The Nightingale

Chapter 34: Choice.

Summer — Year x492 / July. Ichigo, 17 years old.

— There is something about me that you don't know. — He had started the conversation that night after sending Kholtan with that message to his uncle.

— What thing? Do you have a child somewhere? — Rukia asked in a kind of joke that seemed strange to him but that he decided to continue because he liked to make her angry.

— Maybe. I was with many women when I traveled with the mercenaries. — He said naturally making Rukia angry at that moment.

— It's not funny. — He saw her fold her arms and walked over to her. Rukia moved away from him but Ichigo approached again, stroking her face gently.

— For me, it was. — He said with a smile but Rukia was still with her arms crossed.

Rukia turned away from him and went to sit on the edge of the bed. Ichigo sighed and approached her with a slow step, opening his shirt little by little, still watching her as he did so; he smiled at Rukia's expression when she saw him, she wasn't expecting that and Ichigo didn't say anything. He just finished opening his shirt and turned his back to Rukia as he took off her shirt; it was at that moment that Ichigo let her see the tattoo that he had on his back.

He heard Rukia gasp in surprise and heard her get up from the bed, felt her small hands touching his back and tracing each line of the tattoo with curiosity; Rukia didn't say anything, she just looked at the tattoo by candlelight.

— How is the ring related to the tattoo on your back? — Rukia asked continuing to stroke the skin on his back with her fingertips, returning to the initial question of that night.

— Have you heard that kingdoms used to have magic? — Ichigo asked turning around to put his shirt back on. Rukia nodded at his words and he led her out onto the balcony so they could talk better. — It's true, I don't know if the other kingdoms had magic, but I do know that my mother's kingdom does.

— Magic like they do in the wandering shows? — Rukia asked, who seemed no longer bothered by the hidden son's joke, and Ichigo shook his head at that question.

— No, real magic. — Ichigo was still wearing the ring, so he felt like he could show her some magic in that moment. — There is a very old magic, it's called "ankh".

Rukia looked at him as if he was saying something that she couldn't understand, he supposed something like that would happen because that wasn't supposed to exist, it wasn't common in places outside of Vayalat. Ichigo sighed and made the fire of one of the torches that illuminated the balcony go out before turning it on again, he did not even approach the torch, from his place next to Rukia he did, and she just fell silent when she saw that.

The ankh, the blessing of war; the gift of The Shadow. Ichigo had told Rukia what it meant to possess that magic, the way it was passed down from generation to generation, the way it was used; he told her about the Karnaqs, about the training he had since he was a child, about the night they offered him to The Shadow as a graduation ceremony. Ichigo had told Rukia that the night they escaped, he had been using it, which was why he had slept so much and that was why his wounds had apparently healed quickly.

— This ring is a family heirloom. It is made with blood and magic; I think you noticed.

She had to have noticed, because the longer she was wearing the ring, the better the relationship with it; for calling it somehow. Rukia wasn't speaking, and it was okay, because it meant that she was listening to him, and he needed her to hear him because what he was going to say would be somewhat difficult for her.

— I still don't fully control the ankh but I had to use it to get out of Maranni or your brother would have killed us with the arrows he was shooting; I caused an accident at the doors so they would stop chasing us, I don't know if your brother was there or not, I don't know if he was injured or not, and it was something you had to know.

Ichigo wasn't telling lies, he was just telling the truth in a different way; Rukia didn't have to find out that he really wanted to kill Byakuya when he made the gates close and let all hell break loose within the city.

— I... I don't know what to say... — Rukia started to say but Ichigo put a finger on her lips to keep her from speaking.

— Don't say something yet, I'm not done yet.

There was more, of course there was more. The talk ended when Rukia left the room, quietly, her eyes red and full of tears.

—

Ichigo was lost in thought for a moment, looking at the ring that glowed unnaturally, as if there was liquid fire inside the ring, but he knew that it was not fire, it was life. Ichigo was silent, his back leaning against the back of the chair, his hands on the desk and Rukia's engagement ring between his fingers.

The recovery time after using the ankh was over, he was fine and healthy, even feeling better than when he traveled to Maranni, and he knew it was from the effect that ring had on him. He hadn't returned it to Rukia, he hadn't spoken to her since the night they returned to the castle, and he knew they should, only this time it was Rukia's decision to choose when to speak.

— Commander, Miss Kuchiki is here. — Said one of the soldiers who stood guard outside his office, breaking the silence in which Ichigo found himself. Ichigo nodded and let Rukia enter his office.

— Your Highness. — Rukia said as she entered the office. The soldier closed the door behind her and Ichigo noticed that Rukia was staring at the floor. Ichigo knew he avoided looking at him because she didn't usually lower her gaze when she spoke; much less in front of him.

— Miss Kuchiki, do you want anything? — He asked with an apparent calm although all he wanted was to approach her and kiss her; have her in his arms and know what she was thinking.

— Your Majesty. — Rukia hesitated for a moment before saying something and Ichigo hoped that was the day Rukia asked for her ring again; the night they spoke she had refused to receive the ring again. — Queen Masaki asks that an escort be assigned to me, I wish to visit the city and I have no assigned escort.

Ichigo sighed, that wasn't the day.

— When are you going to visit the city, Miss Kuchiki? — He asked calmly, placing the ring on the little finger of his right hand and rummaging through some papers looking for something. She didn't look up and he stopped expecting her to do so at that moment.

— Tomorrow.

— Tomorrow there will be a soldier waiting for you at the Great Gate, he will accompany you on your walk. Do you need anything else, Miss Rukia? — He asked but didn't move from his place behind his desk. Ichigo could see how Rukia reacted when he said her name; she didn't look up.

— No, your highness. Thank you. I'm leaving, with your permission. — Rukia turned around and knocked on the door for the soldier outside to let her out.

Ichigo just looked at her from behind, he wanted to hug her and he wanted to know what she was thinking, he wanted to know what she was feeling; she had gone to his office to request an escort when a written request was sufficient.

— Kia… — He said getting up from his chair as she left the office.

— Kon… — She replied without turning to see him before leaving.

Summer — Year x492 / July. Nelliel, 19 years old.

That month had been a dream for Nelliel; spending the honeymoon in the Palace of the Sun, in Visnia, where there were glass walls in some areas that let the sunlight in in a way that illuminated the whole place, it was almost magical.

In that palace lived the Queen Mother together with Princess Kukaku and her family; the princess was married to the Lord of Visnia, so this was her permanent place of residence. Nell was sure that despite the fact that they did not visit the capital, nor have they gone to her wedding with Kaien, the princess and the queen mother were aware of everything that was happening in Adelaar.

They hadn't treated her badly; Nell had known the Queen Mother for as long as she could remember, the Queen Mother had been good to her all that time she was in Adelaar. Nelliel had not seen the Queen Mother since she retired to the Palace of the Sun at the time Queen Masaki had returned from Vayalat without Ichigo.

Nelliel knew they weren't happy that Kaien was the heir to the kingdom; Ichigo had always been the right choice for being born to the queen, but the king did not consider it that way; even so, they did not treat her badly and made her feel comfortable and with family.

— Nell, my dear. It's time to go home. — Kaien found her looking at the painting of Kaien's father with Queen Masaki that they kept in one of the palace rooms. The king and queen looked very young in that painting.

— Will they make us a painting like that? — Nelliel asked with a smile.

— When I am crowned king, they will make us such a painting. — Kaien assured with a smile as they walked out of the palace to say goodbye to the queen mother, and the princess and her family.

Kaien helped Nell into the carriage that would take them back to Adelaar Castle, and they bid farewell to their hosts in the distance as the carriage advanced. When they left the city of Visnia, Nelliel noticed that Kaien was serious and silent, it was not that natural seriousness in him, but a different one; he seemed concerned.

— What are you worried about, Kaien? — They both knew each other well, had been friends for many years and had that understanding that friendship gave.

Kaien turned to see her, coming out of his owns thoughts, and hugged her with a smile. Nelliel settled her head on Kaien's lap and he gave her a little kiss on the lips. Nell loved those moments; it wasn't the romantic fantasy she'd dreamed of, but it was a good thing.

— Nothing, just that my father sent me a letter saying that he needed to speak to me as soon as he got to the castle. — Kaien spoke while playing with one of her hair curls absentmindedly.

— Do you think it's a bad thing?

— No, if it was a bad thing, we wouldn't have had a honeymoon. — Kaien smiled and made her smile; that made Kaien caress her face in a very gentle way and he placed a small kiss on her lips. — Maybe he just misses my advice.

— Your advice must be very good, because they made you the heir. — Nell said, drawing her hand to Kaien's face for him to kiss her again.

— And you, my wife, do you want my advice now? — Kaien asked, kissing her in an intense and passionate way.

—

Summer — Year x492 / July. Rukia, 16 years old.

Since they had returned from Maranni, Rukia had not left the castle; she used to leave the castle from time to time to distract herself from everything that was going on inside the castle.

At first she went out accompanied by Orihime, when they both belonged to the Queen's Court, and when Orihime went to Eikaran, Rukia went out accompanied by the guards her father had assigned to her for her protection. Orihime wrote to him every so often; the last time Rukia got a letter from her friend it was her before she left for Maranni. Orihime told Rukia in that letter that she would soon see her and that she would surprise her, but Rukia had not heard from Orihime again.

She needed an escort to get out or the queen wouldn't let her out and her father had taken the soldiers when they left for Maranni; and dating Ichigo was not an option at the time.

They had talked so much that night that she left the room holding back tears of sadness, anger and frustration; fear had also manifested itself as tears. Rukia didn't know what to do, Ichigo had kept the promise that she made by leaving that letter to her father; she asked Ichigo for time for her father to think things through and Ichigo had given it to her. Ichigo had put himself in the same danger as her father, and he had done it because she asked him to.

Rukia knew that Ichigo always kept his promises, so when he promised her that he would prevent her father from killing Kaien, so as not to put him in danger of dying if they caught him trying to kill the heir, she knew that he would keep it; Rukia had to have imagined that not everything was going to be so easy.

— When the king dies, I will restore the "Ancient Traditions" and kill Kaien; that's the only way they won't convict me of fratricide and I can be king. — Ichigo had told her with an expression of serenity and tranquility that scared her.

Ichigo had told her everything she needed to know, including what would happen to every possible action they took. Ichigo had told her the fate they would have, the fate their children would have, and the fate her family would have; at the end of that talk, Ichigo had asked her the same question that he had asked her that afternoon on the cliff again: Could you be with me knowing that I am a murderer?

And Rukia hadn't been able to answer that question. Even when she went to look for him in his office, she couldn't talk to him about it; she didn't feel ready to do it.

Renji was waiting for her at the Great Gate of the castle to be her escort, she had asked Ichigo for an escort so that she could visit the city and he sent one of his friends; Rukia knew that he would not trust her life to anyone unknown, and if he couldn't take care of her, then he would send someone he trusted to do it. Ichigo cared for her, took care of her even though they were in that time of separation.

— We will walk to the city. — She said calmly, as if it were the most normal thing in the world, as if the city was two steps away.

— But… but… — Renji tried to protest but Rukia started walking as if she hadn't heard him. — Wait!

Rukia didn't really have a reason as such to go to the city, she only wanted to get out of the castle because she needed freedom, so when they reached the entrance of the city she didn't know where to go. The teahouses were fun, going there with Orihime was fun because they talked about what they couldn't do freely in the castle; when Rukia had a date with Ichigo, they used to go to the beach; and when she went with her father's soldiers as her escort, she visited the girls who worked at "The Jewel."

She knew that no one would recognize her because the only time she had gone out in a public event with Ichigo, she dressed like a princess, instead when she went out alone or with Orihime, she dressed in a simple and ordinary way.

Every time she went to "The Jewel," she was Kia and not Councilor Kuchiki's daughter; even the girls who worked there called her Kia. The girls who worked there always took good care of the soldiers who went with her, so those soldiers did not say anything to her father about those slightly immoral acts.

Renji was following her like a ghost, Rukia didn't have a topic to talk about with him because they weren't friends. On the trip back to Adelaar they had talked, even Rukia had hit him, but she still felt that she did not have a great friendship with either Renji or Uryu. They were Ichigo's guards, his friends and companions; but she didn't used to spend time with them and she didn't know them.

— Renji… — She called him when they were heading to the Temple of the Deities. Renji turned to see her, he was eating a fruit that he had bought on the way, and he gestured with his eyebrows for her to continue speaking; his mouth was full. — Do you trust Ichigo?

That question came out after thinking a lot about how to start a conversation about Ichigo with Renji. Renji swallowed it into his mouth and stared at her, as if he did not fully understand that question, as if it were very obvious and at the same time somewhat difficult to answer. Rukia wanted to know what Ichigo's friends thought of him.

— I trust him, why shouldn't I? — Renji replied upon entering the temple. Rukia found a free bench and sat there; Renji sat down next to her.

— I'm curious. — Rukia wanted to caress her engagement ring, but remembered that she wasn't wearing it and put her hands on the back of the bench in front of her. — Why do you trust Ichigo?

Renji just looked at her and listened to her but didn't say anything; Rukia knew that she had asked a difficult question to which she did not have an answer herself.

She trusted Ichigo but couldn't explain why she trusted him; perhaps she could attribute it to the fact that she was in love with him but if they asked her that question she would not know how to answer. Rukia had a decision to make and she didn't know how to make it; Deep down she knew that what had happened in Maranni had left her vulnerable and confused.

In those moments she felt really young, she felt like a girl who was growing up very fast and had to make vital decisions. Rukia didn't want to make another bad decision, she didn't want someone innocent to die again just because she hadn't been able to make a good decision.

— Would you die for him? For Ichigo. Not for the commander or the soldier, just Ichigo. — Rukia asked again.

— Mass began. — Renji answered and stood up to make the sign of the Deities on his chest.

Rukia imitated Renji at that moment, and then was silent throughout the mass; she sang the praises to the Deities and made the prayers that the Priest requested from the congregation, but Renji did not speak and Rukia feared that she had spoken too much; maybe Renji's reasons for trusting Ichigo were very, very personal, like hers, and she felt a bit awkward for asking that without taking into account Renji's feelings on such a topic.

— There is something wrong with your question. — Renji said attracting the attention of Rukia, who was finishing making the sign of the Deities on her chest at the end of the mass. Rukia looked at him intrigued, waiting for him to continue speaking. — Ichigo is a prince, a soldier, and a man; you can't separate him by titles or names, because Ichigo is a whole just like the Deities. The Deities are three and one at a time; we pray to the Mother, to the Father and to the Shadow, we pray to the aspect with which we feel comfortable but they remain one God. — Renji paused and looked at the statues of the Deities. Rukia did the same. — I see Ichigo as a whole, as the prince, as my captain and as my friend; I cannot say that I will give my life for the prince and not for the captain, that would be hypocritical, because I would say that my loyalty is in a title or in name and not in the man that he is. I trust him because he always tries to do things right, even though he doesn't have many choices in life. Before meeting him, I believed that he, being a prince, had everything but I realized that it is not like that because what Ichigo has, although it seems like a blessing, is not free.

Rukia listened to Renji in silence, attending to every word he said while watching how little by little the temple was empty.

— Ichigo knows that many things are expected of him for being a prince, they expect him to follow the rules, they expect him to marry you, and if it is not you someone who is useful to the kingdom; he knows that he has to have children at the right time and not before; he knows that he will always be in the shadow of the king and he knows that he cannot complain about it openly because he would be singled out as a traitor. To all this add that he is the Commander of the Kingdom, the man that all soldiers must follow. — Renji watched the Deities as he spoke. — When we faced the soldiers, he was wounded. He knew it, I don't know if he was scared at the time, in fact he looked very confident but maybe it was just a facade; but he knew that he should face those soldiers, the best in the kingdom, because he knew that the other soldiers would not follow him so easily. Uryu and I were with him, supporting him and he trusted us, he let us fight alongside him even though our training with him was not finished.

— They say it was a great fight. — Rukia added. She remembered the wound on Ichigo's arm and also the fever the next day.

— It was. — Renji smiled a little and that made her smile like a reflection. — In his hands is the lives of many people; I don't know if you've had that feeling, but we have, and it's not a very pleasant feeling and to all that he has to add men's problems. You asked me if I would give my life for him and that left me wondering a bit but yes, I would give my life for him, for Ichigo, for the prince, for the commander and for my friend.

— Even if he doesn't give his life for you? — Rukia asked without the courage to look into the soldier's eyes.

— How do you know that he wouldn't give his life for me? — Renji asked a bit annoyed, that tone of voice made her look at him again. — When we escaped from Maranni, he prevented the showers of arrows from reaching us; he made us leave the city alive because the soldiers were going to capture us. I know that doing that almost cost him his life, he could let us die there, escape with you, but he didn't.

Rukia was silent at that revelation; Renji's words had a truth that made her shudder: Ichigo could have died that night and the last thing he had said to her was that he was going to protect her. Ichigo was putting his life in danger for her; Rukia was the sword on Ichigo's head.

— Ichigo made a choice that night, when we escaped from Maranni. — Renji said attracting her attention. — If he had told us that his life was in danger for us, we would have told him not to worry, that we would survive and that he had to run away with you. We know he would have refused, but we would have tried to make him change his mind. We can try to get someone to make a decision that seems correct to us, but in the end the decision will always be up to that person; We cannot control or be responsible for what other people do or say, we can only be responsible for what we do or say, and live with the blessings or consequences of our actions.

Thank you for reading.