The Last Rabbit Prince

Coming Home

The first thing Rain notices about the village is how quiet it is. There are no children playing in the streets, although Rain sees a few peeking out at him from behind their parents backs. There are no aunties and uncles gossiping in the market. People are going about their day to day business unsmiling and everyone looks very grim. Even the spirit animals on display seem somehow to be dispirited and without hope.

A middle aged man greets P'Phayu by name. He gives Rain a curious glance.

"Rain, this is Niran, the village head. P'Niran this is Rain." P'Phayu says, the man's eyes widen at the name. He eyes dart to the necklace Rain is wearing and he studies it for a minute. Finally, he nods as if he suddenly understands something P'Phayu isn't saying out loud.

"What's happened here?" P'Phayu asks Niran.

"A few weeks ago the king's guards came through and demanded taxes. Everyone paid as much as they could but one family was singled out. The guards claimed they were holding back but I swear they weren't. Their daughter had recently been sick and the family hadn't been able to gather as much resources as usual. The guards didn't believe them, or claimed not to. They locked them in their house and set it on fire. The man, his wife and their eight year old son died. Only their three year old daughter survived and that was because he was able to break a window and drop her out before he was overcome with smoke." Niran says sadly. "And then when other people protested the act the guards attacked several of the citizens, not just the ones that tried to stop them."

Rain can't imagine anyone doing something so cruel. "Can I see her?" he asks.

He is taken to a village hall that has been turned into a makeshift hospital. Rain isn't prepared for the extent of the injuries or the fact that there are many children and elderly among their numbers. Apparently Korn's men didn't care who they hurt, in fact they might purposely target the most vulnerable citizens.

Rain kneels down next to the bed of a tiny girl with burns over much of her body.

Rain feels tears gather in his eyes at the site. "What's her name?" He asks.

"It's Beam, your highness." Niran says. So he does know who Rain is.

"Does she have any other family, anyone to take her in?" Rain asks.

"No, your highness. Poor girl is all alone in the world." The man says.

"Hello, Beam," Rain says. The little girl doesn't respond. She just lays there staring at him.

Rain studies the little girl, then an idea occurs to him. "Can you show me how to do that projecting thing?"

P'Phayu raises an eyebrow at this but just says, "Concentrate on your inner bunny. Visualize it." He shows Rain has to make the hand gesture he has used. To Rain's delight a brown bunny appears. It's much larger than Rain had expected. It makes Rain think of a Flemish Giant Rabbit he had seen in a magazine once. Rain can feel the energy coming from it as if it's connected to him. He hadn't felt that with P'Phayu's wolf or any of the animals he had seen in the village, so it must be a personal thing connected to a personal spirit animal.

The little girl's eyes grow wide when she sees the bunny and she gives it a small smile. Rain concentrates on what he wants, and the bunny performs a trick where it bounces over the girl and back again, now Beam even giggles a little. Some of the other patients who are able to sit up and watch as well. Beside him P'Phayu draws in a breath. "Well done." he says so only Rain can hear.

That night they stay at the tiny inn in the village. The innkeeper doesn't want to take their coin but P'Phayu insists on paying for their room and board and even tips the innkeeper extra for a private dining room. Once they are alone, Rain cries while Phayu holds him, "They have to be stopped." He says.