Memory
Chapter III: The Palace of Aishitak
By Salamon2
Salamon: I'm fainting at the last chapter... and at what you're planning...
Salamon2: Hint: Gatomon will appear in the story sometime...
Salamon: I'll appear as Gatomon then! Then I don't care what you're planning! Salamon2 doesn't own Digimon!
Salamon2: Note: This will not be totally Animal Farm, only that chapter was... and a little more of the story, besides that, it's a different story. Think of it as a sub story, underneath the main one.
~~~
Kari felt as though she was floating in air, a million images passed through her eyes, she did not have time to process them all into her memory, but those images that showed over and over again, included eleven faces, one very predominate face was that of a boy with blonde hair and blues eyes. And then she felt as pounding headache and the images flushed from her view and she saw only darkness.
"Is she breathing brother?" asked a young male voice
"Yes Touchi she is... she is definitely noble... she spoke the tongue of the Noble, not of the peasant..." said an older, but still young voice.
"Hush brothers hush..." said a voice that sounded much older than the two before it. Kari's eyes fluttered and she opened them to find that she was in a carriage, in the arms of a boy, about her age, he looked somewhat familiar, or maybe it was just the friendly blue eyes and blonde hair that seemed to show he was a man of kindness, and care.
"Excuse me madam... but can please tell us your name..." said a young boy, about ten, he held a white creature in his arms (Tokomon), and she recognized him as the first voice.
"Hikari..." said Kari
"You must be from a distant land, Lady Hikari, for Takaishi produces no brown haired populace... Are you from Kaymia, where brown hair is universal?" asked another boy of twelve, who she recognized as the second voice, and like the younger, and the person she was in the arms in, they all had blond hair and blue eyes, and similar face structures. The eldest starred at her. The twelve year old had a yellow cat like creature (Nyaromon). The eldest held, and stroked, an orange pig like creature with wings (Patamon), with his gloved hand.
Kari was taken aback by her last name being used as the name for a country, but she nodded as a reply, for at the moment, she did not know what else to say.
"You must be of relation to the King there then..." said the youngest. Hikari nodded again, unable to think of any other answer.
"Drive on to Aishitak driver..." said the eldest, raising his voice and the carriage began to move.
"Where am I?" asked Kari, who know stood up in the moving carriage.
"You're in the province of Takai, the largest and wealthiest province in the Kingdom of Takaishi. We are the three brothers to the King here. I have been given Dukeship over this province, my younger brothers are not yet of age to receive provinces of their own. I am Duke Takechi de Takai, second in line to the throne of Takaishi... my eldest brother is my twin, older by 2 minutes..." said the eldest as though he had been planning to say that the whole time she had been in his arms. She slowly sat down next to him. Kari planned to just go along with the story; she was too tired to say anything else.
"Your clothes are all muddy... and where is your carriage? King Taichou the IV should have at least provided a carriage for your ladyship..." said the twelve year old.
"The carriage broke down, and I set out on foot for help... I had only brought one servant with me, and I have been really longed for an adventure, so I ordered him to stay with the carriage while I went to get help..." said Kari, making up the story as she went along, and she couldn't think how to explain it either.
"Walking alone... among the peasants! Scandalous!" said twelve years old.
"Where is your carriage?" asked the eldest
Kari knew immediately that he was interested in getting her back to her "carriage" so she quick thought of something to say "I do not know... I've been walking for so long... many days now..." said Kari, and the eldest did not press the matter there after.
"So... have you come to try and win our brother's hand? I'll say this... you aren't the first one he'll be considering..." said the twelve year old.
"He has already rejected all of our ladies, baronesses, duchesses, and courtiers. As well as Most of Tachikawa and Hida's representatives..." said the youngest smiling after he said what he said. Kari said nothing else for the entire time, but instead watched the two youngest quarrel. The eldest starred at her, not saying a word.
"They are dumb beasts... they can not talk, nor think... they were put here to serve us... they have no other meaning than to serve us!" said the twelve year old.
"They can too talk, and think!" said the youngest
"The courtier's pets are trained to talk, but do not know all of the meanings of what they say..." said the twelve year old. His Nyaromon jumped out of his arms and bounced over to the Tokomon, who Touchi had placed next to him, and curled up next to him. Then the Patamon flew out of the eldest's arms and next to the two of them and all soon fell asleep.
"That's because they're young... they haven't Digivolved!" said Touchi
"They can not go higher than the forms at which they stop, which is three away from the egg (Rookie)..." said the twelve year old.
"I've seen one that's gone higher!" said Touchi
"Touchi, you have many things to learn about the real world, this is one of them... Digimon are beasts... not equals..." said the twelve year old.
"I know what I saw... and nothing you can say can disprove it!" said Touchi, and just as the twelve year old was about to continue the argument, the eldest interrupted him.
"Enough's enough Takio, if Touchi wants to believe Digimon aren't beasts, let him..." said the Duke.
"What's your opinion on all of this?" asked Takio smoothly.
"I beg your pardon?" said Takechi
"Who's right? Touchi, or me?" asked Takio
"Be quiet before I have Take lock you both up when we get to Aishitak, which will be soon... and by the way Lady Hikari, we will get you a dress when we get to the palace..." said Takechi
~~~
"Your Highness, you must choose a bride..." said an elderly man bowing before a fifteen year old boy, who looked jaded with everything in the room.
"I have looked at the courtiers you've suggested, and none come to my liking..." said the bored ruler.
"You must marry soon, and preserve the line of..." started the elderly man.
"I know my duties to my country, you may not lecture me on that! I've already signed an agreement with Takenouchi!" shouted the ruler, and the elderly man smiled, and bowed again.
"When is the date your highness?" asked the man
"We haven't set one yet, and we both can nullify the agreement at any time!" said the King, but the man did not really absorb this last statement, he bowed again and left the room.
"Your highness... your brother the Duke of Takai, wishes to have an audience with you sire..." said the footman at the door.
"Let him in..." said the King, his jadedness dissipated. Takechi, entered, bowed. Then Takechi rose and spoke.
"Your highness... I have found a girl, on her way from Kaymia to see you... I wish to introduce... the Lady Hikari de Kaymia..." said Takechi, as Hikari entered the room and curtsied, unaccustomed to the large dress she was now wearing, she walked slowly to the two of them, and curtsied again, but the King grabbed her hand and kissed it, Takechi, bite his lip and looked away.
"I'm enchanted to meet you..." said the King to Hikari, and she rose. "Takechi... leave us... now..." said the King, very interested in Hikari, who was half frightened to death.
"I'm sorry, I did not hear word of your arrival from Kaymia..." said the King, as they walked out a door and into a courtyard, where another pig like creature flew from the fountain, and onto the King's shoulder.
"I asked for them not to send word... but your country has always been in favor with mine..." said Hikari smoothly. And the King that night held a feast in her honor.
"That is strange... from what I've heard... Takaishi had fallen out of favor with Kaymia when we took some of Motomiya's possessions... when my father reigned..." said the King, looking at her.
"Publicly yes... but they both know it is not your fault, but your father's" said Kari
"Really... interesting..." said the ruler, and that night he held a feast in her honor. That night as she journeyed to her sleeping chambers, she was surprised to find Takechi waiting for her right outside of them.
"Come with me your ladyship..." said Takechi and Hikari followed him, as he held a candle to navigate the dark corridors. And he came to an old wooden door, he opened it, and the room was covered with white sheet covered furniture and cobwebs. A large window was on the same side of the room as the door. He walked up to a sheet covered picture hung on the wall opposite the door, the moonlight shone on it from the windows across the room, and motioned her to stand in front of the picture, and he pulled the sheet off the picture, and Hikari gasped at what she saw.
"This was painted for King Taichi the I of Kaymia in 2,457; based on an ancient drawing that had existed for ages before that. It was given to my grandfather, from the King of Kaymia, when he took the throne; this room has only been opened three times since my grandfather died. Now Kaymia has made a law against any girl taking the name of Hikari due to its holiness to them, since the 4th millennia, and that was four millenniums ago. And no lady from Kaymia has ever come close to looking like this portrait... only one in this world has come close... but she was not from Kaymia... and she died ten years ago... having no female children..." said Takechi. Kari was speechless due to the fact that the portrait showed the head, and neck, that exactly looked like her... down to the last detail.
"Would you like to tell me something?" asked Takechi.
To Be Continued...