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Chapter Eleven

Hakuei pt. 2

Riding is actually quite fun once Morgiana gets the hang of it. She finds she likes her horse very much. Hakuei tells her the horse is a mare named Seiya. Morgiana scratches behind Seiya's ears as they ride and the horse seems to enjoy it. She's glad for the pants Hakuei lent her as her thighs rub against Seiya's sides.

Hakuryuu rides a few meters behind them on the black horse. It's a stallion named Yari. Yari is younger and wilder than Seiya but Hakuryuu controls him well. He's clearly spent time around horses. Hakuei's men are very interested in the younger brother of their general and several of them ride up next to him and ask him questions about Zagan's dungeon. Morgiana only half listens to them because Hakuei keeps her busy with questions of her own.

"I assume Hakuryuu met you while he was studying in Sindria?" she asks politely.

Morgiana nods. "Yes. My companions and I were staying in Sindria when he and Princess Kougyoku came."

Hakuei hums thoughtfully. "So you were just staying there temporarily. You are not a citizen of Sindria."

"No," she confirms. "Actually, I was living in Qishan until I met my companions, Aladdin and Alibaba."

Hakuei's eyes widen and her face lights up. "Aladdin, you say? By any chance, is this companion of yours a young boy with a long braid?" She spreads her hands apart to mime the style in question.

Morgiana regards the lovely princess with new interest. "Yes, that's right. Have you met him?"

Hakuei smiles widely. "I have. He once helped me when I was in trouble. To think that the little boy I met back then is the same as the companion you say you've been traveling with. It's a quite the small world." She chuckles to herself. "Tell me, is he well?"

Morgiana nods. "Yes. Hakuryuu and I were together with him until just recently, but he had something to take care of so we have parted ways for now. We plan to meet up again in ten months' time."

Hakuei looks gives her a curious look. "Hakuryuu as well?"

Morgiana shrugs. "I imagine so." Hakuryuu never actually confirmed whether or not he will come with her to rejoin the others, but he hasn't said he won't.

"I see." Hakuei wears a small smile as she refocuses her attention forward. "I'm relieved to hear that my brother has begun to make some friends. He's always been rather disinclined to socialize and I was a little worried that he would never branch out from me and our siblings."

Morgiana thinks she can understand why Hakuei would be concerned about such a thing. When she first met Hakuryuu he did come off as very reserved. She always got the feeling there was a lot going on inside his head that he simply chose not to share. But she knows now that it isn't that Hakuryuu doesn't enjoy the company of others; he simply refused to allow himself to do anything that might distract him from his mission.

"He's changed," the Kou princess continues, glancing back over her shoulder at her brother and her men. "I can tell just by looking at him. He looks happy."

Morgiana looks back at Hakuryuu as well. He is smiling and the men around him are all laughing and grinning. They seem to be having a fun conversation. Hakuei's household are unlike the troops in the northern outpost. They are easygoing and social and Morgiana can tell that they have a good relationship. Even Hakuryuu has been swept up in their good cheer.

Hakuei is right. Hakuryuu has seemed happier to her lately. At the start of their journey his behavior had been more formal and she could sense a great sadness weighing on him, but over the months that weight has seemed to lessen. Now when he smiles she can see his joy. She no longer feels like he's masking his real feelings. She's also noticed a change in the way he treats her. At the start of their journey he kept her at arm's length and shied away from excessive physical contact, but now he has no reservations about touching her and being touched by her. He initiates as much as she does and seems to take the same comfort as her from their contact.

Hakuryuu senses her gaze on him and looks over at her. Their eyes meet and he smiles. His eyes mirror the cloudless sky and a light breeze causes his hair to flutter around his face. Morgiana turns away. Her cheeks feel suddenly much too warm.

Hakuei glances at her and a small, secretive smile appears on her face. For the second time, Morgiana finds herself feeling envious of the Kou princess' natural beauty. No matter her expression, Hakuei is the embodiment of elegance.

Morgiana is not elegant. She is not graceful. She cannot turn heads with a look or perform delicate tasks and that's always been fine with her—as a Fanalis, such traits are largely unnecessary—but being in the presence of a woman such as Hakuryuu's sister makes her wonder if she's somehow lacking compared to other females. Perhaps that is the reason she could never turn Alibaba's head like the giggling girls in the companionship houses.

Morgiana slaps her cheeks to break herself out of such silly and uncharacteristic thoughts. If she is lacking anything, it's strength. She needs to focus on becoming stronger in order to protect her friends. That is the most important thing to her.

Just before nightfall, they stop and set up camp roughly a kilometer off from a small river. Morgiana and Hakuryuu help Hakuei's men pitch tents and unload the horses. Hakuei's is the largest tent and she invites the two of them to share with her; an offer which Hakuryuu and Morgiana accept gratefully.

It feels nice to have something of a roof over their heads again and when Morgiana and Hakuryuu settle in for the evening they are able to enjoy all the comforts of an inn. One of Hakuei's men brings the three of them a hot meal and they relax among colorful, embroidered cushions as they eat. Hakuei explains that the cushions were gifts from the various villages she and her company visited during their travels and they listen with interest as she tells them all sorts of stories from her campaign in the Tenzan region.

The food is quite good for a company of cavalrymen and Morgiana eats with gusto. It's the first warm meal she's had in days and she relishes it. They even receive a small traditional Kou dessert with their food and Morgiana notes that each of theirs is different. Hers is a white, rabbit-shaped bean cake. She pops it in her mouth and chews curiously. It's sweet and squishy and feels nice on her tongue. She cups a hand to her cheek in delight.

Hakuryuu laughs at her expression and lifts the small plate holding his own dessert. It also appears to be a bean cake but it's shaped like a persimmon. He takes a small bite and chews with a thoughtful expression. When he's finished, he nods in approval and hands the rest to her. Morgiana accepts the offering and consumes it with zeal.

Hakuei watches with interest. She's wearing the same secretive smile as earlier. She lifts her own dessert to her mouth and takes a dainty bite. After a moment, she says, "Hakuryuu, you haven't yet told me your news."

Hakuryuu straightens and nods. His expression becomes serious. "That's right. Morgiana and I have been to see Kouen in Balbadd."

"Kouen?" Hakuei questions, appearing surprised.

"Yes," he confirms. "We went to see him a few weeks ago to discuss a very important matter regarding Kou's succession."

Hakuei frowns. She looks suddenly apprehensive. "Hakuryuu…what are you saying? Why would you need to discuss such a thing with Kouen?"

"Because," Hakuryuu answers, regarding his sister gravely, "Soon, the emperor will die."

Hakuei's eyes widen but Hakuryuu continues before she can say anything. "At that time, Al-Thamen is going to make a grab for the throne. That's why I went to see Kouen; to ask him to become the next emperor."

Hakuei shakes her head. She looks unsure; like she doesn't quite believe him. "Such a thing…" she trails off. "I know that you've always disapproved of Al-Thamen, but to accuse them of plotting against our uncle… That's going a bit too far, don't you think? Surely Kouen told you the same thing."

Hakuryuu's expression doesn't change. "No," he corrects. "He agreed. He knows as well as I do who our real enemy is."

Hakuei looks pained; like hearing this hurts her. "Hakuryuu," she starts, but he cuts her off.

"It's Gyokuen. Our mother." He leans forward. "You've already realized that she is at the center of all the strange things that have been happening within the Kou Empire. The time for ignoring her has passed. She will kill Emperor Koutoku and she will try to take the throne for herself." His eyes narrow. They are hard; like steel. "Just like she killed our father and brothers."

Hakuei flinches. Morgiana feels pity for her. What Hakuryuu is saying isn't untrue but his delivery is coarse. He's doing nothing to soften the impact of his revelation. But she understands why he's doing it. He needs his sister to listen to him and not simply write him off as an ignorant child. He needs to prove to her that he knows what he's talking about.

"Sister," he addresses her, reaching across the table to grasp her hand. "I always thought that I could protect you from her, but I've realized that unless I stop her now she will find a way to steal everything we love from us. As long as she lives, no one is safe. I won't ask you to take up arms against her; I'm simply asking for your support."

"Support?" she echoes, her eyes falling briefly shut as she digests what she's just been told. "Even if what you say is true and our mother did kill Hakuyuu, Hakuren and our father…just what would have me do?"

Hakuryuu's gaze doesn't falter. "Stay safe," he says. "And tell no one what I've told you. I know what I'm saying is difficult to believe, but you need to trust me. Very soon, we will be summoned back to Rakushou for the emperor's funeral. At that time, you can verify everything I've said with Kouen."

Hakuei looks pained. Morgiana imagines that she doesn't want to believe that her own brother wishes to kill their mother. She lifts her free hand to her breast and closes her eyes. When she opens them again, she wears a look of conviction. "I understand," she says at last. "I wish that what you've just told me came as more of a surprise, but I too have felt that our mother has changed. As much as I don't want to believe it…"

Hakuryuu's expression softens. "I didn't either," he confesses. "When Hakuyuu told me she was responsible for the fire, I thought for sure that he was mistaken. I was convinced that it was a plot by our uncle to steal the throne for himself. But she confessed. When I confronted her about it, she admitted to starting the fire. I kept the truth to myself all these years because I was sure your life would be in danger as well if you knew."

Hakuei closes her eyes and bites her cheek. Morgiana can tell that she has accepted Hakuryuu's claim but still she wishes she could say something to support him. She knows how desperately he wants to keep his sister safe after what happened to her in the other timeline. However, in this timeline Morgiana hasn't met Gyokuen yet so her words would carry no weight. Instead, she says, "Miss Hakuei, I too believe that you should take care. It would put Hakuryuu at ease."

Hakuryuu shoots her a thankful look and nods at his sister. "I promise to explain everything thoroughly soon, so until then, please trust me."

Hakuei opens her eyes and looks back and forth between them with a sad frown. Finally, she lowers her head. "Very well. I will continue to act as I have until now while I await your explanation." She slides her hand free of Hakuryuu's and folds it with its partner in her lap. "To be honest, for the past few months I've had a feeling of foreboding that I've been unable to explain. Whenever I think about returning to Rakushou my heart quickens and my breath comes shorter. I wonder if I've begun to fear the thought of returning to our mother's side."

Hakuryuu lays a comforting hand on his sister's shoulder. His expression hasn't changed but Morgiana can tell he's thinking the same thing as her. The feeling of foreboding Hakuei speaks of is likely a remnant of the her from the other timeline; the one possessed by Arba. It's just as the Aladdin in Belial's dungeon said: everyone carries a piece of the them that was lost. Hakuei's quick acceptance of the truth about Gyokuen is probably due to that as well. Thinking back on it, the same could probably be said for Kouen. "I'll protect you," he assures her. "This time, she's not going to get her way. I swear it."

Morgiana watches the exchange with a serious expression. She believes in Hakuryuu. She knows he will continue to do his very best to avert tragedy this time around and she knows that right now fate is on his side. The will to forge a brighter future that resides within everyone will guide them on their path.

But…

A small part of her feels just the tiniest amount of trepidation. There's no guarantee that that same residual will doesn't play for both teams. For now, though, she won't worry about it too much. Everything is going according to plan and Hakuryuu's side has many more people than Gyokuen's. There is no cause for concern at this time.

For now, she will wait and see how things unfold.

oO0Oo

Sorry this chapter took so long. I had to do a lot of tweaking to make it publishable. I've been plotting out the rest of the story and trying to decide what point I want to take it up to. As cool as it would be to rewrite the whole manga, I just don't know if that's feasible. Still, I absolutely don't want to leave things half-baked/unresolved so I have a lot of thinking to do. I hope you all will continue to support me whatever happens!

Next chapter: Morgiana learns how to use her metal vessel. That's it. That's what actually happens.