Crown Prince Kouen was not a happy man.
It had been weeks since the talks between Balbadd and Ko had commenced in the capital and Kouen was furious. He couldn't believe that his father had ordered him to stay away from the negotiations, giving some stupid excuse of not wanting Sinbad to be able to identify him in case a fight is ordered in the future; the less you know sort of deal. However, as smart as that could be, the Emperor had also forbidden him from seeing Sinbad, allowing the King of the seven seas the same advantage and disadvantage. And it wasn't just him; the other princes had also been forbidden to join in the negotiations. He and his brother Kouha had been sent east with the army while Koumei had been ordered to remain with the King's advisers out of sight in the capital. Hakuryuu had been sequestered in his quarters.
Annoyed, he swung harder than he intended against his sparring partner, catching the young soldier in the shoulder with the practice weapon. The young man dropped his sword and went down, clutching his shoulder with a hiss of pain.
"OI! When I lent you one of my soldiers, I was expecting him to come back bruised and slightly broken, not completely maimed!" Kouen turned to see Tenten making her way over to them, a staff in one hand. She knelt beside the soldier and poked his shoulder. He screamed.
Tenten looked unimpressed. "And you! Just because this is a practice bout does not mean you can take it easy! The enemy won't be nice to you! And stop growling at me!" She cuffed the young man's ear. "You're acting like a simpering lady, making a bruise out to be a shattered bone!" She got to her feet, pulling the soldier up with her. "Go get some rest. I will see you bright and early for training tomorrow."
The soldier got up and left with his buddies, no doubt ready to make a run to the infirmary and the very pretty healer girl who worked there.
Tenten rolled her eyes and looked at the prince. "What's on your mind?" She had given up on excess formality with him weeks ago. "I know that you have more control than that."
Kouen glared at her, but she just narrowed her eyes at him. He continued to glare back for only a moment before averting his eyes. He didn't know why, but glaring at this woman had never given him the results he wanted. In fact, he more than often felt like he was a little kid being chastised by his mother. It kind of scared him that this woman, who was probably no older than him, was able to make him feel this way. Especially since he literally towered over her and outweighed her by nearly eighty pounds.
Tenten sighed. "Is this still about you not being allowed to attend the meetings with King Sinbad and the Emperor? You have got to get over it." She rolled her eyes when he returned to glaring at her. "Oh, don't give me that. You know that what the emperor said made sense. Besides, from what I've heard about the King of the Seven Seas, its best to keep every piece of information from him for as long as possible; he was able to climb into power very quickly and against amazing odds. No matter how good you may be, why tip your hand before the game has begun?"
She grinned impishly at the crown prince before prodding him lightly with her staff. "Come on. Since you still seem intent on being angry, let's spar. It'll help you work off that stress." When he didn't respond, she prodded him again. "Come on, if I beat you I will accompany you for dinner tonight."
Kouen raised an eyebrow. "And if I beat you?"
"I'll let you treat me to dinner as well."
Kouen sighed but followed the smaller woman to the middle of the field. The other soldiers watched them with interest as they began to warm up. They had all been shocked when that small woman had slugged Lord Yen in Balbadd without batting an eye. It had shocked them even more that that less than a week later, she had become Kouen's sparring and drinking partner whenever they were both free. She addressed him without honorifics after three weeks and was making fun of him by the fourth week. Now they had settled into a comfortable companionship.
When they had returned to the capital, people had thought that the two of them were in a romantic or sexual relationship, but anyone who spent more than a few days with them could tell that there were no sparks between them. Prince Kouen enjoyed talking with someone who wasn't afraid of his rank or abilities, and Tenten enjoyed having someone who could last more than two minutes in a match against her without having to resort to magic or a djinn. The soldiers respected her even more for that. It wasn't often that people could best the higher ups in a duel.
"Ready?" Tenten called, experimentally twirling her staff over her writs.
Kouen nodded, and cleared his mind, readying himself for the first attack. It didn't take long; her staff slammed into his sword with the surprising amount of force that he had come to expect from her. He drew a deep breath before forcing her back and launching his own attack.
The sun had begun to set by the time that they finished fighting. Kouen sat in a chair that a soldier had fetched for him, looking regal and dignified despite being exhausted.
"Damn…you…" Tenten wheezed. She was sprawled on her back just a few feet from him. "After twelve hours… of fighting… how can you look so damn… proper…?!"
Kouen raised an eyebrow and looked her over. Her uniform had dark patches all over it where the sweat had soaked through and her hair was starting to come undone, with small wisps plastered to her neck and forehead. Her clothes were covered in dirt and her face was pink and rosy. She was breathing hard, her ribcage visibly heaving with the effort.
He looked at her a moment longer before returning to a scroll that he had been reading. "It is a difference in skill." He could feel her glaring at him.
"It might help if you removed those weights you wear, though." This new voice belonged to Kouha. The third prince had arrived to spar around noon and had stayed to watch his brother and this woman spar.
"Ah, Ha-chan!"
"Stop calling me that, you rude woman!"
"Okay then, Prince Ha-chan!" Tenten laughed at the look on the young prince's face as he began to lecture her on manners.
"Look here you! Just because En-nii shows you a little favor doesn't-"
Kouen cut him off. "The weights?"
Tenten looked at him, then down at her ankles and wrists, where small rods of lead and stone had been strapped. "I can't."
Kouen looked at her. "Why?"
Tenten was silent for a moment. "…I dunno…"
"Why do you wear them in the first place? They seem like they would be a burden." Kouha asked
"Not a clue… I just feel like I should… it makes me feel… nostalgic somehow. Like someone important to me used to wear something like this. Same with this," she fingered the blue band that covered her forehead. "Somehow, wearing them makes me feel a little less… alone, a little less… lost."
Kouen and Kouha looked at her for a long moment, not saying anything. Kouha was the first to break the silence. "Still nothing?"
Tenten smiled as she jumped to her feet. "Nope, not a thing." She mussed the young prince's hair, ignoring his protests before stretching her arms above her head. "Well, I don't know about you two, but I'm starving, and since I'm in a good mood, I will let you off the hook for losing the bet."
"OI! EN-NII DIDN'T LOSE!"
Tenten grinned. 'Is that so?" Without waiting for a reply, she walked away, lazily twirling her staff with enough enthusiasm that people would find it hard to believe that she had been sparring for hours.
The two princes watched her go. Kouha looked at his older brother. "En-nii?"
"What is it?"
"Can we really trust what she says? I mean, we know nothing about her; she could be a spy or an assassin! I mean, how can someone only remember the last nine months and nothing else? Do you think she could be lying to us? About her memories?"
"I don't know. If she is lying, we are in a more serious situation than you think."
Kouha blinked. "What do you mean?"
Kouen picked up his scroll once again. "When General Yen found her wandering the capital slums nine months ago, he only noticed her because of her unique fighting style. She was taking on people three times as large as she was and winning. When he took her in, he presented her to Judar to see if she had magic on her. Judar said that her magoi felt off, but other than that, he felt no ill will from her."
Kouha fingered his metal vessel. "Judar said her magoi was strange? Strange how?"
"He didn't say; only that it was something he had never felt before." Kouen sighed and rubbed his temples. "However, it doesn't matter. As of right now, she is a valuable asset to the Kou Empire. She is an excellent instructor in combat and a very knowledgeable woman. But, if she ever turns out to be a major threat to us, I will not hesitate to take her down."
He got to his feet, Kouha following suit. "Come, we have much to do before we can sleep." He strode off, his little brother right behind him.
They had been so busy talking that they didn't realize that it had gotten increasingly quiet as more and more people headed to their tents to rest up for the next day. Tenten reclined against the cloth wall of the nearest tent, which was thick enough to hid her silhouette but thin enough for her to have heard the prince's talking. Or at least heard the last little bit of their conversation. She raised a bottle of alcohol and toasted silently to the moon above her.
"I don't blame you. I'd do the same." She took a long swig of the alcohol. "I just wish I knew the truth myself. I remember being in a dark room, I remember pain, and then… nothing. Next thing I knew, I was fighting for my life in the streets armed with only a staff made from a wooden beam and my name." She raised the bottle once more before draining it. One last thought flitted trough her head before she passed out drunk. "If you ever discover the answer before me, young princes, I hope you would tell me. After all, I have at least been an interesting sparring partner."