V
o0o
Sialeni made her way along the walkway that surrounded the side courtyard, where Kuojin sparred with several of his soldiers. This walkway was elevated a story above the space so that observers remained in relative distance and safety, as well as shade.
Other men surrounded the sparring pair, some of them engaged in a casual activity like mending a boot or having water or tea. The Prince's skill was rather evident to her since she'd been here for almost half an hour, watching several matches. She'd chosen a discreet spot, placing her almost at Kuojin's back, the shade affording her a cool and comfortable place.
Sialeni admired the grace of Kuojin and his opponent. Both men moved with skill, wielding wooden swords. Kuojin was clad in a pair of loose gray pants and a short, thin tunic of almost the same shade, and most of the men were clad similarly in varying muted shades.
The sun rose higher into the sky, and Kuojin paused to remove his shirt, revealing a bare torso. Sialeni became aware of her quickening pulse and swallowed thickly. His hair was tied back in a loose topknot, and during his fighting, he turned several times, affording her glimpses of his chest and stomach, their muscles flexing under flesh that had just the slightest hint of tan. He truly was a fine specimen of male, and Sialeni leaned against the stone pillar as she continued to watch silently.
One thing she'd come to notice was that several men in the Thamonese army here were half-Thamonese themselves. Sometimes the lighter color of their hair gave them away, or the color or shape of their eyes. There seemed to be little regard for this by their full-blooded Thamonese counterparts. Several men stepped aside as a very distinctly non-Thamonese man stepped to the edge of the loose crowd. When Kuojin completed his sparring, he turned to acknowledge the man. Sialeni did not recognize the man, but she was able to identify the crest the man wore on his tunic. It was a peacock of deep teal with golden accents, set amidst a burnt yellow-orange field.
It was the crest of the royal family of Viruch. There was a small number of Viruchid soldiers here amongst the Thamonese, but a Viruchid dignitary had yet to make an appearance, until now.
A smile broke out on Kuojin's face that was mirrored on the Viruchid's own, and it became quickly apparent that these two men were friends. They clasped one another's arms before the Viruchid slapped Kuojin on his shoulder.
"Prince Eman of House Eiviz. Son of the King's cousin," Sialeni heard Irindu instruct her, confirming her guess that this man was important. Eman was several centimeters taller than Kuojin and had what most would call a swarthy complexion, his hair black and curly. He had a broad face, with dark brown eyes.
Sialeni knew that the Tekuras had arranged with the Eivizes to have Eman rule the Gray Reaches as a governor of the newest addition to the Kingdom of Viruch. According to Kuojin, there was also talk of setting up a marriage between Eman and one of the women in the Tekura clan. Sialeni gave a brief nod of acknowledgment at her companion's words and watched as the two princes conversed.
o0o
Kuojin wasn't quite fluent in Viruchid, but he had mastered enough of the language to hold a regular conversation with a Viruchid, though certain jokes and puns so far remained beyond his grasp. It'd been a while since he'd spoken the language, and he didn't doubt that his friend would be quick to refresh his command of the language.
"I had always hoped that I might enter the famed Palace of the Sun as an honored guest. And here I am," Eman said with a broad grin.
"Is the Palace as you expected?" Kuojin asked casually. The Palace was indeed impressive from a distance. The interior, however, told a long tale of successive rulers and dynasties, down to antiquity. Many of the more out-of-the-way structures were old, as well as the original chambers of rough-hewn stone and ancient concrete that were now used to store royal treasures. Going down into the cellars and dungeons, one could feel the age within the walls as if they'd absorbed the histories of their previous occupants.
Around and above the legacy of its first dynasty was added the veneer of successive rulers, expanding upon the palace, bringing it to its current majesty.
"The Palace certainly is fitting of its name, but it is lacking in the charms of Viruchid architecture," Eman replied with a shrug. Kuojin gave an easy laugh.
"Viruchid architecture certainly is very pleasing, but none is quite as elegant as Thamonese architecture," Kuojin shot back.
"Hah!" Eman gave him a friendly slap on the shoulder. "Your aunt is looking well, I saw her on the way in. My uncle's offer still stands."
"Have you told her that?" Kuojin asked, strolling over to one side and sitting down on a stool that was reserved for him. Two other men moved into the space he'd just occupied with Eman, and started sparring.
"No. I'm wise enough to leave such an endeavor to you," the Viruchid replied.
Kuojin smirked faintly at that. "Azami enjoys her independence too much, and she is not about to share her throne." Eman's uncle, the fourth brother of the king, would expect much control – as a Viruchid husband was accustomed to expect – in Azami's administration of Onshae Thamo's newest province, and the strong-minded princess of the Tekura Clan would never abide that.
"Just as well. It would seem you have an admirer," Eman said as he glanced upward. Kuojin followed his stare to see Sialeni and Irindu overlooking them. Irindu was speaking, and Sialeni nodded several times.
"That is Lady Sialeni." He placed a slight emphasis on the word lady, to make it clear that the former Princess was not a mere trophy or prisoner.
"You have fine taste in women."
"Heh." He glanced upward again. Sialeni had her hair pulled back in a simple braid, and wore a tunic of deep rose and an under-dress of gray. The sound of clashing weapons filled his ears as his gaze lingered on the gap in the stone as he regarded the woman he loved.
o0o
Sialeni made her way to the dungeon, feeling trepidation because she did not have Kuojin to accompany her this time. However, when she approached the well-guarded door to the dungeon, they bowed to her and moved aside, admitting her and Irindu as quickly as if she had been a prince or princess of the Tekura family.
It'd been nearly a week since she'd seen her family. She believed Kuojin when he said they were fed and kept in adequate conditions, and after the abusive language her family had heaped upon her before, she was not so quick to pay them another visit. Hopefully, several days would have given her family a long-overdue lesson in humility.
The cool subterranean passageways had their charm, Sialeni mused. The lamps gave the sunless spaces a peaceful ambiance, even if some might find the shadows in the corners unsettling.
It was just as Kuojin had said, Sialeni noted as she observed the evidence of adequate meals. Selestia and Esteleta had stacked their dishes neatly, the cups sitting on top of the plates, which sat just outside of the lower opening in the heavy doors that led to their cells. A stain on the opposite wall revealed where Heliert or Solan had thrown some soup or wine since it hadn't been there previously. Given that the doors were heavy and solid aside from two rectangular holes, that had to have required good aim.
"Sialeni!" It was her mother, and Sialeni turned towards her mother's door, seeing the former queen's face through the upper opening in the door. Each person in the family had been assigned their own cell, and she didn't doubt how much it must chafe her father and brother's ego to be so restricted.
"Mother," Sialeni acknowledged, gazing at her mother. The gap in the wood offered a full view of someone's face and upper chest, though a pair of horizontal wooden bars prevented the prisoner from pushing their head through said aperture.
The former Queen was clad in a plain dress, one of few that Azami saw fit for her to have. The rest of the family had been afforded similar treatment, along with a couple of blankets each, and two good-sized meals a day. She knew that if the situation was reversed, the Thamonese royalty would not have been treated so well as prisoners of an egotistical and petty king.
"Good afternoon," Sialeni said politely. She was determined to try to start this reunion on the best note she could, and to be numb to any provocative language she might receive. "How have you been? I trust you are well," she continued, purposefully using courtesies an Araithalen lady was expected to use. The art of small talk was never one Sialeni was good at, but she at least remembered the rote phrases.
"I am the first one to address," she heard Heliert intone sharply from behind her. Taking a deep breath, she turned to face the man who had sired her.
"Need I remind you, Father, that Araithalen laws and mores no longer apply. This is a province of the Onshae Thamo Empire, and we are subject to its laws. You are but a commoner in this new order." This was delivered in an icy tone that Sialeni reveled in using.
"The Heavenly Father will mete his justice in time. The diseased curs of Onshae Thamo will swell with pride before their inevitable fall!"
"It's the Heavenly Father and his followers that grew so high and mighty that their fall could be nothing but spectacular. Now, can we set talk of the Heavenly Father aside? I did not come down here to argue with you."
"The dutiful and loyal daughter checking after the welfare of her family? So nice to know that at least one of our values made its way past your foolish stubbornness."
"Believe it, the Thamonese value family, as well. Only in their families, fathers do not hold all the control."
"But of course. Their darkness twists their minds and souls. They wouldn't know the proper way to raise a family and rule a kingdom!"
Sialeni took a deep breath. "Then explain to me, how if you were the better ruler, you reside in the same place where the lowest of condemned men await their doom." Seeing the flicker of fear in her father's eyes suffused her with no small amount of satisfaction. "The victory of the Tekura is complete. Yngis, Viruch, and Dakul are joined with Onshae Thamo. Only remember that if you had been a kinder ruler, you might still sit upon your throne."
"The Heavenly Father will smite you for your words!" she heard her grandfather say. She turned around again.
"Often enough I have been threatened with his anger, for things I have said or done in the past. If he truly is so displeased with me he would have struck me down already " For many years, she had questioned the existence of this omnipotent, and omniscient deity. The punishments as described in the Holy Book seemed far too excessive for most of the crimes committed by the unfortunate mortals chronicled in its hallowed pages. The suffering she saw with her own eyes, and the pain she felt, only bolstered her belief that there had to be something more than the rites and beliefs ordained by the Heavenly Father's followers. "The Thamonese show more wisdom than the Father," she added with honesty, but not without a thick undertone of spite.
She might as well have kicked a hornet's nest, for all the fury that buzzed up within the former Lord Fiori. He broke out into an almost unintelligible string of gibberish, spittle flying from his sour, wrinkled mouth. Turning her back to him, she faced her sister. Out of the entire family, Estelleta seemed like she might be most receptive to a peaceful acceptance of her circumstances.
"It's not bad at all, Estelleta," Sialeni pointed out kindly as she approached the thick wooden bars of her sister's chamber. "The stories you've heard about the Thamonese are just that, stories."
Estelleta stared back at her doubtfully.
"Why would I tell you this if I was lying? You're my sister, and I honestly believe you'd be happier outside of that cell. Do I look ill-treated?" she asked, holding out her arms. Estelleta continued to stare at her, now fiddling with the end of her braid, a habit Sialeni recognized as signaling her nervousness.
"Estelleta, remember the Dark Sister offers temptation," Selestia admonished. Sialeni stared at her mother. The Dark Sister was the antithesis of the Heavenly Father, the disobedient sibling who would not submit to her brother's authority, and she was also believed to be the progenitor of the Thamonese among other races, thus adding to their perceived depravity in the eyes of the Heavenly Father and his followers. Sialeni couldn't be too surprised at her mother's comment, but she still felt a pang of hurt.
"Believe what you want, Mother. Pray if that will make you feel better, but there is something I learned from the Onshae Thamo. It is karma, the belief that what goes around, eventually comes around. Your actions, and those of your predecessors and many others, have caused much suffering and inequity. On and on you accumulated bad karma, and now its very weight crushes you." She turned to look at Solan, who had stared at her in baleful silence during the entire meeting.
"It is normally frowned upon to take pleasure in the suffering of others. However, for all I have suffered at your hands, I believe I've earned enough good karma to have a laugh or two at your expense, brother dear." Delivered in an again icy tone, the utterance nonetheless deepened Solan's scowl and fueled the heat of his rage and resentment. Denied all of his usual pleasures, Solan was restless.
"You will pay for your betrayal," Solan promised. "I will be free, and I will get my hands on you, and put you in a woman's place, and ensure that you never leave it."
Sialeni turned to Irindu. "I do not wish to overstep my bounds, but if I had a… request for an adjustment in accommodations down here, would it be considered?"
Irindu quickly turned to the guard accompanying them and repeated the question in rapid Thamonese. She received a reply that to Sialeni's relief, didn't seem to be in the negative.
"The Lady and Lord Tekura have the final say in how they are treated, but Lord Tekura has left a command that if you are angry with them, you may suggest a punishment."
Sialeni met her brother and father's eyes for a moment each, feeling a small rush through her head as she realized the implications. For the very first time in her life, she had some real control over how her father and brother were treated.
"What if I asked for Solan to have all his men's clothing removed from his cell, and be replaced with women's garments?" she asked. Irindu let out a brief giggle before she translated. The guard let out a guffaw and nodded.
"You will pay for that abomination!" Bachis yelled.
"What about taking away of food?" she asked. Irindu translated, and the guard nodded. "How have they behaved themselves? It looks like food was thrown at the wall at least once."
The guard replied, and Sialeni waited patiently as he paused here and there to allow Irindu to interpret, "Solan has been most foul-tempered at times. He will yell at us. He tried to assault the maid sent down here to bring food and take away the empty dishes and laundry. Bachis would rant as well, shaking his fist at the guards as they walked by. Selestia is quiet. Heliert would pray loudly in his cell, asking the Heavenly Father to smite the Onshae Thamo, while listing all sorts of lurid scenarios he deemed suitable for said punishment."
"Are the Lady and Lord Tekura certain they want to keep these prisoners?" Sialeni half-joked. She took a deep breath before looking back at her family. "Estelleta… please think about what I said, all right? I'll come back and visit you if you want. I could even bring some knitting or embroidery, or something else that would comfort you. Please believe me when I say these circumstances were inevitable with Father's actions, but there is no need for you to become a victim of them."
She glared at the male members of their family. The Heavenly Father was supposed to be the embodiment of wisdom. But then, he also represented the male ego, and was the unchallenged ruler of the universe, according to the Way of the Light. Which made her wonder why the Dark Sister existed in the first place, but that was something to puzzle over another time. "Give the men water to drink, but cut one day's worth of meals. Hopefully, it'll put them in a mood that is more receptive to wisdom."
She did not doubt that the men would attempt to cajole the food from the women when Selestia and Estelleta were served their evening meal, but fortunately, the doors were spaced far apart enough that prisoners could not hand things to one another. Unless a plate was kicked across the corridor from the openings at the bottom of the doors, but she doubted that her mother or sister could aim that well.
"Curse the day that you met Lukas!" she heard her father snarl. "I should have had him killed all these years ago!"
"Do you think that's a wise thing to say in front of men of Onshae Thamo?" Sialeni asked with a sidelong glance before she slid down the chamber, ignoring her grandfather's shouts.
Instead of exiting the catacombs so quickly. Sialeni took her time to stroll through the passageways. The first rulers of this land had built a modest – by today's standards – fortress, and in time, underground tunnels were dug, expanded, and lined and reinforced, slightly smoother stones and bricks along the middle of some of the hallways showing evidence of innumerable footsteps.
Even as her father cursed the day that Kuojin entered their lives, Sialeni wondered if the very day was meant to happen, as Kuojin had said.
o0o
Eight Years Ago
Sialeni gasped and spat out a mouthful of water as she felt a strong arm wrap around her and pull her to the safety of the other bank, where she was efficiently hefted onto the grass a good ways down from where her brother had pushed her. Fortunately, she hadn't inhaled any water, so she only coughed and spat a bit as she tried to straighten herself.
"Mother!" she heard the person who'd rescued her call out. She turned her head to catch sight of a boy who looked to be a bit younger than her brother. His eyes were a dark emerald-green, set amidst a facial feature that was unique to the people of Onshae Thamo or Hgngu – the epicanthic fold that lent to the 'almond' eye shape. His hair was as black as a raven's wing, his skin lightly tanned. She had barely processed all of this to ask the boy who he was or comment on his features when she saw a woman rush toward them.
"Come, come. You can sit by the fire and I have a shawl for you to wrap yourself in while your clothes dry," the woman said. She had the green eyes of the boy, if a couple of shades lighter, so Sialeni assumed this was the boy's mother. She let herself be ushered into the woods, the fire she could see between the trunks from her vantage on the bank.
"Lukas, fetch more wood. And be sure to avert your eyes when I tell you to!" the woman said firmly as she pointed Lukas in one direction and stood Sialeni behind the fire at the other side.
"I will hang your clothes to dry. It is not healthy to go about in damp clothing. How on earth did you end up n the water, anyway?" the woman fussed as she helped Sialeni out of the dress that was even more cumbersome when it was wet. The thin linen of her shift clung to her skin.
"My brother pushed me in," Sialeni commented. As promised, a shawl was draped across her shoulders as the woman hung her dress as neatly as she could from a lower-hanging branch.
"And why would he do such a thing?"
"Because he wanted my tarts, and I wouldn't give them to him. He only wanted them because I had them, he doesn't even like blueberry!"
"Yes, boys can be stupid that way," the woman commiserated with her as she tucked the knit fabric under Sialeni's chin.
"Then he said that when I was old enough he would marry me off to a Thamonese man. He said they had small organs so I said that he had a small one, too, and that's when he pushed me in."
"… Oh, dear," the woman replied with a rueful chuckle. "Well, why don't we do introductions? You've seen my son, Lukas. I'm Amyra. And who are you?"
"Sialeni."
Amyra stilled for several moments, her eyes widening. "...Princess Sialeni?"
"Yes."
The woman bowed. "Please forgive me, your majesty!"
"There is nothing to forgive," Sialeni replied, feeling a little confused. "Your son has my gratitude."
The sound of rustling branches drew their attention, Lukas carrying pieces of wood of various sizes in his arms. He and his mother were dressed in the garb of peasants, and even though Lukas had mixed heritage in him, there was a quiet handsomeness to his features that the princess found appealing.
Lukas set the wood down near the fire and glanced at Sialeni. She met his eyes boldly, and he blinked but stared back at her.
"Thank you," Sialeni said.
"Pardon?" Lukas asked.
"For pulling me out of the water, thank you."
He blinked again before a small smile spread to his lips. "You are most welcome, my lady." He paused before he looked at his mother. "Do we have food to share?" he asked.
Amyra hesitated for a moment and nodded before getting a bag, unwrapping it to reveal half a loaf of dark bread and several apples.
"You don't need to feed me. I'm not hungry," Sialeni said quickly, not wishing to take away what little provisions this family had, especially when she did not need to worry about where her next meal would come from. "You have done more than enough." She would make sure they got a reward… though would her father want to reward a child who was obviously of mixed race?
Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard her name being called by a servant.
o0o
Lukas stood with his mother before the King and Queen. He kept his head bowed, his eyes averted to the ground, trying to downplay the fact that he was half-Hgngish as possible. Being thanked by a princess had been an unexpected delight, and now it seemed as if the price to pay for it was steep. He knew that the royal summer resort was across the river, but he had never had any reason to think he might come across a member of the royal family, for who would allow him onto the grounds?
He felt his mother's hand lightly squeeze his shoulder. He could see the hem of Sialeni's skirt, mint-green with a woven border of blue and silver thread.
"The Heavenly Father commands that we help those in need, especially women, because of their weakness," Lukas stated, tempted to meet the King's eyes with his own.
"Hnh." Heliert snorted softly. "So you know the Way of the Light?"
"How could I not? My mother is Araithalen, and determined to raise me the right way," Lukas stated, carrying his tone with deference he did not feel.
"The Heavenly Father does remind us to show mercy to those who strive towards the Light," Selestia said gently. "This woman could be a good servant..." the Queen regarded Amyra, "You were making dye in the woods, were you not?"
"Yes, your Majesty. I also wash and mend clothes, and when I have the opportunity, fine embroidery. I keep my hands occupied with any work that comes my way, my lady."
"I require such a servant in my retinue. Irma is old and getting blind, and she has no daughter or granddaughter to replace her."
Kuojin could feel his mother's hand tense at this, though Amyra remained outwardly calm.
"I would be honored to serve you, but I must consider my son. A mother's duty is to her family, and I have raised Lukas to the best of my abilities since his father and the rest of the family are dead – plague – and he is a hard worker," Amyra explained.
"Father, this would be the perfect chance for you to demonstrate the Heavenly Father's power to cleanse those with his Light. He might be half Hgngish, but he is also half Araithalen. We know that even these with Hgngish blood in them can walk the path of light if they submit to the Heavenly Father, but these communities are a ways off, unseen by most of our people. Perhaps He sent him our way for that reason," he heard Sialeni say.
Lukas took a deep breath. This could be an incredible opportunity for him or a new hell.
"Does he have any magic?" Heliert asked. Lukas tensed before he nodded.
"What kind?"
"Just a touch of Fire, your Highness."
"That is a useful skill to have. Very well, you can come to work in the Palace within a suitable occupation. However, understand this. With this opportunity for you and your mother, I expect that we are even. Do not think that you can get away with any sort of indiscretion, young man!"
"I would not dream of it, your Highness. I am very grateful for this opportunity, and I hope that I can prove myself worthy of the Heavenly Father." He bowed.
Later, he had the chance to see the princess when he was helping in the kitchen, pulled in as a temporary cook's aide by fetching wood and vegetables, silently obeying the commands he was given, his arms loaded with wood for the oven or baskets of fruit or vegetables as he made his way back and forth.
Sialeni hovered in the doorway to the kitchen until one of the cooks saw her. The cook did not appear surprised, and it became apparent that this was not the first time the princess would visit the kitchen, especially here at Golden Lake given the slight relaxation of the usual rules.
Lukas tentatively approached her, keeping a respectful distance from her, though he longed to pull her close.
"What I said about you to Father… I didn't mean anything personal by it. It was just..." she whispered.
"What he needed to hear," Lukas said with a shrug. "And I didn't think you were weak. I heard you arguing with your brother and managed to see him shoving you. So when considering my words, it was something I could tell would please your father."
With the chatter and bustle of the kitchen, Lukas and Sialeni managed to have that private conversation, sealing their friendship, and Lukas's commitment to her. She smiled at him, and he felt his heart skip a beat. As if aware of his reaction, Sialeni blushed before quickly excusing herself from the kitchen.
o0o
Kuojin smiled to himself faintly as he reminisced upon the day that tied his fate to Sialeni's. His feet padded the stones in the hallway, longing for the familiarity of his home, in the Imperial Palace nestled securely in the Mother Islands. Not that he could complain overmuch about his temporary home, though.
Several guards stood watch at key points along the way, regarding him with slight nods as he passed by. Strolling along the walkways, he tilted his chin upward to look at the moon. In Araithale, walking about at night, unless you had a job that called for it, was considered to be opening yourself to the darkness and its temptations. In Onshae Thamo, sitting out or walking at night was considered a good opportunity for peace, to reflect upon the events of the day, or contemplating the morrow.
Much of the walkways were built within the rule of the preceding dynasty, though they would then be reconstructed in pale stone during the Oronac dynasty. Under the moonlight, the same material reflected subtle variations in pale gray and blue-white. These walkways were brilliantly illuminated during the day unless covered with canopies, and in certain places, one might even squint, due to so much reflected sunlight.
As he scanned the west side of the Palace, picking out the guards at their posts, he noticed a pale figure stride along the other walkway, and for a moment, he thought it was a ghost, with a shadow behind her. Rationality quickly superseded imagination, and he saw that it was Sialeni and Irindu. He took a slow breath as he watched her.
Quickly making his way around one corner and then another, he slowed to a casual pace as he walked towards the pair of women.
"Good evening, ladies," Kuojin said with a slight bow of his head. Both women bowed to the proper degree. He'd not been able to have a private moment with her all day, between Prince Eman's visit and several meetings with men of importance. "I didn't expect to see you on my walk, but it certainly is not an unwelcome surprise."
"I often wanted to take walks at night, but it wasn't proper for a lady to be outside at night."
"Because the forces of darkness would taint her in various ways," Kuojin added, remembering this admonition well.
"Irindu however, suggested that I take a walk when I had a hard time sleeping. She explained to me that time alone at night like this does not mean a person is trying to sneak around. Apparently, such peace and quiet help organize one's thoughts?" Sialeni asked.
He gave Irindu a brief, approving nod. "Indeed. Some people may choose to sit on a veranda and drink some tea or work on a small project. If there is a courtyard, a stroll is not seen as unusual."
"Mmm. That certainly is good to know." She was clad in an ankle-length dress of light blue, with a cream-colored mantle that served both warmth and modesty. Kuojin raised his hand, waving Irindu several paces back, and led Sialeni over to the parapet, looking at the main courtyard. The bleached cobblestone of the courtyard's surface bore a pattern of a sun with wide-reaching rays in pale rust and ocher-colored stone, Seen from above, it certainly was an impressive sight.
"What were you thinking about on your stroll?" Sialeni asked lightly.
"Karma," the Prince replied lightly.
"I told my family about it today. They, of course, dismissed the notion."
He shrugged. "Karma works in different ways, sometimes more outright, other times more subtly. It may come too late for one lifetime, but the reward is then a better life. Believe it or not, it is what happens across the world."
"So would you say that the Onshae Thamo Empire has good karma?"
"That belief in karma has guided past Emperors. Instead of trying to wipe out or enslave the people we conquer, we invite them to share our protection and prosperity. People leave the Islands to settle in these new territories and are encouraged to marry into the local population. We do not try to subvert local cuisine or many other customs. It brings good karma to us and our country, as well as the populations we acquire. The Empire has expanded greatly over the last half millennia. It is not that we have never suffered losses or defeat, but prudence is possibly the most valued trait in Onshae Thamo."
"Arrogance against prudence. There can be only one victor."
"Victory does not always come easy."
"Heh. There is that," Sialeni acknowledged. "Prince Eman seems nice," she said, in a slightly awkward attempt at polite conversation. He nodded. The other prince had remarked – privately – that Kuojin had gotten himself an admirable trophy. Kuojin couldn't help but cringe a bit at that, though he could see how the situation might look from an outsider's perspective, him being the prince of a conquering country, taking as his companion the princess of the defeated kingdom. It was not the first time in the history of the world such an occurrence, or similar ones, had happened. In most cases, the story included the man taking his prize to bed. He tacitly disabused his friend of that notion.
"He speaks highly of you. Says that seeing you and I is like seeing the moon in the night sky. Viruchid poetry can be florid at times, but I welcome the sentiment and think it suits you." He'd taken Eman down to the dungeons to see the royal family, partly to satisfy his friend's curiosity, and so that the former Araithalen Royal Family had the chance to meet someone important. Heliert was coldly polite, disdain burning in his eyes, but his tongue surprisingly well-controlled. Eman for his part was cordial and polite, his face a benign mask of neutrality to counter the hate that practically radiated from Solan.
"You flatter me, my lord."
"I do not speak idle flattery, my princess."
She raised an eyebrow. "I'm not..."
"To me, you will always be a princess."
The moonlight washed out Sialeni's skin with its silvery light, but Kuojin was certain he saw a blush on her cheek.
"There is a Water Master in my army. I was going to ask him to give you instruction. I would have brought it up before, but he was rather busy then, and we all had plenty to do."
"There is much work yet."
"True enough, but he will see you at a time convenient to you both. Irindu will be your interpreter. Since you've been so eager to learn Thamonese, I thought you would show the same enthusiasm for this."
"Most assuredly I do. Thank you." She did a quick curtsy.
"It is our custom to bow, but I shall not object to curtsies from my princess," Kuojin commented. "There is another custom of Araithale that I do find charming, at least with the right people."
"And what would that be?"
His hand smoothly slid under hers as it rested on the polished stone of the parapet, and he brought it to his lips, brushing them against the back of her hand and catching a faint scent of something fresh with a hint of lilac.
"This country may be subject to Thamonese laws and customs now, but I believe I will make an exception for you," he said gently, reluctantly letting her withdraw her hand. "I do believe I have kept you from your walk long enough, it is considered impolite to interrupt someone during their quiet time unless it is important. Do forgive me, my princess."
"I shan't tell anyone of your impoliteness," she replied in a light whisper.
"Good, I can be assured of an unworried sleep tonight. Sleep well when you do finish your walk. Pleasant dreams."
"Thank you. You as well." She slid past him, and Irindu caught up to her in a few moments. He looked down at his hand, remembering the feel of her own resting in his palm and savoring the memory and lingering sensation.
o0o
The man in the dark blue robes sat near the wall, watching with half-lidded eyes as others took their seats, arranging their robes and resting their hands in their laps. The angle of the morning sun afforded him increments of shadow as it rose into the sky, and he was grateful to have the sunlight out of his eyes.
The Emperor and Empress of the illustrious Onshae Thamo Empire sat on their dais, in elaborate but tasteful thrones, dressed in fine Imperial robes as they looked down at their audience.
Imonje was garbed in black and gray robes with gold threading, and the clothing he had under the elaborate garment was dark red. Hauane's Imperial robe was almost identical, though the embroidery of her robe showed silver, pink, and green. Her under-dress was of a deep rose hue which brought out the healthy shade in her cheeks and complimented her emerald-green eyes and honey-blond hair.
Many Thamonese men would consider this aemaet – the Thamonese word for people of non-Thamonese descent – to be beautiful by any standard. Some compared her to a doll, though Hauane was much warmer and more personable. It was hard to find people who actively disliked her. Unfortunately, the people to who he was closest felt that while aemaet were not people to be subjugated or abused, they did not belong in such a vaunted role in the Court. It was the first time an aemaet had been Empress, though past Emperors on occasion had such women as concubines. There had been a couple of Empresses of mixed descent, such as an Empress consort who was the daughter of a powerful Viruchid Earth Master and a cousin of the previous Emperor.
It was said that Azami had inherited her potent Earth magic from this ancestor, and the Tekura, while often clannish, did not miss the opportunity to mix other powerful bloodlines with their own.
However, for those who disliked the current Empress, Hauane was not the only subject of their bitterness. Her son, the Emperor's favorite and the heir apparent, had displaced several in the line of succession when it was discovered that the concubine Imonje had believed dead for so many years was still alive, and had borne him a son.
Why didn't Imonje just leave the bastard where he was, and pay for his care, and set him up with some nice Thamonese woman, and grant some land for him to manage? Or at the most, made him a lesser prince and Hauane a concubine. They would have been treated well enough. He kept the scowl from his face as the Emperor and Empress received their first petitioner of the day.
Now with his victory in Araithale, Kuojin would have even more esteem in Imonje's eyes, due to Azami's glowing report of him. The golden child. The bastard rescued from over a decade of life in Araithale as an oft-maligned 'half-breed'. If there was any doubt before that Kuojin would be the next Emperor, these doubts were essentially blown away.
The Thamonese believed their ways better than the Araithalen way. They valued prudence, wisdom, and cleverness. The way they lived was supposed to build better characters and constitutions than the men of Araithale, and in many ways, it did. However, he was just a man, and as in any other group, no matter how vaunted they seemed to be, there were always those who felt envy, resentment, and hatred and welcomed it into their hearts.
The man set his jaw as he folded his hands into the sleeves of his robes, listening to the petitioner with half an ear as he thought about his plans, and what he would do once he had accomplished his goals.