Rainbow's Stand

Chapter 1 - Jailbreaks

There's screaming echoing throughout the air before I could register the fact that we were retreating.

Someone was laughing. Lady Jane? Probably.

My eyes were stunned onto Dracos body though, I can feel small tears.

It was twitching. Convulsing. Small bolts of florescent purple lightning bolts were sparking out of him, his hair was sticking to his forehead. Sweat (or blood?) sliding down his face and staining his robe.

It's then when I start really taking in his outfit. From his long midnight cape twisting around his torso to his golden lined black shirt underneath. To the almost black green colour of his pants, stained with the earth and blood.

"Rainbow!"

Warm hands grab my shoulders, and I find myself being pulled up. My eyes flicker, and behind my wild cotton candy hair I can see the fiery red of Alecs.

"Her majesty has ordered a retreat."

I grab his sleeve, and turn desperately back to see Lady Jane (I can't believe I had once trusted her...) tenderly picking up Draco. I scream, but Alec holds my arm in a tight grip. I turn back to him.

"Alec—"

"We'll be back for him."

"We've been back for him so many times. Alec we should—"

"Rainbow don't be selfish."

I prepare to snap back at him, but I stop. He's right. I'm being selfish by pushing our weakened kingdoms forces into a small percentage chance that we would get my brother back.

So I let Alec pull me away.

。。。

I didn't realize I had fallen asleep until I had woken up again, on the bumpy road up towards my home of white brick walls and crawling ivy.

The army are all on wooden wagons driven by horse, the ones they use to cart supplies back and forth for trading. (It makes sense, the fancier carriages would never survive the turmoils of the woods and war.)

Mine is being steered by Kyran, his mop of a hair being tussled with the wind. Beside him is Gold, her hair bouncing with the rocks and wind. Her crown is off, but she's laughing.

Her crown.

The golden wreath is laying beside me, on the floor of a wooden cart, surrounded with the silver of arrow tips and sword blades.

A crown that would have been mine, had I not been a coward and rushed away from responsibility. Had I not pushed it all away.

You knew she would have been a better ruler. You and mom and dad and now everyone else knew.

Against my better judgement, I find myself reaching forward with my achey arms. Reaching towards—

"Rainbow! Welcome back!"

I turn just in time to see Funneh vault herself over the moving cart walls and narrowly avoid sitting on a claymore as she settles herself down beside me.

Gold turns around, tutting before rolling her eyes and returning to her oh so important conversation with Kyran.

("I'm telling you, the egg didn't come before the chicken. Chicken probably came from two different birds—"

"Which birds Gold! I'm telling you the egg totally came before the chicken." )

"It's nice to see you up again." Funneh comments, smiling as she brushes her hair out of the way of her oceanic eyes.