The Nightingale

Chapter 26: Battle Wound

Spring - Year x492 / April

She hadn't even doubted the answer that she gave him at the time. Rukia knew that their relationship was more than just a moment, he had told her on the beach and in the cemetery, even on The Day of the Roses he had been clear enough with his feelings for her. Rukia reciprocated those feelings, she had no doubts regarding that or she would not have returned to the castle; no one would ever live inside a monster like Adelaar if it weren't for obligation or for love.

Rukia was sure she loved Ichigo and Ichigo knew her well, he knew she didn't like to attract attention; she had told him and proved it while she belonged to the Queen's Court.

— If you want, we can have a party. — Ichigo had suggested to her before the maid entered the room to let her know that the bathrooms was ready.

— I don't want a party, just a lunch. A luncheon would be nice, to announce it to my father and the king. I don't need parties, not at the moment. — She said giving him a goodbye smile before heading off with the maid to the baths.

Nelliel had an engagement party, a party where she showed that she was the Crown Prince's chosen one, but Rukia didn't want the same thing that Nelliel had, it was something that she had been clear about long before arriving at the castle. Rukia was simple but she also knew that life in the castle changed people; people used to get used to the easy, the pretty and the shiny.

Rukia couldn't stop seeing her engagement ring, it was a huge ruby, or so she believed although she was not sure, it looked more like liquid fire contained within a crystal that shone in an unnatural way. That ring was the opposite of the Queen's Ring, the ring that Nelliel had was made of sapphire and gold, and the ring that she was wearing at that moment was fire and metal; Rukia had the impression that a flare would erupt from her ring at any moment.

The sensation of that ring was as if there was something alive inside, and although that sanction scared her a little, she liked to imagine that her ring was more than just an ordinary ring.

She wanted a lunch, and was a lunch that was ordered to be prepared. They had prepared one of the terraces on the cliff for that lunch, a trio of musicians played stringed instruments to liven up the moment, and the castle servants were in charge of serving them. The wind evaded the pillars and filled the place with a fresh current that made it pleasant to be there, the curtains were still folded but when the afternoon sun descended they would be extended to avoid so much light.

— Is it just how you wanted it? — Ichigo said kissing her hand on the engagement ring as they were both leaning on the balcony built near the edge of the cliff. The fall from the cliff would be long and deadly.

— I thought it would just be you, me, the queen, the king, the princesses, my father, Kaien, Nelliel, and the High Priest. — Rukia said looking at the large number of guests that were there. Having more guests than she thought was something that puzzled her.

— Well, they are all there. — Ichigo said with a nervous smile as he looked at her.

— Along with the Councilors, the Ladies of the Queen's Court, and a couple of guests that I don't know. — Rukia discretely pointed at the people she mentioned.

— That's my fault, when I asked your father for permission to propose, we were in the Dome and all the councilors were there, so when the queen found out, she invited them.

— And the Ladies of the Court? And that pair of strangers?

— The Ladies of the Court come with the queen, and that pair of strangers, they are envoys of Vayalat. My grandfather sent them.

— How they came so fast! — Rukia believed that Ichigo wanted to give her a heart attack. She felt like she was going to faint.

— They have been here since Kaien's engagement dinner, I asked them to stay for this day, because that way they will know the date of our wedding and that way my grandfather will come in time. — Rukia didn't know what to say, she wanted to get mad at Ichigo but she recognized that he was right.

— Okay, everyone has a reason to be here, after all, I'm marrying a prince. — She said that with a blush on her cheeks and knew that Ichigo was holding back not to kiss her; it was a good punishment for him.

— Very well. It's time for dessert, have you chosen the date for our wedding? — Ichigo asked with a smile as he offered his arm for her to hold onto.

— Yup, I already chose it.

On the day his education concluded, the king made his appointment as the Commander-in-Chief of Avanta official. The naming ceremony was the same as when he came to the kingdom and the king appointed him the Second Prince; the king gave him a medal that he should always wear, and with it, total control of the kingdom's soldiers.

— Your Majesty, I swear that my loyalty will always be with the kingdom. — Ichigo said and bowed to the king because it was what was expected of him; swear his loyalty so that the king could sleep peacefully at night knowing that his children know perfectly well their obligations.

That is why the lives of all princes were so controlled; no king wanted to go down in history as "the king who could not control his own children."

Ichigo knew that assuming the position of Commander-in-Chief of the kingdom did not ensure the loyalty of the men under his command, those men were like Ulquiorra, they owed their loyalty to the king and the kingdom, not to him; but he also knew that loyalty was bought, just as he had done with Ulquiorra, each man had a price, he just had to find it.

After reviewing the kingdom coffers together with Kyoraku, and after the king accepted his suggestion to incentivize the militia, all the soldiers were given a small bag of coins; all under Ichigo's orders to assure them that it was a sample of what awaited them in the future. This was an easy policy, first to make sure the future of his soldiers would be promising so that they would have hope, and then to select the best to make his little group of assassins.

Ichigo knew that they wouldn't be like Vayalat's assassins; there the Karanqs trained little orphan children who had nothing but their lives, only the best survived and were delivered in a ritual to the Shadow; and in Avanta he had men who had much to lose but who, if he could make them completely his, would be almost as good as his uncle's assassins.

He would make them almost as good as he was.

And that day that he brought them together, he knew that convincing them would cost him more than simple words and coins. Ichigo was the Commander-in-Chief of the kingdom, but he was still younger than them. There were only Ichigo and his two friends in front of a group of 20 trained soldiers perfectly capable of taking down any enemy.

His uncle had told him "become an exceptional man" and that was the moment to know if he could be an exceptional man.

— You are all here because you are all the best in Avanta's army, you will all be the first generation of soldiers whose skills will be above common skills. You will only answer to me and this pair of soldiers. If you do it well, if you manage to complete the training, I assure you that you will not fear death again, she will be your ally in battle.

One of the soldiers took a step towards Ichigo.

— We are the best of the best, sir, but we doubt that three children can teach us more than we already know. — The other soldiers expressed their agreement with what the man had said and Ichigo had to hide his smile; he was waiting for something like this to happen.

— Yes, you are right, we are children. — Ichigo drew his sword and his friends followed suit; the soldiers stared at them somewhat surprised before the soldier in front of Ichigo drew his own sword with a smirk. — So now these children are going to face all of you; 3 vs 20. All of you are the best of the best, you can against three children.

— All of us at the same time? — The soldier asked as he held the sword in position to attack. Ichigo was just standing in front of the soldier with the tip of his sword brushing the dirt floor.

— Or one by one, as you like. If the best soldiers in the kingdom fell in front of three children, it would be embarrassing for the kingdom.

Ichigo knew that those swords were real, that any cut would make a deep wound, that if they hit badly they could kill someone, and yet his friends accepted that fight without even hesitating; nothing better to sharpen the instinct than to feel the possibility of death.

The soldiers drew their swords but only three approached Ichigo and his friends, it was a little faster than Ichigo imagined, the soldier was good and, although it seemed that he was going to resist several blows, the soldier was quickly defeated; Renji and Uryu had also defeated their opponents, and after a moment, all the swords were clashing against each other. The blades cut the leather of the armors, cut the skin and made anyone who was unlucky enough to be in the path of the sword, that was wielded by a soldier or by Ichigo and his friends, bleed.

Ichigo was good but he was not infallible, no yet; having injuries was a constant in those trainings and it was the memory that, although they were really good, they were also human. In the end Ichigo and his friends had defeated almost all the men who were unable to understand what had happened; only one soldier had gone to the end. That soldier was the only one who had managed to wound Ichigo's arm, deep enough to make him bleed profusely; in that second Renji and Uryu moved in a way that, if the soldier hadn't dropped the sword the moment that he saw Ichigo's blood, he would have died at that moment.

That was surprising, because even though Ichigo's guards had fought and looked tired, they had moved faster than anyone could imagine; something that had not gone unnoticed by the other soldiers.

— Heal your wounds, I'll see you here in a week, if you want to regain the honor that three children took from you. — He told the soldiers when they were all taking their things. Ichigo ripped up his shirt and made a makeshift bandage on the wound as he made sure that all the soldiers who had been injured headed for the doctor to be treated.

They were of no use to him if they died from a poorly healed wound.

After everything was in order, Ichigo headed inside the castle, the military doctor offered to heal him but he had refused, claiming that his soldiers were the ones who really needed the attention. When he got to his bedroom, Renji had already gone in search of the king's doctor and was waiting for him inside to attend to him.

— You two, go get your wounds healed, I'll be fine. Hanataro will feed you, tell him that I am sending you. — He said looking at his friends, who looked as exhausted as him, and they both left his bedroom to go to the military doctor.

The wound was larger than he had imagined, it was on the outer side of his left arm, about 10 cm below his shoulder, but the bleeding had stopped due to the bandage that had been made; however, he had to bite a piece of leather because of the pain caused by the doctor when he began to clean the wound, the doctor had to make it bleed to remove the bad blood and he heal faster.

Ichigo was wiping his sweat when he heard Rukia's voice outside his bedroom, he didn't know how she found out but she was outside his bedroom and the servants didn't want to let her pass because the doctor was with him.

— Get away from the door and let me in! I have to see the prince! — Ichigo was afraid for his servants, Rukia's voice sounded really annoyed. — Your Highness! Make them let me in!

— Let her in! — He screamed but the effort made him wince. He not only had cuts, he also had several blows that caused him pain at the time.

He put on his shirt before the guards let her in, Rukia didn't know that he had a tattoo on his back, it was a surprise that he was saving for a more private moment. Rukia was furious and the first thing that she did upon entering the bedroom was to speak to the doctor who was treating him. Ichigo had to admit that Rukia was good at ignoring people when she was angry.

— What happened to His Highness and how can I help him, doctor? — Rukia asked without seeing Ichigo.

— My Lady, His Highness only has injuries and bruises from training, all of his injuries have been treated so that they do not become infected and have been bandaged. They should not pose any danger to his highness, he will only have a little pain, but just a couple of drops of this medicine will calm him and make him sleep. — Ichigo was watching the doctor talk to Rukia; he also saw how the doctor gave her a bottle with an ointment and a dropper. — You should put some of the ointment on the wound after he bathes and bandage it again.

Ichigo felt like he was a little boy, he could take care of himself perfectly well, it wasn't the first time he had a scratch on his arm and he knew what to do; pain wasn't a problem, but it was nice that Rukia cared about him like that, it felt like something warm inside him.

Rukia accompanied the doctor to the door when he finished giving her the care instructions; then Ichigo and Rukia were left alone in the bedroom. Ichigo saw her put the dropper and the medicine bottle on the table next to her bed, she approached him and, with a smile on her lips, scolded him for being so careless.

— You fought twenty soldiers! What's wrong with you! Do you intend to widow me before we get married? — Ichigo was scared for a moment, Rukia looked really upset.

— But I won! — He defended himself while Rukia reviewed the injuries he had and how they had been healed. It hurt him and he couldn't help but wince.

— I know you won. I'm not marrying someone who he loses by facing 20 soldiers he provoked himself. — Rukia was still annoyed but had softened her voice. — It hurts much?

Ichigo winced but Rukia was putting a couple drops of the medicine in a glass of water to give it to him. Ichigo calmed down a bit and took the glass with his right hand.

— And when am I supposed to go to war? What will happen when you cannot be with me to take care of me? — Ichigo asked those questions and Rukia was quiet for a moment.

Ichigo knew it was a very real possibility, none of the kingdoms kept a lasting peace with their neighbors and the constant battles on the southern border against Kuvar was something they had always had.

— That day I will pray to the Deities to bring you back to me, safe and sound. Now drink the medicine. — Rukia pointed to the glass that Ichigo was holding.

— I'll drink it only if you kiss me afterward and stay with me until I fall asleep. — Ichigo said with a provocative smile. Rukia blushed.

— Are you a baby?

— No, but it helps you practice when we have ours. — He said and drank the medicine so that Rukia wouldn't have a chance to scold him again.

And Rukia kissed him.

—

Rukia was watching Ichigo sleep again, she had stayed with him for dinner and changed the bandages on the wound after he bathed. Ichigo had made many comments about the two of them bathing together in the king's bathtub, but Rukia had refused to do so, just remembering them made her turn red with embarrassment.

She knew that she should get out of bed and leave the bedroom, she couldn't stay there even though they were already engaged, but she didn't want to leave him. She had seen the wound and it was quite large although Ichigo had assured her that he had received worse injuries, those comments did not help her calm down and she even imagined Ichigo covered with bleeding wounds and with a sword in hand in the middle of the battles.

Too graphic that idea.

She tried to calm down and stop thinking about it, she wasn't going to deny that the idea of Ichigo going to battle scared her but he was the Commander-in-Chief of the kingdom, he had to go to all the battles and lead the army to the victory. Rukia knew it, she trusted him, and she trusted that Ichigo would always be victorious, but still she couldn't help but fear for his life.

She couldn't stay in Ichigo's bedroom any longer, even though his arms were really comfortable to sleep on. She got out of bed taking care not to wake him up and started walking around the bedroom, she was grateful that it was lit by several candles and torches so she wouldn't trip over the carpet, she didn't want to end up looking at the floor of Ichigo's bedroom so closely.

Rukia had not been in Ichigo's bedroom before, he always saw her in public places or outdoors, the only time he had been in her bedroom was when he proposed to her but they hadn't spent much time there either; Ichigo followed protocol closely and prevented rumors about their relationship from forming. He knew that anything could unleash people's tongues and that was not good; Rukia knew that keeping up appearances was part of the Royal Court game.

Ichigo had many books arranged in a cabinet, there were even several on his desk where he began to browse, trying not to make too much noise. There were folded letters, notebooks and loose scrolls with random notations which she looked at but did not read the contents until a scroll caught her attention.

[...]

You know that the soldiers you will train will not be good enough as the ones here, but I know they will certainly be good. You have my permission to do so; train them. I trust that you will know what things to teach them and what things you don't teach them, just don't forget that the Shadow protects us and we will always have the victory; just as the Shadow protects you.

I know you're afraid that we'll attack Avanta, fear not because we won't do it soon; attacking today, or a few years from now, won't make much of a difference, we both know that we are going to devastate everything no matter what happens; you know the Triad has our back. Enjoy your life, get married and have children or kill the bastard and become king, if you have the courage to do so.

Your grandmother is happy about your choice of girlfriend, she says that her ring is in good hands. It would be nice if you could tell her a little about the history of that ring.

See you on your wedding day, maybe send a retinue to the bastard's wedding, after all, we must maintain good relations and we are curious to meet your girlfriend; we hope you have improved your tastes.

By the way, Yoruichi came for a protocol visit in early spring, it seems that he already recovered from the love breakup. She still doesn't know that you are getting married and I feel sorry for those close to her when she finds out about your marriage. The king of Gardelia says that she rejected the last suitor, the king is worried because it seems that Yoruichi does not want to marry any of the suitors who have introduced her.

[...]

Rukia read the rest of the letter but what had caught her attention was the mention of "Yoruichi", who was Yoruichi to Ichigo and what relationship had they had? Those doubts made her feel that the monster of the jealousy was awakening again.

Ichigo was still asleep and she wanted to hit him to wake him up, she wanted that him to explain that letter to her, but she knew that he was under the influence of the medicine and would not wake up. She left the letter in its place and went to the door, she had to leave there and go to her room; she was upset by what she had read and at the same time she knew that she shouldn't be because checking someone else's personal things was not correct.

She stood in front of the door for a moment and then went back to bed with Ichigo, and lay down next to him, Ichigo was hers, only hers.

— Did you finish checking my correspondence? — Ichigo's calm voice made her eyes widen in surprise. He was awake and she hadn't noticed.

— I thought you were asleep. — She said, but did not deny that she had been reading his correspondence.

— I was. I woke up when you got out of bed. — He said very slowly. — I thought you would leave the bedroom but instead you started looking at my things. Did you read something that made you angry?

Rukia had not moved from her place, she had not turned to see him and was trying to control the monster of the jealousy that seemed to take more control of her. Ichigo took her hand to play with her fingers and Rukia knew that he would know if she was lying.

— Who is Yoruichi? — She asked. She seemed to hear Ichigo make a muffled sound of laughter and that made her angrier.

— In that letter many things are said, I thought you would ask about the ring, but you ask me about Yoruichi. — Ichigo adjusted himself better so that she was almost in the center of the bed, he lay down next to her, leaning on his right side, and Rukia saw that even disheveled and in pajamas, Ichigo looked handsome.

— Yup. — Rukia looked into his eyes.

— Yoruichi was… — Ichigo paused and Rukia felt desperation rush through her veins. — Yoruichi was my lover.

Rukia narrowed her eyes at him and had the urge to punch him in the wound but didn't. She wanted to hit him, yell at him, or do something to him; she felt the monster of the jealousy envelop her with its tentacles as she looked at him. Inside she was screaming but she tried to control herself, at least until Ichigo told her if they were still in contact. Ichigo was calm and hadn't evaded the question, so she had to be calm.

— Were you planning to tell me about her?

— Do you really want to know about her?

— Of course I want to know, it's not as if she is a woman you sleep with and you forget, in the letter say that she is a princess and that she apparently does not forget you, so much so that she is worth mentioning in a letter. Of course I want to know who she is and why the man who wrote you thought it necessary to mention that she has gone to see him. — Ichigo got off the bed and walked away from her.

Rukia was nervous, she felt jealousy and nerves mixing inside her because of what Ichigo would say about that Yoruichi; she stayed on the bed watching Ichigo's back covered by his pajamas, saw how he ran his fingers through his hair in a gesture of despair and then returned to the bed sitting next to her.

— That letter arrived a couple of days ago, I was going to tell you about Yoruichi these days, but there is no better time than this moment. As you know, I lived in Vayalat since I was 10 years old and I met her there. Every year she went with her father, the king of Gardelia, to visit my grandfather for the spring festivities and we saw each other a lot, we are the same age so we got along well. And once it happened, that she went for the spring visit, and we went to bed, we should not do it but we did.

— Were you in love with her? — Rukia asked feeling the monster of the jealousy hug her with its tentacles.

— I thought so but after a while I realized that no, but she did fall in love with me. She wanted to marry me, she insisted a lot that we should get married and I told her that it was not possible at that time, because my father had not yet declared me heir to the throne, that if she wanted a marriage with me, she would have to wait; but she didn't want to wait. I don't know what happened next, they took me out of the kingdom for my training and when I returned, the Yoruichi matter was already settled.

— Would you have married her if you had been the heir? — Rukia was still jealous and angry.

— If my marriage to her was of any use to the kingdom, yes.

— But Kaien is going to marry Nelliel.

— Kaien is a bastard, nobody wants their daughter to marry a bastard, much less the kings. Princes and princesses are like the best cattle in the world, the best species from which the best children could be born. A bastard is an insult, it only serves to be one more, his children, even if they have the blood of the king, it is not something to brag about because of the way they were conceived. For that reason they proposed to me again that I marry Yoruichi, but I refused. Princes do not marry out of love, they marry out of obligation; if the marriage serves the kingdom, then the marriage is celebrated.

— Do you love me? — Rukia asked more calmly. Ichigo looked into her eyes for a moment before answering.

— I love you more than I can express. — He said caressing her cheek gently. Rukia closed her eyes at that touch and from one moment to another she felt Ichigo's lips on her lips.

Rukia was still jealous and the explanation, although it was convincing, still did not give her peace, but there was something in the way Ichigo was kissing her that made her bring one of her hands to the back of Ichigo's neck so that he would not stop kissing her; he little by little he was laying her on the bed, in a slow and subtle way, that when Rukia opened her eyes when they broke the kiss, her head was lying on one of Ichigo's pillows.

— If I had been with someone before... would you have bothered? Would you behave differently knowing that someone else has touched me? — She asked making Ichigo look at her carefully.

— I would have been jealous, but I can't demand something of you that I can't give you. Why should I treat you differently? You are mine, I like you more than physically; I like you, I like everything about you. The past is what shapes the present. The situation you raised did not happen, but I am sure, and I can swear to the Deities that I only have eyes for you, only you are in my mind; my past is past, it has made me the man I am now, the man who is with you, the man who loves you. You are my present and my future, I only want you, I would die for you and kill for you; my will is yours, my love.

Rukia smiled, that was enough for her for now, and Ichigo leaned over to kiss her again. Rukia liked the taste of Ichigo's saliva, she didn't know why but she liked to kiss him and she liked the way he caressed her body with that skill that made her sigh.

If he had learned that with another woman, then she must be grateful for that, because every kiss and every touch that Ichigo gave her made her sigh, made her skin crawl and heat up, even though they were both dressed. Rukia slowly spread her legs apart and Ichigo placed himself between them, pulling up the skirt of her dress a little, stroking her legs in such a slow way that Rukia felt more and more heat.

They both stared at each other in the gloom but Ichigo did nothing to undress himself or undress her, he just looked at her with that intensity that made her feel like he was a tiger and she was a prey that wanted to be eaten.

— I love you… — Rukia whispered and she saw him smile in a way that he hadn't done before, it was a new smile, charming, seductive and at the same time it made her feel danger.

Ichigo approached her and kissed her again, drawing a gasp from her at the intensity of that kiss that gradually left her lips until it reached her neck; Ichigo did it so slowly that Rukia held her breath and let out increasingly audible gasps. Rukia was surprised to feel how Ichigo began to move his hips slowly, it was a very smooth movement and she could feel how Ichigo's erection pressed between her legs over the clothes.

She ran her hands over Ichigo's abdomen, over the muscles in his back that seemed to tense when she touched them and tangled her fingers in his hair when he returned to her lips to kiss her with the same intensity with which someone struggles for life. Her entire body reacted to what Ichigo was doing to her, the way he kissed her, the way he caressed her, the way he moved his hips against her in such a gentle way despite being fully clothed; all that made her want more.

— Your wound… — Rukia whispered as her hand ran down Ichigo's injured arm.

— What does my wound have? — Ichigo asked while still kissing her neck.

Rukia bristled completely, Ichigo's hot breath on the skin of her neck making her bite her lip. Her legs were around Ichigo's hips and they were so close that she could feel Ichigo's erection more and more brushing against her clothes; Ichigo kept moving her hips stimulating her just with that movement.

— You should rest… — She closed her eyes in a gasp when she felt a wave of pleasure run through her; she didn't know how that had happened, but she was almost certain, that it had been because of that gentle movement that Ichigo made with his hips as he kissed her neck, her collarbones and her shoulders. All her skin prickled at that moment.

— Should? — Ichigo's voice in her ear made her close her eyes and bite her lip. Her body felt vibrating in a way that she had never felt before. She was flushed and her heart was beating fast and Ichigo stopped making that smooth movement with his hips but Rukia didn't stop feeling Ichigo's erection press between her legs on the clothes.

Rukia knew that he was letting her choose if she wanted to stay there or not, if she wanted to go beyond kisses and caresses, or leave the bedroom intact. Rukia really wanted to continue, she wanted to feel Ichigo's lips on her skin again, and she opened her eyes only to find Ichigo's gaze on her, like a wild beast about to attack her prey. Rukia opened her mouth, she was about to say something, when someone knocked on the bedroom door.

— Your Highness, is Miss Kuchiki in there? — It was the voice of the Kahya and Rukia didn't know whether to thank or curse the Deities. Ichigo was silent for a moment.

— Yes, here is Miss Rukia. — He said and Rukia noticed that saying that had taken a bit of effort, she could tell that his voice was hoarse than usual. — Now she comes out, she was helping me.

Rukia was still agitated and Ichigo gave her one last kiss before getting out of bed so that Rukia could adjust her dress. When Rukia managed to normalize her breathing, Ichigo escorted her to the door; he was also agitated. As she left the bedroom, the Kahya was waiting for her; Kahya didn't seem happy to see her leave Ichigo's bedroom so late.

— Miss Rukia, thanks to your care, I will surely be better tomorrow. — Ichigo kissed Rukia's hand goodbye.

— I hope so, Your Highness.

Ichigo said goodbye to Kahya and then returned to his room. The Kahya was looking at Rukia suspiciously, and Rukia knew that she had really gotten into trouble for leaving Ichigo's room so late; but the Kahya didn't say anything, they just walked in silence to the door of her room where the Kahya finally spoke.

— Miss Rukia, should I bring the tea of the Inamoratas? — The Kahya asked making Rukia blush suddenly.

— No… we don't… — Rukia did not imagine that the Kahya would ask her that question. It is too embarrassing. — We were just talking, Mrs. Retsu.

The Kahya looked at her suspiciously but didn't say anything, she just stared at Rukia for a moment. Rukia was afraid that the Kahya would discover that they had not only talked, but that they had been about to do something else, but the Kahya left there in silence. They had been so close to doing it, so close, that she was cursing Kaien because she had to wait for him to marry so she could marry Ichigo.

Love, LunaticR