First things first: Reyes and Jonah have not been forgotten, don't worry.

That being out of the way:Thank you all for your support, inspirational reviews and most of all your patience. Good things come to those who wait.

Thanks to greysfanhp for being the best possible Beta (and just maybe also one of the most demanding).

Borderlands

'Who was he really?'

Halfway across the walkway encircling the double stairs Lara had climbed towards her submission and unintentional entry into the service of the sun queen, Himiko stopped with a small sigh at the spontaneous question, her robes swaying around her in fluent motions as she turned to address her companion. The younger woman had quickly recovered her posture in the short time it took to reach the stairwell; not having been subjected to the queen's constant scrutinizing gaze had helped considerably in regaining the confidence she had acquired with knowing her new place in Himiko's perception; now a defined anchoring point in the surrounding unreality. Thus, their very recent confrontation had left her upset and on edge but not any longer as easily subdued as had been the case before.

Standing under the tapestries showing the noble born warrior clad in blue and gold, a faint sparkle returned to Lara's eyes as they wandered over the depictions that showed a long series of glorified military victories that had all played their part in expanding the borders of Yamatai. The empress without empire looked up at the tapestries as if she were noticing them for the first time ever before turning her slightly irritated gaze on her new scribe. Looking over the young woman that was studying the depictions intently, upright and focussed, her features softened into a fleeting smile that hid itself behind her collected facade as she calmly spoke, her tone not unlike an academic comment on the school's unwilling student body.

'My scribe should learn to not, in any way, interrupt her queen without permission to do so; and I do not wish to have to repeat this. However, as your curiosity and thirst for knowledge were part of the reason for my willingness to take you under my wing, I shall overlook your related transgressions; and only these.'

The scribe in question turned her head away from her object of study and glared at the queen before remembering herself and lowering her eyes somewhat, irritated at the renewed scolding for another impulsive action and even more so at her own renewed blushing. Himiko's slight amusement, quite tangible as she continued, caught her off guard, making her look up again and blink in surprise.

'The possible utility of your somewhat endearing streak of azure magpie regarding shiny objects from bygone ages does not escape me; as it shows your rare gift for finding the valuable within the insignificant.
The passage of time might have clouded my percipience of the seemingly ordinary, not unlike the winter's snow on the mountain sides reduces their multitudinous facets to featureless white blankets; and I do not wish to become unseeing in this way. I may yet learn from you.'

Flustered, Lara opened her mouth to reply but, thinking better of it, closed it again and bowed stiffly instead. At this, Himiko exhaled inaudibly, allowing a little smile to grace her features before taking her gaze off her scribe as she turned towards the tapestry with a long sigh and clouded eyes. Her words bore the heaviness of old memories, suddenly and unexpectedly unearthed.

'Yajira-no-Ietaka. He was the last of the great generals of Yamatai, born into a family that had been in my service for generations. They had served their homeland for such long a time with bow and sword in hand it had become unthinkable for any of their sons not to follow in the footsteps of their forbears. He became my most trusted advisor on all matters of warfare, even diplomacy, and on… other things as well that…'

'Of course!' Lara blurted out. 'The only male attendant as mentioned in Tsunoda's historical accounts! But instead of a servant, he was a general… So he and those before him must have ensured the Sun Queen would always have a noble suitor at her disposal to father descendants she could draw on! With otherwise only priestesses surrounding her, sworn to confidentiality, locked in by oaths and tradition… what a perfect hidden system of ensuring a continued reign! This…'

Lara snapped her mouth shut in the middle of her exited analysis as she noticed the queen's genuine and wistful smile abruptly disappear from her face and be replaced by a stiff veneer that had difficulty containing the underlying rage as her voice turned icy.

'Enough of this! That was too bold.'

As she closed the gap between them in brisk strides, the younger woman groaned at the feeling of her leg muscles going numb, forcing her onto her knees in front of the queen that looked down at her with darkened eyes that showed the tell-tale trace of blue reflecting in the irises. Fuelled by regal indignation, the slap was forceful enough to abruptly yank Lara's head to the right, immediately leaving an angry red welt on her cheek that showed white imprints from the empress' fingers. The second slap was painfully blocked by the girl's left forearm shooting up and connecting with Himiko's wrist, making both women gasp in pain before their eyes locked in standoff.

'Good on Hoshi for refusing the torture and sacrifice! You bastard!'

Total stillness followed Lara's furious snarl, the only sound being the strained heaving of the two adversaries. Slowly, all colour drained from the queen's face, taking with it the remaining semblance of collectedness as her brows narrowed and her features hardened, her eyes ablaze with righteous anger.

'How dare you!' She breathed.

The bones in the scarred hand that was still in contact with the queen's hurting wrist began to shift away from their original position, contorting the fingers into unnatural angles, straining joints and sinews to near breaking point as the skin bulged and whitened. A howl of pain filled the silent stairwell, cut off by a terrified gasp as Lara's still sensitive ribcage pressed inwards to constrict her breath. Still she refused to yield, holding herself upright by letting her injured right hand take all her weight, thus preventing her to collapse onto the floor. Himiko's voice became a furious whisper.

'How dare you mention that name in my house?! How dare you speak so lightly about torture and sacrifice when you know nothing of the words' true meaning?! That woman could have become part of an immortal whole far greater than the sum of its parts, further enlightening her queen with all the current wisdom and understanding the scholars, scribes, diplomats and distinguished warriors of her time had bestowed on her in preparation for her ascension; ensuring her family's affluence as well as peace and prosperity for the empire and the people of Yamatai.'

Himiko raised her barely controlled voice over Lara's desperate pained gasps, firmly gripping the girl's chin as she leaned down towards her.

'Instead she chose to damn the one who had lifted her family out of poverty and cared for her like a mother to eternal imprisonment in her own corpse; sacrificing her family to stormguard justice and the flaming pyres erected by the common folk after they learned about the murder of their prosperous land's rightful sovereign. Instead of accepting her destiny, she chose to sacrifice the people of Yamatai.'

With a hoarse scream forced out between gritted teeth, the survivor brought up her right arm in a wide arc at the expense of her balance; but the queen reacted in the last moment, gripping and holding the wrist before the bruised hand could connect with her face; thus keeping her adversary from falling. She glared at the pale face before her eyes and slowly shook her head with a deep sigh before letting the girl sink down onto the floor, leaving Lara in a little heap of pain and fighting for breath after her head had come to rest on the dusty surface and her hand's bones had assumed their original position with a wet crunch.
Straightening up, the empress brought her voice under control again.

'What do you think happens to an empire that has its strong heart ripped out in the most unexpected of ways and suddenly vanishes from history? An empire that stretched far and wide, littered with ambitious men who suddenly had full authority thrust upon them to rule over vast lands and treasures they had never before dared to even dream about. An empire full of spies and surrounded by envious hostile powers, sensing their time has finally come to claim the lands, seas and trade routes for themselves in a game of alliance and betrayal.'

She slowly took a step back, by now regarding the prone form at her feet with a simple, sad distance in her grey eyes as she incrementally regained her expressionless posture again; her quiet words containing, like the retreating waves on the smooth stones of a gravelly beach, the whisper of a once deep and strong emotion that had become utterly foreign to her. She sighed.

'Answer me.'

'Civil war,' came the croaked reply after Lara had found enough breath to form the words.

'How many thousands of men died in battle? How many thousands died at the hands of torturers and hangmen? How many starved to death after being driven from their land and home? How many years of desolation were needed to form new structures of power? How many years of hardship had to follow that before peace and prosperity could flourish once more, if ever, for any extended period of time?
Yet you blame me for my rage, imprisoned in a world of shadow in the dead heart of what I loved most dearly. Was it worth the price? The much greater sacrifice? '

Taking another step back, Himiko folded her hands in her lap, her face once more impassive and her voice dispassionate bar a trace of tired introspection that sought clear reason yet could not find anything but fuzzy emotion.

'I lose my temper… because of you.'

She brought up her hands and thoughtfully rested her chin on her fingertips after the incredulous statement while watching Lara laboriously propping herself up into a sitting position. Himiko's attention momentarily shifted to her own already slightly swollen wrist, regarding it in a manner of clinical interest convoluted with astonishment at the remnant of a blunt and personal incursion against her body. Her words' modulation became imperturbable as she looked away from her injury and back to Lara, her gaze holding the suppressed wonder of an explorer marvelling at a rare and precious find.

'I shall keep this as to ponder what I should learn from it. May it also aid you in remembering your place and that keeping within the bounds of propriety is not optional. Stand up and follow me; you are mostly uninjured apart from the damage you inflicted on yourself. I still intend to show you something you will find worth your while and which should dull the pain of your hurt pride.'

With considerable effort, Lara managed to get into a kneeling position without using her hands before rising unsteadily while she relied on the creaking banister for support to keep her from swaying. Sweat was still trickling down her temples and staining her tunic as she spat out some blood and tried to examine her shaking hands in the diffuse light of the open stairwell. A soft hiss escaped her as she flexed her discoloured left hand, hurting badly at the slightest movement but to her surprise without any broken bones. Massaging it was out of the question, though, as her injured right hand was throbbing furiously too after having used it to take her full weight and the unyielding pressure of Himiko's power; her attempt to return the slap with it had not helped either.

Lara took a step forward, almost falling had it not been for the banister she quickly grabbed on to; her legs felt numb and each time she put pressure on her right knee a wave of dizziness blurred her vision, yet she stubbornly willed her face under control as she took a deep, painful breath and began walking after Himiko, cradling her left hand and letting out a determined groan as she quickened her pace.

Waiting at the far end of the walkway above the stairwell, the queen watched in contemplative silence as the other woman slowly made her way across the raised walkway; her hunched figure illuminated in irregular intervals by the orange light of the setting sun that filtered through a number of cracks in the masonry. When Lara finally reached her, Himiko pulled open the door to the western side of the palace, her flowing robes glowing in a warm gold as they were bathed in the evening light, wafting in the wind that stirred the dust on floor and tapestries into a shower of faint sparks that faded into darkness in the updraft to the murky upper levels.

She wordlessly stepped out onto the battlement on the imposing palace wall, pausing for a moment as she overlooked the heartland, stretching out a hundred feet beneath her halcyon figure; the seemingly pristine hillforest smugly shrouding the mountainsides and plateaus that had once been occupied by the villages and terraced fields of the people that had set out to build an empire to stand the test of time. The empress slowly turned away from the beautiful panorama, casting her eyes upon the crumbling remains of the palace and the cracked stone slabs of the parapet walk where the wind played with some withered leaves.

'Come.' She said quietly, her tone withdrawn and distant.

Lara squinted into the light of the glowing orange orb that was sinking beneath the blood red waves of the Pacific Ocean in the far distance, illuminating the towering dark clouds on the horizon in a purple glow from beneath. The mild wind cooled her burning face as she turned to follow, slowly and carefully making her way over the uneven surface. Looking up for a brief moment, she noticed Himiko waiting for her at a moss-covered stairway leading down into the courtyard, seemingly lost in thought. The queen turned to face her as she finally caught up, her clouded eyes belying her sober posture as she addressed the young woman with tired, softened words that to her own surprise reflected a trace of genuine concern towards the stubborn, insolent and generally bad mannered foreign girl.

'You limp. I should have noticed.'

'I'm fine.'

'As you will. Follow me.'

Swallowing drily after her curt reply and the queen's collected answer, Lara set off after Himiko once more, a blend of lingering anger, wariness and to her own bewilderment also a trace of pity in her eyes as she gazed at the other woman's back. She noticed the queen deliberately walking at a slower pace than she had before and briefly looking over her shoulder twice as the pair descended the worn out stairs that lead down into the courtyard behind the main northern gate, past the rotting remains of wooden stables, their former equine inhabitants probably eaten centuries ago by the starving populace of a windswept, dying island.

Their footsteps on the sand and gravelly remains of brickwork rang out in the encroaching stillness as they walked along the wall towards the former registrar's office, situated close to the northward gate and flanked by two partially collapsed storage buildings, the three houses surrounded by dark half-moons of fallen roof tiles. As they approached the portal, the two Samurai standing guard came to attention before deeply bowing to their queen in unison. She returned the gesture with a slow incline of her head before turning to her companion, addressing her coolly while pointing toward the crumbling remains of the building that once had been part of a vast administrative system, its highest functionary responsible for the correct filing of trade proceedings, foreign trade agreements and related diplomatic exchanges as well as official proclamations that needed widespread dissemination.

'Await me at the entrance. I have orders to relay to my commander.'