 - Chapter 3: A Sin -
Chapter 3: A Sin
Yuu and Zane had made it back to Oratorio, and got back into the castle. Changing back into royal garments, they quickly resumed normal activities. Yuu began drawing the vista from the windows like she did as a child, and Zane read next to her.
The King was running down the hallway, and stopped when he saw Yuu and Zane. "There you two are! We've been looking all over for you. Come quickly, there is to be a announcement made and you two must be there."
Yuu and Zane put down what they were doing and follwoed their father. They stepped out onto the balcony where their mother was waiting.
"You two have got to stop moving around! It took us hours just to find you!" She said quietly.
"Sorry, mother." They both said.
They took their seats as the King stepped up and made some announcements, all of which were quite dull. Yuu noticed that none of them dealt with war or Arynnet. She leaned over to Zane and he said he had noticed the same thing. After the announcements, Yuu and Zane went back to the large windows and continued what they were doing, until it was too dark to read or draw. Then they went to their bedrooms.
Yuu fell asleep with Taek in her arms.
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The next morning, she was awoken by Zane.
"Yuu. Yuu! Wake up!"
"Wha...Zane?"
"Yes, Yuu it's going to happen!"
"WHAT?!"
Zane was already in armor and had his sword. Yuu looked at him in horror.
"It's really going to happen?" Yuu asked, beginning to feel tears.
"I know, Yuu. I know. And there is nothing we can do to stop it." He felt a tear fall from his eye too. A captain came running by the door.
"Let's move it, soldier!"
"Yuu, be strong." He kissed her softly on the forehead and ran off the join the troops.
"ZANE!" She cried and ran out into the hallway, seeing her brother cast one last glance over his shoulder before turning the corner.
She ran, once again, to the windows and surveyed the field. She could she, faintly, blue glistening armor to the west, coming from Arrynet. Green armor was coming from the castle gates.
She tuned away and sat against the wall, crying severely. She tried to push the images of her brother out of her head, but to no avail. She began to sing a song her mother taught her when she felt sad...
Swans sing before they die.
There songs resound throughtout the sky...
And I drop a rose petal,
down the sea of blood and tears.
Yuu could take it no longer, she flung herself to the windowsill and began to scream out onto the field.
I keep praying WHY DO YOU FEEL NOTHING?
WHY DO YOU INJURE ONE ANOTHER?
WHY? AGGRESSIVE CULTURE OF DESPOTISM!
WHY? YOU NEVER WIN THE CURSED WAR!
Images continued to flash through her mind.
First a picture of the her, her brother and her parents on the balcony. GLORY...
Then a picture of her father worried face. DECLINE...
Her brother kissing her forehead. DELUSION...
Zektbach giving them the warning that they did nothing about. ARROGANCE...
Yuu crying when Zane found her. SILENCE...
Zane attempting to strike Zektbach. ANGER...
Yuu crying again this morning. SILENCE...
Seeing Zane cast the last look over his shoulder. MADNESS...
A loud noise distracted her from her thoughts. The Arynnet army had begun to charge. Yuu looked on again in horror as the armies charged.
Before they met, she screamed, "NOOOOOOOO!!!"
The battle raged. he kept trying to find her brother among the soldiers, but she couldn't find him. He was just like them. He would become just another soldier lost in the battle.
An hour later, all was quiet. The soldiers had seperated, 100 feet between them. She looked on as the dead were left in the middle. At least none of them were her brother, she realized.
She began to sing again. This time loudly but still with a sad edge.
Now the fire has burned out and what is left is built of ice...
The soldiers from both armies looked at the window to see Yuu standing there in her flowing white nightgown singing words that they will remember forever.
This sounds like heaven! I vaguely hear a moan of pain.
She angrily pointed a finger at the soldiers.
IT'S A SOLEMN NOTE!
Yuu could see that she had everyone's attention now. In a flash of sunlight she saw a crest on one of the soldier's armor plates. Her brother!
She turned away from the window and ran down the stairs, out the dorr, and onto the battlefield to where the Oratorio army was located.
"Zane! I'm here!"
"Yuu!" came a weak cry. She ran over to where a soldier was helping Zane.
"This your brother?" the soldier asked.
"Yes," she said with tears falling from her face. "It is."
"Yuu..." Zane said, smiling.
"Is he all right?" Yuu asked the soldier, spotting a large wound on Zane's side.
The soldier nodded, "He'll be fine, but he'll need some help for a while."
Yuu looked at Zane and smiled. "That won't be a problem."
A soldier yelled. "They're leaving!" Yuu looked up and saw the blue army leaving the field. The green army began cheering. Zane grabbed Yuu's hand and sheepishly grinned. Yuu laughed lightly and tears continued to flow down her face.
Yuu walked over and saw the last blue soldier turn around and shoot an arrow. It landed next to Yuu. When she picked it up, she realized a note was attached to it.
-Princess Yuu,
You have saved not only your army but us as well. You made us realize the reason we were fighting. We didn't have a reason. Your singing made us stop before we did real damage to each other. This battle accomplished nothing and it should never have happened. Thanks to you it will probably never happen ever again. We are grateful for your actions.
-The Arrynet Army
She smiled and looked up at the sky to see the sun. It was going to be a fine fifteenth birthday after all.
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