The Colors Universe
Tobi's Tale part 4 by Skie
Characters: EveryoneWord Count: 1,547 words
Theme: Sooner or later
Author Notes: One more after this one!
“WHAT!?” Midorin exclaimed, pointing accusingly at Tobi and then turned to point at Kou. “You said I had an important role! Why am I dead?!” She suddenly grabbed the sides of her own head and clenched her fists. “Moreover, why did Kou do it?! That’s not right!”
“If Kou hadn’t done that” Murasaki said softly, clearly moved by the story, “The retaliation against Mikan wouldn’t have happened like it did”
“I’m happy about that!” Mikan said happily “Meanie princess Mikan is too sour of an orange! Looks like she’s next!”
“Tobi!” Midorin suddenly regained her composure and resumed pointing at him. “It’s good that you died too! Now our other selves can hang out in the afterlife and stuff!”
“Nice attitude, Midorin” Tobi laughed. “But we would need five others for a nice afterlife tea party.”
“Five m—“ Midorin repeated and immediately made the connection. “You and your sevens! Haven’t you learned that fours are better?!”
“Sooner or later, you’ll understand what sevens are all about. For now, shall I continue on with the story?” Tobi asked the group, smiling as he was met with six nods from the others. He added the seventh nod and then proceeded on with his tale.
The hour had come for the princess to die. Just as she had ordered the death of thousands of others, the time had come for her to meet with her own fate at the hands of those she had hurt. Through her death, those that she sentenced to death would be avenged. Through her death, the world could be at peace at last. She, the princess of the orange country, was the source of the evil that had plagued the countries for so long.
A simple tool had been chosen to carry out the execution. Worse than the tool, though, was the location. The people, demanding their revenge and demanding to see their task through, had established a public setting for the execution. The tool, too, had been moved from the dark crypt that had formerly served as its home to the public stage that had been quickly erected for the masses to watch.
The prince and commander that had led the rebellion to capture the evil princess decided that she would be put to death at the stroke of noon exactly; at the ringing of the third bell. Save for a single onlooker who kept herself silent, no soul spoke out in opposition to the public execution of the orange princess. Both the commander of the red soldiers, Akai, and the prince of the blue country, Aoi, stood nearby along with soldiers acting as guards for the stage. A pair of guards began ascending the stairs with the orange princess in their firm grasp, bringing the evil to where it would be snuffed out.
As the evil was reaching its end in the orange country, there was still a soul wrought with rage and despair at the events that had occurred. This poor soul, who had all that she had wanted in the world and more, now sat alone with even less than she had before she had obtained that happiness. Murasaki sat alone in the center of the green city, staring down at the ground before her, her tears freely running down her cheeks and dripping off to the ground below her. The city, formerly so full of life and happiness, was now nothing more than a barren ghost town without the slightest sounds around, save for the occasional sniffle from Murasaki.
What could it have hurt, after all, for her to leave Midorin’s side for a little while? Certainly fate would not be so cruel as to take from her everything that she had gained. She finally had a friend, someone who truly cared about her, and someone who valued her own future as much as they did theirs. She finally had everything she ever wanted, and there was no way that it could be taken so easily.
Yet here she sat, Murasaki came to realize as the reality of her situation slowly sank in, among the vast emptiness created by the selfishness of another. The selfishness that came from an individual who had power yet had never faced consequences for her actions; who had never been faced with “No” as answer to her demands. That very person had, in her search for the tiniest something, taken from Murasaki everything that she had ever wanted and finally obtained. To take everything was unforgivable.
To take everything…
Murasaki slowly stood. Her thoughts raced and her mind reeled with possibilities. She came up with only a single answer to her situation. She couldn’t remain alone in this city. She had to find… something more. Something else. She had to find something, though she knew she had never found anything.
As the number of minutes remaining in the morning reached only a single digit, the evil princess was forced to kneel upon the stage. The guards moved both of the princess’ hands into place and then set and locked the piece of wood into place that secured the princess’ head into the tool as well. There, for all to see, was the princess in the final pose that would ever be presented to the people of the orange country, the blue country, and the remnants of the red and green countries. A guard, who wore only black, was given the responsibility of raising and, at noon, releasing the blade that would fall with the weight of all those who had been killed, the blade of vengeance that would strike and bring an end to evil and a beginning to peace.
Looking upon the princess, Aoi’s frown only deepened. He could never forgive her for her actions, but he could also have never imagined the position that he would soon be in. He would rule over all four countries and lead them to prosper. He had been appointed as the leader, but so many had been lost… he would never forget the sacrifices that had occurred.
Akai, meanwhile, did not wear the same frown that Aoi did. His mixed emotions made his expression entirely unreadable. He knew, after all, something that no one else did. A single emotion finally struck his face, spurred on as he remembered the exact moment that he captured the princess in her throne room.
The efforts of the soldiers and civilians with their rams finally paid off and the doors of the castle burst open, sending splinters in every direction. The gargantuan doors fell to the side, broken from their frame and rendered useless. “Forward!” Aoi shouted, pointing into the castle. Akai, in his desperation to reach the evil princess first, rushed ahead into the castle. He fully intended to carry out his revenge here and now, without waiting for the others. She had killed too many, and he would be the one to cut her down.
With a single kick, Akai forced open the doors to the throne room and immediately locked his gaze with the cold glare he was greeted with. There, upon her throne, sat the evil princess of the orange country. To the bitter end, it seemed, she intended to retain her position and continue her tyranny.
The first bell sounded, ringing through the orange country. Everyone knew, as they listened to the bell toll, what it was that would occur in mere minutes.
Akai rushed forward, rapidly approaching the princess with his sword drawn. “You!” Akai shouted, rage taking hold of him “You took her!” he raised his blade to strike, stepping up towards the throne “You took everything!” He lunged forward with his blade “I’ll make you pay--!”
The second bell tolled, and as its sound faded, not a soul made a sound in the city; and perhaps in the world. As the moment of vengeance approached every individual waited with bated breath to see it carried out.
A single trail of scarlet blood trickled down the princess’ neck as the tip of Akai’s blade stopped. “You…” shock and confusion spread across Akai’s features “…Why?”
The third bell tolled, and with it the blade of vengeance dropped. The souls of all those that had been killed by the evil princess and the pain and sorrow caused to the people of the countries all piled upon it as it descended. No individual heard the sound of the blade, but everyone felt the blade strike true as the bell tolled once again, just slightly louder than it had before. The princess of evil was dead.
It was over.
Cheers and celebration broke out immediately amongst the people. Peace was here at last, and no longer would anyone have to fear for their lives or their families. It was finally time to put the horrors behind and move on. There was no more evil, and no person would every look back and miss it.
There was one in the crowd who did not cheer or celebrate. At the sound of the third bell, she had dropped to her knees, as they could no longer hold her, and tears began to stream from her eyes. She wept for the death of the princess. She wept while all others celebrated.
She wept as the people celebrated her death.
