Chapter 52. The Counsel
The Counsel Chamber was a hall of considerable size and yet it was hardly large enough for the amount of people inside it today. Not only the nobility of Vegetasei was there. Every single person inside the Palace seemed to be present and also many from outside. Maids, scullions, cupbearers, concubines, soldiers from the ground floor, common folk from the Capital, all had come to hear their new King speak. They were packed together in the space down the platform with only the merest path left from the heavy doors to the raised Counsel Table with the Lords of Vegetasei seated around it. The high chair at the head of the table was as yet unoccupied. Still it continued to draw the eyes of every single person in the room as they divided their attention between the seat and the entrance to the chamber. That was where the King would come to sit, but the King was not there and the gathering was about ready to burst with expectation.
Unlike the excited whispers down the platform, the mutters shared amongst the Lords at the Counsel Table were tinged with agitation for this latest slight. Up until now Vegeta hadn't made that good an impression on them with his supposed absence from the Palace all week and now his delay. How much longer would he keep them waiting? Most of the Lords had been a guest at the Palace for the whole seven days without catching a glimpse of him. Their tolerance with their new liege lord was clearly spent.
Akane knew that they were in for some more unpleasant surprises when Vegeta did arrive. What was taking him she didn't know. The Great Vegeta wasn't there either nor Ruirdo or any of the other War Council attendants so she could take the educated guess that it had something to do with the WTO. Her mate had left her that morning to assume his role as King again and Akane, zonked and satiated like him, resigned to maternity, feeling that Aina – and the ones watching over her – had suffered enough after being left to deal on their own for hours when the kitten woke up.
The scouter that transmitted Kaito's continuous and panic-stricken rapports on how Aina was wrecking the nursery and her nurse in her tantrum was quickly smashed beneath Akane's ruthless fist. Vegeta made no objections to it. He too needed to forget that this day was coming and even his daughter's discomfort could not retrieve him from the oblivion in which he had buried them. Akane would have liked to forget longer, would have wanted to fall asleep with Vegeta in her Bower where he had spent tireless hours banging them to limbo, but life did not work that way for them anymore. Their days spent withdrawn from the world and stowed away together with only the other to occupy them were in the past. Sadly enough.
Akane stared down the long table at which she sat. Her brother sat at her side, silent and tired like she was. Biran had resumed his piss up in his own quarters with the tribesmen and Kaito and Turles last night after Akane sent them off and he looked like they hadn't stopped throwing back wine until the suns were well up this morning. Down at the end of the table sat the two tribesmen, short sinewy Chieftain Ansgar with the chain of ears around his neck glowering, First Warrior Chief Bardock grinning his fiercest grin. They did not look tired. It figured. In the South it was custom to have a piss up every night.
Their company last eve had been a delight to Akane. The Chieftain's many stories about her mother's victories in her young days were a treat to listen to and Bardock's black sense of humour and rough ways continued to amuse and amaze her. He was the exact opposite of his benign son from Earth. Father and son had met earlier today and Akane was kind of bummed out that she couldn't have witnessed Bardock's disbelief at what benevolence he had fathered, nor Kakarot's for the uncouth wicked man that had given him life. She expected they would come to see past their differences in the end. Bardock took pride in strength and Kakarot was the strongest man in the universe and Kakarot might not show it much, there was a Saiyajin in him somewhere deep down and that part could only appreciate the fierce warrior his father was.
The seats on either side of the tribesmen were empty because those used to be occupied by the other Chieftains for whom Ansgar would speak today. The remaining places at the table that used to be for the seven leaders of the tribes were filled by Lords as they were all moved down some seats to make room for three new Counsel members that should sit closest to the King at the head. At the long end of the table of course, the head of the Counsel Table was reserved for the King alone. Akane had received her place at Vegeta's left and The Great Vegeta would come to sit on his right side when he arrived with his son. Tragus, the third new member, already sat next to the place reserved for The Great Vegeta.
Many of the Lords had sulked about the seating because they were forced to occupy a different spot than the ones they usually took up. The further down the table one sat, the less honour one received in their highhanded opinion. It brought them to sit closer to the savages from the South after all. The fact that Akane insisted on having Biran at her side near the King hadn't helped matters much either, but a short look to either Akane's or Tragus' marred masks had kept the Lords from voicing their displeasure.
Akane turned her eyes to the table top, following the subdued adornment of gold inlaid on its polished dark surface. Her armour-gloved finger came to follow a twirling golden vine that ended in a broad leaf. She noticed that her hand was less steady than it usually was. She was nervous. No matter what Vegeta's words, she did worry about making him loose respect. She wasn't the gracious Queen his mother had been. She grimaced. She was about as gracious as a cart horse and crude enough to match the two tribesmen at the other end of the table who were being ignored so thoroughly by the Lords, done away with like primitives that didn't deserve the time of day.
Akane was noble born. She knew the rules of court and she knew how ladies were supposed to behave, but her mother had never encouraged the development of good manners, rather discouraged it. The fierce little tribeswoman had only ever hailed Akane for her warrior aspirations so that was where her focus had been as a girl. Her father had learned her the little courtesy she possessed and he too hadn't given much about it. He had taken a tribeswoman as his mate and not given a toss about the slights from his fellow Lords. What did he care? He had found the love of his life, a strong mate to bear him strong, healthy children, descendants that would become warriors like him and his mate. That was all the Lord of Bethar had cared about.
Akane learned more about the rules of court in her time as The Great Vegeta's concubine, yet even in that position her courtesy didn't reach farther than her respect and adoration for her King. He had taken her out of the Forces, yet her warrior ways had not left her and she never gave up on developing her skills. Her King had allowed her that. That and the many slights he had to suffer from her in their years together as there simply was no changing her rough ways. It was probably what had interested him about her to begin with. In spite of all his grandeur and chivalry and his conviction for the importance of good manners and respect for the titles of nobility, The Great Vegeta too wanted himself some savage every now and then. On the side though, not as his Queen. Certainly not as his Queen. Not even as his main woman.
Even if Akane had been the most cherished of all his concubines, she had been his secret pleasure. Stowed away in a harem Akane had been a nice variety to all the courteous little ladies he kept and he took her to his bed more often than any other, but to have her stand at his side at formal occasions? The main woman had been far more fit for that. The Great Vegeta wasn't half as bold as his son. Not half as fond of her either. The new King loved him some savage, as he had proven with such drive again mere hours before, and the whole world was going to know about it. And soon too.
As her brother already pointed out, Akane's reinstatement in the Forces had quickly rekindled any dampening of her wild spirit during her time at the Palace as a concubine. In the forces she did learn discipline and respect for ranks and she was ever observant of it. She understood that sort of respect. Soldiers were nothing like Lords though. She had no way of dealing with the men at this table and her despise for them only made it harder for her to feel anything remotely close to respect. What had they done to deserve it? Feast and grow fat? Akane deserved respect. Her men did. For their achievements as warriors, for all they had done and gone through for their people. A soldier gained his titles by climbing the ranks through hard work, not by crawling out of the right cunt at birth. Respect should be given accordingly. Akane would raise her whelps that way. Like her mother had. They would earn their stripes in life by becoming good warriors, not by their royal descent, even if royalty was the only noble title Akane did recognize and honour.
Akane refrained from telling the complaining Lords to stuff it, refrained from talking altogether because she had the growing urge to snarl and swear, something she was certain wouldn't be appreciated by her fellow attendants, the two tribesmen and her brother excluded. The Lords were peering at her, the smarmy gits, assessing her, weighing her carefully, making her very aware of the scowl on her face and the way she had come to slump legs spread in her chair as she adopted an unmoved pose to contradict the worry that made her insides churn. She sat up straight, hating that she had to, and laced her blood-red gloved fingers together on the table top. She would hate it more should she be the cause of Vegeta loosing face with the leaders that were about to ally themselves to him. She would never forgive herself for it. Never. That was why she did sit up, no matter how she hated it.
Her scowl wouldn't be smoothened out so easily. Apart from the fact that it came to her so naturally and was only enhanced by her scars, her doubt would not allow her a more agreeable expression at the moment. She was just too bloody nervous. Her mate somewhere else on this floor of the Palace gave of a similar feeling, but where she was dreading to become the Queen, this was the one thing that he did not worry about. One of the few things he looked forward to on this day.
Like Vegeta did not share her doubt, Akane did not share his uncertainty. She trusted that he would do well today. That he would make her proud as she told him he would. There was no reason for him to worry. This was what he was destined to be. The King of Vegetasei. No, he was not the forthcoming King his father had been. Not a man of smiles or grandeur or courtesy. He would not throw feasts and indulge in the luxury of his title. He would be a sober and pragmatic leader. One that found little comfort in his position, but felt the weight of his responsibilities and worked hard to meet them. A King that made the right decisions for his people and not for himself, regardless of whether it fit to his own needs. He had already proven this by sacrificing himself to his War Councils while all he longed for was getting back in the field to hone his battle skills.
Vegeta may have been born a Prince and he may have the attitude of one, in his heart he was a warrior. A soldier. Hardworking, determined and fully alive to his duty. His whole life was dedicated to the goals he set himself and all his effort went into attaining them. Up until now his goals had been selfish ones. Gaining strength, defeating Frieza, matching his power with the foes he was challenged with during his time on Earth, surpassing his adversary Kakarot, being the strongest warrior in the universe. All those goals he had pursued with unrelenting determination and he had not spared himself or others on his way. His latest goal was not a selfish one. He wanted to protect his people and bring them peace. For all of them, because they deserved it and he chased after this with the same conviction as for any goal he had ever set himself. That was why Akane loved him like she did.
It would not be so easy for his people to love him as well, reserved and harsh as he was, and it would be especially hard on the Lords that sat at this table with her. Vegeta was not going to play out the rules of court with them like their old King. He had no mind for the political ploys of his father, no patience to be observant of their needs. They would do their duty like he did his whether it pleased them or not. As he expected the best of himself, he also demanded it from his people. They would all have a part in the war that might come and if it did not come, everyone would have to contribute in restoring the damage that long years of war had already done to their planet. In turn for their loyalty he would bring them peace and prosperity. And they would come to love him for that. Eventually. Even the Lords.
Akane swept the Counsel Chamber in search of Turles and Kaito. She found her men close to the exit, bantering like always although they looked hung over as her brother did. Akane smirked. They would have high places at her side as the Queen. They deserved it and they would probably hate it as much as her. They could hate it collectively. Kakarot was there as well. He was holding Aina up in front of him and making silly faces at her. The kitten had charmed Kakarot since the first he laid eyes on her during the journey to Vegetasei and it was no secret that the good-natured Earth Saiyajin was absolutely smitten with her. And, unbelievable as it may be, even Vegeta had not been able to find fault in that. Trunks and his little friend stood aside Kakarot and the widened blue eyes of the young Prince conveyed that he too was nervous. This was a big day for all of them.
Finally the large doors to the Counsel Chamber opened and Vegeta appeared on the threshold with his father beside him and the War Council at his back. The gathering inside sank down to one knee as one being, the whole chamber suddenly plunged in silence. Akane had to bite back a snicker at the three that remained standing in the midst of the kneeling gathering. Kakarot looked around sheepishly with Aina in his hands making use of the silence by gabbling in her mysterious kitten language while Trunks scanned the room with awe and Goten scratched the back of his head in the fashion of his childlike father.
At the Counsel Table the nobility had not gone down to their knee, but had risen from their chairs in wait for the King to join them. At last they would get to see their new liege lord and every single Lord scrutinised Vegeta thoroughly as he came on to them, his face impassive as it always was. The War Council remained at the doors that closed behind their backs. Only The Great Vegeta joined his son to the platform on which stood the Counsel Table and he gave Akane a quick nod as he froze at his seat next to Tragus. Akane returned it and looked to her mate.
Vegeta crossed the dais to the chair that stood waiting for him at the head of the table, but he remained standing beside it, his hand coming to rest on the high back of his seat. He wore his uniform like her. Battle suit, armour, white gloves and boots. No adornment, no mantle like the Lords, nothing but the chain of his position around his neck. He was more impressive than any of the men at the table, formidable in all his simplicity. He needed no enhancements to put forth his magnificence. He needed nothing. Nothing but that noble face and the careless elegance of his posture.
"Rise." He ordered the gathering in his low voice.
Akane had ever been proud that Vegeta had taken her as his mate, yet now she truly felt like the flukiest bastard in the whole universe. He was so imposing that a shiver ran up her spine. His dark eyes fell on her, a second, shorter, yet long enough to make her weak in the knees at the fire that burned in him. His misgivings held no more sway over him. He had abandoned them, lost them to the task at hand. And he was perfect in his conviction.
Vegeta set out to pace back and forth on the platform under the intent gaze of all those hundreds of people, his body lean and strong, his movement lethal and nimble as shadow. The Lords remained standing beside their seats, unsure what to do now that the King did not seat himself at the table because they were supposed to take theirs after him. Akane fell back in her own seat and The Great Vegeta and Tragus across her took their seats as well. They knew the King was not going to sit, was not giving a fuck about the rules. Akane pulled her brother along with her and merely shook her head at Biran's questioning look. One after the other the remaining Lords retook their seats, sharing incredulous looks over the table. All but the tribesmen who were merely exchanging wicked smirks while they sat down with their own lethal suppleness. The King's breaking with the rules of court obviously pleased them much.
Vegeta had already started speaking and even if his deep voice was subdued, it was loud and carrying, giving Akane more shivers. He was the King she had envisaged him to be and more. So much more. Despite his misgivings he was made to have reign over others. Not just because it was his birth right, but because it came to him naturally. He belonged in a position of power. That was the kind of man he was. And the fact that he doubted if he would be successful, the fact that he feared the power he had as the King, made him only more right for the place. This was where he should be.
The King spoke of Vegetasei's destruction and restoration without digressing into the details of his slavery or his time on Earth. He told them exactly what they needed to understand the fate that had befallen them and their planet and how he had made it undone. No more, no less. When he was done recounting their history none had any doubts left that he told the truth. He gave them no room to question it, invalidated every possible protest that could be made on forehand and even Biran who had remained sceptic despite Akane's elucidation on her own history last night, had no more doubts.
Vegeta at last took his seat at the Counsel Table. Nonchalant, handsome, regal as he resumed in that commanding voice. "As it is now we face no immediate threat. We received word from one of the scouts this morning that our neighbour galaxies have retreated from the organisation. I have been asked to come sign a treaty of peace with the rulers of the Sunstrewn Galaxy, which I intend to do after we finish here. Whether the WTO has disbanded completely they could not tell us. The rulers at Sunstrewn believe the organisation might still by operating in distant galaxies, but this is for later concern. Our focus now should be on rebuilding our own nation. On you the task to restore order and get the economy back up in your own lands."
None of the Lords raised objections to this. His demand was a reasonable one. This changed when their King continued.
"To replace the losses in the Forces any one of you shall send fifty of your own men to the Capital. And more if you can spare them. That we are under no immediate threat does not mean we can abandon our defences."
Now it started. The stirring. The nagging. The sulking and the discontent. The Lords were going to test him for what he was worth now.
"But my King," One of them, a haughty fat Lord, spoke up and his voice was querulous, conveying his pretentious nature. "What about our own defences. When this war started I sent half my men down to the Capital to strengthen the Forces. If I were to send you fifty more from the Rivervale, I have not enough left to man my own walls."
Vegeta eyed him in passing, unaffected like Akane knew him to be. His face showed none of the irritation she felt through their bond. "Do you expect an attack on your walls, ser?" He asked.
The fat Lord looked to another Lord across the table, the one with the oiled beard that Akane had encountered on the Guest Floor yesterday. The hostility was blatant in the fat Lord's ruddy face. "One can never be too certain, my King."
Vegeta leaned forward in his high seat, calm still but for the boding in his dark eyes as he cast an uncompromising glare around to all the Lords at his table. He was going in for the finish immediately and make known that he had not come here to bandy words with them. Akane saw them stir uncomfortably under the eyes of their King. Every single person in the chamber seemed to be holding his breath.
"I will make this plain for all of you. Whatever enmity or grudges you might hold amongst yourselves, forget them. The alleged slights you suffered, the conniving and discord, all your petty grievances, it ends here. I shall hear none of it. Any aggression towards or claim to another's lands is considered high treason and will be punishable by death. If word were to reach me of it, I will personally take it on me to behead you for the crimes against your kinsmen. We will have no war amongst ourselves. Vegetasei is one nation." Vegeta sat back and held out his hands to indicate the tribesmen on the far end of the Counsel Table with one and Biran at Akane's side with the other. "Take example from South and Bethar. Through the conciliation of my mate's brother and their mother-brother the tribes have been united for the defence of Vegetasei."
The faces of Biran and Ansgar displayed similar purposeful expressions. Their achievement was not something they took pride in. They had simply done what was needed to protect their people. Such were the men with whom Akane shared her blood. It was an unbelievable achievement nonetheless because the seven tribes had ever been at odds with each other. And their accomplishment should not be left unmentioned by the King. They deserved credit for it.
None of the Lords dared to speak up again, yet none seemed obliged to be the first to meet the King's demands. They shared looks with each other across the table again, assessing looks like they had given Akane, distrusting looks. But her brother spoke and Biran's voice was clear as his words.
"Bethar will send a hundred men to strengthen your forces, my King."
Vegeta gave him a curt nod of thanks. None would be able to tell what Akane could. That the King was not just thankful for the gesture as he was for the uniting of the tribes, but relieved and appreciative of Biran taking the lead. Vegeta hoped, and so did Akane and probably Biran himself, that it would help to spur on the other Lords in meeting his demands. The King had one ally in his plight at least and he wondered whether it was Akane he had to thank for this, but Akane assured him she had no hand in making her brother compliant. Biran's loyalty to his King had nothing to do with his kinship to the one he had chosen for his mate. The young Lord of Bethar understood the importance of a strong standing army and he wasn't the only one.
A gargantuan Lord with a coarse black beard and calculating black eyes was the second to speak. Akane thought he might be one of the few Lords like her brother that still had warrior aspirations. He certainly looked a warrior with his enormous muscled frame and the deadly air that was readily perceived about him. His battle power wasn't a joke either.
"My King, I shall send you a hundred men from the Teeth as well." His voice boomed through the Counsel Chamber.
Akane knew the Teeth were a vast mountain range in the Northern Quarter of Vegetasei. Her geographical knowledge of the planet was sound, but she had little knowledge of the lords that ruled the places she could point out on maps. Her father had never taught her so much. Biran should know though. His father had groomed him to become the Lord of Bethar after him.
"Who is he, brother?" She whispered.
"Lord Brachus of the Teeth. Just man. Good leader, better warrior." Biran muttered back swift and short. His father had taught him well.
Then the Chieftain of the Shield Smashers spoke up in his raw hissing voice and it looked like Vegeta had succeeded in winning him and Bardock over all by himself. True, it pleased Ansgar that the King had taken a descendant of the tribes for his blood woman, one that was blood of his blood no less, she with whom he had laughed so much during their piss up last night, but the Chieftain clearly felt appreciation for the sort of man Vegeta was.
"The South sends the King fifty and a hundred men."
Or perhaps Akane had been wrong. Fifty and a hundred weren't all that many. The South was inhabited by thousands of people divided over the seven tribes, every single one of them a warrior. Vegeta agreed with her that it was a meagre haul, such he shared through their bond, yet as he made ready to voice his displeasure, the red haired Chieftain spoke again and this time his ominous grin was plain for all to see.
"Fifty and a hundred from every tribe as the King bade. I speak on behalf of the other High Chiefs as well today. We shall strengthen Vegetasei's forces with our youngest and strongest warriors. The defence of Vegetasei is our first priority."
Now that was a haul. A thousand and fifty men. Plus the two hundred Vegeta had already been granted. Restoring the forces was going to be a doddle if this trend kept on. They already had back over a third of the men they had lost in the war with the WTO.
The remaining Lords took it in turn to declare the number of men they would be sending from the places they ruled. Most of them only met the King's demand of fifty, but the few that looked to have some warrior blood left in them and understood the need for adequate defences agreed to send more.
A very young Lord, one that looked like he had just left his mother's teat, declared with much confidence: "Arendal sends fifty and one men, my King."
Akane had heard some foolish numbers pass over the table: fifty and five, sixty and two even, but at this she could no longer restrain herself and she echoed incredulously: "Fifty and one?"
The snort of laughter she gave was shared by Bardock at the far end of the table and Chieftain Ansgar shook his head so vigorously in his outrage that the bones braided into his long red hair rattled. Biran looked as incredulous as Akane had sounded, and so did several other Lords.
The gargantuan Lord from the Teeth, seated next to the proud boy Lord, gave him a look as if he couldn't believe what had taken seat aside him and his coarse black beard twitched in distaste as Brachus demanded in his booming voice: "Has your mother dropped you on the head too often as a babe, laddie?"
The boy Lord grew rigid. He ignored the insult of the immense man at his side and addressed Akane in stead. "It is what I can spare, my Princess." He threw a fretful look from Akane to his King, observing the quick glance passing between them with growing apprehension.
The amusement of their King for the boy Lord's absurd commitment went by the lot of them. Akane could tell though. She always could because she knew what to look for in his unmoved face. How one of his eyes narrowed just a tiny bit with the suggestion of a wink like it did when he tried his best to keep a straight face. He was doing it right now. This and the fact that he made known through their link that he expected her to have a lot more to say on the matter, gave her the confidence to be more forward when she spoke again.
"Believe me, ser, I value every single man that serves in the Forces, but the number you propose is ridiculous. If fifty is what you can spare, it is fifty you send. You do not send fifty and one. It is an insult to your King."
The boy Lord blushed furiously. "I meant no…"
"An accidental slight to be sure." Akane cut him off lightly. "How many men do you have at your command?"
The boy Lord was clutching at his collar. Apparently it was becoming a bit hot in the Counsel Chamber. "Three hundred, my Princess."
"Not three hundred and one?" Akane asked amazed. She abandoned her jeering and resumed: "My father once told me that Arendal has a small keep. Its gate house can hold about a hundred soldiers? One fifty perhaps?"
"That is correct." The boy Lord replied, swallowing hard. "But there is also the fort at Kern that needs manning and the surrounding towns…"
Akane cut across him yet again. "So you could just as easily spare fifty and two men? Or fifty and three even? As your King made clear there is no more use for heavily manned walls. If you have need for so many men in Arendal, perhaps the King should just have your head right now to stay you from the treason you might plan to commit in the future."
"Arendal has ever been loyal to the crown. As my father before me, I live to serve my King. I would never commit treason." The boy Lord huffed, though he remembered to add a quick: "My Princess."
"Well then how does fifty and four sound? It shall please your King if you throw in that one man extra to show your loyalty. But I do not need to tell you that. You have shown to understand that very well. Clever boy."
High Chief Ansgar was hissing with laughter. "Fifty and five might be more pleasing still."
And Bardock supplied in his booming voice: "I find fifty and six a much more satisfying number. That will truly give us an edge on the battle field."
"You should make it a nice rounded number like you originally planned, laddie. Fifty and seven I say." The gargantuan Lord Brachus joined in grinning behind his black beard.
Biran was biting back snickers and he wasn't the only Lord that did so. Akane kept her face in check though and so did Vegeta in his high seat at the head of the table, though that unexecuted wink had become rather persistent.
"Seventy and five then." The boy Lord said now thoroughly bludgeoned. "If it pleases my Princess, I will send seventy and five men." His frantic eyes fell on Akane, then on his King and he lost all courage. "A hundred, my King. I send you a hundred men from Arendal."
Vegeta accepted with another curt nod. "A generous offer, ser. Arendal proves to be loyal to the crown as you say."
The boy Lord grew tall in his seat with self-regard, but the King's words were a strategic move, not meant to show him gratitude but to put across to the remaining Lords that they should be a lot more generous in the supplying of men for the Forces.
Vegeta showed that he was not without merit as a politician. He had inherited some of his father's manipulative talent after all and his manoeuvre proved a success. After his words the remaining Lords were indeed more generous with the granting of men to strengthen the Forces. None seemed willing to displease the King, give rise to suspicion of disloyalty, nor risk being beaten down so relentlessly in front of the whole Counsel by Akane, the tribesmen and massive Lord Brachus. This was going better than Akane and her mate expected.
When all the Lords had stated their number, the Forces were almost brought back up to scratch and they could move on to making it official. The registrar of the Counsel, seated somewhere halfway down the table amidst the Lords, had recorded the commitments made by the leaders on a slate of parchment and he passed it down the table now for all the Lords to sign. Vegeta was the last to jot down his signature and it occurred to Akane that she had never seen him hold a pen before. She also had no idea of his handwriting. It made her curious. He looked as powerful with a pen as he did readying himself for an attack. He was as powerful with a pen. His signature could seal the fate of every Saiyajin on the planet.
The King sealed the document with black wax, heated in its container with his own energy, and pressed his seal on it. All conducted at his leisure, his gloved hands deft and elegant. He eased the document aside on the table and leaned back in his seat as if he had never sat anywhere else, the pen balanced between the fingers of both white gloved hands as he planted his elbows on the broad arm rests.
"I have some introductions to make." The King announced.
Akane could not take her eyes from that pen held so casually between those elegant fingers and her heart began a war drum in her chest in the face of this menace, knowing that her own fate was about to be decided with it.
