Chapter 1: I used to rule the world
(Zeno 1)
'What am I doing?' Zeno asks himself for what has to be the hundredth time. He entered the capital a week ago, and now it's just nerves stopping him from breaking into the palace that King Hiryuu built, and that Zeno's brothers built.
(A very very small part of Zeno, that hasn't been ground to dust by time, rages at the world. At the disrespect he has been shown in a country his brothers built!)
The answer supplies him when he closes his eyes, and his eyes behind his eyelids focus intently on the red star located within Hiryuu castle, and his dragon blood starts to pulse, and if Zeno looked harder within himself. He would hear an ancient and terrible voice, "Protect her! Protect your king! Never Betray Her! Go to her side!"
"Oh, leaving already?" Zeno's eyes snap open at the kind voice, and he realizes that he's already risen from the seiza position, his tea long-left forgotten. Zeno scratches the back of his head, and smiles at the young lady of fifty years.
"Sorry, young miss. Zeno's body sometimes acts on it's own." Internally he fights back the instincts that are demanding he go to the very young princess' side.
At this, the silver haired woman laughs; the kimono's left sleeve covering the action. "Such a flatterer. Where do you come from? It's not often we have people with yellow hair come by our shop."
Zeno brightens, he's always liked to talk. "Ah, Zeno came from a village in the Wind Tribe's Land, Zeno forgot it's name though." He smiles at the sad truth at the end, and ignores the pity entering the woman's eyes. A long time ago, after Kaya had decomposed, he would've hated that pity. Now he appreciates it.
"Oh, from the Wind-Tribe, are you?" The Old Woman breaks the uneasy quiet, "Well you're in luck General Mun-Dok. Is here, perhaps you can see him leaving the castle."
Zeno smiles, and leans forward slightly, because the one thing, that never changes is gossip. "Oh, Zeno, didn't know he was coming to the castle."
The woman smiles, and sits across from him, while Zeno retakes his sitting position. "My niece has a daughter who works in the castle. She told me that all the generals are meeting to discuss, the king's two children.
Zeno fakes a confused look. "Is it Prince Il who has a daughter, or was it Prince Yu-Hon?"
The woman brightens as soon as the word daughter passes his lips. "Oh, you mean Princess Yona. She's Prince Il's daughter. I remember the stir her crimson hair caused. Why the celebrations were wonderful!"
Zeno takes a sip of his now cold tea, and smiles at the women. "It's a good omen isn't it? They said King Hiryuu had crimson hair."
The woman chuckles. "Careful now, Prince Yu-Hon has made his stance clear on that legend."
Zeno holds up his hands, "Mah, Mah, Zeno just remembers his brothers telling him that story. It's one of the things Zeno clearly remembers."
Zeno feels a small ounce of guilt once he sees the warmth flood her eyes, but disregards it. He needs some information before sneaking into a castle. "Sorry, miss, but Zeno has to go. Zeno was hoping to catch a glimpse of Princess Yona before he goes."
The woman's face darkens, and Zeno tenses. He puts down his tea-cup, and watches as she glances to see if anybody is listening, before leaning across the table and whispering in Zeno's ear. "I'm deeply sorry sir, but my niece's daughter told me that the princess one day started crying, and that she has been...Troubled as much as a two-year-old can be, it's suspected that she has a fever. She's likely not going to be paraded around the city. Coupled with this unexpected bad weather." She shudders as she pulls away, "It reeks of a bad omen to me."
Zeno thinks back to when he was just a child; before he'd even heard of Hiryuu. He thinks back to the days when all he had in his head were the voices of the gods, instead of the ghosts that inhabits it now. He remembers rivers drying up, and plants dying en- masse along with famine spreading across the land, and remembers how it was caused by Hiryuu leaving the gods to become man.
He nods, "Zeno believes you are right miss." He stands, and bows before departing. Medallion and blood equally warm, as he embraces the pull of the Red Star, that promises warmth.
Zeno feels like he should be regretting this idea, but his dragon blood disagrees wholeheartedly. It is practically boiling beneath his veins. So, he instead finds another handhold in this pouring rain, and finally vaults into the Imperial Family's quarters. He looks back down at the flesh visible on his leg, and sees golden scales recede into normal skin. There were more guards than there were servants on the lower two levels. He hopes that isn't the case on the third floor.
He ducks behind a tree, and sees a group of six soldiers march by, their armor being only slightly louder than the rainstorm. He sighs, and wipes the gathered rain from his face. He'll just go in, check on her, and then leave the chief physician with some herbs that will hopefully heal her.
He maintains this thought, as he grabs onto what he remembers as the Princess' chambers and hauls himself up. He unlocks the window, careful to try and block whatever sound could come out, and freezes. The queen is sitting right by the door, and Zeno tenses only to realize that she's asleep.
The sound from the rainstorm is deafening, but that is nothing compared to his heartbeat when Zeno's eyes are met by a pair of violet eyes.
'She's so cute' is his first thought, seeing her again. The red tuft of hair is gone and in it's place is a very well combed crimson hair. She doesn't even reach his knees she's so small. She's wearing a golden robe, with sleeves that almost swallow her up.
She looks like she's been crying recently, and that is unacceptable. He tries to hide a frown, only for it to turn into shock when Yona's eyes widen, and she smiles at Zeno despite him being a complete stranger, and waddles over to him, to latch onto his pant leg.
"Yellow," she squees in a way only children can. She is staring at his medallion, and before he knows it Zeno is cradling her in his arms, as she grabs the medal. He feels her forehead. It is only warm because of the living fire beneath his veins.
He sighs as he rocks her partly for her own comfort and slightly for his. "Look at you, causing Zeno this much worry."
"Not worrying, you're silly." She says trying to look serious, although her lip is trembling and Zeno's heart melts. He must look ridiculous a total stranger cradling a princess in soaking wet clothes.
He rocks her some more for what feels like an eternity. He fights every instinct that is demanding he stay here, and guard the princess with his life. Zeno instead smiles at the center of his world, and starts to speak softly. "I'm going to have to go-," and he's already making a move to let the princess down when Princess Yona, two-year-old, and the reincarnation of Hiryuu starts to caterwaul.
It's loud enough to wake the dead, and Zeno will later wonder if Hiryuu gave this incarnation of himself dragon lungs, because by the Gods is she loud.
She is firmly attached to him despite his best efforts, and in between wailing is shouting, "Don't leave! Please don't leave! Don't Leave me!" She firmly wraps her arms around her neck, and she squeezes making it even harder to dislodge her.
(Zeno doesn't really want to. Many years later he'll reflect on how all he ever wanted to do was stay with Hiryuu no matter his form.)
Zeno makes another move to dislodge her only, for the door to slide open, and he remembers Yona and him aren't the only people in the room. Her mother is shoved behind her father, and Zeno stares at the blades pointed at him before his eyes follow them to their owners. He's already shoved Yona behind him, and he has stop himself from snarling because he would never harm her.
"Intruder give me back my niece, and you may walk into Kouka's prison alive!" Yu-Hon, snarls at Zeno. Right by his side Prince Il, an avowed pacifist, is pointing his sword at Zeno, and behind them is even more blades from the guards.
"No!" The crown princess shrieks from behind him, and Zeno ignores the warm feeling in his chest, because he's already caused enough trouble. Honestly, it's best if he never sees Yona again. "He's good."
"Yona, get away from that man!" Her mother shouts. In response Yona tightens her grip on Zeno's soaked pants, and peeks her head out from behind Zeno to try and look intimidating.
Zeno's eyes catch a bowman an arrow ready to fire, and he gets ready to move. There is no way that he is going to give Hiryuu's reincarnation nightmares, just because he wanted to visit her. The two crown prince's give just enough room, and Zeno gets ready to hurl himself out the window, because seeing a man go out a window is much better than seeing him getting made into a pincushion.
"Oh, Zeno, what have I told you about entering places without people's permission?" An elderly voice calls out from behind The princess' mother. It's somebody Zeno doesn't recognize, but he knows a way out when he sees one.
"Zeno, just heard that the princess' mother was sleeping, and since Zeno planned to be gone by morning, Zeno didn't see any reason to disturb anybody." Zeno says sheepishly to the unknown man dressed in all white, while patting Yona on the head.
"Priest are you responsible for this?" Yun-Ho snarls at the man; sword slightly lowering, but ready to attack Zeno if he makes a threatening motion towards Yona.
"Yes, I was deeply worried for Princess Yona, but then the god's told me to seek out my yellow-haired friend, and they said he would have a cure for the princess illness." The old man sighs, "Unfortunately the only person I knew who fits that description is a hopeless vagabond, who never has the decency to enter people's homes properly, but I messaged him anyway.
Zeno lets out a little laugh, "Ah, Zeno thinks that's a little harsh." He scratches the back of his head, and smiles at what he recognizes as emblem of head priest.
He feels Yona, rip something from a pocket, and before he can stop her, she's running ahead, and presenting her father with a bag of herbs. "Medi-Med-"
"Medicine" Zeno finishes for her, slightly surprised at the knowledge of her word, but that disappears when she smiles at him, and something that's been lost ever since Kaya left stirs in his chest.
"Ah, but come Zeno, you're absolutely soaked. Here, let us go and get you changed...If my lords would allow it? The High priest stares at the two younger men pointedly. Yu-Hon turns up his nose, and snorts. Prince Il on the other hand, Zeno almost feels the temperature go lower. "High Priest we will have words later on this. Zeno please accompany the High Priest everywhere, Li-shen, have your men accompany these two on the way to the priestly quarters." The short man orders, and Zeno makes to move only for him to be stopped by tiny hand. He looks down and sees Princess Yona, sees the twin molten suns in her violet eyes, and sees the shadow of his king within her. "Don't Leave," is all she says, and Zeno smiles at her. "Of course miss." He nods at her before being pulled away
The instant they enter the High-Priest's quarters, a very sparse room, with incense candles, and two futons. The High Priest makes sure no-one is listening, and genuflects before Zeno.
"Lord Ouryuu, it is an honor." He whispers, and looks at Zeno like he might disappear.
"Eh, Zeno doesn't ever remember meeting you." Zeno starts, a single hand on his hip, the other rubbing the medallion. His blood is still boiling, his close proximity with the princess has not helped at all the medallion is
"Two weeks ago, around the time the Princess'" The priest's face darkens, "sickness began, my apprentice and I were struck by a vision. In that vision there were four dragons, circled around a red star. Then the golden dragon broke out of the formation, and rushed towards the red star."
"Zeno's embarrassed, if he had known Zeno was expected, Zeno would've had better manners." Is all Zeno says, reverence has always made him uncomfortable. Being High Priest hadn't changed that at all.
The High Priest doesn't rise. "My Lord, if you are here does that mean...the princess."
Zeno's eyes sharpen although he's smiling. "Yes, Zeno knows Princess Yona is reincarnation the Hiryuu."
The High Priest begins to weep. "I am blessed truly," he stops suddenly. "My lord if that's true you must stay with her. It is foretold that Hiryuu would return to us in a time of great calamity, you must stay with her."
Zeno's eyes shift away from the priest, he has lied to girls before, lying to a two year old won't change anything and a high priest won't change anything, "Zeno refuses."
(his instincts and feelings roar over that, and he resists the urge to keel over in pain)
He moves to turn towards what he remembers to be the dressing room, but is stopped by the priest grabbing his hand. "My Lord I insist, my apprentice and I will soon be thrown out of the castle."
Zeno's eyes snap towards the priest at that. "That's the first Zeno has heard about that."
The High Priest's eyes go to the side. "Prince Yu-Hon does not appreciate the priest hood's power over the imperial crown. Even if he has not been chosen as King, by the Emperor, his brother Il will likely acquiesce to his brother's wishes to disband the priesthood to soothe his temper.
"Zeno still doesn't see why this requires him to stay." Zeno says trying his hardest to stay standing despite the feeling of warmth he's getting just from being near the princess.
"My lord, this weather, and the princess sickness. I believe something's gone very wrong, and even though the gods have decided my apprentice's path, and my own. I would be comforted if you stayed with the princess." The High Priest says, handing Zeno a pair of robes.
Zeno sighs, and with a single sentence, decides the path his life will take. "Zeno will stay for a week, before departing."
The priest makes to protest before he decides against it. "As you wish my lord."
Zeno sighs, on the wooden steps. The soldiers have decided that he can be left alone, now that it's proven he actually is an absentminded vagabond. He hasn't seen the princess for two days, and Zeno, despite how much it hurts, is entertaining the idea of leaving. The princess is alright, after all, and Zeno will visit occasionally, but it's obvious nothing earth-shattering is happening It's okay if he leaves. He stands up, and-
"Zeno," A high-pitched childish voice shouts out, and Zeno only has a split second before he has to catch a princess shaped projectile.
Without thinking he's already situating her against his chest, and he hears the mutters from the assorted nobles passing by about impropriety. They suddenly find themselves silent, as Zeno's gaze finds them.
He turns his attention back to the princess who is babbling. "Thought, you left. I was sad."
"Silly Miss, Zeno's right here." He says patting her back, and putting her back down.
She grabs his hand, and Zeno ignores the hidden glares of the Royal Family as Yona drags him into an outcropping on Hiryuu Castle. It provides a breathtaking view of Kouka Kingdom.
"It's very pretty miss." He says carefully keeping his gaze away from Yona, because he's afraid if he looks at her. He'll see Hiryuu standing there along with Guen, Abi, and Shuten, with Kaya looking at him behind them all. And if that happens Zeno is afraid he'll break completely.
"It is." The princess says directly below him. Zeno keeps his gaze on the beautiful landscape before him.
"Zeno, can I hug you?" This time she tugs his hand, and Zeno's head snaps down and he doesn't see Hiryuu or Kaya, he just sees Princess Yona, who has taken his silence as permission, and is hugging him.
He blinks rapidly because his vision is blurry. "Zeno, can you...stay?" The princess says head buried against his clothes. "I don't know you. But you seem sad." He barely hears her next words. "If, you do not want to."
He doesn't hear what she says next, because he's returning the hug, and damn the dragon blood. He will stay with this girl.
And that's how Zeno, Ouryuu, First High Priest of Kouka, and wandering, immortal vagabond. Becomes Zeno, royal caretaker of Princess Yona.
