Rin POV
"Where have you been?" Len says, coldly, tightly, staring at me from his sitting position on the bed. He looks up at me, his eyes glowing in the dim light. They flash as he takes in my attire.
"Where. Have you. Been?" He repeats, even more frightening this time. I draw back as I strip of ice cold fear slips down my spine. He stands walks over to me, takes my hand. He fingers it gently, turning it over in his palm, examining the scratches I received from stone walls and the marks from the harness. His hand is warm, but I wish the look in his eyes would disappear. When his eyes flick up to meet mine, he suddenly grabs my waist and drops my hand.
"Rin." He whispers. I shiver, frightened, trying to find my voice. I've never seen him so angry. I clear my throat.
"I was riding, and I wanted to go to the village, to-"
"You went by YOURSELF?" He suddenly roars. I shake my head, but he squeezes me too tightly.
"I took a maid! I just wanted to find out a few things! People-"
He leans his head against my shoulder, halting my protests. "You could have been hurt." He says, his normally beautiful voice strained and taut. I feel bad, remembering the lies from earlier, and his worries, but he has to know what I have heard.
"Len, you have to listen-" He puts his lips on my harshly, demandingly. My eyes widen in surprise and he clutches me closer and kisses me fervently. I almost run out of air, so I push against his chest until he releases me, but he still holds me only inches from him. His eyes are glassy.
"Why did you leave? You could have been hurt. Or worse." His voice breaks and he caresses my cheek gently. Carefully, I slide my hand over his, pulling it down for me to hold reassuringly. I look him in the eyes and try to make my voice even, calming. He has to listen.
"Lady Laura resigned and left today in fear of her safety. People are starving because of bad conditions and high taxes. And someone, or something is egging them on, saying things about us- they are going to revolt." I feel my legs go weak as I remember, and fall against his chest. "They said they were going to end us."
Len's arms go around me, and I look up after a silence to see his face, stunned.
"I didn't know… how did I not? I can't believe…" He shakes his head. "I have to do something." I nod enthusiastically, and his eyes instantly return to me, jolting him out of his shock.
"Rin, it's not safe here." I blink. What is he talking about? Of course it's not.
"What?" I grab the fabric of his sleeves, not letting him go, hoping he will elaborate. He stares at me, eyes furrowed beneath his bangs, and carefully lifts his hand to brush my own bangs aside. I easily lean into the gesture.
"It's not safe here. Who knows when they'll revolt? There might not be enough time for me to help before it happens."
"Soon…" I whisper, lost in my memory. He looks at me strangely and I clear my voice. "The man said it would be soon. The one I heard talking."
"What men? Tell me what happened!" I stare at him reproachfully, taking a small step back. He sighs and takes my hand, pulling me close again.
"I'm sorry Rin. My anger… But don't you know that you are the most precious thing in the world to me?" I shake my head, but he only lifts my chin up with his fingers, kissing me gently. It's sweeter this time, and makes it much easier to forgive him.
We sit on the bed, me in my funny village outfit, him next to me, holding my hand, and I tell him everything that happened today. At the end, he's mad again. But this time, it's a different kind, really not aimed at anyone.
"Rin! How could you put yourself in danger like that! Someone could have recognized you!" He now paces in front of the bed, back and forth. I sit scowling on the bed, like a naughty child or something. I open my mouth, but he's faster.
"And what are we going to do? So soon, and how did this happen?" Len paces faster, panicking. I want to soothe him, but I'm not sure how, and I'm still a bit cross.
"Len-" I start.
"And what are we going to do? It's not safe here, but I must stay here. You must go; I'll have to send you south, maybe to another country for extra safety. I-"
"Wait, what are you talking about?" I interrupt, standing immediately. Sending me away? I glare at him. "Len, I'm staying right here. You are not sending me off anywhere." He turns, and stares back with equal force. I refuse to look away, not letting his insane ideas tempt me.
"Rin, I'm going to do whatever keeps you safe." He says evenly, determined. I narrow my eyes at him, cross my arms, and glare even fiercer, knowing I'm in for a fight. Rather, he reaches out, but I refuse an embrace, not allowing him to persuade me.
"No. I'm staying with you." We stare at each other, I daring him to test my stubbornness. Eventually, he looks away towards the bed, where Melody has been this whole time. Ever growing, she is now twice as big and prowls around the castle, hunting. I don't see her quite as often, but she's still my precious companion, a gift from Len. Seeing her reminds me of when I received her, and it makes my heart ache. Why are we fighting? Doesn't he know what could- or will- happen if we are separated again?
I feel fear's tight noose around my neck, so I decide on another tactic rather than a standoff. I start to undress, pulling a nightgown over my head easily, careful not to glance in Len's direction. Len lights a candle and sits back on the bed. After watching me a little, he puts his head in his hands. I ignore him, and go to the vanity for my brush, confused. What is he thinking? I brush my hair slowly, watching him in the mirror.
When he stands, I do as well, setting down the brush casually and slowly. He walks up, takes my hands. I stare, guarded. He's not making me do this. Instead of saying anything, he merely brushes his lips against my neck, making me giggle automatically and clench our joined hands. He kisses my cheek, his lips brushing towards my ear.
"You're going." He whispers, and I freeze. I immediately try to pull away, but he has my hands tight, pulling me closer. In his arms I feel safe, but now they are a prison. I glare up at him. Why must he anger me? He's being stupid, overprotective Len. He doesn't understand.
"Let me go." I hiss. He cocks an eyebrow, still holding onto me.
"That's exactly what I plan to do. Let you go to safety."
I struggle against his hold even more, hating him right now. Exasperated, I storm, "I'm always safe when I'm with you!" there is a silence except for my struggle, but he suddenly releases me. I stumble from my own pull, and regain my dignity by carefully balancing myself. I glance to him; he is watching me with huge sad eyes.
"Len?" I start, but suddenly feel a flash of my newly regained memories. I see those eyes again, younger, as a small door closes me in the dark safety.
Snapping out of it, I tentatively walk up to him. Wrapping my arms around him, I lean my head up to see him, so he can see me.
"Don't you see?" I whisper, "I just don't want to be separated again. I know what you did and what you want me to do is right, but I don't want to risk it again." Tears prick my eyes, and I try to hold them back, ashamed. "I don't want to lose you either, Len."
At this, he grabs a hold of me tight, burying his face in my hair.
"Why do you make it so hard?" He asks. I smile slightly, pressing back into the gesture.
"You're the one making it hard for yourself, Lenny." He groans, frustrated, but says no more about it or anything else.
However, when I'm drifting off to sleep, I notice him staring off into space, a small frown on his face. As I close my eyes, I see his gaze turn to me, an expression of regret and fear on his face.
Len POV
Sometimes, I hate things in my life. Things I can't control even if I wanted to. The danger of a revolt, famine, and apparently Rin.
She's always been extremely stubborn, but sometimes I wonder why I even try. When I see her sharp eyes, looking fierce at me, I already feel horrible. I don't like causing my dear twin any negative emotions, and to see her angry at me makes me want to beg for forgiveness. Even if she's not reasonable!
She's tricky alright, but I seem to have even more pressing matters on my hands. Early next morning, I rise earlier than usual, not even bothering to wake Rin up for a goodbye. Instead, I head down to my main office as soon as I'm dressed. There, already summoned, stands two people: My most trusted guard Kaito, and the Lord Kardim, who is charge of finances and taxes.
I look neither in the eye as I enter and they bow. Kardim's is flourished and elaborate as a simple bow can be, I note. I sit down in my chair, glancing out the large windows to see the sun just barely noticeable at the edge of the horizon.
I turn my gaze to the men before me, and address Kardim first.
"How are you Lord?" I ask him cheerfully, smiling slightly. Relived, the man smiles delightedly before responding.
"Excellent as always Your Highness!"
"And how are things elsewhere? Everything good?" I ask, a seemingly amused smile pasted on my face. Kardim's smile grows even wider under his small bushy mustache.
"Excellent too of course!" he laughs, not noticing my eyes narrowing at him. I glance towards Kaito, who stares at me. He knows me well.
"Good, good…" I say, quietly. The Lord stops his mirth quickly, noticing my changed tone.
"What is good exactly, if I may be so bold?" I say. "Could you define that for me please?" Kardim fumbles his hat in his hands nervously. Kaito stares straight ahead, emotionless. I raise my eyebrow.
"W-Well, I mean, as for the country, financially, good, I mean, defined-" He stutters, and I feel my anger rise.
"I stand up, hands placed on my desk firmly. "Does it mean that you are fine yourself? Enough to eat, a stay in the palace?" Kardim's face pales even more, making his pasty skin white as a linen sheet. "Does it mean that people throughout the land are hungry? Destitute? Suffering?" Kardim begins to sputter as my voice increases volume and ferocity, already protesting my accusations.
I lean forward even more, my voice cold as ice and spitting hate. "Or does it mean that you sit here, in my office, LYING to me, as people starve to death!" I glare at him, my words still ringing around the room.
Kardim has been reduced to a quivering mass of jelly, thought still tries to stand pompously as his fear clearly shakes in his legs. He thinks I may execute him, but I don't even know if he's worth that. I come around the desk.
"I don't know how long you planned to keep this running, but obviously taxes are too high and people need help if they are starving." I spit, the words still angry. "I suppose you thought I wouldn't find out, but it's a little too late for that." Kardim's face is flushed with embarrassment and anger now.
"My L-Lord-" I grab him by his cravat, lifting him into the air. My arm strains, for he is a portly man, but my gesture holds strong.
"Shut up." I hiss. "You are a lowly snake, procuring safety and comfort for yourself above others. And now, you're going to fix every problem you've caused, and empty out your assets to help the people in need." He nods again and again, and I drop him harshly.
"And it better be done soon. Or else." I look him in the eye, fixating my meaning through my expression. It is carried throughout the deadly silence in the room.
"I-I undersatand, Y-Your Highness." He stands shakily, and I nod to dismiss him. He backs out of the room hesitantly but quickly, like a frightened rabbit.
Once he is gone, I drop into my chair. Kaito stands, uncomfortable.
"Kaito, I need your help." I address, not letting my voice be strained, but feel the pressure wash over me again as I picture all the problems.
"Yes Sir?" Kaito questions. I turn to him, running my hands through my bangs.
"I need you to take me into the nearest village." I say. "I need to investigate a few problems. I meet Kaito's eyes as he stares, his eyebrows raised in surprise.
"Investigate?" He probes. I nod.
"Undercover. It mustn't be known who I am. And since I can't have an army of men around me, I only want to take you for protection. You're capable and loyal."
Kaito nods. "Thank you sir. When shall I have the preparations ready?"
I sigh, remembering time is not my friend. "Two hours. I need to do a few things." He nods and leaves after being dismissed. I turn to the window, the sun high in the morning sky.
I don't want to tell Rin, she will protest. But if I disappear, she will be even more upset. And I can't lie to her. Even if she lied to me. I sigh. I didn't tell Kaito, but I plan to find the man who was hinted at in Rin's eavesdropping and to squash the uprising quickly, without fighting.
I think of time, the fleeting goddess, and head to Rin's room immediately. Better now than later, I guess.
She's still sleeping when I get there, her arms lying across the space I had earlier occupied. Her face is peaceful, her strands of gold hair strewn across the pillow and her pink cheeks.
I kick off my boots and sit next to her on the bed. If only she didn't have such a temper. And such a stubborn streak.
I rest my hand on her arm, noting how silky her skin is. "Rin." I call quietly, trying to wake her gently. She stirs but does not wake to my chagrin. I lean over, and brush my lips against her lightly before pressing in a little more passionately. Motionless at first, her soft lips begin to respond as she wakes to my kiss. She smiles into the kiss as she opens her eyes, and I pull away to see her pretty smile. It too, can be fleeting.
"Len!" she tones happily, lifting her arms up. Grabbing them, I gently assist her in sitting up as she wraps them around me, and with a sigh, rests against me.
"Good Morning, Princess." She giggles quietly, and with one hand rubs her eyes, still glazed from sleep.
"Why are you dressed?" She asks, observant as always. I clear my throat.
"I had some early business to take care of." She straightens, her hands pushing from my forearms for steadiness. She looks me in the eye, a fretful expression clouding her pretty features.
"Len-" she starts, remembering our conversations and problems of last night, but I stop her.
"Rin, I'm going to go investigate the uprising you spoke of today." I announce firmly, praying she won't argue. But I already see her eyebrows dropping, narrowing into worry and protest. I quickly add: "I'll be home by dinner, I just came to say goodbye." I stand, firmly taking her arms from their grip, trying to make a speedy escape. I am already halfway across the room when she speaks:
"I'm going with you." I stop in my tracks and turn. She stands there defiantly by the bed, her nightgown clinging to her small figure in the morning light, which makes her hair shine gold. Her blue eyes are snaps of bright color in the midst of her porcelain skin.
"Absolutely not." I proclaim. She crosses her arms.
"I am. I can help, and I want to make sure you're safe." I exhale exasperatedly. What is she going to do, throw herself in front of an attacking sword or something?
"You'll make me worry even more about you!" I cry. She frowns, her pink lips grimacing.
"I can take care of myself! I did fine yesterday!" I shake my head, there is no arguing with her.
"Forget about it Rin, I'm not putting you in the line of incoming fire." I walk out then, knowing she won't dare run out into the hallway in just her nightgown. Her maid passes me in the hallway, glancing worriedly at my expression.
I head to my office first, then to the barracks where Kaito is waiting for me. I change, then we grab horses on our way out. Kaito leads, and I follow him through Rin and I's meadow. I glance up to spot her window as we leave.
I love you. Stay safe, I think before we begin to ride our horses at a run, towards the village and away from the palace.
A/N
Hey guys! So I've planned, the rest of the story out, and after this, there will be only two more chapters :( So gearing up for that! I will keep updating regularly to the best of my abilities! Thank you again for reading, and an especially big thank you to reviewers, especially especially the frequent ones! Hugs all around!
Another thing is that you guys seemed to think something very bad was waiting for Rin... XD I'm sorry to leave such a cliffhanger! Nope, just Len! XD
Anyways~
Thefithalice~
Thank you! Oh, I'm sorry, I don't mean to make you nervous! Don't worry, neither of them will die XD I have a horrible tendency to produce happy endings! Servant of Evil was so sad... I wouldn't want to make anyone cry like I did when I saw that TAT Although I must admit that the next chapters probably won't be very happy :(
Glad you enjoyed! It was essential for the plot, and I thought it was time to reveal and explain a bit ^^; I take so long to do things like that!
Ah! I apologize for not making it clear. In Rin's Point of view, she actually falls asleep for a while. I checked, but didn't mention it, stupid me. That's why it seems shorter, even though it spans the whole night and most of the morning. As for the corpse thing, They don't gather the corpses to search them-that would take forever- they just have the soldiers go to where they lay and search them there, so they dont have to go carrying them around. The reason there is a pile of them in the room where Len is interrogated is because they are important people of or close to the royal family, like his parents, which is why his mother is mentioned. Also to keep tabs on who's dead to make sure they got them all. But they didn't!
Sorry, long explanation is long . And thank you again!
Red258~ She's ok! Besides, Rin's pretty tough. But the next chapter, there will be some...things that are a bit scarier... .
Kagaminevii~ XD Just Len!
I'm sorry it can't go on forever... I love writing each story... aw you're sweet! I will, inspiration has GOT to strike me by then! XD
Lunag6~ You were right! Clever ;D Aw thank you!
Maximum Phantomhive~ Interesting idea! Thank you for the contribution, I will definitely consider it. Thank you!
Eheheh I know... But for some reason, I get horrible giggle fits whenever I think of writing something pervyish, and I highly doubt it would be any good so... XD
Aw thanks! I like that line too... I likes the mushy stuff *0*
Thank you again! You have a twin? Like a real life one?