The Nightingale

Chapter 35: Anger

The soldier who entered his office that morning was not alone, he was accompanied by a foreign man whose clothes distinguished him as part of the Gardelia kingdom; it was not difficult to recognize those clothes because Ichigo knew the soldiers of that kingdom.

— Miss Kuchiki has left the castle, Commander; she is currently heading to the city in the company of Captain Abarai. — Said the soldier. Ichigo nodded and the foreign envoy walked to face his desk with a downcast gaze. — And this man says he has a message for you, he did not want to tell us what it is; he says they have ordered him to deliver the message only to you, Commander.

Ichigo closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose with the thumb and index finger of his right hand. He was silent for a moment and waved to be left alone with the foreign envoy.

— Which is the message? — Ichigo asked not wanting to hear what that man was going to say. The man was a Gardelia soldier and, as unexpected as that soldier's presence in the castle was, Ichigo knew that it could not mean a good thing.

The soldier reached through his clothes and took out a small elongated box which he handed to Ichigo with a bow.

— Your Highness; Princess Yoruichi sends you this present for your future marriage. The princess has ordered me to wait for an answer from you. She has also ordered me to tell you that you must open it in private.

Ichigo took that box, it was made of gray wood carved by hand and lacquered; it wasn't heavy, so the contents had to be something light, and Ichigo guessed it was a letter along with something else.

— Okay, you can go out. Wait outside my door for an answer for your princess.

Gardelia's soldier bowed to him and left the office leaving him alone with Yoruichi's gift.

Ichigo's first impulse was to throw that box into the fire, burn it and forget it, but a part of him was curious to know what she had sent him; for a moment he stared at the box, which rested on his desk, wondering whether to open it or not. It was not the first time that he received a gift from Yoruichi; while he was in Vayalat, during the months they were apart, Yoruichi used to send him gifts, but they always carried a very peculiar signature and Ichigo knew that he would find that peculiarity when he opened the box.

Yoruichi hadn't sent him anything since the day they broke up, and neither had he; he was upset with her for the attitude she had taken in separating from her, but he was partly to blame for that separation as well. That romance had been short-lived, like passions, it burned at the wrong time and continued to burn until it was completely consumed.

At that time Ichigo knew that he would be the heir, so he had no qualms about being with Yoruichi, because he knew that he could choose who to marry and Gardelia was a good kingdom to be an ally; at the time, that memory was old and silly. If nothing had gotten out of control, if Yoruichi had not wanted more than what they had at that moment, if his father had named him the heir; if he had loved her the way she wanted him to, then at that moment they would be married.

In the end he decided to open that box, Ichigo felt that he owed it to Yoruichi for the way they had ended that relationship; because of the way he behaved with her in the end before using the mercenaries as an excuse to run away leaving his mother to deal with that problem. It had been years since that, both had grown up, both had matured, or at least he hoped it was.

He opened the box and the scent came before the vision, Ichigo knew immediately that the box contained the gardenia that Yoruichi used to send every time she sent him a gift; that was her signature. He took the flower to look at it and that made him smile, it brought back memories of such a distant past in Vayalat, some childhood memories and some not so childish; all related to Yoruichi, because she used to smell like those flowers.

The flower was withered, Gardelia's trip to Avanta was longer than Gardelia's trip to Vayalat, but the scent of the flower was still intact because it had been enclosed in that wooden box. He took the letter that was inside the small box, there was nothing else; so he left the flower inside and broke the lacquered seal that protected the contents of the letter.

. . . . . . .

What was the title the Bastard was going to use when the official appointments of the kingdom were made? Ah, I already remembered! Ichigo, Second Prince of Avanta.

I should congratulate you, right? The news has reached me that you are getting married, but what surprises me is that the news came before the invitation to your wedding, which by the way has not arrived. Are you in a hurry to get married? Or perhaps they fear that you will run away again. Wait, I just remembered what the news said; "The prince is forced to marry ..." you will excuse me not remembering her name, but it was so common and ordinary that I forgot.

I thought you had found someone better than me, but apparently it was not like that; only a queen can surpass a princess, and from what the news said, she is not even a princess. The truth is that I don't care, no more. They told me that you were getting married so that I would stop rejecting suitors who asked for my hand in marriage. As if I expected something from you!

We both know that I don't expect anything from you, not a letter, not an apology, not a promise; we both know that your word has no honor or validity. In fact, I feel sorry for the poor girl you are going to marry. Have you already told her that you are incapable of feeling any kind of love for someone other than yourself? I mean, we don't want her to have the same fate as me, right?

I have to admit that the news was somewhat surprising, deep down I did expect you to write or at least reply, but I suppose you were too busy being Kaien's shadow to write to an old friend; I think the least we were friends, unless it also has been a lie. Now that doesn't matter either.

I should congratulate you, wish you the best in your life on behalf of that close friendship we had, but I can't. Happiness is not for you, you do not deserve it because you destroy it yourself. Every day I pray to the Deities so that I can see how your life gradually becomes the hell that you truly deserve; that I can see how you suffer because you deserve to suffer the same as I suffered because of you.

I should wish you the best, but the best is me.

Yoruichi.

P.S. When your life becomes hell, when you feel that you are at the bottom of the abyss, I will be there, watching you wallow in your own misery; that day you will know that your debt with me is paid. And that, Ichigo, I swear, because my word does have honor.

. . . . . . .

Ichigo finished reading Yoruichi's letter and again rubbed the bridge of his nose trying to calm himself down.

He knew that she was upset and that the letter would not be kind, in fact he was surprised to find that he expected a kind letter from her. Ichigo looked at the letter once more, much of what she said didn't make sense to him, it was just Yoruichi's anger speaking and Ichigo had the impression that she was holding back; Yoruichi's letters used to be longer and more detailed.

He put the letter aside for a moment and opened the door of his office in search of the servant outside; Ichigo instructed the servant to search for a specific item and then returned to his desk to reread the letter. Yoruichi had a knack for making him angry that he didn't remember, but he calmed down a bit and took a pen and paper to write him an answer; she had asked for one, and although he didn't feel like writing an answer, he did.

Ichigo took his time writing the answer, choosing the words carefully before putting them on the paper and at the end he folded it and sealed it with wax and his seal, so that no one could open it and read it. He took the letter that Yoruichi had sent him and burned it in a bowl where he used to burn the papers, he was not interested in keeping it and even less in reading it again. The flower inside the box was wilted and he burned it too along with the letter.

He put the letter he wrote in that little box and waited for the servant to return; the servant took a while to return but did so with the item Ichigo had requested. Ichigo admired the gift he would give Yoruichi, following the custom they had when they were children, and then placed it next to the letter; he closed that box and sealed it with wax so that the contents would not suffer any damage. He asked the servant to let Gardelia's soldier in and leave them alone. Ichigo had ready the answer that Yoruichi had asked for.

— I know the journey to Gardelia is long. — Ichigo began to speak looking at Gardelia's soldier who didn't dare look up out of respect. — So you can rest here tonight and tomorrow you can go to Gardelia. The soldier at the door will show you where you can spend the night and where you can eat.

— Thank you, Your Highness. — Gardelia's soldier said in a very relieved tone.

Ichigo got up from his seat, walked over to the soldier and handed him the box that Yoruichi had sent with the message.

— Here is the answer your princess asked for. Now, you can retire to rest. — He ordered and the soldier bowed to him, putting the box inside his clothes as he left the office.

Ichigo left the office a moment later, the scent of the gardenia was permeated in the environment and that displeased him.

— You two, clean out my office and open the windows. — He said in a bad mood as he left his office. — I don't want to be disturbed unless the kingdom is falling, whatever happens, Captain Ishida will fix it.

Ichigo did not return to the Commander's office for the remainder of the morning, he wanted to get rid of the anger that letter had caused him and decided that doing anything would be better than going back to the Commander's office.

The king was attending to his affairs with one of the Councilors and that day Ichigo had no desire to discuss matters of state. He still had to plan the tour of the Thirteen Cities of the kingdom and Rukia had to go with him; he had to see that everything was in order for when the king decided to visit some of those cities. That trip could last at least half a year if they did it uninterrupted, and it was perfect for spending time with Rukia alone, without the pressure of being in the castle.

He had to fix things with Rukia first, and then he would plan what he would do and the way he would do it; at that moment the only thing that worried him was the future of his relationship with Rukia. He had told her everything and she had to choose.

He spent the rest of the afternoon in one of the private gardens with his mother and little sisters; they were entertaining with a couple of kittens that they had adopted during the days that he had not been in the castle. His mother was teaching them the basics so that they could connect with those kittens just as he did with Kholtan.

Ichigo knew that his little sisters had a good command and control over that gift, and he knew that if they had been trained and educated in Vayalat, they would be just as good as Hiyori, who was his uncle's pride.

It was late when he said goodbye to his little sisters and his mother, the bells of the temple of the Deities would ring at any moment and would properly announce the last moments of daylight. Ichigo was tired and all he wanted was to sleep until the next day; the last few days had been exhausting.

— Ichigo. — Uryu's voice made him stop as he made his way to his bedroom.

— Is the kingdom falling? — He asked with a raised eyebrow when he saw his friend. Uryu smiled at that comment and shook his head for an instant.

— Not yet, but possibly soon it will pass. — Ichigo silently looked at his friend and Uryu continued speaking. — A messenger has just arrived.

— Another messenger! — He blurted out. — Today is the day of the messengers!

— This time it is from Councilor Kuchiki, saying that he will arrive in the evening. — Uryu handed him the scroll where that message was. Ichigo read it, it was addressed to him, and at the end of the scroll it was written that Councilor would accept the deal.

— Does Rukia know? — Ichigo asked and put the scroll in one of his trouser pockets.

— Not yet. She arrived a few hours ago from the city with Renji and is waiting for you in your room. — Ichigo nodded and said goodbye to his friend.

He arranged his clothes and entered the room; for a moment he thought he would find Rukia sitting at his desk going through his papers; he had hidden among his things a small gift for her, but she was not at his desk. Ichigo was surprised to see her lying on his bed, face down, completely asleep and hugging a pillow.

Ichigo watched her sleep for a moment before deciding to wake her up. He called her by her name a couple of times and moved her shoulders very slowly, until little by little Rukia opened her eyes. It wasn't the first time he'd seen her wake up; on the journey back to Adelaar they had slept together on the floor of the carriage, even if it had only been for a couple of nights.

— Hi there. — Ichigo whispered tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. Rukia yawned and sat on the bed and Ichigo sat next to her. — Did you sleep well?

— What time is it? — Rukia asked in a husky whisper, and the bells rang in the distance. Rukia flopped onto her side, lying on Ichigo's lap; she was still sleepy. — I slept a lot. I had a bad dream.

— Do you want to tell me? — Ichigo asked in a whisper. He tucked that unruly strand of hair back behind her ear and Rukia settled better on Ichigo's lap.

— It was before Kaien's wedding. — Rukia started to speak, playing with Ichigo's fingers as she told him what she had dreamed of.

Ichigo listened carefully to what Rukia told him, the way she felt that dream and the way she felt after that. Ichigo could see the fear in Rukia's eyes as she recounted that dream, he saw the trembling in her hands and then he saw her remain silent for a moment before finishing that story. Rukia stared at her own hands and Ichigo took Rukia's hand giving her a very soft kiss.

— You told me that the engagement ring was magic, and I'm not really sure if it was my fears or the ring showing me the future. — Rukia had moved her hand to caress Ichigo's cheek. They both looked into each other's eyes in silence for an instant. — I don't want that future. If it was a vision then I do not want that future, and if it is a warning of what awaits me, I do not want it either, but I know that it must be that way.

Rukia's voice was a whisper that was clearly audible to Ichigo. He also caressed her cheek gently before speaking.

— Don't you want to marry me? — Ichigo asked in a soft whisper. He knew she could reject him, and although he didn't want to think about it, he had done it during the days they were apart.

— I did not say that. I want to marry you, but… — Rukia sat on the bed and took Ichigo's hands in hers; she took a deep breath and looked him in the eye. — I promised that I would help you get the crown, it was the first promise I made to you and I will, if I have to give all my blood to make you king, then I will; and if I have to sacrifice the lives of some people to get it, I will too; I just can't send my father to kill Kaien, I'm afraid they will find out and kill him. I know I should be upset with him but I can't, he's my father and even though what they did makes me angry, I understand why they did it. You saved my family's life by lying to the king for me, by telling the king that nothing was happening in Maranni; you almost died and they almost died.

— So what do you want, Rukia? You no longer wish to break the Accords of the Fall? Don't you want to give Maranni its independence anymore?

— I want to be with you. Renji told me that there were always options, we can look for those options, I don't want to be responsible for my father's death and I don't want you to reinstate the Old Traditions, I don't want to live with the idea that my children are going to kill each other for the crown. I want what Kia wants, I want a quiet life by your side; as quiet as possible. — Ichigo laced his fingers through Rukia's as she spoke. He saw her determined and he liked that, he liked to see her strength even though she was afraid. — Regarding the question you asked me that night, the answer is: yes. You are what you are and I know that I cannot change you because it is part of you; the lives of many people depend on you and I know that by defending them your hands will be stained with blood. I'm aware of the future that awaits us, I'm aware of the blood that we will shed on the way; I just don't want it to be the blood of someone important to us.

— A life as quiet as possible? — Ichigo asked releasing the grip of Rukia's fingers to remove the ring he had on his little finger. Rukia nodded looking into his eyes. — I promise that I will try to give Maranni independence and break the Fall Accords; but if I have to choose between you and the kingdom, I will always choose you. Do you agree with that? — Rukia blushed and held out her hand for him to return her engagement ring; Ichigo put it on slowly.

— I agree with that. We will try, and if it doesn't work out, we can always flee as we did in Maranni. I will not be a martyr who sacrifices herself for someone else, I am not so noble or so perfect; I just want to live the rest of my life with you. — Those words made Ichigo smile and he kissed Rukia's hand where that engagement ring was again. — Now if you'll excuse me, Lord Commander-in-Chief of the Kingdom, I've missed you so much and I'm going to kiss you.

Ichigo started laughing but Rukia threw herself into his arms and began to kiss him so intensely that it made him hold her tightly in his arms, as if he didn't want to let her separate from him.

—

Rukia was in a bad mood.

The Kahya had interrupted her moment with Ichigo with the news that her father was in town and that he would be arriving at the castle in no time. The Kahya had the ability to interrupt them in such intimate moments, as if she sensed each time they were about to make love.

Fortunately her clothes were still in place, Ichigo had only started to loosen the ties of her dress to open it but he had not undressed her. Instead, Ichigo had already lost his shirt and Rukia had started loosening his pants, when the servants at the door reported the Kahya's presence.

— It is destiny, my love. It will be until our wedding day. — Ichigo had said giving her a kiss on the lips after putting his shirt back on.

— I don't want to wait for the wedding night. Have you seen the queen's plan for that day? All I'm going to want is to get to bed to sleep. — Rukia complained. Ichigo smiled and gave her a kiss on her lips again, approaching her to hold her waist with one hand.

— But everything seems to indicate that it will be until that day. You are not the only one suffering here, my love, feel this. — Ichigo took her hand and made her feel the erection he had at that moment. Rukia bit her lip and Ichigo closed his eyes as she began to stroke him over her clothes. — That's torture, Miss Kuchiki. — Ichigo gave her one last kiss and stopped her. Rukia was more and more certain that she didn't want to wait until their wedding night.

As she opened the door to the room, the Kahya was waiting impatiently for her; Rukia said goodbye to Ichigo and followed Kahya through the hallways in silence. For a moment Rukia thought that they were heading to the main gate of the castle but she realized that the Kahya was guiding her towards the stone bridge that connected the Lord of Maranni's rooms with the castle. The Kahya told her that her father would enter through the training yard and that it would be better for her to wait for him inside the rooms.

The Kahya stayed with her until her father arrived, she was not going to leave her alone, so the wait was silent and uncomfortable. Rukia got up from her seat when she heard voices approaching and she was surprised to see her mother enter the Lord of Maranni's rooms with her father. What was her mother doing there? Rukia was not understanding anything, but she did not dare to ask or say something that could be misinterpreted by the Kahya because surely the woman would end up informing the queen; after her parents entered, Yuki also entered.

Rukia closed her eyes and prayed to the Deities for patience and wisdom, because the relationship with Yuki had been fractured that night they argued, and she had no intention of repairing it.

— Rukia! — Yuki screamed and ran over to her with her arms outstretched to hug her. Rukia's bad mood only increased at that moment. — You came to greet us!

Rukia hugged her, because if she had learned anything from the queen, it was to maintain her composure and to pretend that everything was fine. Rukia knew she lacked years of practice, but she would definitely one day have the neutrality that Nelliel displayed and the smile that the queen always wore in those awkward moments.

— Why wouldn't it? I've missed you all so much; I didn't think you would arrive with my father. — She said with a smile before seeing her mother come over and kiss her cheeks and hug her as well. — Mother, how was the trip?

Rukia broke away from Yuki's embrace and focused her attention on her mother who seemed happy and relieved to see her; her father, on the other hand, seemed annoyed when talking to the Kahya. Renji had explained to her what was going to happen once the deadline was up and the king said that the Lord of Maranni was plotting against the kingdom, and the projection he made her see was daunting.

— Long and tiring, but I was dying to get to the castle. We would have traveled before, but your brother had a riding accident, and now he is in bed; that's why neither he nor his wife came, but they say they send you their best wishes for your wedding.

The wedding, that's why they had arrived. Her mind was so busy that she had forgotten the little detail about her wedding and the guests. Obviously her family had to be there, although it was more than two weeks before the wedding; Rukia, for some reason thought that her mother would not arrive until a couple of days before the event, if she did attend.

— Hope he's okay, I'll pray to the Deities for him. — Rukia said in a tone of true relief. Ichigo had told her that possibly her brother had been injured that night, that he possibly he would have died, but she was glad to know that Byakuya was okay.

The Kahya welcomed Rukia's mother after she finished talking to the councilor, and Rukia told the Kahya that she would sleep with her family that night; the Kahya nodded and left, leaving them alone. Rukia made sure that the Kahya had already left, and that the guards guarding the entrance and the bridge were her father's soldiers, before putting aside that smile that made her cheeks ache from the effort of holding it.

She stood in front of her family in silence, staring at them and waiting for one of them to speak. Neither of them spoke, the silence was uncomfortable; her relationship with her family had really deteriorated.

— Ichigo told me that you accepted the deal, father; the deal is canceled. — Rukia's voice was steady. Her anger kept her strong.

— Rukia, what are you saying? Do you think this is a game? — Her father asked annoyed.

— What you heard, father. No deal. I will not send you to die, I will not risk the life of my family as you have. If you want revenge from the king, then take revenge on him, but don't endanger my mother or my brother. That's your crusade, father; not ours.

— Rukia, don't talk to your father like that. — Her mother intervened trying to calm her down, but it was now or never, because her father would speak to the king the next day and he must know that things had changed.

— My father. The one who doesn't trust me, the one who exchanges me for weapons, the one who doesn't respect my decisions; my father who put everyone in danger just for wanting revenge on a man. I understand what you wanted to do and that is why I do not hold the grudge that I should, but I will not save your life again. Ichigo said that you are free to do whatever you want, but if you get caught, he will be the one to execute you and I will not intervene if it endangers the rest of my family.

— Rukia! — Her mother was shocked. — But what are you saying!

— The truth, mother. The simple and crude truth. I don't want anyone in my family to die, but if that's the way it has to be, let it be because everyone made their own decisions; I'm not going to carry someone else's guilt on my conscience. I have enough with my own sins, which are many, to add someone else's.

Rukia could see the anger and rage in her father, and was not surprised when he raised his hand and hit her face with the back of his hand; her father wore a ring on that hand and Rukia felt the stone cut her skin and made her bleed. Rukia didn't complain, didn't speak or move. She felt her cheek burn and blood drain to the corner of her lip; that had been the first blow her father had dealt her, but Rukia did not break down emotionally or physically. Her mother put her hands to her mouth gasping as did Yuki.

— Remember one thing, father: It was your decision.

Rukia wiped the blood off her cheek with her fingers and stared at her bloody fingers for a moment before turning on her own heel and walking out of there. She heard her mother call her as she crossed the stone bridge, but she did not turn to see her, she just kept walking with her head raised to her room in the queen's area.

—

Thank you for reading.