The Fiery Queen of Nohr: Part 21 - Interludes In the Twillight
Author's note: A shorter chapter than usual, but it put some necessary foundations for later. Thank you again pt1oef for beta-reading. Now, let's answer the reviews:
- Pt1oef: Garon's POV may be less present than it should yes. The three Awakening children haven't seen Lora's Lord of Cinder form yet, but they heard about it a lot. And glad to see you like Odin, he is fun, if sometimes hard to write speech for.
- Foul steak: You guess right. Really, would Hoshido send attacks like those when they can just comfortably sit behind the Barrier? You'll see how things go on in the chapter.
- Osterreich97: Thank you a lot for this compliment. I want this story to stand solidly on its two feet and not devolve into crack or anything.
- Spartastic 4: That would be an interesting idea to show the POV of simple soldiers and servants. Hoooo, how people will react to Corrin's disappearance. That's something to wait for.
- Kerrowe: Things are indeed taking a different turn.
- Imperial Warlord: Thanks.
- anon: I mean, it's a question I ask myself when seeing some people. It just looks so heavy.
- Guest: Selena is still not quite able to keep the proper attitude to have, and yet she is far better than she was in her youth.
With all said and done, enjoy the story! Please do not hesitate to review, especially if there is something you find is lacking, it's helping me get better.
Interlude: Kaze
A bird chirped through the branches of the forest, followed by another. Kaze stopped all movement and listened the nature around, trying to decipher an eventual sense. But as the noises and bird songs kept going, he couldn't recognize any ninja code and resumed his walk. Although having fellow shinobi joining him would greatly ease his burden, Kaze knew he would be fortunate to find a single one in those mountains, so far in the north of Hoshido. Despite being, distance-wise, the shortest route between Hoshido and Nohr, the mountainous landscape meant no Nohrian army has ever managed to cross them without heavy losses, if they managed to cross at all. As a result, the chances of finding another ninja before leaving the mountains was too small to count on. Especially with his current load.
"Huuurrrh…"
Across his shoulders, the unconscious Corrin let out an unintelligible sound. It was more and more frequent these days and it gave Kaze both hope and worries. Readjusting his grip on her legs, the ninja kept searching a suitable spot for the night. Avoiding the wildlife was paramount to protect the Princess, she was too vulnerable in her unconscious state. Kaze was confidant in his ability to escape a bear or wolf pack, but doing so while carrying the Princess would be perilous at best. Looking for any scratch on the trees, any traces on the ground, he finally settled for the base of a large cedar. Big enough to carry the sleeping Corrin and himself on its branches if necessary and with enough clear ground around to start a fire and sleep.
With extreme care, Kaze laid down the sleeping Princess on the ground. She was still feverish, something that concerned him greatly. It took the ninja little time to ignite gathered wood, creating a small haven of heat in the fresh twilight. Removing the bandages which he had carefully wrapped up around Corrin's wounds, Kaze inspected them with great attention. The slit on her temple left a scar, but it was barely visible under the hairs and properly healed. The wound on the princess's left shoulder, on the other hand, had him more worried. Either a sword or a spear went through the muscle and flesh, reaching the bone. Despite his best efforts it was still quite ugly, and he suspected the Princess would never have the same strength in her arm as before. Turning Corrin over, Kaze examined the wound on her back. This one was closing, though it was clear the blade has been twisted in the wound and complete recovery was still far away. He had feared internal damages at first glance, but by some incredible luck the strike seemed to have missed all important organs.
After changing the bandages on her wounds and covering the Princess with his cape once again, Kaze brought her closer to the fire. Heating a blend of healing herbs in a small pot he always carried, the ninja carefully raised the Princess and made her drink slowly, then eat by very small portion one of his last rice balls. Thanks the god Corrin could still swallow, or he would have had to resort to more drastic means. For now, it was better for the Princess to stay asleep. He didn't want to have to subdue her, and if possible, Kaze selfishly hoped she would stay unconscious until she was safe and sound in Castle Shirazaki. Taking the mountains paths, as dangerous as it was, had another advantage: no one would see him and the Princess before reaching the castle. No Nohrian spy, no daimyo seeking to take advantage of having a royal heir in their debt, no Faceless to run from.
Kaze sat down after adding more wood to the fire, watching over Princess Corrin's troubled sleep. Mentally, he compared the figure to his now faint memories of about a decade ago, when he had followed King Sumerari to Cheve. Some details were exactly the same: the white hairs, the red eyes, the long pointy ears. To his knowledge, no one else presented such characteristics. Beside the name, it was those features that convinced him the supposed Princess of Nohr that he fought was the missing daughter of Queen Mikoto.
Although, the circumstances in which he found her… Kaze was still unsure of the events that unfolded. After being ''escorted'' back to Hoshido's borders and generously warned that if he was ever caught again in Nohr's territory he would be put to death no questions asked, Kaze had immediately gone to the nearest ninja hideout to write and send a sealed message to Queen Mikoto in which he explained Corrin was alive and well. Immediately afterward he turned back and went toward the frontier again. Kaze intended at that moment to obtain the support of the fort's samurais and mount an expedition… But what he found had been nothing as expected.
At first glance Kaze assumed the Nohrians attacked the fort and killed everyone inside. But too many things didn't add up. Someone else than a ninja would have probably missed it, but the corpses of the Nohrians and Hoshidians were in different state of rot. No more than a few day, but he could tell the difference: the Hoshidians have been killed earlier than any of the Nohrians. The very emplacement of the corpse was also strange. All the Hoshidians died within the wall of the fort, while most Nohrians died outside of it, and even more puzzling, the Nohrians outside of the fort almost all had wounds indicating weapons killed them, not arrows. Another thing was the destroyed bridge. At first the ninja thought the Nohrians destroyed it in their retreat, but the remnant of the rope and wood bridge was hanging from the Hoshidian side of the Canyon. Evil as the Nohrians may be, cutting your own escape route was against common sense itself.
And Princess Corrin… Finding her close to the cliff, bleeding from her wounds had been a terrible fright. Kaze dreaded the idea that he could have arrived too late and found her dead, had he not decided to recklessly come back to Nohr without waiting an answer or orders. To imagine himself bring the dreadful new to Queen Mikoto… The chirping of a bird took Kaze out of his dark thought. Instinctively he searched for the source, a kunai in hand, and only relaxed when a little blue and red bird landed near the fire.
"I don't suppose you will explain me what happened back then." Asked Kaze to the bird, giving it a handful of rice.
The strange bird ate the rice before hoping up to the Princess and nesting in her long hairs. After a few minutes the unconscious Corrin ceased to mumble and seemed to transition into calmer sleep. Kaze looked at the peaceful face of the Princess, then joined hands and bowed. He didn't know what kind of spirit or which god sent the bird, but it didn't matter to him. All he knew was that it guided him to Corrin that day, when he was about to leave the fort. It was this insistent bird hovering over him, circling and chirping until he followed it along the Bottomless Canyon's cliff and found the wounded Princess a little further away.
"O gods, thank you for protecting us during this perilous journey."
Just a little further, and Queen Mikoto would be reunited with her daughter.
Interlude: Garon
"Your Majesty, this is but a small request, an insignificant favor I request. I implore you to reconsider." Asked the lord Marc.
"I was under the impression the uprising has been quelled some time ago." Said King Garon,
"It is, of course, of course. I require but a few soldiers back to capture the leaders and execute the last rebels. Ordinarily I would never dare to ask, but the situation is unusual…"
Garon kept listening to the baron despite knowing exactly what arguments he was about to hear. Because of the Right of Service there were less soldiers, some of them joined the uprising, recent harvests had been poor, the rebels burned the grain reserves… The King heard them all countless time before. He was more inclined to believe some of them it in this case: given that one of the baron's own sons was behind the failed coup, the treason of many soldiers and subjects was certain. However, the demand of the baron was something he had no intention to grant: giving back even a single soldier drafted by the Right of Service would inevitably create a precedent that every single member of the nobility would exploit to get back their own contribution.
"I have listened to your plea, Baron Marc. You will be given four thousand golds to recruit manpower and rebuild your barony."
"Four thousand? Your Majesty is generous, very generous. I cannot thank you enough?… Thanked the lord with a perplexed voice. "Rest assured of my everlasting support and loyalty."
Cheap words he has heard more than he could count. Soon the Baron was replaced by another noble, asking for solving litigation, soldiers and favors. And once again the King offered no soldiers, but gold. The court had been taken aback when he started this trend a little while ago, unused to such generosity and incapable to challenge it when refused what they really wished. Garon knew his advisers were starting to worry about the spending, but the treasury of Nohr ran deep. It would hold until the next steps came to fruition.
The entrance of Xander and his retainer Peri in the throne room didn't go unnoticed. Ripples shook the human pound as the vipers flocked to the Crown Prince, trying to attract his attention. But the eyes of the Prince were focused on the throne. Gauging his eldest son's respectful but challenging gaze, Garon made a sign to the herald. In a few long minutes, the throne room was emptied of its herd, leaving only the royal guard, Xander and his retainer. Unusually, his Queen wasn't present: she was busily extracting information from the three foreign retainers. Maybe it was this privacy which convinced Xander to come now, only a few days following when he had learned his father intention for Mokushu.
"Speak, my son." Sternly said Garon. "Our time is precious."
Garon caught Xander absentmindedly holding the handle of Siegfried, as if the sword would give him more confidence to speak. An unsurprising reflex he himself realized to have had after a few years.
"Father, I don't understand your recent decisions. Not only to use the Right of Service for longer than anytime before in Nohr's history, but also your plan to fight a war without any support from the nobility. I don't understand why you decided to keep each and everyone of us in the dark about it. And I don't understand why you chose to spend the treasury of Krakenburg as if it had no more value."
The clear and strong voice of Xander resonated on the walls. Garon didn't move, hearing the diatribe to its end.
"I have always obeyed your decisions, Father. Always. But today I want an explanation. I want to be certain your decisions will result in good for the Kingdom and our subjects."
Garon felt relief and pride swell within him. He had expected a most fierce opposition, perhaps even for Xander to try to claim the crown with the support of his siblings. But his son once again came without ambition, without brutality, to try and seek understanding… Oh, Katerina, how much your son has inherited your gentleness.
"Come, Xander." Commanded the King.
"… Yes, Father."
The Prince climbed the stair with measured steps, a solemn ascension he actually had never undertaken before. Usually, even for the royal children, the stairs to the throne were not to be climbed. When Xander reached the top, the King pointed at the second throne. This time the Prince hesitated before sitting down, understanding the gravity of the act.
"Look around you, Xander. What do you see?"
"The throne room of Krakenburg. The heart of Nohr from whence the royal family rule, surrounded by the nobility supporting them."
"It is. But it has not always been this way." Said Garon. "For long and as far as your grandfather Jorden's rule, the king of Nohr was the one who moved from nobles' courts to nobles' courts, with the castle only gathering the nobles when they were to renew their allegiance once a year."
"I know, Father. Since your first decade of ruling, they must be present at the court at least a full season each year, and more if they want to keep your favor. You taught me it was to better control the nobility." Xander frowned more intensely, deep in thoughts. "But it went against every tradition the Kingdom has upheld for centuries. The lords have more difficulties than ever to control their own territory. And now, you want to go further."
"Yes. Traditions have kept this country together, but I will break every last one of them if it means securing the future. After the rebellion of Richard and Agnes, I realized my power was not enough. The king's power is not enough to prevent Nohr from fighting itself. The day of your crowning, a coalition of lords could mount a revolt able to overthrow you and your siblings, just like it happened many time in the past."
The King's hands clenched into fists at the prospect, his wrinkles briefly standing out as he scowled.
"The nobility is now firmly attached to Krakenburg. Their armies are too weakened to do anything else than maintain order in their fiefs. Because traditions dictate they must feast and celebrate to keep up appearance and rank, save for a few their coffers run out faster than they can fill them. The royal army will conquer for the crown, protect the land, and the royal treasury shall be granted to whom is needed."
"So that in the end, the nobility would become entirely dependent of the crown? They would become powerless. No, the king's own power would become absolute."
Xander thought deeply once again before speaking.
"Father, I understand now what you are doing. But I cannot agree with it. Even though it may lead to lesser conflicts within the Kingdom, what you propose is nothing short of unrestrained tyranny. If a despot or a madman arise, without armies and without power, no one would be able to stop him. It would be the end of Nohr."
Garon hummed at the thought. His son was right, no king of past ages would gather as much power as what would be his if everything went according to plan. And it was correct that in the hand of many, such power would lead only to disaster. But even so…
"If it is the last thing I can do for my children, for you, then I must see it done."
"Father, what are you saying?" Asked the Prince, but his pained look betrayed understanding.
"I am old, Xander." Stated Garon, looking his son in the eyes. "Every day I feel my strength wane, and one day I will not be able to stand up. When that day come, I will pass the crown onto a king whose power cannot be matched. A king who will be able to change Nohr, without anyone able to hinder his accomplishments."
"Father…"
"I have done as every king has done before. I have gone to war and brought glory to Nohr. I will without a doubt be remembered as the king who expanded Nohr's frontiers beyond all his predecessors. The kingdom is richer and more powerful than ever before. But it still knows only strength and war and as mean and end. It needs a ruler who will teach it peace and compassion. I have high hopes you will be this king. You have the kindness of your mother, a gentle heart that bear no cruelty or ambition. Together with your siblings you will bring some light in this dark kingdom."
Garon breathed deeply after his speech, drawing from the room's Dragon Vein to recover some strength, something he had to do more and more often as of late.
"I understand what you want now, Father." Said Xander carefully. "But now more than ever this plan is making me fear someone is influencing you to their own ends."
The King studied his son's words, easily discerning their meaning.
"You speak of Lora, is it not."
"… Yes. All of us, save for Elise who is too young, are worried about her unchanging presence. Queen Lora did much for Nohr, for our family. I owe a lot to her, and it pains me to speak of her like this, truly… But if she ever decides to keep power for herself, I fear there would be not much we could do to stop her. It's an open secret the royal army would follow her to hell if she ever commanded it. Your intent to get rid of the nobility's power would suppress her only true opposition. And even should Queen Lora never take power directly, I fear she will stay the true power behind the throne as long as she wishes. I don't think she would do so by ambition. But just like how she handled our retainers, she would think it's the right thing to do."
For a moment Garon stayed silent. The words of Xander resonated in his mind, bringing memories in their wake. The dark crypt, twice visited, twice place of battle, and twice dampened by tears. Confidences in the dark, vulnerabilities laid bare in the night. Hours of learning, repetition and frustration to share his duty and shoulder his burdens. How flustered she found herself unable to imagine her own future after him… It pained him to admit it. But in all her stubbornness and in a misguided sense of duty, Lora could fall down such a path.
"There is wisdom in your caution. I shall speak with Lora about this issue. I will ensure nothing of the sort happens, you have my promise."
"Thank you, Father." Said Xander with relief, his frown relaxing. "I need to inform my siblings about what we discussed. May I excuse myself?"
Garon approved, leaving his son to descend the stairs and exit the throne room with his retainer. Resting his chin upon his palm, the King sighed wearily. Despite being the strongest of them by far, Lora was more dependent of him than the reverse. He couldn't blame her for it: not with what she went through, and not with how he knew what he would have become without her. Only with time and support would she be able to let him go, a cruel irony as time was the exact thing separating them both.
"Open the throne room to the court." Decreed Garon to the royal guards, straightening his posture.
As king, father and spouse, he would fulfill his duty to the end.
Interlude: ? ? ?
Clouds and sun playing hide and seek together in the sky, dancing winds acting as arbiters. High grasses bending under the changing pressure, mimicking ghosts and playing specters to who would send a careless gaze. But to the one moving, all of those things could have as well not existed. Walking among the grasses, looking away from the sun, and ignoring the play of shadows and light. Neither did he gave attention to the ruined buildings around him, the uneven ground scarred under his feet.
The figure passed through the entrance of what had been once a beautiful palace, the barely hanging and splintered gates unable to oppose resistance. Dust covered everything, no living being have entered the place for a long time. Someone else might have felt something, moving inside the remnants of what once been an elegant architecture. The battered windows still had some colored glass, the fragmented pillars kept their colors, and some paintings still hanged on the walls. But none of this even registered to the one advancing slowly toward the heart of the palace.
No sounds answered his footsteps. No echoes followed his breathing. No birds were flying in the wind. No rodents were running on the ground. As if the whole world had gone to a stop, leaving only the one walking among the debris. The white cloak outlined with blue and gold decorations encroaching dust and his black boots leaving footprints, he traveled without a word nor pause. Closer to the palace's heart his advance slowed, the bit and pieces around obstructing his path becoming more numerous. Avoiding a demolished barricade, circumventing crushed skeletons, walking over an abandoned sword.
Penumbra left place to flooding light in the semi-circular room he entered, the gaping holes in the roof leaving the sun shine upon the majestic throne in it's heart. The figure, for the first time, stopped. Shadowed by his hood, crimson red eyes fixed the throne with an intense look. As if searching for something, or maybe someone. Their advance resumed and the figure entered the full light around the throne, two sea blue trends of hair sticking out of the hood reflecting the bright sunlight. One might have found the figure contemplative, maybe even serene… Yet with a single hand wave from the figure's part, the throne exploded in a sonorous crack, leaving thousand fragments apart on the ground.
Why? Why didn't she come to join me? She had been there, close, so close. At the boundaries of my domain, just a short step from entering my realm. I had felt her mind, felt her drawn to my voice, scented my dormant blood within her! Why didn't she come to me, after all this time? Why?
In the confine of his mind a maelstrom of emotions unfurled, an uncontrollable flood of loathing and anger only reflected in his trembling hand.
That accursed bird! How could she? She was of my making, only existing because of my will, yet she dared bare her fangs against me! She dared use my own authority to banish my puppets! And that idiotic pawn failed! He had every opportunity, every chance, and he failed to recognize the bird or eliminate it!
With another gesture the broken rocks went back to reform a throne, as if it has never been broken in the first place.
Another failure, just a human, like all the rest. Betrayers, traitors, worms, insects, cockroaches. How quickly they forget. How quickly they abandon their promises. How quickly they turn against their benefactors! Their god! How dare they take what is mine! They will suffer. They will crawl, they will cry, they will scream, kill each others and die in despair! I will tear them apart, grind them to dust until there is nothing left of their blight!
The being stood in front of the throne, his train of thoughts in a furious disarray for a moment before focusing once again.
The Barrier will not hide you much longer, my daughter. Soon I will be able to see through, soon I will be able to see you. I will find you, no matter how far the rampant worms try to hide you. And I will find you as well, Mikoto. You will pay, you will suffer, despair and die for taking our daughter away! My daughter, my flesh and blood! I will bring you back where you belong, I will bring you back to me! You will pay for forgetting me, for leaving me buried and entombed! For leaving me alone, like all humans did! For leaving me all alone!…
The figure raised his hand once more, but stopped before finishing his gesture. Frozen, his arm shaking with conflicting intents until it went down and wiped something from his face. His wet fingers fell down, and from his lips arose a melodious tune. A lone and dark elegy none but the singer could hear in this lifeless place…
"Sing with me a song, of silence and blood. The rains fall but can't wash away the mud. Within my ancient heart dwells madness and pride. Can no one, hear my cry…"