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‘Forgetting their destination
Countless particles dissolved into each day
With a container to collect the evening dew
I’m searching for that single missing piece!’
- Kyoumen No Nami [YURiKA]
-
“Sho….gi?”
He blinks, tilts his chin up, bring his heavy robes closer to himself.
“Yes. Though it is not so different from chess in your country. It is a strategic game,”
That’s when he sees the sharp look subtly sent his way by the guard to his right, when he notices how the king’s eyes flashed with something he often associates with his father’s generals once they were presented with a good fight. The smile he receives is polite and forthcoming.
Seiji regards it like a shark who’ve just seen easy prey.
“Very well. Teach me, and then we will play.”
King Laurent of Vere, splays his hands out in permission and it doesn’t take long for Seiji’s attendants to fetch his shogi pieces from his rooms. Seiji keeps it close, though he has long not played a game since he had taken more responsibilities as the emperor’s son. His father called it sentimentality and though he does agree, he’d once experienced peaceful quite afternoons with his late mother through it. Throwing it away will feel like throwing away some part of that memory too.
Seiji would never admit that though.
As they wait, he explains the rudimentary rules to the king, keeping his voice soft and firm, his back straight but face relaxed. The king, with his golden hair and icy blue eyes, listens to him attentively, his pale fingers laced under his chin. The king does not interrupt him, does not asks any questions. When Seiji is done, and the board is laid out between them he only lets out a small hum and another smile, (Seiji swears it was more of a smirk,).
“Seiji Katayama, prince of the east. Is this what you usually do in your spare time?”
Just as he was about to answer a distant shout rings out from outside. Down the balcony they were sitting at, a dark-skinned man waves at them. He has a stark white chiton covered with a red cloth draped on him. Something golden shines at his wrist. Standard Akielon wear.
Oh. Wait. Is that-
“Late again.” The king grumbles.
Down at the ground the man is lead inside.
A gentle breeze dances inside the room they chose to talk about negotiations, making the papers flutter on the desks. The king and him had already gone through that though, this was something the king wanted to do because his husband was not yet here to join in.
The late morning sunlight pours on them and his kimono, black with golden linings shining with it. Under them, the trees rustle and sway, the tap of servants and soldiers as they hurried on to their tasks, the faint tides several miles away, where they’ve docked their ships, the blue sky, vast and so, so far away from his homeland.
And the soft smile of the king as he hears the loud knock outside the room.
It is nostalgic, to Seiji.
Much like how his father used to smile when his mother was still alive.
“King Damianos of Akielos, your highness!”
A small sigh, a flash of golden from the king’s wrist as he waves,
“Let him in,”
-
Perhaps he should start from the very beginning, everything always looks better when it’s in order.
It began, he thinks, with the letter.
Far over the Ellosean Sea beside Akielos, over, over, and over other seas to the far east meets an island where there are no kings or queens. No Vere, Patras, or Vask. There is only an island, its emperor, or empress, with their loyal subjects, regents scattered at their own states.
Wars are fought over its own lands, rebellions and dictatorships, now a thing of the past. When his father unified the states and finally brought peace over the lands with his mother as the general who finally won against the other states, the kingdom he built after was just beginning to spread over other lands. Nihon has never reached as far as Akielos before.
When Seiji was ten they had just started to travel and trade overseas. When he was fifteen a tutor was brought to him, and his mother tells that he might as well start to learn Akielon since they’ve started to trade with them too now. Its odd that, ever since Vere and Akielos had unified they had been more than willing to receive foreign merchants from other lands.
As Seiji turns twenty his mother dies of an unknown sickness and a letter comes for the emperor. A letter from the kings of Vere and Akielos. An invitation for another ally, a union spanning several seas.
And so, things are done with quick succession after that. His mother’s funeral ends as the last brown leaves from the trees outside the imperial palace starts to fall for winter and calmer waters. Though his father had already planned for his chosen ambassador to prepare for travel, his son steps in as a representative instead.
The sorrow pulling him in made him restless, made him train every single day and work at his father side until the moon hangs high above the sky. But it hadn’t been enough. He needed to get away, from the soft laughter resounding over the garden where his mother used to plant her trees outside, the clangs of swords striking as his mother used to train him to be a warrior, the ink staining the paper in front of him like his mother showing him the art of Shūji, calligraphy.
Winter passes by like a quiet thundering storm. He remembers his hands trembling as he cleans and pours water down his mother’s grave the day before setting out to sea. Seiji blames it for the unusually cold winds that still lingered in the air, but the tears that trails down his cheeks the same night tells him that he is really only lying to himself.
-
The king of Akielos, Seiji realises, is just as handsome as his husband. The similarity ends there though, where king Laurent held a presence of command and assertiveness, Damianos fills the room with a calm atmosphere. Further, where Laurent was slim and graceful, Damianos was a hulking figure, taking up most of the space wherever he walks.
He finds out later that Damianos had changed hurriedly to a more formal version of his chiton on the way to their room, laurels still a little crooked on his head, and that King Laurent himself hadn’t wanted to wear the royal Veretian formal wear in the sunny Akielon weather, he’d only worn it because of the presence of Seiji himself.
Who would’ve thought? Nicholas wasn’t quite that useless now.
Seiji learns soon enough by Damianos firm tone and friendly smile that he held leadership differently from Laurent, but nevertheless leadership it was and perhaps that was the reason they had fit so well.
Once the king had settled beside his husband he had immediately reached out for the others hand, stroking his thumb against it. He had chuckled quietly when King Laurent told him, ‘If I lose, you get to do all the work tonight Damen,’ Seiji felt a little lost on what to do, should he cough to let them know he was still here? Should he let them indulge a bit more?
A tap from the table breaks him from his wandering thoughts. King Laurent had made a move. Seiji internally sighed in relief. Now this was familiar, this he could do.
“How were our envoys? I hope they didn’t cause too much trouble on your ship.”
He rubs his knuckles before making his next move, he clears his throat quietly, “Once my crew entered the Ellosean Sea, we met with captain Labao. And Williams?” Laurent and Damianos both nodded at the same time. Seiji hesitates over a piece before continuing, “both very welcoming I assure you. Though….”
He hadn’t really wanted to touch on this subject but an annoying voice echoes through his head and he finds himself gritting his teeth, “The bodyguard you sent me. Nicholas Cox, he- “
“What?”
Beside Damianos, King Laurent nonchalantly places his piece at the shogi board with a loud tap. His eyes narrow, turns to Laurent. His voice sounds flat when he asks, “Cox. You sent out Cox Laurent? Even Jord said- “
“And when have I ever listened to what he says? You never listen to Nikandros- “
“That’s not- Look, Jord told me he was nearly relieved of his duties.”
“Not quite. He was kicked off from his rank. I brought him back in.”
“To guard a Prince? Laurent, I don’t see how- “
“You will. Soon. Potential can only gain so much without opportunity after all.”
“Laurent! This is- “
Seiji decides to bring the conversation back before the argument could escalate any further. He clasps his hands together, thinks about how he should interrupt them, and finally brought his hand down on one of the pieces, bringing it down with a loud clack.
They turn abruptly at the sound and though he was the one who wanted their attention, he feels unsure what to say now that he has it. Damianos sighs before he could figure what to say though, “Apologies, prince Seiji. You should not have to see that,” Laurent smirks from beside him, cocking his head to the side, “But nevertheless…. how is he your highness? I heard the journey here had only been delayed once because of the storm but was well and safe until your arrival, so I hope he didn’t do anything…. untoward,”
“He’s….”
How can he say this without making it sound like he wanted to kill the man? Respect was crucial here, he didn’t want to come back to his country with a failed alliance because of his temper. Seiji holds his breath, then lets it out with a heavy sigh,
“quite aggravating.”
-
Seiji Katayama leaves Nihon to farewells and a resolute stare from the emperor himself. The captain greets him with a low bow, a sailor his father chose that had once contacted with a merchant living in Vere. ‘Charls’ was their name, though he can never quite say it properly.
The sea was kind to them, for several weeks. And in those days of great winds and pleasant weather, Seiji grieves for his mother, living so far from where he was. Its in those days that he brushes off the tired bags under his eyes and starts to study more about the Vere-Akielos culture now that it had been united with the marriage of King Laurent and King Damianos.
He learns about the history behind the recent unification, the uprisings, the battles, and the stories and rumours. Captain Chiaki was a man who loved to hold books and records of the lands he travels to. When he’d requested permission to go through the papers and books lining the shelves, the captain had bowed and smiled. ‘Anything for Seiji-sama.’
And they sail on. The days fly by seamlessly, the tides pulling them further away from his island.
Seiji grows tired sometimes of reading Akielon books, knowing about the dark history of Vere. The soldiers that had followed him trains with him when he tells them to, but he still grows restless, the hilt of his Katana feeling unsteady as the boat sways to the side and back.
When a sudden storm hits them with a ferocity that threatens to tear apart the mast and break the hull, Seiji wonders if their luck had finally run out. He gives a short prayer to the god of rain and thunder, finding that a small, hidden part of himself feels relieved now that he has a chance of joining his mother.
The aftermath though, wasn’t quite as bad as they thought it’d be. Another ship meets them as they enter the Ellosean Sea. They were all exhausted by that point, their rations having thinned out weeks ago, and the storm wearing them down into a damp sweating mess.
Seiji has long shed his kimono by that point, opting to wear the loose yukata he had with him. The ship that greets them is Akielon made, the people in it, a mix of Akielon and Veretian.
Seiji squints his eyes tiredly towards the figure bounding up to them. He hears wondering voices, a loud exclamation. Then just as sudden as the storm a man appears before him, smile wide, hair brown and unruly, olive skin shining with the midday sun. He does not bow, and he doesn’t bother to put his helmet back on his head as he faces Seiji, his sharp teeth have already brought him on edge with the man standing so confidently in front of him. How dare he, who does he think he is-
“You’re the prince, right?” his voice just as sure as his stance, he speaks out in Akielon though to Seiji some of the words sounded odd. Like it was edged with a hint of Veretian in it too.
“Nicholas Cox, once a part of the Kings Guard now I’m your bodyguard sent by King Laurent of Vere himself!”
Silence for over a minute. His crew behind him stares with wide disbelief, the people coming up from behind the Akielon looking worried as they hurried to reach them.
“Uh,” ‘how eloquent’, Seiji scowls at him, “Are you alright?”
Dragged down with exhaustion and tense with the thought that he needed to do this right, for his father, for his country, Seiji could only offer him a cold glare in return.
-
“Cox stayed by my side the whole time, though there were one or two…incidents pertaining the manners of which he behaved towards me, I believed Rossi and Rodriguez had a huge part in helping him in that department.”
A small pause, and a dejected sigh,
“He got in a fight, didn’t he?”
Seiji winces, remembering the flurries of fists flying that ensued several days before they landed on Akielos,
“He did.”
-
Nicholas Cox, born in Vere but raised in Akielos, gets a firm punch to his stomach by the angry Captain Chiaki as he spits out a curse and berates him for the lack of respect shown towards the prince. Seiji will have to talk to him in private later, he does not need rash actions from his people when they could risk the whole negotiation.
But, as Seiji stares at Nicholas coughing out spit and sucking for air at his feet, he finds it doesn’t really bother him as much just then.
“Nicholas!”
He staggers as he gets back up to his feet, half a second after, Seiji swears he sees his eyes flash wildly,
“Nicholas don’t- “
There’s a variety of different outcomes Seiji had counted in his head after this; the unruly Nicholas of Akielos would have retaliated back and punched his captain in anger, or he would have backed down and stayed on his feet learnt his lesson and stayed down, or, the other Akielons would have reached just as anything drastic can occur. Surprisingly, none of these came true.
He whips his head to face Seiji, wipes the drool leaking down his chin, his other hand still clutching his stomach, “Prince of the east, um, your highness,” he grins something wild at him, “might I have your permission to strike back?”
And Seiji is baffled, “Permi…. what-“
The voice behind him gets a little closer, but Nicholas has his eyes trained straight at him, through him. Waiting for his command.
“Nicholas, I swear to god If you- “
Captain Chiaki speaks Akielon unfortunately, (and has a thing with manners, Seiji realises). He growls at Nicholas, fist clenched at his side, “You want another boy?”
Nicholas sneers at him, “Bring it old man- “
“Enough.”
A crisp, commanding voice emerges between it all, just as Seiji was a second away from snapping at them, (he doesn’t know which one he would’ve done it to). A tall woman, her skin dark as night, wearing a stern face that could have rivalled his mother whenever she finds one of her soldiers skipping duties; calm but livid at the same time.
She has the standard chiton he knows the Akielon wears from description of the books he read before, but the dark blue cloak and the golden pin shining on her shoulder doesn’t tell him any clues about her. Her hair is tight and curly, secured with a silver clasp. She immediately turns to Seiji, bowing and says, her eyes down, “Apologies for the abrupt introduction your highness, though Nicholas can be especially exasperating at times- “
“Hey!”
“-his heart is in the right place.” She straightens her back and kept her face neutral as she continues, “Williams, your highness, one of the Kyros in Akielos. I will oversee everything until we reach Ios. When we were informed about the upcoming storm we came as soon as possible to secure your safety. It is fortunate that no severe damage has been done to your ship and crew. We have a physician on board, I ask your permission that he may assess your highness and your crew?” she says it all in an unhurried pace, her words placed with a sureness that reminds him so much of his mother.
Seiji takes a short while to answer. He holds his Yukata closer to himself as a breeze passes over them, raises his chin. Honestly all he wants at the moment was to eat and rest after the two storms that had greeted him in one day. So, prince Seiji of the east only nods quietly in response.
And as he does so, the hanging tension in the air dissolves into an inaudible relieved sigh.
After, when the sun has set, and the two ships are sailing side by side in peace, a loud knock interrupts Seiji just as he was beginning to get his craved sleep. The face that greets him at the door makes him want to slam it right back.
“Nicholas.” Seiji musters the coldest stare he can manage at him, “What are you doing here.”
Nicholas straightens his back, “Prince Seiji!” falters a little when he sees the glare aimed at him but continues, “As your bodyguard sent by King Laurent of Vere, I wanted to make sure that- “
“I’m fine.”
“Yes well, I need to stay with you to make sure that your safety is- “
“I’m fine.”
Seiji gets a scowl for that. He counts it as an achievement. “Why are you making this difficult your highness? I only want to make sure nothing happens to you. I heard King Laurent also had someone guarding him at night during the uprising- “
“Are your sure it was a bodyguard he had? Also,” he jabs a finger at Nicholas’s chest, “You can guard me just fine outside.”
He’s irritated now, Seiji can tell. Some of that wild anger from before leaking through the edges making his face strain with the effort of controlling it. “But I can guard you better inside- “
‘He’s not going to stop.’ It hits Seiji as he sees the resolute stare Nicholas gives him, going on and on about how he should protect him. Fine. Fine. He was too tired to deal with the antics of a stubborn soldier that has a rock for a brain. If this was how he has to live until he reaches Akielos, so be it.
“Tell someone to bring a pallet in for tomorrow. Tonight, you stay outside.”
Not tonight though. Tonight, Seiji slams the door at Nicholas’s face and sleeps a deep sleep that leaves no room for dreams or nightmares.
-
The conversation, fortunately, strays away from the subject of Nicholas. They start to discuss more about the potential increase in trading to Akielos, and hence, Vere. The rules and conditions on their alliance, what they wanted, and what Nihon was willing to give and vice versa.
More than that, Seiji gets revealed into the ongoing investigation they had about the slave trading’s around Patras to the other lands. He gets enquired in on how the servants in his country are treated, trained. How if his country catered to slaves like they once have. They tell it to him through polite words and soft voice sure, but this is what he parses from them.
And though he would have wanted to keep his country in a good light, his mother’s sombre face makes him reply in full honesty. His country has servants but in some parts of the land they are treated like slaves. His country thrives on elegance and order, but they still have corruption and abuse hidden in some states. This is the truth.
It is all done in a rather laid-back manner. The shogi board between them shows no clue of who was going to win and the papers, testaments, documents were written by the scribe beside them as they go over everything.
Laurent waves his hands away and the scribe nods before leaving the room quietly.
“There’s a lot in there to be signed. I believe it is more preferable to attend to this with the presence of the court tomorrow, don’t you think prince?”
Seiji agrees, and the three waits for afternoon snacks to be sent in. The cold drink tastes bitter on his tongue, he takes it in small sips.
Perhaps later, he can ask for some to be sent to his room. Nicholas would certainly appreciate a good wine.
-
Seiji has a wide, creamy sheet of cloth somewhere in the recesses of his belongings. It was beautiful, embroidered with the pictures of red cranes in flight, peaceful green hills and sky-blue waterfalls. When Nicholas comes over his room as his personal, glorified, bodyguard sent by the king, (he hates Seiji doesn’t he), he asks one of the crew to fetch it for him.
Then he orders them to hang it between his (their) room.
Nicholas gives him a silent huff but put no complaint against it anymore than that.
The days after are uneventful, but Seiji himself is impatient to finally reach solid ground. He’s tense, fingers tapping, hands on his Katana, eyes on the wide horizon. What he’s feeling right now is anticipation, at least, that’s what he tells himself. He doesn’t have time to feel nervous, what he should do now is be prepared, on what he should expect, what he should convey to the kings of Akielos and Vere.
“Hey prince you ever fenced?”
Seiji grits his teeth, throws Nicholas a piercing glare at which the other scowls in return. It would have been so much easier if he didn’t have this constant distraction by his side all the time.
Nicholas Cox takes his job seriously, that part is obvious. He’s behind when Seiji is consulting with WIliams, at the side when he is talking to the physician, Rossi. Follows him everywhere, when he settles down to read, walking with him when he observes his crew as they work, as he goes inside to sleep. It would have been fine if Nicholas was silent but alas, the man had to be a noisy monkey on top of being a complete idiot.
Nicholas talks and talks and talks. He tells Seiji about the ridiculously hot weather in Akielos, about the punishment he’d get from the head of the Kings Guard back in Vere, about how he misses the sweet meats, the red wine, and the beautiful people from the city. About, about, everything! Seiji wonders if he really does know he’s guarding royalty since he has no qualms whatsoever on prattling on about anything random.
Nicholas also introduces Seiji to the other soldiers, a red-faced Rodriguez being one of them; that one barely stutters out a greeting to Seiji before murmuring that he needed to do something or the other and dashing off. Nicholas gossips about how Captain Labao had bullied him when he was still new to the King’s Guard, about the ongoing bet on one of the Akielon soldiers getting together to another from Vere, ‘Everyone thinks Harvard is going to do it first, but I know how these things end prince, Aiden just has to get his head out of his ass before he realise anything,’
About how he never thought he’d end up from the slums of Akielos to where he is right now, how if you squint your eyes just close enough, you could spot the white limestone cliffs of Ios out over the Gulf of Atros, from some parts of the beach. And how every time he visits Ios, the island of Isthima sometimes looked like a duck when the sun sets from a certain angle. And how, above anything else, what he truly loves to do is-
“Fencing?” Seiji sighs, “A form of swordplay in your country I take. No, I have not. And I don’t intend to start now.”
Nicholas frowns at him, “Oh come on, I figured it wouldn’t be that different from your kind of swordplay. I’ve seen you practice, blades really sharp right?”
“Yes. And entirely different from yours,”
“Oh?” Nicholas grins. The sea was cool and warm that night. They’re at the deck, the crew milling about after having finished their dinner. The moonlight shines on Seiji’s dark blue kimono.
“Are you scared I’d beat you prince?”
Seiji throws him a sharp look. He unfolds his hands, fingers itching for the hilt of his sword. No one has challenged him ever since he threw down his cousin Takano, twice as big as him to the ground. His cousin had doubted his strength and his ability to protect the country, Seiji had given him a lesson for that. Now Nicholas was doubting that Seiji couldn’t beat him? He would have to fix that.
“Very well,” Nicholas smiles triumphantly, “Early morning, tomorrow. You show me yours, and I’ll show you my swordplay.” After all it was useless to duel when they don’t know the rules, Seiji prefers everything in order before he can send this noisy man to the ground, “the day before we are to land in Akielos,”
He levels Nicholas with a stern stare, feels the sudden urge to grin tugging at his lips, “we’ll see who’s the better swordsman.”
Nicholas grin grows wider if anything, “I’ll show you prince! They didn’t choose me as part of the King’s Guard for nothing!”
Seiji nods slowly, “And you’ll have to be quiet for the entirety of our journey if you lose.”
“In fact, I’m the best in swordplay there, I lasted a minute with King Laurent, even Aiden lasted half of that and- what?” Seiji smirks at him, before walking back to his room, Nicholas scurrying along after him.
“Prince hey, wait, what do you mean by that- “
The ship rocks steadily as it sails nearer to land.
-
“Doesn’t look like you’re winning Laurent.”
“Hush now, one more word from you Damen, and you’re sleeping on the couch.”
“But dear- “
Seiji’s not sure if they realise he can hear every single word they’re saying but he chooses to stay silent for the sake of propriety. He can see now though, how the rumours about the strategic prowess and the brilliance of King Laurent de Vere weren’t merely rumours. They’re neck and neck, and for the first time, Seiji wonders if Laurent was going to be the second person to ever beat him in this.
‘Clack.’
King Laurent makes his step.
‘There.’
And Prince Seiji sees an opening.
-
“Kendo, and fencing.” Seiji inspects the two swords laid side by side, he nods. “As I thought. A lot of the technicality between the two differs. I for one, “He raises his sword, assumes the readying stance, “Use Budo, a martial art you practice to improve yourself- “
“Well fencing- “
“Quiet.”
“Hey!”
“And when I saw how you use your sword…...I could see that you focus mainly on defence rather than offense. A system of parries…” That wasn’t what his mother taught him, to her this swordplay would have been considered cowardly. But was it really? Seiji is intrigued, the swordplay is graceful, and clever. A flick of the wrist and a shift in nerves, then you’ve already successfully blocked several strikes.
He does not doubt he would win though.
He faces Nicholas, “A week before we reach Akielos.”
Nicholas grins at him, “You mean a week before I beat you, right prince?”
Hmph. Such insolence. He will soon see.
“Again!”
Bobby is trying not to laugh, he can tell. ‘Oh, isn’t he cool Nicholas? The prince of the east, look at those colourful robes doesn’t he look so majestic?! And that beautiful mole!’ Ever since the prince came, the time he spends with Bobby is spent praising prince Seiji. Nicholas clenches his jaw, glares at the prince staring down at him with a smug smile. He swallows, throat dry.
Well, the prince of the east sure does have a cold heart he can give you that.
“You lost Nicholas, just accept it- “Bobby tries to whisper at him, but he shakes his head, “Again!” he tries to call back on the prince, but Seiji has already lowered his sword and started putting his outer robes back on.
His hands turn into fists, a tick starts to develop beneath his eye, “Hey, didn’t you hear me prince? I said ag- “
“Nicholas.”
He turns to Nicholas, chin high, eyes faced directly at him. Dark and domineering, Seiji looks every bit like the son of an emperor, a prince. Nicholas could already imagine a silver crown sitting on his head. It looms at him, a tall pillar bearing down at his figure.
“Don’t you remember what we agreed on if you lose?”
He does.
Nicholas blinks, straightens his back, stares defiantly back at the prince. He nods, before looking away.
A moment of silence. Then, “Good.” He does not react when he hears steps taken away from him.
Nicholas is silent all the way through as they finally arrive at Akielos.
-
‘Clack’
Seiji stares at the shogi board. He can feel his nails digging in his palms. He gulps, tries not to close his eyes.
“Congratulations King La- “
“Well!” Laurent claps his hands together, “I’m impressed Prince Seiji, no one has ever come close to beating me in a strategic game these days,” Damianos clears his throat from beside him, Laurent nods him away, “hmm, not quite Damen.”
Laurent takes a sip of drink before he continues, “but we haven’t really discussed anything if I won, haven’t we?” He tilts his head to the side, “What are you willing to give me, prince?”
Seiji hesitates, thinking of the right answer. When he thought about it, it surprises him that he didn’t think about the quiet rain that accompanies his memories with his mother, in contrary he thinks about olive skin, about unruly brown hair. About sharp teeth graced with a confident grin.
‘It’s time to let go.’
Nicholas taught him that.
Seiji sighs.
“The shogi board. I would be happy to give it so that your highness may enjoy it in quiet afternoons and peaceful mornings,”
-
“Here, right here. Lady Sally punched me because I told everyone that she was from Vask, when really it was her great-grandmother who was from Vask and had like a thousand male concubines- “
Predictably, the oath of silence Nicholas had taken was broken three days after they had docked, rested for a night, and continued. The horses were already waiting for them when they arrived at the shoreline.
It’s a few more days before they will reach Ios, at this point Seiji has already given up trying to remind Nicholas about their promise. His glare gets him another in return. When he snaps Nicholas snaps back, if he raises his voice Nicholas raises his higher. Its one vicious cycle that spirals down until he expects one of them to take out their sword and stop the whole alliance altogether.
He hopes it won’t come to that.
“And I thought they were getting along so well there,” someone tuts behind them. Seiji clicks his tongue in annoyance. If he guesses right that’d be-
“Aiden stop it! Not everyone gets to have best friends like you- “
Right.
Seiji can hear Nicholas grumbling on his horse beside him. Ahead of them, the sun sets on yet another day. The red orange rays make the road look longer than it should be, the clouds above is sparse and unfamiliar. The trees hide shadows and birds behind its leaves.
Seiji pulls his robe closer.
The sooner they reach Ios the better.
It’s the last day before they finally reach Ios that Nicholas sticks his head in Seiji’s personal space and blurts out,
“Why are you so angry all the time?”
They’re in their tent, where the fires for dinner had already burned out into quiet embers and the only light left is the moonlight that pours down as slivers inside the dark space of their beds. The winds are silent, the crickets a low murmur. If Seiji evens his breathing and turns to his side, would Nicholas think he’s asleep and leave him alone?
“Hey prince,”
He doesn’t open his eyes. His chest rises and fall slowly.
“I know you’re awake.”
The tent shakes as a sudden breeze passes by.
“Prince Sei- “
“How?”
“How what?”
“How did you know I wasn’t asleep?”
“Your shoulders still tense.”
He frowns, shifts his back a little and turned around.
“Go to sleep Nicholas.”
“But you didn’t answer my question!”
He sighs, “Yes. Why don’t you tell me why you can’t keep quiet?”
Seiji expects Nicholas to complain. Go on about how he’s just doing his job and if Seiji weren’t so angry all the time he would have found it easier. But Nicholas does none of that.
He doesn’t want to turn around, where he knows Nicholas is lying down on the makeshift straw bed he made for himself. Where he knows some of the silver light would catch itself in his brown hair. It is irrelevant.
Above them, the night stars are covered by the clouds ready for a rainy day.
Nicholas takes a quiet breath,
“This job is very important to me.”
Seiji certainly didn’t expect that. So, he chooses to stay silent. Nicholas continues,
“King Laurent personally gave it to me you know? Laurent de Vere. Told me I should get you comfortable and tell you anything I know about Akielos,”
So that’s why? Somewhere along the way, Seiji had suspected Nicholas wasn’t normally a chatty person. He thought he’d be happy to know that his hunch was proven true. He doesn’t know why he feels disconcerted.
“It’s been a long time since the Regents reign was halted,” Nicholas continues,” I still remember those times…. A Veretian living in Akielos? If I wasn’t picking other people’s trash for food, I was stealing them. My mother didn’t live long. Akielon but even when I looked more like her they knew my mother had an affair with a visiting lord from Vere recently. They treated me like I never belonged.”
Seiji tries to keep his breathing quiet. For some reason, he doesn’t want Nicholas to stop.
“Hey prince,”
The tent gets darker. The clouds gather, now covering the moon as well.
“Would you believe me if I told you I’m one of the heirs of Vere?”
Seiji blinks. He slowly lifts his head up from the pillow, pulling himself up. The shift makes a rustling sound, the wind outside blocks it out. He turns to Nicholas, who has his face turned away towards the tents opening. Seiji opens his mouth, then shuts it with a snap. Then he says, “No.” followed by a silent murmur, “Jesse Coste is Vere’s heir.”
A sharp laugh, “Hah! Come on prince, you’re certainly many things, I know being super smart is one of them,”
Seiji stares at the back of Nicholas head.
“Your father.”
He sees how Nicholas shifts to his side, though his face is still turned away, “Hmmm yeah. No one knows. I think. Actually, I think King Laurent knows. I don’t know. Maybe that’s why he let me have this job.”
What covers them this time is not just darkness, but an overwhelming silence. Somehow, Seiji knows what’s going on now. Doubting what you’ve achieved if it was really deserved or not. Was it you or was it because of what you were born with? Maybe that was why he’d volunteered to come here too; to get out of his father’s shadow and his mother’s memories.
“You’re good at it.”
“Hmm?”
Seiji hears slow breathing and the flap of canvas,
“Guarding me. That snake yesterday could’ve bitten me.”
“Oh yeah and I sliced it in two just for you to step on its head,”
“That is irrelevant, I’d still get bitten.”
“Sure prince,”
A moment of pause. Then,
“Thank you.”
Seiji sighs again. This time, in relief. He lays back down on the bed.
“Go the fuck to sleep Nicholas,”
“Ohhhh the prince of the east has a filthy mouth!”
The trees sway, the winds howl.
It starts to rain.
-
“Are you sure about this prince? This was just a game to pass the time after all,”
Seiji shakes his head, tries to give out a soft smile though he knows it looks tense.
“It is my choice. Please King Laurent, it is yours.”
Both kings look unsure as he asks his attendants to pack the shogi board appropriately for them. It is fine. Once he has set his mind on something, it is far too late to change anything.
On the way to his room, he tells one of the servants to drop the red wine at his room later. And as he arrives, a loud voice greets him excitedly.
“Prince! They had me drilled all day and I couldn’t even see you! How were the kings? I mean in my opinion they’re just an old married couple really but tell me what happened- “
Seiji closes the door softly from behind him.
-
There was something digging through his mind, as they finally arrive in Ios. As they settled down in the Palace. As they finally meet King Laurent and King Damianos in full glory, both wearing elaborate chitons to greet Seiji’s travel party as he arrives in the white city.
There was something digging in his mind and it is this,
“Does it occur frequently here? For a man to marry another?”
It’s night again, though now they’re sleeping in one of the grand rooms of the palace. Seiji cannot pinpoint the exact moment when it happened, but somehow, somewhere along the journey he’d made as they reach the palace sitting at the highest point of Ios’s cliffs, he’d grown comfortable with the voice of Nicholas answering him in the light of the moon.
Nicholas gives no comment on it, takes it in stride as if they had been doing it from the start. They talk about everything that had occurred during the day. Seiji had even laughed at one of Nicholas’s jokes thrown his way. Was he getting too close? He does not know. But he couldn’t find it in himself to care when the shine in Nicholas’s eyes is so much brighter than the thought of how his father would react to this. If Seiji had to hide his feelings, he chooses to hide it for another day.
Nicholas frowns at him, “What do you mean by that?”
He has a spare bed beside Seiji’s, though he could have very well slept in a different room now that they have arrived at Ios. It had been their own silent agreement to stay together. Seiji bites his bottom lip in contemplation. Perhaps this is fine. They could be friends at least.
“My country rarely has marriages between the same gender.” He says, “The couples often prefer to mind their own business and close their doors to anyone enquiring to know about their relationship.”
Nicholas raises his eyebrows, “Why is that?”
Seiji looks away at this, tries to smoothen out the wrinkles on his bedsheets,
“Sometimes my people…. are not kind.” It makes him uncomfortable, to admit it. But here is the truth; if he ever reveals to his father about his inclinations towards men, he could not guarantee he’d stay the emperor’s son any longer. But here. Here, no one seems to care. Here he could stare at Nicholas longer than he needs to and no one would accuse him of anything.
He wants to stay here.
Seiji shakes his head slowly.
‘Ah just where did that thought come from…’
“Here too.” Seiji startles, snapped back to the sudden quietness of Nicholas voice, “I mean, affairs, lovers? Sure, but marriages? Just a handful here and there. Well with Laurent and Damianos being the primary instigator of course. Long ago Vere used male slaves for sex because they hadn’t wanted to make accidental babies you know?” here his voice sounded bitter, words just barely spitted out, “they…they had pets. Boys way younger than you as their…” he shakes his head.
“What I mean to say is, it’s not entirely perfect here either.” Then Nicholas remembers the two figures standing tall the first time he gets too see the two kings in Arles, and he smiles softly, “but we’re getting better.”
Seiji takes a moment before he says more. He wonders if he should really say it, or if he should just keep it locked where it was safe; in his own head.
“You haven’t answered my question you know.”
He faces Nicholas, sprawled and grinning on his makeshift bed. And at the mirror, where it shows him on a more resplendent bed, loose kimono hanging over his shoulders. The night was cold.
“Which one?”
Nicholas laughs, continues, “’Why are you so angry all time?’, that one.”
“I’m not.”
He nods, waves his hand dismissively, “Alright maybe not all the time. But most of the time.”
“I take my position seriously.”
“I do too. Doesn’t mean I need to glower all the time,”
“I do that?”
“Uh, yeah? You didn’t know?”
Well now. Right to the core of the matter was it? He expected nothing less from Nicholas. Seiji knows why he’s been in a bad mood ever since he’d set sail for Akielos. Maybe, if he tells at least one soul, it’ll set his mind at ease. Maybe.
He turns over on his bed, watching Nicholas looking at him. Messy brown hair splayed on his white pillow.
“My mother had a female lover once.”
As expected, Nicholas looks surprised by the sudden change in topic, but he lets Seiji carry on by shutting his mouth.
“She wasn’t born from royalty. Nor was she anyone’s wealthy merchant daughter. She was a farmer’s daughter. When she was of age, her family sold her off to a teahouse owner.”
“Teahouse?”
Seiji glares at him for interrupting, Nicholas mimes shutting his mouth with a cheeky smile. He sighs before continuing,
“They’re like…. brothels. But more refined, more sophisticated. You pay for a night, some only entertain, some are more expensive, and you pay to sleep with them. My mother she…. she fell in love with one of the residents of the teahouse also serving it. Not long after that, that same woman she fell in love with killed herself. She couldn’t withstand the abuse she had gotten from one of the clients. My mother was distraught. She was going to be buried like a dog with no name, in a ditch somewhere but my mother burned her body and kept it in an urn with her name written by a skilled artist she had paid.
That was when she snapped. Had kept a book about all the clients that visits the teahouse, and all the men that spends the night with her. That was how she had climbed the political ladder. How she had trained to be a strong soldier from some of the men who favoured her. She was clever, riding on their preferences and wants to get everything that she needs.
That was how she finally became general, married my father as they united our nation as one.”
Nicholas takes in a deep breath, “Wow,” he lets out, “Your mother is amazing.”
Seiji scowls, “Oh yes I’m sure.”
He starts to dig in the fine, dark sheets, jaw tight.
“She never told anyone about this you know? Just me.” Seiji shakes his head, his throat felt thick, “Told me everything about herself, yet couldn’t even tell me that she was dying,”
His hands are trembling, the furious shaking in his bones something he has felt before when he had first heard the news. “Everyone. Everyone knew about her sickness except for me!”
This one is a loud roar that shakes the room. He does not register the ripped sheets underneath his hands. “Why did she do it? To protect me? Foolish, I would have helped, I would have- “
A sudden warmth. Hot brands behind his back. The gust of breath at the tip of his ear. The cold tracks down his face.
Oh? Just when had he started crying?
Nicholas brings him closer to himself, hugs Seiji like he would never let go.
He is limp, out of energy. Out of emotion. He’s just so tired of feeling.
“I know.” A soft whisper. “I know.” A desperate chant.
Nicholas has a voice deep enough to pierce the darkness of his room.
Seiji drowns in it until they both feel sunrise peeking through the windows.
-
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-
“You gave him your Shogi board?”
Seiji shrugs, brings the cup of wine Nicholas had poured for him to his lips. He hums back in reply,
“Prince, when I told you to let go I didn’t mean it like this,”
He doesn’t really understand what all the fuss is about actually. The night is calm, the moon outside is full. He’d rather soak in the quiet night with Nicholas than discuss this. He shrugs again, silent. Huddles closer to the warmth of Nicholas. Nicholas doesn’t say anything about it.
They both have had a couple of drinks in them, both lounging on Seiji’s bed. The wine had left a soft buzz down his throat, warming up his stomach. Making his hands loose and his shoulders relax. Seiji tilts his head to the side. Doesn’t quite smile, but it’s a near thing.
He takes another cup before changing the subject.
They talk well into the night, soft laughter forms clouds around the moon, stories exchanged twinkles and spreads, makes the stars shine, and scatter across the smooth dark bedsheets of the night sky. Secrets whispered creating warm winds flowing in the room. The soft brush of skin on skin, slight, makes the candles flicker around them.
Then everything startles. Stops.
Nicholas takes a breath,
“How long will you stay?”
Silence. The moon does not shine, the stars does not twinkle, the clouds darken, the winds are still, and the candles dies. He sighs,
“I don’t know.”
A shift in breath, a trembling hand reaching, hoping. Then brushing over a dark mole under closed eyes, on pale skin.
“Prince,”
He hums, “Hmmm no. Seiji.”
“S-seiji,”
“Yes?”
“Might I,” a nervous swallow. Seiji trails fingers at his neck to his collarbone. An invisible necklace on dark olive skin, “h-have your permission to kiss you?”
He thinks back now, to everything that has brought him here, the letter, the storm, the game, the full moon. He plays with unruly brown hair at the back of Nicholas’s neck, twisting it between his pale fingers. He leans closer. Takes the leap.
“Permission granted.”
-
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“Write to me,”
“Of course, and you too.”
“Farewell my dear,”
The Emperor’s son, the prince of Nihon, sets sail for his country with fond eyes and a parting kiss. On the lips.
Nicholas has red ears for the rest of the day, Bobby is inconsolable from beside him, “What the hell Nick? That is so not fair!”
Months later, when the moon is full, and the clouds does not cover the stars, Seiji arrives in Ios with a lot more baggage than before, wearing a chiton and a smirk,
“Father told me I have much to learn here, show me how you fence Nicholas.”
And Nicholas wears a smile as bright as the sun.
-FIN-