Phweeee! The sound blew in the air, signalling all passengers that the boat back to the Copper Isles was sailing.
A lone woman stood on the dock, tan longsleeved coat whipping around her jet black hair, swirling around her storm grey eyes, mouth quirking as she felt a presence besides her.
It was a wolf, as silver as the moon, canines snapping at the chill borne air, his shimmering fur standing up on end. The female was dressed simply; a long tan trench coat, a brown travelers bag slung across one shoulder, a long stick with a sword type metal on one end and a piece of cloth hanging from the other stood in her callused hand, said left limb dressed in only a gold ring, a detailed dragon imprinted on it, a dark coal black beaded necklace encirling her long slender neck, a little pinecone sticking out of the back like a clasp.
A sigh filled the air around her as she straightened her back, squared her shoulders, and turned to face the beast beside her, "C'mon, Lupus. Let's head home."
"Sire!" A sildier came running up the floor of the throne room, stopping before the Emperor of the Yamani Islands, Kyoumi Yakatsuki, his head touching the floor as he knelt to the ground and bowed.
"What is it?" a cold, gruff voice answered back, a squint of laughter hiding in check.
Keeping his head bowed, the messenger replied, "There is a strange woman at the gate, accompanied by a terrifying wolf beast, a glaive carried in her hand. She told us she is one known as Ziva of Davied? We replied back to her that we would have to check with you, sire, seeing as her name was once listed there under residents but is now underlying the missing persons list."
No one noticed during this discussion, a man's head coming up, eyes trained on the scene before him.
"Well then let her in, by all means," the Emperor laughed joyously, "It has been a long time since I have seen that little scoundrel."
The messendger nodded his head and left, only to come back a minute more, running after the figure in front of him, scampering and trying to tell it that it was not allowed to enter before the king, blah blah blah blah blah.
The woman ignored the messenger, her eyes trained on the Emperor before her.
"Ziva?"
All eyes shifted to face the man in the corner of the room, to the left of the Emporer's dias. Said person's head turned also, giving the man a clear view of his mysery woman's tanned and well scratched up face.
"Ziva! It is you!"
The man ran from his position next to the Emporer, one minute there, the next throwing his arms around the woman's waist, lifting her up high and laughing as he had never done since the episode three years ago.
"Ziva! Oh stupid sister of mine! The Emperor and I were looking for you for years! Where did you disappear to? Why did it take you so long to come back to the Islands?"
Ziva, daughter of Kyoshi and Izuma Nikomono, Advisors of the Emperor, citizens of the Yamani Islands, and among other things, threw back her head and laughed aloud, "James! I can't breath you foolish brother! Put me down and I will explain!"
Immediately he let go, dropping her to the floor, watching her land on her feet like a cat.
He grinned crookedly, "Looks like someone's learned a few tricks. I still remember when you couldn't even do the splits."
His long lost sister grinned right back, "Looks like someone's gotten a sharper than ever tongue, oh brother dearest."
A voice coughed lightly behind them, politely insiting for permission to intrude on their reuniting conversatoin.
The newly reunited sister and brother turn their heads in acknowledgement to the well dressed servant before them.
"The Emperor would like to see you," he said simply, walking back after his relayed message was affirmed.
The brother and sister looked at each other and shrugged, hey, it was the Emperor, might as well go.
As they walked towards the conference room, Ziva shot James question after question, catching up on whatever she had missed the last three years; which wasn't much besides that the Yamani Islands and Tortall were allies, about to bind it through some marriage contract or some other kind of junk, not really something Ziva paid attention to though she was sorry for whatever sappy prince and poor girl was caught up in that, but other than that, nothing new.
Before they could walk through the conference door though, James put his hands on Ziva's shoulders, staring deeply into her eyes, as if looking for some lost something.
"Ziva," he said after some unnerving seconds, "Promise me that you will tell me all that happened during your time away?"
Mocking her brother's movements, Ziva layed her hands on his forearms, also gazing into his eyes, though her mouth held a slight quirk to it.
"James... of course I will, silly!" she said, ruffling her taller little brother's hair, having to stand up on her tip toes to reach his six foot height versus her five foot nine, "Now let's go in and see what's up with the Emporer, shall we?"
And with that, they pushed open the doors to the room, gins adorning their faces; but they quickly switched to a formal mask as they were motioned to sit down across from the Emperor, their parents long time friend.
"Ziva," Emperor Kyoumi started, wrinkled forest green eyes crinkling at the edges, his only emotion showing on his Yamani mask that all who live there develope, "It is good to have you back after you long... vacation."
Ziva nodded her head in agreement, "It's good to be back, your Highness."
The Emperor chucked, waving his hands in an unconcerned manner as he replied, "Oh please, enough with the formalities, Ziva, James. After all, it won't do to have you call your new stepfather that, now would it?"
The Emperor threw back his head, his laugh ringing along the walls, his humor erupting at the sight of Ziva and James' faces. He wiped away a tear, still chuckling, as he asked, "Did Kyoshi and Izuma not tell you?"
The siblings both shook their heads as he went on, "The month before they were killed, they came to me with a request. That being, if they ever died that i would take care of you like my own children; which, of course, was new to me, but I tried my best, seeing as I did not, nor now, have any children of my own."
Both of the heads across from him nodded again, eyes and ears intent on his every word.
The Emperor smiled and continued speaking, "Well, the week before your disappearance, I signed the adoption papers, making you my leagal children, already having your signatures as your parents gave them to me before they departed."
At the mention of his good friends' death, his smile faultered, but he easily picked it back up again as James started to speak, "Does that mean we can call you father and are in next line to the throne?" A frown lingered on Jame's face as he voiced his question. T
The Emperor nodded, happily expecting this kind of quesetion from James, ecstatic that they seemed to be accepting the idea of him fathering the two of them.
"Does this mean I have to wear dresses?"
His laugh boomed aloud once again as he chuckled out, "Ziva, always the same aren't you? You never change."
He shook his head, "Although I'll bet your fighting style has, what over the three year period. You must go show my new gaurd recruits how to really fight."
As they made their way back down hall after an hour or two of catching up on all of Ziva's adventure, skipping the Immortal Realms of course, Ziva skipping ahead of the two at the prospect of fighting humans again and not just almost non hurtable dragons, not that the other two knew, James turned to face the Emporer, pulling him off the to the side.
"When are you going to tell her?" James hisses as he and the Emperor occupied a spare room.
"Why, whatever do you mean, son?"
"You know what I mean," James replied right back, teeth grinding softly in frustration, "When are you going to tell her that once she reaches nineteen, two years from now, she'll have to marry a Tortallan prince as she and Alan are the... conformation for our 'alliance.'".
The Emperor's smile disappeared, a serious look clouding over his face, "Just to get this straight, this 'confirmation' was established after I signed the adoption papers, so I did not just want you two as an easy way to get out of this. I am sorry if you did think that, but that is not true. Your parents were very good friends to me, the best, I trusted them with my life and the life of the Yamani Islands as my advisors. I swore to them to keep you two well taken care of, and I will honor that promise to my last breath."
James noddd his head, "Good, I know you always stay true to your word, but you need to tell her soon, preferably tonight at dinner. But if she asks to go do something, I do believe she will agree to it for you and now her people but she will want freedom before she is pinned down, agree with whatever her wish is; else you will have tortured lion just itching at the chance to go off as scratch that itch."
Emperor Kyoumi inclined his head, contemplating his son's wise words of advice.
"I will agree with your plan, James," he agreed slowly, thinking his every syllable out, "Tonight, I will let her know then. Any plans she decides to have before her marriage can and will be accepted as long as it's safe to her person and reasonable. Otherwise, if anything bad happens to her I will never forgive myself," the Emperor concluded, eyes flaming as he finished his speech, exiting the room dramatically, his coat flying behind him, leaving an ever so still James pondering his words in his dust.