Despite Yūi's initial doubts, the music lessons turned out to be enjoyable, after all.
He liked music already, and the king had instructed the tutor to focus less on theory and more on helping Yūi make actual music with his whistling. The tutor helped Yūi learn to hear a pitch, and then to match it and hold the tone. He also taught Yūi some simple songs. Yūi liked making music with his whistling. He enjoyed listening to the court musicians, and thought that maybe one day he'd be able to whistle along with them. The music teacher also gave him some voice instruction, which Yūi liked because he knew the king could sing, and he wanted to be able to do it, too. But really, Yūi liked whistling better.
He wanted to include it in his magic right away, but both the king and Lord Suhail told him he needed to learn more about music and music theory first. It was enough, they said, that he was learning to control the sounds his whistling created.
That was frustrating. He had never seen the effects of his whistling that the king had described, and now they didn't want him to whistle at all while he practiced his magic. He thought that quite unfair. Maybe when they weren't around, he could try some simple magic and whistle along with it, just to see what happened.
Then again, maybe he shouldn't. What if something blew up? That happened much too often when he tried something new. An explosion wouldn't be very good at all. He thought he could protect himself now with a shield, but he wasn't absolutely sure that he'd be able to remember the spell in an emergency, and besides, there would be no way to hide the effects of an explosion. The king would know Yūi had disobeyed, and be disappointed in him. Yūi wouldn't be able to stand feeling bad about that.
Reluctantly, Yūi decided he probably shouldn't experiment with whistling and magic on his own. At least, not just yet. After he got better at both, maybe then he could try. With that decision made, he attempted to focus again on his current lesson, which really wasn't holding his attention very well.
At the moment, he was in the main room of his quarters with Lord Suhail, who was giving a long, boring lecture about the nature and importance of a magician's will and ability to manifest intent. Apparently, a magician's will was much different than an ordinary person's will. It needed to be stronger and more focused in order to shape and control magic. Yūi had figured out that much. The rest of the speech flew over his head, which was why he had tuned it out and thought about more interesting things.
Lord Suhail stopped preaching and gave him a considering look. "I suppose that's enough of that," he said dryly. "You learn so quickly and concentrate so well, I sometimes forget your age. You should complain more, child, so I can tell when to stop. I know you aren't so shy with the king."
Yūi stared blankly at him for the odd criticism. When he wasn't with the king or Lady Kendappa, Yūi always tried to avoid misbehaving in obvious ways. He knew the king didn't mind, and in fact seemed to like it, which Yūi thought was strange. He also understood that sort of behavior was all right in Seresu, but he was still sometimes afraid of how other people would react. It had been different when Mielu and Virender had been at court. They hadn't cared a pin for what anyone else thought. Yūi could misbehave with them, and hadn't worried very much at all about any consequences.
But without them around, he was more careful. Some behaviors that he had learned in Valeria, to avoid irritating the adults into noticing him, were long ingrained in him and were never really forgotten. Sometimes they still governed his conduct even after four months in the more permissive environment of Luval Castle, though Yūi was no longer concerned about doing something wrong and being killed or imprisoned for it.
Lord Suhail sighed. "Never mind," he said. "I should remember better. Now, you shall practice an active seek spell again." He gestured, and a pile of wooden blocks appeared on a table. He picked one up. "Your control has improved a great deal. See if you can find this block without damaging it at all." He apported it into hiding.
Yūi had stopped blowing up the blocks over two weeks ago. However, sometimes he still singed or cracked them. As he attempted to focus in a way that wouldn't cause damage to the hidden block, loud, argumentative voices erupted from outside the door. Alarmed, he stopped what he was doing. He recognized the people who were fighting. Usually they didn't sound so angry with each other, though.
Lord Suhail sighed again. "A moment, child. No one could possibly concentrate with that going on. I will see to it." He walked to the door and opened it.
In the hallway stood King Ashura and Lady Kendappa. Both looked belligerent. Lady Kendappa waved a piece of paper under the king's nose.
"You still haven't looked at this list, have you?" Lady Kendappa was strident and completely aggravated. "You've had months now!"
King Ashura retorted, "No, and I won't. I refuse to marry a complete stranger just because the council—" He stopped abruptly and glared at Lord Suhail. "Yes, my lord?" he said calmly, as though he hadn't just been in a shouting match with his cousin.
Lord Suhail bowed. "Your Majesty, my lady. The, uh, commotion is interfering with Lord Fai's lesson."
Lady Kendappa said, "Forgive us. We'll go discuss this matter in the king's office."
The king made a cutting gesture with one hand. "No, we won't. We're done." With that, he stalked off.
Lady Kendappa scowled after him. "Stubborn, idiotic, fool of a..." She ceased her muttered litany, and returned her attention to Lord Suhail. "There should be no more disturbances today, my lord." Looking past him to Yūi, she smiled and said reassuringly, "You carry on with your lesson, Fai. This is an old argument, and it won't upset the king for very long." Then she also departed.
Lord Suhail sighed yet again. He closed the door and returned to Yūi.
Yūi stared at the door, feeling as though his whole world had dropped out from under him. He couldn't make himself utter a single word. Vaguely, he was aware that he was trembling ever so slightly.
"Child? What is wrong?" Lord Suhail asked gently. "You mustn't let them overset you. Surely you know by now that they often bicker."
Yūi wanted to protest, but he still couldn't speak. That hadn't been bickering. That had been a full blown fight. And the topic... He stared at the closed door and blinked rapidly.
"Fai?" Lord Suhail tried again. "Do not be so upset, Fai. It's a good thing that they fight. It is an outlet of sorts for the king. He cannot argue like that with anyone else. Or rather, no one else can argue like that with him."
Yūi finally found his voice. "He's so mad..."
"Yes, he is. It will pass. It always does."
Lord Suhail didn't seem to understand. Yūi wrung his hands. "Is the king getting married?"
"Ah, so that's the problem," Lord Suhail said knowingly. He smiled and shook his head. "No, the king is not getting married. That is quite obvious to anyone who is not deaf."
"But Lady Kendappa... That fight... Can the council force him? Is that why they were fighting?"
"No one can force Ashura to do anything he doesn't really want to do," Lord Suhail said, disgruntled. "He often goes along with the council because he knows his duty or because of political expediency, or other...other concerns...often just to keep the peace, but he can also be quite stubborn. If he ever decides to remarry, it will be on his own terms. You needn't worry about this."
"Why do the council and Lady Kendappa want him to get married?" Yūi felt a little less ill, hearing Lord Suhail's confirmation that the king wasn't going to get married. He knew he shouldn't have gotten so worried. He'd heard the king himself say he wasn't going to get married.
"It is because of the succession, Fai. He needs an heir."
Yūi knew that, but now it seemed so real... "But I thought Tancred..." he began.
"Tancred is in all ways suitable, but it would be better if the king's heir were his own son."
Yes, it would be a good thing if the king had an heir of his own. Yūi knew that, too. He'd been born into a royal family, after all, so he was aware of the importance of that particular necessity. He just didn't want to think about it, and he didn't understand why. So instead, he focused on the immediate threat over the longer term one. "Who does the council want him to marry? Lady Eliina?"
Lord Suhail looked startled at that. "Oh, my, no, child. That would hardly be appropriate. There is a list of suitable ladies that he should choose from. They are all of the proper blood and rank."
That explained the mysterious list Lady Kendappa had been waving about. "So, if he needs to get married to have an heir, why doesn't he?" Now that Yūi felt a little calmer, he was able to ask the next question that troubled him. "Is it...is it because of me?"
In the past, so many bad things had been his and Fai's fault. Was this his fault, too? Would the council blame him if the king didn't get married and have his own heir? Would they convince the king to send Yūi away?
"No, Fai," Lord Suhail reassured him. "This battle goes back several years. The king just prefers not to remarry yet, that is all."
Yūi relaxed a little more to hear that he wasn't to blame, and then he wondered if there was more to it than just the king's whim. He recalled that Mielu had told him that King Ashura had been devastated by the death of his wife, and he wondered if maybe that was why the king had resisted remarrying for so long. But Yūi knew no adult would ever tell him the truth about that. Mielu had said that no adult would ever speak of it.
Yūi also recalled the king's complaint that he didn't want to marry a stranger. Yūi didn't think that was a problem. Lady Kendappa knew all about the king's sadness. With her around, why would King Ashura need to marry a stranger? They loved each other very much already, and they understood each other.
That idea wasn't shocking at all to Yūi. He rather liked it. It was a perfect solution. That way, even if the king was forced to get married, things could stay almost the same.
"He should marry Lady Kendappa," Yūi stated with utter simplicity.
Lord Suhail looked taken aback. "You shouldn't say that out loud, Fai," he remonstrated.
"Why not? They'd be perfect together."
"It is not practical, Fai."
"Why?" Yūi persisted.
Lord Suhail looked at him thoughtfully, and sighed. "Fai, I will tell you why, but you must never repeat what I say. It is not secret, and you may overhear gossip about it, but hearing it from you would only upset the king and Lady Kendappa and make them unhappy. Do you understand?"
Yūi nodded. "I promise not to talk about it."
Lord Suhail still appeared reluctant, but he said, "Fai, their marriage has been considered, but there are too many obstacles. For one, they are first cousins. There are issues of consanguinity."
"Consanguinity?" The word was unfamiliar to Yūi.
"It means they are too closely related by blood," Lord Suhail explained. "Also, because of their positions, their marriages are matters of state and should be used to make blood ties with rulers of other countries or with the greatest noble families in this country. This is not possible if they marry each other. Such a marriage would be counterproductive and against Seresu's best interests."
"Oh," said Yūi. That did sound important. It also sounded depressing. Yūi felt sorry for both the king and Lady Kendappa.
"However," Lord Suhail continued, "those things could be overcome if the two of them desired such a union, which they most emphatically do not. They were raised together as siblings, Fai. They behave and interact as though they are brother and sister, not cousins, no matter how they address one another. That is the most important reason of all. Neither would ever consider the idea, nor even accept mention of it peaceably, so you should never speak of it to either of them." Lord Suhail grimaced and looked slightly ill, as though he were remembering some terribly horrific experience.
"Why were they raised together?" Fai asked, abandoning the distressing idea of the king's possible remarriage for this more interesting topic.
"Lady Kendappa's parents both died when she was a very young child, so Ashura's father took her into his household."
"Like me?"
"Very much like, yes, although she was much younger than you. I recall that she was barely two years old at the time."
"Her parents must have been pretty young when they died," Yūi speculated.
"Far too young," Lord Suhail said with a sigh. "It happens too often in that family."
Yūi got worried again. "What do you mean? The king and Lady Kendappa won't also die young, will they?"
Lord Suhail's eyes got wide. "Oh, child, I didn't mean anything like that. I only meant it was a shame about Lady Kendappa's parents, and then I thought about the king's brother. He also died too young. That is all I meant."
Yūi gnawed his lower lip and tugged at his sleeve. The king didn't have many living relatives. Had the others died too young, like the king's brother and Lady Kendappa's parents? Then there was the king's late wife, who nobody would talk about. She had died young, too. Yūi didn't know how to express this new fear.
"Fai, I am sorry I upset you," Lord Suhail said. "Don't worry so. I promise you, neither the king nor Lady Kendappa will die before their appointed times."
Yūi nodded and resolved to keep a closer eye on the king, just in case. Another thought came to him, something he'd wondered about off and on since he'd come to Seresu. "Is that why everyone was so upset when King Ashura left this world to find me? Were they afraid he might die, like his other relatives?"
Lord Suhail inhaled sharply and turned a shocked look onto Yūi. "Child, whatever are you thinking?"
"You were one of the people who were upset with him, so you should know what was going on, right? I thought everyone was so mad at him, but Lady Kendappa said they were just really worried because he disappeared. Why would so many people be so worried, if they weren't afraid something bad might have happened to him?"
The old wizard visibly calmed himself. "Child, everyone was concerned because nobody could find him. So yes, you are correct in that. People were afraid that something bad had happened to him. It was impossible for us to track him, or even sense his very existence. That's one of the reasons Ashura's not supposed to go world-walking. Even before he became king, it was a great worry."
"People didn't like it even when he wasn't the king?"
"You have to understand, Fai, no one else in this whole world can travel to other dimensions. Even if we could locate him, no one would be able to go help him if he became lost or got into trouble." Lord Suhail smiled reminiscently. "He used to sneak off like that every so often. No one knew where he went, just that he'd disappeared completely. Once he even took Kendappa with him. There was great consternation when we finally figured out what was going on. Can you imagine what it was like, having the heir to the throne out gallivanting in other worlds, where no one could reach him at all? And back then no one had any real power to stop him. Now, at least, we can remind him of his oaths. He takes them seriously."
"How did he learn to travel to other worlds, if there was no one else who could do it?" Yūi asked, ravenously curious. "Who taught him?"
"To be honest," Lord Suhail said absently, "I think he just found a spell in a book and tried it out. He was always reckless with magic." He suddenly gave Yūi a penetrating look and admonished, "Don't you go pulling any stunts like that. Life has been difficult enough here already, without having to worry about antics like that from you, as well."
"No, sir," Yūi said, falsely contrite. He did, indeed, plan to find interesting spells and try to make them work, once he could read well enough to study the really good books in the castle library.
"Hrmph," said Lord Suhail, eyeing him with blatant disbelief. "Well, if you do decide to try it someday, be sure to have him teach you. There's no one else who could help you if something went wrong."
"I thought he wasn't supposed to leave this world," Yūi said with spurious innocence. Obviously, the king would travel to other worlds if he thought it was important enough.
"He's not, but that's beside the point. We both know he's capable of it if he feels it's necessary," Lord Suhail said, as though he had read Yūi 's thoughts. "Besides, no one would blame him if he world-walked to find you."
"Do you think I could really do it? Travel to other worlds?"
"As to that, I honestly don't know," Lord Suhail admitted. "You certainly have the power for it. However, Ashura once told me that it takes more than power and knowledge, that there's something else involved. He had a hard time describing what that quality was. But if anyone else in this world can learn, I believe it will be you."
Yūi was pleased to hear that. Even back when he and Fai had been imprisoned, he'd planned to try traveling to other worlds. It was pleasing to think he hadn't just been indulging in foolish, impossible dreams. "That must have been nice for him," Yūi mused wistfully, "being able to get away like that any time he wanted."
"It wasn't so nice for him when he got back," Lord Suhail grumbled. "The heir to a kingdom does not have a normal life or the freedom to always do as he pleases, as you should know, Fai. Still, the repercussions didn't stop him from doing it again. Sometimes I think he'd have preferred the life of a court wizard, spending his days in research or making interesting new spells. He does like to create new spells, you know."
Yūi nodded. He'd seen the king doodling out ideas for spells many times in the past few months.
"However, he was first born, rather than a younger son, so that was never even an option. Not that it mattered; his fate was decided before he was ever even conceived in his mother's womb. Even if he'd been born last and least in his family," Lord Suhail said, "he would have ended up on the throne."
"Why?"
"Because he is God-Touched," Lord Suhail said, a small, strange smile playing on his lips.
Yūi stared at him, uncomprehending. "What does that mean?"
Lord Suhail blinked and shook his head. "It means he's special, that the gods love him. He doesn't believe it, but it is true."
Yūi considered that. After Sunbirth, King Ashura had apologized again about the King's Sacrifice and then had a discussion with Yūi about his religious preferences. The king had seemed to think it was important, and had been sorry he hadn't talked about it before. Yūi, though, had never been troubled by the subject. He really didn't remember much about Valeria's religion, just the name of its hell and those of a few deities, spirits, and demons. Surprisingly, some of those beings had had the same names as certain ancient gods of Seresu. The king had speculated that that was another of those odd alignments between their worlds, like their shared spoken language, the cold climate, and some of the food.
Yūi himself didn't care much about religion or gods. What had gods ever done for him? His life had been full of unending, unbearable misery before he'd come to Seresu. Yūi hadn't said any of that, but it hadn't mattered. King Ashura had told Yūi that he could honor whatever gods he pleased, or even none at all if that was what suited him.
From that talk, Yūi had gotten the impression that the king didn't like his own religion very much. He doubted now that Lord Suhail's statements would please King Ashura.
Lord Suhail continued, "Ashura can do things that no other magician in this country has been able to do in uncountable generations. How else could he have found you? How else could he have done what was needful to bring you here, to us, from far across the infinity of worlds?"
On occasion, Yūi had wondered about that. However, he accepted the king's explanation that he was so powerful that he could call across worlds. When he paid attention, Yūi could sense King Ashura's aura most of the time, so he also believed he had unknowingly called for the king, possibly through that magical connection he felt. He had certainly screamed enough to the heavens and to anyone who would listen. Was it really such a surprise that someone powerful had heard? And not just the king had heard, but that other scary sorcerer, too. Yūi was glad that he couldn't feel that sorcerer's presence the way he felt the king's.
"I don't know for sure how King Ashura found me," Yūi said, very quietly. As always, the mere thought of that sorcerer made him nervous and unhappy. He didn't want to talk about anything that might bring up the terrible past and the equally terrible future, and the horrible things he would one day do when he left Seresu on his inevitable journey. He clasped his hands together tightly and bowed his head. "I'm just glad he did."
He heard Lord Suhail begin to pace across the room. "I have upset you again, Fai," the old wizard said. "I am sorry. Believe me when I say that everyone in the castle is glad he found you. You have no idea how glad."
"Why?" Yūi whispered the question. It touched on something he had never really understood about the people in Luval Castle. Deep down, he just couldn't accept it. Why would anyone be glad that he was with them? He was a terrible person. Old memories that he had tried so very hard to bury rose to torment him.
Lord Suhail smiled. "Because of what you are to him, Fai. Because you make him happy. You're a blessing to the whole country."
Yūi remembered that Lady Kendappa had said something like that, too, but from Lord Suhail it sounded different. He stared down at the floor, not really comprehending and feeling horribly depressed. He chewed on his lower lip. Then something happened that drove all thoughts from his mind and almost stopped his heart with terror: One of his teeth wobbled.
He shrieked in pure, unadulterated panic.