Chapter 6: Almost Perfect
It took another two weeks of carriage rides from Aomen to reach Rakushou.
Alibaba continued trying (and failing) to beat Koumei at Xiangqi, and holding rhetorical debates with Kouen till the candle wicks were burned out, but Koumei could see that something had…changed.
There was a distance between them, now. Alibaba never quite let himself go the way he did during the voyage. They weren't strangers as they were in Balbadd…but Alibaba couldn't look at Koumei in the eyes for long anymore.
(Maybe the blonde knew he wouldn't be able to keep his resentment off his face if he did.)
Well…Koumei didn't mind the wake-up call. He'd enjoyed the good dream while it lasted.
Kou's Palace…was a city in her own right. Isolated from the rest of Rakushou by a moat and four walls that went on for miles, she look…a little like prison.
The travelers passed through a majestic metal entrance, with a watch house built atop a brick red U-shaped building, looming over the carriages and blocking over the sunlight. Alibaba felt a little intimidated. [1]
They crossed two vast squares above a four-storey staircase that led to a Great Hall, before disappearing into roads walled up on both sides like a maze Alibaba couldn't keep track of. All the while, the guards of every little gate they went through announced, "Imperial Princes Kouen and Koumei have returned!" each starting before the last was over, the sound bouncing off the concrete and making a huge racket. Alibaba couldn't see how any inhabitants of this…place could ever be not aware of the comings and goings of any member of the Imperial family.
They finally stopped at a complex of cottages that looked like someone's living quarters, the front yard dotted with blood red peonies and spider lilies.
As Alibaba stepped out, he was greeted by an assembly of…the most mismatched gang he'd ever seen: three women with dainty features, full red lips and slanted eyes, body parts wrapped up in bandages with scribbles on them and swordsmen with gazes too wild to be a common army.
Standing ahead of that bunch of eccentrics was a petite, lithe man, who was too beautiful to be true. The most attractive androgyny Alibaba had laid his eyes on, with long-lashed large eyes and defined v-shaped jaws like an exquisite doll, the skin of his chest, sides, hipbones and knees from the extremely revealing slits up his blouse and bubble shorts looking irresistibly smooth.
The doll smiled at Alibaba, lips quirked slightly to the left in a charming smirk. "Welcome, Your Majesty King Alibaba of Balbadd. I am Ren Kouha, the third Imperial Prince of Kou."
"Uh," Alibaba was tongue-tied. "Thanks."
Behind him, Kouen and Koume shared a knowing look.
Fortunately, Kouha took his eyes off Alibaba, removing him from the spotlight. Kouha beamed when he caught the sight of his half-brothers. "Brother Kouen, brother Koumei, long time no see!" That expression made him more like a real person, and could positively break hearts. "I've been training the army in your absence!" Kouha seemed so eager to impress.
"Thanks for your hard work," Kouen approached the youngest redhead with a fond smile and patted him on his head, above the blue hat with the golden wings. "Could you please be a good host for our guest?" The stare he spared Alibaba seemed to convey a…message the blonde monarch wasn't comfortable with.
Kouha's face turned somber. "Certainly," the word sounded so loaded.
"Thank you for your company throughout the journey!" Alibaba told the retreating backs of Koumei and Kouen.
He was only replied with a nod.
"Your Majesty," Kouha began when Alibaba watched the disappearing figures of his travel mates. "Jinjin and I will guide you and your bodyguards to your rooms." One of the three women, the short one with pigtails and her torso bandaged, curtsied. Alibaba smiled at her to acknowledge her. "His Majesty, my father the Emperor sent an invitation to join the family for the Moon Festival in a week [2]. In the meanwhile, is there anything you'd like to do after you've freshened up?" Kouha continued talking as they started walking.
Join the family…so they'd set him a deadline, eh. Alibaba had better checked with Sabhmad on the correspondences with Reim, later…now, he had a mission to fulfil.
"The scenery of Kou's hills are much lovelier than the deserts and savannahs where I came from," Alibaba squinted as he appreciated the clear sky overhead. "Would you take me horse riding?"
Kouha blinked. Alibaba might even have seen his eye twitch.
The female courtier looked vexed, like she couldn't believe Alibaba's request. "But all the wind will make Lord Kouha's hair dry-"
"Jinjin," Kouha interrupted with a raised hand. The smile the pretty boy presented Alibaba was unnaturally wide. "But aren't you tired, Your Majesty?"
"Please call me Alibaba," the blonde said automatically, and shook his head, "on the contrary, sitting in a carriage for weeks had made me so rigid. I'm aching for some activities."
"I see," Kouha's smile didn't budge. "Well, Jinjin, please tell the stable boy to prep the horses. I will drop by your room at four. The sun won't be so strong anymore. Then we can also have a picnic up there. Is that okay, Alibaba-san?"
"Sure!" Their conversation ended as they reached their destination. "See you, then!"
Alibaba didn't understand why Jinjin was still glaring at him as he closed the door.
"Oh, that felt good!" Alibaba moaned as he felt the wind blowing his bangs away from his face.
The blonde had never cared much for horse riding; it was one of those things one couldn't really get used to if he didn't start young, but the air was cooler in Kou (as opposed to the hot, dry desert winds), and the view was really breathtaking, with the sun setting in the horizon painting the sky in a gradient of lavender. The mountains were patches of green, bright red and russet, bathed in golden hues along with the river, Oriental bridges and pavilions. And it was heavenly to have worked out a sweat and put his muscles to use.
"I think I envy you for having had these all your life, Your Highness!" Alibaba hollered as he turned around with a grin.
Kouha only smiled stiffly at the blonde. He was holding the bridle awkwardly, like he was bothered by his horse, and he'd covered his arms in a long-sleeved cloak and wrapped his head in cloth. "I'm glad you love it, Your Majesty."
Alibaba cocked his head. "Race you to the tree over there?"
"I'd rather not," Kouha was quick to answer. "We should start on the picnic if we want to get back before nightfall."
He's not enjoying himself, Alibaba observed and he was…surprised. Wasn't Kouha a General in Kouen's army? Shouldn't a General have been more used to marching on a horse's back for weeks on end?
The meat buns and finger foods were a treat, however. Kouha was a pleasant company, if a little subdued. He'd been so kind to let his entourage eat and relish the scenery with them as well. Alibaba was so reluctant to trot downhill, back to the cooped up maze. It was well and truly dark when they arrived at the stables.
A female courtier with bandages around her head offered her help to Alibaba before Tawfiq could lend him a hand, "Your Majesty."
"Thank you. Junjun, isn't it?" the blonde took it without a second thought. "Is it painful?"
She was startled. "I beg your pardon?"
Alibaba gestured at his face. "Do you have a wound…?"
"Oh, no, I," she was flustered. For a moment, Alibaba was sorry to have brought it up. "It's just unsightly," she ended in a bitter tone.
"Oh," Alibaba didn't like how she sounded. "Surely, it can't be that bad," he tried to console her.
"…I'm an artificial witch, a failed experiment," she went on even more spitefully. "What's on my face…is so inhumane you'll be glad I cover it up if you know how it looks like."
Alibaba inhaled sharply. Experimentation on humans…seriously, how atrocious could Kou get?
"…But Lord Kouha doesn't care about all those," Junjun blushed as she turned her head in the direction of her master. "He's so kind to have accepted all of us…Jinjin, Reirei, and any warrior regardless of his background." Her voice took on a reverent, almost obsessive tone. "Ah, I wish he'd hit me more…"
The last comment made Alibaba frown in confusion, but the rest of it was an enlightenment.
"I see," the blonde, too, fixed his stare in Junjun's line of sight.
Could he be the one?
They separated for the day and saw each other again the next day for breakfast.
"Would you like a game of Xiangqi?" Alibaba suggested when Kouha asked him what he would like to do today.
The slim redhead with fine braids on his fringe pursed his lips to a thin line.
Kouha was…so transparent, compared to Kouen and Koumei, who always donned a poker face. It was…very refreshing. Alibaba hurried to raise a different suggestion. "Or perhaps we can visit the library? You can introduce me to your favourite texts-"
"Alibaba," the blonde was interrupted. "If you suggested Xiangqito make me feel at ease, well, you shouldn't have, because I don't care much for the game."
Alibaba blinked. Very frank, indeed. "I see."
"And I don't care much for reading, either," Kouha said as he leaned back on his chair and crossed his slender legs. "I don't mind bringing you to the library, but…you can't treat me like you've treated brother Kouen and brother Koumei. You are spending time with me because we are supposed to assess our compatibility for marriage, aren't we? Treat me as my own person."
"I'm sorry," Alibaba was embarrassed. The injustice of his behaviour had slipped his notice. Kouha was…wiser than he appeared to be. "Well, what are you interested in, then?" He started over with an open-ended question.
Somehow, the grin on Kouha's face didn't make Alibaba feel any better.
"Your Highness, welcome, welcome!"
"Do you have anything new?" Kouha inquired in delight.
Alibaba was…beat. This must be the sixth seamstress they had visited, and the third Imperial Prince of Kou hadn't lost his steam. He was still perusing through fabrics and accessories with a twinkle in his eyes. Alibaba wasn't the one who had to stand while others took his measurements; why was he the one who felt tired?
"Ah," Kouha exclaimed victoriously, "this suits you well, Reirei!" he placed a Chrysanthemum-shaped pin on the head of his curly-haired courtier.
"R-really?" The woman's cheeks were tinged pink. "I-I don't need gifts, mi-milord! I'm happiest if you would just tie me up, and whip me till I can't sit without thinking of the marks you've left me-" she flung herself at the beautiful royalty's feet and hung around his neck with her bandaged arms.
Alibaba's eyes widened. What have I heard? Does he really have that kind of relationship with them?
"Reirei," Kouha untangled himself skillfully, "have some discretion for His Majesty, please." He winked at Alibaba.
"Ooh," the woman cleared her throat and bowed to the blonde king. "I'm sorry."
Suddenly, Alibaba felt queasy. "Uh…yes, discretion will be great."
They moved on to another seamstress, where they stumbled upon someone Kouha knew. "Ah, Your Highness!" A young brunette in a luxurious gown lit up as she laid her eyes, which had been painted with red shading and black lines that made them look longer, on the prince. "Why have you stopped inviting me? I have been waiting for your letters," she reached for his hand, caressing his forearm with her finger pads. "My husband is away…" she pulled him close and whispered to his ear, the rest of her sentence inaudible, but Alibaba – and Tawfiq too, judging from the disapproving frown the normally impassive man had between his brows – could guess what it pertained to.
Good grief, Kouha really got around, didn't he?
The funny thing was, Alibaba could see him getting along well with his nobility's wives, entertaining them with conversations of fashion and compliments he was so well-versed at giving. And, as Sinbad had mentioned, Alibaba and his husband weren't lovers, per se.
Yet, why hadn't Alibaba's heart accepted the idea?
The Balbaddian endured the brunette giggling over Kouha's sweet talking and her pawing at the beautiful player before they left the shop. Thankfully, Kouha hadn't given his lady friend a date to come over.
"She's pretty," Alibaba remarked, trying for an offhand tone but not sure if he had pulled it off.
"She is," Kouha shrugged, answering the blonde, to the latter's surprise. "But I don't think I'll keep seeing her. We'll see."
"Oh?" Alibaba turned to stare at his companion. Did Kouha say this because he hoped the marriage between them to happen? Considering his straightforward personality (which Alibaba had had plenty of chances to observe), it didn't seem likely. "Why not?"
"She used to be so bold," Kouha sighed, the huff of breath a little dreamy, yet also filled with disappointment. "In the way she dressed, the way she did things because she wanted to…now she's more likely to follow her husband and mother-in-law. She's…turning bleak. Losing her individuality."
Treat me as my own person, Alibaba recalled what he was told, this morning. So individuality was important to Kouha. That was why he had decided to shelter the…miscasts. Over reputation, over duties…to do as one felt was right, that was Kouha.
This gave the blonde hope.
"Oh!" As they passed through the market, Kouha stopped at a particular stall. "That blade looks really well-made," he commented.
Finally, an interest congruent to that of a military man. Alibaba looked over, and picked up the weapon the prince was pointing at. "Hmm," he swished it around to try it out. Alibaba didn't like to brag, but…he'd say he was quite knowledgeable on short swords. "It's…a little too heavy."
"Is it?" Kouha grasped Alibaba's wrist and slid the knife out of his palm. The blonde's pulse quickened at the proximity of the prince's body heat and the sensation of a thumb rubbing against his vein for the slightest moment. "Look," Kouha retrieved a handkerchief from his pocket, and sliced it. The silk was slashed cleanly, the fine strands still weaved in around the cut. "The precision."
Alibaba had to admit the redhead was right. Still… "The weight matters a lot in combat, doesn't it?"
"I'm sure," Kouha stated absently as he was browsing for other goods, his eyes zooming in the sharpening stones. "Hmm…I think Kanmeisei needs them… Excuse me, I want them as well," the royalty handed the seller money without asking for the prices of the blade or the stones, and refused the change. "By the way, Alibaba-san, combat's not what I need it for."
Alibaba blinked. What do you need it for, then?
They were out on the streets until it was time for dinner. One would think someone like Kouha would be disheartened to have to live in a place so boxed in like Kou's palace, but Alibaba couldn't discern any loss of spirit in the redhead when he stepped into his living quarters. Was he just too used to it?
The moment I thought I've got you, something else came up to contradict me.
Alibaba wanted to pull his hair in frustration.
"I'd like to take a bath before dinner," Kouha declared.
"I'd like to wash up as well," Alibaba agreed. "Meet you at the dining room in half an hour?"
Alibaba was there on time (the habit was rather drilled into him during his first two years of princedom), but Kouha wasn't. So he waited. And waited.
Alibaba got up to explore when he got too restless to sit a moment longer. He wasn't that hungry (Kouha bought lots of snacks in the market, luckily, for Alibaba and his underlings) so it wasn't that he wanted to eat badly, but…
As he wandered unsupervised (there didn't seem to be many servants on standby at Kouha's place. How…odd), peeking inside the rooms through the windows as he passed by just so he knew what they were, he came across a windowless room at a secluded corner. At first, he dissed it as the second door to the study, but it didn't seem to be this deep…
In his curiosity, he pushed the door in, and unexpectedly, it yielded.
The interior…was a twilight zone: rows and rows of shelves containing baffling items like whips, knives, paddles, handcuffs and candles on two sides, chains and hoops hanging from the ceiling, a cross-shaped wooden platform mounted against the wall, poles and iron bars… It was like Alibaba just walked into an underground torture chamber. Only instead of smelling moldy and unhygienic, there was a trace of…a sweet, floral fragrance in the air.
"Snooping isn't honourable, Your Majesty."
"What the-" Alibaba couldn't help but scream. He swore his heart had jumped out of his ribcage. The blonde was patting his chest and taking big gulps of air as he turned around.
Kouha was leaning on the entryway, his damp hair lying limply on his shoulders, wetting his beige blouse and rendering the cloth transparent. He was peering at Alibaba judgmentally.
"The door wasn't locked," as soon as the excuse left his mouth, the Balbaddian felt ashamed. "But you're right, I shouldn't have," he threw his gaze to the ground.
"And I didn't lock the door on purpose," Kouha's admission made Alibaba snap back.
Their eyes met, and couldn't seem to leave each other as the pretty redhead walked nearer to Alibaba. Kouha's stare…was so full of meaning and evaluation, all at once.
"Does it bother you?" the scandalous third Imperial Prince of Kou asked when they were within arm's length. "My interest?" he nudged his chin at the chamber at large without breaking the connection. "That I like to see blood and inflict pain on others?" He whispered heatedly. "…You've been a bad boy to go through my things without permission. I ought to punish you," his voice caressed the blonde like velvet.
"I…" As Alibaba thought about his answer, really thought about his answer, going through various psychological states like arousal (he'd never felt that to any man!), disgust at himself like a douse of cold water, then calm rationality, the magic was lost. The blonde looked around again, at the smooth surface of the wooden cross, the shiny black whips. Someone had taken great pains to ensure that each…tool was well-maintained. "…have a hunch. I mean, your courtiers haven't been discreet with their wishes to be hit by you."
"No, they haven't," Kouha clucked his tongue and repeated inanely, shooting Alibaba an impatient look.
"And I've seen that you care for your subordinates. They're always in your mind," Alibaba was stalling. Having his background, he'd seen many people from different walks of life. Kouha's fetishes really weren't so bad. The young king gulped. "As long as it's consensual…"
Was it a trick of the light, or did Kouha appear…relieved?
"Well," the androgyny smiled as he stepped back, "we better hurry to dinner before the food's gone cold and we waste Cook Lan's efforts-"
"Kouha-san," Alibaba interrupted. He needed to…he needed to understand who this man was before he made a choice. He needed to resolve this nagging feeling.
"Yes?" The slender General raised a fine eyebrow.
Alibaba clenched his fists. "You appreciate individuality."
"…yes," Kouha blinked, and paid more attention to Alibaba once he saw how serious the blonde was. "Don't you find people who can think for themselves and have paved their way in life more…open-minded? Stronger? More beautiful?"
"I do," Alibaba took a step forward. Like they were in a dance. He took a deep breath. "But you are aware that…the world Princes Kouen and Koumei envision doesn't leave much room for individuality? That they intend to erase ideologies off history and steal the memories of people till they're a bunch of obedient puppets?!" he couldn't help but raise and raise his voice until his last word echoed on the thick walls.
Kouha flinched, and looked like he'd been punched for a moment, before indignity took over. "Don't slander brother Kouen and brother Koumei! We allow room for citizens of the colonies to advance socially if they work hard-"
"Isn't that just rewarding obedience?" Alibaba swallowed bitterly. "The arts, the customs, the differences that make life so rich, they aren't to keep."
"But they aren't puppets!"
Alibaba sighed. Kouha was the type to respond passionately to heightened emotions, eh. "You're right, I shouldn't have said that," the blonde raised his hands, "but surely you agree that citizens of the colonies have no say on where to live, what to wear, and have limited job choices? How can they maintain their individuality?"
Kouha opened and closed his mouth several times… He threw his gaze to the floor for a second, but his reply was firm. "It's for the greater good."
Alibaba squeezed his eyes. Kouha knew the wrongness of Kou's means. Yet… "…Dinner's waiting," he could only say.
Tawfiq looked pissed when the Balbaddian king returned to the dining hall. "…Your Majesty, with all due respect, would you please stop running off to be alone with them? Please think of your safety."
"Tawfiq…" Alibaba rubbed his temples. He was in no mood for this. "They have no intention to kill me. They've had plenty of opportunities to finish me off and they hadn't," he said brusquely.
The vice-general pursed his lips. "But-"
"I'm going off to bed," Alibaba announced in a louder voice, and nodded at Kouha. "If you'll excuse me."
The blonde was beat, but…he couldn't sleep a wink. He tossed and turned in his expensive-looking bed for hours before the crow of the rooster roused him from a fitful cat nap.
The idea of staying curled up in bed with a stiff spine for a couple more hours didn't appeal to him, so Alibaba got up, and went for a walk.
The thing about Kouha, Alibaba thought as his feet crossed bridges and gazebos mindlessly, was that his personal values aligned with Alibaba's, but he was too loyal to his brothers, to the point he'd prioritized them above his personal beliefs.
Would time and distance away from Kouen and Koumei let Kouha see the errors of his brothers?
Was Alibaba willing to make that bet?
"Ouch!" Alibaba stubbed his toe against a stone statue he didn't see, and as he was hopping around with one foot and clutching his other, he realized…his surroundings weren't familiar. "Crap…"
"Huoh!" The blonde monarch heard someone yell as he tried to trace back his path, as though that person was releasing his energy, before the sound of something solid swishing through the air reached his ears. "Ha!" It was followed by a clack of wood against stone. This happened repeatedly.
Who could it be, this early in the morning?
Alibaba searched for the source and looked over the low fence, to find a thin young man with his dark-hair tied to a bun swinging a thick long spear about, flipping the weapon deftly with both arms and kicking and flying through the air in a practice routine, sweat soaking the back of his white robes. There was a beauty mark below his lip, and a patch of his face were darker than the rest. After watching him for a while, Alibaba figured it was a scar.
Yet, the young man was still…very handsome, if Alibaba might say. And his moves, they were so clean, efficient and controlled. He fought…very beautifully, his limbs very well coordinated. Alibaba wouldn't have guessed those skinny arms possessed such strength…
"Who's that?" The young man suddenly turned and pierced him with his intense grey blue eyes, vivid and dark-rimmed on the right, but…paler on the left. Alibaba didn't realized they were mismatched.
Alibaba ducked reflexively, and felt silly for doing so. "Um…" he rose back to his feet, and approached the other man. "I'm lost," he scratched his head.
The blonde was nervous as the young man (the son of a general, perhaps?) scanned him from the tip of his hair to his toe – taking note of his foreign features and sleeping robes, no doubt – before he smiled. It was an empty, polite expression, but it had softened his face so much Alibaba couldn't help but marvel at it. "You're the King of Balbadd who is staying with Kouha-dono."
"Yes…" the title the third Imperial Prince was referred to puzzled Alibaba. Shouldn't it be 'His Imperial Highness' or 'Prince', at least? "I'm Alibaba Saluja," the blonde introduced himself, regardless.
The dark-haired man laid his spear on his shoulder, before clasping his hands and bowing respectfully. "I'm Ren Hakuryuu, the fourth Prince of Kou. I'll be honoured to assist you, Your Majesty."
TBC
Review please!
Notes:
1. Modeled off the Forbidden Palace
2. A festival on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, on a full moon night near autumnal equinox, to worship the moon and show gratitude for a good harvest.
3. Not sure if Ohtaka-sensei intended it (most likely she did), but four ('shi' / 'si') in Chinese and Japanese cultures are both associated with death because of they are homophones, and we know Hakuryuu is the 4th Prince…