Azure Sky

AN: I did not solely create this story on my own. Everything that you will read here, began on scraps of paper, notes, notebooks, and eventually was typed down. Along the way I modified it from the original, smoothing over plots I didn't understand or were uncompleted. Changing characters, names, places, settings, the pace and the flow. Even so I do not claim full ownership, because without my friend whom I wrote it with, Genesis Rose, this story would only be half as good.

Chapter titles come from Linkin Park's "Breaking The Habit". I do not own anything affiliated with the lyrics, song or band. I just use it because they are cool and describe Azure. ;) There I said it. I have no money to sue for anyways.

If you find any typos at all, or screw ups (like, if someone's hands are supposed to be tied but they're reading a book) don't hesitate to tell me so I can fix them right away.

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Chapter 1

The Town of Lire

8:45 pm

Eliya shivered in the shadows of the tavern, standing next a short, burly man by the name of Coryn. He spoke to the bartender in a commanding tone, intimidating him even more than his appearance did. Through the dim lights Eliya knew the elderly bartender could make out the silver 'R' emblazoned on a badge on Coryn's chest. And in this dark and cruel world, it was the greatest, the only, symbol of absolute power. The poor man must have been terrified.

"If any male children come into your bar, any at all, report them to The Rule immediately!" Coryn barked in his usual rough, unfeeling tone. A mindless robot.

"Times are getting desperate." He continued gravelly. "Master Moschef does not take these things easily anymore. It is nearing four years, four years, since the prince escaped…are you listening old man?"

The bartender shook his balding head up and down, never making eye contact. A few people around the two nodded quickly as well, holding their breath and not daring to take a sip from their drinks.

"Indeed. Don't you let me catch you disobeying any Rule laws anymore then! Hiding this girl here, even if she is female, is against Rule policies now. If children are clearly orphaned, then they are now illegal. I will take her back to the castle where she can be put to use." Coryn said, smiling wickedly down at her through the bar haze.

The castle? He's going to take me there? Eliya thought, feeling suddenly faint.

She remembered how she heard that there was nothing more terrifying than seeing the black, charred walls of the most infamous building in this small and desolate world. The Black Castle. Eliya froze where she stood, no longer feeling tough and clever. They were going to take her away. She was no longer going to be free.

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Azure reached for the bronze door handle. Its cold instantly froze through his tight fitting black gloves.

He grimaced, causing a jet of white air to appear in the freezing night from deep inside his dark blue hood.

He swung open the metal door, its hinges squealing in protest. Entering quickly to remain inconspicuous, he shut it behind him with a harsh rap.

Warmth.

He removed his hood, and his lush raven black hair shimmered a metallic navy as it fell to the back of his neck. He opened his crystalline blue eyes, and turning, saw his own porcelain face, four years younger, staring back at him on a poster tacked to the door.

Immediately he replaced his hood, concealing his striking features in a blanket of obscurity.

He turned and walked along the rows of tables at the tavern, avoiding everyone's eyes. His throat was tense and his hands trembled slightly, from cold, nervousness, or anxiety, he wouldn't bother to know. Emotions were too heavy a burden at the moment…

He seated himself on a rusty stool at the bar, five seats from Coryn. On the back wall was another professional looking poster, though creased and torn from years in the smoky atmosphere. The face of a ten-year-old boy was centered on it, above the word REWARD.

In the picture, his black hair was neatly trimmed, yet still hung over his chilling red eyes that seemed to evoke live emotion even though it was a faded photograph. The boy in the picture gazed forward, a knowing look of unnatural intelligence reflected in his morose expression. Below the photo was the notice:

Prince Azure Sky, son of the late King Rael Sky, and heir the throne of the Rule Empire, escaped the Black Castle's fortresses and The Rule guards on December 30th, year XX427 of the Red Age. Almost four years have past since his treachery to the good people of The Rule. The reward for safe return to the Rule Master and Leader Moschef, the only Rule councilmen put in charge of the Prince, has nearly tripled. The current reward is now $$18,000,000,000,000,000,000 in pure Rule gold and will be issued to the locater of our Prince Azure Sky by the great Rule Master and Leader himself.

-Records and Transit Councilman, Master Shoyuz.

A dour smile crept along Azure's lips.

It was his money that they were so inclined to hand out.

In all honesty, that amount of money meant less to him than a good fire; all he really wanted was to survive long enough to fulfill his only dream. It only just seemed humorous to him that his reward money was actually coming out of his own pocket. They were getting desperate, using the words 'good people of the Rule'. Didn't they realize how much the world hated them?

And how much they hate me as well…Azure thought sardonically. People seemed to think everything that had happened to the world in the past two thousand years was his fault. If only they knew what he had gone through to make this world a better place.

"Sir?" The flustered bartender suddenly asked Azure. He was well into his fifties, though it was getting harder to tell with each passing year. The colder the earth seemed to get, the older and weaker the men seemed to grow. "Will you be wantin' anythin'? Me names Cree and I am the owner of this here tavern. How are you?" He rasped.

He was casting a very peculiar glance at Azure. But with his cloak and cape on, any distinguishing features of Azure's were masked quite well. He couldn't hide the fact that he was short, though, and therefore this was most likely the reason for the bartender's suspicion.

"Yes, actually." Azure said in a business like tone as he glanced at Cree, who was cleaning a glass that was already broken. "And I'm quite dandy, thank you."

He tried his hardest not to sound sarcastic.

"Oh, yeah then? What'll it be?" Cree asked hoarsely, raising his scraggly eyebrows.

"I am interested in the hospitality you offer in the form of your inn rooms. What is the current rate for one night?" Azure said. He was trying his best to sound like an adult. It wasn't too hard.

"Eh?" Cree said confusedly.

Maybe he overdid it.

"How much fer a room?" Azure asked, doing his best rural drawl. "Sorry, I've come from out of town."

"Oh!" The old man said, his voice cracking. He set the broken glass down on the counter.

"Well, rooms 'er three 'Rules a night, or a hundred coin. Or something worth that much, ya see. This is the only inn fer plenty of miles." Cree said proudly.

"I wonder why." Azure said under his breath, knowing Cree would simply stand there and smile at him dumbly with the state of his hearing.

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Eliya tensed at Coryn's next attack. It came swiftly, a nauseating blow to the stomach. Eliya doubled over in pain, and then dove onto the ground when Coryn attempted to grab a handful of her hair.

"Let's go, brat!" He ordered.

"I'm not going to that…that…" Eliya said haughtily. She couldn't even find a word vile enough to say what she thought of the Black Castle. She cursed out loud.

"Shut it! You are getting what you deserve, you illegal. Don't worry though; you'll make a fine wife for a guard or a splendid maid. Don't speak so lowly of you future home." Coryn chuckled darkly.

Azure's attention was suddenly turned to the ruckus. His eyes narrowed in recognition.

"I'm not going!" Eliya shrieked. "Why should you care where I'm living!? Why should the Rule even bother!? LET ME GO!"

But Coryn had already begun dragging her from the bar. He shoved past anyone too slow to get out of his way, Eliya in tow.

Azure watched, mildly surprised. In the commotion he quietly slipped of his seat and trailed the Rule guard and his prisoner.

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Azure followed them through the town, a lithe shadow at their heels. Eliya continued to fuss and struggle, but the dying town and it's people kept their eyes away and continued to toil with their last daily tasks before the darkness of the night caught up with them. The air was stingingly cold already.

Azure's breath was white and wispy, seemingly too pure to ever adapt to the bleakness of the town. He followed them out of the settlement to a solitary gravel path, leading to what looked like absolutely nowhere. Gray snow tinted by the red sky was the landscape on either side, and stretching as far as the eye could see. At least it was only ankle deep.

Azure waited next to a rotted fence, which marked the end of the town of Lire. He kept his eyes on the two figures of Coryn and Eliya as they dissolved into the distance. He tugged at his cape to conserve more heat, and tried not to shiver.

Azure wasn't sure what he was going to do, but he knew Coryn had been in town looking for him. That means that the Rule was finally being able to predict his moves. Yet never once had they sighted him in the four years he had been liberated. Their closeness still bothered him, though.

Once he was sure that Coryn was too far from the town for someone to hear his screams, or possibly his own, he started after them. The danger was that if Azure tried to rescue the girl from Coryn and he was hurt, there was no way he could call for anyone to help. He still couldn't fathom why he felt so deeply about saving her, but he trusted his instinct like he had for a very long time. And he always tried to be rid of any Rule personnel when he could manage it, as violent as it seemed. But it was his way of surviving. And this was a face off, loser dies, winner lives.

Once Azure had gotten close enough that Coryn noticed him, Coryn turned and waited for him to catch up, a cunning and wild-eyed expression on his face.

"Who do I owe the pleasure?" Coryn drawled, pulling a gun from his belt. Azure felt the adrenaline already screaming through his veins.

"Someone who just might deserve it." Azure said in his shadowy undertone once he was no less than five feet away. He never felt 'royal' in any way, and was treated far from it his entire life. Still, he felt like he deserved more respect from someone like Coryn, and it didn't matter if he was the prince of the world or not.

Eliya watched him with interest, though she seemed woozy and faint. Her cheek was bruised but it didn't look like she was seriously hurt. Only cold, and unhopeful.

Coryn laughed thunderously, his slightly raspy voice echoing off the low clouds. "I could kill you without a moment's hesitation if need be. What do you want, kid?" He said, his voice in it's commanding tone. He smiled, grinding his teeth together.

Azure brandished his own gun, once carefully concealed in its holster at his waist, and in a flash of silver light pointed it directly at Coryn's head. His hands were trembling slightly, but he unconsciously steadied it.

"Would you like to know something about killing without hesitation?" Azure breathed. He sounded a lot stronger than he felt. He heard Eliya scream.

Coryn seemed anxious by Azure's gun, but kept his wry smile. Acting unfazed, he strolled up to Azure, cautiously, and in a quick movement seized Azure's hood and yanked it off. His eyes widened into shock. He started to lift his gun up to aim at Azure, who had been smirking the entire time.

All at once a click resounded as Azure squeezed the trigger.

In one fleeting moment, Coryn saw Azure Sky before him. My life's work to find him. The one thing that could end my unhappiness. Then all was black for Coryn.

Azure's hand wavered as it absorbed the shock from firing the gun. The bullet hit Coryn, square between the eyes, and he hung for a moment, and then fell mutely to the ground. He had no chance to fire his own gun, which now hung flaccidly in his hand.

Just as quickly, Azure pulled his hood over his head and hid the gun away, back at his belt. He clenched his teeth and looked away from the blood that was quickly staining the snow.

One more day of life was reassured.

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AN: Reviews please. I'm on my knees. Rhyming. With perfect timing. Because I heart you. And you should heart me too. Oo