"Minako San, apprehend the attacker in that tree. Have him confined and put two guards on him."
The Shinobi nodded once and then was gone.
"Come Yuuko, we must inform them!"
Emperor Katsuki jumped off his horse and picked his haori off the ground before running toward the King and his guards. The two men stepped in front of their King in a defensive formation as he approached, so he raised his hands with open palms facing toward them.
"I am not armed and I do not wish you any harm."
It was then he heard the strained voice of the King behind them.
"Stand down General Altin, Lancer Nekola."
The two men lowered their weapons and stepped aside.
"Your Majesty, as much as I would like to have a proper introduction and welcome befitting of your status, at this time we have more pressing matters to attend to."
Yuuko was right beside him then, her eyes full of sadness as she eyed the unconscious woman in the King's arms. She lowered her head and bowed toward the King.
All three Ice Dragons were very much aware that there was a woman with fox ears and tail standing before them, but managed to refrain from gawping at her because they were true gentlemen. They would hopefully have the opportunity to address the issue later.
"Yuuko Nishigori at your service, Your Majesty. The lady is suffering from magic toxicity. She won't live much longer unless we do something about it immediately."
The King's face fell when he heard the words 'magic toxicity.'
"Oh Mila, you would push yourself that far?"
"I know we've just met Your Majesty, but I am the one who brought Squire Plisetsky back from the brink of death. I promise to do everything in my power for the lady."
King Nikiforov's face lit up with determination as the muscles in his jaw tightened and he clenched his teeth.
"Understood. Emperor Katsuki, if you would?"
He handed the unconscious red-haired woman to the Emperor, who cradled her gently in his arms like a precious treasure. The King smiled briefly at the sight before mounting his horse and then holding his arms out. The Emperor lifted the lady into the King's outstretched arms. He then removed his beautifully embroidered outer robe (haori) and used it to cover her. The King's eyes widened in surprise. Such gestures of chivalry and goodwill were quite rare these days, especially from a ruler; someone who was expected to keep himself above others. The Emperor then whistled loudly and the white horse Mila came riding in on came galloping back toward them at full speed. The King's jaw nearly hit the ground. I have questions...SO many questions.
"Follow me, Your Majesty. Your guards as well."
The Emperor then took off running, long and lustrous black hair flowing behind him in a cascade of ebony. As the horse pulled up alongside him, he grabbed on to its mane, hopped twice and then mounted it in one smooth action. As much awe as he felt in that moment, the King didn't have the time to be impressed. That would have to come later. So he nudged his horse gently with his heels and took off in a gallop after the Emperor, holding on tightly to his precious cargo.
Yuuko was about to go after them on foot when she saw a hand being extended out to her. She looked up and saw that it belonged to one of the King's guards; the one with the black horse.
"I am General Otabek Altin. I wish to be of assistance to Lady Nishigori."
The young Hanyou Kitsune smiled gratefully at the man.
"Thank you General Altin!"
She grabbed hold of his hand and he pulled her up effortlessly behind him. Soon they were following the two monarchs into the camp.
Emil Nekola mounted the horse the Emperor had originally ridden to their meeting and joined the others.
…
The Emperor was the first one to arrive. He dismounted Shirayuki skillfully and immediately got to work organizing everyone and giving them all tasks. First, he handed the reins to a nearby attendant.
"Tanaka San, please take Shirayuki to the stable and inform them to cool her down extra well and give her extra rations. She's been run quite hard."
The Emperor patted the horse's neck and placed a kiss on her muzzle.
"You've done me proud, Shirayuki. You've put forth an effort worthy of the Emperor's Best Horse."
The horse whinnied happily and shook its head. Emperor Katsuki turned to face Tanaka San once more.
"Ask three stable hands to come here as soon as possible. Hakaku is returning and we have two more guest horses. Please ask them to wait here for our return."
"Yes, Emperor Katsuki Sama!"
"Kobayashi San, Okukawa San has captured an insurgent just outside the main gates. Please assist her and support her any way she deems necessary."
"As you wish, Emperor Katsuki Sama!"
"Nakamura San, please inform the serving staff that we have three more very important guests. Have them prepare a variety of beverages and snacks. Set up a table and seating outdoors within sight of the medical tent. We don't want them to feel like they are being confined and this way they'll also be able to keep an eye out for their King."
"Right away Emperor Katsuki Sama!"
As the King arrived at the camp, Emperor Katsuki ran up to him and held out his arms. The King carefully lowered Mila into the Emperor's waiting arms and dismounted. A stable hand was immediately by his side, asking him if he could take his horse to their stable. The King nodded and thanked the attendant. The Emperor began walking quickly toward a tent that was nearby, the King hot on his heels. Just before entering the tent, he caught sight of General Altin and Lancer Nekola pulling into the camp, but he simply didn't have time to stop and give them orders and kept walking. Soon, the fox woman, Lady Nishigori, was in the tent with them. She immediately ran to Mila's side and knelt down beside her. She held her hands a few inches above the elven Princess' body, palms facing down, and closed her eyes. Her hands became encased in a bright blue glow and her eyes scrunched closed as Mila's body began to glow the same color. Suddenly, the blue glue around Mila became an ominous black mist and Lady Nishigori was blasted backward by an invisible force. The Emperor was by her side in an instant.
"Yuuko! Are you alright? What happened?"
The fox woman seemed a bit shaken but otherwise fine. She stood back up and fixed the Emperor with an anguished stare.
"Yuur-...Your Majesty, this case is extremely severe. As you are aware, magic toxicity results from a mage tapping into their ki; or life energy to fuel their magic once their mana runs out. Their body fights the drain and starts seeing the body's own magic as poison. The poison levels rise exponentially with however much ki is used. She has so much poison inside her body that it exceeds my power's ability to purify it."
A sound of pure grief escaped the King's lips as he covered his face and fell to his knees."
"No, not you too Mila. Please don't leave me!"
Emperor's Katsuki could feel his heart breaking at the King's sorrow. Such sadness and despair did not suit him. He knew there and then, that as long as the sun rose in the east, he would do everything it took to keep such feelings from the King. He pulled the tasuki from his obi and held one end of it between his teeth as he wrapped it around his left elbow, behind his neck and then down the front of the right side of his body and back around the right elbow. Then he brought the tasuki back around behind his neck and released the end from between his teeth. He then tied the ends together in a bow at his left shoulder.
"I shall perform the purification myself, then. My power will be more than enough."
The King's head snapped up and he looked at him with such hope in his eyes that it only further solidified his resolve.
Yuuko stepped in close so she could speak with him without being overheard.
"Yuuri, you haven't been trained properly for this yet. You're not aware of how to control the flow of your power in non-demons and could potentially use too much. I know you won't harm her, Yuuri. I am much more concerned about the strain it will pace on your body."
The Emperor smiled down gently at his troubled friend and subject.
"I'm aware of the risks, Yuuko. But I will have you here with me at my side. Just talk me through it and tell me when I am using too much. This is something only I can do. I won't stand by idly and let the woman die when I have the power to save her. You can clearly see how important she is to him."
Yuuko could not deny the truth in the Emperor's statements. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
"As you wish, Your Majesty. Let's get started, we don't have much more time left."
The Emperor turned to address the King directly.
"King Nikiforov, I will now begin the purification process to rid Lady Mila's body of the toxins that are poisoning her. I ask that you stand by the tent's entrance and not allow anyone to enter. Do not leave your post, do not approach or touch any of us during the process. This will most likely cause some slight discomfort to the Lady, but I assure you that she will be fine. Do you understand?"
The King stood up and dusted off his pants and smoothed out his cape before nodding in agreement and moving to stand at the tent's entrance.
The Emperor moved to stand at the foot of the bed and Yuuko moved to stand behind him. The Emperor's voice, although not overly loud, suddenly seemed to fill the entire space.
"I call upon the Goddess Elianna, Queen of the Gods, and mother of fire."
The Emperor raised both arms and pressed his palms together in a gesture of prayer.
"May I bring forth the blessing of the Phoenix!"
When the Emperor pulled his hands apart, the entire room filled with a reddish-orange light and a soothing heat. The King had brought an arm up to shield himself from the bright light and when he brought it back down, he gasped softly at the sight before him.
The Emperor's body seemed engulfed in flames that did not burn him. His eyes blazed the color of fire and it almost appeared as if there were living flames dancing within them.
Lady Nishigori leaned in and seemed to be assisting with the process.
"Temper your flames, Yuuri. Show me the most spiritual ones you can muster."
Slowly, the orange, red and yellow hues darkened and flickered into various shades of purple before becoming a unified sky-blue tone.
The King was absolutely transfixed by the sight. He had never seen such flames before, they were magnificent.
"Reach out to the woman's body and wrap her in your flames."
The flames at the tips of the Emperor's fingers flickered slightly before freeing themselves and shooting outward to encompass Mila's body.
"Good, Yuuri. Now, find the black energy in her body and imagine your flames burning it all away."
Inside the Emperor's mind, he could envision his flames eagerly seeking out the poison in the woman's body. It tried to run from his fire, causing it to force its way out of the woman in a desperate attempt at self-preservation. The woman's mouth snapped open with a pained shriek and then her eyes flew open. Black energy began pouring thickly out of them into the air. Alarmed, the King almost rushed forward but forced himself to stand his ground. He had agreed to place his trust in their abilities. General Altin's concerned voice was soon heard from the other side of the tent flap.
"Your Majesty, is everything alright?
"Yes General Altin, I'm fine. Do not enter, stand guard and do not let anyone else enter either."
"Understood."
Yuuko reached out with her own power and used it to contain the energy seeping out of the woman so that it did not escape out into the world and poison others.
"Slowly Yuuri, pull back a bit. Gently nudge the energy out, not drive it out."
The Emperor grit his teeth as he tried to rein in the flow of energy, beads of sweat forming on his forehead and at the back of his neck with the effort. It took a calm and cool mind to wield fire, it was why his family was chosen to do so. Any other individual would have been completely consumed by its power instead of being able to manipulate it for any given purpose. He took a deep breath and centered himself, willing the flames into submission.
"Good, Yuuri. Keep that up until you don't feel any more poison left in her body."
The Emperor did as instructed, pushing his flames through slowly and thoroughly until he knew there was none left.
"Now Yuuri, eradicate the poison contained in my flames."
The Emperor's flaming eyes narrowed at the floating black cloud floating in the air contained in a ball of Yuuko's fire. His flames flared up once more, returning to their original tones of burnt orange and crimson. Flames flickered together to form the shape of a phoenix, and it shot out toward the ball of black energy. It tore through the ball like an arrow fired from a bow. The ball exploded in a burst of light, leaving behind glittering particles of white light that drifted softly back down toward the unconscious woman and seemed to be absorbed back into her body. Color returned to her cheeks and she appeared to be resting more peacefully.
"Beautiful, Yuuri. Now pull your power back in, relinquish it slowly."
Emperor Katsuki withdrew his flames back into himself and tried to cede the power evenly, but the previous actions had left him feeling strained and exhausted. Combined with his inexperience with spiritual purification, it resulted in him releasing the power too abruptly. It left him feeling incredibly lightheaded and dizzy. He lowered his arms slowly, fighting bravely to keep his balance and not let on how affected he was.
"Yuuri, are you alright?"
Yuuko...right...I can't let her see...I can't let her know...He spoke as firmly and clearly as he could.
"Yes Yuuko, I'm fine. Go, prepare the recovery potion. I'll be fine."
The woman seemed to hesitate.
King Nikiforov had the advantage of seeing the Emperor's face and could tell that he was not fine. He knew that look all too well; the look of someone who was desperately trying to keep it together and be brave for someone else. He decided to step in.
"Lady Nishigori, I'm sorry to intrude, but I must speak urgently with the Emperor. Would you kindly be able to take leave and give us some time to discuss important matters?"
She opened her mouth to speak, but the Emperor spoke first.
"I accept the King's request, please leave us."
"As you wish, Emperor Katsuki Sama."
As soon as he heard the sound of the tent flap rustling closed, the Emperor swayed unsteadily on his feet and began to fall forward. Rather than meeting the ground as he had been expecting, however, he felt himself instead falling into a soft, warm and solid mass. Something strong wrapped around his waist, holding him steady. With great effort, he lifted his head, his sleepy eyes blinking tiredly up at the concerned blue eyes of the King.
"Worry not, I've got you. Can you walk? There's a chair nearby."
The Emperor nodded weakly and stumbled toward the chair, supported by the King's firm arm. He was lowered down smoothly into it and sat slumped awkwardly until some pillows were placed under his head and he was arranged into a more comfortable position. The Emperor wanted so badly to speak to the King, but his brain was all foggy and he couldn't see make his mouth move like he wanted it to.
"S'...lpy."
"I understand. Rest now, Emperor Katsuki. I'll keep watch over you."
Exhausted way past his threshold of consciousness, the Emperor finally gave in to the overwhelming fatigue and slept.
King Nikiforov's heart swelled with indescribable feeling as he looked down tenderly at the sleeping monarch. Such bravery and sacrifice for someone he's never met before. He was willing to expend his power and exhaust himself for Mila, without caring if she was a peasant or a royal. He had the means to help, and so did without hesitation. He did not balk at the inconvenience nor the fact that this kind of purification was beyond his normal scope of duty. The King leaned in closer and examined the Emperor's features carefully. His visage was so incredibly peaceful, rosy lips slightly parted to allow soft breaths to escape them. His features were so much more delicate than those of the men from Occidentis, clearly distinguishing him as a native of Orientalis.
The King's attention was then drawn to the long black hair that had so thoroughly caught his attention earlier. He removed the glove from his right hand and took some loose strands into it to examine them up close. The hair was very healthy, shiny and softer than silk. The King sighed sadly, for it made him long for the days when he also had long hair. I wonder what it would look like hanging loose about his shoulders. His eyes roved higher, taking in the long and graceful neck, and angular jaw mired by unblemished skin. It took all his self-control to keep himself from bringing his palm to the inviting expanse of skin. He noticed that an errant strand of hair had fallen over one of the Emperor's eyes. Without thinking, he reached over to brush it away. As his skin made contact with that of the Emperor's, an electrifying sensation sparked at the site of contact, sending tendrils of pure unadulterated yearning coiling down and around his spine. He jerked his hand away with a gasp and took a step away from the unconscious man. The Emperor's lashes fluttered briefly and a soft sigh escaped his lips. The King looked back and forth between his hand and the Emperor. What the hell was that?!
…
"Get your hands off me, you murderous bitch!"
Minako and the guard that had been sent out to assist her dragged an infuriated and hobbled assassin into camp. They took him to the far corner, away from the main tents, and put him in the stocks to restrain him. Once he was locked in, Minako was approached by the two King's guards. A dark-haired man in Occidentis-style armor stepped in close and proceeded to introduce himself and his companion to her. Minako, in turn, introduced herself to him as well. General Altin looked disdainfully at the assassin in stocks.
"Is this the attacker who was in the tree? You are certain?"
"Yes General Altin, it is. I know because his hands are burned as a result of my power. I made his weapon a little too hot to handle. That's what fell out of the tree."
Minako pulled a cloth bundle from a bag at her hip. She carefully unwrapped it and showed the poison kunai to the General.
"Does this look familiar?"
The General sighed heavily.
"Yes, it does."
He turned to the man currently thrashing and cursing from the stocks.
"Michele Crispino, you were ordered by the King to stay at the camp and oversee its setup. Explain yourself."
"This...this woman killed Sara! Look at her, she's wearing her weapon belt! These people are all barbarians. I bet they killed Squire Plisetsky, too!"
/"..."/ Denotes Iaponica speech
/"Kobayashi San, please bring our two foreign guests here, immediately."/
/"Yes, Okukawa San."/
The one named Michele grew more fractious when he heard the murderous woman speaking in her native tongue.
"I bet she just told them to kill us all! She's dangerous, we've got to get out of here!"
"Dio mio, che diavolo è questo?!"
Everyone turned around to see Sara Crispino standing next to Squire Plisetsky, a look of pure horror on her face.
Michele Crispino looked up with pure shock in his eyes.
"Sara?! You're alive?"
"Oh, no! Michele...what have you done?"
_terminology_
haori (Japanese) - is a traditional Japanese hip- or thigh-length kimono-style jacket, worn over a kosode.
Hakaku (Japanese) – white crane; the name of the other horse Emperor Katsuki rode.
tasuki (Japanese) - a sort of sash that is used to hold up the sleeves on a kimono.
How to use a tasuki
watch?time_continue=41&v=qs6y2gOfQfI
hobble – to tie or strap together (the legs of a horse or other animal) to prevent it from straying
Dio mio (Italian) – Oh my god
Che diavolo è questo (Italian) – what the hell is this?