Regrets of Evil

Chapter 5
Retribution

The iron hinges on the door buckled and sprung from their holdings as the door cracked and broke. Len had put himself in Rin's chair by the window. He calmly turned around to look at the intruders. Five people had entered the room. One was the prince of the blue country. The others he didn't know, though the woman in red looked familiar. The prince had a look of pure loathing on his face.

"You…" he spat.

Len stood up and gently brushed his skirt off. He turned his cold blue eyes on the prince. "Disgraceful man," he said, imitating Rin's voice. The prince's eye twitched and he charged at Len. The tip of his sword touched his neck.

"Tell me why I shouldn't just run you through right now," Kaito hissed. "Like you did to Miku."

Len smiled evilly. "Ah, Miku. Yes I killed her and it was so easy too! She just took a complete stranger to her house. You should have seen her face as I drove my sword into her middle."

The tip of Kaito's sword pressed closer, drawing a line of blood. Len flinched from the cut. The woman in red put her hand on Kaito's shoulder.

"Killing her here would be too kind a death. She should be hung in front of the entire city for what she's done." She cast an evil eye at Len. "Do you remember me? You ruined by family's business. My parents died because of you!"

Len turned his head away. "Sorry. I don't recall ever doing that."

"You little-!" The woman ground her teeth. "Leon! Grab her and put her in the dungeons. Find the dampest and smelliest one you can."

The large blonde man took Len's arms and twisted them behind his back. With a bowed head, Len was directed to the door. His eyes looked one final time towards the wardrobe and he smiled.

Len had told her not to look, but she couldn't stand just listening. As quietly as she could, she crept up to the wardrobe's door and pushed it open slightly. From the slat, she could see very little. She could only make out part of the ruined door and the people standing by it. The two women parted and Rin saw her brother being led away. His eyes caught hers and he smiled.

The red armored woman and the prince were the last to leave. Once she was sure there was no one else about, Rin pushed the wardrobe door completely open and stepped out. She rubbed her eyes and fought back the urge to cry again. She clenched her hands and set her face. Gingerly stepping over the wreckage of the door, she stumbled out into the hall. She rearranged her hat and set off at a run towards the dungeons.

The staircase to the castle's dungeons were being heavily guarded, so there was no way Rin could get into the actual place. There was an alternative however. She skirted the edge of the castle and found the little barred windows outside. She quickly found her brother's cell.

"Len!" she hissed. His head rose and he looked at Rin in surprise.

"Rin? What are you doing here? I told you to stay in the wardrobe!"

"I couldn't leave you here! Who's going to brush my hair or tell me I'm pretty if you're not there? I need you, Len!"

Len stood and climbed up on the cot in the cell. He stretched and put his hands through the tiny window's bars. Rin took them and held on.

"Rin, listen to me. You must leave the city, for both our sakes."

"No! I won't leave you to die!"

"Rin!" Len said sternly. "You must leave the city. When the king, I mean, when our father died, I made a promise to myself. That even if the entire world was your enemy, I'd protect you. I'll become your evil for you."

He gently pulled his hands away and smiled at Rin. "They'll be coming for me shortly. I can hear their voices. Rin, please leave. I love you, my darling sister…"

"Len! No, wait!"

The door to Len's cell opened, forcing Rin to paste herself to the wall and out of sight. She heard a low man's voice address Len.

"It's time to go, Princess," he said. "The people are quite eager to see you. See you hanged that is."

The man laughed at his own bad joke. Rin took a sharp inhale of breath. Hanged…? Len!

The church bells rang ominously as Len was led in chains through the crowd of onlookers. Dark rain clouds had amassed due to the massive fires and was threatening to pour at any moment. It was silent as death; the people of the city merely looked on as their ruler passed by. The only sound was the clink clink of Len's chains as he walked up the stairs to the gallows and the low rumbles of thunder from the clouds overhead.

Rin had sprinted from the castle all the way to the gallows, pushing past people and trying to get closer to Len. But she was pushed back, forced to watch as a noose was looped around his thin neck. The woman in red stepped forward and spoke.

"For the crimes you've committed, both against your own people and those of the neighboring countries, you shall hang by the neck until dead." Her voice rang out harshly against the silence. Rin could feel the tears coming again. Len's chains were removed, but his hands remained bound behind his back. His eyes scanned the crowd and he caught sight of Rin again. His expression didn't seem to change from the blank stare, but Rin thought she saw him smile.

Thunder rumbled again and drops of rain started falling. As the lever that released the trap door was pulled, the rain became a downpour. The door fell and with it Len. Even though the thunder, Rin heard his neck snap. His eyes quickly lost their light as a flash of lightning streaked across the sky.

The crowd roared with victory, raising their weapons and chanting. Rin bit her lip and turned away from the sight, the tears unable to stop. She ran from the scene and no one paid her heed, for why should they? She was a nobody now, just another dirty little street urchin. As she ran, Rin thought she could hear her brother's voice.

"Your are my lady, now and forever. Even if the whole world becomes your enemy, I'll protect you. That I promise."