Touched by a light layer of snow, Tenkujyou Palace became a mirror of its usual dark, rich world. As he gently slid the door open Luca was blinded by the glare of fresh, white snow; snow which had come far too early and promised a cold winter ahead. Standing against the great white canvas was Rei, stroking the feathers of a small, grey bird perched on his hand. Luca announced his presence quietly so as not to startle him. Rei smiled as he turned slowly, the pigeon ruffling its feathers slightly at the movement.

"Come here," Rei said, taking Luca's hand gently. He guided him to lay his palm flat and picked up a handful of seeds, sprinkling it lightly across Luca's outstretched hand. The bird sitting on Rei's fingers quickly hopped over and began pecking away at the seeds. Luca felt caught off guard, but held back any reaction in order not to disturb the bird. He had never had any interaction with messenger birds before, nor was he familiar with the aviary of the palace, a concern that was weighing on the back of his mind at the moment lest they be caught in a place so often frequented. Rei assured him that the clearing behind the dovecote would almost certainly be abandoned at this time, but the unfamiliarity nagged at Luca.

Rei sprinkled more seeds on his hand. "I've taken care of him since he was born," Rei said, taking Luca's other hand and guiding it to gently stroke the bird's feathers, trying to get the bird to accept him. "He has been taken to the winter palace many times before, and can always find his way back home here," he said, taking his own hands away and leaving Luca to handle the small bird on his own. "And so long as I'm at the winter palace, he'll be able to find his way directly to me. We just need to convince him that when he comes back here, he needs to go to you."

Luca stroked the bird with care, fascinated at its ease with humans. "He's a beautiful creature. But how can you guarantee that he will find me?" he asked as he tried not to react as the bird suddenly hopped from his open palm to perch on one finger.

Rei whistled in a short pattern and suddenly the pigeon leaped from his perch on Luca's finger to Rei. "Try to mimic me exactly," Rei said, returning the bird to Luca and whistling once more. Immediately the bird flew away again. Rei started backing up to the edge of the courtyard, bringing the bird with him. He nodded at Luca to try the call.

He didn't get it the first time, but he knew what his mistakes were the almost the moment he formed them. With greater confidence he tried the call once more. The messenger pigeon reacted immediately, taking off from Rei's gloved hand and fluttering down quickly onto his own. Rei grinned at the success and called the bird back. Luca was fascinated by the process, how much trust the bird had in them both, and how much effort it must have taken to train it. Back and forth they whistled to the bird, now close, now far, until Rei seemed confident in their success.

They drew close once more as Rei looked deeply into Luca's eyes before speaking. "Should it somehow fail, perhaps this may help guide him," Rei said, reaching underneath swathes of clothing to produce a small carved jade case. Rei pressed it into Luca's free hand before whistling to the bird, convincing it to come back to his hand. Luca carefully removed the lid to reveal what Rei had enclosed there. Lying across the green stone were several strands of violet hair. It was as much a promise as anything else.

Luca slid the lid back before securing the box inside his uniform, resting it over his heart. Rei was surprised as Luca pulled out his short sword and unravelled the leather bonds that encased his own pale hair. He quickly cut through a piece of the thong before shearing off a long lock of his own and wrapping it within the binding.

"Such a kind gift deserves one in return," he said quietly, encasing Rei's hand in his own .

Rei smiled back at him. "Now he should always find us." He raised his right arm suddenly and sent the bird off in a flurry of feathers, watching as it took to the pale white sky.

"What's his name?" Luca asked, following the bird as far as he could see.

"He doesn't have one," Rei replied, matching Luca's gaze. "He seems more free that way."

Luca scanned the area briefly before backing Rei into an alcove. He kissed his lover passionately, a second promise passing his lips as he did so. "I promise you one day you will be free," he whispered.

"But for now..." Rei whispered back, wide eyes searching for any other answer than the one he knew.

"The months will pass sooner than we think," Luca replied, brushing his lips against Rei's cheek. Rei kissed him once more, imbuing it with all the hopes and fears that flurried about in his heart, like the newly fallen snow.


Shin gently rested his brush on the table, taking a moment to relax from the endless record keeping. In the absence of the court, he had been honoured with duties within the Ministry of Rites, a new appointment he was enjoying immensely. The freedom that came with the removal of the majority of the court was refreshing, and though formalities never disappeared entirely, it was easier to abandon the company of the other courtiers in favour of his own studies. With the completion of his konghou he had devoted almost all of his spare time to mastering the instrument, finding out its secrets that history left no record of. Truthfully he couldn't help but feel pride in his accomplishment, the challenge of constructing the instrument had pushed his skills further than he had expected, and the reward was clear enough in the beautiful tones that rang forth when struck.

Even in spite of his new preoccupations, he had not entirely abandoned his nightly training. He knew the respite from the decadence of the court would not last long, and the growing hostility from Chikyuu was almost certain to come to a head before the spring arrived. Under the rule of Zeus, the restless atmosphere would never lift, and the rule of Zeus was, at present, indisputable. Although the ambition of many nobles would see Zeus overthrown for their own selfish gain, there was no true base of power there, and the common people—those who had the time to turn from their daily work at all—saw their Regent as the leader steering the Heavenly Kingdom towards the glorious and righteous path as the first in the land. Certainly there was whispering in corners, but they were the kind of whispers that were never to become a shout.

And Shin could not rest even if that weren't the case. He might not entertain grand thoughts of rebellion, but for the wind to change when least expected—it would be a lie to say within the depths of his heart he didn't wish it would. Change was what the Heavenly Kingdom needed. But it was foolish to dwell on such a wish and again as so many times before he brought himself to let it lie fallow and focus on the present.

Shin readjusted his glasses before picking up his brush once more. In the dim light of the lantern the characters almost blended into one another, but he was determined to continue well into the night yet.


The entourage of the court stretched out for miles, winding beyond the distant hills before disappearing out of sight. Although he was trained to withstand long marches, after four days it had become admittedly wearying. He had to admit a certain relief when the whole procession came to a standstill, allowing his feet a brief rest.

"It seems we'll be stopped for a while," he called out, addressing the figure in the litter beside him.

"Is that so?"

"That's so," he replied cheekily, to the sound of a slight huff from behind the curtain.

At first the being the prince's escort seemed like a bit of a drag. Most of the other guards were too serious-faced to get through to and conversation tended to be mostly about their progress and the conditions of the road. Not that he wasn't serious about his task, but they could've lightened up a little. They weren't walking into a war zone or anything. Heck, they should be celebrating escaping the snows back in Tenkujyou!

It was by luck on the second night that the Prince became involved in a discussion with the guards when complications with the terrain and the baggage trains brought the encampment process to a grinding halt. While this would have been unremarkable, the long wait inevitably led to Gai trying to lighten up the atmosphere in the meantime and launch into stories of his attempted inventions. While he quickly found the overly stiff guards weren't much of an audience, he caught the prince snickering condescendingly in the background more than once. Feeling a little impugned, Gai (rather unwisely) confronted him about it, only to find out that he was equally good at riling the prince up, and moreover, he wasn't going to have him imprisoned for insolence even if he kept at it. Pestering Rei was fun, filled the hours quickly, and when they'd had enough of give and take, they could put aside their differences from time to time and find some common ground between them. Things were actually looking pretty up at the moment.

"How much longer, at this rate?" asked the prince.

"From what everyone else has said, the fourth dawn from now." Gai replied, searching through the wagon's packs for a water-flask.

"It's been slow progress this year," Rei said.

"Really? This is my first time going!"

"Are you looking forward to it?"

"To the taverns of Yugong for sure."

"Of course."

Gai looked over at the blind separating the prince from the rest of them, suspicious he was being laughed at again.

"What's your assignment on arrival? You might not have much chance to exercise that privilege," the prince said after a moment's pause.

"Sounds like I'm stuck with you, actually," Gai said. He heard nothing but a short hum from the prince, followed by a prolonged silence.

Gai decided to test the waters, "So what are my chances?"


Pandora could tell Zeus was in a poor mood. Although he travelled much more comfortably than any of the soldiers or servants, the long trip was frequently uncomfortable, and the move to the winter palace brought the monarch's mind closer and closer to the problem of Lucifer. The lingering anger at his second-in-command could be read in his countenance—what little could be read from the inscrutable monarch.

Truth be told Pandora didn't particularly care for the current actions of the former general either way. Lucifer was doomed to fail even if he did strike, so there wasn't any real threat to his lord. What was another war to him? As a result of the defection Pandora had moved up in the Regent's regard, so he had no particular reason to hate Lucifer now.

He adjusted the reins of his horse as the train slowed down to a crawl. They were arriving at last to the winter palace. From the crest of the cliff the view of the valley was stunning. Rice paddies decked the foothills, swaying green terraces interspersed with small groups of wooden buildings, little hamlets formed by a few hundred farmers who had gathered together. At the base of the eastern mountain was the garrison and town of Yugong, where he could see small people milling about their daily work amidst the smoke and straw and stone. At the centre of the dale stretched the great grey lake on which a sprawling complex of buildings stood, a defiance to nature. Through the lattice windows of the covered walkways the pale flickering of lanterns created a shifting illusion across the dusky water. The Lake Palace was one of the most stunning places in the Heavenly Kingdom, an architectural marvel safely nestled between the three great mountains, protected from attack on all fronts.

Pandora spared himself a moment to take it all in, but as Cassandra shifted in the corner of his eye he returned his attention back to the steep descent of the terrain they were traversing. Whatever the coming months held, he would continue to do his duty beyond reproach. As Zeus bids, he complies.