Chapter Text
The sweltering heat bore down on the Eastern kingdom, which was bustling more than usual. The marketplace was lively, full of customers from other kingdoms as well as regulars. An armoured woman pushed through the crowd, ignoring the shouts that were drowned out by the joyous laughter and noise of the market. She sprinted down a quieter alleyway, taking the shortest route she knew towards the palace. Skidding to a halt outside the congested gates, she frantically looked around until she spotted the person she was looking for.
“Hey, Ken!” She whisper-shouted, carefully making her way towards him. The knight continued to check the people streaming into the palace, tilting his head ever so slightly for the woman to know that he heard her.
“I need to get into the palace. I have urgent news for his highness from the temple. I can’t tell you more. Sorry.” She panted, sweat rolling down her forehead.
“You’ll have to go by yourself, Nagi. Taiga’s busy managing the internal security and I have to manage the visitors.” Ken spoke under his breath, noticing the unnatural urgency in Nagi’s tone. “He should be in the ballroom.”
Nagi took off before he could say anything else, with a single nod for thanks.
-
“Your majesty!” Nagi ran into the ballroom. It was full of nobility from other kingdoms. The slow music, tinkling of wine glasses and polite laughter made Nagi feel extremely out of place, sweating in her horrible bulky armour. The king was standing at the far end of the room with the queen, who was carrying a tiny brunette child right next to a cradle holding an even tinier child inside with a mass of ginger hair.
Nagi made her way over to the king and bowed before him, dropping to her knee. "Your majesty. I have a message from the Temple."
The king tilted his head slightly and quietly told the queen to give him and Nagi some privacy. She nodded briefly and went away to talk to some of the visitors. Once she was out of earshot, he turned his piercing gaze to Nagi. She shivered as he addressed her. “Speak.”
The background noises faded as Nagi grew hyperaware of the king’s cold stare. “...The Temple said to remember the prophecy from two years ago.”
The king’s expression turned dark. Nagi remained silent. The noises in the ballroom felt so far off.
“Tell them to leave me be. I’m not doing anything wrong.” He turned away from her. “Leave. I do not wish to hear about this any longer.”
His voice was dangerously low, and Nagi was not going to go against the king in front of all the foreigners in the room. She was not sure what exactly the king was talking about, but she was sure the prophecy had mentioned some 'doom' and ‘forbidden knowledge’ of sorts… whatever. It didn't affect her. She quietly backed away, making a beeline towards the exit, listening to orders like any other good knight who didn’t want to die that night–
The sound of a scuffle drew her attention towards the entrance of the ballroom. A sudden chill swept through the room, and a deathly silence fell, along with the two guards who were previously guarding the doorway. Goosebumps erupted on Nagi’s arm as a cloaked figure entered the ballroom, presence crushing. The king moved his hand towards his sword hanging by his waist. Nagi didn’t. She didn't intent to start a fight she couldn't win.
“Shinonome Shinei.”
The figure pushed back its hood to reveal a stunning woman, prettier than anyone else in the room. She had short, brown hair that framed her face perfectly, and upturned hazel eyes which seemed to reflect the stars in the sky. Her red lips pressed into a disapproving line. She seemed too beautiful to be human– flawless, picture perfect– she was straight out of a painting.
“I come from the Temple.” She spoke, eyes fixed on the man before her. “You must know of the prophecy from five years ago, yes? And the warning we gave you two years ago?”
Hushed whispers rippled throughout the room. Prophecies were meant to stay private. For the Temple to reveal it publicly either meant that it would affect everyone, or that it was being blatantly ignored despite its degree of seriousness.
“You have chosen to ignore the warnings we gave you. Your foolish actions will have consequences.” The woman approached the cradle. She looked down at the child inside, expression not unkind. “Should you continue your actions, your children will suffer in your place. After all,” she looked up at the king. “Parents are very protective of their children. We have come to the agreement that this is the course of action that is most likely to affect your decision.”
The king gripped his sword wordlessly, glaring at the woman who paid him no mind. She smiled down at the child, reaching into the cradle to run her fingers through his fluffy orange hair.
“I repeat once more, King Shinonome. Stop what you’re doing immediately. I hate to do this to such small innocent children, but if you won’t heed our warnings, not only you will suffer, but they will too.” The woman straightened up, glancing sideways at the child the queen was clutching onto protectively. She turned her back onto the king. “Listen to what the Gods are saying. What you pursue is forbidden. Do not proceed further.”
She stalked out of the ballroom, cloak swishing, bringing the silent chill with her. The room erupted into a frenzy, people surging towards the king, shouting and demanding answers from him. He merely gestured for the knights to cover him and his family, an unreadable expression on his face.
Nagi hurried over, prying away the nobles from the royal family. From the corner of her eye, she saw the kid in the cradle start wailing, and the small princess peering over at him with concern. That beautiful woman was too cruel, punishing those children for whatever their father had done. Her mind flashed to the kid that Yuka and Ken recently had. What was her name… An? The three children were close in age. She could hardly bear to imagine An being subjected to punishment from the Gods.
Poor children. She ached to help them, maybe slap some common sense into the king, because whatever he was doing was obviously bad bad, for the heavens to intervine, but she was quite preoccupied at the moment. Please, Shinonome Shinei, for the sake of your children, don’t be so stupid!
-
"Ken."
Nagi gripped her fork, playing with the food set in front of her. Her mind kept replaying the scene from the ballroom. The man looked at her concernedly.
"If the Temple came down and threatened to punish An if you- I don't know, keep trying to be the captain of the Knights, what would you do?" She stabbed the meatball with her fork restlessly. "Since it's always been your dream to be the captain of the Knights."
Ken, without missing a beat, replied, "I'd give up. Or find a way around it."
Yeah, sounds about right. Any parent would put their child first. So the king should be no different. I hope. Nagi chewed on her lip. Those kids... barely able to comprehend the world...
"Why are you so weird today anyway?" Taiga huffed from beside Nagi. "You've been antsy ever since you returned from the ballroom. I heard there was a commotion. What even happened in there?"
Nagi sighed, finally shoving the spaghetti into her mouth. "M'kay, so listen closely..."