Saiunkoku, the Kingdom of the Rainbow Clouds, is a land of many stories. Myths buried in time, painstakingly detailed historical records, folk tales passed around by the oral tradition – and now, a tiny chapter appended to the annals of the life and times of the wise Emperor Shi Ryuuki. The reappearance of the vaunted Prince Seien, after 15 years of exile, at the side of his beloved brother and Emperor, is chronicled herein.


Chapter 1: Turbulent Clouds

The red-tiled roofs of the Imperial Palace complex glinted in the low sun. Spring was on its way out, and the warming breeze of summer could be felt even this early in the morning. Here and there, the windows of various administrative offices were thrown invitingly wide open, and the promise of summer seemed to lighten the work load as the officials buried themselves in paperwork.

One building, however, was tightly shuttered against the wind and the sing-song chirping of nesting birds – and most importantly, stray voices. On this morning, the young Emperor of Saiunkoku, Shi Ryuuki, was holding a meeting with senior officials and trusted advisors. Although such meetings themselves were fairly routine and the matters discussed mostly mundane, whispers of an insurgency in the troublesome Sa province weighed heavily on the minds of those in attendance on this day.

"Recent intelligence reports suggest that an underground movement has been gaining strength in Sa province," stated a young man in deep blue robes. Flipping through a sheaf of papers in one hand, his brow furrowed with anxiety. "They've been extremely cautious about the people they've let in on their plans up until recently, but now they are trying to sway the populace as well."

The young man paused to take a deep breath. "Taking advantage of the turmoil in the province surrounding the death of Grand Guardian Sa, they are declaring it as evidence that His Majesty does not possess the divine mandate, having been wrongfully installed on the throne, and – "

The court began humming as officials muttered amongst each other in shocked tones.

"Be silent," declared the young Emperor. Seated calmly upon a gilded throne on a raised dais, neither his face nor voice betrayed any emotion. "General Ran, please continue."

The man nodded and plunged onwards. "And, they are claiming that they have in their protection the true Emperor, and that their divine mission is to return him to his rightful place."

The cacophony of startled cries and rampant speculation set off by that pronouncement could no longer be contained by the demands of decorum, and the Emperor allowed the court time to digest the information.

"A pretender to the throne?" One official whispered in shock to a nearby colleague.

"I hope … this doesn't lead to another civil war," the man responded with a shudder.

"The true Emperor?" another demanded. "What could they mean by that? His Majesty was properly appointed by Emperor Senka!"

"All the other princes are dead!"

"Some other relative of Emperor Senka, perhaps?" someone mused, "Or an illegitimate son?"

"There's Prince Seien," an urgent voice broke through the noise.

"Indeed," someone else responded with a hushed whisper; "I've heard rumours that Prince Seien had made his way to Sa province after his exile. Perhaps …."

"This is preposterous!" declared an angry voice that rose above the din. "The honourable Prince Seien would never – "

"That's right! And no one's heard or seen of him since he was exiled!" came a supporting assertion. "He probably dead …." The voice faded away with a tinge of regret.

"But think about it! So accomplished a prince like that … isn't it normal to feel resentful of his situation?"

"Don't forget the reason he was exiled in the first place was for plotting to usurp the throne!"

Several heads around the room nodded gravely. "This could be a real threat," said one of the ministers gravely.

In the tumult, Shi Ryuuki turned his gaze towards a tall young man with flowing locks of lavender who leaned unobtrusively against a pillar to the side, mostly out of sight of the other officials. His left hand was resting casually on the sword worn at the waist – "Kanshou", one of the fabled twin swords belonging to the Kingdom. Its hilt was a pure pearly white and its sheath of deep ebony was embellished with ornate gold and flawless amethyst. The man felt the gaze upon him, and return his own in response. The eyes that were usually so serene and clear seemed sharp and taut.

Ryuuki allowed himself a soft, barely perceptible smile to ease the man's worries. His inner circle had been briefed on the matter prior to this council, but there was a tacit awareness amongst everyone in this inner circle that this unassuming Shi Seiran was in fact the long-lost Prince Seien himself. The majority of the council was unaware of that fact, however, and few had even been in court before the young prince was exiled. He wished that his brother did not have to be here to listen to these thoughtless mutterings, but his advisors had recommended caution and a trustworthy guard at all times in light of these developments. And there was no one he would more willingly entrust with his very life than his older brother, now that he had accompanied Shuurei back to the capital.

He could sense that these speculations, turning more wild and poisonous by the minute, were causing his brother pain. It couldn't be helped that these people didn't know the type of person his brother was – and couldn't know, but he longed to set them straight. Yet there was no way Seiran would approve of such an action; always selfless, always living for the sake of other people, he was content to remain in the shadows, supporting him without recognition or praise.

The ache grew as he thought of how luminous a star the Prince Seien had been. There had been little doubt in people's minds that Prince Seien would have become the next Emperor – deserved to become the Emperor. And now, all that was left was him on the throne and everyone wondering just what direction the country could have taken if Shi Seien sat there and not Shi Ryuuki.

It was time to put an end to this. Before I order the execution of the lot of them, he thought irritatedly.

"Silence!" Ryuuki demanded in a strong voice that cut through the chatter. "The purpose of this council is to discuss the handling of this threat. A pretender is a pretender, and we shall leave it at that; there is no need to dredge up Prince Seien's name and drag it through the mud."

"But, Your Majesty," came a bold rebuttal, "if Prince Seien is really behind this insurrection, this could become a serious problem. He was highly popular, very intelligent and his accomplishments were great, even as a young child."

"He's not," the Emperor straightened and declared with finality.

"Why can you be so sure?" he persisted.

"Are you saying you know our royal brother better than we do?" Ryuuki challenged the man with a dangerous glint in his eye.

"But Your Majesty was still very young when he left. People change, and –" The words died away, cowed by the Emperor's cold glare.

"We may assume that, in the worst case scenario, this group is using the name of Prince Seien to win support for their cause. That does indeed, in itself, present a serious problem." An unblinking stare seemed to dare the man to offer any disagreement. A few meters away, Seiran could not hide the tender smile that ghosted across his lips.

Grand Mentor Shou coughed discreetly.

Ryuuki closed his eyes for a moment, and allowed the tension to melt away. "Let's hear an assessment of the threat," he said finally.

A light, clear tinkle accompanied the nod of a nearby official. Dressed in simple ministerial robes and her long hair adorned with a single, elaborate hairpin bearing the flower of the Emperor, the co-Governor of Sa province straightened and addressed the council.

"Due to the current absence of leadership from the Sa family, the province abounds with a certain degree of lawlessness. There are many that have become disillusioned by the situation, and it appears that this movement has been fostering this atmosphere as well as winning over these people. We estimate that their ranks may number around a few hundred people ever since they surfaced and started actively recruiting."

Ryuuki nodded. "In this matter, the Commander General Koku has been dispatched with the Left Uringun to quell the rebellious elements in Sa province and nip this problem in the bud. The Right Uringun is standing by near the provincial border and ready to depart, should such estimates be wrong and the turmoil spread throughout the entire province."

The court nodded and murmured approvingly at the young Emperor's swift and firm response to the insurgency.

Ko Shuurei took a deep breath and shuffled through the papers lying before her. "From the information gathered by the officials of Sa province and the Ran family intelligence, it appears that this conspiracy may have been brewing for quite a while. Therefore, there remains a remote possibility that their efforts in Sa province may be mostly diversionary."

"Diversionary?" a middle-aged official asked, one fine eyebrow rising with a patronising air. "My dear lady, are you suggesting that they plan to be banging on our walls at any second? The provincial army will detect any massive movement and eliminate the threat before they even set foot here in Shi province." He chuckled and nodded knowingly to his colleagues. "Don't worry about it too much," he looked at her pityingly, "Good judgement will come with time – for most of us, at least."

Shuurei sighed inwardly. Some battles are never won, it seems. She felt no need to respond to the man's belittling remarks, when those who actually counted, listened.

Still, it seemed like it was half won, at least. Surprisingly enough, it was an aged minister who looked squarely at her and asked, "So we could assume that their surfacing actually means they're ready to act? Sounds like it could be troublesome." He stroked his beard with a thoughtful frown. "Well, since no unusual movement has been reported recently, I think the Right Uringun is at the perfect position at the border to prevent any incursions into the province by a rebel army, should they actually have such numbers. But, I suppose His Majesty brilliantly anticipated this too."

The minister bowed his head appreciatively in the direction of the Emperor. And, a few seats away, the middle-aged official clawed his robe sleeve in frustration and humiliation.

A sudden ruckus beyond the hall doors interrupted the proceedings.