A/N: I know I told several of you that this chapter would be up within minutes of my reply to your reviews, but the site decided to be difficult and not let me upload. Sorry! I hope that the chapter will make up for it.
Thousandfurs
Chapter 5: Lords and Ladies
Kagome woke up in her room under the stairs and shivered. Even using the fur cloak as a blanket, she was frigidly cold. Myoga was snoring underneath a scrap of fabric Kagome had found for him just a few days earlier. He seemed oblivious to the cold, but the princess couldn't ignore it long enough to get back to sleep.
Figuring that the others had just let the fire die, she sat up and went out into the common room. The fire was indeed down to a few orange embers. She would be lucky to be able to get it going again. Wondering if there was perhaps a flint and steel set in the closet as the water and bread, Kagome trudged over, trying to keep herself wrapped in the furs. She blamed the snowstorm still raging outside. It hadn't let up in the two days since Miroku and Inuyasha had walked her and Sango back from the stables. The princess wondered how the dignitaries from the other kingdoms would manage their trip in such weather.
Rooting around in the closet, Kagome was having no luck when the main door to the servants' quarters opened.
"Go away. Go and sleep with the other castle servants," a feminine voice said. It was Kagura. Kagome recognized her angered voice in an instant. Not wanting to direct that anger towards herself, the princess pressed herself into the back corner of the closet, into the shadow.
"My dear girl, why are you so cross?" purred the other person. It was Naraku, although Kagome had never heard him speak so gently before.
Kagura let out a soft growl. "You disgust me. That's why I'm angry. You disgust me and you force me to help you in your treacherous acts."
"I would hardly call them treacherous. And I do not force you to do anything."
"Of course. I must help you and grace your bed out of the kindness of my heart," she scoffed. "Because, you know, that's the sort of generous person I am."
"Speaking of gracing your bed," began Naraku.
Kagura laughed coldly. "No way in hell. I give you one favor a night and you have most definitely used yours."
Kagome could hear Naraku shifting his weight impatiently. "Of course, how could I forget?" he said. His tone had hardened. "Kagura, you will behave. Do I need to remind you why?"
"No," said the demoness immediately.
"Then you'll continue doing as I ask?"
She sighed as Kagome silently begged her to resist the manipulative cook. "Yes, Naraku-san."
Naraku clucked his tongue. "Now, now, Kagura. I don't want you to be annoyed at me. Don't you think that I understand that this is hard for you? I know it is. But think about it. Soon it will be over and I'll be able to take care of you properly. You and Kanna."
"You're a very bad liar," snapped Kagura.
"But I'm not lying, my dear. Do you think I want to be a cook forever? To be the lapdog of a soft-minded king? Not to mention that freak of a prince we have. But soon, we'll be able to leave together. I do want you to accompany me."
Kagura scoffed again. "What are you going to do? Just leave?"
"Not precisely," replied Naraku.
"Then what?"
The cook laughed softly. "Well, perhaps if you stop being so temperamental, then I'll trust you enough to tell you the entirety of my plan to get out of here. You have to be especially good though." His voice got low and husky. "Do you understand, Kagura?"
"I don't want to be that good," snapped the demoness. "Goodnight, Naraku-san."
"Fine," replied the cook. "Let me just tell you though, that there will come a time that you won't be able to refuse me. And you will behave. I won't be so lenient in the future."
"I await that day with bated breath," drawled Kagura.
"Hmm, I'm sure you do," said Naraku.
Kagome heard the door open and close again as he let himself out. She couldn't move though, since Kagura remained standing in the common room. The princess could have sworn that she even heard the demoness sniffle. Finally, there was the creaking of floorboards and stairs as Kagura went upstairs to her room. Kagome waited until she heard the soft sound of the demoness's bedroom door close before she came out.
Breathing deeply, the princess went over to the now dead fire. She felt badly for Kagura. Not only must the poor girl be exhausted from these late nights, but the rumors were true. She and Naraku were sleeping together. Kagome couldn't blame the wind witch for calling him 'disgusting'. That would be the word to describe sharing a bed with such a vile man. And she couldn't imagine the pain of having to listen to everyone talk about it, judging her because she was forced into bed with the boss.
Rape was illegal in her own former kingdom, but her father had clearly been willing to break that particular statute. Kings frequently held themselves above the law, so that was hardly surprising, but Naraku was just a cook. He couldn't even hide behind a throne like her coward of a father. On the other hand, she was in a demon kingdom now and as Myoga and Miroku had both told her, demons were a bit more lax about the law. But Kagome couldn't believe that this extended to rape.
She considered going to Miroku, to tell him everything she had heard. But it wasn't any more than a bunch of ambiguous statements and she had the distinct feeling that Kagura would deny everything. She was too proud to admit that she was being forced into Naraku's bed.
Kagome sighed and knelt beside the fire. Miroku wasn't exactly the most discreet of characters either. She wouldn't humiliate Kagura without true proof. The demoness could clearly take care of herself and, after all, everyone already knew that Naraku treated Kagura badly. If Miroku hadn't been able to act upon it already, she doubted her new tidbit would push him over the edge.
She spread fresh ashes onto her skin, knowing that she would have to get up again in a few hours. Realizing that she would have to go out into the snow to get more wood if she wanted to start a new blaze, she quickly decided against it. The princess just wanted to get to sleep now. She couldn't think about Kagura and Naraku anymore. It depressed her. It reminded her of her own relationship with her father, one that was about power, manipulation and oppression.
Getting back to her room, Kagome's head had barely hit the cot when someone else came into the quarters and ran up the stairs. Dust rained down on the princess, but she just groaned and rolled over, trying to get back to sleep.
Unfortunately, her wish wasn't granted. Fate had decided to deal the girl an exciting night and soon doors were opening and slamming closed upstairs loud enough to wake the dead. The servants were chattering and laughing now. "Some of us do need to sleep, you know," said Kagome, although she knew that would not be heard.
"What's going on?" murmured a groggy flea demon. He sat up and looked over at her with sleep filled eyes.
"They're making a racket," groused the princess. "Sorry I woke you up though. We shouldn't both suffer."
Myoga shrugged. "It would have woken me up soon enough anyway. Do you want me to go and tell them to keep it down? Demons sometimes forget the demands of a human body."
"No, they already wonder enough about me, ever since I met the king and queen. I don't want them to have reason to be suspicious and annoyed at me. I'll get used to it and get to sleep again." She scowled as someone trampled down the stairs in the middle of her sentence. "That'll get kind of irritating though."
There was a sharp rap on her door. "Kagome! Kagome, wake up!"
"Sango?" The princess sat up and leaned over to push open the door. "I'm up already. What's wrong?"
"Nothing," said the former demon hunter, coming in with a huge smile. She had to crouch to fit her tall frame into Kagome's room. "The nobles are here, Kagome! They've all come at one time! They're going through the streets of the city right now. If we hurry, we can see them enter the castle gates. Come on, everyone's going!"
"But it's snowing outside. There's a storm."
"It's not that bad. It's died down." Sango beckoned to her. "Come on. They're saying that Sesshoumaru-sama is coming in with them."
Myoga shook off his little blanket. "Well, that might be worth going to see."
Kagome frowned, but got up to follow her friend back into the common area. The rest of the servants were beginning to rush down the stairs and out the door so that a draft was constantly swirling around them. "I don't get it. For the past couple of days all you've done is complain about what a nuisance the nobles are, making you stop your normal work for them and whatnot. What's so exciting about their arrival?"
"We get to see them for the first time," said Sango, amazement on her face. "Come on, Kagome! They'll be so beautiful and this is the only chance we'll get to see them until they leave. They always make such grand entrances though and they've never all arrived at the same time since I came here. It'll be such a lovely processional."
The flea demon hopped up onto Kagome's shoulder. "It might be wise to go, my girl, just to see which nobles will be here. Just in case, if you get my meaning," he whispered.
"Alright," said the princess finally.
The word was barely out of her mouth before Sango took her hand and pulled her into the tail end of the stream of servants going to the front gate. "You won't regret it, Kagome," said the other girl. "You'll get to see all the demons and, oh! You've never seen King Sesshoumaru!"
"No, I haven't," admitted Kagome as she yawned. "Isn't it a bit early for them to be arriving?"
Sango shook her head. "It's only an hour or less until the time we normally get up," she said. "Oh, but Kagome! Sesshoumaru-sama is very beautiful, for a male that is. Even Miroku would have a hard time competing with him."
The princess was barely listening. Only an hour until she was supposed to wake up? She looked for Kagura, finding her easily because of the ethereal glow that her sister, Kanna, gave off. The wind witch did look tired. Kagome sighed and shook her head, feeling very useless indeed. She realized that Sango was still talking. "Sorry, Sango, could you repeat that? I guess I'm still a bit tired."
The other girl smiled. "It was nothing. I was just talking about the time I passed Sesshoumaru-sama's queen in the hallway a couple years ago. And well, you'll see. We'll be there in just a minute."
Kagome couldn't really share Sango's enthusiasm about losing sleep to see nobles of the type that had surrounded the princess all of her life, but she appreciated it all the same. But as beautiful as they were, Kagome couldn't imagine that the youkai and human nobility would make up for the trouble she would go through during their visit. Naraku had made it clear that the newest servants would get handed the most intrusive errands from the royalty. The announcement had turned the excitement Kagome had expressed to Miroku into complete indifference about the feast.
"There! I think I see a place!" Sango pointed up ahead to a small gap in the gathering crowd. It was a lucky find. Even the off-duty guards had come from the barracks to see the procession. Sango and Kagome quickly claimed their place, a fairly decent spot with a good view of the lane going up to the castle doors. The sentries were drawing open the gate, letting the city's lantern lights spill onto the road.
"Sango, look!" Kagome pointed to the castle entrance, to one of the few sights that could really shake her out of her sour mood. Out of the doors came the king and queen, dressed resplendently in purples and reds. Prince Inuyasha and Miroku were one step behind them. Miroku looked charming and impeccable in his usual robes but the dog hanyou appeared as if he had just rolled out of bed. He was yawning and rubbing his eyes, ignoring the fact that his hair was sticking up in the back and that his haori was crooked.
Miroku's eyes were travelling up and down the line of servants who had come to see the show. When he finally spotted the girls, he smiled broadly and waved, elbowing Inuyasha as he did so. The prince only scowled in their direction. Kagome grinned at her friend as she waved back. "He was looking for you."
Sango blushed. "No. He was looking for both of us, I'm sure."
The princess looked over at the diplomat again, who was still staring at them. "Right. All I know is that he could actually take his eyes off of me when we first met. That's not so true now that he's met you. What a strange coincidence."
"Stop it," said the other girl, burying her face in her hands. She was straight faced when she looked at Kagome again. "Besides, he is a pervert, just like you warned me."
"That didn't seem to bother you two nights ago," said Kagome, smiling.
Sango sputtered. "But he just grabbed me! I didn't ask him to!"
"Like that matters," replied the princess. She pointed towards the gates as Sango opened her mouth to retort again. "Look. It seems like they're here, finally."
Twelve royal guards appeared in the gateway, riding identical black stallions in three columns. Behind them, four palominos drew a magnificent ebony carriage. It was large enough to carry a dozen people, but at the rear were even more black horses carrying ten male nobles and another contingent of guards. The nobility wore thick cloaks with fur collars and jewels. Even the stallions sparkled with diamonds and rubies set in silver metal.
"That's the Kobayashi delegation, if I'm not mistaken," murmured Sango. "They always look like they've come straight from a funeral. They're practically the only humans that will still trade with the demon kingdoms though, so we're supposed to be especially nice to them."
The black carriage stopped in front of the castle doors and the footmen hurried to give a hand to a lady who stepped out with greater grace than Kagome had ever been able to muster. All that the princess could see was that the lady wore a crown of silver and was dressed in one of the most exquisite kimonos she had ever seen. Behind her, seven other ladies and two lords got out of the carriage as well, standing far behind as the crowned girl walked up the steps to meet her hosts.
Kagome tried to remember the name of the princess from the Kobayashi kingdom, but only drew a blank. She was about to ask Sango when the lady turned to give an order to her retinue. Kagome sucked in a sharp breath. She had heard stories, of course, but she had never been able to see for herself. It was Princess Kikyo, she recalled. It was the princess that looked just like herself. Kagome could see why everyone said so. She could have been twins with the girl standing on the steps.
"Kagome? Are you alright?"
The princess nodded at her friend. "Yes. I just couldn't remember Princess Kikyo's name and then it came to me. You know the feeling," she said, watching the Kobayashi princess intently. The king and queen were conversing with the lady but Inuyasha was hanging back with his arms crossed. Even Miroku looked angry. Kagome made a mental note to ask the diplomat about it.
Kikyo finally went inside as a new delegation began to come through the gates. "But," Kagome protested, "they're on foot!"
And indeed they were. Fifty or more men dressed in silky furs and metal armor were walking up the road as Kikyo's entourage moved away towards the stables. In addition to the men, there were several wolves prowling between the ranks. They seemed to prefer one man in the center of the group, who Kagome could see was the leader. Blue eyes and long black hair tied up was nothing to set him apart really, but the princess could feel an aura of power emanating off of him that drowned out the other men.
"Who is that?" she asked Sango.
"Prince Koga," the girl replied. "He's the pack leader of the wolf kingdom up in the mountains. It's not a very big kingdom, but they're extremely powerful warriors and the Taisho kingdom's oldest traditional allies, so they're big around here."
Kagome skimmed the group again with her eyes. "There's only men."
"Males. They're called 'males'. Don't call a male demon a 'man'. They don't like to be associated with humans," warned Sango. "But anyway, the female wolves stay home. I've never seen one myself, although I've heard stories from the soldiers who have been there. They're just as powerful as the males physically, but they have to stay back and take care of the pups. Wolves don't bring their mates or pups anywhere because it's like showing off your vulnerability."
The princess nodded, understanding a little bit better. She watched quietly as Koga broke apart from the group and bowed to the Taisho royals. And if Inuyasha appeared irritated and defensive when Kikyo had appeared, he was nearly shaking when Koga walked past and into the palace. "Do they not like one another?" she asked.
Sango laughed softly and shook her head. "Hate each other. I'm not sure why. I think it's just a guy thing really. I've heard that Koga can be just as stubborn as Inuyasha though, so perhaps they're just too alike to get along."
Kagome looked again at the prince, who was still agitated. "Perhaps it's something else," she said softly. "Perhaps they fought over a girl."
The other girl glanced at her companion, ignoring a stream of uninteresting nobility parading in on horseback. "Kagome? Do you… like the prince?"
"What?" The princess turned her eyes back to Sango and began to smile uneasily. "Why do you ask me that?"
"You have a strange look," she explained. "I think that it's the same look I get when I think of Miroku."
Kagome shook her head and laughed. "No. You're the only one that's lovesick here, Sango," she said, making the girl blush again. "Inuyasha is difficult and stubborn and everything that any other man… sorry, male… would be if he had the emotional maturity of a two year old. Did I tell you what he said to me that night that you and Miroku were making eyes at each other? When he was helping me out of the snow?"
"No, I don't think so," murmured Sango.
"He said 'Thousandfurs, you would think that with all these animals on your back, you might have half the grace of one. Who taught you to walk? A duck?'," she mimicked. "Then he started talking about how a duck at least had the good sense to have wings. I swear, he was making less sense than my father and that's saying a lot."
Sango raised her eyebrow at this rare reference to Kagome's family, but said nothing. She had tried to talk about Kagome's past enough times to realize that her friend wasn't prepared to say anything about it, come hell or high water. "Well, you certainly do stare at him a lot," she teased gently, feeling entirely justified considering the ribbing she had gotten about Miroku in the past couple of days.
"I… I feel sorry for him, actually," said the princess. "No one likes him because he's a half demon and the few who give him a chance don't like him because he's a complete jerk. But perhaps he's a jerk because he knows that few people will give him a chance. It's just a big cycle."
The other girl nodded. "He suffers because of his birth. It's not fair, I admit, but I have never understood his character. You've met his parents. Would you have ever guessed that Prince Inuyasha was their child?"
"Except for the physical resemblance to his father, no, never. He's so rude and his parents are so kind."
"I think that's the general opinion," said Sango.
There was a cry from the people near the gate, attracting the attention of the girls once again. "I think this is about to get interesting again," murmured Kagome.
Her friend grabbed her hand. "It's Sesshoumaru-sama."
"Good," said the princess. "I'll finally get to see what all the fuss is about."
Any other words evaporated from her mouth, however, as Sesshoumaru's procession began to come through the gate. Instead of horses bedecked in jewels, the guard rode a company of winged dragons with as little ornamentation as possible. The magnificent creatures' scales glittered in the moonlight in shades of green and blue. Stepping in time, the dragons held their heads high as their black armored riders kept their eyes forward. They moved almost silently, sending a chill down the girls' spines.
Following behind, a small but exquisite litter was carried on the backs of two other, smaller dragons. Like their larger companions, the dragons had obsidian eyes and their scales were colored like the ocean. Their wings were extended and wrapped around the sides of the litter, obscuring most of it from view, although Kagome could still see the heavy muslin curtains surrounding it. "I had thought it impossible to train animals to carry a litter on their own," whispered Kagome.
"I don't think Sesshoumaru-sama accepts the word 'impossible'," laughed Sango.
There was a collective gasp and Kagome looked back to see a demon riding through the gate on a massive two headed dragon. The family resemblance to Inuyasha and his father was immediately apparent. He was clothed in white and red and was crowned by long silver hair. His pale face had the stripes upon his cheekbones of his father and the additional mark of a crescent moon upon his brow. Kagome could see that this male was dangerous. His cold indifference and unbending discipline was apparent in his chill golden gaze. "He's beautiful," she murmured, "but he terrifies me."
"He's not like Prince Inuyasha," agreed the other girl. "When he lived here, his father kept him in check but when he went to rule the Sato kingdom, everyone expected him to begin acting like his true self."
"And did he?"
Sango shook her head. "No, not really. He's unforgiving with traitors and they say he does not tolerate weakness, but there haven't been any of the rumors that everyone expected. If nothing else, Sesshoumaru-sama has a great amount of self-control. It's probably the biggest difference between the brothers."
Kagome watched the demon king ride up to his father's doorway and dismount the dragon. Bowing to the Taisho king, Sesshoumaru turned back to the litter and wordlessly commanded the two dragons to unwrap their wings. The muslin curtain was pushed aside and a woman stepped out, assisted by the Sato king. She was Sesshoumaru's equal in beauty with thick ice blue locks and intense azure eyes.
"Queen Yuki," murmured Sango, as they watched the woman turn back to the litter and help a small boy with blue hair and golden eyes get out. "And that must be Prince Haruko, their son. I've never seen him before."
The small family walked up the steps and bowed to the Taisho royalty. The king and queen bowed in return before the father broke out in a grin and stepped forward to embrace his son in what was clearly a one-sided hug. The king pretended not to notice as he went to greet his daughter-in-law and grandson personally. The queen was a bit more sensitive, holding her stepson for a scant second. Inuyasha stood back, only giving a nod to his sister-in-law and nephew.
Sesshoumaru glanced once at the crowd gathered to see him and went inside with his mate and child. The Taisho royalty stayed to greet a few more lords and ladies, but the servants began to leave. "Come on," Sango said. "We saw the interesting bits."
Kagome nodded and began to walk back with her friend. "You were right. That was worth it. Did you enjoy it, Myoga?" She looked down to her shoulder, but the flea wasn't there. She sighed. "He always does that. You would think he would tell me before he left."
The other girl smiled. "Yes well, I wouldn't bet on seeing Myoga very often in the next couple of weeks. I wouldn't be surprised that someone calls on us for extra work before breakfast. The fun part is over."
Ten minutes later, a few moments after they stepped into the kitchen, Sango's prediction came true. The entire staff watched as a castle servant came in and spoke to Naraku in the corner. "I don't have time for this," they heard him snap.
"It is the order of the king to make our kingdom's guests as comfortable as possible," replied the elite servant, not bothering to lower his voice.
"Fine, I'll send someone." The glowering demon waited until the servant left and then turned to his staff, his eyes skimming each one. "Thousandfurs! Get over here, animal!"
Kagome exchanged a look with Sango but made her way over as quickly as possible. She had not forgotten how angry he had been when speaking with Kagura that morning and was convinced that a lack of sleep on his part probably wouldn't improve his mood. "Yes, Naraku-san?" she asked, bowing.
"Boil some water and take it to the Prince Koga in the guest quarters. Apparently, one of his wolves has a head cold," he growled. "They waste my time on this crap, taking care of some sick dog! You better move your ass, Thousandfurs. I don't have the hands to spare."
The princess bowed again and walked over to fireplace, where she was lucky enough to find a large pot of water boiling already for morning tea. Grabbing a teapot, ceramic bowl and dishtowel, Kagome pilfered some of the hot water and placed it all on a tray. She wasn't exactly certain where the guests were housed, but she wouldn't risk asking Naraku and having him drag her through the castle again.
The snow was thick enough to slow her progress as she balanced the tray, but she was fortunate not to fall on her face. Once inside, she simply followed the stream of activity to the guest quarters. "Excuse me, where is Prince Koga's room?" she asked one of the passing guards.
"Last one on the left."
She thanked him and went to the room, but paused outside of the door when she heard fierce growling. She looked up and down the hallway at the others but no one was paying the slightest bit of attention to the sounds. Kagome lifted her hand to knock several times but did not.
"Are you going to come inside or not, wench?" snapped a voice from inside the prince's room.
Kagome blushed and slid open the door. "Good evening, Your Highness," she murmured, keeping her eyes on the tray.
"Kami in heaven! What the hell are you?"
The princess looked up to see the wolf prince standing in by his fireplace. Up close, she could see that Koga was just as powerful as she had imagined. His body was lean and muscular, much like Prince Inuyasha's, but he also had a thirst in his eyes that she couldn't place. Looking around, she could see that he had no baggage except the five wolves lying on the thick mats. The bed was untouched but several furs had been laid out in front of the fire. Koga was clearly not accustomed to opulent surroundings.
"Your Highness," she said, giving a small curtsey. "I have brought the hot water you requested."
He growled, nearly making Kagome drop the tray. "You didn't answer the question. What are you?"
"I… I am just a human servant, my prince," she murmured. "I work in the kitchen. They call me… they call me Thousandfurs."
The prince accepted this name without a thought. "Put the tray down."
Kagome placed it on the low table in the middle of the room and stood back, waiting for him to dismiss her, but when he didn't she looked up at him again. "Your Highness? I should be getting back to the kitchen, if that's alright."
Koga's lip lifted in a snarl. "Stay right where you are, human," he snapped.
The princess's eyes widened as he stalked towards her. She willed her body to stop shaking, for her expression to remain calm, but failed. "Was there something else you needed, Koga-sama?" she asked as he came within two feet of her.
He only stopped when he was practically nose to nose with the terrified girl. "Human! You reek of death!" He grabbed at her shoulder, taking hold of a fistful of her cloak. "These are my kindred! You have wolf pelts on your back! Who are you to wear the skins of my tribe? I cannot believe that the king would allow such a dishonorable act in his household!" He began to pull it off of her shoulder.
Kagome shrieked and tried to get away, but the prince's grip was firm. "Please, stop! I beg forgiveness, Your Highness!"
"Take it off!" he yelled back. "You shame the Taisho kingdom!"
The princess fell backwards, landing hard on her tailbone. The cloak peeled away, leaving her in her winter yukata and blackened skin. She cried out again and reached for her furs. "Please, Your Highness! It is my warmth!"
"Find another animal to slaughter!"
"Koga-sama, please! I meant no disrespect!" she pled, tears beginning to stream down her face.
The five wolves around her were on their feet now, circling the sobbing princess. "I should let them kill you for such a sin," he growled.
Kagome threw her entire body onto the floor. "Your Highness! I beg forgiveness!" she cried again.
Koga stepped forward, but stopped suddenly, turning pale as he looked at his doorway. The door was still open, a fact forgotten by both the prince and the crying girl. He dropped Kagome's fur and stood up straight. "I did not expect to see you so soon," he muttered.
The princess wiped her red eyes and turned to look at the very welcome intruder. Queen Izayoi stood in the doorway, staring at the wolf prince with more seriousness than should have been allowed on her beautiful face. "Prince Koga, you've disturbed half of the castle. What do you think you're doing to my servant?"
"Your servant?" He looked down at Kagome on the floor. "I wasn't aware that she was your personal maid, my queen."
"She's not," replied the lady, "but every servant in this castle is under my care and therefore, my concern. I will not ask again. What are you doing to her?"
Koga fidgeted. "She… she's wearing the pelts of my wolf kin. It is a personal insult."
The queen nodded and for a terrible moment, Kagome thought she would be left alone with the wolf prince again. But then the Taisho monarch spoke to her. "Darling, did you intend to insult Prince Koga with your attire?" she asked gently
"No, Your Majesty," Kagome replied, bowing her head.
"And, as for the cloak, did you hunt the wolves that contributed their pelts to it? Or any of the other animals for that matter?"
The princess shook her head. "No, my queen."
Izayoi smiled. "One more question, my dear. Do you have anything else with which to keep yourself warm?"
"No, Your Majesty. It is my only cloak and, forgive me, but it is also a memento of my former home. Please, I would not like to part with it." She lowered her eyes, aware that she had probably spoken too much.
But the queen continued to smile, only letting it fade a little when she turned back to Koga. "You see, my prince, that the girl meant no harm or insult. Surely you would not deny such a timid creature her only source of warmth in the dead of winter? To do so would kill her and I assure you that the king would be most displeased. We do not like to lose our dedicated servants." Her eyes turned cold as she spoke. "Now, would you please give back the cloak that you unintentionally dropped?"
Koga set his jaw. "Of course, Your Majesty," he said, leaning over to retrieve the furs before thrusting it back at Kagome. "Here."
Kagome took the cloak and immediately draped it back over her shoulders. "Thank you, Your Highness," she murmured.
"I think you should also apologize to her," said the queen, making Koga look up at her in shock. "After all, you clearly terrified the poor thing. We don't want her to think that demons are cruel creatures. Your aged father, if he were able to come, would have said the same, I'm sure." She was still smiling.
The wolf prince's face contorted as the queen mentioned his father. "Yes, of course," he said, speaking through his teeth. "I'm sorry, girl." He didn't look at her.
Izayoi nodded. That was the best the stubborn wolf would manage. "Go back to the kitchens now, dear," she murmured to Kagome. The girl wondered briefly how the queen knew that she didn't want Koga to hear her true name. "My prince, I'll see you at breakfast." She bowed and walked out, with Kagome close behind.
"Thank you, Your Majesty," whispered the princess when they were a little ways down the hall, right before she had to turn to get back outside.
The queen stopped and turned. "You're welcome, Kagome," she said. There was no smile now, but Kagome knew that the queen's irritation was not with her. "The wolf kingdom is a close ally of ours, but they can be difficult to manage. Try not to upset them, although I admit that Koga was a little edgy this morning, even by his standards. If you have any more trouble with him, come to see me. Now, you should toddle off before Naraku gets angry too." She gave the princess a brief smile and left.
Kagome let out the breath she didn't know she was holding and turned, running down the halls to get back to the kitchen. It looked like the king's birthday feast would be quite a trial and she didn't need anymore of those.
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A/N: I love Izayoi. She's awesome. Anyway, review, review, review and review more! I answer them! Remember – reviewing keeps you warm on long winter nights. That and fuzzy slippers.