The Fallen Royals

The prince watched the darkening sky from the balcony of his room. Something felt not quite right that day. A storm was brewing and he was advised by the palace people not to proceed with his visit to Kouku, a habit that he had established after the engagement ball. He convinced himself that the gloomy weather might have been causing his anxiety since that morning. He missed being with his fiancée. A week from now, he would be returning to the Royal Patch Academy and being stuck inside the Kaminari palace was such a waste of precious time.

He knew he was making progress with her. At the start of his visit, he was greeted with scowls but for the past few days, they had turned to little almost barely there smiles. She would be disappointed if he did not show up.

The sky roared with thunder and lightning flashed from behind the thick black clouds. The wind unleashed its terrifying howl making the trees dance in panic. Heavy rain drops started to fall down punching the earth with all their might. The prince sighed. He cannot stop the inevitable coming of the storm.

In the Kouku princess' room...

"Why the long face, Your Highness?" the plump nanny inquired as she poured tea on the blond royal's cup. She received no response. The girl had been sulking in her room all day. Perhaps the rain had the effect of lowering down her spirits.

"Disappointed that your fiancé did not show up, perhaps?" she teased her to lighten her mood.

"I'm not asking for your opinion!" the princess snapped.

"Well that confirms it," the nanny muttered to herself. "Maybe you should get some rest to clear your mind off things. The night's getting old. Surely you do not want dark circles to form beneath your beautiful eyes. Come let's get you changed with your night robes."

"I do not want to sleep yet."

"Then what do you want to do?"

Princess Anna did not answer her.

"Maybe I should leave you alone," the nanny grabbed the empty teapot and slowly headed for the door.

"He'll be leaving again next week," the girl finally spoke.

The plump nanny smiled. The arrogant princess was opening herself up to her. She approached the tea table and put down the pot that she was holding. She did not wait for the royal to ask her to take a seat. The princess wouldn't offer her anyway.

"..and you're bothered by it tremendously?"

The blond girl nodded without looking at her directly.

"Well who would have thought that the prince's strategy is actually working?" the nanny chuckled.

"When Ren leaves, I'll be alone in this boring old palace again."

"Please don't say that, Your Highness. Your parents will always be there for you."

"That is something they have yet to prove for all I can remember is their absence from my life."

"Isn't securing your future good enough to prove that they love you?" The nanny tried to reason with her.

"They did not ask my opinion when they decided on MY future," grumbled the princess.

The nanny gently squeezed the girl's hand, "While the king and queen are busy with the affairs of Kouku, you can count on me to be always here."

Later that night...

Princess Anna twisted and turned on her soft bed. No matter how many times she had called for him, the God of Sleep did not bestow what she was asking of him. The storm aggravated her restlessness for the strong wind kept its constant hammering on her windows. She covered her ears with a pillow to lessen the noise but it was not enough to mute down a frightening scream which resonated from downstairs.

The princess immediately jumped off her bed and ran outside to check on the source. It was then that she noticed that the three guards stationed on the hallway were sprawled on the ground. They appeared to be in a deep slumber which infuriated her for they were clearly slacking off. She shook them violently to no avail. They seemed to have lost the capability to wake up.

"What's going on?" her heart beat fast as she ran towards the stairs. What she saw totally appalled her. The guards who were stationed at the front door were also in the same state as those in the hallway leading to her room. However, she spotted her nanny bathing in her own pool of blood nearby. The princess rushed downstairs and trembled as she held her personal maid's hand.

The plump nanny managed to let out a weak smile, "Princess…"

Life was slowly draining from her.

"Who, who did this to you?" she couldn't stop her tears from falling.

"I heard noises… coming from… from the front door… I went out to check... I.. I saw them..." The nanny coughed out blood. "Escape… now… They are going… to kill you…"

Princess Anna gasped. She couldn't believe that enemies have infiltrated the well-secured Kouku palace and were now committing murders unknown to the rest of the kingdom. There was no one there to help. The thought of her parents suddenly struck her and she quickly dashed towards the hall leading to the king and queen's room.

"Mother! Father!" she called for them as she darted through the chamber's opened door.

"Anna!" King Hideki bore a cut on his left shoulder. He had his sword out and was protecting his terrified queen from behind his back. Two people, each wearing a white mask and long cloak turned their heads toward the princess' direction.

"We nearly forgot about her," a small voice was heard from behind the mask of the shorter of the pair. If he were not brandishing a dangerous spear with him, he could have easily been mistaken for a child because of his stature.

"I'll take care of the little princess," the other one with a goatee grinned wickedly as he prepared to strike the girl with his sword. The king jumped in front of his daughter and blocked his attack. At the same time, Queen Ayako lunged herself at the intruder so that they both fell to the floor. She pinned him down with the weight of her body.

"Get off me, you b*tch!" screamed the bearded guy.

"Please go, Anna!" her mother pleaded to her but the princess was rooted on the spot. She was just a foot away from the door yet she didn't have the will to abandon her parents.

Suddenly, the little guy appeared behind the queen and stabbed her with his spear, "I do NOT like being ignored."

"Ayako!" King Hideki wailed in despair.

The guy with the goatee pushed the lifeless queen off him, "You almost hit me there you midget!" He yelled at his companion.

The king took the killers' momentary bickering as an opportunity to shove his daughter out of the room. "GO!" He pushed and slammed the chamber's door closed.

Princess Anna pounded on the wooden door, "Father! Don't do this! They will kill you!"

She heard a clash of sword and curses being thrown back and forth from inside. However, the battle was abrupt and the commotion in the royal chamber ended with a blood-stained spear piercing through the door. The princess dropped down to her knees as realization of her parents' death dawned on her. The door was slowly pushed open to reveal her father's impaled body on it. She gathered her remaining strength and sanity up and scampered away from the chamber as fast as her legs could carry her.

"Run all you can princess but we will pursue you to your death!" the man with a goatee taunted her.

The princess was shaking all over but she couldn't let them catch her. The adrenaline rush allowed her to swing the heavy front door open so that she could escape the palace. The storm had grown stronger but there was nothing worse than the situation she was currently in right now. She continued to run into the forest hoping to find the trail leading to the village closest to the palace but fate had brought her to a rampaging river.

She can hear the amused laughter of the tall killer as he approached her. The little one trailed behind him as if marching gallantly with his bloody spear.

"Looks like you have no place to go, Princess," he slowly unsheathed his sword as if trying to prolong her agony.

Princess Anna stepped backed. She was just inches away from the angry waters. It's the river or them. It doesn't matter now since death would claim her either way. She closed her eyes then jumped to the disbelief of her pursuers. The strong current immediately carried her away until her struggling body was not seen anymore.

"Shit!" the tall man attempted to go after the girl.

"That's not necessary," the short guy turned around to leave. "She fell into a rampaging river in the middle of a storm. She's good enough as dead."