Whispers from the Year of the Dead
By Sana Komaru

Published by Sana Komaru in 217, this slim to contains the last year's gossip and other courtly events, as seen through one lady's harsh and bitter eye.

Possession of this tome is worth **** Research Points per session, on the subject of ****. You may only use points from one book on this subject in a year. If delivered to the Church, this tome is worth **** Church Prestige Point.

When I was very small, we would play a game in my aunt's garden. We called it the Bell Game, and we only got to play it during the period when my aunt was hosting not only my brother, my sister, and I, but half of the other noble children caught in the capital as well. I learned it from my brother, and I think he might have learned it from a Touraine child, but I can't even remember what she looked like, let alone her name. Usually, it took place in the largest garden, and it was in three parts.

The first part was called Choosing the Gold. Since the games were spontaneous, it usually worked to pick the child who wore the most of the color gold that day as the counter. Then we'd choose a base - sometimes it was Midoko or another older child who considered herself too old to play with the children but found herself consigned to watching them. Once, it was my aunt's little dog. And if we couldn't find a person, then the Gold would toss a ball up in the air at the end of the second part.

The second part was called Scattering the Fetters. All of the children would gather around the Gold and, holding hands, would spin in a circle. The Gold would chose eight children at random and hand each of them a colored scarf. Then the Gold would close his eyes and count to two hundred, while all of the other children ran around and tried to get scarves from other children. Every child that was tagged had to give up her scarf for the duration of the game but could chase after another one.

When the Gold reached two hundred, the next part. which we called Gathering the Stars, would begin. Everybody who didn't have a scarf would leave the field, and it was up to the Gold to catch the base, which sometimes was very exciting and sometimes very dull. After the Gold was at the base, he would being to spin. Each of the other children would come up, chant a rhyme, and drape their scarf over the Gold. Then, they'd all join hands and spin around the Gold three times until they fell down. And the Gold would have to sit the next game out.

Children's games always make more sense when you're seven years old. I know that every flag was associated with a name, and the rhyme was the same for each scarf, save for the name. For example, the rhyme for one of the green scarves was "I am the Temptress, Sleeper and the Bell, the time of turning, be strong, farewell", and the rhyme for the other green scarf was "I am Sentinel-by-the-sea, Sleeper and the Bell, the time of turning, be strong, farewell". There were always two green flags, even though we had plenty of colors not used. Children can be unnervingly traditional, especially when it makes no sense.

It was wildly fun when I was tiny - I loved to try and be the blue Rememberer, and the spinning always made me laugh with exhilaration. I never wanted to be the Gold, though, because it was boring and lonely. And now, thinking back, sad. All of those farewells... Veronica died that year, and my brother Hikaru, our most faithful silver Soldier, died the next. Veronica was such a sweet girl, so gentle. I traded her the White One Unnamed for the Rememberer once. I never liked the white; it was almost as bad as the two greens. That Touraine girl was the brass Unbidden and Midoko, when she wasn't being base, was the orange Defier, which is funny to remember now. Lisabeta also died that year, caught in the raid on her parents' home, and the Bell Game we played the day after had the Wise and Solitary One's black scarf unclaimed, untaken. It was hers. The game was silent, and nobody cried.

Arabelle trilled once about how innocent the Royal Children are.

That was my childhood.

After the Crown Prince introduced the new Marshals to the rest of the Royal Council, I had lunch with my sister, Aimee, and Zoe. Zoe is closest to the Royal Council, and she does amazing impersonations, especially of annoying Yuasa. I heard that Laurent Yuasa, especially, was horrified by the proposal banged on the table. I suppose he is frightened of losing the seat he has so recently gained, or perhaps he is worried about losing his life. It is certainly a dangerous time to be a Yuasa, what with the snake devouring itself even as hawks from above harry it. Perhaps by next year, all of the Yuasa will be absorbed into the Touraine or the Skye, and the remainder slaughtered by their confused brothers. We all raised our teacups to them, even Zoe, who had recently befriended a young Yuasa exile. It is hard not to admire such fierce and unrelenting insanity, after all. I miss Violaine, though. She was something special and beautiful, a gift from the Yuasa to us and I do not think I shall forgive them for so violently taking her away.

I suppose we are not so much better, though. In the late spring, I rode on an expedition to view the armies marching across out farms. They were abandoned, of course. When armies of the Sone, or even the Bellatrix, tread across our estates, they are careful, knowing that it is their supply lines that mismanagement of routes will cost them. This army, hailing from the Touraine lands, was not so kind. They were also quite smelly. Soron suggested that perhaps the maggots that crawled through their flesh animated them, and I am still quite glad that I did not accompany Soron and Vincent when they rode even closer than the hilltop our pavilion had been erected on. I have heard my darling cousin has yet another play in the works, this one a horror story about a woman who sees her lover within the ranks of the dead. I have been privileged to read several pages and while it is stellar writing as usual, I'm afraid he won't be drawing his usual crowds this time.

I hope Soron will continue to write after he marries; I think it is likely that he will be married soon. Weddings have also been on Midoko's mind much of late, so I have taken it on myself to extrapolate what kind of husbands might take her from each of the families. First of all, we must examine the Bellatrix. His Most Ambiguous Light Julien Bellatrix seems to be a primary candidate, being one of the most eligible bachelors in the Church and the Marshal's own dear son. He certainly has the support of the Church, even if he did lead his family's troops against the Touraine. On the other hand, it's always possible that His Grace Theodore will choose to marry off his younger son, the infamous Philippe. Philippe, I'm sure, would be too busy drinking his guns and polishing his bottles to pay much attention to his wife, and so I'm sure that Midoko, or Aimee, or Maria, or whoever is chosen can quite continue their current lifestyle. On the Touraine front, I must say that the only acceptable option is the wonderful Jade Touraine. Of course, while he might be dashing, handsome, intelligent and powerful, he does carry the onus of living in the frightening land by the sea and being part of a family that seems very excited about civil conflict these days. In the north, the options are scanty, so perhaps my dear sister need not fear. After all, is not Xavior married to our own Romana, and Faust doting on his newborn children? But there's always Laurent... To the south, there is always Patric Sone, Her Grace Sidonie's son. He's elegant, surprisingly good at conversation, easy to look at and as pleasant company as my cousin Tohru. If he ends up with any of my friends, Patric will be far better off than my poor cousin, too.

I went riding with Sidonie Sone in the fall. She and I and Midoko took a picnic to Skydown Hill, where a flying castle died long ago. I used to climb around in the ruins when I was a child, after Hikaru died. But this time I was too grown-up to do this. Ladies do not climb around on hills, especially in the presence of those as observant as Sidonie. Now, I must say that Sidonie is a charming and wise woman. She is very experienced in the ways of court and when eventually she guided the conversation to a discussion of the engagement between Arabelle and Tohru, I was not surprised. I don't think she is any more pleased with Arabelle's behavior than we are, but she was hopeful that the engagement would hold. There were many pretty words exchanged between my sister and Her Grace, and I think that Tohru will continue to be bound to her unless he is rescued by a general's choice. It makes me sad, because Arabelle Sone is a cruel, scandal-loving bitch with barely half the charm of her elders and nary a tenth of the wisdom. Lucien Skye's mother had more morals than she. I have heard that her family line runs to baldness and I have noticed that she always wears her hair down these days. I am counting the days until her teeth start falling out. If I thought I had the skill to do so, I would put on armor myself and march to war to rescue Tohru from her claws. Unfortunately, I am a coward. Perhaps I will mention this to Aimee...

I think that I shall have to begin cultivating the affections of a duelist soon. I believe a new one has entered the duelists' circles; Zoe knows him. I have never been challenged before but Midoko was reading over my shoulder until I sent her away and she has the most peculiar impression that I've finally offended somebody. I can' think of a single intelligent individual who might see these words and be offended, though! I think that if I had not been born where I was, I might have become a duelist. I've even sword once, so, you see, we're not so different.

The Royal Tutor has only been in the capital for a year and already he has arranged to marry one in line for the throne. It makes me disappointed, because I rather liked him. I wonder how the Touraine feel about the marriage, though. They don't spend as much time in the capital as they used to, especially this year. I suppose they are too busy trying to arrange a war both with the Aten and with the Skye family. I really don't know what to think about the Duchy of Skye; it seems like something out of a dream, or a nightmare. I wonder how much farther His Grace's ambitions will progress...

I have heard that Ciarra Lacroix has returned from the dead. I suppose this is a sign that the Church has had access to Twilight Crux secrets much longer than any of use have expected. Why else would they have brought her back from the dead? And now she has raised a castle in the east to mirror the Touraine's magic castle in the west. Soon the Church will be raising a castle of their own and then there will be a chain of organic heaps of rock across the nation. That's almost as sinister as the walking dead. I do wonder what His Grace the Duke of Skye thinks of this, though. It must be a bitter draught to see one whose murder was worth the deaths of hundreds of your own people live again.

I do not wonder how our Crown Prince feels, though.

I was visiting Nene Minamet, Sadashi's widow, and her new daughter Saya this autumn. Nene is very fond of dogs and one of her favorite bitches had just given birth to an unseasonal litter of puppies, five of them. Apparently, that's quite a lot for this particular mountain breed, but of course some noble families are even more prolific than that. She offered me one but I'm not sure I have any idea how to raise a puppy. I shall have to think about it. I have heard that walking with a fine dog is an excellent way to attract attention from interesting people, however.

The Princess Consort has declared that Meiko Komaru is to be her Royal Physician. In my few encounters with her, I've found Meiko to be a charming and intelligent woman, friendly and preoccupied by her work. I can't imagine what she must have done to the Royal Family to be granted such a high honor - and a high responsibility, as she is on her deathbed. Her outrageous husband is around more as well, again. He looks very well, exactly as he did when I was a child. It's spooky to see a man with two five-year-old sons look no older than eighteen or so. I wonder what connection he has to his wife's ongoing illness. They say it was the Aten, but... I can't understand why she chose him. I also simply don't understand the Royal penchant for choosing those with questionable backgrounds for such a responsible role. I suppose that penchant is why Alessandro is the Crown Prince and I am a poor writer, though.

I was walking through the city this spring and I saw the children playing their games. One of them would chase the others around and when each child was tagged, that child would take hold of the one who tagged them and follow them around. I watched for a while and I wondered if any children still play the Bell Game. When I went to the royal gardens, the children there were playing at Royal Council; Adriana was her father with her long stick while Hideo was cloaked like a Veiled Guard. I suppose I approve. Games are, after all, practice for growing up.