The corridors were empty. Devoid of any life. She had walked for what seemed like an eternity. The castle was dark without the oil lamps lit.
"Strange." she muttered to herself, "Where are all the servants?" The nagging suspicion at the back of her mind went unheard as she stopped in front of the doors to the throne room. Deciding to go in she pushed the on the giant doors. They creaked an irritating squeal before halting only a fraction open. She couldn't move them any farther. Sighing to herself she squeezed through. The room she entered was pitch black. Fear crept in, making the hairs on her arms stand on end. Turning to leave, the doors slammed shut! She searched for a handle in vain. No such nob appeared. She leaned against the doors in dismay. Her eyes scanned the room for anything. Darkness. Then, to the right, she saw it. Dim at first, the throne began to glow. She walked toward it slowly. The closer she got the brighter it glowed. Nearing it, she began to feel a crunch and squish sound beneath her boots. She looked down trying to see. Odd shapes moved across the floor. As she continued each crunch bothered her more and more. A wave of nausea hit her as she reached the steps to the throne. Suddenly! Light sprung forth from the corners of the massive hall! As she steadied herself she found she had walked across hundreds of corpses! They littered the floor like flowers on a hillside. She covered her nose from the ungodly stench. She saw rotted flesh covered the giant stone pillars in grotesque splotches of flesh and blood. The walls oozed bones and body parts. She was horrified by such a ghastly sight. The mounds of flesh then noticed her presence. They shrieked out wails and gurgled incoherently. She watched them crawl over each other trying to get to her. The flesh began to melt off the bones and fall to the floor in great lumps. Immobile she watched as she stinking heaps began to mold together. As it molded, small lumps of flesh fell onto the floor with great splats! The splats wiggled and twitched turning into snakes! They slithered toward her. Finding the strength, she climbed the steps to the throne. Hissing filled the hall and echoed off the walls as she climbed. Soon she found herself running up an impossible flight of stairs. They were never ending! She kept running, hearing the snakes behind her. The giant glob continued to grow and soon it towered over her! She froze when the creature turned into a giant viper with five heads. The heads then attacked! It took all her will to dodge the incoming sets of fangs! She went for her sword, only to find it missing! Cursing she sprinted up the steps in threes! The viper beast began to laugh a maniacal laugh. At her! It laughed at her! She turned in time to see the heads cave in and morph into her three brothers and father! They cackled and laughed as their face warped. Huge fangs and their pupils became slits! Their double chins rolled and shook as they crowed! She reached the top of the stairs to find the throne in all its golden glory, melting! The beasts snapped at her with their large teeth sending her smashing into the throne! Picking her head up she went to move only to find the throne melted her hands and feet into the floor! She cursed aloud trying to jerk free when the fifth head came forth from the shadows. She gasped in shock. She stared at her face. It twisted into an evil sneer. She saw her mouth open and cackle in a crazed hysteria! All at once the five vipers lunged toward her!
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Pitching forward Kushana managed to stifle her scream. She gulped in air while her body trembled. She took one last deep breath and pushed aside the nightmare that had plagued her since the Dakaisho. Her blond hair was slick with sweat and clung to the skin of her neck and back. She pulled the hair into a tail with the band around her wrist. She had fallen asleep with it on again. It had been two years since she had cut her hair. It had grown slowly, and now it was finally back to its original length. She threw off the blue silk covers and stepped onto the marble floor. The cold, black and gold marble instantly chilled her. She moved away from the canopy bed towards the balcony doors. Pausing to grab an afghan off the hook she walked outside. The stone balcony was cold and the plants on it were covered in early morning dew. She draped the blanket around her shoulder as she leaned against the railing. Her breath was visible and she was reminded that summer had once again ended. She had left the doors open last night to take in the last of it before the blizzards came. The sky was still dark except for the light pink and blue in the East. She sighed, looking out over the capitol city of Tolas. Two years since her father had passed. Two years since she assumed the throne. Two years have passed, and she still had so much damage control to take care of. She felt it would take a millennia to fix this country. To make it worse her father had not lied when he said that there were vipers in the court. Her heart sped up remembering the nightmare.
None of that now, Kushana!
She swore to herself she would never fall apart. That she would rebuild Torumekia without fail. She couldn't afford to be fearful. Even in her own head. She had spent almost the whole of the last two years sniffing out the vipers in her court. They were the gluttonous globs of jewels and snobbery that blocked her every move! Passing laws had proven extremely difficult. Finding evidence against them was even harder, still she had managed it. The system had been flawed, but with every title stripped, with every coin taken from these bastard vipers, she had taken back her kingdom. She had no doubt some still lingered out of eyesight and reach, but that's why she had appointed new members to the court. She had chosen men from among her most trusted knights. They held firm in their loyalty to her. And one man in particular. Kurotowa. Not a knight, but a spy sent by her father to sabotage her. Yet he proved to be trustworthy and exceedingly intelligent. He was now her most trusted advisor, and to his credit, her best friend.
She watched the light mist swirl in the morning breeze. Soon she would have to prepare for another bout with the world of politics. She thought on Kurotowa. She missed him. They had tried their hands at a relationship, and failed. He had since visited her bed occasionally, but it couldn't last. He was her advisor and confident, and she was his King. Everything she had accomplished had been with his aid.
The first order they had passed was the immediate release of all foreign prisoners. But sadly there were few. Most had been sold into slavery. When this had been recognized, she and the few knights she had in court had made it their priorities to outlaw slavery. This hadn't gone over well at first. Many people in court owned slaves. She had kept at it, waiting for her informants to gather the right evidence to hang them with. As soon she was able to pass the law, more issues gathered on her doorstep. The ex-slaves who could go home to their families left without a glance backwards, but those whose homes and families were destroyed by the war and the Dakaisho had no where to go. They could only turn to the Torumekians for aid. Kurotowa had voiced the solution.
He suggested the Torumekian Recruitment Law. Any able bodied man or woman, sixteen years of age or above could enlist into the army for a total of four years. Upon enlistment they would receive food, clothing, shelter, as well as pay for their service. When the court heard the idea they rebuked him for his ignorance. How would they pay for such a costly law? He responded by requesting the use of the money obtained in the war. After all, they couldn't return the spoils they had stolen in the name of the king. How would they determine what treasure went to which country or town?
After the law passed, barracks were built for the new troops, orphanages and school were built for children who were too young to enter the service, and the elderly or sickly were built several homes in the city to be looked after in. In the end the knights and advisors in court had deliberated, and decided to cut their own wages to cover costs for the whole of Torumekia. The war and the Dakaisho had hit them hard, but Torumekia would rise up from the pit it had sunken into. Kushana would personally see to it. She had made sure to record every bit of knowledge she had obtained during the Dakaisho. She would see to the minds of the future, so that they would not be filled with greed and the need for power. This kingdom would flourish again under her watchful eye.
Behind her a man cleared his throat. Peering over her shoulder Kushana saw her advisor. Kurotowa stepped forward onto the balcony.
"Lovely morning, your Majesty." Kushana had to suppress a snort.
"Kurotowa." she acknowledged. Her eyes still lingered on the city.
"The sun will rise soon." He stated nonchalantly. Typical Kurotowa. Never one to out right tell me to get moving. Just a nudge or reminder was all she needed.
She eyed him from her perch at the railing. He was looking fine this morning. Quite fine. His hair had been cut shorter than normal and his circlet still sat on his head. He adorned a pale green tunic and dark brown, near black trousers tucked into his black leather boots. The leather belt that wrapped around his waist held a sword and pistol. Perhaps the only thing she didn't care for was his new dark blue and pale green cloak, that his new wife had sewed for him. It was an ugly reminder in her eyes.
But still. He looked fine. Compared to her state of undress. She'd only her white cotton nightgown on. She admired his lean Physique carved abdomi- Stop that right now, Kushana!
She had to stop and she knew why. It had been a sore subject between the two for a while after. But when he fell for a widowed woman with four sons, she couldn't hold her grudge any longer. He had asked her to be present at his wedding as his best friend. The woman's name was Hana, and she was a warm, friendly soul. She held no resentment toward Kushana though she knew Kurotowa had a fling with her. She shook her head at the memory.
The sun peeked over the horizon, illuminating the balcony in warm rays of sunlight. Kushana stood tall, and looked over to Kurotowa. He tilted his head as if he was a hound waiting to hear a command.
"What brings you here? You know I would have been dressed and in the council hall before the seventh stroke. Has something happened?" Kurotowa only came to her room in the morning if a matter needed tending to.
"Actually, yes, your Highness. I've just received word from Torumekia's Western Border Patrol. Apparently, a gunship having engine trouble set down to repair. It seems The Valley of the Wind's Princess was trying to make a surprise visit."