(If you haven't read chapter one, please do so! I put a very important note at the beginning of it!)
A/N: Hello and welcome to chapter two! This chapter is very, very short, but I really did not know what to have our beloved Red do...so this is just his little introduction. But hey, two chapters in one day! That's decent. Just a warning, there will be OCs in this series. Not many, but some.
So I hope you enjoy!
Rant over! Read on!
-Silvia
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, nor anything else.
The hiss of shuffling papers echoed through a room that was silent even though a whole council of men was seated around a table. Every now and then there would be a gruff cough to slice the quiet, or a quill dropping to the ground. At the table's center was a large, intricate map of the five countries—Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Unova.
The doors shuddered open and every man in the room stood without delay. A gallant-looking man in extraordinary garnet robes entered unceremoniously, but his presence conducted so much attention that a ceremony was not necessary.
Red watched in mild awe as the man—King Corvus, the ruler of Kanto—simply sat at the head of the table, and the council meeting began.
"Your Majesty," started one councilmember. "We have been experiencing some issues in our main port city, Vermillion…"
"What sort of issues?" the king asked in response. "Anything worthy of note?"
"No, not precisely," answered a different member, one with a distractingly large nose. "Just a bunch of bandits wearing Sinnoh insignias causing havoc."
The king nodded. "The local officials shall see to it that the delinquents are properly handled."
"But, Your Majesty," the first councilmember continued, "this means that the people of Sinnoh are becoming more daring and therefore could slowly cause tensions to grow in smaller communities, which would in turn…"
Red sighed quietly, turning his shard of bloodstone—the stone of Kanto—in his hand as councilmen went on about trivial matters that have some correlation to the government. Nothing they spoke about, though, was a dire situation. Eventually, it became clear as day; they were beating around the bush.
Finally, King Corvus asked the necessary question. "And is there any news from Unova?"
Many of the more fretful councilmen wrung their hands at the mention of such a topic of displeasure. A braver man replied, "Well, they have not made any bold or formal decisions, but their citizens outright oppose us. As for Sinnoh, well, we cannot determine who exactly is our enemy in a kingdom filled with rebels."
The king folded his hands together. "Even so, the alliance must be solidified. Johto must fully join forces with us, and then we will have Hoenn in our traps like a captured rabbit. The monarchies will remain united and crush any nation dim-witted enough to step in our path."
Red had ignored it for a long time, pushed it off, and pretended nothing out of the ordinary was happening. But if the Kantonian Council was discussing it, it had to be real.
War was brewing.
"Your Majesty," the large-nosed councilmember interjected, "Pardon my asking, but how exactly will the alliance be solidified? Other than a formal agreement, that is." A few other men around the table turned to send glances at him. "Although the agreement would be fairly solid," he rushed on, heat spreading to his cheeks and his nose despite his confident posture, "your declaration made it sound as though something more would be involved, so cement the alliance between Kanto and Johto."
The king's placid smile—one which was calm but held no warmth—spread across his weathered, sharply cut features. "I am so glad you inquired. I believe you have all by now noticed the presence of my son here today?"
Red's heart rate quickened and he withdrew himself, sitting straight and stiff. Men around the table turned their direction to him, nudged others, whispered remarks. Red was not sure what they were saying, but it felt like ridicule to him.
The king's gaze fell upon him as well. The room was silent for a moment as they observed.
For he was not just another councilman, or an assistant. No, he was much more.
He was Prince Red Corvus of Kanto.
That man, that man who was called king was his father.
King Corvus went on, "Yes, as you can see, my son, Red, is sitting in on our meetings. He must learn the procedures of being a governing noble. After all, his involvement with the war is becoming more prominent. Including with the alliance."
Don't say it, Red thought, though he was not sure why. Of course his father would spare no expense to tell how clever it truly is that this arrangement came about as Kanto and Johto joined up. How convenient that the future rulers of both kingdoms would certainly have no problem towards one another. Daresay even act like the two separate nations are part of a family.
"Red will soon be married to Princess Crystal, King Oak's granddaughter," King Corvus explained. "Which will mean that Kanto and Johto will be very closely related. After all, once Crystal is queen here, her ties with Johto will surely bring the nations close. We can use that closeness for support, for our future ordeals."
And he said it. Red was not sure why he had not wanted his father to announce his upcoming marriage; he cared nothing really for the councilmen or their opinions. Maybe he just did not want to hear it himself.
It was not that he had some issue with the princess, nor did he with Johto, however he could not help but dislike the fact that his marriage was arranged, and that he would have to inherit the throne of a kingdom in the midst of breaking. He knew, of course, that he could not openly rebel. He was not taught to be some bratty heir who made a fuss. He wished he could, though. He wished he could tell his father that he did not want to be a king during a wartime, when Kanto would be so frail and fragile that it might break apart in his grasp, and slide through his fingers like sand.
Red tuned out the rest of the meeting. It was all nonsense, or something to do with the government in which he did not understand. He never had paid much attention during lessons, especially the dull, political teachings.
But he left that meeting, not speaking or looking at anyone. And he had one revelation on his mind:
I am Red Corvus, the prince of Kanto.
But I do not want to be.
Kanto-the kingdom of life, blood / stone: bloodstone
Johto-the kingdom of fire, water, dragons & serpents / stone: fire agate
Hoenn-the kingdom of earth / stone: ammolite
Sinnoh-the nation of flight / stone: bluebird azurite-cuprite
Unova-the nation of storms / stone: dendritic agate