I'll do reader responses later, for now I'm kinda busy. Please comment if you like or dislike anything!
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[Act I, Chapter II - A Soldier's Return]
"The youngest son of Emperor Tsunku mourned his father's demise the longest; by the time he was prepared to assert his claim to the throne, his siblings were already sovereigns in their own right. His brothers sent many lawless murderers to take his head, confident that his demise would be swift. But Michishige fled to the wild southlands, where the local nobles took pity on his plight and proferred their fealty. With the support of these semi-barbaric chieftians, he founded the Kingdom of the Lilac, named for the flower that grew in such abundance in his new domain...
Several hours passed by the time Mako and Yossie walked into town. The sun was already setting above the western mountains, casting a darkening sky in shades of crimson and yellow. The two girls made their way through the winding, bustling streets - there was more than a little shoving and pushing as they tried to get through endless crowds of people. Yoshizawa's leather boots cracked against the cobblestones as she led Makoto towards their mutual destination.
"Where the hell were you Yossie?" growled the junior officer. The newly-restored General was haggling with a fruitseller over the price of a ripe tomato. After some rude gestures and language, the vendor agreed to part with his product for two copper coins. Both seller and buyer were reasonably satisfied, and left amiably; Yossie was munching happily when Mako caught up to her.
Yoshizawa pouted. "Hey, I was hungry. And it's Lady Yossie now, centurion." she added in a mock-serious tone.
"Till you get your title formally restored," giggled Mako, "it's still Yossie to me. Now come on!"
They walked for awhile till they reached the center of the city, the Lilac Forum. The public square was decorated along its border by neat rows of lilac bushes, white flowers blooming radiantly in fast-fading sunlight. As the pair of soldiers walked past a smorgasbord of monuments extolling the glory of King and Country, one statue in particular caught Yoshizawa's attention.
"When'd they put that eyesore up?" asked Yossie, pointing to it.
"Oh, that? Just last month. I remember there were a lot of cheers when the artist unveiled it." said Mako wistfully. The sculpture Makoto referred to was a marble portrait of Queen Sayumi Michishige, which depicted her in full regal attire. Sayu's statue was holding a bundle of lilacs and looked towards the dim sky with an expression that radiated childlike innocence - it stood out from the grandiose sculptures of previous monarchs that surrounded it, which uniformly depicted their subjects with martial pride.
Yossie was quiet. She didn't need to say anything, her friend could read the disgust on her face for what it was. Both walked on in silence.
They arrived at the spiritual and political seat of government for the Lilac Kingdom, a compact, circular building topped with a stone dome and supported by elegant columns topped with floral capitols. Engraved on the round roof were the words "THE SOVEREIGN AND COUNCIL OF THE KINGDOM OF LILAC." Yoshizawa walked up the steps, saluted the ceremonial guards at the door, and presented her papers. The two hardy, excessively armored men read over the documents and handed them back. They stepped aside, letting Yossie and Makoto pass through.
The room was already in an uproar as the two girls slipped in through the doorway. Shouts and cries filled with passion and eloquence echoed through the ornate chamber, running together in a cacophony of dissonance. Queen Michishige sat upon a brass throne directly opposite the entrance, while twenty advisers on her flanks argued over the rising crisis along the border.
"We cannot send our army!" cried one woman of many years, handsomely clad in a fine silk dress. "The Rose wants nothing more than a casus belli to strike us, and we cannot resist their inexorable power." "You speak madness!" responded a gaunt man whose tights and jacket hung limply from his slender frame. "Even if we do not act, Empress Fujimoto would still crush us beneath her numberless legions. Better for our Kingdom to die standing than on our knees." he spat venomously.
Yoshizawa clutched the letter Mako gave her tightly, so much that her knuckles whitened. She stepped towards Queen Sayu, cold fury burning inside her heart.
All noise in the room died when Sayumi raised her sceptre. She rose from her seat with great care - the ermine robes of state were much too large for her to move about comfortably - and gave a grave salute to Yoshizawa. The older woman bowed before the sovereign with gritted teeth; memories of the last year, of the shame and dishonor the general suffered for her advice flared roughly.
Sayumi walked towards the kneeling soldier with red and puffy eyes.
"My beloved friends and counselors," began the young queen, her voice quavering, "here stands before you one of the finest subjects of this Kingdom, and one whose loyalty and service I do not deserve." A tear ran down the monarch's cheek as she continued. "Last year, I berated our soldiers, and this one in particular, for their wisdom and their foresight. I called Hitomi Yoshizawa a monster, for her sound judgement that peace could not be enforced without strength."
The queen choked back another sob.
"I was deluded, all of us were. I thought that we could bring an end to the eternal war that has ravaged our lands by living as neighbors do. But too much blood has been shed already, and old hatreds will never die. And so, we stand here today, with the Empire standing at our gates, and our defenders resigned to disgrace because I put my hopes on a dumb wish. Can our soldiers, our countrymen ever forgive me? I fear I have damned them all."
Sayumi took her scepter and raised it lightly over Yoshizawa.
"Be thou a knight," whispered Sayu. The queen tapped Yossie on both shoulders with the golden rod. Yoshizawa handed Sayumi newly-drawn documents of nobility, which the queen gratefully accepted. She handed off the papers to a scribe on her left. "Rise, Lady Yoshizawa of Saitama."
Yossie rose to her feet, her anger subsided. "My queen!" she shouted. "All is not lost. We may yet survive this dark hour. The Lilac Kingdom will never fall before Empress Fujimoto. This I swear, on the name of the Yoshizawa line."
One of Sayumi's attendants stepped forward, and presented Yoshizawa with a feathered purple cloak, and a bronze clasp that depicted a bundle of lilac flowers held in the beak of an eagle. Yossie put on the ceremonial overcoat, and flashed Mako a grin. Yossie was back in business. The latter responded with a wink, and pointed back towards the queen.
Sayumi sniffled a little. "Will you accept the apologies of an ignorant baka, noble general?"
"If I didn't, I would break my duty, liege."
Sayu sighed. "Welcome back, Lady Yoshizawa. Your Legion is assembled at the old parade grounds. They're understrength for now, but our diplomats have arranged for some aid from the other countries."
"From where?"
"The Orchid Kingdom."
Yossie's blood froze. "You can't be serious. Those witches-"
"Are our last hope, General. They informed us about Fujimoto's original buildup, and offered their support. We can't very well deny them, as our army is in shambles thanks to my meddling."
"I can deal with not having enough men. I can't deal with having scheming Orchid magicians building strength to stab us in the back while we bleed against THEIR enemies."
"We have no choice. I have arranged for their representatives to meet us momentarily... and here they come."
Three indistinct figures strode into the room, a supernatural glow surrounding them as they glided in.
Sayumi cleared her throat. "General Yoshizawa, this is Lady Rika Ishikawa of the Orchid Kingdom."
Topic: A Kingdom's Lament [Act 1, Ch.5] (Read 12727 times)