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Allen's ocean blue eyes glazed in fear. "Chide...don't.", Reina pleaded, frozen in her tracks. Chided smiled and gently released the blond haired boy, laughing a bit. Allen ran to Reina and she caressed him with a motherly hug. "Chide...What are you planning? You've went out of your way to contrive a way to pull us all together. What exactly do you want from us?" His smile grew, staying ever sincere. "What do I want? I want my brother's blood spilt across my hands. I want my kingdom to have a wise and beautiful queen...I work as the prince of Germainia trying to make my people happy,but I, I am not even happy myself. I may seem cruel, but a cruel king keeps his kingdom. My dear brother has a happy kingdom, and he is happy. However, his gestures to not put fear into his enemies. Ten out of a dozen of the servants in this palace are or at least were in alliance with the other counties. Happiness is only for a limited time, his 'servants' are going to turn on him. The western countries are planning invasion. They want to pillage this lush land and steal it for themselves.", he paused, giving just enough time to glance over at Reina and see her shocked expression, "This, I have noticed, happiness means blindness." He walked forward taking Reina's hand in his own, "Dearest Reina, my love, if he takes you as Tamion's queen, then when Tamion falls you will fall. Even if I cannot have you, I can at least protect you." Chide then released her hands and turned away, almost as if ashamed. "I haven't been to greatest of person to you, Reina, and when I try to be kind, everything just gets screwed up. Maybe the gods just didn't mean for me to be happy, but it is only human to seek this emotion. I don't ask for your forgiveness, but only that you listen to my apology. I am sorry for-" Chide's husky voice was cut off in a gurgled choke as a sword was stabbed threw his back. Reina let out a high and shrilling scream. The Prince Hiro stood, sliver sword planted into his brother's back. "Chide!", Reina screamed running forward to catch the dark prince as he fell forward.
Reina knelt down with Chide's head resting in her lap, blood trickling from the fallen Prince's mouth. "Reina...", he murmured looking up at her with shiny eyes, scared eyes. Never before had she seen Chide's eyes like this, they shone with fear and desperation. "Don't speak...save your breath. You'll be okay." She gave her his normal boyish cocky smirk, "But If I don't speak now I want have another chance." Rivers of silver lakes collected in Reina's eyes and then the dam's that held the lakes at bay burst and river flooded down Reina's soft pale skin. "I'm sorry, Reina- I hear-bye degree to all witnesses that you are no longer a servant to the Germania empire. You are free to go about as you wish, but are to have any comfort you may desire paid for with proof of the royal mark on your shoulder. You are allowed to love whomever you wish, may it be my brother or another,", he glanced at Hiro for a split second then back to Reina, "with my very best of wishes to you, Reina." A groan came from deep within Chides body, but it wasn't really a groan, more of a gasp. Maybe, a whisper from the body to the mind that death was approaching. He smiled up at Reina, despite the almost inaudible wheezing. Reina held him closer, red liquid blood spilling across her lap and the earth. "I love you, Reina...", he whispered, and at that moment his eyes shut and he went into a peaceful eternal sleep. "Chide...", Reina whispered and she held him tighter in a deep embrace, but Chide had already left.
She gently laid the princes body gently on the ground and stood. The wind blew in a warm gust, destroying the fog. Leaves gently brushed her skin as they moved along in the breeze, soon to become compost to the earth.
-Time seemed frozen still-
She could've stayed like this forever, maybe if she stood still long enough time would change her into one of those leaves and she would just blow away with the next gust of wind, but time never truly stands still. Life goes on, and lives end That, my friend, IS life. It is only the heart that can stand still, but like the leaves, the heart's painful memories will eventually become compost to the earth, feeding the new seeds of the future...
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(Afterthought)
Reina said her good-byes to Hiro and caught the very next ship back to Germainia, with Chides body onboard. She was there at his funeral, but not a tear spilled from her eyes. He would want her to be happy. As far a Hiro loving her, he never did stop, but Reina couldn't stay with him. It was too painful. The two price brothers were so different, yet they were exactly the same. Allen, well, he came back to Germainia with Reina. There he lives in the palace with Reina, his adopted mother, and Motoki, his adopted sister. He has never been happier. Though, the main question, was Reina ever truly happy? The servants at the palace say that there is a beautiful green haired woman who lives at the palace. She has two beautiful blond haired children and works very hard in the gardens alongside the servants. Somehow, out of all the flowers in the royal gardens, this green haired ladies flowers always manage to be the most beautiful of them all. They say every year she places her beautiful flowers on the Price Chide's grave, and then travels to the far off land of Tamion to visit King Hiro and his queen, Sakura. They say she is the most cheerful and joyous of all god's creatures, and is loved by all who know her.
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Dang...that was a bittersweet ending, ne? The name for this story will be 'Roses in the Rain' , a bittersweet title for a bittersweet story. Anyway, I want to thank everyone for being so patient with me, and continuing to read and review my story after all 14 chapters. I really appreciate your support, but most of all I want to thank BabyG (well that's what she'll always be to me anyway) for being such and inspiration and my band buddy Bria who moved far away today, never to come back to my school again. She wants to be an author just like me when she grows up, and although long distant relationships hardly ever last, I hope all her dreams come true. I'll miss you so much Bria, so don't ever forget me!
Love and Log Cakes,
ChibiMinko