The Nightingale

Chapter 33: Web

Summer / Year x492 – June

— Do not be afraid, I protect you. — Ichigo whispered to Rukia who just nodded hugging him. He had seated her on the horse in such a way that she was all covered by his body; Rukia was small, she was easy to cover.

Byakuya was behind them, chasing them with several soldiers on horseback, and had ordered the men who were with him to shoot arrows in the dark; throwing the arrows like that was dangerous, it could hurt Rukia, his own sister. Rukia's family really wanted to prevent him from taking her away and telling the king of what was happening there; So much so that hurting Rukia had become an option if that stopped them. With every action they took against him, against Rukia, Ichigo added one more torture to their deaths.

At that moment he didn't care that they were Rukia's family.

Ichigo still remembered what Soujun had told him countless times: "I won't force my daughter to do something she doesn't want to"; but he had forced her to do something she did not want, had forced her to break up the false marriage they had invented. Ichigo had bet on the Councilor's words and at that moment he discovered that the Councilor's words had no honor.

Ichigo understood the resentment Rukia's father had against the king, because it was something similar to what he felt, because it was something that he would do if someone did the same to his sisters; Ichigo had given Soujun a choice but the man hadn't accepted it. Everything might have been different if Rukia's father had accepted, maybe they could be allies; but that did not happen.

The ankh was draining him, but he had to hold out at least until they left the city, so he did to Rukia the same thing he had done to her when he took her hand in the dungeon: he fainted her; Ichigo knew that Rukia was protected by his grandmother's ring and she would be fine. If he died, at least Rukia wouldn't see him die.

Ichigo hugged Rukia tightly and Maranni's doors opened with a crash that made everyone alarmed; Ichigo and his friends went through the city so fast that when the guards started chasing them, he had opened the city exit gate in the same way, with a bang.

The ankh grew strong at night, with shadows; that's why he had been able to do it, but it had cost him almost all the energy he had. The city gates closed behind them and the shouts of the soldiers were heard; they weren't screams of surprise, they were screams of terror. Ichigo was thankful that Rukia was still unconscious because her brother was probably among those men who screamed, and those men weren't going to survive. The ankh was a blessing of war, and war fed on blood.

They stopped later, where the caravan of Ichigo's things was, where they had left everything; they had the upper hand for the moment, so with Uryu's help he lowered Rukia from the horse and with Renji's help he got off.

— We have to go, we can't stay here. — He said looking at Rukia asleep in Uryu's arms. — They won't chase us, I hope they won't...

Ichigo couldn't resist anymore, his body was at the limit of its resistance, and he fainted in Renji's arms with blood pouring from his nose.

When Rukia woke up, she found that she was inside Ichigo's carriage, lying on the seat that someone had turned into a bed for her. Ichigo was lying on a seat in front of her, completely still, and for a second Rukia feared that he was dead; fear ran through her completely in a second but as she approached him she could see that he was breathing in a soft and slow way.

Rukia thanked the Deities that he was alive and tucked his messy, dirty and bloody hair behind his ear. Rukia didn't remember what happened the night before, she only remembered Ichigo's phrase assuring her that he would protect her and suddenly everything was dark; surely he had done the same thing to her that he had done to her in her dungeon. She had so many questions for Ichigo, but they all had to wait.

The carriage kept moving and the light filtering through the curtains let her know that it was daytime. Rukia looked at Ichigo's clothes that were dirty, torn and full of dried blood; she carefully began to stroke the bandages on his wounds, someone had healed him, and for a moment she thought that he would wake up but he didn't. Ichigo was only sleeping.

Rukia sat on the floor of the carriage next to Ichigo, she felt like she had slept too much but still felt exhausted. She looked at Ichigo for a moment and then looked at her engagement ring; she remembered that she had felt it alive, that she had heard Ichigo's voice come out of the ring, strange as that seemed, and at that moment the ring was warm.

She didn't know why she did it, maybe it was intuition or a hunch, maybe hope, but Rukia took off her engagement ring and put it on Ichigo's little finger, which was where it fit best, and let him sleep on. Rukia had a vague memory about that ring, about how important it was for something, but she couldn't remember why.

Rukia knew that they were going to Adelaar, she knew that she would become a prisoner upon reaching the place and she only hoped that Ichigo would not allow someone else to take care of her surveillance; Rukia realized that she trusted Ichigo too much but at that moment he was unconscious, injured and she didn't know if he was going to wake up. And if Ichigo didn't wake up, what would happen to her? Rukia did not feel strong, she did not feel ready to face the world alone because she had always been under the protection of someone; first her family, then the queen, and now Ichigo.

She did not have the skills to do it, neither she nor any woman apparently, because they were all always under the protection of someone, either from their direct family or by marriage; and the more she thought about it, the more helpless she felt herself.

She had left a letter to her father where she said the same thing that she had said to him the day before in that meeting in his office, Rukia had tried not to write more, in case that note fell into the wrong hands.

"Accept the deal and I assure you that you will get what you ask for; just don't start a war. Don't endanger our family, don't spill the blood of the good people of Maranni. I'll go with the Commander to Adelaar, he's going to protect me; don't worry about me because I'll be fine, just think about what he told you."

Despite everything, Rukia did not want to betray her family and if she could help Ichigo to have more power, she would not be betraying him or the kingdom either; she knew that she was weaving a web and that at the center were all her selfish desires to be with Ichigo.

The day before seemed, at that moment, a very distant day.

—

Nadeshiko was not happy, her son was injured and her daughter had escaped with the Second Prince of the kingdom; everything had changed from one moment to the next, and Soujun's words blaming her for not educating Rukia properly still echoed in her mind.

The argument that morning after it was all over was something she had never had with her husband; they had their differences, but they had always managed to find the solution, or at least an action plan, to take the best care of their family and the city. With Soujun in the Capital, Nadeshiko was in charge of the city along with Byakuya, but at that moment, Soujun's anger and frustration had been directed at her even though it was not her fault.

And Nadeshiko did the same with her husband; she had claimed to him that everything that had happened in their family was his fault, for his desire for revenge and for not having told his daughter what was going to happen. Nadeshiko reminded her husband that he didn't know Rukia; but Nadeshiko did not know the Rukia who returned from Adelaar, because even to her, her daughter was a stranger. Nadeshiko had to admit that she didn't expect her daughter to do something like that either; she had betrayed them and escaped.

Besides that in the pursuit of Rukia and the Second Prince, Byakuya had been wounded. No one knew what had happened or why the city gates had been opened or closed in such an unnatural way, and no one knew what had caused the deaths of the men who tried to open the gates to pursue them.

Nadeshiko was angry because of Rukia and worried that Byakuya might die. The doctors were doing their best to heal him, but the wounds he had were something they had never seen; the doctors said he was lucky not to be near the gates or he would have died like other men. All the victims had the same injuries as Byakuya, but Byakuya was the only one who survived.

— In view of what happened, we withdrew. — Koga's voice echoed through Soujun's office. The three of them, Koga, Soujun and Nadeshiko, had met to discuss what they would do next, but it seemed that they would not have any agreement.

— What are you saying? Are you leaving us? The mercenaries too? — Soujun asked when Koga said those words. Nadeshiko got up from her seat, from where she was listening to the men speak.

— I remind you that Jetaiya has an agreement with Maranni. — Nadeshiko said looking at Koga, who seemed worried about something. It was the first time she had spoken since that meeting began.

— We have it, that's not in dispute, but Ichigo was right; they left and we don't have time to come and go, there is no time to prepare an attack or a defense that will assure us that we will be victorious or alive. The soldiers in Maranni can withstand an attack but they will not last; Maranni fell when it was a kingdom, what makes you think that it will not fall now that it is only a city? — Koga said and walked to the door. — We can only flee, it would be stupid to stay here. Isshin is going to launch the attack, we have at least two weeks to prepare everything, empty the city of the soldiers and leave, enough time for Byakuya to live or die.

— My son is going to live. — Nadeshiko glared at Koga. She did not like that Koga told her that possibility about Byakuya because she refused to accept that fate for her son. Death was something she was never going to accept as long as Byakuya was breathing.

— Pray to the Deities that your words are true. I'm not going to risk that my sister and my nephew stay here, they will travel to Jetaiya with me and we will take us to Byakuya.

— Will they be your hostages? You won't be able to get out of here with them. — Soujun threatened. Koga gave a sarcastic laugh.

— They are my family! Do you remember what happened when you held a hostage? — Koga asked approaching Soujun. Nadeshiko could see Koga's anger quite clearly. — We have an agreement with Maranni, one that was sealed with a marriage and a child, we have complied with your request and we have given more than you have given us. Jetaiya had an ancestral debt, we have fulfilled it, but it seems that you are not the man it takes to be the deliverer of a kingdom. I'll take my family, we'll let Byakuya stay here and he can catch up with us if he wants; he is part of our family now, but you don't seem to understand that concept.

Soujun didn't say anything, he just looked at Koga and listened to what he said. Nadeshiko knew that Soujun was holding back, trying to stay calm; she disagreed with Koga's words but she had to accept that perhaps there was a bit of truth in them. Soujun said nothing and Koga went back to the door but did not open it.

— We will support Maranni, we will lend the swords, we will hire the mercenaries, but if Avanta calls Vayalat to fight, we will withdraw. — Koga warned looking at Nadeshiko and Soujun. — That would be a fight we couldn't win. He gave you a choise, Soujun Kuchiki, and you didn't accept it; and it was a good option.

Koga looked at them one more time and then left that office. Nadeshiko stayed with Soujun who only had his fists clenched in a clear display of anger and frustration.

— What are we going to do now? At least we know we have a week to decide what we will do, it is the time it takes to make a trip from Adelaar to Maranni. — Nadeshiko asked with her arms crossed. She was upset, worried and tired; she didn't want to lose her family, what was left of it in that moment.

When Ichigo woke up everything was very calm, he felt like he had slept for days and yet he felt that his whole body ached. He was alone inside the carriage and he heard the voices of Renji and Uryu, the soldiers who were with him and the coachman, but he did not hear Rukia's voice; he was silent for a moment more and then he heard her thanking Renji for something. She was fine and that reassured him, possibly they were eating and that reminded him that he had not eaten in many days.

He sat on that bed that was formed by the unfolded carriage seats and felt his whole body protest; his muscles were stiff, hard, and it seemed they had stretched him on the rack because his joints ached. He carefully checked his wounds, they were bandaged but he took off the bandages and found that his wounds had already healed and were only a reddish mark.

Someone had changed his torn and dirty clothes for a more comfortable one, and he was barefoot, his boots weren't there. Ichigo stretched out again and breathed a little, his whole body ached but he knew it was from using the ankh like that; it was at that moment that he noticed that he was wearing Rukia's engagement ring and smiled.

Ichigo doubted that Rukia knew what that ring was, but he was grateful that she put it on him, that's why he had recovered so quickly; Ichigo was aware that he could have died or slept for many more days, but that had not happened. He had to train if he wanted to improve, he would do it with his sisters when he returned to Adelaar; they were being trained by his mother.

He could stay inside the carriage but he wanted to see Rukia, listening to her was not the same as seeing her, and he would not be calm until he saw her. He carefully got up from his seat, his legs trembled a little but he was only momentary, he opened the door and found Uryu standing there.

— At last you wake up. — His friend said with a slight smile; Uryu was grateful to see him awake.

— Lady Rukia was about to go kiss you to wake you up. — Renji added before Rukia hit him hard.

Ichigo laughed at that, but his ribs ached and he gasped. Rukia was completely red with embarrassment but Ichigo found her adorable; she was fine and strong. Uryu helped him down and led him to where everyone was eating. It was late, so he figured they wouldn't move from there until the next day.

— Rukia hits hard; it's better not to provoke her. — Ichigo warned with a small smile as he saw her approach him and sit next to him.

— Renji has a very big mouth, he talks a lot. I have applied small corrective blows. — Rukia said without looking at Renji. Ichigo looked at his friend who was just nodding and stroking the arm where Rukia had hit him.

— Tremble at the power of the princess! — Ichigo added hugging Rukia to bring her closer to him and kiss her on the head ignoring his friends who looked away at that moment. — Are you okay?

— I'm fine. Are you ok? — Rukia asked looking into his eyes.

Ichigo could see Rukia's concern reflected in her eyes, in those eyes that drove him crazy, but it was not the time to speak.

— I'm better now that I have you in my arms. — He whispered and kissed Rukia's cheek. At that moment Ichigo didn't care to be seen, he just wanted to feel the soft skin of Rukia's cheeks with his lips.

Renji cleared his throat interrupting the moment and Rukia, as a reflex action, threw a stone at him that she picked up from the ground.

— The princess is a tyrant. — Renji complained making Ichigo laugh at that.

The pain was there, but he could ignore it because Rukia was with him.

— It's time. — Ichigo was serious and calm at the same time. — You will go down first, Uryu will take you to your room and stay with you.

The fatigue and pain was less thanks to Rukia's ring, for that reason he had not returned it to her, he needed strength at that moment to finish the mission. Ichigo knew that he lacked much training to master the ankh completely as his uncle and grandfather did.

Vayalat had so much power that they could conquer all the kingdoms but they did not. His uncle used to say that they loved battle and that they would win every battle they had, but that didn't mean they should; power only attracts problems, you become a danger if you do not control it.

— Will you do it? — Rukia asked, still looking into his eyes and Ichigo noticed the uncertainty and fear in her; it was normal, he had the life of her family in his hands. If he said something wrong, it could all lead to disaster; they both knew that if they wanted to be together they had to make it possible because everything seemed to be ready to separate them.

— I will do it. — He confirmed at the exact moment that the carriage stopped and one of the guards who were with them opened the door. — Now go, I'll see you when this is all over.

Rukia nodded and got out of the carriage with her characteristic grace, but Ichigo could see the nerves and fear on her face; he didn't dare tell her to calm down, she was going through a lot and the last thing she needed was someone to tell her that she should calm down.

Ichigo closed his eyes for a moment, took a deep breath and stepped out of the carriage gracefully. They had made the return trip in the carriage where he was traveling, so he had clean clothes, but Rukia did not, and Renji had to buy clothes for her on the way so that she would change at least twice; The clothes they had left the Great House with were full of blood, fortunately none of that blood was Rukia's.

— Your highness, welcome. — Said the servants, who were there waiting for him to get out of the carriage; everyone was bowing to him at that moment.

Ichigo had not given notice of their arrival but it was known that upon setting foot inside the castle grounds, the soldiers would give the warning.

— Where is the king? — Ichigo asked in a firm voice, without moving from his place.

— In his rooms, Your Highness. — The servant replied without looking him in the eye.

— Well. Take my things to my room. — He ordered and walked to his father's rooms followed by Renji, who was only one step behind him.

"The kingdom before life", his father used to say to him sometimes when they were in council meetings and had many things to do; so it was expected that he would go to see his father first to report everything that happened on that trip.

The imperial guards greeted him at the entrance to his father's room, announced him, and allowed him in a few moments later; Renji didn't go in, he stayed outside waiting for him.

— Your Majesty. — Ichigo bowed to his father, who was waiting for him standing inside the room.

— And well? Are the rumors true? — The king asked directly.

— They are and they are not, Your Majesty. — Ichigo paused. — It is true that there are soldiers in Maranni, more than those mentioned in the reports; it is true that they are being trained. I have investigated among the soldiers, they all assure that they are trained to go to the various cities and towns near Maranni; most are very young and inexperienced in battle. I did not see at any time during my stay in Maranni, as an infiltrator or guest of the Lord, the presence of foreign soldiers or strange people. I have asked the Lord of Maranni the reason for so many soldiers and he has told me that they are young people from various small communities, who want to have the necessary strength to protect their family.

— And the girl?

— She is here in her room; one of my men takes care of her. The Councilor did not agree with letting her come, but he has given in to the pressure; I've had to threaten to accuse him of treason if he didn't give in. Whether or not he is preparing something against the kingdom, he is being careful; I suggest we keep an eye on him.

The king was silent for a moment, weighing the words that Ichigo had said to him. Ichigo hoped his father would believe in him and his word.

— We will definitely keep an eye on him, but with his daughter here, I highly doubt he's planning anything, unless his daughter's life doesn't interest him. — The king said turning his back to take a couple of papers. Ichigo made a face of anger at that sentence, the shower of arrows was not a clear show of love from the councilor for his daughter. — There is nothing to prevent your wedding, plus the invitations were distributed long ago so everything continues as planned.

— Thanks, Dad. — Ichigo said with relief.

He knew that if there was a suspicion that Rukia was the daughter of a traitor, they would annul the wedding and lock her up. They would do to her what Soujun had done to him.

— We will keep an eye on the Councilor, I will send someone else to do permanent surveillance in Maranni and report to us continuously what happens there. Now you can go to rest, my son.

— Thanks, Dad. — Ichigo bowed to his father and left the room.

Ichigo was about to offer one of his men but he did not, he did not want the king to believe that he was trying to hide something, in the same way he knew that they would send someone to Maranni and he was glad that his father warned him. He had done what he had promised to Rukia that he would do, he would give Rukia's father the necessary time for him to consider his proposal, but he couldn't stop things moving forward; at worst, Ichigo would manage to convince his father that Rukia was just a victim of her father's ambition.

That statement would not be so far from reality; after all, if Rukia's father accepted the plan and they found out, the only one executed would be the Councilor, and Ichigo would execute him with his bare hands.

—

The moment Rukia woke up, she noticed that the candles in her room were lit lighting everything; she hadn't realized when she had fallen asleep, but it must have been at some point after bathing and before dinner, because she was hungry. She got up from the bed and noticed that she was still wearing the dress she used to wear after bathing, that comfortable old dress that had come with her the first time she came to the castle.

It was late, so she decided not to change her clothes, after all she would go back to sleep any minute. On the table was a tray with a plate of food and a jug of water, so he approached her; she was barefoot and she felt the cold floor where the rugs did not cover. The first thing she saw next to the plate of food was a note from Ichigo.

"You were asleep, I didn't want to wake you up. I'll see you at breakfast, my love. Ichigo."

There were two reasons why Ichigo might be asleep, the first was because it was late and Rukia didn't know how late it was, and the second because he was tired from everything that happened; so Rukia took some of the food on her plate and brought it to her mouth and didn't stop until her hunger was satisfied. When she finished dinner, she reached for her shoes and opened the door to her room; she thought Uryu would be there, but he wasn't.

Rukia made sure no one saw her, it wasn't the first time she had left her room and went to Ichigo's room at night; she was good at hiding between pillars and behind walls, so she made her way to Ichigo's room avoiding the occasional guards and servants who roamed the castle.

Ichigo's servants were standing at the door of his room, but they were ordered to let her in if they saw her arrive at night; so the men didn't say anything, they just knocked on the door twice, to let Ichigo know that she was out there, and then the door opened allowing her to enter the room.

Rukia entered the room and saw Ichigo next to Kholtan's perch, he was carefully placing something on the eagle's leg.

— What are you doing? — She asked curiously when she reached him and gently stroked the feathers on the eagle's head.

— I send a message to my uncle, to explain what happened to me. — Ichigo said calmly before extending his gloved arm for Kholtan to stand on him.

Rukia followed him silently, looking at the eagle curiously. She heard Ichigo give orders to the eagle and then let it fly in the vastness of the night.

— Do you remember the letter you read the first time you were here? — Ichigo asked watching his eagle fly and get lost in the night.

— The letter that mentions Yoruichi? — Rukia asked crossing her arms, annoyed and jealous again. Ichigo looked at her and smiled seeing her like this; that only made her angrier.

— The letter said many things, and you only remember the three lines that mention Yoruichi. — Ichigo looked amused at her jealousy. Rukia didn't say anything, she was upset. Ichigo raised his hand where he had her engagement ring. — In that letter this ring was mentioned and many other things that you better know at this time. I thought to tell you in another way but everything has changed, so it is better that I tell you once; so you will know who you are about to marry.

Summer — Year x492 / July

Koga had left the Great House along with his soldiers and the mercenaries. He and Soujun had reached an agreement when Soujun had found a note that Rukia had left behind.

— She is smarter than you think. She is in Adelaar, she is lying to the king to the face and made sure that the second most powerful man in the kingdom did not say anything about what happened here. I will trust her, not you; I'll leave Hisana here but if something happens to my sister or her son, I'll make sure you pay for it with your own life. — Koga threatened before getting into his carriage and leaving the Great House.

Nadeshiko had been in an internal debate until she decided that Rukia had power, more power than she believed; Koga's words gave her that certainty. Nadeshiko pressured Soujun until he accepted; she knew that Byakuya was in that state because Soujun had not wanted to accept that deal, and she did not hesitate to remind her husband of it.

— Rukia is risking her life and if they find out, they will behead her. — Nadeshiko told Soujun after Koga had left the Great House. — The least you could do is at least trust her. I trusted you and now both of my children are in danger of dying, plus we may never see our grandson again, so it's your turn to trust.

—

Soujun distributed the soldiers among the various towns and cities near Maranni, also prepared what he was going to say to the king when he returned to the Capital and prayed to the Deities that there would be no inconvenience. In the worst case, he would be caught the moment he stepped on the capital, in the best case, the king would ask him why he had not warned of the surplus of soldiers.

There was so much uncertainty about what would happen when he arrived in the capital that he felt a kind of fear that he had never felt before, but he knew he must overcome it because he had to trust that everything would work out; Nadeshiko insisted on going with him under the excuse that Rukia was getting married and had to be with her daughter; that wedding was something that made him angry, he didn't want any of that, he just wanted Rukia away from there.

— Hisana will take care of Byakuya, and she will not be alone. — Nadeshiko assured him. — My family will come to help her while we are in the Capital.

Soujun felt that a sword was hanging over his head but he had to continue as if nothing had happened; Nadeshiko's words blaming him for everything still haunted his mind. She had been with him, with her infinite love and compassion for him and his children; she had supported him and continued to do so. Soujun couldn't doubt the love his wife had for him, because she was still with him, because she was still loving him despite everything.

He could only trust that everything would work out, because if not, then he was leading his wife to certain death. Soujun had to trust his daughter because she was no longer a child, even though he saw her that way.

Thank you for reading.