Chapter 2: Storm at the Door
There were clattering sounds and the dull thudding of stomping feet.
Ran Shuuei rose from his seat with a frown. Excusing himself with a quick bow, he moved toward the main doors. "What's going on?" he muttered to himself. He had only taken a few steps before those doors burst open, and a large group of men rushed in, weapons drawn and garbed in the uniform of Imperial soldiers.
"What is this impropriety?!" demanded Grand Tutor Sou as he shot up from his seat. The burly man had long retired from the military to assume the position of advisor to the Emperor, but no one commanded more respect from the army.
None of the soldiers responded as they silently and efficiently surrounded the room and the people inside. Ran Shuuei's hands flew automatically to grasp his sword—only to remember belatedly that he was not wearing it. Wearing swords was not allowed in court sessions, in the presence of the Emperor, and the only person armed was Shi Seiran, who had been granted special dispensation and stood guard not far from the Emperor. Taking a few deep breaths, he forced himself to relax and blended into the crowd of panicky officials.
Seiran frowned at the sight of the soldiers filing into the hall. Something was very wrong here. Quashing an instinct that was screaming at him to hurry over to Ryuuki, his hands casually removed Kanchou and hid it between his robes and the pillar. No one else in this room is armed and they're not expecting much resistance during a regular administrative council. Might as well let them believe it.
The familiar sword was a comforting weight in his hand, but the absence of its brother Byakuya reminded him with a sudden pang how vulnerable Ryuuki was at the moment. Eyes narrowing as he tried to tease out the intruders' intent, he shifted slowly into full view of the soldiers so as not to raise suspicion. This wasn't planned by Ryuuki and his advisors, that much was certain. Her Ladyship and Eigetsu-kun were still marked by the Sa clan, but there were more discreet ways to take them out. The only remaining reason to storm a room with the Emperor present was if their target was the Emperor himself.
Ryuuki ….
A worried gaze slid over to his younger brother, who was staring coldly at the unknown men.
"Please relax. Our men will not harm you—unless you unwisely choose to resist," came a suave voice by the main doors. In the silence that fell, light footsteps could be heard entering the room, followed by a solid clack of wood as the doors were shut tightly and barred. Several soldiers moved to cluster near the barred door while others cleared a path from the door to the throne. A single man detached himself from the crowd and strolled towards the center of the hall.
This new figure, the leader of the soldiers from the way they deferred to him, was dressed in nondescript robes. With his elegant and confident bearing, he might have passed for just another official, but his delicate features and long waves of ginger-coloured hair would have marked him for distinction.
"Your Majesty," the man greeted with an insolent smile and a slight tilt of the head.
"Name yourself," Ryuuki demanded.
With an overly elaborate flourish that bordered on mockery, the man replied, "I am Sa Hanjun." Straightening up, he continued, "And I am here to return justice and righteousness to this wayward Kingdom."
A member of the Sa clan. Seiran's hands tightened into fists as he recalled the late Grand Guardian Sa's power play. He tried to use me to harm Ryuuki. Is this an independent plot, or did one of the clan members catch wind of the Grand Guardian's plans?
Stepping aside, he gestured to another figure behind him with a deep bow. "We are but his servants, and we are ready to lay down our lives to do his bidding and restore him to his rightful place."
This second man stepped forward and scanned the room before him coolly. He had a noble mien and a bearing of superior dignity. Hidden within the voluminous sleeves of his ceremonial robes, his hands were clasped across his waist. His face was handsome, refined, and framed with deep violet hair that shone like silk.
For the space of a heartbeat, the silence was deafening.
"Prince … Seien?" came some tentative murmurs of disbelief. The whispers rose in volume, and began to take on an almost … excited tone.
Ryuuki stared at the revealed figure. It took all his discipline not to let his eyes wander over to Seiran.
Nearby, Shuurei's jaw hung slack as her eyes darted back and forth between Ryuuki and the beautiful man. Don't tell me that's really Ryuuki's long-lost brother! But … her features were indecisive as examined the two of them. Isn't that really good for Ryuuki? Isn't this the brother he loved and missed dearly? She pulled her thoughts up short as she suddenly took stock of the direction of her thinking.
Good for Ryuuki?! How could I have thought that? If they're going to depose Ryuuki … but surely his beloved brother wouldn't really do such a thing? Shuurei's fists clenched the silk of her robes and she frowned worriedly at the strange man.
Sa Hanjun's eyes scanned the crowd, gauging their mood. While a few looked openly hostile, most were open-jawed in disbelief and there was a strange glimmer in their wide eyes—like they actually wanted to believe. And he hadn't even needed to offer a name. Such is the nature of fools … give them a cloud, and they'll build castles in the sky.
The silence stretched—and stretched, and stretched. The seconds that passed seemed to remain crammed in the room, until the air itself was nearly too heavy to breathe. The two men stared at each other without moving a muscle.
Finally, the other man chuckled and spoke. "Ryuuki," he said warmly, opening up his arms, "I am so happy to see you again." He smiled broadly, but somehow the smile did not reach his eyes.
Ryuuki's lips tightened, and he did not speak.
The man shook his head and sighed. "The pressures of the throne have made you distant, I see." He took a step forward. "I never wished for the burden of ruling to fall upon you. Unlike myself, no one took the time to groom you for this difficult role. It must have come as a terrible shock, didn't it?"
"Do not presume to speak so familiarly," Ryuuki responded coldly as he rose to his feet. "Name yourself."
The beautiful man sighed—a sigh with a touch of the dramatic, in Ryuuki's opinion. "You do not remember me?" he asked sadly.
"No," Ryuuki replied, staring unrelentingly straight into the man's eyes, "We do not."
"This esteemed personage," Sa Hanjun began, suddenly breaking into the tense exchange, "is his Royal Highness Prince Seien."
The crowd gasped, but it wasn't exactly a gasp of surprise. It sounded more like a collective exhalation, a relieved release of breath stoppered by the unspoken tensions in the room. Shuurei chewed her lip as her heart seemed to sink into the pit of her stomach. How could this be happening?
When the Emperor made no move to acknowledge this declaration, Sa Hanjun straightened to his full height, clasped his hands and looked boldly into Shi Ryuuki's eyes. "Will you relinquish the throne to Prince Seien, your elder brother, the hope of the people of this Kingdom, and rightful heir to the throne of Saiunkoku?"
As the question hung in the air, the courtiers in the room held their breaths again, their eyes darting wildly between the three men.
Ryuuki's eyes narrowed. "If Seien-ani-ue ever desired the throne, all he need do is ask for it, and we would gladly hand it over to him," he declared firmly. A small distance away, Seiran sighed imperceptibly to himself, and for a brief instant, he allowed a trace of a fond but slightly exasperated smile to grace his lips. He had thought that Ryuuki had fully immersed himself in his role as the Emperor—and he probably had—but, he reflected, something of the little boy who clung desperately to his robes still remained.
The officials around him gasped in shock. "Your Majesty!" one elderly minister reprimanded him in a scandalised tone, "How could you say such a thing!"
Sa Hanjun grinned delightedly. "Well then, how very gracious of you, Your Majesty. Your magnanimity knows no bounds." With a deep bow, he gestured respectfully to the man next to him, as if bidding him to go forth and claim his throne.
The young Emperor stared unflinchingly into the eyes of the self-declared Prince Seien and continued with no less conviction, "But you are not Seien-ani-ue."
The man's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You've become quite the manipulator of words, Ryuuki. You want to have it all your way, don't you? Can you prove that I am not Shi Seien?"
"Can you prove that you are?" Ryuuki shot back without dropping a beat. "Your mere declaration is not proof of the truth. And, we must remind you that you do not have permission to address us by name."
The man huffed and smiled sweetly, like he dealing with a recalcitrant child. "Very well then. Why don't you ask me questions that only Prince Seien should be able to answer? About things that happened only between us?"
Ryuuki raised an eyebrow. "The truth of which would only be known between ourself and Prince Seien? You would dare to pit your word against ours?"
From atop the palace walls, a man watched the meeting hall solemnly.
"So, they were ready to move, after all. The 'sudden' surfacing of the rebel element was really just a diversion to turn our eyes on Sa province. What a dangerous gamble His Majesty decided to take. It was a one in ten thousand chance, but now that the situation has turned out like this, we can't let this opportunity slip out of our grasp. "
The man raised a hand, and suddenly, the stillness of the morning was broken by a flurry of running feet as soldiers poured out into the courtyard.
"Alas, poor Yousei. He certainly thought he got the better end of the bargain, didn't he? But now he's the one left chasing red herrings, while I net the big fish." The man chortled, but the sound was devoid of any humour. His brows knitted as his fingers wrapped tightly around the sword at his waist. "Capture these traitors," he hissed as he signalled his men to surround the meeting hall.
