The Riddle
By
Nana
Chapter 5
Charades
**************************************
Author's Notes: Roughly two more chapters to go and we're done! Reviews are very welcome!^^
Disclaimer: Based on "The Riddle" as told by the Brothers Grimm (with lots of additions on the side, of course). Sango and Miroku (as well as Kirara and Hachi) belong to Rumiko Takahashi.
************************************
The court was packed to the brim when it came into session the next day. The past nine sessions concerning the princess's affairs had drawn fewer and fewer crowds, especially since the sessions were brutally brief. This time, though, things were different.
For one thing, the Prince of the Northern Kingdom was the one involved. Apparently, Princess Sango was not the only one who had heard rumors about him. The women had turned out in full force just to catch a glimpse of the dashing, mysterious blueblood who had been the key figure of many a romantic tale--told in hushed, excited voices within circles of ladies of the nobility.
The men, on the other hand, were keen on finding out how the court was going to handle a possible diplomatic mess. Could the princess be bested (for surely there were a lot of the princess's admirers among the crowd who would not dare enter the challenge for fear of their lives, but were quite jealous and curious, nonetheless)? Or would she have her way, as usual? And if so, could the King really execute another kingdom's prince?
"How long is this session going to take?" wondered one.
"Hopefully longer than the forty-five seconds it took her to answer that last dolt's riddle," answered his companion.
And so the afternoon's court was humming with barely suppressed excitement when the Prince carefully opened the oak side door a crack and took a peek.
"Your Highness…" whimpered Hachi. "Can't we just postpone this interview? At least after we've thought the matter out further? Or…or at least after your father has been informed?"
Apparently, Hachi was one of many who had thought the Prince was not in his right mind when he took the challenge. Nobody had believed it at first, but the Prince seemed serious in pursuing the matter. Of course, the Southern King had rejoiced, whether he thought the Prince was in his right state of mind or not.
His daughter had not taken it well, to say the very least.
Prince Miroku had left her in the library, her face pale with rage. Her visage certainly was not at its best then, so why was he still finding her incredibly fascinating?
The thought that he had been able to get the last laugh yesterday had appealed to him greatly. Though he did not stop to think why, the prospect of meeting such a formidable woman for a round of mental calisthenics was so alluring that he could not resist maintaining his stance.
Besides, he could not back out once he had given his word. A Prince of the Realm could not. But then there was no need to worry. There was no way she was going to be able to get his riddle. And so, he turned to Hachi and smiled serenely.
"Relax," he said. "I have everything under control."
"Do you?" said a voice behind him coldly.
Miroku turned and smiled even more broadly as he said, "Good morning."
Sango had arrived with a lady-in-waiting, dressed in a flowing garment the shade of subtle gold. Her favorite cloak of misty gray was draped around her shoulders. Her hair was down, and so were her brows.
"You are going to waste your time and mine with this nonsense," she snapped. "And before you cause irreparable damage to diplomatic ties between our two kingdoms, let me urge you to think it over and cancel this whole charade while there's still time."
"Charade?" Miroku echoed. "My dear Princess, I meant it when I said I intend to carry this out to its conclusion."
"I can't believe this!" Sango cried, her cheeks staining pink. "And all the while I thought you'll come to your senses soon enough! Why would you want to risk your neck for a challenge that you've only been aware of since yesterday? Do you really think they're not going to execute you when I get the answer to your riddle?"
"You won't," he assured her.
Sango bit back a retort as she felt her face flame.
Fine. Be arrogant about the whole thing, she thought, firmly suppressing a wave of frustration and anger.
Perhaps it would be good to know his head would be rolling down soon.
It was kind of a waste, though. He had quite a fine and handsome head about him, too.
"Just be sure you don't go quoting anything silly from the books like the riddle of the Sphinx," said Sango as she reclaimed her composure. "The last suitor was foolish enough to do that."
"All right," said Miroku easily. "Although I must admit I feel very flattered that you would be concerned enough to take the trouble to warn me. Rest assured, I will keep your advice in mind."
For a moment, Sango felt that she was in danger of hyperventilating. How dare he…!
Sango paused as an even more astounding thought sank in. What is it about this man, she thought in a mixture of bewilderment and fury, that he could effectively rob me of my speech?
Sango was aware that he was egging her on, and so she did not bother answering him. With a nod of dismissal, she turned to her lady-in-waiting. "We will see. Let's go, Kirara."
*******************************
This is getting to be definitely annoying, thought the Princess.
The crowd had fallen silent as members of the court filed in. They had stood out of respect for royalty when she strode into the room. So what was this sudden, collective intake of breath from the audience when the Prince made his appearance? What did it mean to have some of the ladies squeal when they caught their first glimpse of him? The reaction he was eliciting from the crowd was something so new that Sango could not believe it.
What was more, she was astounded as something sharp seemed to imbed and twist itself painfully around her heart when she saw him turn to the crowd and smile at the ladies.
What does it all mean?
Finally, the marshals managed to restore order and quiet all around, and the court went into session.
They stood there, facing each other on separate podiums, he listening carefully as the judges read the conditions of the agreement he was about to enter, she unable to tear her gaze away from him--resenting him for his arrogance, his questionable morals, his utter magnificence as he stood before her in full dress uniform of black and violet.
"…the contract is binding and made effective once the Prince voices his riddle to the Princess. The riddle must have a legitimate answer, and any form of assistance from anybody toward the arrival of said answer will not be tolerated. The Princess is allowed three days to consider the answer, after which the court will reconvene. During those three days, neither party will be allowed outside the Kingdom. Should the Riddle be answered beyond doubt before the three-day deliberation period…"
On and on it went, the segment of law she had created out of sheer cunning to escape from the clutches of unwanted suitors.
The last time there was a court session, the time it took for them to lay down the rules had lasted longer than the riddle of the doomed nobleman. Would the Prince go the same way of the foolhardy suitor by the time she was through with him?
The thought made her uneasy, and she was about to turn away from it when she stopped.
What are you doing? She suddenly asked herself. You can't honestly mean to say you're actually worried about him?
I am NOT! She thought, angrily thinking that the stupid things he had said earlier had somehow gotten to her, so much so that she was starting to doubt herself. I will beat him at this!
With that, she turned her full attention as Miroku was finally allowed to voice out his riddle.
"The Princess is, indeed, one of the most well-read people I've ever met," he began, "but I wonder if she can explain this? Can she name one who slew nobody but slew twelve?"
The audience waited with bated breath.
And the most incredible thing happened.
One full minute passed.
Two.
Ten minutes.
"Your Highness?" asked one of the judges. All of them turned to Sango as one.
This is impossible…thought Sango, dazed. She fought to keep the panic from showing.
"Your honors," she said at last, "please allow the court to reconvene after I've…I've…"
But she couldn't say it. She didn't need to. The court broke out into cheers as she finally conceded to a three-day period to work out the riddle's answer.
******************************
As a gesture of thanksgiving that he had survived the round and as a means of introducing him to the noble court, the Southern King threw a ball for the Prince that very evening. Sango's father was hugely pleased with the results of the first round. This was the first time in a long while that he had any reason to celebrate, and he made sure to pull out all the stops.
Laughter, food and wine flowed freely and the waltzes were never-ending. All that time, Miroku had been introduced to one girl after another, had danced with all them in turn. As the music drew on, so did the list of ladies waiting for their chance with him.
And so he did not notice the arrival of his possible fiancée.
Sango had left the courthouse in a state of shock and had headed to the sanctuary of her library when she got back to the palace. There, she had immediately started her quest for the answer of the riddle.
As the hours drew on and the stack of books she had pulled out from the shelves gradually accumulated to fill the reading tables around her, Sango realized she was nowhere closer to an answer than she was a few hours ago. Also, she suddenly realized she was getting hungry.
To add to all the misery, she had called for food to be brought over only to have an unpleasant bit of news reach her.
No, the King had expressly forbidden anyone in the castle to prepare and bring food over to her in the library. She was to attend the ball given in the Prince's honor if she wanted to eat anything.
And no, no amount of arguing would undo the Royal Command, so she had finally given in and grudgingly went down to the ballroom.
The page responsible for announcing the newcomers was about to shout her name when she bade him to stay silent. After all, the humiliation she had experienced during the afternoon had been enough. She was about to make her way over to the tables when a dancing figure cut across her gaze. Sango paused for a fraction of a moment as the figure finally registered in her brain.
There he was, dancing a waltz with his arm around a girl. He had not seen her because he was too busy looking down at the lady. As Sango looked into his smiling face, something awoke from within her that made her appetite die.
Was it hunger that was making her feel suddenly ill? Was it something else?
And why was she feeling pain? So much pain, blooming and spreading from her numbed heart. Why?
She had to get away…
Acting on that impulse, she turned and fled.
It was only when she got back to the library that she got a hold of herself. Why was she feeling as though she wanted to faint?
More than anything else now, she realized the importance of beating him at that riddle.
If the mere sight of him dancing with another girl could elicit this kind of reaction from her, the sooner he would be gone the better.
*******************************
Miroku was finally able to get away in the early morning hours when the music finally dwindled. He had already told Hachi to go ahead. An apple, picked from the remnants of the feast left on one of the tables, would be his servant's reward in preparing the sleeping chambers for him.
As he left the ballroom and ascended the stairs to his suite of rooms, something from the dark corridor of the library made him pause when he got there.
Underneath its massive, closed doors, he could see a sliver of light from within the library. It was only then that he realized he had not seen the Princess throughout the entire evening.
Slowly, he walked toward the doors and, giving them a gentle push, noted that they were not locked.
She was still there, fast asleep over a book on the table. A cluster of books were open beside her, and more were to be seen on the chairs, the floor.
What the--?
Miroku approached her, careful not to make any sound. Had she stayed here the whole night?
A glance at the books she had pulled out told him what her purpose was. It seemed she had been busy analyzing his riddle, right down to consulting a book on dreams. The soft, gray mantle that she habitually wore over her garments lay forgotten on the floor. He retrieved the bit of cloth from the floor and, after a moment's hesitation, brought it down so it would settle on her shoulders.
The light touch woke her.
For one brief moment, she appeared confused as she felt for her wrap. She thought she had felt somebody touch her…or was it all part of her dream? And she was having a good one too…
All traces of sleep were dispelled the next second when she suddenly became aware that she was no longer alone. She leaped away from Miroku when her gaze landed on him. How long had he been standing beside her, looking down at her? How long had she been asleep?
"What are you doing here?" she managed to ask.
Miroku did not answer her. Instead, he asked, "Why weren't you at the party?"
Sango looked away. "Why would you care?" she asked, her tone full of bitter resentment. "It's not as though you'd notice or anything--"
Before she could say another word, her stomach growled.
Miroku stared at her suddenly red face, and said slowly, "and I see you've not eaten as well. No use torturing yourself like this, Sango."
He brought out the apple in his pocket. "Here," he said. "Take it."
Sango stared at the apple, wondering why she was suddenly feeling this overwhelming urge to cry. "Don't you dare pity me," she said softly.
From a corner of her eyes, she saw his mouth lift up a fraction. "A guy would be crazy to even attempt that," he said wryly.
Because she made no move to accept the fruit, he laid it down on the table. "Eat it and get some rest, Sango," he advised. "The riddle's not worth your missing any sleep. Besides, no amount of poring over the books would help."
As he moved toward the door, Sango called after him, "Why would you even care to come by just now?"
He did not say anything. He merely smiled at her as he let himself out.
Sango was too hungry not to give any attention to the apple. As she took her first, despairing bite of it, she thought ruefully how she got stuck with a guy who was pretty good at playing charades. If she weren't careful, she just might end up believing that this guy actually cared for her a little.
Thank God for all those stories about him, then…
As soon as she was able to think clearly again, she allowed herself to ponder over his words.
No amount of poring over the books would help…
Was she supposed to take his word for it, or could he just be derailing her from her search? Something in his voice told her he was telling the truth, though. Meaning: he did not resort to a book for his riddle. Where did he base it from, then?
His travels. Past experiences. Those would have to be the key.
If so, she was in deep trouble. How was she going to pry that out from him? It's not as though he would volunteer the information freely.
That servant of his…perhaps he would know. She could try him…
No. There was no way he was going to talk freely, and the Prince would get suspicious. And if her father were to find out that she was actually spying around the Prince…
How then…? She cast about for a way. There had got to be one…
Just then, her gaze landed on the book of dreams a few feet away from her, and a strange idea slowly began to take shape in her mind.
Why not…? She thought as she moved to take the book. She flipped through the pages until she reached the chapter that she was looking for.
Well, this technique had certainly not been proven to be effective, but now was a good time to test the hypothesis as any. Desperate times called for desperate measures.
After a while, she rang the service bell for Lady Kirara.
*********************************