he passed the common soldiers turned and saluted him, their faces filling up with courage and strength just knowing that the Iron Prince was leading them. The nobles turned and acknowledged him as well, their eyes and minds growing wide with legends and rumors. Even the older lords, more experienced and practical, proudly showed him their respect. They knew the Iron Prince to be a warrior without equal, strong and courageous.
TK had to struggle to keep his head from dropping in shame, thankful that his helmet and visor hid the quiet tears that he could not get to stop. He felt like a coward.
The group stopped at the head of the division, and TK looked out across the Kamiyian lines. Lord Rordan's division was gathered at the other side of the clearing. TK could just make out the venerable old lord's scarred and rusty armor. Tai sat determinedly on his horse at the head of the center division, so calm and still that he looked like a statue. TK could not bring himself to look away from him.
Tai motioned to an aide at his side; the soldier brought a curved ivory horn to his lips and blew a loud, strong call. Horns from all over the Kamiyian lines answered immediately. Tai nodded to himself and kicked his horse into a trot. For two long steps he moved alone, but then all three divisions were marching with him down the field.
TK finally managed to turn his head forward, and for the first time he seemed to really notice the enemy lines in front of him. They looked small and harmless compared to the castle rising behind them, framed by the black, menacing clouds blotting out the sky. TK could make out stragglers rushing to fill their places in the enemy formation, but no sign of the green armor.
Without consciously thinking, TK drew his sword and laid it across his saddle, then reached over and tightened the straps of his shield around his arm. Behind him, he heard Cody start to quietly say the Lord's Prayer. Most of those near enough to hear, joined him, or mouthed the words to themselves. TK remained silent, God seemed helpless and far away from him.
The Tachikawans and their Ishidian allies began to march forward. And in response, the Kamiyian divisions increased their speed, the cavalry moving fast enough that the foot soldiers had to jog to keep up, their armor jangling in tune with their foot falls. The Tachikawans likewise increased their pace, and soon the Kamiyians answered with a faster one. And then all at once both sides broke into a full charge, the open ground between them evaporating like morning mist.
TK tightened his grip on his sword, ice-cold fear pumped from his gut up through his veins. He quickly turned his head one more time, catching a brief flash of Tai's golden helmet, and just as he turned back towards the front, the two sides exploded into each other.
For the first dizzying moments TK did not think at all. He merely fought, escaping into the unparalleled strength and skill that were his birthright. Blows came at him, and he fended them off. Men came close to fight him, and he killed them. When he finally had time to breathe and think clear thoughts, he looked around and saw that his division's initial surge had cut deep into the enemy ranks. He seemed surrounded by frantic, rider less horses.
TK turned his own mount and looked behind him. Cody was steadily working his way forward, his mace crashing down on men's skulls like a hammer. Lucas and the rest of the Takaishians were close on his heels.
A fresh shot of fear suddenly filled TK's chest. He turned and looked breathlessly for Tai, spotting him not too far away, still apparently unharmed, and hastily dispatching every opponent. There was no sign of the Green Knight.
TK felt his heart flood with relief, maybe Ken had been wrong, and maybe everything would be okay. But even as he thought this, he heard a low, dark call from a horn. The sound seemed to hum through his body, filling him with absolute terror. And then he saw it, rioting out of the castle gates at the head of a group of riders. A horrible vision of rotting death.
TK could feel his heart screaming at him to move, to do something. But he was terrified beyond reason, frozen in place like a hunted animal. He watched helplessly as the Green Knight roared through the battle, parting the sea of men with his bloodied sword. Tai waited for him, set and unwavering.
"Don't, Tai." TK whispered. "Please don't" He urged his horse slowly forward.
The Green Knight rode up on Tai, rearing up his horse so that his first sword blow came down in a crushing arc. Tai barely blocked the strike with his shield, the raw force of it almost knocking him from the saddle. Off balance, Tai tried to bring his sword around for a backhanded slash. But the blow only glanced harmlessly off the Green Knight's own shield, and he struck with the flat of his sword, catching Tai savagely in the face. The young man's head whipped back, his helmet flying to the ground. Immediately the Green Knight struck again, stabbing into his left side. Tai gasped in pain. His eyes clenched shut and he fell out of the saddle.
"No!" TK screamed, fear, sorrow, and anger all mixing together. He spurred his horse into a full charge, fighting his way through the tangled mass of warriors.
The Green Knight dismounted and stood beside Tai's unconscious form. Slowly, he lined his sword up with the young man's neck, and then raised it high in the air. Beneath the mask his face broke into a cruel smile, and he brought down the sword for the deathblow.
But he did not land it.
TK dove out of his saddle, tackling the Green Knight square in the chest and knocking him away from Tai. For a few seconds TK had the Knight pinned to the ground, but before he could bring his sword into play, the Knight got a hold around his neck and threw him off.
TK's breath was knocked from his lungs as he collided with the ground; his hand almost braking as it came down on his sword hilt at a painfully odd angle. He heard a feral growl behind him and instinctively rolled to his left, just as a sword cut into the ground a few inches from his head. He kicked out blindly, connecting with the Knight's abdomen and sending him stumbling a few steps backward.
TK pushed himself up on his feet and held his sword in front of his face, realizing in a flash of anger that he had lost his shield somewhere along the way. But the Green Knight had lost his as well, and now stood a few feet away, holding his sword with both hands, and staring into TK with his empty eyes.
The stare was like ice water poured over TK's heart. He tried to shut the feeling away and lunged forward, trying to go on the attack. But the Green Knight was too fast, too strong. He parried TK's blows with despicable ease, and then attacked with a screaming sideways cut. TK was just barely able to jump back as the strike ripped a gaping hole in his armor, and drew a thin line of blood across his stomach. Before he could even feel the pain, the Green Knight surged forward, raining down sword strokes.
It was all TK could do to keep his sword up in front of him. With every blow the pain vibrated down the blade and through his arms, until finally his hands were so numb he could not feel the sword handle. His arms and shoulders burned with white fire, his breath came in ragged gasps that filled his mouth with a cold, metallic taste.
He knew he was dying. He was a child fighting a demon with no chance of victory. His only hope was that he had truly taken Tai's place on the sacrificial alter, that his adopted brother could end it all. That he could protect everyone. Protect Kari and the baby.
You promised her.
The voice floated slowly up from his heart, born on an inner shadow. TK knew it at once, knew the part of him in it. He tried to push it back down, lock it back in the cage that he had worked so hard to strengthen. His lapse of concentration cost him, as the tip of the Green Knight's sword pierced his shoulder.
You promised never to leave her.
I don't want to leave her! TK screamed inside himself. Fury flooded his senses and he suddenly lashed out with such strength that the Green Knight had to jump back or loose his head.
You are abandoning her. She will not survive without you.
The Darkness moved in his heart like bubbling oil. It could not force its way past TK's strength, but it could tempt him, berate him, attack him where he was weakest.
The Green Knight redoubled his efforts, a few more moments and TK would no longer have the strength to defend himself.
You are killing her.
No! TK moaned. He could not let the darkness take him, not even if he had to die. Not even if. Kari.
The Green Knight's sword bored down on TK, forcing him almost to his knees
You promised.
TK's heart and soul cried out in anguish and pain. In all the world there was only one thing he was truly afraid of, afraid for. Kari. Their baby. He did not want to leave them. And in the moment before he would surely die, he let his control slip away. The darkness broke him with his own love, his own light. The blue of his eyes froze into ice, his mouth twisted up in a wolf's grin. And the Iron Prince crossed swords with the Green Knight.
Within seconds the combatants were back on equal ground, matching each other blow for blow. Their swords crashed together, showering them with orange sparks. A grinding screech filled the air as the metal cried out in protest. The earth seemed to tremble beneath their feet.
They fought for many minutes, but neither could gain the slightest advantage. They were too perfectly matched. So they fought on, never tiring, never weakening. And they would have fought until their swords broke in half, and they had only their bare hands. But something happened that can only be called random chance.
The Green Knight trod on a patch of loose earth, and his foot slipped slightly beneath him. He was off-balance and vulnerable for half a second, and that was all it took.
The Iron Prince struck him across the face, shattering the lower half of the skull mask. The Knight stumbled backwards, leaving himself open to a follow-up blow that crushed his fingers, and sent his sword flying from his grasp. One more strike with the flat of the Prince's sword blade, and the Knight was on his back, staring dizzily up at the man who was surely about to kill him. The Iron Prince stomped on the Knight's chest with his right foot, pinning him to the ground. Then he placed the point of his sword just above the Knight's throat, and started to stab downwards.
But suddenly the blade stopped, the deadly tip poised no more than an inch above the Green Knight's throat. The sword began to gently tremble as it hung in the air.
The Iron Prince's frozen eyes began to melt slightly as they stared down at the Knight. The horrible death grin of the skull helmet was gone, replaced by the lower part of a pale human face. A fresh gash on the right corner of the mouth was dribbling bold red blood. It was just a man, not a monster, not a demon, just a man.
The Green Knight was puzzled by the fact that he was not dead yet. He could see the sword point hovering just above his neck. And slowly, he slid his nearest hand underneath his body, clutching at the dagger hidden in the small of his back. It was a sword-breaker, the cutting edge carved into serrated shark's teeth.
Just a man, TK repeated it to himself as he woke from a horrible dream, fighting against the oppressive weight of the darkness on his being. Too many men had already died because he could not control the darkness. But he would not let it happen again. The darkness could do nothing but scream and wail as it was pushed back into its pit. It was powerless in the face of TK's renewed strength and spirit.
After a single moment of struggle, TK found himself back in control. And immediately he felt cold with exhaustion, so drained that it took an immense effort just to hold up his sword. But he kept himself steady as he looked down at the Green Knight.
"I'm not going to kill you." He said wearily.
The Green Knight did not respond. The words meant nothing to him. His grip on the dagger tightened, his muscles tensing in anticipation.
Slowly, carefully, TK used the point of his sword to push away the remains of the Knight's skull helmet. He wanted to see the man's face.
And when he did, his first thought was that he was so tired he was hallucinating. But the face did not blur or change, it stayed the same face that had occupied so many of his dreams, the face he knew instantly, but had given up hope of ever seeing again.
"Matt." He whispered reverently, so low that even he could barely hear it.
His heart began to race, feeling like it was flying through the air. His face broke into a broad, childish grin. He was so relieved, so happy and amazed that he did not notice the frozen look on the Knight's face.
He unthinkingly dropped his sword, so eager to pull off his helmet and show his beloved brother that it was him.
The Green Knight saw nothing but an opening. In a second he was on his feet. The dagger flashed through the air, burying itself in TK's stomach before he even saw it.
TK felt fire rip through his abdomen. It hurt so much. He tried to swallow, but for some reason found it impossible. So he tried to take a step away, but only collapsed limply against the Green Knight.
"Matt." He whispered again, his voice suddenly no stronger than a child's. His helmet felt like it was choking him, so he weakly lifted his arms and pushed it off his head. Then he just stared longingly into his brother's familiar blue eyes.
The darkness drained out of Matt in an instant, its work already done. The stormy haze left his eyes, and everything was horribly clear.
"Takeru.? Oh God no!"
TK's legs gave out beneath him and he started slipping. Matt frantically wrapped his arms around him and lowered him as gently as possible to the ground. He brushed the hair off TK's forehead and suddenly all he could see was his baby brother; his wide blue eyes creased with hurt and confusion, his dirty, smudged, angelic face twisted up in pain. A line of bright red blood trailed down the corner of his mouth.
"I'm so sorry, Matt." TK whispered. "I'm sorry I stopped looking for you." Tears glittered in his eyes like stars.
Matt's heart and soul screamed, blinding him with a torrent of pain and anguish. "Oh God. I.I."
"Get away from him you murdering bastard!" Tai's voice was a hurt, furious whine. He could barely stay conscious, and blood was flowing rapidly from the wound in his side. Tears were already washing through the dirt and blood on his cheeks. He grabbed Matt by the neck and pulled him off TK. Then he threw him to the ground and raised his fists to beat him to death. But as he looked down into the other's man stunned, shattered eyes, Tai suddenly did not have the strength for it.
Forgetting Matt, Tai crawled to TK's side, gently lifting the young man up and cradling him in his arms. He appeared so much younger, so much weaker. Tai looked down at the wound in TK's stomach and felt sick. It was a mangled hole of flesh and blood.
Matt sat up weakly and reached out to TK. But everything inside him seemed to come apart at once. His face exploded into racking sobs and he dropped his head into his hands.
"TK! TK it's me, its Tai, your brother!" Tai tried to make his voice strong and comforting. "TK you have to stay with me!"
TK slowly turned his attention to him. "Tai.?" He whispered. Then all at once his eyes opened wide with fear and he tried to sit up, desperately clutching Tai by the arm. "Tai." He said as loud as he could. "Oh God I promised! Tai, I promised Kari!"
He tried to say more, but he suddenly bent over into a hacking cough. Blood came pouring out of his mouth.
Tai cringed and held him tighter. "TK listen!" His voice cracked. "I'm going to get you to Jyou, okay! He's going to take care of you! Just please stay with me!" He pleaded, his vision blurred with tears.
TK tried to answer, but he could not get any words from his mouth. He gasped as a cold numbness pooled up in his gut. He wanted to get up, but he could not feel himself. He was just so tired. His eyes fluttered and closed, his head rolled to the side and fell against Tai's chest.
"No!" Tai screamed. He ran his hands over TK's chest and neck, desperately feeling for a heartbeat, trying to work past the way his own heart was pounding in his fingers. A few horrible seconds past when Tai thought it was hopeless. But then he found it. TK's heart was still beating, so faint and weak, like it was somewhere far away.
Raindrops began to pelt Tai's face. And he looked up out of the little world he felt like he had lived in all his life. The little world made up only of himself and TK bleeding in his arms. But the battle was still raging around them, and Tai briefly saw Cody trying to fight his way through to them.
Tai wrapped his arms underneath TK, ready to carry him back to Jyou if that was the only way. But suddenly a sound reached his ears, one beyond the splatter of rain and the low peals of thunder. It was a broad crashing sound, like the footsteps of a giant. His soul seemed to chill with cold, and he turned towards the mountains in the North. His heart nearly stopped.
A great army was gathered there, so many that the base of the mountains seemed alive with movement. The crashing was the sound of swords being struck in time against shields and armor. A threatening chant filled the air, traveling at notes that no man could master. A song that sapped away all light and hope. Tai saw flashes of fur and claws, and bright, deadly yellow eyes.
And Tai knew what it meant. He knew it as he laid eyes on something that had only been described to him in fearful whispers, and half- remembered nightmares.
The dark armies of the North had come again.
