Author's Note: Hope it wasn't too long of a wait for you. I didn't anticipate the last chapter being such a cliffhanger. I'd apologize for that, but I think it's all part of the thrill, right? ;D Enjoy~! Constructive Criticism is always welcomed.
Ceteris Paribus
Chapter Seventeen: Little Puppet on a String
"He passes my scrutiny; his job is done."
Mako stilled. "But – I thought –"
"He has now out lived his usefulness, and as such, has no further value here," the King answered with the same tone one would use to explain a simple subject to a child. "I wagered that placing such a slave in your care would eventually garner your sympathies – break down that seemingly impenetrable wall you have wrapped around yourself like a chastity belt. And I was right." The King gave a deft flick of his wrist. "Take him away."
A trio of guards moved toward Takeru, but halted when Mako planted herself in front of him with a glare that stopped them cold. "You used him to get me to – to perform?! That's what his placement here was all about?" Mako looked ready to spit fire.
The King paused, taking measure of her. "You are all too easy to predict for all of your eccentric habits." He sneered. "You present yourself as untouchable as a marble statue yet you protect your sister with a fierceness that keeps even my most troublesome wives at bay. Even your attendant, that son of your mother's servant, is offered a protection by your hand that leaves some of your siblings bristling." He shrugged nonchalantly. "It was a simple matter to deduce that purposely planting someone you would feel the need to protect in your midst would pull the same reaction from you. All the better that such a person was someone I was having a rather…difficult time with myself, despite my best efforts."
Mako looked stunned and outraged at the same time, causing her father to give himself a tight smile of satisfaction. "Everyone has a weakness, daughter, even you." He nodded towards his guards who attempted to reach out for Takeru but Mako backed up closer to him, her small frame offering little physical protection, but causing the guards to pause once more, wary of laying a hand on her themselves.
Seeing their struggle the King snarled at Mako. "Do not tell me that you have actually become attached to this filth!"
"He's mine," Mako bit out. "Don't touch him."
Takeru felt his heart skip a beat at the possessiveness of Mako's tone, but his jaw muscles ached from the strain of not lashing out at the king with his own tongue. It was taking all of his efforts not to grab her and shove her behind him instead; all of this went against every ingrained protective instinct of his own.
All trace of amusement had vanished from the King's face. "Quaint, daughter, very entertaining," his tone said it was anything but. "This grows old quickly however." He glared at his guards. "Take him now."
"But Sire – She – we don't dare touch –" one man finally ventured to stutter, his alarm evident at being torn between the wrath of his King and the severe penalties that could be incurred upon him for laying a hand on the First Princess of the Court.
"Move you fool," the King hissed as he stalked forward, his guards stumbling in their haste to get out of his way as the king wrenched Mako away by her wrist, shoving her to the side so hard that in her stumble she collided with a table, scattering Agnitio pieces across the floor. Mako cried out from the surprise and sudden pain.
In that instant the king let out a roar of rage and agony, clutching his own wrist and he took a few hurried steps back toward the center of the room. He glared at the young man standing protectively over his daughter with a mixture of elation coupled with intense hatred.
"Keep your hands off her," Takeru warned, his voice nearly too quiet to hear in its intensity.
"Takeru – no!" Mako's eyes were wide with terror, her face pale.
"Well, daughter," the King addressed her though his eyes never left Takeru's. "You have proven your worth after all. It appears that he has become rather…fond of you." His grin was wicked in its malice. "I can make tremendous use of that for what little time he has left." With a sharp nod of his head the guards advanced on Takeru once more.
Mako reached out to grasp for the back of Takeru's tunic but her fingers slid too quickly over the fabric as he was wrenched forward, struggling in their grasp. She turned to her father, near desperate now. "Father, please –"
"Don't disappoint me by finishing that sentence, not when I am finally pleased with your value." His eyes were cruel. "Don't worry, daughter, I shall find you another slave to occupy your time while I finalize your marriage contract to Almanzor."
Mako's head began to spin, bile rising in her throat.
"Oh yes," he assured her softly, "Almanzor will be quite pleased with you now that we are certain that you can hold his attention with your allure as you did with your slave. And while I think he would have enjoyed the challenge of breaking that pride and dignity you wore like a badge of honor, I'm more than convinced that he will be content with your newfound vulnerability. It will make you much more…malleable."
Mako looked past her father to see Takeru's eyes burning hatred into the King's back.
Following her gaze the King turned with what might have meant to be a charming smile but was lost in the glee of twisted cruelty. "What? No words of defense for her now?" He shook his head. "We can't have you clamming up again now that my daughter has so delightfully loosened your tongue."
Takeru's jaw ached from his self-restraint but his eyes showed their intent clearly.
The King drew close, his eyes lighting up in anticipation. "Go ahead, continue to struggle, to resist," he invited. "But know that for every minute of trouble you give me or my men, is another minute of pain that I will unleash on her." His soft smile was dark. "Almanzor has no qualms against his bride being presented in less than perfect condition so long as the damage can be hidden for the official ceremony."
Takeru's glare of deepest loathing was enough of an answer but he finally stopped struggling, allowing himself to be dragged out of the room and down the halls. He didn't dare look back – refusing to see the horror on Mako's face lest it be the last image he held of her.
The King glanced back into Mako's rooms with one last triumphant grin before he was waltzing out the door, fast on his guards' heels, the last man out of the room shutting the door behind him tightly.
With the sound of her door snapping shut, Mako's legs gave out from underneath her. She breathed unevenly, her eyes blurring and her stomach churning as she fought for control.
A sudden, dull noise caught her ears and she focused on it, desperately scratching for something to distract her. She looked up to see Chiaki, every muscle tight, his fist having obviously pounded into the wall.
"Damn it," he seethed. With a string of curses he continued to pound into the wall.
"Go," Mako breathed, her voice catching in odd places. "Find someone – anyone."
He turned to stare at her, the slightest bit of guilt creeping into his eyes as he beheld the sight of her – shaken to her very core.
Her limbs trembled but Mako pushed against the nearly overwhelming desire to breakdown into sobs of despair as she held Chiaki's gaze. "Go," she insisted, her voice cracking. "There's no reason for my father to insist you stay here and watch over me anymore! Leave, now!"
Without the slightest trace of further hesitation Chiaki was out the door at as clipped of a pace as he could manage without causing unwanted attention, slipping into the shadows with hardly a sound.
Left truly alone Mako's shakes turned into tremors, her body as cold as ice, she sat trapped in the whirlwind of watching her world come crashing down around her and being powerless to stop it. She quickly bit down on her fist to keep the screams and hysteria bottled inside.
Unaware of the passing of time aside from her erratically beating heart, Mako nearly jumped out of her skin when her door slammed open. She watched in disbelief as Kotoha all but flew to her sister's side, instantly wrapping her into a tight, warm hug.
"It'll be okay Mako," she told her, repeating it like a mantra. "Everything will work out; it's going to be okay."
Mako clutched at her sister's warmth, letting it seep into her frozen veins.
"Hime," Ryunosuke, having entered the room right on Kotoha's heels, laid a hand on her shoulder, drawing her attention. "You have to move."
"Move?" The word fumbled on her numb lips.
"Things are moving now – fast," his tone was urgent, pleading and demanding in the same breath. "We have little time to spare if we're going to salvage this plan."
"Plan?"
"There was – is," he amended, "a plan that is in motion as we speak." Ryunosuke looked around fervently, grasping a small bag that lay in a corner and thrust it at Kotoha. She took the durable bag automatically but her eyes read confusion. Ryunosuke stalked over to the door, peeked outside it, scrutinizing the shadows, before securing it tightly behind him. "We have to move Hime," he insisted, his voice tight. "Pluvia's armies and allies are at our doors even now; they await only Takeru's signal before they attack."
Ryunosuke's words were enough to shock Mako out of her stupor. "They what?! When did they get here? How!?"
Her friend and ally was already shaking his head. "There isn't time Hime." He turned to Kotoha. "Gather a few things from her room that you don't think she could part with or may be valuable in the marketplace, things that wouldn't be noticeable as from the palace but could be sold to survive on the streets if necessary."
Kotoha's face was pale but she nodded, her mouth set into a firm line as she disappeared into Mako's rooms.
"Ryunosuke," Mako's voice was tremulous, her head spinning from the free fall of events that had crashed upon her already.
He grimaced at the uncertainty of her voice but took her by the shoulders firmly, all but dragging her to her feet. "I know," he assured her, "I know this isn't fair to you, that so much has already been asked of you already." He winced. "And I know you're uncertain about what lies between you and Takeru right now, but you are the only one who can salvage this plan Hime." His eyes bore into hers. "You must put away your doubts to save him. You have to save Takeru."
Mako could only blink in response. "But Father –"
"The King has been distracted by commotions from the peasants at the front gate – he will have left Takeru underground, in the prison cells with only a few guards to watch over him." Ryunosuke cringed. "After the display of affection between the two of you he no longer sees Takeru as any kind of threat. He needs only to threaten him with your imminent harm and Takeru will give up struggling against the King."
Mako wasn't sure if she wanted to cry or scream. "I was such an idiot." Her voice was quiet but hard. "I fell right into his trap; caught on the marionette's strings and danced like the doll he always wanted." Her fists clenched in the fabric of her clothes at her sides. "And now others are paying the price for my mistakes – for being so blinded by the fact that I was playing such a dangerous game right under the King's own nose. When all along the King was grinning like a fool at my flailing attempts to break free from his control."
She started when Ryunosuke gripped her shoulders tightly. "The King has always underestimated you," he insisted. "He hasn't the slightest clue about how intelligent you truly are Hime, that with your own hand you have helped to bring his enemies right to his very own door – unprepared and unawares to have even the remotest chance to strike back!" He glanced over at Kotoha who nodded that she had gathered everything she needed.
"You've defied him every step of your life," Ryunosuke continued. "You formed true bonds of friendship with your sister, with me, with the servants, even with the prince of the King's hated enemy! Those bonds of loyalty and affection are outside his comprehension. He cannot predict what you will do to protect those you hold so dear or what we will do to protect you."
Mako looked at her childhood friend, stunned into silence by his words. She looked over at Kotoha as her sister placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"We love you Mako," Kotoha added. "And we know you love us."
"The King has never loved anyone," Ryunosuke furthered. "He only cares for his own happiness – his own life." He smiled tightly. "Prove to him that you are your mother's daughter, show him who you are by doing what you know in your heart is right, even if you're not sure it's what you want for yourself."
Mako started, realizing what Ryunosuke was trying to say and she felt her gut clench in sudden anticipation, even as her restricted lungs finally began to breathe for the first time since the King had forced his way into her rooms – her life – once again.
"You want me to go to the cells and free Takeru," she murmured, "to help guide him back to his people, his home – a home that is as far away from this nightmare here with us as possible."
Sympathy radiated from Ryunosuke even as he nodded. She closed her eyes tightly, breathing past the cry of loss that threatened to push its way past her lips.
Stop this, she scolded herself. You knew this day would come, knew he would have to leave – that he couldn't stay here and live.
To forsake his people and all that he stands for to remain in this place…you would never be able to live with yourself. How could you ask someone to stay when you yourself want nothing more than to fly free without a second glance behind?
Isn't that what this has partly been about? To escape? To break free from this nightmare, knowing you did everything in your power to help those you care for before you go? To give Kotoha, Ryunosuke, all the people living in this land a chance for happiness? The possibility of a better life?
Besides, she thought forlornly, you can't ask someone to wait for you when you're not even certain you will survive long enough to see its conclusion, let alone the aftermath. The least you can do is to give them an opening – an opportunity for a better life… To give Takeru that chance, to give him that freedom.
"Mako?" Kotoha's voice softly prompted her out of her thoughts.
Mako eyed her two closest companions with fresh determination, drawing herself up to her full height. "Alright," she agreed. "What do we do?"
Takeru stumbled before crashing to the unforgiving ground below him, his balance too encumbered by the manacles still locked around his limbs to catch his fall as his handlers shoved him back into the dark pit of a cell he had come to hope he had permanently escaped from.
He'd forgotten that only fool's hope existed in this place, and more often than not that rash hope got you killed.
"Enjoy your stay," the King's guard smirked from behind the bars as they were shut with a loud clang that reverberated through Takeru's head. "However short it may be." Without another glance back the man dumped the jailers' keys into the hands of another guard before taking his leave.
"What'sa matter?" The guard grinned. "Did her ladyship get you all hot and bothered and then dump you like the sack of donkey droppings you are?" He spit through the bars and his grin widened when Takeru glared back in hatred.
"Guess the rumors are true then, eh? Little princess loosened you right up." He chuckled lewdly. "Maybe some quiet time alone will cool that temper of yours. But don't worry, we won't leave you by your lonesome too long; can't have you buttoning up that mouth of yours now, can we?" His eyes glinted hungrily in the firelight from the lone torch in his hand, the only light to be found in those depths. "We'll have you screaming more than just her name when we're through with you. Make no mistake about it; the King's given us special orders to make you sing before it's over."
The guard turned on his heel, retreating into the darkness as black as his heart, taking the sole source of light with him and plunging all else into eternal shadows.
Taking careful stock of himself, Takeru rose to his hands and knees reaching out blindly but carefully for the wall until, finding it, he propped himself up against it with a wince. His handlers hadn't exactly been gentle with him in their journey, but a few cuts and bruises weren't anything new here.
He muttered a silent oath, his hands fisting in his lap as he cursed the guards, the King and the entire blasted kingdom of Aduro. He wanted nothing more in this moment than to watch it all burn to the ground around their stupid grinning mouths.
Takeru's head fell back and hit the wall with a soft bump. The timing of his current predicament couldn't have come at a worse time. The wretched king couldn't wait one more day?
He sighed. It appeared the fates must truly be against him and this asinine mission, one that seemed to cause as many problems as it would eventually solve. He frowned as moments from the past few hours filtered through his mind in rapid succession before focusing on a handful of events and one individual in particular.
"Mako," he breathed her name on a regretful sigh.
The look of absolute betrayal on her face when he had affirmed what she'd already so cleverly surmised from the note's contents had felt like he was dragging a knife across his own heart as the loss filled her eyes and spilled over down her face. And yet –
She had returned, even then still willing to hear him out, to allow him to explain and then her thrice-cursed father had to show his sneering face with impeccable timing. Proving once again how little Takeru was able to do to protect her, even when she was standing right in front of him.
He called himself all manner of degrading names for failing her once again.
Eventually he let his mind drift, wondering if the rebellion had begun in earnest yet and if it had, how long he would live once the king realized what was truly going on and who could have had a hand in starting it. From there it was simply a matter of a snap order given to slay Takeru in this very cell without further delay to prevent the rebels from allowing him to escape in the midst of the chaos.
A dim glow caught his eyes, followed all too closely by the sounds of rough laughter.
His jailer had returned as promised and with friends to accompany him this time.
Takeru stumbled to his feet, unwilling to take the taunting lying down. He'd face whatever insults and cajoling they threw at him under the power of his own two feet, long past carrying about any 'shows of defiance.'
His end was imminent anyways.
And he be damned if he wasn't going to defy this tyrant to the bitter end.
"Are you sure this is going to work Ryunosuke?" Mako asked for the third time, her panic overriding most all else as she worked to walk at a purposeful pace instead of a dead sprint.
"Do you trust me?" Ryunosuke finally asked instead of answering.
"Of course," she blinked, slightly taken aback by the uncertainty in his voice. "With my life."
"Then trust me on this," he insisted, more than a little relieved that there had been no hesitancy in her prompt answer. "It'll work."
Mako worried her lip all the same. "I'm concerned about Kotoha."
"She'll be safe in your rooms Hime. We needed to make sure someone was still there in case Chiaki or Genta returned."
Mako shot her long-time friend a look. "Ryunosuke, I need you to do a favor for me."
"Anything."
"I need you to lead Takeru out of here."
Ryunosuke nodded absently, his eyes continuously sweeping along the halls to make sure they were not overheard or noticed. "Of course," he agreed. "I'll see him to just behind the walls and then come back and meet you –"
"No."
This time Ryunosuke blinked in surprise. "No?"
Mako's face was set. "I need you to lead him all the way; make sure he reaches his camp and stay with him."
Ryunosuke came to an immediate halt in the middle of the sandstone colored halls. "I don't understand, Hime, why –"
Mako's gaze flitted around quickly before she dragged him into a hidden alcove along the passageway. "Someone has to make sure he arrives there safely or else this will all be for naught," her voice was low in its intensity. "With the chaos that is surely surrounding the palace we wouldn't be sure if he made it." Her eyes bore into his. "He needs to make it Ryunosuke."
"I agree it's best if he arrives largely safe and unharmed through the fighting and crowds, but what–"
"Please Ryunosuke," Mako couldn't hold back the beseeching tone in her voice. Her eyes fell to study the growing shadows around her feet as her next words slipped out in a whisper. "I need to know he arrived safely."
"Hime," Ryunosuke started then bit his tongue. He sighed heavily before nodding albeit reluctantly.
"Okay," he agreed, Mako's eyes flitted up to his in slight disbelief that he wasn't arguing or pushing against it as vehemently as she had feared. "I'll do it."
He frowned slightly as he studied her before his hands drifted up and tentatively rested upon her shoulders. Mako started at the casual contact, her eyes widening in surprise. "Just promise me that you will be careful."
Mako smiled softly, noting that he hadn't made her promise to come out of all of this alive. They knew it wasn't a vow either could ensure wouldn't be broken. What they were doing was suicidal. "I will do my best," she told him, her arms slipping up to embrace her trusted and valued comrade gently.
It was Ryunosuke's turn to start in surprise but he returned her embrace briefly before stepping out of it, feeling the sand slipping through the hourglass all too quickly. "Ready to set fire to a war?" He asked with a small, grim smile.
"Ready to finish one," Mako's smile was small but honest for the exhaustion laced in its depths.
Ryunosuke's hand gripped the iron handle of the door before him firmly, ready to yank it open before tensing momentarily.
"What is it?" Mako kept her voice low, not wanting to attract attention now that they were so close and a small part of her wondering at how they had managed to get so far unopposed.
"I'd rather you didn't go down there with me Hime, it's not pleasant," Ryunosuke warned.
Mako's lips hardened into a firm line. "We don't have a choice," she reminded him. "They'll let me close to him if we play our hands right; given the right motivation and status they'd be hard-pressed to deny me what I ask."
Ryunosuke sighed. "I know. It's just – it's a place I would have preferred you not to have seen in your lifetime."
Mako opened her mouth to argue that their lives hadn't been picturesque visions of beauty, that she could handle whatever was on the other side of that door, but snapped it shut when she realized that while she had seen and experienced many horrid things in her life, this too was another box of nightmares, one that Ryunosuke only wished she needn't add to her ever-growing list. "Thank you," she whispered instead.
He studied her for a quiet moment before nodding to himself and opening the door.
Mako stifled her gasp at the faint smell that rushed up to meet them – stale from a lack of air movement and pungent with the stench of unwashed bodies, festering wounds, septic blood, bitter tears and tortured souls. Her hand clutched at the fabric above her heart as she stared down into the darkness of the pit before her, the rough-cut stones all but disappearing in the damp, dank shadows.
It looked and felt like stepping into hell – into death itself.
How anyone stayed sane for any amount of time in this place was beyond her, but as a small voice in her head reminded her, most didn't live long enough to succumb to full insanity. Those who died of their gaping wounds and broken bodies were the lucky ones.
Ryunosuke glanced back at her with a grimace but she only shook her head and made to follow as he loosened a scone from the wall and lit an unused torch from a small row of them placed near the door for just such a purpose. With more assurance than he felt, Ryunosuke began to make his way into the encroaching darkness.
Mako paused at the top of the landing. "What was that?"
Ryunosuke stopped, the flickering light from the torch in his hands sending odd shadows across his face. "What was what?"
"That sound."
"What sound?"
"There it is again!"
Ryunosuke stilled, his ears straining as he realized Mako's gaze was looking back down the hallway, not toward the yawning depths of the dungeon at their feet. A faint metallic clash entered his hearing, followed by an indistinct yell and his eyes widened in panic. "They're already here."
Mako frowned in confusion. "Who's already here?"
"After you fled your rooms Takeru sent Genta toward the allies to await his signal so that they could be let inside the palace. When Chiaki came tearing into Kotoha's rooms after Takeru had been taken I sent him after Genta to let him know." He grimaced. "They must have thought that the best course of action was to act immediately in the hopes that they could use the element of surprise to their advantage and distract the King and his men."
Mako nodded her understanding, turning swiftly from the door and snapping it shut behind her firmly. "Then we have precious little time to finish what we set out to do before the guards take notice of the commotion and make their own judgments regarding the captive leader of said group." She grabbed fistfuls of her skirt with one hand and waved Ryunosuke on with the other. "Hurry! We don't have the luxury of keeping quiet now."
The two scrambled down the stone stairway, the dark and dank pressing in from them on all sides, the hallways dim in lighting, so sparse throughout the walk, giving the illusion that they were in an endless twilight and making it impossible to tell the passage of time.
Mako felt the overwhelming smells and darkness pressing in on her lungs, near suffocating her with the horrifying images they brought to mind.
And then the moaning began.
The indistinct, nearly inhuman sounds of pain that escaped through parched, bleeding and swollen lips, a sound that was exhaled from the lungs in blissful unconsciousness from the lucky ones too far gone now to recall what light was, had forgotten what it meant to live, embracing the all-encompassing darkness to escape the never-ending pain of being alive.
Mako's hurried footsteps faltered as she staggered against a wall at her side. Her arm braced her from giving in to her shaking knees as she breathed past the human atrocities surrounding her on all sides. Nausea swam in her stomach and she had to swallow hard against the bile that was threatening to make itself known.
"Hime," Ryunosuke murmured, grasping her gently by the elbow and pulling her away from the cold wall, one that had felt like it was freezing the very marrow in her bones, draining all warmth from her body and replacing it with ice water.
"I'm okay," she gasped.
"No you're not," he whispered back a little harshly. "No one in their right minds is 'okay' down here."
She tripped once or twice, her footing still a little unsteady but she allowed him to lead her along the flickering tunnels, the darkness threatening to eat their sole source of light alive and without mercy. "How do the guards stand it down here?" She asked after she was sure her stomach contents would stay where they belonged.
"The ones with any shreds of humanity left keep their sojourns down here as brief and efficient as possible. The others," he frowned, the shadows playing on his face turning his features into something dark, "they thrive in it."
Cruel laughter and harsh voices sounded from up ahead, dim grasping fingertips of light reaching around a corner.
"Come on, princeling," one voice sneered. "You must've had a good time. Why not give us some details, eh? If they're worth our time maybe we'll even consider givin' you a last meal. How's that sound?"
"Pretty face like his, it's no wonder the Princess allowed 'im so close."
"Don't know if I'd ever allow a daughter of mine to be so intimate with a slave, especially a foreign one. Who knows what kind of diseases he brought with him."
Ryunosuke's grip tightened on Mako's arm, causing her to wince and look over at him with the mind to ask him to let go when she stilled. His face, so pale in the darkness was white with livid fury, his already frayed nerves stretched too far, ready to snap. Making a quick decision she laid her hand atop his, garnering his attention, before dragging him over to an empty space along the wall.
"Calm down," she breathed, not wanting to be noticed just yet.
"Hime," Ryunosuke seethed, his lips barely moving from the strain of keeping his jaw locked so tight.
"Ryunosuke," she reprimanded smartly, her voice barely above a whisper. "You know that's how they talk. Let it be. I haven't cared about their opinions before and I won't start now." Her eyes held his with a swell of determination, her jaw set stubbornly. "We can use this, encourage it to get what we want."
"I will not have them thinking of you as a common slattern!"
Mako's smile was quiet. "Then what have we been leading everyone to think these past weeks when we were trying so desperately to keep Takeru alive and out of the King's clutches?"
Ryunosuke's mouth gaped open and closed, searching in vain for a retort and coming up with nothing.
"Besides," Mako murmured. "One supposed liaison is hardly going to smear my reputation when held in comparison to some of the King's other offspring." Her eyes flitted to the sounds of jeering and felt her lips curl slightly in disgust at their lewd words. "We can use it. Let them wonder. If they're all too eager for details then they will hardly be paying too close attention to all else." She met Ryunosuke's eyes meaningfully.
He read the resolve in her eyes and sighed quietly. "We'll be going with the second plan then?"
Mako's answering grin was almost feral. "Let's smoke the rats out."
He met hers in equal caliber. "They won't know what hit them."
With a nod she waved Ryunosuke on ahead of her, steeling herself with a steadying breath before following a couple paces behind at a leisurely stroll.
It took a few moments after they rounded the corner for one of the four guards surrounding Takeru's cell to notice their approach.
"Who's there? What business is it of yours to be here?"
Ryunosuke continued to approach even as the guards laid a hand upon the scabbards at their waists, ready to draw their swords in an instant. He looked at the guards with a mixture of authority and near boredom, though how they missed the disdain in his eyes was anyone's guess. "The First Princess of Aduro approaches," Ryunosuke announced in a clear voice that somehow still didn't carry further than the hall they were in.
"The Princess – how?"
"Why would she –"
They threw each other worried glances of confusion before Mako's voice spoke up from behind Ryunosuke's with all the royal aloofness of one who was used to getting her way. "Is there a problem here, Ryunosuke?"
"Princess!" The guards all cried out in utter shock before hurriedly bowing before her.
One guard, probably the one in charge she presumed, looked up at her, questions and curiosity written across his face. "What brings you so far as to journey down here, Princess?"
Mako let her fingers trail lightly along the cold iron bars next to her, glancing discreetly inside at Takeru, warning with her eyes not to make a sound. She glanced beseechingly back at the guard through her eyelashes. "I was hoping for one last dalliance with my favorite favor before his death." She let her lips fall into a slight pout. "I wasn't quite finished with him yet when Father dragged him away. Can't I just have one last time?"
By now the guards had cottoned on to her implications and were elbowing each other behind their leader with lecherous grins. Mako did her best not to fidget as said leader scrutinized her closely.
"This really isn't the place for that," the man replied slowly, hesitant to deny the First Princess of the Court lest she should take her complaints back to the king and have him beheaded for an outright refusal. "We would hate to see you get hurt or ill down here from the filth in these accommodations."
Mako lowered her head with a small frown, letting her veil cover her face before shooting Ryunosuke a sharp look. She reluctantly stood up straighter, releasing her gentle hold on the cold, unforgiving metal bars and sashayed closer to the guards, garnering their complete and immediate attention, allowing Ryunosuke to motion hastily to Takeru to cover his mouth and nose. With a look of absolute confusion he obeyed the silent command, still completely baffled as to the whole affair, watching as Ryunosuke added something to the torch he still held in his hand.
Almost at once a sweet, cloying scent permeated the air.
"I understand," Mako responded, her features forlorn as she paused in front of the head guard. She reached out tentatively with her fingers and traced a delicate line down the man's forearm. "Thank you for always looking out for me and my family. For keeping us safe."
"It-it's my pleasure, Prin-ncess," he managed to stutter out as she gazed up at him alluringly.
"Perhaps," Mako's voice dropped seductively, "you might know of a place a bit more comfortable? Somewhere where we," she made sure to meet his eyes with an encouraging intensity, "could enjoy each other's presence." She smiled coyly. "As a thank you for all of your hard work, of course."
The guards were grinning fully now behind their leader even as they began to sway on their feet, their eyelids drooping further with each passing second.
"I-I, tha-that is, your Princess, w-we?" Was all the man could manage as the scent that filled the air leached into his body and muddled his already whirling head from Mako's sudden advances.
Mako nodded with what looked like amusement on her lips, though her eyes were hard when he reached out shakily to touch her wrist. "I'm sure it would be a most pleasant engagement for us both."
The head guard smile dopily as if unable to believe his luck before his fingers slipped from her skin and he fell onto the heap of his men at her feet.
Mako scowled down at the men, rubbing away harshly at the place where his sweaty, fumbling grip had been, backing away from the unconscious group as fast as her legs would carry her. Her stomach was rolling with nausea that she fought to contain as Ryunosuke nimbly navigated his way through the bodies, locating the key ring on the head guard's belt loop and relieving him of them.
Takeru's eyes were still wide, not quite sure if this was real or a hallucination even as Ryunosuke rushed over with keys in hand as Mako blew out the torch Ryunosuke handed her and threw it casually aside.
She motioned that it was safe to breathe again. "Don't worry; it's most potent only when lit." She glanced at the unconscious guards in disgust. "Its effects will wear off soon, but we should have time enough."
"Mako?" He blinked rapidly at her though the iron bars of his prison. "What are you doing here?"
"I thought that'd be obvious," her teasing smile was small but present nonetheless as the keys clamored and clanged against one another, the well-oiled locks sliding smoothly in release.
Takeru's eyes never left hers as Ryunosuke stole into the damp cell, flipping rapidly through the keys as he found the one to release the manacles around Takeru's wrists, ankles and neck.
Mako watched with intense satisfaction as the horrid metallic jewelry fell with a clatter to the stone floor. "Your men are already on the move," she told him, her voice low in the stifling dark and quiet though no one was near or conscious enough to hear. "The overthrow has already begun."
Completely free from the heavy metal bindings at last Takeru heaved a relieved sigh and followed Ryunosuke's lead out of the cell. He stopped a little distance from Mako, as of yet still unsure about his reception in her presence.
With a melancholic smile Mako took the last couple of steps needed to cover the distance between them, holding out her hands as she did so. When he slipped his hands into hers she met his eyes sadly. "You have to go," she whispered. "Follow Ryunosuke, he'll lead you out as quickly and safely as humanly possible."
Takeru's eyes searched hers for a moment. "Mako, I –"
She shook her head, "There isn't time. You have to leave. Now."
A million questions and emotions surfaced inside him at once but all he could do was place his hands firmly, gently on either side of her face and kiss her, time stopping for one breathless instant.
"Come with me," he whispered against her lips.
Mako's eyes began to fill, her hands gently resting on his. "I can't. I have to find Kotoha."
"We can find her together –"
"No," her voice was low but insistent. "You have to go." She grasped his hands softly in her own and brought them down, creating space between them but still holding on for just one precious moment longer. "You have to go with Ryunosuke to find your people Takeru. End this bloodshed as fast as you can; free us all from this tyranny."
His eyes watched hers for a long time – each of them memorizing the other's face, wondering if it would be the last time they ever beheld it.
"Now go. I, Shiraishi Mako, Frist Princess of the Court of Aduro release you, Shiba Takeru, of the Country of Caelestis Via…," she smiled gently, "of Ten no Michi." She squeezed his hands tightly in hers. "Go, with my blessing."
He nodded solemnly, his eyes reading how much more he wanted to say, but instead did as she asked and turned around without another word, racing into the shadows with Ryunosuke and vanishing from her sight around another bend in the passageway.
"Go," she whispered, "go with my blessing."
A single tear found its way down the side of her face unnoticed as she continued to stare into the darkness in which the pair had disappeared. "And with my heart."