The Nightingale

Chapter 15: Kidnapping

A few of days after rejecting the gifts from both princes her father invited her to lunch, she again took the path that passed near the training yard in the hope of meeting Ichigo but, like every day she was dedicated to looking for him, she couldn't found him.

She didn't feel like eating with her father, she wanted to keep looking for Ichigo and she only needed to look in one place, on the cliff where they saw the sunset for the first time, but she forced herself to put on her best face when she was with her father. Her father's anger had passed, but there was something about him that didn't match his daily expression and Rukia didn't know what that was until dessert was served.

— Today we had a meeting at the Dome. — Her father started to speak and Rukia paid attention to what he was saying. — A few days ago the Council proposed to Prince Ichigo to marry a princess. The king had considered that possibility and asked me what I thought about that matter because the Accords stipulate your marriage to the prince but you have made it clear that you do not want an arranged marriage so I did not have to think of an answer. I immediately told the king that there was no problem with the prince marrying a princess. — Rukia's heart was pounding inside her chest; she couldn't believe what her father was saying. — Prince Ichigo didn't answer at the time, he said he needed to think a few things before giving us an answer. The king let the Prince decide his own future. Today Prince Ichigo gave an answer to the Council, can you imagine what it was?

— No, father. — Rukia's throat was dry and her voice sounded raspy as she answered.

— Prince Ichigo said no. The prince accepts your refusal to an arranged marriage and said that he did not intend to marry yet; he wants to pursue his military service for now. — For an instant, Rukia had believed that he had agreed to marry a princess but he had not, although he had also denied marrying her; it was surely because of her rejection.

That was fine and her jealousy was controlled. Rukia felt relieved, she just had to find Ichigo to talk to him about everything that concerns them.

Rikia left that lunch with her father in a better mood, but everything went to hell when she entered the shared room and saw that Kiyone was collecting Orihime's things. She immediately asked the maid the reason for that but it was Nelliel who spoke.

— Miss Kuchiki, you missed Prince Ichigo's Inamorata selection but as you can see, the lucky one was Orihime. — There was something in Nelliel's tone of voice that she didn't like, even she seemed more expressive than usual, as if she enjoyed it. — Now Orihime will have a private room near Prince Ichigo's room.

— Oh, I see. Orihime was my friend, I'm going to miss her. — She said with her best poker face.

Rukia ignored Nelliel and went to her bed, Kiyone had finished packing Orihime's things and had left her bed empty, as if she had never been there. She didn't know how to react, she was upset and sad, she also had doubts whether or not what Nelliel said was true because of the way she said it, but she was also jealous, a murderous jealousy that made her see everything red.

Ichigo was a traitor.

The dress she was wearing was tailored to her, but it was not a dress that was appropriate for going out or wearing to a party; that dress was for a private occasion, like that one. The midnight blue color contrasted with her hair, she did not wear a corset that she had to wear under the dress, only underwear and sandals.

Orihime looked like a princess on her wedding night but she didn't feel happy, not like the Favorites would have felt if any of them were in her place. She felt it wasn't fair and no girl should go through that, but there were traditions too old to change; she knew because her mother had been the lover of one of the princes.

Not for all the girls it was a dream, Orihime knew it because she had seen the scars on her mother's wrists when she had tried to kill herself. Orihime was too young to understand why her mother always seemed sad but, at that precise moment, she could fully understand her. When she walked through the door of Prince Ichigo's room her fate would be written in stone and she could do nothing to change it.

The Kahya had accompanied her throughout the entire preparation process for that night, from the visit to the doctor to the instructions of what to say when she was in front of the prince; she even walked her down the hall until the prince's door was in front of them. Orihime wanted to run out of there.

— Kiyone will stay here, she will be waiting for you and will guide you to your new room when you leave the prince's room, she will prepare the tea that you should drink after sleeping with him. Remember, the prince cannot have children, not yet. — The Kahya spoke, reminding her of things.

Orihime nodded, it was the only thing she could do. The Kahya announced her and the guards opened the door for her to enter the room. She hesitated to take the first step but the Kahya nudged her forward.

— Don't forget, be complacent and make him happy.

The door closed behind her and she could see the prince's room in front of her, it was spacious and she could see that the bed was prepared, spotless and without any wrinkles, she wanted to flee but could not, surely the door was locked. She took a couple of steps but the further she advanced the more there seemed to be no one in the room, and yet the table was set for them to have dinner. She maybe could talk to the prince and ask him to let her go, maybe if she told him that Rukia was her friend, he could be good to her.

Maybe she could talk about Rukia with him, maybe she could help her friend so that they could be together, and after all, they were destined to be married. She stepped forward with a little more confidence clinging to that idea or she was going to end up crying right now.

— You're late, Orihime.

That voice behind her made her stop, she felt a chill that made her skin crawl and she didn't dare to turn around to check who had spoken.

— I... I'm sorry...

Orihime didn't know what to say or what to do, she didn't know what was happening but the strong hands that were hugging her at that moment made her lose all determination to talk to him about Rukia. She just wanted him to hold her tight and kiss her like there was no tomorrow.

Rukia did not know how to deal with her jealousy, she had never felt jealousy before until she arrived at the castle; in her house she had nothing or anyone to envy, but in Adelaar all her negative emotions gathered together and became indescribable monsters that wrapped her in tentacles that seemed to want to control her.

She wanted to scream.

Rukia had never imagined that Ichigo would take Orihime as his lover and couldn't think of anything other than hitting him so hard that he should apologize for existing. The idea of talking to him could go to hell, they weren't going to get married and that relieved her and knowing that they would only see each other for some event that would inevitably bring them together should calm her down but the tentacles of that beast of the jealousy dominated her for a moment and she destroyed what she had in her hands.

She was the last to leave the baths; she needed to be alone and thanked the Deities that the water jars were separated from each other by a marble wall so that she did not have to hear or see the Favorites who talked about things that did not interest her; she didn't want to think they were talking about her because that only made her angrier and that monster that spread its tentacles over her was gaining ground.

It was late when she left the bathrooms, surely dinner was already served and she delayed her arrival in the room as long as she could, she was not hungry.

— Miss Kuchiki? — Someone called out to her and stopped her walk by turning on her feet to see the person who was calling her. The maid seemed relieved to see her.

— What happens? — She asked curious; the more reasons she had for being late to the room, the better.

— My lady… is your father. He has become ill. — That sentence made that "monster of jealousy and all things bad" recoil.

Her father was ill.

How did that happen? Rukia couldn't believe her father was sick, they had lunch together and he looked healthy. She began to think so many things that she did not realize the moment she was exiting through the kitchen doors and heading towards her father's rooms.

Her body had reacted on instinct and she didn't care that the path to the training yard was poorly lit, she just wanted to get to her father and know that he was okay. She just wanted to get there and then a pair of hands held her tight. One hand covered her mouth and another held tightly preventing her from moving her arms.

— If you resist, I will tie you up like a piglet. — A man's voice told her.

Panic completely seized Rukia, that couldn't be happening to her. The Deities were punishing her for something.

It was not the first time that Masaki prepared the speech that she was going to say to the Inamorata of one of the princes but it was the first time that she prepared the speech for her son's lover; it shouldn't have made any difference but it did. The first time she gave that speech had been to Miyako, and she thought she had made things clear, however everything that happened afterwards had upset life in the palace for a while.

— Ulquiorra. — She greeted Nelliel's brother who was standing outside Ichigo's Inamorata's room.

She was a little surprised that he was responsible for the girl's safety; Ulquiorra was almost a General and he did not have to take care of the Inamorata in turn of her son but she did not want to question him, she did not want to think more things than she had to handle.

— Your highness, the lady is waiting for you. — He said bowing before knocking twice on the door.

The door opened from the inside and Masaki entered with that slow step that she sometimes had, the girl was standing waiting for her to enter to kiss his hands.

— Good morning, your majesty. — Masaki saw that the girl made a painful gesture as she walked and that pleased her, it meant that she had done her duty.

— Did you drink the tea? — She asked bluntly. Orihime nodded. — Was the prince happy and satisfied?

— Yes, your Majesty. The prince didn't let me go until he was satisfied. — She confirmed looking at the floor with a blush on her cheeks.

— Very well. From today this room will be your room, it is near Prince Ichigo's room so that when he wants your company he can come to visit you without any problem. The maid who took care of you today will be in charge of taking care of you during the time that you are the Inamorata of my son; there is a guard outside, you have seen him now that he opened the door, his name is Ulquiorra and the prince has sent him especially for you. He will be in charge of taking care of you and protecting you when the prince is not around, if you need help in something he will be in charge of providing it. Your uncle and your brother have already been informed about your position, Councilor Kyoraku has designated an amount of money for the purchase of fabrics and the payment of the seamstress; we will make you new clothes. Now and whenever they see you, they will see Prince Ichigo and you cannot look like the daughter of a peasant. You will not return to the room that you shared with the ladies, this is your last room, when the prince decides that it is time for you to leave him then we will send you home until the marriage with your future husband is arranged. You will not interact more than necessary with the Ladies of my Court, your classes will be private, you will spend some afternoons with me and you will always accompany Prince Ichigo at lunch and dinner. Once a week you will drink the tea that you drank at night, you can't get pregnant and I don't need to tell you what will happen to you if that happens; I trust you are a smart girl.

— Yes, your Majesty. — The girl whispered without looking up.

Masaki smiled at the girl's docility and left the room after talking some more with her. Outside the room, Retsu was waiting for her and she seemed somewhat concerned but when she spoke she kept the same soft tone of voice.

— Your Majesty, we have a problem. — She said without waiting to get away from the room.

— A problem? — She asked because Retsu rarely expressed herself that way, as if it was something she couldn't solve.

— Councilor Kuchiki's daughter has disappeared. — It must be a joke.

— Have you already checked if she is in the Lord of Maranni's rooms? She is usually there sometimes. — The anger in the tone of her voice was perceptible.

The first time she had disappeared it was because she was with Ichigo who knows where; she only knew that the guards had seen them leave the palace.

She hoped that punishing her by making her drink that tea would have been enough for her to become aware of her actions, but it seemed that the girl did not understand; she was too stubborn. She thanked the Deities that her son had agreed not to marry her.

— Yes, your Majesty. We visited her father to find out if she was there but he didn't know anything. She did not spend the night in the room and we did not find her anywhere in the castle.

The queen cursed and hurried to the room where the girls slept. Some of them must have seen her or know something, she did not want to have to tell the king about some stupidity of a teenager who could not control her hormones.

— I thought you would stay with her all morning, I heard you dismissed her from your room when you finished. — Kaien picked a piece of fruit with a fork while still looking at Ichigo who was looking at his parents' empty seats.

Their mother had invited them to breakfast, but apparently she would be late.

— It's funny, I didn't know that my sex life interested you so much. — Ichigo's voice sounded calm, almost nonchalant, but there was a small smile in him.

— Of course I'm interested, my little brother stopped being a virgin last night; we should even celebrate it. In the "Brothel of the Weaver" there are some very beautiful and accommodating girls, they could show you the true pleasure between her legs. — He suggested with a sly smile and Ichigo rolled his eyes.

— It was not the first time that I slept with a woman, in Vayalat I did it with several. There the queen also has a court and she constantly sent me a new woman to be with me. — Ichigo gave him a sly smile, just like his. — I know very well the pleasures of women, I don't need to go with a prostitute.

— My little brother has become quite a man, what have they not taught you in Vayalat? — He said curiously, trying to hide that Ichigo's comment had annoyed him. — Anyway, I can't stay behind or maybe I'll run out of Inamorata.

— And how horrible it must be to be left without something you want, right? — The sarcasm in Ichigo's voice was palpable.

Kaien smiled.

— You know it better than I do. I will choose Inamorata today, maybe tomorrow; I will choose the girl who rejected you, the Kuchiki girl. — He said expecting some reaction from Ichigo but he only saw indifference.

Kaien was sure that he had feelings for the Kuchiki girl, that is why he had sent her a gift to make her his Inamorata and that was why he had not accepted the marriage proposal with the princess of Gardelia.

— The Kuchiki girl? I thought she had already rejected you. — Ichigo said with a mocking smile before getting up from his seat.

— Something tells me that this time she will accept me. — Kaien kept staring at him, looking for a hint that this indifference was false.

— Choose her as Inamorata, I don't care. I told you on the night of the dance and I said it at the council meeting, I'm not marrying her. I think our mother will not come, so I am withdrawing. I have things to do.

— Wow... then you will spend the whole morning between the girl's legs. — He said that but Ichigo already turned his back on him and raised a hand in an obscene sign as he left.

Kaien smiled. He found Ichigo's new attitude funny, he hadn't seen him act like that and had the slight impression that maybe that was his true way of being; after all, they hadn't grown up together and Ichigo might as well have been pretending that he was someone else since he arrived at the castle.

"Your perfect son charade is over, right Ichigo?"

A couple of hours later, while he was reviewing what he had to do for that day, one of the guards came in with a message from the king calling him to an emergency meeting; Kaien's first thought at that moment was that the king of Kuvar had declared war on them, but when he arrived he knew that this had not happened.

Grand Councilor Kuchiki's daughter had disappeared and the man was desperate to find her. They brought him up to date on the situation and that is how he learned that they had already searched for the girl throughout the castle and had not found her. Ichigo arrived a few moments later, disheveled, his clothes wrinkled and a bit confused, but he recovered quickly when he was told that the girl was lost.

When the king appointed the search parties, Ichigo offered to go with the group heading into the forest by the cliff; Kaien smiled at that, the speed with which Ichigo offered himself confirmed that he did have feelings for the Kuchiki girl.

"What are you playing, Ichigo?"

Kaien offered to join the search party that started from the temple of the Deities to the graveyard near the grove.

When they got to where the king had assigned them, they began to call her by her name aloud; they made a moment of silence, to hear if she answered and again they called her. The worst thing that could happen to the girl was to fall off the cliff and die of a blow to the head, no one who fell off the cliff survives; he knew it very well.

They began to enter the grove, the hours passed quickly and they were reaching the cemetery when they heard a very faint moan, they immediately moved to where they thought they heard it. They did not stop shouting the girl's name and the moan was heard again in response, until a soldier shouted that he had found her behind an old tombstone.

When Kaien got to where the soldier was, he could see the Kuchiki girl who was scared and trembling, babbling many things that Kaien couldn't understand. The soldiers had already removed the gag from her mouth and were cutting the bonds around her wrists and ankles to free her from it.

Without wasting time he carried her in his arms and led the way back to the castle. The Kuchiki girl was really light and clung to him tightly, as if she was afraid that that was not real, he could even feel her shaking and sobbing, but what caught his attention was an unmistakable mint scent that emanated from her.

One of the soldiers in their search party was ahead of them, so when they reached the castle, his father and the girl's father were waiting for them. Kaien did not lower her, but went to the councilor Kuchiki and gave his daughter in his arms, as if he were giving him a precious treasure, it was at that moment that the girl began to cry and say how scared she was and all the fear that had felt while out there.

Thank you for reading.