Alright folks, here's chapter 2! (For the record, the location this story takes place in is fictional; no real world countries.)
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15 years later…
Rukia was pacing nervously around her room, trying to get her nerves under control before her coronation. She'd just turned 18 a few days ago, and the according to the laws of the land it was her responsibility as the eldest child of the king and queen to step up as acting monarch.
To say she was terrified of doing this so suddenly after nearly fifteen years of isolation would be putting it lightly.
If she could, she'd hand the responsibility off to Orihime...if not for the fact that her sister tended to be a bit scatterbrained and clumsy most of the time, at least according to what the servants told her.
Still, there was nothing she could do now. Her parents would have been proud of her, going through with this despite the anxiety that threatened to cripple her.
She hoped...
One of the servants knocked on the door, "Princess Rukia, are you ready?"
"Yes, I'll be out in a minute," she called back, managing to keep the fear from her voice.
Having bought herself a few more minutes, Rukia went to her closet and retrieved a wooden sword she kept there. She held the sword to her chest, one hand holding the hilt and the other resting along the blade, and imagined she was at her coronation, standing in front of all her subjects. Even just the thought of all their eyes focused on her made her immediately anxious, and soon ice began to creep out from her hands along the blade. She immediately threw the sword away and rushed to her bed, grasping one of the post for support. Her breathing was heavy and her chest felt tight.
If she made it through this, she vowed she would conquer her fear.
"I hope Orihime is taking this better than I am…," she sighed.
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Orihime was sprawled haphazardly on her bed, fast asleep, half buried in the covers, her hair currently looking like a rat's nest, and was drooling on her pillow.
"ZZZZZZZZZZZZ!"
And she snored.
However, a rather loud knocking on her bedroom door jolted her out of slumberland.
"ZZZZZ-Enraku did it!" she exclaimed, shooting upright. (Her hair somehow retained its shape.)
"Are you awake yet, Princess?" a servant asked from outside.
"Absolutely!" she chirped drowsily. "I've been...up...for hours…."
A moment of silence...
"Um...Princess?"
"ZZZ-Still here!"
"You do remember what today is, correct?"
"Yeah," she yawned, "...It's Thursday, right?"
"It's your sister's coronation, Highness. I'm sure she'd be grateful if you were to make an appearance."
"Sure, sure," she said, waving dismissively. (Not that the servant could see that.) She rubbed her eyes, and noticed the dress that had been put out the night before. Whether by this or simply because she was now lucid enough to access her memory, all the facts clicked together and she suddenly realized how late it actually was. She threw the covers off, rapidly (and rabidly) tamed her mane of hair into something manageable, and did her best to wriggle her way into her dress without tearing it.
All that accomplished, she burst out into the hallway and ran as fast as she could to reach the church in time for Rukia's coronation as Queen of the Kingdom of Snow. Along the way she passed servants and subjects alike, always managing a greeting as she did; sometimes she had to offer an apology when she bumped into people, but that only happened about eight times.
Seeing the steeple of the church over the rooftops, she tried to take a shortcut by the wharfs. To her credit it was a good decision, as there weren't very many people working there today and she could run unimpeded.
That is, if she hadn't nearly collided with a horse.
"Look out!" the rider shouted, Orihime veering sharply to the left. While it saved her from a collision, it also caused her trip onto a pier, with a cold bath waiting for her if she couldn't find her balance.
Fortunately, she was saved from forcibly taking a dip in the fjord by the rider, who was able to catch her arm at the last second before she hit the water.
"Are you alright, my Lady?" he asked.
Try as she might, Orihime could do nothing but stare into the soft, gentle eyes of the man who'd just saved her; he was older than her, though he looked like he could easily pass for being between 20 and 30 years of age. His eyes (much like the rest of his face, she now noticed) had an air of kindness to them, one that reminded Orihime of her father.
Though he was much more attractive than her father had been, in her opinion.
"Oh, you're fine," she said, still in a bit of a daze. Almost immediately she realized what she said. "I mean I'm fine, not you," she quickly amended, "N-not that you aren't fine as well! ...I mean, we're both fine. That is to say we're both safe now, and-"
"Perhaps we should continue this on dry land?" The man suggested, pulling Orihime to her feet.
Orihime nodded, not trusting her mouth to not betray her thoughts at present.
"Let's start things fresh," he said one they were both back on the cobblestone pavement, giving a tight bow, "I'm Aizen of the Southern Isles."
"Princess Orihime of the Kingdom of Snow," she said, curtseying in return. "So I guess you're here for my sister's coronation, right?"
"Yes, I am." He quickly hopped back up on his horse, reaching down to offer the process a hand up, "We should hurry if we don't want to miss it."
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With the help of Aizen's steed they both made it to the church with time to spare, Orihime hurriedly thanking him and rushing inside to take her place in the ceremony.
As stealthily as she could, (though she had a few close calls when she accidentally bumped into some pedestals), she made her way to the back of the Sanctuary, where she took her place next to the altar, where her sister was currently kneeling.
Orihime look out at the citizenry gathered in the pews, a few of which were murmuring to themselves and pointing subtly at her. She felt her cheeks redden.
Looking over at Rukia, she felt a small twinge of jealousy for how calm and composed her adopted sister was during all this.
She couldn't have been farther from the truth, as Rukia was very nearly on the verge of trembling. The young Queen knew that the attention of every person seated behind her would be focused directly at her the moment she stood up, all their eyes boring into her and probing her innermost secrets.
Still, all she had to do was maintain her facade until the ceremony was over and she'd made it to the reception, then everyone would be mingling and talking with each other instead of focusing on her.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw Orihime standing to the side and she smiled inwardly; at least her family was here, and that took some of the edge off her anxiety.
The priest motioned for her to rise, and she did so, screwing up her reserves of courage. He then began reciting her inauguration rites, but she tuned this out. She needed all her attention focused staying calm, and thinking about what was going on around her would only make her anxiety worse.
She snapped back to awareness when a tiara was placed on her head; it was the same one her mother had worn, crafted from gold and set with brilliant diamonds. Then the priest retrieved a sword from the altar and presented it to Rukia.
It was a beautiful sword, though one unlike any she'd seen before. The hilt was wrapped in cloth instead of leather, the guard was only two and a half inches wide and formed a circle around the hilt, and instead of being a two sided blade like the ones the soldiers of this country wore, it had only one edge on it. It was also slightly curved, so the bladed side appeared longer than the blunt side. Besides it's shape, it was colored almost entirely white; even the blade had a paleness to it beyond the normal steel.
"Your Majesty," the priest said as she reached out to take the sword from him, "your gloves, if you please?"
She looked down at her hands, clad in a pair of light blue gloves. She'd been told by the instructor the day before that she wasn't allowed to wear them during the coronation, but in her addled state of mind she'd grabbed them before she left for the church on reflex. They helped her keep her powers in check, especially when she was required to interact with other people. And now, when she needed them most….
Hoping she wouldn't regret it, she removed her gloves (sticking them in one of her sleeves) and gripped the sword like she had her wooden one earlier.
Then she turned and faced the gathered citizenry.
Immediately she felt their stares on her as the priest recited the final oaths. Try as she might, she couldn't suppress her anxiety, and she felt frost beginning to crystallize around where she held the sword.
No, please don't let this be happening! she thought, straining to remain composed. Don't think about it, just keep it inside…
"...to you, Queen Rukia of the Kingdom of Snow!" the priest announced, followed by the sound of jubilant applause. As quickly as she could without looking undignified, Rukia handed the sword back to the priest and put her gloves back on, before turning back and addressing the people.
She let out a barely noticeable sigh of relief; now all she had to do was survive an evening of greeting foreign dignitaries and she could go back to her normal life….
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The grand hall of the palace was made up with fine greenery and torches, and tables of fine desserts and finger foods were placed along either side of the room. On a platform in the center a six piece band played a sprightly waltz that many couples danced to. Those who weren't dancing stood off to the side so they wouldn't be in the way, chatting amongst themselves about politics or trade or just gossiping, though the topic inevitably ended up on the the young queen and what her rule would mean for their own country.
The young queen herself stood by the dais at the far end of the hall, watching the merriment play out around her. Occasionally one of the visiting dignitaries would come up to her and give her their best wishes for her rule, though for the most part she kept to herself and let other do as they pleased.
She wanted to join in the festivities, maybe have a few dances (the ladies dancing looked so happy with their partners), but she couldn't take the risk that she would reveal her powers.
"Um, Rukia?"
Rukia turned and saw Orihime standing hesitantly a little ways back from her, nervously wringing her hands.
"Hello Orihime," she said, just as shyly as her sister. It had been so long since the two of them had actually interacted with one another that neither knew what to say to the other.
"Congratulations," Orihime ventured after a while, "...Your Majesty?"
"Thanks." Rukia looked out at the Great Hall, admiring all the effort that must have went into preparing it. "The party looks spectacular, doesn't it?"
"I know, right!" She exclaimed, clearly excited about the event. "Everything is just so amazing: the room, the music, the food- *urp!*"
By the sound of it Orihime had already sampled a few if the dishes before she'd come over here.
"I'll have to try some later," the queen said, trying to suppress a chuckle. "Say, do you remember that time when we were young and we broke into the food pantry in the kitchen?"
"Do I ever! The cook was so mad at us that all he ever made us plain porridge for a month!"
"And Mother and Father forbade us from playing outside for a week!"
"But all those pastries were sooo worth it!"
"They really were..."
Both girls smiled, sighing longingly at the fond memories of their childhood.
"I miss those days…," Orihime said, becoming somber, "I miss all the fun we used to have together."
"I do too," Rukia agreed. "Hopefully that can change soon."
"What do you mean?"
However, before Rukia could answer, she was interrupted by another guest.
"Ahem!"
She turned to greet him...only to find there was no one there.
"Down here, Your Majesty!"
Upon looking down, both Rukia and Orihime found the owner of the voice; a tiny, elderly gentleman with a smile that belied his age.
"How do you do, Sir?" the Queen said, stooping down the the man's level.
"Better than my old age suggests, I assure you. Actually, I was wondering if Her Majesty would grace me with a dance?"
"I'm sorry," Rukia apologized, standing back up, "but I'm afraid I don't dance." She looked thoughtful for a moment, "Though perhaps my sister would oblige you."
"Me? Really?" Orihime looked more embarrassed than she did at the coronation, "I mean, I do know how to dance a little bit, but-"
"Then it's settled!" the man suddenly announced, taking Orihime's hand, "Come my dear, let me show you why everyone back home calls me 'The Little Dipper'!"
As he dragged her off, Orihime looked back at Rukia pleadingly, who shrugged sheepishly and mouthed "sorry".
To his credit, the little man was a very good dancer. Despite him being in his golden years he moved with a energy and a fire that would put younger men to shame.
Unfortunately, because of the drastic size difference, it was rather hard to keep up with him.
"So tell me," he said as he shimmied around on the floor, "do you think your sister will finally lift the border restrictions now that's queen? I know for a fact that there are many people in Foire who would come to visit here."
"I-I'm not sure," the princess stammered, "we don't really talk about about politics. ...or really much of anything, to be honest."
"Really? I find it hard to believe you two don't get along; you both seemed perfectly happy talking to each other before."
"It's...complicated."
"Honey, trust me, nothing is ever as complicated as people make it seem. I'm sure that if you talk about what the problem is then-"
"May I cut in?"
"Aizen!" Orihime turned around and saw the charming man from before standing behind her, "What are you doing here?"
"Well, it would be rather pointless for the representative of the Southern Isles to miss the event he was sent to attend on the first place, wouldn't it?"
"Yeah, I guess it would, huh?"
"You two know each other?" the little man asked.
"We ran into each other earlier," Orihime explained, "literally; he kinda saved me from falling off the docks."
"And I got us to the coronation on time as well," Aizen added.
"Yeah, that too."
"Well, I'll just leave you crazy kids to it," the old man said, "let you get to know each other. Me, I'm gonna go see if that Xingese ambassador wants to dance!"
"What a funny little man," Orihime said after he left.
"Indeed." Aizen held his hand out, "Would you still care to dance?"
"Oh! Uh, sure!"
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Aizen and Orihime spent the rest of the evening together: dancing, taking a tour of the gardens, watching the moon from a tower balcony, they always found something to occupy their time. They also talked a lot, and found out they had so many things in common, too.
"Get out!"
"I'm serious; I've liked chocolate covered strawberries ever since I was a little boy! I'd buy them whenever I got the chance."
"Me too! Wow, it's almost like we were destined to meet or something!"
"Funny you should mention that," he said, before getting down on one knee. "Orihime, you are quite possibly the most beautiful, charming, and sweetest person I've ever met. Would you think I was crazy if I asked for your hand in marriage?"
"Would you think I was crazy if I said yes?" she asked in return, nearly bursting with excitement.
"Brilliant!" Aizen shot to his feet, "But first, let's go find your sister; I wouldn't feel right about doing this without her blessing."
"OK then, let's go!" They both hurried back the Great Hall, and after weaving through the throngs of people they found her talking with the Xingese ambassador. "Rukia, can we talk to you for a minute?"
"Qǐng yuánliàng wǒ yī fēnzhōng," Rukia told the ambassador, turning to her sister and Aizen, "What is it? ...and who's this?"
"Well," Orihime began, "This is Aizen, and…." She was bursting with so much excitement that she couldn't find the words to express it.
"What Princess Orihime is trying to say," Aizen jumped in, "is that we want to get married."
"What!?" Rukia exclaimed. If she were drinking something at that moment, it would probably be on Orihime's and Aizen's faces.
"We wanted to get your approval before hand," he continued, "but yes, we'd like to be wed as soon as possible."
"Oooh! We could have the wedding right on the Autumn Equinox; everything's so beautiful just when the leave begin to change color!"
"Wait" Rukia protested, "you-"
"And we could invited Aizen's family to come live with use until then! ...Wait, how many brothers did you say you have?"
"12 brothers, and 5 sisters."
"Perfect!"
"Hime-chan-"
"But will we even have enough rooms for all of them? Oh well, we can figure that out later. In the mean time, I still need out pick out a dress, and figure out what food we're going to serve, and what flowers to put in the bouquet, and-"
"Orihime!" Rukia's tone was so unexpectedly forceful that it caught Orihime off guard, actually scaring her a little; she shrunk back behind Aizen's arm. "Hime-chan," she said, calmer this time, "Can I have a word with you?" She glanced at Aizen, "In private?"
"No," Orihime said, slowly regaining her courage, "If this is about Aizen, then you should just tell him directly."
"Very well," she conceded, "I'll speak plainly." She turned to address Aizen directly, "I don't think you should marry my sister. To start with, you two only just met tonight."
"That's not true," Orihime corrected, "we met earlier today, before the coronation."
"My point is," the queen enunciated, "that you cannot know someone is in love with you in less than a day."
"You can if it's true love!" her sister countered.
"That's besides the point! Besides that, he looks like he's nearly twice your age! Our parents wouldn't have approved."
"My parents aren't here right now," Orihime bit, letting her anger get the better of her, "And even if they were, they would have been happy for me."
"They may not be here, but I am. I'm your sister, but more importantly, I'm the queen, and I forbid you to marry this man."
"You're not actually my sister."
She regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth.
Unfortunately, the damage was already done.
"If that's really how you feel, then I won't stop you," Rukia said darkly, "feel free to leave with him on whatever ship he came on." She turned and started walking towards the doors.
"Rukia wait!" Orihime pleaded, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean what I said, honest!" She ran after her adopted sister, grabbing onto her hand, "Please wait!"
"No, stay away from me!" Rukia swung her arm, throwing Orihime back. It was then Rukia noticed that all the other guests were staring at them now. She was too angry to care. "Everyone!" she addressed the crowd, "You can all all go home now."
"Please Rukia," Orihime said as Aizen helped her up, "if we could just talk about this-"
"I said NO!" Rukia screamed, swiping her arm through the air in emphasis.
...and causing ice to spring up on the floor.
It was only after that happened that Rukia realized that she was missing her glove.
"No…," she breathed, fear suddenly engulfing her. She looked up at the crowd again, only this time she felt the full force of all their stares. Still, she tried to control the damage, "Everyone, I can explain-"
"She's a which!" someone unseen yelled.
"Monster!" a duchess, who had greeted her before, cowered.
"I'm not a monster!" Rukia cried, throwing her hands up in what she meant to be a reassuring gesture.
Unfortunately, what happened was that she shot an ice blast from her ungloved hand, freezing the pillar the duchess was standing by.
This caused everyone to start panicing.
Freeing what would happen if she remained, Rukia rushed out of the hall as fast as she could, trying to get away from anyone she could possibly harm in her state. She rushed through the halls, brushing past the servants, and bursting through the large front door of the palace.
The square in front of the palace was filled with people still celebrating her coronation.
"It's the queen!" someone announced. "Long live the Queen!"
"Long live the Queen! Long live the Queen!" the crowd cheered.
To Rukia it all sounded like a ringing in her ears. This was the worst thing that could have happened; out of one hell, and right into an even bigger one. She felt all their eyes crawling all over her, trying to probe deep inside her. Her chest suddenly got extremely tight, and it got hard for her to breath.
I have to get away from here, the thought raced through her head, replaying over and over. If I can just get out of the city….
"Somebody call the guards!" one of the dignitaries called as he rushed out after Rukia, "She's a witch!"
"I'm not a witch!" she protested, accidentally freezing the water in a nearby fountain. Someone in the crowd called the guards, which lead to other people calling the guards, and eventually some of the bolder citizens picked up rocks and began tossing them at her, with shouts of "Begone!" or "Burn her!".
Unable to bear the ridicule, Rukia turned and ran blindly in a random direction. She didn't care where she ended up, so long as she got from people. Tears now fell down her cheeks, unable to be held back any longer.
By the time the guards had mustered and gone after their new queen it was too late. She was already halfway across the fjord when they spotted her, freezing the water with every step she took. The ice kept expanding, and soon it reached the ships of all the foreign guests, effectively stranding them in the Kingdom of Snow.
Eventually Orihime and Aizen made it to the edge of the water, just in time to see Rukia disappear into the forest on the other side of the fjord, the trail of winter still following her.
"Rukia!" Orihime called out, her only reply being the echo that followed three seconds later. She slumped to the ground as a light snow began to fall, still clutching her sister's glove in her hands. "Rukia," she sobbed, "what have I done?..."
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Translation: "Excuse me for a moment." *roughly*