I own nothing. Fire Emblem is owned by Nintendo and Dishonoured is owned by Bethesda.
The Empress of Gristol: (Act 1)
Chapter 7: Guest of Hoshido
"Excuse me!"
Emily's eyes jolted open; taken aback by the sudden voice that came from behind her. She glanced around before she raised herself off the edge of the dock she had been sitting on; singing her dreary sea shanty. The dark-haired princess managed to get a proper look at the newcomer. She had long, very long, sky blue hair that had to be braided in several places in order to be tamed. She wore a white headdress, with gold and blue trimmings, that covered the back of her head. This was matched by her white dress that had feathered trimmings, giving her the look of a swan. The dress was covered in blue ribbons, similar to Sakura's, and a silver pendant—with a blue jewel set insides of it—hung around her neck.
The stranger's yellow, piercing eyes were fixed on Emily. To the point where she bowed just to escape her intrusive gaze, nervously muttering: "Sorry about that." Upon straightening up, she looked over her shoulder to look at the setting sun; realizing that she must have been singing for a while and that this newcomer had come to tell her to stop. For that reason, she bowed once more. "Really, I'm sorry. I thought I was out here alone."
As the dark-haired princess began to wonder if she should bow again, for Hoshidans took apologizing very seriously…apparently. But the newcomer gave a soft smile. "It's all right. I was coming out here to sing as well. And please, there is no need to bow."
The Hoshidan(?) princess sighed in relief. "Thanks. I still haven't gotten this Hoshidan manners lark." She extended her hand to the newcomer. "My name is Emily. Nice to meet you…"
"Azura," replied the blue-haired lady; who shook the gloved hand before her. "I take it you're Sakura's long lost sister."
"Apparently that is the case," shrugged the Nohrian(?). "To be honest, I don't really believe that story. I don't remember any of this…"
"That is a shame." Said Azura, who's voice conveyed her disappointment more than her rigid face. "I've seen how desperately your siblings wanted you back over the years. But I understand if this is all foreign to you."
The dark-haired princess gave a questioning look to the newcomer. "I'm sorry, but who exactly are you? You say you know the Hoshidan royal family, but your accent is clearly Nohrian."
The newcomer's face seemed to darken slightly, as if a sea fog had drifted across her face. "That is because I was once a Nohrian Princess. After you were taken by Nohr, Hoshido desperately tried to get you back. Though they failed many times, they managed to take me since I wasn't as heavily guarded."
The memory that had plagued Emily for the past three years, the day the masked man attacked, flitted through her mind to a certain point. "Oh, wait! I remember Camila mentioning about a sibling being stolen."
"That was me," confirmed Azura. "I suppose we've both been hostages for most of our lives…"
"I wouldn't go that far…" Replied the dark-haired princess, tentatively. "I mean…even if I really was taken from Hoshido, my time in Nohr wasn't exactly torture. I'd rather be back there than in this place, that's for damn sure."
The blue-haired princess looked at Emily, with an incredulous look in her eyes. "I'm sorry, but I just can't believe that. How could you possibly say that Nohr is a better place to be than Hoshido? That land is a cruel, twisted wasteland filled with horrible people—"
"Hey! Nohr is not a wasteland; only the parts near the Bottomless Canyon look like that. Sure, it's not the prettiest looking landscape, but it looks a lot better than this." She made a gesture to the surrounding greenery.
"No," curtly replied Azura. "Just no. If we were currently in Nohr, this would be a rocky swamp that had the colors of a snake being drained of its poison. I mean, I can't see how you could possibly ever think that. Just the fact that here, in Hoshido, you can see the glory of the sun instead of just catching a glimpse at random intervals of the day."
"Well maybe I want the sun to keep its glory to itself," testily replied Emily. "And besides, what you just described sounds much more appealing to me than this…blandness. Another thing; isn't it a bit immature to say that everyone in a country is a horrible person? Especially the country where your real family resides?"
The blue-haired princess' face did not flush red, but you could tell that she was getting angry by how her eyes were narrowing. "As far as I am concerned, Hoshido is my home. Maybe not everyone in Nohr is a bad person, but most of the people I knew defiantly were. For crying out loud, it says what kind of people they are if they let Garon rule them—"
"How the hell is that fair! They don't choose who rules them and it's not their fault that their King lost his marbles! Would you start demonizing every sod in Hoshido if Queen Mikoto turned out to be a crazy, manipulating warmonger by next week?"
"How can you say that about your own mother!?"
The dark-haired princess had to take a step back, for the aura that Azura was giving off was as sharp as arrows. "Hey, hey! I was just being hyperbolic. No need to—"
"She's been in such pain and distress for all this time, and here you are; whining that the scenery doesn't look like a vision of hell itself!"
"For fucks sake, lady, take a chill pill—"
"I hope for her sake that she doesn't hear you comparing her to Garon! How can you be so candied and uncaring about your own mother?"
"Azura, I was just making a point that you—"
"You, her own daughter, dragging her name through the—"
"SHE'S NOT MY FUCKING MOTHER!"
It was Azura's turn to take a step back, for Emily's face was burning with anger and her fists were clenched; her mark glowing yellow as the sound of screaming cut through the air. The furious princess took a step forward, her boots smacking the dock with the force of a hammer, and the blue-haired princess gasped. But at the sight of the horror that was on Azura's face, Emily's anger dissipated. The mark stopped glowing, the screaming stopped and her hands were now holding her head like it was about to fall apart.
"I'm…I'm sorry." Mumbled the Nohrian/Hoshidan or whatever she was. "I…I just can't accept it. I can't accept any of this…"
Azura, bravely, stepped forward and put a comforting hand on Emily's shoulder; which she didn't shrug off. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gotten indignant. It's just that Mikoto, despite my heritage, has treated me like her own daughter for all this time. And my time in Nohr wasn't…" Her face darkened again. "…pleasant. But your right, it is childish of me to write off every Nohrian soul as evil."
The dark-haired princess sighed deeply. "It's just…they all shower me with love and affection. But I have no memory of any of them, no matter how hard they try. Even when Mikoto…" She trailed off. The princess then pushed Azura's hand off her shoulder, turned around and sat back down on the edge of the dock.
Not deterred by this, the white-dressed lady joined the troubled princess side; her toes touching the surface of the lake. "Did something happen between you and Mikoto?"
Emily did not answer at first, as she stared into the water. "After we returned from saving Sakura and Hinoka…" she began in sullen tone. "…Mikoto showed me to a bedroom she said was mine. Before I was taken by Nohr. There were drawings on the grounds and she said it was of her, the late King and me…" Her memory flittered back to that moment, where she had regarded the kindergarten drawing. For as she continued to look at it, it had morphed into another childish image. One where she was holding the hands of another woman, and the hand of a masked man…
"Emily? What's wrong?"
The dark-haired princess, feeling tears escaping her eyes, wiped her face with one hand before she continued her story. "She just kept on assuring me, asking me to think it all through and to search my soul. She wants me to be part of her family…" The princess kicked the water with a black boot; not out of anger but frustration. "Anyway, I threw my coat onto the bed and just started wondering the grounds. Needed a spot so I can relax, so I could just sing…"
"You don't need to explain yourself," assured Azura; who joined in the act of kicking the water with her sandaled feet. "I do just that when I need to clear my head. Though I must say, your choice of song was quite…interesting. It sounded like a shanty, but I've never heard of it before."
"I don't remember where I heard it the first time," confessed Emily. "I find most of the shanties I sing in books from the library, but that one has always been with me. It has a morbid humor to it that I just love." She smiled, but only very lightly as tiredness began to tug at her eyelids. "Excuse me, but I should head back."
"Alright," replied Azura; as they both got to their feet. She followed the dark-haired lady as she made her way off the dock. She stopped when her companion reached the grass. "Emily…" The princess turned her head to look at the white-dressed princess. "…Even though it might be hard for you, please give your…the Hoshidan royals the chance to get to know you. If not as family, then as friends."
It took a few seconds for Emily to nod silently at Azura, before she turned on her heels and began to walk to her new resting place. As she crossed the fields, the sun having set fully, she heard a beautiful sound coming from the dock. Looking back, she could see it was the blue-haired princess; singing with an angelic voice that frankly put Emily to shame. It was perhaps slight jealousy that stopped the dark-haired royal from listening intently to Azura's song. She just continued on her way, hoping that when she falls asleep that she will wake up back in the Northern Fortress.
The morning sun shone through the wooden framed windows, directly into Emily's eyes as she lay in her red futon. The rays kept on poking at her eyelids until she pulled herself into the real world. The Princess had been having a nightmare that wasn't the typical Void horror show. She had awoken in the same futon she was really sleeping in, though the room was dark like it was nighttime. The royal had looked around, hoping to see Felicia, Jakob, Flora or any Nohrian she knew. Instead, she saw a beheaded corpse standing above her; wearing Hoshidan garb. The body then fell onto her, just as her futon became a sea of blood that was drowning her. As she spluttered and gasped, she flailed around in the hopes of grabbing something. That something was the head of the only person she had killed.
Her hands were now rubbing her face as a cold sweat took hold of her body. Usually, she could awaken from her night terrors like it was a normal dream. It wasn't just out of constant exposure, but to relieve the worry of her servants; because they would never be able to fix this problem. So she had trained herself to stay calm as she exited the world of dreams. But now that she was alone, in a stranger's home, and had taken her first life…
Emily began to fiddle with the lining of her left glove, which had been covering her marked hand whilst she'd slept. She continued to try and distract herself as she looked around the room that was apparently hers. Covering most of the floor was a rouge rug with orange petal patterns and the walls were snow white. The wood had a bronzy look to it thanks to the glimmer of the sun and the wooden entrance was a sliding door with paper (?) windows. What gave it its childish edge were the pieces of paper strewn on the floor before a set of draws. All the scribbles were colorful and had the unmistakable quality of a child just having fun with crayons.
The princess reached out to one of the drawings, throwing off the cover of her futon to reveal her near naked body; her black undergarments having served as nightwear. A smile appeared as she observered poorly drawn skulls, whales and a myriad of sea creatures. She turned over the paper and saw a curious line. From what she could decipher, there was a crudely drawn girl who was holding a strange array of objects with elongated arms. From right to left, there was a lobster, a pineapple, a tomato and finally some kind of pastry dessert. It was so bizarre, yet cute at the same time. It was like she had drawn a shopping list for someone, someone that she wanted to prove to that she could carry all these objects in her child arms.
Sufficiently distracted from her nightmare romp, she got to her feet and began to head to where she had discarded her armor the night before. As she crossed the room, a new uncomfortable feeling tickled her spine. It wasn't a cold wind that had brushed her bare skin, but a gut feeling that she was being watched. It was the same feeling she had felt many years ago, when Camilla had assigned some soldiers to spy on her after the masked man attacked. If it wasn't for the mark, she probably wouldn't have taken heed of her gut then or now.
The royal activated her 'Dark Vision' and began to look around the room. She was quick to found the perpetrator, who was hiding in the rafters above. Emily faked a great yawn whilst raising her arms and tilting her head; which fooled the intruder. She reached her armor and her coat and reached for her retractable sword. When her right hand's fingers were wrapped around the hilt, her mark glowed to slow down time.
The intruder, while her eyes had blinked, had moved from the shadows above into the floor below; her head sporting a fresh bruise. Being well trained, she quickly got to her feet before she was kicked through the sliding door. Landing on the wooden floor of the corridor, she soon felt a blade against her throat; courtesy of the dark-haired royal.
Emily looked at the intruder, who was a brown haired woman that had her right eye hidden by a long fringe that went past her shoulders. Her garb was that of a ninja, an orange scarf and a beige uniform that had wine red edges and knots. The princess quickly surmised that the Queen must have sent this solider to keep an eye on her, something that her big sister once did.
Before she retracted her blade, she sensed another presence behind her. Instinctively, she used the last of her manna to manipulate time once more. Spinning round, she recognized the second ninja; despite that all of the red in his hair had been drained away. It was Saizo, the one who had come to take her life. And his knife was slowly moving closer to her throat.
Adrenaline still pumping through her veins, she ducked under his arm and delivered an uppercut with her left hand. Time returned to normal as the redhead blundered back, dropping his knife. He quickly recovered and, yelling like a demon, lunged at the royal at great speed.
"Saizo, no!"
The female ninja, as she yelled, darted in-between the two fighters and unleashed a scissor kick that pushed them away from each other. Since she wasn't wearing armor, Emily was winded and was forced to the floor. While Saizo, though also winded, managed to keep his balance. He looked at his fellow solider with his working eye, which burned like the fires of hell. "Kagero! How could you have let her discover you! I told you I should have been the one monitoring the girl!"
Kagero sighed, bracing herself for the verbal assault that the ill-tempered ninja was about to unleash. But she was spared, as the sound of footsteps drew both their attention to a sight that made them drop to their knees. Ryoma, flanked by shrine maidens and samurai, starred at the two ninja with indignation in his eyes. "Saizo! Kagero! What is the meaning of this? Why are you attacking my sister?"
The brown-haired ninja gave her explanation in a calm, even tone. "Lord Ryoma, Saizo and I took it upon ourselves to monitor Emily. Bearing in mind what happened to her at Cheve, we thought that we could provide the same protection that we give you to her."
The High Hoshidan Prince smiled down at his retainers, which is something Xander would never be able to do. "I see that you meant well, Kagero, but I think that is only your reason for monitoring my sister." He looked at Saizo, his smile replaced by a stern look that rivaled Xander. "Saizo, she is not the enemy."
The redhead looked like he was suppressing a scoff, as if his respect for the prince trumped his anger and suspicion. "That remains to be seen, Lord Ryoma. We cannot rule out the chance that she might be a spy."
"Perhaps," replied the russet-haired man. "But I know my sister. She wouldn't like to be spied on from the shadows. That's why I assigned Kohōto to keep an eye on her, in the open." He gestured to the spiky haired shrine maiden, who was bemused by the scene before her. "You are my retainers. Whatever good intentions you may have, it is unforgivable to lie to our soldiers about the orders I decree. I will not punish you, but I never want to hear you giving orders under the pretense that they are mine."
The two ninja retainers nodded at their master. Meanwhile, Emily had recovered from being winded and was in the process of getting to her feet. Having heard everything, her mind was focused on the Prince's assumption of her preference on how she would be monitored. Despite the fact that he was right, it didn't make his use of the word sister any less annoying. She waved at Kohōto, as an idea of a slight popped into her head. "Hey! How've you been?"
The shrine maiden saw the hints of mischief in the princess' eyes. "What do you want?" She asked in a cautious manner.
"Oh, don't be like that," replied Emily in a coy tone. "I was just going to ask if you could use your stave…" The High Prince's muscles tensed as he heard that word. "…to heal our injuries."
"Sorry, but I haven't replaced my summoning seal this morning so all I have is my Silencing Festal." She summoned one to prove that fact. "I do have Vulunaries on hand and you're all welcome to a swig." Kohōto pulled them out of her pouch and gave them to the princess. The maiden continued to eye the royal with suspicion; not knowing that her trick had already been performed.
"Thank you," warmly replied Emily, as she gave the bottles of healing potion to the two ninjas. "A pity that you didn't have your stave on you. This might not be enough to stave away the bruises—"
"For the last time, it is staff!"
Everyone, barring the dark-haired royal, flinched at Ryoma's bark. Even Saizo was taken aback by the sudden snap of patience, to the point where his damaged eye was shown to the world.
But the princess was not fazed at all. In fact, she had a devilish smirk on her lips as she responded to the prince. "Lord Lobster, you don't 'staff' injuries. You stave them away; as in keeping them at bay."
"You know exactly what I mean, Emily." He snapped back, testily. He folded his arms, as his anger simmered down to irritation. "That word is to me like moist is to some people. I can't stand hearing it." Ryoma then saw something that made him raise an eye brow. The princess was still smiling like a cat who had stolen the milk, but he noticed that her eye had twitched like a needle had been pressed against her skin. He paused for a second, before deciding to find the needle via inquiry. "What? Does the word moist annoy you?"
Her answer was given by the contortions that flashed across her face. She didn't verbally respond and began to drink her Vulunary, but the russet-haired royal got an answer that caused him to smile widely. "That's unfortunate," began the royal; his words dripping with a taunting quality that you would find in children. "I have been told that Sushi will be served for breakfast. It's an assortment of moist, raw fish that is severed with rice or moist seaweed."
Each time the word was repeated, Emily's face folded in on itself to the point where it looked like she was sucking a very sour lemon. The High Prince, basking in the schadenfreude, opened his mouth to continue; but the princess shouted out: "Stave!"
Whatever witty banter Ryoma had planned was replaced with a blunt rely of, "Moist!" This started a tennis rally of noise; the ball the annoying words, the players grown adults and the spectators watched with bemusement. Even the ninja retainers were baffled by the childish behavior of their lord, for they had never seen him act this way. But who could honestly say that they saw two people shout the words moist and stave at each other?
After a few rallies, a new voice managed to interject itself between the two royals. "I'm sorry, but has Lady Sakura done something untoward with her staff?"
The mental image that was conjured from that statement was unpleasant to the siblings, who recoiled and put that visage into the deep resets of their minds. They both looked at the newcomer who said those words, and Ryoma bit his lip once he realized who it was.
The newcomer was male and had big, brown spiky hair that looked like it was the wings of a bird. He wore a black and white head band that had a black, pentagram stone set where his forehead should be visible. His eyes were peculiar, for they looked like they were shut but he still gave off the impression that he was staring at the both of them. Judging from his clothes and the staff he carried, he was a monk. But this holy man seemed to inspire ire from the Hoshidan soldiers. Especially Kohōto, who shot these words at her fellow clergyman: "What the fuck do you want, Azama?"
Azama seemed unfazed by the blatant unfriendliness, and in fact smiled dryly at the spiky haired lady. "Have you skipped out on meditation again, Kohōto? My, my—you truly are a poor example of a shrine maiden." In only twenty seconds of meeting him, Emily had a strong urge to twat the monk in the face. Not just because he was insulting a friend, but mainly for the condescension in his voice. In fact, the words of King Garon's speech came to mind as she examined the monk. If he was standing here and had the chance to kill only one person, she'd bet he'd strike the holy man down. For he seemed to embody what the King despised about Hoshido.
Not wanting to cause more violence, Emily decided to strike up conversation with the newcomer; before Kohōto could fire back at Azama. "So who are you supposed to be?"
"I am the retainer to your sister, Hinoka." Replied the monk; who turned his closed eyes to her whilst smirking.
"That great," hurriedly replied the royal. "So why aren't you at her side right now?"
"Why would I be at her side?"
"…Umm, you're a retainer? You're supposed to be serving your master on and off the battlefield. Doing menial tasks and the like?"
The monk let off a pompous laugh. "What do you think I am? A slave?"
"No, you're a servant. You get paid to serve my sister, which means you need to help her rather than dish out verbal insults."
Azama was now smiling at her in the same way a condescending teacher smiled at a stupid kindergartener. "Hinoka is a grown woman and doesn't need her clothes laid out for her like a child. You should follow her example, because being independent will stop moments like this where you are half-naked in public."
It took a moment for Emily to remember that she was, indeed, still in her underwear. After discovering Kagero in her room, she had forgotten about her wardrobe until this moment. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that the other soldiers—who flanked Ryoma—were looking away from her with tinted cheeks.
Now that she was painfully aware of her exposure, she used her experience from her nightmares to hide her embarrassment. The royal tried to think of a comeback she could sling at the devious monk, but she was saved from doing so by Kohōto; in a way that really spoke to the princess' soul.
"There's no point in being cordial, Lady Emily. Just punch him already."
Emily smiled wickedly as she popped her knuckles. The monk took a few steps back, his impish confidence withering as the dark-haired lady approached him. However, Ryoma raised a hand and his voice. "Enough, Emily. We needn't continue this farce for any longer. Please, restrain yourself." The princess did as asked, though internally she was disappointed. The russet-haired prince looked down at the shrine maiden next to him. "Kohōto, Azama—let us forget this discussion of staffs and s…" He paused for a moment. "…Anyway, let us go to the shrine and meditate. Clear our minds so we can act like proper adults."
The spikey-haired shrine maiden sighed in resignation. "Very well, milord. But allow me to give Lady Emily breakfast first. I shall join you and Azama later."
"Very well." Replied the High Prince.
"Oh, if we must." Grumbled the monk; who regained his sharp tongue due to the fear of reprisal being lifted. He focused his closed eyes back on the half-naked royal. "Before we go, do you require the usage of my stave? Oh, sorry, I meant staff. I usually don't use such horrible Nohrian words."
The two royals might have finally snapped if Kohōto, as she strode up to Emily and began dragging her back into her room, hadn't said: "You are all bloody wrong. It's not a staff, it's a Festal. Meditate on that before you start proclaiming you're more enlightened." That last part was aimed at Azama, but the princess couldn't see the look on his face as the shrine maiden closed the door. The dark-haired royal shrugged off her escort and put an ear to the door, in the hopes of hearing the monk getting his comeuppance.
That didn't happen, for the only sound she heard was of their retreating footsteps. Sighing, she pulled herself away from the door and went to put on her black and white armor. Once Emily was dressed, she followed Kohōto to the dining hall of the castle. It was of a modest size and the décor was plain and simple, though it did have doors that led outside incase all of the tables where full. Speaking of the tables, they were very low to the point where you had to kneel down to sit at them. There was no one there, probably because many of the castle members were meditating along with Ryoma and Azama.
The royal found a place for herself and rested her knees on the soft matt under the table. The shrine maiden disappeared for a few minutes before returning with a tray in her hands. She placed a few sets of bowls on the table before she joined the princess on the ground.
"Usually, we eat with chopsticks instead of knives and forks," explained the shine maiden as she picked up her own wooden-utensils. "But we occasionally use spoons for soup, so I've given you one of them instead of chopsticks."
"Ta," casually thanked the princess as she looked down on her portion of food. She recognized the rice, the staple of Hoshidan cuisine, but not the brown soup that contained spring onions, asparagus and tofu. Her nose detected a strong smell of fish that was mixed with another cent that was powerful, yet alien to the foreign royal. "What's this?" She asked in a blatantly hesitant tone.
Kohōto replied after a couple of spoonsful of her own portion; smacking her lips contently as she gave the dish a name. "Miso soup. Trust me, it's really good. It makes you feel really warm inside."
Emily still looked doubtful. "But what's in it?"
"Besides the obvious toppings, I know fish stock is always a key ingredient—"
"Ooh!" Without another word, the dark-haired royal dipped her ladle into the broth and sipped the brow liquid. The taste that greeted her tongue was heavy yet exquisite and, indeed, as it went down her throat it brought a warmth that was very soothing.
The two dropped any chance for conversation as they devoured their breakfast. Emily, while liking the broth and spring onions, eat the asparagus and tofu quickly after discovering that they weren't to her taste; removing the detractors of her enjoyment so that it would end happily. After the toppings were gone, she poured in her rice on the assumption that they would soak up the soup she was enjoying. She was proved right and finished her meal with the last spoonful of brown-stained rice; contentment sparkling in her eyes as she swallowed the little delights.
"Told you it was good," remarked Kohōto as she began to stack the bowls.
"That it was," agreed Emily. "That was a nice change to what I usually have for breakfast."
"No doubt," replied the Hoshidan Shrine Maiden. "Tell me, how does a royalty of Nohr start the day?" She asked this as she set aside the bowls and fell back onto her knees; abandoning her duty for gossip.
"Well, I usually wake up and do some training before breakfast…" began the foreign royal; who so at ease it was like what happened earlier never happened. "…so I work up a big apatite. Most of the time I have porridge—oats mixed with milk—and I have berry coolie or cinnamon and brown sugar on top. That can fill you up, but not in a fulfilling way, I my opinion. So for those days, where I train, I have something more filling."
"Like what?"
"Meat, toasted bread and eggs. My favorite is kippers, but I'm fine with bacon and sausages when there are no kippers." She giggled as a pleasant memory caught her train of thought. "Sometimes, when my brother Leo visited, we would have beef stew for breakfast instead of dinner."
The black-haired Shrine Maiden raised an eye brow. "What's in a beef stew?"
"Umm…" she tried to recall the ingredients. Without meaning to, her eyes fell on the bowl of her finished Miso soup and it helped to jog her memory. "I know that it has beef stock in it! And lots of vegetables, like garlic and potatoes."
"Sounds like Miso soup to me. Doesn't sounds too heavy, besides the use of beef."
"Well…" replied the princess with a hesitant quiver. "…alcohol is also used in it. That's probably why. But Leo really likes it and has it when he can." She paused for a moment. "I wonder if he would like this? I should find the recipe for this and give it to him when I return."
"What, are you bored of us already." Said Kohōto in a jokey tone; which Emily caught before it flew over her head. The Hoshidan then stretched her arms and yawned. "Seriously, though, you know it's going to be a while before Garon kicks the bucket? I mean, your other siblings sound nice, but that guy tried to kill you. Peace is not going to happen with him on the throne."
This conversation thread had led to an undeniable truth, one that unearthed many painful memories for the princess. Blocking visions of the King and Gunter…. she changed the conversation abruptly. "So, why did you decide to be a Shrine Maiden? Not to be rude, but you don't seem religious."
"Gods no." Laughed the Hoshidan. "I mean, didn't the First Dragon use us as pawns for wars, or something? Why would I worship them? But I do value some of the principle of the religious teachings, mostly the Golden Rule."
"The Golden Rule?"
"Treat others how you would want to be treated. So being respectful and trying to help others. I agree with that. But this whole metaphysical crap about the universe…it just…" She clicked her fingers, as if trying to summon information from the depths of her mind. "There was a Nohrian Philosopher who coined a term…" she muttered in hopes of baiting the knowledge from the royal. "…He had a funny name you can't pronounce…"
"Oh!" Exclaimed Emily. "You mean Nei…Ney…That guy who coined the term Nihilism."
"Exactly! The 'don't give a shit' mentality."
Emily let out a neutral sound that you make when you think someone is oversimplifying something. "Isn't it more about the belief that existence, and everything in it, has no intrinsic meaning or value?"
"Yeah, and that is bullshit." Her voice wasn't raised, but there was still a heat to those words that wasn't directed at the royal. "The idea that there is no meaning in anything is just stupid. If there was no meaning in anything, why do we trade goods and other material items? Because we see value in them. Not everyone agrees on what is and isn't valuable. But the fact there is a discussion like that happening right now, in another part of the world, shows that there is meaning in things. Just because people don't see the value in something doesn't mean there is none." A sour look finally broke across her face as she looked at a mark that was on her Festal.
"To be honest, I think Nihilism is the worst part of Hoshidan religion. The idea of multiple planes of existence being real and those who accept that pack of lies are more enlightened than the common folk. That abstaining from comforts and even fucking basic moral values makes them superior." She looked up at Emily, keeping her bitterness in her eyes. "Do you know why Azama is Hinoka's retainer? He saved her life when she was younger. And do you want to know why?" The royal nodded, her curiosity peaked very highly. "He found the look of anger on her face, as she clung to life, charming."
"What?"
"Yeah," said the Shrine Maiden as she gripped her Festal angrily. "I overheard it one day when I passed Lady Hinoka's chambers. He didn't do it because he was a healer, someone who saves people's lives, or because it was the right thing to do; despite the fact it's his job. It's because he found value in an expression someone made as they were dying. If he didn't, I bet you anything that he would have let her die. Because remember: life has no intrinsic meaning and people are going to die anyway, so why bother saving anyone?" The anger that was now in Kohōto's face was disturbingly similar to the look that King Garon had when he explained his hatred of Hoshido. And that frightened Emily.
There were a few minutes of silence where the two said nothing; The Shrine Maiden stewing on her disgust and rage to the exclusion of her charge. Finally, her face slackened as she began to chuckle. "Sorry," she apologized. "But I didn't answer your original question."
"Huh?" The princess was taken aback by the change of tone, breaking her out of her own dive into her mind. "Oh yeah. So…why did you become a Shrine Maiden?"
"The pay is really good, I get to meet interesting people—like you, Emily—and I get to wear a cute outfit that my girlfriend really, really likes. What more can a woman ask for?"
"Huh, okay—Wait, what?!" The royal's face flushed as she processed that last part.
"Oh yeah," said Kohōto in a casual tone. "Nohr hates Gays. I forgot about that."
"N-now hold on," said Emily in the timidest manner she had displayed so far. "Only the religious hate them…and bigots. And most noble houses. Especially the Royal Family…but that's only if it interferes with inter-house marrying! And if a religious King is on the throne…" Desperate to turn this around, and get time to calm herself down, she shot this at Kohōto: "But so does Hoshido! You guys are just as conservative as us!"
"Sure, they don't like open gay nobles or royals. But if you keep the perverted parts of it out of the public eye, no one really cares. Same for straight people to. As long as nobody sees a kiss or a quickie in a place of repute, you can love whoever you want. Hell, we Hoshidans have some really dirty humor and minds. We appreciate all types of nature." She titled her head to the side and smiled. "Don't worry, I don't think you're a bigot. In fact…" Her smile somehow became lewd as her face became red to. "…I think you're just…curious."
Memories of a human Lilith came to mind, as Emily mimicked her actions as she placed her face into her hands; embarrassed beyond measure. "Y-you…" she began to fluster. "…you j-just shut up, will you?"
Kohōto did not shut up. In fact, from her sitting position, she continued to talk in suggestive tones. "You know, I saw a painting of Nohrian Maids and Butlers once. Now I didn't care about the guys, but the ladies? Ooh, those outfits were something else. The stockings, the perfect color balance and those black trimmings on the collar…mmm." The royal tried to block out these words, but a part of her stopped herself from blocking her ears…
"So…" continued the Shrine Maiden. "How many maids were in your service?"
"…Three…"
"Damn, you're a greedy minx. You royals get so much choice." She finally leaned in and get a low, whisper. "Who was your favorite?"
A furnace was what her head had become, as sweat began to secrete from her skin. "Just go to hell…" Muttered the princess, sheepishly.
Kohōto let out a small laugh. "You are just like my girl. Confidant and brash until you hear something arousing, then you just clam up and become so shy. It's hilarious." She backed away and looked at the remnants of breakfast. "Well, I'm going to have to go meditate—"
"I prefer guys, damn it!"
"…Like I was saying, I should just clear up and mediate. But I want to keep talking…" She pondered on her options. "Hey, why don't we finish our controversial dissucions by discussing magic! We've talked about Religion and Sex, let's touch on the most divisive subject imaginable."
"Sure, why not?" Shrugged the royal in relief, as she felt the heat leave her body.
"Great. Well, I don't know about Nohrian Dark Mages, but our equivalent—Diviners—wear these high cut shirts the really only covers their chest. The female ones show a lot of skin and not just their toned stomachs. It's more sexy than cute, and I swear you can see the back of their—"
"Don't push me, Kohōto!"
"Sorry, sorry," replied the grinning Shrine Maiden. "But seriously, magic is a really weird topic over here. Everyone usually fall into these camps: people who just hate every form of magic. People who have no problems with Shrine Maidens, and other religious army roles, but hate Diviners. Then people who are fine with healing magic and tolerate Diviner magic, but hate Nohrian magic."
"What about the people who are fine with all magic?" Asked the Princess.
"They don't live in Hoshido." Replied the dark-haired Hoshidan. "I swear, those are the only three types of opinions I have seen in my time living in my village and all the places I've been to with the army."
"But what exactly are Diviners? Isn't divination like soothsaying? You know, telling the future?"
"Yeah, and some Diviners dabble with that along with medicinal work. Some stupid people think the latter is magic, so they lump in Apothecaries as mages, and think divination actually works."
"It doesn't?"
Kohōto shook her head. "I certainly don't think so. That reminds me, watch out for Queen Mikoto's retainer, Orochi. She's a scam artist, pure and simple. But back to your question—Diviners are defined as people who use Scrolls."
"Scrolls?"
"Well, correct me if I'm wrong, but Nohrian magic works by writing down long and complicated words in a grimoire that they then have memorize and pronounce correctly, right?"
"Yes," nodded Emily. "But most trained mages are taught to think the words instead. Shouting them out loud grants them more power, for some reason, but that gives away the spell before its cast. Making it easier for enemies to doge or counter with their own magic."
Kohōto also nodded, as if she had just found the missing piece of the puzzle in her mind. "So that's why Diviners don't shout out 'horse' or 'rat' when they use their scrolls." The royal was puzzled by this remark, which was quickly clarified by the Shrine Maiden. "Diviners write on scrolls like Dark Mages write in grimoires. While Mages can create lightening and ice in its purest form, Diviners make animal shapes out of energy that is similar to those elements. The big difference between those two is that a Mage can be versatile with the spells he can use, while a Diviner can only use scrolls for battle."
"So…" slowly spoke Emily as she tried to make sense of the given information. "…Dark Mages can use a frost spell to attack someone but also treat a person's burn—if a healing stave isn't close by. But Diviners can only attack with scrolls, as if they can only throw chunks of ice in the shape of a rat or something."
"Basically," confirmed the Hoshidan as she scratched her head; as if simply talking about magic was making her brain hurt. "I think Diviners can create charms on paper that cast more powerful spells…but the only people who do that seem to be the Fire or Wind Tribe. And there is a reason they keep isolated."
"Because lots of Hoshidans don't like magic."
"Exactly," sighed the Shrine Maiden. "Even though the late King Sumeragi, was chummy with them nobody really wants the Wind Tribe near them. With that in mind, it's a miracle that the Fire Chief's daughter has joined our army at all while so many Hoshidans have been trying to 'persuade' them to drop magic entirely."
"Wow," said Emily in a disbelieving tone. "That is just the complete opposite to Nohr. Commoners can be in standing with nobility if they show they can be great magic users. Sure, there are people who don't like magic that much. But they usually take issue with the fringe crazies who break Mage regulations and those who act like weirdos. Or that Mages are forced to join the army, even if they don't want to."
"Yeash. That sucks."
"In a way, it does. But they get formal training and it prevents private institutes from creating their own army of mages loyal to them. That used to happen a lot before the royal family cracked down on that. And those who are really against it can avoid the law most of the time." The idea of conscription didn't look like it was sitting well with Kohōto, so the princess changed the topic slightly. "I take it you're fine with magic?"
The Shrine Maiden nodded. "Yup. In fact, I'm training to be an Onmyoji." Once more, she explained herself to the puzzled royal. "Shrine Maidens have two ways of promotion, which is the same for Monks. Shrine Maidens can become either a Priestess or an Onmyoji, while Monks can become either a Great Master or Onmyoji. Any of these roles are given to a Shrine Maiden or Monk if they prove to a Master Seal that they have the knowledge to use the weapon type required for a certain role."
"What are Master—"
"Please, Emily, don't ask!" Kohōto looked like her brain was on the verge of exploding. "Seals are really complicated to explain and it takes a long time to really understand how they work. I don't mind explaining some things, but it is the morning and I have already skipped out on most of my mediation time."
The royal, seeing the stressed veins that pulsed on her friend's forehead, decided to try and guess what the differences are. "So, forgetting about the other roles for a second, Onmyoji are just Shrine Maidens that use scrolls."
"Yes," confirmed the Shrine Maiden; who looked relieved that the subject of Seals was dropped. "Once I can operate a basic scroll, like a rat scroll, I can get the promotion."
"Any reason you chose that role instead of being a Priestess?"
"I am really shit with a bow." Said Kohōto, exasperatedly. "It's a shame, since the Priestess garb is really cute and elegant compared to the baggy robes of an Onmyoji. But I can't stand the pain of pulling back the bow's string and I'm a shit aim in general. I don't need to aim much when firing off a magical construct."
"That may be, but it takes a lot of concentration to use a scroll…or so I have been told."
The two women jumped from their seats and almost knocked over the table they had been sitting at. They looked around at where the voice of Kaze had come from, which was directly behind them. The green-haired ninja was standing straight with his arms crossed, but not in an intimidating way. He smiled a smile that was aimed at Kohōto, who had the expression seen on many repeat offenders. "Forgive me for saying so, Kohōto, but unless you focus more you might not get that promotion."
"Yeah, yeah, Kaze. I know I'm late." She let out a deep sigh before quizzing the ninja. "So how long where you listening for?"
"Quite a while, I must admit." Emily let out a moan of despair, feeling shame for the second time that day.
"Well keep what you heard to yourself." She looked at the royal with a small smile. "This guy may be a ninja, but he keeps his word."
"And I swear I won't tell anyone about your conversations." He did sound very honest, more honest than you would except from a ninja. He turned to the Shrine Maiden, who was reaching for the remnants of breakfast. "I'll clean up, Kohōto. I have already meditated and you need to get in as much as you can before your shift starts."
"Shift? What shift?"
"Lord Ryoma, before he began to meditate, decided to compromise with my brother, Saizo. You and I will both take turns monitoring Emily during different times of the day."
The Shrine Maiden looked puzzled at this. "Didn't Lord Ryoma say that Emily doesn't like being spied on?"
"Yes, but I pointed out the fact that Emily has magic that can easily pierce the shadows were ninja hides."
"That magic is why I'm assigned to her." To back up her point, she summoned the Silencing Festal that she used to restrict Emily's spells. "What's stopping her from using a spell to teleport out, or something as powerful as that."
"What's stopping her from knocking you out and then sneaking away?" The dark-haired Hoshidan didn't have a response for that. "We have fought before…" continued the ninja. "…and I confidant that I can stall her long enough until reinforcements arrive. And if she tried to disappear…"
He stopped as they both realized that they had forgotten about the princess. They turned around to where she was still standing. She was fiddling with her gloves and stretching her neck until she noticed that they were looking at her. "What? Are you guys done yet?"
"Almost," answered Kohōto with a hint of relief in her voice. She turned back to Kaze. "When do I take my shifts? I presume after Lunch and until supper, right?"
"Usually, yes. But Princess Sakura has volunteered to supervise Lady Emily after my first shift is over. After her, I will monitor her until she retires to her chambers."
"Alright," replied the Shrine Maiden; who knew not question royal requests. "So I greet her in the morning for breakfast. After that you take over until Lunch and I will stay with her until supper. Then you take the night shift to make sure she doesn't sneak out." She turned to Emily. "Is that okay with—huh?"
Where Kohōto stared, there was nothing. No hide or hair of the Princess at all. She gasped and turned to Kaze…only to discover that he was gone too. To top that off, the bowls from the table had vanished as well. The Shrine Maiden gazed at the room at large, baffled how it looked like nobody but her had spent time here. She was so taken aback by the double bill of magic tricks that she didn't notice a newcomer until she was tapped on the shoulder.
"Gah!" Cried Kohōto. "What the fuck?! Who—oh! Sorry, Lady Azura."
"It's fine, Kohōto." Assured the blue-haired royal; her stoic face void of clear emotion. "Are you skiving from mediation again?"
"No, Lady Azura. I was just with officer Kaze and Emily—I mean Lady Emily." She coughed, conscious of her 'disrespect' of the dark-haired royal. "I was just here with them, but they suddenly vanished like ghosts."
"What where you doing with them?"
"Well, I am tasked with monitoring Lady Emily. So I got her breakfast from the kitchens and we both had it in here. Kaze then appeared to tell me that the arrangement has changed and that he would monitor Lady Emily instead."
"And I bet he also reminded you to meditate again." The Shrine Maiden tried to come up with an excuse, but Azura cut her off before she could craft a story. "Sakura has told me of your behavior and that it's a running gag in the clergy circle that he constantly has to find you in the morning." The dark-haired Hoshdian could only nod and was only slightly ashamed of being told off. "Though I'm glad you aren't shirking you new job. How is Emily?"
"Well, all things considering." Said Kohōto in a relaxed tone. She then covered the events she was aware of, that Ryoma's retainers had lied to her about guarding duties. How she had to wait until morning to confirm with Ryoma. How they, along with soldiers, went to Emily's quarters and discovered that the retainers had been discovered by a half-naked Emily. She went over the verbal spat between Ryoma and Emily and how Azuma had butted in. Kohōto's explanation was punctuated by insults towards the monk that she had to apologies for. "…I volunteered to get her breakfast instead of meditating, so I took her here and after a bowl of miso soup we chatted until Kaze popped in."
To the Shrine Maiden, Azura was very hard to read. Her face barely emoted, which was the opposite to how she sang. Her attempts at talking was the half-way point between these extremes. You can guess what she was feeling from the words she used, not the tone of her voice. Which made her statements like the following very hard to decipher. "So she's well, despite all the drama and embarrassment you tell me she's faced?"
Not sure if she was angry or just being sarcastic, Kohōto shrugged. "For someone who has been recently told that her heritage is a lie, along with her supposed father trying to kill her, I'm surprised she isn't more of an emotional wreck. But she seemed pretty cheerful and is willing to talk about tons of controversial things. In fact, I enjoyed the time I spent with her. She was easy to talk to, unlike…" She trailed off, realizing she shouldn't offend another person in front of the royal. So she changed the subject. "So, Sakura told you about the shifts, right?"
"Yes," replied the princess plainly.
"Did she tell you that she took over my next shift after lunch time?"
"Did she?" This was the first time that she slightly emoted with her face, her eyes glowing faintly with curiosity. "She didn't tell me that. In fact, I only found out about the rotating shifts just now. She must have been with Ryoma when he assigned Kaze to watch Emily."
"Yeah." She said those words as an apprehensive expression dawned in her eyes. This was noticed by the princess.
"Do you have a problem with Sakura monitoring Emily, Kohōto? And please, speak freely."
"Alright," cautiously began the Shrine Maiden; trying to pick words that would not land her in trouble. "Princess Sakura…doesn't have much of a spine." As evidenced, she had instantly given up. "The one thing I know about Emily is that she has a strong personality. The kind that overwhelms people like Lady Sakura. Now, I'm don't think Emily is going to be cruel to her because of that. I just think she won't have the stones to stop her from doing what she wants."
"I see," said Azura passively. "That may happen, but she did volunteer herself of her own volition. Ryoma wouldn't try to force her to do anything, so she might have more conviction than we give her credit for."
"Perhaps." Kohōto glanced over at the door. "Well, I better go and meditate then. Goodbye, Lady Azura." She bowed and then moved towards the door. Before she left, the blue-haired princess suddenly sprung her a question.
"Does she seem Nohrian to you?"
She looked back at the royal with a puzzled look. "What is that supposed to mean?" When the royal didn't answer, but continued to stare with her yellow eyes, Kohōto tried to construct an answer. "She has a Nohrian name, which is really odd if she is supposed to be from Hoshido. But she has the same hair as the Queen…"
"I'm not talking about looks," interjected Azura in a powerful, yet subdued, voice. "I asked if she seemed Nohrian to you?"
"Well what on Earth does that mean? What is a Nohrian supposed to seem like? Do you mean how does she act? Because that still doesn't make sense. Nohrians act like we Hoshidans do. As in we don't act like a hive mind, i.e. not the same. Or are you asking if she's evil or something?"
"No, not that either."
"Well then what?"
Azura closed her eyes and shook her head. "I don't know. Something about her just doesn't make sense to me. And I can't understand what that is."
"Okaaaay…" Slowly said Kohōto as she continued to exit the room. "Well when you work that one out, let me be the first to know. Because she seems really nice to me." She gave one last bow before she exited the room, leaving Azura to ponder her thoughts.