SIX
Spring in Elysion
Spring in Elysion is a glorious time. In the dark, chilling throes of the winter I begin to anticipate her coming. I find myself alone in the icy corridors of the castle or under a bleak, gray sky longing for the warmth of new light. Perhaps it is the connection I share to my home planet but I feel at my most content and focused in the spring. With my emotions at their peak my mind blossoms as new life spreads throughout the land. I can feel my soul thrill with excitement as I walk through Elysion's verdant meadows under the impossibly blue skies. The rushing water of a newly thawed stream, the beauty of the growing trees, the colors of life; all of it revitalizes me in a way I can't fully express.
I remember walking through the marble and granite streets of the capital city one early spring morning and thinking that everything, even the stoic, unchanging stone that made up the terraces and facades of the city had been blessed with new life. Faces passed me unhindered by the depressions and doldrums of winter. Within the city walls all Elysion's citizens were vibrant, cheerful, and friendly. I am not nearly as gracious with the public as Jadeite, perhaps to my fault, but even on that day I found myself several times sidetracked by greetings and idle conversation by those nobles and commoners I passed. That day, of all days, I was willing to give freely of my time.
I allowed myself the indulgence of wearing my formal dress uniform that morning. I so enjoyed that snow-white jacket and its matching pants, threaded with the finest silks and adorned with polished silver epaulettes and buttons. I had taken to wearing a sheer, spider silk cloak that billowed and fluttered behind me in the slightest breeze. It would be the acme of foolishness to deny my own vanity. I know that the nobility of Elysion, like all kingdoms, can and will lapse into opulence and apathy if allowed, but I firmly believe that to win the hearts and minds of those powerful men and women that shape the political landscape of a country you must first appeal to their baser instincts, thus my continual attention to the finer points of fashion and trends.
By the time I had reached my intended destination, the sprawling central square, I found I had amassed a crowd at least two dozen strong following at my heels. My eyes were lifted skyward as I was awed once more by the gleaming towers that framed the four sides of the courtyard. The buildings stood so tall that the square itself felt more like an artificial canyon than a civil structure. The square was built of polished white marble blocks measuring more than two hundred yards in all directions. The center of the square featured an elaborate fountain with twelve tiered pools and sixty individual spouts of water. I'd yet to fully comprehend its workings but the rushing fountain somehow powered a grand clock at its peak; a gift from the Moon Kingdom herself.
At the far end of the square stood the capital palace. Its great marble stairway stretched the entire width of the square and climbed as high as the roofs of the senatorial buildings that framed it on either side of the courtyard. The columns that supported the palace façade were ringed with inlaid spirals of gold. Every corner and straight edge of the palace was accented in luscious gold appointments. At its peak the capital building was topped with an onion-shaped dome completely covered in gold leaf and it shone like a star itself as it reflected the sun's rays. There was little question as to why Elysion was sometimes referred to as the Golden Kingdom.
I turned to the posse at my back and dismissed myself politely to choruses of thanks and praise while I began to ascend the stairs of the capital. Politicians and philosophers stood at talked at various heights debating the essences of the universe. I had to restrain myself from interjecting my thoughts and opinions on the various topics I heard along my climb. I passed under the column-supported façade to face the final flight of stairs. The crowd of dignitaries became denser and I recognized many senators and provincial representatives who all gave nods of recognition, or at most a formal bow.
The stairs ended at the main doors of the building which were perpetually propped open and posted with guards at all times. The two armored sentinels tipped their halberds away from my path but otherwise remained stoic and motionless. I passed them by with an appreciative glance and entered the palace proper which opened into a wide hallway that pitched upward on an incline stretching many yards ahead and above me. Wrought iron arches supported the ceiling and impressively formed oil lamps that lit the interior of the building. For as large as the palace appeared on the outside it featured very few internal appointments save for several auxiliary sitting rooms to hold debating diplomats.
I ascended the hallway to where it leveled off at the center of the palace. This room was the heart of Elysion, at least from a governmental standpoint. The room was a mammoth circular amphitheater that sat beneath the gilded dome at the very center of the capital building. I stood at the highest level, easily two stories above the debate floor. Rows upon rows of tiered, theater-style terraces descended into the atrium. The terraces were built of marble floors with brushed iron and gold railings separating them and adorned with rich mahogany and cherry wood furniture including comfortable chairs and small, functional tables.
This place was the Ring of Law where all of Elysion's elected officials gathered to debate civil law, trade policy, ethics, morality, religion, and all other aspects of life within the kingdom. It was here that I felt most at ease in my function as a Shitennou. Even though I was an accomplished soldier and military general it was within the realm of words that I waged my wars where subtlety, a fast tongue, and confidence were as strong as a legion of fierce soldiers. Within the Ring of Law I had no equal, at least not until Endymion would take the floor.
I walked along the perimeter of the ring listening to a heated discussion rising from the center of the room where one of the elder senators raised a motion to cut import tariffs on certain commodities being traded from Venus. Key among his movement was the unusually high tax on that golden planet's honey-based liquor that they called Ambrosia after the legendary food of the gods. I had to chuckle at the furious conviction as he delivered his address. I could easily visualize Nephrite with his love of fine spirits in the crowd of rapt dignitaries, shaking his fist in the air and cheering his support of the motion.
I turned the handle on a heavy wooden door just as the final chorus of applause rang up from the assembled crowd. Of the few ancillary rooms in the capital building, I had claimed one as my private office. It was located along the outer ring under the dome. Much of the far wall was a panoramic lead crystal window affording a spectacular view of the eastern corner of the capital square. As was customary my desk was piled high with scrolls newly arrived from all corners of the kingdom. I would take my time sifting through them and reply in my own hand to as many as I could before I filtered down the requests and demands to their proper offices. While many senators and consulars boasted apprentices and servants to mete out their menial tasks to I took great care in overseeing all aspects of my office. If nothing else it served to occupy my time.
I took my seat behind the desk allowing the midday sun pouring through the window to warm me to the bone. I was about to begin reading through the scrolls which amounted to my daily mail when the iron bolt on my door turned. My eyes followed the twin rows of bookcases framing my office back to the door as it swung open and my visitor stepped inside. I didn't gasp aloud but my back stiffened and I let out an aggravated sigh before relaxing in my chair again. Kunzite had a way of always startling people even when he was simply coming and going.
"I figured I'd find you here." my fellow Shitennou said to me in his powerfully commanding voice as he walked towards me and left the door open to the commotion in the Ring of Law.
"Where else but here?" I asked back while unrolling one of the first parchments "Buried among my mountains of fan mail."
He chuckled quietly and dragged one of the leather bound chairs across the carpet to sit opposite from my desk. As he sat down and folded his legs I was struck by how even in his casual attire Kunzite exuded the authority and power of his position as Endymion's chief advisor, tactician, and closest friend. This day Kunzite wore a simple white shirt that he habitually left unbuttoned halfway down his chest to display his trim physique to anyone who cared to look, though not out of vanity, he simply likedit that way. He allowed the cuffs of his gray pants to cover the tops of his polished boots and he carried a gray and blue cloak folded under his arm. The sunlight glinted off the golden ankh talisman that hung around his neck on a black cord.
"Get anything good today?" he asked as he began rummaging through the stack of papers looking for one to catch his interest.
"I don't know." I sighed back casually, "I just got in a moment ago and you're interrupting my first batch."
"Awfully late start for you." Kunzite said with a furrowed brow.
"I took a long walk through the gardens this morning and spent an uncharacteristic amount of time mingling out in the square." I related the events of my day as I reclined, arms woven together behind my head.
"Spring is in the air." he half-sung with a grin.
"What about you?" I asked, gesturing to the king, "Shouldn't you be out barking orders at one of the barracks somewhere?"
"No training this week." Kunzite replied mocking severe disappointment, "No hides to tan; and I'll thank you that I don't bark, I rasp. Barking is Nephrite's department."
"Yes, to the dogs with him!" I joked and slammed my fist down on the table.
"I heard that." a gruff voice announced from the doorway and Nephrite sauntered into the room with a smirk working its way onto his face.
"Hey!" Kunzite growled at him as he spun around in the chair, "No pets allowed in the capital building!"
"That's very funny." Nephrite deadpanned and pulled another chair alongside Kunzite, taking a seat after throwing his long, brown leather coat across the back of it.
Garbed in his favorite attire of darkly stylish red and brown leathers, Nephrite once again carried himself with the air and composure of his noble station. I was fearful for him all the same, though I dismissed much of my concern to my own quiet ponderings. After the formal meeting with Endymion following our incident in Acheron, Nephrite had not spoken of it. To any casual observer it would seem as though the terrible voyage had never even occurred. Indeed it seemed that Nephrite himself wanted nothing more than to put the past behind him and forge ahead with his military career. When the shock of his resignation from the navy wore off a new elation spread across the gossip tables of Elysion when it was revealed that he would be given command of a contingent of Endymion's favored cavalry units.
Still, I knew what he had seen and more importantly what he had done. A new accessory hung around a leather thong dangling from Nephrite's neck. It was a jade stone, partially hidden under the collar of his shirt. I averted my eyes from it and made a note to ask him at some other juncture why he'd insisted on keeping a token from such a harrowing voyage.
"Anything good?" Nephrite asked, echoing Kunzite as he too rifled through my pile of scrolls.
"Is there a sign on my door begging any curious passers-by to pick through my daily mail?" I asked attempting to sound irritated, "Because I don't remember putting one up."
"Don't be so dramatic, Zoisite." Kunzite chided, "You know full well you're going to pawn half of this off on the correspondence office."
"Point taken, but you're still invading the privacy of my office." I continued.
"The door was open." Nephrite was quick to observe.
"He left it open when he forced his way in here threatening me with bodily harm if I tried to resist his advances!" I defended, shaking my index finger wildly in Kunzite's direction.
"Hah!" Kunzite snapped back with a solitary howl of laughter, "What a vibrant imagination you have."
"What, that you barged in his office uninvited?" Nephrite asked knowing well that it was one of Kunzite's less desirable habits.
"No, that I'd force myself on him." Kunzite snuffed back haughtily, "As if I'd settle for such lowly prey."
We all broke out into a chorus of laughter, I probably the loudest of all much to the chagrin of the assembled dignitaries in the auditorium below us. I've been told I possess a rather shrill, piercing laugh; no doubt one of the many traits I inherited from my mother whose essence apparently dominated my conception. I vaguely remember her face, framed by endless copper tresses and eyes as emerald green as the Elysian Fields. It's so strange that's all I can remember of my family, but it has been so long, ages even.
The two men in front of me laughing and carrying on in spite of the volumes of work on my desk are my family, as they have been for generations. We are brothers whose shared blood is of the Earth itself. We may not have been born from the same parents or even conceived in the same corner of the planet but we are brothers all the same. The Shitennou will forever be tied to the fate of the mother Earth and this is a fundamental belief that is never far from my waking thoughts.
"I've been thinking about getting away for a few days." Kunzite announced. I was quite sure Nephrite endured a seizure at those words and I was just as shocked to hear them.
"Y- you're … what?" Nephrite stuttered in amazement.
"Don't start, either of you." Kunzite responded with a less than savory growl.
"Kunzite, I don't think I've ever seen you outside the city gates save for military campaigns since I've known you." I said trying to remember any stand-out incidents.
"It's like you're married to your army." Nephrite laughed and gently grazed the silver-haired Shitennou's shoulder with his fist.
"Try that again and you'll suddenly become expert in single armed combat." Kunzite threatened through a fake grin.
"Ooh, so belligerent today, Kunzite!" Nephrite chided his superior.
"Maybe you do need a vacation." I added.
"Maybe I do." Kunzite answered with a shrug, "And maybe I was going to invite you along, but now …"
Nephrite and I immediately put on our best masks of innocence and I pleaded, "Come now, Lord Kunzite, you know we spoke only in jest."
"Hmm, your sincerity is staggering." Kunzite snuffed at us and crossed his arms across his chest, "Perhaps a showing of good will is in order." He rubbed his chin for a moment before flashing a dastardly grin, "Fight to the death for my amusement."
"All right!" Nephrite agreed far too enthusiastically and reached to the scabbard at his side.
I was about to open my mouth to accuse them both of treason when a fourth voice interrupted, "Gentlemen, please!"
Suddenly all eyes were on the door as Endymion entered with a childish grin etched across his youthful yet stately features. He was dressed in the same uniform Elysian princes had worn since the tradition started generations ago: a snow white suit, very nearly a tuxedo, trimmed in gold with the gaudiest tasseled epaulettes in the kingdom covering his shoulders. A shimmering white sash was draped across his chest, woven in with a similar belt at his waist that held his ceremonial sword at his hip.
We all stood in attention at once. In his rush to show his respect Nephrite's hip collided with my desk and he let a barely audible moan escape his clenched lips. Amused, Endymion ushered us back to ease with a dismissive wave of his hand and another chuckle.
"I can't have my best men cutting each other apart for one man's amusement." our Master continued and laid a hand on Kunzite's shoulder, "At least wait until there's a more substantial crowd."
We all laughed with him as we were prone to doing. Among our small group there was a shared sense of revelry which kept us all away from each other's throats even in the tensest debates and most pitched battles. The bonds of respect forged between us were unbreakable though we sometimes had differing opinions as all friends do. Never once, however, have we reached a point where we were unable to forgive, forget, and move on. Such is the bond shared between the Master and his Shitennou.
Kunzite was closer to Endymion than any other man on Earth. He had been with our Master since before I could remember. When Endymion came of age Kunzite was there to train him in the martial ways of warfare. He was his personal tutor on all subjects ranging from strategy to swordsmanship and Endymion is still, to my knowledge, the only man who would openly challenge Kunzite to a duel with a strong chance of coming out the victor. I've yet to discern whether or not Kunzite holds back during these exhibitions for the public but I highly doubt he would be able to given his respect for the prince and his desire to see him excel beyond his own ability. Many a time Kunzite has incurred vicious wounds at the hands of his own Master only to rebound and strike several of his own before the bouts were called on account of unnecessary bloodshed. Each time the duel ended in the two men carrying each other arm-in-arm off the field while their peals of laughter cut through the shouts of the healers attempting to mend them.
There is much more I could tell of my Master but much of it would simply be a plagiarism of what historians and scribes have recorded about him in the past. The armies fear him, the politicians revere him, and the masses adore him. More than this, he returns this affection down to the very last child. He has been criticized of course, but that is to be expected of any monarch. Some say he is far too lenient when it comes to keeping Elysion's borders under guard. Others say his blatant disregard of tradition is an insult to his predecessors that built the country. Many claim that his unconditional trust of the member planets of the Silver Alliance is a sign of complacency and the future homogenization of our culture.
Perhaps the most vicious critique of my Master is his continued unpopular relations with the kingdom on the Moon. It is common knowledge that Endymion and Queen Serenity forged a friendship when Endymion was only a child. The seemingly timeless monarch took the young prince under her wing after the deaths of Endymion's parents and she reared him on the philosophies and moral codes of the Silver Millennium teaching tolerance, tenacity, and compassion. However, for as benevolent as the Queen is many of the simple folk living on the Earth rebuke and revile those of the Moon for their unnatural longevity, intelligence, and extravagant lifestyle. Chief among their gripes was the perceived arrogance of the Moon Kingdom itself in casting itself in the role of "protector" of the earth.
It was no secret that the Moon Kingdom had pledged itself to watch over the earth and while we knew that Queen Serenity's aim was to keep us and all the planets safe from threats from beyond our solar system, many of the common folk rebuked the Moon for treating them, as they perceived, as little more than untrained pets who needed constant supervision. It is a very old animosity brimming on outright mistrust and hatred though there had never been any physical conflict between our kingdoms.
Of course, if knowledge of our Master's secret courtship of a certain Princess of the Moon were to ever be made public I am loathe to consider the consequences. If there is one argument that has yet to resolve itself among our ranks it is this. We attempt not to speak of it, to treat it as though it isn't there, but still we watch from afar. Endymion has, mercifully, halted his reckless, youthful tendency to slip away and travel in disguise to the Moon itself, but that does not stop Princess Serenity, the daughter of the Queen herself, from smuggling herself to the Earth in the guise of a hooded traveler once every few weeks. During those clandestine encounters we watch from afar, keeping a silent vigil over our Master.
Still, I cannot downplay the importance that the Moon and Serenity's graces have had on my Master's life. The Queen's teachings coupled with his natural aptitude in the magical arts and his training at the hands of the palace guard readied Endymion to command a world in the throes of civil war. It is thanks to his perseverance and unwavering faith in mankind that Elysion, for the most part, has consolidated itself and prospered. Of course we, his friends, would tease that it was simply a random string of impossibly good luck, but that is beside the point …
"Perhaps you'd join me on holiday, Endymion?" Kunzite offered and glanced over his shoulder at Nephrite and I, "The present company is giving me little reason to extend them my offer."
"That's exceptionally cold." I pouted and laid my head down on my folded arms, "Even for the King of Ice." My latter statement was meant to poke fun at Kunzite's preferred magical practices dealing with all things frigid.
"I have to approve your leave before you can go off inviting anyone to keep you company." Endymion replied, "Where are you planning on heading?"
"There's an isolated community on the south coast I came across on one of my training marches." Kunzite answered, "It's off the beaten path, perched on a cliff overlooking the sea, very picturesque. It looked like a good place to get lost for a while."
Endymion's brow furrowed and he glanced towards Nephrite and I. We both shrugged in response and he turned back to Kunzite with a quizzical glare.
"What's the name of this isolated paradise?" Endymion asked knowingly.
"Um …" Kunzite stalled and his thumb and forefinger traced his jaw line, "I think it's called Minoc."
Endymion rolled his eyes and Nephrite laughed while I said, "Minoc is overrun and constantly at war with the three largest pirate guilds in world."
"Really?" Kunzite asked, feigning ignorance, "And here I thought all the explosions were nightly firework displays!"
"Leave it to Kunzite to vacation in a war zone." Nephrite chuckled.
"What do you say, Endymion?" Kunzite asked expectantly and glanced up at Endymion with a wide grin.
"I think I have to decline." Endymion replied, rubbing the bridge of his nose, "Aside from the fact that we would start an unsanctioned government incident, it would be a grossly unfair fight."
"They probably do number in the thousands." Kunzite said disappointedly.
"I know." Endymion replied grinning slyly, "Unfair for them."
We all laughed again. It was amazing how often our conversations ended with at least one of us getting into a battle far over our heads that we somehow miraculously escaped from unfazed. It was no secret that in the past Endymion and his Shitennou had been the deciding factor in several military campaigns where our experience, speed, and skill had single handedly destroyed enemy fortifications, cut through whole lines of infantry, or sacked a village without drawing a sword.
"We should be on our way soon." Endymion announced and we all stood along with him as he motioned to the door of my office, "We're expecting some esteemed guests within the hour."
Nephrite groaned as he draped his coat over his shoulder, "Is it really necessary for all of us to greet them at the Gates?"
"It is and I'll ask you in advance to put on your happy face. And expect a jab in the ribs if I see you scowling." Endymion said and narrowed his gaze at Nephrite.
"Absolutely, Prince." Nephrite answered flatly.
"The entire lunar delegation is coming this time?" I asked, walking out from behind my desk, "What do you suppose that means?"
"I'm hoping it means that they're finally ready to take these peace accords seriously." the prince replied as we began to make our way out into the Ring of Law, "Queen Serenity has been fighting for me all these years and to send a delegation from each planet of the Alliance can only bode well in my opinion."
"Unless they all want to be here to say 'No' at the same time." Kunzite added.
"Your glass is perpetually half empty, isn't it?" I asked him over my shoulder.
"I don't look at that old axiom in that way." Kunzite replied as if he'd spent years defining this philosophy, "I see my glass as being neither too full nor too empty."
"How do you see it, then?" I asked.
"My glass is too big." Kunzite replied.
I stopped in my tracks and arched an eyebrow, "What is that supposed to mean?"
"It means what it means." he replied evenly.
He and Nephrite both brushed past me and Nephrite gave me an awkward glance over his shoulder to indicate he also had very little idea what to make of Kunzite's strange logic. I picked up my pace and soon had to shout over the din of the congregation in the Ring below us.
"With any luck the next time we step into this room it will be with the Silver Alliance to draft a formal treaty!" Endymion shouted over the raucous senators.
"Hopefully, my prince." I answered and before I could begin my next sentence I was cut off by a curious noise fast approaching up the main hallway, "Do you hear that?"
No sooner did the words leave my lips than the repetitive pounding on the floor revealed itself to be a horse galloping at full tilt up the inclined, lacquered floor of the central hallway. A dozen armored guards chased after the regal white steed as its rider expertly maneuvered it through the infuriated crowds of politicians. With a great cry the horse and rider leapt over the top most terraces to land in the center of the sacred senatorial chamber. The guards surrounded them with swords and halberds drawn as the senators and consulars backed away, shouting their disgust at such a blasphemous intrusion.
The rider atop his white horse howled with laughter and removed the feather-plumed, wide-brimmed, navy blue chapeau that obscured his glistening, golden blonde hair. His eyes were blue and piercing, deeper than the oceans, and his uniform was of strikingly similar color, trimmed in bright red with a matching velvet cape trailing behind him. Immediately upon seeing the uncommonly handsome man the guards slacked their stances and looked at each other, confused, before pulling their weapons back. The senators were oddly put off and couldn't come to an agreement as to what to make of the intruder that had just stormed and trampled into their revered auditorium.
Endymion for his part was dismissive and only shook his head with a chuckle before moving off in the direction of the hallway again. Nephrite followed suit shortly after leaving me with Kunzite, whose face was redder than a ripened tomato.
"JADEITE!" he thundered across the Ring of Law, "Have you no shame at all?"
"What can I say, Kunzite? It's a new horse!" Jadeite answered back calmly, stroking the back of his mount's neck which whinnied with approval, "I had to break him in properly!"
Nephrite shouted over his shoulder to me, "Make sure Kunzite at least leaves a few pieces of him left to bury!"
"What better place to break a noble steed than the Ring of Law?" Jadeite asked at the top of his lungs, "Here among all the other dreary, long faces!"
He flashed a wide, blindingly bright smile and instantly placated the irate senators who returned his boyish jab and enthusiasm with a round of laughter and spotty applause. Kunzite fumed and I was sure steam was about to escape his ears and he stomped away, issuing Jadeite a less than professional hand gesture in the process which only served to further amuse the generally uptight senators.
"Ladies and gentlemen." Jadeite laughed and replaced his extravagant hat, turning his horse back to the exit hallway, "I relinquish the floor!"
Just as he had come, he was gone and the room howled their delight as Jadeite galloped away, hooting and hollering, and slamming his fist onto the helmets of all the guards he passed in a good natured gesture of appreciation. I shook my head and smiled, sprinting to catch up with Endymion and the rest of my companions hoping that the meeting with the lunar ambassadors would be so interesting.
That day I learned, more than ever, to be careful what I wished for.
