Prologue: A Legend is Born
"Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them" –William Shakespeare
Hall of the Kings
November 20th
6:00 PM: Sunset
The Nords of the icy seas, Dwarves of the rocky mountains, Elves of the swampy forests, Neko of the hot desert, and Humans of the fertile plains. They were all different, yet they were all the same, weren't they? Even though they inhabited the continent of Sakugao, they were all tied together by their loyalty to the king, the heir of the dragons.
Hikaru Hirasawa scratched his head and glanced around at the people who were seated around the wide oval table. He had called a meeting among all of the Counts of all the different provinces in order to discuss the problem that was brewing in their nation.
To his left, was the Count of the city of Korg, a rich and powerful Nord who was most notable for his bushy eyebrows; Tamaki Kotobuki was a cheerful man who was a force not to be reckoned with.
To Hikaru's right was the count of Yamaha, Poppo Tainaka, a wise dwarf who sometimes let his temper get the best of him. Call him short and you'd get the whooping of a lifetime.
I must remind myself to not make any jokes about his height again. Hikaru thought and allowed his brown eyes to wander over to the elf seated next to the dwarf.
He knew that Mato Akiyama, Count of Fender, was not entirely fond of the dwarf, but inconvenient seating was what one got if he was late to a meeting. Hikaru watched in amusement as Mato tugged at his long raven locks tied in a high ponytail.
Whenever he saw the elf, he always had the urge to touch the man's pointy ears; it was just a feature of elves that seemed to catch his attention.
I wonder if I'd be able to prick my finger on it...
Hikaru shook his head at the thought and smiled when his eyes landed on one of the seats that was noticeably empty. The voice of the Nekos, the count of Ibanez had been dealing with some turmoil among civilians and had not been able to make it. Hikaru looked over at the man sitting next to the empty seat and smiled. Unlike the rest, the last Count was also a human just like him.
The Count's garnet eyes glanced up at him before a small smile crept onto his face. The Count of Mustang was Torao Nakano and he was Hikaru's most trusted out of the ring of Counts in the group.
As for Hikaru himself, well, he was the King of Sakugou, leader of Gibson and all of the Counts around him reported to him.
"Aye, yer highness, is this gunna take long? The wife wants me home t'care for the kid," Poppo stated in his thick accent.
Ahh, that's right, Poppo-san just had a daughter two months ago…I think they named her Ritsu…or some other sort of R based name.
Hikaru glanced over at the dwarf and smiled. Normally in the presence of the king, one would not tolerate such informal behavior, but Hikaru knew the men well enough that their difference in ranks was not important to him at all.
"I am sorry Poppo, but I just wanted to discuss the battle plans. I've heard that the Rebel-Walkers have stirred up trouble again and I wanted to get it out of the way before the feast for Mikoto next week," Hikaru proudly stated.
That's right…my new son will be born in a couple of weeks.
"Oh right, I had almost forgotten about that, your highness. I will notify my wife as soon as possible and tell her bring a wonderful present," Mato smiled.
"Eyy, don't suck up, elf! I swear, I'd never want me kids to turn out like ya', it'd be a disgrace to the Tainaka bloodline," Poppo said.
This seemed to irk the raven-haired elf and Hikaru could have sworn that he saw the man's pointy ears twitch in anger. He quickly brought up his hand to prevent the upcoming brawl, but was beaten to it by the Nord whose presence had been ignored.
"Please don't fight, friends. Just enjoy our host's offerings and sip your tea in peace," Tamaki sighed and stroked his eyebrow. Yes, he actually stroked it.
The two feuding men glared at each other before folding their arms and glancing away from each other. Hikaru weakly smiled at the childish action and turned to face the quietest of the five counts.
Torao cleared his throat before deciding to speak what was on his mind.
"King Hirasawa, well, your highness, do you think it would be wise if we made a deal with the Rebel-Walkers? I have heard rumors that they are planning to overthrow you," Torao stated in a grave tone.
Hikaru frowned at his friend's statement and glanced away. Not once had he ever thought of giving in and making a treaty with the rebels who were threatening the safety of his people. It just wasn't in the Hirasawa blood to back down when those they cared about were in danger.
"Your highness?" Torao asked again.
"Absolutely not," Hikaru bluntly replied.
"But your highness, I really think that-"
"Oi, you heard th' king, human! Instead of being a lily-livered runt why not actually defend yer family? I'm sure ye' got a wife back home waiting for ye', she wouldn't want ye' to act like this," Poppo irritably said.
Torao's face turned a bright shade of red at the comment and he immediately glanced away. Hikaru watched his friend in amusement as he murmured, "I don't have a wife…"
"Eh, what was that? Couldja say that again, boyo? I couldn't hear ye" Poppo teased.
Torao 's face glowed even redder than a tomato when he saw that the four men were glancing at him in amusement.
"I-I'm not married, that is all!" Torao half-shouted and glanced down at his lap.
Hikaru couldn't help but roar with laughter along with the other man at his friend's embarrassed remark. Out of the five of them, Torao was nothing like his name stated, instead of a tiger he was more of a house cat. He needed to be poked and prodded in the right direction in order to pursue his goals.
"Let's get back to discussing plans, isn't that what we were here for?!" Torao shouted in anger.
Hikaru's brown eyes widened when the rest turned to look at him. He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head at his airheaded moment and laughed.
"Hehe, yeah let's discuss the plan."
Hall of Feasts
November 26
10:12 PM: Nighttime
"Attention everyone, may I please have your attention!"
The room which had previously been filled with laughter and joyful conversations immediately became silent. People quickly abandoned the plates in front of them and diligently glanced up at the speaker.
The man who had addressed the group of people sat up and grinned. He adjusted the golden crown that lay on his head then stroked his brown beard.
"As you all have heard, my wife, Mikoto is with child and will deliver in a matter of time," he stated before placing a hand on his wife's back.
The brown-haired woman, who had not expected to be put on the spot, weakly smiled at the crowd before placing her hands over her round stomach.
"Now, now, Hikaru, don't be too loud, you'll make the baby kick again," Mikoto softly stated while gently rubbing her stomach.
"Heh, Sorry!" Hikaru apologized and rubbed the back of his head before turning to face the waiting audience.
"We would both like to thank you for attending this feast. You, our closest friends, have done a great deal for us in the past few months, and for that I'd like to propose a toast."
The brown-haired man lifted up his goblet and then moved his chocolate brown eyes to glance at everyone in the room.
"To the son that Mikoto will bear!" He loudly stated.
"For the heir!"
Echoes of the shout reverberated throughout the room as everyone raised their goblets and then went to sip from them. Hikaru placed his goblet down on the table and then took a seat in his chair. He stretched his arms and let out a deafening yawn before a giggle coming from his right side caught his attention.
"Ehh, what's so funny, Miko?" He asked.
His brown-haired wife brought her hand up to her face to stifle her laugh.
"You'll never change will you, Hika?" She laughed.
Hikaru smiled at this wife and placed his hand on her shoulder. The country was at peace and he was about to receive a miracle of life. At this moment in time, there was nothing else that he could possibly want.
"I'll change when I see my son's face," He laughed and carefully tucked a strand of his wife's hair behind her ear.
"How are you so sure that it will be a boy?" Mikoto smirked at him.
"I can just tell, a man knows these types of things!" He proudly stated and folded his arms.
Mikoto opened her mouth as if to say something, but she paused and seemed to stare at a spot behind Hikaru.
"Hm, what's the matter Miko-"
"I'm sorry to interrupt, your highness."
It took Hikaru mere seconds to recognize the man's voice. The brunette turned around and jumped out of his chair.
"Toraooo!" He yelled and pulled the man into a tight hug.
"Y-your highness, y-you shouldn't engage in these types of actions at your age!" The flustered raven-haired man stated while trying to escape the bear hug.
"Even though we are older now, Torao, you can't deny that we've known each other since we were mere babes," Hikaru smiled.
Torao shook his head and folded his arms. The seriousness immediately replaced the cheerfulness in his eyes.
"I hope that Akiyama-san informed you that the city of Korg has been attacked by the Rebel-Walkers again…and that Kotobuki-san is quite furious," He bitterly stated.
"Aye, aye, he did. What a shame, though, I'd rather not deal with the foolish actions of the rebellion at this moment," Hikaru sighed.
"But, your high-"
"Enough, Torao, this is a party, so please enjoy yourself," Hikaru smiled at his friend.
The raven-haired man blankly stared at him for a few seconds and then glanced off to the side. Hikaru could have sworn that the man had said something close to "I can't relax at a time like this."
"Can't relax, eh? I'll be back, Mikoto!" Hikaru grinned and placed his hands on Torao's shoulders.
"Eh, your highness, what are you doing?!"
"You'll see, you'll see," Hikaru mischievously whispered while pushing the struggling man toward a woman who also had raven hair.
Finally going to find the lad the wife that he's been pining for!
"Good evening Tachibana-san, this here is Torao Nakano-san, he is the Count from the city of Muttan, please take good care of him for me, ne?" Hikaru asked.
The elven woman turned to look at the two men and then her eyes widened as she took in Torao's flushed face. She turned to face Hikaru before smiling.
"Of course, one should never disobey the King's wishes anyways. Follow me, Torao-kun, my name is Aoi Tachibana from the city of Fendan, it is a pleasure to meet you," She softly laughed and took hold of Torao's hand.
So bold, I think that those two will be a good match.
Hikaru gave Torao a thumbs-up and watched as the flustered man was led away by the elf who was at least a foot shorter than him. He had never seen his friend this shy around a woman before, maybe this would be the girl that would finally claim him. Hikaru beamed at the thought and chuckled to himself.
And what a lovely half-elf that child would be.
"Your highness?"
"Hm, what is it, friend?"
Hikaru turned to face the messenger and smiled at him.
"…Your wife wanted us not to tell you since you were enjoying yourself, but…now that there are complications it is critical that you are notified," The messenger weakly said as he twiddled his thumbs.
Hikaru could feel his blood run cold at the anxious look in the other man's face. Half of him wanted the man to be joking, but the other half of him, the half that was not as naïve, knew that something was wrong.
Swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat and fighting the sudden emptiness that seemed to engulf his stomach, he weakly commanded.
"Take me to her."
Upper Dormitory Chambers
November 26
11:40 PM: Nighttime
Footsteps echoed through the empty hallways.
Hikaru ran as fast as he could behind the messenger who was directing him to where his wife was. He continuously shook his head as he ran in order to clear the unpleasant thoughts from entering his mind.
No, of course she won't die. Mikoto is strong! She fought a bear once!
He couldn't help but chuckle at the last statement. That was a memory he had told her that he would rather forget, but it was one that made him proud. It was an experience that proved to Hikaru that his wife was willing to fight for what she loved even if it meant giving up her life.
As the doorway that separated him from his wife grew closer, the beating of Hikaru's heart seemed to beat faster the moment that he reached the doorway, he shouted into the room.
"Where is she?!"
The metallic smell of blood immediately entered his nostrils and made his stomach uneasily tense up. Normally the sight and smell of blood didn't bother him since he did a lot of fighting, but knowing that it belonged to someone that he cared for made him sick.
The healer in the room sighed before dipping a cloth into a bucket and squeezing the water out of it.
"As you can see, she is in a considerable amount of pain," he slowly stated.
"S-Saito M-Manabe-san, will she be okay?" Hikaru stuttered.
His brown eyes glanced down at the woman lying in the bed. The white sheets that had just arrived that very morning were already soaked in crimson blood…and it wasn't any blood…
That's…Mikoto's blood…
"Your highness…Hirasawa-san, at this rate, if she does not give birth, both her and the baby will die," the elf sighed.
"W-well, what's preventing her from doing so?" Hikaru barked.
"She didn't want to start until you were here, but she seems to have passed out," Saito quietly stated.
Hikaru glanced down at this sleeping wife and frowned. He walked over and took her hand in his.
Please wake up Mikoto…I can't lose you like this…
Hikaru gently picked up her hand and rubbed it against his beard. This seemed to do the trick because his wife immediately opened her eyes.
"H-Hikaru," she weakly said.
Summoning all of his willpower, Hikaru squeezed his wife's hand and gave her the strongest smile that he could muster.
"It'll be okay, Mikoto. I will not leave your side," He reassuringly stated.
Mikoto weakly smiled at him and then turned to face the healer. She nodded before taking in a deep breath. Manabe scratched his short brown hair and then dipped his hands into a bowl of clean water.
"Well, let the procedure, begin. I am sorry your highness, but you must leave the room, we cannot have any more contaminants if we want a safe and healthy delivery," Saito stated.
Hikaru frowned and was about to speak up when he felt his wife's hand squeeze his again. She gave him a brave smile and then nodded toward the door.
I cannot deny your wishes, Mikoto…especially if it means that I will not lose you…
Upper Dormitory Chamber
November 27
6:15 AM: Dawn
"Just a little more, your highness!"
"Aiiiuugghhhhh!"
Hikaru flinched at the sound of his wife's agonized cry and buried his head in his hands.
"One more push, you can do it!"
"Uwaghhhhhh!"
Hikaru closed his eyes and tried to focus on happy thoughts. He tried to ignore the fact that his wife's cries were drilling holes into his soul.
…thoughts of Yuki when he's born…how Mikoto and I will raise him to be an honorable young man and eventually become the next king..He will be the next in line to inherit the throne of the dragons-
"AIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
One more agonized cry that seemed to cut into his soul and then came a silence that made it unbearable to wait.
Hikaru swallowed the surplus of saliva that had gathered in his mouth and pressed his ear against the wall separating him and his wife. He could just hear people rustling about as they scrambled throughout the room.
"Wahhhhh."
A foreign cry joined the frantic noises that had previously occupied the silence and brought happiness to Hikaru's heart.
He quickly stood up and ran over to the doorway. He froze up when he saw the nurse carefully wrapping the baby up in a black blanket.
W-wait, but that blanket…was only to be used if the baby died…
Hikaru's world seemed to come crashing down as the nurse put the bundle off to the side and sadly shook her head.
B-but this cannot be right, I HEARD a newborn's cry!
"H-Hikaru, over here."
Mikoto's weakened voice gathered Hikaru's attention. He sniffed and hastily wiped at his eyes in order to appear brave in front of his wife. If he was feeling this devastated, he could not imagine how broken his wife must be.
"M-Mikoto, I'm sorry t-that all your hard work went to waste," Hikaru softly stated as he moved toward his wife.
"Not all the work went to waste…" Mikoto weakly smiled and the elven doctor who was standing in front of her walked over. It was then that she looked up Hikaru and motioned for him to come closer.
Confused, Hikaru did as his wife wished and felt his stomach drop.
There, wrapped in a clean white blanket, was a sleeping infant with a thumb in its mouth.
"H-he's…alive?"
Hikaru was absolutely dumbfounded. He could have sworn that he saw the nurse wrap up what seemed to be an infant, but then…if the child was alive…what was wrapped up?
"…Well yes and no," Mikoto softly spoke and averted her eyes.
The king could not help but notice that a certain sadness that had not been there before had crept into her eyes.
"What do you mean?"
"…It was twins, Hika," She quietly stated.
Hikaru met his wife's eyes and looked back down at the child in disbelief.
"…twins? But then that means…"
That one of them DID die…
Hikaru scratched his head and then glanced back at where the black blanket had been placed.
"Well, at least there's…still a son to inherit the Hirasawa line," he weakly laughed.
Mikoto's eyes seemed to sadden even more as she took a deep breath.
"The thing is…this child isn't a Yuki like we thought he'd be, Hika," Mikoto whispered.
"Hm…how could my son not be what I thought he'd be?" Hikaru asked, the implication in his wife's words did not seem to register in his head.
"…Your son, isn't a son," Mikoto stated in a soft voice. A ghost of a smile played itself on her lips as she tenderly stroked the baby's head, "He's a daughter."
Hikaru froze up at the revelation.
"…So he's a ...Yui?"
Mikoto sadly nodded and then glanced at the bundle wrapped in the black blanket. The elven healer who had been standing quietly by the side approached the two of them.
"Your son died during the birthing process, your highness," Saito stated.
A rush of anger seemed to course through Hikaru's body at the words. This man had been hired so he would ensure the safe delivery of his child. Sure, they hadn't expected twins, but he was a healer, he had allowed his son to die.
"BUT YOU COULD HAVE SAVED HIM!" Hikaru pressed the elf against the wall and glared at him before adding,
"YOU COULD HAVE SAVED MY…son…"
At the crack of his voice on the last word, the dam that had been holding back the king's tears broke down. He let go of Saito and buried his face in his hands as he uncontrollably sobbed.
No one spoke as the king cried and expressed his grief. Twenty long minutes passed until Hikaru managed to compose himself enough to talk calmly.
"It's okay Hika, we may not have a son…but we can always pray to Gitah and try again…after all he did give us this miracle already," Mikoto weakly added.
"Y-you're right," Hikaru sniffled and wiped at his eyes.
The two glanced down at their sleeping daughter and smiled.
Even though she wasn't what he had expected, the young girl in his wife's arms seemed to bring a sudden change in him. It almost didn't matter that he didn't have a male heir, although that was a problem that he would have to contend with later.
"She's a beautiful little girl," Hikaru tenderly said.
The two new parents watched their sleeping daughter as if they were in a trance. Hikaru couldn't believe that the Five had blessed him with such a gift. Their joy was interrupted when the elven healer coughed and spoke once more.
"Well, your highness…do you desperately want an heir to the throne?"
At the healer's question, Hikaru quickly turned to face him.
"What is it that you're trying to say, elf?"
Saito stroked his chin and thoughtfully glanced down at the ground.
"Since you have no child besides Yui and no one but us and the nurses know that she is actually a she…then you can pass her off as a boy for as long as you need to," He stated.
Hikaru froze up and glanced at the pondering elf.
"You are…absolutely right!" Hikaru gasped and then glanced at Yui who was happily sleeping in her mother's arms.
But to thrust such a burden upon a newborn…is that morally correct? Gitah, God of the Dragons, please give me a sign if this is what path we should choose!
Mikoto frowned and pressed the girl closer to her bosom. Her eyes sadly glanced down at the peaceful face of her daughter before a sigh escaped her lips. The weariness of the childbirth was getting to her and Hikaru knew that she had to rest up.
"Of course, my wife and I will discuss it later, but as of now please consider that as a possible decision, Manabe-san," Hikaru grinned.
Saito nodded and leaned down over a desk. He picked up a quill that lay on the desk, licked the tip, dipped it into ink, and began to scrawl out a birth certificate.
"I don't think it needs to be discussed further, Hika…"
Hikaru turned to face his weary wife. The moment that their eyes met, he knew that she had made her choice.
"Maybe someday, Yui will understand…but as of now, Yuki is what our nation needs. You know that a civil war is brewing and who knows when they'll come after us," Mikoto wearily said before holding out Yui's sleeping form out to him.
Hikaru nodded and carefully took his daughter in his arms. Mikoto weakly smiled at him before Saito handed her a glass of water to drink.
Yui…I do hope that one day you can forgive me for forcing this upon you at such a young age…
The brunette walked over to the black bundle that lay on the desk and clutched his daughter close.
"May the Five guide you as you begin your path of righteousness, Yui. May they give you strength and courage to do what needs to be done. There lies a dangerous road in front of all of us, but I hope that we can all face it together."
Hikaru smiled proudly and pressed the baby closer to his chest. Then he glanced down expecting to find his daughter's sleeping face, but instead saw a pair of curious brown eyes staring up at him.
The longer that he stared into the little girl's eyes, the more he felt a beacon of hope overtake him. He walked over to the window and basked in the rising sun's rays.
"I know that you can do it, Yui… I know that as Yuki, you will be the one to save this damned kingdom from collapsing into the abyss."
At his words, the little girl blinked twice as if acknowledging his words. Hikaru grinned and raised her up to the light.
"Gitah, our divine God, we pray that Yui will be the ruler that this kingdom deserves! That is our wish!" Hikaru boldly stated while bringing his daughter closer to his chest.
The baby's eyes darted around the room as if curiously taking it all in. Before Hikaru knew what was happening, the newborn scrunched her face up and emitted an ear-piercing wail.
"A-ack! E-elf…M-manabe-san! Help me stop the crying!"
Hikaru quickly turned around and went to deposit the crying child into the doctor's waiting hands. As Saito cradled the little girl, a weary grin crept into Hikaru's face.
It WILL be you, Yui. I know that you have the Hirasawa bloodline coursing through your veins, there's no way that the five kamis would do this sort of thing without an important reason. You are the one that Gitah chose to live…and you will have greatness thrust onto you.
A/N:
I'm posting this one-shot because I recently started watching Game of Thrones and I'm thinking of maybe continuing it. I got a muse to write this a few years ago when I was playing Skyrim/Oblivion and some of this is based on those games. The heavier influence is Oblivion since that is what I was originally thinking about when I came up with the story. As you can see, the provinces are named after the brand of the girl's instruments. Ahh, I had so much planned for this, but I didn't write down some of it so maybe a new adventure would come of it. Think of this as a sort of gift for not updating Singing! for a few months.
This was a short author's note, but thank you for reading it. Your reviews and criticisms are appreciated. c:
P.S. Keep a lookout for me posting random one-shots and drabbles that I wrote eons ago but forgot to post. I have a K-ON!xSNK/AOT crossover thing that I wrote some things for but never posted. Anyways until next time!
Enjoy your weekend!
~imuffinator
