Sea Call
The sea is not something men can claim. —extremely subtle Judar x Kougyoku, slightly AU
She marches up to him one day when she is fifteen, with a steady gaze and her hands shaking around the sheathed sword in her hands. Kouen is ten feet away, leaning against the intricate arch in the palace plaza and not looking at them.
"I—I w-w-want to conquer a d-dungeon," she stutters out, and blushes immediately after. She bites her quivering lip, and for some reason, it looks like she is about to cry. She bows her head in shame, clutches her pretty, jeweled sword to chest, and her shoulders shake.
He regards her with a rather dirty eye, chin upturned to the sky as he crosses his arms in front of him. He is aware that Kouen had suggested she be trained in sword fighting a while back. The other sisters had practically dried up the pool of eligible bachelor princes in the area, and besides, they had been focusing on conquering through warfare recently. Hakuei had proven herself an asset to the empire by conquering Paimon, so Kouen probably thought this one could prove herself useful as well. She had been nothing but eagerness though, so he didn't really bother himself with keeping an eye on her progress.
Kouen is examining the woodwork of the arch like it held the all the secrets of Alma Torran, plus a way to tame Koumei's bed head.
Judar clucks his tongue. There is no wind and the air is dry, and he'll have to fix that.
She does not see it coming. He procures his wand and flicks his wrist. The temperature drops, and sharp, jagged icicles form overhead. But before he can bring them raining down on her, there is already something even colder pressing up against his neck.
The skin breaks, and his sudden hypersensitivity lets him feel the single rivulet of blood rolling down to dip into his collarbone. Kougyoku's eyes are wide and there is something akin to a smile on her face.
Her lips part and the sunlight flashes off of the sliver of white teeth she shows.
"I-I-I-I am so s-s-s-sorry!" she suddenly exclaims, pulling back her sword, unable to sheath it since the scabbard had been thrown away. She bows repetitively. "I am so very sorry! I don't know what I was doing! Please forgive me, Oracle!"
He shifts his gaze to Kouen, who is now wearing a victorious smirk and still not looking in their direction.
Kougyoku is bowed at the waist, still muttering her apologies.
He sighs and flicks her on the head. Her sword clatters to the ground as her hands fly to where he had touched her, eyes puffy with tears in the corners.
One corner of his mouth twitches up into a half smirk.
"It's—" Kouha blinks once, twice, a dozen times before he rubs his eyes with a bloody sleeve and turns his gaze back in front of him, " . . . a dragon?"
Kouen turns his head, and Judar scoffs. "Hey, don't look at me. I don't know anything about talking dragons. Anyway, can you honestly even say that you haven't seen anything weirder in dungeons before?"
Kouen narrows his eyes in that we're-talking-about-this-later manner of his. The giant blue dragon in front of them coils its body, its head rising nearly to the ceiling of the expansive room they are in. This is not the first, completely inhuman-formed djinn they have met, but Agares admittedly had more of a 'fluffy' air about him. Vinea is scaly, frightening, imposing, and anything but cute.
There is every manner of treasure around them, all in damp, wooden chests gilded with rusty metals. There is gold and fine jewelry all around, but the most beautiful ones are probably those with the pearls—bright little spheres in every color imaginable, the luscious, powdery sheen sparkling under the pale lighting of the salty-aired room.
"The sea is not something men can claim," the dragon djinn rasps out, and its sharp-toothed mouth curls back into something like a sneer. "Unlike the filthy lands, it is unconquerable, even by you so-called kings."
Kougyoku steps forward, shaky hands around the hilt of her sword. "T-T-The is sea is just as m-m-much part of the w-world as the l-l-land! And my brother w-w-will unify all! The K-K-Kou Empire will—eep!"
The dragon lashes out, and a fierce, wet wind blows against them.
"The sea is unmatched! The waters are claimed by no one!" The treasure room rocks like a boat caught in a storm, and everyone slips around a bit, losing their footing. Koumei looks like he is about to throw up and Kouha falls to his ass. Kouen catches himself just in time. "You dare speak such foolish words! The sea alone is pure!"
Kougyoku steels herself, mouth pressing into a thin line with the corners curving downwards ever so slightly. She raises her sword and plunges forward with a battle cry.
"Kougyoku!" Kouen shouts after her.
Judar raises his wand. "Idiot girl!"
The dragon's head snaps out, but Kougyoku ducks as it sweeps over her head. The Magi creates icicles and tries freezing Vinea, but it does not hold. The wrath of the sea is too much. Kouen tries summoning his own djinn, but they do not answer. Astaroth and Agares are powerless under the sea, which calms all fires and holds back even the worst volcanic eruptions. Vinea moves swiftly as a snake, and before long, Kougyoku is tossed against the wall.
"Pitiful human, for your earlier insolence, you shall be the first to die," the dragon growls.
There is a sliver of blood that runs down Kougyoku's temple, and her breaths come out shallow.
"Wait!" Kouen cries. "You are the djinn of this dungeon! We have passed your trials, and you are bound to choose a king!"
"The sea does not bend to the will of man!" the dragon roars. "None of you are fit to become king!"
Kougyoku's brittle form breaks out laughing. Her pale lips split into a broad grin and she meets the gaze of the dragon with wide eyes. It is a familiar look. "Ahahaha! Then, what about a woman? The sea is a maiden, is that not right?"
The dragon djinn gives pause, its fierce eyes staring straight into the girl against the wall. This time, the madness stays in her eyes, and Judar confirms what he saw in her that day.
"Girl," the dragon djinn rasps. "You still do not understand. The king has no need for gender for the king is not even human. The king is a vessel that stands alone on its pedestal. The king's duty cannot be fulfilled using human means. Becoming the king is a sorrowful destiny, and no human can bear such unhappiness. I, Vinea, am the Djinn of Sorrow and Isolation. My king, out of all candidates, suffers the saddest of fates. Even then, will you become it?"
"Yes," and everyone is surprised at the instant and determined supply.
Vinea is silent for a moment. The djinn stares into Kougyoku's eyes—the madness is gone and what remains is her resolve.
It is a weak look, and Judar purses his lips. He prefers the other one.
"Very well."
The djinn touches the tip of its pale blue fin on the jewel on Kougyoku's hairpiece. The walls begin to crumble and Vinea gathers all the treasure in the room into a glowing circle.
"Hey," Judar holds out a hand. "Hurry up already."
She blinks, quickly touching her hairpiece. Her hand immediately retreats to her side like it has burned her. She takes his hand, and he pulls up her up. She wobbles for a bit before they walk toward the transport circle, where her brothers have already gathered.
"You three were completely useless, just so you know," he says just before the light surrounds them.
Afterthoughts: Slightly AU because of the little details. Also, I totally stole Vinea's king speech from Fate/Stay Night. Disclaimer goes here. Could've maybe made this a bit longer, but it's been sitting in my WIP folder for far too long and gone too far into AU territory for me to care anymore.
Also, Kouen is totally out of character, welp. EVERYONE'S OUT OF CHARACTER, OTL. And there is totally romance here—just squint, tilt your head a bit, jump on one foot, and when you fall over, hit your head and start seeing things, you'll find it.
. . . I've said my piece. You may now kill me for the crime of not adding in everyone's favorite neighborhood Ka Koubun.
(Sine Gloria update at the end of the month, pinky-swear.)