Chapter 3: The King of Hearts
"W-what!?"
King Alibaba stood up so fast his chair toppled backward.
"M-marry in-into? What do you mean? I'm male; I can't be a bride! And I'm the King of Balbadd! I can't be a Prince Consort of Kou and abandon Balbadd-"
Koumei blinked as his opponent went on and on like a startled horse [1]. "Breathe, Your Majesty," he hid his snicker under his fan.
The blonde teen blushed and glared at Koumei in his embarrassment. He cleared his throat and turned to Kouen. "Explain," he ordered.
Koumei twitched. The brat was lucky they were in his territory. Brother wouldn't have stood for this kind of behaviour back home.
"I meant to offer a familial relation with you, Your Majesty," Kouen's smile was slick as an eel, proof of his anger. Koumei felt his muscles gearing for a flight or fight response. "For you to marry an Imperial Princess of Kou…" his eyes slid to the side, before finishing in a firm tone. "And completely cut Balbadd's ties with Sindria."
King Alibaba's eyes widened, now fully understanding the implication of the offer.
"We don't care much about Balbadd's economy," Koumei followed up with another shocking statement, completely shattering his opponents' assumptions. "We want Balbadd to establish a military base here. Her strategic location is pivotal to further Kou's land and naval expansion to the West," as the Saluja fell silent, Koumei proceeded to corner them. "The trading profits are just…a bonus."
Despair began to fill the Deputy King's face as he realized one of their arguments was ineffective.
"We are determined to achieve our goals, by any means," the second Prince struck a blow in that moment of weakness, making it very clear that war with Sindria – heck, war with the Seven Seas Alliance was no issue. It was bound to happen one day. Why not now?
"Y-you-!" Colours began to leave the blonde's cheeks, yet his eyes were so fiery, those twin pools of liquid gold.
"As good Kings of Balbadd, I'm sure you would prefer to spare your people the harshness of war and the poverty that is sure to occur in the aftermath," Kouen leveraged on the desperation his younger brother had wrought in the two opposing royalties. "We can spare you your lives and some authority over Balbadd…only if you enter Kou's Imperial family, effectively swearing loyalty to Kou."
"And let us have our military base," Koumei reminded. "Think of it as a wedding present to us."
King Alibaba continued to stare at them. And laughed. "Some?" he slammed the tabletop with his palms. "Do you take me as an idiot? Today, you say, 'just a military base.' Tomorrow, you'll demand for control over Balbadd's fiscal policies, I'm sure!"
Koumei only smiled, a slow spread of his lips. He knew very well how menacing his expression was.
"A war? Or no war? Your answer should be obvious."
Kouen rose to his feet and left the room, his brother in his wake.
The job was done.
"What was that?"
As soon as they were in the safety of Kou's ships, Koumei questioned Kouen's unexpected proposal.
Kouen merely sat behind his table and reopened a scroll he was reading this morning.
Koumei thought he was going to be ignored, until he heard his brother's voice over the quiet strokes of a brush on paper. "You don't find him someone we can use?"
Koumei sighed as he settled next in his bed. "I do. He has an aptitude I do not possess, flexible and brave in interacting with people with power and influence. He manages his court adeptly, considering he was born from a peasant woman."
"But," Kouen gave voice to the doubts in Koumei's head, "you don't think him useful enough to bring into the family."
Koumei closed his eyes. "We are ready for a war with the Seven Seas Alliance."
Kouen hummed. "As long as Reim does not take the chance to attack Rakushou while we are occupied."
And Sindria, with the Seven Seas Alliance built on non-aggression, could not risk making an offensive move on Rakushou unprovoked while Kou advanced on Reim.
Lesser of two evils. [2]
"We still have Kourin and Kougyoku to marry off," Kouen said when all Koumei replied with was silence.
"Kourin is engaged," Koumei sighed again. He knew his brother had forgotten.
Kouen waved his hand dismissively. "Still unmarried. Semantics."
Koumei chuckled. Kouen was so predictable.
Alibaba was so still.
Sahbmad was scared. "A-alibaba-"
"I'll update King Sinbad myself," the blonde interrupted, his face still devoid of emotions. He stood up and walked back to his bed chamber as though in a daze.
"Hey," Sinbad's voice drifted from the Eye of the Rukh he'd managed to dig out of his dresser. The small gem of which rainbows were reflected, infused with Clairvoyant Magic so the two Kings could communicate anytime. The proof of his hero's trust in him. "How did it go? What did Prince Kouen say?"
Alibaba opened his mouth, and froze. He didn't know what to say.
Silence filled the air, growing more and more oppressive with each passing breath.
"…Alibaba." The blonde flinched when the older King, his idol, spoke again. The wise man had a knack of accurately predicting the outcome of a scenario. 'Please guess it correctly,' Alibaba couldn't help but wish, 'I can't bear to say that...I'll have to betray you.'
"Do I need to order my army to mobilise soon?" The genuine concern in Sinbad's voice caused guilt to pierce through Alibaba's heart.
"…No," he finally replied, weakly. "Prince Kouen, he…suggested that I marry one of his sisters," Alibaba shriveled as soon as he finished the sentence, scared for Sinbad's judgment.
"I see," Alibaba couldn't tell what the Sindrian monarch felt in the two words, but he didn't have to wait long. "I've heard of this before…Kou has eight Imperial Princesses and five – or is it six? – have been married off to rulers of certain territories that were…Invaded is not the appropriate word to use; assimilated into Kou is more fitting. Isn't this a good thing? Prince Kouen does not offer this to everyone, doesn't he?"
By the end of it, the purple-haired man sounded happy for Alibaba, and the blonde King couldn't stand it anymore. "He wants me to cut off ties with Sindria!" He blurted before Sinbad could say anything more.
'Please,' Alibaba hoped fervently as he waited, 'tell me you have a solution. You always had a solution for me when I consulted you before. Please, save me!'
This time, the silence from the Eye of the Rukh crushed Alibaba's soul.
"…Alibaba," the young monarch flinched. "We're Kings. I know you have to act on what's best for your people. Don't beat yourself up."
"S-sin-" Alibaba's sight blurred. Sinbad's tone…was too gentle. He did not deserve it, did not deserve Sinbad's forgiveness and easy acceptance of Alibaba turning his back against him. The older King had always been his anchor, when he was a lonely bastard Prince looking for an escape, and later on, when he was a fledgling half-commoner monarch trying to rule over a court of aristocrats who belittled him. His mentor had always been there for him, ready with countless advices, encouragements and stories of his adventures to cheer the teen up…
Alibaba tried to hold back his sob. "Sinbad, I-"
"I trust you, Alibaba." The blonde could hear the smile on his hero's voice, so palpable it was. "We'll still be allies when push comes to shove [3]. Just…a word, if you don't mind?"
Alibaba was grateful for the change in topic. He was seriously about to flood the magical device with his tears. "Yes? What is it?" He shot eagerly.
King Sinbad did not reply straight away. "Alibaba, I know…" he began, then paused. Alibaba hated how hesitant his…friend was, how there was a distance between them now. And it was all his fault. "You believe in true love, and you want to marry someone you love…Are you fine with this?"
Alibaba's cheeks burned in shame. Even now, Sinbad was still worried about him. "Like you said…we're Kings."
"I know you're a man of great integrity. You're righteous, so you'll try to love the person you marry. I admire this quality of yours but please…Alibaba, don't give your heart away to this Princess of Kou."
The teenage King squeezed his eyes till he saw the red of his eyelids. He…didn't think that far ahead yet. But oh, God, Sinbad was right again, wasn't he?
Would he have to live the rest of his life wary of the woman he shared his bed with?
Would they even share a bed?
"Alibaba?" Alibaba must have gone on without a reply for too long. "I'm sorry, did I-?"
"N-no, you're not wrong," Alibaba massaged his temple.
"You've got to preserve your bloodline, as well," Sinbad continued while the blonde was still trying to come to terms with a vision of his future. "There is little one can do to prove the paternity of a child. If you're not careful, Balbadd may be inherited by a child of Kou, either by nature or nurture."
Alibaba felt sick. What Sinbad was insinuating…he wasn't naïve enough to declare that it would not happen. Royalties cheat. He was a child born out of infidelity, himself. Yet, he didn't want to accept…
Then, Sinbad said the magic words. "We could circumvent this problem altogether."
Alibaba grasped at straws like a drowning man. "How?"
"It's like this…"
Ja'far put down his quill when the King exhaled deeply, like he was exhausted. The pale-haired administrator got up to request a passing maid for some beverage, before returning to the man he'd vowed his life to.
"Was that really the best we could do?" He'd been listening in when King Alibaba contacted Sin through the Eye of the Rukh. "Letting go of the harvest reaped from Balbadd?"
"Resistance would just be met by resistance, and leave a bitter taste," the long-haired monarch leaned back on his chair and pressed his fingers on his eyes, to soothe the dull ache behind them.
"And guilt is a more effective chain,"Ja'far couldn't help but snipe as he handed the King a glass of water. [2]
Sin's response was merely an amused chuckle as their fingers brushed. "You know me too well."
Sinbad blinked at the official he was talking to. "King Rashid is…dead?"
"Yes," the man who received him bowed and hid his face in the hands he'd brought together in a gesture meant for respect.
"I see," the Sindrian King sighed. He'd been so busy exploring the world and establishing his Kingdom, he forgot to visit the man who had taught him everything.
But it couldn't be a coincidence that he remembered the elderly blonde monarch's face when he looked at the sea a couple of days ago. Fate…the Rukh was trying to tell him something.
So King Sinbad wandered around the Palace. Nobody was telling him to scram, so he couldn't be so unwelcome…
And as he turned around a corner, he saw a blonde boy with familiar horn-like bangs that stuck out on his head walking down the hallways.
Sinbad's eyes widened. "Hey!" Before he knew it, he'd approached the boy. "Are you a son of King Rashid?"
It disturbed Sinbad to see the boy stare back at him emptily, the skin below his eyes dark and lined. "…Yes. You are?" He appeared confused.
Sinbad gave him a sunny smile, attempting to look trustworthy (and must be utterly failing at it, judging from the boy's lack of a reaction). "I'm Sinbad, an old mentee of your father. I just heard about his passing. My deepest condolences…"
His voice trailed off. Because, all of a sudden, those dull amber irises sparkled.
"Y-you're Sinbad? The Sinbad who went on adventures to conquer dungeons?" the boy gasped in awe, his face filling with energy. The older man's hand was grabbed in slender, calloused fingers. Palms bearing evidence of years of trainings with the sword. "I'm Alibaba! I-I can't believe I'm meeting you-"
Alibaba…the name mentioned in one of Rashid's last letters. The name of the son he'd been bragging.
Everything clicked in Sinbad's mind.
This was the chance the Rukh had led him to.
There was no way he wasn't going to seize it.
"Please take a seat," the blonde King gestured as Kouen and Koumei entered the dining room, smiling amiably all the while.
Only several days after they had basically bullied the monarchs of Balbadd to choose war or marriage, an invitation was delivered to the ship the two Imperial Princes of Kou were staying at.
The speed in which matters moved pleased Kouen; he was not one to send passive-aggressive reminders (no, arrows would just find their ways to the Palace roof instead) [4]. And the instance he laid his eyes on King Alibaba's torso and found the hilt of a different sword tucked to the sash around his waist, Kouen knew the end of the day would favour him.
"Your Excellency," King Alibaba couldn't refrain from delivering a sarcastic remark to Koumei, however, "would you prefer to go straight to the point again, or enjoy what we have prepared for you?" He referred to the plates of exquisitely-prepared delicious-looking seafood on the table.
Koumei was inwardly pleased, Kouen could tell. "If you had food previously, I would have been more willing to lend you my time."
So they spent time eating, and engaging on inane conversations. Kouen was asked for the continuation of his dungeon-capturing stories, although this time the redhead noted the blonde boy's passionate reactions were muted. It was one of the most enjoyable time Kouen had spent in this Oceanic Kingdom. King Alibaba was a good host, indeed.
"Well, then," the amber-eyed royalty put down his napkin and put on a somber expression as soon as the maids cleared the last of the cuisine.
Kouen nodded. "Will I get to hear you call me 'Big Brother'?" He couldn't help but tease the younger man with a pretty, boyish face.
Kouen didn't realise he was hoping for a flustered, begrudging assent, until he was disappointed. King Alibaba merely cocked his head, the curve of his lips secretive. "You will," he said, after a mocking pause clearly meant to keep Kouen waiting, "but I will not be marrying one of your sisters."
"I want to marry a Prince of Kou instead."
TBC
Review please! Like really! Silent readers really unnerve me coz I can't tell what they're thinking and how I can make this journey of sharing a story more enjoyable for us both. Is Alibaba too OOC? Do you feel the story's progressing too slowly and you can't wait for RyuuAli?
Notes:
1. The phrase I was about to write was 'like a freight train', then I thought, 'wait, they have no freight trains…'
2. Please let me know if I went through things too fast and you don't understand, or the reverse (I'm over explaining and it's boring). That whole interaction between Ja'far and Sin, the purpose is just to explain what Sinbad is thinking throughout the 'phone call' (aka conversation via the Eye of the Rukh) and can be done away with if you feel it's unnecessary.
3. Anyone knows the origin of this phrase? When I googled it, some say it's from Rugby, but they're not sure. If it's really from Rugby, I need to change it, may be.
4. Only after I wrote chapter 3 I began to think if Kou's armada has canons or not. Remembering Reim's war with Magnostadt, gunpowder seems like a new invention, yet Sindria had fireworks during Maharagan (anime ver). So I edited the previous chapter.