Episode 18: Valentin's Heirs
The ripples that spread from a momentary choice can last a thousand years.
In the east, a great white jackal finds a dying man in the desert. With his last breath, he curses the wetlanders who have driven him from his home. With His first breath, He seeks vengeance upon them.
In the north, a rain of lead spatters against a stone wall that coruscates with orange light. From its battlements, a lone figure swathed in red looks down upon a great army, his face concealed behind an impassive demon's mask.
In the south, children dance in a wasteland of broken glass, their voices raised in song to a tower of obsidian crystal.
In the west, a man with hands of frost and flame dies in his house of spiraling thorns, before it too shatters and becomes his tomb.
The ripples that spread from a simple impulse can reach across the ages.
* * *
Armando Cuvier kneels before Alain-Yoshito Bellatrix. "Though my folk have wandered for ages, it need not always be so. If Your Grace would grant me this honor, I would be a fool to refuse it."
The Marquis of Abbelaine inclines his head approvingly. "Then let your example serve to inspire your people to the glory they once held. I name thee Armando Jitani, Baron of Whisperrun. Serve me well."
Armando bows his head, but his face shines with pride. "I will, Your Grace, as long as blood runs within my veins. I so swear."
* * *
"Most of all, I think I miss seeing the stars in the nighttime sky."
The lacquered rail is cold against her skin as she grips it. Winter is early this year, and a light fall of snow covers the rooftops of Komaru City, spreading a blanket of white before her from her hilltop vista. The view is beautiful, but overhead there is only Lucien's pale glow against a sea of blackness.
Her brother shifts beside her, listening patiently as she fails to lie to him. "There are still stars, Adry. They're just hidden behind the mountains." He turns and leans against the rail, pointing to the southeast, to distant Ishiki. "We could go there, you know. If you want to see the stars, we can go to the mountains, to the old capital. Mother couldn't refuse that."
She makes a particularly unregal face at him. "You're so naive. Of course she won't refuse it, but it won't keep her from bringing up you know what again. If she's so fond of that Minamet boy, she should just marry him herself."
Hideo laughs, gratifying her. "I don't think I'd count on that happening any time soon. Mother misses Father very much. She's trying very hard to do what she thinks he'd expect of her, and that includes finding you a husband. Besides, Kuro Minamet isn't your only choice."
Years of etiquette schooling are designed to prevent the Crown Princess from making the noise she uses to greet that suggestion. "I would sooner marry a Yuasa sheep than someone twice as old as me! I am the Crown Princess of Komaru, in the name of the Light!"
"The Light is entirely the problem. With the Minamet defying the Church and now raising little idols or whatever it is they're doing, it's no wonder the Church is supporting a cooperative Yuasa. If you marry a Minamet while they still stand against the Church, well," he spreads his hands helplessly.
"Clearly, my only recourse is spinsterhood." She sighs, her breath swirling about her face in the chill air. "According to the stories, I am supposed to have handsome boys half my age seek my hand for the power my favor will grant them, not be married off to some geriatric goat-herding schemer from the hill country!"
"I'm sure that if you'd expressed your preference for seven year olds a little sooner, mother could have obliged you."
She finds herself sputtering with outrage, and considers throwing him off the tower. "That's disgusting. Father never had this problem-"
"You know that's not true. Father had to marry Mother."
"When he was as old as Dante Yuasa!"
"But when he was Crown Prince, and when there was no clear heir in line for the throne."
"There is a clear heir, though. Her Grace is a fine Royal Heir. If I were to die today-"
Hideo snaps, "Don't say such things."
She's pleased to have him on the defensive, "No, really. I could jump off this-"
"Stop it, Adriana."
"Or we could run off to the countryside and live like peasants. Except I hear Glory Touraine already did that, so I'd have to come up with something better-"
"Stop it!" The note of injury in his voice brings her up short.
She sighs. "You know I never would, Hideo, but I lie awake at night dreaming of what my life might be like if I were just Adriana, not the Crown Princess. I'm sure peasant girls do the same but dream of being me. But still..."
Hideo reaches out and pats her hand. "Adry, Mother has the kingdom's interests in mind. She worries about the succession, she worries about Father's dream, and she worries about you. And I think everyone worries about the End Times, about the black sky-"
"What about you, Hideo? What do you worry about? What do you want? What do you want for me?" The question is sudden, sharp. She pins him with it, her eyes imploring him for the truth.
Hideo meets her gaze, taken by surprise. He begins to speak, but then pauses, his lips pinched in uncertainty. She knows the expression, knows that it means he is discovering that he has an answer within himself, one of the sourceless revelations that make him so different, so special. But she has never before been the one to cause him to hesitate, and she feels a new tightness around her heart. She seizes his hand in her own, and presses it against her cheek. "Oh, Hideo," she gasps, "don't hide from me, not me of all people. You know me better than anyone. Just tell me, please, whatever it is? Please?"
She feels all of the strength drain out of him, and he stumbles, a tired boy, towards her. Half a step, and he stops, his golden eyes moist with tears. "Oh, Adriana," he sighs, and she can feel the warmth of his breath on her face, see herself reflected in his eyes. She is teetering at the edge of a precipice, her heart racing, her blood like fire in her veins. She knows he feels it too; she can feel his pulse racing where she holds his hand against her cheek.
Suddenly, he is strong again, resolute. He steps close to her, but pulls his hand from hers to raise it to the sky, pointed towards the blackness. "You say you miss the stars, but when I look to the sky I see a fire that drowns out even their light." His hand moves hers, tracing an arc from the northeast to the far south. "It dances and sparkles in the sky, like hunger itself. And yet I never feared it. But now," he entwines his fingers with her own, and points to the peak of the sky itself, "there I see true emptiness. Nothing. And that I cannot comprehend at all."
It is a gift, a view into his uniqueness, but she knows it is something else as well. She looks to where their hands point, and sees only darkness. She thinks for a moment, and then leans against him, asking only a simple question, "Can you show me the fire?"
Behind her, Hideo smiles sadly, and says, "I don't know. But I can try, if you are patient."
"Of course, my brother. Of course."
* * *
The lacquered box is entirely too large.
It is her first hint that something unexpected is about to happen, and it is enough to rouse her to full vigilance. She takes a deep breath, and pushes the annoyance and exhaustion she feels aside, laughing inwardly at the thought that the Royal Tutor would be pleased with her attentiveness.
The great doors of the Hall of Kings groan as they are flung open, and when the force of their parting slams them into the marble-sheathed walls of the hall, the sound of the impact rings through the great chamber. At the forefront of the procession that steps through the doorway stands Lucien Skye, a towering figure in a flowing cloak of blue and gold.
As Lucien Skye walks across the hall towards her, his family follows close behind him. Her training keeps her countenance benign and regal as they kneel and curtsey before her, showing their respect to her while her heralds begin the litany of honor that has brought them here today. While the heralds speak, she studies the family that, by sunset, will lose its name and assume another.
Foremost, of course, is Lucien Skye himself. He has grayed over the years, but has lost none of the stature she remembers from her youth. She can remember her father's face more clearly when she looks at his, and knows that once, they were close, like true brothers. Most of all, she sees his strength, his power. She knows that she fears him, but she is wise enough to not let it show.
Beside him kneels his legendary wife, Glory Touraine. Even understanding the magic of the Castle of the Sea, she still finds it startling to see how the current of time has parted around her. With her sea-green eyes, her coppery ringlets, she seems scarcely older than the first of her daughters. Yet where Lucien's wife has escaped age, she has not avoided infamy. She knows all of the names that surround her: witch, temptress, poisoner, oath breaker. She remembers that her father loved Glory once as well.
Next come their celebrated, ubiquitous daughters. For the past two years, they have been the talk of the capital, a great brood of beautiful girls drawing ever nearer the age of majority. She has met the elder sisters in the course of the social whirl that surrounds her, and has memories of each: Serenity, a year younger than she, surrounded by boys clamoring to dance with her; Verity Touraine, standoffish and distant, even from her sisters; Victoria, turning her nose up at the fiance chosen for her at her birth; Alessa, who fumbled to speak to her while Hideo won an archery tournament in her name; and even young Lucilla, who hated her with a child's purity. There are others as well; she sees them in the arms of their maids, Mei, Fiona, and Glory, and by the swell of their mother's stomach, she can tell that there will soon be another. She has met them all, but the walls between her family and theirs rise too high for her to say that she truly knows them. But they have come, every single one, to witness their family's triumph.
The heralds finish speaking, and she rises. She draws forth the Royal Sword, and its light envelops her as she raises it into the air and speaks, "In the name of the Crown of Komaru, I, Adriana Komaru, Crown Princess of this realm, do hereby recognize you, Lucien, as the son of the late Crown Prince Valentin Komaru, and thus as an heir to the throne of Komaru. By the blood that binds our kingdom together, I command you to uphold the name with honor. Accept from my hands your crown, Lucien Komaru, Prince of Komaru."
He rises, his eyes never leaving hers. The ferocity she sees in them is enough to overwhelm her, but in this place she is queen. She sheathes the great blade, and opens the lacquered box. Within sit two crowns.
She fluidly takes one, speaks the ritual words, and crowns Lucien as a prince, peer to her own brother. But she sees that Lucien has also seen the second crown, spied its delicate arcs and graceful lines. She knows that he is wondering, even as she is, at its presence there. It takes every ounce of her will not to look from it to Lucien's wife; she can tell from his expression that it is what he expects - what he commands. But somehow she resists him.
She raises her voice, lets it carry across the hall, "Rise now, Your Highness, and let-"
She never finishes the sentence, for at that moment the doors of the Hall of Kings thunder open again.
The sound stuns the crowd for a moment, but then an uncertain murmur rises among the assembled lords and ladies of Komaru. Outside the doors, she sees the Royal Guard kneeling, but with pikes crossed in front of a group of nobles in Sone colors. She only has a moment to wonder at this, because not all of the nobles have been halted at the door.
She recognizes Cole Soieko at once; she has seen him looking uncomfortable and annoyed in Midoko Komaru's company at more than one Royal gathering. She notes that he has been allowed to keep his sword, and then turns her attention to the unfamiliar woman he follows closely behind, and the horde of children trailing behind her.
Seeing the woman, she feels an inexplicable shock of familiarity. She wears a flowing gown of golden silk trimmed with ivory, and the golden jewelry that sparkles in her blood-colored hair is the same color as her almond-shaped eyes. As she meets those eyes, she realizes why the woman seems so familiar: she sees them every time she looks into a mirror.
The woman strides boldly up to the foot of her throne, and then kneels before it with striking grace. "Your Royal Highness," she pronounces, her voice filling the hall, "forgive my interruption, but I could find no better time. I am Mirabelle Komaru, your father's elder sister."
The Crown Princess is stunned, and so is everyone else within the hall. Behind her, she hears her mother rise from her seat and begin to speak. But it is Lucien - Prince Lucien Komaru - who breaks the silence. "Oh, really? How astonishing for you to turn up now after nearly thirty years of absence. I don't suppose you have some evidence that you are who you claim to be."
Behind her, Cole Soieko snickers coldly, and passes the woman a crumpled piece of metal. The woman holds it in front of Lucien's face for a moment, but pulls it out of his reach when he grabs for it. Lucien's expression turns black, and his fingers drop fractionally towards the blade at his hip. The movement stops when Cole Soieko clears his throat loudly in Lucien's direction. She sees it all, but the woman seems oblivious. She simply passes the object over with a curtsey, "Here, Your Royal Highness. I believe you might recognize this."
She examines it. It is heavier than she expected, and she can see that some of its settings still hold jewels. However, it is practically flattened, its once graceful circle now a doubled-over arc. Suddenly, she understands the box, the second crown, the drama playing out before her and beyond her control. Part of her writhes with fury at being manipulated, but she has been a pawn all her life. Here, at least, she sees a chance to play a part in an entirely new game. She speaks, "It is the shattered remains of the crown of a princess of Komaru. If this is true, then this is a welcome day indeed, for it seems I have gained both an uncle and an aunt. Kneel, my aunt, and let me grant you a new crown, restoring what was so long believed lost."
She takes the second crown, vowing silently to herself to identify the Sone spy who placed it there, and places it upon Mirabelle's brow. She again speaks the formalities, and when she finishes, she bids both Lucien and Mirabelle to rise and receive their accolades.
The lords and ladies applaud politely, but their uncertainty has blunted their enthusiasm. She is unsurprised when Lucien speaks in the silence that follows. "If Your Royal Highness accepts her identity for now, that is enough for me. And yet I still find myself wondering why you have chosen this moment to return, my newly-discovered sister."
Mirabelle smiles, and her words are parry and riposte to Lucien's accusations, "My brother, while he lived, did not need my existence hanging as a cloud over his reign. So, I remained cloistered, pleasantly pursuing my time with scholarly studies while the Sone sheltered me. I have married, I have been a mother, and now I am a widow. But I have seen that my time for reflection is past, for the Crown now faces threats from both within," she marvels at the serene gaze Mirabelle directs at storm-faced Lucien, "and without. If the power of the Crown of Komaru is to be maintained, I could not remain apart for the world. It is my hope that I can be of some service to Her Royal Highness."
As she listens to Mirabelle speak, an idea strikes her, and she smiles openly at the thought of it. "Pray then, let the Crown give you both a chance to be of service to it. To celebrate your presence, I bid you speak on how the Crown can better serve its kingdom. Ask a boon, and I will grant it. Please, Prince Lucien, speak first, as this day was first yours."
Lucien's eyes burn into her, but she feels giddy. He then turns to the nobility and speaks, "My boon is not for myself, but for the people of Komaru. You may have heard of the Collegium of Althea. I ask that the Crown grant an entitlement of money to the Collegium that will allow it to triple its staff of instructors and students within a decade, thereby spreading wisdom, the Light's truest gift, to all of the Kingdom of Komaru."
She inclines her head and speaks, "It is granted." She is pleased, twice so when she realizes he could have asked that Serenity be engaged to her brother. She glances briefly at the breathtakingly beautiful younger girl, and feels a brief moment of envy for her and her freedom. She resolves to request a new wardrobe of court gowns as soon as the day concludes, and turns to Mirabelle. "And you, Your Highness? What boon would you request?"
The elder woman smiles and curtseys again. "Like my brother, I ask a boon not for myself, but for the people of Komaru. I have heard tales from the Minamet that in the days of old, a Royal Champion watched over the Crown, guarding her against all harm. With our land so plagued by trouble," and the Crown Princess thrilled to see Mirabelle again glance deliberately at Lucien, "it seems like a tournament to determine a Royal Champion would bring us all more closely together, and having a noble warrior in such a position would do much to ensure your safety. I would, in truth, be happy to organize such a thing myself."
She smiles radiantly at Mirabelle's request. The naming of a Royal Champion had been brought before her before, of course, but plans had remained vague, particularly in the face of the Church's present crusade against the Minamet family. To have a Royal Princess organizing the matter solved that problem entirely. "Your boon is granted, Your Highness, with pleasure. Is there anything more?" It is impulsive, she knows, but she cannot help it, for she is caught in the lady's charismatic spell.
Mirabelle serenely returns her smile. "Yes, one last thing. I wish to introduce you to your cousins. These are my children." The introductions leave a swirl of impressions: Himiko, older than her and beautiful like her mother; pale-eyed Yuki, whose name makes Victoria Skye-Victoria Komaru, now - start and stare, then look angrily away; Yaeko and Ryoichi, the youngest, twins like her and Hideo.
Then she starts. "Wait. Marius - Marius Sone?" The boy in question looks up, an embarrassed expression on his face. "Weren't you one of the boys being paraded in front of me?" She is not being queenly, she realizes, but it's a topic that brings out the worst in her.
Mirabelle tips her head in apology. "He was, I am sorry to say. Your Royal Highness may not be aware of it, but you are quite the beautiful young woman, and my son is quite smitten with you. Against my better judgment, he asked the Sone family to see if you might think well enough of him to accept his engagement." She flicks her eyes briefly to Marius, who is slowly turning purple and making faint strangled noises, before continuing to address the Crown Princess. "For my part, I consider any serious engagement at your age preposterous, but my son was not to be swayed. While a princess may have to marry in time, she should first have the chance to find a life for herself."
Mirabelle's smile weaves magic about her, and she feels a surge of irresistible happiness. She knows that the other woman is as much a threat to her as Lucien, but she is fascinated by her nevertheless. Mirabelle's strength, her mystery, her sheer existence is a wonder: perhaps, perhaps, she has found herself another ally.
She cannot wait to tell Hideo all about it.
* * *
Armando Cuvier stumbles before his murderer's feet, his hands clutched across the sticky wetness that is spreading from his opened gut. "Why, brother? Why must it be like this?"
His brother weaves his fingers into Armando's hair, and pulls his head back. "Because you are a fool. Because you do not understand the doom veiled in the false glory you seek. Because the Jitani should remain dead."
Armando gasps in pain, and already the sun's light dims. "I do not understand."
The blade slices through his throat cleanly, and his brother mourns for a moment as the empty husk that was Armando spills its blood across the castle floor. "I am sorry, brother. But you are the fortunate one."
An hour later, the servants enter Armando's chamber. There, they find his corpse, and a message written in his blood.
FOR SOME CRIMES THERE CAN NEVER BE ATONEMENT.
* * *
To the bravest of the brave,
To the noblest of the noble,
The Crown Princess of Komaru calls forth across the land for the finest and most honorable of Komaru's heroes to gather at the Royal Capital, there to compete in tournament for the title of Royal Champion. All are welcome, peasant and noble alike, save that they display the grace and courtesy due to Her Royal Highness and show willingness to do sport for Her honor and their own. The tournament shall be fought in the Royal Capital on midsummer's day, and all are welcome to gather to pay audience to its spectacle.
Long live the Crown Princess!
The ripples of a queen's decision can rise and fall like the tide, but never entirely fade away.