Hey, well haha. How long has it been? Almost two years? Yikes... Finally found the time and inspiration to do this. Hope I can finish it. -_-
Nothing's going the way I planned. First, father refused my plea for Ruuka to be set free, then Natsume suddenly ran out on me just when I persuaded him to help me break Ruuka free from the prison, and now… now…
Where is he? Where's Ruuka?
"Ruuka! Ruuka!" I try to call out in a voice as loud as I dare. No answer. Not even his little pet bunny is in the cell. Oh no, could Father have predicted my trying to break him free and moved him elsewhere?
Oh no… How am I supposed to find him now? One of the prisoners in the cell to the left starts to stir. I hesitate for a while, should I go? Maybe I could ask this man if he knows where Ruuka is.
The sight of his wide open blood shot eyes staring intently at the face he doesn't recognize however is enough to send me running up out of the dungeon prison. My steps are loud and I stumble twice before I realize that I'm supposed to be sneaking quietly, avoiding detection. I'm halfway up the steps when I regain composure and quietly move up along the dimly lit stairwell.
I hope to God that Ruuka's safe. It's all my fault! Oh, Ruuka! I'm so sorry! I sniffle and the tears threaten to stream down my cheeks. I reach the top of the steps and brush away tears blurring my vision with the back of my hand, only to see Father looking at me with a face I could not read.
"What are you doing here, Mikan?"
"Where is he? Where's Ruuka? He was just in the dungeon a while back! Where'd you put him?" I say, no longer minding the volume of my voice.
Father just looks at me quietly. "I don't know what you mean."
"Where'd you bring Ruuka, Father? He's no longer in the dungeon! Where is he?"
"I'm sorry Mikan, but the whereabouts of petty thieves are none of my concern. He might have been transferred to a different prison without need of my consent."
What is he saying? True, Ruuka is only a petty thief, so why all the ruckus about his imprisonment? Why not just set him free? I step towards him and try to search his eyes… for something… anything that would explain why he was acting this way. He puts a hand on my shoulder.
"It's really late, Mikan. You better get some sleep."
I shrug his hand off and stomp towards my room. When he's out of earshot I mumble, "Father is a tyrant."
I've never in my life, been called a tyrant before. I believe I'm a fair person who's never once stepped on anyone's rights even after having become the sultan. I suppose she didn't mean for me to hear it but now it feels as if there's a boulder weighing down on my chest, even now as I'm standing with my back against my beloved daughter.
I aimlessly wander around the palace for awhile until I reach a verandah overlooking the town. The sky seems to be brightening. My rule had been completely peaceful until today. Who ever knew that my father's past would come to haunt me.
I can almost see the sun. I stretch my arms and begin some light morning exercise on the verandah. I haven't had any sleep, and a big yawn escapes me, along with it I hear footsteps from behind.
"Serina." I say, the corners of my lips turn up on their own at the sight of my beautiful wife. She looks as if she's just awoken, with hair still slightly disheveled. I reach out a hand to her and she places herself closely beside me.
"Are you okay? You haven't had sleep." She says in her usual almost accusing tone. The faint streaks of sunlight dance and brighten her hazel eyes and I remember the first day I met her.
When I was about seven, a young girl was brought to my father, found half dead on the seashore. My father could never turn away young children and he took her under his wing telling me that one day she'd become my wife, albeit in a joking manner, I fell in love helplessly at her calm demeanor even after experiencing a traumatizing event.
We often played in the palace, and she was all smiles and laughter whenever I was with her. But I'd catch her at times out in the garden facing the sea, with a sad look on her face. I didn't like seeing her like that, but I left her to herself whenever she was there, knowing that I needed to give her space. But I promised myself, that I'd give her all the reasons to be happy.
She never regained her memories of before washing up on shore, but some of the sea merchants said that a traveling ship was hit by lightning the night before she washed up on Mahatmalota's beaches so the most likely conclusion was that she was one of the passengers on that ship.
"Do you remember back when Mikan did everything I said without ever questioning me?" I ask her.
She smiles and then looks at me almost pitifully. "Dear, there was never such a time."
Ah, yes. She's right. "I think you mean, do I remember the times you did everything Mikan would ask you without ever questioning her." She chuckles lightly.
"Is everything okay? I heard her shouting and that's what woke me up."
"It's about a boy I don't want her hanging out with."
Her eyes grow wide, I bet she's trying to dissect everything I just said inside that pretty head of hers.
"Don't tell me you chased away a boy! Oh, Narumi! How could you do that to her?" She said, a scowl now on her face. Her eyes were now fully accusing me.
"He's… He's… a thief, I can't allow our only daughter to associate herself with him, Serina. Besides, you know I've been arranging marriage candidates for her. There are a lot of fine men out there you know."
She still looks at me doubtfully, but decides, I suppose, that it's not the time to argue about it. She sighs, "You know, Mikan's going to talk to me about this, what am I supposed to tell her?"
"That she's not allowed to go looking for him! Serina, you don't understand how seriously dangerous it is for her to be making contact with the gra… a thief!" I suddenly snap.
She looks taken aback. I've never raised my voice at her before and I'm surprised myself.
"Okay, okay. You're extremely wound up now. Go get some sleep." She says, suddenly turning her back to me and walking away.
I heave a heavy sigh and look out at the horizon, the sun low but fully visible, and not a cloud to be seen. It's going to be another long day under the cruel, hot Arabian Sun.
"I know my daughter Persona,"
Sultan Narumi immediately called for his Grand Vizier into his study after giving his instruction to Bruhem to put the young blonde boy into the dungeon prison. Persona stand stiffly to the right of the Sultan's desk, watching him pace back and forth, telling him how important it was to keep the boy away.
"She's going to beg me for the boy's release. And despite what I say, she's going to keep being friends with him."
Persona looks on, he's been used to listening to the Sultan's long monologues that he'd mastered multitasking listening to him and plotting his downfall.
"His existence…his existence might threaten my reign…"
The Sultan suddenly stops his blabbering and pacing, putting a hand over his mouth looking as if he might have said something unnecessary.
At this sentence, Persona snaps out of his fantasies of domination and gives his full attention to the Sultan.
So he isn't as stupid as I thought he was. He knows that there are some things he needs to hide, eh. Too late, I know who that boy is, fool.
The Sultan looks over at Persona worriedly, "I mean… I know it'd be the end of me if Mikan were to run off with him, the thought of her running off with a thief! Plus I've set up these marriage candidates as well."
Persona holds his stiff position, not a change in his facial expression, and the Sultan gives a small sigh of relief. He continues with his monologue.
"But, I know he's just a boy as well. Putting him into prison… well, it seems harsh. And also, him in that prison is easy access for Mikan. Persona, what should I do?"
He slumps in his chair behind the huge desk, signaling the Grand Vizier's turn to give him some advice. Persona shifts his gaze towards the teary eyed Sultan. This, he has also gotten used to, as it is that no matter what the topic of the Sultan's monologue, this would be his exact same expression.
"Well, your highness, I could keep the child as an errand boy. I could hammer some sense into that boy thief. I'll make sure he doesn't come near the Princess either."
The Sultan seems to be thinking it over. He picks up a feather pen, dips it in ink and begins to scribble stick men on a piece of paper. It was also something he did every time he heard out his Grand Vizier, and Persona often wondered whether or not the Sultan had and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
"As long as he never crosses path with Mikan, I think it's a great idea! You'd better keep a close eye on him. I'm counting on you!" He jumps out of his seat to pat Persona hard on the back.
"You better get going then, Persona. I'm sure Mikan will be here any moment."
Persona bows out and excuses himself, a formality he always does no matter how much the Sultan protested.
This is an unexpected development. I'm sure that boy will be very helpful to my plans.
One corner of Persona's lip turns up in a half smile. You'd think it'd look charming, but on him it was only sinister and would send chills up the spine.
He walks straight for the stairwell leading down to the dungeon prison. He hears someone sniffing the snot up their nostrils before he sees Princess Mikan hurriedly going in the direction where he came from.
Well, what do you know. He does know his daughter well. Too bad he can't say the same for me.
Slowly, and almost crow-like, he goes down the stairs. When the guards catch sight of him, they stiffen up, their backs straightening and avert their gazes, seemingly finding something interesting in a direction opposite from where the Grand Vizier stood. They acted more cautiously around him than they did around Sultan Narumi, which was to be expected since Persona always had a menacing aura about him.
He passes the guards and locates the blonde boy slumped on his prison bed, the rabbit in a cage within the cell. Ruuka catches his eye almost immediately,
"Hello, boy. We meet again."