by Ryan Kirk
The forest gradually turned into plains as Ryuu continued walking west. He knew if he kept going, he would eventually find woods again. As he expected, wanted posters started appearing, but they were few and far between, almost as though the effort to find him was half-hearted. He figured it was Akira’s doing. He had to hunt Ryuu to satisfy the terms of the treaty, but his heart wasn’t in it. Ryuu had taken the measure of Akira and found him to be an honorable man.
Ryuu had been on the road for almost a moon, and he figured he was less than a hundred leagues away from the hut. He hadn’t been moving fast, fear of his upcoming encounter with Moriko slowing his steps. But the day would come soon. He couldn’t put it off forever.
Evening was falling, and a brisk wind told him it would be cold tonight. Ryuu could already feel it in his bones. He looked for some small hollow or brush he could spend the night in. As evening fell, Ryuu saw the flicker of a fire off in the distance. He went towards it, hoping to share the warmth. When he approached, an older man invited him to join him by the fire. Ryuu gratefully accepted.
The old man was grizzled, long hair seeming to sprout at random from the tattered clothes that covered his body. He had the look of a man who had spent his life on the road, and Ryuu suspected the old man didn’t have a place he called home. Even so, the man was kind and generous, and Ryuu immediately took to him.
“Where are you traveling to, young man?”
Ryuu hid his half-lie behind a grin. “To the south and west.”
The old man shook his head. “Those are dangerous places. You would be better served to stay away.”
Ryuu frowned. “What do you mean?”
The old man eyed him warily. “You haven’t heard?”
Ryuu shook his head.
“There’s all sorts of strange happenings west and south of here. Mind you, I’ve only heard rumors, but when one hears the same rumors from many different places, it’s best to be wary. People say the roads aren’t safe anymore, that travelers have gone missing. One of the crazier rumors I’ve heard is that an entire village disappeared.”
Ryuu laughed. The old man had had him going for a moment. “Villages don’t disappear, friend.”
“No, but people do. The story I heard was from another traveler who had it from a village he’d been in. Apparently a little girl in the village went to sleep one night, and when she woke up the next morning the entire village was gone. Her parents, family, friends, everyone.”
Ryuu served them each a bowl of stew that had been cooking over the fire. After the days of cold traveling, the warm broth was a welcome relief. They ate in silence for a few moments and Ryuu tried to decide if the old man was pulling his leg or if there was truth to the story.
The old man spoke again. “Anyway, you can believe me if you want. I’m heading north, away from the rumors, but you have the look of a man who can take care of himself.”
Ryuu’s eyes darted to the old man, suspicious.
The old man chuckled to himself. “I may be old, but these eyes have seen more than yours, and they don’t miss much. You move silently, all the time, and that sword on your back isn’t hidden from anyone who can use their two eyes.”
Ryuu hesitated for a moment, wondering if he had walked into some sort of trap. But the eyes of the old man sparkled with mirth, and Ryuu accepted him at face value. He laughed softly and pulled his sword out and laid it by his side.
“You’ve sharp eyes, old man. I’ve traveled for hundreds of leagues and you’re the first who has noticed.”
The old man smiled. “People. They walk around all the time, but they don’t see anything, not really. If people would just slow down and open their eyes, they would see an entire world they didn’t know existed.”
Ryuu nodded. He felt the same way about the sense.
Maybe it was the fire, or maybe it was the obvious mirth of the old man, but Ryuu found himself relaxing for the first time in over a moon. “So tell me, old man, if you’re so observant. What do you see?”
The smile disappeared from the old man’s face, and Ryuu knew he was looking at the old man as he was, not as he often appeared to be. Ryuu was reminded of Tenchi, cycles and cycles of wisdom hidden behind a grinning face.
“You’re a warrior. The way you move can mean nothing else. But it’s really your eyes that give you away. They never stop, they’re always looking every direction. You’ve lived a life where you could be attacked at any moment. You’ve seen more than you should. There is little joy in your life at the moment, and if I had to guess, you are very lost.”
Ryuu gave a short grunt in response, and there was a moment of silence.
The old man broke it. “And now you must return the favor. What do you see?”
Ryuu studied the man carefully. Despite his age, he moved with grace and strength. He handled a knife with a dexterity beyond a commoner. Ryuu gazed into his eyes, and he knew that at one time this man had been very dangerous, a soldier or a spy or an assassin. But not any longer. The old man had come to find peace with whatever was in his past, but he was always on the move, pursued by a history he’d rather forget. The old man saw Ryuu’s gaze, and although Ryuu couldn’t say how, he knew that the old man was aware Ryuu had guessed his past. Ryuu smiled.
“I think you’re an old man who probably sees too much.”
The old man laughed and served seconds of the stew. Ryuu had always believed food tasted better with friends, and the stew was excellent.
The next morning dawned cold, but Ryuu awoke more refreshed than he had in ages. He and the old man had talked late into the night. The traveler was already up and packing. Ryuu bowed to him as they left.
“May your journey north be safe.”
The old man bowed in return. “And may you find peace.”
Ryuu chuckled softly as the old man turned and walked away. He had decided the old man was right about the rumors, and he wondered what he was walking towards.
2
Akira waited for Makoto and Mashiro to finish reading the documents. In front of them sat the final treaty which would merge the Southern Kingdom with the Western Kingdom. It was a long document, with hundreds of details which required close attention, and Akira fidgeted anxiously as he waited to hear what his two generals would think of it.
More than ever, Akira missed both Toro and Ryuu. The two of them couldn’t be more different, but the one personality trait they shared was that they would tell him the truth, unconcerned about their status in his eyes. Makoto and Mashiro would get there, someday, but they still thought of him as a lord first and a person second.
When they had both put down the papers, Akira questioned them. “What do you think?”
“You have negotiated generous terms,” Makoto answered.
Akira nodded. He agreed.
Mashiro, the more outspoken of the two, jumped in. “I don’t trust any of it. These terms are too good to be true. He’s allowing you to sit as second in line to the kingdom? And he’s allowing it to be named the Southern Kingdom? I fear your life will be over not long after the ink is dry.”
Makoto built on his friend’s comments. “I agree. The terms seem too good for a victor to agree to. Is he worried about your people uprising against him?”
Akira shook his head. “No, he isn’t that foolish. It’s the military he worries about. His forces outnumber ours, slightly, but with the orders for the First to return, the balance of power will shift. The First is our strongest army, and once they return, I could force his armies out of the kingdom. He knows his terms need to be generous for the alliance to work.”
Mashiro stood up. “If that’s the case, why don’t we just use the First and crush his armies?” He paced angrily.
Akira raised an eyebrow. “You know we can’t do that. If Toro’s reports are true, and I have no reason to doubt them, we can’t waste a single man on a civil war.”
“It doesn’t mean I need to like it. Your life will still be in danger.”
Akira sho
ok his head again. “Maybe someday, but not soon. If I die too soon after the treaty, it will be suspicious. He’ll need to keep me alive for a while, at least, if he wants this alliance to last. We have time.”
Makoto spoke softly. “What do you think Toro will do?”
It was Akira’s turn to stand up and pace the room. “I don’t know. I asked him to return, but I’ve received no reply. There is a blizzard in the pass threatening to close it early this cycle. I fear we may not hear what happened to the First.”
There was commotion outside Akira’s command tent. A messenger entered.
“The First has emerged from the pass, my lord. News just came from riders, still covered in snow. They barely made it through.”
Akira’s initial reaction was one of joy. It would be good to see Toro again. But the news also meant the pass would be undefended for the first time in over sixty cycles. Akira feared what next spring would bring.
The messenger continued. “There are letters from General Toro, my lord. He did not come through the pass with the First.”
Akira’s heart sank. He grabbed the letters from the messenger and dismissed him. Makoto and Mashiro watched in silence as Akira read the letters. He scanned them quickly and threw them to the ground in anger.
“That honorable fool!”
Silence settled over the small group as Akira raged. It was Makoto, the soft-spoken giant, who asked, “What happened, my lord?”
“He stayed behind with a few hundred soldiers to defend the retreat of the First. He knew they couldn’t hold the fort against the Azarians. They were getting picked off one by one by hunters. He sent the First back so they could better defend the kingdom, but he stayed behind, even though I asked him to return.”
No one spoke, honoring Toro’s memory with silence. He had been one of their best: experienced, thoughtful and strong.
Akira straightened up. “I’m going to need some time. Would you two ensure the First is given the same orders as the Second and the Third? Give them time to go home and rest. They will be needed soon enough. Find out how solid their command structure is. I’ll want recommendations for commanders in front of me before the treaty is signed.”
The two generals bowed low and left the tent. Akira scooped up the letters he had thrown down and organized them neatly. He wanted to throw them in the flames, but they were the last words from a man who was as close to a friend as a lord could have. He couldn’t bring himself to destroy them. Instead, he sat down and started reading them again, carefully, savoring every word. His eyes blurred with tears, but he wiped them away and kept reading.
Akira sat in the tent next to his own, looking down at one of the most beautiful women he had ever met. Today all he could see was her back, but even so, he still found her lovely. Her back was bare except for the makeshift bandages covering the deep cut that went across her spine and the back of her arm. Not only had the cut paralyzed her, it had also gotten infected. Several times a day Akira’s best healers came in and cared for her, but still he wasn’t sure if she would live or not. It had been almost a half moon since the attack, and still she clung tenuously to life.
Rei stirred slightly, and Akira knew she was awake.
“How do you feel?”
Rei turned her head to look at him. She grimaced at the pain the movement caused, but she didn’t cry out. She was strong, although her voice was soft.
“I’ve had better days.”
Akira smiled despite himself. Even in incredible pain, she still kept her attitude. He was humbled.
His thoughts were interrupted by her question. “How is your day going?”
“I’ve had better days.”
She laughed and then sucked in her breath. “Oh, that hurts.”
Akira continued, trying to distract her. “Tomorrow Tanak and I sign the treaty to join our two kingdoms. I know it is the right thing to do, but still the action pains me. It is a bitter task to give up my throne.”
“Perhaps, but it is the only thing you can do to save your people.”
A silence settled in the room. Akira had come here with purpose, but now that the moment was at hand, he found himself nervous.
“And what about you? What do you want to do next?”
Rei sighed. “I’m not sure. I miss my home, but there isn’t any way I can think of to get back, not without betraying the trust of my people. I fear I’ll never hold a sword again. It’s hard to admit, but I’ll need to find a new path for my life.”
“Any ideas?”
Rei moved her head just a little from side to side. “No. Being a warrior is all I’ve ever known. I’ve forgotten what other dreams I used to have.”
It was an impulse, but Akira blurted out, “You could stay here with me.”
Rei shook her head again. “A nightblade and a lord? Our time has been fun, and I wish it could be otherwise, but for the good of your kingdom we cannot continue. Also,” she gave a mischievous grin, “I’m paralyzed from the waist down, and don’t think I’d be as much fun as I once was.”
Akira knew she was right. He didn’t know what it was about Rei that made him take leave of his senses, but there was no way he could take a nightblade as a consort, much less a wife.
Akira stood up. “Rest well. I will come again before I leave to sign the treaty.”
Rei smiled. “Thank you, for all your care.”
Akira left the tent, thoughts wandering through his head, wondering how it had come to be the woman he cared for was a fugitive in his own kingdom.
The morning of the treaty signing dawned cold and cloudy. Akira worried that a storm was on the way. It was early for blizzards, but this season had all the marks of becoming one of the coldest in memory. Though it was only late fall, Akira was already bundled in layers of furs to keep himself warm. It had been a long time since he had felt so cold.
As Akira rode towards the field where the treaty would be signed, he realized he felt empty inside, as though giving away his kingdom meant giving away a part of himself. When he saw Tanak’s banners snapping in the wind, a surge of hatred ran through him. This was the man who had ordered the slaughter of thousands of Akira’s soldiers, the man who had broken a treaty which had protected the Three Kingdoms for over a thousand cycles.
As bitter as the task was, Akira had no choice but to move forward. The Azarians were a fearsome enemy, and he’d have to bury his hatred of Tanak to defend the people of his kingdom. He dismounted easily from his horse and motioned his honor guard to remain behind. The tent had been placed in the middle of an empty field, and while both Tanak and Akira had brought their personal troops with them, the soldiers stayed away. Rumors of the treaty signing had leaked out, and people were scattered around, watching the tent with curiosity. It was the first new treaty in over a thousand cycles.
Akira stepped into the tent alone and was immediately buffeted by the warmth of the space. Tanak had lit a fire and the tent was warm and cozy. Akira threw off his cloaks, grimacing in pain. When he tried to kill Ryuu, the nightblade had let him live, but his cuts had been deep. It still hurt to move.
“Akira.”
“Tanak.”
A tense silence hung in the tent, thick enough to cut. The two of them didn’t like each other, but this treaty was necessary. Akira moved further into the tent and sat next to Tanak.
“Do you find the terms for the treaty acceptable?”
Tanak nodded. “I do.”
“Should we get this over with then?”
Tanak shook his head. “You may remember that part of our agreement was that you would kill the nightblade in your camp. I see you didn’t bring any heads with you.”
Akira silently stripped off his shirt, displaying the giant red scars that crossed his chest. “I honored our word. I said I would try to kill him myself. However, he left me alive. He escaped, but my men are hunting him. I have done all I can to fulfill the terms of our agreement.”
Tanak sat and stared at Akira for a long time. Akira had a hard
time believing Tanak would throw everything away over the fate of one nightblade. His invasion forces had retreated, a ways at least, and with the First up from the pass, Akira had more troops than Tanak in the kingdom. Time had passed and tables had turned. It was too late for Tanak to order Akira around, and he knew it.
“You wanted to die, didn’t you?”
Akira glanced up, surprised at the question. He met Tanak’s gaze. “I am the first lord to have lost his kingdom to invasion in the history of the Three Kingdoms. I am dishonored.”
Tanak weighed Akira’s answer. “And now?”
“The Azarian threat needs to be dealt with. Once I am certain my people are safe and well-governed, I may once again seek the Great Cycle. But until then, I am needed.”
Tanak considered Akira’s response. After a few moments of silence a smile broke out on his face and he started laughing. “Akira, you are too much. I will say this for you, your precious honor has been a great help to me.”
Tanak looked over the treaties one last time. There were three copies. One for each kingdom and one for the monasteries. It was only a moment’s work, but Tanak signed them all and turned them over to Akira. Akira scanned them himself, making sure the key terms of the treaty were unchanged, but everything looked to be in place. He held the quill in his hand, hesitating at the last moment.
Tanak watched with interest, but Akira was glad he kept his silence. If the other lord had said anything it might have been too much for Akira. With a single stroke he would give away his entire kingdom, the work of his entire life. But there was no other way. He signed the papers, and the Western Kingdom and the Southern Kingdom became one new kingdom. It would still be called the Southern Kingdom, but it wasn’t the land he was born or raised in. It was something new, and hopefully stronger.