This chapter is written as a thank you to all my readers and reviewers. It may seem a bit confusing, but it is a flashback of Zen's memories. I hope you enjoy!

Zen tapped his fingers impatiently on the desk, making the cup of tea ripple with slight trembles. He briefly observed the swirling liquid, trying his best not to shudder at the thought of poison. He had been but a child when he had first decided to build up resistance to the deadly substance.

Even as a child, Zen had been exposed to the dangerous, sometimes deadly game of politics. He thought that he had learned the rules. That he could play it as well as anyone. Perhaps that very fact was what made him arrogant enough to reject that proposal.

He had been at a party with all the lords, ladies, and everyone else that had a high social standing. Coincidentally, he had decided to get fresh air, so he headed toward the balcony and away from all the false smiles and deceivingly sweet voices.

He heard his father's voice, and the voice of a lord. This lord reigned over a fair portion of their eastern land, and he was father to a girl. This was apparently what they seemed to be discussing, and Zen, out of childish curiosity, casually leaned against the doorframe, out of sight, to listen.

"My daughter's birthday was today," the lord had said. Zen, despite his young age, could detect the greedy light in his eyes.

"Congratulations." The king tried his best to seem interested, and offered the lord a small smile.

"She has turned older, so that now she is but a mere year younger than Prince Izana." The noble presented yet another false smile, and Zen heard the implication in his words. "She is very lovely, fit for a prince." But Zen knew he was lying. He has seen her once. She wasn't ugly, but he thought her too plain to be worthy for his brother. It was on impulse, and he immediately regretted it a second later when he quickly showed himself.

Both adults turned to him, and his father blinked in surprise. "Father. He's lying. Don't let his daughter marry my brother." Even Zen was surprised at the firm tone in his composed voice. Izana deserved better, he knew.

The noble stared at him and, as he was only a child at the time, he failed to see the dark menace hidden behind his seemingly indifferent gaze. "Prince Zen. A pleasure to meet you."

Zen stated straight at the man, confident of his rank and his ability. "Your daughter is not worthy of Izana." It was not only that. He knew that she possessed a manipulative personality, and he didn't want Izana to fall prey to her tricks.

His father merely stared at him for a long while, before finally smiling. "I trust Zen. I believe that I will consider the subject of Izana's marriage a while later." What Zen failed to notice then was the dark glare that the lord was sending his way.

The next day, he was sitting at his desk and carelessly drinking a cup of tea. The lord from yesterday had entered, he noted. He looked up, curious. What would he be doing here?

Coincidentally, another knock sounded against the door, and from the quick succession, Zen could tell that the person was very impatient. He gave a small sigh, excused himself, and went to answer it. It was the lord's daughter, he saw. Her mouth was curled into what she thought was an endearing smile. She pulled him outside of the room, subtly shutting the door behind her.

He couldn't help but be intimidated by the fact that she was much taller than him and that she was at least 5 years older. She started to talk about something, presumably politics and how nice it would be for the both of them if she married Izana.

It was probably around this point that he grew bored of the conversation, and tried instead to leave. He murmured an excuse, not seeing the smirk that twisted her lips, and once again entered the room where her father was waiting.

The lord smiled once more when he entered, a sort of satisfaction dancing in his gaze. "Look at the time! Excuse me, Prince Zen. I must get going." He nodded at him in a sort of mock respect, before briskly walking through the door.

Zen had thought nothing of his strange behavior, and reached instead for his cup of tea. A strange, almost transparent film had caught the light, making the liquid shine warningly. Being a young and naive child, the prince thought nothing of it.

He sipped it, frowning at the bitter taste. Had it been so lacking of sugar before?

He frowned then, and left the room in search for something sweet. Or maybe he was just bored. He couldn't really tell, he decided. And he didn't really care.

He then changed his mind and decided to train, so he ended up in the armory. There was a boy his age there, making clanking sounds as he molded an arrow. He looked up when Zen approached, a question evident on his face. "You're okay? Then I must have seen wrong," his voice was a low murmur, almost as if he was talking to himself. "Oh, Prince Zen, right? My name is Atri."

Zen had nodded, offering a smile in return. They had began to chat, making jokes and sharing stories. Though laughter rang through the air, Zen could feel that something was off in Atri's eyes.

They had reluctantly parted ways, promising to meet again. Zen would never forget that night, where he experienced the worst agony he had ever felt up to that point in his life.

He had gone to sleep like normal at first, and it seemed as if nothing was wrong. Then, he sleep-filled mind registered that it was much too warm for his liking. The temperature had steadily increased, and his forehead became burning to the touch. He had felt dizzy and faint, and he could barely make out the frantic voices around him. His brother's usually calm voice had an edge of worry as he hovered over Zen.

Zen smiled, once again observing his teacup. It had been Atri, who had told everyone that the lord was to blame. The archer had seen the noble slip the poison into his tea. Knowing that this could very well happen again, Zen had prepared himself. In the end, he thought, he didn't really regret it. After all, Izana hadn't been forced into marriage. He lay the tea on the table again, the swirling liquid untouched, and waited for his new friend to arrive.

AN

I'm really sorry for not updating in a while, so, as an apology and a thank you to the wonderful reviews, I wrote this chapter. Thank you all so much for your reviews. I am very touched by every single one of them. Also, I'm very happy that I received constructive criticism as well. As always, please review! Please tell me whose viewpoint I should write in next. I know that I've been doing Zen's POV for a while.

-Lapis Moon