Ch 2. The Real Prologue

Thanks for reviewing! For those who also love Ren, he gets a little bit of spotlight—although it gets yanked away very quickly...te he he.

Before we progress onto the romance between prince Hao and Anna, let's start with a little bit of history that led up to those events. It all began when King Asakura met Keiko and fell immediately in love with the palace servant. Her lowly position in the kingdom was incomparable to the king's other consorts, who came from well established families within the court; thus, many obstacles arose. Despite her social and political stature, Keiko became the king's favorite. Unfortunately, his favoritism towards her made Keiko into the object of envy. The stress contrived from the other women's acts of hatred soon caused her to fall ill. She later died after bearing the king a son.

Before leaving the world, Keiko named her son Hao. He inherited her good looks and gentle features. Naturally he won the admiration of the court's people with his charisma as he grew older. However, the king could not make him crown prince as that title was already given to the son of his first wife. Instead, Hao was assigned a position which yielded a moderate amount of power and very little responsibility, leaving him plenty of room to engage in leisurely activities.

His most favorite past-time was carrying on various trysts with many different women. At one low point, he was only seeing eight ladies simultaneously. At the most---well he lost count---but it was a large enough number for him to err and mix up the mistresses' names. These expeditions of his occurred, despite him being married to Jeanne of Iron Valley and being wed to a second wife within the next half of the year. His second wife died though, after four months of marriage, because of her weak health. Their time together was brief, so he reflected little upon his deceased wife. His first wife, Jeanne, although very much in love with him, was also very much a jealous woman. She often gave him the silent treatment, which only caused Hao to stray some more.

Despite his philandering tendencies, he was everyone's ideal son, husband, lover, companion, rival and lord. By age 22, Hao had already established both a rival and best friend in one person, Tao Ren, the son of the Chinese-Japanese ambassador. They had started as childhood friends, but their sense of ambition and intelligence binded them into a unique friendship where the two companions immensely enjoyed competing in almost every aspect. Like Hao, Ren was also very handsome and well mannered, attracting numerous affections. Still, he slightly paled in comparison to the prince. Being the cunning man that he is, Ren did not feel inferior and vowed to have as many ladies at his feet as the "noble" prince. Sometimes, the maidens went to Ren as a close second when they found prince Hao out of reach.

On a rather boring evening the two friends decided to engage in another competition in order to relieve themselves of their boredom. This time they set their bets on Pirika, the daughter of a well known officer under the king's command. Rumor had it that she would marry Ryu, who was known for his skills with the wooden sword. Hao and Ren often patronized him behind his back for the silliness of having such skills in a time of peace and prosperity. These days it was more appropriate to yield a calligraphy brush than a sword. Skills in poetry and other arts were a must; leave the sword fighting to the lowly soldiers!

For sure, the bride peaked their interest more than the groom did. After all, another opportunity to make a conquest had come! Love was a game.

As usual, Ren sought Pirika first to ensure a head start. He knew very well in the back of his mind that he had a distinct disadvantage. It would level things out if he won her heart before she could set her sights on the prince. After waiting for the moon to come out from behind the clouds, he made his advance. Pirika was moonlighting on the wooden decks, her dark hair reflecting navy hues as her fingers strung the musical instrument in front of her.

Although her skills at the lute appeared mediocre, Ren still found her quite pretty. Fingering the flute tucked beneath his sleeves, he decided to make his presence known. Resting his lips gently against the musical instrument, he joined in on the lady's melody. Pirika paused momentarily upon realizing that she was not alone with her two waiting ladies; she continued playing after eyeing the tall man across the pond. They played their music together for several minutes, Ren occasionally following her lead, and then adding his own verses. Curious about her suitor, she waved off her servants with the flick of her delicate wrists. Comprehending the signal, Ren walked around the pound and onto the wooden walkway. He approached her with an air of confidence in his stride.

Ren spoke first. "With that incredible skill of yours, why is it I've never seen you play before the king?"

"I'm afraid his ears would only ring with boredom from such humble sounds." She was clearly blushing from his flattery.

"But I found it rather beautiful."

"It was with the help of your flute that the inferior sounds of my lute were drowned out."

Ren moved for the kill. "Why such little confidence coming from such a beautiful lady?"

Embarrassed, Pirika looked down to her knees and twisted her thick robe around her fingers. Not wanting to make her any more nervous, Ren bent over the railing and gazed at the moon. Pirika shifted her eyes and studied him with fascination. She had just come of age and unfamiliar with being courted. How lucky that her first suitor (forgetting Ryu) would be so handsome and clever!

He wasn't oblivious either, for he could see her staring from the corner of his eye. His many experiences easily helped him suppress the smirk that wanted to form.

"Ano---may I have your name?"

Ren almost snickered; he soon admonished himself for nearly goofing up. Obviously this young girl needed to be taught a thing or two about courting. He couldn't help but look down at her for no knowing that it was customary to wait a few nights before disclosing names. But he was wooing her now, not giving her lessons on the art. Oh well, at least the conquest would be easy and he could say that he beat Hao.

"I am a Tao." His voice declared it was all he would offer for now.

Pirika's eyes shot up. "A Tao," she whispered. This name rang of importance. The Taos were a very noble family, much more powerful than hers. She understood this and pushed no further for information.

His ego inflating, Ren decided to impress her further with his poetry. Into the summer night he composed:

Under silver beams

I meet a fair skinned maiden

Who causes my heart

To skip a beat like pebbles

Making waves in the cold pond

He slyly glanced at her from the corner of his eyes to see how she'd swoon. As he expected, the words moved the naïve one because tears were visible in her eyes. But to his displeasure, minutes passed and she came slow to reply. Impatience was building inside Ren. How was he supposed to romance her when she obviously didn't know how to be romanced? Putting that aside, Ren needed to uphold the appearance of a gentleman, so he looked at Pirika tenderly, urging the girl to compose a tanka in reply.

Out of nervousness, she cleared her throat (which was not something Ren ever wanted to hear from the opposite sex, it was so uncouth). Through a trembling voice she attempted:

Oh lucky Pirika

For that she is really me

Composing Tankas

Breathing summer odors here

And hearing owls cry there

Brilliant, he thought sarcastically to himself. She even managed to get all the syllables wrong (any refined person would know tankas consist of lines in 5,7,5,7,7). Sounds of the owl were also absent---how unromantic of her to make things up! But he gave her credit for at least trying. His concentration was soon broken by the sounds of a pair of hands clapping in the near distance. "That was a beautiful poem. I especially liked the part about 'summer odors.'" This voice Ren knew well. It was also a voice that he dreaded hearing at the moment. The third person stepped out of the bushes and appeared to be none other than his rival, prince Hao.

Just like that, his plans crumbled. Ren turned to his left. And like usual, the girl he tried to impress was falling into the other man's trance. Pirika's gleaming eyes stared without blinking. This was a scene that Ren had become all too familiar with. With a conveniently timed breeze, Hao's long locks billowed in the air, making it imaginable that stardust would shake off of it. Ren sighed. God was not his side.

"Ren, what beautiful maiden do you have in your company here?"

"My name is Pirika," she stammered. Shyly, she added, "And your name, sir?"

"Asakura Hao." Oh the arrogance! Ren thought.

"Asakura….Hao," she gushed as the words played on her tongue.

Earlier she would have cared to catch Ren's first name, but now she was too mesmerized by the newcomer to notice. "There's a sweet aroma of Jasmine lingering," and looking at her directly, Hao asserted, "but I cannot tell if it is coming from a bloom off of a shrub, or the fair one before me." A fervent flush of rose spread on her cheek, causing Ren to resent her for blushing too easily. Annoyance pulsed through every single one of his veins.

Damn that Hao! He was always moving in on his territory and stealing away his glory. And to think that Ren could get a head start by approaching Pirika first. All that effort for nothing. After all, he was the one who put up with her boorish music, and all Hao had to do was show up. Just like that, she was swept away from Ren!

"Ren-kun, I see you brought your flute. Funny, I was itching to play myself." There was a hint of a smirk as Hao said this. He was thoroughly enjoying this, not because Pirika was extraordinarily beautiful, but because Ren was getting extraordinarily angry under the surface.

The surface also seemed to be cracking as Ren stiffly placed the flute in Hao's hands. "I would be delighted to hear you play. Please bless us with this opportunity, Hao--SAM---MA." Hao smiled. A vein was nearly popping out of his friend's forehead.

"Really? I hope you don't mind letting me hear!" Pirika's young age showed as she enthusiastically leaned closer to Hao. The prince felt appreciation for the cuteness of her innocence, especially in the way her bangs fell just above her hopeful eyes. Again, she wasn't the most beautiful female he ever encountered, but she certainly had potential.

Plus he was aggravating Ren so well.

Ryu's bride-to-be gazed at Hao as he pressed the musical instrument against his lips and began performing the song that would further win her heart. His friend was also hushed by it, for it was a rather enticing song. As jealous as Ren was, he recognized the genuine talents Hao encompassed. Holding on to whatever pride he was left with, he decided to withdraw as the winner was already made clear. At the end of the song, Ren bade his farewell to the other two, though Pirika didn't seem to notice.

Hours passed into the night as the two conversed about various subjects. With the advent of a cooling temperature, Hao suggested they meet again at another time. Already so smitten, Pirika could not to bear to part with him so soon. She requested he stay a little longer and keep her company in her room, where it would be warmer. Feigning a little reluctance at first, he slowly accepted the proposal.

There were so many things to admire about the prince. His long hair was fashioned into a ponytail by a simple white string. Other men usually wore their hair down, under a court hat. Though his hairstyle was unusual, it made it very unique at the same time. And although fairness of the skin was prized in this age, he somehow wore a tanned complexion in an alluring way. If she could spend the rest of her life with this wonderful man, she would be so happy. Sudden realization that she was already betrothed to another man caused her eyes began to brim over with tears.

"What's wrong Pirika-donno?"

"Hao-sama," she whispered as she turned her face away.

He tilted her face back to his and asked, "Am I making you unhappy?"

"No, not at all. It was because I met you that I realized I've been unhappy all along. For being with you now makes me happy."

"Then why are my sleeves wiping away this wetness from your eyes?" he asked as he gently did so.

"Because I have already been promised to another. That means I cannot see you anymore! It seems this is the first and last night!" The impressionable girl continued to sob.

"If that is so," and he pulled her chin closer to his, "then please spend that last night with me." Her mouth was sealed with his and then both the Prince and the bride-to-be casted a silhouette of two figures embracing, pulling towards the ground.

AN: Aren't they just chauvinistic pigs? But it's so fun to write, I'm thoroughly enjoying this! Also I'm sorry to offend any Pirika fans...I'm not intentionally bashing on her, just thought it would be funny if she was slightly ditzy...just slightly...