Flower of Bulann

Chapter 13

Kinna sat in a strained silence with her brother, Hirro had imprisoned her here on her father's orders, but he agreed with him, his demeanour told her so.

"Will you not let Ovinna and Hinata come here at least, dear brother?" she asked, how was she to sleep alone? she hadn't done so in all of her fifteen years after all.

"No, dear sister. You will be bedded by a man soon enough. Or do you plan on having Ovinna watch you?" he replied sourly, his arms still folded.

She looked away embarrassed, should her brother be saying such things to her? anyway, his company was awful, as was that of the guards posted in and around her rooms.

"Do you hate lord Vior?" she asked him after a moment, remembering how he'd referred to her love as a 'traitor.'

"No... well, a bit I guess. He will be taking my little sister after all" he mumbled, but she heard him clearly. His bravado may have been offputting, but he really cared for her deep down.

She leant forward and patted his head, Hirro's face turning as red as a beetroot. Kinna had to stifle a laugh at the thought as he turned away from her.

"What are you doing, sister?" he stammered before standing up and walking away in a sulk to stand before her swords.

"Why do you keep these toys, sister? should you not have dolls or something more girlish?" he said, though he wouldn't show her his face.

Kinna almost told him they were very much real and kept in pristine condition. Jaefan had drilled such things as proper maintenance into her years ago after all. 

After a short time, he sat back down with her again, though he kept more distance between them this time. 

She moved closer and he backed up, eliciting a snort of laughter from his guards. Hirro seemed too embarrassed to discipline them and she found herself almost forgetting she was a prisoner.

"What will happen to lord Vior and lord Kuan?" she asked him seriously, having remembered her predicament.

"They will fight in the morning for your hand in marriage, where Vior will defeat him" he stated, then looked away. "Then lord Kuan will die, either by Vior's hand or our father's. Lord Kuan is of no use to the Hyenta's after all as a newly fallen ronin."

Kinna looked at her brother in abject horror before moving without thought and slapping him. Hirro grabbed her before she could hit him again and threw her to the ground roughly.

"You forget yourself, sister!" he shouted as he pulled on his helmet. "All is for the good of the clan, your friends, whom you love. None of it matters... we must all, must all make sacrifices as our father sees fit."

Kinna wanted to hate him as she began to tear up, but there was such restrained emotion in his voice she couldn't bring herself to. What had their father done to them...

Kinna pushed herself up, pulling her kimono tightly as she realised it had come loose when Hirro had thrown her.

"Kinna, please forgive me..." he started before the sound of clashing steel cut through the silence of the night.

Hirro immediately drew his katana and picked up Kinna, taking her to the back of the room and the only solid wall.

"Form up, we are attacked. Protect my sister at all costs, our lives are a small price to pay!" he shouted out, his guards already having drawn their weapons and facing the papered walls as the sounds of battle drew closer, but who would dare attack her father's fortress?

Swords slashed through the paper walls as more of her brother's warriors entered the room pursued by her maiden guard!

Her guard closed in on all sides as katanas clashed and Kinna cowered in fear below her table. Stories of battle and tournaments were one thing. But this, this was beyond horrible.

One of her maiden guards went down as one of her brother's men put his blade through her throat. The man's head was then immediately crushed as the terrifying red armoured Tai'ishi struck him with his kanabo club.

Several of her brother's men went down as arrows struck the weak points in their armour and she screamed as one fell down beside her, his blood spraying over her white kimono and face.

Vior kicked down another of her brother's men, his black armoured form both giving her a feeling of relief and fear.

"Let the lady Kinna go now and save further bloodshed!" Vior shouted to her brother, the lull in fighting broken only by the groans and crying of the wounded and dying.

Hirro pushed his men back and stepped out to meet Vior as both sides pulled their wounded and dead to their side of the room.

"I will never hand my sister over to anyone!" he spat, readying himself for combat.

"There is no more need for blood to be spilt" Vior pleaded, for he and the maiden guard easily outnumbered Hirro and his few remaining men.

"I will not give her up without a fight, I would never forgive myself. She is my dear sister" he said before turning to her and smiling sadly.

Hirro charged Vior and Kina screamed as her love easily parried his blade and slashed his thigh.

Her brother refused to go down, and though there had been no agreement, no one else engaged him.

Kinna shook in fear as Vior stood poised, his skill so far beyond her brother's it was only a matter of time before he killed Hirro. She looked up and grabbed her swords as Hirro attacked once more.

Her brother's usually pristine underrobe was crimson as he bled profusely from the leg wound, his strikes becoming more and more feeble as Vior parried them easily. Finally, they locked blades and Vior stepped back, his blade tip tilting down and cutting deep into Hirro's face. Her brother finally went down as he screamed in agony.

Vior stood over him, ready to strike the final blow when Kinna found her courage throwing herself upon Hirro, unable to stop her tears as she did so.

"Please, please do not kill my brother!" she cried, shielding him with her body.

"Please, Kinna. Please do not leave me" her brother asked, his face a mess of blood and pulped eye jelly.

"I am sorry, my dearest brother," she said through her tears, standing up after Vior had lowered his blade.

Kinna went over to Vior and took his hand, she still shook and no matter how hard Kinna tried she couldn't stop crying.

"Please, take me away with you, my love," she said as her mouth trembled, the smell of blood was strong and her stomach began to turn.

Her brother had been dragged back by his men and he spat out a mouthful of blood as she was taken into Vior's arms.

"If you leave now, sister... our father will not forgive you. You are turning your back on the Hyenta name" Hirro told her as he got back to his feet.

"So be it, my beloved brother," she said as Vior and her maiden guard left the bloody battlefield of her rooms.

Moving past the dead guards she knew and had come to her rescuer she began to cry again, finally understanding the price of her freedom.