"Welcome to Tsukamo, Shark!" Yuma made a wide, sweeping motion with his hand to indicate what could be seen of his home country. Shark had actually been in Tsukamo for several hours, but Yuma had insisted that he come out on his balcony and enjoy the view from there before passing any judgement. The landscape was pleasant to look at, especially since the sun was setting, casting a golden-orange glow over the wheat fields. Closest to the castle was the capitol city surrounding it, but the view from Yuma's bedroom allowed one to see far beyond that, out to the country where the farms and ranches were.

Tsukamo was a land of plains and farming, Kazuma had explained. Its neighbors, Arclight and Tenjo, were more involved in industry and shipping, because farming in their rocky soil would have been impractical. "We don't have huge cliffs and waterfalls, though," Yuma said. "That's like the only downside.

Shark, having grown up on an island, had never seen such a huge expanse of farmland. In the distance, he could see tiny people urging a herd of tiny animals toward the barn for the night. "What are those animals, Yuma?" Shark asked curiously, pointing them out.

"Those are cows, Shark. You can't tell me you've never seen a cow before."

Shark shrugged. "Alright, I won't tell you."

"You mean you've actually never seen a cow or a bull in your entire life? Where do people in your country get their milk from? Or do you not know what milk is?"

Shark laughed. "Yes, I know what milk is. We get it from goats. There's nothing like goat milk." He paused, thinking for a moment. "Of course, it's been a while since I've had any." Slaves were only ever given water, and there hadn't been any milk aboard the Emperor's Key; it would have spoiled too quickly.

"Well, you'll get some cow milk tonight," Yuma decided. "They'll have it at the welcome back feast. Everyone will be there to welcome Dad and me back from our trip. You'll get to meet my mom and my sister- and her husband, too." He added this last part with a strange expression on his face. "She just married Prince Christopher of Arclight. Though, I suppose 'just' isn't really the right way to put it- it's been over a year since the wedding."

As he spoke, the Tsukamonian Prince began unpacking his and Shark's clothes, looking through them for something suitable. "We'll have to look good for the feast," he explained, selecting a maroon shirt, purple jacket, and black pants and handing them to Shark. "I think these are the best of your clothes- Anna did say they looked perfect on you.

"How that woman decides anything is beyond me," Shark said, accepting the outfit and shaking his head. It had always baffled him how Anna was able to say what he could and couldn't wear with absolute certainty. Nevertheless, he took the clothes and went to change. They did kind of flatter him, but he never would have said so out loud.

Shark was very nervous when he stepped into the grand dining hall, which was teeming with people he'd never seen before. "Yuma!" A tall woman with long, orange hair came forward to greet te, pulling Yuma into a long embrace. "Oh, my darling, I've missed you."

"I missed too Mom," Yuma said, clinging to her. Shark felt a pang of sorrow and looked away. The last time he had seen his own mother, she had been a bloody corpse hanging like an ornament outside her own palace.

"Yuma!" There were more cries of welcome as more relatives and friends came to meet the Prince. One was a tough-looking woman with magenta hair pulled up in a ponytail. She squeezed the Prince until he was gasping for air, turning purple in the face.

"Kari…can't… breathe…"

'Oh, sorry," she released him and took a step back to study him. "You've grown," she observed. "You're still not as tall as me, though." Kari grinned and ruffled his hair.

"Hey! Just give me a few more years, sis!"

So, Shark thought, this is Yuma's sister. He didn't talk about her much on the ship. The two siblings went at each other for a few more minutes, Shark standing awkwardly to one side. During their confrontation, Shark noticed a tall, pale man, with blue eyes and long, silver hair, standing behind Kari with a look of discomfort. Is that her husband? Shark wondered.

He soon noticed that he wasn't the only one wondering about something. The older man's gaze landed on him often, questioning his presence, though it never lingered for long.

The bickering finally stopped and Kari's attention also came to rest on Shark. "Yuma, you dope, why didn't you introduce your new friend to us?"

"Because you were- oh, never mind. Kari, Chris, this is-" The introduction was cut short, because now someone else was calling the Prince's name.

"Yuma! Oh, how good it is to see you- in one piece, no less!"

"Hi, Grandma," Yuma greeted her as he was engulfed in a tight hug.

"You have no idea how much I missed you and your father," the Dowager Empress said, beaming.

"Ack…Grandma…can't breathe…"

"Oh, I'm sorry, dear." Haru released him, stepping back to get a better look at her grandson. "Look how you've grown! And so handsome!"

"Sheesh, Grandma," Yuma muttered, his ears bright red. Shark was beginning to notice a pattern in how Tsukamonian women greeted people.

"Roku, you remember my grandson Yuma, don't you despite how much he's grown?"

"Of course, of course," a short, older man came forward, a broad smile lighting up his face. "I hope you practiced your dueling skills while you were away, Yuma."

"Master Roku! Good to see you, old timer! Of course I practiced- you don't get to be as good as me if you don't practice a lot."

"If people practice a lot and they end up with your level of skill I'd be pretty worried," Tori, who happened to be passing and had overheard, muttered.

"Hey!" Yuma was indignant. The adults in the group all chuckled.

"Well, your highness," Master Roku said, quieting his laughter, "Aren't you going to introduce us to this young man?" Everyone's attention turned towards Shark, who had to fight the urge to kneel and hide his face.

"Sure! Everyone, this is Shark. He's a really good duelist, and he's a Barian."

"A good duelist, ay?" Master Roku said, stroking his chin. "Interesting."

"A Barian?" Kari looked startled. "Why is he with you?"

For the first time, Yuma looked uncomfortable. There's a long story behind that…" he began. He was once again interrupted, but this time it was by the chiming of a bell.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Empress Mira announced, "I have just been informed that the meal is ready to be served, so if you would please take your seats, this feast can get started." The group of diners headed towards the table eagerly, and Shark found it difficult to keep track of Yuma through it all. It was also very disconcerting to know that so many eyes were trained on him at once.

It was only once everyone was seated and eating that Yuma was finally able to tell the story of how he had met Shark. The audience grew angrier, more sorrowful, and more horrified as the tale progressed.

"To think that these Barians will not only raid our countries but will turn to selling their own as well," Chris said in disgust. He immediately realized the error in his comment and looked at Shark apologetically. "No offense."

Shark shrugged. "I have learned that in all groups there is both good and bad," he said.

Yuma's mother, one of the most horror-stricken of the group, shook her head in dismay. "No one should ever have to live through slavery," she said. "How did you cope with it?"

A small smile graced Shark's lips as he remembered the happier moments of his enslavement. "I had friends among the other slaves- and in other places too. Some of the guards were my friends, and even one of my…" He paused, unsure of how to describe his one friend from before. "Even one of my masters was my friend. He was like Yuma- he asked for me as his birthday gift in an attempt to help me."

"If he was your friend, why would he sell you?" Kari asked skeptically

Shark closed his eyes, the memory too painful to bear, and he was not going to cry in front of all these people. "It wasn't his choice," he whispered, his voice portraying his pain. Before anyone could ask him to elaborate, the double doors to the grand dining room flew open and a messenger rushed in.

"Your majesty! Your majesty! An urgent message has just arrived from Arclight." Breathlessly, he handed it to Kazuma who hastily snatched and read it.

"My stars," he whispered his face a strange grey color. "Byron has evidence that a Barian Emperor is planning to invade all of Heartland." There were gasps of horror and astonishment around the room. "He's calling a meeting of all the Heartlandish rulers to formulate a plan to defend ourselves."

Yuma looked over at Shark. "You were in Baria for a long time. Do you know anything about this guy and what he wants?"

Shark stiffened and gripped the seat of his chair tightly. "Emperor Domitian of Astrania," he said hoarsely. "He's ruthless and will stop at nothing to get what he wants. He's already conquered most of Baria- I thought that was all he wanted. I never imagined that he would try and take over Heartland too. I thought he hated this place." He thought for a moment. "Though, to be honest, it doesn't really surprise me. Domitian likes to have dominance over those he hates."

"How do you know these things, Reginald?" Kazuma asked seriously.

Shark hesitated. Would they begin to suspect that he was royalty if he told them the truth? "My country was the first that Domitian conquered. I was taken as spoils of war, forced into slavery by those who had captured me. Domitian…took a 'liking' to me, I guess. He took me for his own and made me his personal slave." His voice hardened. "I've seen what that monster can do, and believe me, you won't find it easy to stop him."

A gloomy silence descended over the dining room, finally broken by the Emperor. "Nevertheless, we have to try to defend ourselves. Mira, Yuma, Kari, and Christopher- we're going to Arclight immediately. Shark, I think you'd better come along too. No matter how impressive the foe, we will not give into him. I don't life violence, but now that we're faced with no choice, we will fight. We will defend the people and places that we care about. If this Domitian thinks he can come in here and take whatever he wants, he's got another thing coming!"

Next time on A Tale of Two Slaves: Some familiar faces appear in the Southern Isles, on a very important mission.