A/N: life keeps getting in the way of my writing. .
With the demon gone, Mickey and Sara were taken into a separate tent to recover, and Yuuko was taken by her husband Takeshi to their own tent. The Ice Dragon guests were fed and allowed to rest and relax for the first time that day. The King turned to the Emperor and requested an audience with him in order to discuss the fate of a certain rather anxious and pale-looking Squire. The Emperor agreed to the request and asked the King and Squire to join him in his tent. The King followed the Emperor out, dragging the subdued Squire behind him by the ear.
Once they reached the tent, the Emperor removed his shoes before entering. The two Ice Dragons behind him followed suit, with the King refusing to relinquish his grip on the Squire's angry-red ear, managing the task with his free hand. Once inside, the Emperor took his seat and the King followed suit. Squire Plisetsky was the last to be seated, dragged down by the King's movement. When the King finally released the Squire's ear, the young man hissed through gritted teeth and immediately brought a hand up to cover the tortured body part. He glared daggers of death at the monarch sitting next to him but remained wisely silent.
"Emperor Katsuki, I would like to extend my most sincere thanks to you and your clan for coming to Squire Plisetsky's rescue and saving his life. He is the orphaned son of a rather important political ally in Occidentis."
The King turned his head to stare pointedly at the young man next to him.
"His death would have most certainly led to a civil war."
The young Squire winced and seemed to shrink under the King's intense gaze.
The Emperor seemed a bit surprised by this fact and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Hmmm. It is very fortunate then, that he was discovered when he was. Yuuko informed me that had Momiji found him just one minute later, it would have been too late."
"Well, I would like to meet this Momiji, if you please. I'd like to thank them personally for their role in saving the Squire's life."
The King missed the pure mischief twinkling in the Emperor's eyes, being instead distracted by the sudden and gurgled cough that was emitted by the young man next to him. The Emperor smiled sweetly, doing his best to keep his voice even as he spoke.
"Certainly, King Nikiforov. As you wish."
The young Emperor brought his index finger and thumb up to his lips and whistled. One flash of light and loud pop later, a green-eyed fox kit appeared in the room with them, sitting pretty at the Emperor's feet. The man patted his lap.
"Momiji, come."
The little fox kit jumped into the Emperor's lap and immediately rolled over onto its back. The Emperor gladly accepted the invitation and began to provide belly rubs as requested. The King's eyes grew larger and larger as he stared at the fox kit, and the young Squire had to bite down on his lower lip to keep from laughing out loud.
"King Nikiforov, this is Momiji. She is Yuuko's familiar spirit and a gift from the fox goddess Inari Okami."
When Emperor Katsuki looked up at the King, his heart melted and fluttered happily in his chest at the sight before him. The man's heart-shaped mouth was wide open, frozen in an expression of pure delight, eyes dancing with glee and shimmering beautifully in the light.
"Momiji, the King would like to meet you."
The little fox kit yipped and barked her response, and the King just about disintegrated into a puddle of incoherent goo. The kit then jumped off the Emperor's lap and bounced prettily over to the King, stopping in front of his knees. The King removed the glove covering his right hand and reached out tentatively toward the fox. Momiji sniffed the hand presented to her and gave it a few licks of acceptance, causing the enchanted King to gasp. He reached out further until his fingers made contact with the soft tufts of fur at the top of the fox's head. The fox made a happy little whining noise and leaned into the King's touch. The King's fingers moved on their own, doling out gentle caresses to what had to be the most adorable little animal he had ever seen. The fox closed her eyes and made deep rumbling noises in her throat as she enjoyed the King's attention. After a few minutes, he was finally able to break free from the fox's spell and find his voice.
"So, I hear that you're the one who saved our troublesome friend over here."
Momiji opened her eyes and barked at the King as she flicked her tail from side to side.
"Well, that was very kind of you. On behalf of the kingdom of Occidentis, I thank you for your act of kindness. The Squire and I are forever in your debt."
The King put his hand over his heart and bowed his head toward the little fox kit. He then turned to look at the young man next to him, cocked his head and raised an eyebrow as he spoke.
"Isn't that right, Squire Plisetsky?"
The young Squire straightened his spine and nodded his agreement enthusiastically.
"A-ah…yes, thank you. I'm…uhh…sorry I didn't have the chance to thank you yet. But, I'm really glad you saved me. I thought I was a fucking dead man back there."
Squire Plisetsky shrieked bloody murder as he found his severely mistreated ear locked in a vice-grip once more.
"Watch your language, Squire Plisetsky! Speak in a way that befits your royal standing!"
"Ok-alright-fine! Just let go already! Please!"
The King released the Squire's ear, crossed his arms and waited. The young man glowered icily out of the corner of his eye at the insufferable ruler sitting next to him before clearing his throat.
"I, Squire Plisetsky, would like to express my eternal gratitude to the fox familiar known as Momiji, for saving my life. Without your efforts, I would not be here today."
He then copied the King's earlier actions and placed his hand over his heart before bowing toward the fox kit as well. The King clapped his hands in pure glee.
"You see?! I always knew you had it in you! I knew you had the ability to speak gallantly in a manner that reflects your upbringing."
The Squire's lips twitched in annoyance. He absolutely hated it whenever anyone mentioned his 'upbringing', especially when those words came from the King himself.
"That was a good start, young Squire, but there is yet another who awaits your gratitude."
Squire Plisetsky was confused for a moment, before snapping his head around to stare at the Emperor. He cleared his throat and was about to speak when the King cut him off.
"Not so fast, young man. He is royalty, and therefore requires something more appropriate…grandiose even."
The young golden-haired man threw his hands up in frustration.
"What would you have me do? Kiss his feet or something?"
The King turned to the Emperor.
"Your Majesty, according to the customs of Orientalis, what is the best way for someone to show the highest level of thankful prostration?"
The Emperor rose from his seat and smoothed out his robes before straightening out his spine to stand at his full height.
"In Orientalis, there is a gesture known as a 'dogeza'. One must first get down on their knees, and then plant their palms on the ground in front of them, before bringing their forehead down to touch the floor."
"Perfect! Squire Plisetsky, you heard the man."
The Squire looked back and forth between the two monarchs, a horrified look on his face.
"Are you serious? Surely you can't be serious! Oh my god, you're totally serious. You want me to grovel in front of the ruler of a foreign kingdom we don't even have an alliance with?!"
The King stood up, threw his cape over his shoulder with a flourish, and then walked over to the Emperor.
"Emperor Katsuki, would you like to form an alliance with the kingdom of Occidentis and work together to eradicate the demon threat from our lands and eventually all seven kingdoms?"
"I, Emperor Katsuki, ruler of Orientalis, graciously accept your offer to form an alliance."
The two men exchanged a firm handshake.
"Excellent! I'll have the official paperwork drawn up once I return to Zamok Drakona. I look forward to what our kingdoms can do for each other."
The King turned to face the young Squire, whose jaw had pretty much fallen to the ground and stayed there. The King and Emperor both stared at him with giant grins on their faces.
"There. We are now officially allies and you have no excuse!"
Knowing that he was beaten and that there simply wouldn't be any other way out of it, the young Squire performed the 'dogeza' and thanked the Emperor profusely for allowing him to live and extending his protection to him.
The King sat back down and motioned for the Squire to do the same.
"Once Mrs. Nishigori has recovered from exorcising the demon within Michele Crispino, you will do this 'dogeza' for her as well. Be sure to also apologize to her husband."
The Squire hung his head and wrung his hands awkwardly in his lap.
"You know, I'm used to your outbursts, foul mouth and often-reprehensible behavior. But I had thought that you'd at least known how to properly respect a lady."
The Squire looked up at the King, not quite meeting his eyes, his face red with shame.
"I-I….I didn't mean to disrespect her! I just…I saw the ears and my curiosity overwhelmed me, alright?"
"I don't care if she had five eyes, an elephant trunk for a nose or twenty fingers. I don't care if your curiosity burned at you until you were a carbonized husk. You had no right to lay your hands on any part of her body without her assent. I also was overrun with curiosity when I first met her, but managed to do so without infringing on her person."
"Yes, King Nikiforov. I apologize."
"I'm not the one who needs an apology, you know what you need to do. You are dismissed."
The Squire stood up and bowed to the Emperor before bowing to the King and then silently stepping out of the tent.
The King sighed, exhaling loudly as he rubbed at his temples.
"That boy, he will be the death of me some day."
"He is a challenging one, I'll give you that. I get the feeling that he's suffered terribly in his young life. He's angry at the world and feels like the gods have turned their backs on him. But he has a very good heart, Momiji would not have been drawn to him without it."
At the mention of her name, the little fox kit barked twice and then jumped back into the Emperor's lap.
"Momiji, why don't you return to Yuuko's side? You're probably worried about her aren't you?"
The fox kit stood up on its hind quarters and licked the Emperor's face before disappearing into nothingness right before their eyes.
"Your Kingdom must be incredible if it houses such fascinating creatures! I've been at your camp less than one day and Momiji is just one of the captivating beings I have met in that short time."
The Emperor felt a light blush creep into his cheeks at the King's words. The King had been staring at him intently when he had spoken them, boring into his soul with those stupefying blue eyes of his.
"Ah, yes…Orientalis has some unique treasures, as does Occidentis I'm sure."
The Emperor stood up and the King quickly followed suit.
"King Nikiforov, I invite your delegation to set up camp within our walls. Since we'll be working together from now on, it would be more convenient to have everyone together at one location."
"Yes, I think you're right about that. I shall go and inform my General immediately."
"Allow me to lend you some of my guards and horses. They can help the move go faster."
"Thank you, Emperor Katsuki, that is very kind of you."
"Once your General returns, I would like to hold a meeting to determine the next course of action. We must make a decisive strike, and exterminate the demons on this island."
"Agreed."