Sonata Rondo

Chapter 1: Save the Prince

The Prince of Bretwalde leaned against his sword, stuck firmly into the ground. Gasps of air escaped his mouth; dry blood smeared his face and armor, along with a wound to his side that was just fresh. The once shining blue blade of Spanta has been dulled to a mere metallic luster. It must symbolize the end of the poor prince's life.

Around him lay countless dead bodies, all in red orange armor, killed and cut in the most common ways of the sword. They were all from the country of Grand Meir, the invaders. At least he knew who was their enemy, and he may have won this fight, but to what end? How did they get here in the first place?

Slowly, the Prince fell down and lost grip of the sword. He knew his time was coming; he had a feeling he wasn't going to make out this castle alive. He could only hope that at least his double made it-

"Prince Serdic!"

Speak of the devil, Serdic thought bitterly. He could see him already; in light blue armor, his features could be so identical to his; same eye color, same hair color and style, even the same voice, it was enough to fool his most trusted vassals. The only one who saw through this ruse was King Elliot, but alas, his father is dead. And soon he will be joining him. Ironic it had to be the day of his funeral.

"Your wounds…" his double spoke in shock. He rushed to his side and held his body. "Don't worry, Prince! Just hold on!"

The Prince shook his head, gazing to the other's eyes. "Forget about me…" He gazed around the bodies before him. They wouldn't normally get into the castle without some help. "The important thing is that it seems the Empire isn't our only enemy."

His eyes darkened in quick realization. "I can't believe that they…" he stopped to a coughing fit.

The double, however, was confused. "'They'? What are you talking about?"

The Prince ignored his answer and reached for his sword. With some effort, he pulled it out. "Take this…"

The other blonde did so. Once it was in his hands, he gazed upon it and gasped. "Is this… Spanta…?! But it is Bretwalde's royal emblem! I can't accept this!"

"Just take it… and go…"

"What?! Why?"

The Prince felt himself grow weaker already. "It's better that you take it. I won't need it… where I'm going…"

"What… you can't mean…? You're not serious!"

The prince coughed up a laugh. "I'm afraid I am…" His eyes closed with some remorse. "It's too late for me…"

The double was silent, not sure what to say. What could one say to one who is about to die; someone who he worshipped as a great man and friend?

"When I first found you… passed out with such terrible wounds…" Serdic spoke. "It was… surprising to think… that there was someone in the world with such an uncanny resemblance to me…

"I would surely have been done for without your help, my Prince." The other blonde spoke with a smile. He stared up to the stained glass ceiling decorating the castle, shining down with such beauty, even on a tragic day such as this.

"I don't remember anything of what my past life was like," he continued. "My wounds were grave enough to bode ill for my future. Had I not have met you, your Highness… I do not know what would have become of me."

The Prince smiled sadly. "You returned the favor many times over as the role of my double. I'm grateful for that."

"I-I merely did what was natural, Prince Serdic!" The other blonde spoke with some embarrassment.

If he wasn't so close to death, Serdic would have laughed. He appreciated such modesty from the man who shared his face. They never knew each other long, but each acted like the other's brother. It was painful to force this all on someone who had lesser experience than himself, but he was the only one he could trust…

"I have… one last request... Would you… listen?"

"Yes, my Prince!"

"Become me once again… and save Bretwalde in my stead."

He heard the double gasp out. "But…"

"You noticed, haven't you?" Serdic spoke, glancing at the sword. "It's lost its glow. During the battle here, the Holy Blade was cursed. Bretwalde cannot be saved without Spanta. Please, for all our sakes… find a way to remove this curse."

Seeing the Prince stare at him with such conviction and pleading, the other blonde couldn't say no. "I… understand."

"Oh, and if you should ever meet my sister…" An image a young girl, smiling as bright as the sun, flashed in his mind's eye. "If you should ever find Marie… look after her for me…"

The double was surprisingly silent hearing that, but Serdic toke it as a yes.

"And one more thing…" said the Prince. "As a Bretwaldean Knight… and as royalty… give me an honorable death."

The double gasped.

"Now go…" The Prince said, hearing the drawbridge open. Already the Grand Meir Knights were storming in, looking for any survivors. "You must make haste, or you'll lose your chance to escape."

The double was silent, staring at the floor, unsure what to do. After sheathing the sword to his left thigh, his face shot up, his eyes held such determination unseen to Serdic before. Without warning, he scooped up the Prince and heaved him over his back.

"W-what are you doing?!" Serdic shout in shock. "I said forget about me! You'll never…" From here, he started coughing. "You'll... never escape with the both of us!"

"I understand that you wish for me to cleanse the blade and save the kingdom in your place." The double spoke. Already he was rushing to the castle gate. "But lying to your sister? I can't live with myself to pretend that I'm all that's left of her family."

"You must! It's…for the good of the country!" Serdic was already staring to feel light headed; any more movement and he may die sooner than expected.

Sadly, it fell on deaf ears. "I believe there's still a chance for you to live on, my Prince! And I'm not going to give up on you! Not now!"

The soldiers were nowhere to see the two of them, which made Serdic feel some relief. Little did the idiot know, is that the enemy didn't know that he was dead yet. His double was to assume his role and save the legacy of the kingdom, even if it was a fake. Down with Marie's feelings; this was for her own sake too. If they kingdom saw both of them, everything would be ruined, especially when the true heir's death was known to the public. Too bad he was too weak to say any of it. He was already losing strength just yelling at him to drop him.

"You saved my life before, Prince." He heard the double say a little later. "And you did it because you wanted to. I'm doing the same for yours; because I want to."

Unconsciously, Serdic's lips twitched into a small smile, before he started to close his eyes.

"Take care of Bretwalde… and Marie…" He said, before he lost himself into a deep sleep.

AN: Ok, this is a story I wanted to work on ever since beating the game Rondo of Swords for the DS. I'm still doing Naruto & Arashi, it's just I wanted to try something else that hasn't been done yet.

If anyone is concerned of the title name, Sonata Rondo is basically a combination of the two forms Sonata and Rondo in one, so like Serdic is the Sonata, and the other Serdic (main character) is the Rondo, at least that's what I believe.