Progression of Evil

Chapter 8
Daughter of Revenge

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Luka shouted angrily. "I told you Kaito's orders! Get the army prepared!"

The portly guardmaster grinned condescendingly down at her. "Sorry, m'lady, but seein' as you ain't queen just yet an' you don' carry no legal papers, you ain't gots no authority. Could be cryin' wolf for all's I knew. I ain't rousing 'em."

"Oh, you pompous drunkard!" Luka backhanded him sharply. "I am Lady Megurine Luka, Kaito's most trusted advisor and second only to Kaito and his mother, and you dare tell me I have no authority? I'll rouse them myself!"

"Naw, hey naw!" the guardmaster protested as she began to stride toward the barracks.

"There is a war going on!" Luka shouted at him. "The Yellow Kingdom has invaded the Green Country and is set on killing every girl under twenty with green hair! The Green King doesn't have the numbers to even think of standing up to them, and even Kaito thought first of enlisting the aid of Teto-ojousama before trying to make a stand! Now, are you going to ignore cold, hard facts or must I beat sense into you? Rouse the army!" Angrily she spun and stalked back toward the main Palace.

There was someone waiting for her when she entered the tea room, and he smiled shrewdly when she entered. "Nothing better than listening to Luka-san in a bad mood."

"Shut up, Gakupo. I don't need to deal with another idiot today." Roughly she drew back her chair and haughtily took up the teacup Gakupo had served her. "Why is it cold today?"

The samurai brushed his hair majestically from his forehead before answering, "Well, you seemed quite hot-headed out there. I thought you might need to cool down."

"I already told you, I'm in no mood for wit."

"I apologize, Luka-san. Would you care to discuss it?"

She shook her head, her arrogance returned in full force. "No. And stop addressing me so familiarly."

"How am I supposed to address you, then?" Gakupo asked.

Luka said nothing; she only set her cup down, stood, and walked towards the door. As a parting shot, she answered his question, "Go Google it."

"Teto-ojousama," Kaito said courteously as he bowed deeply to the young queen. "I've come to beg your assistance."

Teto nodded. "You'll have it, Kaito-oujisama." With one hand, she beckoned to someone behind her. "You wrote that you've heard of our best soldier?"

"I have heard he's a hard worker, and with a bone to pick with the Yellow Queen."

"I do," said a new, undoubtedly female voice. Kaito jerked his head up to see a woman clothed in red armor standing next to Teto's throne. Her red-brown hair hung in layers to her chin, and her brown eyes were hard with hatred.

Kaito bowed to her. "I assume you are the soldier, then?"

"I am Commander Meiko of the Red Armed Forces. I can assure you that I will not stop until I hold the Yellow Queen's head in my hand."

Kaito nodded and addressed both women. "How many do you command?"

Just then, a knock came at the door to the audience chamber. A guard poked his head in. "Teto-ojousama, a young woman is here to see you."

"A young woman?" Teto frowned. "I wasn't expecting anyone else today…"

"She says her name is Yowane Haku."

Kaito blinked in recognition. "See her in, Teto-ojousama. I know that girl."

Once Teto gave a slow nod, Haku ran in, breathing heavily, and curtsied. "Teto-ojousama, I'm sorry, I've run all the way because I heard Kaito-oujisama was here." She bit her lip and her eyes welled with tears.

Kaito went to her. "Where is Miku?"

That was it. Haku collapsed into shaking sobs. "I…I tried to protect her. All my life, I've tried to protect her! That boy…that boy came to the village…led us away…I tried, Kaito-oujisama, I tried! But I couldn't…couldn't…"

Panic raced through the Blue Prince's veins. "Where? When? Who? What happened, Haku-chan?"

She gave a squeak and shed more tears before she could speak again. "The Yellow Army. They came to our village. The night before the army arrived, a boy came. He took us, took Miku-chan and me, to the oak outside of the village. He said he would hide us there. But Miku and he went into the forest…to talk. They were there for a long time. Then, then…" Haku paused to sniff and give a small cry of sorrow. "Then, the boy came running back out, by himself. He was distraught. He was covered…covered in blood. Her blood!" Haku let the tears go, let them flow down her face. "She was my friend, my only friend!"

By then, Teto had joined the two. "Oh, you poor dear…" she soothed as she gently took the stricken girl from Kaito, who was in shock. Miku, dead? Miku, the girl who he loved so fiercely, the girl he was pledged to marry in mere months, the girl who was so sweet and kind…gone?

It just couldn't be.

Slowly, the Prince of Blue stood, his hands shaking. Meiko was there to support him, throwing one arm over her shoulders and bracing herself for the imminent collapse of his knees. "I know," Meiko said understandingly. "I know how it feels to have everything taken from you by…her."

"She's gone too far." Kaito whispered, anger spreading from his heart outward, reaching his stunned thoughts last. "Too far!"

"What do you want to do?" Meiko asked.

Kaito looked at her as if seeing her for the first time, his blue eyes blazing. "We'll combine our forces. Blue, Red, and Green. All three. We'll invade the Yellow Country and liberate the world from her tyranny!"

Three weeks later…

"Rin-sama! Rin-sama!" a boy screamed, bolting into the audience chamber unannounced. He tumbled on the way to the throne, but quickly got back up and bowed hurriedly before placing a piece of paper in her gloved hands. "Rin-sama, a massive force gathers on our border with the Green Country!"

"What?" her voice was a surprised whisper.

Gulping down air, the boy continued, "An armed force. My master saw three colors: Red, Blue, and Green. They are combining forces to invade!"

"Who leads them?"

"K-Kaito-oujisama and a lady in red, Rin-sama."

Rin was silent for but a moment before she stood and brutally backhanded the boy. "Well, what are you standing around for? Rouse the guardmaster! I want our army assembled in half an hour, no less!" Then she turned, listening to the nameless child scamper off. "Len, where's Len?"

"Right here," Len said softly, stepping out from behind her throne. "That boy was late with his news. Any fool could have looked out the window and saw the army that's gathering."

Rin collapsed in a heap of silk and skirts, her gloved hands reaching to cover her eyes. "This is all my fault. All my fault!" Her shoulders began shaking. "If I had waited, only a little longer!"

Len wasn't sure whether to go to her or not, so he didn't, and instead walked to the window. Outside, the servants and soldiers were running around like frenzied ants, uncertain where to go or what to do. He sighed. "Even if we assemble, it won't be enough."

"What?"

"The army's weakened from their trek through the Green Country. Out of the ablebodied men we have, at least a third of them will desert, possibly go join our enemies." He turned away and gave her a sad smile. "No matter how you look at it, we're doomed."

Rin's eyes widened. "Then…what should we do?"

"I don't know. I don't know yet, but I'll figure something out." Len's gaze turned intense and he went to his sister now, gripping her shoulders firmly. "I promised you when you became Queen that I would protect you, no matter what. And I will. An army that size will take at least three days to get here. That's time enough to figure out a way to keep you safe."

And me too, Len thought very privately to himself.

Kaito watched the lady in red as she rode her feisty stallion with vigor. Frankly, the Blue Prince was amazed. This woman, this Meiko, was the first one up in the morning and the last one to go to bed at night. She moved constantly during the day, seeing to her troops, their mounts, and the supply wagons. When they stopped for quick meals, Meiko was sure to ration everything out fairly. He had never seen her once complain, or sigh with impatience, or even yawn, for that matter. She was a person truly driven by duty, and it seemed that her energy was never exhausted. Kaito admired that in any person, but especially a woman.

Luka was like that, the Blue Prince mused as he rode along with the army. She was vibrant and always interesting. But this girl, this Meiko…she held his interest in a different way from his childhood friend. She fascinated him in a way that Luka could not, that Miku did not. It shamed Kaito to think of his murdered lover that way, but he could not stop the flow of his thoughts.

Meiko, on the other hand, paid as little attention to the weak Prince of Blue as she could, preferring the company of her soldiers to his. He spoke too much lover talk, that Kaito, and Meiko wanted none of that. She wanted the Yellow Queen dead, wanted revenge for all the wrongs caused to her and her family, not to mention thousands of others just like them.

Meiko saw Kaito's look of utter shock once they'd entered the Yellow Kingdom's borders and come upon their first desolate village. The people there were starving, a slow death proclaimed by their Lady's selfishness. No one smiled; even the newborns knew better than to laugh at something that attracted their attention and instead cried from hunger.

Yes, my lord, Meiko thought viciously to herself as she observed the Prince's change of expression. This is what the Yellow Queen does to her subjects.

They passed through the village, allowing some of the more fit men to join up, pitchforks at the ready, and travelled on. Throughout the day, they passed through three more villages, each almost identical to the first. Once the villagers were told what they army had come here to do, they shouted in joy and raced to join their ranks, even the old women who could do no more that hobble along at best. They were made to stay, but any who brought energy and resolve to their cause were accepted.

Meiko was ready when Kaito sought her out that night. He sat heavily on the ground next to her, picking at his ration. "If you're not going to eat it," Meiko said sternly, "Don't sit there picking; give it to someone else."

"I'm sorry," Kaito said, and ate a bit of his dinner before speaking again, "Is it this bad everywhere?"

Meiko stared into the fire and took a long time answering. "It is my understanding that the rich nobles live closer and closer to the Palace, so as we go forward, we will expect opposition from those who love their money and refuse to part with it."

"But even they are discontented."

"Yes, Kaito-oujisama. Even those closest to the Queen are unhappy with their lives. We come to liberate them all, rich and poor alike."

They finished their suppers in silence, and only as Meiko rose did Kaito ask, "How is it that you know so much about these people?"

Meiko stood there and did not answer for a time, merely stared at him, her brown eyes deep and labyrinthine. After a moment that seemed to last an eternity, she turned and walked away, without a word to the stunned Prince of Blue.

By the third day, Len still hadn't thought of some way to save his sister and himself. Word had reached them that the citizens were revolting, a vast majority of them joining up with the trained Army and swelling its numbers. Their cause looked hopeless.

With the citizens turning against them, Rin had lost her only weapon against the huge force that threatened to swallow them all. She couldn't slip away, because the servants would know, and she would be stopped.

If Len didn't think of something soon, she would be captured and beheaded.

He sighed and stared at the mirror, willing something to come to mind, anything that he could do to keep her safe. With his hair down, he only saw Rin's face echoed in his.

That's when the idea came, and Len's eyes widened as it flowed, fully formed, into his brain. In the next second, he was bolting toward her secret chambers, a bundle of clothing in his arms.

When the Palace came into vision, the soldiers cheered and gave battle cries. Meiko let them, knowing this was their way of relieving the tension that had been building since they'd entered the Yellow Country. She remained silent, even as Kaito gave out a whoop beside her, and kept her eyes trained on the front door. Now was the time to exact her revenge.

"Soldiers!" She cried as the furor died down. "Their army will march to engage us. Kill them all! Get inside that Palace and find the Yellow Queen! This ends now!"

The cry rose again, and the army surged forward around the Red Commander and the Blue Prince. She turned toward him, and to Kaito it seemed like time slowed down as she gracefully dismounted her horse and drew her sword, her eyes blazing like fire.

"Are you coming then?" Meiko said, but she didn't wait for a reply before disappearing into the rush, headed directly for the Palace doors.

Len looked out the window. "They're coming for us."

Beyond him, Rin sat curled up on her bed, fearful. "What will we do?"

Len waited until he heard the grand door splinter and crash. When he turned from the window, his eyes were firm. "Put those on," he commanded as he pointed to the bundle he'd carried in, which was now resting on her armchair.

Slowly, Rin reached for it, carefully unfolding one of Len's shirts. "What?"

"Put those on, and give me one of your gowns."

Rin's eyes widened. "Len, what…?"

"Just do it! I'll explain in a minute." Len stepped into her closet for a moment, and came out in a splendid black silk creation, the edges trimmed in gold. "Do up my back?"

Rin, who was sloppily dressed in Len's work clothes, reaching to tie the laces in the back of the gown. "Now, tell me your plan!"

As he fluffed his hair and tied one of Rin's bows around his head, Len said softly, "They want the Yellow Queen, don't they? Well, they'll get one. Just not the real one."

"What? No!" Rin clung to his arm. "Len, you can't! They'll kill you!"

Very firmly he sat her down on her bed, his hands gripping her shoulders. "Listen to me. I vowed to protect you always. This is the only way I can think of that will get you away safely. Tie your hair up and hide yourself. When the coast is clear, get out of this country. Fade into society. No one will recognize you. I will go in your place."

"But…Len…"

Len smiled. "It'll work. They'll never know! We're twins, aren't we?" He gently pulled Rin's hair pins out of her bangs and slipped them into his own, and truly he did look just like her.

Rin was crying then, crying those same tears of fear she'd cried on their last night together, so many eons ago in the Blue Palace. "Len, I can't! I won't let you!"

"Rin, this is my last duty to you. I promised to protect you." He smiled again, faking happiness. "Don't worry about me, I'll be alright." He gently pushed her into a hidden closet, activated by pushing a piece of the wall aside.

"Len…"

"Stay quiet, now," Len advised, pushing the closet shut.

Rin sat in shock for a moment before digging her tiny fingers into the wall and slowly pushing it open just a crack. If she put one eye to the crack, she could see almost the whole room. Len was busy putting on a little makeup, trying to solidify his disguise. He was sitting at the vanity when the door banged open.

"You insolent person!" Len roared, turning in annoyance to find Kaito and Meiko, swords drawn, ready to take him. He fought them as they grabbed his arms, but it was only show, and he locked eyes with his sister as they began to drag him from the room, giving a barely perceptible nod and a smile.

Rin forced herself to stay silent until she was certain no one was near this chamber; then she let her sobs become audible, allowed her fists to pound the floor and walls, permitted her knees to shake and her teeth to alternatively clench and chatter. Len was gone. Len, her twin, the only person she could truly rely on, was gone. Headed for the guillotine. She cried now for him, and because she had let him take her place.

It was a long while before she turned around and actually looked at the closet she'd been shoved into. It truly was no more than a small dent in the wall, just suitable to hide someone of her size. In the far corner, a small book, battered and well-worn, sat, inviting Rin's curiosity. She picked up the little book and opened it.

Len's writing flooded the first page, but before she even took note of that, Rin saw the folded letter, bulging with something more than words. She took it and unfolded it, hearing the soft chink of metal hitting the ground as whatever was inside the letter fell out. Slowly, Rin began to read her brother's words:

Once upon a time, long ago, there was an evil kingdom that no one would dare face. And reigning over that place was my very cute sister, who remains free today.