Yes! I got this update done early. Thank goodness I got out of finals early, or else this would have been put off until Saturday.
Reviews:
lizzie-rivers: I'll try and catch those errors more often. I'm a terrible proofreader.
owbitlikeaboss: I love your enthusiasm about the story.
Orange-chan: Yeah, I really wanted to write something different than usual and I'm glad you like it.
KagamineRin02: This story is going in a different direction than the story of evil. I promise Len won't die. I can't make promises about anyone else though...
Miri-chan: I really love Beauty and the Beast too :)
- THREE YEARS LATER-
Rin's POV
"I win!" I smirked, as I help my sword up against Kaito's neck. He dropped his sword and threw his hands up into the air. I drew back my sword, and brushed a piece of hair from my eyes.
"Wanna try again?" I asked.
"No thanks," Kaito sighed, picking up his sword. "You beat me every time."
"But no one else will spar with me," I whined.
"That's because you beat them all too," Kaito smiled. It was true. I was the best swordfighter in the entire village. Not even Gakupo was good enough to beat me. How did I get so good at it? Kaito taught me some basic moves that he had learned, and let's just say I had a natural talent for sword fighting.
"I'm going to see Miku," Kaito said, starting to walk away. I could see the dreamy look in his eyes. I giggled a bit, and decided to let him leave. Kaito has had a crush on Miku ever since we met her and her brother, Mikuo.
I can understand why Kaito likes her so much. She's pretty and a good cook. She's also good at sewing, and she and Kaito are almost the same age. They would be perfect together.
I decided that I should go off to find something else to do, since Kaito left. As I turned to walk back home, I noticed that the village was awfully busy. Luka was outside her shop picking the herbs she was growing for medicine. Gakupo was working on forging a sword (as usual). In the distance, I could see Gumi picking something from the fields. Meiko was running around chasing a chicken, Kiyoteru running right behind her. And cute little Oliver and Yuki were sitting by the well, laughing.
Isn't my village interesting? It wasn't always like that. When Kaito and I found it a few years ago, it was pretty much abandoned. It used to be a small farming village, but when the crops failed one season, no one could afford to pay their taxes. As expected, they were all arrested. Gumi was the only one left in the village when we found it.
Soon the small duo of Kaito and I grew. Gumi said we could stay in the abandoned homes, so Kaito and I decided to make the village our home base (A/N Please keep in mind this is a few months after Kaito meets Rin. Rin is a bit tougher now). We traveled out to small villages near ours to find supplies and always seemed to pick up people along the way.
I remember we met Miku and Mikuo in a small town a few miles from here. Miku and Mikuo lived alone together, like Rinto and me. Kaito and I were in the town looking for some seeds for Gumi to plant, when we came across Mikuo screaming like a maniac.
"What did they do with her?" he yelled angrily. The townspeople gave him strange stares, but nothing more. Seeing that he was in great distress, I asked him what the matter was. He explained that his sister had been kidnapped by the prince.
I felt bad for him considering my own brother had been taken away by the prince. I wanted to help.
"Do you know where she might be?" I asked. Mikuo pointed in a vague direction towards the north.
"I heard her yell for help, but I didn't know where she went. I know the prince took her though," Mikuo growled. "He kidnaps women for his own pleasures." I took off running to find the strange boy's sister. I wanted to help her as much as could. She must be so frightened.
I ran towards a nearby forest that had a dirt path through the middle. If anyone was traveling by horse through here, they would use this path. And if someone was on a horse and coming from the village, they would arrive here just about now…
Suddenly, I heard a loud yell and hid behind a tree. I poked out my head, and saw a wagon being pulled by horses. The man sitting next to the driver had silver hair, and devilish red eyes. His attire was fancy, leading to me to believe that he worked for the prince.
The wagon looked like a jail cell on wheels. As it drove by, I could see a small door in the back with a tiny window. I could see a few people sitting in there, and hoped that the boy's sister was in there. Looking closer, I noticed that keys jangled from a hook by the door. Bingo!
I ran towards the back of the wagon, being careful not to be spotted. There was a little bit of wood sticking out from the back on the wagon that I stood on. Grabbing the keys, I unlocked the door and saw about four girls only a few years older than me sitting there.
They all looked at me in surprise. I whispered for them to be quiet, and helped each one out of the wagon. Once everyone was out, I told them to quickly run into the forest. The five of us ran into the greenery, and hid for a few minutes, until the wagon was gone.
"Thank you!" the teal-headed girl cried, giving me a big hug, once the wagon had disappeared. "I thought we were done for."
"You have to come back with me to your village," I told her. "Your brother is looking for you." I could tell this girl was related to the boy by her color hair. No one else has hair like that. The girl nodded, and led the other girls and me back to the village.
When we got back, Kaito was talking with the boy, probably trying to figure out where I had gone. He was surprised when I returned with four pretty girls. The teal-headed girl saw her brother and ran to embrace him. They were both crying.
"Thank you," the boy smiled. "I don't how I can thank you."
"Come with us," I suggested. "We know a place where your sister won't be kidnapped again." The boy looked at me intrigued. He stuck out his hand for me to shake.
"I'm Mikuo, and that's Miku," the boy said.
"I'm Rin," I smiled. "And that's my friend Kaito." I pointed to Kaito and noticed that he was staring at Miku with wide eyes. What an idiot!
"Do you all want to come live in our village?" I offered. "There's a lot of space and we live in a place that the prince doesn't know about." It was true that the prince didn't know our village existed anymore. He probably believed it was abandoned and empty since he arrested everyone in it. And having more people would make life run smoother. I'm sure Gumi would like the company too.
I told the three other girls they could come too. They looked intrigued by the idea, and decided that it couldn't hurt to see the village. Miku and Mikuo wanted to come too.
And that's how it all started. The three girls with Miku were named Haku, Neru, and Teto. They were some of the first to live in our village. As Kaito and I traveled more, we found more and more people to live in the village. We met Luka after her medicine shop was burned down by the prince's guards. Gakupo had his most expensive swords taken by the prince for his personal use. Kiyoteru was the prince's old tutor, who was fired. Oliver and Yuki were children separated from their parents by the prince (A/N They come from separate families).
One common theme in our village is our hatred for the prince. The prince has wronged every one of us and that is why we want revenge. As we gained more and more villagers, we began to become like a normal village. We had a doctor, blacksmith, teacher, farmer, and people to cook food (I sometimes bake for the villagers, but only recipes that Rinto taught me).
We started to function as a normal town, and Kaito and I brought less and less people back to the village. There was no need to travel as far because we had everything we needed. We also began to create a small rebellion force. Since we are such are small force, with only a handful of us the prince won't know what hit him.
I trained with my sword every day, with Gakupo's help since he was also quite good with a sword. All the other boys in the village trained to, and soon we finalized our rebellions plans. It would take a long time to enact the plan because of all the training and practice we need, but it's worth it.
Now here we all are three years later, still training and working waiting for our day to come. I'm still waiting to see Rinto again, but I'm will be patient.
"Rin!" a voice called over to me. It was Teto. Her drills bounced as she ran over towards me. "Did you bake anymore bread yet?" she asked excitingly.
"Not yet," I laughed. "But I can make some now if you want."
"That would be great, please!" Teto smiled. She ran off to talk with Neru, who was busy with her small garden outside her house. Sighing, I walked back to my house (which was only a minute away) and set my sword outside.
My house used to belong to the baker in the old village, and the oven was really big. And since Rinto was a baker to, I decided that it couldn't hurt to try and be one to. Of course, I'll never be as good as Rinto was.
I searched through the kitchen for the ingredients to make Teto's bread. Maybe while I'm at it, I'll make a cake for Oliver and Yuki. They look like they might need something sweet. I started to bake, humming to myself without a care in the world. Everything seemed perfect.
Len's POV
I sat at my dining table, eating a fancy dinner that the cook had just come up with. It tasted bland and boring. Disgusting. I stood up and decided to head to my bedroom. There was no point in eating the rest of that horrid food.
As I walked up the long stairs toward my room, I hear shouts and cries outside. I entered my room and looked outside the small window. People crowded the side of the castle, yelling foul words up at me. The sky was dark, and the only light were the people's blazing torches.
They looked pathetic.
Did they think some screams would make their lives better? Is it not their fault their lives are worthless? They should be lucky I don't have them all arrested, and thrown into the dungeons. The new ones aren't nearly as nice as the ones attached to the castle. The new ones are made of cheap wood and near the animal stables as the edge of the castle grounds.
I sat down on my bed and stared at the ceiling. It was boring. Everything felt boring. It's quite a pain when you can't feel emotion. Life becomes significantly less interesting. But feelings like boredom must not be emotions because I feel them all too often.
But I suppose having no emotion makes me a better prince, right? Nothing gets in the way of decisions, making my reign more efficient. It's rather nice. That stupid woman thought she had cursed me, but instead it was a blessing.
The shouts and clamors outside my window grew louder. What is their problem? Suddenly, my bedroom door burst open and Dell came running in.
"My prince!" he said, nervously. "The rebels are trying to attack the castle. It is dangerous for you to be here."
"They are no threat to me," I scoffed. "They are pathetic weaklings compared to me. Just send some guards to deal with them."
"But your highness," Dell said. "The guards are on their side. They are helping the rebels enter the castle." This last bit concerned me.
"Why do you propose I do then?" I asked Dell, with a hint of fear in my voice.
"Take these peasant cloths and run," Dell said. "They shouldn't recognize you. Try to run as far away from here as you can. I'll distract the mob."
"Is this all necessary?" I asked. "I like the comforts of my castle."
"I just want you to be safe," Dell bowed. "I will find you when all is well." Sighing, I grabbed the clothes and slipped them on. Dell isn't serious about all this though, right? He can't expect me to leave the castle. The chances of me being able to do much are slim.
"Now hurry!" Dell said, grabbing my hand. He pulled me to a small door near the back on the castle. He told me to run and not to stop until I found myself in a safe place. Afterwards, he slammed the door in my face. Then I realized something.
I was alone and being forced to survive on my own. My own fear rose only slightly, and I heard the people's cries grow louder.
"Are they coming closer?" I thought to myself. I looked at a forest in the distance. It seemed close. Would it be safe there? As much as I wanted to stay, my own safety is above all else. What would happen to this country if I died?
I ran towards the stables where the horses are kept. Grabbing the closest one's reins, I jumped on. Riding a horse is much less work than walking. I kicked the horse and it ran out of the stables.
None of those stupid peasants noticed me as I fled. I should have never left. They are too idiotic to capture me. My horse ran into the night, and I then I realized that I had no idea where it was going.
The horse ran and ran, and I was unsure of how to stop it. No one ever taught me how to ride a horse. We had past the forest almost two hours ago, and the horse was still running. Not at full speed, but still quite fast in my opinion.
Finally it stopped in a clearing near the edge of a completely different forest. Everything looked foreign and I wondered how Dell will ever find me in this place. I jumped off the horse, exhausted.
The ground looked soft, and I sat down. It was disgusting to be sitting on dirt, but I was tired. As my eyes started to close, I noticed the horse had disappeared. I don't care where that filthy animal goes, anyways. Staring at the night sky, there was only a few stars out, and the moon was covered by clouds. I felt myself fall asleep.
Dell's POV
I pushed the prince out the door, and then slammed it in his face. I'm free of the brat for a short while! If the boy even survives the outdoors, I'll keep my promise. In perhaps a month or two, once the rebellion has quieted down, I'll search for him.
But when I find him, he'll be grateful to me. If he returns to the castle, his death will be almost certain. I slipped a small dagger out of my pocket that I kept with me in case of emergencies.
Won't it be sad when the "rebels" finally kill him? And the look on his face when he learns of my treason will make his death that much more sweet. I put the dagger back in my pocket, and fixed my collar.
Now, what shall I tell these rebels?
If you have any questions or are confused by anything please PM me, and I'll try and clear them up for you. I'm not sure if I made this chapter clear enough on all the details.
Please Review :)