Chapter Four: his fiance

It was another sunny day at the country of Albione and the people were enjoying the weather for it was very rare in these parts. A certain blonde, however, was busy dusting the dust off the old statues in the castle. She was reminiscing the times when she and her mother were still together when she heard a voice.
"Excuse me?" A green-haired girl called out, "Could you tell me where the kitchen is?"
Rin turned around and came face to face to the princess of the neighboring kingdom, Miku-hime. Her green hair was down and she was wearing a simple dress. She obviously ran away from her guards to explore the castle grounds of his future husband.
"Miku-hime ," Rin muttered, quickly recognizing the girl.
"Eh? How'd you recognize me? I wore my simples dress!" Miku pouted.
Rin smiled at her. "Len-sama must be waiting for you right now. Shall I direct you to his room?"
"No," Miku replied, "I don't want to go yet. Do you know how boring it is to have about ten guards with you at all times? Well, let me tell you. You can't do anything. Anything at all. You just have to sit and drink tea. That's so boring. You agree with me, right?"
"Miku-hime, you really should be going right now."
"And besides I've been to Len-kun's room a thousand times," Miku continued, "It has this boring shade of gray. I bet he wasn't allowed to decorate it. Len-kun isn't boring, but he's uncomfortable when we have guards all around us, so it's very boring. Do you know how it feels to be with an uncomfortable person and ten guards surrounding the two of you?"
"Let me guess," Rin said, "Boring?"
"Exactly. So you understand me. You understand why I don't want to go back."
'Geez. She's as stubborn as Len-sama.' Rin thought.
The princess started walking around and looking at each corner of the castle as if she won't see them for a long time. Rin just stood there and watched her, determined to bring her back. In her imagination, the guards were running about, searching for the princess and Len led them.
"I'm not going back," Miku stated, more to herself than to Rin, "I want to explore more. When I'm with them, my world is limited when there's so much to see."
"Okay then." Rin walked toward her. "But I shall accompany you."
"You're just going to tell me not to do this and that."
"I don't have the authority." Rin smiled. "I'm a servant of the kingdom of Albione, not yours. Besides, I want to see what goes in the mind of a princess, may I?"
Miku looked at her for a second then smiled, "Okay then. But you shall address me as Miku. Only."
"Okay."
The two explored the numerous hallways of the castle and avoided being seen by one of Miku's guards. Miku inquired about each and every room and Rin answered her completely, filling her in also the castle's history. Miku felt comfortable with Rin and Rin too felt comfortable with the princess.
They felt like they knew each other for a long time. They were like best friends, reunited again. As they walked through the different places in the castle, they told each other bits of their lives. They understood each other. Miku knew how it felt to lose someone you love. She had experienced it too. And though Rin had never felt restricted, she understood why Miku felt that way.
"Can't we talk about something else?" Miku requested.
"You were the one who asked," Rin answered.
"I know that, but the castle is so boring!" Miku exclaimed.
"Then what do you want to talk about?" Rin asked.
"Hmm…" Her eyes traveled to the girl sitting beside her, "You."
"Me?" Rin blinked and pointed to herself.
"Yes you!" Miku stood up, arms making a V-sign, "Your history, your favorite food, your family, your likes, your dislikes and—ooh, the one you love!"
"What?" Rin was confused.
Miku rushed to her and asked, "Who is the one you love?"
Rin's thought drifted to Len the moment Miku asked. She blushed at the thought and shook her head at the same time.
"You're blushing!" Miku exclaimed, "So who is it?"
"No one," Rin answered quickly, afraid that the princess may see through her.
"Aww…" Miku pouted, "You're no fun, Rinnie…"
"Don't call me Rinnie." Rin smirked. "Or I'll call you princess."
"No! I might get caught!" Miku shouted, "I don't wanna come back yet!"
Rin sighed. Miku definitely wasn't a normal princess. She always overreacts. She's loud. She uses a lot of hand gestures. She likes to run. She wants it to be noisy always. She was very fun to be with.
"Then stop calling me Rinnie," Rin said.
Miku changed the subject, "I'm positive you have a guy you like."
"How are you so sure?" Rin asked.
"I saw it in your eyes when I asked the question," Miku stated, "You had that sparkle in your eyes."
"Oh…" Rin said, "What about you? Do you have someone you love?"
Miku's smile disappeared and turned into a frown. She sat down and looked at her feet. Rin looked at her, worried that she might have offended her.
"Yes." Miku answered, "I do, but I can't be with him."
"Why?" Rin asked, surprised at the sudden change of attitude.
"He left." Miku's gaze never left the ground.
"Care to tell me?"
"I'd rather not." Miku suddenly stood up. "Let's go to the horses! I always wanted to ride a horse! But of course, I dreamed of riding it with a handsome prince who's taller than me and we'll travel the whole world together! Oh, think of all the places we could go to! The scenery, the animals, the people! I would like to know their different traditions…"
Rin ignored the fact that Miku was emphasizing 'taller than me' to show that she doesn't like Len. Miku was back to normal. Rin was still lost in thought. She thought about how Miku refused to tell her the one she loves and how she looked so sad when she mentioned it.
Suddenly they heard shouts and they knew exactly what they meant.
"Miku-hime is there!"
Miku looked at Rin and smiled. "See you soon, Rinnie!"
Then she skipped off toward the bewildered guards and prepared herself for a sermon. A very long sermon about how she is a princess and how she should show it. Rin stared at the direction Miku went. There was definitely something bothering the princess. Even though she had just met her, Rin knew she was hiding something from her and she wanted to help.
Rin had always been one to help people. It was one of the most important things her mother taught her. In her life, she was able to help some people along with her mother. She usually gave a portion of her breakfast to the more unfortunate and they would always smile gratefully at her.
Even when she's alone, she still has the ability to help.
"I don't want to sit on the throne and rule over a kingdom!" Miku exclaimed at her father, "I want to explore! I want to see the wonders of the world! Have you ever wished to see what lies outside the gates of our kingdom?"
"No, I have never wished that," Satoshi answered her daughter, "You are a princess. You must act like a princess. When you become queen, you can have anything you wish for in this kingdom!"
"I don't want anything in this kingdom, father. I want to see—"
"Enough of this stubbornness! Another incident like this and you'll stay in the castle for a whole month, understand?"
Miku looked at his father with a sad look then left his presence. She wanted someone to talk to. She wanted to pour out her feelings, but there was no one. So she stomped all the way back to her room and cried.
Crying can't make things better, yes. But it can help you feel better. Miku always cried. Sure, some servants hear her at times, but they never bothered her. 'Strict orders from the king' ran through their minds.
Why can't her parents understand how she feels? She so badly wants to explore other places. The only place she had gone other than her and Albione's castles is her father's friend's hotel. That was where she made her very first non-royalty friend. She was ten at that time, and even now that she's sixteen, she could still remember it.
"Why are you crying?"
She looked up, surprised to hear an unfamiliar voice. There, staring down at her, was a blue-haired boy who looked overly concerned.
"Hey, answer me." He went down the stairs and sat beside her.
"…Papa scolded me." She answered.
"You know, your parents scold you because they don't want you to do bad things."
"…Are you sure?"
"Positive. Now you wanna ride a horse? It's really fun!"
"But…papa might get mad at me…"
"Hmm…" The guy looked up and put his head on his hands, as if thinking, "Then we'll be back really really fast."
He stood up and held out his hand. She took it and they snuck out of the building. It was Miku's first time to ride a horse and she loved it. She trusted her new friend and knew he wouldn't let her get hurt.
In the end, they were scolded, but Miku didn't cry. She knew that her father was just worried about her.
Miku cried more at the memory and remembered the time the hotel got burned. There were no survivors. Her first love died before she got a chance to know his name. She never bothered to ask about him after.
She tried to forget about him, but she never could. Every time she got scolded, she would always remember him. And believe me, she got scolded a lot.
'Hasn't Life had enough?' Miku thought, 'Life had been making me suffer for six years. Isn't he contented of all the misery I've felt yet? No, it seems like he's not done with me yet. After I've finally made a friend, I never get to see her again…I guess that's just me. I have a curse. I'll never get to see the ones I cherish the most a second time.'
She sat up and wiped her tears away. It was already past sundown, but she wasn't hungry. She could care less about food.
Then she made her decision.

GOmen. Too tired to put spaces in between. *yawn*