Broken Fates 1

Rin POV
       The sun was rising into the bright, cloudless sky. As I stood at the window, I felt a small pang in my chest as I realized the new day.

From behind me, I hear footsteps and a yawn. I turn, and see my daughter emerge from her small bedroom from the back of our home. She stretches as she pads into our main room, a sleepy smile already on her face.

"Good morning Mama." She greets me, kissing me on the cheek. At eighteen years old, she is tall, with long hair and fair skin, a true beauty in body and spirit. For she is kind, a gentle and loyal soul. As she shakes out her braid from last night, I am reminded again how often it is remarked that she looks like me, a comment I always shrug off for various reasons.

She turns to me and smiles again, a smile that always lifts my spirit. She is my angel, after all, my little daughter.

"Do you think the weather will last till tomorrow? It's beautiful, and perfect for a wedding!"

I nod to her. Of course it shall last; my daughter deserves the most perfect wedding. How happy she is today, the last day before she becomes a wife to such a kind man. He reminds me of another one, and I know that he is good and will protect and love my daughter.

But as joyous as she is, the weight of what rests on my mind is heavy like a storm cloud. Leave it to me to put a damper on things, but it must be done.

I slide my hand over her head gently, and she peers up at me from her seat. I inhale, struck by the expression on her face. It is a comfort and a knife at the same time, and reminds me of what needs to be done.

"Come, Rinna. There is something I must tell you." She gets up to follow me to our sitting corner eagerly. She expects me to tell a tale, but I know it is not one she expects, but still yearns for.

We sit in the thinly padded chairs by our other window, and she picks up her knitting, but I put out my hand to halt her.

"No, it is a different story today, one that I should have told a long time ago. It is important you listen." Slowly she lowers her hands to her cream nightgown, eyes wondering.

"What's wrong?" She asks, already concerned. I smile to reassure her and unfold my hands from my own lap. But I am unsure of where to begin.

"It's nothing, just the weight of the story upon me." I reply carefully. I am unsure of where to begin.

"What is this story, and who of?"

I turn my head towards the window to the pale morning sky and consider her question. And then I know how to begin.

"It is not the tale of one, as would be expected." I say. "It was always two. From the start, two, never just one. Even when apart, the fates wove them together to make such a tale, for without each other, there would be none." I pause, just for a moment, for strength. I can still hear those bells, calling to me.

"It all started in a kingdom on a bright spring day, the day it all began…"
~
"Can you believe it?"

"Who would have thought there would be two…?"

All eyes were on the two small infants in the yellow cream bassinet. Born only hours ago, everyone and anyone of noble blood had swiftly gathered to the castle to view not one, but two babies. The bells of every cathedral rang out, four times for a boy, then twice more for a girl. Twins.

"An heir at last." One whispered, for it was true. A small infant with a tiny fuzzy crop of blond hair lay in the cradle, his eyes not yet open. He seemed to sleep peacefully, curled up to the other child's side.

The other baby, a little girl, was quite awake. Identical in looks to her brother, she pursed her pink mouth as she gazed up above with wide, startling blue eyes. As a hand reached in to stroke her sleeping brother's soft cheek, she gave a small cry. Her twin nestled in closer, not alarmed by the sound even in his dreams.

All looked down on the children, but it was the sleeping boy they were interested in. And strangely enough, neither of the twins had any interest in the crowd. They were more concerned with each other.
~
"Ah, such a pity…"

"Pity?"

"Well, I mean there are two… and only the boy can inherit."

From my place behind the chair, I suddenly halted my playing, listening in instead. At eight, I was small for my age and able to fit into small places for good hiding spots, but wasn't really perceptive enough to use them to their full potential.

But today was different. I had heard remnants of a similar conversation elsewhere, and my curiosity had risen. I put down my doll into my silk-covered lap and delicately pressed my ear against the velvet cushion of the chair I was currently behind.

"Well you know what they say. An heir and a spare!" Chuckles from beyond. I felt confused, but my brow dipped down as I concentrated. Inside, I felt a little sick, sensing a dark meaning.

A nudge at my knee broke my focus.

Sitting across from me was my twin, who I had almost completely forgotten about. He was quieter than I was, and had been listening for longer as well. His eyes conveyed worry, and in my mind I could practically hear him, like I sometimes could.

Do you understand? I shook my head lightly, blond strands tickling my neck. He frowned and scratched his neck.

Len. He glanced up. But before I could finish my thought, I was interrupted from our target.

"Well, the girl will be married off soon enough anyways, to some other country on the bridge of war."

"Aren't they only eight?"

"Yes, but betrothal starts early. Soon enough she will be shipped off to adjust to her fiancé's country and their customs before even being married."

My throat ran dry as I grasped some type of understanding. I glanced across at my brother.

His young face was in shadow, but it gave me chills to look at him, for he gave off waves of emotion, feelings of fright and anger that were strong, and only confused me further.

As if sensing my own feelings, his head shot up to me, and in a flash his face changed, from one of angry realization to the one I knew best, an expression of calm with a slight smile. He smiled more as if to reassure me, so I smiled back, but inside still felt unease.
~
Later, as the day drew to a close, Len and I were getting ready for bed.

We were a bit old for a nursery, but still slept in one because we liked sleeping near each other. If one of us had a nightmare, the other was only a few steps away.

It was a large, clean swept room with many books and toys for us. Large windows made one end of the room, and Len and I's beds were pushed on opposite walls in the back. Our governess had an adjoined room, but since we had gotten older she had begun to close it at night since she wasn't needed. In the corner of the room was another plain door that led to a staircase for the servants. They were all over the castle, making it easy for servants to slip in and out of places discreetly.

On this particular night, the moon was bright as it peeked through heavy velvet curtains, making thin strips of light on the thick rug across the tiled floor. I jumped into bed even though I wasn't cold; I just liked the comfort of a blanket wrapped around me like a hug.

I nestled down and looked across where Len sat, in his nightclothes on his bed. He hadn't touched the sheets.

"Len?" I whispered. He didn't look back, only turned his head towards the window. I sat up too.

"What's wrong?" I questioned the incident from earlier still stuck in my mind. He said nothing. I jumped out of bed then, flinging the covers away before dashing across the floor and jumping onto his bed, bobbing up and down on the mattress.

At this he showed no reaction, and still didn't look at me, which made me scared. What was so awful that it had rendered my brother speechless? I grabbed his hand.

"Rin…" He finally said. I looked where he gazed, at the green fields, dyed navy by the dark as the grasses waved gently in the warm wind.
"Yes?" I probed.

"You know what they were talking about earlier, right?" So it was from earlier. I bit my lip, not wanting to seem stupid at not understanding the conversation.

"Kinda." I replied, ready to defend myself. But then he turned his blond head to me, his eyes dark and serious.

"They're going to separate us, Rin. Marry you off to someone far away." My heart skipped a beat as his hand clenched around mine. They had been talking about us? About me? My lips parted in a sort of attempt at speech, but my words were gone.

"And why? Because I'm here. Because I'm a boy. They just want me to be king. That's all. Even though we are twins." He sounded miserable, his voice riddled with guilt and anger. Len was always more serious, even at eight.

       "No." I managed. "They can't. I don't want to get married. I want to stay here with you." Everything said earlier slipped into place. Yet a part of my brain noted that I should be happy I had such a perceptive brother.

Len turned towards me, grabbing me tightly into a hug, one even better than the ones from my blankets. My arms went around him as well, but my heart ached so that I was on the verge of tears.

"They will! They can and they will." Len swallowed hard. "I don't think mother and father would have done such a thing, if they were alive, but there's nothing we can do."

I buried my face into his shoulder, heart pounding. I bit my lip harder, holding back tears, those were for babies. I was a princess, I must be strong. But to be without my brother, my only real family and constant companion… he was the only person I loved and who loved me. Everyone else, even our governess cared for us and did what we wanted for the most part, but didn't love us. They saw us as future rulers and pieces in the county's well being, not as children who craved affection and love. Luckily, we had each other. For now.

I felt Len's breathing increase, and I knew he was panicking. As calm as my brother was, he sometimes worried so that he worked himself into a fit. In those times, only I could calm him.

I drew back and placed my small palm on his cheek, looking into his eyes closely, our foreheads touching.

"Shh, shh." I soothed. I rubbed his back, trying to calm him. He looked at me, into my eyes, and held onto my forearms tightly, tight enough to leave small marks. But I ignored the pricks, still trying to soothe him.

"They won't." He said tightly. I nodded a bit, trying to assure. He tightened his grip.

"I won't let them, Rin." He said, his warm breath brushing my face. I felt unsettled at this; this was unusual behavior from Len. But I could only nod, lest he become more upset. He relaxed his hands, sliding them down to take a hold of my hands.

"It's ok, don't worry." I cooed. His breathing was more normal, deeper, calmer. I looked away, scared at my thoughts. If Len was this upset, it must be inevitable. Tears again pricked at my eyes until Len squeezed my hands. I met his steady gaze.

"Rin." He said. I parted my lips, but was too caught in the intensity of his eyes. In them lay something bright.

"Rin," he repeated. "I'm not going to let them send you away." I nodded, breathless, even though my thoughts objected to that as they swirled around in my head.

"No." he asserted, reading me like a book. "I mean it." This immediately caught my attention. This was not Len simply making a promise to console; this was Len with a plan.

"Len, what do you think you're gonna do?" I said accusingly. After all, we were only eight years old, and royal blood doesn't go that far when you're young.

His eyes held steady and burned brightly. "I'm leaving." He announced.

For a moment, everything was still. This entered my brain and came to rest. I could hear the chirping of insects outside the open windows, could feel the breeze that brushed aside the curtains curling across my neck. And then it all slammed into reality.

I jumped, jumped in my skin and off his bed.

"Excuse me??" I stammered. "You think you're going to what? That the answer to this problem is to leave??" My thin chest heaved up and down. Now I was the one having a fit. I felt my body become hot with anger, my cheeks flaming with indignation, fists balled. Len slid neatly off the bed to put his arms around me.

"Shh Rin, you'll wake them up." He whispered into my ear. "Calm down." I shook my head, speechless.

"You can't leave." I fumed in an angry whisper. He stroked my back peacefully and looked at me sadly. I shook my head again, whipping my blond hair back and forth. He sighed.

"Listen to me." He drew me back to his bed and sat. After a moment of hesitation, I too sat. He turned to me.

"If I leave, they will have no other heir but you, Rin. They can't marry off the last of the Kagamine blood. You'll rule alone. Once it's been long enough, I'll come back, and we can be together again."

"Len! I-" He shushed me, and I lowered my voice. "And what would you do? Starve to death out there? And you think they're not going to look for you?" My voice rose again. "We would still be separated!"

"Shh, calm, Rin. I would do fine. We both have some money; I can use that to start myself out fine. Other boys out there are getting apprenticed; I can surely find something as well. I'll go far, and be careful, they won't find me." He reached out and tucked some of my hair behind my ear. "And I know we'd be apart, but we would be in control. I could come back and see you, it wouldn't be forever. And what other choice is there?"

My breath hitched. Why did Len have to be so right? Sitting around here and waiting for something else to happen would never work. This was a better alternative, no matter how unseemly it seemed.

"It doesn't seem fair, for us to be separated and for you to have to be alone out there." I whispered. He stroked my hair absentmindedly.

"I'd miss you, but I would do ok. Don't worry." I shook my head anyways. He stood.

"Len!" I gasped, my head bobbing up. "You can't mean tonight." I felt angry. He expected me to get used to such an idea in mere minutes? To be ready to say goodbye to my brother practically in an instant?

He looked away. "There's no time like the present." He said quietly. I stood to go to him as he pulled on his clothes, but he held out his hand.

"Don't, Rin." His voice sounded husky. "Just lay down. Go to sleep."

Frozen, I watched him as he pulled on his boots and fastened his hair back. He dug around in our chest for our small bags of coins we had for spending and play, tucking it inside his jacket.

I began to feel it, welling up inside me. I stood there, gasping like a fish, my legs shaking. Len looked up and his eyes grew misty.

"Oh, Rin. Don't cry. Please, Rin." He walked over to me and wrapped his arms around me. I cried into his thin shoulder like my heart would break. He gripped me tightly.

"I have to Rin. We have to be strong. We'll be together." I shook my head. This was bad, why would he go and leave us both alone?

"Shh. Don't cry." He soothed, but his words sounded choked. Inside, I knew I was being selfish. He was doing this for me, and I was crying and begging him not to leave. Stupid girl. But I couldn't stop my cries, even when I tried.

I buried my face into the crook of his neck and shoulder. Len always had a special smell that I loved, and at the moment, was comforting. He sniffed and hugged me closer for a moment before releasing me. I tried to put on a brave face again, but I saw his face, and with a hiccup I was crying again.

"It's ok." Len said, and led me to his bed. "Just lay down, alright? Go to sleep." My heart began beating fast, because this was it. He was leaving. I locked my arms around his neck even as I laid on his bed. He struggled a bit, but managed to remove my death grip. Before I could try again, he grabbed my arms.

I whimpered. "Len, please…." I whispered. The words lingered on my lips. Don't leave me alone. He inhaled and exhaled shakily.

"No Rin." He replied. Then he removed one hand from restraining me to the table beside his bed to grab something. He held his out to me and opened it. In it lay his signet ring, the one with a small engraved "L". It shone gold with small rubies, our birthstone. It was a little too big for him, but he wore it almost every day. I looked up into his deep eyes.

"Take it." He whispered. "If I have it on me, I can be recognized. And I want you to have it until I return." I saw his hand tremble, so I carefully took it. He sat up and untied my ribbon that I wore. Taking the ring, he threaded it onto the ribbon. I sat up as well.

He reached his arms around me and tied it carefully. I touched the ring, still warm from his palm, and almost burst into tears. Seeing my look, he leaned forward and kissed my forehead softly, lingering for a moment before sliding of the bed. I gasped, and he quickly turned as he took up his small bag.

"Shh. Don't wake the others." He whispered, nodding towards the governess's door. I gazed after him as he approached the door. At it, he hesitated and turned.

"I'll be back soon." And with that, he slipped into the door and was gone.

My lungs had no air, my legs were lead. My head shook as it pounded and I realized he was gone. Suddenly, I leaped out of his bed, ran to the door and flung it open. My eyes saw nothing but darkness, and I heard no footsteps. My legs shook and I closed the door. Turning my eyes to the window, I caught a glimpse of a moving figure, about the size of a small boy cutting across the yards.

It was almost out of sight when it stalled, shifted, and raised an arm. I pressed my hand against the glass in farewell and yearning, and watched the figure disappear.

I found the glass shifting, moving up as I slid down to the floor. Tucking my knees to me, I sobbed quietly, stuffing my nightgown to my lips to stifle any escaped sounds.

Eventually, I crawled back to Len's empty bed, and gripping the bedcovers, managed to pull myself into it, collapsing onto his pillow, which still smelled of him. It was there when I fell into a deep sleep, haunted by the image of a running boy.